#I suggest reading and researching this

[johndoe-lesbo]

PIZZAGATE 2!!

[yellowocaballero]

Omg hi Ms. Yellow Caballero big fan of your work <3 For real though, I'm really excited that your sharing the Weekenders, it was a joy to read and I'm bongocat-ing now that others also get the privilege to read it as well.

Referencing your tags, would you please elaborate of ableism in fandom and, like you said, how fandom treats characters with unpalatable disabilities?

Hi Ms. Bud Lite I'm a big fan of you <3

TL;DR A fear of writing characters of highly marginalized identities shields you from criticism and discomfort, but it's actively stigmatizing to people of these identities and as a writer you really need to get over yourself and write The Icky People.

I guess I'll come out swinging on this one and say that fandom doesn't like severe mental illness. (As a note, when I say severe mental illness (SMI) I mean illnesses such as psychotic disorders, bipolar disorder, substance use disorders, personality disorders, etc)

Obviously, nobody likes people w/SMI. It's just insanely egregious in fandom to me, since fanfic writers absolutely love writing characters or HC characters with depression, anxiety, or a specific variety of PTSD That Isn't Scary. People actively reject any character HCs for a SMI. When people write a character with SMI, they nicely downplay it, ignore it, substitute it for a disorder they like better, or rewrite it. It's completely untolerated, in both headcanons and in fanfiction, and every time I bring it up I always get the most interesting reasons why somebody couldn't possibly acknowledge a character's SMI in their writing. I've heard all of these:

"I don't know enough about the disorder to write it accurately." Do research.

"I'm not X, so I can't really depict it." You probably aren't a cis white man, but you depict those guys just fine.

"It feels insulting to the character." There is no shame in having a SMI.

"I can't understand what it's like, so it's better to be cautious and avoid giving characters stigmatized identities." There are LOTS of experiences that you'll never understand because you've never had them - you just don't want to write anything you're uncomfortable with. People with SMI make you uncomfortable, and you don't want to write anything that makes you feel uncomfortable, or think of a comfort character in an uncomfortable way. SMIs are marginalized differently than solely depression/anxiety/The Nice PTSD, and by refusing to write them you're actively contributing to the stigma.

I think (?) I've spoken in the past about how I believe that the rigorous external and internal policing of writing people of marginalized identities is actively harmful towards efforts to increase diversity of experience and background in fiction. A lot of fanfiction writers are just terrified to write people who they can't directly relate with, because they're worried 'they'll get it wrong' and be Big Cancelled. I think this is negative enough when it prevents people from going outside of their comfort zone, but on a macro level I think this results in people refusing to write characters of marginalized identities as all. It's an insidious thought process, and it's reflected in people's unwillingness to diversity their writing or acknowledge canon diversity.

'Well, I don't understand what it's like to be Black, so I don't want to write Black people'. 'I want to project on this character, so I only want to write them with mental illnesses and identities I have'. 'If I write a marginalized character incorrectly people will yell at me, so I won't write a marginalized character who's marginalized differently than me at all'. Can you imagine writing a lesbian character with a boyfriend because 'you feel uncomfortable writing lesbian experiences'? It's blatantly homophobic. But people do that with disability and race/ethnicity ALL THE TIME.

People with SMI notice that you feel uncomfortable with them. It's obvious. They notice when a character has a SMI + anxiety, and you only write their anxiety. They notice when a character displays symptoms of a SMI in canon, but you write it out. And POC notice when the characters of color are written out. I know we all like to project on the blorbos and relate to them, and in the joys of your own head do whatever, but as a writer if you only stick to identities you're comfortable with you are actively being a worse writer. Which to me is the REAL sin lmfao.

[thepersonperson]

How old do you think lived to be in the Heian era?

Also do you think the marks on his body are like birthmarks or tattoos to mark criminals?

Not a clue about Sukuna’s death age. The Buddha reached enlightenment at age 29. Sukuna is “enlightened” so I’m going to put him at 29+ years old at death.

I’ve been meaning to do a Sukuna Tattoo post so I guess I’ll use this as an excuse. They aren’t birthmarks that’s for sure.

Sukuna's Tattoos

Notes before we start.

1) I will be mainly using the TCB scans for the manga because of their accessibility. 

2) Written as of JJK 267.

(Click images for captions/citations.)

Preface

I'm drawing from a lot of sources here because documentation of Heian Era specific tattooing customs is not something I could find. The reason I’m comfortable using non-Heian sources as a reference is due to Sukuna borrowing both language and arts from other periods.

For example, Sukuna scolds Yorozu for not using a Haiku properly. The form of Haiku that Yorozu uses did not exist until the late 17th century. A good 500+ years after the end of the Heian Era (794 to 1185). The Haiku is actually derived from Waka poetry that became popular during the Heian Era. (Very short summary: Waka (Sedoka specifically) -> Renga -> Haiku)

It should also be noted that Chinese influences greatly shaped the development of arts and social attitudes in early Heian Era Japan. These influences declined over the this era as Japan looked towards itself for cultural development. Since the Heian Era was from 794 to 1185, most of the Chinese influences came from the Tang Dynasty (618 to 907).

For all these reasons, most of this tattoo analysis draws from the Tang Dynasty in China and the Edo Period in Japan. However historical Chinese tattooing in general is referenced more due to its availability.

Anyone with more historical Japanese or Chinese knowledge are free to correct me if I get something wrong.

Facial Tattoos

Let's first compare the facial tattoos on Yujikuna Megkuna and OG Sukuna.

Yujikuna and Megkuna have identical facial tattoos, but OG Sukuna lacks the markings over his nose and forehead. I think this is because those markings have something to do with Kenjaku's vessel creation. When Kenjaku casts Idle Transfiguration to wake up the Incarnated sorcerers for the culling games, they also have markings on their foreheads.

Sukuna's vessel markings might be different because his incarnation occured outside of the culling games. It could also be from his cursed object’s division into multiple pieces instead of just one. Whatever the reason, these forehead and nose tattoos prpbably hold more information about Sukuna’s relationship with Kenjaku than his past in general. All 3 versions of Sukuna share the chinstrap markings, so those tattoos likely have significance outside of Kenjaku.

Now onto what they could mean…

Sukuna has already demonstrated that he knows his Chinese literature and wordplay via Enchain/契闊 (Keikatsu). (The person who brought this to my attention may or may not have their account nuked. A doctored version of the Tweets is screenshottes here). What's important for this analysis is knowing that Keikatsu comes from a Chinese Poem.

The poem referenced belongs to the Shijing or The Book of Odes. This book is a part of the Wujing or Five Classics, a series of documents believed to be compiled by Confucius that has greatly influenced both China and Japan. Amongst the Five Classics is the Shangshu or Book of Documents that cites the use of punitive tattooing. Quoted directly from Wikipedia:

"It lists the "Five Punishments": the five primary penalties employed by ancient Chinese officials on criminals. The first (and least severe) of these punishments was the tattooing of the criminal's face with indelible ink."

In the Edo Period of Japan, the criminal markings on the face seem to only appear on the forehead. These were given to any lawbreaker as a punishment and a warning because they didn't have prisons. (Source)

These sources both suggest the facial markings are for criminals. However, there are alternative meanings that should be considered.

Kenjaku’s vessel markings are on the forehead and many of the culling game players consider themselves to be manipulated by the promises of incarnation. It’s also odd that the strongest sorcerer is unable to incarnate properly due to Yuji acting as a cage. Kenjaku is all but outright confirmed to have done that on purpose.

For these reasons, I think the following historical tattoo practice from the Chinese Song Dynasty (960 to 1279) should be considered. Quoting directly from the source:

“Tattoos for slaves were things like a label of ownership, or a brand on the forehead. There are some examples of slaves, and concubines, receiving tattoos as punishment for things like trying to escape…”

Uro is a former slave, a military slave to be exact. I go more into detail about this in my Initial Sukuna Backstory Theory. There is also the fact that Kenjaku sees the incarnated and has access to their lives/bodies like this...

They're essentially toys with built-in tracking devices for Kenjaku to monitor and tinker with as needed. The forehead and nose tattoos on Yuji/Megkuna can therefore be seen as a mark of ownership by Kenjaku. And maybe this is why Choso has one across his nose too.

There is one more meaning I can propose for the facial tattoos, though it mostly applies to the chinstrap.

Within China there are tribes that used facial tattoos for other purposes. The Dulong women had their faces tattooed to make themselves look undesirable to invaders that would abduct them for slavery and rape. (If you've read that one revised Sukuna backstory of mine, this is significant.) But more commonly, these markings became a tradition for girls coming of age.

The Ainu women in Japan also used facial tattoos for coming of age, beauty, and preparing for death. I bring up the Ainu because they’re mentioned as a non-Japanese group of sorcerers. There's also this Yuji is of Ainu heritage theory to consider. (This could link Sukuna to the Ainu by blood.)

The tribal uses are discussed here because Sukuna’s tattoos are vaguely tribal in appearance. Though tribal tattoos tend to be more detailed, his feel like a simplified version of them. I think that works well with Sukuna being labeled an unwanted child at birth. Japan has wiped out a lot of its indigenous populations and customs (see the Emishi). After all, what minority group practices haven’t been demonized and associated with criminal activity by the majority?

So the facial tattoos for Sukuna may be a marker for his vessel status, a claim of ownership, a punishment for being a criminal, a deterrent for sexual assault, or a signifier of belonging to a tribe. You can come to your own conclusions about this, after all none of this is confirmed.

Chest and Belly Tattoos

Comparing the versions of Sukuna again. (All these sections are going to start like this.)

Yujikuna and Megkuna once again have the same tatts. OG Sukuna has “C” hooked markings over his pecs instead of the “S” hooks of the other two. He also lacks the belly markings entirely. Since his belly mouth seems to be replacing the belly tattos, I think those markings on Yuji/Megkuna are a stand in for that extra mouth. The pec style differences I have no explanation for.

Due to the chest tattoos extending over Sukuna’s shoulders and onto his back, I won’t looking for possible meanings until the back tatts are addressed.

Back Tattoos

The tattoos running down Sukuna’s back appear to be the same for all 3 versions. Differences are slight enough to be considered inconsistency in the art and not deliberate.

The neck tattoos between Yuji/Megkuna and OG Sukuna differ slightly however. The bands of Yuji/Megukuna remain separate while OG Sukuna’s fuse together and extend further down his back. I don’t really have an explanation for this difference, much like the hooks differing on his pecs.

Back and chest tattoos are associated with criminal activities in Japan rather than criminal punishments because they are hidden under clothing. (Well not in Sukuna’s case, but you know…) Most notably the Yakuza have very intricate chest and back tattoos.

But going back to China, tattoos were also used as dog tags for military members and could signify loyalty, mainly during the Song Dynasty (960 to 1279, which is still within the Heian Era). Despite this, cultural opinions at the time seemed to be conflicted due to tattoos sharing an association with criminals. Quoted directly from the source:

“According to Yue Fei’s biography, when the legendary general was slandered and interrogated for treason, he tore the shirt off his body, exposing four characters tattooed on his back: “Exhaust one’s loyalty in service of the state.” This study looks at two components of the Yue Fei story—patriotic tattoos, and tattooed generals—and examines their meaning in the broader stretch of Song dynasty history. Yue Fei was not the Song dynasty’s only tattooed general who came to a tragic end.”

“This study shows that underneath the nationalist historical narrative of the Song dynasty, of which Yue Fei is a famous example, there lies a different story of social conflict within the Song state. Rather than a story of Chinese fighting non-Chinese and of traitorous and cowardly officials struggling with loyal patriots, this study offers a narrative of a social conflict between high-born clear-skinned officials and low-born tattooed military men.”

Now that sounds a lot like how the higher ups clash with the Jujutsu Sorcerers who do all the actual work. This mentality existed even in the Heian Era, where Uro was exploited as a military slave by the Fujiwaras. And since Uro is a Sukuna parallel, these tattoos could also indicate a similar type of exploitation.

There are still tribal purposes to consider. Drawing more from Chinese sources, the Dai men had body tattoos as a symbol of strength that would accentuate their muscles. Sukuna’s chest and back tatts really draw attention his brawn. The Li women had body tattoos as a right of passage and as identifiers. Sukuna’s neck tattoos in particular are similar to these ones.

So my spattering of explanations this time around for the chest and back tattoos are criminal organization affiliation, military “loyalty” claims (this is a form a slavery), decorative pieces to accentuate the muscles, a right of passage, and an identifier.

Arm Tattoos

Remember how I theorized that the belly markings on Yuji/Megkuna were a stand in for OG Sukuna’s extra mouth? That’s what I think is going on with the arm tattoos as well. The double bands and circles on Yuji/Megukuna represent the extra limbs on OG Sukuna. When this fusion is pulled apart, you get the single bands and dots on the 4 limbs.

As for their meanings? There’s the criminal markings of the Edo Period that indicate where the particular criminal is from. (Courtesy of this Reddit post.)

Since Yuji/Megkuna tattoos are more related to Kenjaku’s vessel creations, this could hint that their deal took place in Nara, Oosaka, Koufu, or Edo. (Nara is most likely because of its significance in the Heian Era.) For OG Sukuna, this is more indicative of where he first got them.

However, the single band is not for a location but rather a status—Hinin. These are the undesirables and social outcasts that were marked for their uncleanness. Sukuna was born a conjoined twin and unwanted. It’s likely these markings directly correspond to that fact.

…

(An unserious suggestion. On queer men in the US, double rings on the arm can represent how far they can fist someone.

I don’t think Gege is referencing this at all. This is just an example of why cultural context is very important to consider.)

...

There are some other meanings to be drawn from armbands specifically, but those are easier to group with legs.

Leg Tattoos

Differing from the other sections, the leg tattoos have only been seen on Megkuna and OG Sukuna. As referenced in the image below, we have the ankle of Megkuna (top left), the upper thigh of Megkuna (right), and ankles of OG Sukuna (bottom left).

Instead of having the double rings, like on his arms, Megkuna only has a single band, which matches OG Sukuna. (It’s reasonable to assume Yujikuna is the same and that OG Sukuna has the upper thigh bands too.) This further supports the idea that the double bands and shoulder rings represent the fusion of the extra limbs. Sukuna never had extra legs so there’s no need represent missing limbs.

For what they mean? I have only the non-Japanese/Chinese sources to go by. Gege may be a fan of non-Japanese cultures, but I'm not sure if that means Sukuna's design elements would borrow from them.

In other cultures, armband tattoos can represent mourning. Which ones exactly I have no idea because all the sites making this claim don’t specify them in detail. (Source 1, Source 2, Source 3) It’s honestly pretty infuriating. If you’re going to “borrow” designs from “cultures” to sell, at least cite your got danged sources.

But if we are to read these as indications of mourning, I don’t believe they’re for a person. Throughout this analysis, tattoos recurrently are associated with some form of oppression—slavery, uncleanliness, social damnation. If Sukuna’s bands are to be read as mourning, I think it’s for the loss of his autonomy and personhood.

What does it all mean?

Sukuna's tattoos are permanent marks that appear to be directly linked to his soul. How he acquired them is currently unknown. Traditional means of application can be quite painful, using metal or bamboo rods to carve skin and fill the abrasions with ink. (Here's a video if you want to watch it be applied.)

If we consider Kenjaku’s use of brands to mark and control vessels, it could be assumed that Sukuna’s tattoos are ones others put on him through binding vows for his control. They could also be symbolic in nature, hinting at his heritage and origins, indicating that he was branded an outcast at birth or even blessed by deities for protection. Perhaps Sukuna wanted the tattoos himself as an act of rebellion against the changing social norms. Whatever the reason, one thing is clear, these tattoos separate him from other humans.

Existing on the Border

I think the ambiguity behind the purpose of these tattoos this fits nicely with Sukuna and other people not knowing how to categorize his personhood. He's so strong and different that he might as well be something other than human. But he's not a curse, he wouldn't be able to used Reversed Curse Technique if that were the case. Is he a monster? A natural disaster? A god? He's kind of all these things at once by way of projection. Other people assign these labels to him and Sukuna doesn't correct them. There's something profoundly gender about it all.

And if you noticed, tattoos in ancient China and Japan have purposes that differ by gender. For women they were used for beauty and protection, while with men they were used to mark ownership and criminality. Sukuna has a melding masculine and feminine elements which is why I consider the tattoo meanings for both with him.

That sounds kind of crazy given that Sukuna very much embodies strength born of toxic masculinity. However, he actively wears women’s clothing and seems to have no qualms with being associated with feminine things. (Godbless marketing team for leaning into that.) He may have a rough and masculine speaking style, but he loves poetry and flowers.

(Sukuna is lying when he tries to deny it. Megumi's hobbies have everything to do with animals, not flowers.)

The earrings he wears, though a direct reference to the Buddha (basically it’s shorthand for how Sukuna isn’t truly enlightened yet), are another symbol of Sukuna's non-conformity. Earrings are something the Japanese government went out of its way to ban for Ainu men during the Meji Restoration after it decided they were only for women.

Even the short hair both he and Uraume wear are quite rebellious for those times, if not an indication of their lower standing. Regardless of gender, long hair was seen as desirable, high-class, and attractive during the Heian Era. (Source for men and source for women.) Most of the Heian characters wear it that way.

Notice how the servant has her hair cut shorter. Sukuna and Uraume's is shorter than that. It would be considered ugly and possibly dehumanizing. And yet when Kashimo sees Sukuna's true form, he calls him beautiful. He uses 美しい (Utsukushii) to do that.

That kind of beauty is a bit deeper than the English language can get across. From the words of someone else, "...utsukushi can express the beauty of something that catches your heart."

Kashimo isn't really wrong, but he's also not entirely right. For every panel of Sukuna looking like an ethereal god, there's another of him being an amorphous creature or a rabid goblin. All of these types of faces for Sukuna occur within JJK 253 alone.

These contradicting elements that somehow fit together are what make Sukuna, Ryomen Sukuna. He both participates in and rejects beauty. He’s crude and classy, violent and merciful, masculine and feminine. That duality, that two-faced nature is Sukuna.

I think his tattoos reflect this. Directly quoted from the source:

“Tattoos have many different symbolic meanings in Japanese culture and can denote where an individual ranked in society or serve as a permanent means of defense against evil forces or perhaps members of the animal kingdom. With the arrival of the seventh-century, the idea of tattooing one’s body in order to make it more beautiful began to lose its appeal due to the strong influence of Chinese customs in Japan—specifically when it came to identifying and tracking criminal activity. Around 720AD during the Nara Period, it appears that tattooing as a form of punishment began to infiltrate Japanese culture. Once the dawn of the Edo Period began the art form was more widely used as a punishment for criminals as at the time there was really no such thing as a prison to send lawbreakers off to.”

The purposes and attitudes towards tattoos in the Heian Era morph in the way Sukuna morphs both physically and in perception. Since Sukuna is the Fallen One, that means he must have been Honored One first. What caused him to fall remains a mystery, much like the meanings behind his tattoos.

One last thing...

A small caveat in relation to everything else, Sukuna referring to himself as The Fallen is the only time he has introduced himself.

He’s not given someone his name nor identified himself as anything other than a former human (which was internal). Combined with the ambiguous nature of his form, tattoos, and origins, I don't think it would be wrong to read him as someone who has transcended gender.

[quaranmine]

On Wednesday before I gave my presentation I confessed to a new employee that I was worried it would be too long and she brightly told me her life hack was to just let AI rewrite things for her. She said I should put in all my talking points and ask ChatGPT to give me a five minute exactly presentation. I was like....how is the most polite possible way (since this is a new colleague I shouldn't get off on the wrong foot with) that I can express that I will Not be taking this advice. Ever. I told her that I didn't think we were allowed to use ChatGPT at this job (we most certainly are not, it is a nightmare for any type of protected information) and also that I prefer to write all of my own work. Despite my best efforts the last part of that was still passive aggressive, lol.

Something about being a writer makes it so that it's almost offensive to me for someone to suggest I use AI to do my work instead? Like, the day I reach the point where I let AI write something for me is the day y'all need to be checking me for brain damage because clearly I'm losing it

[pigeon-butch]

I certainly have my own concerns about the treatment of moo deng but um. well i think some of you may just be racist

[gamebunny-advance]

Irreplaceable

It's all "pikmin yaoi" this and "pikmin yuri" that, but then y'all will go and ignore the canon pikmin yaoi/yuri that's right in front of you.

[fitzrove]

[shaking and biting] but what does it MEAN. what does it SAY what is the THEME

[is-this-yuri]

what are the classifications of yuri?

Please refer to this comprehensive list:

https://dynasty-scans.com/tags

[feral-and-or-horny]

You mentioned in your reblog of the gothic lit post that you took a course… I’d love to know what books you read so I can read them too!

Of course! This list is from memory, so I'll double check with my notes later. (I loved the class so much I kept my notebook, lmao)

Northanger Abbey

The Bloody Chamber

Matilda (or Mathilda, the spelling can be inconsistent, and it's by Mary Shelley.)

The Yellow Wallpaper

Christabel

Carmilla

The Haunting of Hill House

In the Dream House (Carmen Maria Machado, who also edited my favorite copy of Carmilla. In the Dream House is a surreal/gothic autobiography about her time in an abusive relationship. Its brilliant and super unique and genuinely she's such a brilliant author and I desperately want to meet her)

[bunnihearted]

the problem with my neighbor being an upperclass 19yr old incel is that he thinks he is in the right and trying to reason w him like a normal person doesnt work ://

[listenupcupcakes]

soldier what is your opinion on mayonnaise

MAYONAISE IS JUST EGGS AND OIL

I CAN MIX EGGS AND OIL MYSELF

IT IS ONLY GOOD WHEN MIXED WITH OTHER CONDIMENTS. LIKE KETCHUP.

[flugame-mp3]

AHHH... the fact that sam actually reads the journal instead of just burning it, just to be really thorough, and discovers it's the painting that needs to be burned instead via the context clues... so he doesn't have to burn the firsthand account journal from a woman in 1520s florence... or the rest of her belongings... this makes my museum work oriented brain (and heart) extremely happy.

[napping-sapphic]

Hey this post of yours ended up in the this bed we made tag. I don’t know if you’ve heard of it before but if not then based off of this post and knowing literally nothing else about you I think you might like it at least a little bit.

Anyway have a nice day

I somehow didn’t catch on that that was a game title at first and thought it was like some secret club for a hot second lol

Thank you for the recommendation!! It legitimately looks really cool though!!! I do love mysteries and Women™️ lol

Unfortunately I don’t think I have anything that can play it though!😓 But i might cave and just try and find a play through of it instead!!

Hope you have a nice day too!!

[antigonescholar]

sometimes i'm like hmmm it's shitty luck that I have both EDS & OCD but then other times i really don't think it's coincidental at all

[anglerflsh]

Hello ! Sorry to bother but I wanted to do Witch hunting ressearches but I don’t have any books and I don’t know where to start. I read Matthew Hopkins wikipedia page and I wanted to know if you could share some other things I could read, bc I can’t find a lot of things, it’s annoying… have a nice day !

I'd suggest looking for free pdfs online if you can't find any physical books on the subject! Older works are often easy to find and available without cost: i've found things like Discovery of Witches, Demonomania, Demonologia, or the classic the Malleus Maleficarum online, for example. I've said it before and I will repeat myself but primary sources are best for understanding the mindset of the time so, if you can find transcriptions of witch hunting manuals that's always a good place to start. You could also check out the citations are the end of the wikipedia pages on the topic to look for more sources - and there are a few interesting documentaries on youtube about specific trials or specific witch hunters! Hopkins is a great start but if you want someone else you could look into Kramer or de Lancre - also, look online for summaries or transcriptions of specific trials (I have a book that's mainly that but i'm sure there are similar things on the internet) + it's also fun to look at the laws put in by Popes against witchcraft and heresy, and at the different inquisitions in different places.

Good luck with your research!

[asbestos-11]

my biggest nerd moment is that i unironically like reading research papers