Subdued Passions

Anuradha.”Legitor,Ergo Sum”. Poetry,musings. IGOT7.

[metamorphesque]

—  Banana Yoshimoto, “Kitchen”

[whoknowswherethetimegoes]

Joan Baez and Bob Dylan, Lincoln Center, NYC, 1964, photographed by Daniel Kramer.

[weirdmageddon]

things we need to address:

gen z men getting pulled into alt-right pipelines through andrew tate, joe rogan, elon musk, jordan peterson etc

the gullibility and stupidity of half the country voting against our collective best interests

the broad effect social media has on public and common good

lazy minds and lack of empathy

outside-country interference (trump and elon’s connections to russia and the amount of bots from other countries spreading misinformation)

the long-term effects of AI and rampant disinformation

[subduedpassions03]

Despite loving and watching Attack on Titan, hear me out- I couldn’t understand Eren for the longest time. When I first watched the show, I had zero empathy for him. He always seemed too immature, feisty and at times reckless. Then they thrust upon him the titan powers and that felt appropriate. Imagine becoming what you hate and using that power to fight the very thing. It seemed like poetic justice. Then its revealed you have hidden family secrets and truth becomes apparent- you are not the hero you set out to be but the very preparator of the tragedy. It’ll drive anyone to the edge of madness- Eren still had his wits about him.

So what prompted him to become the villain? I think he came face to face with his humanity. I watched the show for the second time and realised so many things that would lead to Eren’s unravelling. I dont think he thought there was ever a fighting chance for Eldians to survive whilst he protected them. Or Titan powers to remain repressive as Marleyans were already exploiting them to achieve their ends. He knew that one way or another the world needed to be rid of the Titan powers. And when he realised that it wasn’t a parallel species but the very mankind he was trying to protect, that must have felt like a slap across the face. I mean, c’mmon- you wanted to save these people but they turned out to be savage creatures out for blood. On top of that, you have these access to memories that tell you that whether you want it or not, one way or another, humanity will be wiped out- whether its you who does it or someone else who possesses your power. The cycle had to end somewhere. Eren was just brave enough to take the onus upon himself because to him, saving Armin and Mikasa was worth something. Even if humanity didn’t deserve it, it still meant he would give them a fighting chance. I am sure he saw the injustice of his actions- he was all too aware of the consequences. But would you want the world to end to save the few people you love? I know what I would choose.

Damn, AOT is another level of pain.

Update: I have rewatched it entirely. Okay the pain intensified and boy was I so wrong about Eren’s character.

[shadow-maven]

“To become the person someone else had imagined for us is not freedom - it is to mortgage our life to someone else's fear. If we cannot at least imagine we are free, we are living a life that is wrong for us.”

[eurydicees]

happy pride month to them and only them

[btthepro]

Wht bout my peeps nagireo?? discrimination or smth??/j

[subduedpassions03]

I think I have found my favourite trope- lonely people x people who adopt them.

[perfeqt]

“Knowing how to be solitary is central to the art of loving. When we can be alone, we can be with others without using them as a means of escape.”

— Bell Hooks

[everymangagojo]

𝐈 𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐡𝐢𝐦. 𝐓𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝…

𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐲 𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐈 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝…. 𝐌𝐲 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐨𝐫… 𝐈 𝐠𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐚𝐥𝐥, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡.

[aliteraryprincess]

Nothing is fair, except that we try to make it so. That's the point of humans, maybe, to fix things the gods haven't managed.

T. Kingfisher, Nettle & Bone

[bluengreyme]

I AM SCREAMING

[subduedpassions03]

I am not crying- I am not cry- I am n-

[kyriaejiraiblog]

i love tumblr because you see someone losing their mind and you’re just like “omg me tooooo!” *reblog*

[cinnamorollcrybaby]

these HI pics have me SICK to my stomach please i can’t take it 😭😭 they were just KIDS.

[subduedpassions03]

Like I said pain doesnt stop here.

[subduedpassions03]

Spoilers ahead so read at your own discretion:

The saddest chapter in the whole manga for me was 236. I had to physically hold back from re-reading it because it broke me. I knew it was coming even if Gojo appeared so sure of himself. But that scene where he is sitting with all his friends and Yaga is standing in the distance. Arghhh. And when he told Geto he would have been satisfied if he was there to pat his back- urgh.

And the way he says- you can love something but you cannot always ‘understand’ it. And also explains his actions. When Geto left, and he could barely piece together why he would, in due course he must have realised that, you can love someone but you cannot always understand them. Which led to him drawing a line and hiding his true feelings. Ah. Gojo, you philosphical, crazy ass cosmonaut.

The story in itself is written as such, I suppose. Everything at its zenith,is a curse in its own way. Gojo’s power is thrust upon him. He doesn’t ask for it. However after the events of hidden inventory arc and his enlightenment of sorts, he vows to become powerful, in order to not fail the people he loves. I already wrote about Yuta and Yuji’s excesses. Then there is Sukuna, with power so potent that he has nothing else to base his identity on. But even he seems honoured in his intentions. If pursuit of greatness was his aim, he never wavered from that path, defeating the strongest sorcerer of his time.

What I did love about the whole sequence was the interactions between Geto, Haibara, Nanami and Gojo- very much in tune with their characters. Especially when Nanami says: “You live for jujutsu. You don’t wield it to protect something. You use it solely for the sake of satisfying yourself”. Guys, we all deserve a Nanamin in our lives. Someone who can read our intentions better than us and is not afraid to call us out.

Also I knew Sukuna monopolized Mahoraga dammit. He was never winning that fight 1 vs 1.

Anyhow, I am going back to my corner. And YES I AM CRYING.

[subduedpassions03]

This is becoming a JJK blog- but Geto and Gojo, I swear I haven’t once stopped crying thinking about how lonely they must feel. Each calling the other their best friend despite being enemies per chance. And the trust they had on each other. C’mmon- even miles away Gojo knew that Geto won’t murder his students. Its clearly a difference of ideology, but there is love in there.

“If you want to kill me then kill me. There is meaning in that”. Ofc there is. The meaning is simple- you never thought of me as a friend. Because friendship doesn’t end when your best friend decides that the path you are on is not the one for them. So if Gojo killed Geto, it would mean he never saw him as his best friend, an ally or his partner. Or there would be meaning if Gojo kills him, because it represents everything that he stands against- indiscriminate authority. Sure, Gojo could have ended it all then and there- but that is exactly what he stood against. He believed in the mighty not protecting the weak, but for the weak to discern their own power. His was a path of leading by example. A path Geto became disillusioned with because remember how he said, societies must be built to protect the weak? But he saw his comrades die for their beliefs, yet it barely affected the en masse.

Ah. Geto and Gojo will always bear cuts that bleed. And what did Gojo even say to Geto when he was dying?

I would be thinking about these two for a while. Damn.

[subduedpassions03]

The worse part about watching Jujutsu Kaisen and reading the manga is the little easter eggs I keep stumbling upon because HOLD ON. Yuta’s cursed energy stems from his ability to love and Yuji’s, from his unbridled kindness.

Excess of anything is bad right? Extreme kindness and empathy leaves you with nothing for yourself. As for excess of love- it only brings you sorrow. Yet these two are one of the most powerful sorcerers. Megumi on the other hand, even though born with exceptional abilities, is tempered in extending his kindness and affection. He weighs his choices against an inbuilt defence mechanism of self-loathing and doubt. No wonder an evil curse could fully manifest in his body.

Ah. I see what you did Gege, I see. I was unaware of your genius. There is so much still yet to uncover because these characters are so complex. How could anyone wrap this story in 200 something chapters? I need backstories OF EVERY CHARACTER. Ugh. Its hard being a Jjk fan. My head hurts.

[subduedpassions03]

Man, I am late to the #jujutsukaisen fandom, but why did nobody ever warn me that pain never ends here?

I mean- “Love is the greatest curse of all”, said by a man who knows nothing but suffering? I can’t even talk about Gojo and Geto without sobbing every two seconds. What is this knife I am twisting inside myself?

And this post may have spoilers so bear with me- what do you mean Yuta’s cursed energy stems from his love for his dead childhood friend, Rika? And its not because she cursed him- its because he inflicts the curse upon her? If thats not symbolic of how “attachment” not ‘love’ is the greatest curse of all, then WHAT IS?

And what do you mean Gojo is going to die? The dude barely appears in a total of 50-60 chapters in the manga, loses his best friend, gets trapped in a realm that distorts time and after all this- LOSES TO SUKUNA? Who fyi, did a 3 vs 1 mortal combat? I mean- make it make sense, writer guy. Give him a break. The guy was born to tip the scale of cursed energy in the world? And what did that get him huh? A dead best friend, no gratitude and maybe, maybe 5 minutes of peace when he attains Nirvana because OH someone killed the girl who was supposed to be erased and he only wanted to save her from the fate that was similar to his’? “youth should not be taken away from the young” huh? Yet the man never got to be YOUNG.

I mean I kinda see the point. The strongest bear the curse of their strength- BUT here his best friend reaches the edge of his darkness and drops the most heartbreaking line ever known to mankind- “Are you Gojo Saturo because you are the strongest or are you the strongest because you are Gojo Saturo?”

I mean thats got to be a curse innit? When does the pain end here?

And to top it off, he WON the goddamn fight!! On pure strength. No shikigami, shadow business. Yet the one he is fighting is in the body of a student he raised/adopted?

Tell me you hate writing the character without telling me you really hate writing the character. Gege Akutami- when I find you, I will- SOB IN YOUR FACE. That’s the worse tragedy ever written and even Greeks would applaud your vision.

Even in death, he was only understood by the villain because guess what- power recognises power. Sukuna is probably the best villain character written in, the recent times.

BUT WOW OH WOW- I wasnt prepared for the pain. At all.

[subduedpassions03]

For someone who loves GOT7 I dont yap about them enough but ‘her’ written by Jinyoung, is not really a love song or a sad song.

Its a song that definitely indicates the ending of a relationship but also looks back at it fondly. We live in the black and white of ‘he said, she said’, when a relationship ends or begins, we don’t really value the process of building one. So the song is about yearning for the feeling of ‘love’.

Yes, the relationship with ‘her’ in question ended. Yes, their paths diverged or they simply grew out of it, but was that not love? It was. However brief, short lived, it was love. And even if one person remains in love, they can send it to them, whenever a thought of them appears.

And that’s what ladies and gents, he meant by the song describing all kinds of love. There is depth in the song beyond comprehension. Whether its for a friend you lost, a lover who left, or even as broad as love a fan feels for an idol, it could be anything.

Love is in the attempt. Yes it hurts, yes it aches when it ends, but love returns back manifold.

Oh, to be loved by Jinyoung. Whoever you are he wrote ‘her’ for, I hope he was happy in the moment, with you. And I hope love finds him and you again.

Love after all, manifests in different forms but the essence remains the same.