#Also about kazui’s answer

[laniemae]

Hmm

[stuffedsand]

As an alternative to my last question post, hello again milgramblr, who are you entirely certain you Will Not vote guilty in trial 3, no matter what is revealed?

[doctorbunny]

More serious summary of the livestream

Unfortunately I can't provide a full translation because the entire time I was watching in autistic excitement like 😊🥰🤩 whilst my brain melted out my ears and didn't pick up on a lot

Luckily, I have a feeling someone will get around to translating this stream eventually since they finally had the BGM on a lower volume so everyone was audible the whole time Without further ado:

We started with introductions seating order is Yamanaka, Yurina (Es' VA), Minami (Amane's VA), Ryouta (Kazui's VA) and DECO (who dyed his hair blonde) They each have one of the 4th anniversary acrylic stands in front of them The actors have their characters but Yamanaka has Haruka and DECO has Muu

Yamanaka admitted to being a Haruka oshi/fan

Then Minami talks about being a Fuuta fan (she calls him cool) and she's handed the Fuuta stand and she pushes the Fuuta and Amane stand next to each other (and jokes about their height difference then imitates Fuuta going zenbu zenbu zenbu!)

But then Yurina sticks her Es stand in between them to separate them

And then they move the Amane stand next to the Kazui one and everyone coos

Before moving Amane and Fuuta back together in front of Minami Then they basically just lift all of the stands up on to the table and continue on

They discuss their thoughts on the trial

Looking at who got voted inno and guilty Minami is happy Amane got inno but has no idea how Mikoto wasn't guilty They note that the audience wasn't very happy with Kotoko for beating up the other prisoners Then they give some thoughts on the MVs from Daisuki to Deep cover They get most excited talking about Cat and Purge March Kazui says that he was able to put the right emotions into Cat because he recorded the voice drama first Yurina and Minami actually caused the microphone to peak with their excited shrieks at one point (ow)

They answer some audience submitted questions One question was answered along the lines of "Be prepared" One was submitted in English and they tried to but couldn't read it Then they got a question (in Japanese) from someone from 韓国/South Korea [side note: I feel like the south korean milgram fandom has gotten more prominent recently, its always been there but it feels bigger than ever and that's pretty cool]

After audience questions they made a few announcements Some things we already knew, the gratte cafe crossover, the Kotoko line stickers, Earbuds are still on sale (and they're making badges and stuff based on the earbud promo art) the 4th anniversary art/acrylici stands literally in front of them Then some new things: Minigram LINE stamps (everyone was especially pleased for the Kazui XP stamp) There's going to be a part 2 to the Karaoke collab (no details yet other than its coming)

They also announce this year's perk for annual members [the pain of being an annual member but living outside of Japan so you can't get these 😭] Blank lamenated cards of the prisoner's interrogations and a whiteboard pen so you can write your own interro questions and answers They bring out the cards for Kazui and Amane and do some examples

"Do you like cake?" "I don't eat it."

"What did you have for lunch today?" "Gyudon." [a beef and rice dish]

Then Minami just writes "Toilet paper" in katakana and everyone laughs (Then she writes Toilet paper rap/lap/wrap and I'm not sure what she means)

Most exciting is script books for the Hallucenation liveshow (scripts of the voice dramas and songs) The live show uses condensed versions of the voice dramas but this is the first time we'll have official transcripts of key moments to help check translations with

Then they start saying that T2 was hellish, but T3 is going to go beyond hell: They're going to send everyone to Super Hell And at this point my brain fries and overloads on eeby deeby memes as they all go back and forth talking about Super Hell

They all start doing their outros/saying goodbye

Yurina talks about upcoming challenges we have as guards meanwhile Yamanaka ominously holds the Haruka stand up in frame

Then that's basically it, not much going on because a lot of stuff (like Hallucenation, the plushes, earbuds) came out right before the 4th anniversary

[keymetaphor]

It is time for me to post what I lovingly call my

“Overly Complicated Mechanism” Theory.

I originally wrote it right after Cat, but Amane trying to commit homicide again reminded me of its existence, and then I forgot about it until now. Anyway…

In short, my theory is this: Milgram’s preventative measures for violence against the Guard could be bypassed if the prisoners used an elaborate Rube Goldberg machine.

With Kazui’s first interrogation, it was heavily implied that the way Milgram actually stops prisoners from attacking the Guard involves a mental block, similar to hypnosis. This means the “invisible barrier” is very likely a result of their muscles locking up from brain signals that force them to stop before they hit the Guard.

The main piece of evidence for this comes from Kazui’s first interrogation, where he tested the limits of the Guard’s, uh… guard. Kazui’s attempt to restrain Es ended with his body suddenly losing strength, as if he himself became opposed to the idea of restraining them.

With Milgram’s themes of reinforced and rejected thoughts, I believe the most plausible explanation is a type of mental block instated in the prisoners’ psyches that prevents them from completing actions with the intent to harm or restrain the Guard. (Of course, it’s possible there really is just a magical barrier, but given the results of Kazui’s little experiment and Milgram’s emphasis on altering thought patterns, I think it’s unlikely.) My most pressing question about this is whether the mental block prevents a prisoner from carrying out any action with harmful intent toward the Guard, or if it only stops direct actions.

For example, say Muu wants to hit Es on the head with a rubber mallet. To accomplish this, she comes up with a design for a convoluted mechanism that effectively removes her from the act of wielding the hammer itself. For the sake of consistency, we’ll say the sequence of events is as follows:

Someone tips over a cup. The cup hits a rubber ball, which rolls down a ramp and hits a series of books set up like dominoes, which all fall one after the other. (I don’t have time to do a full illustration right now, but here’s something I sketched out really quick as a visual reference.)

The last book falls off a table onto the pedal of a trash can, which opens the lid and sends a tennis ball flying. The ball knocks over a metal water bottle, which releases the string held in place beneath it.

The string is tied to the rubber mallet, suspending it in midair above a doorframe. Releasing the string also releases the mallet, dropping it directly onto Es, who is (hopefully) standing underneath the doorframe.

There’s enough steps in the sequence to remove Muu as the one dropping the hammer. However, she would still be acting with the intent to harm the Guard. So, would she be unable to complete the action due to the mental block? If the answer is yes, as I theorize, then this obstacle can be bypassed with another workaround: telling someone else to do it for her.

If she tells Haruka that activating the mechanism will release confetti, and she obscures the mechanism enough that he will be unable to discern the actual purpose, (e.g., covering it with a curtain,) then Haruka would be able to activate it because he is acting without ill intent. Since he is fully convinced that the mechanism will release a shower of confetti, he can activate the chain reaction where Muu would be stopped by the mental block.

This leads to another possible obstacle, though. Would the mental block prevent Muu from building the mechanism in the first place? Since she is making it with the intention to cause harm to the guard, would she be unable to create it? It all depends on just how deep the mental block runs.

Based on what we’ve witnessed so far, I’m guessing that the mental block doesn’t extend quite that far. As seen with Fuuta, Kotoko, and Kazui, (and now Amane as well,) the prisoners are still capable of acting with the intention to harm Es; the mental block just stops them from completing the action. In other words, they can try to punch Es, but they’ll be forced to stop right before hitting them. Similarly, Kazui’s attempt to restrain Es was possible at first, but he quickly lost the strength to do so.

It is likely that Muu would be able to build the mechanism in the first place, but attempting to activate it in order to hit Es would result in either her suddenly losing the strength to do so, or another “invisible wall” where her muscles lock up right before she can tip the cup over.

If Muu lies to Haruka about its true purpose, however, Haruka will be able to activate the mechanism in her stead, and the hammer will successfully hit its mark, provided Es is standing in the right place.

So here’s how they could kill Es with a banana peel…

[explosionkatsu]

“Age doesn't matter,” 20

Dad!Bakugo x F!Babysitter!Teacher!Reader

PART 19

The day where Katsuki needs to confront his ex-wife arrives. Despite what happened between Y/n and him, he knew he needs to do this even without her. Although, he hated she was not the one taking care of Kazui at that moment.

On his way to the court, Eijiro had to accompany him since he was the one who found Katsuki's ex-wife's location.

Both gentlemen were wearing a suit. But of course, their hero suit wasn't forgotten.

The drive is silent. The only thing they can hear is the roaring engine of the vehicle as Katsuki drives. His mind was too occupied that he wasn't able to message his mother.

Seeing that the establishment is near, Katsuki immediately noticed the small crowd of journalists waiting patiently in front of the entrance for his arrival. He also saw one of them point at his car which made everyone scramble grabbing cameras.

As he slowly approached the portico, Katsuki waited for the security to unlock the said portico for them to get in. He watches a crew of security closing the path of the other journalist who were trying to get in as they take tons of pictures almost everywhere.

"Are you nervous?" Eijiro asked beside him as he loosened his tie a bit.

"There's nothing to be nervous about." Katsuki simply responded as he parked the car near the front door.

"Here we are. We'll just need the judge to authorize your divorce paper, the warrant of arrest for your ex, and have her imprisoned permanently since she's already in prison." Eijiro beamed, seemingly trying to lift Katsuki's mood.

"Tsch." Katsuki only tched as they both prepare to leave the car. "Let's get this over with." He added and exited the vehicle.

"Alright, man."

The courtroom was full of people. There are few faces Katsuki could recognize such as his old classmates who are willing to be his witness.

"Whoah. I didn't expect this many would come." Eijiro whispered.

"The hell you expect? We're heroes." Katsuki grunted, answering Eijiro.

Katsuki proceeded to the defense area where his lawyer is currently waiting for him, and Eijro headed towards the spectator area where the others at.

"Mr. Bakugo." the lawyer greeted, reaching his left hand out.

Katsuki greeted back and shook the hand. "Mr. Isaka."

"I didn't anticipate this to occur so unexpectedly." Mr. Isaka spoke up and sat on the chair with Katsuki, copying his motion.

"Mhm."

Mr. Isaka is Katsuki's lawyer referred by his mentor. The only one who can withstand Katsuki and his temper.

Their first meeting wasn't so good at all due to Katsuki's refusal. He only accepted Mr. Isaka when he was framed by his ex-wife for being an abusive husband. Mr. Isaka managed to clean his name, without any difficulty, as well as file a case against those companies who were spreading rumors about him. You could say it was successful since a bunch of News Agencies released an apology letter on tv and social media.

The courtroom abruptly went quiet when the police announced the arrival of the Judge who slowly made her way to the judge's bench and settled herself.

Katsuki was concentrated. He was even disregarding the fact that his ex was standing 8 feet away from him.

" We are gathering today to witness the judgment of Mr. Katsuki Bakugo and (ex's name). You may all take your seats." The judge said and sat as well. "Now could we have the defending party speak?"

Mr. Isaka stood up, thanked the judge, and started speaking.

...

"Ms. (Ex), is it true that you left Mr. Katsuki without any letter, note, or message?"

"No, Sir."

"Is it true that you abandoned your child while Mr. Bakugo was on his patrol?"

"No, Sir."

"Is it true that you're living with your boyfriend all this time after you stole all Mr. Bakugo's banknotes?"

"N-no, Sir."

"That's all, judge."

"Thank you, Mr. Isaka."

...

"Mr. Bakugo, or should I say, Dynamight. Is it true that you lay a hand on Ms. (ex)?"

"No."

"Is it true that you choose your job over your family cause for Ms. (ex) to leave?"

"No."

...

"Judge Kanaki, we would like Mr. Eijiro Kirishima to join the stand."

Eijiro stood up and went to the witness stand.

"Mr. Kirishima, could you tell us what happened to that incident a few years ago?" Mr. Isaka asked.

Eijiro took a deep breath before answering.

"Exactly at 7 in the evening, I bid good night to Dynamight since it was the end of our patrol. He was my buddy that day. It was an uneventful patrol for us. When I got home and changed into my ordinary clothing, Bakugo suddenly called. His breathing was heavy, almost like panicking. I asked him what was wrong, he told me his wife left their child all alone in their home. I immediately went using my motorbike and catches Bakugo, still not changing from his work clothes, trying to calm the wailing child in his arms. He looked disheveled. Crying, and terror were apparent in his voice."

"E-eijiro.."

"What happened!?" Eijiro immediately went to Katsuki's side. "Tell me what happened."

Katsuki didn't answer for he was just staring at the month-old Kazui.

"Hold on!" Eijiro ran towards the kitchen and took a glass of water. "Here, let me try. Have a drink."

Eijiro took Kazui from Katsuki and watches how his buddy took a huge gulp, calming himself. He was lucky he managed to rock Kazui to sleep.

"We didn't know how long the child was crying until we remember the footage." Eijiro scowled. "That woman left at 8:41 in the morning, getting picked up by her goddamn boyfriend!"

"Thank you, Mr. Kirishima."

...

"Mr. Bakugo. Where are you on the day that Ms. (ex) claimed that you hit her?"

"At my office, working on a few documents."

"With your secretary?"

"Mhm."

"Is it true that you were linked with your secretary?"

"Objection. Accusatory."

"Allowed."

"That is all, Judge Kanaki."

...

"Lawyers. Do you have anything else to say before I close this case?"

"No, Ma'am."

"No."

"In that case, this court will be adjourned for 15 minutes. Allow the jury to decide the fate of the prosecutor."

...

Fifteen minutes went by and the jury, along with the judge came back holding what seems to be the result of the trial.

Katsuki was calmly sitting beside his lawyer who was focused on the appearance of the judge.

When the judge finally settled back on her stand, she addressed Katsuki, as well as his ex-wife before turning to the jury, "May the head of the jury stand."

A person slowly stood up.

"Does the jury find the defendant guilty or not guilty?"

"Not guilty."

"In the case of Mr. Katsuki Bakugo, and Ms. (ex). Ms. (ex) is found guilty of article 276, Abandoning a Minor. You will be charged with imprisonment with a fine of (your currency) 500,000.00. Court dismissed."

"All rise."

...

Your day at school was uneventful as usual. Finishing a bunch of activities that needed to be scored, and a few papers that your principal demanded.

It was quiet since it was Saturday, and here you are, already regretting not taking your works home with you.

Well, you chose this job. Plus, the salary pays all your bills, you can still even buy a bunch of clothes if you want but you just choose to save them.

Then you suddenly remembered Kirishima.

You just accomplished all your works and he suddenly called to inform you that Bakugo will have his trial today.

You were confused about why he was telling you this but Kirishima suddenly said,

"Well, you're my friend now. You're part of our lives as well! Especially him, you know. So, I think you earn to know."

Pondering about what he said made you halt your work and look out the window, wondering.

"Am I?"

...

"Stop wailing shittyhair. The trial's over like an hour ago." Katsuki tsked as he took a big sip of his drink.

"I just can't believe you're finally free." Eijiro hiccuped as he took another shot of his drink while sobbing.

"We're just happy for you, bro." Denki smiled while patting the sobbing Eijiro.

"Yeah. That woman deserves that." Sero smirked. "Have you informed your parents, tho?" his face turned serious after saying this.

"Not yet," Katsuki answered. "Besides, I'm quite sure that this is all over the news. You all hella noticed all the fucking cameramen enveloping almost the courtroom."

"Geez. They can't get a break, can't they." Denki sighed.

"It's their job. Hello. They earn money out of gossip." Mina suddenly spoke out whilst slapping Denki's head.

"Ah. I need to text Y/n." Eijiro unexpectedly said and pulled his phone out.

Hearing your name took Katsuki's attention which brought him avert his eyes to Eijiro.

"You're on first name basis?" Katsuki said raising an eyebrow.

"Me? No, bro." Eijiro responded without glancing at him since he was occupied typing on his phone.

"What're you telling her?"

"That you won and we're celebrating." Eijiro merely said.

"What's with all the question, bro?" Denki smirked.

"Miss her?" Sero taunted.

"Fuck off."

...

"Our no. 2 Hero, Dynamight just won his 4 hours long trial with his ex-wife (name) who's sentenced to imprisonment and a fine of 500,000.00 for abandoning their child. On the other hand, his child was nowhere to be seen by our team. It seems like Dynamight is protecting his child."

"Of course, a parent would do that." You mumbled as you watched the news from your kitchen.

"To all the ladies out there. Dynamight is finally single and undoubtedly not ready to mingle. So, a good and bad news for the fans! Hahaha!"

"Geez." You pouted as you stirred your fried rice. "Do they need to say that on TV?" You muttered. "Stupid newscaster."

Then you heard your phone's notification making you groan.

"This better be not another paperwork." You said out loud as you turned the fire off, quickly washed your hands, and wiped them dry. Once done, you head to your phone and check the messages.

It was Kirishima, informing you that Bakugo indeed won and they were celebrating in a bar along with a selfie of his group.

You can see them all beaming at the camera, except for a specific blonde which made you chuckle.

'Typical Bakugo.' You thought.

So without hesitation, you responded.

"Glad he won! It was all over the news as well so I managed to know just bits of the details. Have fun drinking, and please don't get drunk."

And click the send button.

...

"Miss Y/n said not to get drunk." Eijiro chuckled.

"Awe. I swear she's so adorable. I like her." Mina awed. "If only someone didn't push her away. We would still be hanging out with her."

"Oi, pinky. Say that to my face, why don't cha?" Katsuki glared.

"Oh sure! You stupid idiot pushed her away. We don't know the reason but I am positive that it's your fault." Mina said, this time looking straight at Katsuki.

"She was flirting with Deku! Stupid shit!"

"Wait, what?" Mina blinked. "Flirting with Midoriya?"

"Whatever."

"Did you get jealous when Midoriya complimented her?" Mina asked as if her brain was gradually getting the pieces together.

"No. Why the fuck would I?"

"Oh my gosh!! You did!" Mina stood up from her seat making Denki and Sero jump. "You got jealous because Midoriya was complimenting her! You thought she was flirting!"

"Shut the fuck up! I didn't!"

'Is that why he reacted that way?' Eijiro thought as he thought back to Katsuki's reaction when Mina said something about Y/n being single.

"Fucking outta here." Katsuki stood up and just left.

"Well, there he goes," Denki said. "So much for celebration."

"I think you pushed too much, Mina," Eijiro said.

"The way he reacted though. It seems like I was right." Mina pouted.

"You might be. But I talked to Miss Y/n and it seems like both of them don't want to discuss this." Eijiro sighed. "We know Bakubro, and we know he'll apologize. Maybe not today."

...

Katsuki settled himself in his car. He despised that Pinky could instantly guess what happened. He also despised how right she was.

He knew he screwed up. He's just waiting for the right time to apologize. A moment to cool down.

Why was he even jealous in the first place, anyway?

Cursing himself, he started the engine and drove to a certain location.

PART 21

I have no idea how long this was but I just felt like it's time to get back in here and finish this. Haha! It's really short but I hope it's worth the wait. Thank you for all your patience and understanding! 😍

[plan-3-tmars]

My Theory on Kazui's Parent's.

Q: Is there a meaning behind your name?

A: It's cause I'm the eldest son. It seems like my father was also wishing I'd be "a strong man."

The wording of Kazui's answer here really makes me think. We know that Kazui is strong. He defended Fuuta against Kotoko and even talks about having "never gone up against a woman [like her]" in his VD, implying that he has gotten into fights before (most likely at work - either in the field or in training.)

It seems like, to me, Kazui has parents with very traditional views. Kazui's father wishing that he would turn out to be "a strong man" could imply that he places value on the old-style gender roles in family or society in general. Yes he most likely thinks that being strong physically is important, but also being strong mentally. A 'normal' man who doesn't cry, doesn't show emotain. A man who provides for his family and sticks to tradition, simple as. A son who does what's expected of him - that kind of strong.

~~~

I also think the way Kazui talks is linked to his family's old-school beliefs. Despite only being 39, Kazui always refers to himself as an "old man" and says things like "when your mature/older like me," etc. It's a bit odd, though it might be a cultural thing. Kazui does call himself immature though, so for a man who believes he has only grown up in terms of his age and not his mind, he puts an awful lot of weight on what it means to be an adult. Can you see where I'm going with this? Yup it's back to his strong man comment baby!!!

In that previous qoute Kazui says how his father was also wishing he'd be a strong man. I think the other person Kazui is referencing might very well be himself. I think if Kazui has been taught these old school gender-roles since he was a child, then he might hold alot of weight to them. He wouldn't know any different if that was all he heard about what it meant to be a man as a kid, and therefore wants to live up to that expectation his parents hold of him. He, however, quickly learns that he is not this way and internalises it as something being wrong with him, something that isn't normal that he must fix. Which brings me to my next point...

~~~

I think that Kazui's family are more important to understanding his crime then we may think based on what's been shown to us so far, and I'd even go so far as to say that their beliefs might've been a very big reason/the reason on why Kazui felt the need to lie and marry Hinako.

If we take a situation where Kazui has very traditional parents who want him to grow up quickly, get a nice job and settle down young, it might make sense on why he felt obligated to marry Hinako. In Half he talks about how he's confused on why he doesn't feel happiness in their relationship, as "isn't this what happiness is?" I believe these ideas came from Kazui's parent's. That perhaps they unknowingly (or full knowingly) drilled the idea into his head that a perfect looking couple such as he and Hinako is the ultimate true love, the true happiness, and that he should follow in those steps if he wants to be happy and successful as it in turn will also make them happy and proud of him.

[ryuseiired]

mahiru. 12.

im expecting this to be an answer that requires a read more. go, autism boy, go. talk about mahiru and all the ways people sleep on her character

I LOVE YOU. YOU KNOW ME SO WELL. right. yeah here we go. i Do have thoughts. on this one.

12. what do you wish would be discussed more often about them in the fandom?

ok. well first off. i think we should just talk about mahiru more in general because i love her. but here is my biggest thought on What Exactly Some People, Especially Not On Milgramblr, Are Sleeping On About Mahiru: there's a lot of talk about her murder case, and that's great, but... i think a lot of the things that really draw me to her as a character and to her case tend to slip by people on account of the way milgram likes to- as kazui shows us in cat- keep it simple, victim and perpetrator. but i think trying to understand her better also gives a better understanding of where exactly things did go wrong in the relationship that put her in milgram.

the rest of this answer where i elaborate more will, in fact, be under a cut because you are right that i have an essay locked and loaded on this and actually this turned into a mahiru analysis/theory post by accident i meant to answer mostly normally but unfortunately i'm not normal about mahiru shiina.

let's talk about this is how to be in love with you. can we talk about this is how to be in love with you? i'm dying to talk about this is how to be in love with you. and god, its english name is a mouthful, i understand why some people just go with calling it ai nan desu yo.

obviously (hopefully) we all know mahiru getting guilty voted over this mv was absolutely fucked and unfair. i'm still mad about it. especially because i think that if you look at this is how to be in love with you (and her interrogation questions from its trial) in particular (as well as some other stuff), it says a lot about mahiru as a person, and in turn about her crime.

it's easy to miss underneath how friendly and cheerful she is with the other prisoners, how she seems like such a social butterfly, but... i don't think mahiru actually had a lot of connections other than her boyfriend, and i think this is a big factor in what happened with him. mahiru... seems lonely. like her life is... very empty. and i don't see people focus in on this fact a lot, despite how her first trial voicelines even say as much:

there's nothing left without him, and at least if she's here she can talk to es and the other prisoners. mahiru's interrogation questions paint a picture of someone who doesn't really have a lot in their life. when asked in t1's interrogation if there's someone she can confide in, mahiru's answer is the lady who works at the beauty parlor she goes to. this doesn't seem like the answer of someone who has close friends to talk to instead, at least to me. like. that's not... you'd think if she had friends she felt she could talk to, she'd have mentioned that here, right? that'd be the place to mention any close friends?

in this is how to be in love with you we see her spending days off at cafes alone, and she tells us about having hobbies that are generally solitary, we see her reading in the mv and interrogation reveals that prior to milgram her hobby was watching dramas. she tells us in interrogation that growing up, she was a sheltered girl. she also appears (taken from this is how to be in love with you) to have recently arrived in tokyo, meaning she may not know a lot of people there and has probably moved away from most of her family (though she does mention attending a relative's wedding).

i think part of the problem is that when mahiru meets her boyfriend... she doesn't appear to have much in the way of anyone else. mahiru is social, mahiru loves talking to people, mahiru doesn't really know how to act without copying others... and her boyfriend is the only person she's close with. she appears to be relying on him for almost all of her social connection.

as i just mentioned, she also has the habit of copying others, incessantly. the infamous "i'd smoke if my lover did too" interrogation answer, and again, the text in this is how to be in love with you...

(transcriptions into english from here!)

see the things that jump out here? "even though i'm just copying everyone else in everything. is that the right thing to be doing?", "i thought to buy the same bread he did", "i wasn't really thinking when i blurted out "me too", so now we run together". you can see this in the lyrics too. "i'm going to start relying on you if you're kind to me, so please forgive me!"

i think these are key traits in why her relationship went the way it did. i don't think mahiru is uniquely "toxic" or too needy/clingy in a way that means she can never have a relationship (and god, don't get me started on how i've seen people say this). i think she's obviously a highly social person, and was in a situation where she was relying on one person (assumedly with lower social needs than her) to fulfill all of her need for that. i think she's horribly anxious about losing that connection and having to be alone again, and she doesn't know how to deal with it other than to constantly (and annoyingly, disruptively) ask for reassurance. i think she bases herself on others and ignores her own desires in order to imitate them and/or do what they want, and if her boyfriend also didn't have a particularly strong sense of identity and/or also wasn't the type to stand up for himself, it would be really easy to get sucked into this horrible loop where you're both trying to copy and please each other and now you're both constantly putting aside what you actually like for the other person and neither of you are happy.

except mahiru is happy, or... she thinks she is, because she's happy to give herself up for love. she says as much herself: "we fought sometimes, i was happy to get hurt." but... there's something else in the lyrics, isn't there? "i pretended to be a good girl, i don't want to be "ok"". my take is that mahiru isn't getting what she wants/needs out of the relationship, and knows it on some level. but she isn't going to leave him, either, because she's decided this is true love and also if she did that she'd be alone again. so she hopes something will just change instead, or convinces herself that she is satisfied. but she's not. near the opening of this is how to be in love with you: "i guess we can just say that this feeling is happiness, i can't stop feeling like there's something missing." so she keeps pushing, she keeps trying, and... well. we know how that ends.

so after all this rambling, what's my point, exactly? i don't think either mahiru OR her boyfriend were any sort of perpetrator. nor were either of them a victim. i don't think the relationship fits neatly into that framework, even though milgram judged mahiru a murderer and her boyfriend to be her victim. i think there's a reading that doesn't need any of that: two people who seemed to get along well and have similar interests who got into a relationship, and who were actually incompatible in their deeper needs in a relationship. mahiru clings to this relationship despite this, because she needs it. because she can't be alone again. because having a boyfriend who fails to fulfill what she wants/needs is better than having nothing.

neither of them are bad people, nor (from what we can see and from my opinion on it) did either of them do anything particularly wrong. what makes the most sense to me is a competing access needs sort of situation. mahiru needs reassurance and a lot of attention/interaction (especially from a romantic partner, something she idolizes having because of how special you're supposed to be to each other!), while her boyfriend needs more space than what she's giving him... but mahiru, at least, definitely doesn't want to break up. so eventually, they end up in a situation where he feels there's only one way out.

i think this lens can be supported by what we see in i love you, too! note lyrics like "this can't go on, something's got to give", "why won't you just accept me", "mon-mon-monstrous, cuz i love you so much". and...

here's something else she says in i love you: "i don't need anyone else, as long as i have you." but the truth is... mahiru does need other people. the truth is that one person can't fix the underlying issue that mahiru is desperately lonely and has very few connections in her life. the truth is that it's incredibly unfair to rely on one person to fulfill all of your needs and to desperately insist upon staying in a relationship just to avoid being alone, and mahiru realizes this too late.

so. um. i've never really seen anyone else talk in too much detail about an interpretation of the character/situation like this. i see a lot of "they were both toxic" but i think that's a kind of weak simplification of it, you know? what is "toxic". it's bad, obviously. do we think they're bad people doing bad things, or just that the relationship was bad? is that "toxicity" inherent to them as people, or could things have gone better in a different relationship? are they both "toxic" or are they just both stuck in an incompatible relationship where neither of them are wrong but they are unable to meet each others' needs?

i don't know. it's 4am and i've been writing this for two hours and i'm honestly not sure if it's coherent or not. but to end this here's another footnote of something i cant stand people sleeping on about mahiru: she is so stupid forgiving of literally everything and it kind of kills me and i dont really see anyone else point this out as being a bad thing that could get her really hurt. like. she forgives kotoko for almost killing her and says she doesn't resent anyone for anything. she puts up with anything, as seen by what i mentioned about her desire to stay in the relationship with her boyfriend even though it was obviously not giving her what she needed and it was hurting her too! i think if mahiru had ended up in a relationship with a different guy, it would be entirely possible for her to be in an abusive relationship and refuse to leave it because of this particular tendency. and i don't see this mentioned much. probably because, again... mahiru's framed as a perpetrator. she killed her boyfriend, right? so obviously she's not the one who'd be hurt in a relationship.

ok. i'm done now i promise i am so done with this for real. um. if you read this whole thing thank you. i'm sorry it's so long or if it's incoherent in places. i just have a lot of thoughts about mahiru shiina

[archivalofsins]

So, I've seen the new Amane gifs and-

Spoilers under the cut.

Big sister Shion, I think you misplaced your taser-

Again.

In all seriousness, I would like to discuss the second gif in this batch. Since at first glance, it looked like Amane arriving home to me. However, it could come off as an abduction. If she's leaving a public area or is in one. Something that's still a possibility given all the papers covering the door.

Unless, for some reason, Amane's family just hangs papers on the inside of their home door or own a business that does that. Either of these things could be the case. Since we see them working on a set in Magic, and they could put things up at home like this to remind them of certain things. That's not uncommon in familial residences, after all.

However, the papers and cards there looked to be put up for advertising purposes. Kind of like what one would see on a bulletin board just on the door. This is usually done on the front doors of businesses, which is why I said this makes it possible for this scene to be an abduction.

Now I do believe that Riyone, the one shown to use electricity on Amane in Magic, is more than likely her mother. However, I also believe her parents are more than likely divorced, and her mother was using the pilgrimage thing to kill two birds with one stone.

Q.09 Tell us your family structure.

Kazui: It’s only me now.

Amane: It was my father, my mother and me.

By explaining away her father's sudden absence and displaying to Amane that her father believes in this too. This would motivate Amane to take these teachings more seriously because, as we have been shown over and over again, Amane has great respect, admiration, and love for her father.

Q.02 Who do you look up to?

Kazui: You won’t know them even if I say, but I have a childhood friend I really respect. Sorry for just answering someone from my personal life.

Amane: My father. He’s been away on a trip for a while, but I think that’s very honourable of him.

So, if she was led to believe that her father followed these teachings as well she would try harder to be a good girl in order to,

A. Make her dad proud.

B. Be like her father.

C. Possibly see him if she's good enough.

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

Kazui: They won’t see me anymore.

Amane: My father. I want him to praise me for all my hard work.

Japan favors leaving the kid with the parent, which will cause the least change in the child's life. So, they tend to give custody to the parent the child is living with at the time. This is why it's become common for parents who are about to divorce their spouse to either kick the other out of the home or move without notice taking the kid(s) with them and then get a divorce.

"Parents secretly moving out and taking children with them isn’t unheard of-in fact, it’s often viewed in Japan as justified, in part because of instances where domestic violence is alleged. Such unilateral separations are legal in Japan, but if the other parent attempts to take the child back, that can be considered an illegal removal."

This would explain why Kazui and Amane were paired together as their stories may heavily involve highlighting the failings of the divorce system.

If Amane's mother did do this, then her father wouldn't have any legal right to see Amane, and her mom could just come up with any excuse for his absence she wanted. Something that divorced parents tend to do anyhow even when not given such beneficial circumstances to do it under.

"Each year, divorce affects roughly 200,000 Japanese children, double that of 50 years ago in a country where the total number of minors has plummeted. Of children with divorced parents, 1 in 3 said they eventually lost all contact with the noncustodial parent, a 2021 government survey showed. Given the system’s winner-take-all approach, spousal battles have only intensified, escalating the economic and emotional damage." X

Overall, given what we know, Amane's situation is rather complicated. However, I find it very telling that a lot of people are willing to endanger/torment a child for the safety and comfort of a bunch of adults.

Simply because this is always how child abuse and neglect has been treated by society. Especially when done by a parent. The concept itself is so abhorrent and senseless that many would rather look away from the issue entirely than confront it. Even if they must shift the blame to the victim to do so.

It's easier to go,

"Well, that kid must have done something to get that response from their parent."

Objectively true statement. Something was done to cause this. That's simply how cause and effect work. However, that something can range from things as simple as helping another person in a way they deem unacceptable

or breathing wrong.

The victim undergoing familial abuse doesn't get to pick the struggle it fucking picks them. It's Monday and their primary caretaker had a bad day at work? Guess who's getting beat again. This may be the rest of their evening or week now. Aw shit- did they get a low grade on a test?

Hope they're ready to go to the quiet room or sit at a table for seven hours to be taught this from the beginning. Because they're making their parent(s) look bad. If only they were smarter and not a complete embarrassment, then they could be having fun right now.

20/06/18

Amane: Thank you very much for teaching me. ……but, though I realise it’s strange me saying this after I asked you, I must admit it’s kind of unexpected. You give off the impression of someone who wouldn’t want to get involved in things like this.

Kotoko: ……well, you’re not wrong. I’m surrounded by people who could all be murderers, so I don’t plan on going out of my way to talk and make friends. I can’t let my guard down. But I like ambitious people like you. If you want to study more, then I’m happy to teach.

Amane: I see…… You look scary at first impression, but I quite like the way you treat everyone equally regardless of whether they’re older or younger than you. You don’t just treat me like a child or anything like that.

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. There, I’ve finished marking. 83%. How do I put it… Even though you act like this, it’s not like you’re super brilliant at studying or anything, huh.

Ah, they managed to fix all those things; man, that's nice. Why do they always need something (clothes, food, water, etc)? Have they thought of their parent(s) needs lately? Recognized how hard their parent(s) are trying. They have it rather good, considering some kids are out there starving. How can they be so ungrateful?

Shifting the onus of blame onto the victim is quite literally a good way to make sure the bar is always moving, and success is unobtainable. This is literally the first thing abusive parents do. Make the abuse seem like the child's fault.

"Well, that was then - this is now. You don't have to keep behaving this way. You're in a safe environment."

An objectively true statement. However, that may not feel emotionally true due to how long the individual has been in an unsafe environment, the likelihood of them changing the behavior that they learned to cope with that immediately is pretty much nonexistent.

"If they were unhappy, they'd say something. It would show more they wouldn't be doing as good at school."

No, they wouldn't; depending on the severity and duration of the abuse.

Usually, the intention of child abusers, especially parents who abuse their children, is to not get caught. They will actively go out of their way to make it look like things are as good as possible. If the kid does or says something that contradicts that they'll just punish them. So, when well-meaning people go,

"Is something wrong?"

The first instinct for a child suffering under familial abuse may be to lie. Because if they don't, whoever they are talking to may discuss what they have told them with their caretaker leading to them getting in trouble again. Sometimes parents that partake in this type of behavior will even coach their kids when it comes to lying.

"How'd you get this?" - "Playing."

"Why did you miss so many days of school?" - "I caught a cold."

"Hey, do you like it at home?" - "Yep, my life is great. My parent(s) and I do (acceptable to mention hobby here) on these days. It's a lot of fun. Why do you ask?"

For children living under these sorts of conditions every waking moment is a fucking balancing act. They either say the right thing or get in trouble because at the end of the day they're going to have to go back home. So, children living under these sorts of conditions are well aware of what happens if they act a certain way in public by the time they reach school age.

"I mean, it could be that... but it's best not to pry."

The quiet part out loud. People don't want to be bothered by it. It's uncomfortable and usually considered to not be the business of outside parties unless it's child services. So, people look the other way and get uncomfortable when it's even alluded to near them. They'll look at the kid and go well, that's bumming me out. Best to think about things that can be solved at the end of the day. I mean, that's their legal guardian. I can't tell someone else how to raise their kids.

That's just how a majority of people view child abuse/neglect. Because children are either a nice thing to have around, or a problem that should be ignored or handled. Everyone in Milgram outside of Amane has been given a good deal of the benefit of the doubt. Despite them all being older and just as capable of understanding their behavior along with the hurt it has caused while rationalizing why they did it as she is.

Amane is the only character in the series who has been treated with the scrutiny of an adult despite everything she's been through. To me, that's very fucked up. It's gotten to the point that I don't believe people even recognize they're doing it. They don't recognize they're justifying continuing to let a kid remain in an abusive environment because it makes their lives easier. Because then they'll be more comfortable.

Directly mirroring the way child abuse is pushed to the side and swept under the rug in the real world.

Because at the end of the day people only care about children when it's convenient for them. When it's easy to care, when the person they're protecting the kid from is someone they already dislike. People have no trouble pointing out these issues then. Because it's easy to talk about the pain of children or someone being younger when it helps others support or deny something they already feel a certain way about.

It's easy for one to conclude that what Futa did was wrong, that Mu, Yuno, or Haruka made a mistake because of their ages and upbringing. Yet when shown the horrendous treatment Amane has endured and her age being put on full display from the beginning... Somehow there's still room to dance around the idea of whether she should be Innocent (Forgiven) or not.

Despite being given the option to not continue to torment the youngest, most vulnerable, and consistently neglected person here, many can suddenly find a good deal of justifications to continue her punishment.

All I did was say a bad thing was wrong, how was I to know that was gonna to happen; what about what you're doing?

"Futa isn't sorry, he just doesn't want to get punished." A lot of people wanted to discuss remorse earlier and how Futa displays it. Yet, showing remorse isn't indicative of change. Plus, remorse and shame look a lot alike.

The most important thing with Futa is he not only recognized that what he did was wrong regardless of how he displays that- He, also took the necessary steps to change his behavior moving forward. In order to prevent what had happened before from happening again. He's actively attempted to show more concern for those younger than himself since entering Milgram.

Even though he isn't particularly good at communicating, he goes out of his way to attempt to check in on others and asks about them. Despite saying he can't afford to do that he's still done so. Even going to inquire about Haruka.

He can do that but despite seeing the consequences of our judgements, a lot of people are too comfortable with doubling down on some of the most disenfranchised characters within Milgram. Simply because the idea of that sort of person existing to some is a personal offense.

That's fine Milgram let's you vote on that alone after all. However, I definitely wouldn't like my name being used to excuse the mistreatment of others. So, instead of saying it's for another prisoner's sake how about we cut out the middleman and get straight to the point.

Some people within the fandom would be more comfortable with Milgram if Amane were restrained. It would give certain individuals a sense of peace of mind.

No matter how easily broken that will be by whatever prisoner decides to act up next during the intermission in response to their verdict.

Despite everyone in Milgram showing little or no fear of Amane and Mahiru literally saying this,

Q.13 What do you think of Amane?

Shidou: Us adults need to do something for her. I can’t do anything while looking after the injured right now so I have to leave it to someone else, which is bothering me.

Mahiru: I would’ve loved to play a lot with her if she was doing better.

So, it'd be nice if people stopped using Mahiru as an excuse to hurt another prisoner that she has admitted to liking numerous times.

Q.10 Which of the other prisoners do you get along with?

Kazui: Shidou-kun, Mikoto and me all smoke together, so I think we get along well.

Amane: If I had to pick someone, then Yuno-san and Mahiru-san.

Plus, this is simply rich; looking back on all these people discussing the safety and care of children to compare it to how they're acting now. Justifying continuing the mental suffering of a child simply because it appears narratively convenient to them. You're going to meta vote the kid twice, really? Okay, go ahead.

That's the sort of place Milgram is after all. A place that says children only matter when they can fit into the framing most convenient to the one speaking. It doesn't matter if Amane is tortured blatantly on screen, it doesn't matter if she's having a rough time. Because a bunch of people have already decided that coddling adults who should damn well be able to protect themselves is more important than a child's safety.

Not surprising or disappointing, that's just the natural way of things in society.

I mean you might as well, I don't know-

Ignore the consistent signs of familial abuse happening around her, ostracize her because the idea makes you uncomfortable, avoid her like a plague. Put her in the corner because children are meant to speak only when spoken to.

Oh...hm that sounds familiar-

Lol, fuck kids though am I right? The only time people decided to care about Satoko, and her lived experiences, was when she was a teenager. Maybe if Amane was a few years older, then her lived experiences would matter. For now, though, nah-

Moving on! I'd also like to discuss two other gifs; the close-up of the baton with rope attached and the attempted flag twirling. Given what we've seen I believe that Purge March will be retreading what we are shown in Magic except subtracting Amane's idealized view of things.

It was implied that this was her ideal at the end of Magic through this image-

A scene that brings to question all of the presentation of Magic. That made me wonder if this is how things went or just Amane's more idealized retelling.

Star pointed out the absence of anyone in front of the stage in her post Sunday. However, there's another thing that's odd. The thing we see before the credits roll isn't everyone standing together as they are in the end but Amane by herself brandishing her wand-

However, unlike when she first brandished it her chibi form her wand moves from her left hand to her right back to her left again before the fake credits role at the end of Magic.

This also happens directly after everyone just mysteriously disappears like right before this she was dancing with just Yuri and Riyone-

Since we noticeably see Yuri isn't holding anyone else's hand and Riyone doesn't seem to be either. So, where did Gachata and Gozake go? Then when they are back in the credits it's like this-

Instead of Amane being in between Yuri and Riyone like she was before she's between Gozake and Riyone.

Since she did this when no one else seemed to be present this could mean a variety of things. One that she may have used the wand more than once, two she did a routine of some sort which she just finished, or even denote handedness meaning her left hand is more than likely her dominant one.

Considering how her routine begins with the wand in her left hand and ends with it in her left hand. However, I don't know enough about baton twirling to say. Plus, every video I've found on it has emphasized starting with one's right hand regardless of dominance. So, this is odd.

(Star here! Given the religious aspects of Amane's circumstances, it could also be something to do with the stigma left-handed people have/had. They might have forced her to use her right hand for things. A prime example of this is the gif of her attempting to spin the flagpole. This could indicate that Amane was forced to use her right hand, resulting in a loss of motor skills you wouldn't get when using your dominant hand. Further backing this is the fact that in the close-up gif of Amane twirling the baton, she starts with her left hand and then transfers it to her right)

Adding to that in baton twirling people are specifically trained to use both hands and it's widely accepted that one is meant to start with the right. Though the baton is usually meant to be the length of one's dominant hand.

X

X

Video on Baton Measuring: X, X

Outside of giving us a possible idea on her handedness- This also adds more depth to this answer given by Amane in her first written interrogation-

Q.14 Do you listen to music?

Kazui: I guess I do from time to time. It’s all super old music though, so I don’t think you’ll know it.

Amane: I don’t particularly listen to it for fun.

Because if Amane is majorette which has been all but stated, she would listen to music predominantly to practice her routines. This would give more depth to her pairing with Kazui as well. Since they've both been heavily related to the performing arts in some way.

Baton Twirling routines: X, X, X, X, X

What Amane appeared to be doing in the new gif using the baton with the string: X

(What Amane appears to have attempted with the flag toss: X)

Back to how Purge March may be the same events just less idealized.

If you look at these frames-

Notice that the way the flagpole lands on Amane's head and how the impact affects her mirrors this scene of Gachata flicking her forehead.

(This time, it's Star typing something! Gunsli was busy for a bit so I was headed to write this up o7

Taking this and the gif of her desperately trying to make her way through the water to grab the flag in front of her, it's likely they are going to use the switch from flagpole to baton as an allegory. Specifically, to better illustrate the timeline of events/order of circumstances.

Though, to expand on this, the flag may also represent the idea of everyone living happily together that Amane refers to in Magic. The baton, however, represents the ideologies surrounding the cult her family is involved in. If this is true, then it could also be visual shorthand for the idea of Amane changing her priorities.)

With that I think we're done here. There's a lot of interesting things about Purge March and I think it's going to follow up on Magic well. It's making me more and more excited for Double. Milgram has been very hush-hush about Amane and Mikoto. So, their songs might just end up speaking more than any of the others so far.

[good-beanswrites]

Can you do A crackfic of Mikoto getting pushed down the stairs?

Ah yes, there's nothing more satisfying than pushing the blorbo down the stairs 😌 ASDFDSFDS thank you for the request, this has been cracking me up! Don't mind the random staircase I added to the prison -- I assume it'd be leading down to the panopticon, but it can be as tall as your heart desires <3

Mikoto was a smart man. He knew how to do the important things, like taxes and color theory and cooking eggs without setting off the smoke alarm in his apartment. But he did not know how to keep his mouth shut to prevent himself from being pushed down the stairs.

He found himself in this unfortunate position after a conversation with some of the others in the common area. He had snuck up behind Yuno for a playful scare, and was getting a dramatic speech about how vengeance would come.

“Nah,” Mikoto told her. “I don’t get surprised.”

“What do you mean you don’t get surprised?” she asked, incredulous. 

“I mean I don’t get surprised.”

“Everyone gets surprised.” Fuuta said. 

“Not me.” 

They went quiet for a moment. Each went back to their activities. 

Kazui leaned back in his chair. “Not even a little bit?”

“Nope.”

“Absolutely nothing?”

“Not one thing.”

Amane huffed. “That’s impossible. You can’t know the future.”

“Can too. At least in here, you all are pretty predictable.”

Muu eyed him. “But you would still be surprised if one of us jumped out and scared you!”

“Well, now I’ll be prepared, because you said something.”

“You would be surprised if someone pushed you down the stairs!”

“Once again, now I'll see it coming.”

Haruka clenched his fists. “Y-you would be surprised if you woke up and -- and -- and your cell was full of ice cream!” He beamed at coming up with the most surprising thing of them all.

The group stared at him.

“You know… I guess I’d be a little surprised, yeah.”

The prisoners of Milgram were dedicated, Mikoto would give them that. They never shied away from putting their theories to the test. If they wondered, “could you drastically alter your uniform without getting caught?” they’d simply grab some colorful fabric and test it! (The answer was no.) “Could you throw something harmless at Es so that it connected and got them angry?” (Yes.) “Could you trick Fuuta into eating two-week old dessert?” (Also yes.) “Could you catch Jackalope for long enough to give him scritches?” (No.) And now, “could you actually surprise Mikoto?”

Regrettably for him, the prisoners did not go with Haruka’s unique idea when carrying out their test.

Later, as Mikoto described the episode to Es, he would say how he had been perfectly aware of his surroundings when the shove from behind put him slightly off-balance. He would explain how he went stumbling down a few of the steps. He would describe how he rose, dignified, to try and spot the assailant. 

In reality, he fucking rolled down those stairs. 

Mikoto cried out, something high-pitched and indiscernible. He became a blur of blue and blonde highlights as he tumbled the whole length of the staircase. He flailed his arms out to try and catch himself, but only succeeded in throwing himself more off course. 

When he reached the bottom, his limbs splayed out flat against the ground. He scrambled to his feet and whipped his gaze frantically around. There were only echoing giggles disappearing down the upper hallway. By the time he flung himself back up to the top (narrowly avoiding tripping and falling back,) the culprit was gone. 

He was left out of breath and with his back aching like an old man’s.

That evening, all eyes were on him as he entered the common area. He surveyed the group with a harsh gaze. He met each of their eyes. None of them broke. 

Mikoto let out a long sigh. He lifted a single finger. “You got me. One thing can surprise me.”

Still very hung up on the ice cream, Haruka’s face lit up. “Two!” 

[randomidiocyncrazies]

alskjfhlajsajfklsaflfsdaj the depressed repressed potentially gay middle-aged man sure got me good............................

from his Interrogation questions, the Thing that Kazui is lying about since he was a child (and telling the truth about killed his wife) is at least partially related to gender roles, at least in his own mind. We know his father had expectations of him being a "strong manly man" and had him follow in his footsteps in being a police officer. His T1 answer about wanting to ride a carousel also hints that, for whatever reason, he never had the chance to do so as a child. While carousels are not inherently feminine or emasculating, they are kind of seen as kiddie or girly rides, especially back when Kazui would've been a kid himself. The fact that even as a child he had never been on one, while wanting it enough to still think about getting on one as a adult, implies that he probably had been forbidden or pressured into not going on it due to it's 'emasculating' reputation (even though there's nothing about it that's inherently emasculating)... just like how being gay isn't emasculating, but was seen as such until relatively recently (and in some places still has that reputation).

Now, imo Kazui enjoys/prefers being the one who is pursued and pampered, if he was free to take part in the kinds of relationships he craved*; this would, again, go against the traditional gender role of the 'proper man' being the one who provides, who pursues, who takes action—in Cat we see that even though Hinako is the one who fell in love first, Kazui is the one who initiates the dating and proposal. She doesn't ask him out; he does. Not only is he playing the role of a heterosexual man, he's playing the heterosexual man who is assertive in demonstrating his desire for his romantic partner, when I think his inclination is to be the one who is wanted/courted. Even if he was straight, the desire to be the pursued pampered partner is already something that wouldn't fit in with the traditional gender role of what a 'proper' man should be like... and then on top of that he likes men. Liking men by itself is already considered 'emasculating' by his parents and/or society, and wanting to be the receptive partner who is courted and desired would be another strike against his masculinity (because a strong manly man is the one who is supposed to articulate/express his wants and desires assertively, or so society says).

I really do think "wanting to be loved like a cat" (猫 which sounds the same as ネコ) is a pun that gives additional context about why he's so ashamed of his desires—in his mind he's a failure of a man because he not only is (most likely) attracted to men, but he wants to be the receptive/courted partner. Him being so so so torn up by this is really sad because like... being the receptive partner in a gay relationship doesn't make one "less of a real man" or whatever, but he can't let go of that idea (that his parents/society drilled into him) even though it's not actually true.

*if we apply 0506's "confessing or being confessed to" question to Kazui, I really think he'd prefer to be confessed to—he wants to be known and accepted and loved, but he cannot bear to tell us the truth himself and instead begs Es (us) to free him. He wants someone else to articulate the truth of his desires for him but is unable or reluctant to state them plainly. This is not a guy who wants to confess; this is a guy who wants the option to decide whether he'd go along with his partner's desires, but doesn't want to be the one to lay his desires out in the open.

[vincord]

What do you think Kazui’s dad was like? During Kazui’s T2 QNA he said his dad was a cop and wanted him to be one and in his T1 QNA Kazui Said his family must find him embarrassing.

Strict and controlling, I suppose. In contrast to parents who pamper their children and shower them with love, allowing them to do whatever they want, Kazui's father, I think, would have required him to follow certain rules, and expressed feelings less vividly and strongly. Perhaps at times there could be slaps for disobedience and for discipline purposes.

One of Kazui's answers is literally "[…] Because in my family children were the most distant." (T2 Question 8 "If you had to make one of the prisoners part of your family, who would you choose?") It could be about his marriage to Hinako, as well as his own family, his childhood and the fact that he and his father were emotionally detached.

He seems to me to be the type of parent who plans the fate of their child even before that very child is born. Considering where Kazui studied and what his profession was. He saw his son as his heir or something like that, you know. Oh, and also i remember that about a half year ago I saw someone thinking (I don't remember exactly where and from whom) that Kazui's family could be, if not rich, then above average income. And to be honest, I like to think about it from time to time! As if this would make his father would control him even more because of this, so that Kazui wouldn't disgrace their family name and lineage.

Plus, Kazui himself seems to be very attached to his father and speaks only about him from the family, which suggests that his mother didn't play such an important role in his upbringing. Just as a thought, maybe Kazui's father just rarely let her near their son or let her influence him. I know there are fathers who build a barrier around themselves and their child so that everyone else cannot interfere and the father raised the child the way he wants exclusively.

I mean, that all would be pretty logical, considering Kazui's whole character and how at ease he is in prison. When people who are under someone's control and management suddenly find themselves on their own and find nothing better than just hanging around and going with the flow, because they are used to being led.

[prisoner-000]

Q: Is there anyone you'd like to meet anyone right now?

Kazui: I can't meet them anymore.

I've always wondered about this question in the first trial interrogation, because the phrasing is extremely vague and I couldn't shake the feeling that there was something I was missing. decided to try and translate it myself with the help of some dictionaries and my very poor Japanese...

もう会っちゃくれないよ

もう = anymore; more/further

会っち = meet/encounter

くれな = action that someone is performing for the speaker

いよ = not

Which leaves me with something more akin to "They don't meet me anymore/We don't meet anymore". I feel like "I can't see them anymore" creates a sense of urgency that isn't really present with the original text and also implies that not being able to meet anymore would hint towards an actual impossibility (like.. talking to a dead person).

I've always believed this answer to be about the friend he confessed to. He goes on and on about this friend in interrogations (though we've had no mention of them during this trial so far) and even in TL convos, it'd make sense for him to think of them and not Hinako, who he rarely seems to talk about (:(. Free my girl). They don't meet anymore, because things have grown awkward, they've drifted apart - a sentiment expressed in half's lyrics.

[purgemarchlockdown]

This really adds to my thoughts about how Amane views love and why she interacts with Yuno and (the one who is relevant to this) Fuuta in a notably more amicable way.

Amane views love as mercy and she genuinely cares for Fuuta to some extent. They probably gravitated towards each other for multiple reasons considering how similar the two are when you get down to it, but Kazui's response actually gives another reason.

Q: What do you think of Kajiyama Fuuta? A: When you're at that age it's ok to be that cocky

This is probably unintentional on Kazui's part, but considering how emotionally unstable and distressed Fuuta is at the moment, being seen as "cocky" and just that probably feels dismissive.

From what I can tell it seems like Fuuta is affected deeply by outside opinion. Considering how he reacts to the voices (which, yeah the voices would be bad for anyone but also he reacts notably the worst to them) and the twitter cancel culture flame war mess. Plus at the moment Fuuta feels very guilty, anxious, and insecure.

Amane is used to being ignored and dismissed. Theirs probably some understanding between them.

Once again, Amane views love as "mercy" but notably she doesn't express that mercy the same way her "parents" did.

When she interacts with Shidou and Mahiru she's doing that partially out of hatred and partially because Shidou and Mahiru remind her of her parents, people who Hurt Her. That isn't out of love.

However when she's talking with Fuuta and Yuno she's amicable and polite, answering their questions and not threatening them like she does with Shidou and Mahiru. This is her "mercy" a notably kinder "mercy."

When Amane says this:

Q: What do you think of Kajiyama Fuuta? A: He is lost and in pain I should help him

She is coming from a genuine place of love and care, one that is surprisingly not that destructive considering the way her home-life treated love.

It's like Amane knows how painful it was and is, to some extent, is avoiding acting that way because she Genuinely Cares about them.

Once again, she only threatens Shidou and Mahiru with violence, and we don't see any signs of her doing the same to either Fuuta and Yuno.

Say what you will about her indoctrinating Fuuta, but this is coming from a genuine want to Help.

And what did Amane say she wanted in Magic again?

Only if, only if, only if I could be a good girl I hope, I hope everyone can be happy and smile Forever, forever together would be a dream

So yeah.

[1moremilgram-enjoyer]

Es T1 Cover - Hibana

Hey there! Milgram covers, huh? They're really interesting! I've decided to look at all of them and give my thoughts on each, and while I thought about doing it all in just one post, I'm gonna separate them because why not. Anyways, this time I'll talk about Es' only cover (of songs not originally from Milgram), Hibana! Let's see how our favorite Warden connects to this song.

CW Allusions to guns and shooting

(Note: 'Hibana' means spark)

Hibana has the singer speaking to their lover about an issue with their relationship, which is how the lover struggles to express their opinions and make decisions for fear of disagreeing with the singer.

Now now, time to mute all complaints, Hesitating over stupid things.

(Translation)

Basically, they consider a love without disagreements "incomplete." If you truly love someone, then you have to accept their views even when you disagree, right? To love someone fully, you need to know them fully.

It’s “incomplete”, I’ll say it time and time again. nanananananananana Amidst a love that missed hitting “NO”

Even if it causes the singer anxiety and distress by the nature of disagreements, it's needed for their relationship to flourish. The spark in the title refers to the spark of love, but also to the spark of two objects colliding with each other.

I don’t want to harbor a love that will never end, Come on, properly fill me more with anxiety. I’d like you to act your part at peek a boo, Come on, answer to what I ask more properly!

I don’t want to love a weak-minded love, Come on, make it hurt more properly. Going so far it’s no longer funny, is surely much more enjoyable, Come on, melt me more properly!

(Note: Peek a boo is a game where you hide with your hands, but then reveal your face again. Thus, 'playing their part at peek a boo' means revealing their 'face', their opinions)

You can sorta see where the connection to Es is, once you consider most of these songs are abstracted so the romantic/sexual partner represents something else and the relationship is not literal. Es is singing this to themselves, asking themselves to be sure and confident in their judgement of the prisoners. That's what the love likely represents, too. Es doesn't want to hesitate, they want to be able to forgive and not forgive with the conviction a Good Warden ought to have.

[Imposter Boulevard] (Kazui T2 VD) Es: I'm the Guard. If I forgive you, I forgive you. If I don't, I don't. There's no other factors to it.

[Baptism of Fire] (Fuuta T2 VD) Es:  I am the Guard of MILGRAM, the one who judges your sins. It's not just you and Mahiru – I've faced all ten of you prisoners with my own life. Don't lump me in with someone like you, who used someone's sins for cheap entertainment!

Steadfast in their opinions, not to be swayed by whatever the prisoners say, not to let themselves get tempted by the idea of compromise. They can't be a perfectionist, they need to be unafraid of mistakes.

Knock knock, ‘with this it's a tie’, Confined within unfilled time. Perfectionism turns smoky, With an echoing voice I’m feeling vertigo and monotony.

But there's also an interesting implication. Because the disagreement and the steadfast opinions are necessary, but they're also distressing. In the song's original context, that's just the nature of disagreement, but here Es would be disagreeing with themselves.

Shoot up that head...

The imagery of shooting in the head referenced in the song art is about this anxiety and hurt induced by disagreement.

But for Es, they're stressed by the weight of their decisions, by the impact their judgement can have on the prisoners. Hibana brings up this conflict front and center.

[TASK] (Kotoko T1 VD) Kotoko: You are not the executioner who convicts people for their sin. The person who offers to save the murderers who deserve to be forgiven.. It's also you. Es: Aaah.. Mm.. *shallow gasping* K: Come, Es… then, listen to my sin… E: *gasp* Prisoner number 10.. Kotoko.. Come..! Sing… your… sins… *sob*

[Baptism of Fire] Es: I didn't wish for you to get a punishment like this! And I didn't instruct Kotoko to do that, either. Punishments executed through violence… Fuuta: Huh… E: I didn't think it would turn out this way.

[Love is (Un)Dead] (Mahiru 2nd VD)] Es: …I'm sorry. I'm responsible for the fact that you've ended up like this. Mahiru:*Coughing, heavy breathing* E: It was my decision not to forgive you. I don't intend to deny that. But… the fact that I couldn't predict Kotoko's actions was a failure on my end. M:*Heavy breathing* E: If I had known that it would turn out like this… [...] M: Yeah. Es-kun, you're working so hard… You're doing great. E: ...! M: …Oh my… are you crying? Es-kun…

God I love Es so much. I am so mad we don't have a cover specifically for them in Trial 2.

Anyways, that's the gist of it. Since these songs weren't written for Milgram, analyzing the general themes and topics is more important than going deep into each and every lyric, so I think this is a decent overview of this one. Hope it was good enough! Take care!

[explosionkatsu]

"Age doesn't matter" 4

Dad!Bakugou x F!Babysitter!Teacher!Reader

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

After his shift, Eijirou headed towards his office and changed into his casual attire. It's an uneventful shift which Eijirou was glad about since it meant no one got hurt. But he couldn't stop thinking about Katsuki and his well-being.

Being a hero means helping as much as you can even if it costs you to offer up your life. So if it takes him eternally to find the person who caused this misery to his friend, he will.

Thinking about this made Eijirou's blood boil. It makes him think back to the day Katsuki introduced her to them. At first, he thought she was a fine woman who doesn't care about Katsuki's status, and wealth. But as the day goes by, he started noticing the changes in his friend. It even got to the point that Katsuki had to miss work just for him to buy her desires. Materialistic desires.

How dare she manipulate his best friend.

How dare she steal his wealth.

How dare she fool around while Katsuki's working his ass off.

How dare she leave him and their child behind.

Thinking about this made Eijirou desperate and arrest her right away. But that isn't logical thinking. He knew he needed to know her side first. He needed to know why she does that.

After Eijirou wrapped up, he put his suit where the agency will cleanse it. He bid everyone goodbye with a smile before departing the building. His smile suddenly slips as he fishes his phone from his pocket. Grasping it firmly, he doubled taps the screen seeing his phone lit up. His finger dances on the screen as he dials a familiar number before placing the phone near his ear and waiting for the other line to answer.

"Hello?"

"Ah hey! How are you doing?" Eijirou smiled as he began walking.

"Kirishima. I didn't expect you to call.”

"Haha, yeah. Today's uneventful so my shift ended quite early." Eijirou said scratching his head.

"So, what's up?"

Eijirou's smile disappears again, "I'll get frankly to the topic." He said with a serious voice, "I hope you have useful news."

The person at the other line raised an eyebrow before smiling. "Ah. Yes actually. You'll be shocked."

"What is it?" Eijirou asked making him stop walking.

"She's actually still in the city."

..

"Okay, class. It’s already 4 pm. That's all for today. You may only leave when your parents showed up to pick you up." Ms. Y/n smiled as she started assembling her items.

One by one, the parents show up greeting her before they took their child and leave. The only one left is Kazui who's busily sketching random stuff on a piece of paper.

The fact that Kazui knew someone would pick him up but probably late made Ms. Y/n feel sad. He’s too young to experience this kind of thing. That is also why she mentioned to Mr. Bakugou that she used to be a babysitter so that she can officially take care of Kazui.

Taking a huge breath, Ms. Y/n made her way to Kazui who hasn't noticed her yet. Once she reached his side, she knelt down and tap him on his shoulder trying to get his attention which worked.

“Ms. Y/n?” Kazuo looked at her curiously as he stopped doodling.

“Will anyone pick you up?” Ms. Y/n asked. She ought to know if someone will pick him up so that she’ll know if they had to wait or she’ll take him with her.

Kazuo looked down at his paper sadly. “Papa didn't mention he’ll pick me up, not grandma.” He mumbled.

His tone of voice causes Ms. Y/n’s heart to ache. So without further ado, she gathers her things, as well as Kazui’s, and motioned him to follow her.

“Ms. Y/n, where are we going?” Kazui asked as he watches his teacher locking their classroom door.

“I’ll take you to my apartment again. But I need to message your grandparents first, or your papa to let them know you’re with me.” Ms. Y/n smiled down at Kazui who smiled at her excitedly.

“Really!? Do I get to watch you cook again?!” Kazui beamed and followed Ms. Y/n way to the teacher’s office where she has her things.

“Of course.” Ms. Y/n giggled seeing Kazui's eyes sparkling.

Once Ms. Y/n finished packing the things she needed to work on her home and messaging Kazui’s guardian, she wave to her co-teachers, telling them she’ll take her leave.

Ms. Y/n felt Kazui’s hand grasp her skirt making her look down. This must be how Kazui is to Mr. Bakugou. So she took his hand and held it giving Kazui a gentle smile.

“What do you want for dinner, dear?” Ms. Y/n asked as they both headed to the exit door.

Kazui released a humming sound as if thinking, making Ms. Y/n chuckle as she watches him.

“Can we have Hamburger Steak?” Kazui looked up at her showing his beautiful velvet eyes as he waited for her to answer.

“Mhhmm.” Ms. Y/n pretended to think, placing her pointer finger on her pouting lips. “Alright.” She smiled.

“Yay!!”

..

It was now 6 pm in the evening and Katsuki just finished his shift. He's glad and pissed at the same time that today was slow. No villain attacks or what so ever.

As he made his way to his agency, Katsuki took this chance to check his phone. Seeing a lot of notifications from his old mentor, his parents, and Kazui’s school. Of course, he clicked the one concerning his child.

When the message showed on his screen, he reads it carefully. Although, the content of the message made him facepalm. He forgot to inform Kazui’s teacher he’ll pick him up late. Boy, he was glad Kazui’s teacher is considerate enough to look after Kazui while he was on duty.

She’s been taking care of his child for a while now since they both got closer and she even bring his child to her apartment, waiting for someone to pick him up. He was glad someone was giving him a helping hand.

When Katsuki reached his office, he kept reminding himself to bring a gift as a thank you to Ms. Y/n for taking care of his child.

..

After they both went to the supermarket to get the ingredients needed for their dinner, Ms. Y/n went to the beverage area and added a small bottle of sparkling grape juice for herself and a pair of orange juice boxes for Kazui. She paid everything to the cashier and walk their way to her apartment which isn't that far from the school.

When they entered her apartment, Kazui took the bags from Ms. Y/n, helping her to place them on the counter which he could barely reach.

Ms. Y/n giggled at this and thanked Kazui before going to her bedroom and changing into comfortable clothes. After changing, she made her way to her kitchen and started preparing.

“Ms. Y/n?” Kazuo called out while he sat on the counter top where he could watch Ms. Y/n cook. But of course, away from the stove.

“Yes, sweetie?” Ms. Y/n answered while she focuses on mixing the contents needed for the burger steak.

“Are you single?”

Ms. Y/n halt her movement, blinking confusedly before turning her head to look at Kazui. “Where did this come from?”

“Well, I don't see any other pictures in here. Only your picture and a family picture right there.” Kazui said raising his hand to point where he saw the picture.

Observant. The word that came up in Ms. Y/n's mind. She knew Kazui’s smart. She witnessed how he can effortlessly solve any problem written on the blackboard. Especially when it's a situational problem. No, she didn't teach these kinds of problems to her students. But when she saw Kazui’s ability, she decided to test it out. That's where she found out about Kazui’s sharp thinking. Maybe it was because he was the child of the number 2 hero? Was he teaching his child these things? She’ll never know.

“Haha. I am single. And why are you asking this, huh?” Ms. Y/n eyes Kazui suspiciously and is playful at the same time. “Are you going to ask me out?”

Kazui’s face turns red and seeing this reaction made Ms. Y/n laugh.

“I’m kidding.” Ms. Y/n said giggling and continue preparing their dinner.

“C-can I ask you a question?” Kazui was looking at his feet when he said this.

“Go ahead, sweetie.” Ms. Y/n spoke out gently as she started shaping the burger steak.

“Can you be my mama?”

[plan-3-tmars]

Dogs Vs Cats and Social Expectations

Alright yeah I’ve stooped this low. His answer here is just really interesting to me because of well idk maybe the fact his T2 song is called CAT? So I’m throwing this out here.

this is like kind of a joke. kind of a character reading. 100% a mess - with that established let’s get into it!

Q: Do you like animals?

A: Well to an average extent. I had a dog back in my parent’s place.

What do you think of when you hear the word dog? If you said an active, most likely well-loved animal then we’re on the same page. It’s the typical dog lover stereotype and even if you didn’t and said something like high-energy, I bet they were still positive adjectives, right? Now what about cats? Were the adjectives more like grumpy, lazy, introverted? More negative descriptions? Well there’s actually a psychological reason behind this.

Dogs are, typically, more well loved then cats if they don’t act like cats and that’s for one main reason: psychological ownership. It’s the feeling of something being yours and is strongly associated with emotional attachment, so we care more about things that we feel belong to us. This feeling generally comes from having control over something, when you’ve invested time or money in something or if you know something very well.

So how does this tie into dogs being more favourable then cats? Well control of course. It’s easier to control a dog then it is to control a cat, that’s simply a fact. Dogs being easily impressionable makes it seem more like you “own” them, as they probably wouldn’t fair as well by themselves as a cat might.

Now how does this tie into Kazui? Oh well I’m glad you asked!!! Kazui’s parents tick all of the ways the feeling of psychological ownership can manifest in dogs.

Some of the answers to Kazui��s questions in this interrogation make it seem like his parents, specifically his father, are very controlling. Answers like “It seems like my father was also wishing I’d “be a strong man”” and “it seems like he wanted me to become a policeman as well”, there’s a theme of control here. They’ve also obviously invested money into raising him, but also from the answer “I got into a Sport Science University by recommendations”, he’s clearly smart so they’ve invested in his education too. And they’re his parents, they’ve gotta know their son well.

Yet Kazui’s T2 song is titled ‘Cat.’ And he asks to “be loved as a cat.” Cats … who are often not as well liked in society unless they are a breed that acts similarly to dogs, the norm fan favourite, then it’s scientifically proven that those cats garner more love. Doesn’t that sound familiar? Like a certain someone lying for the sake of true love, not because they actually felt it, but for them to be more normal? More like what’s expected of them in society?