Astra Inclinant

⠀⠀⠀The stars do not bind us.

ASTRA INCLINANT

Astra inclinant, sed non obligant.
─────
The stars incline us, they do not bind us.

IGARASHI KEIKO knows no sorrow nor regret, for the universe has granted her all aside from her own humanity. Longing for mercy, the serpent attempts to bite its own tail before she can be the one severing its head from its body—it is of no use, however, as none can win against the one they are meant to revolve around. Stars collapse onto themselves at each of grins and glares as brushstrokes translating an artist's joys and woes, the skies lay at her feet and so shall the ones she disgraces. Born in a clan which raised her as a goddess, unborn is the soul with the means to bring her to her knees. She knows only the sweet taste of victory and the bitterness that claws at her heart like a dog digging a grave for its most beloved possession. Mundanity is a stranger, for the thousand year old curse flowing through her veins paints her more a celestial being than a mortal. Sharp and unfathomable.

FUSHIGURO MEGUMI knows only a world crafted in obsidian where the light is absorbed and snuffed out like a candle at the end of its life, and where the shadows bleed into his skin and bury him alive. Each breath he takes leads to empty lungs—his own and that of every person who makes the mistake of getting too close. Yet, still, breathless he will stand—there is no killing what is already dead, only meaningless attempts at restarting broken hearts. Born unloved and abandoned, what he should know above all else is stubborn survival, and yet he is all too quick to throw his own life another, a martyr without a cause. Selfishness isn't innate but taught, and he is a bad learner. All he has to his name is a thousand year old power, the only thing that gives his life any value. Raw and fading.

Every night, the Moon chases the Sun from his empyrean throne in the hopes of reuniting with the stars and the night sky. In a world in which love curses and curses love, she wishes to see if blessings can hate, if only for an instant, or if they are as doomed as any and all others. You, lovers, are her experiments.

ORPHEUS: How will you remember?
EURYDICE: That I love you?
ORPHEUS: Yes.
EURYDICE: That's easy. I can't help it.
SARAH RUHL / Eurydice

DISCLAIMER &. WARNINGS

CREDITS — Jujutsu Kaisen belongs to Gege Akutami, I do not own any of the world-building nor characters mentioned other than Keiko, the Igarashi Clan and the original plot of Astra Inclinant.

CONTENT — Anime & Manga Spoilers! Graphic descriptions of violence, gore & death/murder; Mentions & depictions of mental illnesses (mainly psychosis & dissociation/depersonalisation); Unhealthy coping mechanisms; Complicated family dynamics; Morally grey characters & Unreliable narrators.

SECOND DRAFT — Starting September 22, 2023, I will be unpublishing a majority of the story and uploading the rewritten/second draft version of each chapter. (One chapter a week!) The narrative will remain mostly the same, but some scenes will be modified/added/scrapped, and there will be some differences in characterisation.

NOTES — Here we go again! This fic is by far my favourite story I've written, she's my baby, my blood, sweat & tears. I'm really excited to be sharing the new & (hopefully) improved version. I'm putting the story on hold (outside of posting the rewritten chapters) until the manga is over, just so I can storyboard properly and write something I'm fully satisfied with. I'm most likely going canon divergent towards the end (post-Culling Game Arc), but still.

If you're rereading the story, welcome back! And if you're new here, hello! I draw a lot of pride from my take on the jjk universe, and Keiko is basically my child at this point, so I really hope you enjoy this story. :)

— harley <3

SUMMERSCURSE | march 2021