Hiya

♕ Rubia: She/Her ◦33 Formerly Vibey-Lesbian

[patrickbatemanamericanpsycho]

[vibey-and-dykey]

Did you have any weird coming outs?

not really, but i think i have a pretty memorable one to share, if that helps? 

it happened during a party, thrown by my then-roommate. a girl at the party randomly came up to me, while i was lounging on the coach, eating yogurt of all things, while drunk. she talked to me for a while then randomly asked if i was gay. i was thrown off-guard, cause (1) i’ve never met this girl before, (2) usually people never assume i’m a lesbian until i state as such, and (3) i was just drunk eating yogurt in my own home? i said yeah but asked how she knew. and she just said something like, ‘i’ve watched you eat like 4 cups of yogurt and you never used a spoon. you’ve just been using your tongue, and seem kinda confident about it is all.’

so… there’s that. 

[dinosaws]

Why "Are you the strongest because you're Gojo Satoru, or are you Gojo Satoru because you're the strongest?" hurt so much

Heads up for manga spoilers! I want to expand upon my thoughts on Satoru and Suguru's relationship being one of mutual understanding because they were able to be more to each other than what they were in relationships with others. Suguru's question to Satoru in Shinjuku when he defects is, of course, a painful memory for Satoru. The entire situation hurt, but that question shook Satoru to his core. Why?

It's a paradoxical question. A question with no answer. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Like this, it's a question that one can meditate on in order to further awareness of oneself in relation to the world. Suguru is philosophizing here. He's spent the past year suffering through his sense of self eroding in the wake of the Star Plasma Vessel mission. He's been agonizing over the meaning of jujutsu sorcerers, the loss of those he cares about, the structure of power and exploitation, the significance of life, the significance of death, the significance of strength, the significance of suffering, and where he falls in all of this.

Suguru is, imo, in a state similar to how Satoru was after his awakening. He's just done something huge and life-altering by killing 112 villagers and his parents, so he's in a bit of a high. Not as drastic as Satoru was because Suguru's high is more emotional/mental than the physical high that Satoru was experiencing from his CE. But it stands out to me the way Suguru is smiling and laughing with Shoko when he shows up in Shinjuku. Even when Satoru first confronts him, he's smiling faintly.

His facial expression shifts, it's small but it's an impactful shift, as soon as Satoru yells, "Trying dumb stuff that you know doesn't work is as meaningless as it gets!" Suguru's face becomes humorless and cold, and he stares at Satoru for a moment before saying, "That's pretty arrogant."

To me, Satoru's words here are what prompts Suguru to ask the question. Another telling thing is that Suguru repurposes what Haibara said to him at the school right before Yuki showed up. When Suguru asks Haibara if he's handling being a sorcerer okay, Haibara says, "I just want to do the best at the things I can do. That's what feels good to me." Suguru looks slightly shocked here. It's the last conversation he has with Haibara, and it clearly stuck with him because he takes Haibara's words and sentiment here when he tells Satoru, "I've decided how I want to live, so now I'll do what I can for the sake of it."

But first, let's touch a little more on how special Satoru and Suguru were, and continued to be even after Suguru defected, to each other. We know all the other people in Satoru's life didn't understand him. When they're asked to describe Satoru, they all end up at the same statement. (from vol. 10 extra pages)

Q: Who is Gojo Satoru to you?

Yuji: He’s my teacher! If not for him, I would have been executed by now. Because of that… Megumi: For the time being, he's my benefactor… What I'm going to say next isn’t limited to just myself, but for the time being… Nobara: To be ho~onest, I don’t know him that well. The only thing I can say about him is…

Maki: An idiot. Panda: Yes, he’s an idiot. Inumaki: Salmon. All three: But… Nanami: He’s frivolous… Individualistic/selfish… Toge: Needless to say…

All: He’s the strongest.

All the kids, including Megumi, state their relationship with Satoru is that of “teacher,” and he thinks of them as his “students.” Megumi calls Satoru his “benefactor.” 恩人 (onjin). Shoko thinks of Satoru as her “classmate.” I don’t say this to downplay Satoru’s relationships with any of them. It’s just that that is who he is to them. It's not wrong, because Satoru is the strongest, so that is who he is to them. Yes, he is their fun and stupid teacher or colleague or mentor or friend, and yes they have other thoughts about him, but the definition of Satoru to them is: The Strongest. 

And that means there is a gap between them that sets them apart from each other. Think about a celebrity. Yes, you and that celebrity are both human and have many things in common. But there's a stark difference in the way you experience the world because of the vast power/fortune/fame they have and that you do not. And the way we all experience the world greatly impacts us. 

This can be seen in the “Gojo Satoru Official Booklet.” Gege has a relationship chart where everyone’s relationship with Satoru is described. The direction of the arrow tells you whose feeling/thought it is. So the ones that point to Satoru are the other person’s feelings on him. The ones that point from Satoru are his feelings on that person. Satoru's feelings on the students are "students" and the students feelings on him is "teacher." The only two that point in both directions are the arrows between Satoru and Yuki (they both think of each other as “Special Grade") and between Satoru and Suguru. They both think of each other as “best friend.” 

(some funny tidbits that aren’t related to what I’m saying: Gege uses 嫌い for how Utahime feels about Satoru. It means dislike lol. Sukuna's feeling on Satoru is 天晴れだ which is splendid/praise-worthy. And Kenjaku’s feeling on Satoru? どうなってん だよ君は “What is with you?/what is going on with you?” LOL why does he feel this way? Kenjaku has met multiple Six-Eyes bearers throughout his life. He knows how insanely strong they are. It can’t be about that. But when Satoru demanded to know who he was and told Kenjaku that his soul can tell that he’s not Suguru, Kenjaku’s response was, キッショ “gross.” He must think Satoru is a weirdo? Anyway… I’m getting off topic too much)

So when Suguru asks Satoru:

“Are you the strongest because you’re Gojo Satoru, or are you Gojo Satoru because you’re the strongest?”

That is not a question the one who understands him and is the same as him should be asking.

So, when Satoru had previously made statements to Suguru that expressed, “we are the same,” “it’s you and me,” “we are together,” Suguru’s question expresses to Satoru, “we are not the same,” “it’s you alone,” “we are not together.” 

With that one question, Suguru points to the unraveled thread that has bound them all this time. And we see (and hear) just how much that hurts Satoru. Because he has been in denial for the past year. He has refused to acknowledge the change in their relationship post SPV. He has refused to acknowledge that this thread was no longer connecting them. But now Suguru is blatantly holding it in front of him and saying, “look.” 

I think this is the root of why Satoru “failed” to see Suguru’s struggle. Because he didn’t want to. He loves Suguru so much that even though he is now the strongest alone, even though Suguru’s strength isn’t at the same level as Satoru’s anymore, he still holds Suguru as the only one who understands him. The only one who can stand beside him. The only one he wants to stand beside him. 

This is so clear after he’s released from the Prison Realm and he goes to kill the Higher Ups. He’s with Yuta, Inumaki, Panda, and Maki, and he tells them to go away so he can go kill the Higher Ups alone. They push back and refuse to leave.

Satoru makes a face when they refuse to leave. An irritated one. Maybe a little playfully, but he does look bothered, in my opinion. Yuta implores Satoru to let them stay, to let them be by his side and says, “don’t take on the burden of being a monster alone anymore.”

But Satoru turns away from them, thinking to himself, “It’s impossible.” He uses 無理 (muri) here. Impossible. Something that can’t be helped. What Yuta is saying can’t happen. In Satoru’s mind, it’s not that he’s choosing to bear the burden alone. He has no choice but to.

And then he thinks about Suguru. Specifically remembering Suguru on that day in Shinjuku. The moment right where Suguru was leading into the question. And he thinks, “I was left behind that day and need to catch up.”

For Satoru, Suguru was the only one he was willing to share burdens with. It’s impossible to do that with anyone else, because it could only be Suguru. And Suguru is gone.

Do I think Suguru knew what he was doing by asking Satoru that question? I do. I think he knew he had to show Satoru that unraveled thread between them. To make Satoru hurt and angry because of course Satoru would show up in front of him, after he massacred a village and his own parents, and try to understand Suguru. To try to ask him to explain. To try to figure out a way forward together. But there was nothing to explain or understand. Suguru couldn’t go back and undo what he’d done. And he didn’t want to. 

With their bond, you’d think Suguru would have tried to convince Satoru to join him. But he didn’t. Because he knew Satoru wouldn’t join him. Couldn’t join him. So wouldn’t it be kinder to Satoru to make him have a reason to stand against Suguru? To make him angry at Suguru? To make it clear that the future where they stood side by side can no longer exist? 

He knows Satoru doesn’t particularly care about the morality of what Suguru did. Yes, objectively he knows that it’s “wrong” and goes against the jujutsu sorcerer laws that the Gojo, Zen’in, and Kamo Families put in place. But Satoru isn’t personally impacted by it. That was one of their main arguments as students. Yes, Satoru protects non-sorcerers, but only because it’s what sorcerers do. He doesn’t have a personal creed where he feels it’s his duty to do this for others’ sake. Satoru had even asked Suguru a year prior if he should kill all the people in the House of the Children of the Star. Satoru was going to be the one who massacred a group of non-sorcerers in that instant. If Suguru hadn’t said no. 

And we see this in the questions Satoru asks Suguru on that sidewalk in Shinjuku. He’s not asking, how could you kill innocent people? or how could you be so heartless? It’s, explain what you’re doing this for when everything you've said before was against this? and why are you trying to do something that’s impossible to accomplish? To me, this reads as, I'm supposed to be able to understand you because you understand me and why are you doing something that means we can’t be together? 

So Suguru answers with the reason. 

“Are you the strongest because you’re Gojo Satoru, or are you Gojo Satoru because you’re the strongest?”

We’re already not together. And we will never be again.

[bimboficationblues]

legal procedural about a sleazebag lesbian lawyer cruising divorce court to pick up emotionally vulnerable women by helping turn up dirt on their husbands

[storm-tornado-archive]

OK PLEASE DON’T JOKINGLY VOTE FOR DEEZ NUTS

IT’S FUNNY AND ALL, BUT IT’S REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT WE DON’T DETRACT VOTES FROM BERNIE

BY VOTING FOR DEEZ NUTS YOU’RE LITERALLY THROWING YOUR VOTE AWAY

PLEASE DON’T ACTUALLY VOTE FOR DEEZ NUTS

[mafuyuh]

Witch Hat Atelier | Opening

[dungeonmastersconsortium]

Me stepping onto the balcony to address my followers

[aqwult]

[amythewhore]

[ghost-based-personal-injury]

He’s mother.

[dinosaws]

Whose Domain is All-Enveloping Garbhadhatu?

Kenjaku’s. 

Here’s why: 

Heads up for unavoidable manga spoilers. 

All-Enveloping Garbhadhatu is the better English translation of the name of the domain Kenjaku uses against Yuki. The kanji Gege uses and the pronunciation of them are 胎 (たい) 蔵 (ぞう) 遍 (へん) 野 (や) (Taizo Henya)

Let’s break it up. 胎蔵 (Taizo) is short for 胎蔵界 (Taizokai), and it means Garbhadhatu (गर्भधातु). It is a Sanskrit word for the Womb Realm. The Womb Realm is one of two prominent mandalas in Chinese Esoteric Buddhism. The Womb Realm is derived from the Mahāvairocana-sutra and represents the compassion of the Buddha Mahāvairocana nurturing all beings toward enlightenment. Interestingly, and maybe importantly, the central theme of this sutra is emptiness (sunyata). The other prominent mandala is the Vajra Realm, which is derived from the Vajraśekhara-sutra, and represents the indestructible wisdom of Mahāvairocana. The central theme of this sutra is the cultivation of wisdom through insight into emptiness (sunyata). 

These two together are known as The Mandala of the Two Realms. And the two realms are used together as a mandala in Shingon Japanese Buddhism. Practitioners use this Mandala as a meditative tool, a teaching device, a visual/ritual method to actualize their enlightenment. Mandala, mantra, and mudra are called the “three mysteries” and are used by practitioners. Mudra (मुद्रा) are hand positions used in Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism. These are what JJK sorcerers do with their hands to expand their domains.

I know a lot of people give weight to the word “womb” here, but I want to focus on “mandala” more as I think that explains the use of “womb.” Mandala (मण्डल) is another Sanskrit word that, at its most basic, means circle. But it’s symbolic, not just literal.

What exactly it symbolises has been interpreted in various ways. I am not an expert on Buddhism, so I cannot delve too deeply, nor do I think it would be helpful for our purposes. But this mandala was specifically introduced to Japan through Vajrayana Buddhism in the early Heian era. This Buddhism is known as Mikkyo (Japanese Esoteric Buddhism). And a monk named Kukai founded the Shingon sect.

A unique feature of Shingon is 即身成佛 (sokushin-jobutsu). It means “immediately + oneself/living body + attain enlightenment to become a Buddha.” It is the idea that this physical body can become one with Buddha. Not just in the mind and not just after death. But now, this body, while living. 

So practitioners use the mandala to attain sokushin-jobutsu. The mandala is one of the three mysteries that provide guidance of Buddha for all practitioners toward enlightenment. And who, above all else, is the earthly symbol of nurture, love, teaching, and guidance?

A mother. 

So the “womb” is the symbol of the mother, who is the symbol of the one who guides all toward enlightenment in this physical body. The womb is that which births. So practitioners are birthed into enlightenment through the Womb of Great Compassion. Or, as it is also translated, the “Matrix of Great Compassion.” Garbha is also translated as “matrix” instead of “womb.” This becomes very clear when you look at the Mahāvairocana-sutra the Garbhadhatu is derived from. 

In it, detailed instructions of laying out the Garbhadhatu mandala and how to do the ritual are written. Here is a section from the English translation of the Mahāvairocana-sutra by Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai:

“Then Vajrapāṇi, Lord of Mysteries, again said to the Buddha, “Worldhonored One, what should this maṇḍala be called? And what is the meaning of ‘maṇḍala’?” 

The Buddha said, “This is called the ‘Maṇḍala Which Generates the Buddhas.’ It is of a taste (maṇḍa: “essence”) that is utterly without compare and of a taste that is unsurpassed, and therefore it is referred to as ‘maṇḍala.’ Furthermore, Lord of Mysteries, because of pity for boundless realms of beings this is in a broad sense the maṇḍala ‘Born of the Matrix of Great Compassion.’” 

I think our tendency is to take translated words at their literal meaning instead of putting them into the original language, historical, religious, cultural, etc. context. गर्भ (Garbha) is the part of Garbhadhatu that is translated to “womb.” And putting this word into the context of Buddhism changes its connotation. 

I was able to access class notes on Thrangu Rinpoce’s teachings of the Uttaratantra via the Wayback Machine. The Uttratantra is a treatise that explains tathāgatagarbha. Yes, tathāgatagarbha. Stick a pin in that for a sec.

“The Sanskrit word garbha can mean a variety of things, “womb” or “a germ” (of a seed) where something is created or grows out of. This was translated by Takasaki as “matrix” because matrix in Latin means “womb,” and is “something within which something else originates or develops ” (Merriam-Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary). The word garbha also means the “essence” or the “essential nature” which gives us the phrase “Buddha-essence” or essence of the Buddha.”

Plus, I found a really interesting translation on the Digital Dictionary of Buddhism for the exact kanji Gege uses: 胎藏

Basic Meaning: womb

Senses:

Interior chamber; interior (Skt. garbha, kukṣi, garbha-stha, garbhiṇī, jarāyu; Tib. sbubs). Used as a metaphor in Buddhism for the defiled mind of ignorant sentient beings that serves as the matrix for the maturation of enlightened wisdom. [Charles Muller; source(s): Hirakawa, Nakamura, YBh-Ind, M-W]

[Dictionary References]

Bukkyōgo daijiten (Nakamura) 905c Bukkyō daijiten (Mochizuki) (v.1-6)3024c Buddhist Chinese-Sanskrit Dictionary (Hirakawa) 0964 Sanskrit-Tibetan Index for the Yogâcārabhūmi-śāstra (Yokoyama and Hirosawa) {Digital Version}

तथागतगर्भ (tathāgatagarbha), as mentioned above as “Buddha-essence,” and as you can see, also contains गर्भ (Garbha). Tathagata is used for one who has attained enlightenment and become Buddha. In Pali Canon, Buddha refers to himself as “tathagata.” What are some of the ways tathāgatagarbha has been translated? Tathagata’s storehouse, Buddha-nature or essence, and containing a tathagata. It is, put simply, the concept that all sentient beings have the innate potential to become a Buddha because we all have Buddha-essence. And, bringing it back to what I noted as interesting before - sunyata. Emptiness. Tathāgatagarbha and sunyata are closely linked because emptiness is an important concept in Buddhism. 

There are two reasons I find this link interesting. One - The only time Kenjaku uses his domain is within Tengen’s barrier: sunyata. Second - Kenjaku can only enter a body once it is empty. I realize this could be a stretch, and I might be doing the very thing I accused us of above, so I won’t put much stock in it, but let’s just consider it. I’m not completely confident about this one point as we’re getting deeper into Buddhist philosophy. But, I think it’s interesting that Kenjaku puts himself, his essence, into the empty form of a sentient being and that his one time using this All-Enveloping Garbhadhatu domain is in a barrier of sunyata. 

There are other words for emptiness. I know it's cool and on theme for the empty barrier to use the kanji for empty and reading that represents “sunyata” because Gege specifically uses religious, rare, and archaic terms in JJK. But… I think it could be of note because of how Tengen and Kenjaku and their ideals/ways of existing in the world of JJK are positioned in relation to each other. But it's not a key piece of my argument. 

It is also interesting to note that this mandala and the Shingon Mikkyo teachings as a whole were frequently conveyed through painted forms. Kukai learned Chinese Esoteric Buddhism from Huiguo in Tang China and brought what he learned to Japan as Shingon Mikkyo. Huiguo is the one who paired the Womb Realm Mandala and the Vajra Realm Mandala as they are separate originally. Both Huiguo and Kukai felt that Buddhahood is "profound and mysterious, and difficult to convey in writing. Thus we borrow pictures to point to what is to be realized." This brings us to Kenjaku again with the Death Paintings. 

The Death Paintings were, as the paintings of The Mandala of Two Realms are, mediums to advance enlightenment. Kenjaku’s Death Paintings ultimately failed, but it was still what he sought to do. I bring this point up because it makes clear that this is intrinsic to Kenjaku’s soul and worldview. He has been attempting to ensnare humanity and move them toward “advancement” for quite a long time. 

The second half of the domain name is: 遍野 which we’re translating to “all-enveloping.” It is a Chinese literary term that means “to blanket the countryside/everywhere” and it is used with a negative connotation. 屍橫遍野 "corpses blanketing the countryside," 哀鴻遍野 "land swarming with disaster victims” or “disaster victims everywhere,” and it’s “metaphorically used for refugees, defeated soldiers etc. wandering the lands in misery,” or 餓殍遍野 "strewn with corpses of victims of starvation.”

With all of this, you could still make an argument for this applying to both Suguru and Kenjaku. There are similarities in Suguru and Kenjaku in that they both were seeking to force societal and systemic change through violence. But, of course, the way and ultimate result they each sought were drastically different. I think that is what tells us that it’s Kenny’s domain. 

First, Kenjaku’s name is 羂索. Meaning “A noose, or net for catching birds; a symbol of Buddha-love in catching and saving the living.” This definition is from A Dictionary of Chinese Buddhist Terms by William Edward Soothill and Leis Hodous. 

In comparison, Geto Suguru is 夏油 傑. 夏 (Ge) meaning summer. 油 (To) meaning oil. And 傑 (Suguru) meaning great, goodness, excellence, worth. 

I mean…if that doesn’t tell you, I don’t know what will. It feels a bit silly how on the nose their names are. But I will keep going because I love to yap. 

When Yuki and Kenjaku speak in Shibuya, she says, 

“Do you remember our talk about how to create a world where curses no longer exist? No matter what method you adopt, human beings will advance one stage higher. The next stage of humanity lies in breaking away from cursed energy.”

Kenjaku replies, “No. It lies in optimizing cursed energy.”

Of course, she was attempting to speak to Suguru here. Suguru’s goal was always to eradicate non-sorcerers so only sorcerers existed. This isn’t seeking enlightenment or advancing one stage higher. It’s simply removing a group of humans. It actually would lead to humans devolving because sorcerers would no longer need to use their techniques and would grow weak. 

Kenjaku further tells Yuki: 

“Non-sorcerers, sorcerers, cursed spirits…these are all possibilities of cursed energy in the form of human beings. And yet, there must be more to human potential. I tried to bring that forth myself, but that doesn’t work. What I can create does not exceed the bounds of my own potential.” 

Kenjaku’s goal is to ensnare all humans in a net of uncontrolled chaos so they have no choice but to “advance.” A survival of the fittest where the fittest must evolve to survive. Where the fittest must attain enlightenment through cursed energy optimization. And those who survive would be enlightened in their current, physical bodies. 

I believe the negative connotation of 遍野 “all-enveloping” is important because, while Garbhadhatu is not harmful, Kenjaku’s understanding of enlightenment and, therefore, his actions to achieve it, are. Again, Garbhadhatu is a tool/practice to achieve enlightenment. Kenjaku has been searching his entire life, and extending his life through his technique, to find the tool/way to achieve what he believes to be enlightenment. At any cost. So his tools/actions have been negative and will always cause harm/disaster everywhere. To me, this is probably the most important point as to why the domain must be Kenjaku’s. 

Even if we bring up the argument that Suguru gets to a point where he decides the  tool/way to achieve what he believes to be enlightenment is harmful/disaster everywhere in the form of genocide, it is not innate to him. He came to this conclusion only after the trauma and isolation of the Star Plasma Vessel mission and fallout. After he was coated in the oil of suffering during that Summer. I believe Suguru’s thematic exploration is more so what happens to those who lose their sense of self and have a crisis of identity/purpose. It’s a theme Gege explores frequently. Just look at Yuji and his acceptance of being a cog. Look at Megumi and Sukuna’s ability to take over his body so completely. That is very different from Kenjaku. 

I will talk about this more in a moment, but domains are innate. They are the character’s “inner mind/worldview,” and they are born with it.

I want to very, very briefly talk about the appearance of the domain. I don’t have too much to say on it, but I want to point out the one glaringly obvious thing to me. The tree. Why is there a tree growing out of this stitched and stacked pillar of bodies and heads? Frankly, looking at it, the tree seems out of place and like it doesn’t match the look of the rest of it. But the tree would make perfect sense if it is Kenjaku’s domain. 

When Kenjaku and Jogo are discussing Tengen in Dagon’s domain, Kenjaku remarks that Tengen possesses the CT of immortality. He emphasizes that it is immortality, not anti-aging, and says, “it’s comparable to something like a tree.”

How does he know this? He hasn’t seen Tengen in quite a long time. Perhaps because he too has the CT of immortality, not anti-aging, through his body hopping? And so, while his tree does not manifest physically, it manifests in his cursed energy? The tree that protrudes from the pillar of bodies is literally growing from within his domain. 

Okay, okay, the symbolism is all well and good, but we’ve seen proof that a sorcerer in another’s body can use that body’s domain! Just look at Yujo. 

Well… I have an argument for that too. 

Cursed techniques are “etched” onto the body. This is what allows Kenny to use the innate CT of whoever’s body he is occupying. Gege has stated in the official fanbook that, yes, Kenny shouldn’t be able to do that, but he has ways to circumvent losing the host body’s CT. But the extra weird thing is that he is also able to continue using the previous host body’s technique after he’s in a new body. We see him use Kaori’s Anti-Gravity System while he’s in Suguru’s body. So that must mean, whatever way he has to circumvent losing the CT of the body he’s using, allows him to take that CT with him when he hops into the next body. He, essentially, “etches” the CT of the host body onto his brain and takes it with him as he body hops. 

I keep saying “host body” purposefully because, imo, Kenjaku’s technique is parasitic. I think Gege alludes to this by giving Kenjaku, the brain, a mouth. He is literally feeding off of the body he uses. And part of what he is eating/consuming is their CT.

It’s similar to Yuta’s Copy Technique, but functions differently. Like how Suguru’s CSM and Shikigami are similar but function differently. I would argue that, similarly to Suguru’s CSM, Kenjaku’s consumption of others’ CTs through the use of their bodies gives him control over those CTs as if they were his own. Kenjaku is also capable of using his own innate technique the entire time he’s in a body. It’s the way he maintains control over it. We see proof of this when Yuta collapses after expanding Satoru’s domain while in his body. He can’t maintain control over Satoru’s body because he has CT burnout, and Rika is not with him in a different body. He cannot use his Copy Technique in Satoru’s body, unlike how Kenjaku’s CT consumption ability lets him use all the techniques. 

This is also why Kenjaku seemingly does not have CT burnout after expanding his domain. He does. He just sacrifices one of the CTs he has in his arsenal. But he has more to choose from. Kusakabe and Mei Mei mention this after Sukuna is defeated. When Yuta is explaining how he’s still alive after the CT burnout in Satoru’s body, Mei Mei says:

“We can consider that a slight miscalculation. Kenjaku was living proof that it [cursed technique] can operate after opening a domain.”

Kusakabe says, “He was likely separating the multiple techniques intentionally via some kind of method. If I had to guess, I’d say barrier techniques.”

Everybody has a domain. It’s something they’re born with and is unique to them. It’s rare for someone to be able to expand that domain to be physical and pull others into it. So Suguru has a domain. We’ve just never seen him use it. This could mean that he’s not capable of domain expansion. Hard to say since we only ever see adult Suguru in JJK 0. Gege probably hadn’t even developed the idea for domains yet. 

In every other instance but Yujo, we get confirmation that domains are innate to each person and cannot be used by another. Megumi’s struggle with expanding his domain because of a mental block, Sukuna’s use of Malevolent Shrine while in Megumi’s body and his refusal to use it on Yorozu because he wants to kill Tsumiki’s body with Megumi’s technique. If he could use Megumi’s domain, he could’ve killed her with that. 

So what’s different about Satoru? Like always, Limitless and Six-Eyes. 

We’re repeatedly told throughout JJK just how special Limitless and the Six-Eyes are. Limitless cannot be used to its full potential without the Six-Eyes. This is why it's such a big deal that Satoru has both. Yuta remarks on this when he’s using Satoru’s body. How difficult it is to use Limitless and how much work Satoru must’ve put in to gain such precision and skill over Limitless. As he’s fighting Sukuna, he thinks:

“From the outside, the Limitless technique seems flawless and all-powerful, and yet… I finally get why you need the Six-Eyes to use this thing!”

Then he remembers Satoru saying, “It’ll be fine. I’m the strongest, after all.” And Yuta thinks:

“Just what did it take for you to say that so confidently…”

Satoru’s domain is Unlimited Void. It is a domain based on Limitless. And it can only be expanded with the use of the Six-Eyes because the Six-Eyes is what allows for full control of Limitless. It’s not innate to Satoru’s soul. This is unique. I argue that it’s innate to the Limitless and Six-Eyes bearers’ soul(s). 

As I mentioned above, everyone has a domain. Everyone. Not just sorcerers. Gege states this in the official fanbook. Cursed spirits and non-sorcerers have domains. So that means the domain itself is not linked to the cursed technique. Sorcerers imbue their domain with CT to use their domain as an attack. And Satoru’s domain is simply Limitless. The brain frying effect on those who are in UV isn’t an attack, truthfully. It’s just the byproduct of the full brunt of Limitless.  Again, from the official fanbook, Gege describes UV by saying it, “brings the target inside the Limitless.” So Satoru’s domain expansion is simply the expansion and physical manifestation of his cursed technique. 

So, as we know, Kenjaku’s technique allows him to use the CT etched in his host body. This means Yuta gets to use the CT of his host body when he’s using Kenny’s technique. So he can use Limitless. Therefore, he can expand Limitless. 

What do I think this means? Two things come to mind. One - I think this is a direct call back to “Are you the strongest because you’re Gojo Satoru, or are you Gojo Satoru because you’re the strongest?” 

If all of Satoru’s abilities are inherited gifts passed down through the Gojo family, bound to Tengen and to the Star Plasma Vessel through fate (Kenjaku killed a Six-Eyes baby only for another to appear on the day of the merging), doesn’t that just mean Satoru is an empty vessel that strength is poured into? That it could be anyone. Six-Eyes and Limitless are just stamped onto whatever Gojo child happens to be born at the time when a new Star Plasma Vessel will need to merge with Tengen. Satoru is just the shell for the Six-Eyes and Limitless. 

But, of course, we see throughout the series that this is not true. And I think this use of Unlimited Void by Yuta is further proof of that. It’s just another symbolic way for Gege to get his theme across. What does strength really mean? And what does it mean for those who are categorized as strong?  

Yuta struggles to use Satoru’s body. He fumbles hits against Sukuna, he doesn’t go through Satoru’s memories of the fight with Sukuna so he ends up making mistakes that Satoru’s memories would have shown him wouldn’t work, and he doesn’t manage to kill Sukuna. And yet, he has every single aspect of Satoru’s strength. All of it. Clearly, Satoru is more than just Limitless and the Six-Eyes.

Second thought is - So does this mean that every Six-Eyes and Limitless sorcerer in history had Unlimited Void as a domain since it’s innate to Limitless instead of to Satoru as an individual? In my headcanon, yes. I think it does. 

無量空処 (muryokusho) is the Kanji for Unlimited Void. 無量 means “immeasurable.” 空 means empty or vacancy and 処 means place, site, aspect or part. And 処 can be used to indicate a state of being or a person’s condition. Hopefully, this will make you smile, but do you know what 空, our kanji for emptiness, is used for in Buddhism?

I hope you guessed sunyata! It is the exact kanji used for empty barriers too, like the one Tengen uses on Kenjaku. Empty barrier: 空性結界 See that first kanji? I don’t think this is a coincidence. Also, maybe I’m down my own rabbit hole and lost at this point, but it’s pronounced “ku” for both Satoru’s domain and the empty barrier. There are different pronunciations/readings of kanji. The “ku” pronunciation is the Go-on reading, which is mostly used in Buddhist terms. So… Gege is not just using “empty” in a simple way. He means the religious connotations here. 

Quoting Charles Muller from Digital Buddhism Dictionary once more on the entry for 空 (sunyata)

“In its most common usage, it is the distinctive Mahāyāna Buddhist view of the character of all existence, wherein all phenomena are understood to arise in dependence upon each other, and thus there is no phenomenon that has independent, determinable, or permanent existence; nor do any phenomena possess any sort of unchanging inner nature. This means that the everyday conceptions that we have of the existence of ourselves and the objects around us as concrete entities are inaccurate, as the determinations we make of ourselves and objects are arbitrary conceptual reifications.”

Hmm…confusing. This is exactly why I didn’t want to dig deeper into sunyata and Buddhist philosophy on emptiness! So I’ll do my best. In the case of Satoru’s domain, I believe this further backs up my argument that Unlimited Void is the domain of the Limitless/Six-Eyes bearer rather than the individual, which in this case, is Satoru. Perhaps, the domain that is the “inner world” of each person is ‘the everyday conceptions that we have of the existence of ourselves.’ But Satoru’s domain, through the reincarnation of Limitless combined with Six-Eyes, has become enlightened (not Satoru himself. Just the hereditary cursed technique) and has wisdom from the understanding of emptiness.

The kanji for Satoru’s name does mean enlightenment: 悟

This is the true sunyata that is the central theme in the Mahāvairocana-sutra. And it is why the Limitless and Six-Eyes bearer has been the one to foil Kenjaku’s plans throughout the millennia. Kenjaku’s innate domain is a bastardization of the womb/matrix of great compassion. It is a false and harmful sunyata. But Limitless combined with Six-Eyes, not a sentient being itself, is born into/fills a newly born sentient being with sunyata that brings wisdom and then brings enlightenment. 

I think Buddhist philosophy and concepts are used not for Buddhism’s sake, but as symbolism for Gege’s themes in JJK. 

And I think the whole point of Satoru’s character is that he is the archetype of a copy + paste, perfect, 1 in a million, doesn’t have to work for it because it’s all inherited, nah, I’ll win, guy. And Gege uses that to explore his themes of strength, isolation, loneliness, personal choice, generational trauma, love, etc. etc. 

It’s also why Satoru loses to Sukuna and dies. Not because he wasn’t strong enough. Satoru died for any reason we want to argue Gege’s writing leads us to believe. Because he was cocky, or because he was tired, or because he had become a monster for the sake of his students’ future and he felt he’d done all he could for them already, or because he felt he did what he wanted to do and had gotten his students to the point where they could live better and he wanted to finally rest and catch up to his only best friend, Suguru. 

Because, thematically, the story has to end with the ultimate evil being thwarted by the power of friendship. It’s shonen after all. And that's JJK’s whole point. The individual vs the collective. How support and community heals and is the real strength. 

So, to bring it back to, is All-Enveloping Garbhadhatu Kenjaku’s domain or Suguru’s domain? I argue that it is Kenjaku’s domain. And Yuta using Satoru’s domain is the exception, not the rule, because Satoru is always the exception in JJK in order to allow Gege to explore themes. If you twisted my arm (and lbr you don’t have to twist hard. I’m a Gege hater), I’d tell you I think Yuta using Satoru’s domain was simply Gege contradicting himself because he just really wanted Yuta to be able to use it, regardless of his own world building and rules, but I think I have a decent argument to make sense of Gege’s mess. 

[jakeranda]

[dreeychan]

https://www.instagram.com/fj__1888/

[dinosaws]

I'm a fountain of blood, You're the bird on the brim - ch. 1

Suguru narrows his eyes. He’s in the receiving hall of his church in Kyoto, having just come back inside from escorting some monkeys out after consuming the curse from them, and he can feel that something’s off. He turns his head, glancing over his shoulder at the doors, just in time to see them fling open. Nanako and Mimiko rush in first, but Suguru’s eyes are drawn to the man walking in behind them. 

“Geto-sama!” Nanako scowls. “Make him leave! He’s ignoring us. As if he can just walk in here.”

Mimiko looks at the man with unveiled disgust. “Did you come here so you can die early? Scared of Geto-sama’s war?” she taunts.

But the man looks unfazed. He has his hands in his pockets, and his face is angled toward Suguru, white bandages hiding his eyes. Suguru smirks and slowly turns around to face them.

“Now, now girls. Where are your manners?” Suguru asks sweetly. “Don’t be rude to our guest.”

“But Geto-samaaaa!” Nanako whines, and Suguru lifts a hand. She pouts and turns on her heel, stomping out of the room. Mimiko gives Suguru one last look, concern in her eyes, before sticking her tongue out at the uninvited guest and following her sister out. 

The heavy doors close behind them, leaving Suguru alone in the room with Gojo Satoru. 

Suguru continues to smile at him, but he turns his back on him and walks over to the raised platform at the front of the room. It’s where he always sits when he’s receiving guests. He steps up and turns back out to face Satoru, swinging his sleeves out of his way as he lowers down. He settles down on the floor, leaning on the small stool at his right, and sits right in front of the recessed alcove where the hanging scrolls are mounted. All the while, he keeps his smile. 

Satoru doesn’t move, the lower half of his face relaxed and unexpressive. His hands stay in his pockets, and he stands calmly, at ease. It pisses Suguru off that he thinks he can just waltz in here and casually stand around in Suguru’s domain. But maybe Satoru is trying a little tit for tat since Suguru did drop in at the Jujutsu High campus, introduce himself to Satoru’s precious student Okkotsu Yuta, and declare war against them three days ago. 

“You should get a baumkuchen while you’re here,” Suguru says lightly. “The Kyobaum is made with Uji green tea and soy milk.”

Still, Satoru says nothing. He doesn’t even react to the mention of the cake. Suguru leans on the stool, digging his elbow into the cushion, so he can rest his cheek against his hand. He lets himself look closer at Satoru now that he has more time and there’s no one else around. Of course, his eyes greedily took in as much of Satoru as he could at the school, but it was such a short moment, and he needed to keep his focus. 

Now, he can take in the towering height of the man, even taller than when Suguru last saw him when they were 17. He’s wearing a school uniform still, but the jacket is different from how he had it as a teen. He’s even broader in the chest and shoulders, and he’s lost the baby fat in his cheeks. His lips are still a soft pretty pink and, frustratingly, Suguru can’t see his eyes at all. At least with the sunglasses he used to wear, they’d slide down his nose and Suguru could catch glimpses of his shimmering blue gaze. Now, he has white bandages wrapped around them, completely obscuring them from view. 

“Your hair looks stupid,” Suguru tells him since he’s still not doing anything. 

No response. Satoru hasn’t even stepped any further into the room. 

Suguru’s smile slips. “Well, as lovely as this visit was, Satoru, I—”

Then suddenly, Satoru moves. He’s faster than the blink of an eye. He’s in front of Suguru, grabbing hold of the front of his robes and hauling him up to his feet by it. Suguru is startled, not expecting such speed. Sure, Satoru has always been fast, even faster than Suguru, but he’s inhumanly fast now. It’s not just his speed. He must be using Limitless to create a ‘teleportation’ effect. 

But Suguru isn’t a Special Grade for nothing, so he’s able to dismiss his shock and react instantly. He twists out of Satoru’s hold, jumping away and down to the floor. Now, he’s on the lowered section of the floor, and Satoru is standing on the raised platform. Suguru makes himself smile again, keeping the levity in his expression. 

“Did you come to fight? Can’t wait until December 24th?”

“You don’t need to do this, Suguru,” Satoru finally speaks. His voice is soft and flat, concealing any emotional color from his tone. He turns and steps down from the platform, putting himself on the same level as Suguru. “It’s been 10 years. So why not just let another 10 pass?”

Suguru’s eyes narrow. “Oh? Come to beg me? I’m surprised at you, Satoru. I know how much you live for jujutsu, so I figured you’d be raring to fight.” Suguru threads his fingers through the length of his hair, combing down to the edges and letting the strands fall back down. 

He hates how still Satoru is now. As a teen, he was always bouncing and buzzing, squirming around and poking at things. Usually poking Suguru. But now, he’s just standing. Looming. They’re still about the same height, Satoru has maybe 10 centimeters on him, but Satoru’s stillness makes him feel even taller. 

“It’s hard to imagine you starting a war you can’t win,” Satoru says, “so I’m sure you have a trick up your sleeve. But you don’t need to do it at all.”

Suguru frowns now, a pulse of irritation swelling in his chest. “If you’re so concerned, then you shouldn’t be here. You should be strategizing with that muscle-headed principal of yours.”

Satoru takes a step closer, and Suguru refuses to let himself be intimidated. Especially in his own space. He is in control here. He is worshipped here like a god by the sniveling monkeys. 

“You misunderstand me, Suguru. I’m not concerned about losing. I’m concerned about you dying.”

Suguru blinks, the irritation bubble popping with surprise. Satoru doesn’t smile or grin, completely serious. So Suguru laughs. He tosses his head back and laughs with glee. 

“My, oh my.” Suguru tucks his hands into his sleeves, holding his arms in front of himself. “Has becoming a teacher made you soft?” He leans forward at the waist a little, eyes crinkling as he smiles. “Should I kill your students? Will that make you more willing to fight?”

But Satoru doesn’t rise to the bait. Maybe he’s matured a little since he isn’t so easy to antagonise anymore. 

“I trust that you won’t kill a young sorcerer without a reason. Not with beliefs like yours.”

Suguru’s eyebrows raise a little, and he straightens up. “Trust, huh?” He glances at the scrolls on the wall, now behind Satoru. “I didn’t realize you had any of that left for me.” 

There’s a thread inside him. The thread that was tied to him when he first met Satoru. He thinks he tied it there himself when he first laid eyes on the other boy. He tied the knots that connect them so deftly that they're now impossible to undo. And even though he's tried, he’s never been able to rip it out either. 

So, instead, he’s spent the years burying it and ignoring it. Now Satoru is gripping it and tugging, as if Suguru hadn’t spent 10 years digging a deep hole to hide it in. So Suguru turns away from him, stepping away to create physical distance between them. 

“The war is happening, Satoru,” he declares. “There’s nothing you can say to change my mind. I made my decision 10 years ago when I massacred that village. And as I told you then, if you want to kill me, kill me. There’s meaning in that too.”

Satoru grabs his arm and yanks, whipping him around to face Satoru again. Suguru whirls around and twists his arm to break Satoru’s hold. But Satoru just steps forward, stepping into his space. Suguru steps back to keep a safe distance, and they rush across the floor together. Satoru’s hands grab Suguru’s waist, and he’s only able to because Suguru never expected he would grab there. It startles Suguru, and his breath catches. 

“I don’t want to!” Satoru growls, the first display of any emotion. “I don’t want to kill you, and I don’t want to fight you. Isn’t it enough like this? You’re all the way over here in Kyoto with them, these sycophants and curse users, and no one's making you do anything you don’t want to. Can’t you just—?”

Suguru grabs the front of Satoru’s uniform jacket. “What?” he snarls. “Ignore this rotted world? Give up? Am I not allowed to give my all for my own ideals? Only you get to do that? You’re just as self-centered as always.”

“That’s not what I’m saying!” Satoru is still holding him, so now they’re gripping at each other. “I’m saying don’t force my hand! I’ve let it go these 10 years, but if you start a war, you’re going to make me have to take you down.”

“Ha! You arrogant asshole. At least I have a dream that I’m trying to make come true.”

“I have a dream too,” Satoru snipes. 

“Oh yeah?” Suguru taunts. “Then why don’t you go give it your all instead of—”

And Satoru kisses him. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/77014406/chapters/201574211

[owwllly]

they noticed you

[owwllly]

hardly working

[tastethewhip-deactivated2018122]

[mdnet]

RIHANNA, SAVAGE X FENTY 💘