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theexaltedbride · 1 month ago

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White Rabbit X Ex-DarkCOM Member Reader (GN).

(Got heavily inspired to write Rabbit X Reader stuff because the White Rabbit was the best thing of the DMC Netflix series. I have quite a few issues with the series from a writing perspective, but the rabbit was dynamite! So, since there was a shortage of Rabbit X Reader stuff, I decided to do it myself! I hope you all enjoy. All my Rabbit stuff will have him just be a demon rather than...if you know you know. It will all also be focused on an AU style in hopes of a happier ending, because I'm tired of dark and depressing shit. Get enough of that in the real world.)

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~"A soldier's duty to disobey an unlawful and immoral order is greater than their duty to obey a lawful order". ~

You were told this once by a superior officer. It always stuck with you, both in your service in the military, and afterwards when you were recruited by Dark Realm Command. It has been on your mind especially when you defect away from DarkCOM, because you refused to open fire on unarmed Makaians.

Killing isn't any more honorable than blindly following orders and stomping your feet like a wind up toy soldier. Only righteous service and protecting others with this power gives honor to a soldier's actions. That was how you made it through your initial tour of duty, and how you tried to serve in DarkCOM.

How you wish the others of DarkCOM could see that as well.

You didn't know it at first, you were taken in by all of Command's song and dance about demons and 'Hell'. How they were all invaders out to turn humanity into cattle for them to feast on. The best lies were born of truth, and you responded to many calls of rampaging demons mindlessly chomping down on random passersbys, or more conniving demons who seemed to be everything Darkcom warned you they were.

But every now and again, you were ordered to take part in an operation which felt wrong.

You tried to ignore it. You tried to tell yourself it was a trick. But raiding demon hideouts sometimes felt more like breaking into the homes of cowering families, and seeing how they fled or begged, filled you with doubt. You hesitated more and more each time.

Not every demon was a killer. Many of them fled in terror or had never harmed a person in their life. They just wanted to flee a shitty world run by a different kind of monster. The knowledge of it kept you up at night, until it finally came to a head, on the same day as you encountered the White Rabbit.

He had been known by Darkcom for a while now. 'Target: 'Thumper' was his label, he was an HVI that needed to be eliminated, as Darkcom intel suspected he had some sort of method of tunneling between realms and bringing demons into our world. A trap was laid at one of the locations Rabbit liked to use to welcome Makaians to Earth.

It was a large wooded area, so that his people could breathe untainted air, and see real flora that wasn't immediately dangerous. Your superiors had guessed his arrival time, and has set up in ambush for a few days ahead of time, you had been on watch when the portal opened, and Rabbit arrived leading several Makaians behind him, elderly, children, sickly outworlders who looked like just human beings who were oddly shaped or hairier than normal.

You called it in and reported that there were noncombatants in the area.

"They are all combatants. The moment they set foot on this planet they are designated hostile."

"There are no weapons, the have kids among them." You hiss into your radio, perhaps a little too loudly.

Rabbit's ears had twitched as if he'd heard you all, his eyes were scanning the forest for the source of the noise, yet the Makaians were still walking closer into the killbox, where they would have nowhere to run and be surrounded on all sides by guns ready to fire.

You wouldn't tolerate this...so you made your choice. You sprung the trap too early. You fired at the feet of the Makaians to force them to turn around and run back towards Rabbit and his portal, as the other Darkcom operatives were forced to change position to get a better angle, while you tried to get them to stop.

"Cease fire! Cease Fire! Noncombatants! " You shouted to your comrades, hoping to get through to them, even making universal hand signs to help convey it in the low light of the forests, hoping to give them pause.

This was wrong. These people didn't deserve to be hurt, and damn the orders and officers who wanted this to happen.

"Engage and eliminate, soldier! That's an order! Wipe them out, now!" One of the officers in the field had declared, and you just couldn't take it anymore.

"I WILL NOT OBEY THAT ORDER!" Had been screamed back at those you once called friends. Your battle brothers and battle sisters.

This wasn't missed by the Rabbit. Nor did he miss how you shot at some of your own, not shooting to kill, but to force them into cover and to keep their fire from hitting the fleeing people, because that's what they were. Not monsters, but people.

The others shouted at you that you were insane, or a traitor, with each word feeling like the bite of a nail being driven through your heart. There was no going back now, you'd done something which couldn't be undone.

But it had to be done.

You forced the other operatives to stay down while the Makaians fled, and half expected Rabbit to shut the portal on his way through, but he kept it open, and whistled for you while waving an arm.

"This way! Hurry!"

You covered your escape with a smoke grenade, and fled towards the Rabbit, expecting him to backstab you the entire time, but all he did was shove you through before closing it behind you both.

The Makaians were understandably surprised, and some even looked as if they were waiting for you to fire on them. Instead, you dropped the magazines from your weapons, cleared the chambers, and placed them on the ground. Only after you raised your arms did you notice that Rabbit was right behind you, knife held to the back of your neck, ready to plunge it in if you gave him a reason.

Rabbit didn't like being left in the dark, he hated not knowing things, and he was struggling to understand how a human, let alone a member of Darkcom, could have actually saved him and his people.

You found yourself detained and interrogated by the Rabbit for weeks, as he tried to discern if you were a spy, trying to trick him and lead them all to their doom. But your answers were always the same, and at one point you were in tears as you admitted that you couldn't live with yourself if you had knowingly killed innocents, so you threw your entire life away to do the right thing. There's no going back now.

"So, either kill me or let me go. I have nothing else now." You told the Rabbit, and a day later he came back with his decision. He cut your ropes and told you that you could stay, but that he'd be keeping an eye on you.

=================

-The rabbit is initially suspicious of you when you first escape back into Makai. Its only by the insistence of the Makaians who you saved that he doesn't throw you back through the portal and let DarkCom deal with you. As time goes on, he will grow to trust you more as he sees you actively trying to help everyone else there.

-He refused to give you any of your weapons back, until the refugee camp was attacked by one of the wild beasts. It was a giant beetle like beast smashing through the tunnels where the Refugees hid and remained safe from the poison air above. Rabbit and the other guards for the camp did what they could to fight the beast up close, and you were helping the refugees flee to safety when you spotted a broken metal case with your weapons inside.

You quickly grabbed them and started peppering the beast from a distance with shots and even a grenade. Each time the Bettle was moving to attack someone you would get its attention and force it to look your way or avoid attacking someone. You even went so far as to charge at it with a flare, which forced the creature to rear back in fear of the bright flame and smoke, finally giving rabbit a perfect strike at its soft underbelly, and slicing it open.

-Rabbit never forgot what you did, and how easily you could have killed them all if you'd wanted to, or how you risked your life yet again to save his people. From then on he allowed you more freedom in the camp, and when the dead Beetle was turned into food, he let you have the best part to eat. (Food is limited on Makai, and this small gesture told everyone else he trusted you).

-Rabbit first learned of Earth thanks to finding a vendor of human artifacts which sometimes slipped through the cracks of the barrier between worlds. He learned to read thanks to an old copy of Alice in Wonderland, which prominently displayed a rabbit on it and he wondered if it was about creatures like him. He used it to help him learn how to read and used to think 'Alice' was the term used for humans until he was old enough to read more advanced books and understand the difference between humans and demons (and how similar they were on a genetic level).

Sometimes he still slips up and refers to you as Alice.

-When it comes to supply runs and setting up safehouses on Earth, Rabbit was hesitant to bring you along, but you've proven invaluable in helping them find good places to get supplies, and even raided a few Darkcom safehouses you were familiar with but which were not in use. It looks like Darkcom command assumed you were dead after all this time and had neglected to re-secure these safehouses. you handed off everything you could to Rabbit to use in keeping the Makaians safe on the other side, and promised to help teach those how were willing how to use a weapon.

Guns will do nothing to the higher-level demons, but it can at least make it easier to hunt for good and scare off weaker demons who come trying to take supplies or shake the refugees down like old school mafia thugs. You've had to help chase them off and fight more hostile demons, but Rabbit always does the heavy lifting in that regard. At least now the refugees will be safer when you two aren't around.

-You even once managed to steal an entire semi-truck worth of packaged food thanks to your knowledge of places on Earth which you could hit without harming anyone. Rabbit wouldn't admit it, but you knew that glint in his eyes. He was impressed.

-Rabbit didn't know that there were actually 4 books following the stories of Wonderland, and he thanked you for letting him know, a bright smile on his face, as if he'd learned that Santa was indeed real.

-Surviving on Makai is a lot like being in the army or Darkcom. 90% of it is looking for something to do and hoping nothing kills you, the last 10% is pure terror and fighting for your life. Though it fluctuates, it still leaves you with plenty of time to think and looking for ways to help out, especially when in one of the tunnel networks Rabbit has deemed safe enough for refugees to hide in long-term.

-You spend some of your downtime telling stories to young Makaians to distract them from the hardships of life, and have more than once reenacted scenes from famous movies using a stick instead of a sword and eventually Rabbit will join in and help tell the stories with you. ( Yes like that scene from Reign of Fire).

-Other times you spend it running impromptu classes for Makaians about Earth and clearing up any misconceptions they may have about it (Such as some thinking cars were tamed monsters with a metal carapace, or that radios and TV had tiny demons inside forced to perform for humans). You've even been looking into ways to teach them how to drive stick shift for a car.

-Recently you've been helping Makaians learn how to live on Earth and among humans without arousing suspicion. This also includes asking Rabbit to help you by playing the part of a Makaian in disguise and what would be appropriate/a faux pas when among humans. Rabbit likes to think of himself as a showman and loves to have the eyes of others on him, so why not have him help give demonstrations?

This would be what eventually led to your first kiss. You both got a little too 'in character' and kept leaning in closer while 'showing how humans expressed affection' (Some demons do it by biting others by licking so you were showing the human ways) until you gave one another a quick peck of a kiss.

You'd meant to do it on his cheek, as had Rabbit, but you leaned in too quickly, and your lips had touched for a half a second.

-Rabbit would actually come to you later to apologize for the unexpected kiss, while making an offhand comment that it wasn't an unpleasant experience.

-You suggested to Rabbit that perhaps you should continue the lesson. It would take about two weeks for him to come back to that idea, but your second kiss was much better than the first one.

-You've both taken to sometimes going out in search of little gifts to give one another when doing scouting missions on Earth, and Rabbit keeps trying to find flowers which won't die immediately while on Makai. But it was through this which Darkcom began to learn you were still alive, and began to make plans to eliminate you.

-Whenever you have an engagement with Darkcom you try to go nonlethal as much as you can, tossing flashbangs, smoke grenades, using suppressing fire and shooting to wound rather than to kill, or loading a rubber bullet into a grenade launcher and firing off the massive thing towards one of the enemy shooters to break their wrist or crack a rib. You just need to take them out of the fight until everyone can retreat. But Darkcom knows you lack the stomach to go all the way and plan to use it against you.

This would end up further cementing Rabbit's love for you when he saw you in danger and risked his own life for you.

-Rabbit nearly tore his tendons moving faster than the human eye could see, moving fast enough to save you from a Darkcom ambush, where they lobbed grenades at you, and they had landed enough of them around you that it didn't matter where you ran. You would have been blown to bits no matter what. If the detonations didn't get you, then the shrapnel would have.

But Rabbit saw the grenades coming down around you and moved at such speeds his shoes were ripped and broken, hanging off of his feet, the seams of his shirt had ripped, his veins felt like they were ready to burst, but he was able to grab you and pull you to safety before the grenades went off.

The smoke it created was enough to give you both time to escape to a portal and out of the Darkcom trap. The moment Rabbit made it to the other side, he collapsed.

The pain he'd be in for a week after was enough to require some of the harder painkillers the Makaian refugees use as well as some drugs to bring down the swelling in his body. He was breathing hard the entire time, as if constantly trying to catch his breath, and in his dazed confusion he kept asking if you were okay, even while you tended to him and tried to soothe his pain.

He's not as strong or as fast as the true demons of Makai, normally he wouldn't push himself so hard. But seeing you in genuine danger of being killed caused him to put everything he had into running fast enough to save you.

-Afterwards he'd really get on your case about being soft on Darkcom and how you needed to stop fighting with one arm behind your back, but you knew he only did it because he cared about you.

-One of the angriest you've ever seen Rabbit get angry at another Makaian was when a mimic demon was imitating you and pretending to be you. The rabbit instantly knew it wasn't the real you, and lashed out.

'They didn't sound right, didn't smell right, didn't move right...it was an insult.' He would later say about the incident, after you had pulled Rabbit off of the mimic, where he'd been punching their singular eye and screaming at them to never imitate you again.

-He had actually never heard of Bugs Bunny until you managed to show him some clips of it. To your shock it actually had him laughing and guffawing at the cartoon rabbit's antics. You've rarely ever seen his mouth open that wide, but its good to see some real joy in his life now and again.

Though don't ever ask him to say 'What's Up Doc'. It will just annoy him.

-The worst arguments you and Rabbit ever have are about how to better handle DarkCom and whether to reveal the existence of Makai to the public. You insist on going public, making videos to send to the press, getting DNA samples to share with hospitals and universities, and showing the world that Makaian's aren't monsters!

If people knew the truth, the public outcry could put Darkcom on the backfoot and give the refugees a chance to claim genuine sanctuary. Or perhaps even trying to get other members of the organization to see that they are going about this all wrong.

The first idea is scoffed at by the Rabbit, the second however always leads to arguments.

"You need to get your head out of your ass, dearest. They are jackboot thugs who will happily kill all of us without losing a second of sleep. Whatever 'good members' who might exist among them were either killed off for asking too many questions or they jumped ship like you did. What remains are wind up killers waiting for their next mission. I will hear no more of it."

On and on the arguments go, with both of you making points and refusing to budge. Rabbit makes the point of how it takes only one single Darkcom spy among them to bring all of this crashing down.

"Just one single guided missile and we're all dead." Rabbit reminds you, and its hard to deny him, yet whenever he comes up with a plan which would cause civilian casualties you are quick to shoot those down. Those tactics will only further turn people against Makaians, and make it harder for them to reveal themselves to the public.

"If we act like the monsters they say we are, it will give them justification to treat us that way." You say to Rabbit.

"Why should that matter? Humans act like monsters all the time. Ghandi Games only work with people who can feel shame." He scoffs, and gets angry when you remind him that Ghandi did succeed and is venerated for it. On and on the two of you go to the point of sleeping in different beds, only to make up as the week goes along (especially as Rabbit is usually the first one to reach out, by offering you tea he made himself).

This work is hard, and it eats at you both. Whatever moments of joy can be found between you two have to be guarded, protected, and cherished. You've become a pariah to your own people for Rabbit and the Makaians. He understands this and wishes things were different.

It becomes a moot point as going less lethal proves to be more of an impossibility as DarkCom considers you a priority target for termination. They will not take you prisoner, they will not hear you out. They want to kill you, even if they are being spoonfed lies and propaganda, they will not hesitate and will show no mercy to the Makaians under your protection.

So, you do what you must.

As you have to fight some of your own former comrades, and kill some of them, Rabbit sees how it eats at you, and will hold you and let you cry as much as you need to.

"I ran out of tears a long time ago. But I remember how much better I felt afterwards...so take as long as you need." He will tell you, holding you tight, and pushing off other business unless it's absolutely critical he be there.

Yet he's starting to come around to the idea of finding other ways of helping the Makaians. Be it by going public, or by trying to find a different world altogether to flee to.

It has to be worth it. Something good has to come out of all of this. The pain can't end with more pain. No matter how deep you both have to go down into the rabbit hole, you're going to find a way to make things right.

Both worlds are cold and dark, full of so much pain, but together the two of you are bringing some light and much needed joy where possible.

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Couple's playlist.

~'We're All Mad Here' By SJ Tucker.

~'Her Name Is Alice.' By Shinedown.

~'White Rabbit' By Egypt Central.

~'Looking glass' By The Birthday Massacre.

~'No More' Disturbed.

~'The Good Soldier' By Nine Inch Nails.

~"Somewhere I belong." Linkin Park.

~'Novia' by Jake Daniels.

~'One Last Night' by Vaults.

~'Its not over' by Daughtry.

~'Whoever brings the night.' By Nightwish.

====

A good part of this entire idea was sparked by the Shower Ambush from The Rock, and I had it on repeat while I was writing certain parts of this to keep my muse going.

#DMC 2025 #DMC #White Rabbit X Reader #DMC White Rabbit X Reader #reader x canon #White Rabbit is a demon here #DMC Netflix #devil may cry netflix #Devil May Cry #Devil May cry x reader #dmc white rabbit #dmc rabbit #dmc rabbit x reader #dmc x reader

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eatmyheartoutjpg · 1 month ago

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Part 1.

POSER ;; You’re a Viltrumite who gets sent to Earth to investigate Nolan's absence and end up having some time off.

04.06.25 Masterlist

You were sent to Earth the moment Nolan went dark. The official report claimed he abandoned his post. You didn’t believe it for a second.

Nolan was many things—distant, silent, stern—but disloyal? Never. He worked like a dog, tirelessly and without question. If he truly defected, something serious must’ve happened. That’s what brought you here—to investigate, observe, and confirm whether the whispers of betrayal held any truth. And if they did… eliminate the root.

Your mission played through your mind lazily as you broke through the atmosphere, the planet’s gravity wrapping around you like a blanket. It was laughable, really—soft and barely noticeable compared to your last assignment. That planet had gravity thick enough to crush bones, and it made every step a chore. You still did your job, of course. Your partner on that mission was another Vilturmite, one you detested—which only fueled you to stay longer just to piss them off.

You weren’t just any Viltrumite. You were the youngest general in the Emperor’s inner circle—a tight ring of the most elite, loyal, and ruthless generals Thragg could count on. That circle hadn’t changed in centuries… until you came along. You climbed fast, carving your place with intelligence and speed rather than sheer strength. While you couldn’t match the others in raw power, your intelligence and agility made you irreplaceable.

Unlike Nolan, who was stationed long-term to conquer and rule, you were deployed as a reconnaissance agent. You didn’t hold territories. You traveled. Observed. Reported. And, when necessary, massacred.

You never stayed anywhere for long. Constant movement, constant new sights. It suited you.

But Thragg’s fury over Nolan was unusual. Unsettling, even. You’d never seen him lose composure, not like that. The trial of a potential traitor was unheard of. Nolan had barely crossed your path in all these years and you could count your conversations with him on one hand. But now, Thragg was trusting you to track down what corrupted him, to see if Earth had done something to him or if something deeper had infected the Empire. If you found a trace of rot, your orders were clear: wipe it all out.

He trusted you. Said you were “eager,” that you never asked questions. He didn’t care if your motivation was bloodlust or curiosity—as long as you got the job done.

And so, here you were. Slowing your descent as the vast ocean glistened below. The sun scorched the beach where humans gathered, running about like fragile animals in the sand.

They looked off to you. Familiar, but weak. Like Viltrumites stripped of density and mass. Visually, they resembled your kind—but the similarities ended there. You hovered silently, tilting your head as you observed them.

It wasn’t much. You were warned this civilization was primitive, caveman-tier. That might’ve been overselling it. Still, the architecture was rather charming. Colorful. Diverse. You could at least give them points for that. More visual range than Viltrum’s endless white.

Then your attention snapped sideways.

A sphere. Floating next to you.

Pitch black. Metallic. A massive red lens blinking in the center, watching you. It hovered at your level, unmoving, steady. Clearly a drone.

You blinked slowly, curiously. Then, in an instant, you were nose-to-lens, both hands cradling it as if inspecting some strange new lifeform.

You studied the camera like a child peering into a dog’s eyes. You huffed a breath onto the lens, watched it fog over, and wiped it with your palm. It was a mocking gesture, playful tease, if you will.

Your ears twitched, picking up the faintest hums—barely audible, but there nonetheless. More of those little black spheres were floating in your peripheral now, quietly watching from a distance. You turned your head slightly, catching three.. no, five of them. All hovering silently, lens-eyes trained on you.

You blinked once, slowly.

Cute.

The thought made you smile faintly—an involuntary reaction. These little machines reminded you of insects pretending to be predators. Harmless, curious, and oddly charming.

You looked back down at the one still clutched in your hands. You gave it a small shake, tilting your head like a bird before holding it at eye level again, your gaze piercing and unblinking.

In the depths of the GDA control center, panic was blooming.

“They’re a Viltrumite, sir,” an agent said, her voice filled with unease. The scan results glowed on the screen before her—an undeniable match.

Cecil’s jaw clenched, pressure spiking in his temples as his fists curled instinctively.

“Are they here to finish the job? God damn it!” he snapped, voice sharp and cutting. “Who’s available? Who’s nearby?!”

Even he knew there was almost no one. Invincible was still healing after getting the beat down of several lifetimes by his own father only two weeks prior.

“Sir! W-We don’t think we can handle this threat—” Another piped up, voice laced in fear.

“You think I don’t know that? Get me someone, anyone—now!” Cecil strained his throat. They can’t cower if Earth is threatened again, after the latest shitshow, they couldn’t even remotely control another large scale assault.

Before another command could be issued, a voice echoed throughout the control room—calm, casual, and completely unexpected.

“I’m assuming you can hear me… or, worst case, read lips,” you said, your voice now coming through every speaker in the room.

Cecil froze mid-step, eyes locking on the main screen, everyone else following in suit. Silence filled the room.

“I think we speak the same language…” You trailed off, mumbling absently to yourself before refocusing. “Anyway, I’m just here to visit. Don’t see me as a threat.” You waved harmlessly at the lens.

Your face filled the entire display wall—floor to ceiling. So close, they could see the micro-expressions in your eyes, the subtle twitch in your brow, the slight purse of your lips between words. You looked young—too young to be this calm while holding the world hostage with your mere presence.

But age meant nothing when it came to Viltrumites.

You could’ve been centuries old already, and still look barely twenty. And yet… There was something different. You didn’t speak like Nolan. Your tone was light, informal, bordering on distracted. You spoke quickly, offhandedly, like your mind never stayed in one place for long. Like a kid with too much energy and too little patience.

“Don’t waste your resources on me,” you added, as if offering advice. “It’s not necessary.”

It almost sounded sincere. Almost.

How ridiculous. A Viltrumite—concerned for human lives? The same species that nearly razed the Earth to nothing?

Cecil’s fingers began tapping a pattern against his upper arm—an old rhythm to keep himself grounded, focused. He didn’t respond. Not yet.

He just stared at your face on the screen, eyes narrowed, mind racing.

“Their pupils and heart rate are steady. No indication of lying, sir.”

You sat atop a mountain, the wind cutting sharply against your skin like tiny blades that never cut. It was quiet up here. Just you and the breeze.

You liked that. The solitude. The purity of untouched terrain.

Back on Viltrum, they had long erased such things. No mountains, no deep valleys. Just an endless city—clean, sterile, leveled to perfection. It made for efficient living… but it was so boring.

Your legs dangled over the edge, kicking lightly in the air. You weren’t in a rush. Never were. That wasn’t how you worked.

You preferred your own process. First the overview—fly over, scan, observe. No rush, no panic. Then you’d dig deeper. Like peeling away layers of a fruit. Nolan wouldn’t be easy to track—Earth was cluttered and full of cracks to hide in. His presence could be anywhere, like a cornered hare hiding in a burrow before the wolf could bite.

Still, what truly began to gnaw at you wasn’t the task. It was the constant surveillance.

Those same, familiar spherical black-eyed cameras were always floating somewhere nearby. Always watching. Always humming softly, trying to pretend they weren’t there. You’d let it go for now. It wasn’t like they could learn anything new from watching you. You weren’t hiding anything. You never had.

The silence broke.

“Let’s have a civil conversation.”

You tilted your head, then leaned back on your palms, spine arched slightly as you glanced behind you. A drone floated nearby, inching closer with cautious movements, as if it feared you’d swat it down like a fly.

So that’s what they were going with now.

You smiled.

“So it can speak,” you said, amused, your gaze locking with the lens like it was a person. “I’m guessing you’re speaking from afar, aren’t you? Not feeling brave enough to say it in person?”

There was a beat.

“We’re wary of your origins,” the voice replied through the drone’s speaker. Calm. Controlled. Unwilling to give anything away.

You narrowed your eyes, “Didn’t answer my question, but I’ll take that as a yes.”

You stretched your arms above your head, letting out a soft hum as your joints cracked, then settled again. Relaxed. At ease.

“I’ll hear you out,” you said at last. “You did what I asked—keep to yourself. An eye for an eye, right? I think that’s the phrase.”

Your tone was light, conversational. Like two old friends catching up on a cold mountaintop.

“Pitch your speech,” you said with a wave of your hand, like you were introducing a play you weren’t all that interested in. Your posture was relaxed, but your eyes were sharp—watchful. You’d sat through enough debriefs and endless deliberations to know when someone was stalling and when they were about to snap.

Council meetings back on Viltrum taught you that. There was a rule that if you were a general and you happened to be on the planet when one was called, you had to attend. Orders. All missions paused, duties shelved. The only exception? A direct override from someone higher up. Which—thankfully—happened to you once during a six-month-long meeting. You were pulled out by Thragg after just a month to scout a new planet. The others weren’t so lucky.

“What is your reason for coming to Earth?” the voice asked flatly. “Your Viltrumite is already gone.”

So it was true.

Nolan had left. Fully abandoned his post without even reporting back.

You exhaled through your nose, borderline annoyed. Of course he did. You could already picture Thragg’s reaction. That bellowing roar shaking the throne room walls, spitting out Nolan’s name like it burned his mouth. “WHAT!? That bastard—!” Ugh. You weren’t in the mood for that. Maybe you could push the job of delivering the news onto someone else. Kregg, maybe. He was due for a bit of suffering.

“Well,” you said, shrugging, “I’m not here to conquer Earth, if that’s your concern” That part was true. “And no one else will come unless I ask them to.”

Your words were casual, but they carried weight. You weren’t trying to be threatening. You didn’t have to. Anyone who understood Viltrumites knew even the weakest of you could raze civilizations. And you? You weren’t anywhere close to the weakest.

A pause. Then the voice spoke again.

“You didn’t answer the question.”

Ah.

They were using your own words. How funny.

You smirked faintly, head cocked to the side.

“I’m here to observe,” you mused, voice light, almost amused. “Like you are to me at this very moment.”

You let the words hang in the air for a beat, eyes still fixed on the drone, your reflection faint in its lens.

“I’m just observing without interfering. Unless, of course, you force my hand.”

You gave a nonchalant shrug, the kind that made it impossible to tell whether it was a warning or just idle chatter.

“But you’re rather civil. I appreciate that fact.”

A/N ;; Guys please, i have so many ideas for this, but my writers block remains

#sevs.☆wndw #fanfiction #fanfic #gn reader #invincible fanfic #invincible show #invincible comic #invincible x reader #invincible x you #cecil invincible #cecil stedman #invincible spoilers #invincible donald #invincible #angst no comfort #suffering #x reader

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transmutationisms · 9 months ago

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Hey, I've been delving into anti psychiatry readings but one thing always stands out to me: if there is no underlying disease behind a depressive state, for example, how does that new paradigm not end up placing the blame on the patient? I ask in good faith as I still don't have a clear answer on that regard, and would like to have better conversations about this topic that don't end when people tell me of a close relative with depression who has seemingly had a life free of traumas that could otherwise present as depression.

-materialist (marxist) anti psychiatry identifies the root 'cause' or basis of psychological experiences in the economic and material conditions of existence. depression or other forms of distress, just like other affective states, derive fundamentally from the world we live in, our political situation, the material alienation of estranged labour that underlies 'alienation' the psychological state. this doesn't mean that resolving the contradictions of capitalism (that is, workers' revolution) will magically eliminate all sources of distress, depression, or other currently pathologised experiences. however, it would certainly resolve / eliminate some distress for some people; additionally, it is the only way to overcome the capitalist paradigm that values people by their adherence to a normative standard of ability, which is what renders depressed people (for example) economically marginalised 'failed citizens'

-keeping the above in mind, i would question whether there is really such thing as a person who 'has no trauma' ie, has no material basis for alienation, depression, or distress. capitalism is an estranging system, including for the owner class (though of course this occurs in a different way to the labouring class, and i am not suggesting that the bourgeoisie are the 'victims' of capitalism or some such)

-none of the above is mutually exclusive with the role that an individual's neurobiology plays in their subjective or psychological state. like any base/superstructure phenomenon, the relationship is dialectical, with the material base generally dominating, but both acting on and being affected by superstructural phenomena. economic and material conditions lead to subjective experiences such as depressions; these experiences are also instantiated in, reacting to, and reacted upon by the physiological processes in the brain/body. however, when we say that depression (for example) is not a disease we mean that there is no biological entity---no infectious pathogen, no 'chemical imbalance', no organic lesion, no anatomical defect or physiological malfunction---that is identifiable as a single cause or correlate of depressed states, nor will there ever be; the psychiatric label is a heuristic catch-all applied to a constellation of experiences (symptoms) that are varying degrees of disagreeable to individuals (patients) as well as to medical and state authorities

-i think it's overly credulous to the psychiatric profession to assert that calling something a disease means that no one can 'blame the patient' for it. in fact i would say it would be difficult to name a disease that doctors, state authorities, and society at large does NOT blame on patients

-i also think it's overly credulous to the psychiatric profession to assert that there is a dichotomy between neurobiological diseases and things that are individual faults or failings. in fact i would posit that most subjective experiences, including of distress, are neither

#psychiatry

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cmmssuccess · 10 months ago

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Defect Elimination Management And Bad Actor Analysis.

Maintaining asset integrity, maximising performance, and reaching peak production outcomes all depend on effective defect elimination management.

The difficulties of locating, comprehending, and resolving asset flaws will be examined in this article, with a focus on the significance of having a complete awareness of their nature, implications, and possible outcomes.

The significance of maintenance departments creating a framework for integrating defect elimination and bad actor analysis into their proactive maintenance strategies, enabling them to make more informed decisions, becomes clear when we delve into the subtleties of defect analysis.

Defects in an asset are characterised as flaws, inadequacies, or departures from standard operating characteristics or design specifications.

The kind of defect, where it is located on the assembly of the asset, and what happens when it exists determine how one defect impacts the performance of the asset as a whole.

For example, a minor corrosion patch on a panel that is readily replaceable and does not pose a structural risk to the asset overall is unlikely to have an adverse effect on the asset's longevity, performance, or safety.

Effective Defect Elimination Management is critical for maintaining asset integrity, optimizing performance, and achieving peak production results. It involves identifying, understanding, and addressing asset defects systematically.

Understanding asset defects requires accurate identification and comprehensive documentation in the CMMS, including risk assessments that evaluate both the consequence and likelihood of defects leading to failures.

Defect Elimination Management (DEM) is a comprehensive approach that goes beyond traditional maintenance practices, focusing on root cause analysis and implementing long-term solutions to prevent defect recurrence.

"Bad Actors" in defect elimination refer to equipment, systems, or components that consistently underperform, require frequent maintenance, or cause repeated operational reliability or quality issues.

Advanced diagnostic tools and technologies, such as vibration analysis systems, infrared thermography, and AI-based analytics, have transformed the way asset defects are identified and managed.

Quality and timely repairs and clear business processes for managing defects are crucial, along with maintaining quality maintenance history data to provide valuable insights for future defect elimination processes.

To learn more, you can read my article via this link: Defect Elimination Management - CMMS Success

#defect elimination #defect management #bad actor analysis #maintenance management #asset reliability #asset performance #value driven maintenance #asset analysis

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revelboo · 3 months ago

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The question has to be asked. For every human they suddenly find on the lost light. Does brainstorm get smacked for it? I think it'd be funny if a count was kept like that

(Juat smth stupid that I'm giggling over while goofy on sleep meds)

He really should be smacked for every “surprise, here’s a human”

My Way Pt 3

Brainstorm x Reader

• “See? I’m already better at this than half the crew,” he calls out to Perceptor as you just stare at him with wide eyes. Maybe you’re defective and can’t vocalize? “You know, these things are kind of cute in an ugly way.” Can feel the frantic beat of your heart against his servos and honestly, he doesn’t get the obsession. Why fuss over and dote on these weird, little organics? Oh. You’re making a noise now. Kind of a high pitched wheezing.

• Frozen as the giant monster talks about you to the other monster like you’re not even there, he glances at the other one and as soon as those yellow optics aren’t staring a hole in you, the terror paralyzing you shatters. Screaming like you’re being bloodily dismembered and he almost drops you, jarring you into biting your tongue as your heart feels like it stops for a moment. “Your skills are astonishing. I’m sure even you can keep one little human alive,” the other mutters before disappearing.

• “Just had to scream, didn’t you? Look, you appear to be an adult. Probably. So I’ll make sure you have access to food and water and you don’t embarrass me,” he growls, watching you wince and touch your mouth. “That was embarrassing me, by the way.” And you’ve still got a hand over your mouth. Did you hurt yourself? How? Those tiny teeth look blunt. Venting, he carries you back to his habsuite and pulls a slightly used cleaning cloth from his subspace, putting you down and dropping it on top of you. Watching you struggle free before your wide eyes dart around and land on the vent. Can he be held accountable if you get in there? Probably. “I wouldn’t. Unless puréed by a fan is how you want to go out.”

• Shivering as the giant walks past you and sits at a desk, apparently wholly unconcerned about you crawling into the vent to purée yourself anyway despite his warning. And it occurs to you that you really don’t want to be on the floor considering how big he is. Especially his peds. Feeling like a toddler, you edge closer to him, head tipped back to study him. If he meant to hurt you, he would have by now, right? You’re pretty sure he’d only almost dropped you because you’d screamed in his face. If there are more giant monsters, you need to at least buddy up to one of them for safety. Right? “Can I not be on the floor? Please?”

• So you can talk. Leaning to look down at you, he reaches out a hand and you shy away. “You want up here?” Looking miserable, you come closer and climb into his hand and it’s so disconcerting how tiny and breakable you are. Making him feel almost bad about the one Whirl has. How has it survived this long? “There,” he murmurs, lifting you to his desk and tipping his hand to get you to slide out of his palm, because you’re unsettlingly soft and warm. “If you eliminate on my desk, I’ll put you in the vent myself,” he adds as you just stare up at him. Ugly cute. “I’m Brainstorm by the way. Just sit there and don’t touch anything while I work.” Pulling up a schematic he’d been working on, because designing weapons calms him and right now his processor is a mess. No getting back to recharge until he works off the nervous energy. Didn’t want or need a human. What good are you anyway except to get in the way? Servos stilling when you wander closer, staring up at him, little expression serious. “What? Blinded by how handsome I am?” And still frowning up at him, you wrinkle your nose and shake your head. Okay, that’s just hurtful.

I apologize in advance if anything else I post today is badly in need of editing. In my defense, the grocery store had my wine in stock for once

#transformers x reader #brainstorm x reader #mtmte brainstorm

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sirfrogsworth · 1 year ago

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Let's talk about vintage lenses.

Here is your cool samurai show with modern lenses.

Here is your cool samurai show with vintage lenses.

Hollywood is no stranger to fads.

We are currently in the middle of a "make everything too dark" fad. But that fad is starting to overlap with "let's use really old lenses on ridiculously high resolution cameras."

This is Zack Snyder with a Red Monstro 8K camera.

He is using a "rehoused" vintage 50mm f/0.95 Canon "Dream Lens" which was first manufactured in 1961.

This old lens is put inside a fancy new body that can fit onto modern cameras.

Which means Zack is getting nowhere near 8K worth of detail. These lenses are not even close to being sharp. Which is fine. I think the obsession with detail can get a bit silly and sometimes things can be "too sharp."

But it is a funny juxtaposition.

The dream lens is a cool lens. It has character. It has certain aberrations and defects that can actually be beneficial to making a cool photograph. It's a bit like vinyl records for photography.

[ Peter Thoeny ]

It has vignetting and distortion and a very strange swirly background blur.

[ Gabriel Binder ]

Optical engineers have been spending the last 60 years trying to eliminate these defects. And I sometimes wonder if they are confused by this fad.

"I WORKED 70 HOURS PER WEEK TO GET PERFECT CORNER SHARPNESS!"

And whether you prefer to work with a perfect optic or a vintage one... it is a valid aesthetic decision either way. I think vintage glass can really suit candid natural light photography. You can almost get abstract with these lenses.

[ Peter Theony ]

Personally I like to start with as close to perfect as possible and then add the character in later. That way I can dial in the effect and tweak how much of it I want. But even with modern image editing tools, some of these aberrations are difficult to recreate authentically.

That said, it can be very easy for the "character" of these lenses to become distracting. And just like when someone first finds the lens flares in Photoshop, it can be easy for people to overdo things.

Zack Snyder decided to be his own cameraman and used only vintage glass in his recent movies and it has led to some complaints about the imagery.

I mean, Zack Snyder overdoing something? I can't even imagine it.

Non camera people felt Army of the Dead was blurry and a bit weird but they couldn't quite explain why it felt that way.

The dream lens has a very wide aperture and it lets in a lot of light. But it also has a very very shallow depth of field. Which means it is very difficult to nail focus.

[ Peter Thoeny ]

Her near eye is in focus and her far eye is soft. You literally can't get an entire face in focus.

There is no reason you have to use the dream lens at f/0.95 at all times. But just like those irresistible lens flares, Zack couldn't help himself.

Here is a blueprint that you can't really see.

Extreme close ups of faces without autofocus at f/0.95 is nearly impossible to pull critical focus on.

Looks like Zack nailed the area just above the eyebrow here.

Let's try to find the point of focus in this one.

Ummmm... she is just... blurry. Missed focus completely.

But Zack isn't the only one going vintage. I've been seeing this a lot recently.

Shogun is a beautiful show. And for the most part, I really enjoyed the cinematography. But they went the vintage lens route and it kept going from gorgeous to "I can't not see it" distracting. And perhaps because I am familiar with these lens defects I am more prone to noticing. But I do think it hurt the imagery in a few spots.

Vingetting is a darkening of the corners of the frame.

Light rays in the corners are much harder to control. A lot of modern lenses still have this problem, but they create software corrections to eliminate the issue. Some cameras do it automatically as you are recording the image.

Vintage lenses were built before lens corrections where a thing—before software was a thing. So you either have to live with them, try to remove them with VFX, or crop into your image and lose some resolution.

It's possible this is the aesthetic they wanted. They felt the vignetting added something to the image. But I just found my eyes darting to the corners and not focusing on the composition.

And then you have distortion.

In this case, barrel distortion.

This is mostly prominent in wide angle lenses. In order to get that wider field of view the lens has to accept light from some very steep angles. And that can be quite difficult to correct. So you kind have to sacrifice any straight lines.

And sometimes this was a positive contribution to the image.

I thought the curved lines matched the way they were sitting here.

But most of the time I just felt like I was looking at feudal Japan through a fish's eye.

It's a bit more tolerable as a still, but when all of these verticals are bowing in motion, I start to feel like I am developing tunnel vision.

I love that this is a tool that is available. Rehousing lenses is a really neat process and I'm glad this old glass is getting new life.

This documentary shows how lens rehousing is done and is quite fascinating if you are in to that sort of thing.

youtube

But I think we are in a "too much of a good thing" phase when it comes to these lenses. I think a balance between old and new can be found.

And I also think maybe Zack should see what f/2.8 looks like. He might like having more than an eyebrow in focus.

#photography #cinematography #lenses #vintage lenses #shogun #long post

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tamamita · 4 months ago

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How come so many shias support hezbollah even though it has syrian blood on its hands? Im shia and i never got it. Like i saw a post from a bosnian (who talks a lot about genocide in general and palestine) a while ago saying that its ok to have different feelings over naserallah's death because of different things (i.e. hezbollah helped bosnia during the genocide they were going through, but it also has syrian blood on its hands from interviewing with the revolution). Same thing for the houthis, ive heard for years from feminist spaces over people going in prison in yemen because of the houthis, and its not even anything serious. Is the end goal supporting palestine, and maybe after isreal's death, we start dissecting our own politics and groups in the region?

If Hezbollah wasn't in Syria, then Syria would've been overrun by ISIS and there would have been a genocide of religious and ethnical minorities, this is a fact that can not be denied. After all, don't ever forget what happened in Speicher. The opposition were more than willing to defect over ISIS as they were claiming land, given the overlapping ideology between the various Salafist elements, it was easier for them to adapt to the ideology of ISIS. The only difference between HTS and ISIS were its goals, they otherwise held the same belief. Why do you think Al-Baghdadi (la) and Al-Jolani (la) were negotiating between each other throughout the war? These people were in cahoots with each other, but westerners and libs fully embraced this tyrant just like they did with Osama, because the Syrians are free, I mean, maybe for the Sunnis in Syria, bnut not the rest. The Shi'a Muslims had every right to defend the Lebanese-Syria border and eliminate a threat to religious minorities. Furthermore, had the Axis not intervened, the war would ultimately give leeway for the revisionists Zionists and its imperialist benefector to secure more land and eliminate the Axis.

Materialistically, whether Hezbollah had blood in its hand or not, critical support is always important regardless of what you think. Assad was by no means good, even S Nasrallah (r.a) said that he acknowledged the war crimes that Assad committed, but that the alternative was no better, hence why Hezbollah had to secure the Lebanese border and intervene within Syria to prevent a spillover of Salafist Jihadist into various parts of Southwest Asia.

But now that Assad is gone, we are seeing the persecution of religious minorities, the elimination of secular institutions, the Settler state destroying and taking more of Syria, barbarians and executioners being appointed as ministers and Turkey using the opportunity to send its cannonfodder to attack the Kurds. It's only a matter of time until the consititution is completely rewritten and you'll have yourself a Sunni theocracy. The Syrian people did not win this war, the Turks, the Israelis, the US and the rest of NATO did.

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izunias-meme-hole · 11 months ago

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You've been rebloging a decent amount of Soulsborne stuff, so if you have time, can you say who your favorite character's are in all these games?

Oh... well a fair amount of my thoughts CERTAINLY changed, but I'll give you a top 10.

Number 1. Messmer The Impaler (Elden Ring) - Messmer was certainly a welcome surprise. He was the firstborn son of Queen Marika, ultimately the one who personally oversaw the genocide of the hornsent in the Land of Shadow, and event so horrific and cruel that its impact could still be felt within the present day. He was afflicted with a curse at his birth, in which a dark and malevolent snake threatened to eat him from the inside, which resulted in Marika plucking out his eye and replacing it with a seal of grace. Sounds like quite the monster, right? Well here's the thing. Messmer's a surprisingly good boss, like he literally preserved his enemies culture inside a storeroom just because one of his knights requested it, and has at least some level of compassion. Sure some of his men defected after finding out about the true nature of his existence, but there were some that even stuck around because they know who he is as a person. So why did this great guy commit literal one of the most horrific events in history? Well you see, Marika basically told him to eliminate the hornsent, and it wasn't just a standard order... it was a secret banishment for him, and Marika's vengeance on the hornsent. That's right, Messmer was exiled so he could be a scapegoat for his mother in the Land of Shadow. While this doesn't absolve him of his crimes, it ultimately makes him extremely pitiable.

Number 2. Queen Marika & Radagon (Elden Ring) - A god, a vessel, a warmonger, a mother, a schemer, a monster, and a pitiful woman. These are all the things that Queen Marika The Eternal was, and by god she deserves to be remembered by all of them. Radagon is her other half. The Demigods were her children. Messmer is her son. The Lands Between were her lands. She destroyed several races. She destroyed the Elden ring. Everything in the game is connected to her in some capacity. This is some Sauron tier shit that's been done with someone who's now just a prisoner in her own fortress thanks to her fear of her reigns inevitable end. Elden Ring has a TON of antagonists, each one active in their own right across the Lands Between. Marika on the other hand is both a prisoner in her own home, and a god on her last knees who faces The Tarnished through Radagon, yet almost every last evil committed in the game is connected to her past history of cruelty and malevolence in service to her Golden Order.

Number 3. Malenia (Elden Ring) - Malenia was my fave for a good while, and is still one of my top 5 bosses in the series. Her background, how that background ties into the world, her difficulty not being too bullshit yet still giving veterans a good taste of the dirt, her simplistic yet effective character, and the concept of someone being that goddamn sickly yet still being so undeniably persistent, powerful, and near-invincible is intriguing and cool, and it's executed very well in her case. Her boss being optional is just icing on the cake. Overall she's a spectacle.

Number 4. Miquella (Elden Ring) - He's a charming lil guy. Yes he cut out everything that made himself a good person in order to become the god of a new era, and is an expert manipulator due to his powers, but he's still just a lil guy.

Number 5. Father Gascoigne (Bloodborne) - Originally, Laurence was my favorite Bloodborne character, but after some careful reconsideration... this guy is at the top. Why? I like how simplistic his lore is, but aside from that, he's basically a reflection of the Good Hunter and a really great first legit boss. He serves as a gatekeeper for new players, and his transformation from skilled hunter to a monstrous werewolf mid-fight is a perfect introduction to what fate usually awaits any hunter who inevitably gets blood drunk in Yharnam. And the cherry on top? He's just a guy. He was just a normal ass hunter with a wife and child before all of this, hell you could even use his daughter's music box to snap him out of his blood drunk state for a second. IMO Gascoigne is underrated as hell.

Number 6. Lady Maria (Bloodborne) - Between the Plain Doll being based off her, her connection to Gehrman, and being one of the hunters at the Fishing Hamlet, Maria is undeniably a great character with a vast presence.

Number 7. Ludwig (Bloodborne) - Tragic Hornse. In all seriousness though, Ludwig is a perfect summary of Bloodborne, and honestly one of the top 3 bosses in the entire series.

Number 8. Isshin Ashina (Sekiro) - Isshin's presence overshadows that of the main antagonist, Genechiro Ashina, and its entirely intentional. He basically is the symbol of his entire clan, leading a rebellion against the invading forces alongside many warriors and triumphing. Isshin was a living legend in the past, but in the present? He's old, sick, and on his last legs. He's still defending his clan, but for his strength, he's still mortal. He's still human. He's the perfect reflection of his clan. That and he’s an amazing final boss. Go Grandpa Ashina!

Number 9. Gwyn, Lord of Cinder (Dark Souls) - Horrible, HORRIBLE god. He ruined humanity, is a bad father, and is SO worthy of being hated... yet he's so pitiable and pathetic. Gwyn is responsible for almost every tragedy in the trilogy, yet even his own story is a tragedy. A paranoid god king making the literal worst decisions ever to the point where he literally destroys himself. There's a level of understandability with his character that makes him tragic, but ultimately, he's still a monster. And this isn't even bringing up the Soul of Cinder.

Number 10. Slave Knight Gael (Dark Souls) - An old slave knight from the age of fire, literal cannon fodder, not only outlives the gods, but goes on a quest to get the Dark Soul so that The Painter, his niece, would paint a new world. You get familiar with him in the Ashes of Ariandel DLC, and by the time of the Ringed City DLC you see that Gael has slipped into madness and stands atop literal desolation. At first he fights on all 3's, only using his sword as a weapon as he jumps and crawls around, but after his guts are cut open and he gets the power of the dark soul, he truly begins fighting like a man and will occasionally rely on the newfound power he has to strike the Ashen One down with magic. Still at the end of the day... this fight is just between two nobodies who outlived the gods.

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citygirlyuno305 · 1 month ago

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Comparing Amane to Haruka in terms of their cases- A jury will be less sympathetic to Haruka

Because I want to clarify why Haruka’s case is so much different than Amane’s or most others in MILGRAM, even if they appear facially the same. I focus largely on Amane’s murder of Shidou here instead of her mom, because I haven’t talked about it yet and it’s more similar/a more equivalent comparison to Haruka’s murder. But I’ll bring it up briefly in the end anyway.

I did a voice recording for this but I realized I sound like a total nerd AND i dont know how to upload them so… sorry 😔

First degree murder- premeditation and deliberation

Premeditation in the USA can be boiled down to whether you planned or thought about it before committing it more than just intention alone. It can be having a beautiful minds wall like Kotoko and meticulously planning it out, or it can be as simple as being with someone, seeing a rock, and deciding “yeah, I’ll pick it up and smash this motherfucker’s head in”. Whether someone had time to consider their actions also factors into premeditation.

Examples: Berube v. State, 5 So.3d 734 (Fla. 2009)- strangling victim with lamp cord was premeditated. Repositioning the cord multiple times while strangling, and having time to consider actions in a struggle before the strangling, supported premeditation.

People v. Anderson (1968)- Courts consider “planning activity” in assessing premeditation, including (1) Acquiring or preparing a weapon.

(2) Ambushing the victim or waiting for the victim to arrive at a specific location. (3) Traveling to the crime scene with murder in mind. Not all three are required.

The manner of killing can also support a finding of premeditation. Ex: strangulation, a controlled and prolonged act, supports the finding. Obviously if you’re staring them down, watching them die, you have the opportunity to cease your conduct.

Must also be deliberate. This is to act with coolness and collectedness. It can really be boiled down to whether you were able to consider your course of conduct.

In short:

Premeditation = I’ve thought about it and I’m gonna do it,

Deliberation = I’ve considered it and I’m gonna do it like this.

Insanity/diminished capacity

I’ll reiterate the most typical legal standard for insanity: a defendant is deemed to be legally insane if he or she was unaware of what he or she was doing when the offense was committed or, even if the defendant knew what he or she was doing, that defendant was incapable of understanding that what they were doing was wrong. It also tends to require a sincerely held belief or delusion that the conduct was morally justified.

Kind of similarly, a defendant can plead diminished actuality, to argue that because of mental impairment or disease, they are simply incapable of reaching the mental state required to commit a crime. This would function to reduce a murder charge to manslaughter. This is different from competence to stand trial.

This used to be called diminished capacity. However, this changed: there was a case here where two men, Harvey Milk and George Moscone, were shot and killed by a man who then claimed he had diminished capacity due to a poor diet (“Twinkie defense”, not kidding). He argued the poor diet and depression from losing his job rendered him unable to form the mental state for first degree murder. Under the former statute this was shockingly solid. So, he was convicted of only voluntary manslaughter. Major public backlash ensued, and the diminished capacity statute was nixxed in 1982 after a substantial majority of voters approved a proposition for its elimination.

It was replaced with diminished actuality, California Penal Code section 28, subdivision (a): evidence that a defendant suffers from a mental disease, mental defect, or mental disorder is admissible “solely on the issue whether or not the accused actually formed a required specific intent, premeditated, deliberated, or harbored malice aforethought, when a specific intent crime is charged.”

As an example, someone who has an intellectual disability that causes their cognitive ability to resemble a child’s can argue diminished capacity for something like burglary or murder. Whether it actually works is a question of whether, because of that disability, you were literally unable to form the intent.

An expert can testify about how serious the mental illness was at the time the crime occurred but CANNOT testify that the mental illness actually did diminish the person’s capacity to form the required intent under the facts. That is the jury’s job (or the court’s job in a bench trial).

Amane vs Haruka breakdown: Haruka is more likely to be found guilty of first degree murder than Amane is

Amane

I already broke down her case for killing her mom, so I’ll avoid that here. So assume Amane didn’t kill her mom at all. Lets say she just killed Shidou somehow, who knows how, for the same reasons and with the same mental state.

Was it murder? Yes.

Was it premeditated? Probably. She wasn’t really playing coy about it. We’ll wait for the video, but by all measures, when you say “I’m probably gonna kill this dude btw” we tend to think “oh, ok, she planned to kill that dude.”

Was it deliberate? Probably, for the same reasons.

Insanity? I’m gonna say maybe, an argument could still be made maybe, but it’s a lot harder with just the Shidou offense than the mom one. And yet, the RAMCOA is an inextricable part of her crime. If she wasn’t programmed it simply would not have happened. She had a sincerely held belief that this was proper conduct. It could truly be argued she didn’t know right from wrong due to lifelong abuse. Especially because in this scenario she hasn’t stacked the murders, so she lacks any constructive knowledge that killing people is generally wrong because she’s not in fantasy jail for killing her mom.

Diminished actuality? Probably not. To have a mental illness or trauma alone doesn’t make anyone unable to premeditate murder, unless they literally have the cognition of a toddler. Her statements suggest she was able to form the intent. She explicitly targeted Shidou.

Was it functionally first degree murder? Yes.

Would she be convicted of it? Probably not.

Haruka

Now take Haruka’s murder of his first victim.

Was it murder? Yes.

Was it premeditated? Yes. I know a lot of people characterize it as a heat of the moment thing, but it wasn’t, really. He saw the girl at the festival, saw she was alone, and capitalized on the opportunity to lead her further away and kill her. It is premeditated.

Was it deliberate? Probably, for the same reasons as above.

Insanity? No. His actions to cover up the murder demonstrate his knowledge and awareness that his action was wrong (and the police intervention for the animals also could establish constructive knowledge that killing things is wrong but the impact of this depends on the type and severity of his disability).

Diminished actuality? No. Like, colloquially, yes, but legally, no. He actually has a leg up on Amane here, but the facts demonstrate, at least to me, that a jury wouldn’t find this. I’m trying to put this in a non offensive way but if I fail please let me know, I’m not trying to be offensive or rude. The thing is, it’s not like he was accidentally killing the pets. Despite the crimes being unsophisticated, he was doing them for 1) attention, which he lacked severely, and 2) because he was “relieved” that animals were “inferior” to himself. He also escalated from mice and rodents to cats and dogs, then eventually a person. He felt connected to the world when he heard screams of anguish at losing a loved pet, and then he was literally arrested and told that he was doing something wrong, before he killed a girl on the exact day he was released (and its unclear how long he was in custody). The file explicitly says he “targeted” a child as well, which denotes a certain degree of deliberation.

Was it functionally first degree murder? Yes.

Is he likely to be convicted of it? Probably.

Why is Haruka likely to be convicted of it and not Amane for her murder of shidou?

There are a few different reasons but ultimately it comes down to the fact that 1) Haruka can be found guilty of first degree murder under different theories, which automatically increases the likelihood of conviction; 2) Amane is simply a more sympathetic defendant; 3) Haruka’s animal killings make him less credible in terms of remorse for the murder; 4) Amane’s demeanor actually functions to increase the credibility of the impact of her RAMCOA; 5) Amane suffered a more sympathetic form and length of abuse in the eyes of the public; 6) Amane will likely enjoy the benefits of a juvenile court trial: 7) Haruka’s victim is more sympathetic than Shidou; 8) A little girl will always be infinitely more sympathetic than a teenage boy or grown man. TLDR: Amane’s abuse may actually resonate with a jury to the point where they say she didn’t and couldn’t know better. This is not the case for Haruka in all likelihood.

First, it’s probably necessary to point out that Haruka probably satisfies multiple theories of first degree murder. Beyond just premeditation and deliberation, which he would likely satisfy.

Felony murder, for example. Its less likely than the traditional theory but it’d definitely be thrown in as a failsafe in his case. Felony murder = (1) murder occurred in the commission of an enumerated felony (Most commonly BARRK- Burglary, Arson, Rape, Robbery, Kidnapping) and (2) defendant either caused the death or was an accomplice in the felony (and intended to commit the felony).

Kidnapping (CPC 207)- when its a child or someone with a mental impairment (incapable of consent and may walk off willingly) - requires 1) asportation of unresisting child 2) moving them a substantial distance and 3) with the intent to do something illegal.

Substantial distance only really means a distance that isn’t trivial. In considering whether a distance is “substantial”, some proper considerations are 1) the actual distance moved, 2) whether the movement increased the victim’s risk of harm, 3) whether the movement decreased the defendant’s chance of detection, 4) whether the movement allowed the defendant to commit more crimes.

Haruka 1) moves girl away from the parade 2) to a different location 3) with the intent of killing her. The movement obviously increased her chance of harm (further from her parents and others), decreased his chances of detection (if he only clumsily hid the body, itd be easily seen at a festival, but he wasn’t caught right away, so wherever he went, it was even slightly less easy to detect), and allowed him to actually kill her. I don’t know how far he took her. I just know that I’d be able to say this was sufficient evidence of kidnapping. I will admit though that I’d hesitate with this one because diminished actuality would be more likely to negate the intent to commit kidnapping than the other way around.

So obviously, if someone can be found guilty on several different theories of first degree murder, they’re more likely to be found guilty of it. Amane’s murder of Shidou could only ostensibly fall into the traditional premeditation and deliberation theory.

Amane is also just ultimately a substantially more sympathetic victim, despite her attitude. I’ve noticed more people sympathize with Haruka, which kind of blew my mind at first- not because he’s not sympathetic to me, but more because the dichotomy between sympathies to him vs. Amane was antithetical to what I’ve seen in practice. I think it has something to do with their behavior- confrontational vs. self loathing and inwardly directed hatred.

A jury might not actually like either, but Haruka’s more, because of something I think I talked about with Mikoto’s case, accountability and bias. I’m not putting out my opinion here, but there is a common belief among the public, which does not evade the potential jury pool, that people fake all sorts of mental illnesses or emotional responses to avoid accountability. The thing about Haruka that kind of fucks him over is, and this is actually a bias on my end as well, when I see a child that kills animals and then kills a person, I think sociopathy and psychopathy. And when I think about those things in terms of a murderer, I think 0 empathy and fake emotional outputs. I’ll say not every sociopath is going to murder someone, just like not all schizophrenic people will hurt someone and not all people with DID will hurt someone, its actually super uncommon. But when it does, that is generally the process of thoughts unless a psychologist indicates otherwise. And more often than not they don’t.

But anyway, Haruka will suffer from the fact that he killed animals and felt no remorse for those animals, according to the file, and enjoyed the attention he got from arrest. His remorse for the little girl will be seen as manufactured and fake. And even absent that difficulty, they’d likely see his remorse as incomplete and suggestive that he’d kill again- like, if he phrases it the same way:

“Her future was brighter, her life more valuable than my own, why did I end up like this?” That last bit, why did I end up like this, it’s phrased in a way that sounds conclusive and almost shifting. “I ended up like this.” Not, “I wish I could change” or “why am I doing this,” but I ended up like this, this is what I am. I’m not saying that’s true to form, but it is how a jury- who already probably doesn’t like him- would take it. And that’s actually all putting aside the possibility that the attention he’d get from a court trial wouldn’t excite him in the same way his arrest did.

And weirdly, a jury will probably find the way Amane acts to act as a booster to the sympathy for her abuse, because it’s like, okay- she’s abused her entire life and her programming is eliciting an angry response because she is literally that programmed, she doesn’t understand. Whereas with Haruka its like a paradox, they want remorse but they won’t take it seriously, and the remorse will just show them that he knew it was wrong. Its weird.

And just generally, the jury is gonna see Amane’s abuse differently than Haruka’s. The obvious difference between genuine corporal punishment and emotional neglect is pretty fierce. Which is not to minimize the impact of emotional abuse, but it is just the way these things are seen. There’s a substantially greater likelihood that people experienced some kind of emotional neglect than they did RAMCOA and cult related torture. And they’re more likely to say “my parents went hands off when I was a teenager and I didn’t run around killing kids” than they are to do that with RAMCOA.

Plus, Amane’s abuse seems to be lifelong whereas Haruka’s is kinda up in the air, depending on how you look at it. if i assume haruka murdered the girl when he was 15, that means his escalation from rats and mice, to dogs and cats, to a child, all took place in one year. And it assumes that his emotional neglect lasted for less than one year according to the file thing, because it seems they were overprotective until 15, then gave up. If thats the case, I don’t think the jury will feel any sympathy at all, because the emotional neglect didn’t even last a year before he started killing things.

At 17, he’s probably not being charged as a juvenile either. And that’s assuming he’s even 17. He might be 22. Whereas at 12, Amane would be. And I think I pointed this out in the Amane one, but juvenile adjudications have subtle tone and terminology differences that retain a minor’s humanity, which adult trials don’t employ. For Amane the jury is probably constantly hearing over and over and over that this is a child. With Haruka they’re hearing over and over that the victim is a child. And with things like this people will reflexively think about their own children or children in their lives and the usual person would be horrified at the thought of their child enduring it, and that abject horror takes the form of extreme pity for the child that did experience it.

Now neither haruka or amane killed someone here connected to their abuse- because I’m operating under a scenario where the mom murder didnt happen. So, Shidou and a little girl, and thats it. The more sympathetic victim is always going to be the little girl.

And in that same way, theyre gonna be more sympathetic to a little girl defendant than a teenage boy or man in his early 20s. I think I talked about this with Amane. At bottom it’s improperly rooted in sexism- violent boys and men are more likely to hurt more people, because of the average biological differences, and therefore for some reason less likely to be rehabilitated. And given how Haruka seems gentle or shy with his demeanor they’ll honestly see it as either fake, or even more dangerous, because he killed someone even with a nonviolent demeanor.

So with all of that in mind, the jury is unlikely to find that he didn’t premeditate and deliberate this murder to get attention. He had no delusion that murder wasn’t wrongful conduct. With Amane, the RAMCOA complicates that in a way that’s simply much much different. Frankly it’s impossible to even quantify. Combined with the other sympathetic factors of her case, she’s more likely to be treated sympathetically. Unlike Haruka’s case, it is truly possible to say she genuinely didn’t know any better because her entire life was cult rigidity and corporal punishment. They might not even find that she intended to kill, if she only said “punish,” because (again, she didnt kill her mom, so we have no baseline for what her view of punishment is at this point) for all we technically know, punishment was only those corporal punishments she herself was subjected to and lived through. And that alone would take it down to second degree, because first degree does require the intent to kill, whereas second degree murder can be intent to kill, injure, harm, etc.

And if we take Amane’s base crime of killing her mom and compare it to Haruka, it’s even more sympathetic. Again, the animal abuse stuff, they go nuts over it. Her helping the cat shows them shes not just a cold blooded killer. I’m not saying Haruka IS, though. Its just harder to swing that you’re not somewhat of a threat when you kill cats and dogs and then a kid. She killed her actual abuser, an adult, who isn’t going to be seen as sympathetic even in light of the possibility that she couldve been a cult victim herself. And the mindset with which she committed the murder was programmed into her by force and torture by the very person she killed. It’s really hard to not feel sorry for a child in that position or to find ways to say she’s guilty of first degree murder. Her ability to premeditate was either completely or largely dependent on her upbringing, and that enables the jury to find insanity and maybe actuality much easier than for Haruka, especially because the abuse was tangible and irregular.

#the milgram project #milgram #amane momose #amane momose milgram #amane purge march #amane milgram #milgram project #milgram haruka #haruka sakurai #sakurai haruka

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