#miko rambles

I’ve seen people talk about the visual metaphors of the Polle mascot and horses in Jimmy’s hallucinations, but not so much about how the Polle and horse imagery mirrors Pony Express’s capitalistic, abusive work culture.

Polle, the mascot for Pony Express, reflects how the company (and most capitalistic companies for that matter) views its employees like workhorses. Employees are expected to work long hours with minimal rest and be productive at all times (think of the metaphor “Working yourself to death”). Failure to follow company protocols results in employees being punished en masse or having their pay docked.

Jimmy’s comment about how Pony Express sells plushies of Polle to kids illustrates how the company indoctrinates children into a capitalistic culture. This reflects how toy companies in real life market products tailored to kids to indoctrinate them into a capitalistic society.

The choice to make Polle look cute and cartoony also reflects how companies in real life use such imagery to push their brand to as wide of an audience as possible. It’s like Corporate Memphis, which uses sanitized, colorful, simplistic imagery to appeal to a wide audience.

While the cute horse imagery outwardly promotes the idea that Pony Express cares about the wellbeing of its employees, we know the company views its employees as disposable. Below is a list of some examples illustrating Pony Express’s apathy toward its employees:

Lack of medical supplies, including supplies for women’s healthcare and serious injuries

Restrictions on employee’s autonomy (Only the Captain has access to certain supplies employees need to complete tasks)

Long work hours with few breaks and little time to sleep

Unsafe work environment for female employees (No locks on sleeping quarter doors, harsh punishment system that discourages reports of abusive behavior)

Harsh punishment system (listing this again because the punishment system also penalizes men and, in many cases, all employees as a group)

Lack of a fifth cryopod for Daisuke

Cold, industrial design of the ship

These examples show that the company’s end goal is to profit and “cut corners” at the expense of its employees.

Reader is a metamorphmagus and James Potter is the little shit who enjoys flirting with her to watch her hair go pink from being flustered.

Because from I've seen in general there's two types of magical girls:

Bright and whimsical

Or

Dark and traumatising

—

(continuation of the title) . . . they remind miko of

TO BE HONEST, i just needed a space to ramble and what better place to do it than tumblr as a “fanfic” (it’s more like just a bunch of random thoughts)

the bullet points are not written in a certain order!! so don’t be surprised when at one point you’re reading fluff and then the next you’re reading angst D:

enjoy!

character(s): all luxiem members

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vox akuma

folding the corner of a page to bookmark

sitting in a movie theater by yourself

putting out a lighter with your bare hand

play fighting with puppies and when they bite you playfully

the sound of heels clacking on the ground

motorcycles and cigarettes

incense that smells sickly sweet and makes you dizzy

cheating by playing cracked games but still somehow losing

I am cooking smth for James—

Reader is a secret Legilimens (nobody knows)

James is your classic Gryffindor who likes you but acts like you’re enemies because you’re a Slytherin.

But the problem? You hear all the real stuff inside his head.

He insults you… while thinking about how he wants to kiss you.

He scowls at you… while his mind practically screams how much he likes you.

And you're just sitting there having to PRETEND you don’t know.

James x Reader — After months of trying to shut your friends down, you finally agreed to let them set you up on a blind date. Only, the guy never showed and you mistook the cute stranger in round glasses to be your date.

Sirius x Reader — Sirius is the best mate ever, he’s decided. So when the rule was set that Lily cannot date James unless you, the older sister, dates first… he makes it his mission to date you for James.

Ladders are a recurring metaphor in Mouthwashing. When ladders are mentioned or implied, it’s often within the context of “climbing the corporate ladder.” Each character has a place on the corporate ladder and acknowledges how society encourages employees to climb the ladder; to get a job, have a family, and work their way to the top. But, what’s really at the top? Climbing the corporate ladder promises employees that if they work hard, they will achieve happiness. However, this is an empty promise. Chasing what society deems valuable doesn’t bring any of the characters happiness. Here is my analysis of each character’s relationship to the corporate ladder:

Curly: Curly succeeds at doing everything society deems valuable. He climbs the corporate ladder and reaches the top. However, he realizes how meaningless his success is. Nothing is at the top of the ladder for him. His position at Pony Express isn’t what he wants. Hence Jimmy’s comment that Curly is on the “wrong ladder.” Curly’s job was meant to be a temporary stepping stone in his career. But, his fear of taking the leap to try something new keeps him in his current position (“feet in cement”).

Jimmy: Curly mentions that Jimmy struggled on Earth. Jimmy’s troubled past prevents him from climbing the ladder and succeeding. Curly refers Jimmy to Pony Express and helps him get a position as copilot, a high and undeserved position for Jimmy. A classic case of nepotism. Had Pony Express been a good company, they would have done a thorough background check on Jimmy and wouldn’t have hired him.

Anya: Based on the background information Wrong Organ provided about Anya failing to get into medical school 8 times, we can infer Anya’s career dream is to be a doctor. It’s likely she took her job at Pony Express to save money to apply to medical school again, as a job backup, or as a career stepping stone like Curly. It’s likely she doesn’t want this job, like Curly. Additionally, as a woman in a male-dominated field, Anya experiences challenges that women commonly experience in male-dominated jobs, such as sexual harassment and SA at the hands of Jimmy.

Swansea: Swansea starts out as an alcoholic with no job and no place on the corporate ladder. After he realizes how staying in this state could kill him, he gets a job, marries, and has a family. However, after all of this, he’s still unhappy. During his monologue with Jimmy, Swansea laments that his life was better when he was an alcoholic, when he wasn’t even on the ladder. Those were the “best days” of his life.

Daisuke: Daisuke, a young man (possibly a college student or a recent graduate), just started climbing the corporate ladder. His family helped him get the internship at Pony Express. Beforehand, he struggled getting a job. Daisuke is doing his best to learn, help, and do well. It’s likely he’s in this internship as a career stepping stone, like when Curly started out, so he can get a good reference from Pony Express. He’s in a low position of power as an intern, so he goes above and beyond to prove himself even if he doesn’t have the skills yet (like when he tries to fix the vent).