#jjk 236

[guikat]

[chekhovsmiasma]

Caina

Spoilers for JJK manga (and Dante's Inferno lol)

A short rewriting of Gojo Satoru's death interwoven with Dante's Inferno's Canto 33 - The story of Count Ugolino and his sons.

Preface: I recommend reading Infereno Canto 33 (and all of Inferno, actually), it is thematically related to this fanwork, but it is not necessary for reading or understanding it. This contains Norton's translation of Inferno, with the exception of one line, which I slightly adjusted, but which is still an accurate translation from the original Italian text. It is also important you have read the manga up to chapter 236 EVEN THOUGH this obviously deviates from canon.

A narrow slit in the mew, which from me has the name of Famine, and in which others yet must be shut up, had already shown me through its opening many moons, when I had the bad dream that rent for me the veil of the future. 

When I awoke before the morrow, I heard my sons, who were with me, wailing in their sleep, and asking for bread.

Now they were awake, and the hour drew near when food was wont to be brought to us, and because of his dream each one was apprehensive.

And I heard the door below of the horrible tower locking up; whereat I looked on the faces of my sons without saying a word.

A dull ache throbbed through my skull when my eyes opened to reveal a blurred scene. My body felt heavy where I stood, muscles tightening as though of their own volition. A desolate landscape lay beneath my feet.

The fear that shot through my chest now settled comfortably in my gut. A white haired figure came into view, slightly obscured by dust still. Gojo-sensei stood proud. All would be right.

I tried to yell. My jaw locked shut. I stared until his eye shifted, gaze now level with mine.

I wept not, I was so turned to stone within. They wept; and my poor little Anselm said,'Thou lookest so, father, what aileth thee?'

Yet I did not weep; nor did I answer all that day, nor the night after, until the next sun came out upon the world.

Dust settled on his wrinkled brow, his stance still determined, though his pride faltering. His trembling hand swayed down beside his hip. My face remained still yet.

"What are you staring at? Gojo-sensei, what's wrong?" My teeth were glued shut as I called out to him, but not a word stepped past the threshold of my lips. I started towards him. His face was blank, then a horrible sense of dread closed my throat. The pit in my stomach spread its roots throughout my body and I could not stop moving. Gojo-sensei looked scared.

When a little ray entered the woeful prison, and I discerned by their four faces my own very aspect, both my hands I bit for woe;

and they, thinking I did it through desire of eating, of a sudden rose, and said, 'Father, it will be far less pain to us if thou eat of us; thou didst clothe us with this wretched flesh, and do thou strip it off.'

I quieted me then, not to make them more sad: that day and the next we all stayed dumb. Ah, thou hard earth! why didst thou not open?

Finally, I stilled before him. I could see he fought to keep his stare. My heart boiled over and my fingers clenched into my palm. He flinched, but stood his ground. And, for the first time, I felt imposing. I understood. My hand quickly loosened and I looked away.

I used to dream of such a face-off, picturing my noble stature matching his.

After we had come to the fourth day, Gaddo threw himself stretched out at my feet, saying, 'My father, why dost thou not help me?'

Here he died: and, even as thou seest me, I saw the three fall one by one between the fifth day and the sixth;

then I betook me, already blind, to groping over each, and two days I called them after they were dead:

I tried to fight it, call out once more. Then my hand raised, fingers twitching. I could feel his helpless eyes.

Today I know; my victory is but a symptom of my cowardice.

then famine did what sorrow could not do.

"You did well, Gojo Satoru."

Author's note: I know Count Ugolino is canonically in the Antenora (betrayal of political party or homeland) ring of the ninth circle, but I chose Caina (betrayal of kin) as the title of this story because it was more fitting for what I wanted to evoke and specifically how I wanted to tie Megumi to Count Ugolino.

Also, this is not a dig at Megumi, I know people call him weak all the time. This is meant as an interpretation of the repetition of the Ancient Battle between the Limitless user and the Ten Shadows user, as in, only one of them can come out alive. "Cowardice", in this case, is a measure of weakness in the same way famine would be in Inferno - it can't be helped.

[hermitw]

this got me thinking even more about Sukuna's healing ability

and how Gojo's body was confiscated right after that slice

if Ui Ui hadn't shown up, then I still wonder if Sukuna would have brought him back.

like, maybe it would have been difficult — Maybe Sukuna would have needed to transfer into him as a vessel, to make it work, especially if so much time had passed.

idk man I rly thought there was foreshadowing that's how jjk was going to end, w Gojo as Sukuna's vessel, but...

the fact that Yuuji was dead enough for Choso to feel that transformation and realize they were brothers...

Just convinces me even more that was possible.

But Sukuna was proud of Gojo, thought he had a satisfying death, and maybe would have honored that, resisted the temptation to being him back.

but also, imagine if halfway through the fight w all those other sorcerers, Sukuna just... got so bored that he left Fushiguro and transferred into Gojo. Maybe as a gamble with his own life as well.

AND THEN Gojo would finally be able to realize that he reached Sukuna....

[sulky-cabbage]

I just discovered my favorite thing ever: Chapter 236 translated by Google (aka what Gege was actually trying to say)

Today, what counts is, i love you. Hence the loneliness. Afdssgajkahsga;sgshjaksks

And here he just straight-up sounds suicidal cuz Sukuna didn’t let him hit I’m cryinggg 😭

And this...

Lmfaooo CLOCK HIMMM

We even have Geto calling Sukuna slow for not noticing what Gojo was trying to do, and Gojo’s like yeah, Sukuna was doing everything possible to avoid it LMAAAOOAOAOAOA

Meanwhile Fraudkuna is out here calling Mahoraga his role model

Yes. His role model. In PERVERSION:

dfsgssshdhsjsgs;gsgshs Infinity being translated as inviolability is hilarious and honestly just brings everything together. This is perfect... Sukuna’s perversion really went unnoticed, huh....

And then it ends on a sweet note :)

"It's sunny, isn't it, Gojo Satoru?" AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA SUKUNA IT'S FUCKING SNOWING YOU SAP

And thank God, Google finally decided to put an end to Gojo’s identity crisis for good

All in all peak writing. Gege wishes he was this good.

And this person is completely right.

And this post keeps winning as always.

Here's the whole chapter in this translation. The comments are hilarious.

Gojo vs Sukuna was a marriage consummation, and even Google agrees 🤝🏻

[hermitsdump]

this is Gojo in ch. 236 2 me <3

[gcmercury]

Love and Understanding

Does love transcend understanding?

I’m not sure why I get so fixated on the ‘understanding’ piece of it all in the grand scheme of things. Maybe Gege is saying the details don’t matter when you’re dying, just the people you hold dear.

I think I can never fully decide how I feel about these moments in 236 because for me love and understanding are intricately intertwined.

Can you really fault Gojo for equating love to understanding? And yet, even if Geto can’t comprehend him fully, he loves him unceasingly without question.

Maybe it’s me that has a short-sighted view of love, and Gojo has that deeper understanding of it.

Sometimes I think I have much to learn about love and loneliness.

[ryoikii]

late but happy two year :(

[wolfwoodscigarettes]

two years later, we still mourn you baby