#he's associating with a celebrity you like and giving a shit about the real people whose real feelings are hurt in fandom

[honeybabymp3]

the updates account i follow on twt cropped the pap pics and i was like omg she looks so cute why haven't i seen these on tumblr :~) and then i saw the video and realized he was also there lol. lmao

[sparkle-fiend]

Steve loves Valentine’s Day.

It’s a holiday celebrating love and romance; the whole point is to shower someone with affection (and hopefully get laid at the end of the night). What’s not to like about that?

With girls, Valentine’s was easy. Big box of chocolates, a dozen red roses, dinner at a fancy restaurant (and maybe a little jewelry or something - depending on how much he likes her). A sweet card, for sure.

Now that he’s dating Eddie, Valentine’s Day presents more of a… challenge. 

“Ugh, what am I gonna do Rob? We walked through the greeting card aisle at Melvald’s and he pretended to puke. He doesn’t want flowers or chocolate or anything.”

He knows he’s whining. He’s slumped dramatically in the single office chair in the Family Video breakroom, spinning slowly (like a pathetic little rotisserie chicken, according to Robin). He’s probably got about five more minutes before Robin snaps.

“Why do you have to do anything? You know Valentine’s Day isn’t even a real holiday – it’s just an excuse to get people to spend money on crap they don’t need…”

“Oh my god, stop! You sound just like Eddie. Valentine's isn't about spending money, it's about... showing people that you love them. Making them feel happy and appreciated and special. It’s about celebrating love.”

Robin tilts her head and her face goes a little soft, the way it does when he says something she wasn't expecting (but in a good way, not like when he says something so dumb that her body collapses and she says he's obliterated her will to live). 

"That’s actually surprisingly sweet Steve. Okay….” she sighs and looks up at the ceiling as she thinks. “Maybe... you could try making something? He liked those cookies you baked for movie night." 

“Those cookies were terrible.” Practically inedible. Eddie was the only person that ate more than one. (Which was either a true declaration of love in and of itself, or proof that Eddie will eat literally anything when he's stoned.) 

"I don't know, Eddie is pretty easy to please. You could give him like... a cool rock, and he would probably love it." 

Steve sits upright so fast he nearly overturns the chair. "Robin, you're a genius!!" 

She blinks at him. "Clearly. But also, why exactly?" 

Eddie is like a crow. He's forever picking up little odds and ends - cool rocks, stickers, shiny bits of paper. At Christmas, he collected the bows off of everyone's presents. Sometimes, he incorporates the stuff he finds into little props and models for his D&D games, but other times he just keeps it. He's got a whole drawer devoted to his little 'hoard', as he calls it. 

Steve explains all this to Robin, who just shakes her head in bemusement. "He is so weird," she says fondly. 

"Yeah," Steve agrees. He would have recoiled from that oddity in high school - would have been worried what other people would think. Scared they would judge him for associating with someone like that. 

He doesn’t give a shit, these days. He sees the way Eddie lights up with happiness at the smallest things, so full of excitement and passion, and it just makes him smile. He feels grateful that he gets to bask in that reflected joy, like a flower soaking up the sun.

Valentines is two weeks away, which gives Steve plenty of time to collect a bounty of little treasures. He hits the pawn shop, the thrift store - he even drives out to the weird antique shop about an hour out of town, which looks like a normal house on the outside and is crammed to the rafters with knick-knacks and bric-a-brac when you walk inside. 

He also trawls the quarry, the lake, and the woods behind his house. It's tough, because usually Eddie's little treasures just look like trash to Steve. He's not a very creative person himself, but he tries hard to see the world the way his boyfriend would. 

If that means Steve finds himself debating for over half an hour on which rock is more appealing, well – it will all be worth it in the end.

———

Steve stays over at Eddie's, the night before Valentines. (At this point, he spends more time at the Munson's house than he does at his own.) 

He wakes up early, slipping out of bed with slow, careful movements. As usual, Eddie rolls over with a faint grumble, bundling himself into a burrito of blankets to compensate for the void of warmth left by Steve's absence. 

He moves down the hall, avoiding each creaky board like it's a booby trap in the Temple of Doom, until he reaches the kitchen - which is where Steve breaks routine. He sneaks out the back door and races across the driveway in his boxers, hopping and cursing as the frigid gravel stings his bare feet. 

His carefully cultivated stash of gifts is in the glove compartment of the BMW. He already has a plan for which one will be first, so he grabs it and closes the door (slowly, slowly - the sound of Steve moving around the house is familiar, but a car door slamming in the driveway at this time of morning would wake Eddie for sure). 

The first gift is a blue jay feather he found in the woods, perfect and clean with vivid blue and black stripes. He tucks it carefully under the edge of the ash tray that sits on the porch railing, before slipping back inside to start breakfast.

Thirty minutes later Eddie appears, drawn by the warm smell of coffee and the sound of bacon popping in the pan. 

He drapes himself over Steve's back and murmurs, "G'mornin," sleepily into the shell of his ear, the way he does every morning after Steve spends the night. This time, Steve balances his spatula on the edge of the pan and turns so that he can wrap his arms around his boyfriend’s waist. 

He presses a cheerful kiss to the corner of Eddie's mouth and says, "Happy Valentine’s Day." 

Eddie groans dramatically and throws his head back, the rest of his bodyweight following. If Steve didn't have a firm grip around his waist, he would have toppled over backward; the move turns into an awkward backbend instead. 

"Stevie please, it's too early for that crap. Wait until I've had my coffee at least." 

Steve grins. He releases his hold just long enough for Eddie to yelp and scrabble for balance before catching him and pulling him close again. 

"Jesus Christ," Eddie gasps. 

"Careful," Steve says with a smug grin, laughing when Eddie shoves him in the chest and pulls away.

They eat breakfast together, and then Steve follows Eddie outside for his morning cigarette. 

"Holy shit, look at this!" Eddie turns to Steve with the blue jay feather pinched between his fingers, grinning with delight. He hasn't brushed his hair yet and he's got a smear of bacon grease on his cheek, but he's so beautiful in that moment - so full of joy it shines out of him, like a lighthouse.

Just because he found a feather. Steve smiles back, helplessly besotted. "Pretty cool." 

Eddie twirls the feather between his fingers before tucking it behind his ear. “That’s a sign that today is gonna be a good day.”

Steve presses his mouth to the edge of his coffee cup to hide his expression. “Yeah, I think so too.”

———

Eddie rolls into the Family Video parking lot around 2 in the afternoon to visit before his band practice. He strolls inside and leans against the counter, plonking a silver wrapped Hershey kiss down in front of Steve. 

“Kiss for a kiss?” he says, with a smarmy grin. Steve rolls his eyes, but he checks to make sure they’re alone in the store before swooping forward for a quick peck on the lips.

“I got you something too,” he says.

“Oh?” Eddie raises one eyebrow, managing to look both curious and skeptical. “Please tell me it’s not a cheesy greeting card.”

Steve flips him the bird before reaching into his pocket. He pulls the keychain out and lets it dangle from one finger in front of Eddie’s face.

His boyfriend’s immediate reaction is to wrinkle his nose in disgust. The keychain is a garish red plastic heart, definitely the antithesis of Eddie’s usual metalhead vibe.

But it’s also sparkly. 

Steve’s lips curl into a satisfied smirk as Eddie takes the keychain from him, reluctantly admiring the way light sparks off the flakes of holographic glitter embedded in the plastic. The cheap little thing shimmers like a ruby in the afternoon sun.

“Some kid dropped it. They never came back, so it’s yours if you want it.” (That’s technically true, although Steve has been holding on to it for nearly a month now, waiting for today.)

“Oh, well then.” Eddie stuffs the keychain into his pocket. “Finders keepers, losers weepers!” He sticks his tongue out, eyes wide and exaggerated – then leans across the counter and licks Steve’s nose.

“Gross!” Steve sputters with laughter. He scrubs at his face and looks up just in time to see Eddie wave jauntily on his way out the door, a second Hershey kiss left sitting on the counter in his wake.

———

After Steve's shift is over, he runs home for a quick shower and a change of clothes before meeting Eddie at the diner. 

He did his best to talk his boyfriend into going on a proper date, but the most he could get Eddie to agree to was milkshakes and a movie (my choice Stevie, not some lame romance).

Steve walks into the diner and spots Eddie at the back booth. He saunters over and sets the third present onto the sticky Formica table with a click. It's a small golden gear, nearly paper-thin. 

"Check it out. Found this in the parking lot." 

(That's a lie. Steve carefully picked apart a broken old watch from the thrift shop in order to extract a handful of the little gears.)

"Hey, cool! I bet I could use this in the model I'm working on." Eddie pulls the pack of cigarettes out of his coat pocket and drops the gear inside for safe keeping. 

"What's the model for?" Steve asks.

Eddie launches into an animated explanation of the character he's creating for a new Hellfire campaign - a sun-worshiping priest that intends to trick the party into becoming a ritual sacrifice. 

"... and that gear thing would look pretty good on the top of his staff." 

Steve doesn't understand much of what Eddie's saying, but he loves the way his boyfriend talks with his whole body, moving his hands and shoulders and head along with the words. He rests his chin in his hand and lets Eddie ramble until the milkshakes arrive, smiling like a dope the whole time.

Eddie has no concept of time, so Steve is in charge of making sure they finish their milkshakes and leave the diner in time to make it to the movie. As Eddie slides into the passenger seat of the BMW, he says, “Hey – you think we have enough time to stop by the Circle K?”

Steve turns in his seat as he reverses out of the parking lot. "What do you need at the Circle K?" 

"Snacks! You can't go to a movie without provisions Stevie! And don't say we can buy some at the concessions stand, because the prices they charge are ridiculous."

“Well if we stop now, we’ll be late – but I’ve got some Milk Duds and trail mix…” Steve doesn’t realize what’s happening until it’s too late. Eddie pops open the glove compartment in his search for snacks, revealing Steve’s little stash of gifts. 

Eddie frowns in confusion. “What the hell?” He rifles through the pile as Steve groans.

“Shit. You weren’t supposed to see those yet.”

“What is all this?” Eddie picks up a ring, turning it over in his hands. It's a bulky silver biker ring, like the ones Eddie wears every day - only this one is shaped like a bat with tiny ruby eyes. Steve is particularly proud of that one, discovered in a box of assorted rings at the pawn shop.

Steve gnaws at his lip and runs a hand through his hair, ruining all his careful styling. "I know you hate Valentines, but I wanted to do something. Just… to show you how much I love you. So instead of the cards and flowers and stuff, I tried to find little things you might actually like. For your, you know… your 'dragon hoard' or whatever you call it."

"So the keychain and the gear..."

"And the feather."

Eddie's eyebrow twitches. He stares at the contents of the glove compartment; at the water smoothed stone from the lake and the multicolored twist of ribbon, the vivid green marble and the tiny mother of pearl locket. He looks down at the ring still clutched in his hand, and blinks rapidly. 

Steve glances nervously between Eddie and the road, hands tight on the steering wheel. He's disappointed that the surprise has been ruined, but more concerned about Eddie's reaction. He'd expected the other boy to laugh or tease him, not this... whatever this is. 

Finally, Eddie clears his throat roughly and speaks. "Actually, can we just head back to my place? I've got something I wanna show you, and I don't think I can wait through the movie." 

“Uh… sure.”

Steve's brain is buzzing as he takes a left instead of a right at the intersection. He's worked himself into a bit of a panic by the time they pull into the Munson's driveway. "Eddie, I..." 

Eddie interrupts him, practically throwing himself across the center console as he drags Steve into a fierce kiss. By the time Eddie lets him go, Steve is panting. "Wha...?" 

"Wait here," Eddie says with a wild grin. He presses Steve back into the seat for emphasis. "Don't move." 

He takes the steps up the porch two at a time and fumbles with his key to get inside as Steve watches in a daze. He has no idea what's going on. 

After a few minutes, Eddie returns to the door. He's pulled on a t-shirt with a faux tuxedo printed on the front, and he's standing straight backed in the doorway with a towel over his arm, like some kind of maître d’. He waves grandly toward Steve, beckoning him toward the house. 

Steve snorts with laughter as he climbs out of the BMW. “What are you doing?” 

"This way sir," Eddie replies in a terrible attempt at a posh English accent. Steve shakes his head, thoroughly bewildered and increasingly amused. 

He walks past Eddie through the doorway and freezes in surprise.

The living room has been transformed. Eddie set up the gaming table in the middle of the room – set with a crisp white tablecloth, the Munson’s best dishes, and a vase full of red roses sitting in the center of the table, flanked by two candles. More candles twinkle softly from the coffee table, the end tables - even on top of the tv. 

"Eddie..." Steve whispers in awe. "What is this?" 

"Well, ah... I kind of jumped the gun a little. It’s supposed to be a candlelight dinner. If we'd gone to the movie, Wayne would have had time to get all the food set up. But it won’t take long, I already cooked everything. Just gotta heat it up."

Steve’s vision goes watery, smearing the candlelight into one big blur as tears fill his eyes. He blinks hard to clear them. “I thought you hated all this stuff.”

Eddie shrugs and rubs the back of his neck nervously. “Well, yeah I do. But you love it. So I wanted to surprise you.”

Steve grips his boyfriend by the front of his ridiculous t-shirt and pulls him into a bone-cracking hug, before pulling back just far enough to kiss the breath from him. 

In a pause between kisses, Steve rests his forehead against Eddie’s and laughs a little breathlessly. “What made you change your mind about the movie?”

Eddie bites his lips, already swollen from kisses. Steve can’t tear his eyes away.

“I don’t know. When I saw all that stuff you collected for me…” he clears his throat, staring at Steve with wide dark eyes. “I’m… I know I’m weird. I’ve known that my whole life. I never thought I would find anyone that would tolerate me, let alone… celebrate me like that.”

He kisses Steve again, sweet and soft. “I couldn’t sit and wait for two hours after that. I had to get you home and show you how much I love you.”

“I love you too.” Steve smiles against Eddie’s mouth. “You know… I’m not really hungry yet.”

“Oh yeah?”

Steve trails his hands down Eddie’s chest, hooking his fingers into the belt loops of his jeans and tugging. “Mm-hmm. I think we need to work up an appetite first.”

Eddie laughs in delight. “Sounds like a good idea. You know how much I like dessert before dinner.”

A happy Valentine’s Day indeed.

[fullmetal-scar-simping]

seeing you mention mangahood purists liking manga/broho bc it's "pure" got me thinking: whenever i see someone shit on 03, they'll say "oh it's too 'dark', scary, depressing" (sorry having to confront/acknowledge imperialism is "dark and scary" lmao) and yet, in the same breath, i've seen several turn around and praise mangahood/broho for its "mature themes" and its handling of "dark topics" and it's like... are the mature themes in the room with us?? this is pure speculation and i'm sure i'm not saying anything new here, but i think a large part of why mangahood purists hate 03 is bc it makes them uncomfortable. 03 does not give the viewer the luxury of turning away from the atrocities amestris commits to liore/ishval; they're forced to confront it head-on throughout the show (see: ed standing among a graveyard of liorians, ishvalans getting targeted no matter where they go, etc) and there's no "the military was controlled by supernatural monsters all along!!!" to conveniently pin the blame on either. it's the military itself that's the problem and needs to be taken down. and mangahood/broho purists just don't like that i think.

The critical eye towards the military absolutely makes them uncomfortable and you're right to say it. In fact, it's 03's focus on the suffering begotten by the military and the relative centering of its racialized victims that spoils the fun for a lot of people.

[Because I have a pathological need to ramble for eternity, here's a readmore:]

Without fail most fans who hold Brotherhood and/or the fma manga up to be this dark, mature, incisive piece of entertainment will then levy the weight and severity of the topics they think mangahood adeptly tackles (lol) as a strike against the first anime adaptation. It's practically rote at this point.

They love dark stuff! Except when it's actually dark. Which is therefore too dark. And fma 2003 commits the sin of being dark in ways that the manga isn't, so it's obviously edgy fanfiction for immature sickos who rage against happiness and friendship. It's immature to like adaptations that depicts difficult topics, and genocide as a topic should be an inspiring romp with quirky pals! 😒

It's very telling too. Because the way homunculi are created and societally and personally (mis)function in this version of the world is a mixture of horror storytelling and allegory (for the most hidden and reviled classes of people). It's dark! Certainly I've seen some people complain about the gore and blood associated with the homunculi, their appearances, and their actions. But that's not the truly petrifying darkness that 03 haters gripe the most about. Sometimes they even celebrate that specific element of the 2003 adaptation! No, it's as you said: the highlighted hideousness of the military and its imperialism is what makes them balk in revulsion.

How dare a show about real topics like genocide and fascism not bury the travesties under a thick layer of positive gusto! It should be dripping in sludgey shonen bravado, perhaps even carry the cutesy-kid friendly veneer akin to an 80s GI Joe cartoon instead. Make soldiers fun again! What's with all of this death and misery? Why are people being shown as rightfully disgusted by and against the State?! How come these characters can't overcome their idiosyncrasies, ideologies, and traumas to win the day?? Wait, our military guys aren't even being lauded for feeling sad and get everything they want as a reward??? Scar is willing to sacrifice himself for liberation and we're not fed some pap that helps us despise him and feel suitably smug and comfortable in our own privileged lives while he condemns our propensity for siding with soldiers? That's not right, Scar's a villain! Soldiers are honest good guys! Hold up, there's RAPE?! In my silly anime about imperialism?!!? UM?!

Time and again I find posts ranting about how the 03 writers "had no idea what to do with Scar, so they waste his entire character". Once I get over the initial offense that this causes me (lol), I'm left sitting here wondering what the fuck they're talking about. Did they even watch this show? How can anyone even so much as think this, when he's a pivotal character? And increasingly I have come to realize it's because he doesn't have that fuck-awful ~redemption arc~ (excuse me while I throw up) that everyone looooooooves in mangahood. It's because he would sooner obliterate every single Amestrian soldier across the land than renounce liberation and buddy up to the pigs. He dies accomplishing his greatest act of love for the survivors of genocide, but since these people turned their brains off as soon as "03 diverged from the manga" (which the show does from episode 01 but don't let that get in the way of their manga-purity) they think the Liore arc is random happenstance, with no rhyme or reason, and Scar is still a """""""villain""""""" AND he dies (character deaths always means you wasted a character btw), so therefore fma 2003 is pointless darkness that spits on Arakawa personally.

Never gonna forget the posts that gripe about Scar being "disrespected" in 03 because he... dies on the ground. Guess we're throwing context and analysis to the wind and just misrepresenting scenes for cheap points. Better to make Scar feel like human garbage because he killed genociders! Now THAT'S respectful!

People don't like it when a character dies for their principles and is lauded by the narrative for it too. All of this is too much for the enlightened mangahood purist! It paints such a dire image of what the colonized have to do to push back against their colonizers! Can't we all just get along (and both-sides the invasion of Ishbal)?

Guess there aren't enough tone-annihilating chibi gags interspersed between every other shot of Ishbalans being rounded up into prison vehicles by Mustang and Riza to assuage viewers that all is well, actually. Concentration camps are total bummers. Aren't the Ishbalans supposed to be living tranquil, idyllic lives in the slums ala mangahood?

That's the other piece of the hate against 03: that it doesn't mercilessly break the melancholic, tragic, violent, and ethical/philosophical tones and quandaries with incessant jokes. The majority of the time, you are meant to stew in it, ask yourself hard questions too, while peeling away some of the mysteries presented and seeing how multiple factors play into the actions and circumstances of these characters. None of these factors absolve anything, they are merely another string in the show's web. Levity is mostly sparing. It does exist! Mostly in the earlier eps, with the odd palette cleanser in the middle of the show. But it's hardly as over the top as your average Brotherhood episode, which is incessantly brimming with jokes, gags, chibi/cartoon style shifts, quips, and buddy-buddy comradery, over and over forever. Are we even beginning to feel the tendril of despair from something that happened in Broho? Nope no worries, here's a goofy-whatever suddenly thrown at the viewer 3 seconds into any emotional state that is less than hopeful and cheery.

are the mature themes in the room with us??

The mature themes are dressed like low rent clowns who forgot their props, but I'm meant to play along like it's a mastercraft of artistic expression.

We could contrast 03's depictions of imperialism vs mangahood's, but I want to highlight a different, prime example of how paperthin Brotherhood's darkness is:

Ed and Al's human transmutation.

This moment in 03 has long lasting effects beyond what it did to the Elric brothers' bodies, with this act having created a tortured and exploited entity who can only envision escaping the pain by obtaining retribution against them. Ed lives in denial for as long as he can, until he's run up against a wall and has to dig up Trisha's grave. He has to kill his creation using a stolen piece of his mother's remains. Is this doppleganger truly his mother? Can she ever forgive him? Does he have the right to take an unlife just because he forced her into being, and abandoned her? He will grapple with that for the rest of his life, while having nearly torn his relationship to Al apart in the process. And for his own sake, he will dehumanize homunculi in order to survive his ever growing pain.

Meanwhile, in mangahood? Well, here's this heavy moment where Ed tells Pinako that he's going to face what he did and dig up the body he transmuted buried under the burned house. Things are tense. The mood is almost suffocating, the sky dark, the sound of dirt being shovelled almost sickening. Ed throws up, Pinako trying to help him persevere. He hits something. There's hair. He holds up these spare strands, looking shaken. This isn't his mother's hair? Oh thank goodness, he never harmed mom. In fact, what he transmuted was an empty fucked-up vessel that Al's soul briefly wiggled around in. Phew! Alright awesome, we're all good and all doubts have been wiped away. Mommy wasn't desecrated after all! Here's Trisha's soul later on being so super proud of her boys. Yippee!

So dark mangahood! What the hell was 03's problem tho? /s

Anti-03 posts can sometimes be fun if you're a jackass like me, because I can't help but feel like a smug dirtbag when someone admits to how hard they cried after watching the show- someone even admitted that's why they hate 03! It hurt too much. So odd to see this framed as a negative. I love the hurt. I love when a story challenges you, doesn't make it go down easy, when it has the guts to admit to the hideousness of what was intended to be taken for granted in other contemporaneous media.

I understand that having such emotional overflow and the weight of sadness can be very difficult for some folks. Sometimes you might not even be in the mood for it. But you would think that a show producing feelings of sorrow was a grand affront according to these more aggrieved critics. It's practically an insult to them! Yet when Brotherhood (somehow) renders people to tears, it's a plus. Guess Broho over-plays its saccharine assurances, so that the tears feel cathartic rather than challenging.

Although I have my opinions on the wealth of coddling stories, toothless entertainment, and all the propaganda barely hidden within so much of it; I don't necessarily look down on some people wanting more gentle or alleviating stories. Positivity is not a grievous need, nor am I immune from generally needing some form of it too. However I do think it ridiculous how desperately people in relatively powerful nations want stories about genocide that make them both feel as though they are baring witness to the darkness of the world (a reassuring pantomime to turn your brain off to), while still so sanitized and airy that it soothes their anxieties and ensures them that they shouldn't have to look in the mirror even once. If people simply liked Brotherhood because they like shonen battles or teenagers being friends or some shit, then at least it would be a more honest appraisal of what Brotherhood adequately offers.

However the repeated assertions that it's a mature story or has any aplomb to its surface-level use of challenging themes is comical. Alongside hailing Brotherhood as an anti-racist, anti-military story, but I've harped on about that hypocrisy more than enough times. We know the drill.

I just can't take this specific criticism against 03 seriously. Not because 03 is beyond critique, or that people can't be indifferent to it or dislike it, but it's a hell of a farce to boo it for the same reasons they claim to adore mangahood. They want a "brave noble soldier who solves everything" story. A fluffy copaganda battle anime with none of the ugliness of militarism from the viewpoint of its victims. That's it.

[districtfourmermaid]

It's about that time. Peeta's ceasefire bit.

Should come as no surprise that I disagree with him. If I were there in 13, I'd probably react just like the other rebels. But like Gale, I also understand why he did it and can't honestly blame him too much. In general, I stand with Gale's assessment of it.

He points out how Peeta emphasized (aggressively, for which I give him credit) that Katniss was not involved in the rebels' plan. However, as Katniss notes, even if she didn't know the extent of what she was doing when she shot the forcefield, she knew she was aiming at the Capitol, the real enemy. Peeta's presentation of her as confused, as lacking agency, may be nice to protect her should the rebels fail, but it also is contributing to rebel failure. He doesn't know that she'll be the Mockingjay, but he's already discrediting the Mockingjay. "There are Districts where the resistance is shakier." For people who are on the fence, Peeta calling for a ceasefire is discouraging. Who wants to join a rebellion when one of the top celebrities they've come to associate with it is saying it's pointless and downplaying the actions of the other?

Now, it isn't clear why Peeta said what he did. Maybe he was tortured in a way that isn't visually apparent yet. Maybe all it took was Snow threatening him or Katniss. Maybe Snow's manipulative enough to even convince Peeta not just to say it, but that it's the truth, that violent rebellions are unnecessary and maybe we can all just get along if we talk it out (never gonna happen). And while a younger me blamed him more, now that I'm older than the main cast of characters, I see more clearly that he's just a kid. Shit, I believed some dumb things at 17, too, until I learned better. Difference was I wasn't a public political figure. There are 17-year-olds out there with stronger conviction, yes, not dismissing them. But for a kid like Peeta, a regular 17-year-old who's not had it easy but certainly suffered less than the rest of his District, if the President has you captured and orders you to present a certain plan on TV, it's not hard to imagine just going along with it and doing as he says. Snow is a scary guy who could easily intimidate Peeta. He manipulates Peeta and exploits how good he is at performing on screen. As Gale says, the ceasefire idea comes from Snow, "but it sounds so reasonable coming out of Peeta's mouth."

I don't hate Peeta for complying, but this announcement did put a dent in the rebel cause, and it's unclear how much he really resisted before agreeing to say it. I'll comment on the other propos from him as they come up, but this one is the most forgivable, imo. And, as always, Gale is correct.

I love how Katniss reacts after processing all this. She thinks of what the Capitol has done and knows that a ceasefire is nonsense. They could never. She's inspired to act in the face of Peeta's call for inaction.

[kiwibirbkat]

My idea for esmp2 highschool!

The highschool is for magic and anything associated with it. Witches, creatures, gods, all are welcome here.

The world has no overall authority and is full of tons of different kingdoms. The biggest authority is actually the school they all go to

Shubble:

A witch (obviously)

Went to the Academy for elementary and middle school

All witches are sent out to the regular world to test their competence and responsibility before they return to the Academy for college and getting their magic license

Shubble currently has what is essentially a magic learners permit (they can do small spells and potions, NO MAJOR SPELLS)

Academy provides them with a small fund for housing (and, for the first month, food (you are expected to either grow/conjure your own food or get a job to buy your own after the first month))

Stayed in a very small room in one of Dawn's taverns so she could afford to buy food with the fund at first, goes and builds her hut in the mangrove forest after they were kicked out of the Academy because she can't afford to stay in the tavern and can't be tracked (nobody but Shubble has gone into the mangrove and come back out again, so she's left mostly alone)

She is stressed af because they still made the villagers and now has to deal with getting kicked from the Academy, being a high schooler, AND taking care of the villagers

The Academy actually doesn't give a shit, Shubble is just incredibly paranoid and ran away after the first few letters reminding them to come back

And of course! Tortoise is their familiar still

Joel:

Still a god

Was raised by Saint Pearl but she kicked him out for being an annoying teen

Literally just 16

Still lives in one of his temples and is taken care of by the villagers that worship him

Has access to basically everything he did before (Pearl isn't cruel, she just got tired of his whining)

6'11 and still growing

WANTS a beard, it simply WILL NOT GROW!

Lizzy:

Was someone's familiar at the Academy before getting hit by a spell gone wrong (was supposed to temporarily turn her human, it ended up permanently turning her into an anthropomorphic cat)

Literally just has a box on her head with her humansona glued to it and eye holes cut out

Lives in her own house outside of any of the kingdoms jurisdiction because not many people like to settle next to the smog of Gobland so it is quite literally free real estate

Was going to start Animalia but she couldn't get the spell that happened to her to happen again

Does not have Ariana Goate, she is her own celebrity with no affiliation to this random high schooler

Sausage:

His king has not turned evil yet!

Just lives the life he lived in the flashback but goes to highschool

Is only at the school because he can talk to animals

Also, he still has a beard! Joel, the god, only has a stubble, but this man just has a full beard because Eddie is a rabbit man and didn't teach him to shave

Katherine:

A princess! Her parents are really strict, monster hunting is her rebellion

Swears she shouldn't be at the school, because she's not magic in any way!

Cursed.

Really really buff but hides it with flowy sleeves and long skirts on her dress

Lives in the kingdom she did before she started GlimmerGlove (obviously, it's her parents kingdom)

Joey:

After their ship got attacked, he washed up

Seeing him screeching about a living skeleton, he was thrown into the school for technically having an association with magic

Due to a combination of never having education, ADHD, dyslexia, and dyscalculia (and generally not caring), he is very much struggling in school

Katherine was assigned to tutor him for being an all A student

He saw her roll up her sleeves one time and got a crush

Not "piratesexual" just pan with an attraction to strength and power

Lives on the ship that he built himself

Gem and fWhip:

Still twins, Gem just got really lucky with her genes

Both part human and part goblin

Gem is slightly shorter than average with a very light green tint to her skin, slightly bigger canines, and pointier ears

FWhip is literally just a little taller then the average goblin with slightly softer ears

FWhip lives with his mom (the queen of Gobland) and Gem lives with her dad (the king of Dawn)

Their birth finally lowered tension between Gobland and Dawn! They were only born because they had been at war before their parents got married at 18, which technically stopped the war, but the people of Dawn and Gobland were still very aggressive and tense before the twins birth

False:

Amnesiac still

Lives in the forest that she randomly woke up in one day?

Built her own house and decided to start mining iron to build machines

Some type of hybrid, but got her wings ripped off somehow, so they don't know what type

Pix:

A phantom hybrid

Lives with his parents technically, but they aren't home often

Still obsessed with history

Jimmy:

A toy that magically came to life!

A sheriff

Has Tumble Town because nobody wanted to live in the Mesa

He's the only one in Tumble Town other than his cat and his horse

Only the law in this land, he just ignores that.

Scott:

Has no parents

Adventured for most of his life before finally settling down

Technically has Chromia but all of his "citizens" are llamas

He just wanted an excuse to build cute buildings and gardens

His great great great great (lots of greats) ancestors were elves, which is why he's in the school (that and his magic eye

Oli:

From another universe

Climbed into the heavens for a dare because he got really reckless after his close friend died

Got bored immediately and jumped down

Just a normal guy. Only in the school because he literally fell from the sky

Never got arrested by fWhip

Homeless outside of his tent. Insists it's a kingdom called the Olipeligo

The other empires (concerned) keep offering to buy him a house or something but he insists he's fine in the Olipeligo

Hermes is Joel's childhood toy that came to life somehow after he got kicked out. He just got attached to Sausage, so now Joel and Sausage are teen dads that co-parent him

[sketchehm]

Okay now is Christmas and my day off, ohh and Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates! First I want to say thank you for making this mafia au! You have no ideas when I open up tumblr for a long times and what I see first is your post about this au and I'm reading all of it, it makes my days, you make my life more bright than ever, really thank you so much!! I hope you have a nice day! 🙌

And last is I want to join to rambling about your au too haha, I'm sorry to bother you, but yeah I read all of your lore about this au and get more larger and interesting! What I have in mind is who is the don before dream, well what if it was schlatt? And he was dream dad..? Well dream and sapnap and probably george too(?) Grow up in orphan together and their life is rough and force to join lil mafia group that lead by schlatt, and years life in bad treatment, idk if schlatt know if dream is his son or vice versa, both of them just doesn't care lmao (family issues) and dream shoot him and becomes the new don

Holy fuck you add elrich in this au too thank you so muchh!!! Lmao I love that post about elrich prefer to see dream wear his mask rather than to see dream deprivation face. Please interact more

Okayy so about kidnapping thing, I think dream doesn't care if his mafia group is crushed by team mafia (well maybe expect he still want to take revenge to Q) as long as he has sapnap and george at his side he feels enough, the large problem is how this was heard by outsiders? Namely las nevadas? We know Q want sapnap to join him but he refused, then he heard sapnap join team mafia and Q already predicted it was dream strategy to send sapnap there as a mole, then he heard the big news about dream mafia get a big blow and dream and george goes missing. Q feels happy in his chest because he's thought sapnap chose team mafia and betrayed dream instead, maybe just maybe they still can connect with each other again. Between spanish fellows a few days later Q have a meeting with rich to talk about this and rich feels... Not that amused...

Ahhh yess there's many many many angst here, about sapnap anxiety, dteam separation anxiety, george anxiety, welp dream anxiety too that he feels need to shoulder up all his problems alone, make him sleep deprived that may or may not have consequences in the future, but yeahhh I love your au so much 👉👈

Merry Christmas!!! You're so sweet I will cry 🥺🥺🥺

Sorry it took so long to answer!! I hope you enjoy <3!

SO Dream's previous Don was his father yes! But it was up in the air if I wanted it to be a DreamXD kind of figure but Schlatt fits better I think pfft (so I'm taking that me thinks hehe)

I guess that's how Quackity got in with Dream so quickly, he was already working under the Don before Dream offed him haha

This helps cause it gives more of a solid motivation of why Q will eventually betray Dream, he probably already had a plot to take out Schlatt and takeover before Dream butted in, now his plans were pushed back....but not by much...

Aside from that! I have it in my head that Dream was born and raised in the mafia family which is.....rough! Growing up with people always wanting to one up and take you out, it's a world full of selfishness and backstabbers tbh...not a lot of /real/ trust happening in mafia families! And Dream, well he did want to change that, he thinks Schlatt was shit. It's a miracle he wasn't overthrown earlier, but no one had dared to go against him. Schaltt did NOT like having an heir tbh, it's such a weak point he didn't care for. Dream was too soft in Schlatt's eyes. Not enough brute force coming from Dream, but he could recognize that Dream was still good at running his own division and associates and it pissed him off....Dream was a /threat/ and he did his best (without killing him outright) trying to bring Dream down...(that's not causing ANY sort of mental issues for Dream....nope!) Schlatt wishes Dream wasn't around and vice-versa, only Dream makes that a reality :3c

For George and Sapnap, I think George was def born in a crime family but was sent to Dream's family as a child due to....debts being unpaid....George is there against his will pretty much and has a bit of resentment against Dream cause he's the "heir"....that is until he finds Dream one day thrown out of Schlatt's office with a black eye and cut lip....he has always assumed any injury was due to him being shit at training or whatever. This...changes things drastically. They become closer. (They both never wanted to be born in this life)

And Sapnap! He def was a street kid, but I think BBH found him! And bbh was under Schlatt so eventually Sapnap found his way working in a mafia family. It was...rough...going from no rules and just trying to survive to....a /lot/ of rules and trying to survive....Sapnap def joins before George does and makes friends with Dream! He's the only other kid around! (Sapnap helps Dream figure out how to make it hurt less when you're getting beat....Sapnap had plenty of experiences out in the streets...)

George and Sapnap were also subjected to Schlatt's torment, of course, nothing like Dream though. BUT! I do think at one point Schlatt finds out that George and Sapnap are.../closer/ to Dream. And that will be used a /lot/ against Dream. (This MAY cause over possessiveness of the two, the fear of them somehow being seriously hurt and he has no control....)

FOR THE KIDNAPPING. SO. I did have set in stone Dream is crazy worried about his remaining family cause in my mind, the ones who remained would be the munchymc crew! I had in my head that shortly after the betrayals, he did call for a meeting with his most trusted Capos and was...extremely vulnerable with them. And they reciprocated his feelings. They're close. But George and Sapnap /are/ above them(at least, relationship wise).

There are plans in place in case Dream /died/, George and Sapnap were never supposed to take over as Don in that scenario, he didn't want to wish that dangerous position on them. But I think bbh did agree to take over if anything happened. And while that did stress dream out (bbh was the closest he had to an actual father figure), he couldn't ask for a better person. There's a lot of details in this plan that I do have in mind but I need to flesh out more. HOWEVER. Dream /knows/ that plan didn't really account for Sapnap and George /also/ being gone. So things are....becoming difficult to handle to say the least....while Sapnap and George were not publicly known to be close to Dream, they did handle a lot of affairs than most knew. George was able to take over for most of Sapnap's roles, but it was already a struggle at that point....

So Dream IS worried. But the stress of it is too monumental and he /does/ break as soon as ElRich called for him and requests his assistance. It was his confirmation that Bad is alive and doing things as they had plan. He needs his remaining family safe and by that point, he knows they'll be safe under the Team.

(I have ideas of ElRich interacting with Dream more but thats for another time heh)

NOW. about Q.... Q did keep close ties with bbh actually! (Bbh let the ties remain for Dream, to keep a closer eye on him). So when Q realizes Bbh is ridiculously more busy and is seen in other parts of Dream's territory that he doesn't usually frequent, it makes him suspicious. Q has plenty of connections. I had in my mind the wider crime world doesn't really know Dream (and George) is now gone. Not for a while, at least. Mostly because Team Mafia were not very "loud" with this abduction.

It's Q's poking around and trying to find out that leads to rumors of Dream potentially being dead. And Q finds out it was the Team that made Dream....die? Disappear? Whatever, he's/gone/ now. And he's gleeful. Everyone knows about the trade between those two families. Everyone has seen Sapnap acting jovial with the Team Mafia guys beforehand. He puts two and two together of course! Sapnap must've finally grown a pair and betrayed Dream, thank /god/

Funny(or maybe stupidly) enough, Q thinks he still has a chance with Sapnap! Q does start hanging out where Sapnap was seen frequently with some of the Team members, he never seems to be around anymore. Odd! Oh well! He can always go straight to the source! And starts pulling strings to get in contact with ElRich himself, surely he can buy Sapnap out of whatever contract he's locked in with the Team and bring him back to Las Nevadas! (He doubts Sapnap is very valuable to them now. Sapnap has done his job for them most likely, they probably don't even care for him anymore)

The meeting for that was...not great! Here's ElRich, listening to a guy say one his favorite dogs is /worthless/ and should just be given up to this....this /drug rat/. ElRich is plenty aware of the many times Q's men had tried to scam or underhand his own associates with the latest products on the market. And it's upsetting he can't send Q off with a bullet in his head for not only disrespecting his family member, but also making jabs at their latest two prized victims (though of course Q wouldn't know the extent of care Team Mafia has towards dteam and that's his biggest mistake). Not only that! Q also demanding to take territory that once belonged to Dream, talking as if he already owns it. This guy is absolutely ridiculous

So Q leaves with a big fat "No" for all and any request to see Sapnap and to any other requests he made, along with a few more threats that DO make him nervous...surely that'll be fine.....

(This interaction with Q will not be known to Dteam themselves for awhile, but they do start prodding them about their relationship with Q more. Which opens....a whole can of worms! Mainly it's Sapnap being reminded that he may have acted just like Q and betrayed Dream unintentionally and does not help his guilt whatsoever! He'll be fineeee......)

I think that's it for now! (I hope you had a Merry Christmas!!!)

[louisisalarrie]

What do you think of the current setlist for the festival performances? Do you think it's as bad as solos are saying?

solos can eat my ass like their fave does to harry

(sorry, that was crude, wasn’t it? hahaha im just mad that solos are getting mad about louis’ setlist)

so, let’s talk about it once and for all. anon, welcome to the show!

alrighty, so, let’s start off with having a squiz at the harry.

harry sticks with one cover, WMYB, at the end of every show (prior to encore). during LOT last year, when he was in Denmark in May, he did a snippet of BSE and also the entirety of Stockholm Syndrome, and he has previously done SOML once or twice. He has also sang If I Could Fly a bunch of times, which his solos thought was his song and not a 1d song which is just hilarious. anyway, his fans always carry on like “he reinvents the covers!!!! he only does one usually!!! 1d was his thing!!!” anyway.

the thing is, is that harry is bigger. he has bigger hits, and more of them. But more importantly, he has a wider fanbase demographic that doesn’t require him to perform 1d covers because a lot of his fans don’t stem from the 1d days. they learnt about him through his solo music alone. now… radio play obviously has a massive effect on that (which we know louis isn’t getting), but, why are Louis solos so angry about him playing 1d covers?

weeeellllll

look. it comes down to what all louis fans want, which is for him to keep playing bigger stages and doing bigger tours and solidifying his solo presence and career in the wider industry. but his career is different to Harry’s. he had to find his footing and part of that is pulling in people who know 1d (they were literally the biggest band in the world) and so they can already connect him to that, and then hear his own personal music. “Former 1d star” gets more clicks than “louis Tomlinson” when people have no idea of his name. even people who used to be casual 1d fans back in the day, but aren’t part of the scene now, will connect the first headline far quicker than the second. So it’s all about interconnection and recognition and association that dings the lightbulb for people and encourage further digging.

And this becomes even more important when performing at a festival in front of people who haven’t heard your name before/aren’t a fan. It gives him, like, almost name cred ya know? Like “hey I was in a band that conquered the world, and I’m still out here doing shit, I’m not another washed up ex boyband member, I’ve got my own name and my own sound and I also wrote the majority of 1d’s discography” ya feel? Which is something I also don’t get about solos. Like… louis wrote those songs. He’s proud of those songs. Why should he not sing them?

anyway, I get it, I do. We all wanna see louis play his whole discography, and share that and build more fans from there. We love his music, we wanna see those tracks that we love live on stage. But, he’s gonna play 1d covers because he wrote them, he loves them, and it helps with his footing.

Robbie Williams who was in Take That, Justin Timberlake who was in NSYNC (who have just done a reunion show!!) and a bunch more ex boyband, or ex regular band members, continue to do covers of their old music for so many reasons. But also, they continue to do these covers for their fans. Their older fans, who watched them grow and listened to this music in real time be released and nostalgia and… it should be celebrated of a time that they created this music and memories with fans.

Mind you, artists do this because they want to. There’s no critical binding clause in their contracts saying they have to do a cover of their old band, there’s nothing saying they have to do this only in countries where people don’t know their name as well, there’s no one holding a gun to louis’ head and saying “bro you gotta play three 1d songs or you’re fired”. At the end of the day, he curates his setlist for what he wants to play, what he thinks the fans will love, and what he thinks will encourage people to enjoy his sets and dig into his other music. He doesn’t owe any of us anything.

So, if we move on from 1d covers and talk about Catfish and Post Malone, it again, pulls that recognition in. However, it can make him seem a little unsure of himself and his faith in the music he writes. Which isn’t the case, like, Harry does covers from different artists, but just not as often as Louis, it would seem. I think particularly at his own shows, louis doesn’t need to do 7, 505, or Chemical or whatever else, because the people are there for him. 7 is loud and we love it and I would never discourage him from that hahaha, but I do find chemical to be kinda meh (I’m not a posty fan, mind you), and unnecessary. But, again, he doesn’t owe us shit and can sing whatever he wants and feels right. It seems like he’s in a much more secure place right now, so it’ll be interesting to see where his set lists take him in the future, but yeah. I don’t see it necessary to do a cover from a different artist at every show, but definitely encourage 1d covers at every show (and not just because I’m an ot5, but because he clearly loves it and for all the reasons I’ve already said above).

So I guess, before I keep on nonsensically rambling, I’ll break this down simply:

Do I think louis should keep doing 1d covers? Yes.

Do I think Louis should keep doing non-1d covers? If he wants to, but it’s not necessary anymore.

Do I think it’s a smart career move to include 1d covers? Yes

Do I think doing 4 covers out of a 13 song setlist at a festival is overkill? Kiiiiind of… I think he could’ve stuck with 2 or 3 max, 4 is a lot and can take away from his original music.

Do I think louis leans on covers to help his nerves? Not so much anymore, but it can be seen as somewhat of a crutch if he does a bunch of them (a bunch meaning anything more than 3).

Do I think Louis owes us anything? No.

Would I love to see louis perform all his songs that he hasn’t performed before instead of covers? Sure thing!

Am I bothered that he plays covers? Absolutely not.

Do other artists of varying calibre (including Harry) play songs of their past ventures and other artists’ music? Yes.

Do solos need to take a good hard look at themselves and get a grip because supporting their fave artist should also include supporting their choices of setlist and their prior bands (regardless of a dislike for said prior band)? Yes.

Am I saying that solos need to love 1d/1d covers? No, but they need to respect it because that’s how louis came to be himself today.

Is larry real? Yes.

Can solos suck it? Also yes.

[super-hero-confessions]

"Race swapping Namor is so deeply racist because you are casting a dark-skinned Mexican man as a villain and it's not a good look" bro shut the fuck up. Please. I am literally begging you. Idk what your idea of equality is, but my idea of equality is giving actors of all skin colors the opportunity to play whoever the fuck they wish. While fair-skinned/white latinos exist (remember: latino is NOT a race) this version of Namor is supposed to look indigenous (so basically, dark-skinned) and Tenoch Huerta looks like a Mayan god. If you bitch about this, or if you bitch about James Gunn casting a black man as the High Evolutionary, all I hear is that you don't want real equality because "oh, making the villain a poc spreads racist stereotypes!" But what you're not seeing is that we can only achieve equality by giving actors of all skin colors all types of roles. If an audience thinks that a poc villain means all poc are evil, then they are pretty fucking dense, racist, and that's on them, NOT on the filmmakers or the actors. Putting poc in villain (and hero!) roles is not racist. To me, it's far more racist thinking that someone's capacity to do good or evil is defined solely by their skin color. (Such as: "the High Evolutionary can't be black because it will make black men look bad." I'm sorry but no. You're pretending to care about black folk but implying that people will associate the Evolutionary's actions with his skin color, as if these two things couldn't be separated, and your statement is in fact inherently racist. The High Evolutionary is not evil because he's black. He's evil because he's evil, and he happens to be black. Had Gunn picked a white actor for the role, you would be also calling him a racist for not including more poc. It's this kind of shit over and over again.)

Gosh. I used to be proud of being woke but you guys are exhausting. You want more diversity then proceed to bitch the SECOND that diversity is not how you guys want it to be. You're never happy. If you truly are against racism, just celebrate that actors of color are getting roles to showcase their amazing talent, regardless of who the hell they're playing. Michael B. Jordan killed it as Killmonger. Tenoch Huerta killed it as Namor. And Chukwudi Iwuji will kill it as the High Evolutionary. Scream about it like you scream about everything else - you are just coming across as more racist than anyone fucking else.

[oneforthemunny]

Uh so my best friend on here blocked me because I said I didn't care for Chrissy's actress. No personal issue with her, no drama, I just dont know anything about her. I got called a woman hater and an asshole and got blocked.

I??? Good for her shes working and making moves i just dont care??? No hate to her, I just dont care?? Like I think JQ is hot but I also don't give a fuck what he does in his personal time???

Am I crazy???

no and i think this obsession people have with celebrities is kinda bizarre. like i love jq, will support him, but i’m not going out of my way to dwell in his personal life bc… it’s his personal life???

people forget these celebrities they put on pedestals are real people. not deities. they’ll make mistakes, they’ll disappoint you, and that’s ok bc they’re human. they’re also entitled to privacy.

i’ve noticed in this fandom, especially with jq, there’s this very possessive nature over him and it teeters on being invasive. idk if it was me, i’d be pissed i’d probably call them out and publically humiliate them fans or not (if you’re being a lunatic like that you’re not a fan btw) 😭😭 that’s why it’s not me lmao.

but no, I don’t think you did anything wrong. I think as much as it hurts your feelings, it was probably for the best. I don’t think any actor or anyone really associated in joe’s life or career should be dragged or talked bad about. I also don’t think that saying “oh i don’t really know them like that likes their character but that’s it” should not illicit that kind of response. that shit is so insane to me.

[good-beanswrites]

We’re so far from the end of Milgram and yet. I am thinking about finale fix-it fics. because I already know Yamanaka isn’t going to shy away from killing characters and I'm pre-sad about it. I’ve expressed some other nice options here and here, but have another! Jailbreak >:3

(Just random silly thoughts I’ve been rotating in my head, don't take it too seriously) 

This is assuming Milgram is in a physical location with mostly realistic elements. (It’s a well-funded facility, but no magic or anything besides whatever’s going on with jackalope and the no violence ban.)

Trial three is coming to an end. Es knows it will end in death, but they know it'd be going against their duty to declare everyone innocent.

A mistake is made on the outside, and a chance opportunity arises: a temporary exit appears in the prison in Es’ room. 

They notice it at night, and make the split second decision to tell the others. They race to the cells, gathering everyone one and telling them to get out immediately. 

Most of them go willingly, though a few (Yuno, Fuuta, Kotoko) are suspicious of Es’ urgency. They manage to convince them that it’s not some twisted lie – Es knows how this will end and wants to give them a chance. 

As everyone’s filing out, it becomes clear Es isn’t going to step through. They say they can’t go – even though they’re taking steps to save the others, their duty remains to Milgram. They’ll stay and face whatever consequences arise as warden. 

Mikoto is like “fuck that shit, you’re just as much as a prisoner as us and you’re coming,” to the others’ agreement. “If they’re gonna punish you for helping us than we should make it look like it was all on us,” and he slings Es over his shoulder. They all take off into the unknown facility. 

The real fun part of the fic would be when they inevitable make it past guards/scientists, climb into a military-grade vehicle, and take off with authorities in hot pursuit. (I’m still deciding who’d be funniest as driver, though I’m leaning towards Kazui doing it because he feels responsible as oldest) Cue some classic comedy-drama bickering as they screech around the complex under fire. Fuuta trying to backseat drive. Mahiru in delirious giggles that she’s helping with a jailbreak, can you believe it? Her! Shidou shielding Amane as the vehicle bumps around/takes damage. Muu pointing out they’ve been going in circles. It’s revealed the driver doesn’t have their license. Es complaining that they shouldn’t be here but knowing it’s too late to get out. There’s much screaming and celebrating and panicking and tires squealing. 

One epic car chase later, they emerge in the surrounding woods, alone. They start making plans. I’m not sure who has the most geographical knowledge, but someone is able to piece together generally where they are. Mikoto knows a good deal about getting away with a crime, and starts walking them through how they’ll need to ditch this vehicle and where to hide for the time being. Kotoko has some connections, she can find out if Milgram is associated with the government or if they should go to the authorities about them. Muu’s parents are rich and from France, she’ll have them get everyone out of the country until things are figured out. 

They plan on reaching out to their families to let them know they’re alright. After some awkward silence from Es, Fuuta starts listing all the ways you can find someone online. He gets a bit embarrassed talking about the techniques (seeing as that’s how he ended up a killer,) but Es seems grateful for the help finding out who they are and if they have any family looking for them. 

As they drive, someone points out that these plans aren’t perfect. Milgram may be better equipped or more widespread than they know. There’s a high chance they’ll still be caught and potentially killed to keep quiet about the whole experiment. 

Shidou starts saying that a doctor’s job is to extend life so people can live as long and happy as possible, even when they know it won’t last. He points out that even if this isn’t a permanent escape, the extension of their lives and their happiness is still something meaningful. After all, if they’d just stayed in the prison to be executed, they would never have gotten this one last chance to see the sun.

Then they all watch the sun rise and it’s beautiful !!!!! The end

[trikadekaphile]

Here’s where the fun begins (aka my “Star Wars” marathon)

I've been making my way through the entire SW saga, starting with TPM. It's been a while since I watched any of the SW movies straight through. I'm really amazed at how well the whole saga fits together -- despite what the fucking stupid pricks bashers claim, the prequels do dovetail quite well into the OT. And the prequels make the OT richer...especially ROTJ, but ANH and ESB too. 

Specifically: Owen and Beru's exchanged looks when Luke talks about Obi Wan,and Obi Wan's own shifty-eyed looks when Luke asks about his father, gain so much from the prequels; and I always teared up at the scene in ROTJ when Anakin tells Luke to take off his mask: "I want to see you with my own eyes." But the enmasking scene in ROTS makes it even more resonant and heartbreaking. Now I don't just tear up, I bawl like a baby during that scene. And in ESB, I see various Luke scenes and think, "Damn, so much like his dad!", not to mention various Leia scenes and think the same thing: so much like her dad, she's got his temper and some of his personality traits. Of course, that gets muted a bit once she stops being in denial about being in love with Han. 

And despite what the fucking perspectiveless assholes bashers claim, Hayden gives a good performance in AOTC and especially ROTS, before and after Anakin turns to the Dark Side. Another especially: he had to integrate the performances of no fewer than four actors (five if you count Ben Burtt providing Vader's breathing) into his own, and also make his own contribution to the character. That's no easy task. But Hayden was up to it, and he didn't deserve the thrashing he took from the self-important asshats known as movie critics, nor from the fucking shit-for-brains dickheads bashers, who did more than thrash him...they fucking persecuted him. 

Which is why it was so nice to see him join Ewan onstage at, what was it, a Celebration? I forget, but anyway, he got a Standing O and the audience absolutely freaked out over him...part of that is because the people who were born around the time Episode I came out are now adults, and grew up with the prequels like our generation did the originals -- they've replaced some of the nastier fucking lamebrain sons of bitches bashers and have to some extent taken the microphone back from them. Also, the passage of time has mellowed some people out. 

Even fucking Chris Gore. What changed him from a virulent, vile basher into a...well, not exactly a fan of the prequels, but someone considerably less hateful toward the prequels, was a simple, common life event: he became a father, and was able to see the prequels through his offspring's eyes to an extent, and realizing they're not so bad -- maybe there's a reason they were so popular and made so much money, maybe they're even (gasp!) kinda good! 

(Kind of like how the passage of time, a run of flops, and an expensive divorce delivered a well-deserved kick to Harrison's ass and made him realize that being remembered as the fan favorite character -- one of the hippest characters in movie history -- of a stupendously successful and beloved movie series isn't so damn bad after all. 

Mark Hamill was sensible enough to have realized all along that most actors aren't remembered at ALL, let alone remembered for being a central character in, again, a stupendously successful and beloved movie series. His good friend Robert "Freddy Krueger" Englund realized it too, and both he and Mark had much more cause to bitch and moan about their respective series' association than Harrison ever had. I can't see where the SW association ever hurt Harrison's career, whereas Mark was denied the chance to play a substantial part -- the title character of the movie version of "Amadeus," a part he'd played on stage to great acclaim -- specifically because of the SW association. So shut the fuck up about SW hurting your career, Harrison!) 

But anyway...Hayden has always been the nicest of guys, and behaved with real class when so many of the fans acted like stupid buttheads. It's good to see him be appreciated by fans now, and of course it was good to see him in "Obi Wan Kenobi," playing both Anakin and Vader.

Natalie...well, I feel kinda the same as I always have about her performance(s). I think she was really good in TPM, but kind of had bought into her own press with the other two (although I did think she was quite good in the family scenes for AOTC, and the "birth of the Rebellion" scenes for ROTS -- alas, those scenes ended up on the cutting room floor, a poor decision IMO) and felt she was "above all this." But to be fair, she did seem to change her 'tude more recently, and start to (gasp!) defend the prequels and her character against the fucking cretinous pricks bashers and their representatives in the media. 

Liam as Qui Gon...love him. That's all that needs to be said. And despite Ewan's bitchiness about the prequels, I think he gave good performances too, and he had more fun making them than he claims. I really like the relationship between Obi Wan and Anakin in Episodes II and III. Yeah, there's a lot of friction between them in II, but it made sense -- Anakin was beginning to chafe under Obi Wan's tutelage, plus he was making his first serious steps toward the Dark Side. I remember how the fucking idiot dickheads bashers bitched about his whining, claiming (falsely) that Luke doesn't whine in ESB. First of all, Luke most certainly DOES whine in ESB. In fact, he whines twice as much as in ANH. Practically all he does once he meets Yoda is whine, for Pete's sake. But anyway...does it ever penetrate their thick skulls and find one of the two (dying) brain cells clattering around in the otherwise empty space in their craniums that Anakin being whiny was the POINT? That Anakin and Luke have completely opposite journeys? Isn't Anakin falling to the Dark Side just as Luke is fighting against it and, ultimately, rejecting it? Fucking DUH!

Then there's the complaint about how Anakin falling to the Dark Side "makes him look dumb." Jesus H. Christ, do they think it should have made him look SMART? I mean, turning to the Dark Side IS dumb. It's rejecting everything he's ever been taught and worked for, because he CLAIMS to want to save his wife, when really, all he wants is more power. So he makes this dumb decision for the sake of power...and it ends up nearly destroying him physically and mentally. 

I haven't gotten as far as Episodes VII-IX, but watching them again is going to be hard, because of Carrie. Her death was not only devastating to the fans, but it threw a big wrench into the filmmakers' plans for Episode IX. It was supposed to be something like: each one of the movies was going to focus on one of the Big Three. VII was Han's movie, VIII was Luke's movie, and IX was going to be Leia's movie. But instead they had to rely on putting in cut scenes from the other movies to form Carrie's performance.

And I don't give a red-hot flaming SHIT who shot first, nor do think Jar Jar or the Ewoks ruined a bloody thing about the movies. *assumes bratty tone* So THERE! Nyah nyah nyah! *ends bratty tone*

Damn, that felt good. Now I will go resume my marathon.

[prettyinpink350]

I’m gonna say this and it might cause some problems….

I think we as a fandom need to start re-guessing and rethinking our favorite celebrities character, and morals. (I’m talking about Chris Evans and Sebastian Stan, if they didn’t date racist people I wouldn’t be in their business😒)

Because if you don’t know or if you don’t remember in 2021 Sebastian Stan, dated Alejandra onieva. she and her friends had made very racist jokes, they had multiple racial themed dinner parties. Where they would dress up as other races, and of course Sebastian stans’ fandom found out and brought this to his attention and we’re flooding his and her DM’s and comments. I believe if I recall correctly multiple people on TikTok made videos and came out saying that he blocked them for calling her out and him for dating her. Also, for example it was rumored a little while ago, that Sebastian Stan was angry with his management team, because they were getting too involved in who he was dating. Which I can only reference to his ex racist girlfriend Alejandra. Because If he was dating somebody who was good for his image and wasn’t racist, his management team wouldn’t give a flying fuck in who he was dating.

There has also been an article that I’ve seen, and one creator on TikTok who referenced the article talking about how it’s rumored that Sebastian Stan has a secret Instagram, and makes fun of fans on it I haven’t heard anything else but I would like to keep that in mind.

Also back in 2017 Sebastian Stan liked a post (instagram) by @shameheadboy who has a podcast named Shane’s show, a clip from the podcast was posted onto the Podcasters Instagram, and in the clip the Podcaster was complaining about white people not being able to say the N-word and how they think that white people should be able to say the N-word. Sebastian liked the post!!!!

 And here’s another example, Chris Evans recently married Alba Baptista, she and her friend group have made very racist, homophobic, fat- phobic jokes, they’ve also made fun of the holocaust, and the innocent Jewish people who died in it, one of albas best friends made fun of starving children too!

(The people one surrounds themselves with tells a lot about a person, because if she thought that these jokes were bad and inappropriate and harmful, she wouldn’t associate herself with her racist friends)

and yet, of course Chris Evans has been silent on the matter of these old tweets resurfacing of Alba being associated with racist people and partaking in it, Obviously, he sees no problem in it because she hasn’t apologized and he hasn’t said anything!!

both Sebastian Stan and Chris Evans actions towards condoning their partners racist, and disgusting behavior just proves their character. Because why would you surround yourself with people like that if you saw an issue in their behavior? And all of the racist and inappropriate material that their partners/ex partners have posted?

What Alba Baptista/her friends and Alejandra have posted is not super old it’s from 2018 and recent!! when alba did not apologize or stop associating with her friends that are being racist, that shows where her morals lie! And were Chris’ do as well because he fucking married her!

I think Sebastian and Chris’s blatant disregard for their partners/past partners, mistakes and blatant racism shows that they don’t care. And they don’t care about their fans.

I won’t get into if Chris Evans and Baptistas marriage is real or not that’s a whole other can of worms. Honestly I don’t care if it’s real or not but either way they’ve both associated themselves with racist pieces of shit. I’m leaving Chris’ and Sebastian’s fandom I used to love them so much but honestly I’ve been pushed over the edge!! Alejandra And her racist dinner themes and alba and her little rat pack of friends make fun of Asian people and culture as well as indigenous people and as someone who is both Asian and indigenous it’s even more insulting. 🖕😒

(Facts and receipts here ⬇️)almost all the information and receipts I used you can see in the screenshots, in the screenshots you can clearly see the creator/person who puzzled all this together so they get credit!!



[thewriterowl]

Hello, Ms. Owl. I've never really done one of these asks before, so I hope I'm doing it right.

Anyways I was wondering, how would blooms Anakin, and blooms Din celebrate blooms Luke's birthday?

I think it'll be interesting if they somehow forgot, and then realize near the end of the day that it's his birthday. They would probably find out that it's Luke's birthday from Leia. Knowing her she would probably call asking to talk to Luke to wish him a happy birthday, and Anakin and Din would just freeze and have an "Oh Shit" moment, and rush back home just to find that Luke isn't there, so they panic and start looking all over for him, just to finally find him in a field of flowers cuddling Sky with a small cake softly singing happy birthday to himself.

What would they do? And how would they make it up to him? I can already see the nasty look Omera, Rex, and Kix would give them. And the disappointed look from Grogu, who knows that his Lu is just so sad.

(I don't actually see this happening, since I know that they wouldn't forget Luke's birthday, but I'm just asking for fun)

There is no wrong to do asks! You are free to pop in whenever you would like to say whatever! I always want people who jump in my ask-box to feel comfortable (even if/when I take forever to respond)

But omg, Blooms Birthday!

Ok, so first off...Luke would have no idea when his birthday is. Anakin would be able to tell him. It's just a weird bittersweet thing as it was also the day the Empire took over and when Anakin lost everyone he loved and the start of Luke's long life of suffering. So I think, Din and Anakin would have two birthdays for Luke. There would be his real one, that they would celebrate privately because there was something sad about it as well. It felt like something more intimate, with soft words, maybe sharing stories about Padme, or the time during the Clone Wars, things like that. There are still gifts, but just a few as i think this day would be really overwhelming to Luke because it is so much emotion and memories. It would be things like Padme's dress, a kyber crystal, Jedi texts, pictures, or a stuffed animal...very personal and gentle things.

Then they would have a "Gotcha Day". They'd try to decide if it was when Luke landed on Mandalore or when they rescued him and everything became official--both still have some bitterness to them but they wanted to take it over as a happy day. It was settled for when Luke landed on Mandalore because, even though there was still a lot of pain after the fact, it was the start of good things for Luke.

And let me tell you...it's a system holiday. Anything associated with Mandalore is celebrating this day. No, not day, a week. It's a week that starts with Luke's Birthday and goes into Luke's and Din's anniversary.

Luke is given SO much he has no idea what to do with it. He gets overwhelmed and scared and shy with all the attention. Din and Anakin guide him along and are so happy and proud to make things as big as possible for Luke who deserves everything.

But if they somehow forgot? like the first time for his real birthday and Luke was aware...well...everything above would start happening immediately. They would wrap him up in hugs and kisses and apologize and tell him to always smack them if they do something like this.

Anakin is honest in that he never forgot that day...but he is still so used to it being a day of mourning and having Luke alive to celebrate it is just so new to him, and so amazing, that it's almost too much and he thinks it's just another sad day. Din is just kissing over him without stopping.

They communicate and all is forgiven...and then Luke is spoiled senseless and it's like "uh...maybe i preferred the small one with Sky"

[the-karasu-no-one-knows]

It's amazing how people can stand for situations that are not safe for women and children. Most of those people have NEVER experienced chronic and systemic sexual, physical or emotional abuse.

They come off like some self-righteous "activist", completely disregarding those concerned by the influx of humans who are not given background checks of ANY KIND. They come in mass and without the vagus idea on how to communicate in ways that serve all.

We don't talk about it because we walk on egg shells because speaking the truth fucks up people's sense of rationale and logic and reason. Common sense flies out the FUCKING WINDOW when it comes to addressing REAL CONCERNS about agendas allowing radical ideologies that destroy society, the nuclear family and those who have a belief system that is under attack by miserable, self-righteous, unstable, narcissistic and empty headed humans who know JACK SHIT about the PAIN, TRAUMA AND ANGUISH associated with these dangerous and pathological agendas.

I am 75% Latina. I am first generation Latina/American. My mothers ENTIRE family (including herself) came here legally. My father's father came here from Venezuela and joined the merchant Marines at 15-16. My husband's grandfather escaped Nazi Germany and came to Ellis Island and did all things LEGALLY. In fact, he was multilingual.

We have a SERIOUS fucking problem here in the U.S. It's called ENABLEMENT and lack of SEVERE CONSEQUENCES for issues of legality in many different areas of society, and without SEVERE consequences, our country has turned into a heap of shit. Our politicians do NOT give a fuck about you or policies that do NOT suit their own evil agendas

I can't believe that human beings still need to suck on the teet of these sociopaths and psychopaths in "offices" that do nothing more than to dictate what you can and cannot do with YOUR LIFE. I'm sick of these so called "activists" promoting and enabling policies that are destroying our civilized world.

I'm a proud Anarchist. 95% of human beings have NO CLUE what a real Anarchist stands for. They've only been shown through coercive and propagandized media outlets, social media and magazines. As soon as you argue with those who are perpetuating a disastrous society, they lose their fucking minds.

You know why? Because they have NO BACKGROUND of pain, trauma and a world that exists outside of their comfy little homes here in the U.S. I laugh at them because they're the ASS BACKWARDS enablers who will come running to people like me for safety because I have no fear of any human. I believe in the most severe consequences for any human, REGARDLESS of age, sex, sexual orientation, occupation, religious affinity, disability or what have you.

In my world, humans DO NOT get a free pass. This level of enablement disgusts me. I look up to NO HUMAN because an "activist" is just another human hiding behind an agenda that benefits them. I've never come across an activist that surpasses Christ. I'm not perfect, but I damn well know that nothing surpasses that level of devotion outside of Christ.

I'm not a "religious fanatic". Those that use that terminology tend to be very miserable and unsatisfied in their lives. It's easier to blame something else than to see the truth. So many cowards. So many ass kissers. So many liars cand weak willed followers. So many who choose to latch onto the latest craze put out by mentally unstable "celebrities" and "activists".

I slowed down on a lot of my activism when it comes to humans because it's now riddled with political agendas and fucked ideologies. I'm spending more of my time and money on NON-HUMAN activism.

You can agree with me or not. I do not care because my world, work, activism and livelihood is not dictated by your opinions. No one has any balls or backbone to talk about the real shit going on in the U.S and overseas.

Kat Bjelland said it best..."You were born of glue instead of spine")))

[idontknowwhatthatmeans]

I love all of theee takes.

Pardon me if I get something wrong because it’s been a moment since Ive dove into DEH and my ADHD is gonna really go off topic probably BUT…

The comparison should be Evan and Mrs. Lovett.

I get that DEH is suppose to be more relatable because kids do the dumbest shit to make themselves feel better or more important and Evan was clearly in a place where he needed something to give him a purpose to live. He stepped into a lie that was sorta already set up for him. The Murphy’s assume the letter was written by Connor to Evan and he went along with it. He gave in to the temptation of the love they were offering by this association with their son. Which is relatable to a degree. The continued celebration of his lie isn’t great, the lengths he went to just to preserve the lie wears down that relatability. BUT he’s also seeking revenge in a weird way as well, perhaps inadvertently which is sorta the nefarious undertone of DEH. His classmates didn’t love him before, they were cruel, ambivalent, even perhaps bullied him. The same with Connor. There’s nothing genuine about the relationships because they’re predicated on a lie that fuels the motivation of his “friends.”

Likewise in Sweeney Todd he’s desperate to find something he lost, Lucy. Mrs. Lovett tells him Lucy “poisoned herself,” essentially she’s dead (though she never explicitly says so) and that’s the equivalent of the letter. The set up for a decision to seek the thing you want. Sweeney indicates thereafter he wants revenge and she puts the razors back in his hand. She facilitates that need to destroy. In the same way the Murphy’s have the letter that facilitates Evan’s lie. She’s also put herself in the intimate position of being his only confidant.

Theyre both opportunistic lies that if not facilitated by others most likely would have drastically changed each characters story.

To a degree they’re both humanistically relatable. They just play to different desires.

To be loved.

To see justice.

I find them both relatable tales of all consuming desire leading you to do despicable things.

I think the greater burn in DEH is that there’s a group of kids really perpetuating the lie and supporting it unknowingly. It’s disingenuous as well. These kids didn’t know Connor, and they’re bandwagoning Evan’s grief which debatably isn’t real is more a grief for himself. These kids are becoming better people because of it, but it’s all a lie. The hope and then the absolute breech in trust when it’s discovered he’s lying feels more Lovett than Sweeney.

Sweeney however keeps his nefariousness strictly between himself and Lovett who puppeteers this whole thing (out of a desire to be loved.)

Maybe there’s a building of hope on Mrs. Lovett part but she’s the one who knows it’s a lie and therefore has to be somewhat aware there’s a real chance it can all fall to shit, the consequences would be catastrophic but Sweeney’s hope is gone. The stakes are really between two people aware of the stakes. Killing people is wrong. Lying is wrong.

Sweeney however may almost be more redeemable because he has no control over the original lie.

Mrs. Lovett is actually the Evan Hansen when you get to the bones of it.

Idk if that addresses the point or if these are just ramblings/observations but I find both shows relatable. Both are desperate for love both are revenge tales.

i think it's funny when people act like Evan Hansen is the most problematic musical main character. like have you not seen Sweeney Todd?

[samatheia229]

Rise Ponderings:

The Turtles With Japanese Names

I've seen a lot of headcanons lately that support the "Rise boys' given names ARE their colours and they only got the artist names later on" narrative so I'd like to share my own.

Rise Splinter is undoubtedly very Americanised but I think that despite him forsaking his familial duties and old life, he’s still Japanese, is still a Hamato. So, subconsciously, he gave the boys Japanese names (of their corresponding colours, of course).

On that note, for all that Splinter has Celebrity-Who-Gives-Their-Kids-Unique-Names energy, I believe that he would still have enough decency to give them somewhat proper Japanese names not just 'Aka', 'Ao', 'Murasaki' and 'Orenji'.

However, for a period of time, the English-colour-names Splinter uses in the show would have been how addressed each other because they are, for the most part, an English-speaking household. Until an eight-year-old April came along insisting that those weren't 'real names', the turtles English names were 'Red', 'Blue' etc. 

After adopting 'proper' English names, those became the common form of address, though Splinter still calls them by the English colours because it's a habit for him. They don't mind.

They don’t use their Japanese names often. It’d mostly be during serious-talk time, in official stuff, calling someone by their full name or teasing. 

Ironically, in Splinter's (read: my) effort to not be a basic bitch, most of the boys' Japanese names are female. You can bet they tease the shit out of each other about it. The only one that actually takes offense to the teasing is Donnie whose name is very common and recognisable, so he always gets asked why he has it and/or if he realises that it's a girly name. 

The Names

*NOTE: I'm using Kanji here. Fair warning, they could be written wrong, so if there are any Japanese speakers out there, do correct me.

Hamato 'Raphael' Shuiro

Shuiro 朱色 = vermilion

Raph’s name is the only one that isn’t a real given name but I thought it suited him.

Colour Symbolism:

Besides being one of the most dominant colors in Japanese culture, red is associated strongly with authority, strength, sacrifice, passion, joy, and happiness. It's also regarded as an auspicious color in Japan.

Frequently said to have Eldest Daughter Syndrome by the fandom, Raph is the ultimate authority among the brothers. He self-appoints as leader not because he necessarily wants to be, but because as the oldest and the biggest, he feels like it's his responsibility to look after the others. Which often takes great strength and sacrifice. Surface Pressure from Encanto, anyone?

Furthermore, red, specifically vermilion, is very symbolic in Japanese architecture:

Red is the color of torii – Shinto shrine gates – temples, and traditional daruma dolls. Red is said to scare away evil spirits and represent protection, strength, peace, and power. 

All in all, very fitting for the big brother and family protector, if you ask me.

Hamato 'Leonardo' Aoi

Aoi 青い = blue

Aoi is a unisex name; meaning hollyhock flower when used for girls and blue for boys. I'm using the male meaning for Leo. 

Colour Symbolism:

Blue commonly represents the sea and the sky (for which Japan is surrounded) and symbolizes purity, dignity, calmness, stability, security, and fidelity. Blue is also regarded as a lucky colour.

In this case, blue is rather in juxtaposition with Leo's personality, but looking at it from a franchise perspective, blue is indeed a leader's colour.

Back then, Japanese society was strictly hierarchical and displayed through the colour of their robes. Of the colors that were allowed for common folk, the color blue was work by higher ranking people. It symbolized wealth and prestige, while also remaining a color of the common folk.

That being said, Leo's a little different from his predecessors. Eventually, he will grow into the role of the leader we know and love. But even when he was unburdened from being leader, he was still the strategist. Leo's leadership in fights is a balance between what is uniquely Rise and the mission-mindset of the leaders in blue who came before him, strategies that are fun, wacky and maybe a little unorthodox yet still as effective for the team.

Hamato 'Donatello' Sumire

Sumire 菫 = violet (flower)

Sumire is usually a girl's name but I don’t think Splinter would’ve cared all that much about gender.

Donnie doesn't either and even likes his name, though it has caused him a lot of grief over the years. A lot of people think it's strange for a guy with his personality to have such a feminine name, and he's really sick of having to defend his name after introducing himself. Part of why he wanted 'Donnie'.

Colour Symbolism:

Like in the West, purple in Japanese culture is associated with royalty, as purple dye was rare and only available to those of a higher status. It can also reflect on nobility, spirituality, and wisdom.

Out of everyone, Donnie embraces his colour about the most. His clothes are purple, his tech is purple, his lab is bathed in purple lighting. Purple is Donnie's thing. This, in a way, ties in with the colour's exclusivity back then.

Flower Symbolism:

In Hanakotoba (flower language), the meaning of violet is sincerity, a small love, and a small bliss. Violets are a common gift, as they are an ideal way to show appreciation for a family member or friend and to express sincerity or love.

I think this is very Donnie. What he lacks in the emotional department, he makes up for  through his tech. He creates things for his family, making them all kinds of personalised gizmo. Sometimes it results in disaster but the intention to help is there. Gift-giving is his love language.

Hamato 'Michelangelo' Mikan

Mikan 蜜柑 = tangerine

Mikan is a common Japanese girl name. Baby girls named "Mikan" are usually joyful, positive-thinkers, smiley and generally happy people.

Mikey loves his name and doesn't care that it's girly and cute, no matter how the others tease him about it. (SIDE NOTE: I swear the near-matching names wasn't intentional. I was just looking for a name that means mandarin orange for a bit I'm writing).

Colour Symbolism:

Orange is symbolic of love, happiness and the sun.

The youngest of the family, Mikey is optimistic and cheerful. He brings joy and colour to the household through his art. He encourages everyone to be express their love openly and always tries to be supportive.

Fruit Symbolism:

Besides good fortune, wealth and longevity, the fruit mikan can be tied to family because of its role in Japanese traditions. In Japan, there is a word “Kotatsu de Mikan”, which means:

A family sits around a kotatsu (a traditional Japanese table with an electric heater attached to the underside), watching TV and eating mikan —  the traditional picture of a harmonious family seen in the wintertime.

Mikey is all about family. He's the heart, always the peacemaker, always bringing everyone together.

----------

TLDR; I really love how each turtle has a role to play in the family, how their respective colours are so appropriate for who they are as people, and I wanted their Japanese name to reflect that.