#Super empathy for murder victims

[panakina]

I find it really funny when any fic has Cass convince Jason that killing is wrong. Her whole stance is based on not wanting to see anyone else experience what she saw when she killed a man. Jason experienced it himself. He's decided its okay actually.

[meanbossart]

How did your DU drow react when he got told he had to kill his spouse? and then when he went to wake up Astarion and get tied up? I think I just wanna know how your DU drow mentally/emotionally is doing during and after that part, and when talking to Astarion afterward, I'm a sucker for hearing about those deep kinds of moments (hopefully that makes sense?) Also, how did your DU react when you met Kressa Bonedaughter and learned all about what was done to him (again, I know none of the companions really comment on literally something horrible being told such a shame, honestly) but how would you say or think that Astarion and Shadowheart might have reacted hearing that info? Again, thank you for all your art and for answering these questions! PS: (I really don't care if your answer is super long; I WILL EAT IT UP)

Sooo for the first question, I wanna preface by saying that I personally don't think their relationship was that in depth yet, at that point. Yes, DU drow enjoyed Astarion's company and relied on him in a similar way which he relied on Shadowheart. And also yes, Astarion saw DU drow as the first person who ever took him and his agency seriously - but I think feelings were still in their infancy. DU drow's mind was a mess through and through; he drank constantly to keep his urge at bay, he kept his distance from everyone most of the time, and when he did seek out comfort in either Shadowheart or Astarion (the non-sexual kind, they didn't really fuck at all), it was a kind of primal instinct and desperate longing for companionship - if you asked him if he was in love with anyone, however, he would have said no.

Similarly, while I think Astarion's act 2 confession is sincere, I also think that he's being sincere when he says that he doesn't know what you are yet. You're not really a lover, but you aren't a victim, either; what you are is a person who he would rather not have to murder eventually, and as someone who has had their empathy squeezed out throughout the course of two centuries, that's meaningful enough. He may fantasize about the best case scenario for you two - but he has no expectations that whatever this is will last. But it is nice, for the time being.

So the "murder your darling" scene, rather than a proof of love and trust, is to me the turning point where:

A) DU drow has to come to terms with the fact that he doesn't have as much control over the Urge as he thought, and B) When Astarion snaps out of his care-free, just-go-with-the-flow nature around his plan and this relationship. They both realize they bit off more than they could chew and are now caught in each other's crossfire.

Which is to say that I don't read Astarion's words of comfort to him as entirely honest - specially when you compare it to certain dialogue deliveries later in the game. I think he's still, to a degree, telling you what you need to hear so that you hold out for just a bit longer and kill Cazador. You probably can't be together forever as he idly fantasized about once or twice, when he let his mind wander - but god damn it, he needs to at least be free, and it seems like you have bloodlust to spare to make that happen.

Meanwhile, DU drow finally comes to confront the fact that he is not in control. Doesn't matter how hard he tries or how much he drinks, the urge will do to him as it will, and when it wishes. It stops being fun and it gets scary, from that moment on.

But here's who did stop it: Astarion. Where alcohol fell short and his willpower failed, Astarion stepped in.

So, more interesting than the scene itself to me, is how from that point on DU drow would have no choice but put his trust entirely on the vampire to control him. He ties him up, he keeps an eye on him, he has full spoken-word permission to kill him if necessary - he is forced to be as vulnerable at humanly possible under his hand, every night. Regardless of whether or not DU drow realizes that Astarion is doing it for his own reasons, he doesnt care, because Astarion has now become his rock and his bondage - hell, if Astarion does have a reason to keep him alive that's all the better; someone else might just slit DU drow's throat and be done with the concern altogether.

And so, it's only from that point on that DU drow truly starts to see Astarion as an equal, and even a partner. He's thinking that, if his whole life has to be like this, at least he has someone who can handle it.

Astarion, meanwhile, I believe only comes to truly consider (and wish for) DU drow's freedom after he's free from Cazador - and after he bestows that freedom upon his siblings and the other spawn. That's when he finally understands the length of DU drow's devotion to him and the value of freewill as a concept- and how he wants it for both of them, instead of being content with his own.

Not to mention... I think in Astarion's mind he was 100% not going to survive Cazador LOL so when he succeeds he's like "oh shit I guess anything is fucking possible huh. Yeah fuck it lets go fight your dad, also I've decided I want you for realsies, now."

Anyways, can you believe I thought this was gonna be a short ask. Here have a doodle I made while thinking about all this bullshit:

As for Kressa, I got an ask about that before but I can't find it now LOL to summarize; he was pissed, angered, and in a far more personal level embarrassed to have had his dirty laundry aired (AKA, victimized) in that way in front of the others - but this isn't something he would have expressed outwardly, and I think both Shadowheart and Astarion would have known better than to inquire him about it. It's not really something he would have sought out comfort for in anyone, so, I think the subject died as soon as Kressa did. In this case, their lack of commentary was completely appropriate - If they had reached out in any way (which would have been, in my opinion, completely out of character) DU drow would have shut them out with a quickness.

[raythekiller]

May I ask for a Jennifer's body entity like newcomer. Gender neutral, please and thank you. (also your Oc looks so attractive) :D

Take care of yourself and hydrate~

P.s. sorry if it isn't clear (⁠-⁠_⁠-⁠;⁠)

🗒 ❛ Jennifer's Body-Like Entity Reader ༉‧₊˚✧

Featuring: Jeff The Killer, Ben Drowned, Ticci Toby, Eyeless Jack, Masky, Hoodie

#Notes: NO WAY THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE MOVIES

pronouns used: none, gn! reader

˗ˏˋ back to navigation ´ˎ˗

꒰⸝⸝₊⛓┊Jeff The Killer

Laughs at your story. Seriously? All this because you lied about being a virgin? Talk about bad luck. Though he pokes fun at you, you kind of scare him when you're hungry, not gonna lie. He won't let you have his victims, he's possessive over them, but he'll ask EJ to share some of his food with you (without you knowing he was the one requesting it, obviously. He can't let you think he cares).

꒰⸝⸝₊⛓┊Ben Drowned

Finally, another person who's not human! Feels a lot more comfortable sharing the story of how he was murdered with you if you do the same. Though his mind does go to the gutter once you mention the not being a virgin part. He's a little pervert, what can I say? Also goes to EJ to ask him to share, since he doesn't want you to be hungry and therefore vulnerable.

꒰⸝⸝₊⛓┊Ticci Toby

If you didn't kill the people who sacrificed you yet, he's gonna be the one who does it. No one who commits such an atrocious act deserves to be alive, in his opinion (and you know what? He's right). Super understanding of your dietary needs and doesn't judge you at all, quite the opposite, he might bring his victims to you so you can feast on them. He's such a sweetie.

꒰⸝⸝₊⛓┊Eyeless Jack

By far the most understanding, given the fact he was also a victim of a sacrifice gone wrong and possessed because of it. You're the only person he feels comfortable talking about the cult with or taking out his mask in front of. Absolutely shares his food with you, might even bring you fresh prey if you prefer it. Generally just relates to you a lot.

꒰⸝⸝₊⛓┊Masky

Total prick. Doesn't care about the struggles you went through and finds the things that you eat disgusting and will not sugar coat it at all. If you have to, you have to, but just don't do it in front of him or he will fake gag just to piss you off. That being said, he does bring you victims, but only when you haven't eaten in a while since he says you're annoying while hungry (good save, Tim, good save).

꒰⸝⸝₊⛓┊Hoodie

You're his go to when he needs to get rid of a body and he likes you a lot for it, makes his job a lot easier. Not very empathetic towards your past, but that's just because he can't feel empathy at all, not because he doesn't care. At most would say that he's sorry that happened to you while giving you a pat on the back.

[beels-burger-babe]

Why is it that in all of your obey me fics MC is either dumb and obvious to all the brothers concerns or a weak bitch who’ll lose an arm wrestle match to a 7 year old boy??? Dont get me wrong I like your fics I do and I do appreciate your talent as a writer however you write MC as if they aren’t 1.Master of the 7 sins and 2. Solomon the wise’s apprentice. They know magic yet in all of your fics it seems like they either forget everything they learned or just can’t summon any of the brothers to take care of them, so like what the hell is up with that?

Hello Mx. Anon

I would argue my MCs I present aren't weak or stupid. They are human.

I prefer the MC we have in the early stories of the game over the MC in the later episodes. The MC who is still learning about the Devildom, and magic, and the culture around them. Most of my fics take place during that time when they AREN'T Solomon's apprentice yet and either haven't formed pacts with the brothers yet or respects them enough to see themself as their 'Master' and abuse that title. Because of this, the MC I tend to write often doesn't have magic, and yes I make them the victim in several scenerios of the over 70 fics I have as those tropes are very popular and often times requested.

However.

Just because they may be oblivious to the advances of the characters (which is not true for the majority of my fics where MC is actively in relationships with one or more of them) that does not make them stupid in general.

I believe in the strength of the average. I don't like writing super strong, super powerful MCs because I don't find them relateable. You can have a super badass MC who is trying their best and never so much as casts a spell, and they are still a bad ass. I think MC being mundane in the Devildom is what makes them so unqiue. Their strength doesn't lie in their magic, but in their emotional intelligence, their empathy, and their words.

That said. I have written fics where MC tries to kill their ex. (Changes in Behaviour). I have written an MC who punches Levi across the face and spits blood on Lucifer's shoes, and who refuses to take any bullshit from the brothers. (Sister's Keeper). I have several MCs who does not allow others to cross their boundaries and abuse them (What's in an Apology?, The Pain is Yet to Come) I have a deaf MC who stands up for themself and doesn't allow others to see them as less (Deaf MC AU). I have written a siren MC who attempted to murder the brothers, their captors, in order to escape. (Waves are Calling) I have had MC flirting right back at them with confidence enough to take control. (Class is in Session.) I could go on.

I see your critique. I hear it. I appreciate it, because writing strong, bad ass characters who take no shit and who can and will fight for themselves is important.

I just prefer to show that strength internally over externally. If I do come back to writing here, which I haven't done in over a year, I will remember your words. But that said, my inbox is filled with prompts asking for more MC being saved or in situations where that physical poweress wouldn't necessarily apply.

Thanks. Have a nice day.

[bioethicists]

Genuine question, but is restorative/ transformative justice useful for addressing hate groups?

I was under the impression that the prevention of violence extended to hate groups, but I keep seeing the reoccurring message from some people that incels, for example, don't need compassion or community (reasoning being, that they became incels because of their entitlement and superiority complex, which would not be solved with accountable compassion or community).

But I don't really understand the unspoken alternative? It seems so much worse for the women they'll inevitably interact with to just leave them isolated in their community, edging each other to the extreme.

while i do think some people online genuinely believe that incels are like, broken sociopathic monsters who need to be murdered or abandoned by society because it's their own fault etc, i think most of the time what people mean by that is "the burden of teaching men not to hate women should not be on women; men are still responsible for their own hateful actions; they are not owed my compassion or empathy, even if it would 'help' them". it's also backlash to the fact that people like incels often get painted as poor little victims in a way many other people (like the women they hate so much) do not.

that being said, everything that happens to anyone ever happens in community, whether people like it or not. total individualism is fake + any leftist worth their salt knows this. if the only way you can imagine someone having accountability for their actions is to believe that something is entirely, 100% their fault with absolutely no outside influences or nuance, then nobody can never be held accountable for anything. everyone needs compassion + community (i would argue the benefit many ppl derive from hate group membership is a sense of community), but i wouldn't say they are owed it by any individual. i would also say that the way in which compassion/community is applied (often when there is no political analysis + it's just based on appeals to "everyone has good inside them" or "love away the hate") in these cases can become just a way of reinforcing an echo chamber, refusing to challenge someone's beliefs, or silencing the people harmed (critiquing ppl for not being "good" victims or not having compassion for their abusers).

ppl often misunderstand restorative approaches as being "lesser" or "letting people off" when they can often require more accountability + more demonstration of change than a carceral approach. it is not synonymous with "loving someone's hate" or "letting them off easy". i mean, under the u.s carceral system, membership in most hate groups is not illegal. even when it becomes legally relevant, the people who are actually harmed are rarely centered in these approaches- it's just a bloodfest over how much we can punish people so we can show off how we think misogyny is super bad even as the court system continues to be one of, if not the most prolific perpetrator of misogyny + victim blaming. as if a handful of violent misogynists' suffering is supposed to be vindication or deterrence (when it never rlly is).

ultimately, there are tens of thousands of reasons why someone may be a member of a hate group, but it usually boils down to the fact that they are deriving some sort of benefit- financial, emotional, familial, cultural, interpersonal, etc- for doing so. some people would probably respond really well to a restorative approach because they would be capable + interested in delving into why they believe these things + how they could get their needs met without harming others. others are fully aware of the fact that they are deriving benefit at the expense of others + simply do not care or, worse, that is the benefit for them- the hurting other people/feeling superior to others. part of moving outside of the logic of the carceral system is moving past the idea that every individual person must be either punished or saved, rather than focusing on the conditions which create hate groups + give them power.

there may be a lot of individual members of hate groups who would not benefit from restorative practices, but we can still make hate group membership as undesirable + lacking benefit as possible, minimize the amount of power + resources they have to do harm, magnify the amount of power + resources the people they are harming have access to. to me, this is restorative, because it focuses on minimizing harm rather than punishing perpetrators + centers around people who have been harmed. further, if we understand the needs or desires that often drive hate group membership, we can work to make those needs/desires easier to fulfill through less destructive means + do the structural work of addressing why, for example, so many teenage boys have a need/desire to feel sexually dominant or 'alpha'.

the biggest restorative work to me is not based on any one individual, but on making the pathways into hate groups as narrow as possible + the pathways out as broad as possible, while still emphasizing accountability + capacity for change.

[swallowtail-ageha]

Scrolling through your asoiaf tag and you have such good and correct opinions like how can anyone love just Dany or just Sansa or just Arya like how can anyone not see the parallels between Dany and Sansa it makes me feel so crazy like why are there so few people who love all the girlies?? I genuinely love every single female POV character and can’t imagine hating any of them. I mean sure yeah Cersei is a villain but you’re telling me her tragedy doesn’t touch your heart? Watching this woman desperately try to avoid her prophecy as it unfolds before you doesn’t have you in a death grip? Or like are you unmoved by Sansa telling an annoying snotty little boy how brave he is because she wants him to feel better? Dany comforting Missandei when her brother dies? Arya getting to the house of the black and white and immediately thinning to being a man a cup of water (or at least what she thought was water)? How about Sansa telling Joffrey she hopes Robb cuts his head off? Dany sassing the man who wants to open the fighting pits? Arya telling Jaquen to kill himself? Like please come on. All three girls are obviously different but they share so many very endearing traits. I am fiercely holding tight to my delusion that Dany and Sansa will bond over stories and songs and Arya will teach Dany about all the flowers in Westeros and then Sansa will show them how to make flower crowns and embroider little emblems on Arya’s clothes

First of all tysm!!!!

The whole arya vs sansa vs dany fandom fight frustrates me to no end, mainly because all parties involved seem to have little to no empathy to the characters whose stans they oppose. It's all maliciously extrapolating some parts of the text to make them see worse than what they are (ex: daenerys' "if i look back i am lost" getting twisted from "dany knows that dwelling on what ifs and turning your back after you have taken a commitment will only damage you in the long term" in "dany doesn't want to reflect on her past mistakes and will go mad and get stabbed to death" or sansa getting frustrated at sweetrobin being a sign of her being ableist and classist while it's. Just a normal reaction of a stressed and traumatized 13 yo who is otherwise very sweet to her cousin)

For loving the female characters same! Even those who commit outwardly villainous acts do get lots of humanizing moments, Cersei, as awful as she is, is simply a product of the hyper misogynistic society she lives in plus years of parental and spousal abuse (and the doomed by prophecy vibes) and. I genuinely don't get how people can look at the walk of shame and say it's a fitting punishment to her crimes

Overall all the hate for female characters that are more complex or more driven or more morally ambiguous than what most female characters are presented as in other media in a fandom who (supposedly) prides itself in liking morally ambiguous characters is.. frustrating, really. I blame both fandom misogyny but also the GoT series, as it's outright changes in female character's actions and stories to make them look better or worse than what they originally were skewered the visions of almost everyone in the fandom (arya is an egregious victim of this. Scenes such as her caring for Weasel or her befriending sex workers in braavos don't exist and they added that "all girls are idiot" scene that i hate and they removed all her plan to free the northmen from harrenal and she got turned from traumatized child to hashtag no one super cool assassin and her character got straight up murdered in the tv series.)

Oh and also for kickstarting the whole jonsa vs jonerys thing which i'm pretty sure is the origin of the stupid dany vs sansa wars

And yes!! Dany Sansa and Arya should get to meet and reunite! While i do think that there will be some slight tensions between Sansa and Arya because they left on Not So Well terms, they have also matured a lot, so i do think they would have an heartfelt reunion. Meanwhile Dany and Arya could bond because of both their connection to Braavos and Arya's admiration for those who free slaves, and Dany would empathize (and feel a common ground) with Sansa for her being a child who had all her family die and got married extremely young while beeing creeped on by older men, while Sansa, who is shown to admire women like Margaery or Myranda, who are shown to be very keen regarding politics or social issues, something that Dany is

In the end, i genuinely hope that all three of these traumatized little girls get their happy ending and none of them dies, they all are interesting and complex characters that share parallels with each other, and it sucks that because of stupid ship wars or discussions on who would get the throne they get pitted against each other. THEY WOULD BE FRIENDS Y'ALL

[lunar1an]

thinking a lot about wildbow's early works (worm, pact) and his more recent moralistic works (ward, pale) and the sheer difference in narrative empathy

in worm and pact you have characters who do fucked up things but it feels like a lot of effort is put into understanding the people behind them and where they're coming from. rachel's dogs maul people but there's a whole Arc of taylor learning to vibe with her and befriend her and of rachel getting what she needs (a place alone with her dogs where she can let other people in at her own pace) and growing as a person. all from the angle of 'this is genuinely good for rachel and helpful'. we want her to succeed because we care about her.

in pact we see how sandra duchamp grew up, how she's just as much a victim of her family as she is someone who perpetuates that harm, and while she's an antagonist the story doesn't spoonfeed it to us--we're allowed to see her human and sympathetic moments and we're allowed to feel bad for her while also wanting her stopped.

it felt. i don't know. like the story in general respected these characters, respected the reader's ability to empathize with those characters while also knowing Murder Bad or whatever.

but then the major worm fandom interpretations shifted. you had reddit and other popular sources going on about how taylor was actually horrible and an unreliable narrator, and how the undersiders were actually ~super fucked up and evil criminals~. pact and twig were spared this for the most part by virtue of being less popular with those crowds.

and i'm not sure if the morality discourse got baked into wildbow's brain by osmosis or if he felt like he wouldn't be appeasing his fandom if he didn't address it or what.

but by ward suddenly that narrative empathy, for the most part, is missing. it becomes conditional -- the protagonist and others do not extend empathy towards others until they Properly Recognize What They've Done Wrong. any improvement, any attempt to do better isn't legitimate unless the Bad Deeds are addressed and atoned for by whatever inconsistent standards the narrative adheres to. what matters isn't riley being in a healthier place and making connections--ward thinks that we should be rooting for riley because she recognizes she messed up and is constantly making up for the atrocities she committed.

i think it's kind of reached its peak in post arc 13 pale though. every time empathy is extended it's near-always accompanied by a patronizing little reminder of "mmmm, well you did Bad Things too".

you aren't allowed to just say "well damn i sympathize with charles", for example, because the narrative constantly reminds you that actually he is Still Doing Bad and therefore you aren't allowed to feel for him. it doesn't help that the story continually one-ups itself on thinking of ways to make charles over the top evil either.

but either way it's just. bleak. in a story purportedly about community building it's shockingly uncaring. you can't just sympathize with a morally grey character or take them As They Are without the story casting judgment and constantly reminding you of their verdict. it's just exhausting and makes any positive message the story tries to send feel hollow

OBLIGATORY NOTE: this essay does not mean "actually all fallen and e88 and etc should be empathized with". what it does mean is that in a moralistic work it becomes telling when ex-nazi rune gets her own interlude and a bunch of pagetime to show how she's 'doing better' while that same courtesy isn't extended to many villains who are traumatized and might have, say, legitimate reasons to not want to be arrested or feel like they have no other option, or legitimate reason to not support the heroes, but oh. they do Crimes so actually none of that matters as long as they're still Doing Crimes.

[onecinder]

PAUSING THE GAME IN THE MIDDLE OF (EPISODE 4?) TO RANT

It will probably be incoherent and not based in reason at all because I'm in the middle of the game and haven't had time to cool down. But.

BRUCE IS A TERRIBLE FRIEND. and JOHN IS... KIND OF A TERRIBLE PERSON? (No i don't mean that)

I really, really want to dislike John but I just CAN'T. He's too sincere and he genuinely has good intentions, which is more than I can say about even people who are on the 'good' side.

I just can't help but think his response is sweet when Bats lets him keep the selfie or teaches him how to batarang. And I feel genuinely sorry for him when he's up in harley's office having a terrible time, in a really dark place, and all Bruce does is barge in and demand that he tell him where Harley is. Like, John had a freaking BLACK EYE and straight up told Bruce that Harley hit him, and he just dismisses that?? I get they're on a time crunch but he could show a little sympathy for his FRIEND?? Especially since John is already mentally unstable and clearly can't give them clear answers as of the moment (well, without a fair bit of prodding.)

Then there's the fact that Bruce knowingly took advantage, exploited, even manipulated a mentally ill, unstable, vulnerable and impressionable man. Like I know John isn't a saint and he's perfectly capable of manipulation - shown when he tries to manipulate Harley if the player chooses to teach him that - but he is still trying to 'find himself'. Being surrounded by a gang of criminals as soon as he got out was already not helping to shape him into a 'good' person, but when the only 'good' person around him is Bruce and that person is just USING him... that's pretty harsh, man. It just pushes him further away from who he may subconsciously want to be.

However, John absolutely loves violence and although he does show empathy on the vigilante path for Willy if he dies etc etc, oftentimes his love for violence overrides that (e.g. when willy is punched by Bruce, john just stands there recording. Same with Bruce's fight with Catwoman in the water tower.) Along the same lines, he also shows no remorse when all those people were slaughtered brutally in SANCTUM.

But I AM super reluctant to call John a bad person. He's clearly struggling with probably a multitude of mental disorders and mental health issues, which means a lot of what he thinks and acts is out of his control - and his heart's in the right place. So far (I think I'm up to EP 4 in The Enemy Within) I haven't actually seen him murder, beat up or torture anyone on screen (except those guys who were bullying Bruce in Arkham back in S1.) So he could just be a bystander for now. I don't think he's a terrible person for being victim to mental illnesses. Like what Joker said in Joker 2019, "the worst thing about having a mental illness is that people expect you to behave... as if you don't."

Also, it hurt when John just left Bruce to die in the cryo capsule. Like really, man? You're just going to say a few words of persuasion to Harley and walk away?

I don't know. I know Bruce cares about John as a friend, clearly through his actions, but...

WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS OPTION??

SLAP HIM??? WHAT THE HELL MATE. The RANGE in these answers.

Where's the option to comfort him? He just got his heart crushed and his worldview flipped - by both bruce and harley.

My heart just absolutely broke when John said he actually thought Bruce was coming up to check on him.

I liked how Batman didn't batarang John during the SANCTUM fight, though. He still thinks John is redeemable and considers him a friend. So Bruce definitely cares about him, even though he's visibly.... put off by John a lot of the time. (Just watch his facial expressions. It's usually either weirded out or amused or maybe that's just me?)

It's sad that John has to suppress who he is to please either Bruce or Harley. The Joker's whole thing is that he's an anarchist and rejects the boxes society tries to put him in. And, John being 'himself' before he met either Harley or Bruce - way back in Arkham (he mentioned he met Harley in Arkham, but back then he was more in control, and I'm not sure if he'd met her yet when Bruce met him.) was still loving violence. People change, as Bruce believes, but can John really change to be a 'better person' or is he just suppressing his true desires? Being a 'good person' probably isn't even healthy for him. Idk, I haven't finished the game yet but I know generally how it ends from spoilers.

[cartoonsbyandie]

So let's put you in charge of a throwaway case. How would you make the perp an ideal foil to Kogoro?

My immediate thought was cop/former cop culprit, or culprit that murders their ex for the sake of being able to move on, until I remembered that both of those were already done within the same case. (Albeit with weird timing considering that case came before Eri was introduced.)

I think one interesting way to go would be a guy who commits a murder on accident while drunk. Conan episodes tend to have the culprits be mega-geniuses that planned everything super far in advance, or are supernaturally able to come up with complex ways to cover it on the spot. There's the odd case Conan is bothered by the culprit's sloppy work and literally suggests ways they could've done it better, but I like the thought of really running with that.

Let's go really on-the-nose: Two guys pool their money together on a bunch of horse-racing tickets, and one of them comes up a big winner. The agreement was to split the profits, but since it was all only under one guy's name, he reneges on that and says he's going to take all the money. They're both wasted and have a drunken fight outside the bar, resulting in one guy pushing the other, him tripping on a bottle, and bludgeoning himself on a dumpster. Culprit takes the ticket from his pocket and goes home.

Culprit only realizes what happened the morning after when the murder is reported on the news, probably a bit in denial about it. Blah-blah-blah investigation stuff, Conan and Kogoro teaming up, there were multiple people that hated the victim, a bunch of them also have winning horse racing tickets maybe. Conan is fixated on which ticket was the one stolen from the victim, Kogoro is fixated on the emotional element of what people do when they're drunk and what he would do.

Kogoro ends up confronting the culprit alone as he's burning the horse-racing ticket (there's no hope of cashing it and planting it on one of the other suspects would just ruin their lives) and is debating on jumping off a building. Kogoro stops him and convinces him to turn himself in. He gets to have empathy for the victim, that he acted how Kogoro would have if he found himself in this situation, and convince him that he still has something to live for. He needs to atone for his crime, but not like this-- there's enough death in this town, and people would miss him. Maybe Conan even shows up with the guy's friends from the bar to show up and help convince him. Kogoro gets to be the person he wishes he had after he drove Eri away and ruined his life. (Not a perfect comparison since murder is far worse than that, but y'know, if that guy has a path to redemption then maybe Kogoro does too.)

End-credits scene where Kogoro is drunk and cheering on a horse race of course because this is DetCo and no one can learn anything. Except then Conan notices he's drinking non-alcoholic beer, but still acting like he's wasted, and just has so many questions.

Disclaimer: Decent odds this set-up has been one before, I haven't seen every Conan filler episode.

[mable-stitchpunk]

Do you think The Mimic is pure evil or just one very unfortunate bot? seen a pretty big group of people lately saying its just pure evil but I'm unsure if a learning AI can actually be pure evil, esp when you could potentially contain and correct its behavior and AI.

While I do hate what the Mimic is now and that its just a charmless Ennard, I do think the Mimic has a ton of potential especially if a redemption path is taken with it, its a learning AI, its not set to be what it is forever, and with the theory that Cassie survived as well as Roxy I think its a perfect set up for Mimic redemption.

The Mimic could watch the positive interactions between Roxy and Cassie and learn like its supposed to, while I don't see it being immediate the Mimic could go from hostile to just... not exactly nice but not murderous, harsh, cautious, curious. And personally if anyone was going to befriend the Mimic I do think it'd would be Cassie, she feels empathy even for scary things that chase her.

But I doubt this would ever happen, its taking away a big scary bad guy from the plot and not putting another one in, even if I think the new big bad should be whoever owns Fazbear Entertainment now, there is some super shady stuff going on there. I think unfortunately the Mimic may be doomed to always be a shallow Ennard, a big scary monster and nothing else, even if it shouldn't be.

I feel like, from what we've seen in the books and game (and ignoring the random inconsistencies through some of the interpretations, that Mimic is pretty much just an evil supervillain who is bad. Sort of like Eleanor except sometimes it strictly mimics and other times it's aware. If it's possessing Helpi when his eyes go yellow, then it also occasionally acts like some of the variations of novel William.

By which I mean, Mimic could be a complex villain, but I just don't see it happening. A lot of what it is was piecemeal from other characters and backstories, which already doesn't show much originality on its part. And looking at the characters who directly inspired it, Eleanor, I don't foresee Mimic to be anything more notable than Afton replacement.

There of course ARE a few routes they could've or could go that would make Mimic more interesting. Here's some ideas:

Have Mimic actually not a sentient creature but instead does just mimic everything. In that case, it could mimic someone like Cassie or Roxy and become friendly- only to risk becoming aggressive again if it gets the chance to lock onto another subject to mimic.

Have Mimic be Edwin's child and have his resulting aggression and switch into villainy triggered by what Edwin did to him. A sort of reverse-Henry scenario. Plus, maybe there can finally be some thematic repercussions for the abuse and trauma the haunted animatronics went through. The new villain being a victim.

(I don't personally like this idea, but in case you want a shocking twist) Maybe had the Mimic be Glamrock Freddy. Recontextualize Freddy's "when she brought me down here" and "I am not me" lines. While clearing out the basement, Vanny accidentally awakened the Mimic who then overtook Freddy's body. Mimic then became convinced he WAS Freddy. Of course, this would only be effective if it was set up and revealed in Security Breach. Even then, it would still be a twist for the sake of a twist.

Have Mimic actually be Ennard, lol. I don't know how he got there, but those wires could probably squirm into a random suit more easily than a random endoskeleton.

Have Mimic start mimicking Roxy and Cassie get control of it through its programmed bond, then have like an alternate Gregory/Freddy relationship except it's Cassie and this extremely aggressive endoskeleton that thinks it's Roxanne Wolf.

Of all the options, Mimic being a redeemable or an easily manipulated villain would certainly be more interesting than just bad because evil. Maybe even go a Fabrication Machine route somehow.

In 9, the Fabrication Machine unleashes a war against the humans and kills them all off. While in the movie the Scientist suggests this could be because the machine doesn't have a soul, in the Scientist's Journal it is shown that the machine was overworked creating war machines for the humans and that its resulting turn on them was likely triggered by that.

In my opinion though, I think it would've been cooler if it was The Blob luring her down there. The Blob, under the right circumstances, could be very terrifying. It is a monster, but imagine it luring a child with the voice of another... perhaps because it believes it's a child too.

A mat of wires comprised of numerous victims, numerous bodies, numerous voices. It may not have any souls left inside of it, maybe it does but they cannot distinguish themselves. All it knows is that it wants out and it cries out for help from a 'fellow child'.

But there's no helping it. It is simply too dangerous- because unlike Mimic, who can barely move faster than a light jog, who can be broken apart by an elevator door, who is destructible... You cannot destroy writhing wires. There's simply too much to take it out.

You may try to suffocate the voices of agony, but they will continue screaming from the depths until someone comes to find them.

I don't think Mimic ever had a chance to be that cool. 😔

[itsnothingofinterest]

I do disagee that the masterpiece thing doesn't matter to Touya bevause he brings it up and it was why he wanted to prove be was better.

(In response to this previous ask.)

I mean, it's not nothing. It's just not the core issue. As you say, Touya only brought it up because he wants to prove he's better; but he only wants to prove he's better because he was denied his father's love over being inadequate and that's the source for a lot of his bitterness. And if we want to talk about all his bitterness; I'd point to Endeavor as a whole and also everything he represents in the hero industry as the source for all that.

Well I'll admite it is important to Shoto, as I said, as by rebuking the masterpiece claim he's proven he's become the kind of hero he wanted to be. (Which is one that lacked all of Endeavor's numerous flaws while still not being whatever Endeavor wanted him to be.)

But regarding what he needs to do now; well for starters he needs to save his brother. Like, from his head-space and bitterness, not from a bomb we knew about for 5 chapters. Because Dabi kind of ended this arc how he began and it's not in a good place. If Shoto wants to fix that, he's probably going to have to learn to really empathize and communicate with Dabi; because Touya's conversations with his entire family this arc have left a lot to be desired (especially since they've mainly been a rehash of his entire childhood). Don't dismiss his trauma because he's a murderer now and don't blame him for everything going on, focus on how he got here and maybe talk about his own shared feelings that Shoto's kinda brushed aside for a while now. And it'd also be good to show some care or concern for Touya himself while he's at it. I could maybe come up with more (like coming up with a plan to move forward), but a focus on better communication & empathy is a good place to start; especially if Shoto wants to save future villains who came from similar backgrounds to Dabi, but aren't Shoto's own brother.

On that note; if Shoto could get the idea in his head that he should become a hero that saves other victims like Touya (or himself for that matter) before they turn jaded & traumatized/to villainy then that'd be super. I suspect most readers him to do that, but we haven't gotten much of an indication he thinks his childhood situation isn't unique to his family, that other kids could have parents like Endeavor. As I said, his goal to stop any kind of cycle has been to personally avoid becoming like Endeavor; which, missions accomplished, but it kinda feels like it's only step 1 or 2 to preventing others from going through what he or his siblings went through. Talking to Dabi would be a great way to get started on that, I think, because Dabi is very aware that Endeavor isn't unique.

Which is all, again, is why I really don't think Shoto's character arc & the Todoroki plotline is close to done. Like, Dabi & Shoto have both indicated in their internal monologues that they want to talk and argue more; but those are arguments that should really be happening on screen instead of off, or regulated to a few pages of an epilogue. There's just a punch of plotlines that needs more time in the the over

[clonerightsagenda]

Ok let's put this to bed. Or more appropriately in the grave. Nice stuff first:

The show was well paced and didn't drag! After my increasing frustration with the second half of HDM, I appreciate that. While it veered further away from the books in the second half which annoyed me on principle, I don't think there was anything wrong with the changes from a structural or storytelling perspective. Adding hints toward later plot twists helped provide an overarching plot to propel the season since they squashed two books with separate story arcs together.

One of my favorite things about the books is the thought put into little details of how society would respond to this situation, and the show added some new ones - the salt sprinklers, places of business having countdown clocks to sunset, those all made sense and were great touches. The ghost lamps also looked super cool.

All the kids in this situation are victims, but Lucy doesn't see herself that way and is comparatively privileged as an unsupervised agent/not night watch, so her narration skates over a lot of the horror lurking in the background. The show gets outside her head and into the darkness a bit more, which I don't object to on principle, though I do think they weakened themselves by having almost all the agents be older. At least have some younger extras besides the canaries at the auction. DEPRAC being more active worked well both from a logical standpoint and as an additional source of tension. The biggest issue here is that the books are also really funny - a major hallmark of Stroud's work is dealing with heavy shit while being hilarious - and while the show got darker it did not have much of a sense of humor.

As I said, George came off the best of the trio, and Flo also benefited from being given additional depth and not getting subjected to Lucy's uncharitable narration. The others though... I appreciated they did not cast someone stick thin as Lucy, and I liked her relationship with Norrie (helps beat the internalized misogyny allegations, helps confirm the bisexuality allegations, if they'd had any sense in future seasons the Belle Dame would've looked like her) but as I complained about at length I feel like they saw 'female character with empathy powers' and slammed the 'hysterical woman' button too hard. Lockwood... also as I said you can tell non-Lucy observers think he's obnoxious in the books but he's endearingly childish enough that you forgive him, whereas his show version was just annoying and it felt like we kept rehashing the same beats. Finally the skull's character does shift noticeably between book 2/3-5 but they cut his backstory and most of his lines, so IDK where they were going to take him for the rest of the series. Sorry if you don't find Lucy's toxic codependent frenemy hostage situation compelling, showrunners, but it was a highlight for me. He was another casualty of the show not having a sense of humor imo. Without the first person pov that's where most of the jokes come from.

Overall, while it would have been neat to see if they did anything visually interesting with the Other Side sequences, I am not bummed that this got cancelled. I would've still watched it but I would've made an 'annoying adaptation choices' bingo card and filled it out while eating M&Ms. I'd bet $10 they would've murdered Kipps for the fucking love triangle.

[sparatus]

Plssss, the world needs more Sentiment & Reason, no matter what stage it's at

wip game

see what's funny is i actually started writing the first chapter in my head last night but it was like 4am and i HAD to go to bed lol

sentiment and reason is the sort-of prequel to to catch a rabbit, aka kryterius murder mystery, just in the sense that it takes place prior to rabbit. not super connected otherwise. this time, instead of saren and nihlus, we're covering avitus and macen and how they get together - specifically, via a spectre mission wherein they pose as a married couple moving into a neighborhood in order to investigate a murder.

so far i have the outline up to day 2 of the investigation, i'm working on getting at least to a workable skeleton outline before i start divvying up into chapters, but i do have the setting, the victim, the murder method, and the 3 primary suspects + actual killer worked out :3c and also a subplot about saren's great-grandfather dying of cancer and saren getting The Call sometime before the climax. that'll hurt like a bitch i already cried just thinking of him and des discussing the inevitable last night i'm fine but also it's important to avi and macen in that avi encouraging saren to go be with his dying parsaepat instead of seeing the mission through is a breakthrough moment for the two of them, proving that avi does have empathy and emotional intelligence he just keeps them under lock and key, especially once he admits to macen that part of his motivation for telling saren to go was that he (avi) didn't get to say goodbye to his own mother when she was killed when he was 12 and he doesn't want his brother-friend to have to live with that very unique kind of pain

i don't really have any snippets worth sharing so here's some Fun Facts instead:

title is derived from a poirot quote, because that is apparently my naming scheme for this series, specifically The Mysterious Affair at Styles: "'Every murderer is probably somebody’s old friend', observed Poirot philosophically. 'You cannot mix up sentiment and reason.'"

fic takes place on the turian world thracia, which is another one of the ones with no canon from the scavenger hunt me1 mission and i'm kinda just bullshitting as i go but currently i have it as a world on the part of the turian-human border that used to be (unpopulated, just claimed) turian-salarian, pleasant climate, mostly a retirement planet for older turians looking for somewhere peaceful and warm to spend their twilight years, but with the advent of humanity there's been an increase of alien immigrants and with them younger turians moving in to make the old people feel more secure. there's tension there as a lot of turians don't want humans to feel entitled to a turian planet while humans and some other species feel the turians are being reactionary.

the victim is lieutenant general tagetis agonian, a very old drake (147yo at TOD) with an illustrious career including supporting desolas arterius's rise to power/fame and being one of the commanding generals at shanxi

because we all know i love my meaningful names, agonian's first name comes from the genus name for marigolds Tagetes, because he's killed with a marigold crushed into his tea to trigger his severe levo allergy

macen also has a severe levo allergy. coming into contact with a mixed-chirality bouquet and explaining his sudden hives to avi is what gives avi the idea for what killed the general when his autopsy comes back negative for known poisons but his tea had an earth plant in it.

one of the suspects, myrenth "myra" d'saana, is an asari resident in their waning matron stage who works as an accountant in the city. they moved to thracia with their bondmate several decades ago, and while their bondmate has passed on they'd grown fond of the neighborhood and their neighbors and chose to stay there to raise the child she had with said bondmate. said child is currently in their early 30s, asari equivalent of about 8 or 9, and was conceived shortly before the bondmate passed as "something to remember her by."

myrenth is very proud of their garden and regularly went back and forth with tagetis for first place in the annual competition. their garden is mixed-chirality, but they politely kept the levo plants away from the fence bordering tagetis's yard so he wouldn't accidentally come in contact with them.

[bloodgutsanengelskiss]

This is a part 2 / chapter 2

Link to chapter 1 :

https://www.tumblr.com/bloodgutsanengelskiss/753097199935717376/cherryvanillacola-archive-of-our?source=share

Ao3 account:

Scarlet Secrets

--

Fandom: Criminal minds

Relationships: Spencer Reid / Elle greenaway , Spencer Reid & Elle greenaway

Tags/ warnings : drugs | drug use | drug addictions ( not in this Chapter but main plot point ) | (drinking addiction in a later chapter too) | hurt Spencer Reid | hurt Elle greenaway | they both need hugs | sometimes they get them ,sometimes they don't | unsub team Elle and spencer | major Charecter death | graphic depictions of violence

Synopsis: Spencer Reid struggles with his addiction and isolation after being kidnapped and Elle is the only one looking out for him ( oh and she has a secret, a really big one )

A/N: This is my first ever uploaded multiple-chapter work and English isn't my first language so I'm extremely open to criticism, hope you enjoy it!!

--

Chapter 2 : unkown

A/N : sorry for the probably super boring short chapter ,I PROMISE the next 2 are so much better ,longer (like alot longer) and exciting!

--

Spencer walked into the FBI headquarters, heading towards the conference room a little too quickly and accidentally bumping into someone; Emily

He mumbled an apology under his breath and tried to move past her, but she blocked his path.

"What's wrong?" Spencer asked in frustration and confusion.

"What's wrong with you, Spencer? You've been acting weird lately. I've never seen you like this," Emily asked out of genuine concern.

"Oh really, Emily? In all the months you've known me, you've never seen me act this way? No offense, but you really have no idea what you're talking about, do you?" His tone was sharp and defensive.

Emily stood there, shocked, but her expression quickly turned to one of pity and empathy. She knew something was wrong, but it wasn't the time to push him.

Spencer walked away and into the conference room, passing JJ, who stood at the door.

Emily and JJ exchanged a worried look as Emily followed him in.

"We have a new case," JJ announced once everyone had sat down.

"This is Jason Adams. He was found dead five months ago in a dumpster in an alley." She gestured towards the photos on the screen. "He was badly beaten with what looks like someone's bare hands and a bat. His genitals were mutilated as well."

"He was found in a bad area. Is he homeless or a drug addict ?" Hotch asked.

"No, that's the thing. He and two other victims, Brian Miller; found 2 months ago and Mark Davis; found yesterday, are extremely wealthy men. They were most likely killed at a secondary location or brought there," JJ explained.

"The public has done some of our work for us and figured out the motive. They've even given the killer a name: 'The Vengeful Vigilante,'" JJ continued.

"But they don't have criminal records," Garcia remarked.

"That's the thing. The public assumes that because these men were notoriously awful people with multiple lawsuits against them—lawsuits including rape and assault charges that were never followed up on—this much the local police figured out " JJ said.

"They obviously didn't get charged with anything," Spencer muttered.

"Yeah," JJ replied reluctantly.

"Our killer is also extremely smart, he crosses state lines, which is why we're only now being invited.

Though the last and first murders were in Quantico , so we'll be staying here"

"No wheels up this time," Hotch remarked

On the way back home, Spencer sat quietly in a taxi (of course he wouldn't let himself drive, even though the effects were mostly gone, he knew the drugs would still show up if tested) lost in thought, he didn't want to go back home.

--

Next chapter link :

[ask-the-radio-demon]

hmm… maybe a question about your sins, if I may ask?

I’m curious as to how your brain perceives the act of murder, seeing as you.. commit it, and also how you process empathy and stuff? I sound super formal, because I’m trying not to overstep and everything needs to be just and ethical, however it is due just out of curiosity!!! A lot of people’s morality and empathy stops them from committing such acts, so I’m curious as to why you are different.

Do you feel empathy or sympathy for anyone in situations like your own? Or is it strictly felt with marginalized groups in dire situations? If I am correct, I have heard stories of you leaving women and children away from your wrath!

Murder is like anything else. Its a tool to push me further up in the ranks- it's all about power. I don't care about my victims. I feel nothing towards them but the occasional hunger.

I don't kill kids. I'm not going into more detail than that, or I'll have to dispose of you after as well.

[m34gs]

For the ask: 12, 13, 14, 20!

Thank you for the ask, friend! From this ask game. No specific fandom or media, so if media is necessary for the answer I will choose the most applicable one for me for each question!

Alright, this got away from me a little. Under the cut she goes. Warnings for: murder, serial killers, true crime, Jeffrey Dahmer, and some very very very abominable behaviour that makes my gut churn and my blood boil.

12. the unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them

I don't know if I pay close enough attention to what fandom dislikes to know which characters are unpopular, I kind of just hang out in the spaces that have the things I like, so I may be like "Oh this character is super popular" and it's like no...no Meags. they're not. It's just that you followed five blogs dedicated specifically to that character in the past three days so you're seeing a lot of stuff about them.

If I had to pick one that I *think* would be unpopular, that I like, it would be Inca Kasugatani from Fire Force. I think people don't like her because she's completely self-centered and just wants that adrenaline rush; she just wants that thrill of whether or not she will survive. I think this is an interesting trait to have in a character and one that is not explored near enough in female characters. I find it a bit refreshing, especially that she followed what seemed in alignment with her character and chose the side that seemed more exciting to her. So many times a character will be set up as 'this person only pursues what they want' only to make some weird choice that doesn't align with their wishes, but shows no development up to that point, leaving me to wonder where the heck that choice came from.

We know I love an unhinged fictional character, and Inca is no different. She's coldblooded and does not care what others think. Don't get in her way, because you will not walk away unscathed.

I would never want to force someone to like a character, or to make someone feel like they have to justify not liking a character. I do feel like she would get more love if she was a boy (I can list a plethora of male characters who are self-centered, thrill seekers, cold and low or no empathy who are loved by the masses; I pay enough attention to fandom for that) or if she was on the side of the protagonist, or both, but that doesn't mean everyone has to like her or else they're being sexist or whatever. I don't really care that much if other people like her or not. I just think she's fascinating and I want to see what else she does.

13. worst blorboficiation

Hmm. Well, typically what I dislike is when characters who are complex and dynamic get boiled down to one character trait. That being said, with fiction I tend to try and live and let live.

Real people however? Oh that will get me. That will tick me off. Ignoring for a moment that I kind of find the "blorbofication" of real living people in general just distasteful, I'd have to say the one that gets me actually riled up, the one that disturbs me the most, is the "blorbofication" of Jeffrey Dahmer. Yeah, you heard me. People are out here treating real serial killers like they're some sort of fictional character to thirst over or call their "precious little meow meow". I don't care so much what people do with fictional characters, but if you're gonna glorify and thirst over a man who brutalized actual living people? Disgusting. Difference between serial killers and fictional characters? Uh, fictional characters don't hurt real people. It's just sickening. They sell merch with his face on it. Some call him "daddy"; I've seen the freaking tiktoks. Sickening. Disgusting. Makes me rather uneasy with the True Crime as a whole. Like, at least have the decency to treat the subject of True Crimes with respect and solemnity it deserves. The victims were real fucking people, ffs.

I don't hate all true crime; documentaries, reading articles, etc, I don't hate on the topic as a whole, and I even read and watch my fair share, the true crime fandom is not all bad, but you gotta treat the victims and families with RESPECT. You gotta recognize that some of these victims...their families, THEIR MOTHERS. ARE STILL. ALIVE. How would you feel if one day you're doing ok, you've finally managed to move forward with your life, and even though you miss your SON WHO WAS MURDERED, you can still live...and then BAM. Some asshole is wearing his murderer's face on a t-shirt like he's part of some fucking boy-band. How gross.

14. that one thing you see in fics all the time

"This character is the mom (gender neutral) and this character is the dad (gender neutral) and the rest are all their children" - this dynamic isn't *bad*. It's just done a lot. Don't get me wrong, I do love it as a found family dynamic. But I would love to see more "these two are clearly siblings and this is the feral child that pretends not to care but secretly does and these are the gay uncles and here's the vodka aunt and there's granny with her multiple lesbian wives" or "this one is clearly The Child and everyone else are the Responsible Older Siblings because they CANNOT be left unsupervised EVER" or something different once in a while. A family doesn't have to be "mom" "dad" and "kids". It can be so much more.

20. part of canon you found tedious or boring

Naruto - the flashbacks. So many flashbacks. Often the same flashbacks. Flashbacks *within* flashbacks. Enough. I get it. There's an important scene you want us to associate with this moment. But we already are. I honestly would zone out during some of them because they were just so long.

There you go, there are my answers! Thanks for asking. Hope you find them interesting :)