#you guys are fucking lying surely

[suenitos]

💀

[lgbtlunaverse]

Thinking of the Nie disciple that told Nie Mingjue it was Meng Yao who stayed behind to clean up corpses on the battlefield today.

Nie Mingjue didn't just randomly stumble upon poor lil meowyao eating bread in the novel, he was already looking for him to thank and reward him for his work.

That's what makes it so fun that nieyao's first conflict will end up being about someone else taking credit for Meng Yao's work.

And I'm sure that Nie Mingjue's actual opinions on plagiarism are a lot more nuanced, all we really get from him in this scene is "well you shouldn't kill someone over it!" which leaves a lot of room for what punishments he thinks are appropiate. But I bet that it isn't occuring to him in this moment that the only reason he knows Meng Yao at all, the only reason he got such a capable deputy, is that he noticed someone was taking care of the dead and cared enough to want to know their name. And then the Nie disciples didn't lie to him. The disciple he asked could have said "it was me, Zongzhu" to rise in the ranks himself, but he didn't. He went and asked others, who all also could have taken the credit, but they didn't. Someone saw Meng Yao working and decided to be honest about it and that simple decision is the catalyst for Meng Yao becoming Nie Mingjue's deputy.

Meng Yao can't just work hard to get results, others have to acknowledge that work. If they don't, it's as if he didn't do anything at all.

[weaponizedducks]

zutara is my very favourite dynamic because they're just judgy bitch besties together. stupid shenanigans duo. impulsive yelling duo. sokka is like 90 percent of their impulse control so when he's gone they go haywire. this is even canon sokka leaves them alone for one minute and suddenly they're off to kill a guy. good for them. let them be crazy besties together, striking fear into the hearts of sexist cunts

[grubloved]

its so silly but i just keep thinking abt being in norway and seeing for the first time kinda ever that like governments can do things to make peoples life better. for no other reason but just to improve things. like im sure norway has lots of problems i didnt see on a trip but i cannot stress how insane it was that the government had done things because it would be nice. to take care of people. ?????

[lastdivantruther]

impostor syndrome

[wifegideonnav]

that post about putting on the dune audiobook at a party where everyone was on lsd except it was my friend playing the dead flag blues when our group was wizard high in our second year of college

[pinkseas]

hearing "how are you feeling? are you getting enough sleep? are you taking anything for it? are you drinking water?" from the besties: 🥺🥺🥺🥺😭😭😭😭🥰🩷❣️💓💗💝💘💖💕💞🙏💝💖💘💕💞💗💓❣️🩷🥰💘🥰🥰🩷💞🥰💞🩷💞🩷💕❣️💘❣️💘❣️💕🥰💗💓💖💗💗💝💗🙏💞🥰💕🥰💘🩷❣️💘🩷💗🩷💗🩷💕💓💞🥰🥰🥰🥰🥺🥺🥺

hearing "how are you feeling? are you getting enough sleep? are you taking anything for it? are you drinking water?" from your parents: 😐😐😐😐💀🙄💥😬💥💀🙄💀😐😒😐💀🙄💥😬💀😬🙄💀😐😒🙄💀😬💥😬💥🙄😬😒💀💥💥💀💀💥😬💥💀😬💀😐😒😒😐😐💀💥💥💀💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥

[look-at-the-stars-tonight]

the amount of effort that goes into figuring out what to cook and eat every day is RIDICULOUS. i used to think people were so weird and boring for eating the same thing every single day but it truly does make life so much easier

[miodiodavinci]

(single loud AA) (the forest goes silent immediately after) (birdsong returns moments later)

[sleepingfancies]

hello it is the uninvited you said u can talk about Raphael's complexities for hours. please do i want to know about this GUY <3

hiii i'm late to this but YAYYYYY thank u sm for asking about My Guy >:3 complexities under the tag for length

Raphael (23) is the eldest of six children. Since Raphael was six years old, he's helped take care of his younger siblings one by one. He does love them dearly, but a large part of him also resents how his life was dedicated to being the "third parent." He's held his tongue out of gratitude, given the hardships his parents fought through trying to raise them, but that's really only served to let his resentment simmer. His relationship with his parents is tense at best because of it. It hurts his mother in particular to see him distance himself, and truthfully Raphael hopes it keeps hurting. Despite that, whenever his siblings - or indeed anyone around him - needs help or comfort or protection, he will always be there at a moment's notice. By now, it's an instinct he can't ignore. Being of service to others while also being their guiding or protecting hand is the way he was taught how to love.

Raphael's mother Rikke became a household name when she exposed new biotechnology being quietly developed in her home country (Nattenheim) to the neighboring country (and planned future recipient of said biotechnology) of Teothe. The developmental methods of the technology kickstarted a civil war in Nattenheim, and the scandal ended all trade and diplomatic relations with Teothe. Her partner Florian helped her flee to his home in Teothe for refuge, but they remained unsafe from assassination attempts for a decade afterwards all the same. Raphael was both conceived and born during this timeframe, making his first five years of life deeply unstable and full of uncertainty. He does not remember having a safe home in which he could just be a child until he was six, by which time he became the "third parent" almost immediately.

Raphael, being his mother's spitting image, cannot escape association with "Rikke the Traitor" or "Rikke the Savior" no matter where he goes. Every person he meets is immediately aware of his connection to Rikke, and judgments frequently follow that awareness. As a result, he bases his presentation largely around what people think of his mother. If they believe she is a traitor, then Raphael plays up being dishonest, selfish, even outright cruel. If they believe she is a savior, then Raphael presents himself as selfless, honorable, and gentle-hearted. This might seem like loyalty to his mother, but in actuality, he just throws on whatever veneer "validates" any one person's judgment of him. Very few people actually "know" Raphael, given how much of his public behavior is a front.

To the above point: Raphael is, at his core, desperately attention starved. He craves recognition like his life depends on it. If someone believes his mother is a traitor with no morals, he will lean into that belief to guarantee that he is equally reviled, because that promises attention. He does not fear being disliked, because he can always get some measure attention from people who find him annoying or unlikable. He pursues goals, passions, and people he believes can satiate his attention needs with obsessive fervor. If he fails to achieve them (or god forbid loses them to another's efforts), he can become deeply bitter and even violently jealous. Raphael wants to be lauded, wants to be wanted, wants to be cherished, wants to be noticed, wants to be the specialest person in the room to something or somebody at all times. He does not care how he gets that or who or what he gets it from. He is someone prone to insanely toxic relationships that he charges headlong into, or corrupt workplaces where he can undercut others to get recognized. By the same token, though, he is also perfectly at home in a deeply loving relationship with a steady partner, or in a workplace where he can feel fulfilled helping others and be regularly thanked for it, such as emergency medical services. He has made his personality and standards very malleable in order to slot into whatever niche best rewards him with attention.

Whether an acquaintance or a close friend, everyone knows that Raphael is vain. Of course, he wouldn't describe it that way so much as that he's "meticulous" about his appearance. He takes great care of his hair in particular, but preens quite diligently in general. The point of this (though he isn't aware of it) is still an attempt at recognition. Styling himself is the easiest way to get attention, after all. If he can be the prettiest man in the room, the most fuckable person at the grocery store, the cleanest and shiniest person in the chapel, then people are paying attention to him exclusively. In fact, calling Raphael "plain" or "boring" or "dull" are probably the most surefire ways to making a permanent adversary of him. He will never, ever accept the implication that he is in any way mediocre or average. He can't accept that in others, let alone himself.

In Nattenheim culture, the number, style, and fastener-of-choice of braids a person has are all communicative of various social aspects such as marital status, profession, and class. Raphael almost exclusively wears his hair in one long, singular braid fastened with a dull tie at the ends. Due to its simplicity, this style has no translation in Natten culture. It is essentially communicating that the wearer has no identity.

Raphael's insecurities get the better of him in ways he can't always control. His fear of being replaced, forgotten, or growing irrelevant constantly gnaws at his subconscious, and it is a powerful beast. If he feels that his companionship or work is slowly being edged out of relevance by another's, he can fly into irrational and accusatory behavior in a blink. Without intervention or reassurance, it can become devastating fallout. Raphael never wants to hurt or scare people he cares about, but he just doesn't have the skill to calmly communicate how terrified he is of being replaced, forgotten, or made irrelevant. He has burned quite a few bridges this way, all of which he deeply regrets. He knows all he can do is apologize when he comes down from his state of panic, and accept if or when that apology doesn't grant him forgiveness. He genuinely wants to be a better person, but he has no idea where to start. A part of him thinks it's probably too late to improve.

Raphael would not be able to answer the question of "who are you" with anything besides his name. If asked about hobbies, passions, even personality traits, Raphael would struggle to provide an answer. If asked about childhood memories, he wouldn't be able to describe any that did not include his siblings or watching his parents fear for their lives. He has spent most of his life either playing the role of the responsible eldest child and protective big brother, or being a mirror of others' perceptions of him. He refutes vulnerability on instinct. He doesn't necessarily fear it, but he cannot afford to risk it with the wrong person. Not when his family relies on him, and not when "being himself" could also risk losing the invaluable attention that catering to people's expectations brings him.

Raphael is also, to some degree, a stanger in his own career. He joined a faction not because he believes in their beliefs or even cares about the work, but because it put the most distance between himself and his family. His joining was controversial and he was very nearly rejected, due to his mother's infamy. To avoid more scrutiny, he interacts very little with his coworkers. He is comfortable in his own company, which is perhaps the only saving grace for the situation. Isolation leaves him alone with his thoughts and feelings, isolation makes him bored, isolation makes him crave attention more and more. Most of his coworkers don't know him as anything beyond "the guy who stays out of the way," but Raphael's more destructive tendencies are always just around the corner.

Though very few people have seen it, Raphael is remarkably - even startlingly - different in private vs in public. His fronts in crowded public spaces are often loud and flirtatious, impossible to ignore and easy to be annoyed by. He brushes off criticism as easily as he charms strangers into becoming friends, all while ensuring he's the focal point of every eye in the room. One-on-one in public, he comes across as anything he wants you to believe he is. Shallow, generous, vapid, mean, funny, shy. Whatever he thinks you want him to be. In private, though, the facade drops. He's far more subdued, softspoken, and patient. He seems exhausted, even if he manages to keep up appearances with a smile at least. Particularly if he's caught off guard in private - if he wasn't expecting company - the difference seems like night and day. If asked about it, he won't acknowledge the difference. Depending on who he's speaking to in private, he can recover the facade quickly, though it's never quite the same as when he's fully prepared for a crowded room.

Despite it all, Raphael does very much want to have his own children someday! Aside from simply wanting to be a father, he wants to "do it right" as far as raising a child goes. He wants to be able to do it on his terms, with a person he chooses, with a home he establishes that is safe and quiet and comforting. He wants to give his kid the childhood he didn't get, the love and attention he just couldn't be provided, and the security he lacked in his early years. This is something that's deeply important to him, and not something he's ever discussed with anyone. He isn't sure he'll ever get it, or if he'd even be any good at it. He's worried he'd be too selfish, too insecure, too shallow. He's afraid he would end up traumatizing his child. These are worries he's never voiced aloud. Not even his parents are aware he wants to be a parent someday. He quietly mulls over whether or not he could do it - and whether it would just be kinder to let go of that desire rather than risk his problems overwhelming a kid - alone.

[boxwinebaddie]

Wait so did Ike knoww about Stan and Kyle dating? Also I'd love to hear abt Kyle and Ikes sibling relationship thats so adorable

soooooo long story short:

...y-yes. yes, he Does know.

hOWEVER, IKE DOES NOT KNOW RAVEN IS STAN THOUGH, THAT IS SENSITIVE INFO THAT IKE CAN BE TRUSTED WITH, OFC, BUT IT WOULD PUT HIM IN DANGER AND KY WANTS TO KEEP HIM SAFE.

but long story Long...

i'll leave it in the crotch. xx

( edit: so...my bad, baby. i accidentally went on a crazy TANGENT about ike and jerseykyle's relationship bc i love them a lot and their dynamic is very complicated, so if you want that info about how ike found out about ravesey dating...i gotta put it in another ask.

bc this...got Very long.

you don't have to read this. soz. >.> )

oookay!~ so i got REALLY excited about this because rm!jerseykyle and ike's relationship is super duper special to me, in that, as sp fanfic writer girlie who tends to lean away from a more gentle, kindly, introspective kyle and much more heavily into the potential brutal parts and menacing aspects of kyle's personality when i develop my style dynamics with, ofc, jers being the most brutal of all ncu kyles...

...the way that he speaks to ike -- gently, softly, tenderly -- the way that ike disarms him, the way that j.k. unravels around ike, bends for him, it's one of the ONLY instances written into my actual published canon where we see jers be extremely vulnerable. ( not crying, lmao! )

however, i will say, it was not ALWAYS like that!

*rings the cd re-education bell*

LORE TIME!

so, per my rm!take on the south park lore, ike, ofc, was adopted from canada around age five and he...was Perfect. he was this lil gorgeous, perf, lovely thing, no health problems, dark hair, i like to think his eyes are dark brown, closer to black, sweet kid, easy-going...

...and very NOT like kyle.

and, interestingly enough, i think, At First, that sheila and gerald were super obsessed with ike, cooed over him, he was the baby, y'know? which made jerseykyle MAD jealous of ikey and an Anti from day one.

which is also v interesting because rm!ike, really just fkn Worshipped jerseykyle, wanted to be close to him, wanted his approval, craved that brotherly relationship with him, idolized him...and kyle was NOT having it, dawg! like, it took him so long to even let stan in and let his cold, black heart be light and bright enough in some spots to do That, so he pushed ike away, constantly told him to fuck off/get lost

( i do think that ike's vocab being more vulgar/him being precocious comes from wanting to impress kyle/being influenced by him ), also ike was really fkn smart from the jump in a way kyle wasn't like, to me, jerseykyle has worked hard for everything, studied hard, fought hard, and ike was naturally a child prodigy and didn't have to work that hard for anything, all while being gentle and docile and kind.

-- but going back to STAN for a minute...as a direct contrast to how jerseykyle treated ike growing up...gods angel saint ravenstan was always EXTREMELY KIND to ike. stan never had a brother: okay, he had shelley but his relationship with shelley was even more complex than ike and kyle's relationship used to be and the way shelley treated ravenstan was similar to the way jersey was treating ike, so he Deeply Sympathized with that and endeared himself to ike, encouraged him, and the more kyle pushed him away, the closer ike got to stan.

stan and ike i think ALSO had very similar interests in that they both liked louder, heavier music, revolutionary/counter culture stuff, fighting the MAN, sports ( namely hockey ) i think as a gift, actually, that ravenstan gave ike his wayne gretsky hockey yersey and ike STILL has it ( yes, kyle was jealous ), stan encouraged him to be different and carve his own path in life and while kyle, obvi, was the person most effected by stan's untimely passing...it did also do a number on ike who seriously considered stan like a brother to him and was one of the only other people who Never misgendered stan.

SPEAKING OF STAN DY*NG THOUGH: this was when everything sort of...Flipped. because when stan 'died', whatever part of kyle that could love things also died with him along with a lot of his stability.

so on top of all of his health issues, kyle got really, REALLY gnarly ptsd, would fly into blind rages, got randomly triggered by things and see stan everywhere, have really, really sever panic attacks, had to be put on several medications, got into TOOOONS of fights, etc.

and ike...was just sweet, introverted, lovely ike. stayed in his lane, did his work quietly, existed quietly...while kyle was Loud and VOLATILE.

also, to tie in Another ask where someone asked me while sheila didn't take care of ike as well as she could...fair warning, i am a liiiittle defensive abt this topic because it wasn't that she didn't want to take care of ike or meant to neglect him AT ALL, it's just...when you have a a child who has a lot going on mentally and physically, is more of a firestarter, is more aggressive or more outwardly mentally unstable...

...that tends to require more immediate attention ( especially since kyle was sooo unhinged that he was constantly in police stations, juvie, the psych ward ) and sheila's attention more helicopter parent-y in that she wanted to keep kyle safe, whereas geralds attention was more negative, felt kyle was a failure/embarrassment :/// </3 )

so ike, by COMPARISION to jersey, was VERY low maintenance, did not require to be constantly watched to make sure he didn't hurt himself or others, and so, unfortunately while sheila loved him very much ( gerald just wasn't very interested in him as the second kid other than that he not act up/argue w/ him ) he got swept under the rug because of how pliable and pleasant he was personality wise.

so sheila really does Adore ike, she just doesn't worry about him nearly as much and because of how glaring jersey's issues were, she also mistakenly assumes he's mostly fine where...i really do think ike has pretty gnarly depression, tbh. he is stan coded, i mean that. i will say that him acting out is starting to cause a stir in their house.

anyways...i am sorry this is such a MESS but jerseykyle was watched with laser focus and because of this, ike got off scott free most of the time and received almost no attention. like all his accomplishments went unnoticed or were pretty normalized because the standard he set v young being smart/capable, set the bar high. ilysm, ikey. </3

tldr; ike was The Good Child

and jersey was The Bad Child.

but, in being 'good', he got extremely overlooked by his parents.

thiiiiiiis...is where jerseykyle stepped in. so basically his entire life he was staunchly anti-ike, but he warmed up to ike a lot after stan died because they bonded over talking about him a lot/that grief, and also grew up under intense scary jewish matriarch sheila broflovski and the serious shit show that was having gerald as a father...who jersey actually regularly took shit from so ike wouldn't have to, i.g. when ike did something less than perfect or did misbehaved or fucked up, kyle always took the fall for it and was the messed up problem child, so that ike would essentially spared from gerald's mental abuse/wrath.

ike was also kind of the only person j.k. had in the world, so kyle looked after him because...again...ike is very stan coded, kyle is very protective of the lil gentle hearted people and he basically raised ike in the stead of his parents which forced him to be hard on him in a way that sheila and gerald were not hard on ike...which created a lot of dissonance when ike was becoming a teen and kyle was in hs.

so, essentially while when they were little kids, ike followed kyle around, wanted kyle to like him, thought kyle could do no wrong, as he got older and kyle started to nitpick him, actually care about him and start enforcing rules/curfews on him because no one else did, ike developed a rebellious streak and started to not like or listen to kyle because he was like, bro, whatever, you're so boring, it's one party, oh my god, just because you're boring doesn't mean i have to be!!!!

it's mostly just skin deep though, ike is only irritated because jerseykyle is mad overprotective, hard core and did not gentle parent him as an older brother at like, i shit you not fourteen, like i am so sorry but jerseykyle raised ike basically, and inspite of actin like a heartless monster...loves ike very, very much ( even if he can't say it ) and ike also loves kyle very much. jerseykyle is pretty much the only other person besides firkle, tricia, etc. ( i'll get into that in a diff ask ) that truly gave a shit about him and put weight behind his actions.

so jerseykyle is like ike's older brother/dad, rags on him about doing his homework and being an edgelord

( ike has been acting out a lot, one, because he's finally starting to come into his personality more, which, imo, my hc is that ike is p popular but mostly by accident sort of how stan was because he's pretty and very nice, ike is captain of the hockey team, his accent is cute, gets good grades ( he is slacking right now tho bc hes being edgy as hell ), is a lil skater boy gamer boy, IS V INTO TRUE CRIME, JOURNALISM AND ACTIVISM, creating positive change, exposing injustice, enjoys punk rock music, thinks emo boy stuff is neato,

IKE IS THEEEE DAWN SPAWN OF EVER AND I MEAN THAT, he is a raven of crimson dawn FAN BOY, he is obsessed; i mean that...and despite wanting to make waves in that way, like, he really is kind of an antisocial DORK but lots of girls like him, he gets invited to parties, firkle gets invited by proxy even though people think they are a crazy demonic satan worshiping freak of nature...but ike's super bestie, ofc...their relationship is also interesting...BUT YEAH! IKE! <333 )

also per rm canon, jers does miss ikes birthday every year bc going to south park triggers the fuck out of him which he feels very, very badly about, rags on him but is very pro ike doing what he wants to with reason of not acting like a goddamn FOOL and doing his laundry, his emo dirt bag phase is making kyle's eye twitch ooooof, him bleaching his hair and sticking a safety pin through his lip the second ravenstan walks through their front door while ravesey are secretly broken up and jk is extra mad at him; ITS A HOT MESS EXPRESS, Y'ALL!!!!

if you made it this far...i have to put the answer to the FIRST part of your question with all that dialogue in another ask so feel free to re-ask me that, but to reference it a little...ike is so team ravesey like it is actually painful, that is his ROMAN EMPIRE. firkle actually really does not like kyle bc they think he is lame as hell, help, and is anti-ravesey bc they think romance is a distraction,

( okay, spoiler, but firkle is in love with ike, ike does not know this, ike is super fkn oblivious and is actually very bi, so it's not like he's just not aware he is not straight, he just....actually has no idea, rip, he also has a crush on a girl in his class, it DOES make firkle want to actually dome themself to hear about it 25/8, stupid Feelings, smh, firkle b hating jersey and is lowkey a little jersey coded ) anyways they think kyle dating raven of crimson dawn is going to interfere with the band, their music, their sound and is a hater. like boooo! come on, FIRK! :/

BUT IKE IS A ROMANTIC!!! IKE IS THE JR. RAVESEY CAPTAIN!!!!

tldr; kyle and ike have a complicated relationship but love each other very much and ike does eventually learn about ravesey secret dating bc they are the brothers of ever and cannot hide shit from each other BUT I GOTTA PUT IT IN ANOTHER ASK, I AM SO SORRY, BABY, YOU GOTTA ASK ME AGAIN ABOUT THAT! but i hope this thrills you?

-uncle nina, ceo of insane hs isaac moisha broflovski lore

[priestfrommidnightmass]

imagine being on the phone with me heaving crying for two and a half hours as i talk abt how betrayed i feel because you lead me on and i gave you parts of myself i can never take back and loved you so much and your reaction is like Wait but can we still be friend :( and you still text me good morning after i tell you i’m not sure i want to know the person i’ve discovered anymore because you’re kind of awful. can you imagine that. if you’re even halfway decent you probably can’t imagine this!

[garrulus]

when working in health care college will never truly prepare you for the absolute psychological horror of people actually knowingly lying to your face and people lying to you unknowingly and the difference and figuring out how to tell the difference and how to deal with it. like you just gotta do it.

[snekdood]

stop blaming people blame their governments

stop blaming people blame their governments

for fucks sake STOP BLAMING PEOPLE BLAME THEIR FUCKIN GOVERNMENTS

[greed-the-dorkalicious]

All the #RyouSweep propaganda got me thinking like. Yeah we all criticize Ryou for STILL FUCKING GOING BACK FOR THE DAMN RING in Battle City (and every other time lbr), and rightfully so, but if we’re being honest. In his defense it WAS kind of horrendously irresponsible of the Yugis to just leave two wholeass Millennium Items just sitting on a table and then leave the room. Why did they do that

[linagram]

[𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚣𝚞 𝚜𝚑𝚞𝚗'𝚜 𝚝𝟷 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚍𝚛𝚊𝚖𝚊] 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚙𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛

i hope you all know that i do my evil genius laugh whenever i come up with the voice drama titles

shun's voice drama is here! (yes, i decided to post it before akio's trial results, i got tired of waiting dhdjdkd) again, this one was a bit hard to write. i didn't know how i want it to go, but i knew that shun is supposed to say his t1 trailer voiceline. so you'll finally find out the context for that voiceline!

(note: i probably should mention that i didn't write shun's character with any specific mental illness in mind. it's just hard for him to tell what's real and what's not and his brain makes him forget about all the bad things that ever happened to him to "protect" him. this is actually something that often happens to me as well. so yeah, he just acts like that because of stress.

however, remember that shun is smarter than he looks and he will take advantage of people knowing that there's "something wrong" with him. so yes, it doesn't mean that he's actually faking it, he really does have memory problems, but he still can pretend to forget something on purpose. this is why eiji wants miki to ignore all that and says that shun is either a huge liar or he's just dumb. (sorry if it makes you uncomfortable, by the way, but.. that's just what kind of person eiji is, he doesn't care what problems you have, you're just another murderer to him)

anyway, that's it, i hope you enjoy this voice drama!)

(divider link)

(sounds of footsteps)

Eiji: Now this.. this is a weird one.

Eiji: I mean, most of them are weird, but Prisoner 003 is one of the most unforgivable ones.

Miki: Really? Why?

Eiji: You'll see. Just remember not to fall for his tricks.

Miki: .. To be honest, I think you see everyone here as unforgivable, Eiji-san.

Eiji: Of course I do. All of them are murderers, Guard 002. All of them deserve to be punished for what they did.

Miki: .. Hey, Eiji-san.

Miki: Do you.. want something bad to happen to the person who hurt you in the past?

Eiji: !..

Eiji: W-what does that mean?

Miki: I mean.. Aimi-chan was right about your injuries, wasn't she?

Miki: So.. would you take revenge on the person who brought you so much pain?

Eiji: Why would you bring up this topic now??

Miki: BECAUSE EVEN IF I BRING IT UP LATER, YOU'LL STILL REFUSE TO ANSWER!

Miki: So tell me, Eiji-san, would you hurt that person back?

Miki: Actually, would you.. kill them?

Eiji: ...

Eiji: I.. I would love to see that person die.

Eiji: He deserves it.

Miki: See? That would make you a murderer too. Even if you had a sympathetic reason, you would still look like a sinner in your own eyes.

Miki: So.. I just want you to at least try to understand these people. Not all of them are cruel and cold-hearted murderers. Some of them would never kill anyone if it wasn't for the circumstances.

Miki: We can't just vote all of them guilty without even trying to listen to them!

Eiji: .. Prisoner 003 is waiting for us.

Miki: .. Right.

(door opens)

Eiji: Well, hello there!

Shun: ...

Eiji: Hellooooo-

Shun: ...

Miki: Um, can he even hear us?

Eiji: Well, I will make sure he does hear us.

(Eiji loudly slams his fist on the table)

Shun: Ah!

Shun: W-why would you do that?..

Eiji: Because you wouldn't answer.

Shun: I..

Shun: I.. didn't know how to answer.

Eiji: You know you can just say hello back, right?

Shun: Can I?

Eiji: (to Miki) Now, you see what I meant by him being the weird one?

Miki: Yes, but..

Miki: I kinda understand him.

Miki: I'm also too shy to say hello sometimes.

Eiji: .. You know what, you both are weird actually.

Eiji: Anyway, Prisoner 003, Ishizu Shun, 24 years old.

Eiji: Finally, I was starting to get tired of high schoolers.

Miki: But I'm also-

Eiji: You don't look much smarter than them though, Shun.

Shun: .. Sorry, I guess.

Eiji: Honestly, I'm surprised that you even managed to commit a murder.

Eiji: You don't look like the sanest person, so I can imagine you murdering someone, but also..

Eiji: You're kinda dumb.

Shun: Sorry-

Shun: Wait, murder?

Shun: So.. this really is a prison..

Eiji: Yes, this is a prison and you can die here if we decide you don't deserve to live.

Shun: D-die??

(Shun stands up)

Shun: No, listen, I can explain! I'm sure that all of this is a mistake!

Shun: I mean, yes, I did commit murder but..

Eiji: See? You just admitted that you're a murderer.

Eiji: Why should I forgive you after hearing that?

Shun: Because I had my reasons!..

Shun: I.. I had no other choice!

Eiji: Really? Just how bad was your situation if you had no choice but to kill someone?

(Shun sits down)

Shun: .. I just wanted to protect the person I love, that's all.

Miki: The person you love?

Miki: Like a family member or a friend?

Shun: No, my girlfriend.

Eiji: .. I refuse to believe that you had a girlfriend.

Eiji: I'm looking at you right now and I feel like the only woman who has ever hugged you was your mother.

Miki: Well, in my opinion, Ishizu-san is very pretty-

Shun: Um, I did have a girlfriend..

Shun: But we broke up.

Eiji: Okay, you dating someone doesn't sound so surprising anymore.

Miki: I'm so sorry to hear about that..

Eiji: Let me guess, she realized how creepy you are?

Miki: Eiji-san!

Shun: No, he's right. She thought I was too weird and.. decided to leave.

Eiji: Good for her.

Shun: And she got a new boyfriend right after that.

Shun: And he wasn't a good person.

Eiji: You were just jealous, weren't you?

Shun: No, no, he really was a bad person! He was always so rude to her, he didn't care about her wishes, he only cared about himself..

Shun: And I just.. I had to do something about it. I had to protect her from him.

Shun: I knew that if I let her stay with him.. he will hurt her sooner or later.

Eiji: Yeah, and killing him surely was the best option.

Shun: .. Well, what would you do if you ended up in a situation like this?

Shun: Wouldn't you try to protect the person you love more than your own life?

Eiji: I would just move on.

Eiji: She's not your girlfriend anymore, sure, maybe her new boyfriend really did treat her badly, but it's not your job to fix her relationship with him. It's not your job to save her.

Eiji: Also, think about it. She must be a smart woman, if she realized that you're weird and your relationship is unhealthy and decided to end it.

Eiji: So why would she suddenly start dating a person who was even worse right after breaking up with you?

Shun: .. M-maybe she actually wanted to leave him, but he wouldn't let her..

Eiji: Oh, now you're just trying to make yourself look better than him.

Eiji: It was so kind of you to let your girlfriend, who was terrified of you, by the way, leave! You're not like her new boyfriend at all!

Shun: Ah!..

Shun: S-stop pulling my hair..

Eiji: I hate guys like you.

Eiji: If I could, I would just execute you right here and right now.

Shun: Stop, just stop already! It's too painful!

Eiji: IT'S NOTHING COMPARED TO WHAT I ACTUALLY WANT TO DO WITH YOU!

Shun: SHUT UP AND LET ME GO!

Eiji: ...

Miki: ...

Shun: *heavy breathing*

Shun: .. Hey, what just happened?

Shun: Guard-san, can you stop doing this to my hair? It's kinda uncomfortable..

Eiji: .. You really are stupid.

Eiji: HOW COULD YOU FORGET WHAT HAPPENED LIKE A SECOND AGO?

Shun: *screams*

Shun: Please, Guard-san, stop this! I'm scared!

Eiji: DO YOU REALLY THINK I'LL FALL FOR THAT?

Miki: Leave him alone, Eiji-san.

Miki: He's scared, he has no idea what's going on, we won't learn anything from him if he doesn't calm down!

Eiji: It's okay, we can just watch his video later-

Miki: Shut the hell up and listen to me for once, Eiji-san.

Eiji: ...

Eiji: Heh. Do what you think is right then.

Miki: Thank you.

Miki: Now.. You're Ishizu Shun-san, correct? Do you remember that?

Shun: Yes.. Yes, I think I do.

Miki: Okay. What can you say about your life in Milgram? Is it comfortable?

Shun: .. I guess? It's not that different from my apartment anyway.

Miki: Oh.. I'm sorry to hear that your life before Milgram wasn't that good either.

Shun: It's okay, at least I don't feel as lonely as I used to before coming here. Eiko-san and Kei-san talk to me a lot. To be honest, sometimes I feel like they are.. um.. "interested" in me.

Eiji: Of course Kei would be "interested" in you.

Shun: But then I said that I'm taken and Eiko-san left me alone. Kei-san, on the other hand.. didn't.

Eiji: Of course Kei would-

Miki: "Taken".. Huh.

Miki: I apologize for asking this, Ishizu-san.. you probably don't remember, but you've already said that your girlfriend broke up with you.

Miki: However, you still say that you're taken.

Miki: So I wanted to ask.. Are you dating anyone currently?

Shun: I did.. say that?

Shun: My girlfriend..

Shun: Uh.. which one?

(bell rings, machinery sounds)

Eiji: Guard 002, it's time. We'll find out how many girlfriends he had after we watch his video.

Eiji: Seriously, just what do women see in him..

Miki: Wait, but this doesn't make any sense!

Miki: If you were so loyal to your ex-girlfriend, then why would you start dating someone else?

Miki: Please.. try to remember that, Ishizu-san. I just want to understand how your crime went and I feel like that information is important.

Shun: I can't promise anything, uh.. Guard 002-san.

Shun: I'm sure I will forget even this moment soon.

Miki: .. I see.

Miki: Eiji-san, you can start.

Eiji: Thanks for the permission, I guess?

Eiji: Prisoner 003, Shun, sing your sins!

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