#i was having trouble reblogging the original post so. i think about it a lot

[urdeadbestfriend]

Is it over? Did he die?

(originally by @julietophelia)

[neil-gaiman]

hi,

i’d like to say thank you for what you share on this platform; ofc the lovely fan interactions, but also the ‘the world is scary but we’re in this together’ things and the ‘there’s still a lot of good in the world’ things.

i’ve been meaning to go to the grocery store for several days and hadn’t managed to get myself to do so yet. ive been ordering a few things to my apartment which is tend to get in my head about because the grocery store is less than a block from my home. i’m having a lot of trouble eating again, regardless of what’s in the fridge, and expected this morning to be like any other where at some point hunger will turn into nausea which will get pushed to the back of my mind until mid day when i can maybe manage to get something down.

but i woke up this morning to your reblog of that post about all the things you can eat if you’ve got just a couple things lying around.

and then i got up and took my meds. i showered and shaved and felt like i was scrubbing away the outermost layer of this particular Depressive episode. i brushed my teeth and washed my face, put on clothes that aren’t the gym shorts and tee i expected to. i’m about to leave my apartment for the first time in three days. i’m about to go to the grocery store.

i know it’s not your original post, but you saw it and reblogged it for it to reach a greater audience. i don’t think i would’ve seen it had you not done so.

okay i’ve gotta quit writing and get my shoes on and be off (to the store! woo!!)

you put a lot of good in the world and in so many big ways. thank you for adding to the good in the seemingly smaller ways too <3

I'm really proud of you.

[ravixen]

can you do one wherein they're on a variety show and someone asks about your relationship?? (they are publicly dating) With Seungcheol, Wonwoo, Minghao and Vernon?

svt + variety show asks about idol!s/o

➔ reaction || requested || idol!y/n

➔ warnings: none || 0.6k words ➔ notes: fluff ; this prompt feels like it'd go well with my previous posts "svt + sending a video message on a show" from 2022 and 2023! I originally wrote this for a non-idol!y/n before I realized that by "publicly dating," you probably meant an idol s/o so I redid it. I had a little trouble thinking of situations since the prompt was broad, but it was still fun to write. might do another part with the more open members. please reblog if you liked it!!

SEUNGCHEOL: if he was promoting with his members, he wouldn't even entertain the question; working as part of a team matters a lot to him, and as the group leader, he has to set an example. but today he's doing a solo interview and lets himself be more open. when the hosts ask about you, he absolutely tries his best to hide his initial reaction, but he can't help the smile that automatically appears at the mention of your name. he attempts to play it off with an arrogant hair ruffle that fools no one. literally so embarrassing. "am I happy? ...yeah, I'd say so." he laughs. "why would I say no? all of my important people are healthy and living their best life." he doesn't share too many details about you, just to protect your privacy, but he'd be proud to promote any of your recent achievements, regardless of your occupation.

WONWOO: he's a private person, so while he is technically dating in the public eye, there's not much known about your relationship; that's exactly why the show hosts are taking advantage of this opportunity to grill him about you. but he evades their questions with the practiced grace of someone who's had media training, dancing right in front of the answers they're looking for. he looks so at ease: crossed arms, leaned back, a hint of a smile on his lips. but perhaps it's due to this false sense of security that, when they bring out the big guns, it knocks him off-balance. they have pictures. nothing incriminating. it's just embarrassing to see his affection collaged like this: peeks of you as his lockscreen, him dancing in the crowd at your street performance, him staring affectionately at your back as you order from a food truck...yeah, they caught him with it all.

MINGHAO: he's an extremely private person—I'd argue even more so than wonwoo—so he warned the program beforehand that he wouldn't answer any questions about you, other than to confirm that yes, you are still happily together. they agree...and of course scheme ways to get around that. so instead of asking about you directly, they decide to reference you a few times throughout the shooting to catch his reaction. maybe your song as a random dance or screenshots of your show as memes. they have audacity, he'll give them that. if he was a lesser man or earlier into his career, he'd cave and play into their wants, but neither of those apply to him so he smiles every time, ignoring the references, until they get bored and move on. then, at the end of the shoot, they ask if he has any closing words. "thanks for promoting their work so seriously," he says with a sarcastic bow.

VERNON: he's yet another private person (do you have a type), though not through conscious choice like minghao. he's publicly dating and has nothing to hide, but he's not the type to flaunt personal matters so he just doesn't. obviously his friends and family know the important details, but beyond that, he doesn't see the point in sharing information with people that don't really know him. so when the hosts ask him about his relationship, it catches him off-guard. he fully blinks and stares at the host until someone breaks the silence with an awkward laugh. "unless you two broke up?" they offer tentatively. "no, we're still together. it's been, uh, it's been good. great." he nods. "we actually went to see a movie yesterday." and the hosts sit there waiting for him to continue, and he's staring back at them like. that's all I wanted to say...are we moving on?

[parvulous-writings]

Could I request dating headcanons for Alejandro Vargas, John Price, and Kyle 'Gaz' Garrick with gn s/o please? - Fluff anon

Warnings: Mentions/allusions to canon typical violence.

Notes:  My requests are currently open! My request post (found here) contains both a list of characters I write for, and a masterlist!  Original character list - please request for these too! If you’d like to support me more, consider reblogging! I’d appreciate it loads!! I put Gaz first because I feel like people overlook him so much.

𝘒𝘺𝘭𝘦 '𝘎𝘢𝘻' 𝘎𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘬

Kyle doesn't often talk about his time in the Task Force, despite spending so much time there. It's not that he won't, or can't (except for some circumstances), it's just that he doesn't see much point in it. He'll answer questions when you ask, but he won't go out of his way to tell you about it all - unless Johnny made a funny joke that he cannot help but spout to you. He's close to Johnny - and to Price. Less so Ghost; but from what you've heard about the Lieutenant, that wasn't too unusual. When he's back, he's typically much more focused on you, and what you've done whilst he's been away. "And how's my sweetheart been, hm? Not getting into too much trouble, I would hope..."

Like the rest of the 141, he's gone a lot. He's a Sargent, he can't exactly decline very easily; and though he loves you dearly, he doesn't want to leave the force just yet. He feels that he has so much more that he can give, and doesn't want to waste that. He balances his time with the force and his time with you pretty well, though. He takes regular leave unless he is unable to for operations, and keeps in regular contact with you; mainly through calls and texts, or even through emails when phone signal gets scarce.

Gaz loves physical affection; he really likes holding hands with you when you're out and about. Not only is it a way of showing emotion between the pair of you, but it also means you can't wander off so easily. At home, he likes to be next to you - no matter what you're doing. You could be watching a film, doing housework, or just out on a walk - and Gaz is right there with you. He's also an acts of service man; he cleans, he cooks, surprises you with little bits and pieces when he thinks you might need that pick-me-up to your day.

𝒜𝓁𝑒𝒿𝒶𝓃𝒹𝓇𝑜 𝒱𝒶𝓇𝑔𝒶𝓈

Alejandro's life in Los Vaqueros is kind of heavily interwoven with ordinary life; it simply cannot be avoided. His work is for the protection of his home and his people, and you are encompassed in that. You know the broad strokes of what has happened, but he rarely tells you of upcoming ops, just in case something happens to your shared home, or to you. "It's not that I'm trying to exclude you, cariño, I'm just trying to be... Prepared. It can keep us both... Safer." Of course he's well aware that by being with him, you can never be truly 'safe', but he tries his best keep you as safe as he is able.

Though his Ops or busts are usually around your home, he doesn't tend to spend much time at home - mainly as a way to keep you safe, and out of the eyes of the cartel. He keeps in contact, though. You have a ham radio he tries to call you on at least once a day whilst he's away, and he sends little notes and letters through a middle man when it's safe enough, but too risky to be heard on the radio. He always assures you that he's safe, uninjured, and always missing home - It's clear that he thinks about you often.

Alejandro enjoys cooking; with you, for you, you name it, he enjoys it. He especially enjoys teaching you his family's recipes for various dishes - Pozole, baked chicken chalupas, sopes - if he gets his way, he will teach you all the recipes he knows. Once you mastered those, perhaps he'll take you to his mother, for the three of you to cook or bake together.

John Price

The majority of the time that you hear about the Task Force is through the grumbling and complaining that John does about the copious amounts of paperwork he has to deal with. He takes care of as much as he can whilst he's on-base, but unfortunately, sometimes he has to bring some on leave with him. A Captain's work is never done, it seems. Whilst away, he keeps in contact mostly through email; he says has plenty of time to, when he's sat his desk and computer for so long. You don't entirely believe him, but you let it slide. It's nice to hear from him whilst he's away, it keeps the worry and the anxiety out of your mind. When he's home, outside of his home office, he rarely talks about his work - unless he's telling you about some close-call (typically with Johnny), that in hindsight is rather funny. Other than that, he likes to keep the conversation of 'What's been going on' solely focused on you, even if you've nothing much to report.

Price is gone... An awful lot. He doesn't get a lot of time home, thanks to his station, but every bit of leave he can get, he makes sure to come home to you. Sometimes his leave is very short, though, so instead of spending the majority of it travelling (which would wear him out far too much), he'll opt for virtual dinner dates instead. He's very understanding of the fact that this situation isn't really ideal for love, or dating. He was aware from the start, and had warned you as such. He often reminds you, late at night, that you don't have to stay with him - you're free to leave and see whomever else you so choose, it could be years until he has the opportunity to retire. You just shake your head at him, and take a moment to reassure him that you're not going anywhere. It's not ideal, no, but you're willing to wait. You know John is the one for you.

John loves a good day out. Down to the beach? He's packing his sunnies. A hike? Wonderful, he's got a new pair of boots he needs to break in. Trip to a museum? Brilliant, what kind? Being able to share time with you, making memories of things big and small, is his ideal day. If he could do it forever, he would in a heartbeat.

[otomiyaa]

nice.png

(literally how I named the image, couldn't think of something else)

Hi guys :') To my followers and tumblr friends, I'm really sorry if my sudden disappearance scared or upset you. It wasn't quite... planned. And today was a busy day and I needed some time to consider what I wanted to do.

Short version of the story:

My tumblr account got terminated for copyright infringement. A certain Mr. Green got me in unlucky trouble (ref 1, 2).

I won't get it back, or try to get it back. It's gone.

Needed a moment to consider 2 options: ask Mia to extend my dramatic farewell letter and stay gone, or make a new blog.

Not planning to post new writing here. I won't be using words like 'never' or 'forever' because I'm a known clown with things like this, but the intention is to no longer post fics. I will finish Tickletober on AO3 and then take a break from writing. So yes, I cancel the swiftscribbles event too, sorry!

When I opened my laptop, I could see my old blog in its final hour lmao (I found out about the loss on my phone). So that's what the snap is from on a fitting grave. It was fun while it lasted!

Long version of the story:

Losing my blog(s): My Tumblr account with main blog + sideblogs got terminated overnight, it was quite the surprise! I've either been reported or tracked by bots. The posts are a bunch of numbered URLs I can't open, but the message is clear: for including anime content, genshin impact or media from other sources (whether it's videos, screenshots, official art, gifs or even fanwork) you technically can get a strike. Upon googling the claimer I quickly found this first, and knew it was a lost cause. Although it feels shitty and unlucky, I am in no place to appeal. It's like when I used to make AMVs in the past, you never knew whether a song or even anime footage was going to give your YT account a copyright strike or even a ban, it was a gamble. I have lost YT accounts before, and now I lost the Tumblr one. With 7+ years of tickle trash content and a bunch of sideblogs. But oh well, moving on!

Starting a new blog: It was a serious consideration whether this was my ultimate chance to do what I've always said I wanted to do eventually - quit my blog. My first thought was to ask Mia to share my explanation and literal goodbye with you guys, and stick to my chaos of a Twitter account to indulge in fandom stuff. But then I thought of how happy Tumblr made me, even without the fic writing, but just.. reblogging things, getting random asks, shouting about life and of course, about tickles. I decided to make a new blog after all, but also decided the following:

The 7K+ milestone swiftscribbles event is cancelled, for which I apologize! The follower milestone, together with the motivation to write the fics, and even the asks with the requests I got, all died with my former blog.

I will see how long I can survive without posting a new fic or drabble. A loose headcanon or two might fly around sometime. And if necessary, a link to a new fic on AO3.

Tickletober? Hell yes I'll finish it, I would cringe in bed for 49 days at least if I would stop. I just won't post the fics here, but on AO3.

Reposting/reblogging my old works? Undecided at the moment but I'm tired and lazy. I don't feel too upset since most of my fics are still on AO3 at least and not completely gone.

Anyways, I'll see what happens and how long I can enjoy this nerfed version of blogging.

Surprisingly I'm not upset about losing my other blog, there were a lot of memories but it was also very cringe. I'm gonna be just as cringe here, but at least I feel cleansed.

For those who choose to follow me again, thank you, but please know that there won't be much original content coming from me, for now!:)

[siconetribal]

Put it on My Tab 14

Pairing: Jason Todd x Fem!reader

Warning:

Working with customers, rude customer, that stressful work life is all the rage these days

A/N:

Please comment/like/reblog. If you’d like to be tagged moving forward, please let me know!

As always, a huge thank you and shout out to @harlequin-hangout for the amazing banners you made for me.

If you’re new to the story, please check out the master post for the rest of the chapters.

“I can help the next customer in line over here!” Y/N shouted over the din of the teenagers that came flooding in after school. It was a mix of private school uniforms and fashionable public school students flaunting their name brand accessories and latest phones. It really was a marvel to see how carelessly they would just flash their parents’ money as if it was their own hard earned pay. “Next customer in line, please.” She spoke a little louder and watched as a rather quiet but handsome looking teenager walked up. It was obvious that his clothing was well made, tailored to fit him, but it lacked the flashy logos that everyone else was wearing. A public school kid? He looks like he’s a couple years younger than me. A senior perhaps? “Welcome, what would you like for me to get started for you today?” She cordially asked, though once again, there was something about him. Just like the young detective, she felt like she needed to be cautious.

“A large cup black eye with ristretto, light sugar, and a bear claw.” 

“Did you want me to exchange the espresso with the ristretto or did you want me to add it with the espresso?” She hesitantly questioned, eyeing him a bit suspiciously. There was no sign of major fatigue aside from the slight bags under his lids. It was not uncommon to see some exhausted seniors who diligently worked to keep their top marks, but there was an edge to him. His gaze was not hazy from exhaustion. On the contrary it was sharp, too sharp.

“Add it to the drink and warm the pastry, please.” He pulled out his wallet and waited for her to ring him up.

A lot more crazy coffee drinkers on this side of Gotham than I originally thought. She hesitated for a moment before pressing the necessary buttons on the screen. “For here or to go?”

“Here.”

“The name for the order?”

“Tim.”

“Ok, your total comes out to $11.48, will you be paying cash or card?”

“Cash,” he quickly pulled out a $20 bill and handed it to her. The drawer sprung open with a ring and she handed him the change as she closed it.

“Please have a seat, we’ll call your name when your order is ready.” She gave him another cordial smile, waiting for him to move so the next customer could come up, but the young man called Tim did not budge. An awkward silence stretched between the two of them as he simply silently stared at her. “Is there anything else you need?”

“No, thanks.” He shook his head and dropped the change in the jar in front of her and left. Citlalli came over from her right, watching Tim as he sat down.

“Everything ok?” She whispered to Y/N who moved over to start his order.

“Yeah, we’ve dealt with much weirder things.” She shrugged it off to help ignore the sense of unease Tim gave her.

“True, but he was just standing there, staring at you.” She frowned, scanning the dining area quickly to see Tim watching them. “And he’s still watching you.”

“He’s probably thinking about what else he might want to order. Customers do it all the time, ordering one thing only to consider adding something else after the fact.” Y/N casually brushed it off. “You’re thinking too much about it, he’s just an overly caffeinated burnt out studious senior wishing for the school year to end already.”

“I guess,” Citlalli bit into her lower lip as concern for the safety of her dear friend doubled with her current streak of luck. “If he gives you any trouble, oi! Look at me, mija!” She grabbed Y/N’s face, squishing her cheeks while making her look at her. “You tell me right away. I'll have his ass kicked out at full speed!” She snapped her fingers after relinquishing Y/N’s face. “You've been through enough between that bill, my dumbass cousin, and the sudden midnight order that broke the window. Let me help where I can.”

“Thanks, Cici, I will, I promise. He's just like any other awkward teen trying to get out of high school that would pay big money for a coffee IV drip and I'm going to treat him as such. If he pulls any funny business, you'll be the first to know.” Y/N gently squeezed one of Citlalli’s shoulders before returning her attention to complete the order and call out to him for pick up. 

The next few customers were of the usual variety, a majority of them ordering the sugar loaded ice blended drinks regardless of how cold some of the days have been. It was the technical orders with the highly detailed instructions that irked her. 

If they think this is so easy to do, why don't they just go home and make it themselves? If I ever find out who came to with this ridiculous and disgusting sounding flavor combo, I'll throttle ‘em! She shared frustrated looks with her fellow baristas. It was clear that this drink would be burning through some of their supplies quickly. 

When the fruity whipped up topping heavy blended drinks were completed, they were placed out for pick up by her coworker while Y/N went back to the register.

Tim quietly watched his person of interest deal with the complex orders and demanding customers. The smile plastered on her face the entire time was an impressive feat. One obnoxious customer was one too many in his opinion, but there was nothing that he could do and he knew any retaliation on her end would lead to disciplinary actions against her. She was responsible, respectful, and resilient; but none of this information got him any closer to solving the mystery that was her. 

The customer is always right, like hell they are. He rolled his eyes at the passing thought. She’s smart, but is it enough to grab attention? What did she do with the ‘tip’ Dick gave her? Why did he think to give her that? What am I missing? He knows her, somehow. I need to figure out how. He finished the last of his order and stood up, tossing his trash and quietly leaving the establishment. He would need to observe her for longer and possibly try to gain some insight from the other customers and staff. 

The daytime quickly became dark, the days slowly growing shorter as autumn progressed. The number of customers dwindled down as the evening hours struck. There were still a few lingering customers with their laptops, typing away. The loyalty customers occasionally came to the counter for the complimentary refill on regular coffee while the non-rewards customers ordered something different each time. Citlalli had gone home for the evening and soon it was simply Y/N and two other baristas as a few late night customers came in.

“Hello, what would you like to order?” Y/N smiled at the older woman. Much like all the other customers, she was well dressed and carried a designer bag. Her long sharp acrylics were clicking and tapping against every surface she touched as she looked through the large bag for something. Finding whatever it was, she kept her hand inside to hold whatever it was.

“Hi, I would like to order a medium iced mocha macchiato with almond milk and an extra shot of espresso. Have the mocha drizzle divided equally in the bottom and on top of the foam, with light ice. Add 3 pumps of caramel syrup, 2 pumps of toffee nut syrup, and a sprinkle of cinnamon on top. Serve it in a grande cup with a separate cup of ice on the side and a packet of sweetner.” She kindly smiled back after quickly running through the instructions. Any relief Y/N had felt froze up in her veins at the complex order that was thrown at her.

“I’m sorry, could you please repeat that a little slower? I want to make sure I have it down correctly.” The older woman pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. “Thank you for your understanding in wanting to make sure your specific drink is made exactly as you ordered.” Y/N added for good measure. It seemed to do the trick as she nodded and slowly repeated the overly complicated order slower. Y/N read it back to her for verification before ringing out the order. “You can have a seat, we’ll call you when your order is ready, Susan. Thank you, again, for being a loyal customer.” She added, this was something their boss insisted they say to reward members. 

“Ah, ah, I’m not done just yet!” Susan pulled out her hidden hand which held one of their decorative cups. “I bought this from your store and last time I was here I couldn’t help bit notice the little shelf over here.” She pointed to her left.

“Ah, yes, that is our discount shelf. Anything on that shelf is 30 to 40% off.”

“Exactly, and this thermos is on that shelf. You can see it on the second shelf towards the left over there.” Y/N leaned over to the left a bit to get a better view from the register before nodding her head.

“Looks like it’s there, so yes, it’s on sale now. Did you want to buy another one?” She offered, though she was not entirely sure why Susan brought her thermos. “Oh, did you want your drink made in your cup?”

“No, well yes, but that’s not why I’m bringing this up.”

“No, you didn't want to buy it or no, don't use the cup?” Y/N frowned, unsure which answer went to which question.

“No, I do not want to buy another one. Yes, put my drink in here. The reason I am talking about this is because I am upset. When I bought this thermos, I paid full price.” Y/N silently stared at Susan for a few seconds, unsure where this was even going as she took the cup and placed it with the ticket for use.

“Yes, because it was full price when you purchased it.’

“Do you see the issue here?”

“No, I do not. What is the issue?”

“Well, why is it on sale now?”

“We’re clearing out the overstock we have of those designs to make room for new designs.” She calmly explained.

“Ok, the problem is that I paid full price for a product that you’re get it rid of anyway.”

“Well, this sale started a week ago. This style thermos was brand new or one of the newer products when you bought it, so it was not on sale. If you bought this cup anytime prior to a week ago, you would have paid full price..”

“Exactly, you see how this is discriminatory, right?”

“Discriminatory,” she repeated the word and watched as Susan nodded her head excitedly. “How?”

“Yes, you can see how this is discriminating against customers, like myself, who bought this before the sale!” She eagerly explained.

“Uh, no, you just happened to buy it before it was put on sale. We don't have control over which tumbler or thermos will sell out or not. This particular design had a few items left, so they are now on sale.”

“Ok, here is the cup and here is my receipt.” Susan continued to push through, ignoring everything that Y/N was explaining to her. “I would greatly appreciate it if you gave me the difference of the discount in cash.” She held out the thermal sheet of paper. Y/N took the slip, checking the date to see if there was something that could be done. 

“Firstly, this was charged on a card. If I were to refund the difference, it would go back onto your card. That can't be done though, because you purchased this three months ago. This is proof that you did and are ineligible for a refund of the difference due to the current sale that has been placed three months after your purchase.” 

“And why not?!” Susan snapped as she became more and more irate as the conversation went on.

If you listened to a single word I’ve said thus far instead of spewing your toxic stupidity all over the place, maybe you’d already know the answer! “Because you bought it three months before the sale.”

“Young lady, this is completely unfair! If you were going to put it on sale, you should’ve never put it at full price! This is robbery! I am due proper compensation for such poor financial etiquette and discrimination!” Her voice grew shrill as she raised it. All Y/N wanted to do was slap a piece of tape over the brightly colored lips of the annoying customer and chuck the troublesome cup out the door with her.

“The only thing I am allowed to do is offer you another one at the discounted price. I cannot do anything else.”

“This is the most horrid customer service I have ever had in my life! How can you just stand there and deny a loyal paying customer what they want?! Where is your manager, I demand to speak with them!”

“I am the acting manager at this time.”Lucky me-not! “Even if I weren’t, the manager would have said the very same thing.”

“All you little brats act as a manager when it’s convenient to you! I swear, this generation is nothing but trouble, full of disrespect, and lying! I want to speak with the owner, Donavan, yes I do know him.” She smugly smirked.

“Mr. D is not in at this moment. He left for the evening two hours ago and will be back tomorrow. You’re welcome to come back at that time and speak with him.” Y/N flatly answered.

“No, call him now.” she slammed her manicured hand onto the counter, scaring some of the other customers and the other barista. A throbbing pain started to grow at Y/N’s temples as she took a few moments to keep her cool and not risk her job with a harsh response.

“Why don’t you call him? Since you say you know him so well, call him. Let him know that you’re harassing his employee for doing her job and following his rules implemented in his establishment.” A calm male voice called out from the end of the line. Everyone turned to find the owner, only to see a tall and strong looking biker with a helmet. He stepped forward and others made room for him. Pulling off his helmet, Y/N’s jaw fell open from shock at seeing Jason standing there.

He rides a motorcycle?! Of course he does! Wait, that’s not important! He’s going to cause trouble if this crazy lady actually calls Mr. D! Before she could try to de-escalate the situation, Jason turned so his back was to the register as he looked down at the rowdy customer. Y/N watched Susan’s face go from angry red to a blush pink the moment she laid eyes on the handsome young man. Straightening up her posture and adjusting her clothing, she turned to face Jason.

“I know how this might look just walking in, but she has been quite insolent this entire time. I am merely trying to teach her her place.” Her voice was calmer, sweeter, thick like molasses kind of sweet over a honeyed tone.

“Not from what I’ve seen since you walked up here. Did you forget you nearly hit a biker with your car and cursed them out? Hi, that biker was me. Now, get your drink and sit quietly or leave, or you can call the owner and he can check the CC footage to see what happened. You pick,” he calmly repeated. Y/N was not able to see the look in his eyes, but she could tell from the way Susan’s face paled that he was very intimidating. She quickly gathered her things, snatching the receipt as she hurried away to wait for her drink.

“Thanks for the help. I’m sorry you had to step in like that.” The genuine smile of relief she gave him was a direct shot to his heart, and the vigilante was none the wiser why. It injected warmth into his veins and filled his chest with immeasurable pride.

“Don’t mention it, I told you, I save damsels in distress. You just happen to be in distress more often than most.” He smirked and winked at her, earning an eye roll in response. “I’ll have to insist you clock out for the rest of the day though. You look exhausted and after all of that, you deserve a free night at the least.”

“Go on, Y/N. I’ll handle her drink. We told Cici already and she said to just clock out for the shift. She’s on her way now.” A coworker nudged her towards the back. “Don't keep your boyfriend waiting!”

“Yeah, you've covered enough of our shifts, go have fun!” The other joined in, ushering her through the back doors without giving her a chance to explain that they were not together like that. All she could do was sigh in defeat as she headed to the staff room to clock out and grab her things. This was a misunderstanding that could easily be fixed next time.

Returning to the front of the store, she avoided lengthy eye contact with her coworkers who were clearly having too much fun with this turn of events. One kept wiggling their eyebrows while the other was a fit of giggles. “C’mon Wonder Boy, let's go.” She grabbed his arm and led him back out the doors.

Tag: @vbecker10 @wordsfromshona @harlequin-hangout @harpy-space @tild3ath @gone-batty-fics @princessbl0ss0m @dakotali @antiquecultist

[evilwickedme]

hey it’s me from the Batman posts! (the one that left the tags abt wanting to get into Batman but having no clue where to start)

If its not too much trouble, I’d love any advice on where to start with Batman or Batfam(?) stuff, I saw someone suggest reading the Batman: Wayne Family Adventures thing on webtoon as an intro to the characters so I’ve been doing that, but I’ve got no clue about any of the official comics or shows/movies/etc. I’ve never read a comic series before so everything is super new to me.

I know different series(?)/versions(?) can be wildly different bc of different writers and stuff, I definitely trust your taste on what would be good / enjoyable bc the posts you’ve been reblogging are like 90% of whats gotten me interested in the first place

Thank you, and absolutely no rush!!

Hey I am legit SO happy that you sent me this ask this is literally my favorite thing to do!!!!

So to start with I do actually agree that wfa is a good starting point but for a different reason than I feel most people would recommend it. The thing about wfa is that it has a consistent design for every character, is humorous, touches not only on the main batfamily members but also many extended members, other noteworthy people in Gotham, and the batfamily's cast of friends and teammates as well. This means that while its approach to characterization is incredibly fanon-y, it's a good basis for how to continue. You read wfa, and you know that Dick is the first robin, wears ridiculous costumes, was batman for a bit, is nightwing, part of the teen titans... this isn't a lot, but it's just enough to orient yourself before jumping into some of the most convoluted art ever created, aka the comic world.

Another tip I'm gonna give you is to let yourself be confused. I think the people who end up sticking with comics are people who are aware that if they pick up a comic it's very likely the writers and artists have read and worked on comics that you haven't read yet or even heard of, so you're always going to be missing something. That's fine. If something is really important to the plot, it gets explained; if it's not, it's windowdressing. Often there'll be little boxes saying what comic and issue they're referencing, so if you find it interesting you can just go read it - otherwise, if it's not there, you can google it, or go to any comic fan and ask "hey do you know what this is about?" and if they know, they will answer. There is nothing a comic fan wants more than to explain how to get into their favorite character/s, trust me.

Anyway this has been a very wordy intro but here are some potential starting points for the batfamily!

Bruce Wayne

You know who he is. Pick up an issue of Batman or Detective Comics and he's there. Pick up an issue of any other DC comic and there's like a 30% chance he's there too.

Batman: The Long Halloween

Noir style, investigative, early in batman's career, two face's origin story

It has a sequel-ish story called Batman: Dark Victory that's almost as good

Batman: Hush

Batman: Year One

Frankly there's not going to be much information in this comic you don't already know, but also, it's a classic, so might as well

Batman: A Death in the Family & Batman: A Lonely Place of Dying (crossover with the new teen titans)

First story is Jason's death, second is Tim's introduction and arguably the start of the batfamily being a family

Tim drags Dick back into the fray in ALPOD. It's just sort of the kind of thing he does

Do NOT confuse A Death in the Family with Death OF the Family, which is a much newer story, and Not Good

Batman: Under the Red Hood

Jason's villain arc! More details below

Batman himself isn't actually my favorite but you know he's got some decent stuff since he's, uh, the main character. DC doesn't have a multiverse the way Marvel does - and getting into that would be a whole separate ask - but their elseworlds are stories about the characters in different situations. Some ones I've heard good things about include Gotham by Gaslight, Dark Knights of Steel, Batman: Last Knight on Earth, and I keep meaning to get into Batman: White Knight, which is a whole other universe on its own. I've been trying to get into more modern batman stuff and unfortunately I just haven't clicked with anything.

Dick Grayson

Guy has been in a lot of things. If you read a random Batman comics from before 1980, there's a good chance he'll be there.

Teen Titans and The New Teen Titans and Titans (1980s-2000s)

I haven't read enough of these to say much of anything, but he's a founding member of the TT

Nightwing

His post-Robin superhero identity. At first only present in NTT and occasional Batman comics, but eventually he gets his own miniseries in the early 90s, followed by an ongoing. Recently-ish started reading them and they're angsty and very 90s in a lot of ways but I'm enjoying it

Modern Nightwing titles also exist. For sure.

Batman & Robin by Morrison

In one of DC's ten million crises, Bruce "dies", and after a short story called Battle for the Cowl, Dick ends up becoming Batman. Damian is his Robin. It's an interesting time for batman comics, although not necessarily the best writing that Dick has ever gotten.

Batman: The Dark Mirror

Also a great story for the Gordons. Bruce is back from the dead, but Dick is still Batman in Gotham. This was my first even Batman comic and it's really good.

Obviously there's other stories, such as Grayson, where he becomes a super spy for a bit. There's a million and a half reading lists for Dick out there as he's a massively popular character and he's one of the characters DC is pushing the most right now. As with all the rest of these, these are good entry points; from there I trust you to find your way

Barbara Gordon

The original Batgirl, sort of (nobody really brings up bette kane unless they're pointing out that babs wasn't the original Batgirl, she's just not important). She appears sporadically in silver and bronze age batman comics and detective comics, but she quits being Batgirl shortly before being raped and shot in the spine by the joker in Batman: the Killing Joke, which I purposefully did not put on my rec list.

Birds of Prey

Babs-as-Oracle at her best.

Batman: The Dark Mirror

Babs' long lost brother comes back to town. It's fucked up.

I've been reliably told to stay away from her Batgirl runs - most people who are a fan of the character don't like that they retconned Oracle away and it's mostly not very well written. There's a comic called batgirls that lasted about a year that included her, and it's okay.

Jason Todd (my beloved)

MY MAN

Batman: Second Chances

Collected edition of Jason as Robin, so much fun. Extremely silly at times since it's the 80s.

Batman: A Death in the Family

For obvious reasons.

Then he's just sort of dead for 17 years. He shows up in heaven in a Green Arrow issue and is occasionally brought up or shown as a hallucination, but that's about it.

Batman: Under the Red Hood

There's a new crime lord in town and he's so smart and talented and hot omg I wonder who he is!!!!

The collected edition also comes with the annual that reveals how he came back to life

Task Force Z

This shouldn't be as good as it is.

Jason gets recruited to work with a team of undead villains

Jason gets called a hot a bunch of times, and is shirtless a lot. This doesn't matter but you know, like, yeah it does.

For Robin!Jason there's also Batman: The Cult - which I finally got my hands on recently but haven't read yet. For Red Hood!Jason there's lots of stuff, but most of it isn't very good or is actively bad. Most people will tell you to stay away from Red Hood and the Outlaws, and they're right, although the 2016 run is better. Most people will tell you to read Batman & Red Hood: Cheer, and they're wrong, it's ass.

Tim Drake

Frankly this boy has no flops. Or very close to it.

Batman: A Lonely Place of Dying

Tim figured out who Batman and Robin are at AGE NINE. Respect.

After this he appears in various Batman and detective comics issues, I haven't read any of these.

Robin

The first Robin to get his own ongoing! Like with Nightwing, it started with a miniseries (a few of them, actually) and got turned into a long running series from there. Lasted like 200 issues, too.

Tim FUCKS.

Not Steph's first appearance, but most of her appearances pre-2009 are in this series.

Young Justice 1998

It's insane in all the best ways. Cars have sex on panel. They play baseball to save the world on an alien planet. A power of friendship speech prevents the end of the world. In the first issue, a woman develops breasts so big she falls on her face.

This team eventually breaks apart and Tim along with 3 other teen heroes nicknamed the core four (Superboy, Impulse, & Wonder Girl II) become part of Teen Titans 2003, which I haven't read and is also a bit of a flop era fashion wise for everyone anyway. I do have the volume of TT03 where they meet the versions of themselves from the future and I plan on reading that soon-ish.

In the mid 2000s basically everyone Tim loves dies. Steph died in 2004 ish after a very short stint as Robin. Tim's mom dies, then his dad is murdered, and it's unclear what happened to his step mom, but she was in Bludhaven, which had an atomic bomb dropped on it. Impulse becomes kid flash becomes the flash becomes murdered, and superboy gets killed while saving the world. Steph does turn out to not be dead after all and Impulse and Superboy come back from the dead eventually but by God he's having a tough year BEFORE Bruce "dies".

Red Robin 2009

After Bruce "dies" and Dick becomes Batman, Dick makes Damian his Robin and nobody believes Tim that Bruce is still alive, so he steals the Red Robin costume and goes on a mission to save his dad!

Not a comic to read first because it's so uncharacteristic of Tim as a person, but definitely something to read as soon as possible, because it's ridiculously good.

After flashpoint/n52 Tim doesn't have his own ongoing for a while, but he does come out as bisexual in an early issue of Batman Urban Legends (2021) and he got his own ongoing called Tim Drake: Robin in 2022 which was ugly AF and yet cancelled far too soon. There's a Young Justice run from 2019 I haven't read yet.

Stephanie Brown

For her I would go to Google, bc I haven't gone down the rabbithole enough for her yet. I know her first appearance was in a batman comic where she became spoiler to spoil her dad's plans - her dad being a third rate villain called the cluemaster - and she almost kills him, so good for her. Afterwards she appears every once in a while in various comics, most notably in Robin, where she and Tim as Robin start dating despite him knowing her identity but not the other way around.

Robin 60s (I don't remember the exact issues)

Steph gives birth and gives her baby up for adoption

Robin 126-128

Steph becomes Robin when Tim quits for his still-alive-but-not-for-long dad.

War Games

Steph does a fucky wucky and accidentally starts a gang war which gets her killed

There's another Robin arc where she comes back and it turns out she was never dead, Leslie (the family doctor) simply faked her death and sent her to Africa to recover

Batgirl 2009

Her first and only solo ongoing, but it's really good

She also appears a lot in Cass's Batgirl ongoings, and occasionally shows up in yj98. Her most recent series in Batgirls, which isn't very good but her interactions with Cass are very gay, and we've all been shipping it for 20 years at this point, so frankly it's long overdue. Unlikely to become canon tho, unfortunately.

Cassandra Cain

She doesn't use a lot of words, so neither will I. Probably.

No Man's Land

Frankly I am terrified to read this, it's so many goddamn issues, but this is her first appearance. I have one "volume" and it's as big as the fucking Bible.

Batgirl 2000

She's the first Batgirl to get an ongoing. The one from 2008 I've been reliably told isn't very good. She's absolutely terrifying in the 2000 one, I approve.

Outsiders 2016

Supposed to also be good for Duke content. I think at this point she's going by Orphan? Idk she's had a lot of names.

Idk I prefer Black Bat

Spirit World

Mini series that recently ended. Soooooo good. Alyssa Wong is a top contender for favorite modern writer.

She's mostly a background character. Bc DC is both sexist AND racist. She was also in batgirls.

Damian Wayne

Frankly he's my least favorite of the batkids, but that's not his fault, he's been a victim of a lot of really racist writing.

Batman: Son of the Demon

Somehow both his origin AND an elseworlds that doesn't count. Not required reading, but Bruce and Talia are madly in love in this.

Batman by Grant Morrison

After UTRH and before Dick was forced to become Batman Morrison reintroduced Talia's son, who in this version was a rape baby bc apparently brutalia weren't in love and Talia drugged Bruce. Fucking fine, I guess.

His character growth during his time as robin is sweet tho.

Robin 2021

His only solo ongoing, pretty good

Super Sons

He had two team up comics with then fellow child Jon Kent, son of superman, and it was fucking adorable. Then they aged up Jon to 17, so they're still friends, but Jon has his own shit going on.

Duke Thomas

He's REALLY new, and I haven't read any of it, I'm sorry.

Robin War

Batman and the Signal - I finally got my hands on the first issue of this last week!

The Outsiders 2016

Frankly they should capitalize on the Duke & Cass friendship/siblingship more often.

Alfred Pennyworth

I haven't read it, but there's a series called Pennyworth about his days as a spy for the crown. Supposed to be pretty good.

Kate Kane

The Jewish lesbian batwoman of our dreams

Batwoman: Elegy

Her introduction

Also, it's written by Greg Rucka, and if he can do one thing, it's write sapphic women. I'm not even joking.

Get the newer edition that has both of her original Rucka stories

Batwoman ongoings

She's had a couple, they're both supposed to be pretty solid, I've only read a few issues here and there

Batman in other media

Animated: I'm currently watching Batman the Animated Series for the first time and it seems to really get Bruce as a character, even if Robin will be there one episode and his existence will be a plot hole in the next. The Justice League animated series has also been fun so far. Teen Titans have gotten a number of animated adaptations all of which have pretty strong followings. There's an animated show called "Young Justice" which is a Teen Titans show and I refuse to watch it (it has a very devout following, but all that means is that the Young Justice - All Media Types tag on ao3 is just the same as Young Justice Cartoon and I have to filter heavily when looking for yj98 fics). Lego Batman is a REALLY fun film, and I think it turned into a whole franchise.

Live action TV: I have watched the first season of both Titans and Gotham, but both of those were before I was into the batfamily as a concept. My impression of Titans is overall negative and my impression of Gotham is overall positive.

Live action movies: There are so many Goddamn Batman movies. I like the Dark Knight Trilogy, but even calling it "based on" the Dark Knight comic trilogy is giving it a lil more credit than it deserves. The Batman 2022 is massively popular with the comic fandom for a reason - I'm not a big fan of it, but I did enjoy laughing at the movie so at least there's that. Batfleck sucks. I haven't seen anything else, up to and including the Joker movie. Oh, and Birds of Prey was really good, but that's not Cass.

Video games: The Arkham trilogy is well loved and I have indeed just bought it, but I haven't gotten to it because I'm currently working on Gotham Knights and uh. Okay so listen. This game is a lot of fun and I will be finishing it. But it's like. Got a massively antisemitic plot point. I can't even say I don't recommend it, I'm genuinely enjoying the game a lot. But I've never seen anybody bring this up, and it's bugging me.

ANYWAY I'm sure I've missed a LOT but this is introductory so you know I'm giving myself grace. There's characters I completely skipped and I'm sure mega fans of characters I haven't read much of will be offended that I said such and such about them but you know it's only been about a year and a half since I started reading dc comics and I'm still figuring it all out. And I probably will still be figuring it out for the next decade. To me that's actually part of the fun of it.

[magical-wishies]

To love or not to love, that is the questio-

Ok whoops wrong reference. Happy Valentine's Day everyone! I made a MV of the song "Darling Dance" by Kairiki Bear featuring my favourite little tricksters for the occasion!

I'd rather you go straight to Youtube to watch it because Tumblr always finds a way to cut the quality, lol.

Eng subtitles are available too!

Here it is! Hope you enjoy my pride and joy. Basically like a hopeful child but in video format. Reblogs are specially appreciated because Youtube sucks at promoting new channels!

This also acts as a behind-the-scenes post, so let's get straight into that, shall we?

MV Project 1 "Darling Dance"

Illustration time: 37 hours

Editing time: Approx. 30-35 hours

Total: 70 hours

*Cough* Holy freakin' moly does making an MV take so long. Before you roll off your bed, I'll say that part of the reason making the art took so long was because I have trouble drawing Marx consistently.

Here's some unused assets! Look at them, they're all salty over not making the cut.

In all seriousness though, a lot of times I don't really see a lot of editors/ MV makers getting appreciation for their efforts. And now that I've personally experienced making an MV for the first time, it's also increased my admiration to the people who dedicate their time to this! All the kudos to them.

Now, I'll go scene by scene then comment along the way! Spoilers ahead!

Verse 1

Pretty good for what it is. In the first image, you see that heart behind Magolor? I discovered the motion of it on complete accident lol. Capcut is hard to figure out..

I also really like the color palette of 2nd image. That art of Marx was the last one I did during production (aka I drew it this morning), and just look at him. He's such a bastard he's the best.

Pre Chorus 1

Mmmm yeah it sure is the pre chorus! I put a bar behind the text in the middle because I didn't want people to stare into their soulless eyes for too long. That probably worked!

1st Chorus

When I first added in the expression change, I fangirled over it a little on the first rewatch. Like, come on! They suddenly look mischievous, and the color change on the background! I know I drew it but still!

For the rest, I experimented a little with all the "Nah"s! I think it ended up well. Most of the lyric editing in this MV is completely original, so I had a couple of things to try out!

Verse 2

This song is horrifically outdated because it says Twitter instead of X!! (/sarcasm)

This scene is my second favourite. I'm really proud of the details on the tabs and the editing at the beginning! Wish I could put more images but the app only allows ten. Bummer.

Pre Chorus 2

I think it's cute, and I used it as my pfp on YouTube! That's about it though.. image limit is killing me I can't put anything here :(

Chorus 2

...Not gonna spoil it! I like how I drew them, but there ain't anything notable. Unless you look at the last image I put right before the bridge. :)

Bridge

This is where my editing comes in freakin' clutch. Ooooooh it's so satisfying to look at. Chef's kiss. Also those Marxs (Marxes?) are really cute.

The second part of the bridge is nice as well! I tried to make the lyrics snap to the rhythm. Glad I added that tv effect in the bg too!

Chorus 3

This scene is my favourite! Wanna know why?

This sequence right here. I think I will etch it into my brain forever... I love me some snappy editing. Like a lot. Like a lot a lot!

The second part of the chorus is like the original song's MV! I loved the hearts popping in and out whoever thought of that is a genius. Putting it into the MV was a good decision!

And that's a wrap! Hope you enjoy the MV as much as I enjoyed making it. And, stay tuned for next time! I have a feeling a certain jester is getting his own solo MV...

Feel free to leave your thoughts either in the Youtube comments section or here. See you around!

[sirfrogsworth]

The Pretty Average Trump Trauma

I really picked the wrong week to have a controversial post go viral.

The appeal deadline for my disability case is very soon and we just recently got the last of the medical records. My lawyer can get very busy and hard to reach. And I have been freaking out trying to get a hold of him to make sure everything is ready to be submitted. Thankfully he just emailed and said everything is on track and will be sent in for the appeal.

But having this weighing on me behind the scenes while also dealing with the blowback from my "vote for Biden" post caused me to enter into some unhealthy arguments and lose my temper on several occasions.

I didn't actually think about what would happen if that post went viral. Sometimes I write things and a hundred people see it, and it serves as a catharsis because I was able to get my thoughts and fears out of my brain.

And sometimes it gets reblogged 6000 times and I can forget I have a platform where that happens from time to time.

I wish I had written a better initial post. I think my thoughts in subsequent posts, along with the inclusion of what I think is a better strategy, would have gone a long way to help people understand my point of view. Looking back, that original post feels incomplete.

The post that ended up going viral was not inspired by reason or logic and it was never really meant to convince anyone of anything.

I thought I was preaching to the choir.

It was a representation of my fears. It was the result of two years of panic and trauma from the pandemic which ended in my mother's horrible death.

Let me explain...

On November 9th, Shaun, a YouTuber I respect, posted this.

And it scared the hell out of me.

A very popular leftist with a huge platform wrote this to 5 million people and I freaked out.

Shaun wasn't necessarily saying not to vote for Biden at the time. But he thinks people should all say they won't vote for him unless he calls for a ceasefire. I get the strategy. But I feared that nuance would be lost on many people and they would only see it as "don't vote for Biden... no matter what." Which was an accurate prediction on my part. The guy from Eve 6 has been going nuance-free for weeks now.

The one thing I greatly disagree with Shaun about is this...

Before the pandemic, I might have understood his argument. For the first two years, Trump was mostly an ineffectual goof. He had trouble getting a lot of his worst ideas to manifest. Most of the border wall he built ended up being repairs of existing barriers. And Obama droned civilians and kept kids in cages too—though Trump kept them in cages indefinitely and made up a rule that we can't actually know how many civilians he was droning.

So, a lot of the same, but turned up to 11.

But nothing about the pandemic response was pretty average.

There is something I have been choosing not to say during all of these discussions. I felt like saying it would be poor timing. I was worried people wouldn't actually agree with me. I worried it would make people think I was turning suffering into a competition. I didn't want to make it look like I valued certain lives over others. But then people accused me of all of that anyway. I was called evil and a collaborator and a supporter of genocide.

So I'm going to talk about it. Because the fact that few have mentioned it in these discussions has been bothering me. And the fact that the majority of society does not mention it makes me feel very alone in this belief.

I have long believed Trump and the majority of US conservatives committed a genocide of the disabled and elderly. I was never really comfortable calling it that word. I wasn't really sure how a genocide got classified as such. So I would just say things like, "40% of people who died during COVID should still be alive" and "Trump is responsible for hundreds of thousands of COVID deaths" and "Trump killed my mom" and hoping people would make the connection or at least see it as mass murder. I mean, this country judges everything by how many "9/11s" something is, but not the pandemic?

Donald Trump was the leader of the Republican party. When he refused to wear a mask due to vanity, his followers looked for something to excuse him. And I feel that directly birthed the "masks don't work" movement among conservatives. Donald Trump, having enormous influence among his acolytes, refused to correct this dangerous rhetoric. And he probably welcomed the cover so he could continue going maskless and not smear his makeup—even after he nearly died.

It is my belief this was the beginning of a genocide of apathy, deliberate and accidental incompetence, and non-compliance. And the reason for that non-compliance was not freedom as many claimed.

Conservatives did not like being inconvenienced.

They didn't like having to consider others.

And if competence requires effort and vigilance, they'd prefer doing the bare minimum.

Trump was famous for not filling vital administrative positions in the executive branch. Not only that, his turnover rate was 5 times higher than previous administrations. People were asked to do the job of several people because they didn't staff properly, and so those people quit. Thus creating a cycle of inexperienced new-hires that were out of their depth and asked to do much more than they bargained for. There is no way they could succeed in their jobs.

I think people forget that part of the role of the executive is the day-to-day boring administrative shit that is required to run a country. And when this day-to-day work isn't valued, it creates a crisis of incompetence. Which then creates things like not enough tests, not enough testing, Trump saying "if you don't test, it doesn't count", botched vaccine rollouts, rampant misinformation, poor education of the populace, and abysmal improvised press conferences where the President does a quick riff on injecting bleach.

This competence aspect is one of the hugest reliefs I had with the Biden administration. Not Biden. Not his policies. I'm talking about the regular workers getting shit done. This is the reason I am desperate to get my shit worked out with Social Security before the election. I once called Social Security during the pandemic and I literally got a recording saying to try calling back the next month.

Trump didn't care. People criticized him for not hiring people. He was aware of the problem. He just did nothing about it. And many conservatives praised him for "trimming the fat" or whatever. This idea that all of these government workers were useless burdens on the taxpayer fell apart during the pandemic.

There is incompetence caused by ignorance but it can also be a deliberate act. Trump was extraordinary in all forms of incompetence. He wasn't qualified to manage a pandemic. But he could have easily appointed experts and then gotten out of the way. But his narcissism would not let him cede power to anyone. He has always been convinced "only Trump can save you" and so his ego helped kill nearly half a million people.

Once the incompetence ball got rolling, that's when malicious apathy reared its ugly head. It was time to choose who they cared least about dying—who they felt was most useless. Conservatives decided it was time to devalue lives and start making sacrifices to save politicians' money laundering fronts small businesses.

Popular conservatives were going on TV and saying it was okay if Grandma died. It would be a worthy sacrifice to protect our freedoms.

The Lt. Governor of Texas, Dan Patrick, basically offered up the elderly for sacrifice all while claiming that he spoke for them and was also willing to die. Though I don't take his personal willingness very seriously, since he has the money and resources to get the best medical care and probably had no expectation he was in any danger.

“No one reached out to me and said, ‘As a senior citizen, are you willing to take a chance on your survival in exchange for keeping the America that all America loves for your children and grandchildren?’ But if they had? If that is the exchange, I’m all in. So my message is let’s get back to work. Those of us who are 70-plus, we’ll take care of ourselves.”

But you cannot just sacrifice the elderly. You may justify it by saying they have lived a long life, but many of the same health risks were shared by the disabled. Many of whom still had normal lifespans, but just needed extra care and protection.

There are countless elderly who cannot "take care of themselves" but they are still of value to our society. They are still loved. They watch and teach their grandchildren. They are the keepers of the family stories. They bake cookies and give you two dollar bills. They have random bowls of butterscotch all throughout their house.

But some need help. Some are sick. Some can't drive. Some can't walk. I guarantee not all of them were prepared to die for the cause.

And none deserved to die for a sports bar.

Oh, didn't I mention?

Dan Patrick owned a chain of sports bars that were losing money from the lockdowns. Did you really think he was sacrificing old folks "for the children"?

Thankfully Dan's sports bars are gonna be okay. He ended up receiving a $179,000 PPP loan... that was forgiven.

Then they started saying COVID deaths weren't COVID deaths.

"Well, they had a bad heart." "They were obese." "They had cancer."

They dropped the elderly excuse and began to openly devalue the disabled as well. If you were sick, what good were you? They considered us the next sacrifices for their convenience. If we wanted to survive, we shouldn't have gotten sick. It didn't matter that we could survive for years or even have a normal lifespan as long as we were protected by our communities.

And then began the non-compliance.

Trump's followers ignored masks and lockdowns and eventually vaccines. They were unwilling to protect the vulnerable and so many of us just... died.

Again, 40% of the US COVID deaths could have been prevented. Hundreds of thousands of people should still be here. Malicious apathy, incompetence, and non-compliance were the direct cause of this genocide.

The United Nations Genocide Convention identified 5 acts that typically constitute genocide. Only one act is required and in the pandemic 3 of the 5 acts happened.

Killing members of a group. Causing members of a group serious bodily harm. Imposing living conditions on that group that would destroy them.

I'm looking at that third one just now and realizing why we have advocates to remind us of vulnerable groups that need protection. I was thinking about how the elderly and disabled were trapped in hyper-contagious nursing homes and care facilities, but I completely forgot about prisons and the concentration camps at the borders.

I am not trying to diminish the awful things happening in Palestine right now. This is not a comparison of suffering—but a reminder. When a current terrible thing is happening, it can be hard to focus on anything else. But I do wish more people recognized what happened as a genocide and that the leader of that genocide, the one with the power to stop it, was Donald Trump. If we are going to base this voting decision entirely on acts of genocide, why is this not part of the consideration?

It is an awful moral calculus we have to figure out. One president is supporting and asking for funding for a genocide and I feel the other was the direct cause of another genocide. That's why I said both choices sucked. And the only way I could resolve this moral calculation was by asking what path would cause the least harm for everyone involved.

And the most disappointing aspect of all of these debates was the ableism. People told me if Trump was elected and I lost my benefits I should grow my own food and learn about medicine. They said I valued disabled lives above those in Gaza. They told me to imagine myself in Nazi Germany as a collaborator despite the fact I would have been euthanized.

But I felt like they weren't considering the disabled at all.

I am a disability advocate. So of course I am going to remind people to consider us in their voting decisions. But I'm tired of hearing I value lives differently just because I speak on behalf of a vulnerable group more often. I'm tired of continually having to justify my existence. And I'm tired of people dismissing the very real trauma caused by Trump.

It was not pretty average.

I'd like to tell you the full story of my mother's passing. All of the details. Even the ones I can't bear to type. But this isn't just my story. This is the story of countless others who had to watch their loved ones slowly die behind glass or over the phone or on an iPad.

I spent two years in constant anxiety trying to protect my two very sick parents. It was always assumed that my father was the most at risk. And that he was probably going to die long before my mother. But she had started a treatment for her psoriatic arthritis that turned the volume down on her immune system. Something that would normally not be a huge risk... but a pandemic changed that. A vaccine needs a functioning immune system to protect someone.

She could either accept the agony of stopping treatment or risk getting COVID. If people would have been willing to protect her, it would have been an easier choice. And she would still be around today. And I wouldn't have to worry about being homeless right now.

I don't know for sure when she was infected. I kept her inside as much as possible. But she needed those treatments and we had to pile into a crowded waiting room every time. And I remember a man in his fifties who seemed preoccupied with having to wear a mask. And when he thought no one was looking, he'd pull it down below his nose. A few days later she was being taken away in an ambulance.

A few weeks before my mother died, she called me on the phone. She was heavily medicated and they had two different breathing devices assisting her. The nurse was holding the phone up to her ear and she was trying to speak over the volume of the air rushing into her face from the masks. I could not hear her no matter how loud she yelled. So she asked the nurse to take the masks off for just a second so we could talk.

Her only concern was for my father. We all contracted COVID and she was so worried he would end up just like her. Thankfully the vaccine worked for him and he was okay at that moment. But she kept yelling, "Is Dad okay? Is Dad okay?" And I kept trying to tell her he was fine, but she was hard of hearing and the phone could not be held very close to her ear.

Unfortunately, the yelling made it harder and harder for her to breathe. She started gasping for air. The nurse kept insisting she put the breathing equipment back on, but my mom refused. "I want to talk to my son! I need to talk to my son!"

I knew there wasn't much we could do to communicate. And so I kept trying to yell "I love you, Mom. Everyone is fine. I love you!" I then asked the nurse to tell her that. And when she finally understood what I was saying, she burst into tears.

Her oxygen levels were getting dangerously low and she was fighting the nurse. And she just yelled out, "I'm so scared! I think I'm going to die! Tell Dad I'm sorry I can't take care of him! I don't want to die!" She kept repeating that over and over. The nurse had no choice and had to put the masks back on. My mom screamed and shouted "No! Please no! That's my son!"

And those were the last words I ever heard from my mother.

Gasping for air. Scared of dying. Worried about her family.

This moment has intrusively popped into my brain on a regular basis since it happened. It happens when I'm awake. It happens in my dreams. I have no control over it. I just have to keep experiencing it like it is happening for the first time.

After I saw that tweet from Shaun and then many others expressing the same thing (without the strategic aspect), my dread and trauma resurfaced with a vengeance. I've been reliving my mom's final words in my dreams. That moment keeps popping into my head. I feared the man I feel is most responsible for my mother's death may regain power and kill me and the last of the family I have left.

I keep asking myself the same questions over and over. What if there is another public health emergency? What happens to my trans friends if he turns the US into Florida and Texas? What will happen to the migrants at the border?

All I have is my two best friends. Katrina is gay and Delling is trans and disabled. All of us are vulnerable.

I wrote that post to help deal with the nightmares. Writing is part of my coping process. I didn't really expect it to go super viral. I just needed to get that out of my brain. But when people pushed back and started calling me evil and a collaborator and that I was valuing my life above those in Palestine, all with a huge heap of ableism, I found myself unable to let it go and not respond. I couldn't choose the healthy thing and step away.

While I feel I made some good arguments and put forth some solid ideas for other ways to handle this, I also got angry and lost my temper and stayed in arguments for way too long—all to my mental detriment.

My little world felt like it was collapsing and the world at large also felt like it was collapsing. I had personal horrors in my mind mixing with the horrors of this global conflict.

It was too much.

I don't regret what I posted. Many felt the same as I do. And I think my subsequent posts did a good job of expanding on my thoughts while also offering hope for alternate solutions.

But I do regret the timing and I wish I hadn't lost my temper. Especially in a reply I left with a lot of cussing.

People might disagree but I am hoping that people can understand the fear and trauma that influences my point of view.

I am actually willing to risk quite a lot to protect other people. Even people in faraway lands I don't know.

But I refuse to offer up the vulnerable to be sacrificed if it won't actually help anyone. That's what a Texas Lt. Governor would do.

[nelkey]

alright. kinda random but i do have to ask. what kind of media exactly is orv and where can i read it? (bc imma be honest, ur reblogs n stuff sound intriguing as hell)

That's not random at all, and I'm so happy you asked!!!

Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint (orv for short) is originally a novel, though currently there's a manwha coming out on webtoon.

The basic premise is that an apocalypse starts, and it just so happens to be exactly like the webnovel that the main character has been reading since he was a teenager. The novel has everything: comedy, drama, found family... As you might have noticed, I like it a lot, and have been going insane over it since I read it, so I reaaaaally recommend that you read it.

You can start with the manwha, as it might be a bit easier (especially if you're like me and have trouble picturing characters visually without memorizing images of them xD). Though I reaaaally can't recommend enough continuing to read the novel afterwards, instead of waiting for the webtoon to update.

If you still aren't convinced, go read these posts by @ot3 please!

These posts are a big part of what convinced me to read orv when my dash was flooded with fanart and I had no idea what it was xD

All that said, here are the links!!!

This is the link to the webtoon.

And here's a few links to the novel's epub, (so in case one of them stops working you can try the others):

Also, you might wanna check out @lee-hakhyun 's edited epub!

Let me know if there's anything else you need and if you read it and wanna talk to someone about it, my dms are always open!!! (I also recommend you filter the orv tag)

Oh, and last! In case you don't have an epub reader downloaded, I'll link you to the one I use, Lithium. It works with the epub's formatting and I've been using it for a long time with no problems!

[xxx-theartofsuicide-xxx]

I had to pass out last night so I didn’t get a chance to take a look at your posts until now, and this is easier than reblogging shit over and over. And forgive me for missing things - it’s ass o,clock in the morning here. I really like your theory about it being married to the cartoon, because I do feel like the Beetlejuice we got in the second movie is a lot more like that iteration than the first movie. I’m also happy to keep both entities separate but fan theories are part of what makes fandom great and I can definitely see it. The theory that I agree with most is that the ENTIRE second film is the dream and this is BJ’s way, during the wedding scene, of letting us know that none of this is real. Couple of possibilities here:

1) Her waking up at the end with the indented pillow I think could be a nod to something like you suggested where she grew up, never got hitched or had a kid and she’s just been clowning around with BJ the whole time, much of which as a couple, maybe they do even have the ghost house show but it’s a long con they’re running together from both sides lol. Otherwise, why show him in bed with her at all?

2) Could Charles death brought her and the others to the house and allowed BJ to use her dreams to show her the truth about her relationship with Rory and her daughter?

3) I also like the to play with the idea that it isn’t all a dream up to a certain point, and that there’s a time skip between their escape before failed second wedding and when she has the dream about the future only for it to turn into the beetle baby nightmare lol. People can take it at face value to play with that. In that scenario she’d have to wake up and make changes because Rory would still be in the picture, and maybe she can keep Delia from killing herself lol. There’s a lot there to work with.

This is part of the genius of Burton, Gough and Millar tho. I think where fans run into trouble is that some folks cannot accept that it can be interpreted many ways and that all the ways are technically correct. You can take and leave whatever you want. I think a great example of that inability to accept differences is like…

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’d say within the last seven years or so, fans have gotten really aggressive about canon actualization and then bringing the disappointment (sometimes in extreme ways) when the creators and writers of a work take the plot and its characters in a direction the disagrees with their head canons and desires for the work. And we get all kinds of weird harassment of writers and actors and shit and just, I’m from an entirely different school of thought.

It’s always been my understanding that transformative works like fanart and fanfiction were where fans went to create the outcomes they desired for their favorite stories and characters. I’ve never understood the need to have a headcanon or canon to become actual canon. I feel like canon has its space and fandom, likewise, has its own space, and if something from fandom actualizes into canon, awesome. But if it doesn’t, then who cares? So all these antis and others who refuse to accept that art is made to be interpreted just seem so silly to me. Which is why I responded to your post originally. So, I apologize for mischaracterizing you.

Apology accepted, and I'm sorry if any of my responses were needlessly harsh. I most definitely have noticed the rise in vitriol. I was here through all of it and was a key player in the Beetlewars. There was a time when you couldn't Google "beetlebabes" without finding antis complaining about me specifically by name on all the big social media platforms. It's made me a bit jaded in my response to others, but at my core I am a person who respects artistic freedom and freedom of fan interpretation.

In fact, I think the whole point of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is that it's a spite film meant to insult fans who take it too literally. I strongly urge all of my haters to please, please take the plot literally lmao. I want them to. Tim wants them to.

The need for "headcanon" to become canon is weak af. As far as I'm concerned, my interpretation is canon because it's derived entirely from canon. I don't need Tim or Winona or any of the legends to validate that for me. This is partially why I'm not a fan of BJ3 begging. It feels greedy to me. I've learned my lesson about asking for more beetlebabes smdh.

The dreamverse is just canon, honestly. It's up to user interpretation where the dream starts and how much of the fantasy is indeed a fantasy, but it makes the most sense to me that the entire plot is hooey. Basically every lifelong babe I know prefers to believe that Lydia spent her life with BJ and I don't see why Winona would be any different. Personally, I think they're in the twisted cuck phase of their marriage.

As a bonus, here's my literal interpretation.

[thecoolerliauditore]

It might be a point of priviledge on my part, but I haven't really noticed the colorism.... situation? Does it qualify as a problem? Before. Like. C!Scar is very much white to me but he's just tan like a surfer dude to me. He's a california dude and spends a lot of time in the sun. Maybe he has a hispanic grandpa, who knows.

I guess it is a good thing to stay mindful about. Even if it does scare me away a little from drawing poc characters because I as a white cracker don't wanna misrepresent ethnicities

So this ask is interesting to me and I want to make it very clear here that I'm not trying to make fun of anon, as much as point out some things here that I find worth pulling apart:

(it might help to read this reblog)

One is that while this may not be a direct response to my post, I remember making doubly sure when I made it that I made it as clear as possible I didn't want to frame it as a "fandom issue" as much as a consequence of colorism that I've noticed pop up in a fandom context.

I think culturally we're so fixated on making ourselves perfectly inoffensive, that pointing out any implication of any "-ism" in our art comes with an expectation that it's always going to be followed up with a rallying for "fixing" it or a shaming for it existing in the first place, that it may be having the opposite effect where people no longer want to discuss or interact with these things in the long run at all. As you have mentioned with the discouragement of drawing non-white characters.

This is an attitude that I find. A little troubling of recent, one of the few times I blocked someone over a fandom take was when I found a very passive aggressively worded post telling beginner artists to not share their Bigb art if they don't know how to draw black people well enough. That is ludicrous to me, how good is good enough? How will you ever get feedback if your art never sees the light of day? Why are you actively discouraging people from celebrating a black creator? etc.

It's interesting to me that every other hallmark of beginner artists are seen as endearing if not a little "cringe" but struggling with certain ethnic features that have been historically left out of or portrayed offensively in media for years is seen as some sort of moral failing on the artist's part.

So to answer your question of "does it qualify as a problem?" I answer: that's up for you to decide. I'm simply pointing out a trend I've noticed and hinting at its roots in colorism.

Second is the description of Scar, specifically "maybe he has a hispanic grandpa" because I'm not sure if you're aware, anon, but that is more or less Bdubs' genetic makeup if we believe what he says in that one stream clip and his Assyrian roots are the entire reason people take Bdubs whitewashing much more seriously than Joel/Skizz/Scar whitewashing.

It's partially what I hinted at in the original post as well, that Skizz for example is White by modern standards (probably. afaik) but his skintone is visibly more olive irl, hence why I believe the language we use for race is flawed in general.

So the questions I'm proposing are: why is it offensive to whitewash Bdubs, but not Skizz, when the only big difference between the two is 1. a pfp and 2. OUR views on what "counts" as white (not theirs, as demonstrated by Bdubs himself and his mid-stream race crisis)? Does whiteness make one immune to the effects of colorism? What is "whiteness", how do we define it? Does that definition change when it comes to interpreting characters?

These are all questions that I believe are unnecessary, but good to ponder.

For those uninitiated though, I think it might be better for now to simply draw as you see fit and look into the concept of white guilt, as well as its counter-productivity when it comes to working towards racial harmony. And please, for the love of god, keep making imperfect art.

[archivalofsins]

OH ANGER CANCELED‐ he talked to Mikoto.

(Please like and reblog the original translation.)

Also feel free to take a gander at these as well- Milgram Timeline Translation, Interview with DECO*27 and Takuya Yamanaka on the Interactive Music Project MILGRAM -ミルグラム-, and Rochisama's Portal Timeline Translation and Interrogations as well. I will be referencing information gathered from all of these translations in order to support some points throughout this post.

The Milgram Timeline Translation is still a work in progress. So, please don't bother the people working on it for more, be patient, and respectful. Translating things takes a lot of work and effort that shouldn't go underappreciated. I'll also link these again when I reference them as well.

With all of that out of the way today I'll be discussing Kazui's August 5, 2024 Birthday interaction.

Quick side note my anger is not canceled I was just being hyperbolic because I was excited that it was Mikoto. Milgram stop fucking foreshadowing and do the thing already challenge.

24/08/05 (Kazui’s Birthday)

Mikoto: Well, you know... I appreciate your feelings, but... I don't know what I might do, even I'm not sure myself. So, I think it's best if we're not together for a while. Besides... haha, aren't you scared <-(Point 1) Kazu-san?

Kazui: Hmm, due to my job <-(Point 2), I'm used to dealing with troubled youths. You must have your reasons. I don't feel like prying. Well, come over if you feel like it. Staying alone all the time will make you feel down. I can keep you company if you need to relieve some stress <-(Point 3).

Mikoto: Yeah... I'm not really used to relying on others, you know. How should I put it, I feel like I'm being a bother. <-(Point 1) I can't bear that feeling of being pathetic... I guess I'm being very Japanese about this, haha...

Kazui: Hmm...well that's fine. If that's easier for you, I won't force you. But you know people in their twenties are still kids (Point 3). It's admirable that you're hard on yourself, but I think it's okay to cause a bit of trouble for others. After all I'm nearly forty <- (Point 4) and I'm still a kid at heart.

Point One: Scary & Bothersome

In this timeline interaction we overhear Mikoto state his discomfort with asking others for help. He states that he has a difficult time relying on others because he doesn't want to be a bother.

This is an issue alluded to through both of his music videos,

MeMe

"You don’t have to keep it in and hide it away “I” will save “me”."

Double

"I’ve got you, leave it to me."

"Welcome home, another day, another day with that hardly barely there of a smile. Keeping things at bay, you’re doing your best “No, I need to do more…”, say what? You’re gonna break."

"Oh, hello? Mom? It’s been a while Yeah… well, I mean, some days are hard, but… I’m doing alright, don’t worry- How’ve you been? I’ll go home next time I get some time off."

First Trial Written Interrogation

Q.16 What’s your relationship like with your parents?

Mikoto: My parents are divorced. I get along well with my mother though, she’s the one who raised me I don’t want to make her worry.

That he can't,

"Bear that feeling of being pathetic."

MeMe

"If I could laugh, if I could go back I’d play dead even though I’m alive right?"

Double

"Hey now, I saved you, right? So why in the hell are you crying? Cling to me, hoist me up as your “savior”, stand up and sing out your gratitude, that’d be good." - "Hey, I just wanted to save you, so why did it come to this? Cling to me, hoist me up as your “savior”, stand up and sing out your gratitude, so why."

Being pathetic-

Mikoto asking Kazui if he's not scared of him also mirrors how Kotoko asks Mu if she's afraid of her in the timeline interaction prior to this one,

20/07/05 (Mu’s Birthday)

Muu: Muu thinks it's all Kotoko's fault in the end. Because Kotoko went on a rampage, everyone's desperate. They're not paying much attention to Muu. Somehow, it's boring. I don't get it.

Kotoko: ... Did you come all the way here just to tell me that? Aren't you afraid of me? Next time, my fangs might be directed at you.

Muu: Why? Kotoko punishes bad people, right? Muu isn't bad. Besides, hehe, you're talking like you're fine, but aren't you the one who won't be forgiven, Kotoko? What will you do then? Will you bite yourself? Hehe, that's interesting. I'd like to see that.

Kotoko: ...You're good at provocation. I'm praying that you won't be forgiven. When that time comes, I'll thoroughly crush you.

Continuing their parallels.

These are all the reasons why on the surface everything Mikoto said here would come off as just the usual. Like of course he'll be this way it's how he's always been. Yet there's a bit of weirdness to this as well.

The issues with his behavior here begin to reveal themselves when we take into consideration how he's interacted with everyone up until this point in comparison.

For example let's take into consideration how Mikoto has acted towards Kotoko over the course of the portal timeline,

20/05/27 This is Rochi's translation and the link goes to their page. The timelines listed here will be their's unless stated otherwise.

Haruka: Haa…… haa…… Haa…… Ah…… Um…… Ko-Koto-Kotokotoko-san……

Kotoko: ……what?

Haruka: Eek…… eh, um……! I-I! I’m sorry! ……I-I’ll see you later……!

Kotoko: ……what was that about? This is the third time.

Mikoto: Oh~ Koto-chan, you’re here. The guard was complaining earlier that you never answered their call.

Kotoko: Huh? ……I never heard about anything like… Haruka……!?

An individual Mikoto has been hounding to partner up with him since the series started,

20/07/01

Mikoto: Hey, hey, Koto-chan. I’ve been thinking this ever since I first heard your name, but don’t you think the names “Mikoto” and “Kotoko” kinda sound like siblings?

Kotoko: No.

Mikoto: Don’t say that! Let’s get along well from here on as the Koto-Koto combo!

Kotoko: I’m not doing that.

Mikoto has been bothering Kotoko incessantly from the start with little regard to her feelings on his behavior but he's suddenly worried about being a bother now?

Kazui even cited their possible team up as being an issue for Milgram as a whole.

Stating,

"Ah… yeah. Like back when he went out of control, right? I can't quite read him, though… If both of them were to attack us, it's possible that we'd suffer a total defeat." A total defeat? "If that happens, this prison game would probably come to an end as well. All of that depends on your judgment, right, Guard-kun? Who will be forgiven by you and who won't be…"

Voice Drama Translation Transcript

That this prison game would come to an end if Kotoko and Mikoto teamed up. This makes Kazui approaching Mikoto on his birthday and offering to help him seem like a calculated action. Well more so his attempt at dissuading Mikoto from teaming up with Kotoko and get him on his own side.

This is Kazui actively attempting to mitigate a possible problem that he actively warned the guards about. In the hopes that the audience and Es would have continued to vote Mikoto guilty. Now he's left to try to stop this potential crisis.

Kazui never once complained about Mikoto's more standoffish and isolated behavior during this trial. This is the first time he's attempted to reach out and it's seems to be when Mikoto himself has settled down for the most part. Even though he is still rightfully worried about what he may possibly do.

But with the possibility of Mikoto beginning to socialize again and possibly continuing his attempts to collaborate with Kotoko it makes sense for Kazui to kind of want to get ahead of that if he can. Especially since he's stated that Mikoto is an individual he has trouble reading and getting a general idea of.

Even if it weren't for those things he'd still have a vested interest in intervening in any possible team up Mikoto could have with Kotoko. Simply because Mikoto has been having conversations like this,

20/08/03

Mikoto: By the way, Koto-chan. Who’s stronger between you and Kazu-san? <-(Point 1) You both know martial arts, right?

Kotoko: ……if it was a fair one-on-one fight <-(Point 1), probably Kazui.

Futa: Isn’t that obvious? What a stupid question. There’s no way a girl could win in a fight against a man. This is real life, not a manga. There’s too big a difference in body size. And that’s what determines the weight of your attacks.

Kotoko: ……Futa’s not entirely wrong there. In a lot of martial arts, they specifically split up divisions based on body weight for that reason. I’m bantam, and he’d probably be either cruiser or heavy. Well, I’d still break an arm or two though.

Blatantly discussing in the open whether or not Kotoko could take Kazui on her own. Kotoko even stating that in a fair one-on-one fight she wouldn't be able to. However, in a two on one unfair fight those odds change a lot and that may be the sort of fight Mikoto is interested in. Because he's not interested in playing nice with Kazui even though he's very cordial here.

If Kazui overheard this as well his concerns about Mikoto possibly teaming up with Kotoko in the second voice drama would be more than reasonable.

Because it seems like the only reason Mikoto wants to team up with her despite admitting,

Q.12 What do you think about Kotoko?

Mikoto: I don't like her.

Is just to beat the shit out of this one man. I don't know why- Hell, honestly I don't really care why simply because it's funny that this may have been a long term goal of his. I don't believe this to be a leap because why else would he be asking Kotoko who would win between her and Kazui? Sure it's a casual way of broaching that topic but it's perfectly reasonable to ask why the topic needed to broached.

Does that make sense?

I'm curious as to why he was curious about this. I also don't think it's a leap to assume he might want to jump him given he's paired with the prisoner who jumps people and we've seen him sneak attacking people in his own mv as well.

Plus, again he certainly hasn't worried about being a bother to Kotoko. He's done nothing but bother her. Here's the timelines to prove it.

21/08/13 (Mikoto’s First Trial)

Mikoto: Ugh… ow, ow…… Ahh, first I get stepped on, then I get kicked, what even is this……

Kotoko: ……welcome back. How was it?

Mikoto: Ah, Koto-chan, I’m back. Honestly, where do I even start!? Just look at this lump on my head! It’s huge! I don’t even remember what happened, but this is violence!

Kotoko: Hm… How unfortunate.

20/10/07 (Mikoto’s Birthday)

Mikoto: ■■…… gh…… Gah…… ■■…… aaa…… nh…… ■…… ■■■■■……!!

Kotoko: …………hm. Have you finally calmed down? Kayano Mikoto.

Kotoko: ………… So you want me to wish you a happy birthday <-(Point 1)? I don’t really mind, but is that really something for you to be saying to me?

Mikoto: You’re the last person I need to have the whole group <-(Point 1). If there was just one person left it’d be bugging me all night and I’d never get to sleep, right? At times like this you have to abandon your pride and just say something, right~?

Kotoko: Ok, here you go. Happy birthday. ……if this is what will help you sleep soundly.

Mikoto: Oh, thanks! Now I don’t need to worry~

22/12/15 (Kotoko’s Birthday)

Mikoto: Ah, Koto-chan. It’s been a while. Both of us have kinda split off from the group, but how’ve things been? <-(Point 1) A lot’s happened, but for now let’s try to get along. I mean, it’s your birthday today, right? I got the feeling nobody else was going to do anything, so I came to celebrate <-(Point 1).

Kotoko: ……how carefree. It doesn’t matter, a villain like you won’t be forgiven next time either. And when that time comes, it’ll be the end for you. I’ll make sure of it myself.

Mikoto: Ahh?? Just try and do it, you nutjob. I’ll crush anyone who hurts me…… You’re gonna be totally beaten at your own game……! [TN: The word “me” here uses first person pronoun “boku”.]

Kotoko: Hm. The border between the two is getting a lot vaguer. Your entire existence is a crime. <-(Point 1) And I will see you’re punished for it. That is what Milgram, and Es, and I have chosen.

That's the whole reason Kotoko says this in her first trial written interrogation,

Q.14  Are there any prisoners you don’t get on with?

Kotoko: Mikoto. He’s loud and bothersome.

Okay well how do we know Mikoto dislikes Kazui to the extent that he would want to jump him. Hey, wasn't this a birthday timeline weird? Wasn't it missing something? Man I couldn't imagine what-

Oh, wait birthday wishes? Just like Mu's when she spoke to Kotoko who instead of wishing her a happy birthday threatened to kill her and hoped she got voted guilty.

Well, it's not like there's any evidence that Mikoto is someone who cares deeply about birthdays or even a statement that tells us Kazui has wished him Happy Birthday before himself that would be-

I'll stop fucking around let's get into it,

From Mikoto's Birthday 2020,

"You’re the last person I need to have the whole group."

Mikoto gets upset at Kotoko in his first birthday timeline because she is the only person out of everyone in Milgram not to wish him Happy Birthday. Meaning Kazui very much to Mikoto's own admission wished him a happy birthday.

Next his birthday from 2021,

21/10/06 (Mikoto’s Birthday)

Mikoto: ……ah, Futa? What’s up? Did you come to celebrate my birthday?

Futa: Hah!? Like I care about your birthday. ……what’s up with you, though, you’re usually a lot more excited. I thought you were the sort of idiot who’d make a big deal over your birthday.

Mikoto: Yeah, usually that’d be the case. ……I think I must be getting tired. It’s like I’m anxious over something but I can’t really explain what it is…… Like, the feeling that I’ve been totally wrong about something. Haha, but it’s not like talking to you about it is gonna do anything.

Futa: Yeah, yeah, just like you say. Talking to me about it isn’t gonna help. ……but, it’s not like I don’t get what you’re saying. Or rather, I understand exactly what you mean. And if it’s the same thing as I’ve been feeling, then it will just get stronger as time goes on...... probably. But anyway, rather than talking to someone like me you should go and bother the others. Go and get showered with their stupid birthday wishes.

Futa highlights that Mikoto has a habit of making a big deal out of his birthday like Mahiru and Mu do. Mikoto doesn't deny this either blatantly admitting yeah he makes a big deal out of his birthday and he usually would be doing so but he's a bit tired. Because that trial one verdict is hitting.

Futa even tells him he should go and bother the others and get showered with their stupid birthday wishes. Implying that he in fact did bother everyone else for birthday wishes the previous year as well and that's how he got birthday wishes from everyone. Yes he even bothered the child if what this is implying is correct.

But wanna know something funny?

The only person that Mikoto has wished a happy birthday to consistently is Kotoko. This is quite literally the first birthday interaction he's appeared in outside of his own and Kotoko's and he didn't even wish this man happy birthday. That's how little he knows or cares about Kazui.

He doesn't even know todays his birthday or- Well, I'll save that for another point.

Point 2: Occupation

This one is shorter than part one but should be interesting as well.

"Hmm, due to my job, I'm used to dealing with troubled youths."

Okay, this could mean a lot of things but for the sake of clarity and knowing when to take L's when necessary I'm going to view this as confirmation that Kazui is in fact a cop first. Now before I go into a long tangent about why I would personally dislike him being a cop let's actually discuss the facts.

Why do I believe this statement can be interpreted as alluding to the idea of Kazui being a cop as accurate. Well in all honesty it doesn't have to mean that but ignoring the possible elephant in the room isn't going to help anyone. Plus I have a duty to myself to not ignore the information laid right in front of me even if I don't like it. Because if one makes a habit of running from reality they'll only be running in the opposite direction of their own possible happiness all of their life.

First off Kazui in the translation states that due to his job he has experience with dealing with troubled youths. Troubled youths here could also mean violent youths.

Taking into consideration the definition of the term DoctorBunny sent to me,

As we know also from DoctorBunny the police division associated with Kazui's armband is,

Department 1/捜査一課 Check out his post on the armband

Which deals with,

[deals with murder, robbery, assault, abduction/kidnapping, false imprisonment, sex crimes and arson ] of the 刑事部 Keijibu the Japanese dept. of criminal affairs

Now all of this showcases that the division he was depicted as serving under would deal with some violent youths around Mikoto's age. This supports the framing that he's a cop. It really is that simple if the facts align they just align.

Now there are some things that once given this subtle confirmation cease to make sense in hindsight. Including Kazui stating,

Q.04 Are your family proud of you?

Kazui: Nope. They probably don’t consider me anything more than an embarrassment.

and in his second interrogation stating,

Q.10 What was your father’s job?

Kazui: He was a policeman. It seems he’d always wanted me to be one too.

However, this can be easily explained away by assuming he became a police officer but did something that led to him being fired or let go. Not only ruining his name but his familial name as well. He doesn't say that his family used to be proud of him and they just consider him a disappointed now though.

While in other instances he does make statements that allude to things being new developments,

Q.13 Who do you want to see right now?

Kazui: They won’t see me anymore.

Q.09 Tell us your family structure.

Kazui: It’s only me now.

Which makes it sound as though he's been a disappointment to his family for a while. It also just makes a lot of his narrative odd in hindsight unless put under a certain framing.

Specifically due to his glitched voice lines,

"Er, so…… could you listen to what I say without laughing? I…… Hinako, I love you more than anything. I'm so dumb… Why did I have to dream."

Now no one else's glitched voice lines have been lies. So taking out of consideration any new voice lines being revealed trial three because I can't know what is not yet known. It'd be difficult for me to believe that Kazui's glitched voice lines are lies when none of the the prisoners glitched voice lines have been lies so far.

Plus even if one does want to believe that he's lying about loving Hinako here that would ignore the framing of his entire first song. Or be due to someone reframing it to discuss a yet to be seen third party such as with the prominent gay theory.

Now I don't speculate about fictional characters sexualities. I just write what I like to write. I don't enjoy writing speculation on that because my own sexuality was put under scrutiny through most of my adolescent life and I know it's not fun from first hand experience. So, I don't like doing that. But for the sake of positing a third solution let's say that Kazui likes men and women for the time being.

Because I don't want this to come off like I'm taking shots at a wildly popular theory that I care nothing about.

So, under this hypothetical scenario where Kazui is attracted to both males and females. Let's hypothetically say the female he was attracted to was Hinako as he says in the glitched voice line,

"Hinako, I love you more than anything."

Let's pretend for ten seconds this voice line is a true statement- Can we all play house for a minute?

This would align with his cover song Cowardly Montblanc.

A song specifically about being afraid to tell someone that you've known for a long time that you like them. That also has the added benefit of implying the singer is referring to a work acquaintance at that-

"When we meet to discuss our contract- Once again, I go on falling into you."

Also for clarity's sake I'll put down all the lyrics from Cowardly Montblanc and there Half equivalents,

"These are all the feelings I have; I’ll only say them in this many words. I loved you, but it was a heavy burden. Is that all there is?"

All this time till now has hurt me, the scales of my heart has decided to sway. If continuing to hide is called unhappiness- Not even one word will get to you.

Who was it that I loved again? All that time I spent whiled away, and you disappeared into invisibility, even though we should still be touching.

Please tell me what I should do, my heart will float away and disappear. If I were to make sure and suffer, I would rather be by your side. Laughing together, side by side, this distance in our relationship is misleading me, is this what happiness is? Where did I go wrong, probably from the beginning.

If I completely forget you, my reflection will disappear.

The curse of reuniting with you puts a dagger in my heart. I imagined that you saying "See you" is the same as "It's over”. Only if your heart would change but that’s not possible. Please tell me what I should do, feelings shrouded in lies will float away and disappear. I could try you, and also try to touch you but you probably won’t notice. I understand that this love is out of bounds, so nothing has to change. All these memories and you- Only if I could erase them.

Put me under anesthesia. My face flushes at your inside voice. I can’t turn back time, so even the truth is okay. I'm gonna get scared again.

I’m sure nothing will change and we’ll laugh together and call each other stupid names. So many things I wish I hadn't known, I'm just a coward. What I gave up a long time ago why is it questioning me now? So many things that I should now have known, I'm just a coward.

This mont blanc tastes of sugar. Barefoot as I am, I want to indulge in your sweetness.

Laughing together, side by side, this distance in our relationship is misleading me, is this what happiness is?

“I wish you’d just hurry up and die!”

"All these memories and you. Only if I could erase them.

Kazui's official commissioned fanart is also just her ghost lingering over him. Staining him red in areas too.

Just never listen to a English cover of Cowardly Montblanc ever actually. Because that would really re-contextualize this shit for a lot of people. Because when I saw Cowardly Montblanc I was like oh shit that break up song. That song about someone refusing to be fucking turned down.

The translation "I wish you'd just hurry up and die."

The first cover to introduce me to this song ten fucking years ago,

"That's right, you're here with me now. That's right, you fade somehow. Because of that, I never can tell you just how I feel. "It would just be better if you died... ...right before my eyes"."

Though these covers are pretty good.

Even without relying on fan translation the wiki lyrics translation isn't doing him anymore favors by highlighting the one continually falling is the singer. Then turning it around at the end like you're going into me now while still highlighting the continued cowardice.

It really does highlight Kazui's mindset within Milgram well. The mindset where he believes he should have kept lying and honesty isn't worth it. Because taking the lyrics of Cowardly Montblanc in any version is just like yeah no actually yeah lie. Cowardly Montblanc is literally the and we never spoke the truth again song.

While quelling my doubts by thinking, “Even the truth is okay,” I was wishing for it all to be a lie. Because I worked out the consequences, and I was still a cowardly mont blanc, after all. You’re going into me so we can repeat this ad nauseam. I’ll gasp out any response to that I can think of.

Cowardly Montblanc is the "truth hurts" song. Half is the follow up where Kazui goes,

"I should've committed harder. I should have lived and breathed the bit."

For almost four whole minutes.

Going if I could have just kept lying maybe you'd still be here. Which aren't words that a man who doesn't care deeply about someone else would commit to.

Yet he's said it rather consistently,

Q.18 Do you regret your “murder”?

Kazui: I regret it. I wish I could’ve just kept lying.

And the prisoners can lie in their written interrogations, their voice dramas, and even imagine misleading visuals in the song extraction if they're feeling a bit fancy given After Pain. But they can't just lie in the lyrics of the song.

Like some things have to be true.

They can be sneaky sure but like there has to some facts here. Even discounting all of Kazui's first cover song it is repeated throughout Half that he wants to still be with this person and for nothing to change. He also states that he regrets his actions elsewhere but literally that is all of Half.

Even in Cat he's says it's much better to be a let down to someone else than get let down. Which implies that he's been let down before and did not enjoy it.

Plus you don't say,

"Maybe, perhaps... or... could it come true... like- It’s for the sake of true love, who wouldn’t lie for that?"

He even spells it out right here it's for the sake of true love who wouldn't lie for that and the only person he's been displayed lying for, wanting to lie for, or regretting not lying for is Hinako. Which in retrospect makes that one blank answer from his trial two interrogation so much more fucking funny.

Q.11 Did you love the person you killed?

Kazui who has spelled out that he did as much as he can, "Interesting well you people clearly can't read. So, I don't even have to dignify this with a response."

Who wouldn't lie for true love? I guess he lied because he didn't love her-

Kazui: ... (Hinako, I love you more than anything.)

Okay but what does this have to do with the cop thing? Well the thing is if he is a cop then what about his life was wrong? Like what led to this murder. He got the job his father wanted him to have, married the woman he loved to his own admission. Everything should have been fine right? Well, ya know there's this funny thing that cops do for jobs.

Sometimes they go undercover with other cops even have to play house and fake a relationship for the job. This is discussed when cops marry unknowing civilians but they can also do this with other cops and they will both hopefully know it's just work. It's just business. Now I personally think it would be hilarious if Kazui actually liked Hinako and caught feelings over the course of cover work but she was just here like uninterested.

Because it would explain the misleading distance in their relationship. Why they seem to just be playing house in Half. Why we've never seen the inside of said house outside of the set of that play. Using the ring like any of the other props in his arsenal. All of that would be explained if they were actually doing undercover work. But it's not like the only solution I mean she could've dumped him maybe she wanted the divorce then what.

Who am I to say. He could have very much still liked her and she could have just lost interest over time. Then that scene where they're talking off stage is her just trying to let him down gently who are we to say that he wasn't the one dumped here. Everyone else in this series who has had a relationship of any kind has gotten kicked to the fucking curb he is not special.

Kazui is out here like,

"Love (plus) Destiny = Crap, smash it, shatter it, bye-bye." then five seconds later- "To be caressed by you, that would be perfection."

Come on, I mean come on.

Now this next thing is just me being bullheaded because I typed it all up and I don't want to erase it. So have fun with this mini rant about why I think Kazui being a cop would be boring.

*Beginning of Rant*

This would be a boring outcome to me. Because I've already read two other cops written by Yamanaka and to say the least I wasn't impressed by either. I was slightly impressed by the first one but that had to do with a myriad of things disconnected to his status as a cop and he stopped being one by the end of the narrative. I don't even want to talk about Shota even though I understand his issue intimately when it comes to living by a strict ruleset and being greatly insecure when it comes to making decisions for himself due to trauma.

Long story short everything decent about either of those characters were due to aspects outside of them being cops and mostly good character writing in general. The cop angle was actually rather cliché and if I had to take it a step further I'd say it was trite. If those characters existed as stories in Omniscent Reader Persephone would send them back- Okay, I'll stop being salty like they wouldn't be. Because if they were on Persephone's plate I'm certain they'd lack flavor. Wait I have one more Jackalope called Mikoto mass produced goods but honestly with how many cops Yamanaka has written I'd say that'd be Kazui.

Okay I'm done. For real this time.

I'm personally hoping he can hit a happy medium with Kazui but given what I've seen previously I'm doubtful for sure. It's like if I kind of liked the first course, and I kind of hated the second course but was even more mad that outside of that one aspect this character was really good... It's my hands are tied I can't lie about my preferences my standards here are high my first experiences with cops in anime were Detective Conan and the file You're Under Arrest in elementary school.

He's not topping that my standards are too high I can admit that. Do you know how many cop shows I watched regularly I watched ID discovery religiously in high school. Kazui would have to do something impressive for me to not go ahn regular cop shit. That's on a narrative level.

The secondary thing is if I thought he was a cop I would've voted this man guilty on principle. All cops are bastards isn't just a fun acronym it's a state of mind for me. If I find out someone is a cop they tank in favorability as they should. Cops have never helped me. I don't doubt that they've helped someone but like not me. Like literally one my earliest memories are cops handcuffing my mom and sister in our home.

And then to add insult to injury I found out later those cops were sent by my cousin because he fucking hates my mom and he was a cop at the time. He told me this he had no shame about it I wasn't even holding it against him really. That was a back and forth situation between my mom's family and my dad's. That's a situation where I can fully say every party involved was wrong to an extent. So he had his buddies do that because that's how cops are in my experience. I don't know how they are in anyone else's life but that's mine.

I am acutely aware of the shit cops have and can still get away with it. When cop is added to Kazui it tells me personally that the sky isn't the limit with crime anymore the limit is space depending on how high up he is he can get away with anything and they'd just retire him. The last thing I would want do is help a cop that's my personal line. I mean I like Kazui personally he's a fun and chill guy. I'm nothing if not flexible it's just really a cop? Out of every occupation... Like it doesn't matter how sad or pathetic his life is or who wanted him to be a cop. At the end of the day he's a cop he's good. I think Milgram is actually the only place that could reprimand him in all honesty unless he was also in a Shota situation then the public will do it.

Then as we went over- being a cop runs in his fucking family! So his father has police connections and others cop would want to help him simply because they are on good terms with his father. I'm not going to destroy his reputation or anything. Him being a cop and his father being a cop should be just as bad as Mu's dad being a landlord. It should be worse actually!

Cops are who your landlord calls when they evict you. They are the people who make sure you get gone, sometimes not peacefully, and other time permanently. Like those jokes in Class of 09 these ones it's funny in the context of a fictional scenario but cops can just be like this and that's actually fucking terrifying.

Like it is not fun for me to personally consider Kazui being a cop. Hits a bit too close to home. It is actually quite stressful. I'm not going to hold you I can't say if I would have voted this man guilty solely for being a cop if I thought about the implications of him being one more during his second trial but it definitely would have made me uncomfortable enough not to vote after the knee-jerk reaction subsided. Oh but not all cops- I don't give a shit he's already killed his wife this is like the specific sort of cop people talk about when they refer to bad ones. So he doesn't even get that statement to cover his ass.

He is already in here for murder. I don't know I need to know more in this case. Mostly because even though I do get rightfully upset by this sort of thing I'm not trying to be someone who is completely led by impulse. Yet, since people have proven they're down for a police state as long as people they like are in charge with Kotoko I'm not surprised people didn't touch on it as much as I personally would have and have done here.

I live in the US though you're not about to hear me defend someone for being a cop. I'm kind of pissed this show tricked me into defending one at all. It does not matter what the cops sexuality or ethnicity is to me. They're a fucking cop. Yeah not every cop is bad but the police system is a systemic failure. So, regardless of how many good cops go in they either don't stay good cops or they die. Because it's a systemic failing founded on taking advantage of the vulnerable and underprivileged. Kazui could have been a great cop that would not change how policing is done we can't put the ills of systems on individuals. That's what Shota's story was about.

Yes people can do more harm under flawed systems. Yet, the only real harms they can mitigate while working under a flawed system the ones they themselves could have committed. Plus cops turn on other cops all the time predominantly female ones which we see in Kazui's story. So it just gets worse the more it's looked at fully which is considerably not good.

*End of rant*

Point 3: Everyone's a Child to a Real Adult & Proper Stress Relief

"But you know people in their twenties are still kids"

Kazui views everyone in Milgram as a child. Because he is the oldest here. Regardless of how many people who are legally adults try to compare themselves to him in seniority he is not interested. This is a mindset you get the older you are.

The older you are the older your definition of children gets. To my dad who is eighty being immature or young includes people up to their seventies. This has nothing to do with shipping this is literally how adult mindsets work. What one defines as young is colored by the bias they gain through their lived experiences.

For example I think being twenty five is pretty young. I wouldn't consider it a child right now like that's a young adult. Yet that's because right now twenty-five for me is four years ago. Imagine like in two more decades when twenty-five for me is now twenty-four years ago. Or even just when I'm thirty five and it was ten years ago.

Right now I currently believe I'm much more mature than the person I was one year ago. The me of ten years ago is a child to me. That me was only nineteen. That's a fucking baby I didn't know shit at nineteen I didn't think I knew everything either. God I wish I had that confidence I did not. I barely knew how to use the internet. Because I was pretty much raised without using most the social features and then thrown into it. Man I was kind like Futa back then actually.

I caused my fair share honestly. Man but when you're that age ya know it's good to be cocky. At that age you're figuring yourself out. See I'm doing it right now! That is my point 23 was over a decade ago for Kazui fucking Shidou's age is exactly a decade ago from Kazui. I recently had a short relationship with two people three and four years my senior and the experience quite literally made me want to kill myself.

Like legit I tried multiple times. I'm not joking. Because it was infantilizing. Constantly it was a consistent form of demeaning disrespect and mistreatment. Sometimes I wish people the best and I still do- The best of everything but it's hard. It truly is difficult to not see someone younger than you as beneath in some way or someone older than as condescending and kind of uppity.

Be it as inferior intellectually, less understanding, or just less independent for a myriad of reasons. Which is already something I'm personally self-conscious about already. Now imagine having someone around who simultaneously treats you like a child and the only adult in the room. And that was my October of last year until now.

So I was kind of applauding when Kazui called Mikoto a child. When he said people in their twenties are still children. Because I could feel the way that Mikoto had to hold in a cringe in the text. Like kind of temper himself and I thought I know how he must be feeling right now. To be an adult but not really to have a job to feel like one of the oldest here and have that bubble just popped by Kazui like you're a kid too.

He must be fuming on the inside right now. He must be wondering what gave him that impression were the nicknames too childish is it how I talk. What gave him this impression that I was just some pathetic misguided youth that needs a father figure right now?! What made him think that and if I could put this man in the ground right now ooo mother fucker. Come up to me with this shit on his fucking birthday you must think you're such big man huh.

I'm nearly forty but I'm a child heart hello fellow kids ass son of a bitch. Oh I'm Kazui Mukuhara if you can just beg for my help real quick because you clearly need it- You need a crack upside the back of your fucking skull, fuck you. I said it before and I'll say it again,

"“I” will save “me”."

If I wanted help I'd ask you condescending son of a- get out go! Leave I've turned you down- Away with you! What came out instead,

"Well, you know... I appreciate your feelings, but... I don't know what I might do, even I'm not sure myself. So, I think it's best if we're not together for a while. Beside... haha, aren't you scared Kazu-san?"

And he's just gonna keep talking like I'm gonna change my mind yep there he goes. Mm, hm...uh huh. You gotta be polite it's just one of those days. This conversation will end eventually.

Mikoto's Second Voice Drama

"It's pretty tough, isn't it? Ahaheheh... There's been so many things beyond my comprehension since I got here." ... You really... do laugh when you're suffering, huh? "Huh?" You don't get angry. You don't scream. You laugh, like it's a minor inconvenience. "Ah... I guess so. I might have that kind of trait." ... "If you just laugh and pretend, usually things will work out in the end, right? I'm pretty good at that making things work out to the best of my abilities." Is that so... "Eheheh... But... It's not coming to an end. All of this."

"So, I think it's best if we're not together for a while. Besides... haha, aren't you scared Kazu-san?"

That brings us to the second point.

"If you need to relieve some stress."

As we discussed before the troubled youths thing can also mean violent youths. So it seems like the stress relief being referred to here is friendly sparring to make sure that Mikoto doesn't end up lashing out again. Though Mikoto seems to be warry about sparring Kazui because again he does not know what he will do. Taking his statement at face value here instead of just saying it's because he dislikes Kazui.

It's a reasonable excuse to give. I don't know what I'd do or even my own strength so I think sparring with you would be irresponsible. Is a completely reasonable response to that sort of offer even if Kazui is just trying to help. Like over all this is a very polite conversation. Despite the undertones which I am appreciating.

Kazui even tells Mikoto he can just come talk to him in general because being alone can be difficult. Which we've seen Mikoto have difficulties with how isolated he's become on his last birthday,

23/10/06 (Mikoto’s Birthday) This translation was done by Maristelina but some parts explaining personal pronouns have been omitted check out the link to see those!

Mikoto: Is it true… There’s really another me?  These tattered clothes, and scaring everyone, it’s all because of him. They say I'm a murderer... Isn't it unreasonable to expect me to believe that?

Mikoto: Can you hear me talking like this?  If you can hear me, then answer me. Why are you doing such horrible things? Hey. It's your fault things have become like this. ……Answer me!!

Mikoto: Ah, ahhh!! Because, I did it for your sake…! Because you would break apart!!

Mikoto: What am I doing...? There's no way you'll conveniently give me an answer. I should just stop thinking about everything already...I'm tired......

So, yeah it was just a nice offer not much else to say.

I mean I could go over why it's kind of weird that Mikoto is hesitant to take him up on it. Especially since they were in a smoking club before, he talked about hobbies with him, etc. So it's just generally a good offer but instead of the whole he may want to jump him thing, Mikoto just might genuinely be concerned about what he may do. I mean I'm not against considering that.

It's just I can simply imagine if anyone else gave him this offer he might have jumped on it. I don't know maybe if Kotoko said this.

Point 4: Nearly Forty

Um excuse me what do you mean nearly you were thirty-nine at the beginning of 2020 and you turned forty that year. You had a birthday and everything. So you should be like forty-four today. Weird for you to say nearly forty.

Well, Gunsli you see if they believe they're not aging then-

Then why the fuck celebrate the birthdays? Habit? For fun. I mean clearly not everyone is celebrating it's not like Mikoto wished Kazui happy birthday here or like Kotoko wished Mu a happy birthday in the timeline before this one.

Well if we just believe that they're not aging because they're either dead or in stasis like in Caligula Effect-

Comment from Yamanaka May 16, 2020

"I apologize for posting 2 days in a row. This is Takuya Yamanaka. I realized that there's something essential that I need to clarify to ensure everyone can enjoy Milgram fairly, "so I picked up the pen again." That is, there is no connection between the fictional universes of Milgram, DECO*27, and Takuya Yamanaka's other works. For example, the girl from past DECO*27 songs or that person from Caligula... There are no such connections. Milgram is a completely new world created in collaboration between DECO*27 and I. So, you can dive into this content without needing any previous knowledge of our past works. Enjoy it from the start!! Thank you for your understanding and support."

Yeah two separate worlds. A bit of a bummer not too surprising though. It just would have been so much fun.

A lot of writers have narrative tells or habits. Where even when something is completely new it will have similarities to their previous works that end up standing out to those who engaged with said other works. However, those previous works shouldn't overshadow what a creator is making now.

It's pretty similar to how when Hao came out a lot of people compared the sound to Salamander. Every creator has certain sounds or themes that just tickles them the right way or they simply enjoy exploring. So there are similarities between Milgram and Caligula that are bound to crop up from time to time. Like Yamanaka's writing of cops- I'm sorry I won't bring it up again.

Outside of that Caligula Effect Overdose is a game that covers murderers extensively. So much so that it's wide range social network involves several classes that have been involved in one murder or another. The second couldn't be further from Milgram as it more so focuses on rehabilitation while growing to better work with and trust others.

Something Milgram itself and the staff have stated the series is not about. However with that bit of concrete information given to us we can stop with the comparisons and start cracking into the world of Milgram proper.

So before we get into age let's talk about the concrete things we know about Milgram as a world.

It canonically has twitter and Jackalope is on it,

April 28, 2020 Jackalope Announcement

"Hey, have you been waiting patiently? I'm gonna explain what you guys are gonna do next. ... Wait for May 1st, 7:00 PM. I'll personally teach you all about Milgram. Well, until then, get others involved in Milgram. We need to think about 'sin'... Various thoughts and sensibilities are necessary. You understand, right? ... And there are those on Twitter who dare to call me a rabbit. I remember your profile pictures..."

This is written in the character of Jackalope and we see Futa using Twitter in Bring It On. So, this is just canon. It's not big news or anything. It's just funny to note.

This is also something that differentiates it from Caligula Effect as the main social network used in that is called Gossiper.

We also know that the timelines have been compared to tweeting.

May 25, 2020 Jackalope Announcement

"Starting today, we'll synchronize the voices within Milgram to your devices. In simpler terms, it means the prisoners will start tweeting on the timeline too. Just so you know, your comments won't be visible or audible to them. Think of it as one-sided eavesdropping. Well, that means you can say whatever you like without any worries. Remember, the only way you can interact with them is through Es. That's the fundamental rule of Milgram. You'll understand more about this eventually. Don't worry, I'm here, watching all of you."

Comments on the app won't be heard by the prisoners because the only way the audience can communicate with them is through Es. This means nothing said on the app can be heard by the prisoners. Information posted elsewhere like on Twitter or YouTube can be heard but to what extent is unknown.

The implication from these statements is that Jackalope oversees the Twitter. Because he bluntly implies such multiple times and even compares the timeline to the characters tweeting. There's yet to be an implication that Es hears what the audience is saying through Twitter. However it has been implied that the theories are being filtered to Es through other means.

This makes it seem as though all of the information sent to the Milgram platforms is being filtered for Es. Since Jackalope says the prisoners can't hear us here but not that Es can't. So, anything pertaining to the prisoner's crimes/the audience's speculations regarding the prisoner's sins may be sent to Es to overlook and consider while the things not pertaining to that are ignored. Just like with how the Prisoner Interrogation Questions are filtered and chosen by management.

Note that I said "prisoner's sins" there with the intent of referring to sins generally. That is because things outside of the prisoners murders can be considered sins by the wider audience. For example how the audience considered lying or getting a divorce Kazui's sin or how the audience interpreted Yuno's sin as abortion even though many people rightfully wouldn't conflate abortion with murder.

These sins were in fact filtered to Es who stated that they had the impression that abortion could be Yuno's crime because the audience told them it could. Same with the idea that Kazui's crime was sexual in nature as again the audience told Es that Kazui's crime was related to sexuality. How they chose to interpret those things only speaks to Es as a character.

However, the prisoners will only know what Es themselves communicates with them when it comes to the audiences personal feelings regarding them.

This is something highlighted by the fact that Yuno says this in her second voice drama,

Hm…well then, should I tell you what I heard the voices saying in my head?

"Because she's pitiable.” “There's no mistake that she has some kind of reason." "She might have become like this because she had some kind of hardship in her past." "She's become like this because there's some problem in her home life—because she doesn't know love yet!"

"Because of that…I'll forgive her."

Everything that Yuno stated to overhear that Es admits to thinking about has to do with why people found her innocent.

That she's heard others debating her sin but not all the other things said about her. So the prisoners could just be hearing the statements on the crimes that have been filtered through to Es and that Es has taken into consideration. Yet, mundane things won't be considered. Unless it's related to why we voted them a certain way it won't be brought to their attention.

This is probably why Jackalope highlights it's fine to vote based on any reasoning. Although the only way that prisoners hear the voices of the audience may predominantly be through YouTube comments.

Yamanka also stated this in a translated interview,

"I came up with the idea for "MILGRAM -ミルグラム-" during a meal with DECO*27. I didn't want the suggestion to be perceived as just a polite social gesture, so I proposed the idea on the spot. Originally, I had thought of turning it into a game, but after seeing the music video for "Otome Kaibou," I was inspired to develop something that was synced with music. I found this idea more modern and interesting. The comment section of Vocaloid songs often features various people offering their interpretations and analyses of the music video. However, there's usually no way to confirm whether these interpretations are correct or not. So, I came up with the idea of providing an answer and turning it into a complete story."

So we can at least pin down that the world has similar social media platforms to the one that we reside in ourselves. That Milgram has been operating for a good while given the content from the novels. As well as that the Milgram web-series that we are engaging in tends to focus more intently on YouTube comments.

Which can explain why certain aspects of Milgram were highlighted in the first end of trial notice and in following voice dramas while other things were not.

Back to the age. This doesn't really tell us that Kazui isn't aging because he celebrated his own birthday too. So he would know his own age he just sort of lied here and Mikoto doesn't know enough about him to even tell that this is a lie. He can't really correct him or maybe he just doesn't want to. However, I doubt many people within Milgram have given the others their specific age. He could say whatever number he wants none of them would know.

We were given his age information and it's not like Es told everyone all of the other prisoners ages. So, it's just weird he said this. Because then we would have to believe Kazui who has been present for all of his birthday's since Milgram started simply can't count. It's not even that far up to count and trust me I have dyscalculia and dyslexia. I had to check his age before posting about his birthday yesterday multiple times. I still don't trust it said thirty nine and I have the page up right now.

But it says that. I don't know why he would still present himself as not being forty yet but I don't really care either. It's not the biggest lie to tell. Maybe he's embarrassed about the immense age gap between him and everyone else here. I don't know all I know is he celebrated his birthday and gave his proper age when he was interrogated first trial.

"Once again I'm Mukuhara Kazui, age thirty-nine. Nice to meet you, Warden-Kun."

Like hell I wanted to say this was because they weren't aging too. That could be fun yet that's not how him reporting his age works. Vampires can lie and say their eighteen but they still know how many years they've been alive.

This and that simply don't have that much to do with each other. This just randomly confirmed prisoners can lie about their ages and that we simply don't know how long he's been almost forty. Which is actually scarier to me. Since he came in here saying he was thrity-nine and is still presenting it as though he is despite the very clear passage of time that he was fucking involved in for four years. Right in front of all of us and everyone in that jail!

Like I don't know what to say to that it was such a casual lie. So, harmless actually. Just a blink and you'll miss it type thing. It's either that simple or for some reason he knows that their bodies aren't aging which again wouldn't change how time is mentally perceived regardless.

So even in that niche situation he'd still be fucking lying because we saw him celebrate all those birthdays and we know he can count. He knows how old he is why did he say this?!

Like bro- What?

Other than that Kazui gets to join the still a child mentally club!

23/08/05 Maristelina translation

Kazui: Hmm... well, that's fine. If that's easier for you, I won't force you. But you know, people in their 20s are still kids. It's admirable that you're hard on yourself, but I think it's okay to cause a bit of trouble for others.  After all, I'm nearly 40 and I'm still a kid at heart.

20/06/18 Rochi's translation

Kotoko: Treat you like a child? Hah, you’ve got to be kidding. Back when I was your age, I was already the person I am today. I don’t have any plans to let you get away with something just “because you’re a child.” ……remember that.

20/07/11 Rochi's translation

Shidou: ……I’m not really like that. ……that’s just what it is to be an adult. When I think back…… I don’t think much about me has changed since I was around your age. Getting older…… it doesn’t mean something drastic is going to change about you.

Alright this took literally all day I'm going to eat now.

[rosasstrangemelody]

uhm hello 🙂‍↕️

im fellow magnifico defender and ive been having a blast reading your blog!! your artworks are (wait for it) magnificent and your posts and reblogs always hit the mark for me 🤲🏻

so, if its not too much trouble, csn i ask what are your fav headcanons for Magnie? and if you ship him with someone, who would that be?

Hi! 👋🏼 I'm glad that someone else found some peace in my corner! Your caring really cheers me up!

Thanks for asking, I'd really love to share some headcanons about our cinnamon roll (I really like this nickname for him, it sounds delicious and creamy!)

So, where do I start...? Ah-ha!

I will start with the first one:

✧• His Zodiac. According to the behaviors I saw from him (and the similarities that exist between me and him), he has the zodiac of Aries (same about Melody) and his birthday is around the beginning of April (you consider the tenth) BUT, but his horoscope is Leo, what most of you guessed and it really reflects his personality. He has the awe and power of a lion.

✧• His originality. Magnifico is a kind of hybrid. His mother, Rosa, is Spanish, and his father, Arnold, is of Scandinavian origin (almost Norworigin). The fiery spirit—and the Viking in him—is just like his father's, as well as their appearance. While his mother is calmer, more compact (but she can also be more fiery than them!) And his father used to tell him stories about his ancestors and was very proud of his origins.

✧• This one is a bit trivial but I like it. His hair is actually a bit wavy-curly, just like his mother's. But because he uses a lot of magical softening solutions, its material has become smoother and silkier.

✧• Another trivial but obvious thing, he is a cat person. Even some of his behaviors are like one (and maybe because he can turn into a cat lately- thanks to Melody)

✧• Maybe someone else mentioned this one before, but I also like it and keep it in my favorites. He is a foodie guy with high metabolism, and he has a sweet tooth– It should be noted that caffeine and sweets do not have such a positive effect on him.

✧• While he has a slightly stubborn, arbitrary and defiant personality towards anyone who doesn't know him properly (which is due to his traumas in my opinion), he lets his guard down in front of the person/people who understand him well and sympathize with him. He opens the gates of his heart to that person in hopes of understanding his decisions and intentions more, but well, most of the time he just gets stabbed right in the heart because they get a wrong impression of him. That's why he is more careful and withdrawn than ever.

✧• What all of Magnifico's defenders and even others know now is that he has PDSD. It's not something new, but it's VERY IMPORTANT because it's a basic foundation in his personality and some special behaviors, that's why he is paranoid and cautious in making decisions. I thought he might have OCD, but I found these symptoms mostly in Melody (as well as DID for her)

✧• I think this big guy knows a little bit of ballet (I mean, look at his shoes and the bandages wrapped around his legs, aren't they familiar?) And this seems to have been taught to him by Amaya (because the ballet dancer at the beginning of the movie is Amaya) and it makes sense if we put these together. So I come to the conclusion that he has a very flexible body ✧.*

✧• In addition to the dignity and awe of a king with iron fists, he behaves more like a quirky princess in his solitude. He acts a bit dramatic and sings to himself songs with irrelevant rhymes– especially if he wants to vent his feelings (he is not a professional musician, so you should not expect a masterpiece from him)

✧• He's still a little kid who has a replica of his own kingdom and plays with his wooden citizens, but only when no one is around. This human is very fond of glittery things, you can find some in his clothes and cape.

I think that's enough for now because the rest will be written in my story - I don't want to spoil his whole character here.

And about shipping him with someone.. Yes, I ship him with my OC, Melody. (Maybe they have a ship name like Magnelody or something, It's easy and fluent to say it.)

Although, I know some people's interest was slightly dampened when I decided that Melody was no longer Magnifico's daughter and I completely changed the story when I started writing it, because I already had another story with a character with the same name and character, then I decided to link them together. The cups were swapped at the last moment!

There are also headcanons for both of them together, if you want, I can tell it in a separate post.

[saltineofswing]

Hello! I'm the person that made the rant post about my dislike on the lack of natural dichotomy of the Pyramids and Traveler since the introduction of the Veil that turned into a whole thing. You mentioned a lack of pulp in your reblog and it's stuck with me since then. I wasn't familiar with the term and did some research on it, but I still don't think I get what it is. I tried looking it up but a lot of articles and videos I could find explain the history of pulp and its influences in modern day sci-fi but not necessarily what it is, especially in a way that would give me context to better understand your reblog. If it's not too much trouble, can you explain a little more what the "pulp" is that destiny is lacking?

I’d be happy to try and give you a little more insight into what I feel are important tenets of pulp as a genre/concept! I decided this might be a good opportunity to talk a little about it generally because I am really feeling its absence generally in the past couple years, so I included some historical backing which you’re probably already familiar with – hope that’s OK.

I did a little digging personally, for some good places to familiarize oneself with the basics of pulp as a concept and/or genre. It was nice to re-affirm some info that I’ve felt secure in holding as true without a ton of evidentiary support, and I also learned some cool new stuff as well! I think a good place to start would be to link to the TV Tropes page about pulp magazines, which does a pretty good job of explaining the origins and foundational aspects of the concept in a way that is easy to digest. It also has a lot of examples available to peruse. I also found this cool article on the golden age of pulps, which is an interesting read.

This got long, so below the cut!

To reiterate, the original ‘pulp’ terminology and vibe comes from early/mid-20th century magazines, which were cheap and easy ways to access genre fiction and action/adventure stories before comics, paperback novels, and TV/movies were really on the scene. Pulp magazines spanned a very wide array of genres, but because of a lack of appreciation for the medium, a majority of pulp magazines and aspects of what I would consider to be pulp as a genre have been allowed to fall into obscurity. There are places where I feel it is particularly obvious, especially the superhero genre (don’t get me started we’ll be here all week) but also in fantasy and science fiction – a term which was, in fact, coined by Hugo Gernsback, an editor for pulp magazine Amazing Stories.

They were cheap to make, cheap to buy, and easy to serialize; they could be really schlocky, crass, and unpolished. They could also be fucking incredible! The Shadow is a good example of an early pulp property with screaming highs and frankly peat-bog lows. Lovecraft published a lot of what is considered to be his ‘best work’ in Weird Tales! Conan the Barbarian, too! They kind of came out of the gate with a somewhat negative connotation associated with ‘low-brow’ forms of literature like dime novels, but where other magazines of the time tended to incorporate non-fiction articles and photography, pulp mags tended to be fiction stories only – short stories, or longer stories split into serialized chapters. Early on, not many of them had art, though with the advent of comic books that changed (you could argue that books like Creepy and Eerie are direct offspring of early pulp mags). Similar to what Weekly Shonen Jump does with manga.

If you think of a genre as a toolbox, pulp is a box full of tools that function fine alone, but excel at assisting the function of other toolboxes. I would almost liken ‘pulp’ to the concept of ‘camp’, which are also two concepts that can and do overlap with a high degree of synergy. Pulp has its own foundational attributes that are distinct from camp – for example, camp is gay relies a lot more on its self-awareness, at being able to wink at the viewer or participant, and telling you ‘yeah, we know it, but isn’t it fun?’ Pulp, on the other hand, is the (no pun intended) straight man counterpart to this aesthetic sensibility; pulp is at its best when it is being completely earnest. The quippy lines and dramatic proclamations are meant to be taken on their face. Nowadays it’s the kind of stuff that memes are made of – ‘That Wizard Came From The Moon’, ‘I don’t have time to explain why I don’t have time to explain’, ‘Whether we wanted it or not, we’ve stepped into a war with the Cabal on Mars’. Saying shit that has no explanation with your whole chest. Trying to be cool on purpose, the ultimate cringe move.

Nowadays I think that this kind of thing has mostly died out of modern media, but the counter-motion is still prevalent in mainstream superhero movies. A good example is the ‘Would you have preferred ~YeLlOw SpAnDeX~’ line from the OG X-Men movie. Hey dickhead! The yellow spandex is cool if you, the guy making the movie, believes its cool! Crucially, while a lot of modern superhero stuff is quippy and irreverent, it often uses these tropes in a self-aware or cynical manner – afraid of being earnest, committing the aforementioned cardinal sin of trying to look cool on purpose.

(God damn it, I’m talking about superheroes again. Sorry. Before I get back on task this is why I loved the recent Moon Knight run so much; Jed MacKay is NOT afraid to have the characters say some absolutely batshit thing but it comes off as so, so cool. And yes, a little cheesy.)

And then, where modern sci-fi typically has an ultra-detailed explanation on-hand, I think a lot of early pulp stuff just… didn’t. Ask a sci-fi property for an explanation on, oh I don’t know, ‘where did these super-humanoid sapient machine warriors come from’ and it will likely have a molecule-deep explanation of how those unnamed machine people were created. Ask a fantasy property for an explanation on the same and it might say, ‘no’. It’s not that a pulp-leaning property won’t give you the answer to that question… it just might not have it. The ‘why is it/how is it’ is not as important as the ‘what is it’ and ‘how is it relevant’; a writer had a limited amount of page real estate, as multiple features were typically crammed into a single magazine. Even if a feature was serialized, much like television episodes (before the binge trend), one had to keep information digestible, and not too reliant on a prior or later edition that a reader might never see.

Explanations tended to be in service of an emotional beat, or to a theme, versus as a grounding agent to immerse a reader in the world. For the record I don’t necessarily think of either method as being better or worse, and heavy worldbuilding can still utilize pulp as a veneer or filter to engage audience expectations in different ways. Pulp stuff relies a lot on suspension of disbelief without utilizing a rigid lore-based framework to – though, you know, your story/setting still has to have its own internal logical consistency.

(I feel that it is important to note, as a partial consequence of the time period in which these magazines were being made, and when pulp fiction was most heavily consumed, xenophobia and racism are also heavily present in pulp works. I think everybody knows at this point about how much Lovecraft sucked but it’s a valuable example of how a lot of ‘fear of the unknown’ in that time was transliterated into ‘fear of the different’, in general but especially relating to genre fiction. If you decide to explore material in this genre, in this time period, be forewarned! Some of it was pretty glaring!)

So, let me tie some of this stuff to my previous statements about Destiny. I think that Destiny is an excellent example of how pulp tropes, aesthetic, and genre conventions can be used to enhance and streamline a setting… and how stripping too much pulp away can have a detrimental impact on the depth of a narrative.

The original narrative and worldbuilding of Destiny drew very heavily on pulp aesthetics to create a foundation, both in its appearance and its lore. The ‘Golden Age of Science Fiction’ was a period of time in the mid-20th century that sort of transitioned sci-fi out of pulp magazines and into its own thing, but the foundational structure of science fiction at this time was still heavily pulp-influenced. I think this is very well-represented by the portrayal of Venus as a ‘garden’ (jungle) world, very lush and with sulfurous and sometimes acidic rains. Before advancements in astronomical technology went and fucked everything up for us writers, Venus’s opaque cloud-covered atmosphere was impenetrable enough that there could be anything under there – and a popular portrayal of Venus was a muggy, humid, rain-heavy world that sometimes also included lush jungles. In Bradbury’s short story The Long Rain (WHICH ran in Planet Stories, a pulp mag, by the way!) this portrayal is a central obstacle to the narrative; it’s also used in Heinlein’s novel Space Cadet.

The color scheme that Destiny uses for Venus also matches a common color scheme for Venus in this era – see this cover for Fantastic Adventures. Visually, I think that this comparison between the postcard that went out with the D1 limited/collector’s edition and this Planet Stories cover for The Golden Amazons of Venus demonstrates the influence, at least regarding terrain and biome.

In fact, I think that you can see from this Eververse postcard – which could have been peeled off of any era-appropriate paperback novel – that the influence goes bone-deep. Destiny even refers to humanity’s halcyon age as ‘The Golden Age’.

(Below: Is this image from Destiny dev, or a science fiction paperback from the 60s? Who knows! I know. It’s Destiny.)

In the modern era of Destiny storytelling, though the visual elements of the universe remain largely rigid relative to this early framework, the pulp underpinning of the narrative has been largely left behind. The original game’s story, and the stories of subsequent DLCs, felt very pulp-inspired – this ranged from ‘sort of effective’, like in House of Wolves, to ‘game-savingly effective’, like in The Taken King. Pulp lends itself to straightforward conceptual executions, and brisk narratives, because of its roots as short-form literature. The narrative of D1 was simple and to the point; Light good, Dark bad, humanity is in the shit, think you can kill a god? The surrounding world scaffold was rich but not deep. As I like to say, sometimes a river can be wide but shallow. This is not a commentary on its quality – something can be good but not complex, and IMO, sophistication is not necessarily synonymous with complexity. Destiny managed to pull off a trick that many high-quality pulp stories employ: it made the river look deeper than it was. This is the whole reason that Lovecraft’s oeuvre has the staying power it has: other writers got to play in the space because it felt very deep, even though the stories themselves were fairly straightforward.

I also don’t mean to say or accidentally imply that ‘morally grey storytelling cannot exist within pulp stories’, because that would probably get me torn apart; that’s just not the kind of straightforward foundation that the original Destiny was built on. ‘It is what you see, but what you see could be anything’, you know? The problem that began to muddy the waters in the Destiny narrative is that they started to say, ‘You know, actually, it ISN’T what you see’.

Tentpole narrative additions to the Destiny 2 game employ varying levels of pulp. As I said in the other post, the Hive have a potent pulp influence built into their foundational coding, and so subsequent portrayals of the Hive as a main antagonist have higher degrees of pulp genre naturally present in the narrative – it’s hard to separate the two of them. Shadowkeep and The Dark Below draw strongly on the ‘sword and sorcery’ convention, a subgenre of fantasy that is a heavy (perhaps 1:1) blend of fantasy and pulp; think Conan, or Elric of Melniboné (who, hey! Showed up in a novella feature, in an issue of Science Fantasy magazine, named… THE DREAMING CITY). The Witch Queen leaned away from pure sword and sorcery and more towards noir/detective pulp – though, I think, TWQ is a good example of the pulp slippage in its narrative, resulting in some more bland moments and things that feel ham-fisted in a bad way. Part of it, I think, is the need to make these expansions ‘long’ and complicated without making the player feel like they’re slogging; in a more pulp-forward TWQ narrative, the reveal that Savathûn is actually NOT evil-aligned and is a potential ally would come much earlier in the story, and the central mystery would be MORE about ‘what the fuck is she trying to do/prevent’, leading to the Witness reveal as the centerpiece of the finale and the ‘solution’ to the central mystery.

The decision to start retroactively appending more complex connections between disparate pieces of content naturally leads to a reduction of pulp prominence, in my opinion. If you imagine Destiny as a vessel that is mainly full of three component liquids – Fantasy, Sci-Fi, and Pulp – you can say that adding more of one genre pushes out another to make room. You can always pour more of one genre in to re-balance, but in response to increasing levels of sci-fi the narrative seems reticent to reintroduce pulp back into the mix, instead favoring fantasy. But another problem is that once you take it out, Pulp is really hard to put back; once you solidify and unionize world-lore, every subsequent retcon risks diluting and destabilizing that world-lore until a) nobody cares about it anymore and b) it stops being mutable at all, and becomes sludge.

The lore behind the existence of the Exo was originally very pulp, with no real explanations given for exactly what they were and where they came from, and how they attained sapience. Early hints that Cayde and a few other Exo having once been human didn’t preclude other Exo from having other origins – for example, implications that Exo war-frames eventually achieved sapience as a result of the ‘Deep Stone Crypt’, and that they were originally simple AI-equipped warriors designed and overseen by Rasputin to minimize human casualties. This early mystique around the origins of the Exo is classically pulp: we don’t need to know how the hyper-advanced robots were made, we just need to know what they are, why they are relevant to the story. It allows You, The Player, to engage with it at whatever level you want. In a game where You, The Player, are also being asked to step into the role of You, The Protagonist, this is beneficial to engagement for people (like me!) who like to think too much about the backstory of the your-name-here protagonist on-screen. It is also beneficial to not distracting the player with conflicting information, or accidentally contradicting previously-established lore.

Enter Big-Head Bray. The Beyond Light-era explanation of why Exo were created and how they were made is a retroactive nuclear strike on the Exo lore; it strips away a lot of flexibility and thematic richness from the concept of the Exo, shoehorns them into a single narrow use case, and directly conflicts with early-game Exo lore implying their connections to Rasputin (which they then had to go back and hastily shoehorn back in later) or existence as war machines for the Collapse. If D1 lore is wide but shallow, the D2 lore is narrow but deep. Just because something has a lot of ‘depth’, I.E. many layers to traverse before you reach foundational bedrock, it doesn’t make it good.

Same thing with the Fallen. Season of Plunder felt to me like an attempt to reintroduce pulp genre back into the setting, but it fell flat because of two reasons: it didn’t really want to be pulp, and it was more concerned with its tethers to the science-fantasy exterior world than it was with creating its own cohesive narrative. Why was Mithrax doing evil pirate shit when he was young? Because he comes from a race of fucking evil space pirates! It Does Not Need To Be More Complex Than That! But the exculpation of pulp from the D2 narrative means that if Mithrax doesn’t have a good enough reason, WRT the larger narrative, it would be a glaringly obvious plot hole. By Plunder, Destiny had already undertaken the task of filling out the Eliksni lore with sympathetic science-fantasy excuses for why they were trying to exterminate humankind – the more earnest, pulp-forward explanation would just be that desperate, hurt, suffering people will do desperate things, hurt people, and may perpetuate the cycle of suffering.

Oy. There’s a lot you COULD get into. How the Destiny macro-narrative seems to be decaying the rigidity of good and evil in its original lore vs. how the micro-narrative is obsessed with trying to recapture that good/evil dichotomy in order to give players a reason to like the main characters. How the determination to connect and explain everything has resulted in a general flattening of the background lore, and the subsequent trivialization of many things the game included in earlier iterations of the narrative/lore. How the narrative has basically nothing to do with the Vex because they wrote themselves into a corner by trying to explain them too much while simultaneously not altering the foundational lore of the race, meaning there were too many things they can no longer do without retconning again.

Overall, I guess I will just end by saying that many of the things that Destiny is CURRENTLY doing, feels like the game is straining to rip the part of it out which proudly asks its audience not to think too hard about sweeping, dramatic statements that built a lot of the things people love about the game’s setting and narrative… and in doing so, is just ripping itself to pieces.

[interstellar-inn]

꩜— greetings all, happy wednesday! mod cotton here and i am pleased to announce our creator of the week!

what is creator of the week?

creator of the week is a project started by the network to celebrate different writers and artists in our community. with such a vast network of amazing and talented creators, we think it's only fair we show a little extra love to each one, one creator at a time. creator of the week aims to show a little extra support to creators by shining a special starlight on them and featuring a few of their works. you can help support too by giving them a follow, or if you read their fics and find that you like any of them, make sure to reblog and let them know!

with that, congratulations to fawn a.k.a @dearbraus! as this month being pride month, we wanted to highlight a creator who writes queer fics and fawn is practically the pioneer. they are a very pleasant individual to interview and talk to! during our interview, we talked about their experiences as a queer creator on tumblr, fandom, and the community all together; and get to know them more! touch read more for the full interview below!

1. what made you join tumblr? how long have you been a member all together?

i joined tumblr originally for fanart and fandom! i believe it was for the hunger games and percy jackson! that was back in 2014 so it’s been about ten years as of this year!

2. what's keeping you to the site? is there anything you like about it? what could be changed?

honestly the community! even with all its flaws it’s the community that keeps me on tumblr. i do of course love supporting my fellow artists and writers but this specific corner of tumblr is really special in a way that it cannot be found elsewhere. i really like how tumblr allows you to personalise your blog and the ask function as it makes for fun interactions without the pressure of it being private. i’d honestly only change how the tag system works because it can be so finicky with getting posts to show up lol!

3. what is the most difficult part for you when it comes to brainstorming/writing?

hm, it’s definitely picking a character! i have such trouble picking just one of my favourites because i want to give them all love! and when it comes to writing fics i struggle with starting things off. i tend to get ideas of a specific scene in the middle of the story and have to build around that one scene so it makes the beginnings and endings a bit tricky.

4. what is the proudest/most inspirational moment you've experienced in creating so far?

i’ve had many moments but if i had to choose just one it’d be when i created my royal au series as it pushed me to my limits in terms of creativity and how much i could write. i’ve never written as much as i have for that series and i’m really proud of myself

5. as a queer creator yourself, what was your experience as a content creator? what keeps you going?

i’ve had a lot of ups and downs when it comes to writing as a queer person whether it be due to people questioning my identity or just blatant homophobia. there are times too where it has definitely felt a bit lonely as someone who writes a substantial amount of queer fanfic or at least enough to where i’m know for writing such fics, however i’ve managed to find and make a small community of other queer writers which is really important to me. they’re definitely what keeps me going and so are my readers. i’ve received some very lovely comments on my work that really just motivate me to keep going and remind me why i write what i do even when i feel discouraged

6. where do you find your muse to start creating? what inspires you?

i started writing as a kid and always loved to insert myself into whatever piece of media i was currently fixated on. i didn’t take things too seriously when i was younger and it was very much just a hobby back then but it has now evolved into a passion that allows me to express my innermost feelings even if it’s through writing anime x reader fics. i still am very much inspired by self inserting through my current fixations but it has shifted more towards inserting in the name of representation. while i’ve been a bit too busy as of late to delve into writing longer fanfics, last year i wrote two fics which centred heavily around readers experiencing mental health issues as well as compulsory heterosexuality because these are things that i’ve found to be not so readily spoken about outside of online spaces. i really do enjoy using fanfiction and writing in general to explore things that are considered taboo in a slightly unconventional way

7. do you have any advice for any first-time content creators?

don’t put so much pressure on yourself! i think due to the commodification of hobbies, there’s this idea that if we write or make art that it must be mass produced but what makes art special is that it’s one of a kind! so if you’re a first time writer/artist on tumblr, don’t force yourself to creator in the hopes of appeasing others! create because you’re inspired and because you’re having fun! also, don’t let others ruin your fun!!!! i think that’s the most important thing, block liberally to protect your peace, use tumblrs filtering feature to hide anything that you dislike, and ignore those coming into your inbox looking to cause trouble!!! i definitely struggled with taking things to personally when i first started writing and it sucked the fun out of sharing my writing very quickly until i learned that i shouldn’t let others being negative and mean get in the way of my enjoyment

8. do you have any advice for anyone looking for a server/network to join?

hm, i think my biggest piece of advice would be don’t be scared! join servers and networks even if you don’t know the owners/mods super well! it can be super scary being in a new space with new people but i promise it’s well worth it! way back in 2021 i joined audrey’s very server not knowing anyone and have since join all the other iterations that came afterward because there was such love and care put into her servers (that are still there with the interstellar inn!) and have loved meeting so many new people who are in all kinds of different life paths. and for anyone reading this looking for a server or network to join i definitely think you should join the interstellar inn, theres so many fun events and watch parties being held that make the server a really fun space! and the network is very well organized and cared for that i’m in awe! and of course i would love to befriend any person reading this who ends up joining hehe

visit fawn's blog ( @dearbraus ) or check out their tag at the inn here!

that's all from us! see you next time and be sure to follow fawn and check out their works! <333

— cotton

edit: thank you to the anon who pointed out our oversight! we have since corrected it. fawn's pronouns are they/them. we deeply apologize for our mistake.