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inbarfink · 1 month

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I think a lot about the Concept of ‘choices that matter’ in video games. Like, in terms of what it is that makes a choice ‘really matter’, what do we perceive as a choice that matters or has a consequence, how do different games with different amounts of branching or non-branching storylines play with those ideas… Especially because Undertale is one of my favorite games of all time, and it has often been hyped as ‘a game where your choices REALLY matter’ and… honestly, I dunno if all of this hype was fully conducive to Undertale. Because the way it handles the concept of Video Game Choices is actually a lot more interesting and complex than that simplistic descriptor makes it seem.

Because Undertale actually has a lot of choices that ‘don’t really matter’! Lots of dialogue choices and silly little decisions that on a first playthrough seem like they’re some sort of moral choice or a branching plotline but end up always leading to basically the same result regardless of what you do!

And the game doesn’t really try to hide the fact that these choices are kinda 'Fake'. I mean, on a first playthrough a player might assume there’s gonna be some Massive Consequences for picking the ‘wrong’ drink on Undyne’s date, but the game’s narrative expects for there to be multiple playthroughs and pretty much every Choice that Doesn’t Matter is peppered with that Undertale brand of wacky character-focused humor that inherently makes the moment memorable. Papyrus leading Undyne straight to you no matter what you do is basically a cross-timeline running gag.

On some level I see this as a sort of gag that serves as meta-commentary about the expectations around Choices That Matter in Video Games. As in, a lot of games have their Moral Choices happen in clearly easily marked ‘this is a Moral Choice!’ moments within the story, while the actual gameplay (and any violence the player might cause as part of said gameplay) is basically entirely divorced from any element of narrative-branching and doesn't effect the story at all. Undertale basically entirely inverts this dynamic; the most important factor for which Route you’re own is how you handle your FIGHTs, and what seems like clearly-marked and obvious Moral Choices are just goofy insubstantial minor changes in dialogue.

But also… there is also a level where you must ask yourself ‘what does it mean when we say that these choices Don’t Matter’. I mean, it’s not like they didn't change anything about the game, the Player still made the character say that other thing, the choice probably led to an alternate piece of dialogue, probably a joke with a call-back at the end of the game… The line between a one-off joke and an actual story-changing moment can be a little blurry if you look at it too deeply.

For example, near the end of the Waterfall part of the game, the Player is given the choice to save Monster Kid even at the risk of having to face down Undyne.

Pretty much anyone who isn’t deliberately trying to be an asshole is going to rush to save them and obviously that includes the Pacifist Route Players. But you can actually leave Monster Kid to die without it 'mattering' in the sense that it wouldn't divert you from the Pacifist Route. Undyne saves them instead of you, and ends up with slightly less HP for her battle (which might Matter for Runs when you try and FIGHT her but obviously not in Pacifist Runs) and… by the end of the game, during the extremely happy True Pacifist Ending, they still clearly remember that you abandoned them and are upset by it.

So… does saving Monster Kid ‘matter’ or not? On one hand, choosing not to save them mostly just changes a few lines of dialogue but… these lines of dialogue kinda recontextualize this happy ending and the Player’s actions in general. Despite the True Pacifist Ending otherwise portraying the Player/Frisk as a kind-hearted and brave hero... they still did this undeniably cowardly (and perhaps even cruel) act to one of their friends .

Was running away and leaving Monster Kid to die a brief but significant moment of weakness that the Player regrets and has cost them what could’ve been the start of a lovely friendship? Or is that simply that being a True Pacifist was always more of a matter of pragmatism rather than ideals? Were they only acting as a Pacifist to get that promised 'Best Ending', and only Monster Kid has an inkling they are not as heroic or kind as everyone thinks they are?

And then there’s the Snowman ‘quest’.

A free healing item given early in the game, with your mission being to carry it along in your inventory for as long as you can without ever consuming it. The only reward you will ever see from it is a few lines of dialogue…

But for many, it is more than enough of an incentive to preserve the Snowman’s Piece. You can do whatever you want with the Snowman without it ‘mattering’ in terms of Ending or consequences. You could carry it through all of your adventures with care and kindness... or you could eat it while he can’t see you and then go back to him and tell him that you ‘lost’ it and then get another piece and eat that as well, you could eat it right in front of his face, horrifying him.

And much like with Monster Kid, you can STILL get the True Pacifist Ending after doing that, all that would change is a few optional pieces of dialogue from the Snowman…

And a total recontextualization of the Player’s behavior and the ending. The Snowman sees the Player as a cruel and heartless person who is just pretending to be good so they can be liked - the way they acted with this immobile, powerless Snowman who could do nothing for them and their reputation reveals their true self. And he says their friends will realize that too one day...

Doing a True Reset on the Pacifist Ending is, by definition, a (almost) consequence-free action and yet it changes future Pacifist Routes immeasurably. Turning the Player into a Hypocrite doing the exact same thing they were trying to stop Flowey/Asriel from doing - trapping all of their friends into a time-loop so they can play with them forever while never actually letting them to enjoy freedom on the surface, simply because they are not willing to move on or put their friends' wishes and agency above their own. Nothing in the game actually changes, not one character can even suspect that you did something like that, and yet for the Player - this choice makes the entire Meaning of the game flip on its head.

Even the most famous and heavily-toted Big Consequence in the whole game - selling your soul to Chara after completing a Murder Route… mostly what it does is just… recontextualize the ending of the Game.

As a game, ‘Undertale’ is very much about the ways in which a Player engages with a game can radically recontextualize it. The huge chasm of difference between the Pacifist and Muder Routes is just the most literal example of it. But, in a way, even the tiny little Dialogue Options - where the lack of real choice and consequences is Obviously a Joke - matter. Because of the way they can recontextualize the Player Character’s behavior.

(Okay, maybe not this one, but hear me out…)

Do you trust Papyrus to not betray you, even after you spied on him with Undyne?

Do you have the integrity to admit you forgot something or got it wrong even when there’s no consequences for just lying about it?

Are you a hypocrite for trying to get Alphys to be truthful with Undyne only to then immediately turn around and lie to Undyne yourself?

None of these choices matter for the ending, some of them don’t even get, like, a call-back joke or anything, but… if you are engaged in this story as a narrative, if you are invested in these characters as if they were people, if you are honestly trying to be the best person you can be, if you are trying to self-reflect at the way you approach this game… even the silliest little dialogue option can suddenly be imbued with deep implications and you can make them matter.

Undertale is one of the best demonstrations of this concept, but this is absolutely not exclusive to it. For example….

‘Ace Attorney’ is pretty much as far away as you can get from a ‘branching narrative’ within the video game sphere. It is a heavily-linear Visual Novel where 70% of the time it won’t even let you talk to random characters at anything but the exact order it expects you to and any ‘Bad Endings’ are basically just glorified Game Over Screens. (... because this is the Internet and something something piss on the poor, I should probably specify that I am talking about ‘Ace Attorney’ because I love Ace Attorney and these are neutral descriptions of the game and not complaints. There’s nothing wrong with a game being linear.)

If there’s any Dialogue Choice in AA, it’s generally a very basic ‘right answer-wrong answer’ choice between Progress and a Penalty, or a total non-choice that just gets you to the same final result regardless. Except… Well… as we just talked about, getting to the same final result doesn’t necessarily mean a choice is ‘meaningless’, does it?

There’s actually a lot of great storytelling moments where Ace Attorney, despite its otherwise strict linearity, uses this exact sort of recontextualizing mindset I’ve talked about with Undertale to make choices with some really powerful emotional impact…. Even if technically, the ending is the same ending. It can be something as basic as ‘even if picking this Wrong Answer doesn’t get me a penalty, it still embarrassed my character and disappointed my friends/rivals and thus I feel bad for picking it’. Consequences as recontextualizing your character as more incompetent than they should’ve come across at that moment.

And then there’s moments like the iconic ending of ‘Justice for All’. That moment before Franziska bursts into the Courtroom with the case-making evidence and saves the day. The moment where it seems like Phoenix really is gonna have to pick between protecting his best friend and carrying out a rightful sentence.

The player gets to pick between the two options, but Phoenix never gets to say his choice out loud before Franziska comes running in... and yet… he, and the player, still made that choice. Even if no one ever has to experience the consequences of your choice, even if the rest of the world has no idea what Phoenix Wright would’ve chosen if the Miracle hadn’t happened, we know what we picked and that knowledge of the choice matters. Because of how we feel about this choice and what it says about our interpretation of Phoenix… and about us.

There’s also a bit of this ludonarrative device in ‘The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures’. During “The Adventures of the Runaway Room”, when you investigate the Omnibus for the second time and start finding things that… don’t quite fit together. When you’re finally starting to make progress with proving McGilded’s innocence, while also maybe starting to notice that something is… wrong with these pieces of evidence.

The unchanging linear narrative of the game is that Ryunosuke does eventually realizes McGilded's trickery, puts truth ahead of victory in court and yet, despite his effort and good intentions - the case still ends with a false Not Guilty verdict. And yet, the Player has the choice to... tweak the details.

There are several points where Ryunosuke can object, where he can call out the inconsistencies even though they help his case, where he can support Van Zieks in his accusations of tempered evidence... or he can not. Not necessarily intentionally misleading the Court as much as subconsciously trying to ignore the inconsistencies in the name of trusting his client.

And yet… in the end it doesn’t matter. Maybe Susato calls out the inconsistency instead of him, maybe Van Zieks does, maybe it remains uncontested but... no matter what you do, the case will end with a Not Guilty verdict (I mean, I guess you can deliberately fail the game but that will not progress the plot), McGilded doesn’t seem like he held a grudge (in the few minutes he had left to live), and a few cases later - Ryunosuke would always be punished for his part at this false verdict.

So it doesn’t really matter what Ryunosuke did back then? Does it matter if he did his best and called out every single inconsistencies or if he kinda half-assed it until he (and the Player) had to? He’s still going to suffer the same consequences down the line. And yet….

And yet, I think there’s something so powerful about giving us that option. About knowing that Ryunosuke, and we, did try and do something about McGilded's dirty tricks- even if it didn’t work. Or alternative, knowing that there was more that Ryunosuke and us could’ve done even if it was not nearly enough. Even if in the eyes of the game and the British Justice system there is no difference, the fact that we know what did and what we could’ve done can radically change the way the player feels about all of the later scenes concerning the truth about McGilded’s trial. It can radically change the way the player interpret Ryunosuke’s feelings about it as well.

Because even though the game itself keeps playing along with the same script regardless, that trial had irrevocable consequences for the Player.

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prying-pandora666 · 1 year

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Azula And The Tides: The Most Misread Scene in ATLA

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before:

“The tides scene shows how irrational and spoiled Azula is! She got lucky! She endangered her whole crew for her pride!”

Or any similar variation.

The only problem is it’s not even remotely close to true. Let’s talk about that.

Here is the scene in question for reference:

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Seems pretty straightforward, right? I mean, the Captain warned Azula about the tides and she put her ego before reason and made the crew take a huge risk. Horrible leadership and narcissism on her part, right?

Except for one little detail.

Azula was right.

Remember in “The Storm” when Zuko demands his ship chase after the Avatar and his crew warns him that it’s a fool’s errand because they’ll surely perish in the storm? Zuko stubbornly insists his goals are more important than anyone else’s lives, including his Uncle, and demands they drive recklessly into the storm. Sure enough, the crew nearly perishes in the storm, just as predicted, and Zuko is humbled enough to even rescue his Lieutenant that he disrespected earlier in the episode.

I bring this up so we understand how ATLA sets up and then demonstrates its narrative cause and effect. It’s rather straightforward as, after all, this is being written to be inteligible to children.

So what happens with Azula’s ship when she demands they dock right away despite her Captain’s warnings?

The ship docks without incident or injury.

In fact, they dock stealthily enough that neither Zuko nor Iroh see Azula coming and she’s able to surprise them. How would this be possible if the Captain had been correct in his assessment and Azula had just been acting out of ego?

I’ve seen some people argue that Azula just got lucky, like a drunk person driving home in a car. Not that I expect the average person to have extensive knowledge about docking a ship, but it demonstrates a severe gap in knowledge of the subject matter. When it comes to the tides you cannot half-ass it. Either the tides are in or they’re not. Either they’re high enough or they’re not.

And if they’re not, what happens? The rocks you can’t see beneath the waves will shred your ship apart and you will get stuck or outright sink. Best case scenario, if by an act of divine intervention you avoided all the rocks, you’re still screwed because your ship is going to get beached and tip over. Especially with a ship of that size!

You cannot squeak by here. Even with all of our tech and modern day ships, if you don’t respect the tides, you’re going to have a bad time. There is no avoiding this.

It boggles my mind why people assume Azula is the one in the wrong here and not the Captain who is later shown to be so incompetent that he spoils the mission. He was talking down to her and she rightfully put in his place. Cold and ruthless as her method may have been, she was making it clear that she is not to be talked down to or to have her authority questioned. An important skill for a young leader. Look at the comparison with Zuko who couldn’t wrangle his men. They were about to mutiny and would’ve if Iroh hadn’t intervened! Azula has no Iroh to fall back on. She has to manage on her own. And she does! In this same episode we are shown that Azula is a perfectionist who can’t tolerate a single hair out of place. But somehow we are supposed to believe she is also reckless and incompetent? I don’t think so.

We also know that Azula canonically attended the Royal Fire Academy for girls. This wasn’t some preppy finishing school, it was an intense military academy with survival training so deadly that Rangi described having to eat worse than rats to make it out alive. We know Azula excelled in school. Why wouldn’t she know something as basic as how to read the tides? That’s seafaring 101.

Combine that with the fact that all their best naval officers probably perished at the North Pole and it’s easy to glean that this Captain isn’t exactly their A-Team.

So what IS the point of this scene if not to show Azula being irrational, egotistical, or incompetent?

Remember our comparisons to Zuko? The point of this scene is to show how much better and scarier of a leader Azula is. It’s a simple way to convey to the audience that unlike Zuko, Azula *can* and *does* command like a true military leader. She is therefor a more frightening and dangerous opponent for our heroes to face than the already dangerous Prince they’ve been battling since the previous season.

I don’t think this misinterpretation would’ve ever spread so far if some fans weren’t dead set on trying to tear down Azula for the simple crime of being better at things than fan-favorite Zuko.

And I say this as someone who adores Zuko.

#avatar the last airbender #Atla #avatar #azula #zuko #fire sibs #Youtube #Fandom flanderization

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justcallmecappy · 1 year

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The Andersmance as a narrative of hope

One thing I've noticed while in the Dragon Age fandom is the prevalent interpretation of the Anders romance as a tragedy, or a romance that's inherently tragic. Anders acts behind Hawke's back, destroys the Kirkwall Chantry no matter what choices the player makes, the player sees this as a huge betrayal, and — despite having romanced Anders, and/or being mage-sympathetic — they decide to execute or banish Anders as punishment for his 'crime'. Tears are shed; it's all dramatic and tragic and angsty.

While I sometimes appreciate tragedies, I would like to posit a different perspective: The romance with Anders is a story of hope; a story of standing up to insurmountable odds and overcoming them. The romance with Anders can be approached as one with a happier ending, where Hawke and Anders are the heroes.

Before I elaborate, a disclaimer: These are my own opinions. I understand some players prefer the Andersmance as a tragic romance, and to each player their own. I am not here to dictate the choices you should make in-game or how you approach your playthroughs, merely to present a different perspective to one I've seen very often.

Also, this post is critical of the rivalmance with Anders — more on that later.

The Andersmance as a narrative of hope relies on two perspectives:

Firstly, the Chantry is an authoritarian institution who are the antagonistic force that the heroes need to oppose and take down. There is plenty of meta that explores and supports this.

Secondly, Anders is a heroic character:

He is a healer who set up a clinic providing free healthcare for the marginalized and downtrodden people of Kirkwall who otherwise have gone overlooked by their own Chantry.

He let a Spirit of Justice into his body, simply to help Justice continue to exist in the physical world when he would have otherwise disappeared into the Fade.

He regularly risks his safety and security by helping mages escape abuse in the Gallows and have a chance at freedom via the Mage Underground.

These are all acts of someone who is kind and compassionate, and, yes, heroic.

He is not a villain who needs to be stopped. He is the hero of the story who needs help and support as he challenges systematic oppression. He's Katniss Everdeen standing up to the Capitol; he's Luke Skywalker opposing the Galactic Empire.

Hawke is that supportive pillar, that safe harbor, that source of unconditional love for Anders in his times of struggle. "The one bright light in Kirkwall" who stands by Anders' side as they face insurmountable odds together.

In World States where Leliana becomes Divine Victoria, this means Hawke and Anders' struggles were not in vain. Through their actions, they sparked a series of events that culminated in the abolition of the Circles.

Anders' prophetic speech about how, "Ten years, a hundred years from now, someone like me will love someone like you, and there will be no Templars to tear them apart" carries so much more weight, because loving Hawke gave him hope for a better future that Anders actually gets to witness in his lifetime.

Do you know how powerful such a love story is?

Their love literally changed the world for the better.

They loved each other, that love gave them courage, and now future generations of mages are free to find a love as strong and precious as the one Hawke and Anders share.

Of course, the condition of this is that Hawke loves and supports Anders wholeheartedly, meaning that this obviously takes the Friendship route for the romance. The rivalmance where Hawke downplays Anders' struggles, breaks Anders' spirit, undermines Anders' confidence, and tries to convince Anders that his cause is needless has no part in this narrative of hope; in fact, I would go so far to say that Hawke is the villain in that version of the story.

Personally, stories of hope have always strongly resonated with me. I gravitate towards stories where our protagonists are presented with challenging obstacles (whether they be internal, external, or both), and things may seem bleak at first, but they bravely carry on, and by the end of the story the characters have made themselves better people, and/or made the world a better place.

Anders and Hawke had many chances to turn away and ignore the plight of mages and just get their own happy ending, but they didn't — they carried on, because they were the heroes, and they knew all mages deserved to be free as they were.

#andersmance #handers #anders x hawke #hawke x anders #dragon age 2 #anders #anders dragon age #anders positivity #dragon age romances #da meta #my meta #chantry critical #da fandom critical #rivalmance critical #andersmance as a narrative of hope #i don't buy into bioware's narrative where they frame anders as a villain not for one minute #anders is so compassionate and brave and heroic #anders is protagonist material

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constantvariations · 8 months

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Why Some People Don't Like Jaune Arc

I've seen some folk confused about the dislike towards Jaune, such as @the-sapphic-raven and @foxgirltail so I thought I'd compile all the reasons (that I can remember without a whole-ass rewatch) in a single post. For the most part, it's not the character himself that earns ire but the way he's used

Volume One

All the goodwill Jaune built up by being sweet towards Ruby is immediately soured by his chauvinistic attitude towards Weiss and his dismissal of Pyrrha, a strange choice given this is supposed to be a progressive society/show. And Pyrrha, the prodigy of the entire school, is somehow into being treated like dirt

There's also the matter of his sneaking into a school dedicated to protecting people from man-eating monsters despite the fact that Jaune had negative skills (while somehow being from a long line of warriors). It makes for good story, but it's also an incredibly selfish and dangerous decision that put people, most directly his teammates, at risk due to his inexperience. This would've been smoothed over had he actually been proactive, but instead he sleeps in class and Pyrrha has to take initiative in training him

The biggest problem comes in the "Jaune Arc" where his generic bullying plot not only overshadows the anti-faunus attitude, not only comes before Blake or Yang get an arc, but takes up an entire twenty-five percent of the first season. That was a whole month of Jaune instead of RWBY back in the days of release

Volume Two

Once again, Jaune has a disproportionate amount of time dedicated to him but this time he's joined by Neptune so we can have a love triangle between these two and Weiss. Given that Jaune and Neptune are voiced by Luna and Shawcross, the writers who, yknow, write Weiss's every word and action, this comes off as super creepy. Additionally, he pursues Weiss despite her multiple unambiguous rejections, and the narrative is clearly on his side. And then, after learning that Neptune turned down Weiss - something well within his right to do - Jaune gets pissy and confronts him with language objectifying Weiss as some sort of possession and forces Neptune to reveal something he's obviously very ashamed about

There's also the man-in-a-dress "joke" that shouldn't be considered a joke in a gender-equal society, but that's simply more bad writing choices with Jaune as the victim

Volume Three

There's not as much here since Jaune plays more of a supporting role to Pyrrha, which is where he really shines as a character. There's that bit during the Vytal Festival with the team name shenanigans throwing off the scene's rhythm, but it's more of an annoyance than anything else

But then after Pyrrha sends him away, instead of calling Glynda like he'd been about to do or any authority, he calls Ruby and breaks his phone before calling anyone else. Grief does make people do stupid things, but this is goes beyond that. This was a choice of the writers to refuse Pyrrha backup so she could die, leading into the most consistent complaint of Jaune in all subsequent volumes: trauma hogging

Volume Four

While Ruby, Ren, and Nora get only outfit changes, Jaune gets upgrades to both his armor and weapon using Pyrrha's crown and sash. This is pretty blatant favoritism since Ren and Nora don't get anything of hers to symbolize their connection to Pyrrha despite them also being teammates and friends. This trauma favoritism continues when Ruby wakes from a nightmare about Pyrrha only for the scene to be about Jaune's feelings. We never come back to Ruby's trauma (unless you want to count that one talk with Oscar in V5, which still isn't great) and Ren/Nora are completely passed over

Then in the Nuckleavee fight, instead of Ruby being the one to rescue Qrow from oncoming attack because she's got the speed and that's her uncle, it's Jaune who saves the day. It's Jaune who gets that silent handgrab with Qrow, which means nothing because these two don't really know each other but would mean a wealth of things had it been Ruby instead

Also, the sword sword "upgrade." It's not Jaune's fault that it's poorly designed, I'm just legally obligated to say it sucks every time I talk about this fight

Volume Five

When Qrow and Lionheart talk about Raven, Jaune knows she's Yang’s mom despite the two of them sharing maybe 10 words with each other. Yang didn't even tell Blake, her own partner, much about Raven, but for whatever reason she told Jaune? Sus

The climatic fight nerfed everyone, but Weiss and Cinder got special stupid juice specifically so Jaune could be the main character. Cinder spent the last two seasons building up and reinforcing her hatred of Ruby, even agreeing to Raven's alternative plan just for a stab at the kid. Yet her attention during the big fight is solely on Jaune because...? And he goes toe-to-toe with her! She was trained by a professional huntsman for years as a child while Jaune has, what? Maybe a year of training? And she's a Maiden! The deck is so stacked against Jaune it's not even funny

Then to punish him, instead of attacking Ruby - who's entirely preoccupied by Emerald, his very first friend, and the person he crossed continents to follow - Cinder goes after Weiss. His crush. Who conveniently forgot her sword isn't a wand and her glyphs can do just about anything so her aura could be broken

Weiss got fridged so Jaune could discover his semblance. Female empowerment at its finest

(Before anyone tries it, no, I'm not saying Ruby should've been fridged instead. The situation as written is set up so that somebody HAS to be fridged, which is stupid. This could've been revealed in a million ways that didn't involve girls being maimed)

Volume Six

Getting aggressive with Oscar was out of line. I understand (not condone) Qrow being violent because he's been in the game longer than any of the kids and just watched an entire HD powerpoint of Ozpin's lies. Being Oz's spy was essentially his life

Jaune does not have that same depth of investment. One can argue that he was acting on his grief of Pyrrha, but that falls flat when neither Ren or Nora come even close to the same reaction

Once again, Jaune hogs all the Pyrrha-related trauma, even getting a visit from her mom(?) while looking at a giant statue of her (despite the fact that Pyrrha blatantly said in V2 she didn't like being treated like she's above others)

Volume Seven

Jaune hogs the camera for JNR's new landing strategies, his hair is dumb, and grown women fawning over a teenager is gross, but overall Jaune this volume is fantastic. Super swell in his supporting role here and that bit where he compliments Nora after her failed flirting always makes me giggle

Volume Eight

Imma be honest, I don't remember much of V8 and I do not have the time, will, or energy to rewatch it, so I'll just skip to the biggest thing in the volume: Penny's death.

Jaune did not try hard enough to save her. Whereas any other time this trope of mercy killing during combat has been implemented, it's typically done as a reluctant last resort after every other option has been exhausted. Cinder was still preoccupied with Weiss and Jaune's pretty beefy; he could've made a dash for the exit while still healing her

Instead, he boosts her aura for a whole 2 seconds before agreeing to stab her in the heart.

Another fridge for Jaune's collection

Volume Nine

Everyone's fears of Jaune stealing the spotlight once again get confirmed. He gets a legendary role in a story loved world wide, a pedestal only matched by Ruby's weird deified status in the rtx V9 epilogue, which may or may not be canon

Weiss is into him for "being mature" despite never having shown a preference for older men. Not counting villains we have Ozpin, Oobleck, Port, Klein, Qrow, and Ironwood; all of whom could've been used to establish this trait, yet it only comes out with Jaune? Highly suspicious

His relationship with the paper pleasers is incredibly terrible. He has no respect for their culture and treats them like children despite their obvious intelligence. It rings far too closely to missionaries "saving" people, usually of color, in third world countries

Then, when Ruby finally snapped and is venting her frustrations, Jaune cuts in to take his rage out on her. Jaune, at this point, is at least in his mid thirties, so we get a grown ass man yelling at a seventeen year old girl who then runs away, putting her in a vulnerable position that is immediately taken advantage of. Nobody blames him for being upset, but as an adult he now has a responsibility to take care of how he treats people significantly younger than him

Not even an hour after Ruby drinks the tea right in front of them, the entire group hugs Jaune with big, bright smiles. Ruby not once had someone actually comfort her despite her obvious failing mental health, but Jaune gets comforted by both the team and the narrative

Thanks for surviving this far

Feel free to add on, but I'm tired of this being in my drafts so Jaune be upon ye

If y’all disagree with any of the points, I'd love to hear your view and have a nice discussion

#rwde #by discussion i mean going into the conversation w the goal of reaching an understanding #even if that understanding is 'we see each others points and still disagree'#im not having another gold sec or whatever his url was #mf really thought 'damn way to be wrong abt everything' was an acceptable thing to say to a person #just bc youre not outright calling someone stupid doesnt mean we cant read behind the curtain

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leportraitducadavre · 9 months

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Naruto and the "hero" concept

Volumes Covered: 1-27 (first part)

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

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

Long post!

Wave Arc

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chünin Exams

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Naruto is the representation of Konoha and its people.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sasuke Retrieval Arc

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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pennyserenade · 5 months

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my heart breaks when i think about how desperately mulder clang to the narrative that diana fowley was an innocent woman. it wasn’t because he wasn’t smart enough to see the signs, or because he wasn’t skeptical enough to have doubts about her. even if that were true of him, scully - who he trusted more than anyone - had told him explicitly, multiple times that she did not trust diana and he dismissed her outright, each time. i think mulder did know but he couldn’t believe it for his own sake.

mulder turned his back on who he was, at one point denying everything he once knew to be true, in part because he so badly wanted diana fowley to be on his side. and maybe, in some small way, it did have to do with love, but i think in a larger sense it was because mulder could not cope with the fact that anyone else would chose to hurt him like that. he married diana, opened up the gaping wound that was samantha’s disappearance and founded the x-files with her by his side. before scully it was diana fowley who was guiding him to the truth. when everyone was shaking their heads and coining the term “spooky mulder” diana fowley was telling him he was brilliant, that the work he was doing was, despite what everyone was saying at the time, valuable. diana fowley’s betrayal was so unthinkable to mulder, not because he loved her too much, but because he once had loved her and trusted her as deeply as he had scully. to think of diana fowley as the enemy would mean to accept that even the most intimate of his relations could be turned against him — that even dana scully, unwavering in her devotion and skeptical as she was, could do this too. to accept this truth was to accept that he could not trust anyone and he could not do that.

as much as it was about diana and what she meant to him, it was also about scully and what it meant for their relationship. mulder only accepted fowley’s betrayal as truth when he was provided sure evidence of scully’s unwavering devotion; when she stood by his bedside and held his hand and told him that he was meant for more than the easy life his mind concocted. he could only accept the fact that diana fowley was a liar when he decided that dana scully, in every universe, in every situation, in every lifetime, would be the person who spoke the truth to him, no matter how harrowing. he could not risk losing diana until he knew for certain it meant that he would not lose scully, too.

#misc.#i’m thinking abt them #fox mulder #dana scully #diana fowley #x files #x files analysis

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steampunkforever · 1 month

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Dune Part 2 is once more proof that Denis Villeneuve is an incredibly calculating director. And it should be good. He's been storyboarding Dune since the 80s. Of course Zack Snyder also released a film recently that'd been his passion project since before he was making movies, and Rebel Moon sucked, so that's clearly not a metric for success, but you get my point.

Right on the heels of releasing the phenomenal Sicario, Villeneuve got the keys to Dune. This is a moonshot take the money and run opportunity. I love this type of film. One of those "They may never let me do this again" movies like Magnolia or (to a lesser extent) Apocalypse Now! that build on previous success to sucker studio funding for something you really want to do. Usually this involves jumping to it and spending as much money as possible before accounting changes its mind about sending all those blank checks, but Denis was just as calculating as ever with it.

Adapting two more scifi properties at differing scales was the right idea for this, both allowing for more time to develop Dune and for Villeneuve to find his footing with less ambiguous science fiction (considering that my friends who watched Enemy barely understood it to be about aliens). Villeneuve is calculating. His steps are measured, and I've yet to see a film of his that feels outright rushed.

I think that this is in part due to Villeneuve's understanding that he is (at least up until the release of Dune) not part of a generation of directors who get whatever they want. This generation of director has been waning for a long time, but Nolan and Tarantino really mark the last generation of directors allowed to experiment on blank checks no matter if their last film flopped. Zack Snyder is also technically ranked among them but his decade-long slump is clearly an outlier. Villeneuve has to put out solid movies to earn the right to take creative risks, and Dune has clearly been another measured step in his film career. Which is to say that Dune Part 2 is fantastic.

I have a deeply nuanced relationship with Dune screen adaptations, so do note that there is some bias here, but regardless, this is a wonderful film. Did I wish they'd stuck to their guns and shown Alia for real? Did I kind of hope they kept it to just two films instead of the projected 3+ that are sure to come? Am I still outraged that they didn't recast Sting? Of course. But when it all boils down, this film is a science fiction accomplishment that you SHOULD go see.

The set design, sound design, acting, and cinematography were all top notch. There was rarely anything in this film I did not love (read: Timothee, my archnemesis). Of particular note were Pugh, Ferguson, and Bardem's performances. Bardem's Stilgar was an absolute delight, and I found myself losing the fact that he was acting in his performance. The plot, spectacle, and inclusion of Christopher Walken all sold me on the film.

Another detail that was clear evidence of Villeneuve's extremely calculated process was Zendaya's role as Chani in Part 2. Chani (largely sidelined in the books after showing up partway) is positioned as sort of the soapbox character to remind you that colonialism is bad at predetermined intervals. And while this is certainly not a choice I would've made for the character (I prefer to do my soapboxing in different parts of the text) I can't help but find that I didn't hate Chani's direction in the film. This is in spite of the fact that I detest Soapbox characters (except for in Spike Lee films. Love you Spike Lee) and find their usage lazy. Somehow it works for me here, even if it could've been more subtly rolled into the narrative. Man I'm really reaching for nitpicks, I should go back to demanding they show me a creepy toddler Alia.

Anyway if Sting was the one fighting Timothee's Paul that twink would get stabbed to death so hard you have no idea.

#sting metal diaper zone #dune part two #dune 2 #filmposting #dune

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rocketrhap3000 · 2 years

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off limits ~ part iii.

summary: your time alone with Pedro is extremely limited due to the risk that your relationship holds. one night, however, the two of you push the limits, resulting in almost being caught. pedro makes up for it the next day, and the two of you get to spend more time together.

warnings: making out, smut (18+ ONLY - thigh riding/grinding, female orgasm, hints of a praise kink), probably swearing, hidden/forbidden relationship vibes, age gap relationship (pedro is his current age, reader is about 25 - if you have a problem with this then DONT READ)

a/n: part threeeee!

no beta, all errors are my own!

main masterlist

Week two of vacation with Oscar, Elvira, Pedro, and the boys is already underway, and yet you and Pedro have hardly interacted since both of you made your confessions in the car that first night.

Even just seeing Pedro has been scarce, since you’re always with the boys and the adults are always out and about. You know you shouldn’t complain; you’re getting paid to play with two little boys under the warm California sun, either on the beach or in the pool. No matter how much you tell yourself that narrative, though, you still find yourself wishing you had more time - any time - with Pedro.

Unfortunately, your interactions have been limited to stolen pecks and brief embraces when no one’s watching. You finally gave in last night while texting him, sneaking out of the main house and out to the pool house. You felt like a teenager in doing so, but your heart was beginning to long for more than just the occasional hug and forehead kiss.

He was surprised, to say the least, when you knocked on his door; you’d been telling him over text just minutes prior, insisting you were going to come to him, but he didn’t believe you’d actually do it. Upon your arrival, though, he immediately gathered you in his arms, kissed your face, and brought you to bed with him, where the two of you could finally exchange affection freely. It was never more than a gentle make out; even if you had already established that part of your relationship, hooking up was not what you came to him for tonight, anyways. You simply wanted to be with him. To lie next to him. To be held by him. And that’s exactly what happened.

But you both knew this couldn’t last for long; you both knew you had to get back before anyone else woke up. And just after five, before the sun had a chance to even peek over the horizon, you felt Pedro gently rub your back and kiss your shoulder to do just that. You reluctantly pulled yourself from his arms, rose from the bed, then let him escort you to the door to give you one last kiss before you sleepily trudged back to your room in the main house.

And as much as you hated the fact this limited time with Pedro, in the wee hours of the morning, could very well be some of the last to spend with him for an entire week due to the risk of being seen together, you took comfort in knowing the two of you would be free to interact on your own and with no one to hide from as soon as the trip was over. But this last week would surely be the slowest week of your life.

~~~

“G‘morning,” Pedro yawns, stretching his arms above his head, accidentally showing off a sliver of that delicious tummy, as he makes his way to the kitchen where you and Elvira are seated, each with a boy in your lap and a cup of caffeine in front of you.

“Morning,” you and Elvira greet almost simultaneously, and your heart begins to race at the sight of Pedro in the morning.

It’s obvious that his hair has clearly only been tamed by a swipe of his hand, his eyes - from behind a pair of clear frames - are crinkled in the corners and still glazed over from his slumber, and his smile opens to a yawn when he sits at the breakfast nook beside you. He’s only sporting a pair of loose, dark blue boxers coming to his mid-thigh, and a wrinkled, white Rolling Stones tee, but through your lovestruck, rose colored glasses, he looks like the pinnacle of fashion.

“G’morning, Tío Pedro,” Elvira’s older son smiles, sliding out of her lap with his spill-proof bowl of Cheerios to give Pedro a big hug.

“G’morning, Pal,” Pedro gladly welcomes the little guy, hoisting him up into his lap as he kisses the top of his head.

“So, what do we all want to do today? Assuming that Oscar will eventually wake up,” Elvira chuckles, taking the opportunity of a childless-lap to refill her coffee mug.

“Supposed to rain, I think,” Pedro hums, just barely turning to face you, giving you the smallest smile and wink as if to secretly let you know that he wishes he could give you more. Or even better: that he could have woken up beside you this morning instead of having to sneak you back out.

“Oh no,” Elvira sighs, making her way back to the table. “Guess we’ll have to get out there before it, then.”

“(Y/n), can you take me swimming again?” the little guy in his mom’s lap asks, looking over at you with a sweet smile on his lips, then taking another handful of cereal to his mouth.

“Of course, buddy,” you nod.

“Me, too!” the younger son exclaims from your lap.

“Absolutely,” you smile, bouncing him to earn a few giggles from him and effectively bringing everyone else to laugh, too.

“Oh man, is Dad missing all the fun in here?” Oscar’s voice rings out amongst the laughter, causing both boys to slide out of yours and Pedro’s laps and run to their dad, who is making his way into the kitchen.

And you vaguely hear them as they chatter excitedly to greet him, as well as Elvira teasingly giving him a hard time about sleeping in so late, but your main focus is drawn to Pedro when his large hand subtly sneaks to rest atop your thigh. It startles you at first, but you gladly welcome the touch, and the endearing look he gives you as he - almost silently - whispers, “Good morning, Cariño.”

That alone is enough to leave your heart fluttering for the rest of the morning.

~~~

The rest of the day passes briskly and smoothly, much to your surprise. While Elvira, Oscar, and Pedro are out for an early dinner and some entertainment in the city, you and the boys are splashing around in the pool, enjoying the warm sun. But before long, dark clouds cover the beautiful blue, and little droplets start to fall from the sky.

Luckily, you get the boys inside before it turns to a torrential downpour, getting them bathed and into pyjamas for the rest of the evening which will now have to be spent inside.

By the time the adults get back, the boys have both settled down on the couch with you, listening intently as you read to them their favorite book.

“Hi, guys!” Oscar greets, and the boys perk up to smile at their parents and Pedro.

“Hi,” they echo back nonchalantly, clearly tired out.

“How was swimming?” Elvira wonders.

“Good! I jumped in all by myself,” their older son states proudly.

“Great job, Bubba. You’ll have to show us tomorrow,” Oscar smiles, walking over to the three of you on the couch. Both boys stand up on the couch and giggle as their dad picks them up at once, one on each hip.

“Did you guys get caught in the rain?” Elvira asks, coming over to sit by you on the couch.

“Almost,” you chuckle. “We went in as soon as it started drizzling to get baths and changed.”

“Oh, perfect,” Oscar says, sitting down on the large armchair across the room, both boys cuddling into his chest.

“We got stuck in it coming back,” Pedro speaks up, ruffling a hand through his wet hair to show the proof, smiling at you in a way that he knows Oscar and Elvira won’t pick up on.

“Looks like they’re done for the night,” Oscar says, gesturing to his younger son, who has already fallen asleep in his arms.

“Yeah, and since the boys are both down for the count, (Y/n), feel free to just relax. This is your vacation, too,” Elvira offers.

“Oh, well, thank you so much,” you smile, feeling a relief in your chest knowing that there may be a chance of getting to see Pedro tonight, since Elvira and Oscar won’t be needing you.

“Of course. You deserve it,” Elvira assures you, walking over to grab her older son from Oscar. “We’ll go put the boys to bed, but feel free to stick around. We can put on a movie and have some snacks and drinks.”

“Actually, if it’s alright,” you start, thinking of an excuse to get to possibly use to spend time with Pedro. “I think I may work on some school things. It’s not a ton, but I brought it just in case I’d have free time.”

"Of course,” Elvira repeats with a smile. “It’s your free time. Do whatever you’d like.”

But what she doesn’t know is that the thing you’d like to do is just across the room.

~~~

Eventually, the four of you settle into the living room with some drinks and snacks and a movie playing in the background, just as Elvira had suggested. However, when Pedro leaves, making the excuse of wanting to tuck in early, he texts you a simple: “Come if you want”.

Then, you follow not long after with your own excuse of wanting to work on the school things you’d mentioned. And even though it’s not the most subtle plan, Oscar and Elvira both seem to be okay with the two of you leaving in such short succession to one another.

After texting Pedro that you’re on your way, you successfully sneak out of the main house and to the pool house, thankful that it’s no longer pouring and only the occassional drizzle. When you get there, you quickly sneak in through the front door, then make your way further into the house.

“Pedro?” you call quietly, hoping you’re not going to startle him.

And you can barely finish one knock on the bedroom door before it’s swinging open and Pedro is revealed to you.

“What a pleasant surprise,” he teases, smirking as his hands instantly go to grab you around the waist.

“You think?” you raise your eyebrows at him, then wrap your own arms around his neck, using the pads of your fingers to rub gently into his muscles.

“I know,” he hums back.

Out of the corner of your eye, your yellow hoodie catches your eye. It’s laying on the floor in the exact same spot you’d left it that first night you’d snuck over here to cuddle with Pedro. You had a tee shirt underneath it, but didn’t need the hoodie once you were cuddled up with Pedro.

“Hey, I was wondering where that went,” you smile, and Pedro looks where your gaze is directed.

“Yeah, I kept meaning to get it back to you, but I knew it would be suspicious if Oscar or Elvira saw,” he reasons.

“It’s okay,” you assure him, then sigh as you wrap your arms around his torso and press your cheek to his shirt. “Can’t stand being away from you,” you whisper.

“Me, neither,” he replies, kissing the top of your head. “But hey,” he speaks up, getting you to look up at him. “We’re finally alone,” he says, and you feel his voice rumble in his chest.

“Wonder for how long, though,” you joke, letting your fingers play with the thick curls at the nape of his neck, bringing his face down onto your shoulder.

“Don’t jinx it,” he lets out a low, quiet chuckle as he kisses your neck, and you giggle, too.

With a sigh, he lifts his head and presses a kiss to your forehead, then your temple, then your nose, then your cheek. And after you let him know you’ve had enough of his teasing with a desperate whine, he smirks, then kisses your lips with an urgency you swear you’ve only seen in movies.

“I can’t get you out of my head, (Y/n),” he says, moving his hands from your waist to sprawl out on your lower back as he begins to back up to sit at the foot of the bed, pulling you to stand between his thighs.

“Me, neither,” you mumble back as your fingers twist the curls at the back of his head.

“God, you are so fucking gorgeous,” he hums, staring up at you with wide eyes filled with adoration.

And before you know it, his lips are on yours for a slow, languid series of kisses. His hands grip your waist firmly, massaging your hips and keeping your body close to his. His lips are soft yet leading, and they move perfectly together with yours. It’s as if they were meant to be together, your lips and his; not one part of it feels awkward, or wrong, or out of place. You feel at home.

In a matter of moments the kiss turns from sweet and romantic to needy and desperate. You can’t get enough of him, even though he’s surrounding and smothering you, so you make the bold move of throwing your legs over his to straddle him. Almost instantly, your hips move over his lap, dangerously close to his growing erection. He rolls his hips against your own as you grind softly on top of him. You feel his lips pull into a smile when he hears your whimper of desperation. He knows exactly what he’s doing to you.

“Pedro,” you breathe as his lips kiss and lick their way to your neck, and when you pull back to look down at him, his eyes are the darkest you’ve seen them yet.

Between the deep brown of his natural eyes and the size of his pupils due to the lust that’s filling him, Pedro’s eyes resemble black holes, sucking you deep into him; and you can’t escape.

“Sí, Cariño,” he whispers, reaching a hand up to run his thumb over your bottom lip, swollen from all the kisses he’s given you.

“Pedro, I want you,” you swallow, grabbing ahold of his sturdy shoulders and leaning down to rub your nose against his before kissing him again.

“Mm,” he groans, hands moving back down to rest confidently on your butt. “Want me how?”

Oh, he knows.

“P-Pedro, please,” you whimper, trying to suppress a moan when your hips grind over his bulge just right. Meanwhile, he guides the continuation of your hips rolling down into his, working you embarrassingly close to a climax

But before he can make another taunting remark, both of you freeze in place upon hearing the front door to the pool house open, then close.

“Pedro?” Oscar’s voice breaks the two of you out of your trance, calling from the entryway.

“Shit,” Pedro whispers and you lift your head from his neck, eyes wide with fear.

“Pedro?” Oscar calls again.

“Is he coming?” you ask frantically, the arousal you’d been feeling now replaced by fear.

“Fuck, I think so,” he murmurs, waiting to hear the footsteps grow closer to the bedroom door. Then, he lifts you off his lap to stand on the floor. “Go go go!” he whisper-yells at you.

“Where?!” you whisper-yell back.

“Uh… the closet,” he hurriedly suggests, ushering you to said area, then gently closing the door on you.

“Pedro!” you call out quietly, and he opens the door once more to answer you.

“What’s wrong?” he exhales anxiously, reaching to hold your face in his hands.

“What will we do?” you ask, bottom lip quivering.

“I dunno, Sweetie,” he breathes, then pecks your lips one last time. “Just wait in here. It’ll be okay,” he whispers, then closes the door.

Next, he’s launching himself back onto the bed, sprawling out and picking up a book to try to act casual when he hears the knocks on the bedroom door.

“S’open,” Pedro calls out, trying to calm the tremor in his voice from the adrenaline rush of having to hide you.

“Hey,” Oscar greets, one hand on the doorknob and the other on the doorframe, just barely leaning into the room.

“What’s up,” Pedro replies as calmly as possible.

“Have you seen (Y/n)? She’s not anywhere in the house.”

“Uh… nope,” Pedro lies, then feels his heart drop when his own eyes find your hoodie lying on the floor from the first night you’d came to spend with him. He only hopes Oscar doesn’t see the distinguishing evidence, too. Or worse: think that it’s from today and that Pedro has you hiding in the nude somewhere in the pool house.

“Huh. Weird. Okay, I guess I’ll go check again— hold on,” Oscar stops himself, your yellow hoodie catching his eye in the corner of the room. “Isn’t that her shirt?”

“Uh… I guess,” Pedro shrugs, unable to deter him from this evidence.

“Dude, what the fuck!” Oscar exclaims, making you flinch in the closet.

“What?” Pedro replies.

“Please tell me you did not hook up with our fucking babysitter!” Oscar laughs out of sarcastic exasperation.

“I didn’t hook up with the fuckin’ babysitter!” Pedro yells back.

Oscar stares at his best friend, clearly not believing him.

“We didn’t hook up,” Pedro repeats honestly, a little softer this time.

Didn’t hook up, no. But heavily make out and grind on each other? Possibly.

“Then explain to me how her shirt--” Oscar picks it off the ground, waving it in front of him before he throws it at Pedro, “--just so happens to be in your room.”

“I don’t know,” Pedro shrugs, catching the shirt in his lap. “Maybe I accidentally pulled it from the laundry with my stuff by mistake.”

“Why… why do I not believe you?” Oscar’s jaw clenches.

“Trust issues, man,” Pedro shrugs nonchalantly, smoothing out the hoodie in his lap, then tossing it into the laundry hamper a few feet away. “Seems like a personal problem.”

“Malo,” Oscar hums, clicking his tongue and playfully scowling at Pedro as he leaves the room. “She is off limits, dude,” is the last he shouts before Pedro hears the main door of the pool house slam shut.

“Fuck,” Pedro shakes his head, watching as you pop out of the closet with an amused look on your face.

“I’m sorry, Cariño,” he sighs, opening his arms for you to come back onto the bed with him. “I tried.”

“I know,” you nod.

“At least he somewhat believed it,” Pedro shrugs.

“Yeah, but now I have to make it back to my room before he does,” you sigh, walking back over to stand at the side of the bed beside him.

“M’sorry,” he hums, and while placing your hands on his shoulders to balance yourself, you lean down to press an innocent kiss to his lips.

“This isn’t going to be very easy, is it?” you search his velvet brown eyes for some kind of reassurance, only to find discouragement and frustration.

“I’m afraid not, Sweetie,” he shakes his head regretfully as he reaches up and holds your face.

With another sigh, you part from him, then walk over to the bedroom door.

“I’m sorry,” he repeats, climbing off the bed and walking to meet you.

“It’s not your fault,” you assure him, placing a hand on his cheek. “I’ll see you in the morning, Pedro.”

“See you in the morning, Sweetie,” he echoes, kissing your palm before you make your leave.

Then, you book it down the shaded trail, up the stairs of the back deck, and through the patio door, thankfully making it inside the house almost silently. However, just as you start for the hall to get to the guest room, a voice stops you in your tracks.

“(Y/n)? Where were you?” Oscar’s voice calls out quietly, and it’s not a tone of accusation or anger: it’s a tone of concern.

Quickly, you spin around to see him standing there with his younger son asleep in his arms, his little head resting on his father’s shoulder. Oscar’s face is written over with worry, eyebrows furrowed nervously together.

“What do you mean?” you ask, keeping your tone quiet due to the sleeping child.

“We thought you were in your room doing schoolwork, but when you weren’t... well, we were just worried.” Oscar sighs.

“I’m so sorry. I was doing school. But then, since the rain stopped, I ended up going for a walk along the beach. I just couldn’t help it. It’s so beautiful. I’m sorry. I should have let you know,” you apologize profusely.

“Oh, don’t be sorry,” Oscar shakes his head, seeming to believe your story. “It’s alright. We’re just glad you’re okay,” he smiles sweetly, making you feel all the more guilty about lying to him... and almost hooking up with his best friend.

“Yeah,” you chuckle as a nervous chill runs through your back. “Just a little cold. The rain really brought a cool front.”

“Well go have a hot shower and tuck in for the night. We’ll see you in the morning,” Oscar gives you a kind smile, and you bid him goodnight in return before making your way back to your room.

Just as you get there, your phone lights up with a text from Pedro:

Make it back okay?

You type out a quick response, sighing in relief.

all good. oscar caught me sneaking back to my room and i just told him i went for a walk. i think he believed it. he didn’t ask about you at all.

You hit send, then turn off your phone to go soak in a hot shower, washing off the stress of your situation with Pedro.

When you get back, you see that you have two more texts. Both from the man himself.

Okay. Thank you.

I’m so sorry about this Sweetie.

You sigh, the weight of it all coming back to you.

it is what it is

Still sucks though. Wish you were still with me.

me too, wish we could finish what we started

Yeah? Well don’t worry, we’ll get to ;)

You send him a sleepy selfie next, then let him know you’re going to bed. He responds with a simple selfie of his own, accompanied by a “goodnight,” with a heart emoji.

And he’s all you can think about as your eyes fall shut.

~~~

The next morning, you wake to the smell of breakfast cooking in the kitchen and the bright rays of warm sunlight flooding through your window.

You sleepily roll out of bed and to the bathroom to make yourself more presentable before making your way down to the kitchen, where you find everyone else, seated around the table. The time on the stove says 9:54.

“Oh, gosh,” you say, feeling your cheeks flush warm in embarrassment as you sit down in the empty spot between Elvira and Pedro, hoping for some kind of greeting from him. “Did I really sleep that late?”

“It’s alright! You must’ve needed the rest, Honey,” Elvira chuckles, reaching to rub your shoulder as she sips on her coffee.

“I’m so sorry,” you apologize, still waiting for Pedro to make a subtle move - any move - to tell you good morning. But his focus is solely on the omelette in front of him and whatever article he’s reading on his phone. “What can I do to help?” you ask.

“Absolutely nothing,” Oscar insists, placing a plate of breakfast and a cup of coffee in front of you. “And actually, we want to give you the day off. Our friends have kids that are close to the boys’ ages, so they invited us over. We haven’t seen them in a while, so we’ll want to spend the whole day with them. So that means you’re off the hook.”

“Thank you,” you smile bashfully, then subtly scootch your chair over a few inches, away form Pedro, and he gives you a quick look that you’re not sure how to read.

“No, thank you,” Oscar insists. “We’ll be leaving here shortly, so feel free to do whatever you want. You have the house to yourself!”

“Pedro, are you going, too?” you ask, wondering if that will get him to talk to you, and hoping you’ll have the day alone with him.

“No, I’ll stay back here. But, I’m gonna do some light shopping for the rest of the week and then I’ll be in the guest house to have a call with my team, so I won’t be bothering you,” he tells you, without even looking up from his phone, and you can’t tell if he’s just making a cover or if he is being truthful. Either way, your heart sinks from the way he brushes you off so easily.

“Well, good luck with the call,” Oscar nods and smiles, wiping the mess of breakfast off his younger son’s face, then lifting him down from the chair.

“Thank you,” Pedro replies, finishing up his cup of coffee, then standing to bring his dirty dishes to the sink. “I’m gonna go shower, but if you guys go before I get back, leave me a note or something of things you want me to get.”

“Will do,” Oscar replies. “Thanks, man.”

With that, Pedro exits the house out the patio door, making his way out to the guest house.

And that’s the last you see of Pedro for the morning.

Then, the family leaves, too.

Much to your dismay, you do, in fact, have the house to yourself.

~~~

You don’t know when Pedro leaves to get groceries and you don’t know when he comes back. And you also don’t know if the “call with his team” is an actual call, so you don’t want to go and risk bothering him.

So you do what you can to keep yourself occupied: studying, finishing up assignments for school, and then eventually just watching Netflix.

By around two in the afternoon, you decide not to mope around the house any longer. You get up and change into a swim suit, then throw a cute sundress on top of it with the idea to go walk along the beach strip to get out and see what’s around the area. But a knock at your bedroom door puts a stop to your preparations.

It can’t be Oscar or Elvira; they’re out with the boys.

Could it be… him? No.

Well...

The only way you’ll know is by opening the door.

So you do.

And to your surprise, it is, indeed Pedro Pascal. With a bouquet of bright flowers in one hand, and the other stuffed into the pocket of his shorts. His head jerks up to look at you when you open the door, big brown eyes boring into yours.

“Pedro?” you exclaim happily, yet you’re confused.

“Hey, Sweetie,” he smiles, then leans in to kiss your cheek. “You look so beautiful.”

“Oh, gosh. Thank you,” your cheeks flood with warmth at his compliment.

Then, you take in his own look: an airy, linen button down with the top third of buttons undone, exposing his tanned, toned chest and neckline, paired with some looser fitting, seven inch in-seam, salmon coloured shorts that show off his strong thighs and rounded butt. Not to mention, his hair is all curly and wild, just begging for you to run your hands through it.

“You... you look really, really great too,” you ramble shyly, then look back to the flowers in his hand. “Where did you get these?”

“The store down the road,” he smiles, handing them to you.

“Grocery shopping?” you tease, remembering his excuse from earlier.

“I did actually get groceries,” he insists. “But these are all for you.”

“Why?” you smile and shake your head.

“Because,” he shrugs feebly, stuffing his other hand into his pocket.

“That’s not a reason,” you tell him, bringing the flowers up to your nose to smell them, and then letting out a sigh of pleasure.

“Because they’re part of something else,” he answers in a riddle, only egging you on more.

“Pedro, what are you talking about?” you laugh.

“Just... Come with me?” he pulls his hand out of his pocket and instead extends it out for you to grab.

Hesitantly, you place your hand in his, intertwining your fingers, together. And as soon as you make contact, you absolutely fall in love with the way his huge palm nearly swallows yours, and you giggle when he lifts your hand to kiss your knuckles.

He leads you down the hall, out the back patio, and down the stairs to get to the path that you take to sneak to the guest house. But rather than taking you in there, he passes the house and instead leads you closer to the beach, but not on the main strip.

“Where are you taking me?” you tease.

“You’ll see,” he smiles slyly, pulling you further along.

To the side of the beach is a little area of hills and grass that you’ve never even seen before. From where you’re standing, you can’t even see the main house, either. Then, as he leads you a little farther, stepping into the grass, your eyes are caught by a blanket spread out on the ground just where the grass meets the sand, giving you the perfect view of the water.

On the blanket, there’s dishes of food and bottles of wine, and a vase of water in the center. It looks like whoever set this up took a lot of time in doing so.

“Pedro, what is all this?” you ask him.

“This is what happens when we have the afternoon to ourselves,” he smirks, taking the flowers from your hand and sliding them into the glass on the blanket. Then he takes your hands in his again and leads you to sit down on the blanket with you.

“You did all this?” you ask him, and he nods in response.

“Pedro,” you smile, dropping your head to avoid his gaze and instead looking over the varied spread of foods he has on the blanket for the two of you. “You didn’t have to do this.”

“Yes, I did. I felt so bad for this morning, how I just blew you off like that. I guess I was just paranoid after last night. I didn’t know how to act around Oscar.”

“It’s okay,” you assure him, placing a hand on his knee. “I figured you were just trying to throw him off.”

“Seemed to work, eh?” Pedro says, a teasing tone in his voice. “They obviously felt like they could leave us alone for the day,”

“If they only knew,” you chuckle, each of your hands gathering the fabric covering his shoulders as you lean in to kiss him.

“If they only knew,” he repeats against your lips, nibbling on your bottom one as he gathers the bottom of your dress up to your waist and pulls you into his lap.

“Should we… finish what we started?” you ask nervously, playing with the collar of his shirt.

“I think that’s a fabulous idea,” he smirks up at you, then immediately attaches his lips to your neck. “You in this sundress, Cariño. You’ll make a man go crazy,” he teases, kissing up to your jaw, then finding your lips again.

“And you in these shorts,” you tease back, shaking your head. “Your fucking thighs,” you breathe, grabbing the muscles below you and squeezing them.

“You like ‘em that much?” he glances up at you, and although he seemed confident in himself when he first showed up at your door, you can tell that now he’s seeking validation.

“I love them,” you assure him, kissing him once more before your hips start their movements again. “You look so sexy.”

He hums in approval, a cocky smile spreading on his lips as he watches you begin to grow more confident with your movements. You start by grinding over the bulge in his shorts, but he quickly moves you to straddle just one of his thighs.

It starts to become more natural and fluid for you, and your feelings of pleasure only increase when you find yourself grinding down a little bit harder over the solid muscle of his thigh with the guidance of his hands resting just over the curve of your ass.

“Keep goin’, Sweetie,” he whispers, sucking on the skin below your ear.

You whimper out an unintelligible response, but with the ringing in your ears and the throbbing between your thighs, your main focus has now become reaching your climax.

“Oh, Pedro,” you moan out, clawing at his shoulders and squeezing them hard as you pick up your speed. Your head rolls back, eyes squeezed shut as you moan again, and his hands stay locked around your hips, holding them tighter as he begins to lightly bounce his leg to give you extra stimulation.

“That’s it. Feels so good, doesn’t it? Doing so well for me,” he encourages, flexing the muscle of his thigh and reattaching his lips to your neck to begin kissing and sucking the skin there.

“Fuck, Pedro,” you whine, feeling his scruff rub against your skin and his tongue run over your pulse. “M’there.”

“Go ahead and let go, Sweetie. I gotcha. Cum for me,” he coos one last time.

And it only takes a few more seconds before the burning sensation in the pit of your stomach takes over. Then, all at once, your climax hits you like the waves that crash onto the shore just feet away, and your pleasure seeps from your folds and soaks both your swim suit bottom and Pedro’s thigh.

“Good girl, Cariño,” he hums proudly, and your body goes limp in his grasp, falling forward into him, heart pounding in your chest while taking heavy, labored breaths.

You don’t know how long you remain in place on Pedro’s thigh, unable to move your position. Your head stays resting on his shoulder as he rubs your back and hums little praises and affections to you, feathering kisses up your neck and on your arms.

“You work up an appetite?” Pedro’s voice finally becomes clearer to you after a few moments of silence.

And all at once, the reality of the situation hits you. You just finished on Pedro’s thigh. You’re having sex on a beach with a man nearly twice your age, on a trip that has been fully paid for you to go on. A trip that you’re meant to be working on.

You let out a tiny groan. You feel sick.

“Hm?” Pedro asks, turning his head to try to look at you. “You still with me, Sweet girl?”

“Actually, Pedro,” you lift your head to look at him, eyes watery with tears. “I don’t feel so well.”

“Oh, Sweetie,” he coos, caressing your cheek, but you turn away from him and crawl out of his lap. “What’s wrong? Something you ate earlier?”

“No, I… I feel…” you begin, but don’t know how to phrase what you’re feeling. “Pedro, I feel guilty.”

“Guilty?” he repeats, as if it pains him to say the word. because he knows where you’re going with this.

“Yeah, I… I dunno. It’s just that I’m here on this vacation, totally paid for and I’m also getting paid an insane amount to watch the boys. I’m supposed to be working, I’m here on this trip to work, but here I am with…”

“With me,” he finishes for you, but that’s not the way you mean it at all.

“Yes, and I love spending time with you,” you assure him. “I just feel bad for doing this with you.”

“It’s not a bad thing to feel pleasure, (Y/n),” he tells you softly, using his thumb and index finger to lift your chin up to look at him.

“No, I know,” you nod shallowly, then swallow thickly. “I know.”

“Well, you obviously don’t,” he refutes. “They gave you the day off, Sweetie. And they’ve told you repeatedly that this is also supposed to be your vacation. You need to understand that time off is okay.”

“I really do,” you sigh, hearing everything that Pedro is saying and knowing he’s saying nothing but the truth.

“I know you’re a hard worker. You’ve shown that since the first day I met you. But having time for yourself is just as important. Remember that,” he says, and you lean into his touch, letting him kiss your temple.

“Thank you, Pedro,” you sigh, loving the way he smells like deep woods, cinnamon, and fresh mint all tied together. You feel so much better with his reassurance.

“Of course, Cariño,” he wraps his arms around you.

“And speaking of pleasure,” you start, pulling apart from him and glancing up at him, placing a hand on his inner thigh. “You deserve to feel it, too.”

“How about let’s have to wait on that one for now,” he smiles, running a hand over the top of your head.

You pout at his response, but not for long; you look over to see him popping open a bottle of wine. It looks fancy, but then again, you wouldn’t really know.

“Do you drink?” he pauses before pouring any into your glass. “Sorry, I totally forgot you said you weren’t really into this.”

“It’s not that I don’t drink,” you tell him, placing a hand under his to encourage him to pour you one. “I just never did in college because I was focused on school. Lame, I know,” you joke, taking the glass from Pedro and taking a sip.

“Not lame. Smart,” he states plainly, pouring himself a glass. “Is it any good? Oscar picked this one out.”

“It’s good,” you nod. “But then again, I have very little to base my comparison off of,” you smile.

“Well cheers to us,” Pedro smiles, lifting his glass over to yours.

“Cheers,” you echo, meeting him halfway.

~~~

The two of you spend the rest of the evening out there, simply talking freely and acting like a normal couple. It feels like you’ve been doing this forever; it feels so right.

And the two of you even eventually make it into the water, too. It was intimidating, to say the least, to have to pull off your sundress to reveal your bathing suit to Pedro, but when you saw the way he was looking at you like you’re the only woman in the world, your insecurities disappeared into thin air.

When the sun starts to set, the temperature drops just enough so that it’s too chilly to be in the water. Pedro braves the cold and runs back to the blanket, grabbing towels for both of you, and wrapping you up when you stand up from the water.

He wraps his own towel around him, and walks you back to the blanket, giving you a hoodie of his to slip on to cover up more than your sundress would. You sink into his embrace and the two of you whisper little mumblings to each other as the sky’s colors grow even more vibrant.

But by the time the light starts sinking past the horizon, Pedro gets a text from Oscar letting him know that they’re about half an hour away. Luckily, it gives you and Pedro enough time to pack the things from the picnic back into the basket and make your way up to the house.

He takes care of putting away the food and wine, and you take the vase of flowers back up to your room in the house. You don’t know how you’ll take them back with you without raising suspicion, but you decide that’s a problem for later in the week.

For now, you’re content to spend the last few minutes alone with Pedro, all showered and changed into clean sleep clothes. The rise and fall of his chest feels so comforting against your cheek, you don’t want to get up from the couch.

“Well, they should be here any minute,” Pedro sighs, kissing your shoulder.

“I had a really fun time with you today, Pedro,” you tell him in a quiet voice.

“I had a great time with you, too, Sweetie. Hopefully when this trip ends, we can make it more frequent,” he suggests, tucking a stray section of your hair behind your ear.

“I’d love that,” you nod back, reaching up to kiss him, but quickly pull apart when the next thing that’s heard is the outside garage door opening.

“They’re back,” you sigh, pushing yourself up off of him and walking into the kitchen to grab a glass of water.

“Only five more days, Cariño,” he reminds you, grabbing a book from the coffee table to look busy. “Then, you’re all mine.”

~~~

a/n: hope y’all enjoyed! thank you for reading 💕

Read the next part here!

#pedro pascal #pedro pascal x reader #pedro pascal rpf #pedro pascal x reader age gap #age gap fic #the mandalorian #din djarin #tuwomt #javi gutierrez #narcos #javier peña #triple frontier #francisco morales #frankie morales #game of thrones #oberyn martell

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