Re: the ‘ask meme for people in their thirties’ - gonna take a wild guess here and submit 53 as the question you have strong opinions on. (As alternatives, if you don’t want to dwell on the Bureaucratic Horrors - I’ll ask 27, 43, 48, and/or 62!)
Heeeee, yes - you got it in one!
53. What's worse, the DMV or the Social Security Office?
Now, I fully admit to my personal bias coming into play here. On average, I have to wrestle with DMV-related matters much less than most people in the country do. However, that will not stop me from wholeheartedly believing that the Social Security Office is my mortal enemy in this life. No other entity has ever jerked me around the way they are determined to carry on so doing, or so frequently come to me like, "Hey, you didn't do anything, but we messed this up, so now you have to take care of it." Accountability, guys. ACCOUNTABLITY.
27. Do you prefer Boardgame Night, Build-Your-Own-Pizza Night, or Movie Night with your friends?
Oh, this one is so hard! I love cooking with people, and I have some really, really wonderful memories of watching movies and TV shows with friends, but I think playing board games and card games together ultimately edges the other two out, if only because it usually takes people by surprise when my competitive spirit comes out. I get super intense!
43. Favorite book you've read recently?
Ah, sorry, I don't have as good of an answer for this one though. My reading pool hasn't been too wide for this last while because I've just been slowly working through the Wheel of Time series. I only have two and three-quarters more books to go though, so soon I'll be able to branch out again!
48. If you could build your home from scratch, what outrageous feature would you want to build into it?
Well, the first thing that comes to mind is an elevator. I never noticed until I needed to help my mom find a place for herself how few, at least in my area, houses don't have at least a few steps, either inside or outside. Obviously if my theoretical designed house were on a single level, an elevator isn't necessary. But that's the first practical idea I thought of. For more fun options, I am really fond of the idea of having a dedicated library-type room or study. While I'm not sure this counts as an outrageous feature, I have ridiculously fervent feelings about the presence of a fireplace. Also, kitchen design/layout is another thing I have strong opinions about, so I could probably go overboard there pretty easily? Oh, and I love window seats!
62. Where are you on the minimalism-maximalism kinsey scale?
Hmmm, maybe like a 5.5, if 7 is the maximalist end of the scale? Like, I definitely have collectivist tendencies, and keeping things beyond the point of necessity "just in case" does bring me comfort. On the other hand, it's not too difficult for me to part with things that don't have sentimental value and I don't like having clutter. But when I decorate, places can still look aesthetically pleasing to me even if it isn't close to streamlined, if that makes sense. I might benefit from not relating so much to hobbits, mayhaps.
It's the last year in Ealdor for both of them, though they don’t know it yet. | Merlin and his peasant prince, as the wheel turns. In eight parts.
Fandom: Merlin (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Category: Gen
Relationship: Merlin & Will
Words: 101,119
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This is my completed ficbind of Wheel of the Year by @panharmonium. I'm so excited to have it on my shelf as an actual physical book!
The typeset and cover design has a growth/leaves motif to pay homage to how the story feels rooted in the changing of the seasons. The cover colours were chosen to for similar reasons (gold/brown tones to represent earth & fields + Merlin's magic, blue/green to represent the Ea + Merlin's eyes & growth/life).
Many thanks to panharmonium for their blessing to bind this story, and to the folks at @renegadepublishing who have been a great inspiration and a great help in getting into this hobby.
Is this track too weird? Please tell me. It's the answer to the question, "Can I make a track on a modern MPC with nothing but samples of a TV show taken from an old VHS tape and run through a modular synth?"
To be nerdy about it, it's an attempt to update and adapt musique concrète techniques and intent to our modern, media-saturated landscape. It recognizes and to varying degrees incorporates elements from similar approaches that evolved after musique concrète, whether derived or evolved essentially in parallel (eg hip-hop, electronic dance music, Plunderphonics, et al).
OMG THAT WAS 100% NOT THE WHOLE MESSAGE; there were several sentences under that where i was telling you how much your tags made me laugh and apologizing for messing up your sleep schedule!!!!!!!!! i am so sorry tumblr ate the rest of it and i cannot explain why that happened; do not worry; i am fully aware you were joking and it made me laugh so hard last night XD
Lol I thought so! But I saw just my tags without context and it looked so accusatory I just had to make the joke!
(I want you to imagine something, since we’re both in the Merlin fandom. I promise, I knew it wasn’t like that, but you just... sending me my own tags, with absolutely no context, made the image of someone throwing a gauntlet at my feet, staring straight into my eyes and telling me to own up to my deeds sprung fully formed into my head and had me in stitches.)
You know, I actually saw a post not too long ago explaining at least two reasons why asks might get eaten by the insatiable maws of tumblr’s subpar coding. One of them was separating elipses from the next word (like... this and not like...this) and I think the other one was a heart made the old fashioned way, like this <3
The two canine shikigami Megumi (Fushiguro) can summon are called the gyokuken, the divine dogs, which ties into his cursed technique, the Ten Shadows, being based off the ten sacred treasures from shintoism. No idea why it was changed to be called the demon dogs in the anime.
In the manga, Megumi has green eyes instead of blue.
Megumi may be a grumpy guy with sea urchin hair (as opposed to duck butt hair 😉), but he's also very polite! He always addresses Gojo as “Gojo-sensei” and the Zen'in person he compares Yuji to in episode 1 is “Zen’in-senpai” too!
Yuji is just the best and I love him dearly.
1x02:
Gojo:
[shows up in an intense moment and immediately starts teasing Megumi and taking pictures of him]
"Since my student is watching, I think I'll show off a little. :D"
"A request from a precious student? Leave it to me!" (Also, I like that Megumi's answer to Satoru asking if his desire to not let Yuji die is motivated by personal feelings is “Yes. Please do something about this.”)
[notices Yuji likes hoodies and incorporates a hood into his school uniform customization, and according to Megumi, this is a pattern.]
[tricks his new country bumpkin students but then treats them to dinner (without trying to weasel out of paying *cough cough* *fond side-eye of certain other team leaders*)]
Me: I'm fine. This is fine. I like him a normal amount. [vibrates]
Gojo's line to Yuji about Sukuna, “Don't worry, I'm way too strong for him” is a very good translation under the syllable constraints, though it doesn’t completely capture the thematic bearing of “Don't worry, I'm the strongest.” (Nothing spoilery concerning what I am alluding to here; this is just one motif-type thing that is somewhat lost via non-specific wordings.)
The fact that the first thing Satoru says about the Jujutsu world's elders/higher-ups is that they're cowards… really just about says it all. If you enjoyed how Kakashi handled/acted towards Homura and Koharu after Danzo's death, then you are in for a treat. :)
As is pretty obvious at this point, I'm just really amused by the ways Kakashi and Satoru either mirror each other or are total inverses of the other. They both have revolutionary mindsets, they are both habitually late, Gojo has a massive sweet tooth and, as we know, Kakashi does not. They're both dog people (this never comes up in jjk's story, but was mentioned in a Q&A with Gege Akutami). I'll try to add on to this list as you progress ‘cause it's like my favorite thing.
Gojo’s big smiles in reaction to Yuji stating his convictions of how he wants to live and die. 🥰 [“Nice! I like people like you.” 😊]
Megumi: There were plenty of other empty rooms, weren't there?
Satoru: But isn't livelier better? I thought it'd be good for–
Megumi: Classes and missions are enough. This was an unwelcome favor.
Satoru: 😟
I have A LOT of feelings about this exchange and it wouldn’t make sense to talk about now and it is KILLING ME. THEY'RE THERE THOUGH.
1x03:
Protagonist throwing himself at his new teacher to hug him? Check!
At the beginning of episode 3, Yuji is enjoying a light blue (ramune flavored) popsicle, the same kind of popsicle Gojo is often depicted with in official art, such as this chapter cover illustration by Gege:
I wonder if Yuji and Gojo have the same favorite flavor?
Yuji (observing Nobara for the first time while decked out in tourist-y stuff): This is kinda embarrassing.
Megumi: Yeah, so are you.
Nobara: *disgusted by Yuji's eating habits*
Yuji: Hey! That's not very nice!
Megumi: I agree with her.
I adore the first-year trio's dynamics so much. <3<3<3
Megumi: I think I'll go [in with Nobara and Yuji], too.
Satoru “Tough Love” Gojo: Don't push yourself. You're still recovering. *sits on the ground so his student has the nicer resting spot*
Nobara Kugisaki makes self-referential puns to herself like a DWEEB and I love her for it. <3
Yuji Itadori casually Kool-Aid Mans through a wall and thinks nothing of it because it’s not like it was reinforced concrete or anything, just like he rammed into my heart. <3
Megumi Fushiguro always has his nose in his phone and quietly pouts when he's left out of things and I love him for his grumpy sea urchin ways. <3
1x04:
Oh yeah, so the series picks up in June 2018 and then skips ahead a week or two to the start of July 2018 for episode 4. And since we're on the topic of dates, all three of our first years are currently fifteen. Nobara, like Sakura before her, is the oldest, Born August 7, 2002. Megumi is in the middle, born on December 22, 2002. Making Yuji the baby with a birth date of March 20, 2003. Satoru is 28 and was born on December 7, 1989. Oh lookie there, what a similar age gap between–
Okay, but the way Yuji's Japanese VA first speaks to the white divine dog (popular fanon headcanon is the wolves’ names are Shiro and Kuro because Megumi does seem the type to simply dub them White and Black 😄) and says he's a good boy has to be one of my favorite line deliveries ever!
Nobara and Yuji may have gotten off on the wrong foot with each other, but I love that they react the same way to the disappearing door in the innate domain and praise Shiro upon learning he can smell the way out for them, much to Megumi’s annoyance. :) All three of them complement each other so well!
Megumi: And what happens when someone you saved goes on to kill someone else?
Yuji: Then why did you bother saving me?!
Gaaahhhhh they respect/admire each other so much but the way they clash and navigate their personal philosophies and how that impacts their relationship is so, so great! Yuji is trying to honor his grandpa’s request to help/save others and if he can’t, give them at least “proper” deaths, while Megumi has a strict moral code of his own, though you’ll have to wait a little longer to hear it…
Nooooooo! Shirooooooooo! :( :( :( :( :(
“If I died here - if I actually died - would that be a proper death?!” + “I thought I was at least strong enough to choose when I died.” MY BOY. :( :( :( :( :( :( :(
Fun fact about Ijichi, the auxiliary manager/assistant manager depending on the translation with the glasses: he’s actually only 26! His birthday is April 20, 1991. Unlike many of the other managers, he has a cursed technique and originally trained to be a sorcerer before switching over to his current career track.
Yuji: You're often irritated when you're on the phone, Fushiguro.
Megumi: That's because of Gojo-sensei, not the phone.
😂😂😂
I don't know how they did it, but IMO, every one of the opening & ending songs really hit! Especially “Lost in Paradise”! It's probably my dad's influence, but its jazzy feel is definitely my favorite (or truthfully, tied for first, but we haven't gotten that far yet).
•‘The only thing granted equally to all is an unfair reality.’ 👀
•Ah, we’re starting to get into some terminology! Healing via cursed energy = reverse cursed technique. Regular cursed energy is derived from negative emotions, so it makes sense that the reversal of CE is positive in nature and can be used to heal. As Sukuna notes, since cursed spirits are made of cursed energy, it’s much easier for them to heal this way. RCT as an ability is very rare amongst sorcerers, and highly prized.
•NOT OROCHI TOO. :( :( :(
•So yeah, Megumi gets thrown around here quite dramatically by three-finger!Sukuna. It's not explained until later - you didn’t miss anything! - but this is known as cursed energy reinforcement. Sorcerers are not inherently super strong or non-breakable; that is specifically a Yuji thing.
•C’mon, Sukuna! You can’t just say “nice technique there” and just leave it at that! You have to finish the meme!
•Outwardly, Megumi doesn't treat his shikigami as pets, but according to Gege, he is really connected to them and deeply mourns when any of them are destroyed. The loss of Yuji is the bigger blow of course, but losing two of them in one day at the detention center really weighed on him:
•‘If I have the time to curse someone, I'd rather spend it thinking about those precious to me.’ TSUMIKIIIIII. <3
•‘The father who named me “Megumi” with no regard for my gender…’ The name Megumi is traditionally considered more of a feminine one. It means “blessing.”
•‘Jujutsu sorcerers are just another cog in that machine of retribution. I want more good people to enjoy fairness, even if only a few, so I save people unequally.’ This gets fleshed out a bit more down the line, but it's a good first summary.
•‘Sacred treasure swing and ring, ring. Eight grip…!’ I wonder what that is…? ;)
Megumi: I'm not a hero. I'm a Jujutsu sorcerer. So I've never once regretted saving you.
😭 (Also very important to Megumi's mentality.)
Yuuji: Oh, looks like I'm done for. Guess I won't have to worry about you, Kugisaki, or Gojo-sensei. Live a long life.
😭😭😭
•I don't think I've ever seen the source for this, but legend has it Gege decided to have Yuuji die here because he thought the series was about to be canceled. We should've known then and there how diabolical of a person he truly is! Well, I say we but I'm completely blameless ‘cause I didn't hear about it until it was already too late.
•Gojo: [Yuji's death] was intentional….Besides, with Yuji, I was the one who forced the issue and got his execution Indefinitely suspended.[1](<- tally for future reference, though I wouldn't be surprised if you see where I'm going with it. 😉) Some higher-ups who didn't like that took advantage of my absence and the special grade to tactfully dispose of him. If the other two had also died, it'd be more trouble for me and two birds with one stone for them. (Also, I know this is a rather flimsy link, but this situation = shades of Kakashi returning from an inconveniently-timed mission only to hear Sasuke's defected and the only people who've been sent after him are five genin? Just the emotional blows suffered by each teacher, I mean.)
Gojo: Searching for someone to blame is such a pain. Maybe I should just… kill all the higher-ups. 😡😡😡
Yeah, his best Shikamaru impression aside, you do NOT threaten or harm Satoru's kids and expect to get away with it. Or, at least you don't if you're smart and not blinded by ambition. Oh, wait…
Shoko (Ieiri, AKA MY DARLING GIRL, and who sadly looks like she hasn't had a good night's sleep in literal years): You're not usually this emotional. Looks to me like you've taken quite a liking to him.
Satoru: I've always been the kind of guy who cares for my students.
Me: Yeah you are my darling boy!! Shoko just likes to tease you in that droll way of hers. :) (She is also 28 and was classmates with Gojo. Her birthday is November 7th, which delights me as apparently Rin is a November baby, too.)
•Nobara: Panda? That's all you're giving me is Panda? (🤣)
•Megumi & Nobara, while thinking of Yuji: I have to get stronger. I’ll do anything to achieve that! (Very shounen-y but still, 🥹)
•Alright, regarding the punchline for episode 5's Juju Stroll: Megumi says Panda kinda smells like the sun (now, which Febreze leads to that, huh?), but he refers to the sun as “ohisama” instead of using “hi” or “taiyo.” Maki and Nobara were so shocked (and endeared) by this because that's what Japanese children call the sun. It's akin to saying Mr. Sun (or Honorable Sun more literally). Super cute. :)
1x06:
•The deal, or “pact,” Sukuna tricks Yuji into making to come back to life is known as a “binding vow” in the manga, which is important to note due to the anime later on using “pact” interchangeably with another concept as well called heavenly restriction. Binding vows and heavenly restrictions have similar mechanics but are otherwise very distinct. Just so you know, in the manga the trigger word for Yuji and Sukuna’s binding vow is “enchain” in case they end up replacing “extension” with it.
•“You know, I have a bad personality.” Satoru says, and then expresses that, “No one is allowed to take the events of youth away from young people/I refuse to keep this kid from living the best years of his life. Not just him, but everyone.” So do you really have a bad personality, or is it that no one around you makes positive statements about you on a personal level and so you've internalized that impression, silly dude? (I don’t expect you to take my word for it or anything, Pan. Although I’d be excited if you wind up drawing a close conclusion yourself! Unfortunately I can’t explain my entire reasoning as of yet.)
•HE HAS A DREAM!!!!! :’) TO RESET THAT GARBAGE JUJUTSU WORLD. SO HE CHOSE EDUCATION TO CREATE HIS REVOLUTION! TO RAISE UP STRONG, CLEVER COMRADES! HE LIKES BEING THE STRONGEST AND IS PROUD OF IT BUT HE'S EXCITED FOR HIS STUDENTS TO BE ON PAR WITH HIM OR SURPASS HIM! HE WANTS A BETTER WORLD FOR THEM!
Sorry for the shouting; I've been holding that in for a long time. :D
I’m glad he calls the higher-ups scum, and not himself. :)
•‘Yuji would have been one of them.’ DO YOU EVER CRY?
•Best high-five ever! 😁
Yuji: Oh, I figured you'd be the best person to train me, so I'm just happy. ☺️
HE IS VERY DEAR TO MEEEEEE!!! <3 <3 <3
Yuji: Teach me to be the strongest!
Gojo: Heh. You've got a keen eye. ;)
Yuji: Sensei, you're the one who called yourself the strongest.
Gojo: *doesn't deign to acknowledge that last comment*
Once again, I LOVE them!! <3
•‘I see. I don't get it.’ The most on-brand Yuji statement ever. XD
•Gege just casually name-dropping moves from Yu Yu Hakusho, Bleach, Naruto, and Dragon Ball. Yuji SHOULD get to do a rasengan haha!
•Megumi: “I just got really irritated…” (🤣 I am easily amused by the “character can sense when they are being badmouthed somewhere else” trope!)
•I can give you somewhat of a little cheat sheet for understanding Inumaki's onigiri code, if you'd like?
1x07:
•Oh crap. Gojo asks Ijichi, “Just what do you think I am?” not, “Just who do you think I am?” I had never caught that before…
•Gojo’s “Hora, hora! Horahora! Hoooora!” is a fantastic line delivery, too.
•So you get to see a bunch of Gojo's abilities in this episode but only a couple of them are explained in any depth, i.e. Infinity (the “neutral” form of his cursed technique, Limitless) and his domain expansion, Infinite Void (or technically Unlimited Void in the manga). You'll eventually get a fuller rundown of Limitless, however Gege is going to take his sweet time about it, so if you're curious, I can go into more of the details. Essentially, his technique is the materialization of certain physics and math concepts. Fun stuff. :)
•Fellowship of the Ring reference my beloved!!!!! <3 I maintain that the first movie was Yuuji’s choice and Satoru picked LotR to be up next as his go-to film most likely to invoke strong emotions based on personal experience and that is part of why he was impressed by Yuuji’s focus. That’s my headcanon and I’m stickin’ to it!
Yuji: Sensei, I was at the school just ten seconds ago, right? What's going on here?
Gojo: Oh, we warped here.
Yuji: He has no intention of explaining.
Awww, look at how well he already knows his sensei!
•Gojo: “You'll be fine. Just stay close to me.” Head pats!!
I believe this is what the kids today call idiot-to-idiot communication.
I might pick up some of the manga from the library, just to have it on hand. I also prefer watching the animated versions, but I felt like in our second watch session I was having trouble understanding some of what was going on. I don’t know if maybe some of that is attributable to watching it in a room with five other people - my friends occasionally talk or make jokes, which on the one hand does add to my enjoyment but also possibly is distracting. Or possibly I’ve just been spoiled by Naruto - I expect the characters to break out a classroom pointer and show me cute charts while interminably lecturing me about the mechanics of how things work. XD
As I mentioned a few days ago, I really think this is a smart way to go about it. I believe you've hit the nail on the head (*winks at Nobara with a thumbs-up*) that some things are getting lost amongst y’all’s talking, BUT I actually wouldn’t recommend changing that. From what you’ve described, it doesn't sound like you're sacrificing anything in truth, if that makes sense. My guess is reading over the parts you've seen thus far will likely solidify the concepts and connections that have been set up, but in general, as a viewer, JJK throws you into the deep end in multiple ways. That is why I included the note about Gojo's powers in episode seven for example; they are left largely unspecified except for Infinity, since it essentially makes Gojo untouchable, and hence, the need for the villains to “seal” him in lieu of killing him. But I totally understand the inherent uncertainty that causes, trying to determine what is okay not to follow/decipher and what you're supposed to have figured out. So I hope I can clear some of it up here.
Some of it might just be stuff we’re not actually supposed to get yet. We’ve had flashbacks for the other two kids at this point, but I honestly didn’t fully understand what was going on in either of them - I’m sure more will be revealed later.
Yeah. I’d say the purpose of those flashbacks was less about the contents than the motivations they were meant to establish. Did that come through?
And I had a bit of trouble figuring out the mechanics of what exactly Yuji was doing while watching TV
Right! So you know how the treewalking exercise Kakashi had Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke practice was for honing chakra control? This is kinda like that. Satoru is helping Yuji learn to better control his cursed energy by continuously pushing a certain amount of cursed energy into the bear plush. All the movies do is instigate strong emotions that thereby provide a resource of cursed energy for Yuji to manipulate. That way, he doesn’t have to split his focus on both supplementing his cursed energy and being efficient with its output as well, I think? (I feel as though I didn’t organize that explanation in the best order. I’m sorry if it didn't clarify it all that well!)
I’m unclear on what exactly the “innate domains” are and how Gojo’s was different?
Ooh, this is a good question! When Gojo is explaining domain expansions to Yuji, he says the domain at the detention center sounds like it was an incomplete one. This is because a domain expansion consists of two components: expanding one's “innate domain” into the surrounding environs (typically encompassed by a barrier “shell”) + imbuing your individualized cursed technique into the domain's area. This takes a hefty amount of cursed energy, which means not everyone is capable of casting one. Most of those who have the capability can only use domain expansion no more than once a day. (Another reason Satoru's domain is special. You haven't heard this term yet, but he has what is known as the Six Eyes and they make it possible for him to cast his domain several times a day if it were needed.) At the detention center, the interior landscape of the dormitory building was altered, but it lacked an imbued technique, making it incomplete. Sukuna’s domain expansion, Malevolent Shrine, slices things at its most basic level. Jogo’s (volcano head) technique is called Disaster Flames, and his domain expansion, Coffin of the Iron Mountain, transports its target into the inside of a raging volcano, usually causing instant incineration. Gojo's domain expansion, Unlimited Void, traps anyone in it in a void-like space, ‘the inside of Limitless,’ immobilizing and overwhelming them with an endless stream of information. Yuji was in contact with Gojo the entire time, so he wasn't affected. Likewise to cursed techniques, everyone's innate domain is specific to themselves. Sukuna tells Yuji after he dies that they are in his innate domain and to think of it as being inside Sukuna's mind. Influenced by his incarnation within Yuji, the borders of it look like a ribcage, but the rest is emblematic of Sukuna’s self-concept. No, I didn't bring that last part up just to angst about the implications of Gojo's innate domain resembling an empty void. That sounds nothing like me!
I do process information better when I read, so it might be worth it just to have a copy of the manga on hand to flip through afterwards, even if I prefer watching as a general rule.
Same for me. And just know having a bit of trouble with this stuff is not unexpected; JJK as a manga is notorious for having some of the most densely-worded text-bubbles out there. You’re doing very well all things considered!
Which doesn't seem quite fair, really, considering although I like cats a great deal, you still wouldn't call me a cat person.
Step #1: Love Kakashi Hatake far too much as a character.
Step #2: Scroll through his tumblr tag. Slowly start noticing that people often draw parallels between him and another character from the currently-running Jujutsu Kaisen manga and anime, Satoru Gojo.
Step #3: Think, "This is fine. It appears they're mostly just comparing their similar character designs and they both have unique things going on with their eyes. I'm not seeing anything that's really piquing my interest with this series; I'll just quickly look up if there's anything more to these comparisons beyond surface-level resemblances and that will be that."
Step #4: One of the next things you learn about Gojo is that a common clickbait-y way to frame discussion around parts of his personality is along the lines of, "Does Gojo have a God complex?"
Step #5: Think, "Ah, okay. That's likely an exaggeration, but probably Kakashi and Gojo can't be all that similar, or at least I likely wouldn't feel much the same about them as characters. Now I'm simply curious how far off Gojo actually is from having a God complex and then I'll be done."
Step #6: Did not back out of this rabbit hole at this juncture.
Step #7: Hard to recollect exactly the order of things from here, but learned that Gojo is the teacher for his own group of 3 fifteen-year-old students (and also previously taught older students since he's the head of first-year high school students at his very small school), learned back when Gojo was a student at this same school he had a very close friend who was instrumental in imbuing Gojo with his current moral principles and this friend is now dead, and learned that Gojo is the unequivocally strongest character within his universe's power system, and thus while he has a LOT of confidence in his own abilities and can be a bit cocky and a show-off, he definitely doesn't think of himself as godlike (anyone who's familiar with JJK and reading this--I'm aware of 'the honored one' thing, hang on a sec).
Step #8: Decide, "Alright then. Well, I am starting to get more intrigued by this series. Maybe I'll look up a little more about it and watch the first episode or two. It'll be fine. After all, I get now why people are reminded of Kakashi by Gojo and vice versa, but it certainly sounds like Gojo's personality is basically the opposite of someone who's convinced they're scum and is incredibly unassuming and humble and could honestly use a bit more self-worth so he at least possesses a modicum of self-preservation inclination. Gojo seems to have a lighthearted, goofy side that is partly used as a cover for his deeper emotions, and I might get attached to that based on other characters I've loved, but that still ought to be pretty safe. If I do wind up liking Gojo the most out of all the characters, there's no way he'll put me through the same heart-wrenching agony as seeing Kakashi being a paragon of strength of character and sheer goodness, while inwardly he can't see anything of value in himself."
The thing is, I wasn't wrong.
But clearly, I underestimated the pain I could still experience at the hands of a Kakashi-adjacent character.
(All I'm about to explain is completely non-spoilery, by the way. And by that I mean I'm not going to be ruining any major plot points or the "viewing experience" of watching the anime or reading the manga. Anything I reference that happens at any point beyond the first few chapters, I'll be as vague and opaque about it as possible, as well as very brief. And it will also all be basic background info/set up level stuff.)
Okay, so before I get to the real kicker, let's start with Gojo's dream.
In the world of Jujutsu Kaisen, the chakra equivalent is called cursed energy. However, cursed energy is not a life force. Cursed energy arises from people's negative emotions, and if the quantities of negative emotions emitted by the populace is large and concentrated enough, this creates cursed spirits of various sorts. For example, humanity's collective fear and pain experienced through natural disasters created a cursed spirit out of that resulting enormous amount of cursed energy. Cursed spirits usually aren't sentient, but almost unerringly they cause great harm and often death to humans. The number we're given at the start of the manga is around 10,000 unexplained deaths and missing persons per year in Japan are the result of curses.
Jujutsu sorcerers are the people who exorcize (or destroy, more like) cursed spirits to mitigate that as much as possible. They exorcize the curses with cursed energy-fueled techniques that are unique to each sorcerer. A sorcerer's innate cursed technique (CT) is said to comprise around 80% of their potential/talent as a fighter of curses. We're told that over the course of the last, I don't know, century or so (?) - the date at the start of the series is June 2018 - curse spirits have been increasing in strength and number. However, the incredibly rare combination of the Limitless cursed technique and the Six Eyes in-born trait Gojo was born with is so powerful that his birth alone swung the balance from being in the curses' favor back over to the side of the jujutsu sorcerers.
Details on Gojo's childhood are quite sparse, basically the only things we know about the Gojo family are it's one of the three big clans in jujutsu society and they're very wealthy. As far as I'm aware, Satoru is the only member of the clan we've ever met. So there's only supposition for what his home life was like up until he started at Jujutsu High, but we do know that because his possessing both the Six Eyes and Limitless was the first occurrence of such in 300-400 years, his existence was something of a spectacle and many sorcerers came to visit him just to see it for themselves, and too, he was the target of curse users (sorcerers who use jujutsu for evil and their own selfish gain) in pursuit of the over 100 million yen bounty placed on his head since he was very young.
It would be pretty reasonable to assume Gojo was subsequently rather sheltered and perhaps quite lonely as a child, but at the same time praised and lauded for how he was so naturally, prodigiously powerful. It only makes sense that Gojo has more than a little pride in his strength and puts so much stock in that. I'm sure he really enjoyed the attention and notoriety he received, and he never expresses resentment regarding any pressure that might have been put on him as a kid to be the infallible (future?) vanquisher of curses (although later I do think he places more and more pressure on himself to "take care" of everything and be responsible for the safety of everyone in the jujutsu world and beyond), and yet I do believe it's apparent he understands he didn't get to have a "normal" childhood. As a part of one of the big clans, he was surrounded and immersed in the political power plays and jockeying for prestige and influence by jujutsu society's elders/leaders/'higher ups' from the start (we don't know when or how it happened, but presumably because he's the strongest living Gojo, at the start of the story Satoru is the head of the clan), and these higher ups view Gojo in terms of how he can best be used for their own benefit. Outside of his high school best friend and later a few of his students, Gojo has very few people who have more than a cursory understanding of who he is as a person, who seem to want to know him, not the living embodiment of the title 'The Strongest', but just Satoru Gojo. Gojo likes being The Strongest, but when that's all everyone around him appears to care about, it leaves him feeling very isolated and alone.
As I mentioned before, though, Gojo never complains about this. He doesn't ever even imply "because I was treated this way, I want to prevent anyone else having to go through that." He does tell one of the people he's somewhat close to what his aim is and what the reason is behind it, but it's worded in a way where the person is confused by Gojo's explanation, and we as the reader can't even be sure he's referring to himself, since it could just as easily be in reference to his deceased friend.
It's informed by his experiences growing up certainly, but Gojo's fierce desire to give the kids he watches over the opportunity to fully and freely enjoy their youth is not about regretting what he missed out on; it's about what he can do for them, doing all he can to protect and preserve their childhood and making sure no one can take that away from them.
I realize I haven't exactly explained what precisely Gojo's 'dream' is and how it ties into all this, so I'll attempt to circle back to that now.
Jujutsu Kaisen begins with our main character, Yuji Itadori, accidentally stumbling his way into the jujutsu world by doing something very dangerous in order to be in what he thinks is a better position to help his friends out of a bad situation. He succeeds in helping his friends, but what he had to do to make that happen is an action that is punishable by death under jujutsu regulations. Naturally, Yuji was unaware of that, but it doesn't matter to the sorcerer higher ups. Gojo hears about the situation, intervenes, and is able to get the elders to suspend Yuji's execution for the time being. I'm glossing over a bunch of stuff but let's roll with that for now. While Gojo is explaining the whole situation to Yuji, the first thing he tells Yuji about the higher ups is that he thinks they're a bunch of cowards. And really, that's just the tip of the iceberg for how Gojo feels towards these leaders. He's not a fan of them by any stretch of the imagination. I said above Gojo never voices resentment directed at them over his lack of a carefree childhood, and that's true, however his dislike of the higher ups does seem to be partly personal. We just don't know the specifics other than that when he criticizes them (to their faces or a fellow colleague) he sticks to their wrongful actions on the whole, not how they've wronged him. A handful of episodes later, the higher ups pull something really awful and underhanded while Gojo is away on another mission, a scheme that is partially motivated by wanting to get back at Gojo for interfering with Yuji. Newly and deeply angered by this, Gojo delves further into the corruption at the top of the jujutsu world and then tells us about his dream:
A similar scene happens one year previous to this:
(Gojo doesn't use it anywhere near as frequently, but his saying 'what a pain' about many a situation still manages to give me Shikamaru feelings and I enjoy that.)
What stands out to me the most here is how much Gojo WANTS the students/his allies to be equal to or surpass him in strength. He's not at all concerned with keeping his position and accompanying power all to himself like the higher ups are. During one of the first chapters of the manga/show, to allay someone's uneasiness over potential danger, Gojo tells them, "Don't worry, I'm the strongest." It's only later that we learn when he was much younger he was originally quite happy to say, "Anyway, it should be okay. We're the strongest." I really think he would like nothing better than to be able to say that once again.
In an unusual turn of events for me, when I caught up to the JJK manga a few months ago, I actually had pretty good timing with what was currently going on, but now the story is starting to enter into its final stages and it seems like a lot of people in the fandom feel the narrative is very possibly leading to Gojo's death in some way that will better enable this brighter, less corrupt future for the jujutsu world and his students that he's been working towards this entire time. I don't think that would be a bad outcome, I'm not against noble sacrifices entirely, but I really, really, really don't want to see this happen. And here's where my unexpected Kakashi-adjacent feelings come into play. The reasons for why I'm so invested in seeing both Kakashi and Gojo live to be a part of the better world they helped create are pretty different. Yet, they're also not miles apart. I don't think Gojo has as many doubts as Kakashi that he has a place in the future of which he dreams, but from what I can tell his main focus is on that future existing for everyone else. Maybe he believes that is his purpose as The Strongest? Probably he does have every intention of being there with his fellows. I just want that for him so very much. For the few glimpses of kid!Gojo we got, who always looked so solemn; for the teenage Gojo with the biggest, goofiest smiles, who had so much connection ripped away prematurely; for Gojo the teacher, who works so hard to make every kid feel welcome and excited and to know they aren't alone. I'm aware of the kind of story I'm reading--Jujutsu Kaisen is unrelentingly brutal to its characters. It's a matter of course to have your heart mercilessly stomped on over and over reading JJK. It's not the sort of story where you can reasonably expect a happy ending. Unfortunately, I'm much too optimistic of a person for this manga and I'm far too attached to the story and characters and I'm in way, way too deep.
But let's ignore all that for now and get to the Kakashi-adjacent part of Gojo which clobbered me over the head with feels even worse than what I've already detailed!
@panharmonium, when you've reached this part of the post, I can't really guess what you're thinking about it all, but what if I told you that one of Gojo's students, Megumi Fushiguro, the Sasuke-adjacent one, was, along with his one-year-older step-sister Tsumiki, quasi-adopted/looked after/raised by Gojo from the time Megumi was six/in first grade and Gojo was just nineteen? By blood, Megumi is actually a member of the Zen'in clan, another of the three major clans in jujutsu society. Gojo, fresh out of high school and still newly, painfully estranged from his best friend, hears by chance that Megumi, who's on his own at this time apart from Tsumiki (also parentless), is about to be sold to the Zen'in because of the cursed technique he's just manifested, and although it has nothing to do with him, Gojo goes to Megumi and asks him if he wants to go live with the Zen'in. Upon learning if he chooses this, Tsumiki will be very unhappy (the Zen'in clan cares nothing for her and they are by-and-large super blatantly misogynistic), Megumi says no and Gojo's like, "Cool, that's great! I'll take care of everything and I'll make sure you two have everything you need. I want you to grow up strong!" And then there's a moment in the manga, where present-day Gojo is taking a nap and dreams of this first meeting between himself and Megumi and when he wakes up to his three students coming to see him he does this:
AND THE SECOND SEASON OF THE ANIME JUST STARTED AIRING A FEW WEEKS AGO AND THAT MEANS I'LL BE ABLE TO SEE THIS MOMENT ANIMATED POSSIBLY AS SOON AS AUGUST 3RD (DUB PROBABLY AUGUST 17TH) AND I'M GONNA DIE. HE LOVES THAT KID SO MUCH!!!!!
So obviously that's super sweet and all, but maybe you're thinking, "Okay, that's nice, but do they really have that Kakashi 'n' Sasuke vibe?" and to that I say, "CHECK OUT THIS SHORT VIDEO AND THEN HOPEFULLY I CAN REST MY CASE."
Also, it is now my most important goal in life to draw a Kakashi & Sasuke version of these panels so I can dedicate it to you (and padmerrie if she wants in on this):
Of course, I'm not saying Sasuke and Megumi are carbon copies of each other (or Kakashi and Gojo for that matter, as I've tried to delineate above). Megumi has a bit of a grumpy disposition, but he's also very polite; he always calls Gojo "Gojo-sensei" and he uses "-senpai" for all the upperclassmen (who he met previously to becoming a student at Jujutsu High). Megumi is the dog guy in JJK and Gojo's more reminiscent of a cat in some respects. Etc., etc., etc. But in general, I really hope you see the vision!
While I'm at it, I might as well show you the little Gojo & Yuji video that naturally gives me all the Kakashi & Naruto feelings:
Yuji's already got the jubilantly-tackle-hug-your-sensei part down! (Although, of course, Gojo's much less resistant.🥰)
It is admittedly much more of a stretch to say Nobara is Sakura-adjacent, but I have seen someone describe her as a 'gremlin child' and I love that about her! <3
Anyway, I totally get if none of this is up your alley for whatever reason or you don't have the time to get into JJK if this happens to persuade you or if you just want to prioritize other stuff right now. *I* didn't mean to get into it, after all! The plan for my looking into JJK was to be purely for enhancing my love for Kakashi, and I failed spectacularly at limiting myself to that. I just thought I would share to see if it would be a fun read for you. :)
