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clover0101 · 27 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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shinuko · 8 days

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tw/cw: cursing (the one that rhymes with duck, x1), kissing (it's like the entire point actually, sorry), reader intended to be shorter, suggestive(!!!) + read tags for more info! (expect nonsense and mistakes lol it's like 12am okay i'm delirious ;-;)

you're peppering kisses all over his face, and he chuckles, his cheeks still squished in between the palms of your hands.

"missed me that much, huh?"

"isn't it obvious?" you roll your eyes but you smile, pressing a longer kiss on the tip of his nose. "now be quiet, i'm busy."

but he's not listening anymore. he falls back onto the bed, taking you with him. and you yelp, both of your hands outstretched on the mattress as support, caging him under you. you look down at him, glaring. to which he laughs but his gaze soon drops to your lips and his chin lifts slightly, and he appears unable to restrain himself any longer. his eyes return to yours, "give me one more?"

you huff but oblige, closing the distance between the two of you, your lips meeting his softly—slowly—at first, his lips moving in tandem with yours, but you were beginning to get swept away in the ocean called geto suguru. he's kissing you greedily, with a hunger like that of a starved man seeing bread again. he slides a hand down to your lower back, steadying you as he hoists himself up again. you respond immediately, wrapping your legs around his waist and arms around his neck. his other hand is placed naturally at the nape of your neck as he gently sets you against the wall.

he groans into the kiss, moving a hand to angle your chin. breaking away, he trails kisses down your jaw and to your neck, stopping at your collarbone. you let out a shaky breath, eager with anticipation, your hands find their spots in his hair, brushing through and twirling the ends.

you whine and he lets you drop down, both of your feet standing at the tips of your toes as you lean in further into the kiss. his hands slide down again, feeling you and this time squeezing in places that made your knees weak. you bite down softly at his bottom lip, tugging at it, and you giggle at his confused expression.

"should i stop?" you whisper teasingly as you pull away just enough to break contact as you flick your gaze up to his.

"fuck no," his voice is hoarse and he pulls you closer to him, finding your mouth again with his, "come here."

koi's notes: i dropped 2 of my 2k+ (wc) wips for this because i was CRAVING physical intimacy and oh my god... please don't perceive me >.< (also sorry for the poorly placed cut and name drop, it was the most natural place to introduce the name to me and yeah ;-;)

#s.k.#sort: jjk #cw: cursing #cw: suggestive #geto suguru x you #geto suguru x reader #geto x you #geto x reader #geto fluff #i think it's from business proposal?? this is the same energy as that kiss scene where that one guy is kissing his girl(?) and he has to-#-stop to take off his glasses before kissing her again #i never got around to watching the drama but i've seen that clip so many times it's been burned into my memory #anyways yeah it's that energy #there's a specific way i'm imagining this scene and the best way i can put it and i hope it came across that way is that he has the i wanna #-f you eyes #do y'all know what i'm talking about #those eyes #god those eyes would actually be the death of me i would fold IMMEDIATELY #thinking about this with almost any character (that i like) would have me spinning actually #this is the most self indulgent thing i've ever written and i'm terrified (for myself)

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bijoumikhawal · 6 months

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hello! i hope it's alright to ask you this but i was wondering if you have any recommendations for books to read or media in general about the history of judaism and jewish communities in egypt, particularly in ottoman and modern egypt?

have a nice day!

it's fine to ask me this! Unfortunately I have to preface this with a disclaimer that a lot of books on Egyptian Jewish history have a Zionist bias. There are antizionist Egyptian Jews, and at the very least ones who have enough national pride that AFAIK they do not publicly hold Zionist beliefs, like those who spoke in the documentary the Jews of Egypt (avaliable on YouTube for free with English subtitles). Others have an anti Egyptian bias- there is a geopolitical tension with Egypt from Antiquity that unfortunately some Jewish people have carried through history even when it was completely irrelevant, so in trying to research interactions between "ancient" Egyptian Jews and Native Egyptians (from the Ptolemaic era into the proto-Coptic and fully Coptic eras) I've unfortunately come across stuff that for me, as an Egyptian, reads like anti miscegenationist ideology, and it is difficult to tell whether this is a view of history being pushed on the past or not. The phrase "Erev Rav" (meaning mixed multitude), which in part refers to Egyptians who left Egypt with Moses and converted to Judaism, is even used as an insult by some.

Since I mentioned that documentary, I'll start by going over more modern sources. Mapping Jewish San Francisco has a playlist of videos of interviews with Egyptian Jews, including both Karaites and Rabbinic Jews iirc (I reblogged some of these awhile ago in my "actually Egyptian tag" tag). This book, the Dispersion of Egyptian Jewry, is avaliable for free online, it promises to be a more indepth look at Egyptian Jews in the lead up to modern explusion. I have only read a few sections of it, so I cannot give a full judgment on it. There's this video I watched about preserving Karaite historical sites in Egypt that I remember being interesting. "On the Mediterranian and the Nile edited by Harvey E. Goldman and Matthis Lehmann" is a collection of memiors iirc, as is "the Man in the Sharkskin Suit" (which I've started but not completed), both moreso from a Rabbinic perspective. Karaites also have a few websites discussing themselves in their terms, such as this one.

For the pre-modern but post-Islamic era, the Cairo Geniza is a great resource but in my opinion as a hobby researcher, hard to navigate. It is a large cache of documents from a Cairo synagogue mostly from around the Fatimid era. A significant portion of it is digitized and they occasionally crowd source translation help on their Twitter, and a lot of books and papers use it as a primary source. "The Jews in Medieval Egypt, edited by: Miriam Frenkel" is one in my to read pile. "Benjamin H. Hary - Multiglossia in Judeio-Arabic. With an Edition, Translation, and Grammatical Study of the Cairene Purim Scroll" is a paper I've read discussing the Jewish record of the events commemorated by the Cairo Purim, I got it off either Anna's Archive or libgen. "Mamluks of Jewish Origin in the Mamluk Sultanate by Koby Yosef" is a paper in my to read pile. "Jewish pietism of the Sufi type A particular trend of mysticisme in Medieval Egypt by Mireille Loubet" and "Paul B Fenton- Judaism and Sufism" both discuss the medieval Egyptian Jewish pietist movement.

For "ancient" Egyptian Jews, I find the first chapter of "The Story of the Jews: Finding the Words 1000 BC-1492 AD” by Simon Schama, which covers Elephantine, very interesting (it also flies in the face of claims that Jews did not marry Native Egyptians, though it is from centuries before the era researchers often cover). If you'd like to read don't click this link to a Google doc, that would be VERY naughty. There's very little on the Therapeutae, but for the paper theorizing they may have been influenced by Buddhism (possibly making them an example of Judeo-Buddhist syncretism) look here (their Wikipedia page also has some sources that could be interesting but are not specifically about them). "Taylor, Joan E. - Jewish women philosophers of first-century Alexandria: Philo’s Therapeutae reconsidered" is also a to read.

I haven't found much on the temple of Onias/Tell el Yahudia/Leontopolis in depth, but I have the paper "Meron M. Piotrkowski - Priests in Exile: The History of the Temple of Onias and Its Community in the Hellenistic Period" in my to be read pile (which I got off Anna's Archive). I also have some supplemental info from a lecture I attended that I'm willing to privately share.

I also have a document compiling links about the Exodus of Jews from Egypt in the modern era, but I'm cautious about sharing it now because I made it in high school and I've realized it needs better fact checking, because it had some misinfo in it from Zionist publications (specifically about the names of Nazis who fled to Egypt- that did happen, but a bunch of names I saw reported had no evidence of that being the case, and one name was the name of a murdered resistance fighter???)

#cipher talk #I find Leontopolis fascinating because after the first time a bunch of Egyptian Jews built a temple in Egypt a second guy did it #And allegedly had a not terrible scriptural justification! And the temple lasted for THREE EXTRA YEARS after Jerusalem was sacked!#Never let anyone tell you there was only one temple #There's also other stuff but this is what I immediately had #Some books I have I'm pretty sure just aren't good to start with lmao they're about very specific stuff #Modern Middle Eastern Jewish Thought: Writings on Identity politics and culture is interesting and includes Egyptian Jews #But it's definitely got a zionist bias. It's mostly essays #I'd definitely recommend reading up on Joseph Cattaui and Murād Farag because they were simply so influential #Even though Farag was a dumbass that wrote the first Arabic defense of Zionism #Ya‘qub Sannu‘ is also fascinating- he spent a lot of his time defending Muslims to European audiences so some people assumed he reverted #He didn't he just took a hard stance on it. Also he got exiled for criticizing the Khedivate #All 3 are in MMEJT iirc

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gxlden-angels · 1 month

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I love getting validated on small things that I didn't even consider like it's always a treat and this time it's Gender

The Fundie Baby Voice™️ has been popping up a lot in ex-christian spaces lately and I actually had one in middle school and part of high school! I learned when and where to use it and how to turn up my southern accent just enough. I can still do it but it sounds weird after 3 years on T. The main place I used it was at church cause it made me sound sweet and polite. I used it for old ladies when I worked at a grocery store too. My family didn't like it when we were just all together cause they said it sounded like baby talk, but loved it when I used it at church cause everyone would tell them how sweet and soft-spoken I was

My therapist said it actively made him feel uncomfortable when I used that voice. He couldn't quite put his finger on why it made him uncomfortable (other than him only knowing me on T) but he very much did not like it and he's so so right for that

#he's a cishet white jewish man so it's always a treat when I talk about something like this #cause it started off about how I felt like my gender is a performance and I will use it to my advantage #I usually talk fairly neutrally and monotone so people find it uncanny when I change it up #especially if it's the way I talk to my family and the church folks that ask about me #Now that I'm on T and had top surgery I love fucking with ppl via my gender presentation #I like the chaos of not correcting ppl and watching them fight amongst themselves over what my gender is #My previous gender was Weird Little Girl #and now i'm Just Some Guy #I don't feel like I was always a guy I feel like my gender at the time was Weird Little Girl #and it changed over time but I loved the performance of being a weird little girl #I was not a girl I was specifically a WLG #And well I still know how to use my old performances even if I'm no longer a weird little girl #I consider myself a guy but not a man and a girlie but not a woman #my gender is whatever is funniest at the moment #My gender is whatever you project onto me. My gender is a mirror to your childhood trauma #anyways I kinda lost the plot but yea I can kinda still use the fundie baby voice but it sounds a lil off #cause I've been on T for over 3 years now #ex christian #religious trauma

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chocmoon-latte · 1 month

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Me when I see The Character™️: OH MY GOD IT'S HIM! He's so him! Isn't he just he? My little him guy!

#fallout #fallout 4 #fallout 3 #fallout new vegas #yeah I'm specifically talking about hancock #yes he kills a guy when you first meet him but that is irrelevant #hancock #john hancock

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pixelatedquarter · 3 months

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Everything's chill with "bear (patrick) in mind" until you find out the Luke Chueh painting Pete started vagueing Folie A Deux with is called "Bear In Mind"

#Chueh is the guy who did the FAD cover art btw those polar bears are his *thing*#but i'm specifically talking abt the tumblr post with the painting of the bear taking the polar bearsuit head off and revealing a brown bea #sth sth 'on the bright side got the wrong insides' too you can really go ham on the webweaving with the Wentz-Chueh bears TBH #fanfic ass band that won't let us meme in peace without getting some weird coincidences

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crimeronan · 6 months

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i think the wildest cognitive dissonance i've had re: the realization that the average (?) tumblr user Truly Does Not Look At The News was when like. people started bitching and moaning that "everyone" was focusing on crimew being a trans catgirl anarchist without actually looking at the importance of her work in leaking the no-fly list.

when earlier that day i had clicked on a top CNN headline reading something like "hacktivist leaks US no-fly list, exposes racial discrimination, islamophobia, bans on two-year-old children"

(i don't remember the exact wording. i know it was About The Important Shit.)

and then i'd logged onto tumblr. and only THEN found out that the hacktivist was a trans catgirl anarchist. CNN's early reporting did not give A Fuck about that At All, because THERE WAS A LOT TO SAY ABOUT THE NO-FLY LIST.

so imagine my surprise scrolling thru tumblr's meme coverage like

me: oh shit the no-fly list leaker who exposed all that heinous shit is a trans catgirl? good for her that's delightful :)

a sizeable portion of tumblr's population, for some fucking reason: nobody would come to my house and click on article links for me so now i'm mad that my memes don't double as exhaustively researched current event bulletins :( HOW DARE THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA SILENCE US >:(

#not to be condescending but like are you guys fucking serious.#'the news is biased and inaccurate' yeah i see you've done a lot of media literacy training for yourselves on tumblr dot gov #and are super informed about everything all the time.#meow. sorry. this is catty and mean. BUT LIKE. I FELT LIKE I WAS GOING OUT OF MY FUCKING MIIIINDDDD #IT WAS IN THE NEWS EVERYONE WAS TALKING ABOUT IT. THAT'S WHAT THE MAINSTREAM PUBLIC FOUND OUT #YOU ARE IN AN EXTREMELY SPECIFIC ECHO CHAMBER PLEASSEEEEEE LOOK AT STUFF OUTSIDE TUMBLR O N C E #OH MY GODDDDDDD #am i crazy??? like am i insane??? please fucking tell me other people also saw that it was in fact covered in the news????#I FEEL LIKE I MADE THAT MEMORY UP WHOLESALE OR SOMETHING ????? BY THE WAY TUMBLR USERS WERE FKCN TALKING??#politics #american politics #i have a migraine. i'll become less of a bitch when i'm done having a migraine probably.

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imminent-danger-came · 4 months

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OKAY SO.

End of 3x14.

Sun Wukong: "I know I can never make it up to you. Honestly, I never thought I'd live as long as I have let alone be someone's mentor—turns out I'm not very good at it. I guess what I'm trying to say is...I'm sorry MK, for all of it."

One: the fact that Wukong is so many times immortal, and was so afraid of mortality he kept reaching and reaching for more sources of immortality, but he still didn't think he would live this long drives me insane. He's so paranoid of death yet he's also afraid of life. Get my mans some help.

Two: I always find this line one of the most damning pieces of evidence that he knew about MK's identity the whole time. Cause it's like...this is his apology, where he's explaining himself and his downfalls, and he makes it a point to explain to MK that he never planned to have a successor. Which, this directly contradicts everything he says to MK in AHIB, and he's practically admitting that he never wanted to be a mentor. This wasn't something he was ready for. And truthfully, I think that adds to MK's s4 questions/confusion and purposeful denial about what he is. Deep down MK already knows that Wukong couldn't have chosen anyone else to be a successor, and he knows Wukong was never looking for one. And I think it all starts right here, with Wukong implying it

#Wukong out here pre-apologizing for the ''MK this is what you are and this was my part in it'' reveal #Always on this soapbox #lmk #lego monkie kid #lmk analysis #lmk SWK #lmk MK #I'm sorry guys Wukong knowing about MK's monkey identity is kinda just the text #Wukong vc: ''Only *one* of us here can defeat the Jade Emperor! One of us specifically-'' LIKE HE'S TALKING ABOUT MK #MK LITERALLY DID #OH MY GOD #anyways

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3vocatio · 1 year

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solomon really is the devs' favorite, huh. not once have they disappointed with a solomon-centered event, dialogue, or scene (save for the change in his last birthday event). they just... carve him out so meticulously compared to everyone else because his thoughts and actions have flowed so smoothly compared to when we first met him?

when we met him, you could view him as arrogant or a bit odd and eccentric, because the basis of him greeting you seems to be out of curiousity. during his hdd card, he even admits that he didn't pay much mind to mc other than being curious of what they were going to do, but his affections slowly grew the more his eyes were opened to new experiences and perspectives.

now, we get a solomon who doesn't solely focus on his experiments or ancient texts, but also confronts people when they step out of line or cross a boundary because he maintains his ability to be kind. he never insults others, he makes sure that everyone's needs or wishes are met, but not to the point where he sacrifices his own wishes. his recent birthday in which he gifted everyone their modified trinkets & gadgets on his own birthday is proof of that.

if someone treats him with contempt, he normally doesnt hold it against them because he's perceptive enough to note where that bitterness is coming from.

there aren't many people caught up with the hard mode lessons, but (s4 spoilers) he's highly aware of how lonely thirteen is, and comes by to visit her on the rare occassion as though she were a neighbor, much to her disdain. he caught onto simeon's doomed fate far before it happened when he noted how 'different' simeon's philosophies were from the collective behavior that is associated with the celestial realm. once simeon dealt with the consequences, solomon was the first to confront him. again. and again. and again. no matter how much simeon denied it or rejected everyone around him, solomon was the one to understand how lonely it can be to deal with something all on your own.

and it's why we see him agreeing to play cards with mammon although everyone else believes it to be a waste of time, allowing leviathan to be himself when no one else can keep up with his passionate rants, always responding to satan's endless inquiries and gathering cats for his birthday every year, indulging in asmodeus' invitations to go shopping or do spa days when everyone else believes it to be draining, checking on beelzebub when others fail to note his subtle sadness or struggle, inviting belphegor to overview his experiments he needs help with when no one bothers to invite him anywhere because they're under the impression that belphegor will turn them down.

for the less notable people, solomon also cleverly checks on lucifer's state by asking for a pact every time he sees him as a greeting, he constantly works with diavolo to ensure that they both meet compromises for the program, he is the person that barbatos entrusts his own life to (grimoire), he is someone that luke can trust without fail, and as i've mentioned earlier, someone who makes sure that simeon doesn't harm himself or the people around him and visits thirteen's lonely cave even when he isn't wanted there.

i haven't seen much interaction with raphael and mephistopheles when it comes to solomon, but solomon is always happy to finally share his cooking with someone who adores it and makes sure that he helps raphael with chores around (albeit horribly..). if i remember correctly, too, he regularly speaks with mephistopheles behind the scenes.

and as for mc? not once has he stepped over their boundaries. he is confident in himself, but he never assumed anything of mc--in fact, he was the first one to ever show faith in them being able to reach their fullest potential by sharing his own power with them for a few hours, just to see what they could do. he is confident when sharing his affections, but he always humbly backs down when he's unsure of how mc will react. prime example is during the planetarium event where everyone spent time with mc and solomon chose to give mc some space instead of selfishly hoarding them to himself because he noticed how tired they looked, and wanted them to focus on relaxing.

bottom line, though, i think that if you pay close attention to solomon throughout the story, whether it be in devilgrams, events, daily chats, or the main story itself, you'll notice how consistent and well-written he is compared to nearly every character. i enjoy him very much and thought of sharing this with all of you to see what you think :] i'm aware that i'm biased, though, haha--very much so.

#obey me solomon #solomon obey me #omswd #obey me swd #obey me shall we date #obey me analysis #obey me spoilers #also if you guys wanted the specific scenes that i'm referring to i'll try my best to get them to you after finals are over #note that my interpretation of them may not match yours #i know that some of them were locked behind events too but they just. plagued my mind in the best way and i never let go of them #so if it's a goose chase i must go on then so be it because solomon deserves it <3 #anyways solomon is a disney princess bc he can talk to animals and is the true mc sorry folks u heard it from me /j

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fictionadventurer · 11 months

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I know I just said that we shouldn't categorize people in history, but when it comes to the presidential podcast, I do find myself sorting presidents into "good" and "garbage" piles based on how they treated their wife.

Good

Ulysses S. Grant gets top marks here. I'm not crazy about his wife, but he was, and they're cute together. She was sunny and upbeat enough to boost him through a lot of years of struggle, and he was devoted to both her and the children.

Theodore Roosevelt was a loving husband to both his wives and a ridiculously devoted father to all his children.

James Garfield starts out in the garbage pile because he married her without love and had an affair, but the way they both overcame that to fall deeply in love is a pretty beautiful redemption.

Woodrow Wilson seems to have had a pretty good relationship with his wife. I know less about them so this is a tentative classification, but she was willing to basically help run the country after his stroke, so it suggests there was something good there.

Garbage

Warren Harding reigns in the garbage can. Multiple unrepentant affairs with long-term mistresses.

FDR was already on pretty shaky ground in my mind, but once I learned he had an affair with Eleanor's secretary, and then Eleanor stayed with him through polio, and then at his death he was with this same secretary while Eleanor was away, he lost a lot of points.

Middle Ground

Lincoln and his wife had a pretty rocky relationship, but from what I can tell they tried to make it work and were planning on taking steps to improve things before his death.

Chester Arthur's wife hated that he was constantly away on political business, which gives him a lot of bad husband points, but also she did want that high-class, high-status lifestyle, and from what I can tell he did love her and had a lot of regrets after she died.

#history is awesome #presidential talk #i've got inklings about some of the other guys but can't say for sure #and i recognize that things are about to get worse and worse as we head deeper into the 20th century #one thing this podcast has done is make me lament even more the death of romance #some of these letters people wrote in the 19th century are wow #you don't get that level of emotional openness anymore #there is so much flowery language #so much emotional openness even from men #men waxing poetic about all the things they love about their wives #and then we hit warren harding and they specifically mention how modern his letters to his mistresses feel #because he's being blunt and crass #and the people are like 'on one level it's relatable and kind of cool to see that they're people like us'#but i'm just like 'in what way is this an improvement?'#we've lost so much respect and decency and devotion and instead settle for cheap crass 'honesty'#i'd much rather make men live up to the higher standard

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