#jjk worldbuilding

[hollow-lime-green]

hi hana!! so i’ve been obsessed w this since string theory: can you tell us a little bit more about your interpretation of the six eyes? i know it’s said that satoru can see in thermal and infrared, is there anything else he can see?

Oh yeah! This is a fun question! I just got stuck in traffic for an hour (as a passenger), so I am going to over-explain this. And I'm bored so I'm going to highlight it with pretty colors like I'm writing in my diary or something.

Satoru's senses basically span the ✨entire energy spectrum✨, because the Six Eyes gives him the ability to work with all types of energy. He can see the EM spectrum (infrared, visible light, and ultraviolet), he can see thermal energy, he can sense (not exactly see) some other types of energy (electrical, sound, chemical), and he can see cursed energy like we do as JJK readers (plus some extra details like the taste, color, and texture of cursed energy).

I'm about to be insufferably STEM, so more under the cut:

Electromagnetic (EM) Spectrum

The EM spectrum has infrared light at low frequencies/high wavelengths, the visible light spectrum, and then UV at high frequencies/low wavelengths. Satoru is kind of like a mantis shrimp in that he sees way more colors than a human. He's got more rods and cones and stuff. (I like physics and chemistry, don't press me on the biology).

I don't really go into the UV part that much, but I like to think that would contribute to his sunlight sensitivity! He's not an outside pet.

The blindfold blocks out the EM spectrum because the fabric blocks the transmission of visible light in the form of photons, packets of light energy. (this is a secret tool that will help us later)

Electrical Energy

I haven't really gone into electrical much either, but like he can see the flow of cursed energy, he'd be able to sense the flow of electrical energy, i.e. the movement of electrons. It gives him good circuit sense.

Sound Energy

Sound energy is vibrations* (another tool that will help us later). He doesn't really see them per se, because even the thought of him actually seeing the vibrations in the air is overwhelming, and it would block his vision so much that I don't think it makes sense for the Six Eyes

I think he would feel them with the Six Eyes kind of like a gentle breeze. It makes him ultra perceptive, but it's still another form of feedback for him to deal with.

This is why I make Satoru so terrible with enclosed spaces. If you can see those forms of energy, you're seeing not only the original instance where they're emitted, but also every secondary instance when things reflect or refract. So sound bouncing around in a train, for instance, is completely overwhelming to the Six Eyes if he's not able to use jujutsu to filter it, which I think is a skill he wouldn't master until maybe his mid 20s.

Thermal Energy

Now this is the fun one.

The Six Eyes gives Satoru the ability to see and sense the energy in things in its various forms, because he can convert it all to cursed energy, or back. So, when you think of thermal energy, you probably think of thermal cameras, which represent thermal energy in the color spectrum, which kind of looks like light.

But thermal energy is very much not light - it's actually motion. Specifically, it is atomic vibrations. The more energy something has, the more it vibrates, and that is actually the basis for what we call 'heat' or 'temperature'.

If you go deep into the philosophy of temperature, it's all a sham. It's the way we choose to interpret and understand a phenomenon we can't really see (atomic vibration) translated into something we can measure (but our scales are all relative and kind of fake. I'm looking at you, Rankine!). But that's a conversation for my very Serbian thermodynamics professor. Existential doubt really flows better in a Slavic accent.

Anyway, remember photons? Okay, so, heat and sound are not light, right, they are vibration. So instead of quantifying them as light packets, we quantify them as vibration packets, which are called phonons. I reference phonons a lot in the fic, but probably not in a way where I have appreciably explained anything about them well to non-STEM girlies.

If you think about photons/photon emission as throwing a ball of magical light at something, you can think of phonons as throwing a slinky at someone. (Which I wouldn't recommend, actually. Slinkies are remarkably difficult to throw.)

Cursed Energy

Okay this one is a gimme but obviously I have to list it. In the JJK animanga, we the reader see the cursed energy auras/flames around people, but it's understood that those are not actually seen in-universe, at least for non-Six Eyes. It's kind of dumb, but it also kind of makes sense pragmatically. If all sorcerers could see cursed energy, then it really ruins surprise elements, residual coverup, and general battle mechanics. Of course, some sorcerers are known to cover up their cursed energy, but if all of the powerful baddies did that then it wouldn't look as cool. It's whatever.

Also, the whole 'training to suppress your cursed energy release' is a hard sell if we also say that literally any sorcerer can see CE. So this is why Suguru isn't aware of when he's leaking CE. He can't see it, and then he also can't really taste/smell it because people go noseblind to their own scent.

In FIYM, Satoru is the only one that can see see it. The rest of them can still sense it, but they sense it by smell, taste, and most importantly, vibes.

Thesis: Why Energy is Gay

Okay so yes I did this to answer the question "what does Satoru see through the blindfold". But I also did this to make it gay gay homosexual. (In the grand tradition of JJK)

Touch Sensitivity

Because Satoru is sensitive to kinetic energy, living things are incredibly potent to him from a sensory perspective. People are made of energy - particularly thermal energy, chemical energy (although this is potential energy which we haven't touched on but I do reference it here and there), sound, and, of course, cursed energy.

When Satoru touches people, he feels all of the vibrational energy from those kinetic energy sources as well as the cursed energy, which to him has textures on top of the vibes, colors, and smell/taste. So of course it's overwhelming. Every touch is combined with vibration, which is very gay, and would take a long time to get used to, even if he never formed the habit of using Infinity to cut himself off from the world.

In FIYM, it's not only a fear/safety/vulnerability thing, it's also a necessary filtration step that he uses for the world. Part of this is because I kept him in Kyoto/the clan setting in his backstory for a long time, so he would have had less sound and population density to deal with. Tokyo would have been super overwhelming for him.

Information Filtering

Speaking of filtering, there are two ways for Satoru to cut down on the amount of information his senses are getting.

One is to block them, which is what he does with the blindfold (blocks photons) and Infinity (blocks phonons). Gay, tsundere, and hot.

The other is to flood or mask his senses, which is what happens when Suguru infuses the blindfold with cursed energy. It's not that Satoru can't see anything, it's that all he can see is the cursed energy, and it blocks out his ability to sense anything else because of how strong and close it is. This is meant to be a direct analog to the phenomenon of detector/sensor saturation, which is to say that a detector has hit its limit of how much it can read/measure/detect, and so everything else is lost.

When Suguru flares his cursed energy, he's doing a baby version of that. He's flooding Satoru's detector (The Six Eyes) with his cursed energy (which is easy on the eyes, for Satoru) and that inhibits his ability to sense the other pesky things. And it makes him feel better.

Physics is gay, physics can be so gay. Greg's biggest sin was not capitalizing on how gay the physics can be. Any day now we'll get an announcement for his next project, a gloomy isekai titled: Transported To a Dark Academia Yaoi Battle School And I Fall For My Physics Tutor?

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the over-explanation, thank you for the ask, I love getting the chance to ramble about some of the science. :)

[sukunasthightattoos]

okay do you know what the jjk high schools are missing? i need a cursed tools workshop and either an archive or record keeping department. i want curse research. i want jujutsu history. i wanna see people wrangling curses to shove em into tools. i want more worldbuilding and lore expansion and fuck i now have an OC idea.

OC and their family who specialize in the creation of cursed tools. but maybe they're not a respected family exactly? more like... they're important, but they're in service of/indebted to the big three families. they've got a family technique that allows them to imbue curses into the tools? i gotta think some more about it

[thepersonperson]

Thoughts on JJK's ending and my Dream/Delusion Theory being wrong.

Original Theory

Follow-Up on Characters Feeling OOC

(Written using TCBscans. Click images for captions/citaitons.)

Preface

I want to say that this ending could’ve worked if it were given more time. The majority of my complaints are the rushing which I mostly blame exploitation at the hands of the manga industry and predatory contracts.

Here are my original thoughts on JJK 268 when it released and JJK 269 when it released. I've basically reverted to those opinions.

Examining JJK 268–271 as Presented

When the last chapter of Umineko came out, its author Ryukishi07 very much spat in the faces of fans. He mocked them mercilessly and it was glorious. Every single criticism he lobbed at them was warranted because he targeted the fans that refused to see the love he put into his work or engage with the story on its terms.

“Without love, it cannot be seen.”

Ryukishi gave you all the tools to solve the mystery. He told you exactly how to do it. And yet some weren’t satisfied. They wanted everything neatly handed to them in a bow. Ryukishi denied them that simple ending in favor of sticking to his vision and rewarding the fans that accepted Umineko for what it was.

I have my own issues with the ending, but none of my complaints are related to that. I can also say with confidence what happens is completely in character, it’s just not something I personally vibe with.

When I read JJK 268–271 I feel that same creator frustration. I see Gege’s fatigue with fans who care only about the surface level presentation and nothing else. There’s been so much fun setups and follow throughs. So many subtle characterizations and symbolism that goes unnoticed by those who are unwilling to see the love Gege puts into his craft.

“JJK fans can’t read.” This is a fandom joke that is very true. A massive part of the fanbase ignores subtlety and gets upset or confused by Gege following through on it. The entire Sukuna battle was like that. You could pick out all the reasoning behind their actions if you paid close attention.

But then we get JJK 269 where Gege does something he's never done before—over-explain everything bluntly in a way that adds more plot holes and hinders character development. It feels like Gege is going “You don’t understand what I put down? Ok fine! Here are the answers!” It feels like getting to tell those fans off was more important than everything else.

Instead of doing a Ryukishi where he tears into uncharitable critics and rewards those who gave him a chance, Gege just abandons it all and makes an ending that won’t fully satisfy anyone. 

With my theory, I decided to look past everything I hated. I decided to trust that if a mistake was made, Gege would call it out like usual. I decided to trust that the inconsistent locations were intentional because Gege has not once ever flubbed them. I decided to trust the clever set up and follow through that’s always been there, even when Gege’s health problems were at their worst.

I decided to look at Gege’s work with love and my heart was trampled for it. My post now serves as glaring proof the ending is botched and nothing makes sense. All the plotholes I found solutions for are bigger than ever. JJK 269 in its entirety is utterly pointless narratively. It could’ve been spent on political fallout, grief, or villain backstories, but instead it reads like a defensive Reddit post.

JJK 271 isn't Satisfying

JJK 271 made everything about JJK 269 worse and then added some more nonsense. Sukuna’s last appearance really sucked for me. I found his entire interaction with Mahito to be grossly OOC.

Mahito is a character who finds humans disgusting and doesn’t care about their opinions or what they do. They also don’t like Sukuna. When Jogo believes that the age of curses needs Sukuna to work, Mahito says they can surpass him. The very idea that Mahito would be upset by Sukuna becoming more human goes against their entire established character.

And more continuity errors!

This conversation is actually their 4th. Here are the other 3:

Sukuna warning Mahito not to touch him.

Sukuna punishing Mahito for touching him.

And Mahito telling Sukuna to shut up and watch him be even better.

Their relationship was antagonistic and Mahito desired a world without Sukuna. Why would Sukuna be with them in the afterlife?

And if Sukuna was going to change his mind it should’ve been with someone he cared about. Jogo and Gojo would’ve been great candidates. Or you know…it could’ve been Uraume themself. In the way Yuji voiced his feelings to Megumi and reached out to him, Sukuna could’ve done the same with Uraume. It could’ve been a thing that expanded more on their relationship and how it came to be. But Uraume doesn’t even get to voice how they feel about anything.

What we get is Sukuna talking to someone he doesn’t like about his emotional issues he has been suppressing and then deciding to live for a person whose history we know nothing of.

I knew him being an unwanted child screwed him up. But that kind of stuff takes a long, long time to unpack. And Sukuna, up until this point has given no indication he was ready to acknowledge his trauma, just like Gojo. Even in the end Gojo can’t admit to Toji and Geto traumatizing him. Sukuna knowing his heart and being so casually open about it just flies in the face of the subtle characterization that existed up until that point. (I wanted Hidden Inventory Arc type reveal you know! But tell not show is prevailing seemingly out of spite.)

He dies stubborn and hateful towards Yuji. He lies to him about feeling nothing and not liking flowers. For him to turn around in death and go I was wrong the entire time no problem to someone he has an antagonistic relationship with is extremely OOC because it wasn't earned. 

And since when did Sukuna fear his own curse? When was that ever hinted? All that was suggested was Sukuna having a rough childhood and being exploited by others until he had enough.

Even for all the characters that survived, this isn’t a satisfying ending. Their coping with trauma is unrealistic and contradicts earlier characterization. Their relationships are not explored further. All their arcs or goals are neglected, save Yuji. Nobara didn’t even get to meet up with her childhood friends like she always wanted to. Just the mom letter.

It’s also jarring to see that a series that began with mourning, a series that made itself different by having children deal realistically with traumatic things, end where that heart no longer exists. We have so many characters who are explicitly motivated by their trauma. And we get to see them cope with it in their unique ways and still choose to chase joy through the hurt. 

And these final 4 chapters? It’s gone. Yuta being so distressed over everyone treating Gojo like an object and not acknowledging his personhood? Gone. Megumi, Yuji, and Nobara sucking at dealing with death? Gone. They all act like none of it really mattered and won’t affect them for the rest of their lives. Those who were lost are forgotten quickly and their efforts are not remembered. (At this point, everyone ignoring Choso hurts worse than Gojo tbh.)

The Totally Not Kenjaku surviving decapitation and brain eating makes no sense if that's real. And the implications from that are horrible. All Gojo wanted to do was mourn Geto’s body. All we wanted was to see someone mourn him or acknowledge his efforts. I was hoping they’d be buried together. The idea that Geto’s body is possibly being used by a the master manipulating rapist while everyone is ok with that sickens me. (Does any remember Choso?! But hey, let’s kill all the incarnated culling game players who were victims of manipulation or outright helpful to the protagonists’ victory!)

It’s also why Mei Mei surviving and going unpunished or criticized for her treatment of Ui Ui sucks to see. And I guess while we’re at it. Kusakabe really did tell a 15 year old to his face he should’ve died. (And he was wrong about that like the higher ups. Yuji and Sukuna were a backup plan and the fingers were getting stronger all on their own. Gojo was the only adult who took productive action against it.)

The revolution really did die with Gojo. His dreams were good and noble. Resetting the Jujutsu Society and its exploitation was needed. But he gives up on them and asks to be forgotten. It's done in a way that feels like Gege is addressing his fans directly and telling them to get over him too.

I knew Gojo was suicidal, don’t get me wrong, but he was characterized as someone who had a hard time understanding that others did care about him. I was hoping for the revelation his intuition was wrong via a funeral or mourning. That didn't happen and it breaks my heart. 

Yuta tried to empathize with him. We see it with the Yujo plot that goes nowhere except to disrespect Gojo’s body one last time. We don't even get to know if he was cremated or buried or how Yuta felt about that experience. It is extremely hard to see this all as anything but Gege expressing resentment for Gojo’s popularity.

And I’ll give Gege credit for that. The only theme that stayed consistent was Gojo being seen as an object to be exploited by everyone, except Sukuna. (I’m not even sure if I can include Yuji and Yuta in the cares deeply for Gojo anymore. It’s so OOC for them to be like this that I want to ignore it.)

The balance of the world changed when Gojo was born. We had several chapters dedicated to how this impacted various people's lives from Toji to random curse users. His death should be just as impactful.

But you know. Kenjaku was proven right. The cycle of curses will continue on because the systemic problems were never dealt with. 

The conditions that allowed for Yuji and Sukuna to be created still exist.

Reflection

I understand why people like myself want to reject this ending. It doesn’t feel like Gege put love into it. All the fun little quirks this series had are flattened and discarded in what feels like spite. Not even the final battle has the fun energy that was present just 4 chapters ago. 

I’ve decided that I’ll accept these last 4 chapters for what they are, but reject everything they stand for. They’re more interesting to discuss and pick apart than actually read…which ironically is how I feel about Umineko’s final chapter.

And speaking of Umineko… My favorite thing about the reaction to my Dream/Delusion Theory was this—the people who said, if they can’t handle what’s in the catbox, this is their canon. 

The fans who love the series and want to weave their own tales based on this in a way that helps others cope, please tag me in your creations. (Especially you @rosemaryreality!) It’s all incredibly Umineko and I’m forever grateful I got to experience the Rokkenjima Incident in real time.

Very important to Umineko’s themes, there was a common sentiment type across those that were dismissive of my theory vs those who were receptive to it—their perception of the mangaka, Gege.

To those that believed Gege was a bad writer, the idea that he could be clever and put love into this series was impossible to them, and therefore my theory was impossible. To those that had faith in Gege as a writer, my theory was solid, even if it needed a little tweaking.

I had the most fun with those who cited manga at me to make corrections like @runabout-river. Or those who wanted clarification on the holes I missed.

The ones that were entirely dismissive? It was boring. Their arguments mostly amounted to “Gege bad”. (I won't post screenshots here because I don't want them harassed, but they are there if you want to verify them.) Not a single person offered me an interpretation where the events were literal and took place in reality using manga panel citations in a way that tied it all into JJK’s themes and characters.

That disappointed me immensely. I wanted someone to prove to me my reasoning was wrong with a similar methodology. Instead they drew rebuttals stemming from their perceived flaws or outright dislike of Gege.

This is quite literally what happens in Umineko. It’s a murder mystery that can only be solved if you consider love. Both the love within the characters themselves and the love the author has put into his creation.

Is it magic or is it a simple trick? Is it a delusion or is it reality? Depending on how you answer and solve the mystery, your interpretation of the story itself changes too. 

I wound up being wrong of course, and Gege really did screw up everything in the end. But while that delusion was real? I had a blast.

I’ll be forever grateful to everyone that proved Ryukishi right about Umineko’s core theme.

[hollow-lime-green]

I have many thoughts on this.

1. I think Gojo tried to bury him, for himself as much as for the kids, to give people a place to grieve. This is a little weird because in Japan, cremation is the default, and I don't think of it as less than burial - I don't think it makes sense for Gojo to think of it as less either. But the only other option is that Gojo left him in the JJTech morgue, and that makes less sense (and makes the body harder to snatch). So let's say he's got some Patrochilles executive disfunction and doesn't want to burn Geto until he himself can also be burned and mingled with his ashes (super gay imo).

2. + 3. I think some people have theorized that Gojo used a localized hollow purple to essentially punch a hole through his heart. Gojo in JJK0 is very powerful, much more so than when he first figured out HP, so I think this makes a lot of sense. (Edit to add - what we do know for sure is that Gojo used jujutsu to kill him, otherwise there's a huge chance he would have risen as a curse, and Gojo would not have taken that chance)

4. Kenny def has a lot of RCT, there's no way to get to his/their level of power without it, and he does show it on screen. First with RCT for antigravity/gravity ability (I think he uses it both normal and reversed), and then just healing he uses during his fight with Yuta. Man's talking as just a head, so he's got the juice for sure.

5. We don't actually have a lot of specific requirements on the brain swap. The body doesn't necessarily have to be alive shortly before. Kenjaku does not need their brain, and does not need their soul. If we say that their innate technique is engraved into the body, then literally all he needs is the body at any state of decay. He can re-juvenate that body with RCT once he's in it because he's essentially re-booting the body with his own info (brain, which holds RCT + soul, which does other jujutsu stuff). You could maybe say he needs the stomach (CE), but if he has his own brain ,then he can regenerate that too.

TL;DR, Geto's body was left mostly intact (though this likely doesn't matter) and with low security, probably to allow MimiNana free access to his grave. Kenjaku could have stolen Geto's body basically any time between his death and when we see him stitched up in canon, and he would have no issue healing him after transplanting.

Kenjaku's body swap has fewer limitations than traditional resurrection magic because he is not resurrecting anything. He is overriding a body with his own collected abilities, and gaining information through engraved flesh in a similar way to Yuta/Rika and Sukuna.

This makes the memories aspect quite interesting, as it suggests that they are not stored in the brain or the soul, but instead in the flesh, just like an engraved cursed technique. Is this inconsistency, or is this a fun consequence of the worldbuilding? I don't know, and we'll probably never find out, but I think it's really fun to think about.

genuine question: what happened to suguru’s body after gojo killed him? and how tf did kenjuku manage to regenerate suguru’s arm/body?

gojo’s power is obviously destructive, so how on earth did he manage to mitigate the damage enough?

obviously, he wouldn’t want to mangle his best friend’s body at all. so, how exactly was suguru killed??

does kenjuku have some sort of RCT, then? how else would he be able to fix geto (even before gojo killed him)?

[vikcacao]

Doodles bc I'm thinking about the itafushi demon&angel au fic I'm writing lol

And now I'm gonna rant about my ideas bc this is my blog, and I'm having fun writing this fic, and if I don't talk about my thoughts somewhere I will expode

Hell is a cave, why? Because I, the artist/author, am terrified of spelunking. I think it's one of the worst ways to die, I hate it so much. And Hell is typically below Earth, so a cave would make sense then, too. But mainly because I'm scared of caves (that is also Megumi is the first drawing lol)

These are also the youngest versions of these guys I've drawn so far. Gumi doesn't have his face scars, and Yuuji doesn't either (only his cheek is fucked up, but that heals eventually). They're both very, VERY, young in terms of demon/angel aging. They're like 15/16 human years, and angels reach their first stage of maturity at 100ish years old

This will be on ao3 eventually, there's probably only gonna be a few chapters. The first chapter is not even close to being done yet, but it does have LOTS of notes lol, so it will be finished eventually :]

[duckiemimi]

apparently the jjk we know now was not the jjk gege had in mind before chapter 1, and this...this makes a lot of sense actually (context: here, and also this is one of the first drafts).

[eternalera]

okay but like. i kinda love how in jjk you literally cant become a sorcerer without questioning every aspect of your reason to be one as 'protecting the weak' just isn't enough. because why are you protecting them? why are you willing to die so young to protect people who you dont even know and will never know? whats wrong with letting the curses kill them? sure you have the power to stop it but anyone can become a police officer and catch criminals and they dont fill guilt when someone random gets killed.

the concept of protecting the weak works for law enforcement in the terms of wanting to do good for others but not for sorcerers because of a simple reason.

theyre creating their own problems, why should i have to fix it for them? let alone risk my own life for them?

its unfair, especially when the non-sorcerers aren't always gonna be the kindest towards sorcerers. sorcerers have to deal with the pain that comes from the people that they protect and yeah, it fucking sucks. which is why protecting the weak isn't a good enough reason.

its not your problem. its theirs. so why become a sorcerer? lets look at a few.

Mei Mei is obviously in it for the money

Megumi is only a sorcerer to protect him and his step sister so that they can support each other and live

Gojo wants to change the sorcerer society because he doesnt like the way thats its ran, constantly taking stuff from the youth (i mean technically he was most likely forced to but this is the main reason that he stayed in it as hes the strongest so like... who's gonna say 'no you gotta stay' to him right?)

Yuuji feels like consuming Sukuna is something only he can do so it makes him special, so fuck it. why not?

Nobara just wanted to live in Tokyo.

Now i'm not saying that all of these mean that they don't want to protect others, but thats not their motivation for becoming a sorcerer. while with Geto its pretty clear (from my pov) that he only wanted to become a sorcerer to help the weak.

but while he got born with a strong cursed technique it has a downside... it kinda sucks. it sucks in the form of he's consuming everyones emotions and taking on their burden for them in a much more twisted and literal sense.

he literally embodies the struggles of a sorcerer in a sense and yeah. it breaks him because he's doing it for the weak right? but with every curse that he swallows it gets harder and harder because which each curse he wants to stop. he wants to quit being a sorcerer because of this burden being too great and his reason not being strong enough to carry it as its completely selfless.

he gets practically nothing out of protecting them besides a horrendous taste in his mouth and some cash which isn't the reason why he's doing this in the first place.

im gonna stop it there because its getting more into a geto analysis not but you get the point-

imma do one of those later. BYYEEEE!!

[kikuism]

i can acknowledge there are decent anime dubs but what i just can't get over is how they stress japanese words like english. shiBUya and aKIra etc

[girl-of-ink]

Once again thinking abt the secret good version of jjk where junpei lives

[hollow-lime-green]

we were talking about the Naoya incident in fiym comments and I had this thought: Hana, what happens when a sorcerer dies of natural causes? no cursed energy involved, just organ failure. I'm thinking about what the implications are for sorcerers growing old

You know, this is a super interesting question that also doesn't come up because we never really see sorcerers die peacefully. I think the only one we see is Old Zen'in (forgetting the name rn) which kick starts the Naoya/Megumi heir conflict. And since it happens off screen, given everything, we can't technically confirm that he died of old age lol.

But I think going with what we know in canon, it would depend on how they felt at the end of their life, and if they had unfinished business. Unresolved tension and negativity would lead to elevated CE, and I think that could be a good metric for the likelihood that they would turn into a vengeful cursed spirit.

A sorcerer that feels closure would probably be able to move on peacefully, since even though jujutsu isn't ending their life, they wouldn't have a tether to keep them going and give them purpose as a cursed spirit. But, as we hear from Yaga, no sorcerer ever dies satisfied. :)

I went back to reread 193, part of Naoya's transformation fight. I was surprised to reread and remember that he really does keep his intelligence and ego as a VCS. That doesn't necessarily conflict with other worldbuilding, but I think it would be more interesting if they reverted to a more curse-like level of intelligence and brutality, then could slowly learn and grow back to their human level.

[longagoitwastuesday]

Kusakabe, dear, you're too beautiful to be saying that kind of stuff

[thepersonperson]

Since Sukuna still has that final finger. Maybe that’s where we’ll get an afterlife scene or even a backstory? Yuji basically confirmed Sukuna is only like this because of circumstances. So…I would like to be shown those circumstances.

I’m ok with Sukuna dying and all the students surviving. But the execution of that has been so poorly paced and unsatisfying. Can I please get a proper grieving scene? Megumi and Nobara being all smiles at the Gojo letters is...weird.

I think there’s something to say about a manga where overwork/exploitation kills people having its mangaka rush the ending because of overwork/exploitation.

[weakinthekneez]

i feel like the opposite of what happened to the jjk storyline is happening to bsd

[kakapim]

I swear Who Would Win mindset completely ruined any Shonen anime discussions. As a Bleach fan who watched JJK recently I thought more people would've made silly crossovers like. Urahara and Gojo being friends but nope 99% of it is nerds fighting eachother on who beats who like GIRL I DONT CAARE give me your fucking headcanons instead

[halloweenreaper]

I like that there is a legitimate reason to explain how a technique works in JJK. We all know it's just a trope in anime to call out/explain abilities and a quick way for the author to inform the reader/viewer what's going on. But making it so that explaining a technique makes it stronger is a creative way to incorporate that trope and provides a believable reason as to why a character would be willing to explain their attacks to an opponent without it enturely being an actual detriment.

[phantom-z0ne]

Chapter 3: Arc 1-03

Immortal Alliance Conference Part 1

The journey towards the Immortal Alliance Conference was dull, Shen Jiu glumly thought. 

It was only his respect for the Peak’s honor and his own reputation that he didn't give in and yell in frustration. Who had thought it a good idea to stick a group of young cultivators in carriages for an extended period of time? Many of his fellow disciples were already bored out of their mind, playing simple games and gossiping were all they had to occupy themselves. There weren't many topics that weren't already spoken about, and being in the company of bored disciples was just unpleasant. Hearing Gao Qiangda brag about his assured success in the competition for three days in a row got tiring after the second time.

Not to mention Xin Xingfu chatting his ear off. What Shen Jiu wouldn't do to swap Xin Xingfu with Xiang Mei. At least she would know when to back off. This carriage was going to make him go insane!

After two weeks worth of travel, they still didn't arrive at their destination. The same, unchanging landscape flew by for the past three days, just looking gave him a headache. The only excitement they see is when demons got too close to the procession and were cut down. Unfortunately, it was done quickly, so not much entertainment could come from it. 

Why had he agreed to even attend the Conference, for goodness sake? He hasn't been cultivating for long enough to attend, not to mention the limited slots on who could attend.

Ah, he remembers why now. His Shifu was the one who entered him into the competition.

He let out a sigh, his cheek resting on his hand while he looked out the window and into the distance, ruminating about the day that led to this situation…

“What?!” He exclaimed, rearing back, shocked to hear those words coming out of his Shifu’s mouth. Shen Jiu quickly schooled his face into a neutral expression, mind whirling to thoughts of why his Shifu would want him to go.

Quan Jigui's eyes softened, his mouth twitching in restrained laughter, though it was hidden with a quick wave of his fan.

“Was I unclear?” He questioned, slowly fanning his face.

“I am honored to be chosen to represent Qing Jing Peak, it is just…” he paused, thinking on how to get his stance across clearly, worrying his lower lip. He unconsciously palmed his robes before realizing what he was doing and quickly smoothing it out. “Are there no other candidates?”

“You are one of my most promising students, of course I would want you to go.” Quan Jigui spoke softly, watching his disciple’s face turn red.

“I—” Shen Jiu began, pleased to have his Shifu's considerations. 

“I trust that you will properly represent Qing Jing Peak, yes?” An intense look came upon Quan Jigui's face, he wanted his disciple to take this seriously. 

Determination flashed over Shen Jiu’s face as he clenched his fist before being replaced with a neutral expression. “Of course!” 

“Thanking Shifu for the opportunity.” He clasped his hands together, palm over fist, above his chest, bowing down for a moment. He wouldn't let his Shifu down.

He was jolted out of his memories by Xin Xingfu scrambling over him to reach the window. “I see it!” He shouted, grabbing the rest of the carriage’s attention. Many hurried over to the windows, eager to grab a peek of their destination. Distant multicolored flags fluttering in the wind was all that could be seen.

Shen Jiu was quickly squashed in between Xin Xingfu and the window, letting out a cry of surprise. Xin Xingfu kneeled over as Shen Jiu’s elbow dug into his ribs to dislodge him. Succeeding, he tossed his shixiong off of himself with a huff. 

“Ow! You're such a mean shidi, abusing your shixiongs~!” He pouted, recovering from the attack on his ribs. The comment earned him a look of disgust from Shen Jiu before he turned away from his shixiong. 

The procession eventually came to an end, carriages being quickly emptied in favor of studying their surroundings. They stopped at a seemingly random mountain range were it not for the gaping gorge that split the land. A large area of the terrain was decorated in colorful tents that housed the multitude of flags that were seen from the distance. At the edge of the gorge, a high tower resided, a place for those who were not participating to watch the competition.

The border of the gorge was slowly being filled with thousands of people arriving from all over the cultivation world. From no named sects to giants such as Huan Hua sect, many were vying for the opportunity to get their name out.

As Shen Jiu and other Qing Jing Peak disciples were being herded to the gorge, a hand suddenly grabbed his arm. He turned around, expecting to see Xiang Mei, seeing as she would be the only one bold enough to grab him. (Excluding Xin Xingfu, of course, since he already ran ahead.)

However, the one holding on to his arm was someone he didn't know. A person, most likely a young man due to the cut of his robes, seemed to be staring at him through their weimao(1). Their pale robes, accentuated by silver embroidery, flowed around them. The weimao, which Shen Jiu wondered how the person could even see through the thick fabric, fluttered in the wind and exposed a sliver of the person's pale skin.

Shen Jiu stood mystified for a couple seconds before he wrenched his arm out of their grip, taking a few steps back. Frowning, he asked, “Do you handle every person you first meet like this?”

(He should know this person, a small part of his mind thinks. 

That thought was quickly smothered.)

His hand inched towards his fan, gripping it in his hand. At the same time, the person stood still, seemingly bewildered by their own action as they stared at their hand. 

The person quickly put their hands up, palms facing Shen Jiu, before laughing out, “My bad, my bad~. It seems like I had the wrong person.”

He—the voice was masculine, confirming Shen Jiu’s theory—cocked his head dramatically, placing it on his waiting palms, as if to say ‘What else could I have done?’

Shen Jiu pursed his lips, staring at the strange man swaying in place, letting his fan fall before breathing out a sigh, running his hands down the silky fabric of his robes. “Check next time whether it is the person you are looking for before grabbing them.” 

“Okay~! I'll see you around, later!” he responded obnoxiously before bounding away.

Shen Jiu frowned as he watched the young man walk away, eventually turning around and heading to his fellow disciples, putting the encounter out of his mind.

Surrounded by his fellow sectmates, Shen Jiu observed the cultivator reciting the rules. It was simple: For every creature slayed you received a prayer bead, the higher the level of the beast the more qi stored within the beads. There was also to be no attacking other cultivators, lest you be banned from the conference for the next five years. Of course, the knowledge that everyone will know you attacked other cultivators is more damaging to your reputation than being banned for a few measly years.

As the beginning of the competition was announced, Shen Jiu glanced at his wrist, eyeing the golden band, planning how he should go about the next seven days. Perhaps he should take it slowly at the beginning, save his energy for the higher level demonic beasts. 

Many disciples rushed past him, eager to be the first to show up on the leaderboard, as Shen Jiu strolled into the gorge, casually waving his fan(2). A voice called his name, urgent and low. He spun on his heels, thinking for a moment it was that strange young man before dismissing that thought, and caught sight of Yue Qi jogging towards him. Behind him a small group of Cang Qiong cultivators. 

His expression cooled, a scowl slowly forming. “Yes?” 

It has been a while since he had last come across Yue Qi, desperately avoiding the other after their last disastrous meeting when his temper got the better of him. Yue Qi had grown, he had to admit. His face was full with a healthy sheen and filled out, hair neatly tied back in a bun, and his clothes tidy and clean, directly contrasting how he had looked two years prior. He looked well. And comfortable in his position, Shen Jiu thought bitterly as his fan inched towards his face(3). 

Yue Qi paused a number of steps before him, his group a few steps behind.

“It is nice to see you, Xiao Jiu.” Yue Qi’s eyes soften, smiling brightly at him.

Shen-Jiu’s face soured, annoyed at his familiar tone. Why would he not let that infernal nickname die?“Why have you sought me out?”

“Do you plan to go alone? ” Yue Qi asked, “We are in need of an extra member.” He gestured behind him. Shen Jiu swept his gaze along the handful of cultivators staring curiously at him before snapping his gaze back to Yue Qi, dismissing them. He felt a few of the cultivators bristle while others clearly didn't notice the snub.

“Your team.” He said slowly, letting the words drop icily from his lips, “And why do you believe that I would join?”

A scoff sounded from behind Yue Qi, Shen Jiu turning slightly, facing who the sound belonged to, eyebrows furrowed. A young woman, her hair up tightly in a bun, a sword strapped to her waist as purple and white robes whipped gently around her. A Xian Shu disciple. Beside her, a shrewd looking young man, looking quite bored with the situation, his blue-green robes signifying him as an An Ding disciple. No weapon appearing to be on his body. Doubtful, considering he is entering a deadly competition. He’ll have to keep an eye on this one.

Shen Jiu slowly fanned his face(4), looking down at them from his nose. 

“I'm afraid I haven't heard of you.” He spoke tauntingly, face blank. The Xian Shu disciple grit her teeth, glaring daggers at Shen Jiu. 

“Qi Jiao.” She spit out. 

“Oh.” He replied disinterestedly. This was the girl Yue Qi was in a relationship with? How disappointing. He couldn’t find anything that made her any more interesting than any other woman.

Ignoring her and the other disciples once more, he turned back to Yue Qi. Tapping his fan on his cheek(5), he mulled the offer over before answering. “No.”

“No?” Yue Qi bit his lips, looking at Shen Jiu with wide eyes, eyebrows downturned. How pitiful he looked. Unfortunately for him, Shen Jiu was immune to that look.

“No.” Shen Jiu replied coolly. “We both have a conference to attend, don't waste my time.”  With that, he stalked off into the gorge, hearing the woman angrily asking Yue Qi why he thought to even invite Shen Jiu.

Once he was alone, he let out a sigh, letting his nerves settle some. Interacting with Yue Qi after their previous meeting, it was… he was trying, okay? It’s not his fault that Yue Qi was so infuriating, and calling him that damned nickname! 

He searched his sleeve, pulling out a ribbon and quickly tying his hair in a ponytail. Leaves crushed under his shoes, the sounds of the forest reaching his ears. 

The conference had begun and he didn't know what would attack him. It was time to get serious.

Please tell me if my pacing is too fast, I kinda feel like it is (-_-;)

Any guesses to who Shen Jiu met?? Its quite obvious ;D

1) A weimao is a wide-brimmed hat with a shoulder-length veil hanging.

2) A fan being waved can be peaceful or soothing.

3) A fan covering the face can be interpreted as the user wishing for others to behave themself or leave.

4) A fan being waved slowly in this context can be interpreted the user being impatient, usually a signal for others to speak faster or get their point across.

5) A fan being placed on the cheek can be interpreted as a denial.

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