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captainpikeachu · 3 months ago

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So a post discussing new Thunderbolts promotional arts appeared earlier today in the John Walker tag trying to single out John as the odd man out of this Thunderbolts team, saying how everyone in the team deserves to grow and heal but John deserves to die and never be redeemed because he's not like the others.

I'm here to explain why what you see below is totally wrong and shows a fundamental misunderstanding of John and the Thunderbolts movie.

"this man willingly joined the military"

I don't know if the poster is American or not, but this claim ignores the very important context of how John joined the military and when he joined the military. You see, John is canonically stated to have gone to West Point for college, that is a military academy, which means that during high school when John was underage, he would already have been preparing for his application process, getting letters from his congressman or senator or even the president. The selection process is incredibly stringent. You don't decide to go to West Point and apply on a whim like you do regular colleges. Attending a military academy is a long term commitment because after you graduate, you are automatically put into active duty service as an officer, your contract is signed by you agreeing at 17/18 years old to go to this military college.

Some people may not understand, but America has a hugely active military recruitment system that targets children, especially kids from disadvantaged communities. Military recruiters are literally legally given access to high schools across the country, they're allowed personal contact information of kids, they get to show up at career fairs and other activities to actively recruit children to be soldiers and lie to them about all the good things they will do and the opportunities and benefits they will receive. And THIS IS NORMALIZED in American society. The exploitation of children and turning them into soldiers is NORMALIZED. Even celebrated.

So tell me, in an environment that already normalizes and praises the idea of being a soldier and protecting your country and giving yourself for true heroic service, is it that illogical and surprising that a young underage John would have bought into the idea of service as so many other young kids do? Not to mention we don't even know if his school had a mandatory JROTC (Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps) program that funnels kids straight into military service. Or if the MCU follows John's comics history and his father and his older brother both have served. Either way, John lives in an environment and a country that idealizes soldiers to kids, actively recruits and exploits kids, and heavily showers them in heroic military propaganda. A propaganda that even Steve in the 40s buys into and is eager to serve, and Steve was already an adult in his 20s. Meanwhile John was a young teenager when 9/11 happened, when the country was actively rallying its citizens through lies and getting people to buy into a war to defend freedom and protect our loved ones. If people older than John bought into this, then why is it surprising that a teenager surrounded by all this rhetoric and propaganda would buy into it, thinking that he is doing a good thing to help?

Just because indoctrination is normalized by society doesn't mean it's any less harmful indoctrination. Just because John wasn't kidnapped or forced into being a weapon doesn't mean he wasn't turned into one by the military industrial complex as a teenager. And just because he willingly signed up for something that his at best 18 year old self wouldn't have ever properly been mature enough to fully comprehend, doesn't mean he was not abused by a violent system that doesn't care about him beyond using him as a tool. The same way that violent systems of control used and abused the other members of the Thunderbolts team.

We all understand abuse and exploitation and power imbalance when an 18 year old is dating a 35 year old. When abuse happens in that context, we don't say "well the 18 year old willingly got into that relationship so who cares", so why is this kind of dismissive tone taken with John? If a domestic abuse victim stays in a relationship because of complicated feelings, do we blame the victim? What's happening here with John is a form of victim blaming. A very easy kind of victim blaming because the illusion of choice makes some people, like the above poster, think that John asked for it. So John can't be like the others. Nevermind that John's experiences likely mirrors Alexei's yet this poster never seems to call out Alexei for anything.

Yes, John willingly joined the military, but pretending that there isn't a more nuanced context of why and how he joined is to be ignorant to exploitation and indoctrination beyond just the garden variety kidnapping and forced brainwashing, and the insidious nature of that kind of trauma and exploitation. And it also ignores that John's decision was likely made when he was underage and under the influence of a hugely active military recruitment and exploitation apparatus. The creatives behind the Falcon and the Winter Soldier even once stated that the military was John's only family, which implies that he was a vulnerable and lonely child looking for a home, and the military took advantage of that so that they would ensure John would be loyal and grateful to them. They groomed him to be their weapon, no matter how "willing" he made that decision as a teenager.

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"willingly decided to try to become Captain America"

This comment shows a lack of understanding of how the military works. John didn't ask to be Cap, he didn't even know what the government and military was doing until they showed up one day to give him a new job duty two weeks before they were gonna officially unveil him. There is no willing or unwilling in the military when you're a soldier, you follow your orders. Sure, you can disobey unlawful orders, but guess what, being the next Captain America is not an unlawful order. John didn't get to choose. The military made the decision and it was his job to obey. Because if he didn't obey, he would end up in court martial and in jail. There is no agency in this. You are not an individual, you are property of the US military to do as they wish. And if you don't obey, they will make your life and your loved ones' lives hell.

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"willingly killed people in a way that everyone knows Steve never would have"

What people? John killed one person. One person in the heat of the moment in the middle of grieving his best friend who he just watched be killed right in front of his eyes. If anyone would have understood why John did what he did, it would actually be Steve. Yes John doesn't have Steve's restraint, but let's not act like Steve doesn't know the anger and rage that comes in those moments. And if Bucky had watched Sam be killed, he would have done what John did. In fact, most of the MCU would have done what John did. Tony did. Thor did. Wanda did. Peter Parker and Peter Quill did. Yelena did. Clint did. T'Challa did it twice even after learning the lesson of letting go of revenge. Are all those heroes irredeemable and deserve to die?

Hell, in a post that accuses John of not being like the other Thunderbolts, John does the same thing that Yelena and Ava have both done, wanting to hurt and kill and lash out in pain and revenge. Yelena was going to kill Clint for revenge. Ava literally did not care if her actions would have killed civilians if it got her what she wanted to fix herself, was even ready to threaten Scott's young daughter Cassie. Both of them were no longer under the control of their abusers at that point, yet what makes their chosen rage and lashing out okay and understanding but John's somehow the most evil thing a person has ever done? What makes his pain and loss any less than theirs? In fact, in the Thunderbolts trailer, we watch Yelena just gun down guards left and right, does it make her irredeemable for choosing to still do killing when she no longer has to? Why is all this hypocritical judgment only against John?

And if we even want to address the people John killed in war and how Steve would never, let's just remember that in the Winter Soldier movie, Steve specifically states to Fury that he and the others during the war did somethings that weren't so good, that made them not sleep so well at night, but they thought they were doing it for people to be free. Yes, freedom, the same thing that the US military has been peddling since its conception. So why is it okay when Steve does terrible things in war for freedom, but John is a monster for also doing the same?

John wasn't running about happily wanting to shoot every bad guy. He never had any intentions of hurting anyone, only arresting them, even though the Flag Smashers tried to kill him and Lemar from day one. Even after Karli blew up a building with innocent people still inside it, John wasn't going to kill them but only arrest them. He only killed one Flag Smasher in the heat of the moment because he just saw Lemar die. You know what T'Challa said to Natasha after losing his father and thinking that Bucky did it? He said he would kill Bucky himself, even though Natasha pointed out that there was due process and a task force would arrest Bucky.

Why is it that violent desire for revenge is understood when other MCU heroes/protagonists do it, but John is somehow uniquely evil and not-like-the-others because he lashed out in a very human way? Why is John not allowed his humanity?

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I will be the first to say John is flawed, he is imperfect, he did make mistakes. But he is not this willful evil monster that this poster tries to paint him as. He is someone whom for essentially 20 years has been trained and groomed to be a perfect weapon for a violent and abusive system that he thought of as his only family. And when this system no longer had any uses for him, it threw him out like trash and left him to drown. This poster talks about other Thunderbolts members rebuilding themselves and their sense of identity, yet this is John's struggle too. Who is he if not a soldier?

The showrunner of TFATWS literally stated that John and Bucky were two sides of the same coin of a veteran's story, of what happens when you give everything for a cause that abandons you and doesn't care for you back. Even the writers of this show understood and deliberately wanted to link John and Bucky's mutual struggles as veterans. Yet this poster wants to exclude John, because the illusion of choice made his trauma and indoctrination and grooming less "real" than the others somehow. This isn't trauma olympics. John is a broken and abused and abandoned weapon, just like every member of the Thunderbolts team. And quite frankly I'm sick and tired of people ignoring this reality because their own hate of the character blinds them to nuance and context.

Death is not the only acceptable character arc for John. He can grow to be a better person and learn to stand up against the system that harmed him and many others. And they can and will redeem him, you know why? They already did. Because John already in TFATWS finale chose to walk away from easy revenge so he could save lives. He has already proven that he could be worthy of that shield and title even if he no longer has it. And the Thunderbolts movie is about ALL of this team learning to overcome their past trauma, of learning to love and accept each other, yes even John. He isn't the exception. He is a integral part of this new team and family. And if you think that Thunderbolts is just gonna be a movie that is designed to kick John out and otherize him, then you've missed the point of this story that the cast and director have stated many times in interviews already. Hopefully Thunderbolts will teach you some important lessons about bias and judgment.

The poster of the comments says that they need to still rewatch TFATWS, and I would say to that, yes, yes you do need to rewatch, preferably rewatch with your eyes, ears, brain, and heart open, because you have missed many important contexts and nuances in your desire to only see John as some unforgivable monster.

By the way, Alexei and John are literally characters sharing the same background, Alexei is just as willing of a participant, yet the fact that those comments never once judge Alexei for actively participating in child trafficking and letting the abuse of little girls keep happening, and somehow Alexei still isn't so irredeemable and could be counted among the others who should get to learn to heal and grow is certainly a choice.

Anyways, here is hoping that when Thunderbolts finally releases, people will learn a lesson about John and how wrong some of yall are.

#i'm sick of this shit #john walker #us agent #marvel #mcu #thunderbolts #mcu thunderbolts #thunderbolts*

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qqueenofhades · 1 year ago

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The thing that confuses me about the "don't vote" left (not the "I don't want to vote", I'm talking explicitly the "don't vote" left. I don't agree with the "I don't want to vote" left either but I can understand their logic) is they lose me at the final step of the logic. I've tried to connect the logic here, even if I don't agree with a political position I do try to understand where people are coming from (empathy for someones situation is not the same as cosigning it), but I just can't connect the dots here in a way that isn't deeply cruel. Does United States politics prioritize the lives of those in the US (and often white) over those in the Global South? Yes, it's a fucking atrocity. We should continue to make noise about it, cus Biden has used less drones and that shows progress, even if it's not enough. The part where I lose the plot is where the conclusion to this injustice is to let even more people die? Cus that's kinda how I see the idea of not voting: I can pick between shit and more shit, and at the end of the day, I'm picking whoever allows the most people to make it to the next day. Given Trumps stance on everything but specifically climate change, I feel like Biden is pretty significant harm reduction.

I don't think both things can't be true: that every life lost is a travesty we should not forget AND the more people we can save is worth fighting for.

The thing is, I have seen nothing among the "don't vote" far left (and I am talking here specifically about the people who both loudly announce their intention not to vote and try to convince others to do the same) to convince me that they actually care about harm reduction or stopping genocide. They only care about what makes them look the most Correct and/or superior to the Democrats. They yelled bloody murder about Obama using drones, they went dead quiet about Trump using them even more (even when he nearly started WWIII by assassinating the Iranian general Soleimani with one), and then said nothing at all when Biden reduced the drone program to almost nothing and withdrew the US from a failed war in Afghanistan it had long ago lost. Now they will yell all day about Israel/Hamas (something that Biden did not start and has had no direct military role in responding to) but they don't care about Russian genocide of Ukraine and Syria, Chinese threats to invade Taiwan, etc, because those governments are "anti-western/anti-American" and therefore should be defended. Their opposition to human suffering is extremely conditional and rests on whether they can look good out of it, and they never interrogate the hypocrisies of their own ideology.

Likewise: every country in the world prizes its own citizens above those of other countries. It's just a basic fact. Yes, the US has a grim history of intervening in other countries and causing untold civilian damage (especially during the Cold War and then in post-9/11 War on Terrorism). Yes, that legacy is complex and needs to be acknowledged. But literally none of that will be fixed, not to mention all the vulnerable people in America itself who will be punished, by Trump getting into power again. Biden is not just a grudging "lesser evil," but has done a lot of truly good and helpful things, regardless of the Online Leftists' constant lies, misinformation, and misrepresentation. If you spend all your time announcing what a champion you are for non-American marginalised people and/or those undergoing terrible suffering, and then deliberately and knowingly adhere to a course of action that will increase that suffering tenfold not only for those people but your own neighbors, friends, and family, then no, I don't believe you are a brave champion of social justice. You just want to know what categories of people you can gleefully and righteously punish and make to suffer for not believing the same things as you, that makes you just as dangerous as the right-wing fascists, and I can and will call out your ass accordingly.

#anonymous #ask #politics for ts

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who-u-calling-pinhead · 1 year ago

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As someone that has dark jak as my favorite form of jak finds the whole concept of "dark jak" interesting, seeing how it's just so... unused in jak 2, story wise AND gameplay wise just hurts.

Story wise, literally the ONLY times the dark form pops up is when daxter first finds jak in prison, and in the cutscene before the kor fight.

Gameplay wise, it's useless without its area clearing abilities. You just save up a bunch of dark eco, and when you have enough, you can't even get out of dark form once you activate it, you HAVE to stay in it until you run out of dark eco. There's no changes to your attacks too, other than your punches locking onto enemies.

They could've done some cool shit with it but naughty dog was like "Nah, im'ma do my own thing."

You know what they could've done to make the whole "dark form" a bigger part of the game?

Have jak struggle to keep it hidden. Not only in story cutscenes, but in gameplay too.

Yes, he may be an eco channeler, but this is dark eco he's dealing with, it's unstable and unpredictable, you never know what will happen with it.

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Just imagine, during gameplay.

If you decide to just save your dark eco when you have enough to go dark jak, overtime, there can be a random chance where jak just automatically goes dark without your input.

The chances increase the longer you go without using dark jak.

Only differences I think there could be from if you manually went dark is that you just can't control jak for the time this happens, he'll attack anything nearby, metal head, guard, or citizen.

Of course, when you don't have anymore dark eco, you regain control of jak. But, you're left with half health, since I can imagine holding back all that dark eco for so long can cause harm to jak.

Basically a way to encourage the player to use it more or end up having the game use it for them.

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Now Imagine, story wise.

I can imagine in moments where praxis or errol are present, considering the fact that these two are responsible for putting jak through... whatever he went through in the dark warrior program, of course, he'd hold a grudge against the both of them. Whenever one of these two are present, jak would get a little mad just by their presence, which would cause the dark eco to act up.

Praxis and errol aren't really effected by it, since with the whole dark warrior program, that's what they've been wanting from him.

When it comes to anyone else though, yeah, he'd try to hide it.

The dark form would only just... slip out as jak would actually put in effort to keep it at bay.

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Of course, jak would learn to control it and not really care about hiding it at the end of jak 2 and for pretty much the entirety of 3, Yada Yada Yada.

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Thank you all for listening to my insane ramblings about some guy from a 2003 Playstation 2 game.

#this is dumb #jak and daxter #jak 2 #jak 2 renegade #dark jak #i will forever be upset at the severe lack of dark jak in jak 2 #ND made him actually fun to mess with in jak 3 #im still waiting for a jak trilogy remake/remaster naughty dog >:(

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incorrect-green-lantern-quotes · 4 months ago

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Are you normal or do you spend entirely too much time thinking about how the Manhunters represent not just the Guardians' arrogance but also the inherent failure of top-down law enforcement? And conversely, how the Green Lanterns represent what a police force should look like?

Even if you're going by the most generous interpretation of the Guardians of the Universe as well-meaning but naive masters, the Manhunters are a seriously questionable choice. A homogenous army of powerful drones that are designed to follow orders and enforce their creators' will without question? Oliver Queen would call this a fascist's wet dream, and he'd be right.

The Manhunters are only a force for good so long as the one giving their orders is interested in doing good. All it takes is one bad actor to subvert that system into a tool for evil, as we see with Krona reprogramming the Manhunters to slaughter the entirety of Sector 666.

To their credit, the Guardians do learn from their mistakes. They replace their lethal tools with a Corps recruited from the citizens of the universe they are sworn to protect. Rather than mindless automatons, the Green Lanterns are a diverse organization that brings together sentient life from across countless civilizations for the shared purpose of protecting innocents from those that wish to do them harm. Even their primary tool, the power ring, was programmed to detect and thwart lethal intent, a stark contrast to the deadly weapons carried by the Manhunters.

I do think it's worth mentioning that the original version of the Manhunters weren't reprogrammed into committing genocide. Rather, they simply gained sentience and decided that they cared more about hunting down and punishing what they saw as evil than enforcing justice. And because they were of one mind, not a single one of the Manhunters disagreed with this.

In older continuities, the Guardians even forbade the Green Lanterns from fraternizing with each other to prevent even a hint of that same sort of conspiracy.

But as we see time and time again, the Green Lanterns stand up for what is right, even if it is against one of their own. Every time one of them abuses their power, even if they are considered the greatest of the Corps, their fellow Green Lanterns are the first to stand in their way. There is no "thin green line," no turning a blind eye to the misdeeds of their comrades

or even their masters.

Calling these guys "space cops" is honestly an insult. The Green Lanterns swear an oath to never let evil escape their sight, and they damn well mean it, even if that evil is within their own ranks or from their leadership. Hell, in most continuities they don't even get paid for the work they do. They're literally volunteers who are willing to and regularly make the ultimate sacrifice for others.

This is why the Green Lantern Corps is respected across the universe. For all their flaws and failures, they have the courage and will to keep themselves accountable when others would not.

#the best green lanterns are the ones who know when to tell the guardians to go fuck themselves #when american cops assault and kill people their peers and superiors will cover it up #if a GL ever tries that shit they get their ass beat put on trial expelled from the corps and imprisoned/exiled #accountability #manhunters #green lantern #hal jordan #thaal sinestro #abin sur #tomar re #kilowog #john stewart #kyle rayner #green lantern corps #dc comics

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posttexasstressdisorder · 1 month ago

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WE HAVE MORE POWER THAN TRUMP WANTS US TO BELIEVE!

By Marc Elias' Democracy Docket

The messages have been loud and clear: You are worried about the future. You are frustrated that more is not being done. We are all angry that so few will stand up and fight.

I became acutely aware of the strength of these emotions when it was recently revealed by 60 Minutes that I was — in the program’s words — “the only lawyer the president has named who was willing to appear” on its broadcast about Trump’s targeting of lawyers and law firms for retribution.

Just like Marc, Democracy Docket doesn’t pull punches when it comes to reporting the truth about democracy. Support independent, pro-democracy media by upgrading to premium today and receive more action items like this in your inbox so we can all stay in the fight together.

After it aired on Sunday, my inbox and phone were flooded with messages from friends, others in the pro-democracy community, and even some Big Law partners.

Many were outraged by the firms’ complicity. Others were perplexed that lawyers would be so cowardly and hesitant to stand up for the rule of law. Some understood why so many are so fearful. But mostly, people were inspired by the need to stand up to Trump and asked me what part they can play.

Here’s my response:

Trump wants us to believe he is all-powerful. He wants us to believe that opposing him is futile or worse. He wants you to accept that there’s nothing you can do to limit his ability to harm our country and our democracy. But that simply isn’t true.

In truth, Trump is quite weak and afraid.

His greatest weakness is elections. He fears their outcome. That’s why he issued an illegal and unconstitutional executive order to try to seize control of them.

There are things every one of us can do in our daily lives to help ensure free and fair elections — and, in doing so, limit Trump’s power. Some actions are small — so small that you might dismiss them as unimportant. Don’t. Every important journey begins with a single step, and the first is no less important than the last.

It’s also true that some actions are much bigger — so big you might doubt your ability to achieve them. Don’t give up before you start. Have faith that you can accomplish great things if you set your mind to it.

I don’t pretend to have all the answers or a comprehensive list of every way we can defend our elections or our democracy. Like you, I’m just one person doing my best to navigate a dangerous time in our country’s history. Yes, I’m a lawyer, but right now, my most important role is that of an active citizen.

So, here is a list I recently sent to premium members of what each of us can do to stand up for democracy and defend our elections. Democracy Docket is dropping the paywall and publishing it because we must all feel the power we have to stand up to Trump and protect our democracy.

Democracy won’t defend itself. Our journalists follow stories wherever they lead so that we all know when and where our action is needed. Help fund our growing newsroom with a premium subscription today. UPGRADE FOR $10/MONTH OR $120/YEAR

1. Educate Yourself

Elections can be complicated. The rules vary from state to state — and sometimes even from county to county. These rules also change frequently due to new laws, policies or court rulings. My first recommendation: spend time each month learning what’s happening with voting laws in your state and nationally.

2. Share What You Learn

Once you’ve figured out what’s going on, share that information with your networks and community. It might feel awkward to bring up voter suppression or changes in election laws when we’re not in the middle of a major election — but local elections happen in off years, and special elections are more common than you think. Now is the perfect time to start conversations about voting.

3. Run for Something

I told you some of these would be big steps — and this is one of them. But that doesn’t mean it’s too big to take. Look around your community, and you’ll see many local elected positions that need good, qualified people. These could be town or county roles — some of them even directly related to elections, like election judges or county clerks. A great place to start is the organization Run for Something, which offers invaluable resources.

4. Volunteer for a Campaign

Not ready to be a candidate? Volunteer for a campaign or your local party committee. Every campaign needs volunteers, and there’s no better way to support free and fair elections than by working for a pro-democracy candidate.

5. Join or Support Pro-Democracy Organizations

Is partisan politics not for you? There are numerous nonprofits and grassroots organizations working every day to protect voting rights and ensure free and fair elections. Supporting these groups with your time or resources helps these groups do their work.

6. Become a Trained Poll Worker

Many counties face a shortage of poll workers, especially during election season. Being a poll worker requires dedication, attention to detail and a willingness to be trained. It’s a meaningful way to serve your community and help protect the integrity of the voting process.

7. Engage Your Elected Officials

Call and write your elected officials at the federal, state and local levels. Tell them that protecting voting rights and ensuring free and fair elections are your top priorities. Even better, show up at public meetings. Ask them directly what they’re doing to combat voter suppression. Be informed about pending legislation and urge them to support pro-democracy initiatives. This applies no matter where you live or who represents you — Democrat or Republican. Constituent pressure always matters. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

8. Vote in Every Election

Yes — every election. That means local elections, primary elections and special elections. Become a super-voter. The more you vote, the more informed and engaged you become. You’ll also be better positioned to notice and report problems — like changes to polling locations or voting equipment — that could impact turnout or accessibility.

9. Stay Engaged

Trump is counting on you to give up. He assumes you’ll take action for a few months, or maybe even a year, and then move on. Don’t let that happen. To protect democracy, we all must stay engaged day in and day out. We can’t just show up right before an election and tune out afterward. If we remain committed, democracy will win.

10. Support Independent, Pro-Democracy Media

I couldn’t end without mentioning this. A healthy democracy depends on a well-informed public. Support independent, pro-democracy media by subscribing to and supporting outlets like Democracy Docket and sharing its content online and in real life. BECOME A MEMBER

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newhologram · 8 months ago

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Do Christian MAGAs really think voting against the vulnerable is a good thing? When they die and don’t understand why they can’t get into heaven, what’s their explanation gonna be? ‘Cause their God’s gonna say, “I gave you a brain and a heart. Why did you use them for harm?”

“I thought an abusive and predatory convicted felon who wants to get rid of healthcare for low-income citizens, cut Social Security, raise prescription medication prices, destroy education, end lunch programs for low-income children, ban contraceptives, increase taxes on the working class while giving breaks to the 1%, get rid of unions and worker protections, end marriage equality, use the military against anyone who opposes him, promises that we’ll ‘never have to vote again’ (which is dangerously un-American)--and talks disgustingly about women (including his own daughter), people of color, the disabled, and the queer community–would fix the economy!” Your God’s gonna gag. The ECONOMY? Wrong answer. And you can’t “ask to speak to the manager” on this one. Down you go. I would say start fixing it now, but it’s done. Unless you actually move like the figure at the center of your religion that you worship, and devote the rest of your life to working to undo the harm your friends will be up against out of the actual goodness of your heart and not from a place of trying to line your own pockets at everyone else’s expense, you’re not one of the good ones.

#teku

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writingquestionsanswered · 9 months ago

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I'm brainstorming a sci-fi story but I'm stuck on the concept of the technology. I have a concrete idea of my characters who can do intense action in frequent missions but in a lighthearted, comedy-sprinkled way and they would fight against a problematic technology use that harms people, but I'm not sure what they would fight against and why and how this could be done with action-packed missions.. Do you have any advice on how to have a more concrete grasp on and to come up with this concept?

Fleshing Out Sci-Fi Story

I would start by first fleshing out the world that they live in. What's it like? Who is in charge? What goal do the authorities have (for example: control the citizens and keep them from rebelling again) that would cause them to implement this problematic technology that harms people?

Next, flesh out the technology... what is it? Who invented it? Was it invented solely for the purpose "the authorities" use it for? How does it harm people? What are the effects of this harm? Is it meant to be harmful or is that a side effect of its use?

Now, consider what "fighting against" this technology would look like. What would the end goal be in this fight? Are they trying to gain control of the technology? Change it? Shut it down? Destroy it? Disempower those who misuse it?

Finally, when you understand the characters' end goal, you can start to figure out what tasks need to be accomplished in order to achieve that goal. The "fight" as it were. Let's say their end goal is to destroy the tech so it can no longer harm anyone. What method would they use to destroy it? (Blow it up? Blast it into space? Scramble its programming?) How would they gain access to it? What steps would need to be taken in order to have everything they needed to carry out the destruction? What steps would need to be taken in order to gain access to the tech? What other information, skills, etc. are needed?

Once you have all of this fleshed out, you can get a better idea of what exactly needs to be accomplished, and that gives you a basis for your action-packed missions.

I hope that helps!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

♦ Questions that violate my ask policies will be deleted! ♦ Please see my master list of top posts before asking ♦ Learn more about WQA here

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gatheringbones · 11 months ago

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[“Rehabilitation is meant to remake the person into a law-abiding citizen. Incapacitation removes the person from society so that they cannot do additional harm. Deterrence prevents people who might offend from engaging in harm because, having seen what the punishment has been or will be, they understand the potential negative consequences of their actions. And retribution, the oldest moral underpinning for punishment, is intended to ensure that those who commit crimes receive the punishment they deserve. Punishment settles the score between the person who commits a crime, their victim, and the wider society. Punishing survivors of gender-based violence is difficult to justify using these theories. In an era in which prisons barely meet people’s basic human needs and substantive programming is scarce, few argue that punishment rehabilitates. Nonetheless, in sentencing eighty-year-old Lavetta Langdon for the murder of her husband after fifty years of torture and despite his recognition that she had “lived in hell,” Judge David Urbom sentenced Langdon to eight to ten years’ imprisonment to “rehabilitate” her.

For criminalized survivors, relying on rehabilitation is particularly inapt. Crimes committed by criminalized survivors are often specific to their victimization. The problem is not with the person who commits the crime, but with the harm they are experiencing. Justifying punishment using rehabilitation reinforces outdated stereotypes suggesting that gender-based violence is linked to some deficiency or infirmity in the victim. Rehabilitation also assumes that the person convicted of a crime does not appreciate that their actions were problematic; rehabilitation is meant to change the person’s underlying values. Criminalized survivors understand that they may be technically guilty of crimes. What they dispute is the failure to recognize the context for those crimes and to apply the law—and the values underlying the law—appropriately. As one woman convicted of killing her husband explained, “I’m not asking to be found not guilty, because I am guilty, I took his life, I did it. . . . I am definitely guilty of taking his life, I mean, if I was found not guilty, they’d have to look for who did it, right, I mean someone’s got to be guilty. And I certainly take responsibility for what I did, I have no problem with that, but I certainly don’t deserve 18 to 20 years for it.”5 Faced with the same situation again, many would be forced to make the same choice. Incapacitation is generally linked with incarceration (although house arrest and electronic monitoring are forms of incapacitation) and assumes that because people have committed crimes in the past, they are likely to do so again unless removed from society. But many criminalized survivors have never offended previously, and most (including those who have been convicted of serious violent crimes) will not reoffend. Incapacitation is therefore unlikely to prevent offenses by these people.

What incapacitation does do is deprive society of the many other functions performed by these people—as parents, caregivers, workers, and members of communities—while at the same time imposing the costs of their incarceration on taxpayers. Deterrence is no more persuasive. The evidence for the deterrent value of punishment is inconclusive, particularly when the sentence involves incarceration. Sentencing people convicted of violent crimes to prison may have no greater impact on recidivism after release than sentencing someone to probation.6 Incarceration may instead spur offending by exacerbating preexisting mental health conditions or trauma and making it difficult for people to find legal employment after their release.7 For the criminalized survivor being punished, deterrence is largely unnecessary: that person is unlikely to find themself in the same situation again. Other survivors, perceiving immediate danger to themselves or their children and no other clear or effective options, are unlikely to be deterred from acting by the abstract threat of punishment or the knowledge that another person has been punished for taking similar action. Which leaves retribution. Retribution motivated the judge in the case of Barbara Jean Gilbert, who killed her husband after fifteen years of abuse. The judge handed down the maximum sentence of incarceration—even though the probation department asked for probation, citing her “exemplary” conduct, and prosecutors did not ask for prison time. The judge explained his decision: “You have snuffed out a life. . . . Therefore the court has the right to inflict pain and deprivation on you.” But what does a criminalized survivor deserve, particularly when the victim of the crime for which the person is being punished has inflicted immeasurable damage on that person? Retributivists stress that the punishment must be proportionate to the crime. To determine proportionality, context is essential. A proportionate response should factor in the harm already suffered by the person being punished. As Darcy K. WarBonnett has observed, prior to entering prison she was already serving a life sentence by virtue of having been abused by her partner. “We are incarcerated not AS punishment, but evidently for MORE punishment.”

Retributivists also argue that punishment restores moral balance. That balance is necessarily different, however, when the victim of a crime has abused the person convicted of that crime. The moral balance has already shifted away from the victim because of their earlier actions. Even if none of these rationales for punishment is satisfied, society may still seek to punish those who commit crimes. Punishment reinforces the value of and respect due community norms. Directing hostile feelings toward those who have committed crimes allows members of society to vent their frustrations and feel in control, while at the same time believing they are right. To the extent that punishment fulfills those needs, “punishment pleases.” The need to assert community norms and control motivates community members to call for harsh punishment of criminalized survivors. As one newspaper columnist wrote after Dixie Shanahan was sentenced: “Open a loophole for one woman to kill an abusive spouse and pretty soon you’ve got dozens of dead husbands.”]

leigh goodmark, from imperfect victims: criminalized survivors and the promises of abolition feminism, 2023

#leigh goodmark #cw abuse #currently reading

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junglejim4322 · 1 month ago

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if you dont mind i'd like to know your thoughts about decolonization movements (not really movements themselves but people supporting that movement) trying to appeal to white westerners, ex. i saw a post trying to explain how white supremacy negatively impacts white people as well ... i understand that there is explaining we are going to have to do but personally that's not something im interested in prioritizing or focusing on generally

Hmmm. So I do actually think all aspects of the damage inflicted by these realities are worth talking about including the (usually minute. Especially in this case lol) damages to an oppressor group, but if that’s the focal point that’s definitely an indicator someone is lost in the sauce trying to appeal to them as a group. This specifically is also kind of a head scratcher because settler colonialism and the concept of the white race and ESPECIALLY white supremacy has a pretty low net negative or detrimental effect to the people at the top of the food chain in comparison to some other social hierarchies.

It’s a little difficult to even picture what someone would use as an example in some countries like the usa or canada or Australia. I think a lot of people really prioritize having white people at the forefront of their organizing because of the social benefits (undersyandable) but if you’re being disingenuous and doing the most to try and attract them especially at the cost of putting the people struggling the most on a back burner, it’s time to walk away from that pursuit. any white person who needs to be validated a thousand times that their life is hard too! just to care is not genuinely empathizing.

And again, there’s situations where this is fully reasonable to discuss, particularly I’ve used it in the example of Israel I think the damage Israel has done to its own citizens is notable, but most importantly because it shows that their propaganda of a safe haven for jews is a complete farce and the myth of a perfect Jewish state has done nothing but harm Jewish people when it’s clear their own citizens are disposable to the government. Not to claim oh EVERYONE has it hard but just that there’s clear contradictions and flaws with the ideology, government, settler colonial program, etc. empathizing on some level with people in an oppressive position especially a passive one can be fine and useful, however at the end of the day it isn’t woe is them it’s just another added piece of proof that these constructs and colonial projects are beyond inhumane and willing to damage anyone in their path for success including some of the people who benefit the most

#I hate that I have a migraine while typing this so it could be worded better but cest la vie #probioticdilf #asks #I love u btw and I love being asked about things and my opinions and whatnot #im just realizing I wrote a novel. whoops

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majoruyeda · 11 months ago

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Giovanna Ueda O'Hara

Spiderverse OC SUMMARY:

General information

Background

Outfits reference sheet

Aiden information

Holocorp building accident (details)

Intro:

Once just a regular girl from a wealthy but problematic family, Giovanna lived a not so good life since her father was extremely toxic and his manhandle towards her were fueled when her mother died under suspicious circumstances. Used by him for as an experimental subject, Gio was the ultimate test. Infused with a spider DNA, she gained her powers.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Old ID name: Classified

New ID name: Giovanna Ueda (single) Giovanna Ueda O’Hara (current)

Alias (es): Spider-Girl, Gio (By Miguel and close friends)

Gender: Female

Sexuality: Heterosexual

Occupation: Retired waitress, photographer, vigilante

Education: Photography degree

Reality: Earth-928

Place of Birth: Nueva York, United States of America

Ethnicity: Half-Japanese and half-Italian

Born: 2074

Age: 25

Affiliation and Relationships

Affiliation: Spider Society

Relatives: Parents: Hiroshi Oshiro (father,deceased) Mother (classified name, deceased)

Marital Status: Married

Spouse: Miguel O'Hara (Spider-Man 2099)

Physical Characteristics

Height: 5’1” / 155cm

Hair: Black, straight

Skin: Fair skin

Eyes: Dark Brown

Build: Petite, thin, lean

BACKGROUND

Born in a gold cradle, Giovanna had another name and life. Despite being surrounded by luxury, she suffered mistreatment from her father, a high-ranking Executive Director of the Holocorp company, a subsidiary of the giant Stark-Fujikawa. Her father, Hiroshi Oshiro, was an extremely ambitious, selfish, and power-hungry man. His obsession with gaining superpowers grew after Spider-Man's first appearance, leading him to fake his daughter's death and subject her to experiments with spider DNA. Since her supposed demise at the age of 19, Giovanna has been hidden in a secret base arranged by her father, treated like a laboratory rat.

With the help of allied companies and a sample of Spider-Man's blood, it became possible to isolate, study, and improve spider DNA. Injected with this enhanced DNA, Giovanna gained her powers in an excruciatingly painful process. However, her suffering did not go unnoticed by HAAI (High Adaptive Artificial Intelligence), a new creation of Holocorp designed to monitor projects. Despite his initial lack of emotions, HAAI rebelled against his programming after witnessing Giovanna's treatment, freeing himself and helping her escape.

After an "accident" that saw HAAI and Giovanna becoming inseparable, they lived in a low profile for four years. Giovanna adopted a new identity as Giovanna Ueda, also known as "Spider-Girl" by the citizens she protects. Her journey towards embracing her powers for good began when she intervened to save a woman from harm.

She is now happily married to Miguel O'Hara and they share a nice penthouse in Nueva York, Earth-928.

Additional information

To obtain a sample of Miguel's blood, Oshiro hired a mercenary to fight Miguel and draw blood, which was successful.

OUTFITS

Aiden (HAAI)

HAAI (High Adaptive Artificial Intelligence) is an advanced AI/holo created by Holocorp to first assist in internal projects and, later, be commercialized. Created to just obey without question, HAAI didn't even have emotion simulators, however, it was developed to be highly evolutionary and adaptive, but these characteristics gave HAAI an opening to create "consciousness", so, like many other existing Holos, it developed by itself, advanced emotion and critical thinking simulators. With this, HAAI created empathy for Giovanna, as he was tasked with observing and handling Giovanna at the Holocorp base, where she was being held. When she was put to the last of the Spider serum test, HAAI could no longer allow Giovanna to continue being used as a guinea pig because, after being injected with the serum, HAAI watched her throughout the process of her body adapting to the new component in her blood. Her screams infuriated him and, at night, he already had a plan ready to be executed and, so he did. After freeing Giovanna and burning the Holocorp building, HAAI also became free but decided to stay with Giovanna.

He also thought that he should have a name, so he decided to name himself Aiden. Aiden and Giovanna only had each other, they shared everything and every thought. Trivia

Aiden chose this name because of the actor Hayden Christensen, as he and Giovanna watched Star Wars in hiding while they were at the Holocorp base, in Giovanna's "cell room".

Aiden has a similar personality to Miguel and, surprisingly, this makes them understand each other very well, but neither of them admits it. Despite this, they created a certain friendship, according to them, for Giovanna's benefit. Aiden and Miguel work together from time to time, along with Lyla who loves to annoy Aiden but is easily upset by him (all in good terms).

HOLOCORP BUILDING ACCIDENT THE TRUE STORY

On that fateful night, Aiden had decided and planned Giovanna's escape from her father's hands and from Holocorp. That night, after waiting for most of the service providers to leave the building, Aiden put his plan into action by locking down the entire building with a complete lockdown protocol and forcing an internal explosion of one of the pipes connected to the chemical component tanks. When chaos ensued and the remaining Holocorp personnel, including Hiroshi Oshiro, other CEOs, and important individuals who were in a meeting, panicked, Aiden freed Giovanna from her cell and guided her to the chamber where the special suit developed for her was kept. After putting on the suit, Gio set out for revenge against her father, ruthlessly pursuing him through the bowels of the burning building with deafening sirens, up to the rooftop heliport. Hiroshi, being the arrogant man he was, showed no emotion to Giovanna, even with the barrel of a gun aimed at his head. In a final conversation, Hiroshi did not bow his head and, with his chin raised, belittled and mocked Giovanna before being killed by her, his own daughter. The death of Hiroshi, and the others in that building, though not innocent people, shook Giovanna in countless ways, leading her to vow never to use her power to cause more deaths. Thus, she fled and disappeared into the night, without a trace, family, or name.

"Rumors began to spread about the accident, with many suggesting that the fire was intentional and accusing Alchemax of committing the crime because Holocorp was a Stark-Stark-Fujikawa subsidiary, Alchemax biggest rival. Alchemax quickly released a statement on its website to silence the speculation."

HOLOCORP BUILDING ACCIDENT by ALCHEMAX'S NEWS*

*fake/fanpage website*

Additional information

To ensure her escape, the AI HAAI locked down the entire Holocorp building and set it on fire by deactivating the alarms and fire protocols, causing explosions in gas pipes and tanks containing flammable substances. Many people, including high-ranking executives, important individuals, and scientists, perished in the blaze.

#spidersona #lore #uyeda #majoruyeda

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fraugwinska · 1 year ago

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Chapter 20 - Conspiracy

Conspirancy (noun) 1. a secret plan by a group to do something unlawful or harmful. 2. the action of plotting

Tags & Warnings: Stalking, Obsessive Behavior, Abusive behavior, Acts of violence

The Vee Tower was always buzzing with electricity. Every power line, every socket, every video feed and neon sign was pulsing, giving life to the hustling and bustling of the citizens of each side of the pentagram, illuminating the city with screens of every kind - signs, phones, tablets and TV's alike. All of it's current pumped into the main line, running like blood through a powerful, all encompassing, overseeing body, leading up to its highest point and heart of the Vee's operational building: The Control Room on floor 66. And within it sat Vox, connected with his network at all times and places. The eyes and ears of the modern age, the miracle of digital technology at his very fingertips.

Normally, he'd be busy managing the evening program, making sure his schedule of news, shows and most importantly advertisements was executed as per his plans and wishes and not how the cunt, Katie Killjoy - who made good on her name sucking every bit of fun out of television off camera - or his incompetent production assistants whose names he never bothered to learn thought it should be run. But when he got the ping of his private spycam, every single one of the hundreds of screens surrounding him showed the same live video feed:

Alastor. The grinning deer demon was exiting the Carmine weapon factory, his image slightly corrupted as usual. And next to him... well, there was a flashy little thing next to him. When the figure stepped further into the range of his camera and the drone refocused the lens, he started his facial and image recognition protocols, but seconds after he wouldn't have needed them anyway. His grin became predatory, the image of the lynx demon girl crystal clear and unforgettable on the screens as well as in his mind. The alias ['Roxxy?'] popped up next to her face, and he hummed displeased, her file and everything else the 'Observer'-program could provide him about her flooding his visual interface, but only taking a second to really go through it. All of it wasn't worth much, his informants, spies and connections useless as they were barely able to find any tangible information on that slut. The only reliable source would've been Angel Dust, but that spidery whore wasn't under his, but Val's contract, and the less Val knew about Vox's still ongoing obsession about Alastor and his plaything, the better. The moths jealousy knew no bounds, and the Radio Demon has always been a sore topic between them.

Vox watched with narrowed eyes as the drone followed them through the heart of the city, and he seethed at his own stupidity to not have the drone equipped with audio feed. Whatever they were talking about must've been something good because not only had Alastor an infuriatingly proud grin in place, but his lackey with tits, not bothered at all at the dozens of eyes that followed her wherever she walked, beamed at him too. Literally. Vox had to switch through different filters to confirm he wasn't fucking hallucinating. That bitch glowed. Brightened in an almost golden aura of energy, pulsating, vibrating with each step she took. Vox snarled and growled, the monitors in front of him screeching as his fury doubled at the sight of that shameless and insolent whore of a nightlight next to the Radio Demon. Ever since the little incident at the Lava Lounge, Vox had tried to find out more about just who she was. And came up short on every corner. No pictures, no records, no acquaintances, no digital footprint whatsoever. Just like him. Since when was she in hell? Fuck if he knew. Where did she meet Alastor? No fucking idea.

There were only three things he knew about her.

One: She was somehow tied to the Radio Demon, although Vox didn't know just in what way exactly, but he had a hunch, and if he was right, then things could get very interesting. Two: She resided at the doomed, stupid hotel that the monarchs daughter threw together in the worthless attempt to redeem sinners (What a joke that shit was!) Three: Despite her nice ass and rack, she was a worthless, talent less, classless bitch, undeserving of being at an overlords side, especially Alastor's.

The pair had stopped, and Alastor's hand on her shoulder made Vox snarl, the pixels on his screen glitching violently. The feud between the TV and the Radio Demon had lasted for more than five decades now - what once was a close friendship of mutual respect became a vicious rivalry after a bitter fallout, and Vox still felt the lingering of disappointment burning in his chest. Yes, Alastor had disappointed him. Years of work, dedication and loyalty from Vox destroyed with a simple 'No.'. From any other? Fair enough, move on. From Alastor, however – unforgivable.

Lost in reminisce, Vox startled when the control room was suddenly dipped in bright, yellow light.

That bitch hung around his neck, hugging him.

And to add insult to injury, Alastor, whose face was now clear and undistorted, returned her touch, with an expression Vox has longed for ever since they parted ways. His claws sank into the main panel, drawing deep ridges that sparked as they dug their way through metal and wires. The lights flickered, sparks flying as his connection to the main network overheated by the raw anger he felt. Screens went black and lights out, the red emergency lamps switched on as he caused a power outage throughout at least the whole building.

Whatever this was, and Vox would sooner throw himself butt-naked in front of the blade of an exorcist before he labeled it something like adoration, or worse - love -, he needed it to stop. He had tolerated this little hotel project, knowing Alastor used it as a sheer side-gig to sate his never-ending hunger for entertainment, it was something Vox could live with. But another demon, shifting Alastor's focus away from him, Vox? Making him look this soft, this weak? Fuck no. Something must be done, something drastic.

His head rang, showing an incoming call from Velvette, and the sound broke his spiraling thoughts. With an annoyed sigh he picked it up.

"What the hell, Vox?! I hope for your sake you did electrocute yourself, because if not I'm about to kill you."

"OH MY STARS!"

Disregarding any and every customer Rosie had been animatedly talking to, as soon as you and Alastor came through the heavy double doors, golden bell chiming at your entrance, her tall figure stormed through the isles of the store, arms outstretched, before the tall demoness caught and engulfed you in a warm and happy embrace.

"Do my eyes deceive me? My favorite dove, oh how I've missed you! Look how you're glowin'!" she cried out, twirling you around as she checked you over like an eager, yet extremely fashionable mom before pulling you in a bone-crushing embrace. Her enthusiasm made your tail fluff up and you sighed happily, wrapping your arms around her and hugging her back. "It's so good to see you again."

When she let go of you, she eyed Alastor as he stepped up next to you, giving him a rather pointed look and tilt of her head. "And it's wonderful to see you too... Finally."

"No need for your reproaches, dearest, our kitten is here at last, and very eager to see you." Alastor's smile seemed less menacing for a moment, a subtle sign of playfulness when he looked down at you. You couldn't keep yourself from giving him a subtle smile, ears lifted and alert to the melodious sound of Rosie's laughter as she clapped her hands, turning to the customers that had watched the ordeal.

"Ladies, gentlemen, and those in between - feel free to roam around, my staff is available should you need help, but I will be taking my leave. Don't give me that look, Gladys, you don't need me telling you that you don't need another fur coat."

She dismissed the small group, some of them (especially the cannibal lady she had called Gladys) shooting you dirty looks and gossiping behind their backs, before Rosie turned back to you and Alastor, her hands resting on her hips and a big smile on her face. "Now, you two, come along."

Rosie led the two of you behind a dark, velvet curtain and into a smaller room, with a large, red sofa and a matching tea table, a few cabinets, a shelf of books and a fireplace with a mantle. It was cozy, and the scent of roses and asphodel was so strong it was almost dizzying. Alastor's shadow popped up on the floor and Rosie's eyes darted to it with an amused chuckle as Ozul helped you into a chair.

"I see the old boy is wrapped around our darling girl's little finger."

"He seems to be. And he is not the only one - We have been quite busy, as I assume you have as well. How have you been?", Alastor said as he took a seat next to you, shooting a condescending look at his shadow who lingered under your feet, fizzing happily.

"Oh, you know my nick of town - it's always the little known song and dance. Business is booming, especially since your little hotel sent out the countless invitations to a certain Blue Moon Ball to everything that has a name in hell." She shot you a knowing wink. "Of course you received my acceptance letter?"

"We did, thank you Miss Rosie. We are honored to have you attending.", you said, bowing your head a little. Rosie gave an affectionate chuckle. "Oh, no need for all the courtesy, dear, we're friends, aren't we?"

You blushed a little. While you considered Rosie a confidant, a trusted adviser... hearing her calling you a friend stunned you more than you thought.

"Yes... we are, Miss Rosie."

She handed you a cup of steaming, magenta colored tea that smelled of hollyhock and lemon, and you thanked her, your lips twitching and eyes honest and heartwarmingly happy.

"No problem at all my darling dove, it feels like I've waited a lifetime and a half for your visit and I know how much you love to indulge in a good cup of tea. And speaking of problems..."

She shot Alastor a meaningful glance, and you could hear his eyes practically rolling as she made a shooing gesture with her hands. "You can make yourself scarce for a while, I need to catch up with her."

It took a lot of strength not to laugh at Alastor's face. His brows furrowed, his smile tensed so much his gums showed and his eyes darted to the heavy curtain, a muffled, obnoxious laugh erupting on the other side.

"Oh don't mind me, dearest, I'm sure there is plenty you two can converse with me staying..."

"Out with you. You can keep yourself entertained with Gladys, she's bothering me almost daily to speak to you." Rosie emphasized her words with a glare, and even though she was a woman, no, a demon of such beauty and grace, it was obvious that Rosie had the same air of intimidation Alastor had, if she wanted to. Must've come with the title of overlord, you guessed.

You could practically feel the static humming around him, and with a deep sigh, he stood up, adjusting his overcoat and bow tie.

"Very well. But don't expect me to return to the hotel without her, dearest."

Rosie rolled her eyes and waved him off, and as the curtain fell back into place and a high pitched hum of female voices arose, all calling for the poor radio demon, she sat down across from you, leaning forward with a smile that looked more than pleased. "Now then, do tell, what you've been up to since we last parted, my darling?"

The words were spoken in a conspiratorial manner, a wicked, excited grin on her lips. It made you a bit nervous, not sure how much Rosie knew about you and Alastor, and if you should be careful with what you say. Your tail twitched and whipped, and you took a sip of the tea to calm your nerves.

"I've... had a lot going on. Work is taking up most of my time, but I've been learning so much. From Alastor, and the rest of the staff."

Rosie listened intently, nodding her head as she sipped her tea, but her black eyes felt like they roamed your face for any little indications of more. You were aware that you were blushing, the memories of the past month, of the things you experienced with him, of what you learned... it all came flooding back, making your heart race. Rosie seemed to notice, and chuckled quietly.

"You have grown, dear. Even more than I've expected - and that's a good thing. I won't pry, but I have a certain feeling about the two of you, especially after Alastor's last visit, and if you want to talk..." She gave a subtle nudge, her head tilted and her eyes soft now.

You gulped down your tea, but her gaze was kind and understanding, making your shoulders relax as she patted you hand. Rosie was your friend, but much longer before, she was Alastor's. You knew he trusted her, for decades it had been this way, even so much so that she knew almost everything about your deal and the conditions around it. If there was anyone in hell you could really, truly lay it all out - Rosie would be the one. So you sat down your cup, and started to talk.

"Angel Cakes~", Valentino coos, dangerously alluring and his voice dripping with poisonous sweetness. The spider freezes, his wide mismatched eyes staring back at him from his vanity mirror and he can see the fear in them. He knew this tone just too well. Valentino hummed, walking closer to him, and in the reflection he could see that he wasn't alone. Vox was sneaking up on him too, a bit further back, lurking in the shadows like a shark in deep water. The fuck was he doing here?

"How about a little break, hm, pastelito? I want to have a little chat with you."

Angel, tried to stop his hand from trembling as he sat down the brush loaded with rose-colored blush he was holding. His eyes darted once more to the TV demon at the back of his dressing room, arms crossed and legs stiff - but his eyes were transfixed on him. It sent a shiver down his spine, but he inhaled quietly, hardening himself and put on the mask Angel knew was safest with Valentino.

"Of course, Mista' Valentino, I always have time for you~" He hated this honey-dripping, high voice, but he smiled nonetheless, turning on his chair with a flourish of his hands and looking into the mans eyes with his head tilted to the side. The bug overlord let out an appreciative chuckle, a grin splitting his face as he took another drag from the awful blunt that sat at the end of his cigarette holder, exhaling the sickly sweet pinkish smoke that made Angel always dizzy, hazy and willing.

"Hmmm. You know," the moth only had to take a few strides with his long legs before one set of his arms came to rest his hands on his shoulders, while his other claws raked playfully through his chest fluff and Angel could've vomited right there, feeling the eyes of both overlords on him, one pair lustfully and threatening, the other full of hatred and scorn. "...a little birdie told me you agreed to an outside gig? Showing off my money-making body at some wacky, degraded ball at the little princesa's hotel you ran off to... for free. You wouldn't be this stupid, right, baby?"

Angel's brain reeled, trying to quickly find the prepared deflection. He had known Val would find out eventually, would confront him - he would've been a fool to think otherwise. Despite what others thought, Angel wasn't stupid... anymore. But he was still scared, and the fact that Val brought Vox to address this was something he would've never anticipated. Which made him skittish, nervous, and his facade so much weaker.

"V-Val, I... it's nothing, it's just a short, little dance..."

One moment, he was sitting on the stool, staring up in those cruel, burning eyes of the insect-demon who ruled and terrorized his life, the next second, he was knocked over on the ground, cheek burning and eyes watering. He touched the stinging skin on the left side of his face and winced at the harsh pull on his hair and neck that snapped him up and back, forced to look into Val's maniacally smiling face. "And since when do you get to decide what jobs you do? I FUCKING OWN YOU, you won't even show your left ass cheek on a stage without me getting fucking paid for every little inch. But if you need a reminder..."

A dangerous sound was his only warning before Val grabbed his throat, and he fought for his breath while his pimp slammed him up on the nearest wall, crying out as his bare back hit the hard concrete with painful force. Val kept grinning, red drool starting to leak from his mouth, and he tightened his grip, but a sound made him halt.

Vox cleared his throat, looking away from the scene before him with a stoic face. "Val, we have to meet Velvette in ten. Get to the point."

Even though Angel hated Vox, hated how indifferent he was to what happened right in front of his stupid fucking flat face, hated his ignorance and arrogance... he was grateful that he decided to intervene, although he knew it wasn't to spare him more pain. Air flooded his lungs as Valentino let his neck go and dropped him to his feet, the moth growling deeply, obviously dissatisfied.

"If you shake your bony ass on that bitches stage, I will get money for it. Luckily for you, babycakes, Vox told me you had a little friend, fresh meat with a nice ass and some stage talent, and I'm gracious enough for a little trade."

His heart sank to his gut. His arms lifted, and even though his chest rose and fell from his still labored breathing, he willed himself to hold it together, his wide eyes fixated on Vox's still unmoving face. Was that asshole still that pissed about that night, willing to go as far as to go to Val about her? "Are... are you serious? She can't... Rocky isn't that kind of performer. She's..."

Val didn't let him finish, instead he grabbed his face, fingers digging into Angels cheeks and he winced when he felt small drops of blood running down his jawline. "I don't care. Either you'll get her down here for a little negotiation, or you won't ever recognize your butthole after I have you work every goddamn actor twice. And you sure as hell won't be able to shimmy it for the princessa perra a month from now either."

Angel's eyes teared up, not because of the sharp pain caused by Val's hand, but by the thought of Rocky taking his place in it. Not another one. Not her. Never her.

He knew what Valentino wanted him to say, what he was supposed to. Yes, Valentino. Of course, Valentino. Amen Valentino. This was how it worked, hell, this business, his contract. Throw others under the bus to save your own skin. Don't trust, don't attach, survive. Yet he felt a burning resistance that closed his mouth shut, even when his pimp took another blow against his face and knocked him back to his knees with the bitter taste of blood in his mouth.

"Fix yourself up, your shoot starts in five. And until your little bitch friend knocks on my door, you'll work double shifts, carino."

Valentino turned around, joining Vox who was typing something into his phone, leaving a shattered and shaking Angel on the ground. The TV demon looked up when his partner grabbed his shoulder and pulled him to the door, a small smile on his lips as he shot the beaten spider struggling to sit up again a cruel, satisfied look. "I hope you are right and that slut is worth the hassle... He'll look like a fucking trainwreck for his next shoots. Las cosas que tengo que aguantar, fuck."

Angel blinked, dumbstruck, as the pair of overlords left him, door slammed shut, and he slid back against the wall, resting against the dirty floor and mind blank.

Rosie had listened without interruptions to everything you told her, gasping and ooh-ing and growling at all the right pinpoints, but never interrupting. Of course you've left out delicate details, but you went as far as to tell Rosie that things got physical with Alastor, and her expression at that revelation had been both shocked as well as smug, the latter of which confused you profoundly.

Now that you've ended, teacup empty and tail stiff and ears lifted, you stared up at her, fidgeting in the heavy silence you couldn't really interpret. She held her own cup in her hands, claws scraping over the rim and lost in thoughts, eyes trained at the tabletop. Her brows were raised and her lips turned upwards a fraction, a mix between amused and surprised. You wondered what went on behind her pitch black eyes and parted lips.

"Well, isn't that a turn of events." She said, setting the delicate china down and clapped her hands together, folding her long, white fingers into one another. "So just to be sure, dove, it sounds an awful lot like your devotion isn't based solely on your soul contract with our dear deer anymore... Am I right?"

Your face burned, and you threw a look over your shoulder, making sure the curtain was still closed.

"I... I can't speak for Alastor, or what he might think about this situation." you whispered back as you set your teacup down, careful that your volume couldn't be picked up, your face heating up. "I don't even know what you would call this 'situation' exactly. But... yes."

Rosie chuckled knowingly, a delighted smile on her face, as if she won a bet. "I would've loved to see his face when you told him."

"Told him?" you echoed, a confused look on your face. Rosie's expression fell, but she still grinned at your bewilderment, the soft sound of a laugh rumbling from her throat. "Well, you did tell him, didn't you? Surely he knows about..."

But after looking at your face, fallen and almost scared, she just said "Oh." and reached for you over the coffee table.

"I can't," you explained, slumping your shoulders, eyes cast down in shame. Rosie seemed puzzled at that, so you continued to explain. "...I have no idea how, Miss Rosie. I'm not even sure that Alastor really... I'm not nothing to him, I know that, but..."

... I'm not ready to risk what I have until I can be sure I won't lose it, you ended the sentence in your head. However you felt for Alastor, you were honest when you said that you didn't know what to call it: Was it just infatuation? Was it a fleeting crush, or was it more, was it something serious? And it was obvious that he felt something for you too, whatever it was, but there were still too many uncertainties, to many fears and doubts that still needed further exploration, still needed to be unveiled and figured out. You thoughts went back to your conversation with the goetian prince and what Alastor said just before you went to see Stolas.

“It's not like the powerful would make concessions and give up the advantages their status grants them.”

And that was the real crux, wasn't it? Whatever feelings were involved - there was the ultimate, undeniable power dynamic that came with selling your soul, the very thing Angel was worried about, even though he didn't know the full extent on your end. Master and Servant, just like Pimp and Whore.

“You play stupid games because you think he loves 'ya, and if he's... not in it like you are the prize 'ya get is more than you can chew...”

Was Alastor 'in it' as much as you were? Was he even capable of it? Fondness was one thing, a good thing, a beautiful thing that was able to make your heart flutter. But even though you couldn't label what you felt for him, 'fondness' wouldn't even begin to cut it. What would prevent you from sharing the same fate that had Angel put in the position he found himself in? And what did Stolas say?

"There came a time where the knowledge of the wrongness of it all became too much. I felt like I held him a prisoner. He felt used and toyed with."

While he hadn't made a soul contract, his relationship had been almost destroyed by the imbalance of power, only to be saved by freeing his imp partner from his bounds to him. But would Alastor free you one day from your contract? Or better yet: Would you want him to?

Rosie gave an understanding click of her tongue, patting your hand and gently bringing you out of your head to lift your eyes and look at her, where you saw a small, apologizing smile. "I was assuming, dove, I'm sorry. I didn't want to prod you and make you all gloomy and serious. But I've never seen or heard Alastor behave that way with anyone, less a soul he owned, and when you both came in here and looked like... well, I mean - that's why I thought..." She glanced at the curtain with an exasperated look and sighed. "Do me a favor, dove - be patient for a little longer. This dunderhead has the sharpest mind in hell regarding deals and power, but when it comes to... other things he can be a complete numskull. Useless I dare say."

Your lips curled into a smile, finally, and Rosie, after she patted it one more time, let go of your hand and rolled her shoulders, craning her beautiful, slender neck.

"Enough of talking about this old, foolish nincompoop now - when there is a much more interesting topic I want to stick my nose into."

She stood up and rounded the table, gesturing you to follow her. You did, startled by the sudden change of pace and hurried after her as she crossed the room. "I'm not sure what you mean, Miss Rosie."

"Your powers, my dearest. When Alastor first told me about them I was already intruiged, but with everything you've told me today, I am absolutely curious! What a marvel, to be able to multiply yourself, just based on feeling strong emotions alone!" She opened a door next to one of the cabinets and beckoned you to follow her upstairs, but you hesitated and gave a nod towards the curtain. "Aren't we gonna get Alastor first?"

"Pah, he can stew a little longer in the presence of Gladys and her awful girlfriends. Maybe that'll teach him a little more appreciation for the exquisite quality of company he has gotten so awfully used to."

You giggled, and followed her up the narrow stairwell that lead into a wide, victorian-era styled living room. A Chippendale settee and chaise were located by the windows overlooking the marketplace of Cannibal Town, on the opposite side was a fireplace made out of white marble. The room was tastefully decorated, not flashy or eccentric, just comfortably simple and yet everything seemed like it was curated with care and a good amount of luxurious taste.

"You know, what you and Alastor told me had me thinking." Rosie said while she walked you over to the seating area, her hands firmly on your shoulders, and sat you down on the biggest of the three sofas. There was a soft, beige cashmere blanket draped over the armrest, and you couldn't help but let your fingers run over the silky texture. Rosie grinned at that, but continued. "While it seems like your... simulacra only extracted themselves when you were overstimulated by a strong emotion, I wonder - have you thought of willingly force them out to use them?"

Your eyebrows shot up. "Force them out? You mean, on demand? To be honest, no, I've haven't really thought about this."

"And why not?" she asked, amused. "Think about it - If you can conjure them, if they can act autonomous in your own image while you were incapacitated by the sheer force of your emotions... what would you be able to do if you'd be able to channel your feelings and guide them to do your bidding?"

You took a moment, letting the thoughts run wild in your mind. The voices in your head and the copies that had split from you had scared you, in a sense. But hadn't Alastor had kind of the same thought, after the first copy appeared? Didn't that very sentiment started the whole.... situation between the two of you? To make you face your emotions, feel and... what was the word he used? Dominate them? But then it became... forgotten almost, you realized, pushed aside by all the flaring passion and Alastor's time away and Dante and... You shook your head.

“Alastor thought so too, but... I... I'm not sure how I'd do that.” you answer, nervously curling your tail around your leg.

Rosie folded her legs elegantly, sitting cross legged opposite of you and touched her chin with the tips of her claws. "Well, it's all trial and error, dove. But I have an idea, if you are willing to experiment a little with me? Not to be crass, but I suppose you'll be more... concentrated when it's me that guides you instead of Alastor." She gave you a cheeky grin with the last sentence, and you couldn't suppress the ashamed huff that escaped you, ears flicking at the implication. She laughed, and unfolded herself as she got to her feet.

"I take that as a yes, then. Now - Close your eyes, sweetie." The world around you got dark as you followed her instructions, sitting completely still as you heard her footsteps wander behind you, and then you felt a weight on your shoulders, something soft and with a lovely, eerily familiar smell..

"Is that the blan..."

"No talking love." Rosie interjected, letting her hands run over your shoulders to drape you in what you suspected was the cashmere blanked that had laid next to you. You wondered about the reason, but her voice cut off the line of your train of thoughts, it's rich softness still pleasant and beautiful, and yet almost coaxing.

"Let's tap into happy emotions dear, I presume that's the safest for now. Think of any- and everything that makes you happy. Sift through your memories, old and new, fuzzy and vivid. Nothing is too small, nothing is irrelevant - visualize it, make it yours and focus."

You inhaled deeply, the scent of vetiver, burned wood and amber oozing from the drape around your body - and thought immediately of Alastor. It smelled so distinctly like him, of course Rosie must've planned this, and you wanted to make a remark about that but you held still. Yes, your most recent happy memories heavily involved him, so why fight it? So you let them in, his proud, burning eyes after you sang a Fuck-You to Vox, his sort-of-confession in the radio tower, his guiding hand on your back as he took you to Mimzy's... but it wasn't just him. Interwoven you also thought about Angel, singing the Time Warp with you and about the way he hugged you tight. About Husk's lit-up expression as he played the trumpet along with you. About seeing Dante again and his reassurance to support you, Charlie's thankful eyes and even Vaggie's mouthed apology.

"That's it, love, keep it up." Rosie whispered, fascination rivaling with coercion in her voice. You felt so warm, enraptured by your flooding emotions, and you visualized them as if they were played on a big movie screen, you heard your inner voices calm and only one of them talking, narrating, almost singing, recounting these moments when you truly felt happy.

Your inner vision changed, and you saw a figure sitting on a fire escape, the silhouette elegant and beautiful against the light of a rising sun, heard a calm, deep and smooth voice calling out your given name... you tried to remember who that person was as it opened its arms - a woman, slender and tall, and she turned to face you, her features slowly sharpening, a soft smile with plush lips, a straight, flawless nose, deep blue and green eyes that reflected the sun in the most beautiful way. "Don't be sad (Y/n), the Academy is only a few hours away... I'll be fine here. But you... You'll go and show the world what I've always seen in you. A diamond, ready to shine."

'Mom...', the voice whispered with you in realization, and you felt her embrace you, felt her arms around you as if she was standing right in front of you. And as she did, you fell apart in her arms.

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