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watermelonsloth · 8 months

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Hinata Jumping into the Pain Pit is Weirdly Executed

The Pain Arc is among my favorites, but something’s been bothering me about it; Hinata jumping in to save Naruto before she gets folded by the Deva path. Not the fact that she did it(I think it’s a really nice way for her to overcome her anxiety) or even the scene itself, but the fact that it was her.

To me, Hinata’s role in the arc feels very disconnected. She has no presence at the start of the arc. She doesn’t comfort Naruto after Jiraiya’s death, she certainly has no connections to Pain/Nagato or Konan, she has no relevancy in the question about world peace, and I don’t even remember her making a passing appearance. When Pain attacked, she didn’t take out one of the paths or anything(again I don’t remember her even appearing). Then she suddenly has all of the attention on her as she jumps in, proclaims her love, and gets “killed,” which causes Naruto to flip his shit. Then, she’s back to being near irrelevant. Kakashi carries Naruto back, Sakura hugs him, Hinata makes a brief appearance to show she’s alive, and the arc ends. She doesn’t say anything to him, Naruto isn't especially relieved to see she’s alive, and the confession is never addressed.

Do you see why I think this is a weird decision?

She has one moment of relevancy and then she fucks off until the war arc where she will once again have a brief moment to matter before the epilogue. This decision gets even weirder when you take in the bigger picture. For the scene, Kishimoto needed a liked character with an established relationship with Naruto to futilely jump into save him before getting “killed” by Pain. That character’s “death” would cause Naruto to lose control of the nine-tails, resulting in Naruto meeting Minato and yada yada yada you get the point. (Bonus points if that character jumping in progresses that character’s arc.) Now, I’m not saying Hinata doesn’t meet the criteria, but there were certainly better options. To list a few:

Sakura Haruno was literally right there. She is the primary heroine and love interest of the Naruto franchise. She wasn’t a focus character in the Pain arc, but she was at least present. In early shippuden, it was established that she was insecure about being unable to help Naruto in bigger ways. It was also established that she wanted to help Naruto fight back against the Akatsuki. Moments before the Pain Pit scene, Sakura was shown screaming for Naruto’s help so her having a moment of desperately realizing that someone has to help before turning the tables would’ve been a nice scene. Sakura “dying” would mean that Naruto wasn’t just pushed over the edge by seeing another friend die, but by pretty much losing the last member of the original team 7. I could go on about it being in character for her to do and her saying her choice to step in is selfish would be nice foreshadowing to her later actions in the Five Kage Summit arc and her hugging Naruto at the end of the arc would not only be more impactful but make more sense, but this post is long enough already.

Shikamaru Nara would’ve been a nice segway to becoming Naruto’s right hand man later. He was already one of the most present characters in the arc(helping decode Jiraiya’s code and Naruto moving forward) and it would justify the amount of screen time he’s given in both the arc and the manga. I like Shikamaru as much as the next guy, but it is odd how he’s given disproportionately more character depth and growth than the other tertiary characters despite contributing little to the greater themes of the series and stories of the main characters. Him participating in such a major moment would not only make the prior screen time make more sense but him protecting Naruto specifically could be an alternative start of him choosing to become Naruto’s advisor/assistant. Granted, him jumping in wouldn’t be very “protect the king” or “200 iq” of him, so his decision would have to be justified somehow or lead to some sort of character change.

Iruka Umino would’ve been a gut punch. I’m biased and I love Iruka, but sometimes a story needs to twist the knife and this is literally the arc’s darkest hour. He got a little screen time prior to the attack when he comforted Naruto, Iruka’s death was already teased when the Deva path nearly killed him while he was trying to protect someone, and he appears again at the arc’s finale. Iruka “dying” would, at least temporarily, make Shikamaru telling Naruto about the old generation protecting the new all the more grim. The scene could also be a nice call back to chapter one of the series. I’d also like to add that, while any of Naruto’s friends dying would’ve set him off considering the amount of buildup, him reacting so extremely to Iruka “dying” would’ve been undeniably an in character response and it would’ve added at least a little more weight to him choosing to forgive Nagato.

I think I’ve made my case why, without changing anything outside of who jumps in, at least three other characters would’ve made more sense narratively. So, why Hinata? I have two theories as to why Kishimoto thought he should choose Hinata.

1. Kishimoto originally planned to do something more with her character, but ultimately didn’t. Maybe the editors stepped in, maybe he changed his mind, who knows? Not me. I wasn’t there and even if I was, I’m not fluent in Japanese. This would explain both her stepping in specifically and her actually confessing her feelings, but neither being mentioned or relevant again(save for the one movie). It’s also possible that her encouraging Naruto after Neji’s death was that “something more” but it was just awkwardly executed.

2. Hinata is meant to be thematically relevant in the grand scheme of things.

Remember when I said Hinata didn’t have any relevancy in regards to the larger question about world peace? That wasn’t wholly accurate. To explain why, I have to explain the thematic conflict of the Naruto series very quickly.

The series is packed with commentary on humanity, but the thematic question most relevant to what I’m talking about(and arguably the franchise) is “Is it possible for people to understand each other?” (This is specifically in relation to conflict resolution.) This is why talk no jutsu exists, this is why Naruto and Sasuke’s rivalry is so relevant, and this is why the resolution of Naruto is international alliances rather than systematic change or whatever alternative plot resolution people where expecting. This question is lingering in the background since Part 1, but it’s first vocalized in the Pain arc when Nagato asks Naruto if he thinks world peace is possible(which is a stand in for the thematic question of if he thinks two people understanding each other is possible). Naruto answers that he doesn’t know but he’ll find out then spends the rest of the story doing just that. The Five Kage Summit arc is him finding an answer(only if the anger/hatred which would normally cause conflict is directed at a single target), the War arc is him reevaluating that answer once he sees it fail when put into practice(the infinite tsukuyomi/Obito/Madara), and the Valley of the End/Ending is the presentation of the final conclusion(yes). There’s more to it than that and the discussion of how well the theme was executed and if the conclusion was accurate is still open, but all of that is irrelevant in this discussion.

What does Hinata have to do with this? Simple, Hinata is integral in both Naruto reevaluating his answer in the first place and the conclusion he comes to. Naruto treats a large chunk of the war arc like a personal conflict. To him, it’s less of a world war and more of a “Naruto vs Obito/Tobi/Madara.” Because of that, he’s done whatever he can to shoulder all of the weight of the war. However, Neji dying for his sake was like a personal failure. Naruto, unsurprisingly, began to crumble at that failure(with the help of Obito’s taunts). Hinata snaps him out of it(slaps him out of it?) and reminds him of his ninja way. Specifically, she tells him that his conviction to protect his friends is shared by all of the shinobi there. She tells him that it’s not shared hatred or pain that connects all shinobi, it’s the love they have for their comrades(as cheesy as that might sound). That’s all to say that Kishimoto may have chosen Hinata to enter the Pain Pit to connect her to the theme that she’ll later be an impactful player in forwarding. By having her face off against the antagonist that brings the theme to the forefront, it makes her transition into her later role smoother.

However, I still think the execution was weird and the product we ultimately got leaves something to be desired. This isn’t to say that the Pain arc is ruined by this scene by any means—I wouldn’t blame you for thinking this is a nitpick—but I’m still bothered by it. Hindsight is 20/20, but even without hindsight I think the scene could’ve been better. Kishimoto should’ve either chosen a character other than Hinata to jump in and connect Hinata to the theme in some other way(or use the character she’s replaced by if you want to completely scrap her) or he should’ve given her more time to be present in the Pain arc.

#Hinata Hyuga #Naruto Uzumaki #Naruto #naruto shippuden #Pain Arc #Sakura Haruno #Shikamaru Nara #Iruka Umino #They’re only briefly mentioned but whatever #Rambling #Rant #Sort of kind of #It’s not really a rant #Naruto dissection #Analysis #Naruto analysis #my stooff

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tothedarkdarkseas · 11 months

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Unfinished WIP

Hi all. So a while back I had plans for a fic comprised of standalone scenes strung together, akin to Ampersands a bit, taking place across different months and years. It was “a history of Murdoc in knickers,” or a look at how his relationship to wearing knickers (and gendered clothing overall) began, and his tumultuous inter-band relationships seen through that lens, before and including Stu.

At this point, it seems unlikely I’ll ever go back and finish it. I’m sorry for that, I wish I could keep the motivation and momentum going, but... barring an exciting comeback phase with Gorillaz that makes this content feel a bit more relevant, I just can’t help but imagine we’ve reached the end of something.

I’ve still got a little flame in my heart so I’m not exactly putting it out to pasture, but I thought, in case it never happens-- maybe you might like the beginning? Alright, enough chatter, sorry this is clunky and unedited!

The first time is a joke. There’s halogen heat on his skin, and gin-rancid men shouting slurs from the edge of frame, and a paste of speed and sweat under the nail on his waving middle finger. The stage is small, it’s nothing, it’s a treestump in swampland swallowing schoolboys’ shoes and breeding tetanus in return, but it doesn’t feel it. In satin he feels like he’s finding the sun.

He’s wearing knickers. And it’s a joke.

The music scene in Stoke is incredibly dull and borderline incestuous, exchanging members from one drain-circling pub rock outfit to the next, every Gary and Marvin swapping caps and guitars until the lineup works its way back ‘round again. It’s enough thrill for them, the endless circling, but Murdoc isn’t compelled by a closed course. Thank fuck there are thousand-watt bulbs among the duds, sloe-eyed boys with teeth enough to push up front and smoke-smelling riot girls, all of them spitting sparks and catching onstage. It’s hell to know one, but a fire gives off light, at least.

He knows this better than most, because Murdoc catches like a tinderbox. Patchouli Clark had flamed out in miserable mockery, his comp tab revoked when it became clear he well outdrank the old cunts throwing bottles at the stage to stop his wailing. His voice is raw and tuneless, less Dylan and Waits than it is a peeling of metal from metal, a sort of aural demolition in progress. Having a habit makes it all the worse, words piling up behind the tongue scraping his gums; if he’s even brought his bass, his playing is erratic and stop-start, metered by the squeals of amp feedback. On a manic night, he splits the skin of his eyelid around the mic stand when he beckons an angry punter onstage and two more follow. There’s blood caked from his brow to the fold of his nostrils, so the air smells sickly of Buckfast and coins when they drag him out. His left eye never really matches the right again after.

Bullworker is the same, only it overlaps with another in between that he can’t even remember the name of. The writing is on the wall again. By now he knows the message well. Maybe it’s simpler when the poet is pretty, when they’re gold-throated and gracious. Maybe it’s the reason the stage was built.

The audience loves you, and you love them for loving you. Love that sees you cloaked in light. Love that never knows the dark.

The audience hates him. The kick is that he likes that, really. He didn’t walk to school with raw, red-sticky heels from his brother’s castoff shoes because people liked him; he didn’t break his nose, knuckles, two ribs and a collarbone before semester’s end because people liked him; he didn’t trade a darling yellow knapsack of stolen medication for a blanket and a spot by the radiator because people liked him. He’s here because he knows that having is born of taking. Murdoc has the audience– when he pulls the mic stand between his knees, presses it hard to his groin as he brays and feels another voyeur wince, he gets what he came for.

#fic post #sort of kind of #warning for young-murdoc-typical stuff

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teddybasmanov · 2 years

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Me: *dreamily smiling in public*. People: Wonder what he thinks about? Me, thinking: Damien is so passionate about the rights of others.

#redacted asmr #sort of kind of #incorrect quotes #I mean this literally happened

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beast-feast · 2 years

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Feels like ass remembering

#persona #vent art #sort of kind of #implied selfshipping #majin sonic

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dougielombax · 6 months

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I wonder what the largest shellfish is?

Edit: Okay this post is getting a LOT of traction. What is going on?

Edit: Fucking hell.

This post has set off a fucking MINEFIELD!!!

What have I DONE????!!!!!

I’ve lit the blue touch paper and found there’s nowhere to run to!

I’ve summoned a wolf only to unleash a tiger!!!!! Made of fire! And nails.

Probably….

Idk.

Edit 2: 5,000 Notes! Good god! What the HELL do you want from me. I’ve never had a post of mine take off like this until now.

Some got close like the one about homeowner associations (fucking powertripping middle aged mediocrities!) which got at least 1.5k notes but this is the most I’ve gotten on a single post so far.

Anyway.

AND this post has officially gone to hell. (6,666 notes)

Edit: 8,000 notes! Holy shit!

Edit: 9,000 notes!!!

Edit: 10,000 notes!!!!!!!!!

Edit: 15,000 notes!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Edit: 20,000 Notes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WHO THE HELL TURNED OFF THE REPLY THREAD FOR THE REBLOGS?!

Okay never mind it’s back. For now at least.

Anyway.

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egophiliac · 26 days

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bring back zooterkins, the best 17th-century swear word

I don't normally do Just Characters Swearing, but. ...this kind of wrote itself and then wouldn't leave my head. it comes from both a piece of character-writing advice that has always stuck with me, and also my conviction that Leona is 1000% funnier as a character if his dialogue has to stay G-rated. let Kalim say fuck, but don't let Leona say bastard.

(I'm sorry)

#art #twisted wonderland #(sort of atemporally somewhere between episodes 6 and 7?)#(i - i wanted that lilia joke okay)#long post #tumblr went 'you can post up to 30 images now :)' and i was like well okay then #anyway once again i'm sorry #i'd say i don't know why i did this but actually it is because i wanted kalim to scandalize everyone #i tried to keep it...you know...tasteful. a tasteful amount of fucks.#hey remember how the framing premise for the original birthday interviews was that yuu worked for the school paper #because i have never forgotten. in my head they are still getting up to all kinds of wacky reporting hijinks.

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ink-the-artist · 7 months

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Video game I saw in a dream. It was in this low poly style like an older video game. You play as this character I think was meant to be a lamb, or maybe a weird mix of a lamb a mouse and a rabbit, (while not really looking like any of those things) and you’re running away from a wolf. Your objective is to last as long as possible before the wolf catches and eats you.

The house you’re running in is endless and bizarrely put together like most building interiors in dreams are (like the infinite toilet dream dimension on Reddit lol) the layout of the house is pretty detailed, you can stop and hide in places like closets or bins while the wolf looks for you, you can go up and down stairs and into rooms etc.

You never actually know where the wolf is or how close it is to you until it appears in your line of sight, it makes no noise and the game gives you no way of knowing where it is, and it’s pretty unpredictable it doesnt move at a consistent pace. When the wolf catches you there’s an animation showing it eating your character

#the actual animation of the wolf eating your character wasnt scary he kind of just cartoonishly swallows the character whole lol #the scary part is being pursued by him and never knowing how close he is #i remember being surprised when i first saw the game bc it was presented to me as #a fun addictive sort of game kinda like a mobile app game #and then i see it and its a horror game and the creators are just completely oblivious to it lmao #dream art #<- thats my tag for all my dream-inspired art #art #gif #photomanipulation #digital art #liminal #weirdcore #used a mix of ai photos and regular photos for this one #the ai stuff is sooooo good for recreating what a dream looks and feels like #but i didnt use it too much bc i wasnt able to get the specific photos i wanted :/#hmmmm this is vore isn’t it

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teddybasmanov · 1 year

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Respect for all the native English speakers who listen to flirty roleplays in their mother tongue and talk about feelings in their mother tongue and read and write and listen to porn in their mother tongue.

I could never do that.

#asmr roleplay #audio roleplay #sort of kind of #prompted by me finally getting too curious and trying to listen to that guy who makes M4M Genshin roleplays in Russian #and not being ale to get into literally thirty seconds because it feels too real and a guy would not bloody say that to me

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