Behind the curtain

23 | Female | USA | Science fiction and Soviet music are my passions. Here you'll find plenty of Star Trek and the occasional Slavic one-hit wonder.

[see-throughiron]

Chapter 52 Spoilers

Well, looks like this chapter confirms some things I had suspected about Jin's mother. I had a post theorizing about her in progress, but it may not be necessary to share anymore. The main take away from it was that she was likely just exploiting this grieving family in order to gain access to their wealth and then dipped out once she realized she was in over her head. When the mask comes off and she reveals just how shameless she truly is...ngl, that was hard to read.

[see-throughiron]

Just gonna ramble a bit 'cause I've got many thoughts and zero cohesion...

Why does Jin Kagemori work as a cleaner and take on all of the "dirty work" himself? Why is it that he is the only Kagemori brother who is no stranger to killing while neither of his older brothers have ever taken a life and for them to do so is treated as crossing a line?

Initially, I thought that he took on handling the Kagemori Clan's dirty work as a way of protecting his noticeably more sheltered older brothers - and I still think that is part of his motivation - but now that we know more about his background I think there is more to it.

I think the reason that Jin adopted the role of cleaner within the Clan has a lot to do with his own feelings of unworthiness of being a son and brother of the Kagemori family. Something about Jin's relationship with Gonzo stuck me as odd, especially when compared to his older brothers. I'm not just referring to the obvious example of Jin addressing Gonzo as "old man", while Hikaru uses the more familiar "dad" and Asuma the more respectful "father." I'm talking about how he comes across as obedient to the point of subservience to Gonzo. Wasn't it odd how during the meeting between the Kagemori inner circle and the Danno/Tadera family to discuss an alliance, Jin is the only brother who doesn't give an opinion and states he will just do as Gonzo says? Or how he doesn't protest Gonzo's decision on how to dispose of the gardener's body - unlike Hikaru - even though we later find out that he doesn't agree with it and ultimately goes around it? Then there's the way he gets miffed at Asuma for going off and doing his own thing instead of acting on the will of the "Kagemori Clan proper" aka Gonzo (okay to be fair though, Asuma did take a risk that could've set them back and he lost two people's lives in the process - oops). It's as though he feels that he cannot speak his mind within his own family and it's such a contrast to the other two Kagemori brothers who are comfortable enough in their positions within the family to express their own differing opinions, argue with, and even disobey their father.

With all this in mind, I couldn't help but get the impression that Jin was likely an illegitimate child, or at the very least he wasn't raised within the Kagemori Clan. And what do you know - turns out that's exactly what happened. His parents split up before he was born and he grew up having nothing to do with the Kagemori family until his heartless mother abandons him in the cold and leaves him with nothing more than the words "Go to the Kagemori Clan." The same family whose acts she despised so strongly and felt so disgusted by that she left while still pregnant. These are the people who she willing leaves her young son to. What does that say about how she views Jin and how he comes to see himself? The way she indifferently discards him is no better than how one would throw away a piece of trash. Imagine being discarded in such a manner by the person who should love you more than anyone. How could he possibly walk away from that without feeling a sense of worthlessness? Is it any surprise that the boy who was treated like trash later grows up to be the one who disposes of it?

I believe that despite their immediate acceptance of him, Jin still struggles with feeling more like a stray who showed up one day on the Kagemoris' door step than a true son of the Kagemori family. I think he feels that he needs to earn his keep by doing unpleasant jobs because he doesn't deserve the high position he has in the family by virtue of being Gonzo's son. This also explains his tendency to behave more as a yes-man to Gonzo than a son. It's as though he's always toeing a line and it's so heartbreaking.

I also believe that he chooses to uphold and take part in the abhorrent tasks necessary to protect the Clan as a way of getting back at his mother. I'm sure he's well aware of her disgust toward the dirty, heinous underbelly of the Kagemori Clan and takes revenge in his own way by continuing to support it. I don't really want to say too much about Gonzo's wives and how they impact his relationships with his sons since we just don't know enough them, but I get the feeling that part of the reason Hikaru and Asuma have little involvement with all the "disposal" within the Clan is because Gonzo knows that their mothers would not want have wanted them to become murderers. So, perhaps he has avoided putting his two oldest sons on that path out of respect for their mothers' wishes. As for his youngest son...well, there's no reason for him to have the same reservations.

[see-throughiron]

asuma: character of all time. especially speaking as someone who has also been called intimidating on first impression.

yessss anon, you get it! asuma is among my favorite characters - i just love him so much <3

i've also been told by others that they thought i was mean looking before getting to know me lol. i never really thought of it until now, but i guess the whole "being misunderstood due to an unfortunate expression" thing makes him relatable 😅

[see-throughiron]

i'm really glad that more people will hopefully check out this wonderful series now that it's getting an anime adaptation, but i am not looking forward to the initial wave of asuma slander that will be coming from anime onlies. it was hell sitting through it all as an og asuma enjoyer back when the warehouse arc was still going on in the manga and i don't think i'm strong enough to do it again 😔

[cassndrapentaghst]

I’ve never seen one like you before, almost human.

[stuff-i-got-in-therapy]

“Behavioral activation is one of the most important CBT skills used in treating depression. It has to do with the way that behaviors and feelings influence each other.

Behavioral Activation is based on the well-researched understanding that depression often keeps us from doing the things that bring enjoyment and meaning to our lives. This “downward spiral” (explained in the first chapter of this manual) causes us to feel even worse. In Behavioral Activation we work to reverse this cycle using our actions and choices.”

Behavioral Activation involves:

Understanding the “vicious cycles” of depression

Monitoring our daily activities

Identification of goals and values

Building an upward spiral of motivation and energy through pleasure and mastery

Activity Scheduling: purposefully scheduling in enjoyable and meaningful activities

Problem solving around potential barriers to activation

Reducing avoidance

Working as a team to make gradual, systematic, sustained progress. Change doesn’t happen overnight!

Using between-session assignments. Practice changes the brain, little by little!

[flawlessbeautyqueens]

People can get a bit like, “Oh my God, your life is different than mine.” But no, it’s not. Everyone’s got the same problems. We all get jobs, and we lose them. We have a good time, and we don’t have a good time. That’s it, you know? It’s changed in that some people have a certain expectation of what they might find when they meet me, which sucks, because I’m not that thing.

[kingofthehillcaps]

[cerseilannisterdaily]

Since her youth, Cersei has been commodified and objectified by nearly everyone around her. Losing her mother at age four, her closest points of reference were Tywin and her brothers. Therefore, the primary understanding she has of herself is through the men around her. […] When Tywin orders her to marry Loras Tyrell, her face first lights in anger as she informs her father that she is the Queen Regent and not some broodmare for him to marry off. Seconds later, it dissolves into a desperate sort of sadness as she begs him, “Father, don’t make me do it again please.” 

It is hard for me to understand how someone could fail to see the complexities of Cersei’s character. She has never been the sort of one-dimensional sociopath that Ramsay Bolton was, even her most horrible acts have been motivated by her desire to protect both her children and herself at all costs. Many of the shows fan-favorite characters have committed similarly murderous acts, yet they remain beloved because their motivations are understood as more sympathetic than Cersei’s. Even her twin brother Jaime, who is similar to her in almost every way, is seen as a much more redeemable and loved a character than she is. Cersei, of course, has understood these double standards her entire life and sees how things fall around her differently because of her gender. (x)

[myrcella]

reminder that this blog only supports one queen, and that is Her Grace, Cersei of the House Lannister, First of Her Name, Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Protector of the Seven Kingdoms

[thefoxconfessor]

Cersei, Qyburn, and The Mountain in King’s Landing during the Battle of Winterfell

[qastly]

fuck

[kosher-bimbo-deactivated2019060]

[tidustargaryen]

Lena Headey: “As usual with Cersei, she’s trapped in a web of her own making.”

[bwgirlsgallery-deactivated20200]

Amy Adams by Liz Collins

[memewhore]

[sassy-echidna-deactivated202202]

Aka men on the bachelor have no taste

[kirishima-hates-terfs]

I don’t know what generic ass white man they had on but she was too good for him anyway

[florapatite]

no but you don’t get it, the reason for the sloth costume is that the bachelors big thing about him is he’s a virgin (i know it’s ridiculous). so she comes out of this god damn limo slowly flailing about and goes, “heeeeeellllooooooo. i heeeeeaaaaard yoooooou liiiiiiiike tooooo taaaaaake iiiiit slooooooooooooooooow” and it was the best thing i’ve ever seen on the bachelor and he definitely didnt deserve her

[nikator]

Helping the starving, American-style. Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, c. 1970s.