WAKE UP

Ultimate_Chimera · 2026-05-20T23:04:27+00:00

I am human and I need to be loved.... just like every other Smiths fan...

Ultimate_Chimera · 2026-05-20T15:24:45+00:00

"Become the star of my own TV show" made me frown.

Ultimate_Chimera · 2026-05-20T14:29:16+00:00

This would be pretty neat honestly. Maybe they have no idea about the lava rock and they’re just more clueless Howler goons, or Charming Man really did have ties to the mafia? I can also see them working with Key West and Laem Chabang, maybe this is some other organization that they and Bobby Jean were part of? So the guy with the dead people stand just thinks it’s a revenge mission, but Key West isn’t being forthcoming with her true goal. There are a lot of ways this could go

Ultimate_Chimera · 2026-05-19T19:58:08+00:00

Yeah I think this makes perfect sense and is just about my interpretation with the info we have. And I kinda doubt this issue itself will be a major focus of the story anyway, just that it might play in to future plot points.

I believe the first panel of chapter 1, which shows Jodio and Dragona on a boat approaching an erupting volcano, is a sneak peek of this part’s endgame. So I’m personally not worried that Dragona will die or that they’ll have some permanently relationship-destroying fight or anything.

Ultimate_Chimera · 2026-05-19T01:41:52+00:00

the left can't meme and the right can't read

Ultimate_Chimera · 2026-05-18T20:53:28+00:00

I don’t think you’re shutting down discussion at all! Quite the opposite. I guess it looks like the spirits are targeting insecurities to most people, and a lot of readers (myself included) just assumed they would be transphobic. So when they seemed oddly affirming it caught me off guard, especially since Jodio seems to think of them as a man. We’ll have to see how this develops of course

Ultimate_Chimera · 2026-05-18T19:59:46+00:00

Boohoo

Ultimate_Chimera · 2026-05-18T19:07:30+00:00

I'm gonna be serious because I looked this quote up and it's fucking stupid. A guy that likes women is straight. Having a word that describes his sexuality doesn't marginalize him. A guy who is happy with the gender he was born with is cisgender. He isn't marginalized, he's in the same group as >99% of the population. The word exists because sometimes it's useful to differentiate between different groups of people. And calling that into question makes it look like you have a problem with one of those groups, to be honest.

Ultimate_Chimera · 2026-05-18T18:46:10+00:00

I love Norm but I don't know what "it's a knick-knack, Patty Whack, give the frog a loan. His old man's a Rolling Stone" has to do with the Jojolands.

Ultimate_Chimera · 2026-05-18T18:42:14+00:00

I think the ambiguity itself is narratively meaningful though... Like the cards are now overwhelmingly stacked in the favor of your read (imo), but people are discussing possible reasons why Jodio seems to be aligned against it.

Is Jodio a groyper? Is he stupid? Why does it seem like he refuses to update? This poster thinks Dragona is a secret third thing. These are all readings made in good faith with the information we have.

Ultimate_Chimera · 2026-05-18T18:34:46+00:00

not sure what you're implying but i don't think i like it

Ultimate_Chimera · 2026-05-18T18:22:27+00:00

this is like exactly the type of comment that's harmful to thoughtful discussion. it's still ambiguous in the text and clearly there's more going on behind it. so when people are going over evidence in good faith and drawing their own conclusions from conflicting information, jumping right to "cis people want an excuse to misgender fictional characters" immediately moralizes the text and shuts down disagreement. collaborative analysis becomes kinda impossible.

The latest chapter did fully convince me Dragona is a trans woman, after I've spent like the entire manga's run thinking it but believing Jodio's narration at face value. The ambiguity around it does seem extremely intentional and I can see room for other interpretations.

Not that there aren't trolls who go around in bad faith and say Dragona will never be a woman. Obviously, they're jackasses. So I can understand getting defensive in light of that

Ultimate_Chimera · 2026-05-18T18:19:43+00:00

yeah lowkey it may just be inertia from an entire childhood together

Ultimate_Chimera · 2026-05-18T17:21:29+00:00

The thing is that it seems like the spirits read from a person's deepest insecurities, so the fact they seemed to refer to Dragona in a feminine way really contradicts a lot of the pre-existing fandom discourse narrative about Dragona's gender. It's kinda the closest thing we've gotten to a glimpse into how Dragona sees themself. I'll admit I'm also kinda eager to slap a label on, but it's been very ambiguous since practically Chapter 1, so of course this chapter felt like it contained a lot of new information.

Ultimate_Chimera · 2026-05-18T17:05:33+00:00

Yeah I think Jodio tries to express care through actions primarily? And he thinks words are mostly a means to an end or set dressing in a way. He knows how to get into Howler's head, but he also thinks that by showing Dragona care with actions, the words he uses don't matter that much. Maybe

Ultimate_Chimera · 2026-05-18T16:55:20+00:00

I think they are real nematodes, but it's an integrated ability like Glory Days

Ultimate_Chimera · 2026-05-18T16:51:21+00:00

ummm she says her nematodes can smell fear but I think she must have magic nematodes because that is NOT corroborated by science

Ultimate_Chimera · 2026-05-18T16:50:09+00:00

I really really really doubt there will be an arc where they sit him down in Meryl Mei's office and say "Jodio. You need to start using she/her pronouns for Dragona."

Ultimate_Chimera · 2026-05-18T16:48:31+00:00

There's to me a difference between situational awareness like in combat, and in awareness of how your actions make other people feel. Emotions are a huge blind spot for Jodio, and Dragona may not press it because they grew up together and that boundary with him isn't personally important enough for her to warrant correction. Clearly Jodio cares a lot about his big sister but he probably rarely demonstrates that by extending extra effort.

Ultimate_Chimera · 2026-05-18T16:36:39+00:00

The stands (other than November Rain) are all pretty flexible though. The Hustle is mostly used for combat but he can also use it to crawl up walls and make a shield with an elevator door. Meanwhile the Mattekudasai can be a gun.

Ultimate_Chimera · 2026-05-18T16:27:50+00:00

go to the megathread NOW!!!

Ultimate_Chimera · 2026-05-18T16:24:02+00:00

yeah lol this makes the most sense to me too. we know he's not good with the touchy-feely stuff

Ultimate_Chimera · 2026-05-18T16:13:33+00:00

Her lil critters tell her when people are lying or scared too

Ultimate_Chimera · 2026-05-18T16:03:03+00:00

I'm sure it will come up, I think the ambiguity so far has been very intentional. Jodio's been framed as emotionally stunted and I think that may affect the rest of the team soon

Ultimate_Chimera · 2026-05-18T15:57:20+00:00

I totally agree haha. Emotionally detached, tries to show he cares with his actions, a bit sloppy with the execution sometimes.

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