#RIKAS CONSEQUENCES OF HER ACTIONS!!!

[epickiya722]

Another thought coming in, this time about how Riko and Yuji are similar in ways that has me in my feelings and I am definitely going to ramble about it.

They're both such tragic characters. Bright eyed kids who despite their positive personalities, life is unfair to them. Yet, somehow they adapt the best they can.

Raised by a single person who is family to them, whether not blood related (Riko and Kuroi) and blood related (Yuji and Wasuke, Yuji's grandfather). Parents? Gone. Riko's died in an accident and Yuji's, well, his mother is dead and maybe his father (his whereabouts aren't really clear, but I figured he's dead).

Both have expressed they're loners, however they are sociable and can get along with those around them.

"Vessels" that are doomed to die. Riko, merging with Tengen would mean her no longer existing. Once Yuji consumed all of Sukuna's 20 Cursed Fingers, he is sentenced to be executed. And they both had accepted this, even though they question it and it's not something they want to do in the first place.

Riko and Yuji were born into those roles, being a "vessel" wasn't something in their control from the start. Riko was found to be a match as a Star Plasma Vessel and Yuji was created to be Sukuna's vessel/"cage". Those roles that they were forced into came with dire consequences and somehow those roles of theirs, even being a "vessel" is halted by a Fushiguro.

Riko is killed by Toji, just as she makes the decision to not merge with Tengen. Sukuna uses the Binding Vow he had on Yuji to force control over his body to switch into Megumi's body. Riko's was done voluntarily on Toji's part while Megumi becoming Sukuna's vessel is involuntary on Megumi's part.

These actions lead into even more chaos. With Toji killing Riko, Tengen later evolves into something more curse than human, something Kenjaku wants for the Merger. Sukuna switching to Megumi's body allows him to use his technique, the technique he uses against Yorozu who possessed Tsumiki (Megumi's sister) and kills her and later against Gojo.

Also, something else. When they have died (Yuji once in the beginning, he gets revived), it's right in front of someone (who are black haired, have eye color changes from manga to anime and can summon creatures with their techniques). Suguru witnesses Riko's death, Megumi witnesses Yuji's.

It's also something of how they die/"die" that kind of foils. Yuji dies by his heart being taken out. Riko dies by being shot in the head. I think of that saying how you should think your head, not your heart. Yuji, though he does follow his heart, also thinks logically sometimes, evident in battles. He does show he is smarter than what he even gives himself credit for. With Riko, she is more emotion driven than logical. (That's not to say she's dumb, which I doubt she is.)

Also, speaking of Gojo, he's heavily involved with Riko and Yuji's roles as vessels.

He had been one of the two (along with Geto) to protect Riko until it was her time to merge with Tengen. During that time, Gojo grows compassion, and not just towards Riko as later he displays that traits to his students, Yuji being a notable example.

When Riko dies, Gojo expresses sorrow and grief and even suggests killing the Star Religious members because they were celebrating her death. In a similar manner, when Yuji dies (Sukuna ripping his heart out), Gojo expresses distraught and anger, even mentioning how he should kill the Higher-Ups who orchestrated the very mission that could have killed Yuji (as well as Megumi and Nobara, but their focus was Yuji).

Gojo's time with Riko changes him and his time as Yuji's teacher displays that change.

And...

It's also funny to me how similar their names are to the previous MCs of JJK 0. (Okay, I know Rika ain't like a MC-MC to some, but she is to me!)

Riko -> Rika

Yuji -> Yuta

...

I'm not done, let me touch on how they're opposite.

Riko is a non-combatant and seemingly has more knowledge about jujutsu. Yuji is a newcomer and is an combatant. Riko is a girl, Yuji is a boy. Riko has long, dark hair. Yuji has short, light hair.

[klapollo]

i think, ironically, a good example of using media literacy to parse endorsement through depiction from other forms of depiction is..............lolita vs cardcaptor sakura. of all things

both of these are media that depict pedophilia. but the entire thesis of lolita is that pedophilia is a devastating, violent, disturbing thing that destroys children and the perpetrators of child sexual abuse will often attempt to convince everyone -- even themselves -- that their actions are somehow balanced or just or even romantic. it's literally from humbert humbert's pov and the dexterity of the narrative imparts the depravity and horror of his actions with every page still

cardcaptor sakura. ok. i loved this series as a kid but we gotta be honest its depiction of pedophilia is pretty clearly in the framework of "this is just a different kind of love and it's romantic!" and tbh i always found it kind of insulting how touya and yukito's romantic relationship -- as one between two boys of the same age -- was kinda lumped into this same theme of "unconventional romance." terada, a man in his 20s/30s is meant to be sympathetic, and his "relationship" with rika -- his TEN YEAR OLD STUDENT -- is supposed to be romantic. there is basically nothing in the text that suggests their relationship is inappropriate, let alone violent or dangerous. and this framework has consequences. i can find literal posts on THIS WEBSITE where people buy into the framework of "it's okay because he's waiting for her to be an adult" "it's okay because they dont kiss etc" and think it's just a "different kind of love."

anyway this got too long. yeah. clamp what's your deal lol

[suguwu-gato]

Unpopular opinion but I am LIVING for this new plot reveal. This is an in-character move from Yuta to sacrifice himself in desperation to help his friends at the cost of his own psyche and moral compass. Shoko, while a side character, was an integral part of the Gojo-Geto-Shoko dynamic and NONE of them escaped growing up in jujutsu society unfucked in the head. She starts out a healer, but when we see her first in season 1 she’s eager to dissect Yuji. She is emotionally detached from most situations— she’s had to be, after embalming and/or losing so many friends, starting with Haibara— and we see this first when she meets Geto in Shinjuku. Geto and Gojo are both losing their minds in different ways at that point, so she must stay strong. We see this here again, as she does what she thinks is the only course of action.

Satoru essentially gave the okay at this point to become an organ donor— the organ being his entire self. Shoko is following what Gojo instructed and discussed with Yuta; it’s horrifying but it’s consensual, which is still better than what happened to Geto. Geto’s head being eaten by Rika— the narrative irony of this man who consumed curses to absorb their power having part of his body consumed by a curse in the end, to use the power of the brain that used him? It’s grotesque and ironic but it WORKS NARRATIVELY and provides a satisfying end for him in an incredibly perverse sense. His body being eaten by a curse in order for Satoru’s body to be used just like Geto’s was. Satoru finally realizing that Geto had seen things that were wrong with jujutsu society and that he had died tried to do something about it, Satoru feeling like HE is he one who needs to catch up, when that’s how Geto felt about him. I don’t know why people are so surprised by this development; the entire story of JJK revolves around people’s bodies becoming host to someone else, or being used in that way. Yuji being host to Sukuna. Geto being host to Kenjaku. Mahito using people’s bodies to turn them into weapons. Yuta trying desperately not to hurt people but having Rika within him doing just that. Toji coming back from the dead by inhabiting someone else’s body. Megumi being used by Sukuna, after asking Gojo to spare Yuji even if that meant keeping Sukuna alive. Megumi’s sister. Yuji’s mom. And now of course, Gojo giving his body for what he believes is the best course of action to save his students, even if one of them is sacrificed. This is a theme of Jujutsu Kaisen: bodily autonomy, making sacrifices for others, making decisions in the moment without knowing the consequences and then having to live with them.

I see people complaining because Gojo’s death leaves so many loose ends with his relationships to Megumi, Yuji, etc but that’s the point! That’s what death is. Very rarely do people know when they are about to die, much less have the chance to wrap up everything with all the people they care about. Death is a sudden and unexpected end that leaves holes in people’s hearts and that is exactly how JJK portrays it. I’m horrified by what happened to Gojo and Yuta (and Geto and Megumi and Yuji and… the list goes on) but I’m excited to see where this takes the story. Yuta will probably die, but that leaves Yuji alone as the main character, no longer able to be sidelined, which people have been complaining about for a while. I personally think Yuji will die to revive Megumi and that Megumi will be the lone survivor (and maybe even defeats Sukuna with 10 shadows, in an ironic recap of the Sukuna-Gojo fight), but I also thought it would be Kenjaku that would take Gojo’s body, so I’m sure my theory is wrong! This is a fascinating development and I can’t wait to see what horrible and twisted things result as a result of Yuta’s act of desperation.

[marshmallowprotection]

Why does Saeran keep calling Saejoong "father" until the end? Saeyoung does that too, doesn't he?

That man is anything but a father.

I think it's a complicated answer at the end of the day. That man... is technically their father, but you're right, he's anything but. Saeyoung only says "father" in a condescending way, the same way Saejoong in return, says "son" to him. They have a mutual distaste for each other and that's the only trait they share.

As for Saeran, I'm sure you could say the same for how he always called his mother "mother". He continues to call her his mother even though she doesn't deserve that title. His brother says it to you quite often, Saeran’s heart is gentle at its core. He doesn’t want to hate any more, and that’s a part of his forgiveness arc. He forgives his mother, and he accepts that she was his mother, even though she never once acted like it.

It's the same sentiment for his father. Whether he likes it or not, that man is his birth father, and he has accepted it, just as he accepted that his mother was his mother. He wouldn't be able to exist without the two of them, and he understands his experiences are because of the people his parents are. He is ending a generational curse by doing things his way, choosing to forgive them so that he may learn how to forgive himself for what he's done. 

He knows he can't change who his parents are. He doesn't have to define them as the people who took care of him because they are not that. But, he acknowledges that his existence is because of them and many of the things he has done came from what he suffered at their hands. 

That's why he calls them the title of parent, not because either of them earned it, but because for Saeran to accept himself, he wants to accept that his parents influenced him. That's how he feels. That's what he says.

For him to find peace, for him to learn how to live past what he suffered, he chose to acknowledge their existence and forgive them so he could forgive himself. He is a kind soul, and sure, I know a lot of people don’t like that.

Many of us would rather rip his parents to shreds, myself included, because our healing process is different than his. But, that's what the after-ending is about, showing you that everybody has a right to their feelings as long as they don't hurt themselves or anybody else (Well, anyone who doesn’t deserve it, anyway. Your actions have consequences, Rika, V, Saejoong, Agency Boss, etc.).

His words speak for himself here and I don't feel like I need to reiterate what he says all that much. 

I don't mind explaining this over and over again since forgiveness is such a messy topic, but I hope people understand he forgave them so that he could forgive himself. In everything he did wrong, he was copying the people who hurt him every step of the way because that was what he felt like he had to do to survive. He knew that if he could forgive them for what they did, he could forgive himself for emulating them, for copying them. 

But, I digress.

He knows they are his biological parents, but he won't consider them to be guardians, people who looked after him and made him feel safe. He didn't have that... at least, he didn't have that in a conventional sense.

Saeyoung is the only person who was like a parent to him and we don't have time to unpack Saeyoung's parentification.

Saeran had a lot of people who looked after him thanks to Saeyoung, but... V and Rika? He doesn’t consider them to be parents to him, he said that himself, Saeyoung, though? He felt that way. He saw V and Rika as stand-in parents. There's no denying that fact, but it makes it all the more painful when you see V drug Saeyoung on the second day.

You see his eyes soften, desperately pleading with somebody he thought to be a father to him to not disappoint him. To not let him down and see reason. 

Saeyoung doesn't get that.

[whentheycry-problems]

wait... but if there's truth to it... the way Frederica escaped wasn't even remotely by following the rules Hanyuu had laid out about having to kill her mom. she just kind of... accepted that she'd have to choose for herself.

oh shit. was that it? was the whole point to get rika ready for a world where her actions will have consequences?

[readordiebyemilyt]

Here's the next round of scary movies I've enjoyed this October:

Return of the Living Dead: I'd never seen this one before: it was at the Last Picture House last weekend, and I had a lot of fun. The punks were great, the zombies were scary (and looked fantastic), and Clu Gulager was, to my surprise, a serviceable action hero. (Also, I like a deus ex machina when it's exactly what the military industrial complex would do to "solve" a problem.)

Ju-On: It's been a long time since I first saw this movie, and I'd forgotten how it plays with time: each section focuses on a different character, and how they're cursed in different ways. Rika's story bookends the film, and even her eventual understanding of what happened in the house can't save her, but it's a haunting journey.

Killer Fish: The MST3K version of this features a great song, Crow as a killer fish, and, you guessed it, piranhas eating people.

Halloween: I watched this with Rifftrax, as I do most years: it was the first movie at the Dusk Till Dawn event at the drive-in on Saturday. There are so many sequels, and at least three continuities I can think of. (Four?) But this one is the first, and it's still the best.

Halloween II: I'll be honest, I tuned out for parts of this one, mainly because I wanted to finish an audiobook. It has its moments, and the use of Mr. Sandman is a great musical leitmotif, and we start to get into the druid stuff that comes up in movies 4, 5, and 6. Probably the scariest thing is the fact that most of the hospital staff act like horny teens, which they're of course standing in for for the sake of the plot.

Christine: Another first time watch for me: the fact that the cursed car Christine has, in 1983, what look to be LED headlights that she uses to blind her victims further proves the evil of that invention.

The Shining: Again, there are parts of this movie that I just sort of tune out, especially since this watch started around 2:30am. The scariest parts IMO are when Jack yells at his family: this movie is full of effective visuals that stick in your head and an iconic soundscape. In many ways, it's a beautiful film, and every time, I wish Scatman Crothers didn't die. (Spoiler alert: he doesn't in the book! He becomes an important part of Danny's life!)

The Most Dangerous Game: Can we go back to some movies only being 63 minutes long? I just think it would be a nice change of pace: not every film needs to be two hours long. Anyway, I watched this with Rifftrax, and it was fun. A man hunts people for sport, Faye Wray is there, and the protagonist here seems very unmoved by the deaths of his best friends in a shipwreck. Maybe he's in shock? Or maybe they didn't have time for that trauma when the whole "our host is trying to kill us" plot point was coming.

Ringu: Still compelling and deeply disturbing even after all these years: Sadako is one of, if not the best, modern horror icons. I'd forgotten that her victims die not from fear, but because of her incredible psychic power, which she possesses even after death. Also, the way to break the curse is interesting, because in theory, would-be victims could just keep showing the tape to others, copying it, then instructing others to repeat that cycle indefinitely, with no one dying.

Nope: This is my favorite Jordan Peele movie so far. It explores the consequences of thinking you're chosen, or just a mere spectator when, in fact, you are a participant in whatever entertainment you consume. So in watching this, you the viewer are engaging with spectacle, and seeing the characters try to survive that very thing. As a former English major, watching this always makes me want to write an essay.

[away-ward]

Corrupt Discussion Questions

I'm finally bored enough to answer the book discussion questions found on pd's website. Yippee. I know this has been widely anticipated...

The fun part is that I don't have any of the books left to reference so it'll all be from my shoddy memory.

Enjoy the ramblings.

Michael enjoys stretching boundaries, for instance the activities of Devil’s Night. Do you think he and his friends would take those chances had they not had the security of well-connected families?

Yes. Part of what drew the Horsemen together and made them a unit was the craving and drive to go past society's boundaries. They’d have done it with or without their family backing. However, those things made them confident, bolder, and frankly, stupid about how they went about it.

Given the threat that Michael and his friends represented to Rika, why do you think she wouldn’t run? Why was it important to her to stand up to them?

Because she was in love with Michael and never really feared him?

I suppose my real answer is that Rika's arc was her getting a backbone, and though Michael was running hot and cold on her, he continued to push her to stand up for herself. Then, when the time came for the Horsemen to challenge her, she'd had enough of people pushing and pulling her around to finally do something about it. She didn't want to be the little girl that people controlled and manipulated anymore.

Michael is presented as the leader in this book, however, he worries in Chapter 7 that his friends now shared a bond that didn’t include him. Do you feel his desire to keep his friends and win them back was, at least partially, his motivation for seeking revenge against Rika? And looking at it from that perspective, is Michael really the leader or a follower?

To answer the first question: I feel his motivation to seek revenge against Rika was all to keep his friends close. A big point of Michael's "love" for Rika is that he couldn't contain it. Any interaction with her drew him closer to her. If it weren't for his friends, he'd have been better off keeping her at a distance and taking smaller revenges over time. Engaging directly with her was to keep his friends happy and to have something to bond over. He may have lied to himself about it, but I don't think it truly had anything to do with him wanting this big grand revenge for himself personally.

To answer the second question: he's still the leader. He saw them losing themselves in prison, slipping farther away from him, and came up with something to keep them focused on the future. The bond he saw in them when they emerged alienated him, and he did want he could to close that gap. That's what a good leader does. He was taking care of his friends, prioritizing their wants above his own. It's their weird bond that made him believe it's what he wanted too.

Michael tries to break Rika in Chapter 24. Instead of giving in to what he wants, he continues to challenge her. Why does he keep pushing her, especially after everything he’d already put her through that night?

I don't remember chapter 24. But my general thoughts are Michael can't really help himself. Feeding into his idea that Rika is bigger than the whole world is Michael's addiction.

Did you enjoy the way the story was written i.e. past to present, dual point of view, etc.? How do you think this added to or took away from the story?

Yeah, it's one of my favorite forms of storytelling. The slow reveal of what happened inter-mixed with the consequences of those past actions is fun. I think the story really benefitted from dual povs if only because it would be hard to sympathize with Michael, or more accurately justify his actions, if it were only from Rika's pov.

Were there any scenes that made you uncomfortable?

Uncomfortable? No. But I can't help but feel there's a reason PD's asking this, and they're looking for one of three possible answers.

A scene that made me cringe was when Rika was in class and she got to monologue to the teacher, and Damon and Will were there for some reason. I think they forced the teacher to acknowledge her brilliance or something, even when they're trying to terrify her? That was weird.

How did you feel when Michael found Rika at St. Killian’s and took her down to the catacombs with all of the other students? Was it wrong, exciting, intriguing…?

I felt nothing. I just thought he was teasing her and trying to make her uncomfortable or see how she'd react. After her interactions with Kai and Damon, I thought that Michael's scene dragged on a bit only to go nowhere.

Damon is probably the most menacing to Rika throughout the story. The question remains: would he have stopped a course of action if he hadn’t been stopped by others? However, there were a few instances where he stepped in in defense of her: Miles in the Sticks restroom and again with the professor in the classroom. Do you feel Damon has any hope or did his horrible actions overshadow any good ones he displayed?

The professor in the classroom! I love the fact that to PD it's proof that Damon is redeemable and to me it's the moment I knew he had the ability to annoy me.

I'm quickly erasing everything I know about Kill Switch. Overall, I did like Damon in Corrupt. Don't get me wrong. Not as a person, but as a character and his role in the story. He's interesting to watch. Damon has a conscience; he's selective when he listens to it but it's there. Of course, he last actions in Corrupt are pretty hard to overlook.

If you were cast as one of the horsemen, which one would you play?

That's actually a really interesting question. I think I'm probably the most similar to Kai. But are you asking with role I think would be fun to play?...

I'm gonna stick with Kai.

Choose a situation in the story when you would’ve reacted differently from Rika. What would you have done instead?

Just one? Rika is so very different than me.

I feel like the party after the big reveal be a big whiplash moment for me. If there's one thing that differentiates me from these people, it's that I like my alone time and sleep. I wanna sleep. I don't want to paint my room red, I don't want to party after stabbing someone. I wanna go to my room and chill for a minute and maybe get in my pajamas and go maybe to bed.

I also wouldn't have been so quick to forgive Michael for not checking his sources. You had three years to investigate what happened and did nothing and now I have no house, had my money drained from my account, I've been attacked, I've stabbed someone, and I haven't spoken to my needy mom in a week? It would take a lot more for me to start talking to Michael again.

Michael is closer to Damon, Will, and Kai more than he is his own brother. Why do you think that is?

Because Trevor sucks and that's not Michael's fault. Moving on.

Let’s address the elephant in the room. Or the “steam room”, I should say. How did you feel about that turn of events between Michael, Rika, and Kai?

Given that Michael and Kai had done that before, and the only that that was different is that they both really liked Rika, I thought it would be more of an issue than it turned out to be (looking at me, pretending I know nothing about Hideaway).

Related to the previous question, Rika reflects in the steam room how Kai acts before he leaves. How he needed her, was vulnerable around her, and how she hoped for something similar in Michael’s feelings for her. Was it wrong for her to measure them against each other, or do you agree that she should want those things from the man she loves?

I agree that she can want those things, but if her choice is Michael, she'll need to meet him where he's at and accept him for who he is.

Share a favorite or memorable quote.

I don't remember any that haven't been quoted to death.

Michael is responsible for Trevor’s death. Do you believe he took the correct course of action?

Yeah.

Trevor wasn't going to stop and Michael had to end it somehow. The fact that he'd struggle more to make the same decision for Damon is the interesting question, but we already discussed how Trevor sucks and Damon is redeemable because there are times he did stop.

Do you enjoy being scared like Rika?

No, not like Rika.

How is it possible that Damon’s actions toward the end of the story hurt Will the most?

Will would have died had Michael not done something? Like sure, Rika's traumatized, but she's alive and we're supposed to believe she's strong enough to come out okay. I'd say under these circumstances, that's better than dying. Not including how close Will and Damon were.

Did the horsemen redeem themselves?

I don't agree with the idea that they needed to be redeemed. Keep it simple. Let them be horrible, irredeemable people.

If not, do you feel Michael is worthy of Rika?

I feel they deserve each other. Whether I consider them good people, enough that someone needs to be worthy, is not important.

The epilogue, for the most part, is a flashback. Did you feel this memory from Michael’s point of view was relevant? Why or why not?

I mean, was I entertained? No. The epilogue showing how Michael has always been weak for Rika did not entertain me. Learning that Rika "corrupted" Michael wasn't really interesting. But as for being relevant, I suppose we needed to know yet another reason why Michael is the way he is.

Would I have been happy with something different? Who's to say.

If you could ask the author one question, what would it be?

There's only one question I would ever ask PD: If you were start writing this series today, is there a plot point you would change because of your experience or improved skills?

Why do you think the author wrote this book? What theme or message were they trying to convey?

It's a dark romance. Why are you trying to teach lessons or convey a message? Just let it be a fun story, please.

I wanna say it was to own who you are, step outside the bounds, push your limits, set fire to buildings owned by people you hate, do the thing people tell you you can't do, it's okay to shoot your brother when he sends your friends to prison...

Has the book changed you?

No. It's not that serious.

Did you like the book? If you’ve read any of the author’s other work, how does this compare?

I liked it enough to move on to Kai's book (which I was actually much more excited for).

No. And I don't know.

Well, I read P57, but that was because of the connection.

Kai’s book is coming next from this author. What kind of heroine do you foresee for Kai?

I had no thoughts about Kai's potential love interest, I was more curious about him. Though now I wish I did think more about her.

I haven't answered the questions before because I really feel like my answers aren't that interesting. Since we're not going to be getting Nightfall's and I've already done Conclave, I figured I should probably just complete what is posted just for the sake of completing it.

feel free to add your own thoughts.

[destinybcnds]

NO for kotone (it was only a matter of time for the big sis rika to come out and protect her from something---)

PIN MY MUSE [ accepting ] Send “NO” to pin my muse against the wall to PROTECT THEM

Kotone is young. Sometimes she forgets for just a moment that the world is a dangerous place. Even with all of her experience to tell her to be careful, she doesn't always heed the voice in her head telling her to pay attention to her surroundings. Her actions have consequences. But it's fine as long as no one else gets hurt. Right...?

At first she was psyched to have Rika with her on this little excursion. Having someone she looked up to join her was exciting and she couldn't wait to show off what she'd learned from all of her travels.

Don't run off ahead. She can hear Rika chiding her from a short distance.

"I'll just be a minute! There's a Pokemon up there that I wanna catch!" Kotone was speeding off as she normally does, unaware of the Pyroar that was lurking nearby, watching their every move.

Kotone was getting ready to throw her Pokemon out to battle when she felt a firm hand grasp her shoulder, pulling her away with a surprised gasp. She winced when she felt her back hit the cliffside. It takes her a moment to come back to her senses and look up to see Rika shouting commands over her shoulder at her Donphan. They were fending off the Pyroar that had almost made a meal out of her.

There would be a lecture later about being more careful, but right now Kotone was struck by how cool Rika was! The guilt for stressing her out would come later.

[asterismae]

❛ don’t pretend that you cared about me. ❜

                   &. 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐭𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬.

   actions cannot be perceived without CONSEQUENCES.

  like snow melting against inevitable spring, does her RULING come to an end. does it all slip away. what an odd thing, it is. to watch your life crumble TWICE. 

   “  saeran  -  “  it is lifeless, it is all lifeless & does she ponder :  ‘what is the meaning of life?’ ‘is this real ?’ the silhouette of her most favored believer : who once was. she will not swallow this reality. never.

  “  saeran,  please.  ”  her voice sounds foreign to herself sometimes ; it is noise under water. long and distorted. do others perceive her voice as strange ? is this real ?

   “  please don’t leave ;  you’d be gravely mistaken to think I do not care over you.  ” he’s a mirror to her, empty - he is hollow. her hand reaches out, denial arrives in the form of a push. he will not allow her touch.

  he has denied me. 

        he has denied me.

anger arrives. it is quiet. it is ferocious. or perhaps it is grief. grief is a powerful emotion, is it not? tears are flowing freely, time and space bend, bow before her -

   “ do not leave me. DO NOT LEAVE ME SAERAN. DO NOT FORSAKE ME AS I HAVE NEVER FORSAKEN YOU ! ! DO NOT LEAVE ME ! ” 

  she awaits for warmth. she awaits for forgiveness. she wishes to be saved from herself. 

none come.

[cannibalisticskittles]

anyway it’s the funniest shit when people write paragraphs upon paragraphs professing their undying hatred of rika for being terribly abusive and then u look at their icon and it’s a picture of v, like hmmm, this particular abuser is the worst, but this other asshole who’s the same fucking shade of abusive bastard is the perfect vintage. fantastic.

like You Got So Close. So Close To Seeing. but u stopped just short of realizing that they’re both fucking bastards.

[marshmallowprotection]

Mystictober Day 19

Mystictober 2024 | Day 19: RikaxMC/Healing

"I won't forgive you for what you've done. I hope you know that," you said as Rika curled in on herself. She held herself because it seemed as though she would fall apart if she didn't. "The only reason I think I can trust you and V right now is because if I had to choose between the Prime Minister and you? I, unfortunately, have to choose you."

Rika didn't fight back, nor did she try to dispute your claims. "The lesser of two evils, right? I don't think it's fair to say I appreciate you trusting me, since the last thing you want is my appreciation after all I've done."

You snorted. "I don't want anything to do with you, Rika. I can tell you the same can be said of the RFA. You know, Saeran told me about the reason why you created Mint Eye. You wanted to make sure that you would never be alone again, but if you ask me, you were never alone in the first place. You had the RFA, but that wasn't enough for you, so what did you do? You blew it up, too afraid to let them in, and decided the only way to keep others would be to force them to stay so you would never have to face the truth."

She didn't try to argue against that.

You didn't expect her to fight back anymore. After what she told you and Saeran the night before, you could see all the fight escape her in a heartbeat. However, just because she wouldn't fight back didn't mean you wouldn't tell her what you needed to say. You weren't like your lover, you knew you didn’t need to forgive her to move forward and find peace.

Saeran needed that, but you needed her to know you saw her for what she was.

You wouldn't spare her any kindness, and she knew that from the very moment you met her eyes. How could you forgive her when she and V caused everything to burn like it did? You nearly tackled her in the evening the night before when she shackled Saeran. The one and only thing that stopped you was the agents outside with guns. There was nothing but anger in your heart because of that. It took you a few minutes to help him feel safe again.

She knew his childhood trauma, she knew what he suffered, and seeing those chains on him hurt you just as much as they hurt him.

"I deserve your malice," she whispered.

"I don't want to waste my energy on you, Rika," you turned away from her as tears began to crop up in her eyes. "I want to forget you once I know Saeran and I will be safe from your grasp. I won't forgive you... I'll never forgive you. Saeran may not forget you, because he wants to move forward in life knowing he chose kindness, but in time, neither of us will have to think about you, or what you've done. That's how we will heal... that's how everyone will heal, and if you know what's good for you... you'll move on, too."

You could feel her confused eyes on your back.

You weren't doing this for her sake. You were doing this for the sake of everyone else who would never want to again look her in the eye for what she’d done. You couldn't forgive her, you would never forgive her, but she would tell her the one thing you knew that could not only protect your loved ones but allow her to do what Saeran hoped she’d do. 

"This is the only kindness I'll spare you, Rika Kim, and I'm offering it so you and V can show me the last place you saw my love. If you intend to do as Saeran said and change for the better, you need to let go of the RFA, of Saeran, of Saeyoung, of me, and V. The only way you'll ever escape this web you wound yourself into is if you move on. You'll heal and find a way to wake up in the morning, but you'll never escape your demons or the consequences of your actions. If you are determined to do better, you'll take responsibility and leave."

Saeran would be proud of you, you knew, for choosing to hold your head up high. You also knew he wouldn't be mad if you struck low... and hit her where it hurt. But, to make sure you didn't lose him to a monster in broad daylight, you would offer those words to show her you were capable of holding back your gnashing teeth and burning lungs. You wanted her to live with what she did forever, to carry the weight of her sins with her because her victims would have to do the same, but right now?

Your main concern was finding your way back to Saeran.

"I will," she said.

You weren't sure if you could believe her... but you knew you could believe in Saeran.

"Thank you."

[whentheycry-problems]

June's over! June's over! They've escaped the loop.

Perhaps this will be a story of Rika grappling with the fact that her actions now have permanent consequences...

[randoimago]

Could I ask for "Fake dating for the holidays because [ex] will be there" from the winter prompts with Aphrodite, Dionysus (hades) and rika (pokemon scarlet/violet)?

"Fake dating for the holidays because [ex] will be there"

Fandom: Hades // Pokemon

Characters: Aphrodite, Dionysus, Rika

Type of Request: Headcanons,

Warning(s): Mentions of Violence (Aphrodite is scary)

Notes: Here you go!!

Hades

Aphrodite

Honestly probably the queen of fake dating and making people jealous. She’s a goddess, people better be jealous otherwise she’ll vanquish them easily.

Is so happy to just flaunt herself and show how beautiful and amazing she is. Sure she’s also with you and is glad to help make someone jealous because she’s petty like that. You already made a deal to do something for her in exchange too.

While she’s happy to do this to make others jealous and envious, just know that your attention better be on her this whole time.

You don’t need to look to check that this is working because it is. So keep your eyes on her if you don’t want to lose them.

Dionysus

Sure he went with you, but doesn’t know what you expect him to do for your ex to be jealous. Yeah he’s a god and very attractive, but who gives a damn if someone is jealous of him.

Seriously just there to have a good time and make everyone wasted. Might as well get some converts while he’s partying.

Is happy to give you some extra attention too. You want to fake date? You better be ready for the consequences of your actions.

He’ll gladly make out with you and flirt like crazy. Who cares who’s watching, you are “dating”.

Pokemon

Rika

Finds the idea of making someone jealous to be dumb, but whatever. She likes you enough.

She just thinks that you left that person, why do they need to be jealous? Honestly just thinks you’re being petty but whatever.

Still wraps her arm around your shoulder and staying close so it looks like you two are together. But you two are definitely talking after this.

Might honestly just talk to your ex and decide for herself if they really deserve this. Rika might also make an excuse to leave halfway through. She’s doing this as a favor anyway

[mycatkilledme21]

As much as I dislike Rika I don't want to see her killed but like...I think she at least deserves jail time?? She kidnapped people, was ready to kill others who got in her way and brainwashed innocent people. Like....I get it's a thin line cheritz was walking on since she's mentally ill but there should at least be a get therapy + jail time route. Seeing her just escape without much consequences is very disappointing (and I guess her actions get blamed on someone else??? Idk about that too much though)and I can't take redemption seriously. Haven't done the after ends for Ray and V yet still but I heard they're really really bad with her and V. Man...like. Hell. V be dying left and right doesn't he? Again I don't want EITHER to die but he at least got a serious consequence.

[away-ward]

Devil's Night had so much potential that could set the series apart from other booktok series but it just falls short and on its face. I know you get this asks every day and I really hope I’m not bothering you, but some changes that would make the series a lot better for me are

Not making the Horsemen a wannabe gang or characters of a soap opera. If the plot began with rich kids suffering the consequences of their actions for the first time and later extand that theme to include more plot points that would eventually create a more solid theme, plot, and character arc, it would eliminate the whole mafia-esque theme that just didn’t suit the series. There is no need for them to be a gang or something dramatic. They are just a found family and will have their backs no matter what (with the privilege of money and power on their side).

Rika actually leaking the videos. It would make the series more interesting, and most importantly, make Rika an important character. Can’t come up with reasons for why she would do it right now (other than for a more reasonable reason than Trevor’s) but there is great potential. Her character can still be included to great extent in the following books without being annoying or unreasonable by being "redeemed" as the story goes on. We don’t need her paired with Michael (it can add tragedy, though) but they can still be each other’s love interest.

Getting rid of Blackchurch. I know you like Blackchurch but here me out 🫥. Emory wouldn’t know about Blackchurch if it wasn’t for Aydin, and I want to get rid off him. And while Blackchurch still can exist, I was thinking something along the lines of Will being suspected of Martin’s murder (happening after his initial assault on him that sent him to prison) while still keeping the whole "rich family tries to hide him/pay their way out of the case because they know he is guilty". Will refuses to enlarge information and refuses to plead guilty because he committed the murder with Emory. It can introduce readers to how much power the Graysons have (especially because they have an important political figure as the patriarch) and how much powerless Emory is in comparison.

A less intense Damon and Winter storyline. What do you mean you left a poor girl blind?! I would’ve get a restraining order too ngl. I would also add more significance to Winter’s character but I can’t come up with something right now. She can still be blind but not because of her love interest.

Incorporating the Horsemen concept. It was right there and we were left to starve. Michael can represent war, especially because the horse of war is red. He is leading the war against Rika because of what she did to the other Horsemen. It makes him an actual leader. Kai can represent scarcity, the black horse. It suggests a continuing abundance of luxuries for the wealthy and imperial oppression. It also carries a balance scale and Kai is a libra. Damon can be death, which rides a pale horse, and Will can be conquest, which rides a white horse and represent Christ and the Antichrist. The religious symbolism is already there with the Four Horsemen and the whole book of Hideaway.

Other things I would get rid off is the sexual assault scenes. The guys are supposed to be redeemed and gain sympathy; a sexual assaulter doesn’t deserve any of that. Other unnecessary scenes can be thrown out and a better thought out story could have been written. Not to discredit PD’s work, but Devil’s Night is just not that good of a story. I enjoy the headcanons and the possibilities that came out of the books, not exactly the storylines themselves. SORRY FOR RANTING LUV 💕💕💕🍪

You're so lovely! No need to apologize. I love when people come to the table with new ideas.

I have always said that Devil’s Night had great bones. And for people who are just here for the spicy stuff, I’m sure it does wonders. But I read for plot and characters, and there was so much here to pick at but nothing fully fleshed out.

Not making the Horsemen a wannabe gang or characters of a soap opera

I didn’t fully mind the secret society vibe, but I much would have preferred if it were more like a found family. If the plot were rich kids suffer the consequence of their actions and either learn their lesson or learn to be better criminals, that would have been fun (especially if they just learned to be better criminals but they never did. They never learned anything!!)

But yeah. Totally agree with you here. I’d take found family that has a flimsy relationship with morals and the law when their loved ones are involved over the secret society/mafia/gang vibes that we had any day of the week.

Rika actually leaking the videos.

In the past, I proposed that an interesting storyline would have been if Rika wanted revenge for what happened to her that night, so I can fully understand wanting to give Rika more influence in the story. Maybe after she’s attacked, she ends up with the phone instead of Trevor, but Trevor comes to her later and, seeing how upset she is, convinces her to upload as revenge. She could be sort of thinking: The horsemen don’t get to be judge, jury, and executioner in Thunder Bay, and she’s going to be the one to stop them, not knowing the stories behind the videos she posted.

It falls in the same realm of Banks protecting Damon, and Winter not speaking up about her involvement with Damon, and Emory signing those papers, in that she actually did the thing she’s accused of, but that’s not the full story.

And maybe she should apologize for listening to Trevor, but who’s going to force her after what Damon did? And well, she didn’t know about Martin being a child abuser, but that doesn’t mean the horsemen get to play vigilante.

This creates a more dynamic plot, then just “Rika’s innocent. Revenge Night is off. Everyone go home!”

Getting rid of Blackchurch

…I like the blackchurch plot???

I don’t like the blackchurch plot at all. I would have preferred if Emory had been dragged back to Thunder Bay so that we can see her interact with the characters that I’m actually interested in. No offence to Micah and Rory, or their fans, but I just don’t care about them. Their stories, their families, how they ended up at blackchurch. None of that matters to me.

Give me Banks and Emory! Give me Banks – who knew in Hideaway that Martin was a child abuser and then inherited her father’s empire a year later – try to explain to Emory why Martin is still out there, getting married, getting promoted, having a great life. Give me Banks explaining that Martin is protected by Evans, and that’s why she can’t move on him, otherwise she’d have him strung up (how did Banks not know?). Give me Michael, Winter, and Emory bonding over their terrible siblings. There’s so much potential here that we miss because Emory and Will and Alex are over on an island suffering through Aydin’s power trip.

Let me understand these people.

while still keeping the whole "rich family tries to hide him/pay their way out of the case because they know he is guilty". Will refuses to enlarge information and refuses to plead guilty because he committed the murder with Emory.

Interesting to have Emory involved with the murder. I’m totally in for Will doing it for her, but I never considered Emory being there. There’s so many ways this could go. Very intriguing idea.

So is the idea then that the Grayson’s send Will to Blackchurch so that he can’t arrested? Like if the cops can’t find him, the family can plan his defense? Or are they getting him out of the way because he won’t tell them what really happened, as he’s protecting Emory?

What does Emory do?

A less intense Damon and Winter storyline

I thought the point that it was actually her father that caused her blindness, not Damon? Anyway, Damon seeking revenge on Winter was kinda dumb. Yeah, she didn't speak up. But he straight up manipulated and lied to her. And he was going to go serve time regardless. I think Rika having something on Damon and using that pull to go after Winter's dad for what he did to her dad would have been an interesting plot. Pitting Damon against the girl he wants, who's still suspicious of him, while trying to avoid going back to prison from whatever Rika has on him. Or something. Talk about a chess game. And after he did the same thing to Kai, who would he be to complain? I bet he'd be impressed she successfully took a page from his book.

Winter’s a tricky one. I really don’t know how to give her more power either. I do think I would have preferred if she, after she had her accident, she’d pivoted from dancing to music? Possibly pianist or something. I don’t think it improves her story arc at all, just something that’s a bit more interesting to me. There’s only really one notable blind ballerina and she lost her sight at 19, not 6. And she was an incredible dancer before that, as well, so the whole “Winter doesn’t need a walking stick; Winter can pirouette without spotting; blah blah blah” just really pushes the limits of believability for me. I don’t know.

Incorporating the Horsemen concept

Interesting. First, I’ve always since Michael as the conqueror because his name is Michael (like the archangel) Crist, which is another for of Christ. It’s very subtle, I know.

I saw Kai as War. He literally named his dojo Sensou, the Japanese word for war. He was at war with himself, with Damon, with Banks. It seemed he always had someone to fight and reason to be angry.

Damon as Death because… well obviously. He’s killed at least two people that we know of. And that whole conversation in Nightfall.

And Will as the Famine/Scarcity. He was a glutton before going to Blackchurch, over indulging in everything. Blackchurch represented a cutting off from all of his vices; literally starving himself of what brings him joy. However, it seemed by Nightfall, PD had forgone the Horsemen trend and instead focused on Peter Pan themes? A girl who grew up too quick and a boy who never wanted to. It was weird. I mean, a story can definitely have multiple themes and inspirations. It was just hard to see the horsemen theme in Will.

Anyway. Here’s a fun little graphic I made. Not the best, because I’d never created something like this before, but it was still a fun time.

Other things that could have changed:

Yeah, I would have enjoyed less assualty-scenes too. The KaiBanks one in particular never sat right with me.

There are so many things about this story to enjoy; the characters and the dynamics; the situations and problems posed – all of it was really interesting. And I the hands of a different author would have been a much different story. I’m not angry at PD for writing about what they’re interested in. I just sometimes wish this idea had occurred to someone else. I want this core story, but in a different package.

I enjoy the headcanons and the possibilities that came out of the books, not exactly the storylines themselves.

I share the same sentiment.

Thank you so much for all the time you put into this. Be sure, you’re never bothering me, and I wouldn’t call this a rant by any means. I genuinely enjoyed taking in your ideas!

Ko

[linkspooky]

The Protagonist of Another Story

Aren’t protagonists just the worst? Just assuming everything revolves around them you know, like they’re the main character of some story? Gege has stated several times they want to write a story where no one single person is right, where they can’t always be correct no matter how good those intentions are. I believe he’s continuing that theme by now introducing another protagonist just like Yuji, who assumes he’s the hero of this story and making them fight each other. More on the relationship between Yuta and Yuji under the cut. 

1. Heeeeeeeeere’s Yuuuuuuta.

A stated by Gege themselves in their commentary for this week, Yuta’s central character trait is his indecisiveness. In other words, Yuta is lacking so much in confidence that he doesn’t make decisions for himself and instead relies entirely on what other people say. 

Yuta’s central flaw he’s confronted with in volume zero is his codependency towards others. He relies on other people to validate him, to tell him that he’s a good person and that he’s worthy of living. 

There’s nothing wrong with this desire, it even parallels Yuji’s in a way. Yuta wants to be surrounded by others who tell him it’s okay for him to keep on living. Yuji wants his life to mean something, he wants to help others so he’ll have plenty of people surrounding him when he dies. It’s basically the same desire, a desire to help people and be needed by people so they won’t have to be alone. 

However, there’s two layers where this behavior can also be a problem, especially when applied to Yuta. Maki is the first one who calls it out. Is Yuta actually a good person, or is he merely acting like one to treat him nice. 

Yuta is entirely passive, and rather than active control of circumstances he tends to play the victim and pretend to be helpless. He believes himself to be a good person who hasn’t done anything to deserve what’s happening to him, and that can make him blind to his own faults. Like a person who has been bullied in the past, who acquire a victim complex, and now sees any kind of conflict as someone attempting to bully them. Yuta doesn’t seem to ever realize when he might be in the wrong, because his view is that in every situation he’s just a good innocent person being bullied. 

Passive isn’t good, it’s just passive. Yuta has a hard time seeing when he’s at fault in situations. Such as when he believed for several years that it was Rika who cursed him, when  in fact it was the other way around, he was the one who cursed Rika.  

Yuta is also, someone completely codependent. He’s so afraid of losing people that he can’t function without them. This also informs the reason why he cursed Rika, because he himself couldn’t let go of her. Yuta learns in volume zero that he has to let go of old friends, because he can always form new friends, he can always find new reasons to keep on living, however he clearly hasn’t completely conquered this flaw. 

His lack of faith in himself, his codependency, is what ultimately leads to his indecisiveness. He can’t have faith in his own decisions so he puts faith in the people around him instead to reassure him and back him up. However, this makes him insanely protective of the people around him, because if he ever loses him then Yuta’s fragile world comes crashing down. He is entirely dependent on the people around him in order to keep living. 

Yuta doesn’t actually care about the world at large. He doesn’t even care enough to argue with Geto about his points. He’s not even sure that Geto is the bad guy, he literally just wants to kill Geto for hurting his friends. 

For Yuta, all that matters is protecting his small little bubble of friends. He’s learned that he can make new friends,but not that the world exists at large outside of his greater bubble in sorcer society. 

2. Me, The Protagonist of Reality. 

So, Mahito kills one of Yuji’s friends right in front of him. Yuji then swears bloody violent revenge, doing whatever he can to take down and kill Mahito, unable to move on until he’s punished Mahito for the crime of killing Junpei. 

In this situation, Yuji is the good guy, and Mahito is the bad guy, right? Therefore Yuji is justified in only thinking of Mahito as someone he must kill. However, Yuji has a tendency to assume that he is the good guy in every situation. Yuji believed in a very simple story, that he was good and the people he was fighting against were evil. 

Even when the story grew more complicated, Yuji just decided he didn’t have to think too hard about his role in things. He didn’t have to think about the bigger picture, he just had to kill his enemy. 

Mahito is very much a straight forward bad guy, but the problem with this line of thinking is that not every situation is going to be as black and white as it was with Mahito. The problem with the decision to just not worry about it and not think things through, is that when you get into one of those gray situations you won’t be able to realize that you’re in one. Killing for revenge is wrong, because it’s not usually a straightforward story. Now, Yuji is on the opposite side of the story. 

Yuji’s direct actions cut Inumaki’s arm off. It is a very grey situation. Yuji made a choice to walk around with Sukuna in his body, knowing Sukuna might be able to take over at any time. At the same time it wasn’t Yuji’s intention to hurt Inumaki in this way. 

The same way that Yuji doesn’t want to think about the moral grays in his situation. It’s very likely, that Yuta doesn’t want to think about how his situation must be gray as well. Yuta right now sees himself, as Yuji saw himself to begin with, someone killing for revenge in order to punish them for hurting a friend. 

I really think it’s much more interesting if Yuta actually does want to hunt Yuji down, rather than secretly pretending to be on his side all along, because it’s a direct consequence for both of them declaring they don’t need to think about these things. If you don’t want to decide for yourself, then others will make your decisions for you and you get used. 

Straightforward revenge has always been a mistake for the characters before. When Choso wanted to kill Yuji as punishment for killing his brothers, the consequence to that was him nearly killing someone who could have potentially been another of his brothers. This might be the parallel to the Choso situation, Yuta wholeheartedly believes that Yuji is an enemy he must kill and it’s a consequence for both of them. 

They both think they’re on the good side. They both believe they’re on the right. Yuji wants to help people, and Yuta wants to protect his friends but they don’t think of the greater interpretation of their actions, because they both assume they’re good. 

However if they can’t both be the good guy then what else can they do? PROTAGONIST BATTLE! COME ON, PUT YOUR DUKES UP!  WHOEVER SURVIVES GETS TO BE THE REAL MAIN CHARACTER OF REALITY.