#gets to kill the entire leadership about it <333

[3-inch-sam]

FUUUUCK I DIDN'T EXPECT THE BROTHERHOOD OF STEEL TO HIT MY EXMORMON BRAIN SO HARD

[pinkrabit]

ATLA LA Episode 3 Omashu

"We have our anger. We have our grief.. We have hope." It's good to see a message mildly consistent with the LA and the OG.

Yessss let's kill Ozai

This boys gonna die, huh.

THE FIRELORD THRONE IS SO BEAUTIFUL

Ambush kinda sucks though. God, ozai is such an arrogant bitch. He's perfect.

I love the aspect of fire nation citizens being shone to hate the leadership of the firenation early on.

Little Azula

THIS POOR BOY IS GONNA DIE HE DIDNT DESERVE THIS

Jesus Azula just watching with a mild smirk and her arrogance. She is a mad king. Just like her father. Just like the OG.

Her anger at hearing her brother succeeding in a wild goose chase, if only a little <3

I like Katara being self-taught. It shows her dedication, her appreciation to her (nearly lost) culture, and her accepting help from a master of another element *aang)

"Tap into your feelings" shows trauma of watching her mother die. Her mother is still a major drive. Like the OG

"The monks said I never listened. At least I think that's what they said. I never listened."

WHOSE OUT HERE SAYING AANG ISNT AANG LOOK AT HIM

Sokka being a road trip dad is in 2/3 avatar universes.

Katara teasing Sokka aboit Suki is beautiful

Zhao has already snitched baby boy Zuko

Zuko just being a mild angsty teen instead of extremely angsty is fine but I need more.

Even if Zuko doesn't like Zhao there are rules he has to follow.

"We're fire nation. Even out here." He told himself that his entire banishment in every universe. We HAVE TO KNOW THAT.

OMASHU IS GLORIOUS

"What makes you think we're outsiders??" Aang, my sweet boy, you're not wearing the typical fantasy wear. Your clothes are orange. Not green. Don't you know the nation's base shit off of colors??? Silly goose.

Katara taking the lead to connect feels on brand.

Sokka scoffing at people flirting with his sister!!!!

"STRUCK MUTE AT BIRTH" you just know sokka hates that in every universe

Aang running off like the 12 year old he is.

I like them blending Omashu with the Inventor's story and Teo, actually. I wonder if Bumi knows Sai is giving plans to the firenation.

"There spies are everywhere in the city." ... like you're father..??

Aang once again being u comfortable with the description of violence.

I don't appreciate "Sai" allegedly creating the mail system.

Sokka is acting like a kid in a candy store with all the tinkering stuff. He's such a need.

The bombing! (The G)Aangs reaction!! Aang is having another "I can't be a kid, I'm the Avatar" moment.

Azula raving!!! TY LEE!!! MAI!!

Ty Lee seems quirky enough. Mai is still so sullen. My precious girls.

Azula feeling entitled to the throne for helping Ozai fits so well with the end of the OG.

Sokka volunteering to help the mechanist!!!

WHERE IS KING BUMI. I WANT TO SEE THIS BUFF CRAZY OLD MAN.

Kataras mistakes in her bending 🥺🥺

Oop

PRETTY BOY SAVES KATARA

PRETTY BOY IS JET????

His outfit is so good

I like turning Jet into a more calculated loose canon.

Teo and Aang laughing together 🥹🥹 Aang is acting like a boy !

THE ANKLE MOVE FROM JET

KATARA SUCCESSFUL ATTACK

THE WHISTLE FROM JET

The Duke! Longshot! SMELLERBEE! Pipsqueak!

"We're the good guys." The road to hell is paved with good intentions, Jet.

Sokka gushing about his dad to the Mechanist 🥹🥹

"If not us, then who?"

THE TREE HOMES

Jet get that fucking weed out of your mouth

Anarchist!Jet supremacy

"If not us, then who"

Of course, it's not the fire nation.

I like that the show seems to be keeping up with, to a certain degree, that the "good side" can be bad

Katara and Jet sharing stories about their mothers.

"Lately, [my mother's death] been coming back to me." Because now you're ready to begin healing. You're ready for the memories your mind suppressed. You are ready to feel the anger and injustice. You are now "safe" to do so.

The "Fight with everything you have" message/motif has not been lost in this show. At least with Jet

Her mom <333

Now. I am a kataang shipper. I love their endless devotion and trust in one another. I love how their feelings for each other were so gradual you could hardly see it. They are each others hope and home

BUT.. I really like this katara/jet moment

Zuko, love, you're such a Hater.

THE PAI SHO TILE.

I love the charcoal pencil Azula's using. Pretty accurate, historically, if I remember correctly.

NOT JEE BEING A TRAITOR

Sokka, you brilliant nerd. You're so proud of the bird.

Katara, both Sai and Jet can be traitors. They are not mutually exclusive.

Katara, did I just hear your voice crack??? Sounds like emotional anger, I've been waiting for you to rise.

"I don't need proof for that" yes, Sokka, we know you're an ass and we love you anyway.

JET IF YOU HURT TEO ITS OVER

Jet, you're so unhinged, and true to the OG

Thank you, "sacrifice the few to save the many"

Jet's character is perfect.

ZUKO NOW IS NOT THE TIME

"This guy?? Again??" Yes, Sokka. Love the dry humor.

"This is my fight." No, Aangs. This is an adult's fight.

Zuko I understand you're a highly capable boy. You've worked hard to master bending and fighting, but you're ruining the marketplace atmosphere.

Zuko getting hit by an older woman like a thug is missing. No notes. This wasn't in the OG!

THE MAIL CARRIER ROLLER COASTER

Aang is so done with Zuko already, haha

Aang having Zuko’s diary, omg

"MY CABBAGES"

I like to think bending is similar to adrenaline. Where a fear response becomes strong enough to force your body to do something it otherwise couldn't do. Like with Katara's bending.

IROH BAITING HIMSELF FOR ZUKO AND ZUKO’S LITTLE SCARED FACE

Zuko looks so lost and guilty, after watching an adult sacrifice themselves for him.

Don't worry, my sweet misguided boy, Iroh has friends even if you can't make any.

"Uh, oh" NO SHIT AANG

[zukkaoru]

okay, now this may be a weird one... but in mlp, there are seven elements of harmony: generosity, honesty, laughter, kindness, loyalty, & magic (magic is kind of like leadership / synergy). aka, they embody these elements

if you were to assign jjk characters to the elements of harmony, who would you assign to what?

[ex. [blank] is [in your opinion] the most generous, therefore they would be generosity]

[sorry if this one is weird or complex jiugfcghuijoiuygtfd] <333

HI HELLO OKAY i had lots of feelings about this so i'm putting my answers under a readmore bc it uhhhh got long. especially the last one. oops

thank you for the ask beloved and i hope you enjoy my answers <3

generosity: shoko. she just. she has seen so much and she's always the one doing the healing and getting rid of the bodies. without her, the jujutsu world literally could not function and she keeps giving more of herself than what she should to everyone so they can keep on living. she's so tired and she's overworked and rct takes a Lot of cursed energy but she still heals everyone who comes to her. we have not seen one instance where she's run out of cursed energy and can't heal people. she healed almost all the students after the exchange event, and then she still had to deal with the bodies of the sorcerers who had died in the attack. she gives up so much for everyone all the time and she probably rarely even gets thanked for it

honesty: maki. okay so. i'm not actually sure maki is the best fit for this one but i needed to put her on the list bc she's my number one for everything <3 ANYWAY i just think. maki is a very honest person. she tends to be blunt and say things how they are. but she also, over the course of her story has to learn to be honest with herself. she has to learn to be honest about what she wants (leaving home & going to jj high even if that means leaving mai behind) and what she feels (the fact that she doesn't actually hate mai; mai is the person who is at the center of all her motivations). she learns to be unapologetic about who she is - about not having cursed energy, about being a twin and a sister and a daughter, about not behaving in the way her family wants her to. just. yeah. that's all

laughter: haibara. okay i decided this one right away because haibara is just. very symbolic of hope imo. he's always shown as optimistic and smiling, and it's only after his death that everything truly falls apart. haibara had to die for the same reason rue had to die in thg: to show that this world is cruel to kids, and to show that optimism and hope will only meet death until things change. haibara is just. he's the embodiment of laughter. he was excited to stay in okinawa longer and help out with the mission, he was gonna bring back a souvenir for geto, he looks for the best in people,,, ahem anyways yes. haibara laughter i'm correct.

kindness: itadori. i feel like this one is pretty self-explanatory? i mean look at him! he's so friend-shaped! his whole thing is that he wants to save people. he stuck by his grandfather's side even when his grandfather was cranky and angry and rude. he's so very kind despite the circumstances and he just. someone give him a hug; he deserves it

loyalty: megumi. listen. listen. this boy. he doesn't make friends very easily, but when he does decide he likes someone, he is loyal to a fault. we all know this kid is ready and willing to die for itadori. he's basically entered into a one-sided suicide pact with him. he saved yuuji in episode one and he is committed to that decision. but then there's also tsumiki. and i could write an entire analysis on how megumi has essentially tied his life to tsumiki's on multiple occasions (i.e. the iconic "so start by saving me" line, when he was just talking about how it's really tsumiki who needs saving-- anyway) like this kid. if he decides you are worthy of his time, he will both die and kill for you. anyway i could go on but this is long enough already and i'm simply correct <3

magic: gojo. okay so yeah this might be an obvious choice bc "oh he's the strongest sorcerer so obviously he gets magic lolol" but like. you also said it's leadership and gojo has more leadership skills in his pinky finger than all of the higher ups combined. like okay, maybe he messes up sometimes. he's made mistakes. but being a leader is clearly very important to him, and contrary to popular mischaracterization, he actually is good at it. he isn't an awful teacher, and he loves and respects his students. his whole goal is to lead the next generation of sorcerers into the creation of a world where they can be happy. like yeah, he's got magic bc he's literally the strongest but he's on top for a reason. his technique obviously set him up for it, but he learned how to use and master it, and he learned how to bargain with people to get what he wants. he knows exactly how far he can push the higher ups to make them give in. he knows exactly how much he can get. he knew he couldn't save itadori entirely right off the bat, so he bargained for his life. he knew he couldn't just swoop in and steal megumi, so he talked to megumi first and then made a deal with the zen'in clan. he doesn't force his students to blindly follow him - his students argue and disagree with and insult him all the time. but when it comes to things that really matter, it's gojo who they will side with. hakari and kirara got themselves expelled, but they still cared about gojo. the knowledge that gojo got sealed is what convinced them to help. everyone has banded together to unseal gojo because they know he's important, despite the fact that that now gets them a one-way ticket to an execution sentence. gojo is the glue of the jujutsu world - something very evident in the way everything immediately falls apart after he's sealed. okay anyway i'm gonna stop now but yes. these are my feelings

[sendmyresignation]

alright. writing this “little” piece to exorcise the demon inside of me that wants to expand my teenagers meta further than it needs to go (if you weren't aware I'm writing a post, well an essay, wellll a short paper, about why teenagers fits on the black parade- stay tuned) BUT i cannot stop thinking about the multiple little "rockstar to kill" moments within the song/music video/live performances so... I'm self-indulgently going to write about it :)

anyway, at its most simplified, teenagers is a song about the violence within adolescents and being an adult whose afraid of that capability. that is the basic, surface-level understanding of the song. inherently, with mcr specifically, that sets up a conflict between the narrator of the song and the song’s audience. that means conflict is generational- it duplicates itself over and and over which allows for several different understandings of the narrator’s perspective. the cyclical nature means they could be speaking to a representation of what they view as the fundamental corruption of the youth, both by outside focuses and their very human nature, as the narrator become more cynical in their old age. it could be representative of them talking to their past self, reminiscing on the revenge fantasies they had in high school or the ways they were made to feel like an outcast when they were young. and they also could be speaking directly to the very literal future about their concerns as a mentoring figure (teenagers, to me, functions in layers, its interpretation can shift and change depending on the context) right now we’re preoccupied with that last perspective both within the song and the video’s contextualization, and into this wider idea of what the band’s purpose was (or how they saw their purpose).

putting the rest under a read more out of respect <333

moving into the actual text with that in mind, what becomes significant is the tonal contrast between being the seemly scathing, sarcastic indictment of Dangerous Teenagers on the surface to the actual understanding (if we’re talking about the single on its own) which is moreso criticizing the Authority figures who create and mold this violence either purposely (cog in the murder machine) or with indifference (you’ll never fit in much/they’ll leave you alone/as well as the implication of having to take matters into your own hands because the adults are absent). As a result, the song, on its own, isn’t actually blaming teenagers for the violence they perpetuate, but the narrator attempts to extend their understanding and offer advice. here is a figure looking to bring catharsis without patronizing. like this is most clearly expressed in the use of “maybe they’ll leave you alone, but not me” at the end of the chorus, which in this reading means the other adults may leave you alone, the but I am stepping in to tell you that both self-directed and outward expressions of violence are bullshit and useless and that’s what everyone else is expecting of you so fucking stop it! (this can obviously be re-figured within the context of the album- because, interestingly, the pronouns are purposely confusing with the multiple uses of they in this section) the violence is never explicitly vilified by the speaker,- its exaggerated- what you have under your shirt won’t solve anything isn’t that obvious how ridiculous it sounds, how ridiculous I sound saying it out loud? but also, the violence is implicit. the conflict is still there. the teenagers still scare the shit out of the narrator. so what gives?

well. the song is still about the gulf between generations. the speaker is still afraid and out of touch, regardless of the leadership role they’ve assumed or the perspective of the past they can offer. there is ultimately a limit to how much they can give.

which leads us right into the music video.

So first things first, Black Parade as a whole is heavily inspired by Pink Floyd’s The Wall musically, but the actual aesthetics of the wall are kind of divorced from the ww1 cabaret weimar thing that parade is drenched in (bc britian circa the 1950s is boring and the wall is purposely very ugly and grey and removed from emotion which isn’t dramatic enough for what mcr had in mind). However, teenagers exists as a sort of connecting point between the two-  the music video of Another Brick in the Wall Part 2 (which you can watch here if you’ve never seen it) is clearly an influence on the subject matter and the setting and the “plot” of teenagers video- it serves as a sort of a parallel to it. more specifically, there are the “running shots” of kids making their way through unlit hallways into the auditorium that evoke the children in the pink floyd video marching through the school. there’s also the line “cog in the murder machine”, which seem particularly inspired from the depiction of children as going through machines and coming out the other side stiff, wooden, and obedient. then the backdrop of the large bomb centered in my chem’s stage show mimics the shot of the headmaster standing behind the large, lit up clock- especially since that where the teenagers in the crowd of mcr’s video all begin acting in unison, similar to the children in the wall all falling into line (but, like, just the use of ww2 era bomb imagery and gas masks in general is very reminiscent of the early wartime parts of the wall anyway). so in a vague sense, there is a huge connection between teenagers and that emulation and replication of the wall.

however, the most striking similarity is that, in the same way the students destroy their school in a moment of violent inspiration after sequences of disconcerting compliance, the group of high schoolers in teenagers do the same against the band. the difference is that in the case of the teenagers, the explosion is directed at the source of their outburst (they switch from the on-beat fist-punching to wild moshing as the song devolves and ray’s solo starts) instead of in opposition to a more institutional suppressive force. they are not motivated to action because of something done to them, instead it is the actual music itself that serves as both the impetus of conformity and the fuse that destroys that same unison action and then the band. and what’s significant is the particularity of the actions the crowd takes: they steal the band’s instruments from them and they bodily remove gerard from the microphone. like contrast this violence against the band vs the desolation row video where the whole band is physically incapacitated- there, its about knocking them around and getting them to stop (ray is beat down by police, bobs drums are destroyed, etc etc). but here, its about taking their places- the act of destruction is calculated but not purposely cruel. so, in teenagers being a parallel to Another Brick, that moment of turning on the band is the moment of violence but is also the moment of freedom. the difference in the two becomes the ways in which the band is responsible for reawakening the fire within the audience and giving them a purpose. which here is “killing the rockstar” by taking over, taking their places. and that is the nature of music and the nature of the conflict implicit to becoming the “rockstars”

it brings us right back around to that generational conflict: except when your talking about mcr’s realationship with their audience, that becomes the fostering of a group of outcasts and weirdos and freaks and giving them the tools to save themselves, yes. but also giving them the opportunity to do exactly what they did. to pick instruments and take their places. its the cyclical nature of creation and destruction “because when we get old and lazy some of you guys are gonna have to eat us alive by starting your own fucking band (x), that idea of needing a “rockstar to kill” has been refigured to mean something newer, positive. we are the ones killing them, but not in the way of typical martyring where a crowd of detractors and nonbelievers burns you at the stake- but instead by continuing the natural cycle of art, true genuine art. just as mcr is built off of so many influences- creating an entirely new project out of that existing landscape of sound that reaches people and gives them an outlet, we are doing the same things. by besmirching metal and punk by mixing them together, by “selling out” so they could put together a rock opera, by adding theater into a hyper masculine culture of nu-metal and post-hardcore, by making deeply emotional music that was still violent or angry, by writing the way they did they killed the bands they loved and made something better. its the the way in which the creative cycle is a rebirth, of scavenging the good things from the people who came before you and moving forward and taking the world by storm. here, in the video, the audience redirects their violence at the band, yes. but that is the point. teenagers still scare the shit out of the narrator, but that’s not going to stop them from reaching out, from speaking to them directly, from performing until their very last moments

until they take over. until they kill the rockstar. until we eat them alive.

in the end, that is the mission of my chemical romance, isn’t it- to inspire that level of passion, to turn the music into a life-raft and then gasoline and fire in your gut and then a sense of purpose and then into freedom and endless joy? and isn’t it the greatest act of love, the truest expression of admiration to tear them apart, build ourselves creations out of the wreckage to fill the space they leave behind, and then lay them to rest when the time has come?

[wexhappyxfew]

Hey Shannon❤️ can you tell us something about Natia and Winters relationship? And also, how do you pick quotes for each chapter?

FRANCY!!! hello my friend! how are you doing? :D thanks for stopping on by, i've really been excited to answer this one especially because i get to focus in on Natia and Winters connection more than anything! it is one of the most highly important of the fic i feel, in many various respects and i'm super hype to discuss them! and the QUOTES!! oh i have a full little process i go through with that too hehe! let's jump into it! <3

Natia Filipska and Richard Winters in LANDSLIDE

From the start of writing Landslide, I really wanted to make Natia and Winters' connection one that showed how two, different leaders and leadership styles could still work together and in their own ways as well. In the beginning, we see Natia already take a dislike to Winters, but she has reason.

I feel that's something I enjoy most about writing Natia as well by the way?!?! She will always have a valid and detailed reasoning behind why she does certain things.

But the way I see it with Natia and Winters in their first meeting in Holland is very much their characters and their morals put on center stage. Natia has worked alone for a majority of the war, she's had to look out for really only herself and she's seen and gotten quite a lot of trauma just from various events in the war in general and so when team work is included, she's more reluctant to such a thing - this comes from both her training as well as what the war has forced her to do. But when things meet up in the end, she ends up being a pretty well off team leader.

Winters on the other hand is that sort of 'all-American-leader", who knows his men, knows how to work his men as a team and lead them, he's firm, he doesn't take any crap from people and most importantly, he makes sure no man is left behind. There's already a division there in general between how Natia leads and how Winters leads as well as level of experience in war. And with these differing opinions, that sort of sets them off even more.

Something I didn't want to do was make them *enemies* really because Natia already has a LOAD of enemies that she really is already dealing with and making Winters an enemy was never a goal. More of a challenge or a power with which she can put up a bit of a fight against. It makes for quite an interesting dynamic as the two start to slowly trust one another and learn how to then initially work together as well.

My initial goal was to show obviously there was a strong opposing difference and force when the two shared a scene together. FOR EXAMPLE,,,

" The Germans have merely retreated, they have not left Holland open to be taken by the Allies. I've fought enough of this war to know that. And I'm just trying to help where I can to save more of your men than get them killed," she said, taking in a tiny breath as she stood, beginning to sweat under the tense gazes of the American men who watched her. Natia had stood in this position before, she'd collected too many flowers that day for graves that shouldn't have even needed to be dug. It had been a slaughter, she hoped this wouldn't be the same for what it was worth.

" We're under British Command, Agent Fidel, I'm afraid we'll have to follow through. They wouldn't lead us astray though, I'm sure we'll be fine." Colonel Sink said to her, before nodding and going back to his initial discussion with the higher ranking members of Headquarters. Natia's gaze narrowed slightly.

" Agent Fidel." Captain Winters said, his voice dangerously low. Natia let out a huff and then moved over towards him, muttering to herself out of annoyance.

" It's walking into a trap." she said once she had moved over to Captain Winters, where the Map-Keepers presence lingered, " The enemy just doesn’t leave a country like Holland wide open next to the English Channel, letting it crawl with-"

" Agent Fidel." Captain Winters said again and Natia's eyes darted up to his, her mouth slowly clamping shut in the process, as her darkened gaze watched over his own.

" Might I remind you that here, you are not Colonel Sink or the British Command or the CO. I'm sorry to have to put you in your place and remind you of the your position. You are an assigned radio operator." Captain Winters told her.

This is a portion of Chapter 21 (Death’s Faith) and in this specific scene, we see this obvious tension throughout. Natia is someone who has been in war since 1939 while Captain Winters on the other hand first got his taste of war in 1944. Now, something I did not want to do is degrade completely Richard Winters and how he handled war because he held himself to his morals and his character throughout and I wanted to take that and insert that into the fic in a way that was my own.

Something important that I worked with here was that though he is firm, he still isn’t the point of going *over* who he is as a human and his personality. And I really tried to hit that fine line in the fic more than anything. Making Natia sort of go silent though in the face of Winters though I felt was an interesting touch that I only vaguely remember doing and I feel it is sort of a connection to Natia’s past with Agent Mortem and how this higher power silenced her previously and how Winters is a presentation of that in her eyes for the first portion of the fic.

But as the story progresses, we see Natia slowly breaking away from that idea and slowly start to form respect for Winters out of their long line of misfortunate circumstances they hold together. And sort of a realization that there were bigger issues than their own personal feuds and differences in a way compared to the war.

And I’m still really moving through the progression of that connection in the fic, but by the end, I have a feeling people will be really satisfied with the outcome of two leaders finally entirely seeing eye to eye by the end. Definitely one of my favorite connections throughout the book — and one of my personal favs is when we see Winters defend Natia against Lieutenant Dike HAHA! A major point for their friendship I will say!!

The way I see it is Natia, the lone wolf, and Winters, the alpha, who slowly incorporates her into the pack after a bit of defense and defiance. It’s a really interesting connection that flows throughout the fic and I’ve been really enjoying it! :)

CHAPTER QUOTES

Chapter quotes I feel I have always done since I uploaded even my first fic which was Sunshine Soldier! I guess I’ve just always enjoyed that a lot, it gives a bit of perspective on the upcoming chapter that the readers are about to read!

I use Pinterest, Goodreads or just general sort of searched up themes on Google for quotes. And usually each quote is centered around a central theme ie darkness, grief; sadness, joy, etc..... and then I can go from there and get even more specific on chapter sort of tones and subplot themes.

For example, in Chapter 6 (The Curse of Silence) this is the opening quote, “Silence is the biggest gift and the worst curse.”. Agent Mortem played a huge factor in Natia being silenced for the first portion of the war and by the end, released from his reign, she’s allowed a voice that is uncontrolled and gets her in various amounts of trouble along with it. Yet silence did allow for Natia to dissect and understand Mortem enough to corrupt him and essentially “escape” him, though inherently get her into trouble in other instances. (which is a topic for a later discussion!)

But that’s sort of the general idea I go with every time I put up a chapter! :D Thank you so much for the ask Francy, this was so much fun to answer!! <333 I always enjoy these sorts of things where I can go in and give my own best, personal analysis on stuff in fic! 💛

[seoafin]

jjk & tower of god chapter on the same day,,, i spent all of my brainjuice talking abt tog w some friends + working on my wip so this one might be incoherent LMAO but nsjdhfjd this my 2 cents for the chp (1) - 🐱

first of all, the zenins shld just eat shit 🥰 the bar is just nonexistant now 😭😭😭

also maki’s mother said sth that hits way too close to home for me too🥴

the maki & mai, megumi & tsumiki "make a place where they are happy” parallels...mai,, maki wanted a place where u'd be happy!!! 😭😭😭 good points abt any interesting nuances the original jpn might have had though

ALSO MUSCLE MAKI IS HERE

and lmao megumi's "ew no" face ,,, i didn't think he could make a face like that JDJJDJD ,, once again i think his outsider-insider status is interesting but the amount of ppl counting on him/leaning on him bc of strategic position is a lot. ig this is what kamo meant by supporting the 3 families,,,, gojou indeed is playing the long game. megumi in the meantime, very persistent in not getting more involved in clan politics, not using power that is offered to him, or leveraging it - in a way it is good, and it also makes sense with "stress is other ppl" but is interesting from a structural pov. megumi may not rly give a shit abt the rest of the jujutsu world. if the ppl close to him are affected, then he cares. otherwise, forget it.

also im interested in power implications here bcs it sound a little like there’s a slight split b/w leadership and everyday zenins and im curious what it's like if u have no connection to the top of the clan,, and again higher ups being unaffiliated with the 3 clans so they have to appeal to them. curious what other talents the gojou clan have and what they're known for bc clearly it's not just gojou, they still have power without him and still have a stake in the shifting power structure. kamo must be busy too...

MAKIIIIII ,,, honestly my heart hurts a little seeing her getting beat up in recent chapters. but i’m rly happy,, shes FINALLY getting the focus she deserves and i’m confident she will make a recovery and she IS in fact the one leading efforts on the zenin side. im rly hopeful she can take over the clan one day and no longer say she's not good enough

that stomach wound is bad news though so im wondering how she will come back from that,, that she didn't know her own father's abilities says a lot, too. i wonder if she could see the extension of his blade, or if she hasn't been able to see/understand many ppl abilities

im hopeful for next chp now. u can do it maki!!!!

flashing back on these bits, it makes more sense now why megumi wasn't melting down post-shibuya,, seems most information came to him in a sort of timely and calm way? also i rly have to wonder if gojou did not spend a decade plotting in front him bcs he's done it before,,,, like the whole clan head scene in megumi's middle school years....in a way i imagine he wouldve seen that gojou come out of the high school and watch him get more serious as he acquired even more skin in the game

all the time though i wonder abt megumi's tendency toward inertia and nonaction to things that would seemingly give him power and trying to understand it and that IS him being selfish and that IS,, imo the biggest indication of what he actually does or doesn't want. he wants it, he will act and work on it immediately himself. he doesn't like it? act like it doesn't exist. it make me want to shake him around like NO!! megumi pay attention!!! But his reaction to this clan stuff is a contrast to his behavior in recent chapters imo

and more mahjong references,,, between this and yuuji’s pachinko,, i wonder abt the undercurrent of gambling haha. a gamble for the shaman world and who will come out on top? a contrast to the flowy ocean imagery that connects shaman stuff out to the rest of the world

also this ,,,, there's that one jp tweet (i cant find it again😞) that talks about how toji, as the point of distortion, created megumi, who is currently playing a potential convergence/healing/uniting role (if he actually takes it on as a responsibility lol) and connects this back to the medicine buddha,,, whose mudra (hand sign) is used for chimera shadow garden. with the commentary abt ppl with heavenly restriction needing to know what to throw away in order to become strong or tap into their full strength and toji’s commentary at the end of fight with gojou,,  i actually always felt that toji died not having been entirely resolved with himself bc he talks abt going against the self that decided to forget abt self-respect, to live without thinking abt himself or others,,, in a way, living selfishly, for himself, by ignoring anything immediate and i think he succeeded for a while bc he didnt even remember megumi's name. he remembers it when he talks to getou abt him being thankful for toji not killing him bc of potential drawbacks

and at the very end he thinks of megumi again and that last act does think of someone else, like a "life before your eyes" moment where toji thinks about how the zenin's treatment of him led him there or how his return to shibuya ends with him remembering how he gave megumi back to the zenin,,, i think atm of his death he was starting to think he did want to care, in a different way, or that he needed a different paradigm. or,, maybe he was just starting to realize how far the zenin thinking had set into him

so we dont rly talk abt that being an enlightenment moment for toji but i kind of think it was. that megumi has the potential to become a pivotal piece as a legacy of distortion is interesting. i dont actually think toji set up everything intentionally bc he didnt know megumi's ability, and i dont think he wouldve thought that far. i think a lot of the heir and inheritance stuff is sth naobito set in after seeing megumi's development under gojou. it's clear now everyone has been keeping eyes on everyone else

at some point there's some interesting discussion to be had abt megumi and privilege - i'm surprised the canon characters dont hate him more for having stuff just fall into his lap, and so i liked that maki pointed this out that he could use this and he shld bc theres a frustration there - and yet at the same time megumi himself seemingly feels very little attachment to the zenin and the shaman world still. he just cares abt his little circle of people, and it's a very intentional choice, based on his good/bad ppl thing

u cant really affect the entire world, but u can assert urself on the environment around u and decide what u do and dont act on. this part of megumi is more teenage boy and kind of toji-like, i think,,, hence the emphasis on action

u express ur effect and existence through action, who u kill or who u save. toji having very little, while so much falls into megumi's lap while he doesn't want it, doesn't want to acknowledge it, likely doesn't want to take part in a system he doesn't like or, having been raised under gojou's wing, resents or finds corrupt or useless, or doesn't even think on bc he thinks its above his pay grade and gojou's there - this is also megumi's moment to solidify his own direction and commit to working in the system or out of it

the "not caring" is a defensive measure in a way too, i think. i dont think megumi is Big Good and wants to save everyone and everything and the world to be good and pure, i tend to think of him as a resigned chaotic neutral, who wishes he could be good orz

ANYWAY i think there's some interesting juxtapositions with the whole toji > megumi thing, that someone who is born without, restricted, births and creates someone full of blessings. its very shaman-like, action then reaction

AND i wish u luck on ur final paper (bless ur eyes to see incels bc i’ll just log off for the day when i saw one (1) of them on the net) AND DONT FORGET TO TAKE A REST,, the self care is much needed me thinks <333 (2) - 🐱

i love u 🥺🥺😭😭😭 you take care of yourself too!!!

also ur right...all this political intrigue im so curious i need to know how the jujutsu world is structured in terms of the higher ups and the clans. like i assumed that the three clan elders WERE to some extent also part of the higher ups???? but now it seems that the higher ups are a separate entity altogether, so like checks and balances i suppose. except both the higher ups and the clans are corrupt so no balance there 😭

the chapter implied the zenins are losing when it comes to the power struggle between the three clans. im interested. i want to see them all rot!!! like i also said though it’s going to be interesting to see the state of the kamo clan though, considering “noritoshi kamo.” like what do you even say to that???? im going to be surprised if it doesn’t affect their standing in the jujutsu world but then again the kamo clan IS one of the big three.

megumi really is a character that was blessed in all regards but like. doesn’t want anything to do with it LOL he really said ‘this is a pain no thanks.’ like gojo like megumi i suppose. i agree with u the whole toji and megumi set up....genius....i also love their juxtaposition. it’s so interesting and another source of irony.