#all i can imagine is you being a criminal justice major

[brucewaynehater101]

I do have a few more examples! Tim offers Mister Freeze unlimited funding to help his wife on the condition that he sometimes helps with other projects. He hires Harvey Dent to be his personal lawyer (not that he needs one). Blood Sport, Death Stroke, Dead Shot, and many other mercenaries are hired to "break into" Drake Industries to hunt down and "kill" Tim or "steal" important information in order to test his companies defenses and tell him exactly how they got in so that he can patch any holes. He hires one to break in every 2 to 3 months but never the same person in a year. Like if he uses Deathstroke in August he can't use him again until January.

Tim also doesn't want to force these rouges to move far away from their homes so he opens up branches in Metropolis, Central City, Star City, and others too. Anywhere he opens an office for Drake Industries, crime rate always plummets thanks to him hiring all the Henchmen and giving them stable jobs that pay at minimum double the minimum wage of the area plus really good health insurance and other benefits. They even have dental and 4 months paid maternity *and* paternity leave! The desk work may not be as exciting as their previous jobs but boy is it safer.

Also I would like to make one note. DI is one of the few major cooperations in America that openly does *not* donate to the Jusitce Leauge. Tim is still salty about Bruce Quest and during an interview where someone asked how much he donates to them, Tim said, "oh I don't. At all. It's not that I don't believe in them, I do, uts just. There's already so many places funding them they don't need me. But you know who does? The younger generation of heroes. Did you know that The Teen Titans only get funding through the Justice Leauge? I don't think that's very fair so I donate to them. I donate to Young Justice. I track down and do research on dozens of younger heroes who aren't part of any organization and check to make sure they're doing good in their community and then I directly donate to them. Superheroing is expensive, just look how much the JL spends on it! Could you imagine? Being fresh out of high-school, working a minimum wage job, and having to make your own suit and gadgets while also paying for *college*? The stories I have heard from some of them! This one poor kid, he told me that he had to use this roll of regular fabric he found in a dumpster because buying a roll was to expensive! Of course I sent him to a super hero tailor on my own dime, after all he just wanted to help his community saving kittens from trees and stopping local mugging. But still, small heroes like him are important. After all, didn't Superman start by saving cats from trees? Didn't Green Arrow start by stopping a mugging? Didn't Batman himself start by stopping a purse snatching? You never know who the next big hero will be in 5 or ten years."

I might have gotten a bit to into that rant. Listen. Listen this is a subject close to my heart. Small Time Heroes Are Important!

My gods, I love this so so much. You combined two tropes I love: Tim using Business to fund social programs/decrease crime/hire ex felons and criminals, and Tim turning his back on the JL after the BruceQuest.

Added with Tim funding small time heroes???? This is phenomenal

[anthurak]

Takeaways from the Volume 9 Epilogue:

--

One thing I really like about Oscar’s ‘If there was anything I wish I could borrow from you…’ monologue is that it laid out/confirmed something I’ve always felt was a major aspect of Oscar’s dynamic with Ruby that I nonetheless feel a lot of the fandom has missed: That Oscar very much sees Ruby as a mentor and an example to follow, and how their dynamic is specifically a foil to what we saw between Ruby and Ozpin. That Ruby acts as a mentor and example to Oscar in the same way Ozpin was to Ruby, and that Ruby is a far BETTER mentor and example to Oscar than Ozpin ever was to her. Which, as an aside, is a dynamic I can’t help but feel a lot of people have been misinterpreting as ‘ship-teasing’ and is one of the main reasons I’ve simply never been able to see Oscar as any kind of viable love-interest to Ruby. Frankly the dynamic of ‘Ruby is the mentor and example to Oscar that Ozpin couldn’t be for her’ is simply so much more INTERESTING than any kind of romance could ever hope to be.

--

Even in animatic form, Winter basically going overdrive on the maiden powers was a sight to behold. And her own monologue had all the self-deprecation we were expecting. Our girl is clearly holding on by a thread and it’s going to be REAL interesting seeing how she reacts and adjusts to her sister not actually being dead. As in, I can imagine a situation where Winter tries to throw herself into a heroic sacrifice with the belief that Weiss would make a better Maiden than her.

Also, Winter’s monologue giving major focus to how Penny is super-super-dead-dead-and-definitely-not-coming-back-for-really-realsies, as she is talking to the sister who she ALSO believes is DEFINITELY also dead? Specifically with the words that Penny is gone, when Penny’s last words to her were that she’d be ‘part of you’?

Yeah, there is no way in hell we’ve seen the last of Penny XD

--

The CROWN. Like it was only a few shots, but as someone who read the CFVY Books (which you totally should if you haven’t, they’re great), holy shit I was NOT expecting them to pop up here.

I mean, in hindsight it makes perfect sense that they’d be involved in Volume 10. They’re basically Vacuo’s equivalent to Vale’s criminal element and the White Fang splinter faction as Salem’s co-opted insurgency group, with Jax and Gillian joining Roman, Adam and Jacques as the latest of Salem’s unwitting patsies. It’s definitely going to be real interesting seeing the crew deal with them. Like it’s really fun to imagine Team RWBY in particular being kind of exasperated at seeing Jax’s probably doing a whole ‘With Salem’s help I shall be King!’ shtick after everything they’ve seen with Roman, Adam and Jacques.

Oh and if you don’t know, Jax has a mind-control semblance, so him trying to use that on Yang could actually lead to a sneaky callback to the Justice League crossover, ie; Yang doing a ‘Yeah, I’m not doing THAT shit again.’ XD

--

Qrow’s whole vibe through this is fascinating. Like his section may have been the one we already saw, but after seeing the abject depression and growing despair of all the other characters, Qrow actually being OPTIMISTIC hit so much harder.

--

Raven showing up at the end is… interesting.

I’ll admit that ever since we saw that specific clip a few months back, I’ve been rather conflicts about Raven showing up to deliver RWBY+J to Vacuo, particularly after Ruby’s tree vision. Like for one it felt a bit random and unnecessary. The tree already deposited the Ever After team outside of Vacuo so they didn’t exactly need help getting there. Not to mention that it kind of clotheslines the story-thread set up by Ruby’s vision; that she now has a reason to track Raven down to get the ANSWERS to what happened to Summer. Finally, it’s just kind of… random? Like where did Raven even come from to get the team?

But now having seen the clip with its intended context, I’m definitely more on board with it. Particularly hearing from Kerry and Eddy that the original ending for the penultimate episode had RWBY+J going through the portal to arrive at their memorial stone, and met by a ‘Mysterious Figure’, ie; Raven. Here it feels like were getting more set up to get answers later as to what Raven was doing at the memorial.

And really, now that I’ve thought about it more, this method kind of puts the thread of Ruby going to Raven for answers even MORE into focus. Like the story reintroduces Raven in the present right after Ruby got a vision basically saying ‘hey, Raven is important’. And now going into Volume 10, we’re pretty much perfectly positioned for Ruby to pull Raven aside for those all-important ‘Why were you fucking my mom? What happened to my mom?’ questions.

--

Finally… yeah that ending hit me a LOT harder than I was expecting. Like that ending was HOPE in its purest form and it was honestly beautiful to see. Particularly right now with the future of the show seeming so uncertain. I’ve personally been optimistic about RWBY’s future (in a manner not unlike Qrow’s vibes I suppose lol), but damn the hopefulness of that ending hit especially hard, and was something I’ll admit I needed. And I imagine the rest of us could use as well.

We'll be getting Volume 10. And 11, and 12, and however many more it takes to finish this story. At this point, I have no doubt of that.

[matan4il]

Hello! What kind of power does the recent ICC statement hold, and what kind of precedent will the arrest of Netanyahu and other several high ranking members of the Israeli government set? I'm genuinely frightened, as I can't imagine that the consequences will be anything but utterly disastrous

Hi Nonnie!

Honestly, I've read and heard so much about this topic, I will do my best to convey what I've been exposed to and processed, but keep in mind that I am not a legal expert.

First, I just wanna point out that for the time being, the ICC's chief prosecutor Karim Khan has only asked for arrest warrants against Hamas' leaders and Israeli ones. They've not been granted yet.

Second, a short explanation on the difference between the UN's two international courts.

The ICJ (International Court of Justice) is where states can be "judged" and "be sentenced," with some judicial outcomes having more real life consequences than others. This is upheld through conventions these states are signed on to (apparently, this is somewhat problematic, because it means the judges are not necessarily using established laws, rather they go by loose and open to interpretation statements that exist in the conventions), while the ICC (International Criminal Court) can only be used to prosecute individuals, not states, for their own crimes that they personally committed or oversaw.

The ICC's record in actually bringing major human rights violators to justice is... rather poor. It's not very good at getting these leaders extradited, so the court can put them on trial (because it's really easy to not travel at all to avoid extradition, especially for a wealthy tyrant who got rich from their war crimes, or to only travel to countries the criminal has reason to believe won't extradite him... shall we talk again about South Africa not extraditing Omar al-Bashir when he was on its soil, despite being responsible for countless murders in his country of Sudan?) and then, even on the rare occasion when they do get a leader extradited and put on trial... more than one ended up being exonerated by the court. Most people prosecuted there are NOT brought to justice.

In the case of Israel, it is NOT a party to the Rome Statute, which established the ICC. It initially wanted to join, but then had reason to believe the ICC might end up being used to wage political warfare instead of justice. I think seeing this proves Israel was right. BTW, the US ended up not being a party for the same reason. The ICC can only investigate and prosecute for 1 of 4 possible crimes (genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and crimes against peace. This means if you want to prosecute someone at the ICC, you HAVE to accuse them of one of these crimes, giving people motivation to make false accusations if need be), and only if that person's own country is "unwilling" or "unable" to do so.

That means Israel has several reasons to point out that the ICC's chief prosecutor is abusing his power: Israel not being a party to the Rome Statute means he has no jurisdiction over us (which means Israelis prosecuted will not even "get to" appear in court and plead their case, because as subjects of Israeli law, they can't recognize the court), it has not yet been established beyond doubt that any of the aforementioned crimes has actually been committed (how do you prosecute someone for a murder that might not have been a murder?) and lastly, Israel as a democratic country has an independent judicial system, which is both willing and able to investigate and put on trial its leaders (this is demonstrated by the fact that several of our past leaders have been put on trial, some even found guilty and imprisoned, and that our current prime minister, one of the two Israeli men the ICC is targeting, was and still is on trial in Israel, and is under threat of imprisonment).

On top of that, there's of course a few more signs that point to the prosecutor's behavior not being "kosher." For one thing, there's the fact that by requesting arrest warrants against Hamas' Sinwar and Israel's Bibi and Gallant, Khan created a moral equivalence between Hamas, the antisemitic, genocidal terrorist organization, which we KNOW carried out on Oct 7 (as well as before and since) war crimes, crimes against peace and crimes against humanity, and the elected leaders of a democratic state, waging a defensive war started by said genocidal terrorist organization. There's also the fact that Khan was supposed to come to Israel for the stated purpose of collecting evidence, but he canceled the trip, and made this move instead. What is he basing his request on, if he hasn't completed the measures that he himself thought were necessary to have a proper idea of what's happening here? This is also a precedent, because this is the first time ever when a democratic state's leaders are prosecuted by the ICC, something that as an idea shouldn't happen at all, since democratic countries have judicial systems willing and able to prosecute their leaders.

Now as an idea, if the ICC prosecutes individual Israeli leaders, not states, that shouldn't have an influence on Israel as a country. In reality, it does.

Because the prosecutor's move creates this false moral equivalence between Hamas' leaders, men responsible for insane death tolls for both Israelis and Palestinians for decades through their violent, extremist, genocidal antisemitic ideology and corresponding actions, and Israel's leaders, who are waging a defensive war, in which Israel is providing the enemy controlled territory with water, electricity, humanitarian aid, does its best to differentiate between civilians and terrorists, and even has a legal team to make sure all orders and struck military targets comply with International Humanitarian Law. This moral equivalence plays into every anti-Israel lie and dehumanizing propaganda, and enables the antisemitic wave we've been seeing around the world, so this is def gonna affect Israel for the worse, not to mention Jewish communities everywhere.

But it will also have consequences for Israel as it's painted as more and more of a pariah. "Why did you overstep your own jurisdiction and prosecute a democratic country's leaders?" will get twisted around to "this is proof that Israel is not a democracy and is committing war crimes!" which will make many wanna stay away from us, even though they'd be wrong. If Israel does become more and more shunned on the international stage, not because of actual crimes, but due to public perception, then this can hurt its financial, commercial, scientific and cultural ties. Basically, anything that requires international collaboration can be hurt, and the people who will pay the price will be the regular people in Israel. Ironically, this might also come back to bite the regular Palestinians in the ass. The Palestinians have never done anything (not under Hamas and not under the Palestinian Authority) to develop their own financial system, independent from Israel, so when Israelis will suffer financially, so will the Palestinians. The regular ones, the Hamas leaders and terrorists will continue to enjoy the donated money and stolen humanitarian and financial aid.

Lastly, the ICJ in its case against Israel (submitted by the same South Africa which has failed to extradite al-Bashir, and which enables its own political party guilty of genocidal chants) might be able to now quote Khan's request as "support" that Israel is committing a genocide. Just notice the possible loop between these two courts. The ICJ will take years to decide on this case, but in the meantime, can decide on provisional measures, which will punish Israel as if it has already been found guilty. The ICC, as an idea, is supposed to rely on the ICJ's findings and not prosecute anyone on a crime that hasn't yet been determined to have happened. But by requesting these warrants anyway, the ICJ can rely on the ICC to justify even further provisional measures against Israel.

This is a mockery of justice, a political weaponization of courts against a democratic state whose greatest crime is being misjudged based on the same ignorance and hatred that in the past have led to the type of genocide (against Jews) that these courts are meant to help prevent.

(for the record, several states have condemned the prosecutor for its moral equivalence of Israel and Hamas, but they also seem to understand that this blatant violation of some core principles regarding how the ICC is supposed to operate means that one day, that court can be used against others, too)

Footnote: Khan has never prosecuted anyone for crimes committed in other human-created disaster areas, including Bangladesh, Myanmar, the Philippines, Afghanistan and Venezuela, despite investigations there, and to the best of my knowledge has never ordered investigations into other areas where HUNDREDS of thousands have been murdered, such as Yemen and Syria, or regime leaders whose states sponsor global terrorism, like Iran.

Yeah, one day people are going to look back on this and try to figure out how the ICC and ICJ went so terribly wrong.

(for all of my updates and ask replies regarding Israel, click here)

[lttleghost]

okay I'm like complaining again but I wanna hear other ppls thoughts on this because I'm too impatient to wait until I've gone through all the commentary for BrBa and BCS in search of answers to confirm or deny my suspicions but GOD A FEW THINGS ARE DRIVING ME INSANE and I apologize for this ramble being maybe a lil disjointed in advance

so like, first, this scene-

if I look at this realistically it reads as Jake misinterpreting his and Jesse's parents talking about how Jesse's actions reflect back on them as genuine care, he's young, and I can imagine him having some insecurity in his parents care for him since we do know it is conditional, just Jake is currently meeting those conditions, but sensing that instability could've maybe influenced how he understood his parents talk of his older sibling.

but I just am having a hard time convincing myself that was intended when it was written... and this assessment from me could be unfair because - while I'm not quite sure at what point Jesse was no longer planned to be killed at the end of the first season - this does come from that first season, and I've heard there was a change in how Jesse was written after the first season and throughout the rest of the show there is NO evidence that Jesse's parents like, actually give a fuck about him, they actively make his life worse like when they kicked him out of his own goddamn house, and that all seems like those things have to be intended to make you think "wow Jesse's parents are awful!!!"

but then, not for me to complain about these two scenes in El Camino again but I'm gonna complain about these two scenes in El Camino again -

followed by this not too long after

because while if this movies thing of having blame being squared on Jesse's shoulders was just him talking to his parents it'd be easier to say "oh this is just a kid who was abused in a socially acceptable way not recognizing the abuse he went through and how that really did have a major effect on his life trajectory" but when these two scenes are put so close together it makes it really hard for me to not think that it's TRYING to say that Jesse is responsible for where he ended up even if they don't necessarily want bad things to happen to him

cause like I know, I know the writers are sympathetic towards Jesse but I don't think being sympathetic towards a character like him makes you immune to having harmful beliefs about addicts and criminals when they're so prevalent in wider society, like especially the idea that changing actions taken by individual people is the main problem that needs to be dealt with wrt addiction and crime instead of changing the structural problems that result in addiction and crime, like I've seen this mindset present in the fandom as well

I mean I know I have some evidence that at least Vince's ideas on justice aren't great with this bit from an interview about El Camino (also him having Jesse specifically say "I'm no cop killer" when Jesse would definitely know how cops are just another violent gang, like he could've just said "I don't want to kill anyone" instead of having cops on some higher level of innocence)

like I dunno believing at all that there's a good way to end with Jesse in prison (and not as a way to show how awful prison is either, since he talked about the idea of Jesse finally finding some sort of peace in prison sleeping) is kinda fucked up!!! I do want to fight him for this alone!!! even if like glad he changed it but I dunno the fact that he believes this just makes it easy to believe that he really would!! blame Jesse to at least some extent for what he got into, like I think that he understands Walt manipulated Jesse but I just, I dunno!!! things in BCS kinda bother me too irt just general ideas of crime and drug use ect... but I'm much less familiar with that show in comparison to BrBa so I don't feel as comfortable pointing specific things in it

like... do Vince Gilligan and the writers of Breaking Bad see Jesse’s parents as shit parents who were abusive in a socially acceptable way? or do they really think that they really did their best? is it somewhere in-between? like "they were abusive but they still didn't know any better"? or maybe is it as bad as believing Jesse's parents tried their best and them being rich is supposed to show that he had all he needed to succeed and was just a fuckup (instead of it showing that his parents had all the resources they needed to help him and... didn't) am I just overreacting because I am protective of my girl and the people that I know exist like him and am suspicious of those writing about them if I don't know all their politics behind the subject? I know I've talked to some ppl who have vindicated me w/ some of this but please share ur opinions I want to know the wider ideas on this since I feel like I just don't see it discussed that often

[poorslaindoll]

So I heard we were redesigning the Scooby gang for funsies. And character design is my passion so… Have this college au!

I honestly think that Velma would be the only one who’s actually a criminal justice major or going to school for a similar field, but I also think she’d minor in like robotics or something. She’s got a full scholarship bc she’s like a super genius or something.

Daphne is a fashion design major but dabbles in a few other things when she isn’t doing mystery stuff with the gang. I’ve always seen her as a jack of all trades type who can pick up skills p easily tbh. She’s just girlboss like that. Also the fact that Shaggy wears socks and sandals drives her nuts.

Fred is a theater kid and if you think otherwise you’re wrong. Idk much about theater majors but I think he’d focus more on the technical side of things, but he’s still a pretty good actor.

Shaggy just seems like they’d be the type to be a culinary arts major bc y’know… food. He’s also on the college track team bc that also makes sense to me. And Scooby is their emotional support dog. Anxiety service dog??? (I’m not all that familiar with the terms and what is considered like a service animal or not so I’m so sorry if that’s not correct.) Also baggy clothes to hold all the snacks.

I imagine that the gang is still solving little mysteries while in school since chaotic stuff just gravitates to them via the power of being main characters, but I also think it would be fun to have like an overarching mystery as well. And I think it would include the gang noticing that despite the normal lifespan of a dog, Scooby doesn’t seem to be getting any older…

[yanderes-galore]

Romantic concepts for a Yandere Light Yagami from Death Note where Darling is a Kira devotee pls OwO

I imagine you'd be like a tamer version of Misa.

Yandere! Light Yagami with Kira Devotee! Darling

Pairing: Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Stalking, Manipulation, Possessive behavior, Murder, Brainwashing, Isolation, Dehumanization, Dubious relationship.

Light, being Kira, naturally has some fans.

Actually, even Light himself is popular due to his looks, his grades, and his charisma.

Not many know who Kira is, and for good reason.

Light having a Kira Devotee! Obsession would probably work in his favor.

You would definitely be a similar case to Misa.

You may not be as obsessive as Misa, but you see Kira's work as a blessing.

Criminals dying is a great idea to keep the public safe, right?

Imagine if you and Light know each other, like friends from school?

You have no clue he's Kira, but naturally talk about the murders with him due to his major.

Light didn't expect you to be a Kira fan.

Yet here you are, talking to him, voice filled with praise for Kira.

You see Kira as a force of justice, one cleaning this world.

You don't care how wrong it is, to you it's simply like the death penalty for criminals.

Light's baffled... but prideful.

Seeing you speak to him so excited about Kira makes his ego swell.

You have no clue he's your idol, just rambling away.

He finds your oblivious demeanor cute.

If Light has romantic feelings for you by this point, hearing you are so fond of Kira makes him feel he has a chance.

He has a chance to make you his if he plays his cards right.

Light may at first dissuade you to try and keep his cover.

Yet, he supports you.

He supports you because you're a fan of his.

He's been waiting for this chance, before he even got the Death Note he's been following you around.

He has so many notes... he's so obsessed... Now it can be mutual.

Light would wait to tell you who he is, as much as he really wants to confess everything.

He needs to be strategic, to know you're genuine.

Light can be paranoid at times, he needs to know you aren't with the police secretly to check for suspicion.

Yet over time... He can tell you genuinely have praise for Kira.

He can use that to make you his.

Imagine if Light invites you over to his house, claiming he has important news.

He makes sure you're both in private before he begins his thoughts.

His confession... both of his identity... and his possible feelings.

The information is no doubt a bit... overwhelming.

Although... exciting for you.

This whole time you'd been friends with the person you looked up to the most?

You're no doubt loyal and ask to help in any way you can.

Which allows Light to have a good hold of you.

The bond between you is dubious and not entirely healthy.

You no doubt have feelings for him, but most of the time Light's using that to control you.

Your devotion keeps you as his.

Light could say anything and you'd listen.

You're completely loyal to him and excuse his actions.

Light could get away with isolating you just by saying you need to keep things secret due to his identity.

Light could kill those close to you and frame it to look like a criminal did it before he kills them.

Light could easily make himself seem like a hero in your eyes since you look up to him.

What's even better?

He can use your view towards him to get you to date him.

He claims it's to make things seem less suspicious.

In reality, Light has been in love with you for a long time.

Now's his chance to make you his, especially since you're so devoted.

Light could have so much control over you and you'd have no clue.

You wouldn't question him.

If Light wants something, you'll do it.

Light likes it when you're obedient, loyal, submissive...

You're his dutiful little follower, his love...

His obsession.

You're all his, too.

You'd follow no one else.

Plus, once he asks you to be his, you're isolated.

You follow his every move, encouraging and adoring him.

Not only that, but Light encourages you to continue supporting him.

No need for kidnapping... but there's still plenty of murder.

You wouldn't even question the death of your friends, would you?

Even when he starts doing questionable acts... such as asking for items from you or watching you from afar (He's always done this but now he can be more open with it)... you brush it off.

He's Kira, He's Light, He's your idol and more importantly... He's your boyfriend.

You don't care how much control he has over you.

In your eyes, he could do nothing wrong.

Your loyalty is strong yet blind...

Light's been waiting for this moment all his life...

Now you're all his, willingly too... his devoted follower... his beloved loyal pet.

[emin-folly]

Imagine that there's this person whose whole thing is being without fear and the fandom decides he's afraid of a dude in a fursuit.

Fandom Logic (tm)

I think it comes down to primarily two reasons, one being because people think it's funny

They think it's funny that this character without fear can suddenly be afraid of this human Bat guy. If it was just a few people in the fandom doing this, it wouldn't be nearly as bad; people are after all allowed to do whatever they want, even if we don't like it. The problem lies in where the actual comic writers start adapting this as canon as it's a huge disservice to Hal's character

The second reason is just basically these people legitimately think Hal should be afraid of Bruce because he's ~The Batman~ (which, again, you're allowed to think that, just know that's not really in character for Hal....like at all)

The whole deal with Bruce is that, both in universe and in real life, he's designed to terrify low level criminals: thugs, crooks, any unsavory person who wanders the Gotham alleyways. That's the environment Bruce works the best in. Where he can easily slip into the shadows, where he can become the night and make himself out to be a monster he wants to be. The only people who should be afraid of Batman are the ordinary hoods and criminals that infest cities

But when you suddenly stick him in a brightly lit room like the Hall of Justice next to all these colorful superheroes, that's where his effectiveness pretty much stops. All his tactics and methods to scare people don't really work here. Suddenly, he's just some guy in a bat getup with a scowly mask on. And these are seasoned superheroes, they don't scare easily, especially the ones with powers like speedsters or Kryptonians. Bruce is out of his element. Everything he does to try to act scary should look comical and silly at best

And as for Hal, I think we can all agree that Hal has definitely seen some shit. He goes off into deep space, for months up to a year or so. Who knows what kind of unimaginable horrors he's had to deal with?? Going a bit into headcanon area, but I think that if Hal wasn't desensitized before, he definitely is now. He's not afraid of space Cthulhu and he is not gonna be afraid of a bat furry who furrows his eyebrows really hard. Hal isn't scared of anything--physical, that is. And I feel like Hal is definitely the kind of person who sees straight through Bruce's BS posturing, Bruce's whole act just doesn't work on Hal.

Unfortunately, just like a tornado, any character who comes close to a Bat gets dealt major damage and we're still picking up the pieces and trying to set things straight again OTL

[xxxbabyinatrenchcoatxxx]

I love Andrew Minyard as a criminal justice major. Just imagine the possibilities that could happen!! He'd 100% write a paper about nature vs nurture that is about himself and Neil (only if you read between the lines can you tell that tho)

Oh man!! An idea is coming into my head as I think about this!!

Okay, okay, so imagine the following.

Andrew is in his The Serial Killer's Psyche class when he learns about the more recent recent killers, including The Baltimore Butcher.

He lowkey becomes fascinated with the whole thing.

(It's the knives)

And goes down a rabbit hole looking into anything and everything regarding the Wesninski family.

He learns that Nathan was married and had a son, Nathaniel, with a member of another known mafia family from across the Atlantic, Mary.

The son would be the perfect killing machine for these two.

But then he learns that Mary and Nathaniel died tragically in an unknown form.

"The family wants to keep their privacy in these hard times." The press says.

Despite Andrew researching for days (he even went to the library once!) He can't find any record of how they died, but their death certificates have the same time stamp on them so at least he knows they died at the same time.

After finding out as much as he can about the family, he is (and he would never admit this to anyone at all ever) solely on the side of the cops in believing that Nathan Wesninski is The Baltimore Butcher despite there not being enough evidence, etc etc.

Having learned all he could, he all but forgets about the Wesninski family.

Fast forward to the next semester when Kevin tells him they are going to Arizona because he found them a new striker.

As Neil is trying to catch his breath from Andrew hitting him, Andrew is suddenly excepiencing a new phenomenon to him "familiarity"

For some reason, this flight risk reminds him of someone, but he can't quite remember who.

This is new.

Not remembering something.

Is his memory failing him for the first time ever?

He blames it on his meds and moves on

Everytime he sees Neil after he moves to Palmetto, he has the same feeling.

Ever. Single. Time.

It is increasingly aggravating and intirely too intresting.

After weeks spent trying to remember who Neil reminded him of, filing through every person he's ever encountered, and Neil's skitish behavior, he decided that Neil must be a threat.

Why else would his instincts tell him not to trust Neil?

Why didn't he react to the Moriyamas coming south that fall?

Why couldn't he fucking remember where he knew Neil from???

His shell cracked a little bit and he decided on impulse that Neil was going to Eden's with them

Andrew was practically vibrating with rage by the end of that night.

"Who are you?" Andrew asked.

"Wha- I don't understand? I'm Neil?"

"No. I know you, but I've never seen you before." Andrew watched as Neil tensed, wondering what was running through the runners head.

"We don't know each other." Neil made as if to walk away, but he didn't make it far before he had to grab the wall to stabilize himself.

"I know you." Andrew said, grabbing his shoulder.

"No, you don't." Neil shoved him.

"Do you work for the Moriyamas?"

"You think I'm a mole?" Neil scoffed, but it was more slurred with the drugs in his system.

"You're something. And I know how to properly dispose of a body." Andrew said lowly, threatingly, putting both hands on either side of Neil, caging him him.

"So do I." Neil's voice was steady, and he shoved Andrew back as far as he could before taking off.

Neil feeds Andrew half-truths the next day at Wymacks, saying that he must have seen him on the street somewhere. He honestly had no idea why Andrew recognized him.

Andrew doesn't believe that, but he believes Neil's half-truths about his family and lets him go.

Eventually, the familiar feeling is exchanged with actual recognition, and the books continue on as normal

UNTIL

Andrew gets out of Easthaven and sees Neil with his blue eyes and Aubrun hair and brused face, and Andrew freezes for only a moment.

But for that moment, it's like a Christmas tree lighting up in Andrew's head.

Neurons firing and connecting dots he didn't know went to together.

Nathaniel Wesninski stood next to his family

Nathaniel Wesninski protected his family while he was in rehab

Nathaniel Wesninski has been alone with Kevin every night for the past 4 months

Nathaniel Wesninksi was a runaway

Nathaniel Wesninski was alive

Nathaniel Wesninski

Andrew doesn't know what to do with this information yet, so he does nothing

He goes about his decided itinerary for the day

He still doesn't know what to do until "I never understood why he liked knives."

Everyone else was thinking Riko, but Andrew was thinking Nathan.

He decides then and there that he's not going to say anything until Neil tells him.

Neil's "I'm Nathaniel" hits Andrew like a gut punch.

He already knew it but now it's confirmed.

When Neil goes missing, Andrew was the first to tell coach about Nathan's release from prison.

He persuades Coach (read: stares down repeating "Baltimore") to take them to Baltimore because that's where Neil is.

Books go on as normal

Life seemingly goes back to normal after summer break.

They start the new semester with significantly fewer worries, and Neil is figuring out his newfound freedom.

Andrew is in his Advanced Psychology class when Nathan Wesninski is brought up again.

The professor - fortunately for her sake - doesn't mention Neil or Nathaniel at all but assigned them an imaginative assignment

They are to pick a serial killer and study what is known about their at home life and write a paper about what it might be like to grow up in that kind of enviroment

Andrew was going to ignore this assignment, but Neil found out and thought the whole thing was hilarious.

Neil finds out that Andrew was entirely too fascinated by the Wesninski family.

"You liked me before you even met me."

Eventually, they decided that Andrew didn't have to write the paper.

"Mr. Minyard. It is your turn to present."

Andrew and Neil walk to the front.

"This was a single person assignment, Mr. Minyard."

"I think a first-hand account is better than anything I could have come up with. Don't you think?"

"First hand?"

"Hello Andrew's classmates. I'm Nathaniel Wesninski, but please call me Neil. Fair warning. If you ever call me Nathaniel, I will kill you."

They spend the rest of the class basically ragging on Nathan the entire time

[genderkoolaid]

so many people on ur incel post thinking that a Bad Person doesn't deserve any compassion, and any and all punishments become justified, despite those punishments being totally incompatible with feminist ideas.

this is the same thought process behind denying incarcerated people their rights

Also like... I am 10000% sure that, especially online, there are young boys in those communities who are there because they feel like shit and think it's the only community that they can have that will support them. See this reply by @havinganormalone

Most of these guys are not mass shooters or murderers. There's a good chance they are assholes of varying degrees of severity, and pretty much guaranteed to be some level of misogynistic.

But I don't want anyone to end up hurting themselves out of self hatred!!!!! Sorry but I don't!!!! I want them to stay alive to have the chance to become better people!!!! I don't enjoy wishing for the deaths of people in hate groups. If there is no other way to protect vulnerable groups I'm not against it, but ideally I want them to grow and change as people. And I am committed to seeing people's humanity and suffering, because pain is where the vast majority of shitty actions come from. So we can't deal with those shitty actions without confronting the fact that the people who do them are not mindless robots of evil, they are people who are hurting. We can hold people accountable AND acknowledge their pain.

& people keep saying "we don't hate them for their dysmorphia we hate them for being incels" but why do you think a lot of those guys ARE incels?? A lot of them view themselves as inherently ugly & unlovable. And you are mocking their self-hatred. That's not helpful. If an incel, like, gets punched by a woman for being a misogynist and cries about it online, I am gonna think it was well-deserved. But this is about them self-harming as a result of self-hatred, which is deeply concerning when it happens to anyone. & I very much did see people saying things which encouraged the idea that their dysmorphia was justified or mocking them for not just getting plastic surgery. Just like how people mock incels for being fat neckbeards!! Which people also justify by saying "well they are a hate group!!" so they dont have to think critically about why they are okay with bodyshaming when its against "bad people".

Incel ideology as I understand is built on the pessimism of men who feel they are inherently less than conventionally attractive men. They view themselves as inherently lesser people because they don't fit conventional masculine standards. And blame women for this because they are misogynists who haven't critically examined their misogyny and so they ignore the way the patriarchy is the one doing this to them. But if you are going to fix an issue you need to address the root cause. And the root cause here is self-hatred. Incels self-harming because they think they need a certain bone structure to be attractive isn't a coincidence, its fundamentally related to their incel-ness. & again I can't imagine there will never be a young boy who isn't even involved in those spaces who will see that or smth like it and feel like it would fix his self-esteem issues.

& you are very right about the incarcerated thing. The idea that "bad people" deserve no compassion & deserve every bad thing that happens to them is how horrific abuse in prison gets justified. And some of those people are innocent or jailed for objectively stupid crimes, but many aren't. And they don't deserve that abuse, especially since many of them are criminals because of some sort of suffering they experience.

Tumblr in general encourages revenge & dehumanization of "bad" people. Its no better than the criminal justice system in that regard, telling us that revenge is helpful, punishment is helpful, and we should all feed our gut desire to see bad people suffering as much as possible. & I do not subscribe to that. I don't think you can really be a prison abolitionist and subscribe to that (& in a larger sense I dont think you can hope to built a better society than we have currently and think like that). It's hard work sympathizing with people who do awful things but like I said, you can't let dehumanization thought patterns take root in your mind. I am very devoted to having compassion for everyone & once again people are surprised when that includes EVERYONE.

I'm not even really doing this for incels. I don't get in debates with people unless I believe they will actually listen to what I say and consider it in good faith, and many incels won't. But I'm not going to be a person who encourages this kind of self-harm, and I especially don't want to be someone who does that and justifies it to myself because they are "bad people" who "deserve it". I'm no cop or prison guard. And if there is someone who might be open to that kind of deprogramming, I want them to see my blog as a space that has compassion for their suffering. I want them to get better, not kill themselves and never get that chance. You can't have both.

[in3rci4]

† ALL OF THEM ALIVE : AFTERMATH HEADCANONS †

Introduction

I asked you guys which Hcs would you like me to write first and you decided the option . The majority of blogs had talked about their own personal Hcs about this AU ! / Possible final where all the boys survived their kidnapper " The Grabber " , so I think it's time I'll do mine too . In this fandom we all wished or thought at least once about this , about the " what if " , and it's interesting how there's some stuff we all agree with and how some would differ depending the person you're asking . But anyways , I shall get to the point and talk about what you stopped reading for

author's note : I'm really sorry for not writing lately , I've been kinda stressed out and with little time to do something like this . Like I said before , I promised than little by little I'll do y'all requests , I didn't forget , so please be patient because soon I'll have the time

Warnings ¡! : Children abuse , SA , VERY long rant , possible misspelling , specific details that might be gruesome , headcanons about future and family situation of each character , suicide , angst , mention of real life killers / predators , homophobia , sexism , etc ... . If you don't agree with the following headcanons then I'm open to discuss yours politely , so now after that been said , enjoy it ^^

¿ How they escaped from " The Grabber " ?

This one is very difficult to decide , since there's a lot of options that can be valid and logical in the context of the movie , so I will make a ranking to most to least " possible " in my opinion :

THE GRABBER HIMSELF LETS THEM GO : Now , I know that knowing this character is based on a pedophile serial killer and IT'S a pedophile serial killer , the possibility of him letting them go sounds not logical at first , but hear me out on this one . The first 2 thoughts that comes in my mind when someone has escaped their kidnapper , is that they escaped when they've killed or ran away when their kidnapper was distracted , or , the very own criminal let them go . Remember the scene when Albert tells Finney that " nothing is going right " or that " he's thinking about letting him go " ? Well , I think that if in another universe they all escaped from him because HE lets them go , either because he was afraid of being caught by the police or his very own sick self that had enough of toying with them ( You imagine what could been " enough " for this psycho ) . The circumstance of them also being discarded as " dead " in the worst physical state is also an option , yet one of the saddest , because this one is where they get to live the worst of the " Naughty boy " game . Some walking back home on their own , some others found by other people that called the authorities for help

MAX HELPS THE KIDS TO ESCAPE : this crackhead seems to be smart on his own way , but way too fucked up with drugs to reach his full sane and clean potential , yet , on the movie , he figures his brother out , but he unfortunately dies by the hand of his very own blood . But , if Albert did went to work , I believe he would ramble a little about how it made sense , on how he didn't figure out sooner , etc . Soon the plead of the kids of letting them go makes him go back half on his senses , and he either calls the police and tells the kids to search on the house more about his brother in order to have more proofs against him ( Yes , this sounds dumb but justice sometimes don't do what they have to do ) or either takes all of them to the police station right away , proud of himself because HE DID found the kids , but of course , little does he know that he won't and will never get the credit for it .

SAME BASEMENT , DIFFERENT ROOMS : This one that I've seen more repeating on the people on the fandom , and I guess I understand why . There's 2 possibilities in each instance : The place , the victim who knocks out the Grabber and the final state of the kidnapper . If if we're talking about the place , it ain't something impossible for a house to have a immense basement under it with multiple rooms and stuff . Albert Shaw is based on Jhon Wayne Gacey , a pedophile homosexual serial killer that also did "children entertainment " gestures and had also like work construction business , this man hide the bodies of his victims under his house , on his backyard and in another house apart from where he lived ( Josef Fritzl can be also compared to this killer too , this man build a basement specially to SA his own daughter and have incestuous children with her that maintained them from escaping ) . A sick twisted mind that build a basement JUST to SA poor boys that had the bad luck of encounter him . That , or the "Naughty boy " game takes place in different locations , the first part , under his house basement , the one that we see on the movie , the second , somewhere else , a basement that who knows what happened or who created such thing with soundproofed rooms that has a black phone united to the next room , the boys , prisoners of a masked human devil that checked that all the telephones were disconnected or broken , but they make it work , and create a plan to take down their tormentor . The idea of all of them taking him down at the same time sounds cool and almost relieving , as all the victims participate on fighting against their predator , but if you prefer more the idea of Finney being the boy who takes down The Grabber , then the final plan is him setting the others free after being done with him . And depending on how possible you may think an option or other is , The Grabber gets killed by all his victims , or survives , and is arrested ... Not allowing the cycle of pain to end for the kids

UNKNOWN PREVIOUS VICTIMS GHOSTS : I admit I don't really know if the creators / writers or whatever said something about this before , but this man killed 5 kids and its hinted on the book that he had also kidnapped more , we only know about this kids on the movie because of Finney's perspective and Gwen's dreams ( Except Griffin Stagg ) , but what if there was more somewhere else in another state / town ? What if instead of only one child having an spiritual gift we had 6 trapped children that got kidnapped in a haunted building of previous victims of The Grabber ? Perhaps all of them being able to contact the Spiritual world but not knowing until they were taken by a crazy man ? That would be not only cool in my opinion to see in a movie ( it would be really interesting to see how differently they would react to ghosts ) but it can be something possible in the context of the movie and / or in the " The Shinning" universe ( non confirmed to be cannon it's just a theory )

THE POLICE SOLVING THE CASE : Look , we all know sometimes police it's more useless and dangerous that what they supposed to be , BUT , if we are talking about the most possibles " what if " , I think that maybe , in this particular case , in another universe the detectives ( I don't remember their names , I think maybe Mr Wright and Mr Miller ? ) figure out fast enough to solve the case and save the kids ( Tbh Gwenny did so much more for her brother and those kids than the police did on the movie , and she's just a child that didn't got credit for being the most important person on the case ) so if we didn't have Gwen's psychic abilities and we're on a non paranormal context of the movie , sooner or later killers are discovered , either because lack of self awareness or because they wanted to be recognized , and usually sexual predators tend to lack self awareness the more they get " confident " ( ik fucking disgusting ) . If the they did the same Max's reasoning , I believe that they could have the luck to say " that the help came " ( Again , I believe this possiblity of police figuring Albert Shaw sounds reasonable , but doing it on time , that's a 40/60 , 40% they got before any SA or death happened , 60% that something bad already happened when they got to arrest Albert Shaw " The Grabber" )

THE VERY OWN KIDS ESCAPE BY THEIR OWN : All of this are possibilities , even if it's on the lowest of the ranking , it is still something that could happened , but for me , it's a very low chance of it actually happening . I know cases of children and teenagers escaping and saving others from killers / kidnappers , but if the whole movie happened , it was because no matter how "popular " or " strong " they were , they were still kids / young teens against a grown ass adult twice their weight and height . But my point is , if they did escaped on their own without interacting while being captive with others victims , then The Grabber definitely cannot commit his crimes on the same place / in one of his houses . As I see it on this option , if they did escaped , they did it like the way they tried and died for ( Billy breaks a window , Griffin escapes on a moment of distraction , Vance escapes by getting into another room that helps him to exit , Bruce perhaps instead of digging himself a tunnel finds a trapdoor that leads to a tunnel . Idk what to think as a escape route for Robin or Finney , perhaps Robin had to actually get into a fight with the Grabber and started to get chased but he manages to escape , maybe Finney waits enough time to observe and makes a whole plan to escape and call the police on Albert's absence ) . Idk if they would be able to tell who is their captor or not , but I'm sure that in this last option , The Grabber definitely gets arrested or " learns from his mistakes " to " get better " at kidnapping children .

¿ Do they stick together after all the trauma ?

I believe it's a 50/50 , I can see both options being possible if all or some of the victims survived

WHY IT'S POSSIBLE : Nobody would understand the pain and trauma that they been through better than them as a group , not the police , not the reporters , not their friends , not their families , not the child therapists , only them . Unconsciously would still be on alert mode and seek for their and the others safety , possibly being more protective or snap back at those who try to bother them or another boy , and if we follow the " Same basement , different rooms " option , they feel like they're in debt with the others for helping / saving their life , making a sort of friendship / comfort bond with the other boys . A friendship that could be intact for years even after they are living their own lives or are far away from each other

BUT AT THE SAME TIME : Seeing the others is a constant remind of what they been through , wich it could result in them drifting apart from each other to avoid the memories coming back at them . Perhaps some will even resent others , blaming them without knowing why , be mad that they told the police / other people what they been through and now everyone knows they also been SA or physically abused , frustrated that people or the own victims boys search them asking about what happened or how they feel after " it's all over " . If they didn't killed Albert or help the other to escape , then the anger for not being able to finish him or be left behind would also increase the discordance between each other

¿ Would they be able to go back to their normal lives ?

I'm sorry but again , I'll think it's a 50/50 thing , or well , more like a 40/60 thing . They of course , after so much trauma in their heads they will need time to get over or deal with it , but some will have more support than others and that's a fact . They can't erase the past , but some of them would not have the same tools to deal with it in a healthy way ( Personal opinion : none would be able to cope in a healthy way . We're talking about boys that been possibly SA with physical and mental damage from living such situation as kidnapping and being captive against their will . Homophobia was 6x worse in the 70's , even if nothing was their fault , there's always people that would make them feel like shit for " not standing up " or " letting it happen" , questioning their sexuality or " if they liked it " or if they " search that " . Media would definitely not help this situation at all )

So in a ranking of who I personally think would be able to manage to " come back to normal" in their lives to " fastest to slowest " or have more support would be :

BRUCE YAMADA : His family and popularity would make him the one gets more empathy from the people in town , not like the others won't get it at all , but he definitely would have the odds more on his favor . His parents are wealthy enough to pay him a therapist or seek a doctor that helps him to cover his scars , anything that he asks or needs to feel better . People , let's be honest , would sympathize more with him than before and would even get it from those that before didn't like him that much . Yet , it would take him time to get back on his normal rhythm , baseball would be more difficult due how much muscular strength he lost while being captive , parties would overwhelmed him , and he would not like going out by himself , always needing someone on his side . Luckily , he would be on shape in a few months , hanging out in small parties and slowly but surely , being on his own on the streets . All though , he makes sure that his friends , baseball buddies or the people that hangs up with him in general didn't dare to bring the subject of him , the others or The Grabber on his presence , he doesn't want to start a unnecessary discussion or stop talking to them for their loud mouths ...

BILLY SHOWALTER : Everybody recognized his face before and after he went missing , but this time it was different , the look in the eyes of people that he came across with wasn't indifferent or the regular polite ones , now they would speak for the person louder than their voice did , they tried to hide it , but the pity was something that the look in their eyes didn't lie about . Nobody said or told him nothing , but he knew , Billy knew that everybody knew , and it made him a little bit paranoid ¿ How much did they knew about what happened ? He stopped delivering papers after seeing his face and the others in it , stopped watching TV for a while until the news of his " case " would disappear , his family thought it would be a good idea to take more trips to his grandparents house or outside the home general , like camping , lakes , family cookouts , etc . Little by little he would gain a little bit more confidence on himself , but he would need to isolate himself from the people to get a bit of peace of mind and be back to " the real world " . Sometimes frustration of not being able to erase people's memories of him as the kidnapped kid would get him , but he'll suppressed it , as well as he can , just like him trying to not get alarmed by his dog barks ...

FINNEY BLAKE : He's for sure got his back covered by his sister Gwen before , now and forever , their bond was always strong and it became even stronger after he went missing . After surviving The Grabber the bullying stopped since he was THAT kid who survived the The Grabber , making him be in peace for a good amount of time on high school , although when it all calmed down , some or other dude would call him names , but it wasn't like he would get beaten for it , and if they tried to , he wasn't scared to throw a punch to shut them up . I do believe that Terrance tried to change for his son and daughter , but even then , the damage was already done , there's was no more violence or alcohol smell in the house , but there was no deep connection between him and his kids . Sometimes his father would accidentally make a loud noise and he would flinch or jump on his place , to later realize it wasn't nothing . And if his father kept his same attitude that he had before he was taken , Finney wouldn't take any more shit from him anymore . As a generational curse , father and son would get into heated discussions , discussions where Finney would dare him to hit him or Gwenny , just once , for him to see what'll do to his father if he did . So , if we expect the good development , I think he will sometimes get to live a somehow normal life with ups and downs , the last ones being the hardest times if they clicked something from the past , but usually being able to compose himself , if his dad doesn't help his recovery to normalcy , then he might slowly loose little by little the calmness in him and isolate himself to avoid problems , like before ..

ROBIN ARELLANO : His mother was ecstatic when she heard her that her child didn't die like her husband , giving him a big hug that was full of pleading for forgiveness and thanking God for bringing Robin back home alive , as well his uncle , who waited for her to to finish to hug his nephew too . He would get child treatment for a long time , his mother would make him a lot of his favorite food for him to gain weight and pepper him with kisses and cheesy nicknames that he didn't heard since he was a toddler , his uncle giving him more gifts than before as well as doing the impossible to make space on his work schedule and drive him the way to and back from school . At first Robin didn't complain , why would he ? He would lie if he says he didn't missed his family and the affection he receives from them , but as time passed and he tried to "get over it " and go back to normal , he noticed how much those actions made him feel weak and useless . He asked his mother to stop treating him like a child and his uncle to let him walk by himself like before , wich lead her mother to be confused of why he wouldn't like what she does and , for the first time on his life , he having an argument with his uncle about what's safe or what he needs . School was still difficult for him to understand , Robin felt like everything changed since he left and now he's more close to suspending than before , thankfully he got a tutor teacher that is just as good and understanding like Finney . The kids still respect him as one of the toughest in school , even the ones that were waiting for an opportunity to fight him didn't want to face him , but that made him angry , how he's supposed to let all this pent up frustration now ? He didn't see this as respect , he felt this as pity , they consider him not in condition to fight , he escaped the god damn Grabber for fucks sake ! He hates it , the feeling of vulnerability not leaving after escaping that cold basement . He'll try to keep a low profile and try his best to avoid talking to people , keep his cool , but hearing his uncle talk about the fight he had on his work with his mother because some coworker called his nephew a faggot , made this feeling of vulnerability turn into disgust ... Disgust by himself , which lead him into a depression and isolation period of time that he would only get over after a year or an a half . Later , he would tell himself that what happened made him stronger , and that's part of him now , hyping himself up as well as he can , because toxic masculinity won't go just because of him ..

GRIFFIN STAGG : He only has his mother for support and some other adults that felt compassion towards him , after all , he survived a huge cut on his throat that didn't let him talk freely like before . He had to learn sign languages along with deaf and / or mute kids , they were friendly , and even if he was a little bit doubtful of the idea of making friends , he found himself comfortable with them . He hated it , how even in hot weather he had to cover his neck , how he went to invisible to have the entire school eyes on him and his name known for every kid in Colorado , and not for good . For a long time doctors told him to had certain soft food diet until his throat got better , so the frustration of not being able to talk or eat freely made him isolate himself or shut himself down . His mother took him to a child therapist and it certainly helped him , just not enough to say he's happier . The only good thing he sees on all of this is that he's better at school and learned to be more focused , because the part of him not being able to talk back and be like a walking ghost of flesh and bones was definitely not the good one ...

VANCE HOPPER : The actor of this character said that his background or house life is definitely not good or supportive , specially coming from his father . I headcanon that this kid had the misfortune to have the worst type of men as his dad : aggressive , abusive , toxic and definitely not the most open minded either . I also think his mother is much of a submissive woman who accepted her fate and is way too scared to do something against her husband , which results into her not standing up for her son when he gets beat up or yelled at . Even he hates his old man with all his heart , he unconsciously became similar to him in thinking and bad temper . I also think either because of his mother or his father contacts ( not in the rich kind of way , its either because his own father works there or one of the two knows someone inside the police force ) he would set free of jail and not being sent to a juvenile rehabilitation center . After what he been through , his hate towards the world and life would increase even more , because he was the exception of out the 6 boys , the only one that the police didn't care to find and kids were grateful he was gone , that his own father was grateful that he "escaped " from his house , but his mother knew that it wasn't like that . He would feel that everyone thought he searched what happened to him , that everyone stopped fearing him to be disgusted by him , it would take a slight insult or wrong look for him to explode and beat the person . He felt conflicted , and didn't know where to go to feel better outside the mall with a pinball machine , teachers still saw him as the outcast , his " friends " didn't feel comfortable being around Vance anymore and the therapy costed way too much , or well , too much for his dad opinion . He would get into trouble more often than before , but no one would say something , they would resort to just to avoid him like an rabid dog , just like before he guess . If he's by himself , he would grow up hating himself and projecting that hate towards others , not to say that his father stopped beating his ass , but the venomous comments shamming him for what happened didn't , to the point Vance wished he was just straight beaten up like before instead of hearing those awful words every day ..

¿ What if The Grabber and the children are taken to the court of law ?

I don't think I saw people talking about this or maybe someone did but I never encounter their opinion before , but let's just say they escaped either by A or B and Albert is not killed but arrested , you know how painful would be for the boys to live the whole process until his sentence is dictated ? The constant interview with the police , the television transmitting everything , the lawyer and fake witnesses in Albert Shaw's favor , etc .

We have the Yamada and Showalter family , the Yamada family will try to get every contact to help them win the case , the best lawyers possible in the name of their son and if it's allowed , the other children too . The Showalter family would ask every neighbor in Denver to speak in favor of the children and would definitely do everything on their power to make the country know what injustice would be made if they give a monster like Albert Shaw a lower punishment that he deserves , for the people to not believe what the witnesses says and his " good man " facade and think about their children , probably with the television or radio stations help . The Arellano family would try to to avoid the public eye just like Mr Blake ( Terrance ) , unless the police , media or the court made a difference with Robin because he's hispanic , then they , specially his mother Mrs Arellano , would expose with all the tools they could get access to , the people who disrespects Robin . Terrance would try his best to not interfere with the legal process , but if someone ever tried to blame Finney for defending himself he would get physically violent , and I believe to avoid this impulsivity to happen , he would try his best not to see Albert Shaw's face and make it worse for his son . Mrs Stagg I believe would not want at first her son to live through the whole process and would have her son's mental health as priority first , but seeing that it would be more harmful than beneficial , she would be by Griffin's side until it's all over or at least that horrible man gets what he deserves . Hopper's family though , expect bad things to happen with this family . The father Mr Hopper if offered money , wouldn't care that the man that harmed his son was set free and could even force Vance to step aside of the whole legal process , or maybe not accepting money , but definitely enjoying the attention that the reporters gives him everytime they tried to speak to him for more information . The mother , Mrs Hopper does want justice for her child , but isn't sure how to help him without making her husband mad or messing up things , but she would definitely take the courage to testify against the disgusting person of name Albert Shaw , even she doesn't know if what she's doing will bring her consequences , since Albert's lawyer accused them of being involved with police corruption .

I think all of them would collaborate as much as possible for the life imprisonment to be dictated for " The Grabber " , repeating their testimony as many times as necessary , even if they feel ashamed if any SA happened and would take them a timespan to open up to the detectives and the court .

¿ Would they tell their friends or family what happened ? ¿ How they would continue their lives ?

Definitely it's different on each case / boy , and we're definitely not on the same line as before with the law happening because once dead , the only thing left of " The Grabber " is the damage he caused in these boys . The police demands their testimony , they get it , and it's over , but what the details they don't release on public ? Would the boys tell those closed to them what exactly happened underground with that man ?

Those details : Paranormal activity , Gwendolyn Blake / Max Shaw participation , starvation , dehydration , the state of the kids the moment they're found ( Dirty , bloody , skinny , with dry white lips , perhaps with missing pair of clothes ) , SA towards the missing children

VANCE HOPPER : If possible , he would keep every detail to himself , internalized homophobia and sexism would live with him as he grows up to be a volatile man that would have a hard time trusting other people and keeping his job . Would rely on drinking or physical violence to cope the trauma , definitely isolating himself , perhaps changing Pinball for gambling machines . In a very heated period of life , he may consider suicide or commit illegal acts

BRUCE YAMADA : Asked his parents to not let anything come out of the police station that wasn't already said on TV , his parents asked him why , but he only told them to do it for him . Would deny or avoid talking about what happened focusing to become the baseball player he always dreamed to be . It isn't until one day , as a already famous hitter of strikes , in a interview a reporter asks him if any SA happened during his time captive by the criminal " The Grabber " . Bruce couldn't stop his hands from trembling and his voice to stutter after the interview . This would make him have panic and anxiety attacks , fearing the public eye as he never did before , but the more you try to run away from your past , the past gets closer to catch you as time goes by . After a while , he feels like it's to time to tell the truth , and Bruce gets enough confidence and courage to speak on the media that yes , he was sexually abused by a man that kidnapped him when he was a teen , that felt that he should hide it if he wanted to be a baseball star , because society makes the SA victims feel guilty for what they live through even if it's not their fault , specially men , that either are ignored or ridiculed , treated as trash or unworthy of empathy . This would had a huge impact on the media , but also would help people to question their beliefs and speak for their experiences . When he got the permission to open a foundation for abused children and teenagers , he felt that invisible weight on his chest get lighter . The letters of fans that have been abused thanking him for speaking out loud his experience made him cry on the privacy of his house ...

GRIFFIN STAGG : Would only tell his mother if she persisted once and never talk about it again , and since Griffin's therapist died of old age , he wouldn't want any other to have a session with , wich meant he'll never tell anyone about it . He grows up to accept jobs that he changes once a while when the money ain't for him to pay the bills , like being a librarian or a janitor of different buildings , his frustrated dream of being a veterinarian would from to time to time make him feel sad about it , but he'll comfort himself by saying that at least he has enough to live good . Well , good it's what doctors say , because he's tired of the constant medical visits for his vocals and throat to be checked . It's not like a miracle would and he suddenly was healed completely and capable of speaking . It's just the same old routine since... That ...

ROBIN ARELLANO : If possible , he would deny everything that happened to him if his family wants to know " the truth " . The truth is that he tries to move on and forget , but until he gets on his period of life with confidence and cool persona back , he would feel like the worst shit ever . He grows up and gets some of his old normalcy back , the horror movies though ? Not his favorite type anymore . I believe he probably wants to become a soldier like his father , but ends up being a fire fighter or part of a rescue team , but at an adult age , because his youth would have tons of low wage jobs due his inexperience and origin . Would only confess a single time to someone that confessed to lived something similar has him , to make them know they have his support and they're not alone .

FINNEY BLAKE : Would only confess this as an adult on a dinner with his sister , breaking down , rambling nonsense that would stop once Gwen stands up from the table and hugs her big brother , rubbing his back in a attempt to comfort him . He definitely works hard to be part of the NASA workers , although as time goes by , he realizes that being astronaut was a huge responsability and demanding , and he prefers to stay as a spaceship engineer . If some collegue or superior tried to talk with him about his time being captive on the basement , he would politely ask them to change the subject of the conversation , if they persistent he would find an excuse to leave and " go back to work " . Maybe if he did choose the astronaut profession this wouldn't happened ...

BILLY SHOWALTER : If the police didn't let the people know , he would take all his memories to the grave , maybe write them if he feels the need to vent . Doesn't matter who asks , he would always deny , decline and avoid any exchange about what happened on the 78' . He wanted to become a reporter or with enough luck a businesses man , but due the circumstances he prefers to be a low profile mechanic , little does he know that one day he'll become the most expensive race cars mechanic , meeting a lot of famous people that some would become close to him . The world would only know what Billy went through once they found a notebook were every dark , depressing and specific details was written on those old pages of paper .

[wordy-little-witch]

Edge of Midnight incorrect quotes

Farryn: What’s it like being so tall?

Jericho: Is it nice?

Marius: Can you reach comfortably for the cupboards?

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Yorgrim: We live in constant fear of the short ones who, in my experience, will climb four chairs, two boxes, a small coffee table, and six oddly placed stools to get what they want.

Briggsy: Boil up some Mountain Dew. It’s gonna be a long night.

Briggsy: *slams books down in front of Lethica*

Lethica: You could of said literally anything else.

Briggsy: Cauldron boil and cauldron bubble, Baja Blast to fuel my trouble.

Lethica: I’m going to just stop challenging you when you say random shit. I won’t win. I realize this now.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Briggsy: You look good in that hoodie.

Jericho: You know where else I'd look good?

Briggsy, zero hesitation: Mari's bed.

Jericho, at the same time: In a hug- wait, what?

Marius:

Briggsy: did I stutter

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Briggsy: I’m really glad “fight me” has replaced “sue me” in the common vernacular because I don’t have money, but I do have fists and I am always angry.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Lethica: What do rainbows mean to you?

Farryn: Gay rights.

Briggsy: There's money.

Marius: The sign of God's promise to never destroy the whole Earth with a flood.

Yorgrim: It is an optical phenomenon that separates sunlight into its continuous spectrum when the sun shines on raindrops.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Farryn: What do I get?

Jericho: A night of fashion, mischief, mayhem, and possible death.

Farryn: Ooh, check, check, and check; not sure about that last one.

Jericho: It won't be you.

Farryn: I'll get my coat.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Jericho: How is spring not everyone’s favorite season? The trees are PINK, guys!

Farryn: Allergies are also a problem, y'know.

Jericho: But pink.

Lethica: And it's hot.

Jericho: PINK!

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Jericho: The only thing I'm guilty of is being adorable... ...and also assault with a deadly weapon.

Virgil: CAW >:}

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Jericho: What do you all intend on majoring in?

Yorgrim: Respecting the dead

Farryn: Minecraft.

Marius: Criminal justice and psychology.

Briggsy: I'm terrified that I’ll lock myself into an interest that I’ll no longer be passionate about in a few years like all the other areas of study I’ve pursued over my life!

Lethica: Minecraft as well.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Farryn: Get in, loser, we’re committing vehicular manslaughter!

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Briggsy: Here comes the lightning!

Briggsy, whispering: You've got to imagine it coming out my fingertips, wherein I am an almighty wizard.

Jericho: Ok, currently imagining that. Hmm, not bad. Not bad at all.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Farryn: I'm going the fight the next person who insults Jericho.

Jericho: I don't rightly think I like myself all that much.

Farryn: Alright, square up.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Yorgrim: Plants are basically the ideal friends. They are quiet, friendly, and easy to please. All they need is a little water and fresh earth, and they are perfectly happy to lie there all day in the sun. And they don’t make increasingly awful life choices, or hide their relationships. They have never, as far as I know, fucked a bee.

The rest of the party:

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Briggsy: Physically, yes, I could fight a bird, but emotionally? Imagine the toll!

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Virgil, the bird in question: >:}

Jericho, trying to flirt with Marius: So, I heard you like bad girls… I time travel in Animal Crossing.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Marius: Valentine’s day is just a consumerist holiday that holds no real value other than drive people insane buying heart shaped chocolates for their significant others and pos-

Jericho: I wrote you a poem.

Marius, already crying: You did?

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Yorgrim: You made enough pasta that you could take it to lunch tomorrow. Put it in a container.

Farryn: Shovel the pasta into your face. Do it. Put it in your face. The future is meaningless but the pasta is now.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

*when the party drops food*

Marius: Eh, oh well.

Yorgrim: FIVE-SECOND RULE!

Lethica: FUCK!

Briggsy: *just gets more food*

Jericho: *drops to their knees and mourns the food*

Farryn: *eats the food off the ground*

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Jericho: I am going to need you to swear-

Briggsy: Fuck.

Jericho:

Jericho: ...swear as in promise.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Farryn: Ow!

Jericho: What’s wrong?

Farryn: I have this weird pain right above my eyebrow.

Jericho: It’s called a stress headache. I got my first one when I was four.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Farryn: Is there anyone here who’s actually straight?

Briggsy: *raises hand*

Yorgrim: *puts their hand down*

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Lethica: What scares you guys the most?

Farryn: Werewolves!

Marius: Sharks.

Jericho: The unstoppable marching of time that is slowly guiding us all towards an inevitable death.

Everyone:

Jericho: also locusts - them critters are horrible for crops, lemme tell ya-

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Marius: Can you be serious for five minutes?

Jericho: My record is four, but I think I can do it.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

*The gang responding to being stabbed by a sword*

Briggsy: Rude.

Lethica: That's fair.

Farryn: Not again.

Jericho: Are you gonna want this back or can I keep it?

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Yorgrim: You use humor to deflect your trauma.

Jericho: Awww, thanks-

Yorgrim: That’s not a good thing.

Jericho: All I’m hearing is that you think I’m funny.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Marius: What's wrong with you?

Briggsy: Off the top of my head, I'd say low self-esteem, a lack of paternal affection, and a genetic predisposition for anxiety and depression.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Jericho: If a demon possessed me, I’d just be like, “Okay, take it from here, good luck man.”

Virgil:

The party:

Jericho: see, it's funny, on account of it being real

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Farryn: You're a lying piece of shit!

Marius: Oh yeah? You're the idiot that thinks you can get away with everything you do, WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD!

Lethica: I'm leaving and I'm taking Jericho with me!

Yorgrim, gathering cards: Aaaaand that's enough Monopoly for today.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Jericho: Due to some personal reasons, I will be fucking sinking to the bottom of the ocean in a large metal box.

Yorgrim: Did Marius say 'I love you' and you said 'Thanks'?

Jericho: THE REASONS ARE MIGHTY PERSONAL–

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Briggsy: Which country has the most birds?

Briggsy: Portu-geese!

Lethica: That's a language.

Briggsy: Portu-gull?

Lethica: Good recovery.

Farryn: I think you mean good re-dovery.

Jericho: TURKEY. HOW DID WE MISS TURKEY?

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Marius: Look, I know you think my judgement's clouded because I like Jericho a little bit.

Farryn, holding Marius's notepad: You doodled your wedding invitation.

Marius: No, that's our joint tombstone.

Farryn: My mistake.

[chuuyascumsock]

Denial-chan in their divorce era. 😩

Anyways i had a yumm thought that might have been caused by watching too many series….

Chuuya and a lawyer reader 👀

Like imagine being a prosecutor and youre working on a case regarding the port mafia (like one of the subordinates got in t-t-t-trouble and now Chuuya has to see if he can bribe that damn prosecutor) and so a handsome man comes into your office, asking to drop the case for some fine cash. But you turn it down because daaamn, that man pretty, he better come back and offer you what’s underneath those clothes. But you must stay professional! Youre a highly respected Prosecutor after all. You offer him an appointment a few days from now, late at evening after a trial to hear him out.

So Chuuya comes back, ready to empty his pockets. And while the meeting starts off professional, it becomes rather quickly apparent to him, that youre with your thoughts elsewhere.

And so he offers to you exactly what has been on your mind. Himself, for the whole night.

What ensues is the dirties office sex you could imagine. Case files are flung off the desk as he pushes you on it, his mouth on your neck, biting, marking you. His hands wandering all over your body placed underneath him, as he makes dumb jokes through using cliché court language to talk to you.

Escalating until hes on his knees, eating you out like theres no tomorrow. Only stopping once as he asks you to drop the case. „Objection.“ you cry out and he just responds with a cocky „overruled.“ slowing his pace he comes to whisper in your ear: „Do you remember your statement of oh yes fuck me?“ He reeeeally is into the court language. When you respond with yes, he offers you a deal, you drop the case and he will come get you to give you what you want.

Agreeing to this, he gladly makes you cum with his mouth and fingers, leaving you a mess when he collects his hat and coat off the floor. „Glad we could settle this out of court, my dear. Ill give you a call when I hear that you held up your end of the deal.“ He states before leaving completely.

-🪷 (really horny for dom and cocky chuu)

Me and my criminal justice majoring ass is giggling rn.

I JUST THINK AFTER HE FUCKS YOU OVER YOUR DESK HE’D ZIP HIS PANTS UP AND SAY “I think I made a pretty good case” WHILE YOU’RE A MESS AND STRUGGLING TO CATCH YOUR BREATH 😭😭

[lyrainworld]

Based of OG Ace Attorney cover, here's Leorio Paradinight crossover!

It was part of the HxH Game crossover event I 've decided to take part in.

If you want to learn more about this au, please click read more

About this au, some things are changed some stayed the same but just so you know, characters are kind of based on:

^Phoenix Wright - Leorio, aspiring defense lawyer, he wants to protect those whom people are averting their eyes from. He more or less willingly gets mentored by the stupidly smart brat Killlua who seems to know any law term and norm. They banter a lot but actually become decent friends.

^Maya Fey - Gon, a spiritualist of a world-renowed family Freecss with traditions. The rumors say they can contact the true spirit and connect with the netherworld. Has been saved by Leorio and Killua both, joins hands with them afterwards

^Edgewotrth - Kurapika, got mentored by the Zoldycks on how to become top prosecutor. He's utmost driven to not let any true criminal go unpunished. Gathers renown until the day he'll be able to catch Phantom Troupe and bring justice to the fallen, has a companionship with Killua bordering on sibiling bond

^Mia Fey and Franziska mix up - Killua, he has a pivotal role in leading Leorio's carier and actually becomes his mentor after triyng to cut off his ties to his inheritance as the Zoldyck heir, a true tycoon of the prosecution world. During trials if he decides to participate he takes on a role of a consultant.

As you can see, though Leorio is the titular attorney, Killua is the glue connecting everyone in here. But that just leaves all the more unresolved conflict because he hides the truth of his heritage. He found Leorio by chance and he got impressed by him after a second third take with the attitude he has, how it's not about money but bringing the truth to the table, pretty much opposite of the Zoldycks. I'm not good at writing but I'll try to say few things about their cases? It's more or less basing of "The Trilogy"but with the spin of HxH characters being themselves, it sure would reflect in the plot,

-A case about mysterious animal being spotted, the legendary Chimera Ant! Gon is a huge deal on this case because his spiritualist power call back to the wilderness and all the instinct one gets from it.A lot of logic/belief topic going on here and killugon spotlight

-A case of murder on the "Hunter X" movie plan, it's related to Gon because he was there to meet the main hero, Kite, his godfather. He gets roped into the investigation and is considered suspect for some time before

-Another case in which Gon is the main suspect. Since he's from family of spiritualists, vibing with the nature and otherworld. So when there's a case against him Killua is determined to find his innocence. Even if it means going against Kurapika. That's also the case that showcased Leorio and Kurapika's banter and whatnot so major old marriage leopika vibe

-There's a huge final case in which member of the PT's is murdered and who would have guessed, Kurapika is found bloodied on the crime scene. This is a very turnaround case because the one responsible for prosecuting it, is no one else but Killua after he disappeared (made a tactical retreat) from Leorio's side. Perhaps family pressure? Illumi blackmailing him? Being ashamed of 'tricking' Gon and Leorio and leaving Kurapika to deal with everything alone? All of the above, because now he stands against everyone he grew to be fond of. Eventually, the true killer gets found giving a chance to mend strained bonds, by joining hands in catching the real culprit all along that was hiding among the witnesses. The fake group member [wink] -Ps, Netero's just playing along for the trial's sake even if he's got the truth like way earlier, he's not naive, but likes seeing 'entertaining trial' as long as it's goes the right way eventually

-Leopika & killugon featured, all aged up, imagine lots and lots of banter and sexual tension in the court

That's it, thank you for reading my thoughts <3

[umbreoncomplex]

did it have to be a fucking fire?

(aka my google docs rant written from 3 to 4 am about spirit of justice and apollos backstory)

okay to preface this is not an essay. this is a yap session. my word isnt law on anything but instead by opinions based on my life and upbringing. im no be all end all for how you should view ace attorney and apollo but i cant NOT talk about him

so like, i have major fucking issues with spirit of justice. a lot of different issues. one of them is apollo. something i struggle with a lot as an adoptee is representation in media. its not that big of a deal i guess. but its frustrating what the limited pool of adoptee characters is filled with. a lot of it are these grandiose tragedies orphaning a child. which can happen in the real world. im not denying the existence of those orphaned by great tragedy. but it feels like the only type of adoptee representation out there. a lot of times, it feels like their tragedy is more of a spectacle than anything, rather than actually treated as a tragedy. after having finished aa4, before really knowing anything about aa6, i would lightheartedly talk about how i appreciated apollo and trucy not having the backstory of their parents dying in a great tragic fire on a boat out on sea wherein they had to abandon their baby in a basket and push it across the sea. you can imagine my reaction to learning how apollos dad died considering the choice of examples i tend to joke about

because, look, trucy is a good example of a way you can use some of the admittedly crazy circumstances of ace attorney while not falling into tired tropes about adoptees. she was the daughter of a single father and was abandoned by him. he didnt die some sort of heroic death or whatever. he left her. simple as that. sure, he disappeared in a magic act to escape a criminal conviction, but it was a breath of fresh air after a lot of carbon copy orphaning stories. and you know what sweetened the deal with me? thalassa coming back. thalassa regaining her memories. and still not returning to trucy. that hit such a good emotional spot for me. adoption exists in a great many different forms. some bio parents never get told the whereabouts of their children. but some do. some are only a call away from their bio children and refuse to get in contact with them. and in a world where most adoptees i saw were orphans, it hit me hard to have a character with the experience of, not only having living bio parents, but those who did not reach out to them. sure, thalassa promises to tell trucy and apollo eventually, but shes still pushing it off. still refuses it for a while. and it almost made me cry

this isnt even mentioning trucys relationship with nick and the gramaryes. a lot of stories either prioritize blood family or chosen family and refuse to let you have both. but there are children who experience both. children who do love or want to love both their biological and adopted families. and trucy is not demonized for wanting to love both. she calls zak and nick daddy and, sure, theres a joke about how it gets confusing, but its not Bad that she cares for both, that she still considers both her parents. and thats something special. especially as she wasnt adopted at birth. she did live with the gramaryes for a not insignificant amount of time. if she wants to keep her connections, her feelings, then let her

in aa4 and aa5 we hardly get any information about apollos family aside from his connection to thalassa and trucy, and honestly, i was very okay with that. i liked him serving as a mostly blank slate. i had been excited to project my own experiences on him, especially as he was from thalassa’s first marriage, meaning thalassa had very purposefully left him behind. far before her whole assumed death. thats another thing i cried about and i think its very telling of the type of experience ive had. we didnt know much about his fathers death by aa4, but i was honestly fine with the idea of apollo being left to a single father who died. i was a little wary, considering how orphaning tends to be handled, but i had hope. theres plenty of ways to die after all. and both trucy and apollo had a lot more grounded experiences than i was used to. i dont ever expect to find characters who experiences match my own by like 80% but im not that broken up about it, especially when aa4 handled apollo and trucy surprisingly well

and of course, i ended up being spoiled for aa6 before playing. and my frustration got to fester for like weeks until i finished up aa6. and it just kept getting worse. apollos dad dies in a fire. sure, ironic and mildly annoying but not that big of a deal. apollo was raised by the leader of a rebellion. okay… not the biggest fan but sure i gues. the fire was part of an assassination plot. what the fuck are you on about now. apollos foster father was the husband to the queen who was assassinated, also connecting apollo to the royalty of another country. now im sick of all this. theres a whole nother argument to be made about WHY apollo was given this backstory which im absolutely going to touch on at a later date. but it was honestly disheartening to learn about his backstory. what i loved about aa4 was how much more realistic these stories felt compared to everything else. but sure make him an illegitimate prince to a throne as well as the son of an infamous rebel. whatever man. i dont care (Cares a lot). it was just a slap in the face. and maybe thats my fault for getting too excited about any adoptees in media. but like jesus man. did you really have to do all that? i get ace attorney has a thing for these crazy plots and schemes and pieces falling together but i swear to god apollos story just feels like such a tropey mess compared to others.

i can live with jove dying in a fire. thats fine. i am MORE than okay with apollo growing up in khura’in, either being born there or not. if aa6 handled khura’in half decently, it couldve been fun to explore. unfortunately, aa6 handled khura’in Horribly. where you start adding in the plotlines about the defiant dragons and dhurks marriage to amara you just. lose me so thoroughly. i just lose my excitement an interest. because apollo is another of the hundreds of adoptee stories that couldve been good, couldve given representation to people like me, an opportunity to see a very underdiscussed part of our lives in media, but ended up falling so short. it feels like no one wants to write an adoptee unless theyre a spectacle. and yea i get it stories are stories you gotta make things interesting whatever. but so many mundane aspects of life are written about time and time again. so many life experiences are included as a Normal part of existence, rather than something you have to dramaticize so heavily. adoption in media feels like a tool rather than an author legitimately wanting to write about more diverse life experience. someone being an adoptee or an orphan is usually used to provide a narrative reason for a characters family being uninvolved in the story, to connect to them to a grand plot or scheme (orimarily through character relations), or for the beloved angst factor of a tragic childhood. and its tiring. does anyone care about the children of teen pregnancies? the children of international adoption? the rehomed or the abandoned or the neglected or the displaced? i could be here for hours concocting various types of adoptees that can exist in the world because its such a large spectrum of experience. but it feels like no one cares. maybe im making a mountain out of a molehill, but i had high hopes for ace attorney, and it hurt to have them crushed. its hard wanting to get excited about adoptee characters when theyre consistently placed in the same character templates to be repeated over and over again. i wish my story was treated as a real life possibility. as a type of person who can exist in the world. so often are adoptees and their stories mystified in media. or, on the other end, are completely ignored and disregarded. adoptee characters never feel like theyre written as, or discussed in fandom as, characters with traits that people can have, but instead as completely fictional tropes and archetypes. every day i see arguments about shipping adopted characters and so often it feels like adoption only exists as the fictional and hypothetical. and apollo just feels emblematic of this to me. because he had potential. we saw this potential in trucy. but they had to make him “interesting”. had to spice up his story. had to justify his involvement in khura’in because otherwise the story starts feeling too much like a white savior story. they didnt come here to write a realistic adoptee. and maybe i shouldnt be putting that expectation on writers. but goddamn i am sick of dining on crumbs. im sick of only finding myself in headcanons that I MYSELF HAVE TO CREATE

apollos backstory deserved better

[thefloatingstone]

Sadly I'm not even sure it isn't a calculated choice on ubisoft's part to include a character who will stir up blatantly obvious racism just so it can be the primary discourse of their mediocre game to cover up all the other problems and microtransactions its bound to have, and get people who otherwise wouldn't have cared to buy the game both on principle and to hate review it. Cause it sucks but man is the racism so... predictable. But I hope the people who wrote the game at least took advantage of it to write a good story and characters if that is the case.

Oh yeah make no mistake Ubisoft is an awful garbage company who makes terrible games on purpose so they can sell micro-transactions and they have openly stated they want to move forward by having NPC ambient dialogue written by AI from now on. They also harbour an environment of abuse towards their workers and have been protecting high ranking members of their studio from facing legal or financial consequences for sexual assault.

Fuck 'em.

The game is not going to be good. I already know this and it sucks. Especially because I know a lot of the devs and writers and researchers working on AC want to make good games and really want to be historically accurate as they were once highly praised for when AC was at its peak.

Including Yasuke as such an important focus of the game is absolutely a marketing stunt by AC both to drum up support for their studio run by confirmed rapists and the backlash and racism is a convenient smokescreen from how awful their company and studio is. Especially if it can outrage people enough to support the game out of spite.

It all sucks because an Assassin's Creed game as they used to be made at their peak making a game with Yasuke as a major focus would be really interesting and something I would love to see. Hell, make an entire game ABOUT Yasuke and follow a fictional imagining of his life from whatever tribe he was part of in Africa, his capture and selling into European hands and being shipped of to Japan where he is elevated into the Samurai class structure in (I think??) the Edo period. That would be great!

Yasuke is a very interesting historical figure simply due to his very existence. And I think interpreting what his life could have been like would make for a fascinating narrative. And at one point Ubisoft could have done it justice.

But their studio is awful, they are using this as a smokescreen to distract everyone from their liberal use of AI to do their quest writing and dialogue, and they are still protecting their higher ups from facing legal consequences for sexual assault. All while selling games which are made to be bad on purpose so they can sell a criminal amount of micro-transactions to you.

And it just sucks.

But what sucks more is how these people who love to complain about "woke culture" are the ones who seem to be so incredibly obsessed with this with SUCH fragile coping mechanisms that the simple use of a real historical figure who was black is enough to send them into a shrieking tamper tantrum about it.

They have literally become as sensitive, maladjusted, and unable to cope with reality as they THINK "SJWs" and "Woke culture" is. When in reality most normal people don't get this upset about a video game character existing. It's really pathetic.

But, on the trailer for Assassin's Creed Shadows I saw this comment, and I think it says all that needs to be said about the whole situation;

[cycle-hit]

kotoko being a drop out/"on break" will never not be important to me. she says its just because theres "something she wanted to do" but i know its deeper than that girl. you dont go on break or drop out just because you abruptly decided you need to hunt down criminals with no deeper reason. did you grow tired of what you were being taught kotoko. did you realise that none of it would actually help the cause youre fighting for and become frustrated. did you realise what youre being taught actually just perpetuates the unfairness of the system.

like. i make fun of kotoko by saying "she'd probably beat the shit out of you if you said acab" but kotoko. WASNT trying to become a cop. she went to law school for at least two years instead of a police academy. its not like she wouldve been afraid of the direct confrontation that comes with policework either. she knew the justice system sucked shit and desperately wanted to change the world's beliefs, enough to the point she deliberately chose to go into law instead of becoming a part of the corrupted police force.

kotoko PLEASE just tell us your childhood trauma. PLEASE. I WANT TO KNOW WHY OUTSIDE OF MILGRAM YOU ONLY HUNTED CRIMINALS WHO ENDANGERED WOMEN OR CHILDREN. I WANT TO KNOW WHY YOU KNEW ENOUGH TO NOT GO INTO THE DOGSHIT POLICE SYSTEM WHEN YOUR BLACK AND WHITE BELIEFS AND BEHAVIOUR IN T2 COULDVE EASILY LED YOU TO THAT. WHAT DROVE YOU TO THE BOILING POINT OF "TAKING A BREAK" FROM EDUCATION.

"umm shes a cop in t2" yes but also no. she is very much meant to be reminiscent of a cop but we made her into that. she was desperate to see milgram (and in proxy, es) as being the ultimate determination of "right and wrong" or "good and evil" because she wanted to be told that what she did was right. so she could have a reason to keep going. and then that same system, us, essentially told her "yeah you were correct in beating up that guy bc he was evil" with our t1 innocent verdict with no further thought put into it. and then we went "yeah we judged these four prisoners as guilty" or. "evil" in the standards kotoko gave. and two of those prisoners were two people who kotoko questioned if they really belonged in milgram (mahiru and mikoto) and then. A CHILD.

we told her that a woman, a child, and a guy with a disorder were "evil". like. damn imagine trusting so fully in the narrative and then having it hit you in the face with a complete "yeah you know the "weak" you wanted to protect? these people fit all those criterias. but we judged them evil and also that it was cool to beat the shit out of that guy because the vast majority of innocent voters in trial 1 affirmed the absolute worst parts of her eagerness to fight crime. so yeah what we're saying is go beat the shit out of the people you once strived to protect. lol. lmao." like. damn. fuck.

and not es. btw. es didnt say that. es tells us multiple times that they didnt want this. the fuckign voices dude!! kotoko can literally HEAR why people thought she was innocent and the vast majority played fully into her "i want to be told i was right so i don't have to think about it anymore- think about myself anymore." in the absolute worst ways possible. kotoko wasnt a "cop" pre-milgram or in trial 1 as much as she is in trial 2 because that wasnt who she was. we made her into that.

anyways. srry. im terminally diseased about kotoko