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lucabyte · 22 days

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Hmmm just gonna spit this headcanon out in text post form since A. I don't think I could exposit it well enough in image form and B. It's not actually textually/thematically substantiated and I don't like actually staking my stuff on just vibes alone*

But anyway. I'd say it's pretty evident that all the islanders forgot their names, right? King obviously. Because why the hell else would he do that, but also Siffrin No Middle Names No Last Name.

They're 'pretty sure' they've 'always' been 'Just Siffrin' 'as long as they can remember'. It's a pretty cruel twist of the knife to say that they don't even get to keep their birth name as a memento, which is why I'm saying as such.

My utterly unsubstantiated claim is I think it'd be cute to say that Sisyphus *is* the name Siffrin initially picked, assuming the myth of King Sisyphus is recontextualised as idk, just a play or something in the setting. But I like the idea of Siffrin going 'oh shit 🫵 he's just like me fr' at a tortured fictional character long before the irony kicks in.

As for how Sisyphus -> Siffrin. I think that chronic mumbler and emotional doormat Sif just did not correct people who misheard the name during their time travelling, and went through enough places with incompatible phonologies (pronounceable sounds in the language) without ever really writing it down that it just got kinda. Changed until it was unrecognisable, and Siffrin just went with it until the earlier pronunciations slipped out of their swiss-cheese brain. And they just kinda don't remember any of that.

Also, something something the horrid realisation that Siffrin also named themselves after a King. Just not as blatantly.

*(though I think there's something here about Siffrin, a guy from a belief system that seems to thoroughly disincentivise autonomy and self-motivated choice continuously having their hand forced to make changes/choices they don't want but have no choice but to... It's not solid enough to really back this up tbh, but it informs it.)

Anyway.

#theres also something one of my french-speaker friends said about siffrin's official pronounciation being the feminine way to pronounce -in?#which i dont know enough about to really corroborate and theyre busyyyy and havent started the game yet so i cant really ask #im sure someone else has already voiced this easy-to-come-up-with headcanon anyway but just in case nobody has i decided to post it #isat #isat spoilers #in stars and time #isat siffrin #isat loop #i also personally picture sif (and loop especially) being more hostile to the concept of changing themselves after The Encounter #both of them being big grudge-holders and that 'want' to control your own destiny being clearly against how they interpret the universe #as for whether they should be so hostile? probably not! but they appear to be anxious in fear of some kind of divine retribution should #they like. ever even dare to Want. and uh. well. that certainly went well for Loop. not sure they'd be gung-ho to do it again #so Loop being able to go 'oh well it wasn't my REAL name' as a salve for having to make a new identity AGAIN....#while sif is explicitly clinging to it as an anchor for Who They Are If Nothing Else.. they can upset each other and also mirabelle i think #lucabytetalks

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charcarts · 10 months

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gesundheit

#pokemon #pkmn #pkmnart #sneasel #the pain of making merch (charmb) ideas of pokemon nobody gives af about-#anyways hi hey im working on merch concepts and trying to set up shop b4 the year's over #i'll probably also churn out sm more popular designs like uh. eeveeIution stickers or smthin #what im personally excited for is something im hopin to share in a bit (not sure if it's feasibly possible but it'd be fun if so!!)#(that one's also pokemon related so uh. keep your eyes peeled i guess!!)

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wildechildwrites · 2 months

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Looney Tunes

König/reader

Word Count: 1.2k

Warnings: N/A

No use of Y/N

Summary: You keep running into König in the elevator at your apartment building. He'd be incredibly intimidating, but he kind of reminds you of a cartoon character.

A/N: König is so serious with all his war crimes and intensity, and you are... not serious

AO3 Link: Looney Tunes

The man who steps on the elevator is giant, bigger than anyone you've ever seen in real life, and you can't help looking up at him, craning your neck. He's wearing a sweatshirt, the hood up and cloaking most of his face, disguising his eyes, but you see his nose point down at you, and you know he’s staring back at you.

"How tall are you?" You ask, before cringing at your own social awkwardness. It's silent for a moment, and you wonder if he heard you at all. The elevator dings for your floor and as you step off, a quiet, accented voice calls out.

“Two hundred centimeters.”

You whip your phone out, googling the conversion almost immediately as the doors shut behind you. He’s huge, with shoulders so widely set it's almost comical. You marvel at it briefly, then he slips your mind.

The next time you see the man, he’s got his hood off, his long hair pulled back into a bun. He’s older than you’d thought he’d be, strands of gray catching the light, standing out against the auburn. You step into the elevator with a greeting he doesn’t acknowledge. You both stand in silence, listening to the quiet ding as you pass the floors.

You've developed a quiet rhythm with the elevator man, leaving in the mornings at the same time, your greetings always met by a silence that should probably deter you but doesn't. You're staring at his reflection in the elevator doors, noting the way he seems to slightly slouch into himself, when your unbidden thoughts cause you to giggle. His eyes shoot up instantly to meet yours.

“You remind me of the looney tunes monster,” you blurt suddenly, the aimless rambling of your inner monologue spilling out before you can stop yourself. The man beside you stiffens, before turning his body fully to look down at you. You try not to cower, unable to meet his eye.

“The… um… the orange one? Have you ever seen looney tunes?” you push on moronically. He’s glaring down at you, and you wonder if getting murdered in an elevator is really the way to go.

“What is ‘looney’ tunes?” He finally asks, his voice low and hoarse, as if he's not used to speaking.

"It's a children's show… there's a bunch of little characters and they have their own personalities…" You know your face is bright red, and you thank whatever deity is involved when the elevator chimes and you can step off, too embarrassed to say goodbye.

You consider taking the stairs when you see him again the next day. You give a quiet greeting that he doesn't acknowledge, so you hope you're forgiven for yesterday. You're scrolling through your phone when he speaks, startling you.

"You are der hase?" He asks.

"What?" You respond, looking up with wide eyes, off guard.

He huffs, looking at the ceiling.

"The— rabbit. That is you?"

You scrunch your nose in momentary confusion, then the realization hits you.

"Oh. Bugs Bunny, you mean?" You laugh. "I guess I could be him."

You two stand in silence for the rest of the elevator ride.

You forgot you could be this drunk, staring at the elevator buttons in a daze. You couldn’t quite remember which one you were supposed to press, only knew for sure this was your building because your friend had put your address into the uber. You don’t even hear the footsteps behind you, the irritated sigh as König watches you sway slightly. It’s only when he reaches around you, pressing the up button, that you startle.

“Jesus Christ!” you say, jumping back. An impossibly large hand grabs your arm, steading you. You tilt your head back, and the elevator man is towering over you. He’s in army fatigues, and as your inebriated mind processes that information, the door to the elevator chimes open.

He doesn’t wait for you to move, just picks you up like you weigh nothing before stepping inside. You blink upwards at him in a daze, and he glares down at you. He’s chastising you in his low voice, and it takes you a moment to realize the reason you can’t understand him is because he’s not speaking English.

“You can let me down now,” you interrupt, your voice quiet and slightly slurred. He somehow manages to look even more pissed, staring down at you, incensed, and you’re sorry for saying anything. He fumbles in his other language before finding the words.

“You can— You can not stand.” He says with finality. You relax against him, lapsing into familiar silence as the elevator shoots upwards. This close to him, you can hear his heart beating, and you wonder why it's thumping so fast.

He carries you to your door, and you're too distracted to think about how he knows which apartment is yours. He sets you down, plucking the keys out of your hand with ease when you fumble with them, watching as you sway slightly.

"I keep thinking about the cartoon." He says suddenly, abandoning the key in the lock. He’s leaning over you, shadowing you in the small doorway as you look up at him, your expression confused. His face holds a neutral expression, but his eyes seem to glint in an odd way.

“The monster, he wants to eat the rabbit.” He states, taking a step towards you, crowding you against your door. The wood is cool against your back, and you’re blinking up at him through your drunken haze, trying to figure out what he’s talking about.

"Looney Tunes?" You finally respond, remembering your last conversation. He nods and reaches out one large hand to tuck a loose strand of hair behind your ear. Your heart skips, and you wonder if he can hear it as he drags his fingertips along your jaw, cupping your chin softly.

“Does the rabbit want to be eaten?” He asks, his head cocked. His eyes are like molten steel, his voice so soft and deep it’s practically a purr. It feels like the oxygen has been sucked out of the hallway, leaving you lightheaded.

“Oh,” you breathe, your lips parting softly, what little mental clarity you had abandoning you. There’s a scar that runs up from the man’s chin, stopping just below his bottom lip, and you’re staring at the scar, staring at his mouth, when he bends down, guiding your chin up as you raise yourself unsteadily on your tiptoes.

His lips are warm, scorching against yours, and you open your mouth, letting him deepen the kiss, whimpering when he presses his hard body against yours. His hand slides into your hair, his palm curling around the back of your neck, holding you steady. You shudder at the contact, and he breaks the kiss, pulling away, leaving you dazed and breathless. Everything is spinning, and you can’t tell if it’s because of the alcohol still coursing through your veins, or the fact that he’s still leaning over you, caging you in.

His pupils are blown wide, and you watch his chest rise and fall. He’s monstrous like this, a man at the brink of self control, his hands trembling at the effort to not touch you. He pushes away, creating distance, and you stare at him, stunned and confused. He’s muttering to himself again, and it finally cuts through your stupid, intoxicated brain that he’s speaking German.

He’s looking at you like he’d like to devour you. Instead he breathes, slow and deep, and takes another step back from you.

“Have a good night, häschen” He says, and then he turns, heading towards the elevator, away from you.

Part Two

#something about this concept just has me howling you're the most awkward person in the building and konig finds you irresistible #he wants you carnally and your brain is just the ducktales theme song #konig cod #konig x reader #konig x you #cod mw2 #cod x reader #konig/reader #hes changed his entire schedule for the 30 seconds he gets to spend in your presence and he cant even say hi the konig pov would go crazy

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communistkenobi · 4 months

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I don’t like when people ask how many books you plan to read/have read this year one because I think that’s a weird relationship to have to books and two because I think even reading a chapter or a portion of something is valuable. this is especially true with non-fiction but even with fiction I think any amount you read, even if you don’t read the entire thing, is not a failure or ‘incomplete’

#I read basically exclusively non fiction and every page I read is beneficial like I’m always learning something #like my relationship to reading is often extractive and utilitarian because of school and research #but that extractive process doesn’t require reading the whole text like 99.9% of the time #I’ve only read a third of Orientalism for example but like I have a good grasp of Said’s core arguments and concepts #and like part of how I finished authoritarian personality (a 1000 page book) was by skipping & skimming sections #like the whole is not always more valuable than its components #and also like ‘I read this book to complete it’ is not an insincere way to engage with a text but I feel like it’s limiting #if that’s your primary approach to reading. Like you read a book just to say you read it #& also more petty but I think that if your argument or thesis only works if people read 100% of your book then you’re doing a poor job #of getting your point across #again obviously it’s valuable to read and process whole complete texts not dismissing that but like #I don’t find a lot of inherent value in reading a book just to complete it u know

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prettyboysdontlookatexplosions · 4 months

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still mad about this post lol so let me also say: “they taught us critical thinking in english class” is extra funny to me because there’s a genuine debate among Ed Heads about whether “critical thinking” as a discrete and decontextualized skillset can actually be taught :) so it’s pretty silly to go around confidently branding yourself as a critical thinker while simultaneously revealing that you’re extremely comfortable making assumptions about the relative simplicity of complex ideas which remain contested in their respective fields :) personally i would be pretty embarrassed to call myself a critical thinker if i also couldn’t stop myself from revealing i was totally lacking in the intellectual humility that would enable me to understand that we have yet to reach consensus on unbelievably complicated issues like how best to educate an entire population :) but i guess i was absent the day that tenth grade english covered running your mouth like an asshole on social media :)

#for someone so convinced english class made you smart you’re saying some pretty stupid shit!#i’m also genuinely curious about this person’s english class bc i went to a fancy high school and my english teachers were mostly fine #and i would not connect literally anything we ever did there to the concepts of media literacy or misinformation spotting #i would also be shocked if a majority of current high school english teachers are good at those things themselves. lol.#remember: teachers are being taught that learning styles are real and most of them never question it!#btw i’m inclined to go with the ‘critical thinking is discipline specific and can’t be taught as a Thing crowd’#my unsubstantiated hunch is that like #being exposed to critical thinking processes in a variety of different fields #can build the kind of intellectual humility that is the most important prerequisite for critical thinking #like because i know how much goes into ‘knowing’ something historically #i know that i can’t really meaningfully critically think about high level debates in biology because the knowledge base isn’t there #and knowing that is IMO its own form of critical thinking #but that’s me spitballing based on vibes

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clover0101 · 26 days

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haruka and what each animal on his case represents, an analysis

before we begin, general CW for the issues haruka's story deals with (neglect, child abuse, animal death, etc).

Throughout the MVs, animals play an important role in Haruka's story. I think each of these represents a part of Haruka, both how he perceives himself and how he wants to be perceived. Even if Haruka presumably has numerous animal victims, the ones most emphasized are dogs, fish, and rabbits.

1. RABBITS

Haruka is seen on many occasions with his bunny plush. It’s so important that it appears not only in Weakness and Undercover but also in graffart’s collab, where each item is importan on the character's story in one way or another (like mahiru and the mantis). I see it as a toy from his childhood that he’s very attached to.

The fact that it’s specifically a rabbit is interesting to me, as the rabbit is a prey. If we go to the unique point of view of Japanese culture, rabbits are also quite related to the moon. The lunar cycles are also an important symbol in weakness, showing white, blue and finally red moons over a red sky. The origin of the relationship between rabbits and the moon is debated between admiration as they are perceived as objects of fertility and health because of their reproduction, or a legend that spread from India:

"a rabbit can't tolerate seeing people die and jumps into the fire to become food, then Indra rewards him for his sacrifice and takes him to the moon."

The theme of self sacrifice and the ultimate reward one receives for it is reinforced by Taoism, where the hare, like the moon, dies to be reborn and represents immortality. More popularly, rabbits are also associated with good fortune. It being white also points to innocence, and in turn to the pursuit of something that upon attainment brings discovery, an idea popularized by Alice in Wonderland. Even if it's more seen as a weak and tender animal, it has also been culturally represented as cruel and capable of aggression, closer to what Haruka is than the role of merely a prey. Haruka wants to be seen as weak prey that the strong hunt, to be pitied and loved for it. To be perceived as someone to be protected, as he cannot defend himself, but this is contradicted by his own actions both in weakness and throughout milgram. The prey becomes the predator and gives way to the next animal;

2. DOGS

The dog is universally a symbol of loyalty and the effort it takes to form a training bond between a wild animal and a human. Dogs are seen accompanying men and being obedient to women.

Dogs are perceived as creatures that love unconditionally and are capable of giving everything to protect those they love.

In terms of personality and behavior, they are the closest animals to Haruka, who accepts and actively seeks to be guided and to be faithful for someone, to be used to feel useful and not abandoned.

Even if they are domestic, the dogs whose breeds are distinguishable are large dogs, considered to be hunting dogs. Haruka being represented as a dog also creates a parallel with kotoko, who is represented by a wolf.

Haruka being represented as a dog also creates a parallel with kotoko, who is represented by a wolf. Dogs are the friendlier, "clean" version of wolves, domesticated to be obedient, while wolves maintain a certain solitary air of independence and savagery.

However, whenever a dog is featured on screen it is accompanied by loud instrumentals and rather graphic visuals. In Weakness, child Haruka accepts and expresses affection towards the animal, who apparently is suddenly injured and runs away from him into a forest, where he is disoriented and confused. Haruka follows its footsteps and ends up seeing his hands in horror, realizing that he's the cause of its injury.

The perspective of present Haruka isn't so different, who now attacks it, destroying it until the only remains are the necklace it was wearing, ultramarine liquid and eyes, which I consider represent the opinions of others and looks that judge him.

I think the fact that this dog bleeds the same color as Haruka's is a not-so-hidden hint at the fact that, in a way, Haruka is ending up with a part of himself (this time a bit smaller, not being human yet) to escape people's judgments.

There are also many sayings that by mistreating someone, "you are treating them like a dog", like an animal, something inferior, but that still sticks to what the human wants and believing all their words.

In AKAA, we see that instead of being a mix of at least two dogs, they're now separate entities and different breeds that dissolve as Haruka sings about being reborn. Again, dogs often appear in stories as spirit guides, helping humans enter and exit the realm of the dead safely, representing a middle ground between life and death. Dogs are followers of their owners, not leaders, and no matter how close a bond they form with humans, they are rarely recognized as equals to us.

3. FISH

Most of the similarities between Haruka and fish are presented visually, with Haruka being a passive spectator of his own life, observing others from behind something akin to a glass wall that separates him from normal people. He's constantly surrounded by water drowning, and in one scene is even presented at a fish-eye angle, being watched by his mother.

In AKAA we can see two specific species of fish.

Yellow bobfish: they're very complicated fish to keep in aquariums because they release toxins when stressed and are naturally solitary once they reach adulthood, it's not recommended to have more than two in the same tank because they are territorial and aggressive among their own species, however it's friendly and sociable with fish of other species. It responds to stress with aggression and attacks its own kind (in this case other weaklings) just like Haruka.

Clownfish: they usually inhabit anemones, forming a mutualism in which they find shelter and food. Toxins from anemones don't affect them as they develop immunity to them throughout their lives to eventually live in them. Anemones benefit from clownfishes cleaning its tentacles. Clownfish often eat parasites and are also known to steal more food from anemones than what they give in return. They are also capable of changing sex from male to female. Seeing this particular species depicted tells us a lot not only about haruka, but about his relationship with Muu, as for the first time it's not depicted as a mutual need, a codependency that endangers their lives if they become separated, but a mutually beneficial relationship where both can exist separately, but live much more comfortably by relating to each other in this way.

Extra: Insects (specifically butterflies) and parasites.

The symbolism of transformation and metamorphosis is so present that it even took the title of both voice dramas. Caterpillars can only wriggle and are no different from any worthless worm, but after a season, they manage to transform into a butterfly: beautiful, admirable, much more memorable and lovable. Having been forgiven and meeting Muu, Haruka manages to "fulfill" his metamorphosis and become someone he believes is better. Still, from what is shown in AKAA, it doesn't seem that Haruka is entirely happy with this change happening - the monarch butterflies represents ambition and perseverance, but it seems to be rejected by haruka, who crushes it in his hands

Haruka longs for this transformation, but is unable to fully accept it happening. I think it's because no matter how much he changes and wants to be someone else, he can't get rid of the disastrous image he has of himself, or he has forced himself not to change so as not to be disliked even more by others.

Now, Kotoko is an important figure to Haruka despite not interacting much. It highlights both his codependency (or mutually beneficial relationship) with Muu as much as the fact that he assimilates a parasite.

This is a point I've made several times before, but Haruka's way of socializing is based on taking parts of others and melding them on himself, especially women. It started by stealing his mother's necklace and taking it as his own, continues by killing Mirai and stealing what he lacks, and ends now in a much more obvious way with Muu, imitating her personality, accepting her accessories and the clothes she chooses for him and even copying her sprite pose a bit.

If he had become closer to Yuno and Mahiru, I'm sure he would also start imitating their behaviors in one way or another. Haruka lives by taking parts of the women he surrounds herself with, and he seems to want to take something from kotoko as well, but it's still unclear what he wants.

What does all of this have in common?

Not only is the theme of change and rebirth prominent, but every animal that Haruka comes to hurt relates in one way or another to his desires, thoughts, or parts of himself. Figuratively, we can say that Haruka's case is about him eliminating and hiding every part of himself, until he murders his human victim, Mirai, who at the same time is the closest and most prominent part in him, with whom he wishes he could reconcile and exist together, accepting each other - for, unlike his other victims, Mirai is often presented as a friend and someone Haruka misses. I have yet to write Mirai's analysis on its own, so whether she is also a part of Haruka or not and whether all his kills are figurative is up to each one's choice, I tend to wander between both sides because I like both scenarios. In a less figurative way and taking the case more literally, these facts are simple trivia and interesting symbolism to consider when analyzing Haruka.

#milgram #haruka sakurai #milgram analysis #Weakness analysis #Akaa analysis #Analysis #I'm **SHAKING** DO WE ALL SEE ALL OF THESE HARUKA AS QUEER - GNC - MTF HINTS???#I HOEP WE ALL DO!!#Twt moot infected me with the haruka MTF disease and now I see it everywhere #There are a lot of queer motifs on haruka's story it drives me actually insane. It's so visceral #Anyways I hope you guys like this #It's been a lot since ive last posted an analysis and I really wanted to talk about this #I also want to write something specifically about Mirai and all of the possible interpretations she could have inside haruka's story #Both as a real person and an ideal concept

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