#fushiglow

when i first read over the threshold, i did not do art. i was bored and lonely and uninspired. but this story ignited something in me; over the threshold was the spark that started the fire that has been my art journey.

this scene from chapter 3 stayed with me long after i read it. it was one of those scenes that i could see so clearly in my mind, i had to do something about it.

Hilariously, this came about after the Hotel Prince collab back in April 2024, and the bottom Gojo chibi in particular:

Bear and I were passing silly ideas back and forth, brainrotting about cvnt leader Geto checking into the hotel and seducing the bellboy. I said if it's the older Gojo in red, Geto is going to have him up against the wall, but if it's the younger Gojo in blue, we have an overexcited puppy top situation and we just... Kinda ran away with it...

(Honestly, when I think about it, this is one of the earliest instances of what has practically become an AO3 user greaterglow trademark at this point. Yes, I'm talking about dogjo.)

((Also, I used the term "seducing", but we really imagined it went more like... Geto, pointing at him: "You. Come with me." Gojo, nodding and wagging his tail: "Okay!"))

We're talking Geto making this little bellboy take off every layer of his robes, giggling at his over-enthusiasm and then snapping at him for being too forceful with the expensive material in the very next moment. Deliberately giving him mixed signals as he guides him through how to touch him, enjoying exploiting his position, enjoying the panic when he turns on the disappointed customer act. He's wondering how far he can push him, how desperate he really is.

Meanwhile, Gojo is just happy to be there 😭

After Geto checks out of the hotel (but not before remarking to the manager about the truly impeccable customer service he received), I imagine this story taking a much darker turn, honestly. This Gojo is a babe in the woods and this Geto is... Well, he's potentially a lot of things, none of them good!

However, I haven't touched this WIP since summer 2024, so if it ever gets finished, I'll probably just leave it at Geto overcome with sinister cute aggression at the sight of this little bellboy, all pink in the face and utterly overwhelmed by the sensation of fucking him, pinching his cheek a little too hard as he says, "I should just kidnap you and keep you all to myself". Cue a mildly freaked out Gojo immediately jizzing on the spot.

Anyway, here's a little snippet! I feel like you guys are learning a lot about me lately lmao...

‘Have you ever fucked anyone before, Satoru?’ ‘I’ve had girlfriends and stuff.’ Suguru arched a brow at the boy’s nonchalant tone. It was at odds with the way he was practically vibrating out of his skin as he looked at Suguru, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. With his shiny shoes pressed together, hands neatly clasped at the front of his spotless uniform, he looked like the model employee. Suguru would have to do something about that. Slinking across the room, he made a show of straightening Satoru’s perfectly neat tie, letting his fingers brush against the skin of his pale neck. He didn’t bother suppressing his smile when the little bellboy visibly shuddered at the contact. ‘What about men?’ Suguru asked, peering up at him as he fussed with the lapels of his blazer. He was a little taller than Suguru, even at the tender age of 18. He hoped that Satoru’s height promised extra inches elsewhere — and a glance at the tent already forming in a pair of neatly pressed trousers confirmed it. Cute. ‘Have you ever fucked a man, Satoru?’ ‘No,’ said his little bellboy, slightly more hesitant now a grown man’s hands were resting over his chest. Suguru could feel his little heart jackrabbiting under his fingers, even as he shrugged. ‘But how different can it be?’ Suguru curled his fingers around Satoru’s tie, pulling him close so he could whisper into his ear, ‘Would you like to find out? Would you like to fuck me, Satoru?’ ‘Yes!’ The answer came instantly, urgently. Suguru couldn’t help but laugh, a mean sounding thing that turned the tips of Satoru’s ears pink. Big blue eyes widened behind the silly little sunglasses perched on the end of his button nose. ‘I mean—’ Satoru swallowed as Suguru returned them to their rightful place, sliding the tip of his finger over summer freckles. ‘Only if you…’ His cheeks flushed beautifully. Suguru wondered if they’d turn cherry red if he slapped them hard enough. ‘Is this allowed?’ It was barely more than a nervous whisper. Satoru blinked at him, chest heaving — and Suguru frowned. Pushing his lips out in an exaggerated show of dismay, he started tucking Satoru’s tie back into the bar affixed to his shirt. ‘How disappointing,’ he purred. ‘I was assured by your manager that this establishment prioritised customer satisfaction above all else. I suppose I’ll have to find someone else to satisfy—’ ‘No!’ Satoru barked suddenly, startling even Suguru. ‘Don’t go to anyone else! I’d like to fuck you, Getō-san!’ When his outburst was met by nothing but incredulous silence, the little bellboy started shifting nervously, eyes darting from left to right under his tinted lenses. When Suguru still said nothing, dragging it out just because he could, he tacked on a panicked, ‘Please?!’ Finally, Suguru indulged him with a smile, fingers closing around Satoru’s tie once more. ‘That’s Getō-sama to you.’

In 236, Gojo tells Geto he loves everyone. This single line, direct from the man's mouth, should be enough. However, moments later, Nanami says, "You never cared about protecting people". So why do some readers only take one of these perspectives at face value?

Perspective matters in JJK. Often, characters and even the narrator state things that are only true from their perspective in a given moment. What you choose to believe says more about you than it does about them — an idea I explored in my analysis of 236.

This is particularly important when it comes to Gojo and Megumi, because the moment they meet is the only (?) scene in the whole of JJK that we get to see from two perspectives.

The second time, the reader understands the emotional weight of it for Gojo — but Megumi doesn't. He's kept in the dark, so of course he thinks about their meeting in different terms.

Once again, whose perspective are we going to take at face value? From Megumi's point of view, he wasn't offered a choice. From Gojo's point of view, he extended to a child the little agency available to him.

Offering a choice is something Gojo does consistently throughout JJK — pick your hell. It's one of the ways he shows care for others that goes unrecognised, so it's ironic that readers and characters alike misinterpret it for a lack of empathy. However, this is no coincidence.

For much of the series, Gege keeps Gojo at a narrative distance from the reader. Most of what we know about Gojo comes from what other characters tell us, and our view of him is therefore coloured by their perspective.

However, while Gojo laments the distance between himself and others, he fails to recognise that he's the one maintaining it — and not because of his strength or his technique. He has admirable goals, but he chooses to work towards them alone.

There are many occasions where characters reach for Gojo, but he refuses to let them past his metaphorical Infinity out of a sense of duty and perhaps misplaced belief that he alone can or should bear this heavy burden.

All of Gojo's actions are about preserving the humanity of others at the expense of his own. That's precisely why he chooses to become the "monster" alone. In this way, Gojo is flawed but he isn't uncaring. Again, it's a matter of perspective.

Gojo sees strength as the solution because it's all he's ever known. However, recognising the strength of others doesn't mean that's all he sees — because Gojo knows that dehumanisation acutely. What's more, 261 also suggests he thinks of "strength" in different terms to others.

When they meet, Gojo tells Megumi not to get left behind. However, he later says he was "left behind" when Geto defected. We know Gojo's physical strength eclipsed Geto's, yet Gojo only refers to himself as "the strongest" alone after Geto dies.

Before that point, there's nothing in the text to suggest that Gojo ever stopped thinking of the pair of them as "the strongest" — as a unit, as a duo. This suggests that strength, for Gojo, is something much more intangible, much more sympathetic, and much more human too.

What do the strongest characters in JJK all have in common? Indomitable will, courage in their convictions, an overwhelming sense of self. Looking at strength through this lens shines a new light on Gojo's goal of raising "strong" allies.

When he forces a third option in Shibuya, Gojo proves that strength doesn't have to come at the expense of compassion. In the later chapters of the Shinjuku Showdown arc, Yuta, Yuji, and the rest of Gojo's allies reinforce that idea ten times over, and I have every belief that Megumi will soon do the same.

To suggest Gojo only saved Megumi for his technique is unfair when he has consistently proven himself committed to protecting the futures of others, even "weak" non-sorcerers who have nothing to offer him. Once again, it's all a matter of perspective.

Gojo's way of caring is still caring, even if it doesn't look familiar to you. His only flaw was closing himself off from others and choosing to care from afar. However, just like Gojo never stopped reaching for Geto after he left, Gojo's allies never stopped reaching for him.

There's a phrase we use to describe looking at things from another perspective: putting yourself in someone else's shoes. I think it's very telling that Gojo's allies have taken that literally — Yuta by stepping into his skin, and Yuji by standing in his place in 266.

TL;DR: Gojo cares a lot, actually. If Gojo talking about his innermost feelings can't make you empathise, and the students he supposedly "doesn't care about" recognising his burdens can't make you empathise?

Well, that says far more about you than it does about him.

Come read my fics about this!

In His Shadow explores the ways Gojo keeps his distance from Megumi, who isn't equipped with the tools he needs to reach him but finds his own ways to show he cares, born from ten years of history together.

Rivers Crossed, Mountains Scaled explores Gojo and Megumi's relationship through the vehicle of SatoSugu — why Gojo took him in, whether Gojo really gave him a choice, how Gojo sees him.

Hope you enjoyed the post! I love you, Gege Akutami ♥️