#well what do ya know-they're both Snatcher | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

ratcandy · 3 years

Text

Subcon Forest Analysis

Hi everyone I'm here to spill my aggressive overflowing thoughts on Subcon Forest and what it represents because it's been driving me insane since I finished the Sleepy Subcon time rift. Okay let's go. Obvious spoilers for AHIT ahead so proceed with caution.

This is also very, very long.

Disclaimer/warning: I will be discussing abusive/unhealthy relationships in this analysis. I mean. Vanessa. Come on. Also, there is a section on the nooses, and that delves, of course, into mentions of suicide. It will be sectioned off and easily skipped, but if you'd rather be safe and skip the entire post, that's completely understandable! Please stay safe. <3

Alright. Main point to be had here:

Subcon Forest is a giant extended metaphor for Snatcher's mind and character.

You all get to now listen to me spout nonsense about metaphors and symbolism because I'm a sucker for analysis and I'm given an opportunity to go ham. So perish.

The Ice

Let's start with the most obvious and most glaring thing in Subcon. The ice. It's everywhere. Not just outside Vanessa's manor, either; no, it's throughout the village, too. Shows up in the well and in random locations sprinkled about. When it comes to literal plot, we know that ice is just what lingers after Vanessa's wintery curse on Subcon. But going deeper and analyzing the meaning behind it?

Well, let's look at this from the perspective I've suggested. Subcon Forest being an extended metaphor for Snatcher's mind and character. A symbol for Vanessa then litters his mind, enough where it's certainly noticeable at first but blends in more easily once more of Subcon is unlocked to Hat Kid. This is clearly meant to be his lingering trauma, whether or not he wants to acknowledge it. Which he doesn't, as he never mentions it directly in his forest (that I can recall). Her influence plagues him, as to be expected with the traumatic experiences he went through with her. Breaking the ice is something Hat Kid must do in order to fulfill the wishes of the Fire Spirits (another subject I'll get into shortly), which, if self-indulgently playing with the found family idea, could mean that Hat Kid is helping him heal; if indirectly. Even if fulfilling the Fire Spirits' wish to die is... counterproductive, in that measure, which I'm now getting ahead of myself so hold on a sec!!

Vanessa. Ice. Everywhere. Traces of it all over his forest. That's the effects of an abusive relationship! Especially in a worst-case scenario where... yknow! One party in the relationship dies! So of course ice would be everywhere.

In and of itself, ice is a common symbol in literature and other forms of media. In this case, it's presented as an antagonistic force; emphasis is placed upon freezing and the harm that comes with it. The cold is unwelcoming, threatening, merciless. Snow can act as an insulating force, at least, but ice cannot. It can only make things colder.

A slight stretch: Seeing as this game deals a lot with time shenaniganry, I'm not sure if it'd be too out of left field to connect "freezing" with the theme of time. Yknow. Frozen in time. Both parties here, Snatcher and Vanessa, would be in this frozen state. One largely repressing it and never fully moving on, and the other doomed to her isolation ever since the event in question. They never moved past that moment after the Prince and florist's interaction.

The Fire Spirits (& the Portraits)

I'll put a slight warning here for suicidal ideation, if only because... it's the Fire Spirits we're talking about. It's not as grossly in-detail as the noose discussion will be, though, so make of that what you will.

To me, the Fire Spirits are a very interesting case. After all, they're fire. They're a direct contrast to the ice, thus being the only thing we're shown that could potentially melt it. The Fire Spirits, in my opinion, represent hope or a strength to continue. A strength to move on after troubles of the past.

...And that hope wants to die.

The Fire Spirits wish to burn out, to leave this mortal coil and abandon the forest to the cold. They make no effort to melt the ice, they simply dance, blissfully ignorant towards their surroundings. This being a metaphor for Snatcher's own hope for moving on is made all the more obvious by the fact he wants them gone. The first contract is to kill the Fire Spirits, to kill the hope. Perhaps he believes that sort of thing to be fruitless or naïve, so it only clutters his mind or has him foolishly optimistic at points. So, get rid of it. And the hope is happy to oblige.

(That, or their willingness to leave the forest to its own suffering and not aid in the ice's thaw angers him. Besides the whole "bark bark growl I can't get to parts of my forest because of them!!" which... also could represent a naïve hope clouding his judgement, not allowing him to see a bigger picture. But hope can't all be lost if one wants to move forward...)

A little side-tangent now on the portraits! And it's another slight stretch but the idea is in my head and I can't let it go. Portraits are another common symbol, usually being a physical representation of a memory or idea. For our purposes, let's say they're memories. I know in canon they appear to just hold souls captive or something but for now we're just Ignoring That(tm). The Fire Spirits have to burn the portraits to disappear. See where I'm going with this, maybe?

Instead of handling bad memories (or perhaps memories of the past in general) in any healthy manner, Snatcher chooses to forget/repress them, which just allows his hope to progressively die out.

I'm really hoping this is making sense because it makes a lot of sense to me but I might be insane rn

The Fact that this is a Forest

Forest symbolism breakdown! What's a forest usually mean in literature? "Traditionally, the forest has come to represent being lost, exploration and potential danger as well as mystery and 'other worldliness'." Okay. Yeah. Fair enough. That certainly works with the whole aesthetic we've got going on. Wood usually is life, growth and strength. But the trees of subcon are all dead. So what about that? It stands for death, big whoop, very spooky, we know Snatcher's dead and so are the children, yadda yadda wowie wowie. But. :) The trees in Subcon look a lot like trees that were scorched in a forest fire. Don't believe me?

(You could also argue they're just regular marsh/swamp trees bUT SSHHSUUHSH HANG ON HEAR ME OUT LOOK LOOK,)

What I believe to have happened was a controlled fire to rid the forest of the majority of its ice and snow. Likely done by Snatcher. It leaves behind a very desolate, depressing, barren scene... but. What else do dead/burnt trees symbolize? Rebirth. After all, controlled fires happen to make way for new trees to take the place of old ones. Some trees only drop seeds in fires/hot temperatures, so new ones take root and begin anew. Weird. It's almost like... I dunno. Snatcher was given some sorta second chance, given he's not just a corpse in Vanessa's cellar. So were the subconites. Another life given then by Snatcher. All connected I tell ya!!

Generally, aside from that, forests have many connotations. Mystery, isolation, claustrophobia; a place to dwell on regrets, or the past; to worry over one's future; to seek escape from or escape inside of... hmgmrnmm!

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- T / W -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The Nooses

The t/w is given at the top and another cut-off point will follow the bottom of this, for those that would like to skip. This will delve into talk of suicide and abusive tactics used by abusers. Please don't read if it will upset you or make you feel unsafe!!!

Personally, I cannot stand the nooses, but that's just due to my own triggers. Were there a way to hide those from the game or replace the damned talking ones with anything else. I would take it. In a heartbeat. But I can still appreciate the potential analysis to be had with them. So now i'm gonna talk about it despite how uncomfortable it will make me to do so. yEa

So, what about 'em? There are three types of nooses seen in Subcon. At least that I remember but I didn't really go looking for them. Empty ones, ones containing empty subconites, and the talking ones.

Nooses in general obviously can hint towards suicidal thoughts or behaviors of the characters that interact with them. If saying Subcon is Snatcher's mind, it could suggest that he suffered from some sort of suicidal thoughts in life (or currently, if second death is possible... or if he never truly died... or maybe he's trying to figure that out...which has given me... a separate idea...uh oh). But. And hear me out. Different perspective.

A talking noose. I hate them with a fiery passion that is unmatched. But think of the packed symbolism of a noose that talks. And think more about what it says. "I wouldn't mind being strapped around a cute neck like yours." "Be careful now, I don't want to see you meet a miserable end anywhere, but with me." Oddly, a lot of what the noose says seems almost... endearing? One could argue it's a way of luring someone to put it around their necks, which in and of itself is a whole lot to unpack when it comes to suicidal thoughts beckoning one forward; painting itself as something romantic, almost. But. Here's a wild idea, now. What if the nooses, at least the talking ones, are another symbol for Vanessa?

They're tinted blue, after all. While Vanessa's scheme is more red, one could argue two things: One, ice. Blue. Ice. yeah. Or two, the fact that Snatcher's scheme is more purple. Blue and red... make... purple. So, for all we know, Snatcher's current state was a compound effort between suicidal thoughts and Vanessa's treatment of him. Perhaps he even found a way to put himself out of his misery before freezing/starving to death. (I know he has dialogue that argues against that, but... are we certain Snatcher would be the kind to admit suicide over freezing to death?... I don't think so.)

At any rate, a common threat by those in "control" of an abusive relationship is that of killing themselves should the other person not do as they desire. It's a cruel form of emotional manipulation to get their way, worse off if the other party is an empathetic individual. As a person who has been the empathetic individual in relationships like this... I would know. I've been here, unfortunately So, it's not completely out of the question to say Vanessa could've used some tactic like that, even before the whole... cellar ordeal. Did she? I dunno. I'm tossing ideas around. But if she did, the threats of such would sit around in the Prince's mind easily. Even if she has a reputation of not going through with it. It doesn't matter. That shit sticks with you forever, that scare, the potential of it ever being true, is horrifying and it ruins you. I'm projecting, Squirtle.

Still. A noose cannot hang itself. It has to have a victim.

...yea.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- T / W PASSED -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Misc. Ideas

- The spiders: Aside from the usual things spiders can be chalked up to symbolizing - toxicity, alluring danger, just... general pain - I like the potential wordplay that can happen here. Yknow. A black widow. Say the Prince and Vanessa were married when one died. What would that leave Vanessa? A widow. ...She's red and black, too. Yknow. Like a black widow. HA wordplay is fun isn't it?

- Snatcher's tree: Love this place, love sitting in here. But not the point! The inside of Snatcher's tree is such a harsh juxtaposition to the rest of Subcon that it kinda throws ya off guard. After all, the dark, purples and blues then contrasted with the bright warm colors of the inside. Even the music switches over. The thorns outside aren't present indoors. Ohh yeah this is gonna be on the nose as hell but the Tree(tm) is 100% representing Snatcher's appearance/put-on personality vs. his truer nature. Spooky outside with thorns, foreboding, unwelcoming. Then the more comfortable interior. VULnerable. Have I even mentioned that the tree is HOLLOW I mean COME ON. The sturdiness of that tree? Nonexistent. He's not a sturdy guy at all no matter how he fronts

- Intrusions are unwelcome: Snatcher does not like the fact that Hat Kid sticks around in his forest. His personal space. His mind. In fact he tries desperately to get rid of her after their fight, not wanting her presence in his forest at all. He has no problem providing more contracts later on with the Death Wish thing, and he finds great entertainment in messing around with Hat Kid, so it's not just a weird sudden hatred he has for her; it's the fact that. After she's finished being useful, he no longer wants her around, lest she find some things she shouldn't find. Now he's just uncomfortable with her in his personal boundaries. Could just be a denial that she's helped him heal (breaking ice, stealing from Vanessa, being something interesting for his kids to interact with) or just not really wanting a child to get wrapped up in. All that. Most likely the former. Considering the amount of joke-hints he drops regarding his background during his Death Wish dialogue. I see you funny man, making jokes out of your trauma as a coping mechanism. Punts him

Annnd I think that's all I got, for now! I'll make an update post if I get any more sporadic ideas. If you read this whole thing, thank you!! and also!! Wow that was a lot!! Hell world. Please feel free to elaborate on any of my points or debate with me on em!! I'm always open to other ideas, just be aware that if I disagree I am not shy when it comes to debate hehehe, tho I won't be aggressive to any extent I prommy!!

Alrighty. goes to sleep goodnight

#clamtalk #VERY long ramble #a hat in time #snatcher #ahit snatcher #subcon forest #vanessa ahit #ahit #analysis #the prince ahit #goes crazy. goes insane #ask to tag #i'm frazzled I can't add more tags I'll do so later

65 notes · View notes

senpaiisimp · 3 years

Text

Don’t take him!

~Yuji Itadori x reader~

Warning: Little death mentions

I have a lot of fun writing short things for Yuji. I have other things for the others, they just aren’t finished yet :~

I think it's fair to say everyone in their lifetime had that one person that made their lives better. That connection that never broke even in the dark times. For Y/N that person was Itadori Yuji. He was the nicest boy one could ever meet.

Y/N had problems with families when they were little. After their parents were killed or “in an accident” as the police stated. Y/N knew better. There was something else,a spirit or something. They couldn't see it but the presence left the house with them and then their parents and the spirit never returned. Being alone didn’t bother Y/N, they were always alone. It didn't bother them till they were forced into a different situation every few months.

Being an orphan in a public school wasn’t nice either. All the kids could talk about their families when they got the dreaded family tree project every year. “What are your parents like L/N-chan?” kids always asked. “Make sure to invite your parents to the parent night!” The teacher always said. Primary school sucked to say the least. Well at first it did…

“Itadori-kun picked up a bug!!” The girls squealed and the boys stared in awe. Not that Y/N cared, though the bugs were distracting you from your book as they were scary(-_-). “Hey, L/N-chan did ya see? I got rid of the bug, now you can read yer book in peace.” Itadori said as he came over after disposing of the scary creature. You stared at him in confusion, how would this boy who you’ve known not even a week know you detest bugs more than broccoli. He seemed to read your mind. He smiled before sitting next to you. “Ya don’t like bugs right? Whenever you pick out books with animals you make sure there is nothing about bugs in them or you’ll put it back and look for something else.” He explained as he scooted closer. You being stubborn and antisocial you scooted away looking at him like he was trying to trick you. He noticed your discomfort and backed off.

As he was about to give up you spoke for the first time since you arrived. “T-thank y-you I-itadori-kun…” You shyly thanked him. You swear if the sun had a human body, it’d be him. ” Y-YOU CAN TALK” He whisper-yells. He forgot about the whole personal space thing and hugs you. “I hope we can be friends L/N-chan!” He says once he released you from the hug. As much as you wanted to say you don’t want friends his smile made it impossible.

Slowly but surely you became friends with Itadori. He didn’t make you do anything which made you uncomfortable. He was silent when you read, even when he really wanted to talk about something. Eventually you allowed him to talk as you hated seeing him fidget next you. “Itadori-kun-” “ I told you,you can call me Yuji since you let me call you Y/N.” You sighed,”Yuji-kun, what did you want to tell me about? You’ve been fidgeting since you sat down.” His smile always made your day. “Are you sure, I don’t want to bother you. You nod Well then…” His stories never cease to make you laugh. You were happy that you could stay with him forever… Till high school, of course it was high school…

Yuji had left to go see his grandfather again while you stayed at school to catch up on some peaceful reading. You notice Yuji left his textbook again so, knowing that his friends in the occult club were still here, you figured they would be able to give it to him when he came in the morning. The walk to the occult room felt different then usually. It felt almost eerie like a spirit was hanging over your shoulder. “They can’t be back, they spirits left when you met Yuji. Let’s just put his stuff in the room and go ho..me.” You were telling yourself before you say something to move swiftly across the hallway.

I forgot to mention that the years up until you met Yuji there was an eerie feeling always around you. Like someone was always holding onto your hand but never being there. Yeah that wasn’t pleasant for a young child however it was nice when you were alone in foster homes. You always thought they were figments of your imagination since it disappeared abruptly after Yuji hugged you that day. Running up the stairwell that led to the school roof you thought to yourself “It was nothing it was nothing it was nothing” repeating it till you got to the roof and hid.

Now this was a good idea when no one was at school. You could wait up here till morning and Yuji found you, there would be sunlight and your childhood ghosts would stop haunting your mind again. That thought alone kept you sane.. Until the wall from the school crashed open with said savoir Itadori Yuji fighting something absolutely disgusting to look at. “When I meant you’d find me, I didn’t mean like this.” You fake scolded him in your mind.

Watching Yuji fight was terrifying especially when he almost got crushed by the thing. To your relief he seemed to have a burst of energy all of sudden and he killed the evil looking thing in one move. Yeah that’s Yuji for you.. Impressive strength as always. He did look different tho, he looked angry and.. Possessed like. That is Yuji Itadori right? He turned out to the city spewing nonsense that you couldn’t quite hear. So you having absolute faith in him got closer when he seemed to calm down.

“Y-yuji? Is that you?” You quietly asked, still a little scared of the sudden tattoos on his seriously hot toned body. “Well look at that! This brat already brought me a person of taste. Hehehehehe'' The voice coming from Yuji’s body laughed. “Oi, They're not for sale body snatcher, give me back my body.” Yuji’s voice came next as the black lines faded from his body. After the lines all went away Yuji smiled that wonderful smile towards you opening his arms to show he’s okay. “Hey, Y/N. What are you doing up here? Shouldn't you be heading home by now?” He questioned as he made his way to hug you. “ Yuji, you're all beaten up and-” Before you could finish your analysis of the most important person in life they were cut off by a loud yell. “GET AWAY FROM THE CURSE” They both turned to look at the boy with black hair who looked more beat up than Yuji. “Is he a friend of yours? He looks even worse than you.” You teased before slowly walking over to him, he looked in pain so you didn’t want to scare him. You may be quiet but you aren’t shy or afraid of people anymore.

“Hey, I’m Y/N, the boy over there is my best friend. I think you might be confused, Yuji’s really nice if you get to know him.” Before the boy could even answer a man with a.. Blindfold on? Appeared out of thin air. “What a beauti! Nice one megumi but you're supposed to be finding the curse object not finding dates” The blindfold man said seeming to irritate the boy. After that Yuji explained the whole situation and became really scary after the white-haired man told him to. “W-what happened to Yuji, megumi-kun.. Why won’t you let me see?” You asked, Megumi had your eyes covered for about 10 seconds while loud things were happening around you. “What did you do to him?” Megumi spoke, still covering your face. Before receiving an answer you pried his hand off your face and pushed (more like punched) him away from you.

There are fears that come and go. This was one that never left. Using your loudest voice you could muster in the moment. “Y-Yuji! What did you do to him? Put him down! You can’t take him… I won’t let you!” You screamed as you went to run and get him away from the strange man. Megumi grabbed you before you could stand up. “Y/N right? Please calm down, Yuji is fine, just taking a nap. Though I do have to say this, you most likey won’t be seeing him again. He needs to come with us.” The white-haired man explained as he got closer. You felt as if you’d been stabbed through the heart. “Y-you can’t.. Y-Yuji’s all I have, if y-you take him, I’ll be all alone again. Don’t take him.. I-” You paused never saying this to anyone but your bathroom mirror. “I love him.. I really do… Please don’t take him…” You cried out in Megumi's arms. Now wasn’t the ideal time to admit your love for the boy but the thought of him being taken away..

“You really care about this kid a lot don’t you?” The white haired man started. He knelt down in front of you before pointing to the air “Do you see it, the thing next you?” He asked as Megumi released you. You did feel something grabbing your hand again, it was comforting in the moment. “T-there’s something grabbing my hand, nothing unusual for when Yuji’s not around.” You sniffled as you explained. “Are you trying to see it?” He prompted you. What is this guy crazy of course I can’t… see THE HAND ON MY LEG! You rushed to stand up and back away from it while it still grabbed towards you. “So you can, well I think that’s good enough. Megumi hold him real quick.” White hair said as he passed Yuji to Megumi. “You want to help him right?” you nod as he slowly walked towards you as backed you to the rail “ Are you prepared to help him through his pain and sadness.” You knew this answer before anyone ever asked you said with a strong voice. “I’d protect Yuji with my life any day he needed it.” The blindfolded man smiled as he brought his hand up to hold yours.” Then I guess we’ll be taking both of you then.” He said as he pulled you towards Megumi. “You're taking me with you?” “You said don’t take him, you never said don’t take both of you.”

As long as you don’t take him from me, I'll be alright.

wait till reader-chan finds out what happens on his first mission :(

#jujutsu kaisen #yuji itadori x reader #jjk #jjk yuji #itadori yuuji x you #gojo sensei

22 notes · View notes