#when reading the rest of the manga I had this cursed thought so now I'm inflicting it on all of you

[andrewbarnick]

Me in 2034 watching Netflix's live-action adaptation of Delicious in Dungeon: Hey, I remember that being a good manga! I wonder if this adaptation will be any good? Izutsumi:

[thepersonperson]

Why the hell is JJK 270 called Dream's End?

JJK 270 being titled Dream’s End is so fudging ominous. That’s some Umineko type beat. I’m not sure if I should even judge this chapter as presented because of this. In fact, I'm holding off on posting the other analysis I had for today since I no longer am certain of what JJK 268–270 are.

There's two lines of thought I have:

1) Gege suffering from burnout and bad working conditions plus rushing has caused the writing to decline.

2) Gege still has a hidden ace saved for the final chapter and the weird writing is deliberate.

I'm going to humor Option 2, but only because the title of this chapter is called Dream's End.

(The most 'hear me out' discussion under the cut. Using TCB scans and leaks. Click images for captions/citations.)

[Small Update: Follow-up Discussion on why everyone feels OOC.]

Preface

"Without love it cannot be seen."

This is a phrase and philosophy I have borrowed from Umineko since I've started these JJK yapfests. It essentially boils down to 'discard your negative biases and try to examine things in good faith.'

JJK 268 & 269 have fudging tested that for me. I've been giving Gege and the characters a pretty hard time with the caveat of knowing how exploitative the manga industry is. I initially rejected the idea that these chapters were to be taken at anything other than face-value because of this. In fact, I cited the JJK 268 chapter title of Finale as a reason I've accepted things as is.

And with that same logic, I'm now doing the opposite... So hear me out! I've got some pretty good reasons to be doing this.

What's wrong with JJK 268–270?

There's a lot of things in these chapters that are fundamentally inconsistent with what's been established in throughout the manga. If we use Option 1 to explain these contradictions, these are last second retcons because Gege forgor.

Option 2? We're about to have the rug pulled the hell out from under us because the last 3 chapters have been delusions.

What first tipped me off to something possibly being wrong on purpose was the fate of the incarnated culling game players in JJK 270. Not too long ago it was established that the souls of non-sorcerers in vessels were unsavable.

The souls are suppressed in a way that distorts them permanently or their consciousness is outright destroyed. They were gambling on Megumi's survival due to him being a sorcerer and Sukuna's incarnation method being unique. 99% of them will die and those who survive will likely be vegetables, so why is there a sudden gamble on their survival in JJK 270?

It's such a neat and fine bow to tie this mess up that goes directly against existing lore. It's so ideal that it has me suspicious.

Brain damage from sorcery on non-sorcerers has been established as extremely taxing. I think about Gojo's Unlimited Void (UV) the most when it comes to this. Non-sorcerers were hit by it for 0.2 seconds and required medical intervention for 2 months to fully heal from it. Sukuna, the absolute strongest, tanked some of it and it affected him for the rest of the battle. ...And then we have Megumi who was under it for about 6 minutes and seems to have very little problems from it.

This is bizarre. Someone who underwent the month long bath and UV without Reverse Curse Technique (RCT) should be struggling to even stand after waking up. Sukuna had RCT and the Gojo brain damage still took him out. This screams of inconsistent writing unless...this is a deliberate hint that something is amiss.

I want to draw attention to the panel Megumi's UV damage is addressed. Just about everyone has been seemingly waiting around in the same spot for him to wake up. It's a bit weird given that sorcerers don't usually do that. They usually get a move on asap. And after the destruction of Shinjuku and the Culling Game Players still running about, why would they take a breather to discuss their plans that worked?

But that's not what started bothering me about that panel after reading JJK 270. It's that characters who aren't in the room, start appearing without warning. Look who is behind Maki and to the left. It's Kusakabe. And to her and Yuta's right? Inumaki. So why is it that Hakari, Kiara, and Ino are in Kusakabe's place while Todo spawns where Inumaki is? (And Yuta is facing the wrong direction too.)

That's pretty fudging weird right? You can chalk it up to Gege forgor but it doesn't stop there. Higuruma enters the discussion in a way that causes Yuji to pause.

Why is Yuji surprised to see him? (And where the fudge did he come from?) Shouldn't he know of his survival by now? And why is he in a cast? Higuruma had learned RCT and fully restored his arms before leaving the battlefield. If he's conscious, then he should be able to heal himself fully no problems.

And that got me thinking... Why is Yuji still missing his fingers?

It was established that he kept his fingers unhealed to help with Yuta's plan. This means that if he won, he has no need to keep them missing. Yuji has fully regenerated missing chunks of his face, including his eye, and stomach. He has RCT just like Higuruma. But it doesn't end there either. Yuji's number of fingers on his left hand keeps changing.

4 fingers, 3 fingers, dubious amount of fingers, 5 fingers. Once again, you can chalk it up to Gege forgor, but JJK 270 came out and the same problem started happening with Megumi's scars.

The same mistake is made within the same set of panels and very big page. That's weird.

ONCE AGAIN, you can chalk it up to Gege forgor, but when these errors occur, like with Yuta mistakenly having his ring on in JJK 251, Gege will note the mistake outright. Gege has made no such comments for Yuji's fingers or the scars. This many “errors” in row when Gege has otherwise been careful with these features could indicate it really is on purpose. (Kind of like Sukuna's everchanging mask. The thing was just moving around and pulsing. That was deliberate not inconsistency.)

What does this mean?

I think it means what we are seeing isn't reality. After all, the most common way to tell if you're dreaming is being unable to count the number of fingers on your hands. Another way to tell is the distortion of faces.

Readers have noticed that something is wrong. The weird timeskips, the lack of lasting consequences, design inconsistencies, characters behaving like similes of themselves, death and pain being glossed over like it's nothing. It all feels so off. But it's still close enough to the original to be somewhat believable. ...Is that not what it's like to dream and not know you are dreaming?

Why is it that the chapter titled Dream's End ends with the hunt for a curse user whose ability is to distort the perception of reality?

Dreams and Delusions in JJK

We already know Gege weaves Buddhist symbolism and ideas heavily into JJK. I'm not an expert in Buddhism at all, so there's a lot of it that goes over my head. I decided to look into if dreams are significant in Buddhism and boy howdy are they. Quoted directly from the source:

"Dreams can be a message from a Bodhisattva, an ancestor, or a god, The intent of the dream may be to test the dreamer’s resolve: is he non-retreating (avaivartika) from Bodhi (enlightenment) even when sleeping? The purpose of the dream visit may be to communicate information vital to the dreamer’s well-being. The Buddha himself had five dreams of catastrophes, falling stars and worlds in collision just before his enlightenment. The dreams were sent to him not by a benevolent Dharma-protector, but by an malevolent sorcerer, intent on disrupting the Buddha’s samadhi and preventing his awakening."

In summary, (correct me if I'm wrong) dreams appear to be seen as another state of being just as valuable and impermanent as reality.

There's also this other bit I'll quote directly.

"The most common use of dreams in the literature of the Mahayana, or “Northern School” of Buddhism in China, Tibet, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam is to see dreams as a simile for sunyata, (emptiness) the hollow core at the heart of all component dharmas (things). For example, in the well-known Vajra (Diamond) Sutra, the Buddha taught that:

“All conditioned dharmas, are like a dream, like an illusion, like a bubble, like a shadow, like a dewdrop, like a lightening flash; you should contemplate them thus.”"

That's starting to sound like what Yuji's Domain does, right? He projects memories that did happen and mixes them with delusions and dreams. Sukuna and Megumi both experience this in full.

It's incredibly suspicious that it hasn't been named yet. Yuji is the son of Kenjaku who has a domain based on the Womb Sutra/Realm...which is paired with the aforementioned Diamond Realm to encompass the entire Dharma. It's very likely this is what Yuji's domain is—a realm of dreams and reality combined as one.

Unreality Runs in the Family

When Sasaki Setsuko "wakes up" as the Culling Games begin, Kenjaku explains her situation with this:

What follows is a sequence that cannot be described as a dream. It seems to be a blend of reality and hallucinations. But that's not anything strange, Sukuna does it too with Kashimo in reverse.

As you can see, both the positions of the characters and even the backgrounds change suddenly from reality to ??? and from sequence to sequence. It's all incredibly dream like.

Another strange thing about this space is Kenjaku creating it as a part of an escape route Binding Vow. You know, the kind Sukuna uses for Malevolent Shrine.

What I want to draw attention to here is this reality-dream state somewhat requires consent (in the loosest possible definition) to appear. The person entering this state has to desire it themself. We see this with Jogo and Gojo who are mutually interested in having a relationship of somekind with Sukuna. (Same with Kashimo.)

(It's also very hard to tell if they are dead or still in the process of dying during this.)

This is where the delusions Yuji projects differ. They are forced onto others when he is near death or severely injured, seemingly as a defense mechanism.

And would you look at that...the syntax is identical for Todo and Choso's Brother Yuji Delusions. "At that moment, a memory was born inside X's brain...of a past event that never happened." It's kind of like how Yuji replaces Gojo in Megumi's memory to reach him. It's also very strange that Sukuna, Choso, and Jogo go "What is this?" to this in-between space.

My point here is that Yuji having access to this space has been hinted at since the start of this manga and that it was inherited it by blood. (Totally Not Kenjaku showing up with Takaba Mr. Reality Warping CT in JJK 270 supports my case too I think.)

What does this mean for JJK 268–270?

The battle ended in JJK 268. Of that I'm certain. What I no longer know is if anyone survived.

A common complaint about Sukuna's death is his lack of an afterlife scene. Everything ended so abruptly. And then Megumi wakes up.

It's so jarring in out of place. ...But that's how all scenes involving the space between dreams and reality begin. Sasaki Setsuko "wakes up" once and then again. Most of us have experienced those kind of dreams right? (They made a whole movie about it called Inception which is based on the movie Paprika.)

There's one other thing I need to draw attention to. Yuji's Domain shattered after Sukuna cast Domain Expansion (DE).

When a sorcerer withdraws their domain voluntarily, it does not shatter. Gojo has demonstrated this for us in quite clearly.

When a domain is broken by force, it will shatter and shards will scatter. When a domain is withdrawn, no shards are left behind. Yuta uses these facts as a part of his plan. In JJK 252, it's revealed by Kusakabe that Yuta shatters his own domain on purpose to trick Sukuna into thinking he won.

What this means is that some kind of violent action needs to be taken to shatter a domain. Yuji's domain is massive and his attacks only targeted Sukuna. What could've shattered his domain all at once? He's not had the time to practice shattering parts of it like Yuta.

Gojo has shown us what a uniform domain shattering looks like—it happens when Malevolent Shrine activates. (Please note that the sfx used for Sukuna breaking Gojo's domain is カシャア. It's the same one used for Yuji's domain shattering.)

I'm proposing that we've been in unreality since the end of JJK 266. Sukuna and Yuji are both severely injured, on the verge of death, and have a connection with each other. These are all conditions that trigger the space between dreams and reality.

And I must remind you that Yuji first triggers this event with Todo after a severe head injury. Right before Sukuna casts his domain, they do this to each other.

Everything that has come after has been perfect for Yuji to a unbelievable degree. Everyone whose death was uncertain is alive and the living are getting exactly what they wanted. The effort behind it and the logistics are all missing. And yes a rushed ending can explain that, but that too can be part of the ruse.

Another massive complaint is that mourning has not occurred. Not for Gojo or Choso despite how much Yuji cherished them. It's like they're being willfully forgotten by the cast despite being crucial to their success in Shinjuku. It feels out of character, especially since Yuji is of the few that showed concern for them no matter what.

But if this is a delusion on the brink of death designed to bring happiness, why would Yuji think of the dead? He's always been so avoidant with it. When his grandpa is dying and trying to talk about his parents, Yuji tells him to shut up. When Nanami dies, he thinks of him then and then never again directly leading up to his talk with Sukuna. When Megumi tries to discuss Nobara's fate, Yuji ends the conversation as quickly as possible.

The only people in this world are the ones who may or may not be dead. He saw Yuta in Gojo's corpse. The only way that can happen is if Gojo is dead. Yuji has no choice but to believe it. Choso burned away before his eyes. Yuji has no choice but to believe it. He went through some of Megumi's memories and saw Tsumiki's corpse. Yuji has no choice but to believe it.

And since Tsumiki is the only person Yuji wasn't close with, she's the only death that has been outright acknowledged. But not for too long! That would make Megumi sad.

Another complaint is that Sukuna really didn't kill anyone in the final battle outside of those two and Kashimo. The dudebros call it Disney Kaisen. But the fairytale-like idea that everyone is ok? Todo was the one who put that idea in Yuji's head.

And Yuji has always been one to fall to story-like logic when things look like they're finally wrapping up.

"And then everything will be just fine." (Yuji before the worst possible outcome for both him and Megumi happens.)

This is similar to the line Gakuganji uses in JJK 270. "Everything is fine." This line is the whole reason I sat down and wrote this all out without stopping. I know Gakuganji. He'd never say that. This man has been in a state of worry over Jujutsu Society since his first appearance. He doesn't even fully believe in Gojo's cause as someone who values tradition. He's a stickler for details and will do everything in his power to ensure stability. For him to toss Sukuna and Tengen's remains in a shrine and call it a day? Who is that? He's changed but not that much.

And so I compared the raws.

It is very much the same 大丈夫 (Daijoubu). These are Yuji's words.

What I'm proposing is that JJK 267–270 are Yuji's delusions of the happiest possible ending. It's a picture perfect little end where all the trauma and death has no effect on the living and people move on like nothing happened. I don't know if this means he's dead or if Megumi's dead or if they're all dead. But what I'm seeing now? I don't think it's real.

Reexamining JJK 269

CW: Brief discussion of suicide.

Even if this turns out to be a part of the smokescreen, I'm always going to hate JJK 269. But I do want to give it some grace under the assumption this chapter titled Examination (which can also be translated as Reflection) is about Yuji's guilt. Both him and Megumi's tbh. I think their feelings for each other and their situations are driving these delusions. That's one thing about this space that's real—the feelings behind them.

Yuji has a lot of guilt surrounding his existence after ingesting Sukuna, Megumi does too. Straight up Yuji has been seeking death over it since JJK 9.

He struggles to forgive himself for being the centerpiece to violence he had little to no control over. The only thing that upsets him more than that is knowing that his death will break Megumi's heart. He doesn't want Megumi to feel any guilt for it whatsoever.

The kicker is, Megumi already knows Yuji is planning to die. And he wants to do everything to rid him of that guilt. Up until they connect inside of Yuji's domain, they were unaware they shared the same goal for each other.

And that's what JJK 269 is. It's a very cold and harsh breakdown that allows them to forgive themselves. Blame is passed around and ultimately pinned on a combination of Gojo and Kenjaku. (It's really weird Sukuna isn't blamed either, but that's not the point of this for now.)

Kusakabe's comment is especially harsh. Telling Yuji point blank he should've died and that both sides on the issue were valid? He may have believed that to an extent, but he made a point of not telling it to his face. Why have a whole chapter discussing how kind he is only to turn around and do this?

If this is all a delusion, a manifestation of Yuji's guilt and trying to absolve himself of it for Megumi's sake, that makes sense. This version of Kusakabe is what Yuji feels guilt over the most—Everyone's lives being better if he died.

In the same breath Kusakabe tells them to solely blame the adults. It's very reminiscent of Nanami telling Yuji that being a child is not a sin.

It should also be noted that every single time Megumi tries to apologize for being possessed, he's stopped. Maki tears into Yuta without checking in on him, but she asks if Megumi is ok and tells him to not blame himself. JJK 270 is full of this too. He tries to apologize to Tsumiki at her grave and Shoko tells him not to sweat it. He tries to apologize to Hana and she hits on him instead.

This delusion is crafted out of love. It allows Megumi to live in a world where he can move on from the guilt surrounding his possession and saving Yuji. It's all Yuji has ever wanted for him. And now that Yuji knows Megumi wants him to forgive himself, he has no choice but to do that too.

It's a perfect ending for Megumi that's too good to be true.

It must be a dream...

There's another thing I can't reconcile about JJK 269 unless it's a delusion—Todo's explanation for Yuta's plan. It's another one of those glaring contradictions.

In JJK 269 Todo claims Boogie Woogie can't target Maki. But in JJK 259? Todo makes plans with Mei Mei knowing that it works with her.

Either Todo lied...or Yuji never fully knew the plan and that Boogie Woogie could target Maki. Otherwise she would be dead. Her surviving Sukuna's flames would be impossible.

I've already talked about how Yuji believing those who may or may not be dead are alive is Todo's doing. He's always been the one to save Yuji from his breakdowns. But let's talk about his speech in Shibuya.

"Looking for meaning or logic in death...can at times defile the memories of those we've lost!"

Everyone who has read these past 3 chapters has really felt the defiling of Gojo's memory. And it was all in service to a strange logic that helped them cope with all this death. Acknowledging how massive Gojo's sacrifice was would riddle both Yuji and Megumi with immense guilt, so it's best to ignore it for Megumi's sake. (And perhaps that's why Yuji replaces Gojo in that memory.)

"What have you been entrusted with? You don't need to answer right now. However... Until you find your answer, never stop moving."

In a way, JJK 269 is an answer to the question Todo proposed. Yuji was entrusted with saving Megumi. Saving Megumi requires Megumi and Yuji forgiving themselves. And Yuji won't stop moving until it's done. All these time jumps and rushed developments are Yuji moving Megumi forward. He's getting that happy ending even if it's to the detriment of everything else.

What about Sukuna?

When Sukuna respects his opponents and they have a connection, he gives others these dreams before they pass. He's been very impressed by Megumi since JJK 9. It's not out of the ballpark for him to allow Megumi to die satisfied in the way Gojo did. Yuji also seems to understand that Sukuna was manipulated by others just as much as he was. I think that's why Sukuna is spared of the blame for the most part.

I don't think Sukuna won. He's probably dead. But he did warn Yuji not to underestimate him. I think the worst absolute last fudge you to Yuji he could give is this happy ending dream before ripping it all away as he dies.

In Conclusion...

I'm not sure that we're going to get that happy ending. Reggie Star warned us not too long ago.

"...it all comes down to a sorcerer's lies."

Reggie is a lot like Sukuna here, outwitted by modern sorcerers and dying to someone he loathes. Sukuna is good at tricking people. He let Gojo think he won before tearing it all away. Yuta did the exact same thing to him. Or did he?

"Can you do me a favor? After all, you've killed me. Let fate toy with you, become a clown, then die."

If the last 3 chapters are delusions...Megumi will be playing the part of a clown.

Gege said the manga would end with either 1/4 or 3/4 of Yuji, Megumi, Nobara, and Gojo surviving. This of course, could be changed throughout its development, but Gege said the manga is ending in its original vision. There's a real chance that it's only Yuji or Nobara surviving.

Remember, Gege is a troll first and foremost. Somehow Gojo was revived, but in the worst way possible (Yujo). Somehow Gojo did tell Megumi about Toji, but in the worst way possible (dead man's final letter).

Gege also said this about the final chapter:

"I am working hard to create a final chapter that will (hopefully) satisfy as many people as possible who have supported Jujutsu Kaisen. So everyone, please bear with me!"

I can't think of a better way to appease everyone than by making the last 3 chapters nothing more than dream.

[narumi-gens]

Between Dreams and Reality

Gojo Satoru x gn!Reader

summary: The space between dreams and reality is a curse. Loving Gojo Satoru makes it the greatest curse of all.

warnings: minors/ageless/blank blogs dni, massive jjk manga spoilers, chapter 236 spoilers, angst with no happy ending, sad times guys, established relationship, gojo being his usual obnoxious self and making everything about him

notes: I'm just working through jjk 236 like the rest of you! also the title comes from something kenjaku says in the manga and it was used in the vol. 23 promo video and I loved it so much that I've been wanting to work into something so here we are.

words: 2.5k

“Hey, remember that fight we had?” Gojo asks from behind you in bed. The question pulls you from the edge of sleep, but just barely.

“Be more specific,” you grumble, too tired to even snort in response. All you can do is nuzzle further into your pillow. 

“It was about you getting remarried,” he says.

“That was a tantrum, not a fight,” you correct. “And I told you not to say re-married. We’re not married now.”

Even with your eyes closed and your back turned to him, you can feel how amused he is by your response. 

“I was kind of a dick about it, wasn’t I?” he reflects aloud into the darkness of your shared bedroom.

It’s such an unexpected moment of introspection from him — a man who doesn’t seem to know what introspection is — that even in your drowsy state, you let out a small laugh.

“When aren’t you?” you ask him through a yawn and he lets out an offended noise that tugs the corners of your lips into a sleepy smile. 

“Well, sorry I was such an asshole,” he sighs, a faint note of uncharacteristic sincerity coloring his words.

“Gojo Satoru apologizing? I must be dreaming…” you mumble.

“Oh, my aunt’s getting remarried,” you say as you read through the series of messages that your mother sent you. 

“Didn’t your uncle just die?” Gojo kindly asks. Thankfully, you’re more than used to his inability to display any form of tact.

“Well, it’s been a year. But everyone heals differently. I guess when the time is right, the time is right,” you muse. You glance over at him where he sits next to you on the couch and are surprised by the thoughtful look on his annoyingly handsome face.

You turn back to your phone, where your mother seems to be having a very similar reaction to Gojo based on her messages — especially the ones that say, “It’s too soon!”, of which there are many. 

You’ve never been all that close with your mother’s side of the family so your aunt’s decision to remarry isn’t something you have a strong opinion on one way or the other. If she’s found someone else, you wish her the best.

“How long would you wait to get remarried if I died?” Gojo suddenly asks and you scoff without looking up at him.

“To get remarried, I’d have to have been married previously, Mr. Marriage-Is-Just-A-Construct.” The words would probably sound harsh if they were coming from someone else. You speak them dryly and with clear disinterest.

“Fine. How long would you wait to get married to someone else if I died?” he rephrases his original question and you shrug, your attention focused on trying to calm your mother down.

“I don’t know. Two years?” 

“Two?!” he screeches so loudly that you flinch away from him on the couch and slap a hand over your ear. He sits up and turns to face you fully, even going so far as to slide his glasses down his nose so that he can focus the full weight of his Six Eyes on you. “That’s not even enough time for my body to get cold!”

“Can you calm down? It’s just a hypothetical,” you tell him with a roll of your eyes. You reach a hand out to push his glasses back up only for him to bat it away before you can even come into contact with his Infinity. 

“Two years!” he repeats in outrage. “There should be at least five- no, ten years of solid mourning. And I mean the whole thing. You better only dress in black and I expect weekly visits to my grave with flowers and incense. And make sure you put my portrait in the butsudan—”

“We don’t have a butsudan now,” you cut him off to point out, gesturing a wild hand out towards the rest of your shrine-free apartment. “I’m not gonna go out and buy one just because you were stupid enough to get yourself killed.”

“And definitely no dating!” he shouts over you before he brings a thoughtful finger to his chin. “In fact, you should just be like one of those widows who throw themselves on their husband’s funeral pyre. Yeah, that’d work.”

He nods to himself, seemingly satisfied with his proposed solution. 

“We’re not married, so I wouldn’t be a widow and you’re not getting a funeral pyre. This is the 21st century. Your body’s getting shipped off to a crematorium,” you tell him dryly. “They’ll cook you up. We’ll do a little bit of grieving and say a prayer or something. Then we’ll pick your bones, put everything in the urn, and be done in time for lunch.”

He slouches forward and props up his elbow on his knee so that he can rest his chin in his palm with a pout, doing everything that he can with his posture to convey his unhappiness.

“Who’s we? You and your new boyfriend?” he asks and you would liken him to a sulking teenager who didn’t get their way, but that would be an insult to the students at Jujutsu High. 

“No, me and my new husband,” you smirk and he gasps as he turns back towards you, horror coloring his features.

“This is my death! Take it seriously!” he cries.

“Satoru, you’re not dying anytime soon. Why does it matter?” you reply, your tone short as your irritation finally begins to start peeking through.

“It matters because I want to know that you’re not gonna be off fucking some other guy a week after I die,” he mutters, leaning back into the couch and crossing his arms over his chest. 

“I’m not gonna be fucking some other guy,” you snap and now it’s your turn to lean forward in your seat, your elbows on your knees as you tiredly rub your face with your hands. 

“You will two years after I die,” he huffs and you groan at his petty response.

“Can you shut up about ‘two years’ already? It was just a number I threw out. I didn’t put a lot of thought into it,” you explain, hoping that he’ll drop the topic despite knowing that Gojo has never been one to let anything go. 

There’s a slow creeping weariness that you can feel settling into your bones. It’s one that you usually only feel after a bad mission, not when arguing with Gojo. Feeling it in such a domestic setting is putting you on edge.

“Why not? This is my death we’re talking about!” he presses and you feel your self-control crack.

“Exactly! I don’t want to think about it!” you shout back. 

You’re not sure if it’s because of how loud your voice suddenly is or the admission altogether, but it seems to stun him into silence. You immediately find yourself regretting your words, hating how exposed they’ve left you. 

The last thing you want is to see the look on his face and so you bury your face further into your hands. You can feel his gaze on you and even if he didn’t have the Six Eyes, you think it would burn just as hot. 

“I don’t want to think about you dying,” you mumble, unable to stop yourself from continuing. “So can we please just drop it already?”

There’s a heavy silence that hangs over the two of you. Eventually, it breaks when Gojo lets out a soft sigh. You feel the couch cushions shifting as he leans forward and tosses an arm over your shoulders. He then drops his chin to rest on top of your head as he holds you close.

“Don’t worry. I’m the strongest,” he says, his tone light as he tries to reassure you. It’s only because you know him so well that you can tell how forced his nonchalance is. “No matter what, I’ll win.”

You find yourself wrapping his words around you, clutching onto them tightly like a safety blanket that refuse to let go of.

“Isn’t your aunt’s boyfriend like half her age?” he suddenly asks, switching the topic altogether and you lean further into his side in silent gratitude. 

“More than half. He’s younger than us,” you reply with a quiet snort, finally dropping your hands from your face.

“Hm, well good for her.”

He doesn’t respond to your taunt, and you think the universe is finally showing you mercy and allowing you to fall back asleep. But then he gives an exaggerated sigh, pulling your waning attention back to him without even needing to say a word — an art that he’s perfected over the years that you’ve been together.

“I guess you don’t need to spend ten years mourning me,” he says and you groan, wanting nothing more than for this conversation to be over and for him to just let you sleep like mere mortals do. “I mean, mourn me a little at least. But ten years is asking a lot, isn’t it?”

“Satoru…” you warn. It would probably sound more threatening if you hadn’t yawned halfway through saying it.

“But, just wait a while before you start dating again, alright? Even in the afterlife, I don’t know if my ego could take it if you moved onto someone new too quickly,” he jokes, but beneath the self-deprecating humor, there’s a strange vulnerability that finally has you opening your eyes.

And you immediately wish you hadn’t because doing so shatters the strange, liminal space that comes with not being fully asleep and not fully awake. Your mind is still drowsy and it takes a minute to realize that something is wrong. All that you’re aware of is that you’re now soberingly conscious. 

When reality manages to catch up with you, your world comes crashing down around you in sharp, jagged pieces. Because where only a moment ago, you could feel Gojo’s warmth behind you in bed, hear his voice in your ears, feel his presence in your life, all that’s left now is an aching void. 

You’re overcome with the urge to look over your shoulder, despite knowing that you’ll find nothing when you do so. And that’s what keeps you lying still, staring straight ahead into the dark. 

This is your own Schrödinger's cat — if you don’t turn around then you don’t know if he’s not there. Just like the cat, Gojo is still alive so long as you don’t look. 

“S-Satoru…?” you ask, unable to help yourself. Your voice is rough with sleep, and it sounds so different, so much more real, from how you just heard it when you were talking with him. Maybe that’s answer enough. 

“Satoru?” Your voice cracks when you try again, only to be met with deafening silence. 

There’s a sharp pain in your ribcage, one that you’ve become familiar with over the past few months. You instinctively bring a hand to the middle of your chest, pressing your palm down hard to alleviate the ache despite knowing that it won’t help. 

The bed has always been too large. It had to be in order to fit his lanky frame. But now it threatens to swallow you whole and you scramble to escape it, your legs getting caught in the sheets as you rush to kick them off. 

You stumble out of the bedroom and make your way to the living room, where you fling a shaking hand out to flip the light switch. The sudden brightness has you squinting and after you’ve taken a moment for your eyes to adjust, you find yourself dropping to your knees in front of the small, wooden altar that’s been set up against the wall. 

Your breath catches in your throat as you’re met with Gojo’s smiling portrait — the only way you’ll ever be face-to-face again. His sunglasses sit carefully, reverently, to one side, folded on top of his trademark blindfold. A small box of mochi from his favorite café sits on the shelf just beneath in offering. 

With slightly trembling hands, you open the butsudan’s drawer and pick up the box of incense, sighing when you open it and see that there’s only one stick left. You absently note to buy more when you go out tomorrow for your regular visit to Gojo’s grave. 

Once you’ve set the last stick in its elegant dish and lit it, you take a deep, shaking breath, and try to push down the wave of tears you feel burning behind your eyes. The fabric of your black sleep shorts is clenched tightly between your fingers where your hands sit on your thighs. 

You suddenly feel angry and you latch onto the burning emotion, desperate to feel anything other than the overwhelming grief that’s found a home deep in your soul. Its roots have grown and stretched over the months to consume every piece of you, like an invasive species that’s destroyed everything else until it’s the only thing left in your life.

“You asshole.” You meant to spit the words out, but instead, they fall flat along with your resentment. “Of course I’ll mourn you. Did you really think I wouldn’t?”

Your head drops forward and you cover your eyes with one hand, as if doing so will hide your tears from Gojo’s ever-watchful gaze. Despite your best efforts, your self-control finally slips and you softly begin to sob.

“Y-you wanted ten years?” you ask, still unable to look at him. “I’ll mourn you forever. I promise.”

If he was still alive, you would have offered to make him a binding vow. You should have offered to make him a binding vow. Instead, you can only make one with yourself. 

“Please tell me this is just my imagination,” you murmur, desperately hoping that some passing god will take pity on you and give you what you want more than anything. You don’t care what you have to give up, as long as they’ll give you Gojo back. 

With your eyes closed and your hand blocking any light, you find yourself wondering if you’ve fallen back into that liminal space once again, where everything is and isn’t at the same time. If you try hard enough, you can almost hear him tsking and asking you why you didn’t spend more on a bigger butsudan. 

But the scent of the incense and the soft sounds of your crying keep you from slipping away from the present. 

Your vision is blurry with your tears when you lift your gaze back up to look at Gojo. As his photo grins back, you sniffle and wipe your messy face with the back of your wrist before you press your palms together and bow your head.

“I pray that this all is just my imagination,” you beg him, pleading with him to perform one last miracle for you.

But when you open your eyes and find yourself still alone, the incense burning, and only your grief and his portrait for company, you know that this is reality — even as it falls out from under you.

[alexiswritingstuff]

Not just a man.

Pairing: Hiromi Higuruma x gn! reader

Warnings: none?

Summary: during one of the initial meetings in the culling game, Y/n decides to spark up a conversation with the mysterious man in the black suit.

Other mentions: like one thing about Itadori.

A/n: okay, I'm honestly not too confident about this one but if I leave it any longer it is just going to rot in my drafts, so here is my first fic with Higuruma! This is spoiler free, and even though it is based on the culling games, there might be points in this fic that don't accurately depict the situation in the manga. I have read it multiple times but my brain is something else, man. Also, be aware that there could be mischaracterisation, or general moments that would seem OOC for Higuruma. As much as I love him, this is my first fic with him so it will probably take time to nail down his characters, especially because the only thing that I can base it off is content from the manga. Either way, and despite the possible downsides, I hope you enjoy reading!

Finding a definition to encapsulate the past few days since the event had started was... difficult to say the least. While that may be because there wasn't a singular word to describe it, the options were unlimited.

Before anything had the chance to process, it was right onto the next thing. Another problem. Another fight, both physically and verbally.

It was the sort of cycle that may have already been usual in your kind of world, as there was no point in resting when curses were about, yet somehow it almost felt faster. Instead of potentially running into some form of beast, it was now an expectation instead.

Initially, you would think that was the most unnerving part, wouldn’t you?

Though, as you sat in a vast room with more people you had known in your life, it seemed that thought was more wrong than you could have known.

At some point during the game, a bunch of sorcerers were rounded up. You, somehow, just ended up being wound into it at some point. I mean, you may barely grasp the meaning of the culling game, but there were enough clues to fill it in.

There were only a few reasons why people like yourselves would gather in this way.

Something big was going down.

The room itself had become quieter over time. Most of the people within had left one after the other. Either having personal things to attend to, further discussions, or just trying to grab a breath of fresh air before even more stress.

You, however, had made yourself comfortable in one of the randomly placed seats. Or at least tried to.

In all honesty, your body was almost rigid. A lack of a want to move as the urge to fidget continuously antagonised each limb. It made it more tricky to maintain that hard exterior everyone else seemed to be able to keep up with ease. 

The whole sorcery thing wasn't exactly new to you. Your ability wasn't something you discovered young, like many others. It had given you enough time to learn about it. Grow it. Though being surrounded by other people who also had some form of ability was new.

Yeah, considering the fact that you had previously only met about a handful, it was most definitely new.

But you had to admit that it was very interesting to see the different kinds of sorcerers there were.

No matter how apparent, there was an active difference in mindsets, attitudes, personalities, and the general looks of these people. Most of what they could do even contrasted with it.

They had their own stories, their own abilities, and their own worlds. It was like the more you looked around, there was an increased possibility in becoming intrigued by something different.

And eventually, it landed on one thing in particular.

One person.

To your left was this man. He was sitting in his respective chair almost as if he were one with it, his hand simply resting against a table that separated the two of you, while his eyes gazed forward without a specific focus.

There wasn't exactly anything obscure about him. There was nothing on the surface that made him stick out from the rest; in fact, he was probably the most generic-looking person here.

He was just a man in a mere black suit and matching tie, though there was something that made it increasingly difficult for your eyes to stray.

And apparently keeping your mouth shut too.

“It's Higuruma, isn't it?”

It seemed to take a few seconds for the sound to register in his ears. Or, more so, the fact that it was directed at him if the words weren't enough. So a moment passed, he blinked, and eventually his head began to turn in your direction.

It was a lazy movement, one that soon revealed his other hand to be resting against his chin while the hook of a finger pressed into the space beneath his bottom lip. If he had glasses on, his eyes would be peering right over them, startled yet tired enough that they could barely be seen.

The man before you hummed, a deep sound that grumbled within his throat until his lips had finally decided to part. “I don't believe we've met before.”

His voice was pretty much what you were expecting it to be: lacking interest, flat, and a tad accusatory.

It was paired with this furrowed eyebrow, which created a light look of confusion, either simply because of the sudden conversation or the fact that it was with someone he hadn't paid much attention to beforehand.

To others, it may have made them uneasy. Filled them with a regret just for opening their mouth in the first place. But not for you. In fact, it had you finally settling into your seat.

“No, actually, I overheard that, uh, Itadori kid talking about your previous... interaction,” you explained, trying to use a new tone in hopes of loosening him up and making it clear that you were just wanting to talk. However, there was barely even a reaction.

A muscle in his face had slightly twitched in response to the phrasing, but otherwise he was still. He just stared back at you with those blank eyes.

He looked to be thinking, which helped relieve some of the tension, though in reality, it didn’t seem like he was one for conversing. At least not right now, anyway, and it should’ve made you turn away. It should’ve shut your mouth and made you go find somewhere else to bother. I mean, you had learned quite a few names by now. 

But the more you looked back at the so-called Higuruma, the more questions began to pile high up inside your brain. And it was only a matter of time before one would decide it was right to spill through your lips.

“Okay, look, I'm sorry, but I really need to.” You huffed out a breath, letting your feet fully plant against the ground as your torso twisted towards the man for proper delivery. “Can I ask you a question?”

There was a speck of hesitance that appeared within his gaze once it focused back on you, but nevertheless, “Go ahead." He relented, his tone enough of a warning that this was either going to continue or finish this conversation all together.

“Did you really take a bath with your clothes on?”

When the question settled for a moment, Higuruma leaned back a little, allowing a full view of you into his vision before he challenged, “Is it that unbelievable?”

“Well... I can't say that I've thought of doing it myself.”

“Exactly,” he stated without missing a beat, and it stilled your body. Your lips stayed apart for a moment, attempting to find the right words while he continued to stare into your soul. “So you just woke up one day and decided to bathe fully clothed?”

You blinked at him. He blinked right back. “Pretty much.”

Within the next few seconds, you found yourself sort of mirroring the way he sat. Like all the care you had on keeping up some form of appearance just went right out of the window.

And though a string of words failed to encompass your reaction to his experiment, it seemed that whatever expression was on your face was enough to entice a further explanation.

“Not to disappoint,” Higuruma had begun through a slight strain, somehow sinking even further into the chair until the back of his head was planted against the top rail. “But truthfully, I was only trying to do something I normally wouldn't.”

“That's all.”

Never in your life have you been more curious about a singular man. He hadn't done anything crazy; I mean, at some point, you must have had that same thought. So what the hell was it? Why was there an urge to keep this conversation going?

“And… how did that feel?” 

At this point, Higuruma's eyes had fallen closed, getting tired of staring up at the same boring ceiling, and basked in the growing silence from the fewer sorcerers. “Damp... though I must say it was better than I thought it would be.”

The only response you could think of was this barely audible hum. It was the easiest conclusion, seeing as it would acknowledge the comment while buying you time to figure out what exactly to say next. But it was rather challenging.

This whole scenario was just strange to you—something you probably couldn't even dream up if you tried. Yet here you were in the real world, having the most entertaining conversation with a man who you most likely wouldn't get the chance to if it weren't for the fact that both of you were sorcerers.

“You know, I didn't think I was going to get along with a lawyer.” you spoke up after a moment of silence, and Higuruma sucked air into his nose. His head lolled to the side, a movement fulfilled with somehow less energy than before. “That obvious?” he questioned, which in turn had you raising your eyebrows.

“What—that you're a lawyer?” you attempted to clarify, properly meeting his heavy gaze just in time to see his short nod. “You're the only one in here dressed in a full fancy suit; it was either that or you were a member of the men in black.”

It wasn’t entirely visible, but you swore the next time you blinked that the corner of his mouth that you could see sort of quirked upward. It wasn't a full smile; it had barely even created that little crevice, though it got accentuated by a huff that slightly shook his body. 

And then it faded: “Are you going to ask about my abilities too, then?”

“No, no, I got the jist,” you waved off initially, noting the way the question drained all the expressiveness from his face. “Honestly, I was more interested in the bath thing anyway, but now that you mention it, it must've taken you a while to master a thing like that.”

Higuruma hummed again, his gaze becoming unfocused once again as he started to search through his recollections. “I believe... It's been about twelve days.”

If it weren't for the statement itself, the nonchalant delivery would have also caused your eyes to widen in the way that they did. “What?” Your body turned as much as it could until your knee knocked into the crooked coffee table. The man before you remained unfazed.

“Twelve days—forget being a sorcerer; you're a damn magician, Higuruma!” you insisted, trying so hard to keep your voice at a minimum level while he lazily began to push himself to sit up straight. “Is it really that impressive?”

Your eyebrows were completely furrowed this time, your gaze narrowing on the man in disbelief. “There are some people who get their abilities at birth, and they can still not have them under control no matter what age they reach.”

“But that would also depend on the effort they put into doing so in the first place, if any,” Higuruma countered without missing a beat, though the conviction layering his voice faltered when he continued, “I… just got that chance of getting something that wasn't much different from my usual job.”

“Still, you managed to understand it—in what, a little more than a week? And it’s already at the point that you can just fully use it?” you reminded him almost at the same speed that he had, “I mean, even for a lawyer, that's got to be at least notable.”

The rest of his face may have been void of any emotions, but those eyebrows weren’t fooling anyone. His mind was moving. What wasn’t apparent, however, was in which direction it was doing so.

Higuruma may have been new to the world of sorcery, but this wasn’t something he thought was part of it.

Your genuineness, your curiosity, that look on your face—that was anything but the disgust he had seen in his own eyes. For once, he was face-to-face with something he couldn't solve right off the bat.

“How long did it take you?” He finally spoke up after a moment, and it seemed that both of you were equally unsure if the change of subject was due to it being uncomfortable or if he was now the one to be genuinely curious.

Now it was your turn to lean back a little. “Truthfully,” you started, averting your gaze for pretty much the first time since this entire interaction had begun. “I don't think mine is story-worthy, to be honest.”

Higurumas brow twitched upward. “How come?”

“Well,” You took in a breath, “not everyone has eventful lives. It’s as simple as that, really. In a world with a multitude of different abilities, there is bound to be a plethora of expectations and disappointments.” you stated with a light shrug, “Besides, I'm kinda tired of the whole 'introducing people's abilities before themselves'.”

“Isn’t that a little contradictory?” he inquired, and the defensiveness beat your urge to laugh. “What? No-- You were the one who willingly confirmed what you could do. I was only asking about–”

“The bath thing,” Higuruma affirmed before you could. “Yeah, yeah, I remember.” The look he gave you was one that had a grin fighting to take over your lips. It may have been filled with some annoyance, further concluded by a slight shake of his head. But it wasn’t the bad kind.

“Listen,” you began, trying to regain that seriousness so that you could get back to your point, even if it faltered. “All I’m saying is that we have every other day to discuss our abilities, man, but right now we have the chance to just... sit and talk about anything but that.”

That feeling of defensiveness was back, no matter its battle with amusement. And this time it was on a level that had you crossing your arms over your chest, as if it would do anything. “Then what do you have in mind?” Higuruma questioned, simply watching you complete your movement.

Your lips parted immediately for some reason. It was like your mind had pre-prepared some form of comeback as it got ready to let the words roll off your tongue… but they barely even formed into a sound. It was more like a slight croak, in all honesty. You paused. 

“... I didn't think that far."

For the first time in the minutes that you had known this man, the corners of his mouth had finally, and visibly, curled. 

He looked at you, his smile begging to grow further and further, to the point that he started biting it down. 

It was sort of unusual to see. Most of the time you looked at him, he had this blankness that latched to his face in a way that made it almost look embedded into the skin. There wasn’t really any difference in expression; it was more the movement of muscles. 

Yet now, whatever he was showing had almost reached his eyes, and it sat very nicely.

“What?” you half breathed out, a sort of nervous laugh breaking through your lips despite most of your face being screwed up in confusion. Higuruma waved a hand lazily and said, “Nothing. It's nothing; you're just…”

“It's all just been a little interesting,” he finally confessed, and though you were sure of its meaning, the phrasing put a crack in your amusement. “In a good way or a bad way?” you quizzed with a lighter tone, settling back into the chair, which never actually relieved the tension from your spine.

Higuruma shook his head once more before his gaze shifted to find your own. That previous spike of enjoyment seemed to use up the last bit of energy he had for the day as his face slowly reverted back to its usual state.

“It's good now, I think…” he started, dragging out the ending word, and it wasn’t until he lowered his chin that you realised he was gesturing in your direction. He was asking for your name. You hadn’t told him your name?

“Oh… Oh, just call me, L/n.” you informed quickly, trying to hide the confusion that had made itself known once more while the man before you simply nodded. “L/n,” he repeated quietly before continuing in a fuller voice. “Well, I hope your first impression of me wasn’t as bad as it sounds in my head,”

The slight grimace dusting over his face had you huffing out a laugh in seconds. “Oh, I don’t think you’ll need to worry about that any time soon, Higuruma,” you insisted, letting that smile take its rightful place on your lips to further prove it. 

And though it took a moment of looking at each other, he finally had a reason to do it too.

“Not at all.”

[mae-i-scribble]

Since I am entirely too unwell about Ancient Magus Bride at all times of the day I have decided to break down the latest opening because I cannot do so for the friend I am watching season 2 with since she hasn't read the manga. Hands down this latest opening, Nemurasareta Lineage by Junna, is the best in the series to me. And I don't make that claim lightly, the first opening is iconic on so many levels from the visual to the lyrics, we ignore the 2nd opening bc it sucked (sorry to the fans out there I just do my best to pretend this one doesn't exist, no i have not moved on from my bitterness at its reused animation since 2016 next question), and season 2's first opening is also incredible.

However, what this latest opening brings to the table is some of the most spectacular visuals I've seen in a hot minute- and I don't mean from purely visual, I mean thematically, this opening is fucking spectacular. Every single moment has purpose and meaning behind it.

I will be putting the rest under a read more as to not clog anyone's dash bc this is gonna be l o n g

Starting off from the very first shot we already have so much thematic meaning crammed into this.

Firstly, the shot of Elias opening the book has many connotations, alluding to how he has read the Testament of Carnamagos while also alluding to the fact that him reading that book is ultimately what lead to this story happening at all. If Elias had never read it to try and transfer Chise's curse, Chise would not have done what she did and Elias wouldn't have learned how to let Chise be independent, and then Chise never would have gone to the college. In that respect it's a perfect opener for this "play," as it was the prelude to this act.

Then we have the next shot of Elias hanging like a puppet, showing us an empty vessel-like appearance before being pulled upwards. There are a lot of different ways to interpret this, personally it drew me back to how the Wil O' Wisp described a magus as "someone bound to their fate." Elias, a tried and true magus, is bound to his fate like a puppet on a string while Chise, someone who is not yet fully a magus is free to walk around the stage as herself. Elias' removal from the set, and subsequently the way he claps to bring forth the next "acts" in the show, I think speaks to the way he is largely removed from this arc. Of course he is there, watching over Chise and pushing her along as best he can, but he has very much taken more of a spectator role in this arc. He guides his pupil the best he can but lets her make her own choices.

Now, onto Chise's entrance.

With the college/the sorcerer's society as our stage, the protagonist enters. Chise walks in and looks around confused, just as she did when first entering the college and when she first learned of the dark politics lying underneath it. She is the only one not a part of the performance, the one factor that ultimately destroys the narrative the Sargent and the Rickenbacker families were trying to create.

At first, I thought these cardboard figures were a representation of the 7 powerful sorcerer families we are introduced to, but then I realized there were actually 8 figures so that theory is thrown out the window. This is something I'm not actually that confident in so if anyone else has interpretations I am so down to hear it. Obviously the woman in red holding the spider alludes to Lucy. The wolf next to her is most likely then the werewolf mother. The hooded man with the hammer I think can reasonably represent Isaac. While the knight beside him I honestly see as Rian (his sort of knight in shining armor attitude when it comes to Philomela, his very straight-laced straightforward view of things). The nun-like figure with the owl is mostly likely representing Philomela/Lizabeth Sargent. I can see the jester with the snake wrapped around him to be Zoey. For the last two figures though, I am absolutely stumped. The two women with the songbird remind me of Veronica, from the way she was raised up by her family to be a bird in a cage while simultaneously holding Philomela in an even smaller cage. For the family on the far right though I have absolutely nothing. However, I know there is some meaning behidn it, this opening is too packed with symbolism for it not to.

Speaking of symbolism, the sequence that follows is chalked full of it.

Elias ushers in the entrance of Philomela, trapped in her cage. The design of the cage and the flowers around it make it seem extravagant, exactly what Philomela's life might look like to someone not aware of what's really going on. But a cage is still a cage, and this one comes with a guardian owl, keeping watch over Philomela in place of actually showing Lizabeth. The toys lining the bottom are representative of one of the key moments that made Philomela realize just how tight the bars around her were- that she would never have her grandmother's love, no matter what she did.

Then we cut to moments of Philomela's childhood, again deceptively happy with what we know of Veronica and how she treated Philomela. The baby bird hatching from the egg, Philomela when she was still young and innocent and far too fragile. This association of the baby bird with Philomela also comes back later in a heartbreaking way so :')

Then Chise reaches out with the potpourri, and Philomela becomes alive. It's so fitting, in that Chise's kindness to Philomela, the understanding she has to exactly the pain Philomela is going through, is what touches Philomela so deeply, reminds her of the time where her life was not structured in this way. Chise gives her hope that it doesn't have to be, Chise pulls her out of it and gives her a perch to stand on, and it all began with one fateful meeting.

The shot we get of Chise smiling and swaying in the breeze is all too perfect, in showing that this desire for connection is mutual.

Fittingly, we then see Chise reach out to her friends one by one. Lucy and Zoe's each have a bit more meaning behind them, as we're still somewhat in the dark when it comes to Rian and Isaac's histories, but it still examplifies the ways in which Chise tries to help those around her as best she can. It also makes it abundantly clear why Philomela, and subsequently everyone else, are presented as children in this sequence: a direct reference to chapters 86-87 in which they all are mixed up due to Chise's influence and Chise goes around helping them regain themselves. It marks the turning point in which Philomela tries to take a stand against her grandmother and start believing in the people who have come to try and save her.

There is one gaping hole in this in that Zoey is in fact, not present at all in the whole mind melding thing, but I'm taking that as the animators/directors wanting to include him in this sequence as another main player. Plus the shot we get of him is very cheeking in showing a broken shell- in the way Chise figurative helped him break out of his shell and very literally revealed him to be a gorgon/human mix by accident.

In that interpretation it is also crucial to think about why Chise was kept as her teenage self and not also scaled down to baby form as in the original chapter. But overall keeping her as a teenager flows with the story of the opening itself better while still keeping those same allusions and thematics.

The next big shot to talk about is this one right here.

Many have already pointed out how it is an homage to the classical painting "The School in Athens." Which is very fitting for the college setting of this arc. More so than the reference itself, the way in which the characters are placed is so meaningful.

We have Chise in the center of it all as the catalyst of course. But we once more get that repetition of Elias as a bystander, observing the situation while remaining more in the background when it comes to Chise. Parallel to him is Lizabeth, who is similarly an outsider but with none of Elias' good nature, she is an outsider in that she wants to watch this scene burn to the ground (and probably why the choice was to then introduce a werewolf who leaps forwards on the attack, still under Lizabeth's control.)

Ruth and Alcyone are also parallel to one another, highlighted in a shot mirroring the two of them. This is interesting in that Alcyone is far more often paired with Elias when being given a point of comparison. While she is quite literally an artificial familiar, her presence is what sparks the idea that Elias might be something similar to her, and yet here she is paired with Ruth. They do have their similarities in the way they would do anything for the person they live for. A thought that struck me was in this mirroring there is also a contrast, Ruth shares his life with Chise, if he dies she is to die as well. However Alcyone's death was meant to be a way for Philomela to live- it was crucial in ensuring Philomela's freedom from her grandmother.

Also notably, Veronica is given a long, lingering shot. As a child, she is far more innocent looking, but the shot stays just a moment too long, as if trying to confirm the suspicions surrounding her (which manga readers will know are true). We also have Jasmine and Violet prominently featured, a very interesting choice considering how little a role they play in this arc, but I feel that current suspicions about how they will have a large role in the upcoming arc might be supported by their presence here. There actually isn't much to say about the shots with the werewolf and our first glimpse of how the show portrays the Testament as it gains a physical form.

While gorgeous there's just not much to say about them from an analytical standpoint. Besides for the way in which everyone is turned back into their play forms upon being killed, as if that was their original fate before Chise's interference with the story.

We then see Chise look devastated, the carnage of her dead friends behind her on the stage. It truly captures just how terrified she is of losing people she cares for. But then she looks at the thorn rune- plot relevant in the way her rune charms protected her friends from being killed. But it's also Elias' symbol, and yet another reminder of how he is still watching over and protecting her throughout all of this. It's only after she activates the magic that she looks up, determined to carry on and change this fate.

The start of our final action sequence for this opening is a bang, giving us this chaotic shot.

We see both bits of the classical painting and of our original stage figures being tossed around in the background referencing how the Testament literally rips its way through both the college itself and the students/teachers there. It also, notably, is not contained within the story, instead existing on the same plane as Chise. It's a being far too powerful to be contained in such a way, so it makes perfect sense for it not to be confined to the theatrical setting of this opening.

The next flash of shots is perhaps one of the most hearbreaking ones in this entire opening. First we're shown Philomela and her grandmother, then we cut to this:

Y'all the layers to this, the l a y e r s. We've already seen this bird represent Philomela in the opening itself as a hatchling. However the adult form of this bird is exactly the same as what Alcyone's base is, it is the only thing remaining once Alcyone dies. However we see all 3 stages of life here, lying dead on the ground. The Sargent family is a family of abusive cycles. Lizabeth passes down her abuse to her son, having been doomed to this path from the moment she was born. It's Adam who tries to break the cycle but ultimately fails, choosing to end his own life rather than return. This dooms his baby daughter to the same fate, nearly killing her as well. It's Alcyone, the last remaining gift Philomela has from her father and the one way he thought of to keep her safe even if he was gone. It's both about the cycles and about how they are broken and how Philomela will never truly escape the violence of the family she was born into, even after her grandmother is gone. This is then followed by the 1 picture of her parents that Philomela tries so hard to remember but cannot. Anyways I am going to be physically ill, next.

While the last sequence is just a build up to the final fight (cool as fuck but again, not much to say analytically), I do want to point out that when the Testament pulls in all the surrounding settings, it pulls in both the theatrical characters and the actual representations of Chise's friends with them. Which is such a cool little detail my jaw in on the fucking floor.

And after a brilliantly animated scene of Chise running to try and save Philomela from the jaws of this monster, everything abruptly comes to a close. Leaving us unsure of whether or not Philomela was truly saved, as the last set piece to fall away is that gilded cage, the angle making it unclear if Philomela is still inside before our title card appears. The quiet, peaceful shot of the classroom the title lingers over in favor of the chilling set pieces of the opening before it is an excellent place to end, leaving that sense of urgency and notions of the sinister lying in wait at the college.

All of this, and I haven't even touched on the lyrics- which I won't do so here. I am not a qualified translator and frankly this post is long enough as it is. It isn't as if this opening needs anything else to explain how fucking fantastic it is- the visuals themselves are stunning on a level few openings are these days. Not only does it tie into already existing thematics of the show, not only does it go through plot points we have seen and those yet to come in unique and engaging ways, the opening *itself* brings forth its own thematic reading of the college arc and Chise's place in it while telling its own story of events. Truly a masterclass piece of animation all around.

[anqelically-archived]

Congrats you got to 300 followers but now you shall have 301 thanks to me 😉

Can i plz get nagi seishiro with fluff prompts 6 and 10!

the things he makes you not do | seishiro nagi x gn!reader

word count: 0.3k

content: no manga spoilers, fluff

navigation | bllk masterlist | event

“sei? are you awake?”

after you whispered, your pointer finger tapped the white-haired boy’s shoulder. the two of you have been laying in bed, the television quietly playing in the background. this was your way of resting before a double date you knew would be tiring.

reo mikage, the closest friend of your boyfriend, seishiro nagi, planned out an exciting double date with you guys and his own girlfriend. they’ve been talking about it for the past week, so it was hard to forget about.

unlike like the two of them, you and nagi preferred to chill indoors. but on this occasion, they were able to convince you to go out. maybe that’s what kept your bond as a group close. as individuals, you were complimentary opposites.

with the knowledge that you guys had to meet up in over an hour, you wanted nagi to be awake before you started to get ready. he usually thought that doing everything was a hassle, so you were prepared to drag him out of bed if necessary.

the white-haired boy stirred on top of you. he stopped moving after leaving his head facing the wall, the right side of his face visible.

"aw, you're so cute," you smiled. he nestled his head further down your chest. "nagi, getting more comfortable... there's no point because i'm getting up now. we can't be late. we promised reo to be on time."

from his position, nagi peeked at you with one eye, "no, you promised reo to try to get there on time. now stop moving, 'm sleepy, and getting up is such a pain..."

you retorted, "you'll be getting up later anyway, you know."

“that’s later.”

“yeah, but-“ you let out a sigh of defeat, knowing it was fruitless to even try to continue. so much for being prepared to drag him out of bed. nagi looked up at you with lidded eyes as you said, “ugh, fine… i’ll give you 30 minutes, sei. seriously. you’re lucky you’re adorable.”

contently, nagi fell asleep with his head laying back on your chest. you took your hand and twirled a piece of his hair with your finger. you didn’t realize it, but you also fell asleep. it was when reo, pouting, showed up at your house with his girlfriend that you cursed yourself.

the things he makes you not do.

note: dear tumblr, i will cry if you delete things from this post too. i can’t take it anymore 😭 but if you’re reading this, remember that requests for the event are still open as of march 1st !!

please reblog, it’s appreciated <3

[hermitw]

Tengen, Kenjaku, + Sukuna - relationships and history (my guess at them, at least)

Sukuna's eye piece resembles a tree. It seems to move on its own, like it's breathing or something - Tengen's head does this as well.

In the exchange event arc, Kenjaku says that you can think of Tengen like a tree.

This might draw on a relationship between Sukuna and Tengen.

Sukuna doesn't seem to know much about his mother - maybe she was starving, she was pregnant with twins but Sukuna ate the sibling (which might have begun the cannibal rumor - we never see him eat anyone but his own mummy. When Sukuna did try other foods (popcorn and soda) they didn't even include meat. Anyway, it seems more like Sukuna absorbed his twin in the womb, they sort of fused together, and he came out with extra arms and 2 faces. (this is a post for another time, but I suspect that Sukuna has dissociative identity disorder, which is caused by childhood trauma. I'm only mentioning this because maybe sukuna had both souls, but I'm not theorizing in the 2 souls thing - if anyone else goes that route, I'd love to read it though.

Sukuna was an unwanted child, a cursed child, one that should have never been born (this is how he describes himself, and I'm certain he learned that from the way adults spoke of and treated him).

Tengen only smiled when Yuuji asked “why do you look like that?” coupled with Tengen saying “I'm more like a granny” and Kenjaku thinking that Tengen is starting to resemble Sukuna (and at first I thought sukuna was eating Tengen's true body, not his own mummy, so the resemblance is rly there - and Sukuna seemed surprised to see a mummy, which made me think that wasn't his own body. Because the clothing etc tells us that Sukuna committed to self-mummification, a Buddhist ritual that was eventually outlawed as suicide.) and I've come to think that Tengen is Sukuna's grandmother.

What about Kenjaku? The way Sukuna (and Uraume) acts around him screams trauma. We know that Kenjaku is a long-term plotting manipulator, master of coercive control. It really seems like Kenjaku and Tengen had some relationship… I wonder if Kenjaku was a bad influence on her. If the way he used the dead bodies of other people to inhabit himself normalized such disrespect of autonomy, or if Kenjaku insinuated that erasing (as Yaga put it) the star plasma vessels (middle school girls, as far as we know) was the only way to preserve Tengen's humanity as she ages.

There's also the fact that cursed energy, spirits, sorcerers, are only so prevalent and strong in Japan compared to the rest of the world because of Tengen's barrier - which is very suspicious, making the fact that Tengen strengthens the barriers utterly meaningless to me.

Is kenjaku a relative of Sukuna? I'm not sure. But in the end of this post I noted some possible references to Marilyn Manson (it's been 10 years since I've read his autobiography, interviews etc) in Sukuna's character - most heavily supported by Gege choosing Sa(i)nt as his song (side note, Manson has claimed to have DID). Anyway, the most disturbing part of that book to me was his grandfather's basement. He and his cousin used to pretend to be spies, and sneak into their grandfather's private room, and he still has nightmares about it (pretty sure I do too). I won't go into it here bc I'm not interested in throwing up. And I don't remember whether he feared his grandfather, but I'm pretty sure that punishment methods (which have now been classified as torture, i think) were mentioned - I think from both grandparents idk. Anyway, Sukuna said that Kenjaku does the grossest things (genuinely between Manson’s grandfather and Kenjaku, I can't tell who is more disgusting) which hints that this is no surprise, consistent with his behavior 1,000 years in the past.

Edit to add another thing that is... In the manga, Sukuna double jumps in mid-air, and we never get an explanation for that. In the first episode, Yuuji jumps 4 stories before eating the finger (his athleticism is usually close to the world record iirc, so this is too much imo). There's also Yuki Tsukumo's gravity CT (I think that she and Todo are also kenjaku's kids, but none of them are aware of it, not even him). Anyway. The point here is that maybe this is a sign of Sukuna being Kenjaku's child in some way, as well.

Back to Kenjaku - what the hell is his domain's effect?

I'm making the case here for age regression. Tengen only became fetus Tengen after being removed from Kenjaku (you could say this is for convenient transport to Sukuna, but I don't know). Often, responses to trauma, awareness that a relationship was even abusive, only set in after spending time away from the abuser. And then regression can set in, like suddenly missing social skills, going nonverbal, feeling a total loss of personhood etc. Given the metaphor for SA that I find in another character (if you caught up on the posts mentioned from the earlier link, you already know what I'm talking about - the yap (part 1 part 2) that goes way deeper into the references of trauma, especially sexual abuse, infringement on autonomy, prevalent in jjk, involving more characters. With that in mind, I feel supported that Kenjaku's thing is age regression). When Tengen and Kenjaku were together (whatever kind of relationship that was - what I mean is, when they were in close proximity, at least) kenjaku might have prevented Tengen from aging (in the evolution sense. I also wonder if Kenjaku's age regression thing could prevent himself from aging, as well - despite being a thousand year old brain, he certainly lacks emotional maturity, indifferent at best to the suffering he causes). I imagine that if Tengen and Kenjaku separated, then Tengen would continue a cycle of abuse, or just enact the same sort of behavior that Kenjaku didn't think twice about, to preserve herself. Maybe there were other ways to go about this - like a pact??? The most obvious answer here.

There's also the way that Tengen, the star plasma vessels, and the six eyes are all tied by fate (ngl I'm still wondering what this could mean so please elaborate if you have any ideas).

[chaotic-cheese-blog]

I JUST FINISHED BINGING THE DUNGEON MESHI MANGA AND GAAAAAAAAAAAAA (Major ending spoilers ahead)

I just need to ramble about how much I LOVE it :3

(amazing gif btw kevinbikes)

In no particular order:

THAT ENDING!!! So sweet and funny at the end tooooooo

"so that's what the curse was..." Buddy at least you got your sister back 😭😭 (then again, I too would be sad if I couldn't experience my fixations any more)

The dungeon rabbits! Absolutely horrifying! Marcille having to necromancy all her friends 😭😭 (I mean that one panel was kinda funny ngl-). There's no way she isn't traumatized from that.

Scratch that, there's no way they ALL aren't traumatized from that.

Wait a sec,,, I can finally scroll the dunmeshi tags without worrying about spoilers!!

I now get why people said it gets weird,,, I get it,,,

They finally saved Falin! I love how even though it got fucking weird in the end, it was still all to help her

I don't get why they kept saying Marcille's Dungeon lord dress was ugly, I thought it was cute 😭

I find that it was appropriately paced! Before starting, I groaned at the thought of reading all that, but nothing really felt like it dragged on more than necessary (unlike SOME manga *cough cough* one piece *cough cough*)

The golden castle guys get to be on the surface again!

Now onto the fuckass lion:

The bonus 'what-ifs' are actually kinda also depressing? I'm specifically talking about the 'Laios gets eaten ' one, the rest are quite funny.

Of course it all comes down to eating!! It had to!

I KNEW THAT BITCH WAS EVIL FROM THE MOMENT HE ENTERED LAIOS' DREAM

Mithrun's goat story only helped solidify it

(speaking of Mithrun, I'm glad he gets to try living again :) thanks Kabru!)

Am I the only one who thought the way the lion ate desires was kinda,,, KIDDING, KIDDING!! (Unless,,,)

We all agree that when it gave Marcille the dress and told her to fight, that kiss was him eating the desire to flee (or something adjacent) right? Cause there's no way it was anything else

TL;DR: I'm insane about this manga, thank you Ryoko Kui, thank you translators(they're real lifesavers!), the story is great, the characters are awesome and in general it's really AAAAAAOAZJZJSJJQQNJAJAJAJAJAJ (/pos)

The hundreds if not thousands of Laioses being controlled by the demon was certainly ! I have nothing to say, that's for sure!

This isn't everything because otherwise I'd be here all night but:

End of rant.

[eijunes]

omg Cat a sleeping beauty Dazatsu AU sounds amazing?? I'd love to hear about that if you'd like to share 👀 I really need to just binge read your dazatsu fics, I'm in the middle of crescendo right now 💖

Of course I'm very interested in your fyozai one, too!!

aaah crescendo is a little embarrassing cause it's the first thing I ever started writing for them hahah 🙈 I hope you enjoy it!

I tried to write the sleeping beauty AU for an event once but I didn't make it in time because I spent too much time deciding between:

Dazai getting himself sleep-cursed on purpose

Dazai not being under a curse at all, just lying there in some abandoned castle and pretending to be asleep to mess with people who are trying to find him (lmao)

Nevertheless, in this AU Atsushi is a novice member of the royal guard who's trying to find the lost prince and bring him home. He finds Dazai, kisses him awake, and then there's a bit of a misunderstanding between them as they're on the way back to the castle because he doesn't know he woke up Dazai with a true love's kiss. He thinks any kiss would do the trick. Dazai, of course, will not explain the truth outright.

It's a mostly going to be a silly comedy. I'll give you a small excerpt at the end 😄

the fyozai one... it was supposed to be a scene of them talking post this manga arc with a small tease about fyodor's ability but with every chapter the manga gets further and further away from what I envisioned and idk what to do with it anymore.... I really want to write more fyozai though! it's just that whenever I'm in BSD mood dazatsu overtakes my brain. I can't help it

Here goes nothing, Atsushi thought and closed the gap between himself and the prince’s cold lips.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then the prince’s eyes suddenly snapped open.

With a yelp, Atsushi leaped back, his heart thundering in his chest. The prince blinked a few times, slowly taking in his surroundings until his face turned into a scowl.

“I’m awake? Tch.”

Atsushi stared at the man, dumbfounded.

Did he just 'tch' at me? What kind of reaction is that?

“Here I was, taking the best nap of my life, and you dare to interrupt me...”

Dare to interrupt? Atsushi balled up his fists, feeling his annoyance bubble inside him. He didn’t exactly expect the prince to fall to his knees in gratitude, but he wouldn’t mind a simple thanks, at least.

“A nap?! You were cursed! I’ve just saved you!”

The prince scoffed. “Did I ask you to save me?”

Atsushi’s anger dissipated in an instant. What did that mean? “I...” Atsushi started, an apology ready at the tip of his tongue, but he couldn’t get the words out.

He looked away from the prince.

Is he mad at me? Fantastic. Not only am I a failure of a Royal Guard, but I also offended the royal heir. And what happens when he learns I kissed him to wake him up?!

The prince didn’t seem to even notice Atsushi’s turmoil. Instead, he collapsed back onto the bed of flowers, sending some of the petals flying into the air.

“Ah, I’m going to miss this place,” he sighed. “Really, you have no idea how rested I feel now. Sleeping curses are the best. You should try it sometime.”

Atsushi had to do something to save his skin. He bowed as deeply as it was physically possible. “Your Highness, please accept my sincerest apologies—”

“Nah, what is done is done,” the prince interrupted with a dismissive wave of his hand. “You can’t really curse me back to sleep, can you?”

Atsushi winced. “No, I can’t...”

“Right.” The prince sat up again and jumped off the bed of flowers, leaving a trail of petals on the floor behind him as he made his way to Atsushi. One was also stuck to his hair, and Atsushi’s hand itched with a need to take it off him.

“And none of that ‘Your Highness’. Call me Dazai.” The prince leaned down to whisper into Atsushi’s ear. “I think we’re already acquainted intimately enough to skip the pleasantries, don’t you think?”

Oh god, he knows about the kiss.

Atsushi jumped away as if he was burned. “Again, I am so sorry!”

Dazai laughed. “Don’t worry about it. It’s much better to be woken up by a kiss than a punch. Unfortunately, I had the displeasure of experiencing the latter a few times.” He threw an arm around Atsushi’s shoulders. “But you know, if you ever need some kissing practice, you know where to find me.”

Atsushi pushed him off.

[the-silver-peahen-residence]

||The Misadventures of Phoenix and Shadow Chimera Sorcerer Part 18: Video game Chaos||

Hi dears. I'm back and I'm going to add another part or chapter to this little mini series. It's time for part 17. So lets see what chaos has happened today?

----- Chapters of Adventure so far --------

||Previous chapters of Chapter 1-9||

||Previous chapters of Chapters 6-13||

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

((Your reading part 18))

||Drabble Summary||

After a while and a few missions, seems Megumi and the gang were now just relaxing and thought about doing something fun. So maybe a few good rounds of videos games would work? What will happen now? read to find out.

||Warning||

~Video game fun

~lots of yelling and cursing

~destruction might be present in this

||Muses in this drabble||

Taz Hellion, Kinie, , Daichi/Eito belongs to my friend and amazing rp partner@chunibyo-x-sorcerer that is a side blog owned by @demon-blood-youths

Ryomen Sukuna, Yuji Itadori, Megumi Fushiguro, and Nobara Kugisaki belong to Jujtusu Kaisen but also to me due to rping them as muses. While the same for Miko Yotsuya, yuria niguredou nd Hana Yurikawa from the anime series/manga series Mieruko-chan but also to me due to rping as them as muses.

((Note: This drabble will have heavy grammar mistakes and errors but this was written for fun. I hope you understand but also enjoy please.))

Today was a day off for the sorcerers today!

Right now, everyone was either hanging out or resting up after a long week of missions after missions. Seems the curses were lively this last past week but it was nothing for our group. So right now, they were on their day off and now was thinking of what to do.

Kisho Hashimoto was reading something oh his phone but was wondering on what they should do today. With the missions done after last week it seems nothing else was busy at the time.

"Hmmmm..."

"Ummm you okay Kisho?"

He blinks to look up seeing Yuji Itadori checking on him since everyone else was relaxing together in their dorms. He was coming to visit him along with Megumi who was eating something.

"Ummm I'm fine Yuji don't worry. Just a bit bored is all." He laughed only to see Yuji think about it.

"Well, you do have a point since everyone is still tired from last week or just resting up. I hear some were taking long naps or walking off campus grounds to do something. I figure Megumi would but he is still here." he points seeing Megumi having his arms crossed hearing that.

"I'm right here.."

"I know."

"Uhhhh anyway, even if that's the same. It's still a bit boring though. I'm sure we can think of something to do right?" he asked seeing Yuji think a little along with Megumi.

"Well, how about we head out to do something fun? For us boys!" he said and yet Kisho thinks a little bit.

"Didn't we do that last time?" he asked seeing Eito resting on the pillow near by while having a sunbathing nap. The sun rays were really nice.

"He's right, we did that already....we been doing that for a while. And right after yesterday when Taz's friends visited again. That training session was nuts." Megumi still can feel the training...and the destruction that came with it. Her friend Ink was a monster in training but it was a good help. Even the others like Jinx was crazy given with her black hell flames that really was crazy! Yuji didn't mind but he did find it amazing that most noticed how flushed he got even with her smiling.

"Oh yeah....then what do we do?" He asked as the two were thinking even with Megumi shaking his head to see them wondering about it.

That's when Yuji had a idea.

"I know! How about some video games. We can some small tournament together! Heck, we could even play with the girls if they wanna join." Yuji suggested to see Kisho thinking about it. He wasn't sure about that but he did know Taz plays video games sooooo...that might work.

"Well, we can ask them and see if they want to. It could be pretty fun!" he said.

"Then lets go and find them. Come on Megumi, wanna join!?" Yuji asked seeing him look at Yuji hearing this.

".......Depends. Knowing how crazy video games get...is that even a good idea?"

"Oh come on! It'll be fine! So come on!" he laughed before grabbing Megumi and drags him along with Kisho following after picking up Eito who was relaxed. So they went to find the girls.

~~~~Meanwhile with Taz and the girls~~~~~

"So you think with t..this..I can maybe get used to that move?" Miko blinks holding the controller with Taz nodding. She along with Nobara, Yuria, and Hana (who's visiting) were showing her about video games.

"Yeah! If you get used to the game play this game is pretty fun. Just takes time." she said but Miko understood to nod. She will have to get used to that in a while.

"I always did enjoy a good session game of smash this is too much fun!" Nobara laughed even seeing Kinie sitting on Taz's head seeing the game. She already had a turn but was excited wanting to play more.

'I still am glad that we can have fun just like this. So relaxing..' she hums even with seeing the girls still playing. However, that's when a knock was heard making Taz blink.

"I'll get it!" she hands Nobara the controller so she can answer the door. She gets to it and opens seeing the boys.

"HI guys! Hi big brother!" she smiled seeing Yuji wave.

"Hey little sis! What's up?"

"Nothing much. What can I do for you?" she smiled happy that she looks to him.

"Well, we were a bit bored so....did you and the girls wanna play some video games with us?" He asked. "We were trying to think of something on what to do so we figured why not video games? So...did you girls wanna play?" he asked that Taz smiled.

"Sure! We were actually playing some and teaching Miko how to play. We can play smash if you guys want!' she said.

"That sounds fair!" Kisho said happy.

"Yeah, that is fine." Megumi said seeing Taz moving out the way so the guys can come in. They saw Anaconda resting on the chair watching the girls playing the game while Miko watches since she's still learning. When the guys came in, Taz walks over.

"Girls, the guys wanna play some video games with us!"

"Huh? You do?" Yuria asked.

"Yeah. We were trying to think of what to do but..we thought maybe some video games will work." he said with the girls thinking about it. Though, that didn't seem too bad.

"So the game we are playing is smash right? So guys against girls?" Yuji said with the girls looking at one another then back at him.

"If you want it to be. That's fair. We been trying to teach Miko and she's getting the hang of it so yeah! Though, are their any bets you wanna make?" Nobara smiled but the boys blinks.

"Uhhhh bet? No bet just having some fun-"

'That's tempting to ask. Unless you boys are scared to lose to us?' Kinie teased but she knew her king loved a challenge. Even if the boys were looking at them.

"Huh? Were not scared of you girls playing against us!" Yuji said even if Sukuna chuckled from his head knowing he might be wrong about it.

"So? How about it? A few rounds to see...and we can make some silly bets during it. Deal?" Nobara held a hand to Yuji who quickly takes it.

"DEAL!"

"Yuji, are you sure that's a good idea?" Megumi asked.

"Oh come on! It's fine and we will win. We play loads of games, we will win!" he said. "You guys can trust me!" he saw Megumi with a sweatdrop and Kisho blinks to look at him. Well, Yuji was smart but knowing much it depends. So they agree to play a few games.

It wouldn't be that bad.....right?

~~~~~~~~~~~

'Oh sure, it would be easy he says. He said don't worry about it.' Megumi sighed seeing Kisho got knocked out again by Miko who was still in the game with Taz helping her. Yuji was crying since he was out again and Megumi was too. Heck, even Sukuna remained in a few of the games only to get knocked out once.

'Wow, and you are not good at this are you brat?' Sukuna teased Yuji who grumbles.

"Oh shut up Sukuna.."

"Come on Miko you got it!" Nobara said cheering for her with Taz doing the same since she was fighting against Megumi who was still in. Kinie was snickering seeing this knowing the girls might win this again even with Eito, Wilson, and Anaconda watching too. However, they were seeing Kisho about to be knocked out by Miko.

"Oh no no no no no! I won't let you knock me out this time Miko!" he said.

"S..sorry Kisho but you have to fall for my win!" she said still smashing buttons with Yuria even cheering her on.

"Go Miko go!!" they said seeing she was fighting him off with her main as Kisho panics.

"NONONO!!" he tries to fight her back only to get sent flying off the stage seeing he was out. "Dang it!" he said.

"Seems like Kisho out! It's just Megumi, Miko, and Taz!" Nobara said as the two were now ganging up on Megumi who quickly tries to get them away but he was no match only losing moments after that he sees the girls won this round.

"Geez, we lost again! Dang!" Yuji sighed but Nobara saw the girls cheering happily while looking to them.

"Well, you guys lose this round. Not bad though. So, wanna play again?" she asked.

"You know what sure! Lets play again!" Yuji said.

"Yuji, that's enough. We lost a few more than win. I think they proven us wrong. Even shocking how Miko won and she was just learning this game-"

"Ummm..I..I been playing and learning f..for a while w..with Taz and Hana. They been helping me learn more. Even helping Nobara and Yuria too." she said smiling as the boys looks to her then at one another.

"E..even so, we wanna a rematch!"

"If you wish but if you win, we will treat you guys to a nice lunch later on." Nobara said.

"That seems fair. But what if we lose?" Megumi asked.

"...Then Kisho has to take Miko on a date!"

"WHAT!?!? O///O" He was shocked only to see Miko blush as well.

"Uhhh N..Nobara, I don't know about-"

"Oh nonsense so what do you say!? Wanna go!"

"Oh it's on!" Yuji said.

"Yuji, wait! I..I really don't think this is-"

"Trust me Kisho I got this! You will be fine." he said happy that Kisho was nervous only for him to see Megumi pat his back with the girls seeing Nobara ready to play one on one with Yuji. After picking their chrracters they would begin!

The girls cheers for Nobara with Megumi and Kisho cheering for Yuji, even if Kisho was nervous seeing how if he lose he will have to take Miko on a date! He was not sure if he was ready for this yet!

'Come on Yuji please win! I don't know if I'm ready yet!' he cries in his thoughts seeing Miko watching while seeing the match going on. They saw Nobara fighting hard but she saw that the match continues. Later on, the two were now getting close seeing Nobara's main had 2 lives left but she just got Yuji on his last 4.

"Come on Yuji you got this!" Kisho said.

"Told ya I've got this! I just need to knock her out!" As he got Link close to swing a attack at her main Luigi. She quickly blocks only to grab him and attacks. Yuji saw that she knocked him out only to see him fall off stage having 3 lives left.

"Yuji!!!"

"It's fine, I still got it!" he said still trying to fight. Even with Nobara smirks, blocking and fighting back, she even got some health back before seeing the stage suddenly take Yuji out now losing another to have 2.

"YUJI!"

"I KNOW, I KNOW!" He said still fighting but he got Nobara finally to make it her last life. She saw but Kinie was watching with Taz, Yuria, and Miko. They were seeing this was intense that Yuji got hit again with a fire item. Now he was sent flying again only to be on his last life!

Both teams were cheering the two on, seeing who would win this. It was crazy but Kisho was sweating seeing that Yuji was getting taken over! He was going to lose!!

'I can't let him lose..I'm not ready!!' he cries to himself but seeing Nobara beating Yuji up.

'You suck at this Brat!'

"Sukuna, you are NOT helping!" he shouted smashing buttons even with Nobara laughing evil like.

"Give up Yuji, you won't beat me and Kisho will have so much fun on his date with Miko!" she laughed beating Yuji more. With them still fighting Yuji was close to losing but Eito was hooting with the other two. However, as soon as he looks, he saw Nobara laughing to stun Yuji seeing Link now in a stun phase.

"Now, you are mine!" she laughed about to deliver the finishing blow!

Just as she was about to do that, the game suddenly shuts off.

"....HUH!?!?" The teams blinks to look wondering what caused that to see some curse like possom unplugged it.

"WHAT IS THAT!!" Nobara said.

"...I..Isn't that a curse?" Miko asked but the other two knew who it was.

"You again!? How did you get out of your cage!" Megumi said seeing the possom like curse hiss at him before dodging when he tries to catch him. The other 3 Eito, Anaconda, and Wilson was confused seeing the curse hop on Kisho's face scratching his face again.

"OW! STOP THAT YOU LITTLE- OW!!" he shouted trying to get it off his face. The other girls were confused seeing this but saw the possom hiss a little to hop on the ground now running off while Megumi goes to chase it.

".........."

"Sorry about that! He's been a lot more grumpy since we brought him back. Though, he's learning to be nice...maybe?" Kisho said happy even if the groups blinks to sigh.

"Even when it scratches up you guys faces?" Nobara said.

"Yeahhhhh..but he's learning...somehow." he said.

"Ehhh....." By being good is scratching the boys. The girls don't get scratched by the possum raccoon like curse but he just nuzzles against them. Though, the boys get scratched up. That sucked but...

"Sooooo does this mean it don't count?" Kisho said to Nobara.

"Hmmmm...No, we can play again if you like Yuji-"

"Naw, I think he's good!" Kisho said quickly even if the others look at him. For a moment, he was laughing nervously still blushing pink that Miko was worried.

"K..Kisho, you alright? I think we have a first aid kit here in my room to fix you up." she asked even if he blushed worse to look away sweating.

"I'm good! No worries!" he laughed nervous even if Miko was worried. The girls sighed even if Hana giggled. Even when Miko sees him wince crying from the scratches.

"He seriously need to take her out one day." she said to tease him that Kisho turns his head to look at her.

"Stop it!!" He said waving his arms quickly but Miko sighed.

"C..come on, I think I have something.. "she said going to get up and goes to take him to her room to fix him up. He was nervous but the others look at each other then at the two.

"You know, ever since you two brought that curse back, he's been popping up a lot. Are you guys being nice to him?" she asked Yuji.

"Huh?! but he tends to scratch us! How is that nice!" he said only to see Megumi come back tired to see the possum like raccoon trapped. It hissed mad at Megumi as he sighed.

"Why did we even bring this monster back....."

"Yeah, why did you bring him back?" Yuria asked confused.

"Because Kisho wanted to see if it's for good....." he said to set the cage down. "Though, it's a work in progress.." he sighed.

"Yeah, we can tell.." the girls said hearing the hissing. However, it seems their video game challenge was done. Though, it's clear to see the girls win. They will still take them out to lunch later. Though, at least Kisho was being treated by Miko who was being careful and even Kisho being speechless.

For now, another day off was fine for them till their next mission.

[powerup-the-revolution]

raw unbridled thoughts because I just saw the KNY movie and I am!!! full of emotions!!!

spoilers galore though so read at your own risk, i know it's not released in US theaters yet but in case you want a "little" preview, here it is !!

MAN!!!!!! i would have paid 12 euros just to see a remake of the last two entertainement district episodes in 4k, but man did I get my money's worth :')

it all started with a quick recap of the first seasons, with Gurenge and Homura as BGM, so the hype was already off the charts. I didn't dare sing along but I mouthed the lyrics and man was it good to hear it all with the images on the big screen ;w;

speaking of sound design though, my cinema's speakers weren't optimal, it felt like the music was coming only from the front and some of the noises were horribly loud. Remember when Gyutaro breaks Tanjiro's fingers? MAN. Overall, the musical experience was wayyyy better at home with headphones, but at least the visuals more than made up for it.

I won't go too much into detail over episodes 10/11, because the screening was pretty much identical to the regular episodes. The end of episode 10 still hits super hard, the sudden quietness and the billowing smoke... simply mindblowing on a large screen. We even had opening and ending credits, which made this very different from the Mugen Train experience, but the audience needed time to breathe haha

Uzui's battle against Gyutaro was really made to be viewed like this. You have a much better sense of all the details ufotable put into the whole thing when you're watching on such a large screen.

alright alright i gotta move on to the most exciting part. The actual opening of S3 played at the very end, so the transition towards the next arc was opened by none other than Gotou, finding the squad all passed out in the rubble. Man do I love this guy, he really feels like the "normal dude that the 20-something audience will root for" trope.

The upper moon meeting was... both mindblowing and somewhat overwhelming. There were lots of flashing effects and very insistent transitions, with (in my opinion) too many visual effects that bloated the scenes without really adding too much to them. I now that ufotable is probably just flexing their skills because this was MADE for cinemas, but still, it felt a little 'too much' to my taste. But then I'm easily overwhelmed by flashing things, so that's surely just a matter of personal preference.

The insistent transitions aside, that scene was just amazing. The inifity castle is an amazing place that reminded me a LOT of that scene towards the end of Interstellar. Muzan's science equipment looked very REAL, I bet that ufotable has been using real life footage to put it together.

And now... I can't really avoid talking about him, can I? Douma. I despise this character with everything I have and I even more despise the way the fandom treats him... and man I'm in for a ride. Curse you Miyano Mamoru. How DARE you be so GOOD at your job??? He's really THE most outstanding cast in the whole series in my humble opinion. I was already in love with the VA for his previous roles (Dazai from BSD!! Rintarou from Steins;Gate!!) and he's bringing the perfect vibe to Douma, I can already feel the fandom misinterpreting him more :') I absolutely cannot wait for his performance in the Infinity Castle. It'll be amazing.

May I also say : thank you Akaza. He had me cheering out loud in my seat when he chopped half of Douma's face off (and immediately got scolded for it like a naughty boy by Dad Kokushibo lmao). Thank you, Akaza. I'd almost forgive you for making Rengoku donuts ;(

I don't have much more to say about the rest of the Upper Moons because they hardly left a impression on me when I read the manga. Their voices are a pretty good fit, and I don't doubt that ufotable will make them shine.

The dream sequence was short but very well done. Alas I must shorten my speech too because I'm so excited to get to the next part.

Cue Gotou walking around with a very tasty looking Castella. Thanks ufotable now I wish I'd bought popcorn. He's funny as always, the way he gets mad at Kanao for not telling anything is even funnier animated, and the apparition of ghost Aoi just the same

And now... ladies and gentlemen and nonbinary folks... it's time... for HIM....

THE CEILING BOAR.....

He definitely got the loudest laugh from the audience out of the whole movie. I feel so proud :') The way he's clinging to the ceiling is just too hilarious, with Tanjirou's like "so Inosuke on the ceiling..." coming before we actually see him, which had the laughter really explode. The comedic timing is absolutely perfect. I cannot wait to make 414630316 giftsets from this scene when the season is released.

Matsuoka really nailed the "SO YOU NOTICED ME, TANPACHIROU!!!" I'd been picturing it in my head for so long and it was exactly as I thought it'd sound like. The book about the honey badger was actually in english, I can't wait to see what else it says when we get a longer look. Inosuke looked like he had no idea what was going on, and Aoi telling him to get off the bed was just perfect. The way she clung to him when Kanao spoke up... *chef's kiss*.

I cannot wait to make a transparent edit of the ceiling boar so it can become my icon on every website forever haha

I have to be honest and say I paid a little less attention afterwards :') i was on a little cloud thanks to the ceiling boar. Though we got to meet some adorable kakushi, the scene of them dancing amongst the crows was really neat. Big up to the Kakushi for all their hard work!

Our good bois go off to work (and Zenitsu destroys the fourth wall by fawning over... Aoi, who yells at him through the shreds of the fourth wall haha), and that's it, that's all we're gonna see of Inosuke and Zenitsu this season ::')))))) hahahaha..... i am not upset at all.....

And then... well, there's some fanservice (and I'm not even talking about the bath scene). An unusual amount of it for KNY. A very very BLERGH from me. Even the audience seemed a little unconfortable. It's nothing harmful, it's just a little dumb and out of place.

The swordsmith village feels a little underwhelming in terms of design and general aesthetic, but it's no wonder when it's coming after the mesmerizing entertainment district. I'm definitely gonna miss the ambience of it all, though ufotable will probably impress me anyways.

Genya's here and he's pissed as always. I cannot unhear the Bakugo in him. Put your teeth back where they belong, boy.

Mitsuri is very wholesome though!!! I'm trying my hardest to cling to her as my favorite character this season (with lil' Kotetsu!! a baby!!). Ufotable, you better treat her well. I am BEGGING you.

aaand I think that's it from me. The hype did not disappoint. As a big fan of Inosuke and Zenitsu, I'm going into this arc without much to expect, as it's by far my least favorite in the series anyway. Still, Ufotable is going to do an awesome job, the characters might grow on me, the voice actors will be mindblowing, the music will be amazing, and well... I cannot wait for what will come next :3c

[satorugojowidow]

Hi Adari! I'm a big fan of your metas, especially your jjk ones because you see things from an angle the rest of the fandom doesn't. I'm sad you're not enjoying the current arc. How do you think

Thank you so much, I’m glad you enjoyed it :) 

The part of plot that involves usa army show a poor understanding of geopolitics. Which is disappointing because Gege always managed very well to introduce political problems in the manga.

For Kenjaku’s plan it was necessary the introduction of non sorcerers combatant and it was solved with the usa army’s plan that is plain ridiculous. 

Why is it ridiculous? First, Kenjaku sells the curse energy like a new source of energy that will erase the dependence of oil and usa government is all willing to take that chance and that is stupid. Why? Because there are alternative sources of energy that are clean, easy to get and, more importantly, won’t involve declaring a third world war. We are talking about Japan, not Irak, I’m sorry to said this but the consequences of an invasion are bigger. Plus, sorcerers are a minority even in Japan, in Kenny’s powerpoint is not established how it is possible to switch to curse energy and how the resource won’t deplete in a short time. If the plan was to use sorcerers as weapons, like super soldiers will be more plausible. Yet, the open assault on Tokyo is still a problem. And let's never forget that oil dependence is only holded by the oil companies lobby. Nobody in usa government will put the country in such a crazy adventure only to start a problem with the oil industry, which is huge, and pay for their campaigns. 

Second, the idea that curse energy was a secret to governments. Curse energy is not important outside of Japan, yet some event involving curses and the existence of foreign sorcerers has happened. Considering this, it is not plausible that the government that had an espionage agency wouldn't know anything about it. In the 1970 usa government was very interested of mind powers and everything related to those researches, that is the perfect context to investigate this type of event. 

When Kenny was presented talking to representatives of China, I thought that foreign governments were interested in taking Japan’s monopoly on curse energy by solving whatever is making the curse energy to concentrate there (Tengen). But since sorcerers are plausible to be born outside of Japan and there are sorcerers like Mei Mei that will sell anything for a good price, it is not realistic to think that there are no sorcerers working for agencies outside Japan. 

How could it be done better, in my opinion. First, delete everything related to the use of curse energy to replace oil because is stupid. I believe that considering the major event that is culling the game and the huge consequences of it, a military intervention is plausible. Not to kidnap sorcerers but to destroy the sorcerers that are causing the problem and restore peace in Japan. The manga already established that curse energy existence and culling game was from public knowledge. In front of an event that puts in danger global security it is realistic to believe that OTAN will interfere. usa army intervention could be justify in this way, to protect global security and behind that there could be secret reason like taking material of research. 

Right now in the manga, usa army is invading and attacking the civilian population of Japan without a good reason, that could start a war. usa may be a powerful country but they can’t do whatever shit against a first world country.

About these past arcs, I’m not against the conclusion but the execution. The army intervention is good but is poorly justified and honestly, I feel second hand embarrassment reading that. I’m also not against Yuki’s death, but she gave us nothing, she left as she came. When she first showed up it seemed like she had a plan, but she had nothing in her hands, she just did what Tengen asked and the whole conversation didn’t even help us to understand what the hell was going on with Tengen. Noritoshi and Maki bonding was good but poorly executed because the whole arc of worn naoya was eclipsed for those random dudes.

[otakween]

Digimon Adventure V-Tamer 01 - Volume 1

I'm doing things slightly out of order here, but I'd like to get to all the side stuff that came out prior to Tamers before I move on from Adventure. This is the first Digimon manga that came out (aside from C'mon Digimon which is contained within this release) so it'll be interesting to see those humble beginnings.

Ch.1

-So I guess this is some alternate universe version of season 1? (Or maybe like a beta version?) The plot feels a little similar to Digimon World where digimon are a battling v-pet IRL and the main character gets sucked into the digital world solo.

-In this version of the story, Taichi has a V-dramon. Unclear so far what level digivolution a V-dramon is or if it's related to Veemon. Zeromaru is a dumb name...

-Goggles AND a cape? That's a bit much Taichi...

-I like how doofy Gabumon looks in this. The digimon are way more cartoony and expressive so far.

-Full color and actual, red blood!? This manga looks fabulous on my tablet <3

Ch. 2

-More Digimon World vibes. The Holy Angel Castle looks a lot like the ice castle that you can only enter if you have a vaccine digimon in the PSX game...

-There's a "should digimon have human partners?" element here that we haven't really seen in the show yet. I feel like this question is inevitable for most mon series.

Ch. 3

-Okay, I'll admit, I didn't see the pun in "Zeromaru" (maru is another way to say zero) until this chapter. I hate the name slightly less now.

-A Tonosama Gekomon and a HolyAngemon are a pretty bizarre combo lol

-I really love the art style in this actually. Chibi-mode Taichi was adorable in this chapter and the colors are really nice as well. I wish we got more full-color manga releases like this one!

-So Demon is gonna be the big bad in this? That's kinda nice actually cuz he got majorly short shrifted in 02. Seems like his design is completely different here. Kinda looks like Ogremon...

Ch. 4

-I kinda like how the wild digimon get names in this. Since every digimon from the same species seems to be pretty much identical, giving them names allows me to become more attached to them.

-Only just realized that I don't really know why Etemon is called Etemon. I tried googling it and the Digimon wiki's explanation didn't really help...

-Pretty wild that Gabo said "God is gone" lol. Also, Digi-world creation myth confirmed.

-The manga's McGuffin was introduced: V-tags. I'm guessing the "V" is for "Virtual," but if you're going to call everything "digi" that seems to go against the branding a bit...

Ch. 5

-Okay Gabo's incessant "You guys need to act more concerned!!" gag is getting really annoying. He says it like every 3 pages!

-I had no memory of Deltamon so I thought he was new, but I guess he appeared in an 02 episode? He's really ugly. Also, how many samey dino digimon designs do we need!?

Ch. 6

-These chapters are super short and since a lot of them are battles, they take like 2 minutes to read. Perfect for young kids I guess!

-That triceratops with pecs was pretty cursed.

Ch. 7

-When the digimon are hurt their skin cracks like they're made of plastic or something. Kind of a weird choice...

-Another thing that differs between the manga and anime is that we see Taichi perform first-aid care after fights. The anime doesn't really show a lot of wounds in the first place and usually the digimon just rest to heal.

Ch. 8

-I was surprised to see MarineDevimon who doesn't appear in the anime until 02. I wish I knew more about which chapters of this came out when because it apparently came out over the course of 5 years (1998-2003) -- Edit: this info is thankfully on the wiki

-In this chapter Gomamon says that Triceramon being a data-type means he's a "good" digimon. In the anime they said that even virus-types can be good. So maybe that's more of a prejudice than a fact? (Or it's just different in the manga).

-Gomamon is so baby in this!

Ch. 9

-This manga reminds me of Yu-Gi-Oh! season 0 where everything is just slightly off.

-The digimon are more blatantly programs and apparently if you go inside them it's just a neon void? Also, I guess the 01 in the manga's title is a reference to binary.

-Let's see how much random stuff the digivice can do in the manga. So far it allows you to scan digimon for their HP and to communicate telepathically.

Ch. 10

-Already 2 out of 5 tags collected which means that this tag collecting thing is probably just one out of many arcs.

-For some reason the official release goes up to chapter 10 for volume 1 but the fan scans go beyond that? I'm going to stick to the official release because 10 is a nice clean end point.

This manga seems pretty typical for a game/anime-tie in for young boys. The chapters are very easily digestible and nothing too deep happens. The magazine it was serialized in, V-Jump was also home to things like Yu-Gi-Oh!, Dragon Ball and Dragon Quest, so the demographic is pretty clear. I'm really enjoying the artwork mostly. I wish there were more character moments but the reoccurring cast is pretty dinky at the moment. Let's see where this goes!

[quiveringdeer]

sweet nat I would like ur thoughts on one toji fushiguro!!

Thanks for this Mar! I dunno why I originally saw the post as separate ask prompts when I sent you the Gojo one, instead of answering them all about a character, my bad!

If anyone else wants to send an ask for this feel free!

Why I like them:

I'm always a sucker for a powerful antagonist lol Especially when they have heaps of trauma built in too, and Toji has that for sure! The way he was outcast by his family but used his heavenly restriction to overcome so much and become a notorious assassin is just peak character to me

Why I don't:

There's not really anything I dislike about him tbh 🤷🏽‍♀️

Favorite scene: 

To thirst over- In the anime when he catches the fish in his mouth and then the way his tongue sticks out after releasing it??? 🥵🥵🥵 Mappa had NO RIGHT --plus the backflips in the air with his shirt riding up juuuust enough to give a peak at his back - Chefs's kiss /CINEMA/

In general- The moments of flashback where he recalls his first wife's words about taking care of Megumi and then ends up offing himself to protect Megumi from himself. 

Favorite season/movie:

Second season of the show and every single scene involving him if im truthful

Favorite line:

 “I don’t go by Zen’in anymore. I got married and took my wife’s name. I go by Fushiguro now." -mans loves his wife TO THIS DAY! 

Favorite outfit: 

The classic tight dark shirt white slouchy pants combo

OTP: 

Toji x Mamaguro OF COURSE! Gosh what I wouldnt give to have some slice of life info from Gege on how they met, fell in love and the little time they all spent together after Megumi was born 🥹 Their love story is so important to me, like she's the G.O.A.T. of "I can make him better" uuuuugh 

BroTP: 

Uhhhh him and the worm lmao The fact the official fanbook says: "Toji was able to establish a friendly relationship with his inventory curse by earnestly training it like a pet." makes me giddy

Headcanon:

I dunno what's canon, fanon or simply conjecture since i havent read the manga but- I dont believe Toji ever /actually/ forgot who Megumi was in part 1 of Hidden Inventory. I think he was playing it up to downplay Megumi's importance to him in order to keep him safe. I think nearly every decision he makes is to try and keep Megs safe. Naming him a traditionally girl's name to potentially keep the rest of the Zenin clan off their trail since they dont value women no matter their cursed techniques. Finding a wealthy second wife to link himself to so that Megs wouldn't grow up destitute with just him ((even tho i read Toji and Tsumiki's mom apparently "ran away together" and spent up all the inheritance? i dunno i still wanna believe okay)) The way he saw his first wife/first love tbh- in Megumi when they were fighting in the alley and he flashbacked to her telling him to keep Megs safe. I also think that regardless of if it turned out Megs had ended up with the Zenins and taken their clan name after his first death- or the current timeline of him remaining Fushiguro, that Toji would have killed himself to protect Megumi in that last moment. I think the fact that he still had the Fushiguro name let him at least die more peacefully this second time. 

Unpopular opinion:

It's hard for me to read certain Toji x Reader content because of how integral I view his relationship with Megumi's mom. I'm not a fan of erasing her from his story/life or having reader be that person for him. I dunno why this is a sticking point for me of all the things I read and write lmao Still love reading shameless smut and also sometimes fluff with him that doesnt dive too deep into things but for deeper dives I feel like any Toji x Reader should be mainly one sided, unrequited romantic feelings for him 

A wish: 

More backstory for him! There was a fan mockup of sequel focused on him as a kid and growing up and I wanted it to be true sooo bad! I mean we all know he's Gege's favorite so if Gege didnt hate us they'd make it happen, but alas 😩 For now I make do with the adorable art by DDub1618 on twitter!

An oh-god-please-don't-ever-happen:

n/a

5 Words to best describe them:

geeze this feels hard for some reason hmmm: The Greatest of All Time 😎

My nickname for them:

Daddy 😏

[itfitsitshipsart]

You know what? Tell EVERYTHING about Sugu, this is just too good!

Everything? EVERYTHING?! This might take a while then, so I hope you're comfy!

Oh, and obviously there's spoilers for the Jujutsu Kaisen anime, manga, and movie. I'll state later when we get to those.

Now, he may be a villain, but this man can be a real sweetheart. Gift giving, doting, when it comes to his family of curse users, he can be a real pushover. Of course, he can be stern when he needs to with everyone. the way he can glare and make everyone for silent, it's quite delightful and chilling.

He's also so very possessive of me. No need to worry about creeps coming around. Even if they did try anything, he would quite effortlessly 'take care of them', because how dare any monkey so much as look at me like that. And while he knows I can very well protect myself, he's still taking things into his own hands.

Oh, his hands. They're quite large compared to mine. They aren't the softest, he spent many years training in martial arts, but they aren't that rough. He takes decent care of them, and has no qualms using my scented lotions. Holding hands was the first thing even close to romantic or intimate for the two of us, and he knows I'm staring at his hands sometimes.

Since I'm on the topic of his physical features. That hair of his is something special. It's very silky soft and thick. I love brushing through it, and he let's me braid and play with it often (alone of course. It would be embarrassing around anyone else). His hair he takes the most care about, and I think I'd cry if he ever thought to cut it.

Now for some relationship plot point things! This where bigger spoilers may be

He and my S/I met on the streets some years after Sugu 'took charge' of his cult orginization. It was a chance encounter, but in recognizing her cursed powers, he felt there was potential. So he tried to start a friendship... and it went WAY further than he anticipated.

The two had been together for a little over 2 years when he declared war on all the sorcerers at Jujutsu High and planned to take the cursed spirit Rika for himself. While he planned for everyone else to be in Kyoto, and found her reverse cursed technique to be more practical in case any of the others got hurt, he couldn't get her to listen, allowing her insistence of going with him instead. She had a bad feeling about that day, and stayed at the edge of the barrier to watch him, just in case.

Now, if you've seen the movie, or read the manga, you know that after that battle, Geto Suguru died. Perhaps if she was faster to get to him, she could have stopped his bleeding, maybe saved him. But by the time she got to him, Gojo was walking away and he was dead. (Did Gojo see her? Maybe. If he did, he didn't stop her from desperately trying to bring him back).

And to add more sorrow (I'm sorry, but I am a sucker for angst and drama, thicker than molasses), Sugu had planned to propose after it was all said and done. She found the ring several days later at his home, proceeding to wear it as a silent 'yes'.

But that's not the end of the story. While Geto 'came back', she knew its wasn't completely him. This person that used his body like a puppet felt nothing in particular for her, but welcomed her loyalty and assistance. She stood beside him, her emotions a mess and unable to quite process how to handle this man who was both who she loved, and yet not. She made him promise to let Sugu's body rest when he was done with his plans, and she would protect him to protect Suguru.

As for how that goes... I'm still reading the manga to catch up!

I hope you enjoyed my mess of ideas, anon! I know this isnt everything, cause I'm still figuring things out myself, but it feels really good to get some of it out, especially if theres people like you who may be interested! Do expect more in the future for him!

[chuuyrr]

Hi! I love your works sm!! May we have an angst to fluff scenario where baby scarlet witch experiences a death situation (like in the comics says she actually dies) and gojo just breaks down but somehow baby reader gets healed and hes just a tearful sweet daddy who thought he lost his baby 🥺🥺🥺

platonic! dad! gojo nearly loses scarlet witch! baby fushiguro! reader

jujutsu kaisen x reader

masterlist of the series

warning(s): major anime/manga spoilers, angst with a dash of fluff at the end, mentions of death and blood

thank you so much for requesting and for being patient <3

i may or may not have shed a couple of tears while writing this, i know i wrote it but it hurts me too and im not allowing any of you to not experience my pain.

go listen to "another day" by monday kiz & punch while reading this for a MUCH better experience (i listened to this while writing and re-reading this prompt)

it wasn't your fault for being too attached and clingy towards gojo that you teleported after him when he and the rest of the sorcerers made their way in shibuya to face the special grade curses, but most important of all, gojo forgot that the fact that you were still human despite your near-godly powers of chaos.

you were now barely breathing, shaking and gasping for air as blood dripped from the corner of your lips. you were too exhausted to maneuver after you had unsealed your father from the prison realm with your magic. your uncle and your brother, as well as his friends were too slow when you had taken the hit.

the moment gojo got unsealed and saw his precious kikufuku lying on the ground, hell broke loose. he didn't even know what happened, his vision became a red haze and even his students couldn't believe what he had just done. they didn't even think it would be possible for him to just finish them off like that.

gojo had somehow single handedly ended the cursed spirits before him in a minute all by himself without a right state of mind. all he could think about was you, your bloodied figure.

right after he had taken the matter into his very hands, he immediately rushed to your aid—seeing you laying on megumi's lap as the others tried to tend to your bleeding.

"d-dad?" your vision was beginning to blur as your eyes met gojo's.

gojo took you from megumi, breaking down in tears. he didn't think his greatest fear would become a living nightmare. he clutched you in his arms, trying to apply pressure at your open wound as panic rose from his throat.

"kikufuku, look at me. it's going to be okay. daddy's here, i'm right here." gojo cracked a smile, lifting you in his arms.

"i feel sleepy.." you mustered out, your voice becoming soft as a whisper as your eyes began to droop.

"[name], no, baby. keep your eyes open." gojo's panic worsened when you began to close your eyes as the red hues encasing your [color] eyes began to subside into a dull color.

"help is on the way, you're going to be okay. you're so strong baby, please keep your eyes open for me."

before you could even attain medical aid as you were rushed, the light in your eyes left and the last thing you saw were the pretty, ocean blue eyes of your father and ebony eyes of your brother.

gojo stopped breathing as his hands felt your body become cold. his eyes dilated and shaking you became his first instinct.

"[name]? [name]!"

he cried out to you like a mantra, repeatedly patting your face but it was already too late. the red hues of your chaos magic had dispersed from your now dull and lifeless eyes.

"no, this can't be happening.. no! no!"

with that, the strongest jujutsu sorcerer had fallen.

time froze and no one dared to make a move as the heartwretching scene unfolded before them. they knew how you meant to gojo; how you held his heart. the cold washed over him when the warmth of your skin left.

at the moment, memories of you played over his head—right before his very eyes. gojo remembered the day that toji had told him about you, how he made gojo promise to look after you.

at first, he didn't think he'd become attached and simply intended to play the role of your uncle but he became a father instead; your father.

it wasn't easy, but it was the greatest thing that had ever happened to gojo. he learned so many things from you and understood what it was like have someone to protect and love.

he remembered you calling him your daddy for the very first time; you clinging onto him everytime he comes home after a long day; you flashing him that heaven-sent smile of yours everytime as you giggled and smothered him with sloppy kisses and hugs.

how was he going to last, now that he had lost his kikufuku? how was gojo going to wake up without seeing your smile, pinching your cheek or kissing your forehead?

how will a day go by without you scaring the living hell out of him with your mischievousness and chaos magic? how was he going to let that all go with just a snap? today, he broke the promise he made to toji. gojo had failed to protect you.

megumi's heart clenched when he heard gojo's painful sobs and screams as he clutched your cold, lifeless body in his arms. he had already lost people in his life, he didn't think he'd lose you too just like he had lost his father and mother.

just like megumi, everyone knew much gojo loved you. the moment he started to care for you after you called him your dad, he would brag about his precious baby and they certainly would never forget how frantic he was whenever you got sick or lost because who ran off to who knows where but the highlight of it all was gojo cradling you in his arms, peppering you with kisses and just spoiling you with his love.

everyone surrounded gojo, sharing his pain and shed tears. gojo continued to mourn over your death, but little did he know that somehow the chaos within his kikufuku hasn't fully-subsided.

just as despair encased his heart, the same, familiar red vapors of your chaos magic had took form and engulfed your body. an immense aura shrouded you, filling you with warmth and strength. everyone watched your wounds patched itself in awe as the light in your eyes magically returned.

you refused to die, it was as simple as that.

"[name]?"

fire burned inside gojo's heart when he saw life in your eyes once again.

gojo hugged you tightly in his arms at that instant and buried his face onto the back of your head, breaking down another set of tears. he barely had the time to comprehend what had just happened.

gojo didn't bother to question how you rose from dead just like that. all that mattered was that you were breathing and alive again.

after that eventful incident, gojo took time off his work to spend time with you. he was still shakened up with the fact that had nearly lost you at the hands of death.

he spent his days and nights sleeping next to you and sticking by your side, coddling you in his warmth and smothering you in kisses, telling you how much he loves you and promising to protect you.

on other times after that incident, gojo would just cry. he would randomly tear up as he watches over you, but that was until you caught his gaze. so, you ran upto gojo and hug him ever so tightly to give him reassurance.

"please, don't cry!" you swiped at the tears rolling down his face.

"i'm sorry, kikufuku. i just don't know what i'm going to do if i lose you. i love you too much." gojo sighed shakily, his eyes recalling your bloodied, lifeless body from that day, as well as his hands feeling the warmth depart your skin.

"i'm not going anywhere, that's a promise!" you beamed, "i love you."

a smile broke through his face as he looked at you with tearful eyes. "i love you too, [name]."

honestly, you didn't know how you did it. but if you were able to escape death, then you could do it again. you would do it again. you still had lots to do with gojo, you were still yet to become a teenager, an adult even. you had no plans giving up this life.