Today was an ENORMOUS day for AO3 user greaterglow 😭
It’s past midnight here, but trust that the Over the Threshold stuff is coming when I’m home. Today I stood in the exact spot they stood after putting down ~sugar ooh~ for the first time 🥹 I saw the azaleas! Their masked kiss! They’re real! I walked past Suguru’s studio! Probably!
For now, everyone please look at Take It from the Top Suguru. I walked in to the bar and they were playing my number one favourite jazz standard, On Green Dolphin Street, which is the piece that closes out the fic in my mind. What are the chances?
I was fully crying my eyes out in the jazz club. If you get it, you’re probably a musician too.
For them and for OTT, this was exactly what I needed. I feel so reconnected with what matters. Music, art, creativity. I couldn’t be happier. I love you all so much 🫶 Thank you for supporting me throughout everything this fandom has thrown at me!
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
How my interpretation of Ryōmen Sukuna in canon informs his character in Over the Threshold
This morning, I made a post on Bluesky that said:
OTT Sukuna is a pansexual genderqueer person born thirty years too early. I will not elaborate on this.
Two people said they'd like to hear more, so obviously I immediately caved and elaborated on it. I thought folks here might also be interested, so I'm transferring the Bluesky thread into a post with a few more references.
Please note that I wrote this off the cuff and in brief based on my memory of my research and analysis of Jujutsu Kaisen over the last three years, but I don't claim anything I say here is objectively correct. This is simply my reading of the character in relation to my fanfiction, Over the Threshold. Hope you enjoy it!
In canon, I see Sukuna as someone completely disconnected from the body. For him, the body is merely a vessel for the true self. That's his answer to the body vs soul question that's posed throughout Jujutsu Kaisen.
The problem is, his original form is a big "scary" body that comes loaded with preconceptions, both for characters in universe and readers of the manga. He is a "monster" to everyone except Gojo (and later Yuji), who first recognises him as a human very early in the story. Surely not a coincidence?
I've said many times that Gojo vs Sukuna is my favourite arc in the manga. Putting shipping aside entirely, these two characters have always had a very compelling relationship to me. It heavily informed chapter 16 of Over the Threshold, which is fundamentally about "the truth" vs "the performance".
For me, the most important similarity between Gojo and Sukuna is the gap between who people believe they are vs who they actually are. I think Sukuna is the most misunderstood character in JJK, even more than Gojo — which is saying something considering I think Gojo is incredibly misunderstood!
They're both performers. They play the role required of them, both by the narrative and the people around them. Sukuna is a human who played the role of a curse so well that people forgot he was human at all. The really important thing is that I think he forgot, too (this doesn't apply to Gojo).
Through this lens, the body is merely a costume for Sukuna to help him play his part, and this applies to others' bodies too. I don't think it would have made a difference if Megumi were a girl; the Heian sorcerers never showed any qualms about occupying bodies different to those they were born in.
I do think there's even more depth to Sukuna in relation to gender in canon though. I'm only paraphrasing (in a very brief and heavy-handed way) what others have said much more thoughtfully and beautifully before me, but Sukuna is "woman coded" (good faith please!) in ways that largely go over people's heads, especially in English speaking fandom. It isn't as simple as the fact that he canonically wears women's kimono to accommodate his arms either!
For detailed posts on this topic with extensive research and references, please read Historical Heian vs JJK's Heian by @/thepersonperson and The Details You Missed & The Context Behind Yorozu's Marriage Proposal to Sukuna by @/tangsakura
When Yorozu challenges him (proposes), she evokes Heian era courting rituals, taking on the role of the man. Sukuna not only allows this, but he takes it seriously. He even remembers Yorozu's words when it's Gojo's turn to challenge him (propose).
Ultimately, both Yorozu and Gojo fail to win him over (kill him), but there's a specific way Yorozu offends him that feels really important to understanding Sukuna's character to me. Part of the reason he rejects her proposal (kills her) is because of the poor quality of her poetry, a measure by which women judged potential suitors in the Heian era. If the poem fails to meet certain criteria, the marriage is off!
Look how horrified Sukuna is! Language matters to this man! In fact, there's some amazing analysis out there covering the secret romance in Sukuna's antiquated language, unnoticed by the modern sorcerers. See the difference between "Show me, Fushiguro Megumi!" and "Enchant me, Fushiguro Megumi!":
They sound the same in Japanese, but only the written kanji reveals the truth in what he's saying! So often with Sukuna, what could be interpreted as praise is received as an insult in modern Japanese, though it's unclear whether he's aware of this. Regardless, it's a really specific way Sukuna is misunderstood, and non-Japanese readers have another layer of misinterpretation to work through!
Take the "Enchant me!" example alone. By the time it's translated into English, we're already multiple steps removed from the truest version of the character. Megumi hears "Show me!" (because you can't hear kanji. This is the most wonderful thing about Japanese to me) so that's how it's translated.
Now, extrapolate that example across the entire manga. All the double meanings that create this fundamental gap in understanding. Sukuna cannot connect to the people around him. He's completely out of place, but the sad thing is, even in the Heian era, he's always been out of place. He's a curse.
Thus, I see Sukuna as a character who has been whittled into shape through hardship. What began as self-protection in a cruel age became the only way he knew how to exist, such that he cannot let down his mask. He cannot "come out". We never see the "true" Sukuna until the very end of Jujutsu Kaisen.
As for how I translate this across to Sukuna in Over the Threshold? Well, homophobia in the Japanese music industry plays a huge role in the story. Satoru and Suguru cannot "come out" without consequences. For Sukuna, some twenty years older than them, there was even less acceptance.
He's formerly V-kei so he's already been playing with gender performativity. He's already familiar with the concept of "queerness" on some level, but I don't think he's interrogated what that means for him. Similar to canon, I think Sukuna simply believes he's too far down that path to step off it now.
in relation to my last reblog, bear and i were talking recently about idol satoru dressing up suguru in his little outfits, just to drool over the way he bursts out of them. in over the threshold, healthy suguru is chunky suguru. important!!!
anyway. we might explore this sometime. for now, here's producer suguru in happier times doing a little girl group dance challenge that satoru roped him into 🙂↕️
not only does suguru have rough fingertips from years playing the guitar, but he also has a little scar on the back of his hand from a string snapping when he was young and didn't know how to care for his instrument. he was just happy it didn't damage the neck or scratch the gloss. after that, he became anal about cleaning the strings, proper handling etc. even when he's crashing out, you will never find this man smashing a guitar. that's his baby.
despite no prior experience, satoru had a brilliant voice from day dot. training it into an even better instrument was easy. however, he had to work at his dancing for a long time before it came naturally to him. he had some special help to turn him into the effortless mover he is on stage today (you're getting a fic about this eventually. it's already part written)
satoru's unprecedented twink death broke the fandom*. suguru has seen the photos of baby satoru in the early days, but satoru has seen the photos of baby suguru in the early days too. they both experienced insane cute aggression.
this is all stuff i could probably figure out a way to fit into from the cutting room floor but idk i'm so over the threshold pilled right now and needed to talk about them without delay. they're real. THEY'RE REAL.
*do not under any circumstances think about male idols getting banned from the gym by their companies in order to maintain their tightly controlled, borderline underweight, "pretty boy" looks. and definitely don't think about how bulking up in the gym after a certain point in their careers when they have more freedom is likely actually a way of taking control over their own bodies, their image, their sense of self, and their connection to their masculinity. and DEFINITELY don't apply that to satoru whatever you do (apply it to him please. that's what happened in over the threshold. he boxes for more than one reason ☝️🤓)
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
I started this one in late spring of last year when I was wrestling with chapter 14 of Over the Threshold. That was definitely the hardest chapter of the fic to write so far, and I think that would have been true even if I hadn't been going through a really high stress time. In fact, I remember reblogging your extremely accurate post about what the experience looked like from your POV 😭
I was trying to find ways to reconnect with the universe outside of Suguru's warped perspective and excite myself in order to get the damn chapter finished! In the process, I ended up working on two "prequel" fics — this one and the suitably titled "prequel" from the WIP list. I'm not going to share any snippets, I'm sorry (I have good reason, I promise), but I hope the yap fest makes up for it!
So, as you know, the trio known as Resonance makes another appearance in chapter 14, and Suguru's observations about the ways they've changed since the last time he saw them are an important factor in his downward spiral. Their inclusion in the story is largely self-indulgent on my part, but I also really needed young cast members for Suguru to see himself in.
With that in mind, in order to make the comparison between past and present, I was thinking quite a bit about what they were like when Suguru met them the first time around. All the way back in chapter 2, it was the mention of Megumi that gave Suguru pause long enough to hear Satoru out. He says that he'd rather "dedicate his time to nurturing young artists at the beginning of their careers, providing a supportive presence when they needed it most and helping them to emerge from those perilous early years with as little damage as possible". So what paved the way for his decision to take a chance on an artist like Satoru who doesn't fit that description?
Thus, what began as a thought exercise to support the writing of chapter 14 turned into a scene exploring exactly that. It shows how Suguru gets the best possible reintroduction back into the industry with these little punks who put some of the stars back in his eyes.
Something that I was really missing through chapters 12-15 was the music. I always thought that was terribly fitting — that where Suguru was mourning the joy of making music with Satoru as they shifted into the post-production phase, I missed writing about it, too! It was wonderful to return to the music a little in chapter 15, and the writing of this scene informed the writing of certain studio scenes in that chapter. However, even before that, I needed to write it for some simple soul soothing (it isn't a coincidence that this happened around the same time I wrote the opening chapter of Take It from the Top!) as much as I needed to explore his experience with Resonance.
It begins with Suguru listening to an extremely bare bones demo, feeling utterly and unexpectedly taken with this kid playing his guitar — I wonder why! There's genuine excitement and (foolish?) optimism about this group, but importantly, there's also the desire to shield young talent from harm. When he gets into the studio with them, we see him nurturing these little babies in a way he didn't need to with Satoru, because he was already an experienced artist where they're all green behind the ears.
I think Suguru feels a real desperation to get in there and give them a good experience of making music professionally before the reality of the industry disillusions them entirely. It's giving them something to cling onto, but that's a whole lot of responsibility to take on and arguably irresponsible, too. When it comes to canon, fans argue about whether Satoru's "trial by fire" approach with his students was justified, but is an approach that leaves them unprepared for a future they will inevitably meet any better? With that in mind, you left a comment on Vocal Rest that really stuck with me:
Suguru's angst about saving Satoru from himself and being the lifeguard in the relationship gets proven right in his mind just enough to feed into it, as exhibited by the drop at the end.
Early in Over the Threshold, Suguru says "being a producer meant playing the role of psychologist sometimes", and he plays this role with Satoru, too. However, it's often to their detriment. I replied:
I hadn't thought of Suguru that way before, but "the lifeguard in the relationship" is the perfect description. Up until this point in the fic, he's spent so much time scanning for threats on Satoru's behalf, without recognising that Satoru is swimming along very nicely actually. It doesn't make the way Satoru is treated right, but in doing that, Suguru is neglecting Satoru's own agency.
It's projection, your honour. So where does that leave this WIP?
A couple of people have mentioned this and that pleases me greatly, but Over the Threshold starts at a very deliberate moment. It's the moment Suguru first becomes aware of Satoru and the start of their story together. However, there is the immediate suggestion of a rich and complex story that began long before he knew Satoru existed, yet Suguru avoids discussing or even thinking about everything that came before — until he doesn't.
Those who are up to date with the fic, I hope you found some satisfaction from the context in which that story finally comes to light and how the narrative structure complements Suguru's internal struggle. However, it's also why I'm not sure I'll share this WIP. I often wonder whether writing so much additional content for Over the Threshold weakens the impact of the narrative overall, or whether the fact that I've insisted on keeping the main story separate and contained preserves it enough.
The truth is, I'm probably overthinking something that no one else cares about. Still, if it does come, it'll be at a time that doesn't feel like it takes away from the experience of reading the main story, which always takes precedence over everything else! And it'll probably just be because I miss my characters, ha! Thank you for the opportunity to yap, Selkie ♥
This is from my wip game — feel free to ask me about something(s) from the list if you like!
Hiii so I am the anon whose ask got lost in the straw page two months ago, and since I actually don’t remember exactly my words, but it was some asks about your opinion on t/b dynamics.
since I actually never engaged in the discourse but just saw everyone go absolutely bonkers over that on twt. I found out about it from the adorable inspiration drawing that started it all, as it was tagged as gego and from there I feel into a rabbit hole on this hole topic, but ended up reading some beautiful character exploration through sexual intimacy. Still I just remember seeing people fight over and accuse everyone and their northern over anything, just because of something of no real consequence. I think my ask was mainly on what you thought of it. Having explored your page here I have my answer, but I still confused overall. Since well my asked was based on that the fic used switching dynamics(and in my community in real life not online, that meant engaging in both sexual penetrative positions.) as this one was of my first fics on Stsg that was using sexual intimacy as a plot device and overall the first time I was reading something like this I was curious. Especially seeing your thread on don tops now, I also believe dynamics can be fluid and only you determine what fits you.
Still just out of actual curiosity here is what I remember of the ask (it still stands) I just don’t want to be disrespectful, especially seeing all the things that you have faced online and that maybe now you lean more towards certain dynamic ( I don’t want to sound presumptuous I just saw the event, it cool if you or don’t):
My ask was if you were willing or had a visit to write them, I suppose with opposite dynamic as Dolce since I felt that you had used sexual intimacy as plot point so masterfully, I was so interés in what it would mean to see it the opposite way. I rearely saw that especially with the whole Over the Threshold characterization and story, when I read vocal rest I was even more piqued in curiosity as to how that would work and the emotional exploration so I had to ask; if thy was something you were willing to try. Also I two months read tell me I am pretty, since I wanted to see more of your works and reading it while having already sent my ask, I was thinking how cool it would be to see in in Over the Threshold. Ofc this not in a way to impose anything or say that what you are doing is wrong or start some kind of t/b discourse. Genuinely curious, as a fan of Over the threshold.
I am sorry for rambling,and that on that, I know it’s been a little rough. I hope you are taking care and keeping yourself safe. All the love.
Ah, I remember! I didn't expect to see you again, so hello!
Oof, lots of thoughts here, anon. I'm a little confused too, but I'll do my best to answer what I think are your questions under the cut. There's a lot to say so grab a cup of tea!
First, to clear up a little confusion since it's come up before! You're right that Over the Threshold was partially inspired by Tomii's idol AU artwork and Tomii is a GeGo artist. However, that doesn't mean my story was ever intended to be GeGo, and I think it's quite clear to anyone who has both seen the art and read the fic that Over the Threshold is my own story, rather than a written version of Tomii's AU. The inspiration I took was minimal, showing up in a few key scenes, but the rest is a story about music and the industry that's deeply personal to me, drawing heavily from my own experiences and knowledge.
For what it's worth, Tomii and I are on good terms! I feel I have always been respectful in my handling of the relationship between the fic and the art, and I never promoted it adjacent to Tomii's work — mostly because it's a very different story and it would be inappropriate, separate to the fact that Tomii's AU is GeGo and mine is not! However, Tomii has read and supported the fic despite the fact that it is not fixed GeGo, and they have always been very sweet!
With that in mind, you said "the fic used switching dynamics" but I wouldn't necessarily agree. The only explicit sexual content is contained in oneshots published in the Behind the Album series, entirely separate from the main story. Those are standalone fics and can absolutely be treated as such. Indeed, many people have only read the main story or only read the oneshots, and I love that it's possible to enjoy each of them in their own right!
I also love that people can experience greater immersion within this universe by enjoying all of the different media published under it — the short stories in Behind the Album, the "magazine" covers, the "Dispatch" articles complete with paparazzi photos, the Ask Satoru answers, even the fan art! — and connecting the dots between everything. That's transmedia storytelling, baby! However, despite how much it enriches the reading experience, all of that additional stuff isn't Over the Threshold by definition. Is it part of the Over the Threshold universe? Yes, absolutely, but if you remove it, Over the Threshold still stands on its own two feet as a complete story.
One of the reasons I chose to keep sexual content separate from the main fic was to maintain that. I wanted to keep the focus on certain aspects of the story over others — to me, the author, Over the Threshold is actually about a different relationship than the one it seems like it's about at first glance — so I naturally wanted to discourage people from choosing or dismissing this deeply personal story on the basis of who fucks who. That about sums up my stance, which I'll come back to in a minute!
Before that, I want to pick up on something you mentioned there. I'm moderating the GoGe Big Bang because I'm close friends with Lulu, @/14th-lulullaby, who has a fixed GoGe preference. The English speaking fandom has a large number of active GeGo zines and events compared to GoGe (please don't ask me to speak on this. Not only is it a topic with complex history, but I'm not part of either community so I don't have a horse in this race so to speak!) so we wanted to help our friend to redress the balance a little to create lots of lovely works for the fandom and promote more collaboration between GoGe shippers for the purpose of making her happy. It's literally that simple!
Similarly, my collabs with Lulu are "GoGe", naturally, but I don't usually think of my stories in those terms. Same as when I write top Geto x bottom Gojo, it isn't "GeGo", because I don't identify with any community that enjoys the ship based on preferred t/b dynamics. That puts me firmly in the camp of "switch/vers shipper" to some of my critics. I don't really identify with that either, but I don't care what people refer to me as, honestly! "Switch/vers shipper" is probably the simplest way to quickly describe something close to my actual stance on this. However, people make fan art and translations of my fics and tag them both GeGo and GoGe, and I don't mind either way! Once it leaves my hands, how people perceive it is out of my control. Death of the author and all that!
As for my own personal preferences, they're the same as they've always been: I just don't really have any! Who fucks who is the least important thing about this ship (about any ship) to me, not least because there is so much more to intimacy than penetrative sex. This is the reason people often like to accuse me of being arrogant or pretentious and say I'm "not better for not caring", and to that, I would say I have never claimed to be. I'm also allowed to enjoy what I enjoy without being shamed for it. It's simply my opinion that if a story is good, it's good regardless of the sexual dynamic it depicts.
Earlier this year, @/bearhaviour, @/hugbin, and I ran a little SatoSugu White Day event "without an emphasis on t/b dynamics" and that is the closest I can get to describing my preferences. I enjoy SatoSugu without any emphasis on t/b dynamics. I don't think someone's character has any bearing on their sexual preferences. I don't look at either of these characters and think "he behaves like a top" or "his technique makes him a natural bottom", same as I wouldn't guess at someone's sexual preferences in real life by the way they dress or the job they have.
The animanga is SFW and the ship isn't even canon in the text itself, so there are no "right" or "wrong" readings here by definition. I distance myself from those who make justifications for t/b or dom/sub dynamic based on SFW characterisation because I find no enjoyment in that approach, but I would never tell anyone else they shouldn't do it. I just stay in my lane and enjoy fandom the way that's most rewarding for me personally. I think that's how we should all approach fandom. Don't like, don't read etc.
I hope that answers a few of your questions, and hopefully you can deduce the rest from what I've said. However, I'll attempt to answer your other question now for the sake of clarity!
I wouldn't write an Over the Threshold sex scene simply for the sake of depicting a certain t/b dynamic. I only ever approach my writing (and especially Over the Threshold which is so special to me) on the basis of what's best for the story and/or what presents the most interesting challenge for me as an author. The E-rated fics in the series — Headroom, Dolce, A Cappella, and Vocal Rest — all depict different sexual dynamics. Only one of them features anal sex (unless you count A Cappella where Suguru fantasises about both fucking Satoru and being fucked by Satoru), but all of them further the development of the relationship, the characters, and the themes in meaningful ways, particularly the last three (Headroom is set during a lighter time in the story and the content reflects that!).
I will continue to take that approach to the stories I write. So if your question is "will you write top Geto x bottom Gojo again?", my answer is "yes, but it's not like I ever set out to depict a certain t/b dynamic except for in very specific circumstances, e.g. fixed dynamic events/zines or requests from friends for gifts/collabs". If your question is "will you write top Geto x bottom Gojo within the Over the Threshold universe?", my answer is "I don't know. It depends if I have an idea that serves the story that happens to fit that dynamic".
If you're simply looking for more of my top Geto x bottom Gojo work, especially that which features a deep emotional connection, I recommend Colours of a Mother. Despite how much vicious hatred that fic earned me, it is so so full of love! However, if the kink puts you off (although I really encourage people to give it a try. Successfully writing a kink I wouldn't usually seek out or attempt as a gift for a beloved friend was the challenge for me as the author, and other people who aren't usually into it have enjoyed it, too!), then Discreet Delivery from my silly little mailman AU also features top Geto x bottom Gojo with more explicitly "switchy" dynamics if you're looking for that.
By pure coincidence, I believe at the time of writing this post, they are equal opportunity bottoms across my published works so far (i.e. there's an equal amount of explicit "GeGo" as there is explicit "GoGe"). However, less than half of my published SatoSugu works containing sexual content explicitly depict penetrative anal sex, and that in itself reflects my feelings about this matter. I think non-penetrative sex holds just as much power for sexual intimacy and shouldn't be dismissed as lesser, neither in fic nor in real life. There are a great many physical acts that can convey intimacy, closeness, and love in powerful ways beyond penis in vagina/anus sex. They can convey less romantic things, too. All of that is what I'm interested in: the storytelling always trumps the act itself.
Okay, I think that's everything! My usual disclaimer that everything shared here is my opinion only, not a judgement passed on the ways others enjoy this ship in a sexual context. I don't think my way is the "right" way and I don't expect everyone to follow my lead, and I hate that I even feel obliged to make this disclaimer in the first place! I just want to enjoy writing my stories and avoid further harassment over this matter that means very little to me.
