#and fumbled at all points

[forgetfulmachineart]

[ID: A black and white digital sketch of a character with long messy hair and a black shirt. A speech bubble covers their face with the kanji for 'who.' A crying eye adorns the top of the sketch. /End ID]

Who are you....

[boykingscourt]

supernatural writers after season 5

[pinacoladamatata]

blink and you'll miss it moments around skyhold....

[seiwas]

thinking of kind of first meet with atsumu but he’s had the biggest crush on you from being a friend of a friend and the first time he talks to you he’s fumbling and stuttering and he doesn’t know what to say because you’re smiling at him prettier than he could have ever even imagined, and you’re saying his name, and did it always sound this good? did his ma name him atsumu because she knew, just like she always does, that you’d be saying it like that?

[tankuare]

The level of absolute TOMFOOLERY from these two needs to be studied

[thepersonperson]

Sukuna’s Loneliness Part 4 (Sukuna’s Negative Rizz)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 5

Some warnings before we start.

1) This analysis deals with sexual topics.

2) I will be mainly using the TCB scans because of their accessibility. Raws are from mangareader(.)to.

3) This was written as of JJK 262 266. (I'm just going to keep updating this until I stop finding things I should've noticed earlier.)

4) The raws broke me in ways you cannot possibly imagine.

(Click images for captions/citations.)

Fighting as Communication

Baki the Grappler. This is a manga where men destroy each other’s bodies as a test of strength. It’s poorly written but the art is terrifying and I love it so dearly. Between fights of extreme violence and body horror the characters eat. And that’s it. That’s the manga.

I bring Baki up because Gege is a huge fan of Fujimoto Tatsuki, the creator of Chainsawman. Fujimoto is a fan of Gege too, but more importantly, he is a huge fan of Itagaki Keisuke, the creator of Baki. (His daughter made Beastars btw.) In a way, this means Jujutsu Kaisen has been influenced by Baki. But that’s not a surprise, a lot of manga is.

Itagaki’s work is so massively influetial on Japanese media that it’s kind of hard to grasp since it’s not as popular overseas. When listening to interviews from various Japanese creators, Baki will often be cited as a major influence. And the thing is, you can tell when a creative has read Baki. There’s nothing quite like it. If you’ve read Baki and consume Chainsawman, you will see its bones everywhere. I feel the same about Jujutsu Kaisen.

The main antagonist in Baki is Yujiro Hanma. He is the strongest creature alive. So much so that he has no one to call a rival. He’s bored. He causes trouble. He kills his wife to motivate his son, Baki into becoming stronger. His son, Baki, who he grooms into becoming a fighter that might beat him in combat one day. Kind of sounds like Sukuna, right?

But that’s not my point here. My focus is how Baki doubles as a discussion about strength and manhood. It’s aggressively bisexual. Men love each other with their fists. Straight up the main character says having sex with women is the same thing as fighting men.

And it just doesn’t stop there. The homoerotic nature of the fights is never shyed away from. Here’s an example of my favorite.

He grabs his balls and compliments their size. That’s pretty gay, right? Well there’s this reanimated prehistoric caveman called Pickle that fights Baki’s brother Jack. And how do they fight? They kiss.

I didn’t call it a kiss. Itagaki did. I didn’t say they melded together. Itagaki did. This mangaka overtly calls attention to the homoerotic nature of men fighting men, and how men communicate their love for each other through violence. And yes, it’s sexual. Itagaki wants you to read it that way.

But sometimes he doesn’t want you to read it that way. Sometimes the fights are a dialogue, an emotional conversation. Like one between father and son.

Itagaki is a master of narrative framing. When he wants you to feel a certain way, you will feel it. He also tells his readers that there’s more to the fights than just fighting.

Those are the ideas that help me see the bones of Baki in other works. Men loving men with violence. Men communicating with men through violence. I see these ideas in Jujutsu Kaisen too.

Jujutsu Communication

I’ve gone over how Yuji commucates with other people on their own terms. And a lot of it is through fighting. A conversation without words, learning how someone works. Yuji is good at using fights as tool of communication.

But he’s not the one who tells you that there’s more to the fights than just fighting. Maki does in her spar with the sumo guy.

Just like Baki. Fighting is a means of communication. Gege has told you that there can be more to the fights than fighting. It's a tool used to understand the self and others.

With that in mind, I want to reexamine a particular fight under the lens of Baki rather than Umineko.

Sukuna vs Gojo

Baki tells you that homoerotic readings of its fights are intentional. If you ask me, this probably stems from historical stances on masculinity and homosexuality in ancient Japan. Men loved men and women differently, but both were ok. That’s how Baki can have a girlfriend and his gay fights. Peak bisexual optimization.

What does Jujutsu Kaisen have to do with this? Well it has been extremely queer friendly. We have a multidue of canonical trans characters, non-binary characters, and other flavors of queer characters not disparaged for their identities, Gojo Satoru included. It may not be stated outright, but Gojo and Geto do love each other in a gay way. The subtext is so persisent it’s basically text.

In other words, Gege has already told us, yes please have queer readings of this text. It’s the same way Baki tells you, yes this is straight up convoluded gay sex. So that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to reread the Sukuna and Gojo fight as some ridiculous mating display between two men who are fighting over can miscommunicate their intent the hardest.

Framed as Courtship

Let’s start with the framing. The pre-fight set up. How does text tell you queer readings are allowed?

Kenjaku does. It’s romantic. It’s a date. This reading has been made valid explicitly. And if there’s room for doubt because of the sarcasm? There’s still additional support for it.

We already know how badly in love Gojo is with Geto. The fight is on the 24th of December, the most romantic day in Japan. And in a fun little Geto parallel, who declared the start of war on this day, violence underlines this new romantic venture.

That doesn’t include Sukuna who recalls Yorozu’s words about teaching love in the context of marriage.

Gojo never heard that conversation which is why the next point is absolutely insane.

The outfit Gojo initially is in resembles that of a groom at a Shinto wedding.

Shinto weddings were implemented after the Heian era. Part of the ceremony includes a priest and a shrine maiden who respectively stand to the right and left of the altar. A purification ritual will occur, lead by the priest, to cleanse the shrine before vows are exchanged. Gakuganji is the priest and Utahime is the shrine maiden. To the right and left of Gojo respectively.

The bride at a Shinto wedding wears mainly white. After the 200% Hollow Purple cleanses the area, the dark shawl is removed and Sukuna remains in mostly white.

How interesting that this battle has been framed as one between groom and bride.

The thing is, marriage in the Heian era was far more lax. There were no major ceremonies. If a man was interested in marrying a woman, he would visit her for 3 nights after receiving approval from her father. Upon the passing of their 3rd night together, the family would have an informal celebration of their union in private. Even after marriage, multiple partners were allowed and sometimes encouraged.

Yorozu’s big celebration proposal to Sukuna and banning of concubines was quite improper by Heian standards. Though it is in line with modern marriages. If Sukuna did not consume any Shinto wedding literature, he probably didn’t recognize that Gojo was dressed as a groom.

But did Gojo dress this way for Sukuna intentionally? The Toji fit served an entirely different purpose. It’s the robes and pre-fight ceremony that catch my attention. So I propose the following:

1) Gojo dressed up as a groom to die and be wed with his one and only Geto in death.

2) Gojo dressed up as a groom in part as an offering to Sukuna. And because Sukuna is from the Heian era it went over his head entirely.

3) Gojo intended for both of these things at the same time and left who he would end up with to fate.

Regardless of what Gojo was going for here, it’s a visual cue combined with the knowledge of it being Dec 24th that encourages the reader to perhaps consider the fight as something other than just a fight. A date perhaps? Kenjaku made the connection and neither Gojo or Sukuna really denied it. Gojo gave the weak excuse of a death anniversary confusion. But much weirder, given how hostile he was to Yorozu, Sukuna did not object to the romantic framing in any capacity.

Am I reaching? Is this reading intentional?

When I start getting this confused by how a translated work wants me to read it, I try to refer to the original language text and anyone who knows it for missing context. Sometimes localizations add things that weren’t there or push readers towards one interpretation. So for the rest of this analysis, I’m going to be focusing on the raws.

I’m going to be honest. My Japanese fudging sucks. I can barely read kanji and can’t reliably translate anything. Feel free to correct me if I got something wrong. That being said, with what little I do know, I have discovered something interesting.

In this post I talked about how weird Sukuna’s manner of speech is. I focused on his you pronoun usage of お前 (Omae) for everyone else and 貴様 (Kisama) for Gojo since this is a strong indicator of how a character views their relationship to someone.

Here's a summary of the two points I made in that post:

1) Omae is informal and either a casual thing amongst peers or indicates the speaker's higher status. Since Sukuna is arrogant, we can reasonably assume he's talking down to people.

2) Kisama historically was a formal show of respect, but in modern times it is a hostile insult, much more rude than Omae. Since Sukuna is 1,000 years old and hates Yuji (who he uses Omae with), we can reasonably assume Sukuna was being friendly to Gojo when he used Kisama.

With that pronoun usage in mind, while examining the raws for the infamous “You Cleared My Skies” speech I found this:

Kisama. Sukuna is very happy and lavishing Gojo with praise. The assumption it was formal from the start seems to be correct. It's hard to read this any other way.

Though Japanese can easily be dubious in its interpretation, there are instances where context can cut off all other readings. I truly believe this one of those cases.

Now, to confirm Sukuna is still only treating Gojo this way I started looking at his you pronouns as he got excited post-Gojo death. Maki is the person he seems to admire the most.

He’s still just using Omae. What does that mean? Gojo is in his own fudging category for Sukuna and he has been there since the start of the manga. (For more on why this is significant, refer to this post.)

Wow ok. That’s pretty intense! We’ve got Gojo dressed up as a groom on December 24th and Sukuna treating Gojo different from anyone else. I read their fight again under the lens of explicit courtship and focused in on these specific panels.

Satisfaction. Now that’s a word that can easily carry a sexual connotation. Love as well. The parallel syntax fascinated me in English. So I decided to look at the raws and see how close they are.

Pretty much the same except for "the one who will teach you love" and "the one satisfying him now". Since the one being satisfied is Gojo by Sukuna, it really seems we can assume the one being taught love is Gojo by Sukuna.

Time to learn some Japanese again!

Kanji has multiple readings. Most have at least two. The Onyomi (Chinese) reading typically used for nouns and the Kunyomi (Japanese) reading typically used for verbs. (This is not always the case but it’s the basics.)

That’s probably why 満 is read as まん (man) when Gojo and Geto are talking about “satisfaction” using the On version and み (mi), the Kun version, when the narrator is talking about who “satisfies” who.

However 満 on its own does not mean satisfaction. It means full. To be filled. Or fullness. 足 (zoku) is added as a modifier after 満 to be read as satisfaction 満足 (manzoku). 足 usually means feet, but it can also mean to be sufficient. Manzoku therefore has a direct translation of being sufficiently full. It’s not a surprise a lot of food places in Japan use Manzoku in their names or advertising.

But what’s this? Why is this sentence written as 満たして or Mi(tashite) instead of 満足して or Manzoku(shite)? The addition of Zoku is what transforms Man into "satisfying". Without the Zoku, it’s just "fill". The means this sentence can be read as “The one filling him up now is—”

We’ve already established that the blank is Sukuna. The new problem is that he’s filling Gojo up. And boy, does that sound homoerotic to put it lightly. But perhaps I am reaching.

So I did what any sane person would do in this situation. I read hentai.

Surely if the phrase 満たして (mitashite) can carry a sexual connotation I will find it in hentai.

...

I immediately found a yaoi doujin called Fill me with your Big Love aka おっきな愛で満たして (Okkina Ai de Mitashite). Honestly, I found too many doujins about creampies specifically. (You have internet access verify this yourself.) When you search Manzokushite the results are much more in line with life satisfaction than sexual satisfaction. ...So Gege decided to use the more frisky phrasing.

Manzoku is also the name of an active sex toy manufacturer (I’m not linking them use a search engine.) and a discontinued adult entertainment news company. So the satisfaction Gojo and Geto talk about, along with Geto using 妬 (ya), the jealous kanji often used between lovers, is definitely probably carrying a sexual connotation too.

So, I’m not reaching. What the fudge did Gege mean by this?

Now that we've established that I am NOT reaching. What do we do with this information?

Well, we ruminate on the fight with the knowledge that Sukuna, of his own volition, decided to get Gojo off, probably.

I have forgiven Nanami for calling Gojo a pervert. If I watched someone bust a nut after being cut in half by his sworn enemy instead of saving the country, I too would be like what the fudge.

Anyways, the typical phrase used for an orgasm in Japanese is 行く(iku). It translates as to go. And yes it can mean to die, as in going to the other side. To die and go to heaven if you will. Which is what Gojo did with a big old smile on his face.

There’s also the term 心天 (tokoroten). It refers to a dish were a semi-opaque white substance is pushed through holes to create noodles. Literal translation using the kanji for heart 心 (kokoro) and the kanji for heaven 天 (ten). (Don’t ask me why them being smack together turns the Koroko into Tokoro. I don’t know.) Which in slang refers to prostate orgasms. This has nothing to do with this analysis I wanted to drop this fun fact in here. …And this image of Sukuna clutching his heart while looking at someone he sent to heaven.

(This is a reach but the idea of this being an elaborate gay pun amuses me greatly.)

I have another fun slang term: 賢者タイム (kenjataimu) which directly translates to sage 賢者 (kenja) time タイム (taimu). This refers to post-nut clarity sending someone into a meditative-like state.

Oh that’s a bit familiar. Sukuna was giving sagely advice to Kashimo and reflecting on satisfaction and love.

And what’s this? Mitashite has made a reappearance! Sukuna is saying “I’ve never thought about needing another person to fill me up.” Which 1. further supports the 'The one satisfying/filling him (Gojo) now is—Sukuna.' reading and 2. suggests Sukuna is a top suggests Sukuna really doesn’t have sexual interest in people. (Since the context of this convo is relationships and love.)

By the way. Acts of eating in Japanese can be modified to carry sexual meanings. It’s a bit more suggestive than English, but it carries over pretty well I think? 肉食系 (nikusokukei) refers to someone who aggresively pursues romantic or sexual relationships. Composed of the kanji 肉 (niku) for meat, 食 (ta) for eating, and 系 (kei) class. If you noticed, 食 isn’t usually read as Soku. It becomes Soku when paired with Niku for some reason. (I don’t know why someone please help me.) Side by side the kanji 肉食 (nikusoku) means meat-eater.

食 is still interesting on it’s own. The 食べる (taberu) reading is normal eating. The 食う(kuu) reading is an innuendo. It can mean to devour someone, like a cannibal, or devour someone sexually.

Sukuna has made it very clear that his eating of people is literal. There’s no innuendo. In fact, if you read into it, he’ll kill you (rip Yorozu and Kashimo).

Gojo, however, appears to be his sole exception to this rule. When Sukuna tells Kashimo not to spoil his pleasure he uses the kanji 興 (kyou). This of course can be directly translated as pleasure, but the Chinese reading of it can also indicate intense excitement or sexual arousal.

Sukuna is pretty good at double-entendre wordplay if his earlier stunts with the kanji for Enchain doubling as Megumi Activities if read a different way is anything to go by. He's a fan of Chinese literature. It's not a stretch to assume there's more going on here.

And if notoriously homophobic Reddit dudebros are posting things like this. Maybe there's a lot more merit to this reading than I can currently grasp.

I’m still pretty convinced Sukuna is aroace. That of course doesn’t bar him from pursuing romantic or sexual relationships. Sometimes there’s the one exception. Sometimes the desire to be with and please an allo partner allows for engagement of activities they aren’t into. Sometimes the actions are pursued without the emotional attachment because they physically feel good. There’s also the gray-scale and demi labels to consider.

With that in mind, I want to emphasize this all points to how important Gojo is to Sukuna regardless of sexuality. He tried to engage with and understand Gojo on terms he won’t for anyone else. And he’s been pursuing this connection relentlessly since the start of manga.

Sukuna’s Negative Rizz

Ok I established that reading the Sukuna vs Gojo fight as unhinged courtship is supported by the text. That doesn’t really say anything about Sukuna sucking at it.

But, my dear reader, that in of itself is proof of his negative rizz. I had to sit down. Learn about Heian era and Shinto wedding rituals, learn more Japanese, splice seemingly unrelated manga panels together, read hentai, and know that Gege is into yaoi to come to this conclusion. I had to rip every little shred of characterization and context apart and rearrange it into something comprehensible.

You know who can’t do that? Gojo.

As far as Gojo is concerned, Sukuna hates him. Kisama is an extremely hostile you pronoun in modern times. And if Gojo can’t tell Shoko (his closest friend after Geto) is stressed over him being used like a meat puppet by her visibly falling back on her addiction, he’s going to default to the assumption Sukuna hates him just as much as everyone else.

And Gojo does just that. He assumes he failed to reach Sukuna. Despite how often they did hand to hand combat and weaponized their knowledge of each other, Gojo believes they never had proper conversation through fighting. He dies not understanding Sukuna, convinced the other was not trying to communicate with him at all.

And if you recall, all of this fight occurred while Sukuna was wearing Megumi’s face. That boy is pretty much Gojo’s adopted child. From my experience, most single parents do not go looking for clones of their kids as partners.

If someone wore the skin of my family member I would assume they were trying to torment me. And torment Gojo Sukuna does. He draws attention to Megumi’s soul being used as collateral and attacks him with the 10 Shadows. We as the audience know this is all for the sake of getting past Infinity using his Shrine. Gojo doesn’t know that. He’s fighting an evil dude who is puppeting the body of his son for god knows what reason.

Seriously, Sukuna sucks at communicating intent.

In Part 3 of my examination of Sukuna’s loneliness, I said Dismantle is a tool Sukuna uses to understand. And that him upgrading it by making Gojo the center of his world was indicative of his desire to reach him. I also said his refusal to use it on Yorozu was him expressing how little interest he had in her.

Yorozu is pissed by this. She sees it as Sukuna rejecting her and I don’t think she’s wrong. Sukuna saved his special Cursed Technique (CT) for Gojo while turning Yorozu down. If we’re considering all the wedding imagery and references that started with Yorozu, I’m certainly allowed to read that as him saving himself for Gojo. (Think of how he lied to Gojo about being the first one he killed.)

There’s also the fact that Yorozu saw their battle as an expression love and lust—that the usage of CT is a type of foreplay under certain circumstances since it is an extension of the self. Combine that with the established premise that fighting is a type of a communication thanks to Maki vs Sumo Guy and you can start to see the courtship logic behind Sukuna’s treatment of Gojo.

If we are to read “The one who will teach you love is…Sukuna” there’s another adorable caveat. Yorozu uses the you pronoun あなた (Anata) for Sukuna.

It’s an informal you pronoun used by people learning Japanese. Native speakers try to avoid using it as it can come across as rude. But in the context of love? This is colloquially called the wife pronoun as its often used by a wife to her husband.

If you wanted to localize its usage in the way Yorozu means it, Anata might become “you, dear”. So here we have Sukuna dressed in white, like a bride to Gojo’s groom, thinking of him as Anata.

The problem is, Gojo doesn’t know that. Sukuna never bothered to open his mouth and say this was an act of love. Sure he told Kashimo in the most roundabout way possible, but Gojo was the one who needed to hear that. If a courtship is going to be this diabolically complicated, there has to be clear hints for the other party. JJK is not Umineko where there’s a witch that can revive the dead over and over until the idiot finally understands this was all for them.

Gojo also doesn’t have access to the kanji Sukuna uses to describe certain techinques or words. He hears the phonetics and runs with whatever best fits the context. This means there’s no way for him to catch the double-meaning unless he’s a certain type of lingust, which he is not. His manner of speech and personal interests don’t line up with the flowery language of the Heian Era. The types of written works Gojo is into are historical war politics from the Sengoku period (known for violence more than the fine arts), Shonen manga, and physics/math.

And what's this? According to CFYOW (the canon light novels): JJK Thorny Road at Dawn, Chapter 3 Asakusabashi Elegy, Gojo doesn't even like ancient poetry. You know, the thing Sukuna enjoys and tries to communicate with.

The Kokin Wakashu Gojo off-handedly disparages is a compilation of Hiean Era poetry known as Waka. This was the primary means of communication amongst the noble class and spiritual leaders at the time. And the thing is, this poetry is supposed to be read into. Down to the quality of stroke and paper, not just the kanji written. Especially for courtship.

It’s not that Gojo is stupid. He just doesn’t specialize in the studies that would give him a more critical ear to Sukuna's words. And Sukuna doesn’t seem to understand that no one in the modern era communicates like this anymore.

If you didn’t know, this is why Japanese characters introduce themselves they often describe what kanji their name is spelled with. Take for example: Satoru. He uses the kanji 悟 meaning enlightenment. This kanji can be read as Go instead of Satoru. Additionally, the name Satoru can be written in kanji as 聡 for smart, 智 for wisdom, 知 for knowledge, 了 for understanding, 哲 for philosophy, 聖 for virtuous, or 暁 for daybreak. That’s 8 different kanji possible if you hear the name Satoru.

This is why Sukuna’s wordplay for everything else can be easily missed by other characters. They hear the words and cannot read the kanji like us. Context decides what Sukuna means for them. And since Sukuna’s context for most is violence and insults, it’s very hard for them to think about his words in any other way.

And boy howdy does Gojo miss it. Sukuna straight up calls him his husband and it took me several rereads to catch it. While mocking Gojo for being unable to open his domain, Sukuna calls him "painfully ordinary". This is localized from the word 凡夫 (bonpu) which can also be translated as unenlightened. (A layered insult! Sukuna is pretty much saying Gojo's sorcery is so boring he shouldn't even call himself the Honored One.)

The thing is...Bonpu is comprised of the 2 kanji 凡 for mediocre, and 夫 for husband. (Please note that there are many other ways to call Gojo a ditz without using the kanji for husband.) And an update from the Replies: Turns out there's layers to the gayness too.

It's come full fudging circle. Gojo came dressed as a groom for a wedding and Sukuna thinks they're already married. The miscommunication is off the rails.

But wait! There's more...

Earlier I mentioned that the kanji for Enchain doubles as Megumi Activities. Let's break that down more. (Unfortunately the Twitter account of the person I referenced may or may not be nuked so here's this screenshot I've doctored.)

So we have the translation of Enchain from 契闊 (Keikatsu), which might be better localized as Separation.

This term comes from a Chinese poem about lovers who are husband and wife in The Book of Odes, Section I (Lessons from the States), Chapter 3 (The Odes of Bei), Poem 31 (Banging the Drum). (Here's a link to the full poem and context of it.)

In summary, it’s about a soldier who is on the brink of death, having lost nearly everything after being abandoned by those in power, lamenting the happiest days of his life with his love are ones he can never get back. (Hey that sounds just like what Sukuna did to Yuji!)

Keikatsu specifically comes from this passage:

“Our vow is beyond death and life”, I and you are together I always remembered. I will hold your hand, And together we grow old.

Too pitiful we are faraway apart, The distance separates us to meet again! Too miserable this takes forever, And it does not let us fulfill our vow!

Keikatsu is used to exemplify how the physical distance between the husband and wife prevents them from fulfilling their wedding vows. And that's just what Keikatsu/Enchain does to Yuji and Megumi, it causes painful separation neither of them wanted.

Keikatsu also tells Yuji exactly how Sukuna plans to do it. 契(kei)闊(katsu) can be written as 恵(kei)活(katsu). The kanji 恵 can be read as Kei or...Megumi. (It's the literal kanji used for his name.) The kanji 活 (katsu) can mean "activities", which is how we get Enchain=Megumi Activities.

A two for one special! Sukuna mocks Yuji for being so close with Megumi while telling him exactly how he's going to destroy their relationship.

It seems this has nothing to do with Gojo until you consider the 3rd possible reading from wordplay with 契闊 (Keikatsu). The kanji 契 when read as Kei refers to a promise, pledge or vow. When 契 read as Chigi? It can refer to sexual intercourse, especially between husband and wife.

So we have 契闊(keikatsu, separation), 恵(kei Megumi)活(katsu, activities), and 契(kei chigi, spousal sex)活(katsu, activities). It's no wonder he erased Yuji's memory of it.

Keep in mind, that when Sukuna uses Keikatsu, the only vow that he has made at this point is his promise to kill Gojo. He eventually does that using Megumi's body during a fight framed between groom and bride. And for reasons beyond their control, Sukuna and Gojo have been unable to fulfill that vow through lengthy separation.

Notes from poem "Banging the Drum" Sukuna references include the following:

"And during the operation, he lost his horse, which was a desperate situation (horses in ancient time carried soldier supply and weapons, are life companion for soldiers in advance or retreat), he lost his horse, his supply, maybe his armor and weapons, and the road he was facing that we may lose his life so he may never go back. In all these mess, he started searching, and somehow at this hopeless moment he started to revisit his happiest moment, when he together vowed in marriage ceremony with his wife, and he was even afraid that he might never see his love again."

"And His last statement for his true value is his home, his love, his fulfillment of his vow is his true duty. Hero's duty is to pursue love."

In Buddhism, which JJK is heavily influenced by, horses are a pretty big deal. Horses can represent the path to enlightenment, especially since The Buddha's horse is what takes him on this journey away from his wife and children. They separate in the end though, the horse dying of a broken heart.

Remember how Sukuna called Gojo unenlightened? He sort of guided Gojo to enlightenment using Mahoraga, whose Eight-Handed title is a reference to the Eightfold Path to be followed for enlightenment. Buddhist enlightenment is centered around liberation from suffering. (Just check the wiki entry to verify this.) Infinity was the source of Gojo's suffering and Sukuna cut right through it.

Sukuna has been running around with a broken heart for a good chunk of the post-Gojo fight. And if you take that into consideration with this poem and all the other symbolism, he's somehow a Buddha, a Bodhisattva, the dying husband, the widowed wife, and the heartbroken horse all at the same time. Not unlike his wordplay taking on every possible meaning at once.

But my point here is that Sukuna might’ve seen his fight with Gojo as consummation of their marriage. (There's probably a joke in here about the husband reaching climax while leaving his wife unsatisfied.) Remember in the wise words of Itagaki Keisuke, "Fighting and sex are exactly the same!"

In Conclusion?

This is possibly one of the most bizarre and elaborate expressions of love I have lost my mind over. Sukuna gave everything Gojo ever wanted from Jujutsu violently. He did it in such an unpleasant and cruel way that the target of his affection thought there was nothing between them. Sukuna also hid his intent under social norms that no longer exist. Unless Gojo happened to be into ancient literature, there was never a scenario where he would catch onto this. Sukuna's failure is critical on multiple levels.

It’s impressive. It really is. No one knows how Sukuna’s strange little brain works so he’s stuck being loner without anyone that fully understands him. (I’m still thinking about how Uraume didn’t know Sukuna was a twin for over 1,000 years.) He’d have to let people in and tell him outright, but he’s just like Gojo so I guess that’s never happening.

[theclownghoul]

“It’s time to let the monster out”

Lots of people have been including Warwick in their lists of useless plot points from Season 2 and it frustrates me so much because he didn’t have to be.

On a plot level Warwick would be the embodiment of Vander’s dark past and his ruthlessness. He’s not allowed to forget it and neither is Zaun. He’s turned into a force that wipes out the things that threaten Zaun whether they come from within or outside the city. Having him lurk around as the enforcers crack down on Zaun post council attack. Some of them go missing because he takes them out and they just send more to replace them with an even harsher attitude.

In the lore he goes after chembarrons and problematic gangsters. There’s already tension brewing in the power vacuum of Silco’s death, what if members turn up brutally murdered and no one knows who is responsible? More shit for Sevika or Firelights to contend with.

Then for character. You’re telling me that in however long it took to develop Season 2 not one of the writers thought that Warwick would be a good opportunity to explore Vi’s trauma? To have her be the sister haunted by the past? Have Jinx understand and they begin to understand how much has been torn apart between them because of and after their father’s influences.

Vi could have been cornered, physically or metaphorically with a twisted reflection. Confronting her with her mistakes and how Vander influenced her, how he would see her now. A necromancy horror, the darkest pieces personified, just like how Vi views Jinx

She says everyone in her life has changed, wouldn’t it be delicious to have Vander change is such a way and then reflect her own mistakes back at her? He bent the knee to try and make peace and look how it turned out, for both of them. Vi surrounding herself in violence because it’s what she’s good at, it’s what she still has value for and Vander has so other choice. It’s the dark side of what he taught her, what he didn’t want her to pick up on, what he didn’t want her to take on. But when all of his “protect the family” and “it’s on you” doesn’t serve Vi, doesn’t protect anyone anymore the violence is where she goes.

The girls were set up to becomes their fathers, for better and worse. And it would make or break Zaun and their sisterhood.

Thematically Warwick made so much sense exactly how he was in league. Like it was right there, it’s how he was in the game, ready made and they didn’t take the opportunity. It wouldn’t downplay Vander’s death if he was truly gone with only glimpses of humanity, a zombified version of Vander’s violent past.

He’s literally called the Uncaged Wrath of Zaun be serious, you wanted to make him a puppy at the sight of Jinx? Him having a momentary slip and letting the girls go or going easy on them amidst all his violence would have been so much more impactful.

So yeah, not useless but definitely was under-utilized.

[arsenicflame]

It's a time-honoured tradition- every time Sam comes across Izzy (and Ed) in their travels, he asks Izzy to marry him. And every time, Izzy turns him down.

At this point, Sam is asking more for the sake of it than any belief Izzy will ever say yes, a remnant of childhood dedication touched with 30 years of heartbreak and regret- though even now, a small part of him still holds out hope. Sam's promises have only got more extravagant over the years, from a job as his first mate, to a captaincy, a fleet at his command, a whole fucking island if that's what Izzy wants- but he knows it isn't though, not really. If Izzy was ever going to agree to marry him, to leave his life and go with Sam, it wouldn't be for anything Sam could offer him. Izzy never did care for flashy shows of wealth, for a ship or to be captain. The only thing that ever mattered to him was loyalty given, and loyalty shown in return. 

It all comes to a head after Stede left and came back, after Izzy lost a toe, lost his leg. Sam hasn't seen him since before things with Ed started to really slide off the rails, before stress permanently set into the lines of Izzy’s face. So, when he sees a dishevelled man with a hoof for a leg in a no-name port, he doesn't even consider the idea that he might know him. It's only when he turns towards him, and Sam catches a glance at those oh too familiar tattoos, he realises this is Izzy, his Izzy, that stands before him.

Knowing Izzy's discomfort with pity, he doesn't treat him any differently than he would in years gone by, positioning himself in Izzy's line of sight before approaching and sweeping him up into a bone crushing hug. 

“Israel-goddamn-Hands!” he exclaims, as Izzy grumbles back a begrudging “Samuel-fucking-Bellamy”, a tradition almost as old as their friendship itself. Izzy might not hug him back, but he can’t keep the corner of his mouth from twitching, just for a second.

(If Sam holds Izzy a little tighter and a little longer than usual, well. That's his business)

By the time Sam lets go, most of the crew has appeared in the town square, drawn in by the commotion. They may have given Izzy his leg and welcomed him as one of them, but still there’s an underlying tension, with nobody quite ready to set aside everything that happened before the Kraken. Seeing him cosying up to an unknown man sets everyone on edge, unsure whether to come to their first mate’s aid, or to assume that they've been betrayed once again.

When Ed sees that the yelling was Sam, his hand goes tense where it's held in Stede's. He knows the routine, has seen it more times than he can count, but as he watches them part he realises that this is the first time in a long time he's unsure of what Izzy's response will be.

Knowing that something’s different, knowing that Izzy's feeling vulnerable already, Sam doesn't go for the same flashy proposal he’s been giving for years. He doesn't promise Izzy the world, he doesn't cause a scene (or, any more of a scene than he already has, anyway). He looks at the fractured man in front of him, takes his face in his hands, and says the exact same thing to him he said when they were little more than boys. “Israel, I have to ask you. I know what you'll say, but I have to try. Come with me. Marry me and sail away with me. I'll keep you safe”

And Izzy… hesitates. He glances over at Ed, at Stede, and says to Sam “...We’re staying in port for a week. Ask me again then”

That's the moment Sam knows there is something deeply, horribly, wrong. He's not just looking at an Izzy who got seriously injured in a fight and is struggling to cope, this is something so much bigger than that- and that Ed has something to do with it. Izzy wouldn't even be considering leaving if he didn't. Whether it was negligence or something more sinister, Sam doesn't yet know, but he intends to find out.

[meamiki]

Happy Anniversary In Stars and Time!! Have some Friend Quest based drawings :D

(These have specific quote picks related to them! And there's also a long ramble on why I like those specific quotes below if interested)

(And by long, I mean roughly 2k+ words of proper ramble total, so be warned before clicking keep reading this link right here to the rb!!)

[randomfandomss]

WHERE IS THE COMPULSORY BAKE OFF CONCLAVE FIC?????

With these queens in the tent?!?! It would totally fuckkkk!!!!

[huginsmemory]

Reading journal 3 again is a reminder that... Well Ford is kinda an asshole towards Fiddleford. It's not just Stan. Like he's so focused on himself and his project and his ambition that anyone/thing else blurs out (him disregarding Fiddleford's nervousness around the gremloblin because he wants to sketch it, and when it goes sideways, him talking about the safety of the project parts BEFORE how Fiddleford was doing in his journal, multiple times. Priorities much?) and he's demeaning towards Fiddleford's own project (which ends up being wayyyy more important then Ford's discoveries)... Like damn Fiddleford, u left ur wife and young son for this guy?

[jade-of-mourning]

sorry sometimes i think about mako and my heart hurts so much. this kid raised himself and his brother on the streets in homelessness and utter poverty from eight through fifteen, promptly after seeing the violent death of his mother and father. he turned to the triple threats because they couldn't survive as a pair of wretched kids without any adult support, and the environment forced him to turn into the exact character that killed his parents in a terrible twist of irony. and after sheer-fucking-luck hits and they aren't homeless anymore, their livelihood wavers on the outcome of what's a literally game to everyone but them; and after things are finally starting to look up and their team is going places and things just might be okay, his gradually stabilizing world unceremoniously expands and everything goes to shit.

and the city that chewed him up and spat him back out, ruined him as a child and took away his ability to stay afloat in a true sense of normalcy as an adult — when it's on the verge of destruction and falling to pieces before his eyes, he gives himself to save it with the full expectation to die. he went from the kid who didn't and couldn't care about anything outside of himself and his brother, to finding redemption for his younger self in his police work despite its injustice against him, to willingly sacrificing himself to a world that had never loved him.

he's a desperate people pleaser, socially and emotionally stunted for the adult he had to be as a kid, unable to navigate interpersonal relationships easily yet still trying his damned hardest. he's intensely and entirely devoted to the things that matter to him and for so long it was only him, bolin, and ensuring their survival — yet by the end, that devotion has expanded to protecting the rest of the world. he starts out entirely self-reliant and ends in trusting the people he cares about to know their own needs, to be able to take care of themselves, to be okay without him despite having spent so much of his life defined by his role in others' well-being.

just. what the fuck i'm such a big fan of this fictional guy and i'm unashamed about it at this point. also let him cry please (if you won't i'll do it i'll let him cry)

[fischtoria]

If you're not in the know what's happening in Warframe right now, next week a new quest gets released with a new Warframe that's rumoured to be a different character (that was in the game from the beginning) kind of like post-transition. And, much to the dismay of the average Gamer Bigot™️ the developers also donated 10.000$ to rainbow railroad and trans lifeline each for pride (along with a bunch of ingame pride items).

Anyway, on their website they have a lore conversation between the Stalker and Hunhow (stalker being the rumoured-to-be-trans character, ignore the edgy name, they came up with him over 10 years ago lol) and HO BOY, feels like every second damn paragraph of that conversation is loaded with trans allegory, here's some snippets that are most blatantly obvious:

"What do you owe them? A lifetime of old hate spent pupating new regrets."

"Envy those whose bodies your 'vaunted' matters stole."

"It does seem tiresome. One monster to buckle against the weight of battalions. Little wonder you would seek allies, friends, confidants. Family."

"You know what must be done, but still fear your own weakness more than the outcome. You fear that you have taken too long-- that your hesitation has already destroyed-"

"All the more reason you should heed me: it's not too late."

"Let us dispense with veils, my Shadow. You want me here to lament at your ear like some chirping conscience. You want to hear the truth."

"No matter which way the tides drift, the only options left to you will bring a target upon your back."

Like, you can see it too right? If you're trans, chances are you can see yourself in at least one of those quotes (I know I do), and personally, I cannot wait for the bigots to huff and puff and cry about it, happy pride <3

[red-dead-sakharine]

Tickles - Part 5

Raphael x Tav, RaphaelPOV, soft!raphael, gn!tav, fluff, hurt/comfort, body worship, relatable fumbling, conflicted!cambion, trans affirming*

mood music

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 & 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8

*I found worshiping in vague terms somewhat unsatisfying, so I wrote three versions for the chest part: Female, Male, Transmasc. Pick your preferred color for that part, then proceed to the normal text :)

Enjoy!

They lay there for a while. His mouse on top of him, stroking his hair, holding his hand, smiling at him. He smiled back. If time would freeze in this moment, he would not mind. He felt good and happy, being blanketed by his mouse's warm body on top of him. They occasionally lifted their head to kiss his nose - kiss his lips - as if there was a supernatural pull they couldn't resist. He loved it. He loved to see his mouse so happy. Happy with him. He wanted more. More touching. More happiness.

He began to lift his body, and his mouse slid off him, looking at him searchingly. He sought the base of their shirt, slid his hands underneath and paused. Looked at them. Asking permission with his eyes, like they had done. They beamed at him. He pulled their shirt off, dropped it gently off the bed, then looked at them. Beamed back at them. His mouse, so vulnerable with him without fright. Only adoration. He explored their body, moved his hands over their torso, up their sides. He remembered how Tav kissed him, so he did the same. He wasn't sure how much pressure to apply. Worried his kisses were too wet. He looked at their face, and they smiled. But he didn't see the look in their eyes that he figured he himself must've had. He carried on, determined to reciprocate what they had done. He licked around their bellybutton. There was no change in response. He frowned. He was doing it wrong. Tav's licks sent his mind into the fugue plane. He didn't seem to be doing the same to them. He resorted to kissing again. He knew how to kiss - he hoped. His hands roamed clumsily over their body, down their thighs. Whenever he looked up they were smiling with their eyes closed, but nothing more. Some sort of magical component to all this was still hidden from him. He felt a little frustrated and disappointed. He wanted to make them feel like they did him!

He moved up and bent down to trail kisses across their collarbone. Down each breast. He gently cupped them with his hands, massaging them. A quiet moan. His face lit up with delight. He caused that! He felt proud. He payed taxes to their nipples. Gently sucked them, licked them, kissed them, just like they had done. They writhed under his touch, leaning back, eyes closed, mouth open. They enjoyed it. He felt accomplished! He gave the breasts more attention. Licked a nipple. They shuddered. He felt like a king.

He moved to the chest, remembering Tav's ministrations. He ran his nose through their chest hair, then looked up to check. Their smile was bigger. He looked back down, assaulted their nipples with gentle kindness. Kissed them, sucked them. A moan. His face lit up with delight. He caused that! He felt proud. He went back to it, trailed kissed from one nipple to the other, like they had done. Ran a gentle hand through the fluff in between. Licked the other nipple. They shuddered. He felt like a king.

He moved up and trailed kisses along their collarbone. His hands roaming their chest. Finding the scars. Tav stilled. He ran his fingers along the marked skin. Followed it with kisses. They relaxed, sighed. He smiled. His hands kept caressing their chest, while he payed taxes to their nipples. Kissing them. Sucking them. They moaned. His face lit up with delight. He caused that! He felt proud. More kisses, from one side to the other. He gave the other nipple a lick. They shuddered. He felt like a king.

He remembered the other things they'd done, and gently nudged them. Imitating them, he put his face close to their ear and whispered, "Turn around." They complied. He grinned. He ran his hands down their back. He felt clumsy. He didn't know where to go, what exactly to do, but he did his best. He liked the feel of their skin, so he focused on that. Made it as much his pleasure as theirs. Was this the secret? Did he finally figure it out? He enjoyed running his hands over their sides, so he did. He followed their spine with kisses like Tav had done. Kissed their shoulder blades. Kissed their neck. He remembered the other things and moved up, kissing their temple. A bright smile grew on their face. He felt accomplished. He kissed the base of their skull. Something primal in him wanted to devour the mouse. He restrained himself to not bite them. This was not the time for biting. He remembered their sucking though, so he did that. Sucked the soft flesh between their shoulders. They gasped. He felt proud.

He moved down, tugged at their pants. An unspoken question. They lifted their body slightly. An answer. He pulled the pants down. Looked at their backside. He smiled. It was like a delicious cake. He kissed it. They shivered. He was beginning to get the hang of it. He gently cupped their cheeks with his hands. He felt too small. He wanted to grab it all. He ditched the human guise. Tav lifted their head, glanced back, smiled, laid back down. He beamed in adoration at the back of their head. They accepted him no matter his form. He's never felt this comfortable before. He went back to thanking them. Cupping their butt cheeks with both hands. Yes. Better. He was large enough now to take in most of the soft flesh. He bent down to kiss the base of their spine. They sighed. He preened. They couldn't see his wings unfold, as he bent down to trail kisses up their spine again. Holding onto their butt with his big hands. Squeezing it. An amused sound came from the mouse. He looked up. They were smiling, eyes closed. He was confused, but decided this was good. He continued. Ran his hands up their back. More kisses. He tried a lick. They snickered. He frowned. Not the reaction he wanted. He was still doing something wrong! Frustration.

He gently turned them around again like a big spit roast. They looked at him. Beamed at him. Okay, good. He beamed back. His tail wrapped around their ankle. They looked excited. Oh? Okay. He caressed their belly with his hands, and slowly dragged his tail up their leg. They shivered under him. Excited. He grinned at them. Proud. Mischievous. His little mortal enjoyed his truest self - it filled him with joy and a warm comfortable fuzzy feeling.

He ran his claws gently up their sides. They flinched, coiling up like a spring and giggled. He looked at them with wrinkled brow. Question-marks in his eyes. They relaxed again and smiled, "That tickled." they explained. "Oh?" his mind went dark places, "Did it now?" He did it again. They snickered again, their elbows shot down to their sides, trying to protect the vulnerable zone. "Oh no..." he grabbed their arms - firm enough but gently, moved them out of the way effortlessly. Pinned them to the bed with his wings. "I figure you still owe me..." he growled playfully.

"Oh, no! Please no!"

This was no time for mercy. He started assaulting their sides with pokes and teasing strokes. They laughed and writhed under him. He grinned darkly, tickled more. They kept wriggling, giggling and laughing. "Stahp! Stahahahahap!" pleads for mercy in between laughs. He had none. He continued. They had tortured him with this for an agonizingly long time, so he felt justified in doing the same. He kept poking them. His wings held them. They tried to throw him off. His tail wrapped around their legs, holding their ankles together. They could do nothing but suffer. More tickles. More laughter. "Please, please stop! Have-" more violent laughter, "-have mercy! I... I can't breathe!" He slowed down. Gave them a moment of reprieve. They caught their breath, still wriggling in his unrelenting grasp, "I ... I figure I deserved that." they admitted, still an involuntary grin on their face. Good. He gave their side one last poke, listened to the wheezing snicker, then bent down to kiss them on the lips, relaxed his tail, lifted his wings. Their hands found his horns. Held him prisoner in the kiss. He allowed it. When they eventually let go and he broke the kiss, he looked at them with an impish grin, "I do love it when you beg."

There was a pause. Their smile faded a bit, and they searched his face.

He meant it playfully. He didn't want his mouse to beg outside of this setting. He loved how headstrong they were. Their unbreakable spirit was what had drawn him to them in the first place. He had scared them again, he realized. He frowned, "I meant to tease." he explained, and their expression relaxed a little. "Would you be this concerned about that statement, were I just a human?" he couldn't shush himself before the question had escaped him. His nature loomed over him like a giant vulture, ready to peck the happiness away, and drag him back into the bog of minauros to drown him. He looked away, scrunching up his face. He thought they accepted him, but he was still just a devil to them. A danger. A looming threat, underneath it all.

A hand found his cheek, turning his face back to the mouse beneath him. "Yes," they said and he looked at them with confusion and surprise. "We've not exactly plotted out any boundaries. I'd be cautious with anyone at this stage." they explained, with no deceit or judgement in their voice. His face must've been a mix of emotions, for they cupped it in their hands and looked at him with affection. "No pain or injury ...unless agreed upon beforehand. Does that work for you?" they looked at him, unafraid. Just asking.

His ears were ringing. He took one of Tav's wrists, gently plucked their hand off his face and placed a kiss on their palm, then nodded slightly, "I would never harm you." he stated. His words felt clumsy, but they came from his heart. His brain wasn't doing much right now, besides sabotaging his mind with foolish thoughts.

They looked at him and smiled. He looked back, glad he was wrong, but the doubt still gnawing at the back of his mind. Tav looked at him searchingly for a while. Then suddenly there was a spark in their eyes, as if someone had lit a torch. They pulled him into a hug and whispered in his ear, "I trust you." A pause. Then, "You're perfect just the way your are, and I wouldn't have you any other way."

He wrapped his arms around Tav and pulled them up into a sitting position to hug them closer. He used it to hide his face, as he felt his eyes fill with unbidden tears. He had never realized - or admitted to himself - how much he had longed for someone - anyone - to say those words. To accept him the way he was. Half a devil, half a man. Not enough for one world, too much for the other. Disliked and feared for his nature in both. But his mouse... his little mouse... it saw him. It liked him. And it didn't judge.

He could feel his silent tears roll down his face and hoped they wouldn't land on Tav's naked shoulders, but he knew they did. A hand moved up to stroke his hair gently and calming. The other held him tighter. He hoped they wouldn't say anything. He had never been this vulnerable and he didn't trust himself not to lash out in defense. But his mouse was smart. Emotionally a lot smarter than himself. They didn't say anything. They just held him and loved him and supported him, while his protection was flayed away and his deepest insecurity and longing laid bare.

After some time, they did speak; and for a moment he worried they might say the wrong thing. Stab him, while his defense was broken. But they didn't. They whispered in his ear, their tone utterly serious: "And if anyone says otherwise, I'll rip out their eyeballs and make 'em eat them." He chortled and held them tighter. He loved them.

In this moment, his mouse was everything to him. He needed them. He would keep them safe and guard them, like a dragon does its hoard.

He pictured his mouse sitting on a pile of violently dismembered corpses of every devil who had ever mocked him, and he smiled in dark delight. This was a fantasy he could get behind.

He found his joy again - pulled out of the abyss by a heroic little mouse. His tears ebbed away and made way for a mischievous smile. "I could give you a list." he joked. Tav chuckled.

They both held each other tight.

Expelled the shadows with their light.

👉 Part 6

[portraitoflestatonfire]

"...the pleasures of the flesh, the pleasures of the kill, for me. Pleasures of the good book by the fire for you."

[better-call-mau1]