[squeakstop]

Okay so I've been playing em2 and the part where the Mad Doctor gloats about playing Oswald and Mickey for fools is so funny to me because like. I don't think Mickey ever believes the Mad Doctor really has turned over a new leaf. I don't recall any moment in the game that implies he's starting to trust the Mad Doctor. At most he's sympathetic and feels sorry for him when he finds out about the state of his animatronic parts, but like... he doesn't actually trust him. Oswald is consistently the only one in the main group that has any faith in the Mad Doctor, everyone else visibly is holding their breath waiting for him to stab them in the back, and Mickey is just kinda always hovering awkwardly at the side because he doesn't believe the Mad Doctor is being truthful either but he doesn't want to say that openly because everyone else is already doing that and Oswald is the only one trying to give him a fair shot. There is not a doubt in my mind he saw the betrayal coming a million miles away, he just didn't say that because he's nice and it would make Oswald feel bad. "The doc lied to me" laments Oswald while Mickey stands in the background trying not to make it obvious he knew this would happen. "I played Mickey and Oswald for fools" and Mickey wasn't even fooled. U only got Oswald I'm afraid buddy, Mickey was just too nice to say otherwise

[squeakstop]

Actually I fear every time I spend more than 5 minutes thinking about this mouse it always ends up tumbling right back down to angst and specifically the angst you can squeeze out of the concept of all the silently insidious ways a company like Disney might treat their mascot and the impact that treatment would have on mickey

[squeakstop]

It does not sound corny at all I'm nodding along to everything you're saying bc Mickey as an anxious people pleaser makes so much sense especially if you think about the way Disney have conditioned him to behave and act throughout the years and all the things he hasn't been allowed to do that they've let other toons do. Like the line for what the "wrong thing to say/do" is for him is different to the line for other toons and with changing standards and Disney adapting to those standards the rules probably change on him a Lot, of course that's going to cause anxiety. It's very reminiscent of his characterisation in the 2013 shorts and WWOMM too imo. But he's a dreamer at heart and no matter what that's an aspect of himself he never lets go of even when Disney makes it hard to remember that by turning his very image into mass marketing

[squeakstop]

Gonna talk more about Oswald in my au

I like to think he stayed with Walt by the skin of his teeth. A minor clause in the contract that almost got overlooked. And as Oswald's fame grows he pays close attention to the other toons at Universal, and he notices when they disappear. He hears the whispers and rumours of what happens to toons who are forgotten, and thinks about how easily he could've been one of those toons if he'd stayed at Universal, and as a result he's terrified of being forgotten. It's his worst nightmare. More than once when Walt was alive he'd run to him seeking reassurance, and Walt would stroke his ears and tell him a lucky star like him would never be forgotten

The words never helped as much as they should

So Oswald is kind, Oswald is brave, Oswald loves his friends. Oswald is protective of his spotlight. Oswald will get jealous if he thinks someone else is stealing his fame. Oswald has this deep-seated fear of being overshadowed and forgotten that he can't explain and no one can soothe

It doesn't help that he's terrible at magic. He's Yen Sid's apprentice only because Walt wanted him to be, and he wanted to make Walt proud, but he's awful at it. Half the time he can't even access his magic unless he's wearing the hat, and Yen Sid never likes it when he does that. So his lessons often consist of him building elaborate machines and tricks to give the illusion he's succeeding, only to get caught in the end. Disney probably make a lot of cartoons based on that, and Oswald does his best to hide how much it stings that he's bad at magic. He feels like he's letting Walt down, and if he can't fulfill his creator's wishes in this way, how much longer before he starts letting people down in other ways, too? And if he lets them down, why would they want to remember him? What's to stop him from being forgotten?

During one of his trips to Wasteland, he and Mickey split up for something, with plans to meet up in Mean Street. Oswald gets there just a little after Mickey, he starts to sneak up on him, planning to jump out and surprise him, but Mickey's face stops him. He's sitting by the Walt statue, arms wrapped around his knees and tail wrapped around his ankles, staring up at the statue with eyes brimming with longing. He sniffs, stands, and slides his hand into Walt's empty one

It looks... right

Oswald is sick with jealously, and then immediately sick with guilt, because what right does he have to be jealous? He has everything, and Mickey has nothing. Is he really so spiteful and selfish he can't even stand the sight of a forgotten, lonely toon seeking even a fraction of what he has for comfort? Especially when said toon is someone he's starting to see as a brother?

The incident isn't what makes him think maybe he's responsible for the spell, but when he thinks back on it, he can't help but consider it evidence that maybe, just maybe, his theory is right. Because if he gets that upset even when Mickey has nothing, who's to say he wasn't spiteful enough to be the one to take it all away from him in the first place?

[tinteroon]

Eng:

Le cambie los ojitos porque me olvide de hacerles el triangulo

[valderz08]

animated doodle from the stream earlier!

based on this

[solarcitymelodies]

and tonight im thinking about how mickey as a character is a living persona of the concept of imagination

[redcoloredbowz]

You knew the episode was about to be funny as shit when Ludwig von Drake showed up

[redcoloredbowz]

These two moments make me giggle so bad minnie is literally the emergency contact

[squeakstop]

Actually I fear every time I spend more than 5 minutes thinking about this mouse it always ends up tumbling right back down to angst and specifically the angst you can squeeze out of the concept of all the silently insidious ways a company like Disney might treat their mascot and the impact that treatment would have on mickey

[squeakstop]

"I'm going to stop myself here so I don't start making this about angst" I lied. Angsty aromantic Mickey time.

One of the most famous mascots in the world and Disney's rules for him are very strict. There is a very clear outline for who he is and what he is allowed to feel and what he is and is not allowed to do. Minnie is his girlfriend. She has to be. The decision is in Disney's hands, not his own

And Minnie is nice, she really is. Mickey cares very much about her like a good boyfriend should. The rules for their interactions are very clear: everything they do must be family friendly. That's fine. He can do that. He can follow the rules

Sometimes people talk about marriage, and his stomach clenches. Walt says something once about them being married in private - it was just a joke made in-between shooting for a short, no more serious than a playground wedding, and it wasn't even his idea - and Mickey felt cold. Clammy. His heart was pounding for the rest of the day, alone in his house, his own space, running the words over and over again in his mind. Picturing someone in his space as his spouse, not as a friend, trying to pretend the thought didn't make him nauseous

They hold hands. They peck each other on the cheek. That's fine, Mickey has kissed his friends too. He doesn't mind kissing. It doesn't mean anything that he usually waits for her to kiss him first because he's scared if he initiates people will realise he's either acting or kissing her the same way he kisses all his friends

A director tells him they have to shoot that kiss scene again. "At least look like you love her" they laugh, and Mickey laughs too, and hopes it doesn't sound forced

He loves Minnie. Of course he loves Minnie. He's supposed to, it's what's expected of him. She was drawn to be his girlfriend, and they can never be more than that on screen, but that's okay. He doesn't really want to be married anyway. Not because he doesn't love her! He just isn't ready for marriage. That doesn't mean he doesn't love her

(He loves all his friends. He loves Minnie the way he loves his friends, but the more people talk about romance, the more he realises that isn't how it's supposed to be. He's supposed to love her differently. But he doesn't know what that looks like, how that feels. He loves her like a friend, he's never done anything else)

So he loves her. He'll hold her hand. He'll accept her pecks on the cheek. He'll smile and pretend he doesn't feel uneasy when people talk about marriage, or joke that he hasn't made her his wife yet, or ask when they're going to have kids and start a family like a couple should. He pretends the weird feeling in his stomach is those butterflies everyone is always talking about, and not an anxious clench that leaves him nauseous

He loves her like a friend. He never tells anyone he doesn't know what the difference is supposed to be

Oswald makes it look so easy with Ortensia. There's something there, something they have that Mickey and Minnie don't. Something Mickey is missing

That might be because they're married, though, and Mickey isn't. That's not his fault. He isn't allowed to be

(Disney might change their mind. Disney might decide they should be publicly married after all. Mickey's relationship status isn't up to him. Disney could drag him into the studio one day and tell him he and Minnie are going to be married and have children, and there's nothing he can do to stop that. His personal life doesn't belong to him)

(The thought leaves him shaken for days)

He doesn't tell anyone it's too much sometimes. Doesn't tell anyone how many of the things he does and says are things he only does because that's what a boyfriend should do, not because he wants to. Never tells anyone he admires Minnie, but doesn't know what it's supposed to mean to be attracted to her. He definitely never tells anyone how often he wishes he could just call her a friend instead of his girlfriend. If he does any of that, they'll assume he wants someone else, and he doesn't want someone else. If he has to have a partner, it should be Minnie, the girl who was drawn for him

Walt wanted him to have a girlfriend, and he got Minnie. And he loves her. He does. He swears he does. He swears, and promises, and vows, until he gets home, finally has a minute to himself, and has nothing else to distract him from the fact he's scared he doesn't love her at all. Not the way he's supposed to. He's never loved anyone the way people think he should love Minnie, doesn't think he can. He's tried. He tries so hard every day, but it doesn't happen. He can't make it happen. He still can't tell the difference. There's something missing in him that everyone thinks he should have, and he can't find it no matter how hard he tries. And if anyone ever finds out, if anyone ever discovers he can only stand the idea of living with Minnie as roommates instead of a couple, if anyone realises his skin crawls at the idea of being romantic with someone, he's going to hurt Minnie's feelings, and he's going to be in so much trouble. He might even be rewritten in an attempt to fix it, and he doesn’t know what's more terrifying: the idea that being rewritten won't work, or the idea that it will

Disney is in charge. He isn't allowed to marry Minnie. She can only ever be his girlfriend

Disney is in charge. He isn't allowed to leave Minnie. She can only ever be his girlfriend

[animation-sensation]

hypothetical fighting game Oswald design I made

[luckiestpuppy]

Doodles

[thelonelyfeline]

[squeakstop]

"Second star to the right" but used to represent Mickey and Oswald. The second star is the only star named, the only star acknowledged. The second star that is often shown to be bigger, brighter, catches people's eyes and attention first. The second star that promises dreams will come true, the lyrics that say "each time we say goodnight we'll thank the little star that shines second from the right". The second star that gets all the attention and praise. The first star that is never once mentioned, only existing to be the star that props up the second one on the right

Second star to the right representing Mickey and Oswald. See the vision

[micaxiii]

i demand more mouse boy hand it over please

alright, here you go

he is very smol so plz hold him gently

[bubble-within-time-deactivated2]

*squeeeeeeeeeeze*

[micaxiii]

YOU FOOL! YOU HAVE REALLY DONE IT NOW!

HE IS VERY SMOL AND HE WILL CRAWL RIGHT THE FUCK UP YOUR URETHRA, BITCH!

[micaxiii]

Too Much Glitter?

when your bf looks nearly identical to you so you use him as model to see if the bows you make will look good on you

[squeakstop]

I do find it incredibly funny that despite the fact there's a perfectly good paint path right there, every single piece of media that covers the events of em1 chooses to make Mickey kill that fucking clock