Me When JJK Dudebros Shit On Megumi Or Disregard Geto.

Imagine when they animate THIS

Btw, did Wreak follow Nice in the doomed yaoi death land or should we apply the "until I don't see the body he ain't dead" logic?

Bc no one mentioned that he died, not even in passing, nor did we see his body

This art is PRETTY.

they need to stop giving her yellow. i cannot

I love how you mentioned Gojo being a gift, a rarity and a power. It's painfully true, it's not that Gojo isn't cared for as a person at all, that's false. But it's the fact his powers overshadow that he's a person as well. We see this in the scene, "Who is Satoru Gojo to you?" most prominently. Everyone said one thing, the Strongest. I will not pretend that other details weren't added but that was the main highlight. The Strongest. Not, "my teacher", or "a good friend" or any of the sort as the main point. It's "the Strongest" that's the main highlight. That's his main appeal to the world.

And of course, Gojo would centre his personality around being the strongest because that is the expectation placed on him by his peers and the role everyone expects him to take. Had he fell short, he'd be taken for a failure, and we do know Gojo had plenty of experiences exorcising curses and surviving assassination attempts, the life he led was meant to one destination, the Strongest. He couldn't fall short, this is what his entire life is based on. He'd practically have no identity to go off of, the Strongest is the sole thing he's pushed for, the only reason he's seen, the sole reason he has any form of purpose. Before Geto, he had practically no one he was very close to. Imagine if Gojo failed to meet the expectations. Who would he even be? People would look down on him, he'd go down as one of the biggest fumbles in history. And it's not like he'd have anyone to live for, or even himself for the matter. That's all he had until Geto, it's no wonder he'd stick to it.

Strength would be the only thing he had (or he thinks) to care for. He's rich, his clan is influential, heck — he's darn attractive and he himself acknowledges that. The only thing he needs to do is become the Strongest. It's all so simple…Or so he thought. His lack of connections and simple-mindedness led him to neglect connections as they weren't a huge part of his life (until Suguru ofc). It's laid out in front of him.

Or so he thought. His lack of connections and simple-mindedness led him to neglect connections as they weren't a huge part of his life (until Suguru ofc). It's laid out in front of him.

And his technique is major proof he cannot rely on anyone but himself, the very infinity separating him from the people around him. They'll get in his way and mess things up. As Kenjaku had said, "Every technique is its own worldview". This is what Gojo's technique gives him. The Infinity that separates him from others, Lapse Blue that repels things around him. And we see how he fights- alone. Sorcerers fight together, and it's only together they beat curses. (hence the jumpings) But not Gojo. He is the exception to this. He fights alone. If others join him, they get in the way. Like a "monster". He's alone in the battlefield.

Now, to our precious Suguru Geto. Geto was a big influence in Gojo's life because they complemented one another. In one way is Geto's more thoughtful insight in things. I've already stated above Gojo was rather simple-minded. Like you've mentioned, a 17yo Gojo saw the world as either weak or strong. He doesn't consider anything else, he comes off as unempathetic and uncaring when he really just doesn't know or doesn't outright consider it. Geto offered a different perspective to Gojo, he made Gojo think more deeply before taking action and looking at how Gojo entrusted it in Geto's hands whether he should massacre the Star Religious Group, he trusted Geto's judgement so much that he'd become a mass murderer if Geto had said it is justified to kill them.

It is obvious Geto is more thoughtful, take the basketball scene. Geto thinks deeply and offers moral points. Something Gojo admits to seeing it only as a tool to make one feel better about themselves. He points out the Societal Impact Gojo's actions would have. Gojo doesn't think about that, to illustrate, being careless and not putting up a veil. In the basketball scene, he couldn't see the problem it would have but Geto did, he pointed out that non-sorcerers knowing the existence of Cursed Spirits would create more fear and anxiety and result in more Cursed Spirits. He even joked whether they'd be blamed for Amanai's death and yes, of course, him being willing to massacre the star religious group. Gojo isn't very moral, he has a loose moral code.

Hell, that's evident during Geto's defection. Gojo didn't try to insult Geto or call him out on his wrongdoings, he asked for a reason. It just seems to me he wanted an answer to justify Geto's actions.

It wasn't until after Geto left he realised his strength couldn't save everyone. He could only save those who want to be saved. He realised the flaws in jujutsu society and how that led Geto onto his path. Gojo could've easily overthrown jujutsu society, he remarked that himself but he doesn't because he knew it'd just lead to even more chaos and destruction because it would only be temporary. By nurturing a new generation, he could rebuild everything with them. Geto always treated Gojo with so much love, care and respect, I'm certain he wanted to do something familiar to also fill the hole that Geto left after his defect. I could also add he realised the injustice the system did to him as well, he's only reduced to the Strongest, Geto pointed that out and although he stuck to it, he realises it wasn't exactly the best way for him to go but he wrongly thought it was too late for him to change. In a light novel, Gojo interrupts Nanami about Yuji, declaring that they weren't dealing with Sukuna's vessel but protecting a kid named Yuji Itadori. He obviously doesn't want his students in his role. And even more, evidenced by Gojo when he told Yuta off about becoming the "monster".

OH GOD, I STILL HAVE *MORE* TO YAP ABOUT! I'm going to stop here because I have to study. 😭😭

Anyway, I love my glorious blue-eyed King, Satoru Gojo.

Happy late 35th birthday, sweetie. Rest in the afterlife.

Satoru Gojo character analysis (incomplete)

Happy late birthday, to the glorious blue eyed king.

I can’t stop thinking about how a kid will latch onto the praise and expectations of the adults around them. And that’s what Gojo did. From the moment he was born, he was told he would be great. To be great is to be different; As a kid, Gojo was treated as a gift, a rarity, a power— his innate talents overshadowed the fact that he was a person. As a kid, he didn’t catch onto the latter (that he is as human as anyone else), instead learning that he was special, incomparable, honored. His innate abilities coupled with how everybody saw him doomed Gojo to be shaped as a weapon. Can you blame Gojo for centering his personality around being the strongest? During the infamous fallout scene, Geto called Gojo out, playing on the concept of nature vs nurture, when he said, “Are you the strongest because you’re Satoru Gojo? Or are you Satoru Gojo because you’re the strongest?” Geto was essentially pointing out that the talents that Gojo was born with took on a huge defining role in who Gojo is as a person, which is to say, he’s powerful. And Gojo prides and defines himself on his strength. What did that leave room for? Certainly not human connection, introspection, or self expression— all things necessary to connect deeply with yourself, and others. Gojo was reduced to being strong, and only that. And when you’re strong, set apart from the rest, and praised for it, it’s not natural to think of yourself as the same as others. Being the strongest— such a position is inherently isolating. Because of his innate abilities, Gojo did not have much control over who he would become. (See: soft determinism definition for a philosophical explanation).

It’s important to note that Gege said that Gojo’s personality was his greatest strength. I believe he said this because it’s Gojo’s personality that lets him a) tap into his abilities that make him so strong in the first place, and b) handle the responsibility and isolation that comes with his position. In early life, Gojo was surrounded by an overbearing clan, without siblings, and without friends, and told that he was the chosen one who restored the balance of the world, as his mere existence caused curse users to retreat into the shadows— According to his own family and the Jujutsu Higher Ups, Gojo’s mission was to train, gain control over his abilities, and hone his skills. He did so, throwing himself into his training and mastering the tricky Six Eyes gift by reading old texts of his own will, training himself. Gojo was treated as a goal by his own family, and he never got a childhood or knew the warmth of a loving home. He never socialized with other humans. He didn’t get to run around and play. He didn’t ever see other children his age cry or smile. Rather, a huge responsibility was placed on him. Gojo never broke under the pressure. He was ambitious, and strong. He could train without having the normal human needs of socialization, acceptance, and love, fulfilled. He was conditioned to focus on being a weapon, capable and strong in battle, leaving no room for the autonomy of thinking and wishing for a life beyond sorcery. Who needs acceptance when you have already been defined, and you fulfill that role? What Gege said about Gojo’s personality being his greatest strength, it takes a certain kind of person to carry such responsibilities, and live isolated, without the need to break free from such mental, emotional, and physical confines. Gojo could do this, and thus, Gojo lived without human connection for most of his life (Geto and Gojo’s students being the sole exceptions), standing tall and strong— and alone. Another point: Gojo stated that he had trouble connecting to people. Everyone, to some degree, craves human connection, and needs it to thrive. In order to connect with others, we need vulnerability. So why could Gojo succeed even without his best friend in his life? His innate talent and intensive training had conditioned him against vulnerability in all senses— identity and strength wise. But this isn’t enough— most people would still break had they been in Gojo’s shoes. It’s Gojo’s personality that allows him to uphold himself, stay strong, and keep fighting for his mission, as we went over. It is as if an essential pathway going from the outside world to the heart, is blocked, shut off in Gojo. If you are to be the strongest, then you do not have the right to needing human connection to survive.

Gege stated that Gojo’s greatest weakness was also his personality. The very thing that allowed Gojo to become the strongest is what isolated him. That conditioning into being the strongest, along with his natural aloofness and insensitivity towards the emotions of others, created a roadblock in how Gojo connected with people. Gojo’s eyes were always trained on strength, creating a lens of “people are either strong, or weak.” The audience can see that when Gojo is 17 and arrogant, complaining about having to protect the weak. For Gojo, his entire world was jujutsu. While not heartless (we see him save regular people), Gojo had no idea how to talk to anybody, no idea how to care about anybody who wasn’t in a situation he was familiar with. As a teenager, Gojo is not the kindest soul (and this isn’t to fault him, as most teens aren’t the kindest person at that stage in life). Gojo makes callous comments that reflect his lack of sensitivity for others, such as asking Geto, “You think we’ll be blamed if the kid died from that?” (Gojo’s later behavior towards Ijichi is also telling, and it was stated that he does not realize how deeply he irks Utahime). At 17 years old, Gojo is simply doing the mission as the Higher Ups demand, without thinking much beyond that. He thinks of himself, how the mission affects him and him only. He even states that moral arguments are what people say to make themselves feel better. It’s clear that Gojo is not passionate and dedicated to their mission, not in the way Geto was (only for Geto to become disillusioned, see my Suguru Geto Character Analysis here). One could argue that Gojo’s weakness is that he isn’t innately empathetic, as he did not pay much attention to his or anyone else’s needs and feelings, which, while necessary for him to become the strongest solider, had also led to him living a life he didn’t choose, and without much ability for human connection. However, we do see moments in which Gojo does indeed connect with people through play (ie with Geto, Riko, Yuuji), and in these rare moments he may feel enough emotion to make decisions that go against the cold logic of Jujutsu Society, such as when he refuses to sleep, letting Riko have her last day of youth at the beach in Okinawa. Another key instance of this is when Gojo lets Geto walk away from KFC without killing him. (Before y’all attack me, please remember that 1) I am giving an evidence-based analysis, and 2) this isn’t to say that Gojo is a bad guy. Just because somebody is not deeply sensitive does not make them bad. Gojo is not a villain by any means. He does good things).

It wasn’t until a bit later on in life, after seeing his best friend defect, when Gojo gained another lens: that of protecting the youth from a corrupt system built on old traditions and child soldiers. Gojo’s new mission was one that his kid self, and all his peers, had needed. And that, that was the mission that Gojo dedicated himself to. —Adult Gojo’s way of caring for others was either through teaching them what he had learned himself (Jujutsu), or protecting/saving them in battle. He was never exposed to problems beyond his own, and he’s unfamiliar with the lives and feelings of “normal people.” Seeing strong and talented youth was something that made Gojo happy, as stated by Gege. Gege also stated that Gojo saved Megumi because Megumi was strong. Gojo’s craving for human connection does exist and come out— and we see it in the students he teaches. The anger that Gojo felt when Yuuji first died was potent, and real, as well. Where Gojo’s best friend dedicated himself to stopping “root” of curses out of trauma, a feeling of helplessness (the system was broken, and so was Geto at that point), and anger— Gojo dedicated himself to saving the youth by teaching them to become strong enough to save themselves by creating change that he couldn’t do by himself (without killing all the non sorcerers). Jujutsu Kaisen is a story that takes place during a time of war and change. Gojo, while ultimately a King with the power of a Queen piece, was still a pawn on the chessboard, seen and used as a weapon on the board of Jujutsu Society, in a war of sorcerers vs curses.

NOTE: This is an incomplete, disorganized analysis, and by no means a proper essay. I will rewrite it when I read JJK front to back and sit with the story for a bit. NTS: power and strength, and what it takes (self experience) + allows for, is not focused on nearly enough in this analysis

NOTE 2: I WELCOME discussion! Have something more to say? Disagree with a point I’ve made? Comment below, but please try to do so with the same or higher level of thought and consideration I’ve put into my post. I am not here to argue, rather, I’m here to chat and hear what others think and why, and hopefully learn a thing or two, so long as you’re not preaching while blatantly mischaracterizing or being hostile/rude/cruel, as such remarks will only get you the idiot hat for the day.

Pt 2: Gojo & Geto analysis (coming sometime)

an angsty and humorous timeline in photos, below

Scary kid moment

Menace teen Gojo

Geto and Gojo arguing over their difference in moral convictions.

Gojo meeting up with his students, pretending everything is fine, after killing Geto (his one and only best friend)

Gojo and Yuuji moments / Yuuji being one of the few in the world who put a genuine smile on Gojo’s face

Rest In Peace, Gojo Satoru. You were magnificent.

Scooby doo when he finds gross bugs in his food: ruh roh... raggots!

Shaggy: like, zoinks scoob! I don't think you can reclaim that man!

the best fanfic is the one the author had fun writing actually.

The problem with house elves in Harry Potter.

Typical argument goes as follows: it is bad and irresponsible for an author to create enslaved people who love their enslavement and love their masters because of all the real world parallels to real slavery. Similar arguments were actually made about American slavery and every other slavery before or since. In our world such rhetoric is always propaganda. But in Harry Potter it’s portrayed as genuine.

For a children’s book especially, it’s not a good look. As a children’s book, Harry Potter contains too many dark and difficult topics and without satisfying lessons or conclusions it’s tempting to say – don’t introduce slavery into your story. Don’t create willing slaves, for starters.

But the problem is in the lessons or conclusions part, not the introducing part. And even willing slaves can be explored in interesting ways and really done justice when in hands of a competent writer with good politics.

How so? Well, don’t create such creatures just because. Make them into a coherent metaphor for something. There are several possible options, starting from less fitting:

1. House elves are dogs. Or children.

You can frame dogs as voluntary slaves if you don’t know much about dogs. Unlike house elves, they are perfectly independent creatures that do not have an inborn desire to obey humans. They need to be trained and even then they can be very stubborn and do not appreciate or even tolerate abuse like house elves do. Dogs are more like children. You have the position of authority over them but that makes you responsible and it is your job to make them happy and occupied.

But if you are really committed, you can frame childhood as slavery too. Being a child or a pet is a vulnerable position to be in. Your labor is sometimes exploited and you don’t control your life much. You know how it is.

So, there are creatures who love their sometimes actually slavery-like situations because they love their "caretakers" and you cannot solve this problem by just separating the two groups. It would be doing everyone a disservice.

But in Harry Potter, Hermione decides to free elves purely on philosophical ground and in her zeal doesn’t consider the reality of their special psychology. Who would even make such a silly mistake?

2. House elves are house wives. And Hermione is a lesbian separatist.

This angle really comes into focus when we meet Winky in the fourth book. She is a female elf and a loyal supporter of her master Barty Crouch Snr. You can very easily read her as this conservative fearful simple-minded wife that just wants to keep peace and make her husband happy above all else*. The only thing that is above the “husband” is her “son", her perfect boy who can do no wrong – Barty Crouch Jnr, a death eater and the main villain for most of the book.

In the beginning of the book, Winky gets "divorced" against her will, by her “husband”, for a public transgression that made him look bad. It’s this situation that shocks Hermione to the core and makes her believe that all elves should be free. But then Winky ends up in the Hogwarts kitchens (where elves live among themselves like in a convent) and we see that she’s devastated, blames herself, becomes an addict and never fully recovers. Hermione never gets strong evidence in the opposite direction and eventually abandons her activism.

This does sound like a cautionary tale a conservative would write about marriage. How feminism is women’s main enemy and how we all are deeply unhappy without the authority of a husband. Again, actual arguments that people make about modern society TODAY.

Obviously, that’s not how the real world works. But even here separatism is a bad solution. Yes, there is a rare house elf that can handle freedom**. There are women (not quite so rare) who don’t want to engage in relations with men. But it would really be doing everyone a disservice to force apartheid between men and women. Most wives love their husbands. Even when they are abusive. Most women can stop loving a particular man, but not men in general. There’s no escape from the biological prison of heterosexuality.

Anyway, those are all bad metaphors that require a lot of stretching. House elves don't look like creatures that evolved to cooperate with humans like domesticated animals or humans themselves. They are too subservient. Such a thing wouldn't happen naturally. They seem to be created (or altered) artificially to accept humans unconditionally***.

3. House elves as perfectly aligned Artificial Intelligence.

House elves have stronger magic than wizards, they think differently from them but still are perfectly loyal and obedient to those they consider their masters.

This is the best metaphor, in my opinion. After all, science is similar to magic. They are both really powerful. And both can be used for better or worse. You don’t have to write sci-fi to talk about any futuristic concept. Those are just aesthetics, really****. And that’s a pretty cool question to ask – if people could create a house elf… would they? Not a far fetched idea at all.

So, when written well a house elf can be a perfectly good narrative device. Introduce them into your story as a metaphor for domestic servitude or AI, an enslaved god in a box. You can even mix those metaphors. Make your house elf a stand-in for a waifu simulator. Make them Joi from Blade Runner 2049. Make it real dark.

Tone it down for a YA audience, of course, but still, why not? There are real life implications here. You can even start with the SPEW plot as well. Show that brute force lesbian separatism or rewriting the code of a perfectly happy and aligned AI is stupid and, in the latter case especially, really dangerous. Don’t separate families on the basis of some abstract philosophical grievance you made up. Don’t kidnap people’s pets. Sure!

What’s next, though? What do you do with a subservient creature you cannot just free?

In the real world we have laws surrounding all of these issues, protecting all spouses, children and pets from abuse. And when sentient waifus become a thing we will have to intervene as well.

How come this point never crosses Hermione’s mind? How come she gives up on SPEW and never finds a third alternative?

A better written Hermione would say: “Okay, Hagrid, I concede that house elves should not be taken from their homes. Fine. But are we really also fine with families like Malfoy’s treating their elves like dirt? Elves do become distressed when it happens, we can all clearly see that. Harry was right to free Dobby, we all agree on that. But do we agree that it was Harry’s responsibility to do that? No authority had taken Dobby away from his masters even though Dobby actively wanted to be taken. No authority had permanently taken the right to own house elves from Malfoys. They can just buy a new one and abuse them as well! I know you don’t have child protective services either, so we should probably start with that but can we at least agree that it's a goal for the future? There’s a pile of clothes for elves who want freedom in the kitchens now. That’s a good thing, right?”

But such a conversation can never happen in Harry Potter, about any issue*****. Because that would imply a systemic change. It would imply that the Ministry of Magic, portrayed as useless and incompetent most of the time, has to do something. And we can’t have that.

Instead we have a toothless morality that we should just all be better as individuals. We should help victims when some injustice really stares us in the face. And we should treat our own elves better. Be nice to your wife. Be kind to your children. Don’t hit your dog. Don’t inflict pain on your waifu simulator. What happens behind the closed doors of your neighbors is really none of your business. Family is the cornerstone of society and the government should not meddle in its affairs.

This is what makes Harry Potter's house elves irredeemable. Not their existence but all the lessons we expected to not learn from them. A competent writer with good politics wouldn’t stop the conversation on “well, they enjoy slavery so we must not intervene”. In a bad situation there’s always a less ridiculous alternative to doing nothing.

_____________________

* There are no sexual relations between wizards and elves anywhere in the books as far as I know. I’m only talking about the social dynamic of traditional marriage, nothing more. (Although in real world sexual abuse does happen in all of the situations discussed here)

** The only one we see is Dobby but even he was not free from his affection for wizards. He just switched from serving his family to serving the main character, not de jure but de facto. He risks his life and suffers abuse for Harry and in the end he dies saving Harry’s life.

*** As far as I know it was never confirmed how elves came to be in Harry Potter. Which is bizarre considering this author's love for writing extra worldbuilding. That suggests to me that she was uncomfortable with the topic herself and didn’t really want to make it into a coherent metaphor. Else she could have given them any origin story she deemed fit.

****I do mean that fully. A spell that reads minds and computer chips in brains can and should serve the same narrative purpose. You can go full Black Mirror in your fantasy novel. That one episode where people’s eyes film everything they see – literally a pensieve.

*****They ponder once that they sort children into houses a bit early and even though it would be a comparatively easy fix they still do nothing. They never do anything!

“gender envy” this “gender envy” that,,, sir that man is a senior citizen

jumping in the sea

Sirens

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