#but you really can't show them mercy? compassion? pity? understanding?

[hopeswriting]

[ID: A panel from the manga Katekyo Hitman Reborn, showing Uni.

She cries with her eyes closed, one half of her face drawn normally, while the other half is a decaying skeleton. She thinks to herself, “I’m scared... of death...” /End ID]

first of all you’re right about everything, but i just want to point out that it’s not just that she knew she’d have to sacrifice herself for this future. it just so happened that her needing to die in that moment also meant saving that future (and all the others), but uni says herself she’s been waiting for the moment she could make good use of her powers all her life, and not just from when byakuran started acting up. in fact she’s been waiting for it since the moment she was born, as she says the trinisette song was etched in her memory ever since. and worse than that, she was even hoping for it, hoping she would get that moment where she’d need to sacrifice herself, says in that same scene, “this is the only chance i can take”. because then, not only her death can mean something, but most importantly, her life can be meaningful too. the life she only ever got to live as uni the sky arco, and never uni the person.

and i’m not saying it’s not meaningful either way, that it wouldn’t matter just as much if she was to die from her time wearing the pacifier running out like the other arco and luce and aria before her, but if she chooses to give herself to the pacifier instead of just letting the pacifier take from her until there’s nothing left to take, then it’s different, isn’t it? then it’s not only just her having made peace with the only choice she was given and could have never escaped from, but her actually making that choice for herself, actually taking her own fate in her own hands for the first time in her life. and she’s still only uni the sky arco to the very end, but at that moment, uni the person is the one to decide what being uni the sky arco means, and when, how, and for what she’ll die.

but then when she does come face to face with death, not only it reminds us and her that at the end of the day she’s still only a child like you said, but i really think it’s also the first time she gets to be one. because if she really was born with the trinisette song already in her memory, then she never got the mercy to not know. she might not have been uni the sky arco all her life, but even before she became that, she was still uni the next sky arco. uni who’d have to eventually and inevitably die for the greater good. and even during those three months with the giglio nero where she was probably at her happiest, where she got to live the most freely, she still had to be uni the giglio nero donna.

uni just really doesn’t know who she is without the duty she’s always known she’d have to fulfill. she really doesn’t know who uni, full stop, who uni the person is. was never given the chance to, was never allowed to. and honestly, if you couldn’t tell that distinction you made between uni the sky arco and uni the person is fucking me up, then know it really is and i want to cry my heart out and never stop.

especially because i never noticed before that even in her death, uni still really can’t see herself as anything but the sky arco. doesn’t know how to, doesn’t know what else she can be. even in her death, even after her death, she’s still all about duty. even after her death, only her duty remains, and how fitting when that’s the thing that killed her to begin with, when that's the thing that didn’t allow her to live while she was still alive. like, the arco curse is all about sacrifice for all of them, but it’s about duty first and foremost only for the sky arco. because they aren’t given the mercy to not know all along it’ll happen, while at the same time their ability to know more than anyone else just confirm the inevitability of it. it’s their destiny, and there’s no running away from it, no escaping it, no winning against it even if they were to fight against it.

their duty is literally the first thing they know when they’re born, the first thing they know about the world, life and themselves when they’re born. so of course luce kept for herself where that mountain was leading all of them, couldn’t imagine there could be anything else past that mountain top that wouldn’t be inescapable tragedy. of course aria didn’t try to run away from it, for all she said she didn’t believe in the curse and tried to protect uni from it. of course uni was hoping she’d have the chance to give herself to it, to make it about her, to choose it too the way it chose her.

and like. is your heart breaking into thousand pieces yet, or are you a cold and unfeeling monster, because i for one will never ever get over this

Just want to take a moment here to appreciate this panel… 

Uni, since the beginning, has known that any meaningful ending to this future would require her death. She knows this destiny is what saves them all. And it seems like she’s prepared for that sacrifice. Just like her grandmother and her mother, Yuni comes prepared to sacrifice herself for the greater good. But when the time to actually make those words a reality comes…. 

She falters. 

Death is final. Death, for her, doesn’t include her coming back. Once she’s gone, she’s gone whether for better or for worse. This is her ultimate sacrifice, her life. In that moment of understanding, we get hit with a reminder that Yuni (at most!) is a late teen/early adult. She’s barely lived life with most of her life being in a role that required her to know suicide was an option for the greater good.  

It’s poignant that even in imagining her death, Yuni can’t see herself without her cap. She can’t separate herself from her job. Everything she is is the Sky Acrobaleno, she doesn’t know who she is without it. She dies as Yuni, the Sky Acrobaleno, not Yuni the person. Not even her own damn death can be about her –separate from the pacifiers.  

It makes me feel things…

[honeycreammilkshake]

Reminder yuji's grandpa told yuji to help people even if they DONT WANT TO. YUJI saved sukuna

Hi, anon. You're so right. I'm so obsessed with this chapter that it's making me sick...

From the very start, Yuuji has been the only one to show Sukuna empathy or compassion. As I've written before, everyone else makes their "declaration of love" into competition to force Sukuna to see things their way, to try to make him submit to them, but Yuuji has been so intimate and open, so gentle, with the King of Curses like no one else has.

During chapter 265, he took Sukuna on a literal scenic tour of all his childhood memories. Sukuna actually goes along with this, without being overly hostile or mocking... which is a really interesting and unexpected thing for his character to do!!! It indicates to me that, if even only subconsciously and even if he hates it, Sukuna actually respects and cares about this brat. He's willing to listen to him, to hear him out, to even indulge him by doing whatever the brat asks him to do together like archery or fishing... all things that if anyone else asked the King of Curses to do, he would more than likely kill them on the spot for their insolence.

Ever since then Yuuji has been owning Sukuna completely. He's gotten under that cursed skin far too deep for Sukuna's liking...

Their fight scene from 266 really illustrates this well.

Call it what you want, but to me this scene just confirms that Sukuna is blatantly denying his own feelings. To react that strongly to Yuuji's sympathy and pity... to feel like it's nothing more than Yuuji looking down at him... Sukuna is scared of being seen as anything other than an inhuman, unfeeling monster of chaos; he can't stand that Yuuji - someone he sees as weaker, someone who lived alongside him, someone he made suffer - is still being merciful and willing to give Sukuna a second chance of sorts.

Sukuna claims that he knows what love is, has told Kashimo that it's because he "understands love" that he finds it meaningless. But in actuality, Sukuna doesn't understand love - he understands the lack of it.

Which is what makes Yuuji's approach to finally teaching Sukuna love all the more interesting, because he is literally trying to remedy that lack of love, to fill that void in Sukuna's life up.

In chapter 268, we see Sukuna in a very pathetic, cornered position. He's literally at Yuuji's mercy.

Yuuji is standing over Sukuna, more than capable of ending things for good. He's gotten Megumi back already, so he technically has no reason to keep Sukuna alive. He can choose to take all his more-than-justified hate out on Sukuna.... but he doesn't.

Instead... he shows Sukuna just how far his love and compassion can go. He reaches down, so tenderly when Sukuna doesn't deserve it, and cups the monstrous King of Curses in his hands, so softly.

Sukuna is literally dying in Yuuji's hands. Instead of mocking him, or making him suffer, as one of the other "strongest" people would do, Yuuji is instead reaching out to him.... yet again!

He basically says "I see you, Sukuna. I understand that if our circumstances we're different, we could very well have had the same fate or still been the opposites of each other. But I accept the way things have turned out for us - I accept you. We can live together because I care about you even if no one else does."

Yuuji has suffered in Sukuna's own hands, but Yuuji cradles Sukuna in his. Yuuji been called weak, pathetic, and useless by Sukuna. But still he stands. After everything Sukuna has done... Yuuji hasn't broken. In fact, he believes in his ideals more than ever. He's extending that mercy to Sukuna when anyone else would have killed him. He's being so softly intimate with him.

That is what makes Yuuji so strong, truly stronger than everyone else. He doesn't give in, he doesn't break down, he doesn't become hopeless and shattered. He's as kind, caring, and loving as ever.... Sukuna can't take it.

This tsundere bitch is literally dying instead of accepting Yuuji's marriage proposal. Can't handle his own feelings for real.

What's really interesting to me is how Sukuna uses Yuuji's full name here, too. In the past, he always referred to Yuuji as "brat" and so many other demeaning names, but now... now he's admittedly recognizing Yuuji as someone with worth, even saying "I should congratulate you."

He is mistaken though. I think he knows that Yuuji wouldn't lie about wanting to live together with Sukuna. After all, he's been inside of Yuuji. He knows the brat isn't the type to be dishonest about these kinds of things. Megumi is safe now, so how can Yuuji seek to gain anything from staying by Sukuna's side?

And also, if it was all to mock Sukuna, why does Yuuji look so heartbroken when Sukuna refuses his offer??

That is the look of someone who is disappointed in what happened, not glad that Sukuna chose death instead of love.

I have so many thoughts on this... I could write a whole other meta but literally... this is just an outright confession of love, no matter how you interpret it.

All I can say is... Sukuita best ship.

Thanks for your ask, anon! Wishing you a happy rest of your week <3

[olasketches]

I came across one of your posts in which you and others were agreeing that everybody including yuji trying to make sukuna understand them but nobody wants to understand sukuna which I think is absolutely wrong.

I don't know if you still hold that view but the thing is it's only yuji who actually understands sukuna , I mean why else he would offer mercy and compassion to sukuna if he doesn't see him worthy of it. He was sad when he realised he failed to convince sukuna. His eyes said it all. He even offered his body willingly which is who in their right mind would accept the king of curses back. Especially when he is the reason yuji went through so much.

Yuji isn't the type of person who tries to convince every bad person he comes across. He never did for choso, only asked mahito once and then decided to pummel him ,same was with sukuna so something must have happened to change that.. We can say it's because of resonance or their time together when they shared the body.. What I am trying to say is that there is something we don't know which causes Yuji to want to talk to him. Something that convinced him that sukuna needs it and subsequently gets sad when realized it didn't work.

He unlike others decided to show him that memories give life value and not strength.. Sukuna himself was disappointed that yuji hate is only this much and figured out that's because he pities him .His approach is different but effective that's why sukuna is so furious... Otherwise he never once lost his cool in the whole manga.

I still I stand with what I said in my previous post. I also said in the tags that yuuji is in on the right path there and that sukuna would need to open up about himself more.

yuuji wanted sukuna to see and understand the humanity of someone other than himself, but I think that this "childhood memories" trip was as much for sukuna as it was for yuuji, because it gave him an opportunity to reflect on everything that happened. yuuji finally got a chance to be honest with himself and make sense of the world he lives in. I would even argue that this wasn't about yuuji understanding sukuna but rather about yuuji understanding himself.

and gege is so great at depicting symbolism that the moment when yuuji's perspective is about to change we can see dragonflies in the background which symbolise...

change and change in the perspective of self realization; and the kind of change that has its source in mental and emotional maturity and the understanding of the deeper meaning of life.

personally, I don't think this chapter is about yuuji understanding sukuna but him finally understanding his own core values and beliefs and embracing them fully.

I agree that yuuji, unlike others, had a better approach. instead of trying to solve this situation with strength alone, he decided to talk to sukuna first, despite knowing they have two completely different set of values and beliefs. I am incredibly proud of yuuji for reaching the conclusion he did and I applaud him for trying to negotiate with sukuna, but I also understand why sukuna didn't accept the deal.

one of the things that really stood up to me in this chapter was that despite growing up without his parents, yuuji was still loved. his grandpa loved him like his own son and gave him beautiful and meaningful memories. he taught yuuji his core values that he holds till this day. sukuna, on the other hand, was born to a starving mother and ate his twin in order survive. he also admitted that he was an unwanted child... but yuuji doesn't know that (as far as we know). he can't understand where sukuna may be coming from, so I think it's only natural that sukuna would be angry after being lectured one-sidedly and then shown sympathy.

however, yuuji is the only character who doesn't just look at sukuna but sees him. he may not understand sukuna's reasoning but he does see him as someone who is just as dynamic and complicated being as everyone else. yuuji already reached a point in his character journey where he is, right now, the only character who can understand sukuna and meet him in the middle. he affirmed his beliefs out loud and made his stance clear, now everything is up to sukuna...

[ave-immaculata]

I’m sorry, maybe I need some help understanding but I don’t think I cannot help a pedophile that I know has harmed and or killed children in any situation plus, didn’t Jesus say that anyone who harms children might as well tie a limestone to their necks and throw themselves into the ocean? Mathew 18:6

He says something similar, that: “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea." I know that this verse is commonly cited about this issue, but personally I don't find it applicable because I don't think that children are sinning when they're the victims of pedophilia; I think this Scripture is a warning to those who would lead children away from the faith, neglect to foster the faith in their children, or lead children into sin by teaching them to steal, encouraging violence, etc.

I also understand your hesitation. I experienced sexual abuse as a child and I really do appreciate the intuitive and instinctive response about how we should treat these people. They should be prosecuted where possible. They should be held accountable. They should be punished. And God will satisfy every longing for justice such that no soul in Heaven or Hell will be able to say that God was unjust. As Catholics, we believe in the temporal punishment for sins can continue even after death before one experiences eternal rest.

Jesus also doesn't make any exceptions for which people we ought to show charity to, love, and pray for. Scripture says it is the Father's will that none should perish, but that all should come to repentance and receive eternal salvation. When He asks us to visit the imprisoned, He doesn't say it is only for those whose crimes we think are forgiveable or reasonable or mundane, and He doesn't say it is only for the prisoners who are contrite or apologetic. If Christ had waited to come and find me until I was repentant of my sins, I'd still be wandering through the depths of depravity, lost for all of eternity.

So, while that instinct comes from a place of goodness (compassion and justice and the desire to protect the innocent), it is not the call of a Christian. You should not help them to commit great evils, but you can't interview a homeless person to check that they have never molested anyone before giving them your change and some water. You ought to report any real or suspected abuse and help children who have been victimized, and yet you have to pray for the grace to forgive the abusers, and that God take pity on them.

These all need to co-exist, lest we be found hypocrites on the day of judgement. My own experiences left scars that still haven't healed, and despite being in therapy for 6+ years I couldn't even talk about it. I know that God is exceedingly patient with me and doesn't demand me to be farther along the path than I am, but I do need to forgive those people, and I need to forgive myself. I cannot think of myself as better than them, because I am not. I cannot wish them to be damned. I cannot wish that they be tormented for my own personal vengeance. That is not the Gospel.

In fact, when we say the Fatima prayer during the Rosary, consider who "those most in need of Thy mercy would be," because I don't think it's the robbers or the slanderers. I think it's the people who have hurt the most vulnerable and gotten away with it.

Edit: Regarding ministry specifically, everyone will experience different calls and possess different charisms. I don't think everyone who has been violated will necessarily be called to something like prison ministry, just like not everyone is called to be a Franciscan living in poverty in the Bronx; this is as a general interpretation of how we are to view our neighbour's sins and respond to them.

[asoulofatlantis]

there are mistranslations in the three houses game like the summit in azure moon " English Text:

Dimitri: I have learned that humans are capable of all that from the professor... and from everyone in my life.

Edelgard: I doubt a highborn person like yourself could know how the poor feel or what motivates them.

Japanese Text:

Dimitri:「・・・人はそういう生き方ができるのだと、俺は、先生に・・・皆に、おしえられた。」

Edelgard:「・・・貴方のような持つ者には、持たざる者の気持ちがわからないのでしょうね。」

Translated Text:

Dimitri: I have learned that humans are capable of all that from Sensei.. and from everyone in my life.

Edelgard: Someone who was fortunate enough like you to have those things, will never understand those of us who don't have those things.

The major difference is... stark. Dimitri's line is the same. He talks about how he's learned what humans are capable of from Sensei and his friends. Edelgard's line changes from being about how Dimitri can't understand the plight of the poor because he's highborn (wait what? so are you), to her lamenting that someone like Dimitri who was fortunate enough to have Sensei and his friends, wouldn't be able to understand someone like her who does not those things. Point being, the conversation is meant to emphasize Edelgard's PTSD and loneliness. Hence when Dimitri calls her strong, she she's mocking him because he still doesn't understand her. It refers to her having no support system like he does, or Sensei (whom she still loves going by the Hegemon convo), and her talking about how she was one of those who died." On Azure Moon Dimitri’s clear offer of mercy to Edelgard in the cinematic seems to contradict with his English line earlier in the battle map where he states she deserves no compassion (as well as his English lines before the fight). The Japanese line is clearer, wherein Dimitri is instead stating something like that he won’t disrespect Edelgard’s path by showing her pity (the context presumably being about the battle and the form she has taken, rather than what he wants to do for her after the battle).

I've read the translation you sent me in the chat already. For me personally, nothing much changes with those translation mistakes. (Not to mention that this kind of thing is sadly common when they translate Japanese games.) Probably because I never saw that mistranslated line as a big issue to begin with. We could argue that Dimitri, living on the streets for like 5 years or so knows very well about the life of the poor, but what do we know about Edelgard life in the Blue Lions route that we could judge what she knows about the life of the poor? Nothing, really. So... why make a big thing about this line? And in my eyes, that she didn't have the support that Dimitri had, was her very own fault and she proves it very much by how she handled the situation then. So I don't feel pity for her either. Which makes the difference in translation unimportant for me.