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construingseacats · 1 year ago

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Umireread: Legend of the Golden Witch - Chapter 15: Besieged

Sun, Oct 5 1986 - 8:00PM

The following contains spoilers for the entirety of Umineko. Please do not read if you are yet to finish it.

I like the use of the word “human” here. It really shows that Kanon managed to forego the shackles of furniture in his last moments.

Back at it again with the beatings! It’s really pervasive in episode 1, huh?

I’m glad that we’ve been getting more tempering of the use of fantasy as a coping mechanism in the latter half of Episode 1. Overall there’s been a good job of presenting this theme, and promoting it, but ensuring that it’s nuanced.

Oh this is a STELLAR line. Sly confession from Battler that he knew his logic against Eva was horseradish, but he went through with it anyway to defend Natsuhi. In a way, I guess you could even chalk this up to the use of fantasy to protect someone else, directly juxtaposing the untempered use a moment ago that was to the detriment of others.

Either way, this is Battler at his best, and I wish we got more of it in Episode 1.

I think there’s something to be said about how doomed the cast of Episode 1 is by the existence of Probatio diabolica - without something like the Red Truth to guide them, they get bogged down in the unknowns, and they’re unable to overcome the trials before them as a result.

Oh we’re still getting Kanji references? Ryukishi really wants you to re-examine the Epitaph, huh.

Kyrie from the past telling Battler why rotating the chessboard 360 degrees is getting him nowhere. They don’t really stress it, but the statement put forward here that “the opponent is acting emotionally, not rationally” is HUGE. It can be difficult gleaning what’s important and what isn’t on a first read through of any book - Umineko is an entirely different ballpark when it comes to that.

And the next line is literally talking about what if the opponent isn’t going for victory! We do a phenomenal job of sussing out what’s going on here, but since we don’t actually have any knowledge of the reasoning by the culprit, it all gets muddied and we continue to drown in dread.

Just like right now!

Interesting comment on Kinzo here - does that mean Maria’s sudden personality shifts are a reflection of her grandfather?

I get the impression that a lot of the stuff regarding apparent dual personalities will be recontextualised by future phases of Ciconia. Given how significant of a plot point it is in Phase 1, I feel like there are breadcrumbs here that will become more apparent or take on new meaning once Ryukishi dives into the concept in more detail, kind of like how the concept of gameboards helps to recontextualise Higurashi.

Interesting remark to make - I wouldn’t necessarily say that Yasu is influencing Genji, even if they are in cahoots, but rather Genji is acting on his own accord out of penance. But I suppose that could still be considered influence even if, to him, it’s of his own volition.

Once again, it’s shocking how many times Umineko tells you the answers but covers it up as a joke. I suppose there’s a joke to be made about how truth is stranger than fiction.

Great metaphor for the story as a whole - directly representative of the moment where it stops registering as a murder mystery horror tale, and instead is perceived as one about love. It’s actually kind of funny how, once you’ve uncovered the heart of the tale, the horror aspects seem to be completely non-consequential, yet they’re one of the most prominent things that new readers have to face.

Magic is when other people engage in fantasy with you; a special concept where you mutually share a fabrication more palatable than the truth, where you can find comfort and solace in others in a way that makes life more tolerable. There’s an old saying that magic is just science that we don’t understand - but in this sense, magic is what we choose not to understand.

This scene also further emboldens my opinion that Maria is insufferable for the latter half of Episode 1. The “kihihihi” persona is extremely obnoxious and arguably dehumanising - I can understand the concept of retreating to a happier mindset to avoid confronting realities, but there’s not enough slipping through cracks for me to believe it here. You can’t convince me that Maria, as emotional as she is otherwise, can somehow turn it all off at a moment’s notice and flawlessly play an entirely different character who is unaffected by it all. I just don’t see it.

I have to say, there’s a few choice decisions made in Episode 1, but leaving this one so late as a “reveal” is by far the most insane. I don’t think there’s a single reader who makes it past the first twilight without going “oh, this is just like the epitaph”, so the fact that we’ve spent almost a third of Episode 1 between then and now before a character goes “WAIT A MINUTE” is absolutely crazy. I get that the scene as it is here gives a chance for the letter to be planted on the table, but surely we could have had this earlier (in either Chapter 11 or 12), modify the reactions to the other murders as the characters see the Epitaph progressing, and then maybe have them talk about it again here? I just find it unbelievable that we’ve gone so long without anyone picking up on it.

There’s something to be said about how, once you hit the endgame in chess, your moves are limited. Unfortunately, our party continues to make blunders even at this crucial intersection.

I’ve gushed a little bit about it before, but especially here, I love how the solution is entirely obvious but you’re STILL doubting yourself. Like yeah, there’s literally no other option here, someone in the room planted it while the backs were turned (or Natsuhi is lying about it, I suppose). But your mind is scrambling to find some alternative answer that’s there. Maybe magic is real, after all…

We’ve had Eva give Natsuhi the “what are you gonna do? Shoot me?” treatment, and now she’s getting it from a literal 9 year old as well. What a day!

This line hits a lot harder with the knowledge that Kinzo is dead. Natsuhi absolutely feels remorse for what she’s doing - Genji should have retired years ago, but he had to stay to perpetuate the lie of Kinzo’s wellbeing, and now he’s being sent to his death despite remaining loyal after the curtain call. Good scene.

Oh yeah Battler? You’d never do something like that? I bet you’d never break a promise either, huh?

Thirty minutes to midnight - thirty minutes until everyone’s demise. Let the golden butterflies fly free.

#umireread #umineko #umineko spoilers

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happyhollow-mellowmarsh · 4 years ago

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“Hey, everyone! We’re back with another interview with my friends! This time we’re hanging out at Whimsy’s sky castle, and lemme just say this place is cool as heck!” This YouTube video doesn’t have any intro at all, cold opening with the camera panning around a regal-looking white room.

Completing its 360, the camera alights upon a young woman with short teal hair, futuristic gray clothing, and a witch’s hat. A microphone levitates near her, picking up her words. “As always, I’m Erika Ljunggren, psychic YouTuber and Trouble’s apprentice. Introduce yourselves, you two!”

With a gesture from Erika L’s skinny metal wand, the camera pans over and back to reveal two other women sitting on the couch behind her. The microphone darts over to them as well. A tall brunette with a spiky crown and a shorter woman with a big hat, a scarf, and an apron, both wearing glasses.

The former gets up from her seat, poses, teleports a few feet in the air and then lands in another pose, loudly announcing in her monotone "I'm the magical girl of the cosmos, Kimoto Erika, apprentice of Whimsy."

The latter, on the other hand, remains in her seat and watches. After giggling quietly at Erika K's antics, she looks back to the camera. "H-Hello... My name is... R-Rada Orlov... I'm... Beacon's apprentice..." She gives a little wave.

Erika L welcomes them both with a grin.

Then, turning to Erika K, the YouTuber asks, “What’s it like apprenticing under Whimsy?”

"It’s lots of fun, and I’m learning lots. I like it here,” she responds “I’m very grateful to Miss Trick, Mr Treat, and Miss Trouble for everything they’ve done for me to be here. And I’m extremely grateful to Boss for giving me this opportunity. The castle is really cool."

She pauses for a moment, leaning her head back slightly before tipping it forwards once more. "Boss is a really skilled witch, so I've been able to cover a lot of ground under them. I think that I made the best choice for me." The corners of her lips quirk upwards into a slight smile.

Erika L then turns to Rada, the microphone moving gently over with her gaze. “What’s it like apprenticing under Beacon?”

"It's been... r-really nice... Granny Beacon is... a-amazing..." Rada fidgets with end of her scarf, drawing the long material up into her lap. "I, um... u-used to be... m-more nervous... than I am now and... s-scared of a lot... of different things... b-but... sh-she's been... very patient with me... a-and she's taught me... a lot... b-both as an apprentice... a-and as a person..."

“What have the two of you been up to lately, magic-wise? Any fun projects in the works?” asks Erika L.

Erika K hums, holding her hands up, index fingers and thumbs pointing outwards towards the ceiling far corners. "I’ve been experimenting with combo-ing my elements. Trying to get them working together can be a bit tricky, depending on which ones I'm trying with. I’ll get there eventually though."

Flicking her wrists, her hands now spread fully chop down diagonally. "Also, with Mr Elliot’s help, I’ve forged a holy blade that shimmers with stardust." She leans forwards and holds a hand up beside her mouth dropping her voice just slightly. "When the goddesses approve of a strike it deals extra secret damage."

"I've also been... practicing with... combining elements..." Rada adds, nodding along with what Erika K says. "It can... b-be difficult... but also fun... seeing what kind... of different effects... are possible... i-if you just... put your mind to it..."

"A-As for, um, projects... I don't think... a-anything I'm doing is... a-as exciting as Miss Kimoto, but..." Rada bites her bottom lip for a moment in hesitation before continuing. "I've, um... I've been working on... a spell that... m-makes it easier for... spirits to communicate with... a-and interact with... th-their loved ones... s-so that a ghost... a-and their family or friends... h-have a chance... to grieve together... Th-Then they can... pass on peacefully... a-and the people still living... h-have closure..."

“I mean, that’s pretty cool too! Just, y’know, in a different way!” Erika L nods approvingly. “Speaking of elements and combos thereof, what are your favorites that you've learned so far?”

Erika K steeples her fingers and places her elbows on her knees, resting her chin on her hands as she leans forwards. "Mh.... I think I still like Celestial best. I think it’s always going to be my favourite, there's so much you can do with it. But teleporting has been really handy too. Trying to combine both with Space for Special Warping is a bit trickier, but I’m failing good so I can figure it out. I like all the magic I've learnt though, Earth makes me feel like a strong bender from the western eastern based anime. I'm hoping to try and see if sand and metal still fall under its belt or if I'll need to expand my roster first."

The mic darts back to Rada. "I, um... r-really like working with Emotion magic... a-and I'm having a lot of fun with Music magic as well... Combining the two together... c-can be powerful... e-emotionally, that is, um... s-since music can... affect people... so much... A-Although Music and... L-Life magic is... a-also fun... l-like in, um... th-the cartoon with... th-the magic mouse... a-and the mops..." She tugs up the edge of her scarf, looking embarrassed. Way to out yourself for recreating The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Rada.

Erika K murmurs a little "I know that western anime," nodding along with Rada's words. She leans back into her seat, her lips quirking into a smile. "Death magic is still just a bud, but thanks to Rada I'd already started thinking of the sort of expanded uses for it. I even know some I wouldn't have thought of beforehand. I think learning a magic that one of us has already learnt is extra fun because it means we get to work together, and with peer reviews and sessions we can learn faster and better. And we get to hang out at the same time."

Although Rada’s mouth is covered, the corners of her eyes crinkle with a smile as Erika K talks about Death magic. "Y-Yes... I like... h-having magic... w-we can both do... I-It's a lot... easier to learn things... wh-when we're working together... a-and think of things... th-that I wouldn't consider... o-on my own..." Rada shifts in place before continuing. "I have a... b-better understanding of it... s-since starting to learn... Life magic... I-It's not as... s-scary or violent... It's... natural..." She adds, feeling like she needs to defend it.

Another nod from the interviewer. “Nice, nice! There’s so many elements out there, and each one is so versatile! And that’s not even everything a witch has at their disposal, either. Tell me about your wands!”

Shifting her posture into something more alert, Erika K claps once, a big smile on her face. She opens her purse and pulls her wand out. The act itself is comical, with the contrast in the size of the wand versus the purse itself. Thank you Space Magic. She balances the wand on her flat palms above her head, smiling brightly.

"Last Laugh is super cool. I can fly on it, it has a detachable strap for easy carrying, and it makes a really good prop for physical comedy. It's got really good range as a prop, and it's nice and sturdy. Plus I can do this with it-" Hopping out of her seat she begins to twirl the gun shaped wand around, although for only a short while. Once done she drops back down resting her wand on her lap. "Also I can use it to fire off magic easier then-" She flexes, "these guns."

"It s-suits you..." Rada mumbles, the curve of her cheeks still visible above the edge of her scarf tinged with pink, which only deepens when Erika K flexes.

"M-Mine is, um... m-more specialized, I th-think... th-than Miss Kimoto's..." Rada squeaks as she pulls out her wand from a pocket beneath her apron.

In comparison to the rifle-wand, the one Rada holds up is tiny and thin, only a foot in length. The white porcelain lily-of-the-valley plant is fragile-looking, with blood red enamel filling in the gaps where the vase-like handle is cracked, and tiny red gemstones lining the rims of the bell flowers as well as the veins of its skeletal silver leaves.

"It helps me... protect myself o-or... other people... i-if things are going badly... a-and I've been hurt..." She explains, bringing it closer to her chest as she nibbles on her bottom lip. "I was nervous at first... th-that it would break but... i-it's stronger than it looks..."

“Wow, they’re both so cool, huh? Thanks again for agreeing to come out here today, you two.” Erika L brings the camera in close, beaming at the viewer. “Remember, folks, we can only do so much with magic alone. Think about what you can do to help the environment. What your government can do. We’re making progress, with everyone’s help!”

Special thanks to Saga, Cherry, and Mel for writing this post!

Happy Hollow: Mellow Marsh is a tumblr submission trials game with Discord ooc and a Discord thread server, and the sequel game to Happy Hollow. This game is 18+ with the exception of returning players. We will be accepting a cast of 16-18 people including mod ocs, and characters should be aged 16-24. The events of the previous game are not public knowledge to characters, so catching up on the last game is not necessary!

Apps close on April 12th. That’s only two weeks away!! A three day extension is available if you ask a mod through dm.

About || How to play || Application || FAQ || Hopefuls || Hopefuls chat

#fanganronpa #mkg rp #dr oc group #danganronpa oc #dr oc rp #promo post

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helloworlddemo1122-yahoopar-blog · 6 years ago

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Taylor Swift vs. Katy Perry: The Complete Timeline of Their Feud

Taylor Swift and Katy Perry's pop star feud just keeps on giving!

Over the past few years, these famous frenemies have seemingly used their beef as songwriting material, addressed their differences in interviews and have gotten their squads involved.

Here's a look back at how the feuding first began and how it's progressed:

Sept. 8, 2014: Taylor Swift's Rolling Stone Interview

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Prior to Swift's revealing Rolling Stone tell-all, Perry and Swift appeared to be friends, gamely posing at awards shows together.

But Swift had everyone talking ahead of the release of her GRAMMY-winning 1989 album, thanks to her quotes to Rolling Stone magazine, in which she revealed that she had a feud with a fellow pop star, which inspired her hit song, "Bad Blood."

"For years, I was never sure if we were friends or not," Swift said. "She would come up to me at awards shows and say something and walk away, and I would think, 'Are we friends, or did she just give me the harshest insult of my life?'"

"She did something so horrible," she continued. "I was like, 'Oh, we're just straight-up enemies.' And it wasn't even about a guy! It had to do with business. She basically tried to sabotage an entire arena tour. She tried to hire a bunch of people out from under me.”

Several internet commenters then noted that Perry did lure a few backup dancers away from Swift's tour as she embarked on her own Prismatic tour in 2014. However, according to one of the dancer's agents, the dancers "exercised a 30-day out in their contracts and left Taylor, but Katy didn't steal them."

"They just didn't want to tour with her anymore because there is basically no choreography or dancing in her show," the agent claimed.

While Swift did say that the feud had nothing to do with a boy, both previously dated singer John Mayer.

Sept. 9, 2014: Katy Perry Calls Swift a 'Mean Girl'

Watch out for the Regina George in sheep's clothing...

— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) September 9, 2014

Perry didn't shy away from Swift's Rolling Stone comments, tweeting the next day: "Watch out for the Regina George in sheep's clothing..."

In January 2015, Perry confirmed the tweet was pointed at Swift.

"If somebody is trying to defame my character, you're going to hear about it," Perry told Billboard magazine when asked if her tweet was about the "Shake It Off" singer.

May 23, 2015: Taylor Swift Will Never, Ever Talk About Katy Perry Again

In an interview with The Telegraph, Swift made it clear she was over Perry. "I'm not giving them anything to write about," she said when asked about about her nemesis. "I'm never going to talk about her in my interview. It's not going to happen."

Swift did, however, confirm she had her "enemies" in the business. "It's not real if someone appears to never have any issues with anyone," she explained. "I have my friends. I have enemies."

July 22, 2015: Katy Perry Hits Back at Taylor Swift Amid Her Nicki Minaj Beef

Finding it ironic to parade the pit women against other women argument about as one unmeasurably capitalizes on the take down of a woman...

— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) July 22, 2015

The pop star feud was resurrected when Perry jumped in on the Twitter beef between Swift and Nicki Minaj over the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards nominees.

"If I was a different 'kind' of artist, 'Anaconda' would be nominated for best choreo and vid of the year as well," Minaj tweeted, getting vocal about her VMA snub. “If your video celebrates women with very slim bodies, you will be nominated for vid of the year."

Swift took the tweet personally, responding, “I've done nothing but love and support you. It's unlike you to pit women against each other.”

Perry then chimed in with a devastating tweet referencing "Bad Blood."

"Finding it ironic to parade the pit women against other women argument about as one unmeasurably capitalizes on the take down of a woman..." she wrote.

July 27, 2015: Taylor Swift Throws 'Left Shark' Shade at Katy Perry

@TSwiftOnTour@TSwiftNZ@taylorswift13 THERE WAS A SHARK DURING #BADBLOOD TODAY #BADBLOODSHARKpic.twitter.com/VXWetafdj6

— Jillian ❤🎤🎧 (@Swifty448) July 26, 2015

Swift appeared to be back at it again later that month, seemingly trolling Perry during her Foxborough, Massachusetts, stop as part of her 1989 world tour. Her performance of "Bad Blood" curiously featured a cameo from a life-sized shark mascot -- a not-so-thinly veiled dig at Perry's Super Bowl dancer-turned-internet meme.

July 13, 2016: Calvin Harris Brings Taylor Swift and Katy Perry's Feud to the Forefront

pic.twitter.com/m6ebYV8D1r

— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) July 13, 2016

Time, the ultimate truth teller.

— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) May 9, 2015

Swift's ex-boyfriend, Calvin Harris, brought up Swift and Perry's bad blood when he slammed the singer on Twitter. Harris was upset after Swift's rep confirmed that the singer wrote his and Rihanna's summer hit, "This Is What You Came For," under the pseudonym Nils Sjoberg -- when the two were still a couple -- and after Swift began dating actor Tom Hiddleston, who she broke up with that same year.

"Hurtful to me at this point that her and her team would go so far out of their way to try and make ME look bad at this stage though," he tweeted, after initially praising Swift. "I figure if you're happy in your new relationship you should focus on that instead of trying to tear your ex bf down for something to do."

"I know you're off tour and you need someone new to try and bury like Katy ETC but I'm not that guy, sorry. I won't allow it," he continued.

Perry later tweeted out a GIF of Hillary Clinton shooting out an epic "I told you so"-look shortly afterward.

Adding more fuel to the fire, Perry then retweeted her own tweet from May 2015, where she wrote, "Time, the ultimate truth teller."

Sept. 10, 2016: Katy Perry Would Collaborate With Taylor Swift Under One Condition

if she says sorry, sure!

— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) September 10, 2016

Perry was looking for an apology after a fan asked her on Twitter: "Will you ever collab with Taylor Swift?"

She surprisingly tweeted back: "If she says sorry, sure!"

Oct. 26, 2016: Katy Perry Rocks Out to Kanye West's 'Famous' Taylor Swift Diss

Perry once again rekindled the pop star feud while celebrating her 32nd birthday at Kanye West's concert in Inglewood, California. She even shared a video of herself dancing along to the rapper's now infamous Swift diss in "Famous."

May 20, 2017: Katy Perry Calls "Swish, Swish" an 'Anthem' Against Bullying

Though Perry never mentions Swift in her song, "Swish, Swish," the track is clearly slamming somebody, and of course, fans couldn't help but notice that that "swish" isn't so far off from Swift.

"From a selfish or a sheep/ Don't you come for me/ No, not today/ You're calculated/ I got your number," Perry sings. "'Cause you're a joker/ And I'm a courtside killer queen/ And you will kiss the ring/ You best believe."

"So keep calm, honey, I'ma stick around/ For more than a minute, get used to it," she continues. "Funny my name keeps comin' outcho mouth/ 'Cause I stay winning."

"I think it's a great anthem for people to use whenever someone's trying to hold you down or bully you," Perry told Jimmy Fallon about the song during her appearance on The Tonight Show. "That's kind of what this record is about. It's just like [a] 360-degree liberation. ... I think 'Swish' represents the liberation from all the negative that doesn’t serve you."

Of course, some of Swift's pals definitely didn't see it that way. Ruby Rose took to Twitter to defend Swift and slammed Perry, writing: "Purposeful poop" to 'bomb a petit' to a sloppy mess of writing over the top of Funkagenda..stop trying to make 'Wit..I mean 'fetch' happen."

"I've always stood up for the people I love and against things I think are cheap or mean spirited. That's not new. You have to follow your ❤," the actress continued. "I just think with everything going on in the world to go from rebranding as political activist only to ditch it and go low.. is.. a bummer."

May 22, 2017: Katy Perry Claims Taylor Swift 'Started' Their Feud and 'It's Time for Her to Finish It'

Perry didn't hold back during her Carpool Karaoke segment with James Corden, addressing the beef head-on.

"Honestly, it's really like she started it and it's time for her to finish it," Perry said after the Late Late Show host asked her to clear things up. "She wouldn't speak to me. I do the right thing any time that it feels like a fumble. It was a full shut-down and then she writes a song about me and I'm like, 'OK, cool, cool, cool. That's how you wanna deal with it?'"

"But, what I wanna say is that I'm ready for that B.S. to be done," she added. "Now, there is the law of cause and effect. You do something and there's going to be a reaction. And trust me, Daddy, there's going to be a reaction. It's all about karma."

It should be noted that "Swish Swish," coincidentally, has a line about karma, where Perry croons, "Karma's not a liar."

June 8, 2017: Katy Perry Slams Taylor Swift for 'Trying to Assassinate' Her Character

Perry wasn't quite done talking about Swift. In an interview with NME, she gave background on why she decided to address the feud with Corden.

“I mean, I’m not Buddha -- things irritate me,” she said. “I wish that I could turn the other cheek every single time, but I’m also not a pushover, you know? Especially when someone tries to assassinate my character with little girls [her fans]. That’s so messed up!”

June 8, 2017: Taylor Swift Puts Entire Song Catalog Back on Streaming Services -- Right When Katy Perry's Album Drops

Actions speak louder than words. Though Swift has stayed silent on Perry's comments about her, she announced on June 8, 2017 that her entire song catalog would return to all streaming services at midnight -- just when Perry's Witness album dropped.

Perry was later asked about whether the move bothered her during an interview with the Today show's Natalie Morales. "I don't know, I can only do me," Perry replied. "All I need to say to her is I love her, and God bless her on her journey. And that’s it."

June 10, 2017: Katy Perry Is '100 percent' Ready to 'Let Go' of Feud

Perry made it clear that she was ready to make amends with Swift during a conversation with Arianna Huffington, which was live streamed to promote Witness.

"I'm ready to let it go. Absolutely, 100 percent," Perry said of the longtime beef. "I forgive her, and I'm sorry for anything I ever did, and I hope the same from her, and I think it's actually... I think it's time."

"There are bigger fish to fry, and there are bigger problems in the world," she continued. "I love her and I want the best for her, and I think she's a fantastic songwriter, and like, I think that if we both, her and I, can be representatives of strong women that come together despite their differences, I think the whole world is going to go, like, 'Yeah, we can do this.' Maybe I don't agree with everything she does, and maybe she doesn't agree with everything I do, but like, I just... I really, truly, want to come together, and in a place of love and forgiveness, and understanding and compassion."

June 12, 2017: Katy Perry Changes a Key 'Swish, Swish' Lyric

Perry backed up her conciliatory quotes by pointedly changing a few lyrics while singing "Swish Swish" during an outdoor concert for her fans. Instead of singing the line, "Don't you come for me," in the first verse, Perry sang, "God bless you on your journey, oh baby girl."

July 19, 2017: Katy Perry Says She's 'Always Loved' Taylor Swift Despite Their 'Differences'

Perry wasn't done trying to make nice with Swift.

In an interview on Australia's Today show, Perry reiterated that she had love for the singer. "I mean, I love her, I always have," Perry told host Richard Wilkins. "We've had our differences, but I just continue to say, 'God bless her on her journey.'"

While Swift never acknowledged Perry's compliments, Twitter was abuzz that the ladies would finally put their beef behind them at the VMAs. After all, Swift did so with West at the 2015 VMAs when she presented the Video Vanguard award to the rapper, and when she jumped onstage to open the show with Minaj after their Twitter feud that same year.

However, Swift did not end up attending the 2017 VMAs.

August 24, 2017: Katy Perry Releases Star-Studded "Swish, Swish" Music Video

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Like Swift's "Bad Blood" music video, Perry enlisted a bunch of celebrities to star in the music video for her single, "Swish, Swish," her diss track widely speculated to be about her frenemy. The release was ahead of Swift dropping her first single, "Look What You Made Me Do," off her album, Reputation.

August 24, 2017: Taylor Swift Releases Shady "Look What You Made Me Do" Music Video

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While Perry hosted the VMAs, it was Swift that got people talking with her shade-tastic music video for "LWYMMD."

Main moments of shade include Swift made up in a way that could be described as “Katy Perry-esque” and wrecking a car (complete with a Katy-cat in the front seat).

March 17, 2018: Karlie Kloss Addresses Taylor Swift Feud Rumors After Hanging Out With Katy Perry

The model-turned-tech philanthropist was longtime friends with Swift, and opened up to The New York Times after fans started speculating that she was now Team Katy. After all, the girls was spotted hanging out together a month prior.

"Don't believe everything you read," Kloss said simply.

March 18, 2018: Katy Perry Subtly Shades Taylor Swift on 'American Idol'

The feud continues! @katyperry throws SHADE on @taylorswift13 on @AmericanIdol#AmericanIdolpic.twitter.com/IBut9mAkhn

— TalentRecap (@TalentRecap) March 19, 2018

During a montage segment of Idol hopefuls auditioning for the panel, Perry's fellow judge, Luke Bryan, asked one scruffy, guitar-carrying singer, who he looks up to as a musical artist. "I'm sorry for this Katy… Taylor Swift," the hopeful answered nervously.

"Oh, you don't have to be sorry," Perry replied.

"I love Taylor Swift," the contestant added, emphatically.

"I love her, as a songwriter, as well," Perry stuttered, before shrugging indifferently.

Will these two ever make amends? Here's more on the feud:

May 8, 2018: Katy Perry Sends Taylor Swift a Literal Olive Branch:

It appears the feud is finally over. Swift shared a video of an olive branch and a note from Perry on her Instagram Stories on May 8, one night before her Reputation tour kicked off. The note is addressed "Hey Old Friend," and a closer look at the handwriting shows that Perry apologized to Swift.

"Hey old friend, I've been doing some reflecting on past miscommunications and the feelings between us, I really want to clear the air," the note reads.

Swift was clearly pleased by the gesture.

"So, I just got back to my dressing room and found this actual olive branch," she says in the video. "This means so much to me."

"Thank you Katy," the text on the video also reads, along with pink heart emojis.

Katy Perry sent Taylor an olive branch for the opening night of the reputation Stadium Tour! pic.twitter.com/6GDamcxezI

— Taylor Swift Updates (@TSwiftPR) May 8, 2018

A source told ET that Perry gave her apology to the "Gorgeous" singer a lot of thought before sending it, and has been wanting to bury the hatchet for a while now.

“Katy planned a very personal, sweet apology and took time to write a kind note in hopes Taylor would see how much she cared about putting this behind them,” the source said. “Katy told friends if Taylor didn't accept this apology, she would keep trying because she is done holding on to the past and wants to be part of the change in today's society. She wants to set a good example for women, so she planned to never give up, if that is what it took."

“Katy hopes they finally can be supportive of each other's music and maybe one day soon even hang out together again," the source added. "Katy realizes they need to take it one day at a time, but that this is a great start.”

RELATED CONTENT:

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Andy Grammer Weighs in on Taylor Swift, Katy Perry Feud: ‘At This Point, Let It Go!'

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bluephoenixdruidicprincess · 7 years ago

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Shadowhunters Season 2 Episode 19 Hail and Farewell Review

Time for another Shadowhunters review. I’m finally getting caught up, guys. This is exciting. Never again will I allow myself to fall this far behind on these reviews. This time we have Shadowhunters Season 2 Episode 19, Hail and Farewell. As with most of these episodes, plenty of enjoyment to be had but it does have its shortcomings.

This is going to be an honest review of my thoughts and feelings regarding this episode. If you’re the kind of Shadowhunters fan where you only want to hear positive things about the show, this is not the place for you. If you decide to stick around and get offended by what is said, then that’s on you. I warned you. Just know that if you send me any rude comments or messages, I will 100% ignore you. I find that’s the best way to deal with bullies. I work 14 hour days. Do you really think I want to waste my incredibly valuable free time dealing with derogatory comments? Hell no. This review will consist of my honest opinions. Opinions are never right or wrong. I’m not telling you how to think and feel. I’m telling you what I think and feel. So please, let’s discuss with dignity and respect. If I’m critical about the show, it’s only because I want it to get better. There is, in fact, a difference between hating a show and being critical of it. I do not hate Shadowhunters; I am being critical and analyzing the flaws as I would with any other show. There are positives but there are also negatives. It’s great if you want to promote positivity with this show (and I encourage you to do so) but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t acknowledge the things that are legitimately wrong with it. Also, keep in mind that despite the fact that I do love the books, me being critical of this show has nothing to do with my love of the books. I don’t really care if the show deviates from the source material as long as it’s good and it makes sense. My problems with this show are problems that I would have with any show or book for that matter. I think it’s perfectly reasonable to take issue with a show that has plot holes, shoddy world-building and inconsistent characters. There will be spoilers for the books and movies.

There was plenty of enjoyment to be found in this episode but I found a lot of shortcomings that were incredibly hard to ignore. But that’s the thing with this show, isn’t it? They have really nice moments but the show’s bad moments have a tendency to overshadow those. Just in general though, the dialogue felt very clunky. They were spoonfeeding us a lot and once again, I hate it when the show does that. Again, they’re looking at us like they think we’re dumb and that we can’t figure out what’s going on unless they actually say it three times over. I’m also looking back at Season 2 in general and have come to the realization, there really was absolutely no point to 2A. Pretty much all of the plots from 2A have been completely dropped. That makes me feel a little weird. Sure, Freeform has broken a 20 episode season in half, but 2B should still connect to 2A. Everything that happened in 2A should have been fueling things in 2B. But when I look at both of these half seasons, they feel extremely stand alone. But anyways, that was just a realization I had while watching this episode so I figured I’d mention it here. Hopefully Season 3 does a better job with the 20 episode season’s storytelling. I feel like what the showrunners were trying to do was close out a lot of the weird plot points that the season one writers were going for. I think that’s primarily why Season 2 has such a clunky feel to it.

Malec Funk

Let’s dive right into this business, shall we? So Malec had me really confused in this episode. Primarily Magnus. Initially in the previous episode, I liked how the Malec break-up was handled. I liked that Magnus’ reasoning for breaking up with Alec was less about him being hurt over what Alec did and more to do with him needing it to end so his mind would be clear to do the best thing for his people. Although, I don’t think siding with the Seelie Queen is necessarily what’s best for his people. He and his people have essentially lost all of their freedom. It also kind of feels like Magnus made this decision without talking to his people first. So you’re making a decision for a group of people that’s going to result in them losing all independent agency and you don’t even ask them if they think it’s a good idea? You just call a meeting and are all, “This is what I did, guys. Hope you’re cool with it but even if you aren’t, you don’t really have a choice.” It feels like they have no choice in this matter. That they have no choice but to follow Magnus into this very questionable decision. That they’re not independent people. Which is strange because of all of the downworlders, warlocks are the most independent. They don’t travel in packs or clans. They very much dance to the beat of their own drum. It just seems weird to me that Magnus makes this decision to take away their rights and they didn’t seem to even know until just now. But yeah, I was talking about the breakup. I liked how it was handled. Magnus saying that he still loves Alec but he can’t do what’s best for his people if he has to think about what’s best for Alec as well was really nice. But in this episode, that development was completely dropped. When Alec is talking to the Seelie Queen, Magnus is full on rolling his eyes and just making facial expressions that are incredibly rude and uncalled for; particularly to someone who in the previous episode you admitted you still loved. Then he has this plan to spring up wards along the city lines to keep Valentine from escaping. Which okay. That would’ve been fine if it weren’t also for the fact that apparently if a shadowhunter crosses these wards, the wards will incinerate them. And Magnus doesn’t warn Alec at all about this. Luke is the one who warns them. If Alec hadn’t known and tried to cross the city lines for any reasons, he would’ve died. Magnus would’ve caused Alec’s death. While I can understand Magnus’ anger and I can even let him get away with publicly humiliating Alec in front of the Seelie Queen and chalk it up to hurt feelings, I cannot defend Magnus in this. There is a very big difference between being angry with your ex about a break-up and not caring if they live or die. I can only hope there’s some sort of logical explanation for this in the finale. Maybe he’s under some sort of spell or he’s trying to prove to the Seelie Queen that he’s loyal but he’s actually going to double cross her later.

I’m really hoping there’s a hidden meaning behind all of this. If there isn’t and everything that Magnus is doing should be taken at face value, I’m definitely going to have to re-evaluate how I feel about Magnus and Malec as a couple. I also think it’s hilarious that I get bashed as an Alec sympathizer for defending him as a 20 something, newly out of the closet, in his first relationship – so he’s not going to be perfect at a relationship and do all of the right things, he’s still learning. But with Magnus’ behavior in this episode, we have the Magnus stans being all, “He’s human. He’s allowed to make mistakes”.

Hmm. Pot? Have you met kettle?

I’ve also come to this realization about what bugs me so much about Malec fights in this show. It’s not that they’re fighting. I actually like the conflicts that do pop up in their relationship. What I don’t like is how the show handles them. They turn it into something so overdramatic. The way these characters react to these conflicts and how they do or don’t get resolved feels extremely forced and not organic. It doesn’t feel like this is how real people would deal with these issues in these situations.

The Obligatory Clace Scene

We got some Clace development in this episode. I’m sure everyone knows the scene I’m talking about. And first impressions about it? It was extremely overdramatic, awkward, and uncomfortable. I know that there are die hard fans that absolutely love that scene but I watched it and I felt so uncomfortable while watching it that I laughed at it. That’s what I do when I feel uncomfortable. I laugh. Please, Show Clace fans, don’t hate me. I don’t actually hate Show Clace. I have more of an apathy towards them. They do make me feel things sometimes. Here’s the thing. Dom and Kat have this very nice soft, breezy chemistry about them that works really well when they’re just chilling and hanging out and they’re slowly developing as a couple. They feel really real when they’re in those small little moments. However, the instant the show attempts to up the epicness and sexiness of their relationship, that’s when they falter as a couple. The show keeps on getting impatient with them. They want this big, bold, epic Clace relationship but Dom and Kat (in my opinion) don’t have an “epic” kind of chemistry. And that’s part of the reason why these big Clace moments fall a little flat. I’m not saying they’re not an epic couple, they could become epic if the show would just gradually develop the relationship instead of taking short cuts. Even chemistry aside, this scene was ridiculously over the top. While I was watching it, it felt like the show was trying too hard. I get what the show was trying to get at. I do. They were trying to capitalize on the angelic connection with Clace. This scene could actually have been very nice and very impactful and it could’ve made me feel genuine emotion if it was produced a little differently. We didn’t really need a 360 camera spin on them, we didn’t need pop music swelling in the background, the gratuitous nakedness wasn’t really necessary. It could’ve just been them having this moment of a pure connection -- the scene would’ve been all about the actors selling the moment and I’m sure Kat and Dom can do it, maybe a small soft piano score playing in the background – if they needed to have voices swelling in the background, perhaps some low-key humming (kind of like what Doctor Who does with its background music from time to time). The scene we got felt like a typical, generic, YA love scene. The kind of scenes that give YA a bad reputation. And it was uncomfortable as hell for anyone who isn’t a hardcore Show Clace shipper, I’m sure.

JC vs JC

This episode also marked Jonathon and Jace finding out who is truly the best. I gotta say, I liked the moments leading up to the fight way more than the actual fight itself. I loved that Jonathon is hanging Jace – he clearly has the upper hand – but Jace isn’t going to let him win completely. In Jace’s eyes, he may be about to die but he’s going to make sure he gets the last laugh. It’s’ very Book Jace and I’m always happy to see Book Jace snark come out a little. The show doesn’t do it nearly as much as I would like. I’m a sarcastic person so I’m not going to apologize for wanting Jace to be more actively sarcastic. I don’t necessarily mind Jace looking like he’s about to cry in every scene but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t wish for more snark from him. And this scene led me to the realization of the best running joke this show has.

JONATHON: He’s coming back.

JACE: He made you spaghetti too?

Be it intentional or not, the show has now made spaghetti the best running gag this show has ever done. Every time it’s referenced, I bust out laughing. When spaghetti was first mentioned in this show, it was one of those things that was written in such a ridiculous way that you couldn’t take it seriously. It was begging to be made of. But now, it’s turned into a genuine joke and I love it. Jace is then adding more insult to injury by pointing out that even though Valentine abandoned them both, he did come back for Jace which makes Jace the favored son despite not having any actual blood connection to Valentine. That’s gotta sting to Jonathon. It’s actually something that I always enjoyed about the dynamic of Book Valentine and how he looks at his children. He has no fondness for Clary. To him, all that Clary represents is the reason why Jocelyn left him and he hates Clary for that. Jonathon is the son he always dreamed of. Everything he did to Jonathon, he did out of a desire to make him the best. It was his dream to make the best soldier possible but like most dreams, when you actually achieve them, they can sometimes turn into a double-edged sword. He got what he wanted but in the worst way possible. Jonathon is a great soldier but the demon blood makes him unstable and unpredictable. Jonathon has no real understanding of human emotion which made him unsuitable for Valentine’s needs. Then he worked with Jace in the opposite direction and the exact opposite happened. He also got what he wanted but again in the worst way possible. Jace is a great soldier but his ability to love ran a little too deep and so he was also unsuitable for Valentine’s plans but on the flipside, that aspect of Jace that Valentine couldn’t use is what Valentine loves the most about Jace. It’s truly ironic that out of all three children Valentine is connected to, the one that he truly loves is the one he does not have a blood connection to. I just love the line Jonathon says in this scene, “If you’re trying to goad me into a fight; it’s working.” It’s just really showing just how unhinged Jonathon is getting. And then the actual fight happens and it’s well choreographed. I don’t dispute that. But when you’re toting one character around that can leap up buildings and move just like a demon and the other character can activate runes on his skin, you’re expecting something a little more than just a typical fight scene.

I did enjoy Izzy entering the fight as she does in the books. She wasn’t nearly as bad-ass as I imagined her to be in that scene, though. Although, this is probably because their fight choreographer most likely doesn’t know how to fight with a whip. It’s probably why they decided to make it so it has the capability to turn into a fighting staff. Now granted, my martial arts training is much more hand-to-hand based. I don’t have a whole lot of training on weapons besides a basic understanding on how to disarm someone. But how I always imagined Izzy fighting with her whip is a much more physical fight than the show seems willing to do with her. The show treats the whip as if it’s just an offensive weapon when they should be treating it as an extension of her body. If you treat it as this offensive weapon only, there’s very little you can actually do with it. When she whips, the whip should grab on to what she wants to hit, shooting the electrum into that being and for a couple of seconds incapacitating her victim. Those couple of seconds gives her the time to move closer to them to place a well placed kick, punch, knee, elbow, whatever. I kind of wish Izzy’s whip fight scenes were more like that. If they’re not going to go all out with the whip, I would prefer they just keep the staff and drop the whip thing altogether. They’re not doing it right. Also, why was she whipping at nothing for a good five seconds? Did I miss something? Did she accomplish something with those moves that I didn’t notice? I hate puprposeless fight sequences. Whereas it was nice to see her go all vengeful towards Jonathon, it didn’t really hit the mark completely. This goes along with what I said in my previous review. Nothing permanently bad happened to Max so initially when you think about this scene, Izzy loses a lot of the impact of her personal vendetta. I get that she wants to avenge the real Sebastian Verlac but it also doesn’t really resonate with you because we never spent any time with the real Sebastian Verlac. In the books, Izzy is in an extremely dark place. Max is dead and she wants revenge, pure and simple. When you read the scene in the book, she is pissed off. She’s not taking no for an answer. She’s decided Jonathon is not going to leave here alive. It was so badass and kind of empowering in a way. I feel like the show was really trying to give Izzy this badass moment but there really wasn’t a whole lot going on with her on an emotional level to really resonate with her audience. She really wasn’t in a dark mindset. I did like that one line she said when Jonathon mentions how they’re fighting unfair, “You didn’t seem to have a problem with that when you attacked my little brother.” It was a really good line and it was delivered flawlessly by Emeraude but still the context of it could’ve been so much stronger if something bad actually had happened to Max. Yes, Max got hurt but then he miraculously got better so it kind of just lessens the blow.

And I’m just saying, “Looks like we both got the same birthday present that year” is a much more badass closing remark than the show’s, “That move…Valentine taught me too”.

Side Mentions

As I mentioned in my introduction, this episode’s dialogue got a little clunky at times. There was a whole lot of obvious spoon feeding that I didn’t enjoy. We have Clary saying they’re going to make Jonathon pay for what he did to Sebastian when Izzy had already said it in an earlier scene. We didn’t need Clary to tell us again. We had Maia responding with, “Because” when the other werewolves ask her why they should listen to her. I just felt like it downplayed a lot about who she’s supposed to be as a character. She’s supposed to be this strong bad-ass person who’s not going to stand for anything less than the utmost respect and her just meekly saying “Because” instead of owning the situation felt a little off to me. And then Simon explaining to werewolves what a beta is was just plain dumb. I’m sure most of the audience knows what a beta is and it makes no sense for why the werewolves wouldn’t. I could understand shadowhunters maybe not knowing because I get the feeling they spend a lot of time watching TV but werewolves are probably the closest to mundanes than any of the other downworlders. There’s no reason for them to not get that reference. It was also strange to me that Alec just saw Jace get taken by Jonathon but he’s waltzing in after saving his sister and Clary and he casually remarks, “BTW, Jace got taken, we need to find him.” Can we get a sense of urgency here? They’ve previously been showing that whatever happens to one, the other can somehow feel it. Alec felt it when Jace cut his own hand but he doesn’t feel that Jace is being strangled? The show really needs to establish some world building on their version of the parabatai bond. It’s extremely inconsistent. The rules keep on changing depending on the plot’s narrative at the time and I’m not down with that. There’s no excuse for that kind of inconsistency. It’s just lazy world-building and lazy writing in general. At the end of the episode, we have Maia waking up in the Seelie court and saying, “Someone drugged me.” Was that really necessary to say? I’m sure the audience is smart enough to infer that. There was just a lot of dialogue in this episode that was like that. Very clunky as I said.

I enjoyed Valentine and Jonathon’s interactions in this episode. I loved the power shift we had with their dynamic. Up until this point, Jonathon was the dominant one but as he’s becoming more and more unhinged, Valentine begins taking the power back. It was really interesting watching it happen. And then when Valentine manages to convince Jonathon to let him escape and convinces him that he’ll be back, I was like , “Shit. Valentine’s got the power back.”

I found myself really enjoying Sarah Hyland as the Seelie Queen. I know, it’s an unpopular opinion. A lot of the fandom seemed to like the little girl. I wasn’t one of them. Actually, it’s not that I didn’t like the little girl. I liked the idea of the Seelie Queen being a little girl. However, the actual girl they got, I’m off and on about. You never really know what you’re going to get when casting children. I mean, this is the beginning of their career and they probably haven’t refined their craft yet at that age. And that is certainly the case with this young address. There are moments when she really gets the atmosphere of the Seelie Queen and she sells it perfectly but there are also other moments when I’m watching someone trying to be the Seelie Queen. Sarah Hyland gives a much more consistent performance and I really enjoyed the playful atmosphere she created.

I liked the beginning of the episode when Luke and Raphael are with Magnus and Magnus tells them they should probably have a drink. I love the look Luke and Raphael share and they put the drinks down. Then Luke tells Magnus that just because he’s afraid to face Alec sober doesn’t mean that they should all be going into this drunk. I liked that line. It merited a little chuckle. But then for whatever reason, Magnus gets hurt about that comment and Luke apologizes for it. It really wasn’t all that hurtful. He was just stating what both he and Raphael were thinking and it was the truth. That’s something I don’t get with this show. Whenever someone calls someone out on their bull shit, that person usually ends up apologizing for it. Why is that? Guess what, sometimes you need to be called out on your bull shit. It’s how you know when you’re being an idiot. But Magnus reacted that way and I could tell from that moment forward, Magnus was going to be no fun this episode.

We also met Catarina and that was really nice. She’s pretty much exactly how I imagined her to be. Again, the show was spoon feeding us information on her though. They mentioned her working at a hospital a couple of times which really wasn’t all that necessary. We see her wearing scrubs with her hospital badge on. The audience can infer that she most likely just came in from working a shift at a hospital. Stop talking to me like you think I’m dumb. But she did have Catarina’s attitude and I enjoyed that. I’m interested in seeing more of her.

Rizzy was also brought back in this episode. I still don’t know how I really feel about their relationship. Even though through dialogue they’ve established that they have a connection that goes deeper then the whole addiction thing, I’m still not really content with the relationship. I guess my problems are that it wasn’t really developed. They rushed it and as a result I don’t have any strong feelings towards them as a couple. Yes, they both have nice chemistry with each other but that’s only one half of the equation. To ship a couple, I also want to see a love story unfold and the show really glossed over it. If the show is going to make Rizzy a thing, I’m fine with it, I just want the relationship to be developed. And not just have one scene where Raphael teaches Izzy how to cook and have the show be like, “Yup. That’s a good foundation for these two.” I want a little more than that.

I’d give this episode a B- again. There were a few scenes I enjoyed. But a lot of the things that went wrong with the episode, I had a hard time getting past. I got very frustrated with certain things. I’m a little nervous about this finale because it looks like it’s going to be incorporating a whole lot of different plot points and it’s a known fact that Shadowhunters doesn’t do very well when they have multiple storylines going on at the same time. Nevertheless, since the showrunners have been hyping this finale so much, I’m going to hope for the best. Whether the finale be good or bad, whether it closes out some conflicts or leaves them open, I’m still going to be excited for Season 3. As I said earlier, I feel like the showrunners have been using Season 2, as a whole, to close out a lot of the weird things that went on in Season 1. I feel like that’s been their goal for this entire season. So Season 3, they should have a cleaner slate to work with. I’m really excited to see where we’re going to stand with Season 3 and what the writing’s going to be like for Season 3. Especially since a lot of the controversial issues with the book material is done now.

Man, it feels good to be caught up on these now. I’d love to hear your thoughts and opinions. Do you agree? Do you disagree? Just remember to be respectful of everyone’s opinions.

#shadowhunters #shadowhunters review #shadowhunters 2b #shadowhunters 2b review #shadowhunters season 2 #shadowhunters season 2 review #shadowhunters season 2 episode 19 #shadowhunters season 2 episode 19 review #shadowhunters 2x19 #shadowhunters 2x19 review #shadowhunters hail and farewell #shadowhunters hail and farewell review #hail and farewell #hail and farewell review #malec #clace #rizzy #unpoular opinion

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jasonheart1 · 6 years ago

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Debate over adult charges for Colorado juveniles

Editor's Note: Denver7 360 stories explore multiple sides of the topics that matter most to Coloradans, bringing in different perspectives so you can make up your own mind about the issues. To comment on this or other 360 stories, email us at [email protected]. See more 360 stories here.

DENVER – The court case involving the 16-year-old Denver girl who is accused of killing her 7-year-old nephew in August has rekindled discussions in Colorado over whether teenagers accused of serious felonies, such as murder, should be charged as adults or as juveniles.

A judge will decide after a January 2019 reverse transfer hearing whether to continue to try 16-year-old Jennie Bunsom in district court as an adult or to send her case back to juvenile court, which her defense attorneys have requested.

Denver District Attorney Beth McCann direct-filed adult charges of first-degree murder after deliberation and first-degree murder by a person in a position of trust against Bunsom in August in connection with the death of her 7-year-old nephew, Jordan Vong.

But at the reverse transfer hearing, her attorneys will get to discuss Bunsom’s emotional and mental well-being in front of a judge, who will then decide if she is fit for adult charges.

The Bunsom case has reinvigorated discussions of whether teenagers should face the same penalties as adults for committing crimes like murder, or if they should face lesser penalties because their brains and emotions are not fully developed.

“It is absolutely one of the most difficult parts of the DA’s job – to make a decision that may send a tender-aged person into an adult prison,” said former Adams County District Attorney Bob Grant. He says that one of the considerations that should be taken into account when determining what kind of charges and sentence a juvenile will face is the seriousness of the crime and its effect on the victim and their family.

“It’s one thing to make a mistake and pick up a candy bar and walk out of the store,” he said, “but it’s another thing to pick up a gun and shoot someone.”

Apryl Alexander, a clinical assistant professor at the University of Denver’s School of Psychology, says the brains of adults and adolescents are vastly different and can’t be treated the same. She is an expert on the forensic assessment of the brain and says that juveniles are more likely to be rehabilitated than adults.

“We’re starting to take a different lens in our approach for juveniles in the justice system,” she said.

Colorado changed its laws in 2006 so that juveniles who are convicted of murder can’t be sentenced to life in prison without parole, but several juveniles who received such a sentence prior to that were still stuck behind bars for the rest of their lives.

Until last year, Trevor Jones was one of 31 inmates in Colorado who still fell into that category. He received a life sentence without the possibility of parole after he confessed to killing 16-year-old Matt Foley in 1996, though he called the shooting accidental.

In 2017, Jones was resentenced to 42 years in prison, so he no longer faces life without parole. He will be eligible for parole after he completes 75 percent of his new sentence. But his original sentence has had wide-ranging effects on him, his family and the family of the man he was convicted of killing.

Jones says that when he was sentenced he had “no idea” just exactly what life in prison without parole was going to be like. But he says even after he was resentenced that he isn’t sure if he deserved a different sentence—or even a second chance.

“That’s a very difficult question for me to answer because what I did … I killed someone and that life has value,” Jones said. “Matt and his family and loved ones never get a second chance because of what I’ve done to them.”

But Jones’ sister, Jennifer Jones, says she doesn’t feel her brother should have received the sentence he originally did. She now works as a public defender and says that seeing the way her brother was originally treated in the criminal justice system impacted her decision to pursue law herself.

“I just don’t understand why it didn’t matter that he was a teenager because everybody knows that teenagers don’t make decisions the same way as adults,” she said. “Even if [juveniles] did something horrible, that doesn’t mean they are not kids anymore, and there has to be more flexibility and discretion in what we are doing to these kids.”

She says she believes that her brother has served the necessary time after more than 20 years in prison, though he has close to a decade left before he is eligible for parole.

“He’s been in prison for 22 years. He went in when he was 17 … I think he’s been punished,” she said. “It’s such a waste and it’s not fair that these innocent victims lost their lives, but it’s not fair to keep these kids in prison forever either.”

But Foley’s family doesn’t agree. They testified to state lawmakers in recent that they believe Jones should continue to spend the rest of his life in prison.

Still, Trevor Jones believes his sister has a point.

“I would just ask people to consider the evidence,” he said. “Pretty much anyone who is over [age] 25 knows that when they were 17 or 16 or 15, or younger, they’re not the same person.”

The January hearing in Bunsom’s case is sure to keep the discussion going. If the judge decides she should continue to face adult charges, and if she is subsequently convicted at trial, she would face a minimum of 40 years in prison. But if the judge decides to send her case back to juvenile court, she would face a maximum penalty of just 7 years behind bars if she is convicted.

“There’s a big disparity there and that’s difficult to wrap their heads around,” Grant said. But he told Contact7 Investigates he believes that Vong’s age could also be a factor in the case and the judge’s ultimate decision.

“The fact of the matter is 40 years from now, that 7-year-old is still going to be dead,” he said. “That 7-year-old was not going to have the opportunity to have his frontal cortex develop. That 7-year-old doesn’t care whether the killer was 16 or 60 – he’s still dead.”

Bunsom’s preliminary hearing and the reverse transfer hearing are currently set for Jan. 28, 2019.

from Local News https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/360/should-colorado-juveniles-face-adult-charges-for-serious-crimes-like-murder-

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