#I'm trying for the long one dad

[mkstrigidae]

Backgrounds? *puts on sunglasses* I don't know her.

My favorite girl Sansa, here to eat lemon cakes and take names.

[bizarrelittlemew]

wishing everyone a very "your greying hair is sexy"

[crabbarts]

(WIP) This has to be one of the most enjoyable projects I've made in awhile! I've never knit a polo before, and this is my first time working a button-up collar.

The pattern is the Winona Polo by Emily Y Chen and I'm using stash Holst Supersoft yarn.

[thepersonperson]

Thoughts on Sukuna and Kenjaku’s relationship as of JJK 258.

Before we start I want to clarify some things.

1) This analysis deals with topics of nonconsent and reproductive manipulation. 

2) I will be mainly using the TCB scans because of their accessibility. 

3) This analysis is based on Sukuna being aroace.

(Click pictures for captions/citations.)

On Sukuna being aroace...

There’s a strong case for this given how he responds to both sexual advances from Yorozu and romantic advances from Yorozu and Kashimo.

Rejecting Yorozu

Sukuna does not like Yorozu. This is rather obvious. His official updated character description states that he is "Turned off with Yorozu's excitement".

He dislikes her the most when she comes onto him romantically or sexually as shown by the panels below. Otherwise he regards her with a mild annoyance.

It should be noted that in the rules of Heian Era courtship, showing passive disinterest is how you properly turn someone down. Sukuna is someone who is a stickler for propriety when it comes to conduct associated with the upper class so this speaks volumes.

Rejecting Kashimo

Kashimo has much more tact when coming onto Sukuna but he's still pretty forward. He brings up love and laments how it's impossible for them to love people weaker than them. Sukuna is the first person Kashimo believes he is capable of loving. He even calls him beautiful.

Sukuna is not a fan of this. He straight up says he understands what love is, he simply does not care for it. Going onto express additional irritation at Yorozu while looking rather bored with the conversation.

Sukuna does go onto explain how the strong express love with their violence, but his entire demeanor mimics that of his one with Yorozu. If we go by the Heian Era courtship rules, this once again is Sukuna turning Kashimo down.

Sukuna also declares he does not need another person to satisfy himself directly to Kashimo. (And later internally.) This sounds rather silly given that he needs people to eat and fight, so we can infer he's speaking on relationships. Especially since this was a response to Kashimo talking about love.

What's fascinating about this declaration is that also notes most people do not understand him when it comes to love. Other people think he needs it, but he is content not having romantic or sexual relationships. This is a common problem aroace people experience.

His wording "never crossed my mind" also suggests he doesn't experience attraction outright instead of not having opportunities to act on it. (Yorozu has given him plenty of chances to do so.)

What's more is Gege stating Sukuna never had a wife or children via the official fanbook. Sukuna is strong enough to do whatever he wants and that includes forcing people to be with him. The fact he has no direct descendants and is not a rapist despite seeing humans as playthings really shows how uninterested in sex Sukuna is.

In conclusion? Sukuna is probably aroace.

Wait what about Gojo?

As an aside, I want to emphasize that out of the “fighting for love trio” Gojo is the only one who did not try to force love on Sukuna. (Which aligns with this character pretty well. He consistently respects boundaries when it comes to love.) These panels here are not Gojo. This is Sukuna recalling what Yorozu said to him and is projecting that onto Gojo. At no point did Gojo bring up love to Sukuna.

I think this is important to note because Gojo winds up being the only person Sukuna deeply respects by the end of the battle. He is also the only person who Sukuna consistently smiled at during the fight. There wasn't a single panel where Sukuna gave Gojo the passively irritated look. (Good job Gojo you did right by an aroace.)

What does this have to do with Kenjaku and Sukuna's relationship?

Bear with me this is going to be a lot.

On Kenjaku...

We know that Kenjaku has achieved semi-immortality with a Cursed Technique (CT) that involves corpse desecration. Though it’s a bit more severe than that. The brain transplant just doesn’t steal the body, it also steals their memories and their privacy. When most people die, they take their most personal secrets with them. Kenjaku’s CT takes away that last remaining bit of dignity. 

Kenjaku exists and survives by violating others physically and emotionally. The search for entertainment to relieve boredom comes at the cost of empathy for all other living things. Everyone is just a toy for Kenjaku to play with. (Not unlike Sukuna.)

We also know that Kenjaku wants to evolve humanity through cursed energy no matter what. Mainly for the lolz. It’s an interesting idea to Kenjaku so it’s being pursued to sate that curiosity. No more and no less.

Kenjaku is crafty and wise enough to have backup plans. The culling games can bring about this evolution, but so can Sukuna by merely existing. 

When Tengen is forcibly evolved because of these plans through cursed energy, they start looking more like Sukuna. Kenjaku explicitly makes this parallel. 

Kenjaku also raped a poor woman 9 times with a cursed spirit to experiment on how cursed energy could evolve humans. Though all her pregnancies were aborted, it is heavily implied she died from them.

What does this have to do with Sukuna?

We know that Sukuna’s body is perfect sorcery and cursed energy. He has 2 mouths and 4 arms. On top of that he learns and adapts to all things sorcery with scary speed. Sukuna is the pinnacle of human evolution through cursed energy. Tengen's evolution via cursed energy making them resemble Sukuna also indicates this.

In other words, Sukuna is Kenjaku’s ideal specimen for evolution via cursed energy. There’s just one problem. Sukuna is aroace and very fudging strong. Unlike Tengen or Choso’s mother, Kenjaku can’t force Sukuna to go along with these plans. Sukuna will simply kill whoever doesn’t respect his boundaries. So how do you work around this? You build a cage.

Yuji is the perfect cage for Sukuna and I’m pretty sure Kenjaku did that on purpose. As Sukuna stated, Kenjaku would not have a child for no reason. He also says that Jin is basically a fragment of himself. In JJK twin’s souls are treated as the same person. So in a way that makes Sukuna both Yuji’s uncle and his father. But that’s not the problem here.

(Please note that there are a lot of translations floating around because of how confusing this lore is. In every variation Sukuna seems to consider Jin a piece of himself.)

We know for a fact Kenjaku has been genetically manipulating people for a very long time and has found ways to capture souls and stuff them into an unwilling host. What this implies to me is that Kenjaku has been selectively breeding the Itadori family to get the perfect cage for Sukuna. (This could be as simple as manipulating who the Itadoris pair with or as gross as Kenjaku being the “mother” every step of the way. Which would make this particular panel insane foreshadowing.)

Wasuke says something a bit weird here when Kenjaku is in Kaori’s body that might make this the case.

How does he already know this? It feels like he has fallen victim to Kenjaku’s manipulations before and is trying to warn his son.

Now it’s not clear if Jin got turned into a cursed object and was reincarnated forcefully or if he naturally reincarnated. I lean towards the former because of how meticulous Kenjaku is with planning. The end result is the same though—Kenjaku created a version of Sukuna that was willing to have sex and children, despite Sukuna’s clear wishes not to.

Kenjaku has been a very rapey character from the start, but this takes it to another level for me. There are so many asexual individuals who are the targets of unwanted sexual desire. When discomfort is expressed, people take it as a challenge. There’s this kind of entitlement to our bodies and sometimes our refusal to bear children. 

As of chapter 257, people have started to read Kenjaku as someone in love/obsessed with Sukuna and not willing to give up on it. Those implications make me deeply uncomfortable, but they have merit to them.

(The link may die because Twitter but hopefully this credit is enough.)

Kenjaku seems to have spent centuries coming up with the perfect plan to trap Sukuna and keep him as a lab rat forever. Even going as far as to force a pregnancy on Sukuna after death with a binding vow.

Sukuna’s unyielding hatred of Yuji becomes something a little more than opposed ideals with Kenjaku’s involvement. Yuji is essentially a constant reminder that someone else has control over him and might force him to engage in things he really does not want to do. (And under this interpretation, Sukuna has been forced to coexist with what is his unwanted child. Which is honestly pretty fudged up.)

Sukuna seems to be rather neutral to disinterested in Kenjaku despite sharing similar ideas about other people, loneliness, and a desire for entertainment. But when he realizes how Yuji was made, he refers to the action as gross/twisted. Since Sukuna is ok with murder, cannibalism, and stealing people’s bodies, you can infer he’s referring to the sex and pregnancy.  (This might also explain why Sukuna tries to speak to Kenjaku as little as possible. Someone getting with your twin after you turn them down is weird behavior.)

I think Uraume’s hostility towards Kenjaku should also be noted because they’re the only person who seems to understand and respect Sukuna’s boundaries at all times. Sukuna likes keeping Uraume around for a reason. They have a knack for telling people to piss off when they’re encroaching on his space (See naked Yorozu and trying to shoo away Kenjaku when the yapping starts.)

Whatever the case, Kenjaku is someone who causes others to relive their traumas and violates their autonomy for entertainment. I think Sukuna is a victim of this too.

As for Yuji having Sukuna’s actual power? Maybe he inherited it. Maybe Jin was turned into a cursed object and fed to Yuji as a baby. We don’t know yet and I’m sure whatever it is will probably be gross.

[journey-to-the-attic]

another art post so soon?! i'm having too much fun with these

+bonus from the ddvd au

[of-pale]

Vergil finds a new hobby

Hobbies were a luxury, an indulgence Vergil could scarcely afford throughout his stormy existence. He was accustomed to a life of constant movement and perpetual fight for survival, each step a calculation to outmanoeuvre the demons relentlessly pursuing him. Now, however, his circumstances had drastically changed and he had to figure out how to stop and truly live. It was a strange concept, but with his brother's office as a place of sanctuary he could always return to and an abundance of free time to spare, he had to embrace just living.

Not quite sure what to make of it, he fell back on his old habit of reading. Yet, according to the members of Devil May Cry, his ‘obsession’ with books hardly qualified as a hobby; more seen as a chore or a sinister ploy to seek out power. Though some tried to encourage him to explore new hobbies, their suggestions often fell flat and failed to pique his interest.

Of all people, it was Nico who managed to recommend a compelling diversion—a DVD of a vintage painting show titled 'The Joy of Painting'. Its familiar appearance drew him in, like staring at nostalgic pieces of a bygone era he could scarcely recall from a lifetime ago. She told him to give it a shot since ‘it was all the rage back in its hay day for a reason’. Glimpsing through fragments of the show, it appeared to be a worthy time investment where his attention to detail would surely pay off.

On a day when Dante was out terrorising some unfortunate ice cream parlour for its special deal on strawberry sundaes, Vergil seized the opportunity to relax uninterrupted. After setting up the canvas and the paints, he followed Nico's instructions to play the show on the DVD player—apparently a technological upgrade to the VHS players he vaguely remembers. It felt somewhat humiliating to follow instructions that seemed to be written for a child to comprehend:

press the tiny button next to the rectangle;

place the circular thing inside the pocket that slides out;

wait till the devices figures out its head from its ass;

on the remote, use the buttons with triangles pointing up and down to select an episode on screen;

oh yeah, that sideways triangle in the middle there is the select button;

It wasn't far off from describing an infant's toy where different shapes are passed through their respective holes. ‘That's right, the square goes into the square shaped hole. Yeah! You got it!’

Perhaps, there was still hope for him as he successfully followed the instructional cookie trail, simple enough for a four-year-old to navigate, and managed to play the show on the old TV. Settling comfortably in his seat, he paid close attention to the screen. The hosts' serene attitude and passion was contagious, and the painting process itself proved to be rather soothing. Although Vergil wasn't exactly a skilled artisan, the show catered well to artists of all levels. It was something he could improve upon and, as odd as it was, he now had all the time to spare for it.

“I'm gonna wash the brush and we’ll just blend that out. As you know, we wash our brushes with odourless paint thinner and we have a lot of fun.” The host dipped the brush into a bucket on the side. “Just shake off the excess,” he lightly shook the brush, following up with a practised motion of rhythmically smacking it against the leg of the easel stand. Almost chuckling, the host said one of his signature phrases, “And beat the devil out of it.”

Vergil looked down at his brush... menacingly.

[uncanny-tranny]

Hi! would you by any chance have tips on how to get a binder when your parents refuse to buy you one? ☹️

That's definitely a sensitive and complex answer, and while I might not know of the best option for your unique situation, there are some ways you can go about this.

If it's a foregone conclusion that you cannot convince them of this, what I used to do is DIY my binder. The ways I primarily did this were:

Option One: Wearing a camisole that was one size smaller than I actually was (so, wearing a small instead of a medium, for instance), then folding it up over my chest. As a disclaimer, this may only work well if you are smaller in the chest

Option Two: Layering two sports bras in my size over each other. Some of the DIY tips I found before I got a traditional binder advised to wear one sports bra in your size, then wear another sports bra backwards in a size smaller. I would advise against this for potential safety reasons, but also because (at least personally), it can be ineffective and a waste of resources.

Some people have also had friends or other family members order their binder for them, but this can be risky, depending on your situation. While I don't know the ins and outs of your specific circumstances, risk management is important to me, so I would recommend this if it is a risk that is acceptable to make.

I understand what it's like to not have access to this resource, so what I will do is advise you against:

Binding with ace bandages (I did this before (multiple times, in fact, because of dysphoria), and believe me, not only did it hurt like hell, but it constricted my body so heavily that I may have done long-term harm)

Wearing a DIY binder (or any kind, for that matter) for longer than your body can handle

Doing DIY in such a way that even mimics binding with ace bandages. This means that your binder shouldn't constrict your ribs, breathing, or range of movement

Here are some general good practices that you should use to guide you for any type of binding, whether traditional or DIY:

When you start binding, only do so in very short sessions to begin with. While binding shouldn't outright hurt, it can be a weird transition while your body is getting used to that new sensation

Minimize heavy lifting or exercise while binding. If it is unavoidable, drink plenty of water and take plenty of breaks

Stretch after binding

Don't bind while sick or have inflammation in your lungs or chest

If you DIY, treat your binder like it is a traditional binder. Don't make the mistake of assuming you don't need to listen to your body because you aren't using a "traditional" binding method

Ultimately, listen to your body. If it is telling you that it needs a break, honour that. Your body isn't punishing you, it is trying to keep you (and it) safe, even if it doesn't feel like it

In the end, this isn't perfect. Sometimes, parents do come around, even in their own ways, even if little by little, they come around. When I first came out officially around 2016, I was convinced that my transition would be completely forbade by my family; I concealed a lot of it in the worst instances of this. However, now, I think most of my family has come through their own journey with the understanding of the reality of what and who I am. I tell you this, anon, because I want you to know that this, too , shall pass. You can make it. I know this might be devastating to you, and believe me, I know what that's like. But it won't be forever. These bridges aren't burnt forever, and I hope you can find your happiness and contentment wherever it may be.

[dreamlogic]

got a good grade at the dentist today against all odds 😇 it's been uuuhhhh 8 years since my last check-up (i know, i know, i have a final boss-sized mental block against dental care), but i have NO new cavities, only a tiny bit of gum recession, and LESS gum inflammation than my last visit! all i need is a basic cleaning, to have a couple existing fillings touched up, and to be fitted for a night guard. the hygienist said she was "surprised and impressed" that my mouth was so healthy, which the dentist herself attributed to "very good home care." 😌😏

[tj-crochets]

Crafting update! - still making slow progress on the crocheted lovey - another scrappy baby quilt with beach quilt leftovers (almost done sewing the four patch blocks, then another round of ironing before I arrange all the blocks) - mini monster about half done (got distracted by baby quilt) - more embroidery! not sure what yet? probably a frog - braided scrap basket (no idea how big I want to make the basket's sides, but it's getting big enough I could consider it done pretty much whenever) - Bucky Bear is also making slow progress! - I got one of those like chests of tiny plastic drawers that people store bolts and screws and nails in from a yard sale and it was full of dirt and cobwebs, but I almost have it cleaned out! Once it's clean I think I'm going to fill it with buttons and claws and safety eyes If you have suggestions/requests for what I should make for Halloween month, please let me know! Any medium you've seen me make things in before, does not have to be sewing (but it can be!)

[claitea]

do you think the fact that its never stated that anthea and concordia's last names are "harmonia gropius" like it is for n and ghetsis is intentional. like it may just be because they're severely underutilized, but n and ghetsis had their names specifically stated in the directors columns and a fan meeting respectively.

n mentions he was given the name harmonia, did ghetsis withold that name from anthea and concordia on purpose? if he did, why? he'd still need them to trust him, so they'd keep raising n in his place. not sharing that name is maybe an effort to distance himself, maybe he only cared about n having that level of trust with him?

[tanicus-caesareth]

guarana drama, damage control

[coquelicoq]

In talking about Chaucer (p. 74), I said that, in general, puns and verbal connections of sound were unimportant and not to be sought out; and now, you will say, I have been using them to explain cruces in Shakespeare. Alas, you have touched on a sore point; this is one of the less reputable aspects of our national poet. A quibble is to Shakespeare [Johnson could not but confess] what luminous vapours are to the traveller; he follows it at all adventures; it is sure to lead him out of his way and sure to engulf him in the mire. It has some malignant power over his mind.... A quibble was for him the fatal Cleopatra for whom he lost the world, and was content to lose it. Nor can I hold out against the Doctor, beyond saying that life ran very high in those days, and that he does not seem to have lost the world so completely after all. It shows lack of decision and will-power, a feminine pleasure in yielding to the mesmerism of language, in getting one's way, if at all, by deceit and flattery, for a poet to be so fearfully susceptible to puns. Many of us could wish the Bard had been more manly in his literary habits, and I am afraid the Sitwells are just as bad.

William Empson, 7 Types of Ambiguity, ch 2 pp 100-101

i'm sorry this is so fucking funny. that pathetic loser shakespeare who loved puns so much it cost him everything, except of course his status as the most famous, most read, most immortal english-language author of all time. but everything else, he lost and it's all because of how weak he was to resist a pun :/ pouring one out for my sad little girly man who could have had it all if only he was better at writing, the thing he is the most famous guy in the world for.

even empson, who disagrees with johnson that shakespeare "lost the world", is like, too bad our favorite poet is susceptible to the thing that made him famous :/ really tragic that the guy whose wordplay we've been talking about for 300 years likes wordplay :///

also i can't get over writing a book about the types of ambiguity and NOT INCLUDING PUNS?? sorry but puns are ambiguous! that's where their juice comes from! imagine liking ambiguity so much you write a book about it but never mention puns except to dunk on them. imagine being a POET and POETRY CRITIC who looks down on sound-based ambiguity! could not be me!!

[bayrut]

WAITTTTT MARIA i forgot to say ❕ u can answer this privately if u think i doxxed u too much but! the professor i met w was the one who went to ur undergrad and she was talking abt how she told going to this one library on campus and that it was round and it was a double story building and then❕ she said something abt islamic studies and im like Oh My God. It's the library maria took lizzie and me to😟. BUT BC I DIDNT want to sound unhinged and say hey i stalked u many semesters ago and know exactly where you studied i'm like 'Oh what university did u go too🤨' and she said it and i'm like 'OH WOW I WENT THERE❕' and yeah👍🏽 also congrats 2 ur sister for graduating ❕❕❕❕❕❕❕❕❕

lol no it's ok pls i don't mind the doxxing there's more confidential info about me online already 🙏 every 2 months i remember and i hope/pray no one will send me like blood in plastic bag like aftg style

wait that's so so funny you shoudl have been like wait I've been there!!!! total coincidence!!!! I had no idea you went to [redacted] in [redeacted], Canada, from date to date. I totally did not memorize your cv (which btw isnt even weird for profs so many people research and look at where they studied etc so youre not even weird. alsooo???? When did you meet with the prof how did it go??? I should go read all of your blog idk how i missed it

[mod2amaryllis]

why am i sad :/ (works at the sad factory)

[astridthevalkyrie]

everything you see ab being the oldest daughter is true btw why am i the family therapist AND punching bag smh

long ass depressing rant in the tags srry i got a wee bit emotional

[nichiperi]

Ya know, I've been seeing a lot of stuff for the hc of Zim and Dib as found family lately, and something about it was actually bugging me a bit. Like, I really like zade, zadf, and zadr, and I just couldn't understand why I couldn't really get behind zads.

And then I realized it's ENTIRELY because of Professor Membrane.

I do not like the idea of Zim being absorbed into the Membrane family dynamic, because in the show (the IZ source I'm most familiar with) Professor Membrane is a really shitty parent, and there is nothing satisfying to me about Zim just hanging out at that house with Dib and Gaz, adding another sibling to an already fairly miserable household situation. Sure, they can support each other. But what is the point of keeping them stifled in that environment if Membrane is not present and being a parent?

BUT, consider the alternative: Dib and Gaz saying 'fuck this shit I'm out', and spending more time with Zim at his base. Eventually they just go off on space adventures or something because why not? Found family in space! No shitty dad! Maybe if you reeeeally want a parental figure, you could throw in a dash of the dad-nar hc in there for some extra spice. And THEN you could have Zim deal with his feelings about HIS 'parental' figures. If Lard Nar starts being a real dad to this group of ragamuffins, how does that reframe the way Zim feels about the Tallest? How does Dib feel about the fact that an alien could (most likely) be a better dad than his own father? How do the two of them react to getting positive attention they've never received from a parental figure before?

And when I started thinking of it that way, I saw the potential. I still don't think it's my favorite. I think I definitely enjoy more room for flexibility and ambiguity with Zim and Dib, and making them view each other as siblings almost boxes them into that role a bit. But I can see the potential for a really interesting story there!

Provided Membrane is out of the picture.