#And any grammatical mistakes

[mammothartist]

Some of My Gripes with Teenage Mercenary/Mercenary Enrollment

As much as I love Teenage Mercenary there is some things that I just find a little odd. I love the story telling but there is some things that makes me go crazy. This is in no particular order, just by the order of what goes by in my brain.

Seokjo’s Odd Characterization

What drives me crazy is that Seokjo is just shoved to the side, dismissed as a character. Like he is just there to cheer on Yeona in her and ijin’s cute moments, to help out his friends, and is there to clean up their messes ( Literally and figuratively, did y’all see him cleaning up their food trash in episode 164?) This could very well be that this is building up to Seokjo’s character arc, which will probably handle his isolation and the control in his life, like Yeona’s arc. It will also handle the insecurity we’ve seen a little of being only 2nd best to Ijin, and the insecurity of never being good enough. Also, this is not a gripe but more of something I noticed but have y’all realized that Seokjo is the literally the only bits of fan service in the entire manhwa. All the other people, especially ijin, get badass or emotional moments and yes Seokjo gets those moments too, but he also gets a lot of moments of him literally huffing and puffing with his abs showing through his shirt while working out. To be honest, when I saw it the first time I thought it was just a coincidence, then it happened again. I just thought that was funny to mention.

2. The Girls Characterization

I noticed that with Dayeon, Yeona, Evelyn and Sophia are damsel and distress characters. Sure for Dayeon,Yeona and Seoha it could be justified that they were dealing with people they couldn’t deal with, like people that are physically imposing or have power over them. But Sophia it was justified by the fact she has trauma from being kidnapped, and I can understand that but it drives me crazy that the only way she was able to recognize ijin was by the hand signal he gave her. I had to specify that this was the Girls characterization because they are all under 18 I’m pretty sure ( expect for Seoha I think ?) All the women that are canonically over 18 are not damsel in distress’s by any means. 005, Alice, and Jiye are all women who have shown to be able to hold their own. I believe the only acception to the girls damsel in distress trope is Evelyn, because the reason she is not part of the trope is not because she herself she was getting attacked specifically but it was her whole town. Also she became a doctor, she is so awesome for that. I also realized that all the girls, except for Dayeon, 005, Alice, and Evelyn have their story based around their romance for Ijin, except for Jiye who has romantic interest for Major Kang, So that also drives me crazy. I think the romance between Yeona and Ijin and Jiye and Kang are the only ones that don’t rub me the wrong way because Yeona is a Highschool girl, she’s bound to have a crush. And Jiye can still hold her own and love Kang doing it. 3. The lack of Colored people within the story. I may sound like a broken record, but I find it odd that there isn’t more colored people within the story. I understand that Korea is not very diverse compared to places like America. But I don’t understand why in ijins past there is a lack of diversity. It seems like there is an effort to make it clear that these villages are based in places where the people have darker skin based on the newer chapters. The newer chapters were showing people like Evelyn, who has darker skin and different hair textures. I’m not going to say much more on this because it seems like this is changing based on newer episodes. That brings me to the next point,

4. It’s a VERY slow paced story

I love a story that takes its time, but damn sometimes it takes a long time to get to the development of characters, especially when there is filler arcs. For example, the whole thing with Seoha’s little brother, I personally can’t see what that arc was supposed to be about, especially since they doesn’t show back up after that. This is just something I can’t handle, it may not the same for everyone though.

5. The fact that the majority of the Problems in the story was dealt with a fight.

I get it , it’s an action webtoon, but the episodes where they aren’t fighting hit more emotionally and have more influence in the story that the ones they are. I believe the exception to this is the very beginning of the story when Ijin was beating up Dayeons bullies.

Those are all the points that I can think of now apart from some gripes with the art, but I honestly believe that it doesn’t change the impact that this story leaves in my brain. If y’all have any more things y’all want to add or If you disagree feel free to tell me! I love when y’all interact with my rants, especially you heelys4feelys, I love your responses.

[race-week]

I don’t think I’ve ever been more annoyed at a circuits existence then I am at the Las Vegas GP like I was annoyed with Miami but not to this extent

Like there’s no part of me that thinks that the racing will actually be good in Vegas. I know I should hold out and wait for the actual race but you’re telling me a race at 10 pm in the desert in November is going to have a good racing, bearing in mind that the track looks like an upsidedown pig and it literally just consists of straight-brake-straight-brake-straight-brake.

You’re either gonna get drivers tiptoeing around on cold tires, trying not to hit a wall or you’re gonna get a drivers sliding off the track into the very limited run off and hitting the walls, there’s gonna be no racing whatsoever.

This track and this whole event is purely made for the spectacle and it just pisses me off that there are so many good tracks out there that deserve the spot lights on on them but instead you get Las Vegas and the amount of money the F1 themselves are putting into it when they could be putting that money towards improving the infrastructure at other tracks (rather than building another street circuit)

[nightswatchdisbandmentera]

Prince Rhaegar as a character often gets some deserved criticism - and a lot of underserved hate. And one of the things that I think he unfairly gets blamed for is Elia Martell's tragedy. Elia's death is one of the primary objections people have towards Rhaegar and Lyanna being depicted as a romance, with readers believing that if they were just tragic lovers, then that diminishes Elia's own tragedy.

I...disagree. It is understandable (and honestly right) that readers would rally behind Elia. Not only was she horribly brutalized and murdered, but her children suffered absolutely terrible fates as well.

However, in trying to center Rhaegar and Lyanna's doomed dalliance in this, a lot of readers are missing the answer that has been already provided to us within the narrative. Not only that, but this line of thinking also ignores the key context in which Elia's senseless murder is portrayed.

As far as the text goes, Elia’s death is laid squarely at the feet of Tywin Lannister and his men, Ser Gregor Clegane and Ser Amory Lorch. It's House Lannister's burden to bear.

Doran for one, Elia's brother, directly blames Tywin Lannister:

“You mistake patience for forbearance. I have worked at the downfall of Tywin Lannister since the day they told me of Elia and her children.”

The Princess in the Tower, AFFC

Even Oberyn agrees:

“Dwarf,” said the Red Viper, in a tone grown markedly less cordial, “spare me your Lannister lies. Is it sheep you take us for, or fools? My brother is not a bloodthirsty man, but neither has he been asleep for sixteen years. Jon Arryn came to Sunspear the year after Robert took the throne, and you can be sure that he was questioned closely. Him, and a hundred more. I did not come for some mummer’s show of an inquiry. I came for justice for Elia and her children, and I will have it. Starting with this lummox Gregor Clegane … but not, I think, ending there. Before he dies, the Enormity That Rides will tell me whence came his orders, please assure your lord father of that.” He smiled. “An old septon once claimed I was living proof of the goodness of the gods. Do you know why that is, Imp?”

Tyrion IV, ASOS

“Is that the game we are playing?” Tyrion rubbed at his scarred nose. He had nothing to lose by telling Oberyn the truth. “There was a bear at Harrenhal, and it did kill Ser Amory Lorch.” “How sad for him,” said the Red Viper. “And for you. Do all noseless men lie so badly, I wonder?” “I am not lying. Ser Amory dragged Princess Rhaenys out from under her father’s bed and stabbed her to death. He had some men-at-arms with him, but I do not know their names.” He leaned forward. “It was Ser Gregor Clegane who smashed Prince Aegon’s head against a wall and raped your sister Elia with his blood and brains still on his hands.” “What is this, now? Truth, from a Lannister?” Oberyn smiled coldly. “Your father gave the commands, yes?” “No.” He spoke the lie without hesitation, and never stopped to ask himself why he should. The Dornishman raised one thin black eyebrow. “Such a dutiful son. And such a very feeble lie. It was Lord Tywin who presented my sister’s children to King Robert all wrapped up in crimson Lannister cloaks.”

Tyrion IX, ASOS

“Elia Martell, Princess of Dorne,” the Red Viper hissed. “You raped her. You murdered her. You killed her children…“I came to hear you confess.”

Tyrion X, ASOS

Varys and Tyrion both understand that House Martell (but more specifically Doran) hates the Lannisters.

“The Dornishmen thus far have held aloof from these wars. Doran Martell has called his banners, but no more. His hatred for House Lannister is well known, and it is commonly thought he will join Lord Renly. You wish to dissuade him.” “All this is obvious,” said Tyrion. “The only puzzle is what you might have offered for his allegiance. The prince is a sentimental man, and he still mourns his sister Elia and her sweet babe.” “My father once told me that a lord never lets sentiment get in the way of ambition … and it happens we have an empty seat on the small council, now that Lord Janos has taken the black.” “A council seat is not to be despised,” Varys admitted, “yet will it be enough to make a proud man forget his sister’s murder?” “Why forget?” Tyrion smiled. “I’ve promised to deliver his sister’s killers, alive or dead, as he prefers. After the war is done, to be sure.” Varys gave him a shrewd look. “My little birds tell me that Princess Elia cried a … certain name … when they came for her.” “Is a secret still a secret if everyone knows it?” In Casterly Rock, it was common knowledge that Gregor Clegane had killed Elia and her babe. They said he had raped the princess with her son’s blood and brains still on his hands. “This secret is your lord father’s sworn man.” “My father would be the first to tell you that fifty thousand Dornishmen are worth one rabid dog.” Varys stroked a powdered cheek. “And if Prince Doran demands the blood of the lord who gave the command as well as the knight who did the deed …” “Robert Baratheon led the rebellion. All commands came from him, in the end.” “Robert was not at King’s Landing.” “Neither was Doran Martell.”

Tyrion IV, ACOK

Really, all the nobles know where to look at when assigning blame for Elia's murder. Tywin.

“Prince Doran comes at my son’s invitation,” Lord Tywin said calmly, “not only to join in our celebration, but to claim his seat on this council, and the justice Robert denied him for the murder of his sister Elia and her children.” Tyrion watched the faces of the Lords Tyrell, Redwyne, and Rowan, wondering if any of the three would be bold enough to say, “But Lord Tywin, wasn’t it you who presented the bodies to Robert, all wrapped up in Lannister cloaks?” None of them did, but it was there on their faces all the same. Redwyne does not give a fig, he thought, but Rowan looks fit to gag.

Tywin, for the most part, quite shamelessly tries to disassociate himself from his own moral failings; this is nothing new, because he follows this same MO with squarely blaming the Freys for the Red Wedding even though he played an integral part in planning for it.

“Then why did the Mountain kill her?” “Because I did not tell him to spare her. I doubt I mentioned her at all. I had more pressing concerns. Ned Stark’s van was rushing south from the Trident, and I feared it might come to swords between us. And it was in Aerys to murder Jaime, with no more cause than spite. That was the thing I feared most. That, and what Jaime himself might do.” He closed a fist. “Nor did I yet grasp what I had in Gregor Clegane, only that he was huge and terrible in battle. The rape … even you will not accuse me of giving that command, I would hope. Ser Amory was almost as bestial with Rhaenys. I asked him afterward why it had required half a hundred thrusts to kill a girl of … two? Three? He said she’d kicked him and would not stop screaming. If Lorch had half the wits the gods gave a turnip, he would have calmed her with a few sweet words and used a soft silk pillow.” His mouth twisted in distaste. “The blood was in him.”

Tyrion VI, ASOS

“And when Oberyn demands the justice he’s come for?” “I will tell him that Ser Amory Lorch killed Elia and her children,” Lord Tywin said calmly. “So will you, if he asks.” “Ser Amory Lorch is dead,” Tyrion said flatly. “Precisely. Vargo Hoat had Ser Amory torn apart by a bear after the fall of Harrenhal. That ought to be sufficiently grisly to appease even Oberyn Martell.” “You may call that justice …” “It is justice. It was Ser Amory who brought me the girl’s body, if you must know. He found her hiding under her father’s bed, as if she believed Rhaegar could still protect her. Princess Elia and the babe were in the nursery a floor below.”

Tyrion VI, ASOS

Tywin tries to alleviate himself of any responsibility by blaming his men, but the narrative actively calls bullshit on this (through Tywin's own son no less).

So the narrative shows through multiple POVs that Elia's murder is contextualized exclusively as a failing on Tywin Lannister and his men; not only was it a moral failing, but Tyrion also questions if it was politically necessary in the first place. It's also important to note that ASOS is when we really dive into the matter of Elia and her children (mostly through Oberyn), but we also have to remember that this is the same book as the Red Wedding. The Red Wedding, another one of Tywin's senseless massacres that he tries to postulate as politically necessary.

So, we have agreed that the blame and context for Elia's (and her children's) murder is presented through the lens of Tywin as an immoral politician who often makes politically unnecessary moves. But then we ask ourselves, can the responsibility of this tragedy be extended? Well, yes it can. And it has been in the text.

Ser Barristan extends this tragedy beyond Tywin and his men

...to King Robert.

“Prince Rhaegar had two children,” Ser Barristan told him. “Rhaenys was a little girl, Aegon a babe in arms. When Tywin Lannister took King’s Landing, his men killed both of them. He served the bloody bodies up in crimson cloaks, a gift for the new king.” And what did Robert say when he saw them? Did he smile? Barristan Selmy had been badly wounded on the Trident, so he had been spared the sight of Lord Tywin’s gift, but oft he wondered. If I had seen him smile over the red ruins of Rhaegar’s children, no army on this earth could have stopped me from killing him. “I will not suffer the murder of children. Accept that, or I’ll have no part of this.”

The Kingbreaker, ADWD

Ned Stark does as well.

Ned did not feign surprise; Robert’s hatred of the Targaryens was a madness in him. He remembered the angry words they had exchanged when Tywin Lannister had presented Robert with the corpses of Rhaegar’s wife and children as a token of fealty. Ned had named that murder; Robert called it war. When he had protested that the young prince and princess were no more than babes, his new-made king had replied, “I see no babes. Only dragonspawn.” Not even Jon Arryn had been able to calm that storm. Eddard Stark had ridden out that very day in a cold rage, to fight the last battles of the war alone in the south. It had taken another death to reconcile them; Lyanna’s death, and the grief they had shared over her passing.

Eddard II, AGOT

And so does Tywin, who uses Robert's tacit approval as justification for this senseless act.

Lord Tywin stared at him as if he had lost his wits. “You deserve that motley, then. We had come late to Robert’s cause. It was necessary to demonstrate our loyalty. When I laid those bodies before the throne, no man could doubt that we had forsaken House Targaryen forever. And Robert’s relief was palpable. As stupid as he was, even he knew that Rhaegar’s children had to die if his throne was ever to be secure. Yet he saw himself as a hero, and heroes do not kill children.” His father shrugged. “I grant you, it was done too brutally. Elia need not have been harmed at all, that was sheer folly. By herself she was nothing.”

Tyrion VI, ASOS

So if we can't extend the blame to Rhaegar, because the narrative doesn't do so either, what can we hold him responsible for? Let's take a step back and look at Rhaegar's culpability in this whole thing.

Was Rhaegar (and Lyanna) responsible for starting the war that would eventually lead to Elia's murder?

No. GRRM doesn't think so. The war actually started when King Aerys murdered the Lord of Winterfell and his heir, a bunch of other northern nobles, and then called for the heads of Robert Baratheon (Lord of Storm's End) and Ned Stark (the new Lord of Winterfell). Aerys broke the feudal contract, and so Jon Arryn declared war.

I don't think I would have stayed loyal to the Mad King. Do I think they were justified? Yes, and no. [...] There was no doubt that the Mad King was mad. He was paranoid and he was abusing his power. And Westeros has no Magna Carta or anything like that. There was no way to handle this within the rule of law. But was what they do justified? Especially when you consider that it was triggered by a personal grievance. The execution of Ned's father and brother was really a thing that radicalized Ned and put him in opposition to it. Robert was just rolling for a fight and didn't like the fact that he'd lost his girlfriend. So you know, the personal informs the political.

source

Rhaegar and Lyanna's disappearance was merely the spark - it led to a misunderstanding that caused Brandon Stark to ride to Kingslanding. What really caused the war was Aerys' Targaryens subsequent actions as the king. So if we want to blame someone for causing the chain of events that led to Elia's death as well as her children's, the author himself says to blame Aerys; even though I don't think this is right either because we once again stray from the necessary (and sole) context of Elia's murder - Tywin's bloody hands.

Fine. Rhaegar was not responsible for the war. But surely he is responsible for leaving Elia in King's Landing, right in the clutches of Mad King Aerys. Well, this again, is not true. As far as Rhaegar knew, Elia was in Dragonstone with Aegon and Rhaenys where he left them.

As cold winds hammered the city, King Aerys II turned to his pyromancers, charging them to drive the winter off with their magics. Huge green fires burned along the walls of the Red Keep for a moon’s turn. Prince Rhaegar was not in the city to observe them, however. Nor could he be found in Dragonstone with Princess Elia and their young son, Aegon.

“The Year of the False Spring”, The World of Ice and Fire

At some point, Elia was called to King's Landing. And it was Aerys who kept her hostage there as insurance against possible Dornish betrayal (remember, he was paranoid).

Side Note: Aerys kept another important political hostage in King's Landing along with Elia - Jaime Lannister; this is to deter anyone from trying to blame Jaime for doing nothing. He was a teenager and a hostage himself!

“My Sworn Brothers were all away, you see, but Aerys liked to keep me close. I was my father’s son, so he did not trust me. He wanted me where Varys could watch me, day and night. So I heard it all.” He remembered how Rossart’s eyes would shine when he unrolled his maps to show where the substance must be placed. Garigus and Belis were the same. “Rhaegar met Robert on the Trident, and you know what happened there. When the word reached court, Aerys packed the queen off to Dragonstone with Prince Viserys. Princess Elia would have gone as well, but he forbade it. Somehow he had gotten it in his head that Prince Lewyn must have betrayed Rhaegar on the Trident, but he thought he could keep Dorne loyal so long as he kept Elia and Aegon by his side. The traitors want my city, I heard him tell Rossart, but I’ll give them naught but ashes. Let Robert be king over charred bones and cooked meat. The Targaryens never bury their dead, they burn them. Aerys meant to have the greatest funeral pyre of them all. Though if truth be told, I do not believe he truly expected to die. Like Aerion Brightfire before him, Aerys thought the fire would transform him … that he would rise again, reborn as a dragon, and turn all his enemies to ash.

Jaime V, ASOS

Ok, fine. So Rhaegar did not abandon her with Aerys then run off to Lyanna. But he should have done something when he came back, right? Why didn't he leave more Kings Guard with Elia and the children?

Well....this is a war. The knights of the KG are important assets on the battle field. Kings Landing, at the time, was not the most dangerous location. The KG were better off at the Trident, as a victory there would protect those who were left behind in KL.

And it's not that Rhaegar didn't do anything. Beyond going off to lead the battle himself, he tried to make moves that would help those who were back in KL (Elia and the children included).

He floated in heat, in memory. “After dancing griffins lost the Battle of the Bells, Aerys exiled him.” Why am I telling this absurd ugly child? “He had finally realized that Robert was no mere outlaw lord to be crushed at whim, but the greatest threat House Targaryen had faced since Daemon Blackfyre. The king reminded Lewyn Martell gracelessly that he held Elia and sent him to take command of the ten thousand Dornishmen coming up the kingsroad. Jon Darry and Barristan Selmy rode to Stoney Sept to rally what they could of griffins’ men, and Prince Rhaegar returned from the south and persuaded his father to swallow his pride and summon my father. But no raven returned from Casterly Rock, and that made the king even more afraid. He saw traitors everywhere, and Varys was always there to point out any he might have missed. So His Grace commanded his alchemists to place caches of wildfire all over King’s Landing. Beneath Baelor’s Sept and the hovels of Flea Bottom, under stables and storehouses, at all seven gates, even in the cellars of the Red Keep itself.

Jaime V ASOS

And Jaime's POV once again shows us that Rhaegar banked on victory at the Trident, and was fully expecting to come back to KL and amend the fraught political situation.

The day had been windy when he said farewell to Rhaegar, in the yard of the Red Keep. The prince had donned his night-black armor, with the three-headed dragon picked out in rubies on his breastplate. “Your Grace,” Jaime had pleaded, “let Darry stay to guard the king this once, or Ser Barristan. Their cloaks are as white as mine.” Prince Rhaegar shook his head. “My royal sire fears your father more than he does our cousin Robert. He wants you close, so Lord Tywin cannot harm him. I dare not take that crutch away from him at such an hour.” Jaime’s anger had risen up in his throat. “I am not a crutch. I am a knight of the Kingsguard.” “Then guard the king,” Ser Jon Darry snapped at him. “When you donned that cloak, you promised to obey.” Rhaegar had put his hand on Jaime’s shoulder. “When this battle’s done I mean to call a council. Changes will be made. I meant to do it long ago, but … well, it does no good to speak of roads not taken. We shall talk when I return.”

Jaime I, AFFC

So Rhaegar wasn't leaving with no care about what happened back in King's Landing. We don't know what he wanted to do with Aerys, Elia, Lyanna, and the aftermath of the war because he died at the Trident. But we do know that he, at the very least, was planning to do something.

So we can't blame Rhaegar (and Lyanna) for starting the war and we can't blame him either for abandoning Elia in King's Landing with no care about what happens next. So, again, what can we blame him for?

“It's not entirely correct that the Martells stayed out of the war. Rhaegar had Dornish troops with him on the Trident, under the command of Prince Lewyn of the Kingsguard. However, the Dornishmen did not support him as strongly as they might have, in part because of anger at his treatment of Elia, in part because of Prince Doran's innate caution.”

SSM, 09/11/1999

GRRM states that Dorne was angry about Rhaegar's treatment of Elia. What is this treatment, though?

Ned remembered the moment when all the smiles died, when Prince Rhaegar Targaryen urged his horse past his own wife, the Dornish princess Elia Martell, to lay the queen of beauty’s laurel in Lyanna’s lap.

Eddard XV, AGOT

Specifically, Rhaegar riding past Elia to crown Lyanna the Queen of Love and Beauty. Yes, that is a humiliation. And it's undeniable that no one was happy.

The crowning of the Stark girl, who was by all reports a wild and boyish young thing with none of the Princess Elia’s delicate beauty, could only have been meant to win the allegiance of Winterfell to Prince Rhaegar’s cause…Yet if this were true, why did Lady Lyanna’s brothers seem so distraught at the honor the prince had bestowed upon her? Brandon Stark, the heir to Winterfell, had to be restrained from confronting Rhaegar at what he took as a slight upon his sister’s honor…Eddard Stark, Brandon’s younger brother and a close friend to Lord Robert, was calmer but no more pleased.

“The Year of the False Spring”, The World of Ice and Fire

But, humiliating Elia is not the same thing as being responsible for her death. The narrative never equates these two things in any way. Elia's death is about Tywin's immoral and blood thirsty political actions. It's about Dorne's desire for justice (or is it vengeance?) which they know they will not get from the Lannister regime. House Lannister's downfall in King's Landing will be brought about by Prince Aegon's rise - Aegon who is proclaiming to be the long lost son of Prince Rhaegar, and who is being supported by House Martell as of now.

We can criticize Rhaegar for some things, but Elia's death is surely not one of them.

[kkvasha]

i am unwell

[incorrect-riordanverse]

Can you explain Palestine vs Israel. I have done my own research and still do not understand. From my understanding Palestine attacked Israel first, and this war has been going on for so much longer than just now. So why is it suddenly so important and how is Israel in the wrong?? Genuinely trying to understand since you are spreading news of the Genocide on your page.

hey so i cant really explain all the complexities and details in a singular tumblr post. i dont really know how much research you did if october 7th is your earliest knowledge of ‘attack.’ israel has been an apartheid state since 1948 and during that year they were downright deplorable to palestinians to get them to be conpliant. nakba is probably the most notorious case but there is more.

this issue is important because this is the first time we see such atrocities in mainstream media and online. Its so oversaturated with suffering that it sets a precedent for how the world (the general public in particular) reacts outside of politicians and activists. will we continue to care when we see other people suffer, or will we grow numb and desensitised? it’s important we don’t lose our humanity like capitalist neoliberalism would prefer. just because we live comfortable lives, it doesnt mean we should be ignorant to those who are suffering. in fact, we should inspect ourselves and ask whether their suffering lends to our comfort and vice versa (it usually does). for instance, many western countries are profiting from this apartheid, hence their support.

i’m not going to list through everything (plus i myself don’t know everything) but i can tell you where to go, and hopefully some others can add on to it.

for israel’s crimes against palestine since october 7th on the account of genocide i feel like south africa has done an amazing job putting together documentations of evidence against them in the ICC. you can find the full thing on youtube or online. some of the crimes include bombing and stopping aid trucks from reaching gaza, preventing women from giving birth by bombing maternity wards, bombing hospitals (there are now 0 active hospitals in gaza, whereas before october there were 36. this info has not been updated in the case) to prevent civilians from getting life-saving treatment, psychologically tormenting civilians until they lose the will to live (particularly in children), and so on.

of course please pay attention to palestinian journalists within gaza specifically— they will show you firsthand whats happening. there’s many apart of al jazeera. al jazeera has also done some articles on the history for you. here is one on nakba. amnesty also did a good job on explaining what an apartheid is.

theres also quite a few independent ones that have become journalists through this attack from israel. bisan is one of them if youre active on tiktok. noor harazeen is a journalist on instagram.

here is a link on how israel funded hamas to rival the plo

here is al jazeeras article on the cultural genocide of palestinians through bombing ancient historical sites and artefacts.

kind of seperate to all that but still related is how support for palestine affects other people. people are losing the jobs over supporting palestine (such as melissa barrera in scream). yemen, another third world country who has been going through crises such as food insecurity for years, has been suspended aid by the UN because it has been aiding palestine throughout the conflict.

The UN in general has been useless about calling for a ceasefire. The United States vetoed during a UNSC meeting because the USA sucks ass. you can look any of this up and they will come with multiple sources im just too tired to find something rn (i’m currently on vacay and heavily sleep deprived).

also general advice to not ask a percy jackson account but an account dedicated to spreading information on the palestine-israel apartheid because they would be able to help you more. yes, ive talked about it on this account but that doesnt mean i’m qualified to explain 75 years of oppression.

[aleespace]

This new art is wild

Somehow it feels different than the others, first of all of course Rei is smiling. And it's not something that looks a little bit like a smile it is a smile. Yeah we've seen it before in eps 4 and 6 but not in that context and it wasn't so genuine and simple and happy at the same time. I don't know how to feel about the fact that i'm going grazy over a drawn line in my screen ...

And the hair style!!

We know he has 2 mods which we only see in certain circumstances. This is the way Rei sort of separates his job from his life but here i cannot even how do I like—.. It's a mix of both! It also looks like he let his hair at the temples grow. I want to believe this somehow indicates that Rei have chosen his life over job, he have chosen Miri and his new family, he have accepted not only them but himself as well! Good for him good for him

[deus-ex-mona]

just a tl of lxl's tv guide interview~

Q1: First off, please introduce yourselves!

Aizo: It’s nice to meet you guys! I’m Aizo.

Yujiro: And I’m Yujiro! The two of us make up the idol unit of LIPxLIP.

Aizo: We sing with all we’ve got to bring happiness to our listeners.

Yujiro: We’ve released many MVs as well, so please check them out as well.

Aizo: We also give it our all when we’re shooting our MVs, so you’ll be able to see us being all cool in them!

Yujiro: That sure is a lot of “all”s that we’ve given, Aizo.

Aizo: That’s cuz I really give it my all in everything we do. You do the same, right?

Yujiro: Of course I do. There isn’t a single day when I’m not giving it my all.

Aizo: See? You look calm and composed most of the time, but you’re actually a pretty passionate guy, huh?

Yujiro: It’s because you’re always giving it your all that I feel like I can’t lose either.

Aizo: There it is, your tendency of hating to lose.

Yujiro: Well, we both hate to lose, don’t we?

Aizo: But, Yujiro, you’re able to do everything so easily without seeming bothered by the thought of falling behind, which never fails to surprise me every time.

Yujiro: I guess you’re the opposite of me in that regard, Aizo. You’re a straightforward open book. I think that any onlooker will be able to tell how much you love singing and how much fun you’re having at work.

Aizo: Eh? Do I really look like I’m having that much fun?

Yujiro: You’re always excited when we’re on site. But, Aizo, you’re actually surprisingly calm and even more observant of your surroundings than I am of mine. Even when I’m distressed, you’re the one who notices it faster than anyone else, Aizo…

Aizo: I’ve told you that you should ask for help when you’re troubled, but you really can’t be honest, huh? (laughs)

Yujiro: …Right now, I’m troubled by you and the way you’re smirking at me, Aizo.

Q2: What was the response to your 2nd Album “Be Grateful You Were Born!” like?

Aizo: Since this was our first album in a long time, we have received a lot of responses from our Julieta (what they call their fans) who have been anticipating its release. We’re really happy that it brought joy to them.

Yujiro: We had performed “White Day Kiss” live, so there were many Julieta who were looking forward to its album release too.

Aizo: Also, Narumi (Sena) who starred in the MV for “Julieta”, the sequel to “Romeo” from our previous album, congratulated us too. She said that she’ll recommend the album to her friends as well, which I appreciate!

Yujiro: I will be really happy if people who don’t know of us yet can get to know and support us through this album.

Aizo: We’ll continue to work hard as LIPxLIP with all we’ve got, so please root for us!

Q3: What were the challenges that you faced with this album?

Aizo: Well, it’s more like we faced so many new challenges that I don’t know where to start. (laughs)

Yujiro: In terms of the mood of the songs, I think “Meoto” with its Japanese taste and the Arabian-esque “A.B.Secret” have a very new feel to them compared to our other songs as LIPxLIP.

Aizo: We changed the way we sang to suit each and every song too, so I think we were able to show you new sides of us. For “Meoto”, I was conscious of the way I sang to fit the role I played in the setting of the song, and for “A.B.Secret”, there was that rap-like dialogue.

Yujiro: You may be surprised by the difference in intensity if you listen to “Oshi no Mahou” and “Yurushite Santa-san” after those songs. (laughs)

Aizo: With the “LOVE chu chu”s and the “Please, Santa-san”s, right? I’ll be thrilled if you can feel not just our coolness, but also our cuteness as idols! But… even though I was the one who said all that I’m starting to feel embarrassed.

Q4: The album has songs that would be a hit at live concerts, such as “Oshi no Mahou”, with its fun call-and-response bits.

Aizo: It goes without say that I definitely want to do the call and response with our Julieta!

Yujiro: Same here. I’ll be happy if everyone memorised it and came to watch us perform when that day comes.

Aizo: It’ll be super fun, right?! I’m looking forward to hyping up the venue and making it echo with all our voices.

Yujiro: Is there anything else that you’d like to do during the performance?

Aizo: Hmm, well… Maybe we’ll make a Möbius loop together with the audience… wait, the ideas won’t stop flowing if we carry on like this. (laughs)

Yujiro: Yeah, you’re right. (laughs) Let’s leave the details of the performance as something that our audience can look forward to when the time comes.

Q5: Tell us the secret stories behind the shootings of your MVs!

Aizo: I had a feeling when I heard Yujiro sing “Anata” in his lines in “Meoto”... But I was still surprised when I found out that Yujiro was dressed up in the role of a girl during the MV shooting. But, y’know, it suited you amazingly~. The air your makeup gave off was also different from how it’s like during our usual jacket photoshoots and live concerts, so I was a little charmed by you (laughs).

Yujiro: Thanks. Although I played the role of a woman this time, the costume I wore was a fantastical gorgeous kimono, within a unique setting, so it was easy for me to get into my role without feeling uncomfortable.

Aizo: I really didn’t feel uncomfortable at all either.

Yujiro: You looked good in your bewitching horned costume yourself, Aizo. It brought out your coolness, and you looked strong too.

Aizo: Right?! I was really pumped with all of the manly accessories like the horns, the mask, and the patterns drawn on my body.

Yujiro: Your long sharp nails suited you too. And in the MV, there’s a scene where the pair, played by me and Aizo, open their hearts to each other and hold hands while standing shoulder to shoulder. Be sure to pay attention to the contrast between our hands, okay?

Aizo: Speaking of the shooting, when I was hugging Yujiro during the filming of that shoulder to shoulder scene, I could smell a wonderful fragrance coming off of him. I was really surprised at the time, y’know? (laughs) “He smells so good!” I thought.

Yujiro: The staff had prepared some perfume for me. Although the fragrance can’t be conveyed through the screen, they had hoped to enhance the vividness of the setting for the viewers by having me wear the perfume as we filmed. I thought that it was a wonderful idea, so I had the staff apply the perfume to my costume. 

Aizo: For “A.B.Secret”, we filmed a live concert called “Arabian Nights in the Dunes”, which was yet another tough day. (laughs)

Yujiro: To be honest, we got lost on the way to the venue, so we had to cross several dunes.

Aizo: We may look all nonchalant in the MV, but we’d used quite a lot of our stamina. I’m just glad that we were able to make it to the venue in one piece…

Yujiro: But we were treated to a lot of wonderful food after our performance, so I’d say that it had been a very satisfying day.

Q6: Since this is a TV guide… What TV programmes do the two of you tend to watch?

Yujiro: I watch all kinds of shows, but I tend to watch talk shows often. I think that it’s great that I’m able to learn about current events from all over the world in the form of an entertaining programme, no less.

Aizo: You don’t just check the news or something? You sure are a diligent one, Yujiro.

Yujiro: I watch talk shows just because they’re interesting. If I just want to know the news, I wouldn’t particularly watch a talk show for it.

Aizo: I watch them every so often myself, but I only watch the segments that introduce restaurants that serve good food or amusement park events.

Yujiro: I see. You watch TV too, Aizo? I had the impression that you’d be often off running outside or something instead.

Aizo: Well, I do watch TV, y’know? I like watching programmes hosted by their namesake comedians. And I check out singing programmes without fail.

Yujiro: Yeah, I watch music programmes often too.

Aizo: It goes without say that I check out my favourite bands and artistes too, but I have to know what the current trends are on the rankings! As idols, we can’t afford to lose to others and all.

Yujiro: Though, I do occasionally get hooked on particular trends just from checking them out. (laughs)

Q7: Going off the name of your album, please express your gratitude for each other and your Julieta!

Yujiro: Do you even have anything to be grateful to me for…?

Aizo: Yeah. I’m grateful to always have you as a nice wall for a rival.

Yujiro: A nice wall? Is that supposed to be a compliment?

Aizo: Yes, it’s a compliment. For example, I do pretty well in my studies and sports at school, but when I look at you, Yujiro, I find myself thinking that I can’t be satisfied with the way things are yet. I’m able to grow steadily because I have you as my literal worthy opponent.

Yujiro: You’re really grateful to me, huh?

Aizo: Well, since we have the opportunity now, why not? How about you? You’re not gonna say that you have nothing, are you?

Yujiro: Yeah. I have something too.

Aizo: Ooh, what is it, what is it? 

Yujiro: There has been a lot of pollen in the air lately. So, when I sneezed, you immediately gave me some pocket tissue, the soft kind. You really saved me back then, so I’m grateful to you.

Aizo: Is that simple thing all you’re grateful for…?

Yujiro: Sorry, I was just kidding. (laughs) As I had touched on in an earlier question, whenever I’m depressed or distressed, you’re the first one to notice, Aizo. I tend to overthink all kinds of things, but you always make my worries disappear. So I’m always grateful to you for that, Aizo.

Aizo: Huh, so you do have a proper one after all.

Yujiro: It’s embarrassing to be this honest, so let’s keep this between us, okay?

Aizo: It’d be nice if you could be honest all the time, though.

Yujiro: More importantly, we have to honestly express our gratitude for our Julieta.

Aizo: Yeah. We’re more grateful to our Julieta than anything.

Yujiro: Thank you so much for cheering us on, Julieta.

Aizo: We were only able to release our new album thanks to your support, Julieta. We are able to continue on as LIPxLIP thanks to every one of you who listens to our songs, buys our albums, and sends us your thoughts and cheers.

Yujiro: Julieta, I’m grateful to you from the bottom of my heart. Also, I’d like to express my gratitude that you were born in this era and that you and us were able to meet like this.

Aizo: We will continue to do our very best so that we can return the love that we have received from you, Julieta, many times over.

Both: Please cheer us on!

Q8: What was your first trip together like?

Aizo: There were some pranks, and there were times when I felt exasperated, but it was truly a ton of fun!

Yujiro: We haven’t had many opportunities to go on a trip till now, so it was a really great experience for us. 

Aizo: We got to see many places, plus thanks to the fact that we were in charge of the voiceover for the Izumo guided tour, we had a good knowledge about the places of interest and we were able to enjoy ourselves to the fullest.

Yujiro: I especially liked the footbaths. When I dipped my feet into the footbath after a tiring walk, I was truly impressed by how much it helped to relieve my fatigue.

Aizo: It’s amazing how it completely warmed your feet up, huh?

Yujiro: Yeah, its healing properties are amazing.

Aizo: No, y’see, your feet were flushed pink from the warmth of the water in the footbath after soaking in it for a while. When you took your feet out of the hot water, saying “It’s hot.”, it looked like you were wearing pink socks, which I found rather funny.

Yujiro: …If you want to bring that up, should I release that video of you scooting around on your butt to grab a towel with your legs raised up in the air because you had nowhere to put your wet feet?

Aizo: When did you even take that video…?

[v2is-baby]

very curious if you have like, an in-universe reasoning for the humanoid angels looking so horrific under their helmets- why this form? it’s a super cool idea btw, fits really well with the game’s ‘canon’ and themes

I like to think those humanoid bodies were crafted! possibly to walk around non angelic beings and for combat purposes. Gabriel, I get it he's an archangel, seems to be extremely hard to kill. He heals in some hours and there's an artificial vibe going on with his body.

Heaven isn't perfect at all, there are so many things off over there... They hide the imperfections behind opulent perfection.

I like to think they hide the angel attached to a construct in a helmet, sealed, hidden, stuck in the empty skull of something that is by far more complex than a lifeless husk; molded to serve a divine purpose and driven by such purpose. The light fuels it. Embellished but so profane. It's a twisted concept to attach an angel to such mockery of life. The body is not human, the body is not a machine either, it's organic but fabricated to be a tool.

It's something they like to hide, because angels aren't so different from machines. (Quotes that post that I can't find rn)

I like to think there isn't much difference between heaven, hell and the remains of humanity. Just everything imperfect and shitty, but heaven tries to hide it to maybe justify their superiority/purity.

[purgemarchlockdown]

Milgram and The Rose Bride

(CWs: Child Abuse, Cults, Unhealthy Relationships, Bullying, Sexism, Discussions of Ownership in the context of Marriage, minor mentions of sexual abuse and minor mentions of sexual abuse in relation to Minors)

(Spoilers for Utena!)

Alright so, since I'm putting this on the Milgram blog, most likely most people who see this don't know what the Rose Bride is and what that means so lets answer that question.

The Rose Bride is a concept in the 90s Psychological Shoujo Anime Revolutionary Girl Utena, in which the main premise is that a bunch of highschoolers are dueling for marriage (ownership) of the Rose Bride so that they can revolutionize the world.

Now, the thing is, The Rose Bride is a Real Person, and the implications of her ownership and the environment that Allows for that to happen are explored through the series, and the reason why I'm bringing it up in relation to Milgram is this.

"In the end, all girls are the rose bride."

Let's talk about Mahiru for a bit since her being so focused on romantic love makes it a lot easier to explain what I mean by this.

In T1 we get this interrogation from Mahiru:

T1Q20: What do you think about smoking? I've never smoked before, but I might copy him if who I love smokes.

This is a deeply concerning sentence, Mahiru has just stated that she is willing to do something incredibly physical destructive to herself if the person she loves is doing the same. This connects back to her thoughts on having "matching love."

We fought sometimes, I was happy to get hurt Let's have matching pain, this sickness is pretty bad This is a claim of responsibility From the two of us with matching love

Now, the Rose Bride has to anything the person who is engaged to her tells her to do. The Rose Bride is not allowed any sort of Autonomy or Agency.

(Transcript Link for Utena Scripts)

Touga:  The Rose Bride, cooking? Touga:  You shouldn't do such things as cooking. Touga:  You should only take care of the roses here. Touga:  This birdcage is your territory. Touga:  And you are the beautiful little bird which lives here. Touga:  I want to possess this birdcage, and everything in it.

Touga:  Himemiya Anthy is the Bride of the victor of the Duel. Touga:  While she was engaged to you, the Code required her to obey you.

I Love You:

What am I supposed to do now? If you won’t tell me, I can’t be me

Mahiru is also probably the most traditionally feminine out of the entire female cast. With her priorities being love, romance, and having children.

(Mahiru Interrogation)

T2Q1: What's your opinion on Marriage? Mahiru: It's something I really dream of.

T2Q10: Do you like children? Mahiru: Yup. I always dreamed of having the older being a girl, and the younger being a boy.

Mahiru is willing to do Anything for love, even if it gets her hurt in the process. That's what she's Supposed to want, that's what is Supposed to bring her joy, that's what is Supposed to bring everyone joy. (Mahiru T1 VD)

Es: I honestly have no interest in those matters.  Mahiru: What? No, no. There’s no such thing as that. Being in love is like a landmine. It’ll explode someday, you know? The only thing that differs is whether it happens earlier or later in life. It’ll happen to you too. Even if you don’t have any interest in it now, one day it’ll explode for you as well. All because you’ll have that fateful encounter with your special someone.

Love is what Everyone Wants and if you say you Don't you just haven't found the right person.

Mahiru: Yeah, yeah. You’ll deny it at first. I mean, I was like that as well. Before then, I always admired soap operas and shoujo manga because I thought that they depicted a world different from our own. 

Voice:  Once upon a time... Voice:  ...there was a princess grieving over the deaths of her mother and father. Voice:  Before this princess appeared a prince traveling upon a white horse. Voice:  His appearance gallant, and his smile gentle, the prince enveloped the princess

The amatonormativity in Mahiru's worldview is clear. People are Supposed to fall in love and have the Normal Idealized Heterosexual Romance and there's Nothing Else Outside of That At All.

Mahiru: Yeah, yeah. You’ll deny it at first. I mean, I was like that as well.

Anthy:  But I've been engaged to you, Utena-sama. Utena:  I've told you to stop mentioning stuff like "engagement" and the "Rose Bride." Anthy:  Nevertheless... Utena:  Look, no matter how you look at me, I'm a regular wholesome girl. Utena:  I'm only interested in wholesome boys, not a bride or stuff like that.

And Mahiru does a lot to preserve a "marketable" quality to her actions and behavior. TIHTBILWY is formatted like a magazine, something that is sold and bought by consumers. Erasing the messiness of her relationship or even Romanticizing those qualities to seem appealing.

Giving you love to the point of pulling you down It's just because I still get worried, please forgive me Even when I test you, even the times we do the breakup ritual, Is because I love you

Voice:  but because of the strength of her admiration for the prince, Voice:  the princess made up her mind to become a prince herself! Voice:  But is that really good for her?

The story of the Prince in Utena is one that is a fabrication, it hides and excludes multiple Very Important parts of the story all in the favor of portraying the Ideal Fairytale Heterosexual Romance.

Unlike Utena who chooses to become a "Prince" (which is a concept I'll get into in a bit.) Mahiru is trying to make Herself the Rose Bride. She orientates her life around who she loves, she's willing to accept a lot of abuse for the sake of an Ideal Relationship, she even actively downplays her intelligence and strength! Something that is explored in detail by this post by archivalofsins you should check out.

Now that isn't to say Mahiru isn't a horrible partner. She is, and this is why. Mahiru is Expecting this sort of incredibly idealistic fairytale romance from her partner, an ideal that no person can possibly live up to without harming the people they care about and themselves!

Do you really think you know what love is? If you do, let's just overheat together The things that I only want to say to you, and the things that I want from you Is love

My emotions are out of control, that’s inconvenient? I don’t care!

You can't live up to this and you shouldn't want to! It's an unrealistic and unachievable ideal with a horrific power imbalance to boot! Yet Mahiru is Trying to conform to these ideals, trying to conform to the unrealistic expectations of women and relationships in society, and that's why she's here in the first place.

"He who believes friendship exists is a fool."

So these toxic and unhealthy ideals and expectations are at the core of Mahiru's character and her situation. But there ideals are perpetuated by an environment that promotes this sort of behavior, one that isn't unique to Mahiru's situation.

Muu Kusunoki is a 16 year old teenage girl who is both a victim of bullying and someone who bullies others for her own gain.

She also might of had a homoromantic relationship with her murder victim.

Let’s meet up inside the pain, a place just for me Postmortem makeup to hide my heart, how to solve it is a secret The stabbing of the little devil’s voice, counterattack being a suicide note “I love YOU”

I wonder who that reminds me of.

I'll get into Shiori in a second, but it's important to note that Muu introduces a concept that's present in Mahiru's story but is particularly present in Muu, the concept of the cycle.

Saionji:  No... I was to be the one to rescue her from the coffin this time. Saionji:  No! I am the one who will save her this time. The castle said to contain eternity... Saionji:  the power to revolutionize the world...

The concept of eternity and nostalgia in Utena tends to be depicted as a coffin, one you need to break out of to grow.

Touga:  If the egg's shell does not break, the chick will die without being born. Touga:  We are the chick; the egg is the world. Touga:  If the world's shell does not break, we will die without being born. Touga:  Break the world's shell! Touga-Juri:  For the sake of revolutionizing the world!

The duelists want the Rose Bride so that they can gain the power to revolutionize the world. Who she is does not Matter as much as what she can Give Them.

Now, this idea is particularly present in characters like Shidou and Kotoko who position themselves as saviors, not for the benefit of others but for what they Get out of that arrangement, thematically fitting the concept of the prince.

However, Muu is not the prince, she is not a savior. In fact she always positions herself as the victim, as someone pitiful and weak. (Crying B)

Muu: Hey… Prison guard, when you say “I”… Who are you talking about? Es: [breaking down]  Muu: Prison guard? Es: [stumbles]  Muu: Prison guard. What’s wrong? Prison guard! [shakes Es] Hey! Prison guard! Es: Shut up! Don’t touch me! Muu: [cries] You’re so cruel… I… Even though I was just worried about you… [cries again] I can’t take it anymore. I hate you, prison guard! 

Es pain and breakdown is caused by something Muu said, and yet when Es very sharply tells her not to touch them because their uncomfortable with it. Muu immediately starts crying and talking about how much They got hurt because of what they did, when Es is currently unresponsive due to what she did to them, albeit unintentionally.

Muu needs to to be the victim, After Pain shows all the bad things that happened to her and not Any of the bullying she participated in. It's Not My Fault is a whole song about how everything she did was right actually and that everyone else was wrong.

Now, Muu isn't a master manipulator or anything. She's an impulsive 16 year old. If Muu was a master manipulator she wouldn't be here, would she? She'd be still in school taking the honey up as she was before Rei did whatever she did.

Muu gains power by being pitiful and weak so she'll be loved, and by its' very nature it's self-destructive. She cannot be Happy because if she Was this wouldn't work anymore. She Must be in a worse situation, she must be the victim, or else no one would pity and love her.

I am innocent as everybody desires

Juri: You're just like Shiori... Juri: ...cruelly innocent.

Muu cycles from being "weak and pitiful" to being "queenly and powerful" and tends to hurt herself in the process. This attempt at grabbing power and love through pity Harms Muu, and she seems to even be drowning in a lot of self-hatred and self-pity, and is looking for external validation to confirm that she's "good."

But I guess some of it is my faultMaybe it’s ok as it is I want to feel “alive”, is it ok if I breathe?

Hey, what if If I am a bad girl Don’t hate me. Don’t even try to proof from “After Pain”

And, in an attempt to gain power and control, Muu traps herself in a coffin.

Shiori: This is me, the real me! Shiori: And not the underdog that was living a miserable life in the shadow of the bright shining Juri! Shiori: The real me that surpasses the light. Shiori: Yes, this is the me that controls Juri.

But, it isn't all her fault.

Again, Muu really was bullied, horribly so if were judging by her lyrics in After Pain and the sequences we see in it.

If I was gone, If I had just disappeared I overheard, I found out How much I’m not needed

T1Q4: Is there something you hate? Scary people and ghosts. And right now, school.

Muu isn't lying about this, and Rei isn't fully sympathetic either, she did Hurt Muu and Muu really did want to apologize to her.

T1Q9: Do you have apologetic feelings for who you killed? A: The person who did the wrong thing first should apologize.

Shiori: Juri-san was so kind to me. Shiori: But I thought she was kind to me because she looked down on me, Shiori: and that she had pity on me for being plain and useless. Shiori: That's pathetic! Shiori: So I wanted to change my relationship with Juri-san. Shiori: But what I did with him made me more miserable than before. Shiori: I should have wanted it for myself! Shiori: But now... Shiori: Now I'm on equal terms with her. No, I've won! Shiori: I always had a place in Juri-san's heart. Shiori: I'm the winner! Shiori: What shall I do? I'm so delighted to know my friend's secret I almost can't bear it! Shiori: She suffered alone, looking at my picture in secret... Shiori: That was Juri-san? Poor thing! Shiori: No good! It's still no good! Shiori: How could you look at me like that?!Shiori: Why did it all turn out this way?

The school as a whole is letting a horrible environment of bullying and toxicity be left to rot and fester. You Really Can't create a healthy friendship in a world like that, it just won't let you. If your not friends with someone because you gain something from them, you'll suffer.

Muu: Wow, poor thing,.. I’ll teach you! Friends aren’t like that, you know. Rather than using each other for something, we just get along because we’re comfortable around each other. That’s all. Es: Well, I’m sorry about that. Muu: Haruka-kun is really nice! He accepts anything I say, he listens to anything I tell him. For me, that’s really comfortable. Es: And that’s… “friendship”? Muu: What do you mean? Of course we’re friends! Haruka-kun is happy with it, so it only has benefits for both of us! Es: I, as someone who has no friends, can’t judge, of course, but isn’t that just exploitation? Muu: Exploitation…? Um, I don’t really understand, but… I do help him pick out clothes [in return], and I recently gave him a hairpin I didn’t need anymore as a hand-me-down!

Akio:  But sincerity by itself changes nothing. Akio:  Without power, one finds themself merely depending on others to live.

Jackalope describes this relationship as a "Master-Servant" relationship and it seems like this is the type of friendship Muu is familiar with. She's emulating how her friendships were in school, just with someone else as the servant and her as the master.

T1Q1: What is a friend? A: Someone who properly listens to what I say.

Now this doesn't completely absolve her obviously, what she did was still Very Bad and even though she Breaks the hourglass in her MVs. She doesn't really leave it.

Muu does not want to accept responsibility for her actions, she believes herself to be justified and in the right, even when she has Done Wrong.

This unwillingness to accept when something she did is wrong and the unhealthy environment of Milgram that assigns strict moral value to people's actions and has no nuance in its judgement...leads her back into the cycle she was trapped in.

“A girl who cannot become a princess is doomed to become a witch.”

Now we've tackled the gender roles and horribly toxic cycles and ideals, so, what happens when you Can't work within those confines, or even want to break out of them? Just, hypothetically, if you cannot become a princess (which is everyone because the ideal of a princess is so incredibly unrealistic that anyone who aspires to be it would destroy themselves in the process) or Don't want to be a princess, what happens?

Well.

You become something Other.

Something Evil and Unnatural.

Something that needs to be Punished and Harmed.

So, now, this is where I have to mention that Utena as a show deals with underage sexual abuse, I didn't mention this for the other sections since they were not as relevant to those discussions. However since this section deals with the abuse received by the Rose Bride it feels important to mention.

I will not be referring to it in the context of Amane's due to how we don't have information in the text pointing to Amane being a csa victim. This is for the sake of Tact, as it feels wrong to speculate about it here and I do not feel like I'm the right person to examine this.

It will, again, be mentioned and alluded to, so stay safe and do what's good for your health.

So, Amane Momose is repeatedly dehumanized throughout her story.

This is a consistent theme with her, she is treated as something subhuman and terrifying.

In Purge March, Amane is consistently depicted as scary, threatening, or otherwise evil.

There's even a section in her T2 VD where Amane calls herself "evil," though it is done in a roundabout way while she's talking about Shidou (who I will get to in a bit.)

A: Both pain and illness are trials. According to our teachings, those who run from them are the worst evil there is. That’s one of the four great principles. No matter who you are, that cannot be forgiven. E: What are you…? A: Oh – speaking of which, there is one among the prisoners right now. An evil existence that’s trying to steal people’s trials away from them.

Shadow:  The witch roams this world of darkness even now. Shadow:  Seeking the young and noble, to sacrifice them anew! Shadow:  Surely the light presents an obstacle to the witch, to her dominion over the dark. Shadow:  Beware! Beware! She is still somewhere in this world...

Not only that, but Amane is The Cat, a symbol constantly associated with sin and impurity throughout the MVs with Kazui and Yuno.

And is implied to have actually Been asked if she was human by her parents.

(Amane T1 VD)

Amane: Yes. It is only natural for a person(/human) to apologize to another for breaking a promise. Es: … Amane: Why are you looking so doubtful? Are you not human?

I promise! A good girl that keeps a promise is like, mwah!

Amane is not to be considered human, she's even collared and leashed in her Prisoner design, the medal and bow on her outfits in the MVs being another "collar" of sorts.

Amane Needs to be Restrained and Domesticated or else she'll bring harm to the people around her. She isn't good enough to be a "good girl" and seems to Know This.

Only if, only if, only if I could be a good girl

It's always "I can be a better girl" or "I can be a good girl" and not "I am a good girl," and the line above implies its impossible for her to be one. It's not something she can do.

When she gets punished by her parents its to make her a "better girl," and to "change" her into a "good girl." It is love, for they are not leaving her to die as an animal.

(Amane Interrogations)

T2Q9: What does love mean to you? A: To spread mercy with no limits.

But it’s not scary at all, because it’s love I can really think it’s great. See isn’t it a great thing?

Even though these punishments keep on Almost Killing Her!

It's what she needs to go through to be good! And even if she doesn't even believe its possibly anymore what else can she do? Run? Running away from trials is a sin! One of the worst there is! She can't allow herself to be more sullied than she already is.

Plus she knows this is love, she isn't scared anymore, it's childish to be scared of it.

Akio:  A child like you can't appreciate my ideals. Akio:  The Rose Bride exists because of ideals you don't comprehend.

Plus there's a sort of comfort in it, she knows what happens next. She idealizes Milgram somewhat in T1, believing that it's possible for this world, that resembles her abusive environment so much, could be Good.

Amane: Ah, I am looking forward to it! Seeing whether your judgement will align with that of these higher standards! If that is the case, maybe Milgram would be the right world for us to live in, rather than the outside world! Milgram relies on your judgement, isn’t that right? In that case, you could become the mediator for a far more righteous world!!

There's a comfort in Milgram's strict forgiven/unforgiven verdict system with a (theoretical) possibility of growth! And she later takes comfort in the same religious doctrine that Harmed her when Es does declare her as unforgiven.

If your so used to a situation, even if it harms you, why would you ever want to leave it? It's scarier if you leave it, you don't know what will happen next. At least at home, Amane knows what to do so she can get off a bit longer without getting hurt.

If you become a bad girl, monsters will come out This is the magic that stops that from happening

Akio:  Anthy, the sword. Akio:  That's right. You're a good girl, Anthy.

Amane's suffered for twelve or so years, an eternity trapped in a coffin. A cycle of abuse and pain and horror and fear. Why would she Ever want to leave it when what she's seen of the outside world is so horrible?

Amane: In fact, there have been people who said that to me. I’ve been told things like, “You’re being deceived.” “You can still make it right now.” “You’re crazy.”

People are always positioning themselves as stronger than her, people are always positioning themselves as smarter than her, people are always positioning themselves as Her Prince.

Shidou: I…… I just don’t understand. If everything about MILGRAM is true…… why did a child like you have to become a murderer? Just imagining what sort of circumstances must have led to that, it makes me so sad…… Amane: ……*sigh*. Is that right. I don’t think I’m going to get along with you, Shidou-san. I don’t agree with the fact you refuse to acknowledge that I have my own free will, and that I should be held accountable for my actions, just because I’m a child. I may have only been alive for 12 years, but all the choices I’ve made, even if they weren’t the best ones, were entirely my own. What point is there in you getting sad when I have no regrets myself? ……please give me back my test. It seems you don’t have the concentration levels required to be my teacher. I’m going to get Kotoko-san to teach me instead. Shidou: Amane…… I don’t think that’s true. However smart you may be…… you’re still just a child.

Utena:  Cut it out with that "Rose Bride" or "possession" nonsense. Utena:  That girl is an ordinary girl named Himemiya Anthy! Touga:  Is she? Touga:  Is it true that you're an ordinary girl? Utena:  You don't like it, do you? Utena:  Being the Rose Bride or whatever... Anthy:  I... Utena:  Go ahead, speak your mind! Anthy:  My mind... Utena:  Yeah! Utena:  You hate being treated as the Rose Bride, right? Utena:  Tell him clearly! Anthy:  All right. Anthy:  I hate being treated as the Rose Bride. Utena:  What's so funny?

Amane: You are treating me as a child after all. Because I’m a child, you believe that I must have been brainwashed. It’s not like that. I, too— children, too, understand everything! Please don’t just decide that people must be unhappy.

What she wants doesn't matter! When has it ever mattered? The people who say it does, don't like it when she acts in a manner they don't expect and her parents have made it Very Clear that what she does isn't important to them.

Any sort of happiness she could possibly get tends to come from things that are outside of her cult. And because of that, she isn't supposed to have them, and she is wrong for wanting them in the first place.

And yet...Amane cares so much about having free will and autonomy though, it's her main argument in her T1 VD and her biggest problem with her treatment.

Amane: I see. Then, are the things that I as a twelve-year-old think irrelevant? Are you going to cast aside the feelings that I know I have in this very moment, purely based on the fact that I have not yet lived for a very long time? Judging these things based on someone’s age will not take you very far. Do I, at age twelve, not have my own will?

That's the thing with Amane Momose, she doesn't want to be a "princess."

T2Q13: If you could be reborn, would you still choose to be yourself? A: Obviously.

She wants to stay as her, no matter what. In spite of all of this she doesn't want to be anything else But Her. Even if it gets her hurt.

Amane helped the cat because she wanted to, she saw it hurt and couldn't look away.

Utena:  Hey, save her! Utena:  It's too cruel! Utena:  Save her! Utena:  Save her...

And in the eyes of god, she was wrong for doing so.

Dios:  She can no longer be saved.

’Tis ordained, thou shall follow thine destiny

But again, Amane doesn't want to die.

T1Q12: What is the meaning of life? A: I think it is something you learn for the first time when you look behind yourself when it ends. I do not want to have regrets then, so I live on with all my might.

This was the tipping point of her, how much more is she willing to suffer? How much longer is she willing to stay here? Because she will die, it's not an if, its a when.

So, she decides, to break out of her coffin, and while it is partially due to how she was given a righteous reason to kill her mother. It is a crime that is mainly motivated by self-preservation and hatred.

Amane: Furthermore, isn’t it condescending of you to assume that just because I happen to be a child, I am incapable of hating someone enough to kill them?

Unfortunately for her, the audience isn't as willing to accept that.

I talk about it in more detail over here but we are Constantly positioned in the place of her abusers. From framing to her opinions on us, ever since we voted her guilty in T1 for the primary reason of "making her realize her mistakes." we mimic her parents.

Since she cannot become a princess, she becomes a witch, and is forced right back into that cycle she desperately tried to escape.

And Someday, Together, We'll Shine

So, that's a bit of a downer. But even so we have hope!

It's not exactly easy when the system built is so counter-productive to everyone's wellbeing and development that it often makes them worse instead of better.

But Amane has made a promise to live. Muu Does want to have genuine relationships with the people around her. And Mahiru has admitted her relationship wasn't as ideal as she initially thought.

And sometimes, you just need to see a possibility for something outside of all this to be able to get out of it.

Anthy:  What will you be doing in ten years? Utena:  I dunno. But... Anthy:  But? Utena:  But I hope we can be together like this drinking tea then. Anthy:  Yes. I hope so too. Utena:  I'm sure that'll be great. Utena:  Let's have tea and laugh together ten years from now, okay? Utena:  Promise? Anthy:  Yes. Definitely.

[klmwrites]

Where words fail, music speaks (a COD fanfic)

During your time in the military so far, you have bore witnessed to many horrific things - interrogation, torture, dead bodies…all of which you viewed without batting an eyelid. But for some reason,  the sight of the dusty grand piano on the dilapidated wooden stage of the recital hall made your insides turn uncomfortably. As did every crunch of shrapnel and broken glass that was crushed below your feet as you made your way towards the thing of beauty. 

During a mission with Task Force 141,  a shootout ends up with you being separated from the boys and seeking refuge in what seems to be a former music conservatorium. 

“You did the impossible, Lass. You made a bunch of battle hardened men forget about allegiances and violence temporarily in favour of being united by music.”

Song that inspired this fic (highly recommend you listen as you read):

“After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.” - Aldous Huxley

“Private Y/N, how copy?”

The radio attached to your hip cackled to life as you shook your head in an attempt to be rid of the shrill incessant ringing in your ears. The culprit? A flashbang grenade the enemy threw not too far from your position. It caught you off guard, and it was thanks to that stupid thing that you were currently disorientated. 

You could hear Price swearing up and down when you failed to respond, so you quickly grabbed your walkie-talkie and pressed the microphone button as soon as you had maintained a safe distance from your pursuers.

“Private Y/N to Captain Price, reading you loud and clear.” You swallowed the dry lump in your throat, causing you to cough slightly. 

A visible sigh of relief could be heard from the other side. “Thank God, Private. We thought we lost you. Sit-rep?”

“I’m around 10 klicks from the safehouse. Am temporarily partially blinded thanks to a stupid flashbang but otherwise okay.”

“Sun’s gonna set soon, so see if you can seek refuge somewhere for the night. Activate your transponder once you do. Soap, Ghost and I are gonna come get you. Hang in there, love.”

“Will do, Cap.” The sounds of hunting dogs barking and the shouts from their handlers over your shoulder prompted you to pick up the pace. “I’m still being pursued, so will be going dark until I’m somewhere a tad quieter. Private Y/N out.”  

Switching off your radio with finality, you now found yourself at what seemed to be at the edge of the forest - the vast amount of bushland now giving way to what seemed to be signs of civilisation. Activating your night vision goggles, you made your way down the steep hill and in  the direction of what seemed to be a gothic style building and some townhouses. 

A sigh of relief left you as your boots touched concrete once more. You then make a beeline to the rows of houses ahead, praying that your pursuers have lost your scent - the last thing you want is to drag civilians into this whole mess. Luckily, that was something you didn’t need to think about - the whole place is a ghost town. Save the sound of cicadas and dogs barking, there was hardly anyone in sight. 

You sprinted your way across the town square, eyes and ears on alert as you watched the last of the sun’s orange rays set beyond the hills beyond. Under normal circumstances, you loved the winter night sky and the stars that would be visible especially this far from the city lights. But currently as a target? The sun setting at 5pm did you no favours at all. 

Through the fuzzy green lenses, you found yourself standing outside the very Gothic-styled building you spied on not too long ago. Finding the main door ajar, you took a risk and decided to enter the building. Every creak your boot made against the dusty wooden floor made you internally cringe, but you pressed on. You eventually managed to locate the breaker room and heaving a sigh of relief, flipped the switch back on. While the current room you are in still remained dark, you could hear the telltale sound of parts of the building whirring to life in addition to some of the lights on the switchboard mounted on the wall changing from red to green. It seemed that despite this place having been abandoned for quite some time now, there were parts of the building that were still functional. 

You walked out into the still darkened corridor and made your way to the upper floors, making sure to switch on your transponder as you did so. You made your way towards the emergency stairway, climbing up 3 flights of stairs before pushing the door open - according to the switchboard, this was the closest level to the breaker room which still had power. You were greeted to the sight of what seemed to be a foyer of some kind, and adjacent to said foyer were several pairs of crash bar doors. 

Curiosity took hold of you. If the outside was so gorgeous, then surely the inside must be as well. You had stumbled upon a hardcopy of the building's blueprints in the breaker room, and according to it this was the largest room in the entire compound. Based on the size alone you guessed it had to be some kind of a convention hall, or gathering area at the least. You were apprehensive but knew that in most likelihood, you were the sole occupant in this grand building. So in you went. 

What you saw next was indeed the treat of a lifetime. As soon as you walked through those doors the sight of the majestic, arched high ceiling made of stone - the style most commonly associated with gothic architecture - made you stop in your tracks. And you were only one foot in. Tracing your eyes along the ceiling, you were greeted by the sight of an intricately designed skylight in the ceiling’s centre; one that was made out entirely of stained glass. The soft moonlight that seeped through allowed you to view and admire the effort and meticulousness of the design. It was of a lady playing the harp, below her feet was an olive crown majestically spread out around the inner circumference of the skylight, in addition to the following Cyrillic words: Национальная консерватория музыки - the National Conservatory of Music.

In addition to the skylight, the moonlight also drew your attention to what seemed to be a grand Piano sitting innocuously centrestage in an almost picture-perfect location just below the proscenium arch with a layer of dust on its cover. At the sight you frowned. During your time in the military so far, you have bore witnessed to many horrific things - interrogation, torture, dead bodies…all of which you viewed without batting an eyelid. But for some reason, the sight of the dusty grand piano on the dilapidated wooden stage of the recital hall made your insides turn uncomfortably. As did every crunch of shrapnel and broken glass that was crushed below your feet as you made your way towards the thing of beauty. Clearly, the conservatorium had previously played an unwilling host to a shootout. It was truly a miracle that the place was still in one piece, as well as the skylight. 

The first thing you did was inspect the damage done. Clearly, the piano had not been used in quite a while. Probably abandoned when the townspeople evacuated to the nearest safe zone. But pianos are sturdy things, and you were determined to let it return to its former glory as much as possible in whatever way you could. Placing your two hands below the piano lid, you pulled upwards. At first, it barely moved an inch. But at the second go, the tell tale creaking sound of the lid being lifted reverberated around the hall as did the sound of debris sliding off it and making contact with the floor. 

Moving the stand below the lid to ensure that the latter does not close, you peered inside to inspect the damage done. Surprisingly, the strings were not as rusted as you had previously thought - the evacuation orders must have either been rather recent, or the piano is of a really sturdy kind. You now walked over to the piano bench, to where the black keylid was, and smiled when you lifted it and saw the still somewhat pristine, white ivory keys below. 

You gingerly moved a finger and pressed the “A” key. The sound that came caused you to mesh your teeth together - It was very out of tune. You now made your way backstage in hopes of finding a piano tuner because if there was anything worse than a broken piano, it was an untuned one. Fortunately, you didn’t need to look high and low - it sat in a cupboard in where you presumed was the music director's office.  Walking back out you now focused your attention onto the piano in front of you. Every tweak and string you wound up caused the piano to creak, the sound echoing obnoxiously. And every time your head would look up, scanning the non-existent audience to ensure there were no unwelcomed individuals around. You were still a soldier after all, and this place was still a battlefield - the bullet holes and shrapnel that littered this once beautiful recital hall is a clear reminder of that. 

Once you had deemed that enough tuning had been done, you moved back to the ivory keys and pressed down on the A key once more. It finally sounded right. But just to be sure, you pressed down two keys next - both were A keys, exactly an octave apart. The clear, crystal sound from both keys now filled the air. 

A small smirk graced your lips as you now allowed yourself to slide onto the piano bench, raising both hands in the proper position above the keys. It had been years since you had played, but the euphoric feeling had never left you since. You stalled for a moment, wondering if it was truly a good idea to play the piano under the circumstances you were currently in. A grand piano in itself was loud, and combined by the acoustics of the hall would make every sound coming from it absolutely phenomenal. The problem is that such a melody, as lovely as it would be, is the equivalent of lighting a bonfire when there is a hungry pack of wolves nearby - it is bound to attract attention. You had survived this long - was it truly worth it?

Your mind went back to the fact you were currently in the army. Everyone is sent onto the battlefield to die. Death is almost inevitable for someone in your position. The piano in front of you was like a drug, beckoning you to indulge in its sweet melody. The last time you had played the piano was 3 years ago, back when you were a student with faculty of fine arts 

Where did everything go wrong?

Shaking your head, you now dipped into your space between your tactical vest and pulled out a black A5 Journal. You opened the thing with trembling hands and placed it against the music desk. This was the most precious commodity you currently had in your possession, the only slice you had to your old life: A nondescript looking Journal filled with lines and lines of unfinished, unplayed melodies. Some of the pages were crumpled, even folded as you promised yourself to continue to composition as soon as you found the time to do so. 9 out of 10 times though, this never happened. 

Sitting here on the piano bench was enough to take you a journey through time, back to when you were a recruit in the academy. During the little free time you had you would be hunched over, a small desk lamp by your side as you meticulously used your plastic ruler to draw five lines across the paper with a ballpoint pen, followed by drawing the treble and bass clef on the left side. Sometimes, you added sharps or flats as you saw fit and always drew the time signature before you started the composition. You were constantly teased by your peers for it, and therefore you opted to keep this part of yourself hidden even when you joined task force 141. This was a side of you that was exclusive to you and you only. But despite all the adversity you had to go through, your love for music never waned. Even when the desk was occupied, you found yourself huddled in a corner, torchlight in your mouth as you lay on your stomach, hands busy jotting down the next string of notes that came to your head.

With your right hand, you smoothened out the composition before you. It was untitled, and was written during a tumultuous time in your life. Specifically, the day when you had learnt that you were to drop out of University in favour of Military school. It was a decision you did not take kindly to then. 

Your fingertips touched the ivory keys once more, but this time you shuddered at its coolness. Taking in a nervous deep breath, you pressed down onto the keys. The sound of the first chord and notes of this unnamed composition now filled the air. 

“Why do I need to drop out?”

“Being a musician is not a job, It’s an embarrassment. You either enrol into a course that would actually be useful for society, or you are going to military school.”

“But it’s my decision! And I won that scholarship!”

Your heartbeat picks up the pace by a notch as the unpleasant memories started to come back. Nevertheless, you played on. The piano would be your rock, it had to be.

“Anthony, I don’t see what is so wrong with them being a musician. As long as -”

Slap! The sound of your stepfather’s hand against your mother’s soft face was so hard it reverberated upstairs into the room in which you and your older brother once shared. He had moved out as soon as he was 18, wanting to escape this home that was the equivalent of a hellhole. His only regret being that he could not take you along with him. 

“I am the man of the house! You and your brats will do as I say!”

Why your mother ever married him, you will never understand. Sure, you were sad when father passed on, but it was preferable to…whatever this is. Life before Anthony was tolerable, but in the picture it was hell. Grief changes an individual, sometimes to the point that they ignore the red flags in favour of filling up the void of loss in their hearts.

You can hear your mother crying profusely downstairs and more unintelligible yelling from Anthony. It became so unbearable to the point you had to cover your ears and close your eyes, willing god or whatever higher entity to make Anthony disappear. It wasn’t fair that he controlled what you could and could not do, it wasn’t fair to your mother who had done nothing but protect you again and again from his wrath. 

For too long, she had paid the physical price. She had sacrificed so much for you, so what you were about to do was a small fraction of what she had done.

Your fingers now fly across the ivory keys in a precise manner that only an experienced pianist could. Tears threatened to spill from your eyes, but your hands were steadfast. You were grateful for the hours of practice you had put in back when your biological father had still been alive, in a household filled with love and encouragement. Unlike Anthony, your father actively encouraged you to play the piano, once even jokingly saying that he would love to see you play in Carnegie hall one day. He was stern, but loving. He was as great as a parent could ever be. 

A month after what had happened downstairs, you found yourself on a bus on the way to the military base where all recruits go for their basic military training. You had confronted Anthony the next day, promising to drop out in favour of military school as long as they stop hitting your mother. While you will never know if that sleazeball of a man would ever keep his promise, you knew that you allowed your mother a temporary breather from Anthony’s wrath. 

Military academy was a whole different ball game. Most of the recruits were so toxic, believing that being an “alpha” was the way to succeed in military school (this was mostly the male recruits, less so the females). You were constantly shouted at, shoved and berated for the smallest things. Eventually you acclimatised, but it didn’t make the situation any better. 

So imagine how surprised you were when you were assigned to Task Force 141 upon your promotion to Private, at the behest of Captain Price himself. Apparently, Price had seen your file, and upon reading of your top marks in sniping and stealth, had requested for your transfer as soon as you were available. In fact, this was your first mission with them and you were so new that you didn’t even have a callsign.

Your fingers slowed from a vivace to an adagio; the music from fortissimo to mezzo piano. You ended your song in a perfect fifth, before opening your eyes to the sheet music in front of you. It was only then you realised that like so many of your other compositions, this one was incomplete and that you had cooked up the rest of the melody on the spot. You now chewed your lip - what were the notes you had just played? You reached inside your vest once more and pulled out a tiny pencil. But just as you were about to draw the first note you heard the sound of something shifting in the audience. 

You whipped your head towards your right and the sight you saw next was…unbelievable in the very least. Downstage was Price, Soap and Ghost all seated in a neat little row looking up towards you. Towards the left and right along with the back area of the House were other armed men as well - whom you presume to be KONNI - all huddled near the majestic pillars, some seated and others leaning against said pillars looking entranced. 

You blinked at them owlishly. Had you been so entranced in your own music that you didn’t hear them come in? You had presumed that they would start fighting from the moment these men met each other, which would be the indicator to stop your lollygagging. So why hasn’t any of them done so?

Someone at the back clapped slowly, which slowly began to spread around the concert hall. Soon the room was filled with a thunderous applause with some throwing whistles your way. Stunned, you got up from your seat and did what a performer would have naturally done - you bowed. 

“That was one hell of a performance, Love.” Captain Price now said from his seat. “We didn’t want to disturb you, so we just sat here and watched.” He threw you a small smile. “Hate to admit but it’s been a while since I’ve heard something so soothing.”

“Sir, there are KONNI men behind you.” you now whispered rather fearfully, still keeping a cautious eye on them as you were unsure on what their next actions would be.

“I know, love. But they haven’t done anything yet so I’m willing to not shoot them if they don’t shoot us first.”

“You did the impossible, Lass. You made a bunch of battle hardened men forget about allegiances and violence temporarily in favour of being united by music.” Soap said as he got on the stage and hugged you. You were shocked by the man’s gesture, but welcomed it nevertheless. 

A member of the KONNI armed forces now approached your little group. Needless to say, Price, Soap and Ghost did not take his action too kindly. The man raised his hands to show that he was unarmed. “Our Commandant wants to have a truce with your men for the night - we want to hear more music.” he now gestures to you. Soap’s grip on you tightened. 

Price now looked in your direction and raised an eyebrow. Your call.

“As long as you promise not to kill us in our sleep, I’m happy to oblige.” The young man smiled before turning back and yelling something in Russian. A much older man now approached and stretched out his hand towards Price, which the latter shook upon.

Till this very day, the Conservatorium Truce remains one of the most fascinating and heartwarming events to have ever happened to Task Force 141, and it was how you left a huge impression on the three men.  Who knew that for everyone’s differences, music was the very medium needed to unite humanity as a whole, even from opposing sides? Unsurprisingly, it was that very night that your callsign was created.

“Price to Pianist, how copy?”

The sound of Price's voice drew you from your reverie. You chuckled as you flipped your radio on, and brought it close to your lips. 

“Pianist to Captain Price, reading you loud and clear.”

[moritashie]

OHHHH NOOOO THE FIC WAS SO GOOD

“You’ve been getting my scribbles, right?” KILLED ME!

I’d love to see Peter’s reaction

I'm so glad you liked it! The struggle to put the entire story in ~500 words was real, so I'm really happy to see that it was worth it 💛. This is how I imagine the conversation would go;

Peter stands flabbergasted in the middle of the living room, DVD player still firmly in hand.

“I- uh. Yeah I see how ‘it was funny I said that’.”

“You were right, for what it's worth. I didn't even know SI took interns this young”

“Tony Stark” he mutters.

“That's my name, yes”

“Oh my God I literally called you dude a few dozen times”

“Highlight of my day, if we're being honest here”

“I'm so sorry”

“Do I need to get a whiteboard for you to understand that it's all good?”

With the disclaimer that Peter would learn very quickly that Tony Stark's personality is much more like his Pen Pal's rather than anything he would've expected from the celebrity. And thus went back to being a cheeky little shit who roasts the crap outta Tony.

[mommysmilk]

Pepper

🌶️ ren hana x reader🌶️

”please, it burns.”

”be a good pet and chew it, it’ll only get worse the longer you stall.”

you finally bit down and tears immediately flooded your eyes. you could feel the heat rising in your body and sweat starting to bead at your temples. you finished chewing as fast as you could and finally swallowed the burning pepper.

”see, you can be good if you just put your mind into it. now open up.” he slipped his cock into your awaiting mouth. ”ahh fuck~ your mouth is so much hotter like this and you look so pretty when you cry, darling” ren said while wiping stray tear off your cheek.

you peered up at him while trying to breath through the burning pain. you swallowed his cock down as well as you could and resisted the urge to gag. while he wasn’t the largest you’d ever taken, his knot surely made the task a bit harder. you relaxed your throat as he started to thrust into your mouth. the burning was becoming unbearable and sweat was rolling down your face.

ren grabbed your hair and dug his claws into your scalp. you knew he was close from the way his cock was twitching and his knot was starting to swell up even more. his thrusts got even faster.

”just a little more, you’re doing so well for your owner. my good little pet. i’ll give you my milk to help with the burning.” with a last push he growled, his cock hitting the back of your throat and his cum filled your mouth. surprisingly it did start to soothe the burning heat.

[startrekmemequeen]

🤍 - stargate atlantis - for the ask game

🤍: Which character is not as morally bad as everyone else seems to think?

Honestly, i haven't seen much undeserved demonization in stargate fandom, usually it's just jokes about war crimes people make about literally every character 😅

But i don't get people who hate Weir and think she was a bad leader. I haven't rewatched Atlantis for a while but from what i remember, she was an amazing leader an always tried very hard to make decisions that would be the best for the expedition.

Also if you have seen some hate on stargate characters that you think is undeserved, you're welcome to tell me, maybe i've just never seen these posts/opinions 👉👈

Thanks for asking ❤

[kazumist]

so......... the ask game........ hands u over a scaramouche

boyfriend!scaramouche isn't vocal—not because he doesn't want to, but because he doesn't know how. however, sometimes you can just feel him squeeze your hand thrice whenever you're holding hands with him. scaramouche may not be a vocal person, but the three squeezes that he gives your hand are his way of saying i love you.

ask game

[dragon-of-timeless-blue]

FEELINGS AND EMOTIONS aka: the most cinematic rinharu melody of all S1 of Free!

If you've seen any of my other posts throwing up about how much I love the Free! soundtrack, You will know that, especially it is the music of the first season that excites me more than anything (cofcofEVERBLUEcofcofcof) sooo, yeah, here i go again with another wanna-be-analysis which probably doesn't make much sense...

"Feelings and emotions" is the piece that plays during a sequence of scenes from chapter 12 of the first season of Free!.

But ohhoho, it's not just a sequence of scenes, it's THE SEQUENCE, the one that goes from the search for Rin by the entire Iwatobi team to the iconic scene of the cherry tree "it's my turn to show you a sight you've never seen before"

More or less from minute 9:51 to minute 13:20

It's interesting how many feelings can be expressed in just 3:41 of music and how its continuity makes visualizing the scene something so palpable and cinematic (oh well, at least that's how it feels to me)

So here it goes:

The first 39 seconds of song starts with a frenzy, a hectic music and tense chase, the whole team tries looks for Rin (unsuccessfully)

The melody calms down, but the tension remains at the peak of the moment when Haru finds Rin at 0:44 tense and cautious violin notes are heard, at the moment when Rin notices Haruka's presence.

And as soon as they start talking the tension changes tone to become a piano with a uncertainty, a little more sadder and defensive, and in the moment Rin tells Haru to laugh (and there is a small silence) the note rises in tone a little bit (01:16) and is modified for Haruka's answer (01:22) it becomes a bit sweeter and perhaps with a slight touch of despair at the moment when Haruka says that he remembered how fun it is to swim with friends

but just at the next moment,when Haruka says that its Rin who taught him all that and he finally found the answer the piano note drops like the last drop in a glass of water and releases all the violence of the tense violins of before exactly at the moments when the little tussle between the two begins

This sequence continues as they both roll across the floor, increasing in intensity each time, until reaching the point where an electrical rip is heard just as Rin notices the inscription on the ground...

where everything calms down suddenly (2:07) and about 02:12 a slight lietmotiv of "Words That Changed My Life" begins to sound while we see the tree

And as the melody begins to transform into "Word That Changed My Life" itself, there is a specific moment when the note becomes lower to sync with the first tear that Rin sheds on Haru's face (02:19)

"Words That Changed My Life" starts playing on its fullest and intensifies in beauty as soon as Haru tells Rin: "It's not too late" (03:00)

AND THEN THE MOST BEAUTIFUL OF THE SCALES SOUNDS IN THE MAGICAL MOMENT OF THE "IT'S MY TURN TO SHOW YOU A VIEW YOU'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE"😭😭 (03:24)

Ending with the sweet fade of the melody with the cherry tree and the most shoujo scene ever seen...

alright thats It, im crying... (⁠´⁠；⁠ω⁠；⁠｀⁠), anyways, @rinharumemories these are one of the deepest memories of them that will always remain engraved in me and in the music

[thelov3lybookworm]

Lucien needs to calm the fuck down he's making me blush

Why is he so flirty? ughhh