#young justice analysis

[feelingtheaster99]

I’m rewatching Young Justice again and in “Independence Day” I am just STRUCK by how well they introduce all four of the “sidekicks” and their respective mentors.

Like Robin is so at home fighting against villains. He cackles and he almost seems bored because he’s rather dismissive of Mr. Freeze and of the fight. He’s also fairly at ease with Batman, because I imagine not many other people, can tell Batman, “yeah, yeah” in that tone.

Speedy, on the other hand, is very serious. He’s the only one of the four who questions the villains’ motives and he is the one getting annoyed with Green Arrow for joking around.

Aqualad is also serious but in a much calm and less aggressive way. He absolutely oozes respect for Aquaman, even when his mentor teases him about being excited for the day ahead.

And Kid Flash? He’s going full-on impatient, excited puppy mode. He’s so impatient to get there that he allows himself to get slightly frozen in order to stop the fight as soon as possible. And his wide, excited grin is so telling of his generally positive personality

[a-sour-nectarine]

People don't seem to understand how truly terrifying the third Robin was. Sure, the current one runs around with a sword sometimes and has unprecedented levels of anger trapped in a too-small body, but he will never be scarier than his predecessor. The one who managed to keep a grieving Batman in check. The one who can destroy you without ever laying a finger on you. The one with a speedster, the daughter of Zeus, and a Kryptonian on his side. He leads them. He keeps up with them. He outpaces them.

They love him, respect him. They call him for backup. It is rarely the other way around. He can keep up with Impulse, go toe to toe with Wonder Girl, overpower Superboy.

If you ask the Red Hood or Spoiler, the third Robin can outsmart the Batman. If you ask Batgirl, he is the only one she truly views as challenge. If you ask Nightwing, he will tell you the story of the first time the third Robin ever saved his skin. Before he'd even been Batman's partner, when he was just a stubborn kid with a stolen mask.

He flies without wings and scales buildings on human legs. Gothamites will swear up and down that he can bend steel and break concrete. Even Metropolis respects him, cheers him on. No other Bat has that privilege.

And yet he has the gentlest hands. The softest smile. There is nowhere safer than in his shadow. Nowhere better protected than in his care. Nowhere as comforting as under his watchful gaze.

[batfambyval]

Okay but does anyone else feel incredibly uncomfortable with the yj cartoon’s SuperMartian? Because as far as I can tell it’s an incredibly unhealthy relationship between someone who has over 30 years of life experience and someone with only a few months? And she very much molded him into her ideal boyfriend and legit tried to use her telepathy to manipulate him?

Anyway I’m thinking about Kon a lot and I’ve been reading the Superboy comics with Tana and Knockout and it’s just… what is it about Superboy that makes writers say “oh! Let’s make this teenager with no life experience romantically/sexually involved with this manipulative female who has many many years on him!”? Seriously it’s weird and it’s not addressed properly ever.

And it could’ve been a really interesting story for the yj cartoon. Because on the surface they’re both teenagers just staring their lives on Earth. So it’s easy to miss the underlying issues that M’gann is a Martian who ages slower and has actually existed for over 30 years and Conner is a clone grown in like 16 months. And M’gann is still a kid, for her species. They wouldn’t have even needed to make her the villain. She’s just a kid who’s been through some rough stuff who is trying to build a stable life for herself. But instead it’s now to a point where is can’t be written off as a teen who didn’t understand what she was doing. She’s a counselor now! She has to realize that she basically groomed Conner. And it looks like it’s never going to be addressed.

Once again Kon is in a toxic relationship and no one is seeing anything wrong with it!

[sflow-er]

YR Season 3 speculations: a layperson’s take on the criminal justice side

I’ve been considering making this kind of post for a while, because I’ve seen a lot of hopeful takes on how things are going to play out now that Sara has called the police, and I feel like I could add some perspective for those less familiar with the Swedish justice system. I hesitate to do it because I’m just a layperson and not even from Sweden but the next country over - but our justice systems are reasonably similar, I’ve spent a lot of time poring over relevant sources on Swedish law and justice, and @scatteredpiecesofme encouraged me to do this after our conversation yesterday.

So, here goes, haha.

As usual, I could very well be wrong about some things, and I welcome any additions or corrections!

Part 1: The system

Let’s start with a cultural observation: the criminal justice system in Sweden strives to be rehabilitative (restorative) instead of strictly punitive (retributive). This is especially true for young and first-time offenders, who are yet to develop a ‘criminal lifestyle.’ Fines, suspended sentences, and sentences on the lower end of the scale are the norm unless the crime is very serious. (See for example this text in Swedish about how the brain only fully matures at 25 and how young people experience punishments more severely.)

Swedish law recognises three different age brackets for offenders: 15 to 18, 18 to 21, and over 21 (adult). The punishments for young adults were harshened in Jan 2022 for some severe crimes (mostly to counter gang violence), but YR is set in the autumn of 2020 and spring of 2021. With that in mind, let’s review the situation that should apply in the show.

Firstly, the now-outdated law and practice include something known as ungdomsrabatt (juvenile discount). Any sentence given to an 18-year-old is normally reduced to 50% of an adult’s sentence, and a sentence given to a 16-year-old is reduced further so they get about 20-25% of an adult’s sentence. This can either mean a reduced version of the same sentence, or an alternative, more lenient sentence. Punishment can also be waived entirely for juveniles sentenced to minimal fines for minor offences (e.g. minor narcotics offences).

Secondly, there are some punishments specifically designed for young offenders. Ungdomstjänst (youth community service) and ungdomsvård (youth/juvenile care) mostly apply to those under 18 but can also apply to those under 21 where appropriate. The latter is for those in need of social service intervention; it’s an open arrangement where the juvenile continues living at home. Sluten ungdomsvård (institutional youth care) only comes into play in very serious cases. It’s the primary punishment for minors who would otherwise face imprisonment and, under the old law, also for those under 21, unless there are very heavy grounds for prison time.

There is also something called ungdomsövervakning (youth supervision); basically youth care with more restrictions. However, it was only introduced in Jan 2021, which means it cannot be applied to crimes committed earlier (for example in YR S1).

As mentioned, juveniles can also be sentenced to reduced versions of the same punishments as adults. For young adults, that most likely means a suspended sentence and/or community service and/or fines. These fines are often dagsböter (day-fines), which can range from 50 to 1000 kronor based on the defendant’s income, wealth, and debts for example. The minimum number is 30 fines, the maximum is 150, or 200 for several crimes. There can also be some other financial consequences, e.g. a 1000-krona payment to the Crime Victim Fund or compensation for the victim (these are much lower sums than in the US, for example).

Here’s a made-up example from Domarbloggen: three people aged 16, 18 and 22 beat someone up together. The 22-yo gets 4 months’ imprisonment, which means the 18-yo should get 2 months. Instead, she gets a suspended sentence and 75 hours of community service. The 16-yo should get 1 month, but that is commuted to 50 hours of youth community service. Social services are (and must be) involved for the 16 and 18-yo but find that they are not in need of any services.

Thirdly, juveniles are processed differently from adults. If someone younger than 21 is suspected of a crime, the police investigation that starts when the crime comes to light must be conducted without delay. For those under 18, there’s a time limit of 6 weeks from the initial police report to the decision to prosecute. In many cases, the prosecutor can simply decide not to bring charges and hand the matter over to social services instead. (See for example this Q&A document on the old law, in English.) 

Young offenders are also often eligible for förundersökningsbegränsning (limitation of preliminary investigation) and åtalsunderlåtelse (no-prosecution deal). In the former, the police and prosecutor decide not to investigate the crime, and in the latter, the suspect confesses their guilt to avoid being charged or tried for that particular crime. There are specific circumstances in which these can come into play - for example, when there are several crimes being investigated/charged and the crime in question would not affect the sentencing, or the sentence would be minor anyway. Here’s more info on the reasoning in Swedish, but it’s basically done to save resources for other crimes. The sentence for all the crimes committed is determined as a whole; it does not necessarily match the sum total of all the individual sentences. Accepting a deal means the crime will still go on the person’s criminal record.

If sufficient evidence is found and the matter does go to trial, the court can decide to hold it behind closed doors if the parties are young and/or to protect them from negative publicity. The judge must also be specialised in juvenile cases if the defendant is under 18.

Trials in this corner of the world are usually rather boring compared to what you see on TV. There’s no jury or heated cross-examination. The facts are presented, the injured party, defendant, and witnesses are heard, and the court considers the case. (Here’s a detailed description and even a 24-minute film in Swedish.) 

The bar for detaining young offenders before and after the trial is higher than for adults, but it can happen if they are considered dangerous or there’s a risk of them destroying evidence/influencing the witnesses (for minors, the social services usually watches over them instead). There is no bail system.

Oh, and if someone is sentenced to prison after all, they are not necessarily taken away directly after the trial. Serving the sentence may be postponed until the period of appeal runs out (often 3 months after the sentence enters into force, according to the Prison and Probation Service).

So, now that we know the framework, let’s take a look at the crimes that could come into light in YR S3! Not just those committed by August, but also those committed by Simon and Wilhelm.

Part 2: The crimes committed by the mains in YR

All excerpts quoted are from an English translation of the Swedish Criminal Code. I will include some of my own interpretations in the context of the show - but while reading those, please keep in mind that I’m just a layperson and could well be completely mistaken!

Kränkande fotografering (intrusive photography): August

A person who unlawfully, by means of a technical device, covertly records an image of a person who is indoors in a home, or in a toilet, dressing room or other similar space, is guilty of intrusive photography (Swedish Criminal Code, Chapter 4, Section 6a)

Scale of punishment for adults: fines or prison up to 2 years.

I don’t think this should be very hard to prove now that Wille has admitted to being on the video. August could of course claim it was someone else using his phone, but I think it should definitely be someone other than Alexander, who had already been caught with the drugs.

Olaga integritetsintrång (unlawful breach of privacy): August

A person who intrudes into the private life of another person by disseminating: 1. an image of or other information about a person’s sexual life; (...) 4. an image of a person in a very vulnerable situation; or 5. an image of a person’s wholly or partially naked body is, if the dissemination is liable to result in serious damage to the person whom the image or information concerns, guilty of unlawful breach of privacy (Swedish Criminal Code, Chapter 4, Section 6c)

Scale of punishment for adults: fines or prison up to 2 years for normal severity, prison from 6 months to 4 years for gross offences.

This is the revenge porn clause. In reality, sadly few cases lead to a conviction; for example in 2021, only 27 out of 1876 cases. The perpetrator can always claim their device/account was hacked, for example, and it’s hard to disprove that. We’ll see if Sara’s testimony and August having admitted his guilt to Wilhelm are enough.

Förtal (defamation): August

A person who identifies someone as being a criminal or as having a reprehensible way of life, or otherwise provides information liable to expose that person to the contempt of others is guilty of defamation (Swedish Criminal Code, Chapter 5, Section 1)

Scale of punishment for adults: fines for normal severity, fines or prison up to 2 years for gross offences.

Note that defamation does not have to be untrue in Sweden! It’s the ‘exposing that person to contempt’ that matters. However, if the defendant can show that the information was true and they were a) obliged to make this kind of statement or b) it was “otherwise justifiable to provide information about the matter”, they are not held responsible. August’s lawyer would probably argue that spreading the video of Wille was a matter of national importance.

A note on aggravating or special circumstances:

Both unlawful invasion of privacy and defamation can be considered gross if the information or image or the method of dissemination was liable to result in serious damage. This bumps up the potential consequences.

Normally, charges can only be brought for the above crimes by the injured party. However, the prosecutor could also choose to bring charges on their own in cases where public interest calls for it. The same goes for defamation if the injured party is under 18 or reports the crime in connection with another investigation, and public interest calls for prosecution. In this case, it doesn’t matter if the injured party wants the case to be pursued or not. So in my view, any potential resolution where Simon and/or Wille decide not to pursue these crimes should be written very carefully to exclude public prosecution.

There’s also another interesting angle that I haven’t seen thrown around much. It was first brought to my attention by a friend on ao3, and I can’t believe it’s still a thing in 21st century Sweden, but it is.

Högmålsbrott (treasonable offences): August

A person who commits an offence referred to in Chapters 3–5 that involves abuse of the King or another member of the Royal House, or of a person discharging the duties of the Head of State as regent, may be sentenced to imprisonment for at most four years if the offence can otherwise result in imprisonment for at most six months, and for at most six years if the offence can otherwise result in imprisonment for more than six months but at most four years. (Swedish Criminal Code, Chapter 18, Section 2)

Yes, really. Wille being one of the injured parties could complicate things for August when it comes to the above crimes, because they belong to chapters 4 & 5. He’s not actually going to get six years in prison for gross defamation, that’s just the maximum for adults, but it’s an interesting angle and a potential aggravating factor.

Next up, the elephant in the room.

CP: August

I don’t think I need to describe what this means; you can look it up in Chapter 16, Sections 10a and 10b. I’m not going to write it out so this post doesn’t get flagged.

Scale of punishment for adults: fines or prison up to 6 months for minor offences. Prison up to 2 years for normal severity.

Rickard did say that this could land August in prison, but I am highly sceptical. For comparison, consider this case, where an 18-yo who had 540 images in his possession, 98 of those particularly graphic, was only sentenced to 60 hours of youth community service, despite having disseminated some material on social media on two occasions. Or this one, where an 18-yo who was in possession of a video sent to him via SnapChat for a few months, was sentenced to 45 hours of the same - although he was 17 at the time of the crime.

August was 18, but on the other hand, the video he made and disseminated was short, not very graphic, and meant to defame the people in it rather than arouse those who view it. By law, the age and developmental gap between the victim(s) and perpetrator must also be taken into consideration, and as we know, it’s only two years. I’m inclined to think August is only looking at a minor offence - if charges are even brought at all.

So, the fandom should probably prepare for a more lenient sentence than many are hoping for! Ironically enough, the opposite is true for the next crime, which also applies to Simon and, to a lesser degree, Wille.

Narkotikabrott (narcotics offence): August, Simon, Wilhelm

Any person who unlawfully 1. transfers narcotics, 2. manufactures narcotics intended for misuse, 3. acquires narcotics for the purpose of transfer, 4. procures, processes, packages, transports, keeps or in some other similar way handles narcotics which are not intended for personal use, 5. offers narcotics for sale, keeps or conveys payment for narcotics, mediates contacts between seller and purchaser or takes any other such measure, if the procedure is designed to promote narcotics traffic, or 6. possesses, uses or otherwise handles narcotics shall, if he has acted wilfully, be sentenced for a narcotic drug offence (Penal Law on Narcotics, Section 1)

Scale of punishment for adults: prison up to 3 years for normal severity. Fines or prison up to 6 months for minor offences.

Swedish law is strict on narcotics crimes. Both Simon and August are guilty of several of the above, while Wille is only guilty of use. Wille’s offence would be considered minor, and the punishment might even be waived. However, I think it’s quite likely Simon and August might be looking at normal severity, and Rickard would probably advise August against bringing it up just to spite Simon.

If August went against that advice or the matter came out another way, he would probably get a harsher sentence than Simon on account of his age - although he could provide mitigating circumstances for the selling by saying that Simon coerced him...

In any case, Simon wouldn’t get off with a slap on the wrist either. He sold drugs on two separate occasions - ADHD drugs (which are amphetamine derivatives) and possibly also strong painkillers. Micke’s back pain was specifically mentioned in S1, we saw Simon steal Tramadol (which is an opioid) when he first got pills for August, and there was clearly more in that bag than just the ADHD meds. Amphetamine derivatives and opioids are specifically classified as narcotic drugs due to their potential for misuse, even if the drugs in question (Tramadol and lisdexamfetamine) aren’t as bad as some others.

Furthermore, Simon also committed:

Stöld (theft): Simon

Pretty self-explanatory. Chapter 8, Section 1 of the Criminal Code.

Scale of punishment for adults: fines or prison up to 6 months for minor offences, prison up to 2 years for normal severity, prison from 6 months to 6 years for gross offences.

It’s hard to say what the severity would be. On the one hand, it was just a few boxes and bottles of pills, and the value of the stolen goods should generally be over 1000 kronor to even be considered normal severity (case from 2009). On the other hand, committing theft as part of “criminal activities conducted systematically” is an aggravating circumstance. But I think the prosecutor would be lenient with a 16-yo like Simon and just focus on the narcotics crime (åtalsunderlåtelse for the theft).

Let’s proceed to the last crime, which is something I haven’t really seen a lot of people mention.

Olaga hot (unlawful threat): Wilhelm

A person who threatens another person with a criminal act in a manner that is liable to occasion serious fear in the person threatened for the safety of their own or someone else’s person, property, liberty or peace is guilty of making an unlawful threat (Swedish Criminal Code, Chapter 4, Section 5)

Scale of punishment for adults: prison from 9 months to 4 years for gross offences. Fines or prison up to 1 year for normal severity.

It’s highly unlikely that Wille’s shotgun waving would come out unless someone accidentally let it slip when questioned about the other offences. So the risk is slim, but I think it still deserves to be included, because an unlawful threat usually becomes a gross offence when a weapon is used. It’s also a publically prosecutable offence, which means August wouldn’t have the power to drop the charges. Note that the ‘treasonable offences’ clause doesn’t apply, because August has not officially been appointed as next in line by Parliament.

Like I said, I don’t think there’s any reason for August to sour his relationship with the Crown by dropping Wilhelm in it. I just wanted to include the threat to be thorough and show how much of a mess this could theoretically become.

Phew, that’s all of them! Thank you so much for reading all this way!

I guess the main point I wanted to make with this marathon post was that I really, really hope the criminal justice side is handled realistically in S3 now that a police investigation probably can’t be avoided. We shouldn’t expect anyone to be locked up with the key thrown away, due to the young age of everyone involved and the leniency built into the system. Also, the severest consequences could well come from the crimes that don’t sound as serious on the surface, such as the drug stuff - and Wille being one of the injured parties. (Or the potentially gross unlawful threat, but I doubt that’s going to come out.)

I’m intrigued to see what Lisa and co have in store for us, because they have a very real chance to highlight some interesting questions here.

Which (if any) of the potential crimes will August, who can liquidate enough money to pay for a great legal team, actually get punished for? Will he get off with fines and maybe some youth community service? Will the Alexander defence actually work when it really shouldn’t? Will social services get involved and maybe make August get some help for his issues? How will his social standing be affected when people learn it was him behind the video? Will the consequences finally teach him some accountability (which he definitely hasn’t learned growing up; see my analysis post about his upbringing and background)?

How about Simon? Can he avoid getting harshly punished for his dealing? How will social services treat him and his family if they get involved? Will his future and education be affected? Will he feel victimised again when the video matter is investigated (which could involve more publicity due to Wille’s involvement)? Could Micke try to claim he forced Simon to carry the drugs and sell them, to provide mitigating circumstances (and would Simon let his estranged dad risk imprisonment for him)?

And finally, is it fair that Wille being one of the injured parties could make the crimes more severe and extract “more justice”? Even though Simon was the one who couldn’t just deny being on the video to escape the negative consequences?

We shall see.

[overwatered-alocasia]

tldr; Dick and Kaldur are narrative foils that each place the other on a pedestal. This idolization means that they don’t call each other out as much as they should. It also means that Dick tends to ask too much of Kaldur in terms of taking on the emotional and phsycial labour of keeping the team going, while Kaldurs self-imposed need to  protect  Dick risks not only  his own wellbeing but also simultaneously infantalizes Dick

In season 1 Dick and Kaldur are narrative foils, that is to say, their actions contrast each other and help us better understand their flaws Consider also the arcs that these characters are set up to follow. From Drop Zone, we know the shape of Dick and Kaldurs storylines. Dick must step up and lead the team and for this to happen, sooner or later, Kaldur must step down, they run perpendicular to each other.

While Dick and Kaldur both suffer a crisis of faith in leadership after Failsafe they come to opposite conclusion. Kaldur views his sacrifice, the morality that prevented him from ordering one of his friends to take the bullet instead, as a failure.He sees Dick as the better leader because he doesnt struggle with these decisions, they come naturally to him in a way they dont to Kaldur. But Dick is not proud of his ruthlessness, that Kaldur lacks it is why to Dick, Kaldur is better suited. Thus each ideolizes the other for the traits they themselves lack.

But it’s season 2 that shows the real volatility in this relationship. Dick and Kaldurs dyanmic stems from the fact that Kaldur is oldest and Dick the youngest. Kaldur has always been very clear that the reason he became leader, was to shield Dick from the burden. It is also evidently clear that this decison weighs on Kaldurs conscious. It is not only clear to us, but to the other characters of the show. Kaldurs sacrifice’ of accepting leadership when he does not want to and Dicks reputation as the son of batman mean that the superheroing community, are hesitant to blame Kaldur for the part he plays in their relationship. Dick becomes the ‘problem child’ to Kaldurs ‘golden child.’ Meanwhile, Kaldurs tendency to step up, whiles Dicks is to run away means that  while Dick gets the blame Kaldur ends up bearing the burden. Kaldur is the one that goes on a dangerous mission that hospitalizes him, Kaldur is the one who has to lead the team immediately after Wallys death and then looses his position at the end of season 3. Dick never faces materail consequences for his actions because Kaldur is there to shield him from them. My point is that the only reason Dick is able to escape accountability, run off and isolate himself in season 3 is because Kaldur is there to pick up the slack. Kaldurs protection is why Dick can take a break from his leadership arc.

Consequently Kaldur is able to run off and engage in self-sacrificing behaviors cause he knows that Dick would take charge if something happened to him.He is expendable, ‘they need you more than they need me.’ Kaldur uses the excuse of ‘protecting Dick’ to engage in self destrctuve behaviors. Kaldur also uses ‘protection’ as an excuse to shut Dick out emotinally, Kaldur is always there to support Dick, but never lets Dick do the same. This is what I mean when I say that their dynamic is bad for both of them, because Kaldur impheeds Dicks growth and allows him to induldge in his worst tendencies. But Kaldurs protection is also bad for Kaldur, throughout season 3 and 4 we see Kaldur begin to crumble from the weight of these actions.

The problem is that Kaldurs raison d'etre is protecting his friends. Which while elevates him in the eyes of the superhero community, risks his life and leaves Dick in second place. Dicks actions in the show are unfair to Kaldur. The show acknowledges it and Dick apologieses (I would argue that Dicks actions are however, more unfair that the show seems to think as regardless of who first suggested it Dick should have shut down the undercover mission the minute it came up.* ) But another issue is that Kaldurs actions are unfair to Dick, who did not ask for the older boys protection or sacrifice.

* (bonus paragraph for those who made it to the end and still care)

I also want to draw attention to the Season 2 mission and the actual logistics of it. The show leans away from this but consider the ways in which Kaldur and Dick are both said to be equally responsible for the inception of the mission, despite the fact that this doesnt make logistical sense. My point is the following. The two arent telepathic, one must have voiced it first. One of them must have suggested the plan to the other. Which means Dick either saw Kaldur, who had lost someone he cared about deeply and was reeling from every authority figure lying to him about his parentage and suggested he go undercover where he would be isolated for months. Or Kaldur having just lost someone he loved dearly, chose to run away from the people that could have helped him unpack that grief and isolate himself, rather than deal with his emotions.

(Sorry for the delay, it’s been a long holiday and thanks to those who asked!)

[phoenixkaptain]

There is something so comforting about characters who choose not to be evil.

Like, Luke Skywalker stands on the precipice of not coming back, almost let’s his rage and fear overtake him, and you can see him realize that. You can see the moment where he makes the conscious decision to take the hard way out of this. You can see him choose to stop, choose to control his own impulses, and choose to show mercy on a being that has not showed or been shown mercy in a very long time.

Or Cissie King-Jones in the Young Justice run. Her school was attacked, the woman who got Cissie out of her horrible living situation was murdered, and Cissie was inadvertently shown the tape that the murderer made of killing her, where he made her beg to live but shot her anyway. Cissie is rightfully pissed. Cissie hunts down the shooter. Cissie makes him beg for his life, makes him fear that she’s going to kill him. And, Superboy comes in to remind her that she doesn’t want to be a killer, but it’s Cissie herself who stops. It’s Cissie herself who realizes that she doesn’t want to be in this position, that she’s scared and feels alone and vulnerable and she doesn’t know what to do. Cissie pulls herself out of the situation, she decides that she can’t kill someone who isn’t worth going to prison for. She makes that choice, even though it’s the most difficult choice she’s made.

Peter Parker’s violent thoughts are often portrayed as a joke, especially early on, but Peter is always holding himself back. He is constantly making the choice not to hurt people. He is always conscious of his super strength and how easily he could hurt someone or kill someone with it. He is always aware of his own potential to cause pain. But he chooses not to. He chooses to keep his touch light, even when he could make the excuse he was distracted. He is always making that choice, he always makes the choice to be a better person, he always tries so damn hard to be a halfway decent person, even on days he wishes he could be awful and selfish and cruel.

There’s just something about characters who have walked that line. Characters who stopped themselves and thought “I don’t want to do this.” Characters who are scared and who worry that their capacity for evil alone makes them less good. Characters who decide that it doesn’t matter, because they’re going to try to be a better person whether the universe allows it or not.

I don’t know. I just love those characters who had to go through Hell to be what they eventually become. Characters who are broken down and build themselves back up even stronger. Characters who put the reins on their impulses and decide that they’re in control, not their instincts and not anybody who might desire to control them.

There’s something immensely comforting that some of the most powerful characters in media are not made any less powerful or any less heroic because of things they cannot control, like their thoughts. They can only control how they respond to those thoughts. That’s what separates them from villains, that’s what makes them so powerful, they don’t choose the easy way out of things. Their willpower is stronger than steel. And it’s nice.

[good-beanswrites]

Sometimes I just get struck with how young Kotoko is. She appears very mature and put together. She acts like an adult who has everything situated and a plan for anything. She's physically stronger than 60% of the people she's with. She speaks calmly, confidently.

It's easy to dismiss Fuuta's actions as immature because after all, he's just a kid with naive thoughts about justice and heroes. It's easy to villainize Kotoko for beating up the others because she seems like she should know better, so she must be cruel and coldhearted in order to do that.

But they're the exact same age!! She is just as blinded by a very black-and-white, underdeveloped sense of justice!! They both imagine themselves as leaders of a righteous group/pack bringing violent justice to the world!! I think it's so easy to fall into the trap of viewing Fuuta as naive/immature and viewing Kotoko as cruel -- it can't be overlooked that their outward confidence is the only major difference between them. Just because Fuuta is scared and Kotoko is willing to get her hands dirty doesn't mean she's any more mature or experienced than him.

It just makes me sad because she's just another character in Milgram who tries to convince the others they're older and more mature even though they are definitely struggling with age-appropriate things and receiving no support for it :(

[thatscarletflycatcher]

Truly reading fundamental academic literature is a humbling experience of intellectually mining for gold. Yes, past a certain point in academic life you'll feel like a whole lot of it is just dust, and then suddenly the author will hit you with a very enlightening passage that leaves you reeling a bit.

[characteroulette]

A study on prosecutors -- (previous) (next)

Achtung, baby! It's time to talk about Klavier Gavin.

So, I've all ready delved into Klavier a few times, but hopefully I can lay out all my cards efficiently right here. I think the way he's presented to us is really interesting because it is, initially, so hard to get a bead on this man. Is he just here to laugh at us? Is he really here for the truth and nothing more? What is up with him??

The answer is pretty simple: he's doing the best he can under the weight of everything that's been laid over him.

We're introduced to Klavier in a quick but really impactful manner; he looks almost exactly like Kristoph, our former boss whom we just put away for murder. He says his iconic, "I'm used to being stared at by the ladies, but this is the first time I've felt this way with a man" (unhinged of him, really) and then helps us onto the crime scene before disappearing without so much as an explanation. "Ask the wind; I'll be riding on it!" indeed, sir. And here's where I admit something rather embarrassing; I totally glossed over this as a kid. It never occurred to me that this was such a wild thing to say to someone before dipping. Maybe I was as distracted as Apollo by the fact that this man looked too much like Kristoph? Maybe I was just immediately distracted by Ema and the crime scene? I can't remember! All I know is that this line being iconic is only something I figured out later because it never really registered to me.

But anyway, the impression we're left with is that he's definitely some flavour of involved. We just don't know how until the start of the trial.

Klavier starts the trial off with a bang. Music, showboating, this man's got it all! It almost seems like he's putting on a show rather than doing his actual job up until he calls his first witness. Apollo being fed up immediately with him is then replaced by the realisation that oh, he actually can do his job. And well, too. More questions about him surface; why hasn't he been in a trial for seven years? Why are his remarks towards us laced in such bitterness after that greeting we got from him? Why hasn't he even brought up his brother once??

It's intrigue which draws you in. It's intrigue and the desire to find out what the heck his deal is.

Perhaps it's because he gets to watch us and Apollo fumble our way through our first two objections that his tone shifts. Or maybe it's because Trucy decides to hold herself for ransom to buy some time; either way, Klavier starts to suddenly have way more fun in the second half of the day's trial. It's a shift in the atmosphere you can feel, even as we all devolve into absurdity. (He also just lets Trucy get away with that. In a single move, in a single day, he proves himself so different than any other prosecutor we've ever faced before. We're still wary of him, prosecutors are meant to be our opposition, but he's handily disproved any of our initial misgivings about him. He's far more accommodating than he should rightly be. And yet that bitterness he held stays at the forefront of our minds; there's something not quite right here.)

Of course, as the investigation picks back up, we learn what it is we were missing this whole time: Klavier was the prosecutor what got Phoenix disbarred. The one who was working that case and proved Phoenix used forged evidence, even. It puts some of his actions into perspective. It certainly explains that bitterness, considering he still never even mentions his brother. But it places us into an even more confusing position. Are we supposed to like this guy? Is he pulling the wool over our eyes and playing a long con? What is it this guy wants??

Running into him again and him throwing yet another flirt our way doesn't help answer anything. He's far too willing to be nice to us when we're meant to be at odds. He's nice, even; not just civil, but nice.

The second trial day helps cement his character: what Klavier wants, first and foremost, is to uncover the truth. (It makes sense, of course, once we learn the context. After that disaster of a first trial, in which he was too young and reckless and still didn't really win, of course the truth would become a priority for him. He couldn't get close to it the first time around. He's gotta make up for those past seven years of running.)

He pushes you towards this truth, even willing to lead you to it by the hand. It makes you wonder if you should be trusting him at all. He's the prosecutor, he's your opponent. You're meant to fight him, not work together so immediately. There has to be something more here; he's a prosecutor, he got Phoenix disbarred, his brother was a murderer.

But, no. Klavier proves himself an ally before the second case is even done.

Klavier proves himself terribly strange as he then provides us tickets to his concert and makes us pay for them.

Case 3 is usually where we get a deeper look into the prosecution's character and here is no exception. Klavier's general air of ease and showboating reveals itself to be a carefully constructed act, one not entirely false but one not entirely truthful, either. His meltdown at his concert going awry speaks of the perfectionism he's endured, of his own sense of pride. He's stressed out and his pretty little mask slips a bit, but it only helps you and Apollo rest easier because this man isn't as perfect as he tries to present himself as. It's the type of slip that makes you realise he's more human than rock star god or whatever.

He is also ridiculously loyal, a trait that gets tested continuously from here on out.

Of course he doesn't want to believe anyone in his band could have done the murder. But his refusal to acknowledge what Apollo witnessed from a dying man still stings. It's still baffling how he can argue with a straight face that Machi managed to perform this crime, although that's less an issue with him and more an issue in this case. His near belligerence in believing Apollo is understandable, as is Apollo's own eagerness to solve this case going wrong as he accidentally throws more suspicion onto his client. This time, it's not a hand to hold Klavier offers us, it's a curt smile and the incorrect truth.

When Daryan is implicated, we get to see even more of that mask slip.

Speaking with Klavier in his office is such an interesting scene. So many things are happening here, from seeing him actively annoyed at the agents at the other end of his call to this small show of trust of sharing details of this case. It struck me even then that he called himself a "scourge prosecutor"; why would he consider himself like that? All he's done so far is get a man disbarred for using forged evidence and help us towards the truth in the previous case. What sorts of regrets has he been ruminating on to call himself that? He's done nothing but work on his band over the past seven years. (He's done nothing but run these past seven years.) I'm not entirely sure when I started actually liking Klavier. Even now, I'm not really sure I even do like him. What I can say, though, is this conversation with him in his office definitely made me sympathise with him and find him annoying in equal measures. He boasts a big game of wanting the ladies to notice him, of treating each of his guitars like they're his lovers, yet he calls himself a scourge and is running desperately away from something. There's something so deeply complicated in him that I can't help but offer him my understanding.

The second day of the trial, things go pretty wrong pretty quick. Klavier knows that we can't convict Daryan of this crime without some decisive piece of evidence. He only offers his hand to us at the last minute, wanting to believe in his friend until the bitter end. It's right here that you realise why it is he hasn't brought up his brother once so far; he can't face what it is his brother's done yet. There's some sort of proof missing that he needs before he can face this terrible truth.

Perhaps he was right to call himself a scourge. Somehow, it doesn't make you trust him any less.

But we need answers. And the final case is willing to give them.

It seems, at first, completely unrelated to the bigger picture. Of course it would. Phoenix has been a goddamn enigma this whole game. But as the trial goes on, you and Klavier both start to suspect that this is related to something big. That there's a darkness lurking beneath this case and its name isn't easy to speak. When Vera takes the stand and stares at Klavier like she's somehow haunted by a ghost of him, the pieces should click into place right there. They don't, because this game is great at leading you to isane conclusions that you brush off because no that's crazy they wouldn't do that, but they really should.

It's right here, though, in which Klavier really cracks and lays all that pent up bitterness upon you; this girl and her father were the ones who forged evidence for Phoenix Wright.

Smash cut to that fateful trial seven years ago.

Young Klavier is such an interesting snapshot. He's arrogant and full of drive, but woefully lacking in experience. His head's on the right track, you can see some of the foundations for the prosecutor you've gotten to know over the past few trials, but he's so much more reckless. He's charging ahead without putting much thought behind his actions and getting absolutely schooled by Phoenix. (Side note, **this** is my favourite Phoenix ever. He's so confident and sure of himself!! He's capable and doing well on his own!! He's the natural evolution to his seasoned attorney after the original trilogy. He's still a pretty goofy and prone to panicking, but god, I wish they'd taken cues from this version of him instead of his original trilogy self. This is the Phoenix I always knew he would grow into being and we'll never get him outside of this one case. An absolute travesty.)

Unfortunately, his absolute loyalty is still there. And we'll soon find out it's his ultimate downfall.

There's something so sinister about the way Klavier traps us in a corner. The way he forces our hand into presenting that diary page. And then he near preens as he goes on to prove that it's been forged. He's so damn proud of himself for being able to catch this, for having that tip off in his back off. There's a reason why I always write him as having gleefully ruined Phoenix; it really does come off that way.

We the players know it's a mistake. It's not right. And Klavier, though loathe to admit it, knows deep down that there was something off about it, too.

Finally, finally, he has to confront his brother. He has to put that loyalty on the line and break himself to pieces watching his brother abuse that connection they share.

It really is a break, too. Apollo's line of pulling the darkness from Klavier, of helping Klavier out of that pain, of then shouting for Klavier not to give in to his brother's manipulations, I really felt all of it. Klavier is struggling against his loyalty, against what he wants to believe and what he knows has to be the truth. He doesn't get to lead us to the truth this time, but he does get to throw in his own words and confront his brother on what happened.

(Another sticking point for me; why did Kristoph want to absolutely destroy Klavier in his first ever trial? Klavier says he became a prosecutor because it was supposed to be the both of them, finding the truth and working together. It was supposed to be the both of them being brothers, doing good. But to have that forgery, Kristoph had to have asked for it well in advance. Kristoph had to have planned to crush his brother well before he was suddenly fired and replaced by Phoenix. It's so telling that Klavier was willing to do anything, to believe his brother until the end, when Kristoph wanted to crush him from the start. At least, as far as my interpretation of what this could mean goes.)

His speech at the end, of how Kristoph made the law about himself and absolutely lost his way, is great. Good catharsis moment for him that goes unaddressed and unexplored forevermore. I feel it's also undercut a bit by Apollo not having anything to say, but it's still really good. It may have taken a while to fully unpack what the heck he's about, but I can confidently say that Klavier is one hell of a character. His complications, his contradictions, the faces he puts on for us and then takes off; all of it gives him a very special place in my heart. I may want to punt him into the moon sometimes, but I do really love just how fascinating of a write he is.

Now if only he would stop jerking me around and be a more courteous muse...

[londondziban]

Stop labeling YA authors as creeps for depicting sex in their novels.

Depicting sex and sexuality in young adult literature is not a bad, harmful thing. In fact, it is beneficial for teens to be able to read books aimed toward their age group that discuss and depict sex in a non-judgmental, positive way. Sex and sexuality within YA novels open the conversation for teens who may otherwise feel shame for the feelings they experience and the things they have an interest in, or already do. YA novels that depict sex and sexuality can discuss the complicated feelings that surround both experiences and help promote more accurate information and views of sex and sexuality than are presented within television, film, and online.

Teenagers can and do have sex. Whether they should or not is a matter of opinion that does not change the fact that it happens.

No, authors are not "creepy" or "perverts" for writing about teenagers experimenting with sex and sexuality. Writing sex into young adult novels doesn't make an author a creep. An author doesn't have to be a teen themself in order to ethically write sex into young adult literature.

And no, sex does not need to be framed as something negative for it to be "okay" to write about in young adult literature. Authors shouldn't have to write about bad things happening to their teenage characters after they've had sex. Teens don't need, and shouldn't, see sex as something that will always lead to diseases and social ridicule. Yes, sex can lead to consequences and yes teens should be well informed of that. No, depicting teens never having safe, positive sexual experiences is not a good idea. Fostering fear around sex and sexuality within teens does nothing but harm.

Your push of purity culture harms kids more than it helps them. Creating safe, open outlets for them to learn and feel seen is the best thing to do when helping teenagers. Ridiculing authors for writing sex and sexuality into their young adult novels is not only harmful, but it is censorship.

And no, I'm not saying adults should be writing full-on smut about teenagers. I can't believe I have to clarify that but the reading comprehension on this site has always been, and will always be, piss poor. I'm saying complete censorship of discussions of sex and sexuality within literature for teens does the opposite of what you all seem to think it does; It is harmful.

Stop feeding teenagers the narrative that sex is inherently negative. Stop trying to pretend like teens don't experience sex and sexuality. Stop shaming the adults who are attempting to change the narrative for teens. Stop shaming the adults who are attempting to create safe, open conversations and spaces for teens. Stop trying to censor authors.

[the-stove-is-divorced]

listennnnn

I’ve seen Danny interacting with Batman/Bat-fam and some Danny interacting with young justice but y’all are SLEEPING on Danny and Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes) interacting because guys they have the same weird experiences in the most specific way possible. And yes I will be breaking this down (below) because if I am cursed with realizations so will you.

For argument’s sake here, I’ll be using Young Justice version of origin story for Jaime and all the stuff, because it works.

1. FREAK ACCIDENT ORIGIN STORY

The reason, again via Young Justice canon only, Jaime Reyes becomes Blue Beetle is because of a freak accident in Kord labs. There’s an explosion, which means the scarab is free to pick the nearest guy to bond to, and quickly chooses Jaime.

And for Danny, it’s turning on the ghost portal, and having his molecules get all rearranged from the portal turning on with him inside. Already, both of them have been suddenly and forcibly changed physically by a sudden lab accident. Danny? Ghost boy. Jaime? Murderous Armor buddy. And for both, reversing is canonically possible, but very painful.

2. TIME TRAVEL STYLE INTERVENTION BECAUSE YOUR FUTURE SELF IS EVIL AND BASICALLY CAUSES THE APOCALYPSE

I could ramble about both their time travel style intervention for hours but for the sake of clarity I’ll dumb it down to this:

In one timeline Danny cheats on a test, which causes his entire family to die (batshit insane I know but stay with me here), which means he lives with his fellow half-ghost rich uncle, and then decides he doesn’t want to be half ghost anymore and lets the uncle rip out his ghost half. Said ghost half rips out the uncle’s ghost half, fuses, and causes terror, mayhem and destruction. A literal ghost god of time itself intervenes, to stop this from happening.

For Jaime, it’s having a sentient murderous piece of armor that will not be quiet about how much easier it is to blow up a building then work as a team, and then aliens called the Reach come and stay on Earth, said aliens recognize the armor Jaime has it actually the Reaches’, activate the armor so Jaime isn’t in control of his own body, helps the Reach brainwash the planet and cause terror, mayhem and destruction. And human enslavement, that too. A time traveller from said horrible future comes back to stop this from happening.

LITERAL TIME TRAVEL STYLE INTERVENTIONS. I AM NOT JOKING. THESE ARE BOTH CANON.

3. BEING MIND CONTROLLED AND HAVING TO FIGHT YOUR OWN FRIENDS AGAINST YOUR WILL

For Danny, clown named Freakshow uses him to commit crimes! He almost causes on of his friends to die. For Jaime, again, Reach using his body. Again, he could have killed his friends!

FEEL FREE TO ADD ON I’M STILL REELING FROM REALIZING THIS

[batfambyval]

Ok. I live in the past. New comics do not exist in my mind. Aside from RHatO (because I love Jason and need content for him, okay!) nothing after Flashpoint exists. New Earth (the mainstream continuity from 1986-2011) is the only one I recognize. Okay, some fanon is in my head, I really like Duke Thomas, but I tried to read We are Robin Robin War and… sorry Duke but your continuity is fucked up and I was so confused and nothing was familiar. My introduction to actual comics was the 90s Young Justice run, okay? No other continuity makes any sense with the base information I have! So. Point is.

WHY THE HELL ARE PEOPLE ACTING LIKE CISSIE KING-JONES IS PART OF THE ARROWFAM!? NOT JUST FANS BUT WRITERS! CISSIE IS COMPLETELY SEPARATE! ARROWETTE HAS ZIP TO DO WITH GREEN ARROW APART FROM ONE SINGULAR COMMENT THAT COULD’VE BEEN A JOKE! OLIVER QUEEN IS UNAWARE OF HER EXISTENCE! SHE NEVER EVEN MET GREEN ARROW! SHE QUIT SO EARLY!

Few. Okay. I needed to get that out of my system.

But seriously, just because a character uses a bow and arrows doesn’t mean they have to be related to Green Arrow. I like that Bonnie was a copycat, that she didn’t actually have ties to the hero community. I like that the first time they met other heroes Cissie was removed from her custody and she quit like a few months later. I like that she was a hero long enough to trauma bond with her teammates and make lifelong friends and that’s it. Cissie is her own character! She is unique and different from anyone else in the dcu.

Why do people feel the need to group these characters together? Cissie’s situation was so unique and interesting. It was so human in this world of super heroes. It was raw and a bit (a lot) messy. It served to highlight how other young heroes aren’t like her, how Cissie was forced into heroing but most of her friends chose it and fight to keep doing it. Her story resolves some issues people have with child heroes because it says “yes we recognize exactly how fucked up the concept can be and that does exist in this universe but it doesn’t apply to every young hero.”

[kidflashimpulse]

if bart's issues got explored, i'd want acknowledgement of how desensitized he is, but also how he's wired to constantly be ready for a threat. an exploration of almost being MORE comfortable when you're NOT safe bc you're so used to it, of how keeping your emotions on a tight leash on can be born from a fear of making yourself vulnerable to legit ATTACK rather than just not wanting to face them. i think it should be more so about what constantly being in danger can do to you than the grief

YES!!! Everything !! About this !! Is muah, chefs kiss perfect. You nailed it anon, i love this description so much like i don’t even know where to start lol.

the aspect of “what constantly being in danger can do to you than the grief” hits the nail exactly on the head as to why i dont perceive his “trauma run” to be like that we saw of gar or other characters on the show. Because being in his surrounding growing up, it’s almost gone beyond the grief because that’s just so normalised at that point.

that exploration of being wired and like u said “more comfortable” in the face of danger combined with the factor of him putting on a front not because of him having issues with himself so much that it’s more born out of habit of what it means to be constantly exposed to threats and discomfort i.e being desensitised to the point that he developed those type of habits, the way you outlined it so accurate and really roots down that specific but super important details and source of motivation behind why he wouldn’t be traumatised in the more “traditional” sense that we’ve seen depicted in the series.

totally agree with wanting to see all this, it would only be the coolest thing ever. thanks for sharing your thoughts with us :D

[threewaysdivided]

awwww 😭😭😭😭

Did you write a review on the legendary teen Titans series? (Aka what young Justice could have become if they weren't overly ambitious)

What's your opinion on Paul Dini as a writer?

(Follow up to these two previous asks)

Sorry nonnie! 😅

It seems that we both tripped down a rabbit hole of doughnuts.

I assume you’re talking about the Teen Titans 2003 Animated TV Series?  In that case, you might be thinking of another user – I haven’t personally written any reviews for it.  I do have a lot of fond feelings towards the show, though; it was my first real introduction to DC Comics alongside the Justice League/ JLU animated series.  My Tumblr has a Teen Titans tag where I share art, meta etc. and I do have some thoughts about specific plots or narrative elements – you might also see me make occasional reference to it as an example on some posts in the writing advice tag.

Just for the sake of expectation management, I should explain that my Tumblr isn’t really a traditional “review blog”.  And yes, I know that probably sounds a bit crazy considering the frankly unhinged amount of YJ analysis I’ve written, especially since I’ve been blogging less about other stories in the last year. Burnout, what can you do? 

Really I’m more of a writing/ story-analysis blog.  Sometimes I might write a semi-review style post where I try to break down and articulate a particular technique/ element/ execution/ implication of a narrative in order to understand what it’s doing well or why something isn’t working.  As I said in the very first Frustrations with YJ essay, I think storytelling is fundamentally about communication and understanding.  I got into fandom as a fan-reader turned fan-writer (AO3 wink wink), and before that I worked as a casual English tutor.  I want to learn from the ways different narratives succeeded or failed at communicating their stories within the restrictions of their medium(s) so that I can better find, discuss and even tell stories myself. 

Because of that, I’m also a big proponent of the Death of the Author approach to media analysis.  Let me copy the definition over from that first essay real quick:

DEATH OF THE AUTHOR This theory posits that, because commercial art is created to be consumed, not just created, the audience’s interpretations of a work should be considered as just valid as the creator’s.  The work must stand on its own and creators cannot micro-manage their audience’s response to it. 1.  A creator’s intentions and biographical facts (political stances, religion, etc) should hold no special weight in determining the validity of an interpretation. 2.  Save for re-releases/reboots or new entries, the creator cannot and should not attempt to retroactively insert information or interpretations that were not present in the original text.

I generally don’t look too deeply into or follow the specific people behind (non-fan) works.  This isn’t always the case – if I like a specific author’s style I might look up their body of work to read more; some stories are clearly rooted in their creators’ specific opinions or experiences, which makes for interesting context; and sometimes I like to learn about the behind-the-scenes methods/techniques/production woes of a bringing a specific story to life – but mostly I put the priority on what I can learn from the final product.

As I’ve said before, commercial storytelling is the result of more than just one person.  Under the right conditions I think a rank amateur or complete hack could produce something amazing and, if faced with enough production headaches, a usually-excellent creator could end up outputting utter drek although I expect that drek would at least be creatively interesting.

The questions that interest me more are: what was this narrative trying to communicate?  what techniques were used/ creative choices were made?  how well did it succeed?  could a different approach have been used? and, what restrictions/limitations/priorities could have led to the final creative decisions?  To me, information on a creator’s circumstances provide context for narrative analysis.  Since I generally don’t know them I try not to postulate their actual intent too much, only the potential intent suggested by the story.

SO WHAT THE HECK WAS I DOING WITH YJ, THEN? What happened with Young Justice is actually an outlier for me in both regards because of how baffling flawed the series ended up being.  Back in the pre-revival days I paid a lot of attention to the textual canon of Season 1 because I had started writing a fanfic based on it and wanted to do the story justice (heh).  The result was I went into the later seasons with a lot more awareness of the canonical details and storytelling techniques – and (like I said in the final Invasion case-study) I ended up being blindsided by how instinctively bored and annoyed I became just a short way into an attempted Season 2 rewatch, despite the fact that I was actively trying to study it. 

The reason I kept coming back with more and more posts is that I never felt like I had successfully grasped or articulated why I had such a strong and unexpected negative reaction.  I think it’s a similar impulse to what Dan Olson cited as making the Nostalgia Critic’s Parody of The Wall so weirdly compelling: there's a confusing contradiction between the level of work required to implement the sheer amount of stuff that Young Justice tries to include, and the absolute thoughtlessness of how sloppily that stuff was actually executed. A multi-season, multimedia story like Young Justice is a long-term project: there are too many layers of production involved for the end result to be made in a brief flash of impulse or accident. It needs some sort of sustained creative motivation to drive it… but I could never find a coherent creative intent that would satisfyingly explain the decisions on display.  Never before or since have I seen such a promising launch be followed by sequels so fatally flawed as to strip away every component of the original’s creative identity.  There’s a reason I subtitled that masterpost A Massive Failure of Narrative.

This is also why I went after lead-showrunner Greg Weisman a bit, despite not usually doing that.  The choice to exclude (or consciously excise) over 70% of the critical narrative substance and sequester it away in non-textual social-media /ask-blog retcons means that you cannot escape engaging with Weisman when trying to engage with the later seasons at any level of depth.  As a Death of the Author proponent this ticked me off just on-its-face, but it also meant that he and those seasons are inseparably intertwined.  Regardless of whether it was a conscious choice arising from his sense of creative entitlement, or simply a case of narrative incompetence self-selecting for a primary audience with a high tolerance for media-illiteracy Nigerian Prince Email Scam-style, the end-result is the same: Weisman gouged holes his narrative and left it to suffocate while he sucked up all the oxygen in the room.   Then, later, as I encountered people from other fandoms whose narratives had been similarly decimated by Weisman, it became impossible to ignore how inseparable his personal flaws are from those narrative failures.  As I alluded to in the last ask, you can separate the original seven Harry Potter texts from their author: Joanne Rowling and her politics could evaporate tomorrow and it wouldn’t change people’s ability to enjoy the story as a standalone work (in fact, the absence of her modern politics might make some of the more unpalatable flaws easier to accept as honest oversights rather than ominous foreshadowing).  Meanwhile, Young Justice is such a disaster because the later seasons stop being about the original story and increasingly become about Greg: his failures at basic storytelling, his disinterested misunderstanding of his own characters, his weird fixations, his patterns of reactionary prejudice, casual double-standards, deeply disturbing attitudes about consent and power, and a self-righteous entitlement that resents being held accountable.  Unlike Harry Potter, you can’t put Young Justice S2+ in a bubble. The problem at the root of every other problem with Young Justice is that it doesn’t have an actual narrative... and in the absence of a coherent central narrative, the text itself has become the story of Greg Weisman's terrible creative choices. His self-indulgent proclivities pervade every step of the later seasons' broken theming, bad pacing, warped characterisation, contradictory lore, intra-textual hypocrisies, over-stuffed cast and weird fanservice: baked-in at a level that cannot be ignored or rationalised away.

It makes me empathise a lot with how Hbomberguy said he felt on discovering the recent James Somerton stuff: it’s not fun to stumble down a rabbit hole of learning that a prominent figure in one of your communities is sucking up air via association with work from their less-credited colleagues, then using that air to present themselves as an ally, dominate the narrative and delegitimise valid criticism, all while spreading their own prejudiced agendas, refusing to change their behaviour and continuing to profit.  That’s why I felt the need to explicitly point out some of the clearer patterns of reactionary bigotry and hypocritical non-apologies in Weisman’s work – I wanted to make sure the evidence was at least available somewhere outside of Weisman’s carefully-filtered reputation-protecting PR statements.  People put pieces of their lives into communicating something that will hopefully be worth the pieces of life their audiences invest in return -  I find the idea of someone exploiting that trust for gain to be deeply disgusting.

Now, with that exceptionally-overlong context provided: Paul Dini. 

The disappointing but predictable answer is that I don’t really have an opinion on him as a writer.  Having looked up his credits, I recognise a lot of works that I personally enjoyed (including the cancelled-after-one-season Tower Prep).

I really like Batman: The Animated Series, both for the human element it brought to heroism and the tone it set for the following DCAU (colloquially Timm-verse) generation of animated series.  Justice League was one of my first introductions to the main DC roster, so that set a lot of my core understanding of their characters.  I find Harley Quinn, especially her early B:TAS/ DCAU story-iterations, to be compelling in a way that’s equal parts fun and tragic.  There are some parts of the DCAU that I find a bit silly (a couple of background ‘ships that make me go whaa?) but I think I was really lucky to grow up during a time when the DCAU and second-order series inspired by its tone and storytelling ethos (e.g. Teen Titans 2003) was the childhood DC experience for kids my age.

That said, I don’t know enough about the story behind the works in Dini’s credits to feel confident in speaking about him as a writer.  Just looking at his resume, he certainly seems like a passionate and prolific creator who did a lot of very influential work.  At the same time, however, I don’t know how much of that was Dini himself, how much was his frequent co-creator, Bruce Timm, and how much his works may have been adulterated by the influence of other, less-visible members of the production and editorial teams who worked alongside him.  It can be convenient to elevate one or two prominent members to Great Man status as an easy shorthand for discussing works they’ve been involved with, but that can come with the risk of crediting or platforming the wrong people through mis-attribution or just plain projection. 

I’ve learned my lesson on blind-lionisation after being thoroughly let down by all the Weisman nonsense, the same way others have learned from being let down by creators they previously idolised (Supergeekmike did a really good video covering this which also includes discussions of Death of the Author and Authorial Intent).  Without doing proper research into and comparisons of Dini’s work, I wouldn’t feel confident making an assertion about his personal skills as a creator.  I greatly enjoy many of the stories he’s been credited on, and can recognise the influence those stories had in shaping a generation of DC fans (and writers)… but while I’m happy to talk about the writing of those stories, it feels a little irresponsible of me to talk to the character or intent of a real person without knowing more about them.  I’m not making that mistake again.

In the meantime though, I do want to talk more about actual writing.  I’ve been taking it easier this year lockdown and job burnouts finally caught up to me and it suuucks, man but I'm hoping to pick back up in 2024.  I want to finally get back to working on my main fanfic so I can share the companion meta without spoiling people.  I have thoughts about some possible meta-textual metaphors in Across the Spider-verse.  I might do a case-study piece exploring why the years-long timeskip in Arcane Season 1 worked really well while others haven’t.  And there’s an ask about a canon-divergent-post-Season-1 Young Justice episode premise that’s been burning a hole in my inbox for at least 5 months now.

So yeah.  More writing breakdowns to come.  In the meantime, I previously wrote a Frustrations With analysis of how My Hero Academia’s story struggled following the Hideout Raid Arc if you’d like to check that one out.  There’s also this big compilation of links to my Young Justice and Danny Phantom meta (plus recommendations for fanfics and other stories), and you can check out the writing advice tag for general storytelling discussions.

Hopefully that makes up for the drought of Teen Titans content!

[fordearlife]

to those who hate August and Sara

cw: su*cide

First, listen – Sara is not without fault, but she IS autistic. anyone who isn't autistic is extremely unlikely to be able to fully understand all of her actions and decisions in S2. I want to write more on that (I did a bit more below), but for now I'll just say that the hate she's been getting is unfair and sometimes ableist. Lisa recently shared on instagram that the neurodivergent rep was Intentional and that autism does influence her character, which is something I believe to be obvious among autistic viewers.

August is very clearly not without fault, but I'm begging folks to consider the bigger picture of his circumstances. He has a drug problem, an eating disorder/body image issues, and an incredibly weak support system. he doesn't trust or rely on his mother. His dad also had a drug problem and killed himself, and he hasn't had space to process this with anyone in his life. His good friend (Erik) died and he didn't have space to process this in his own way either, albeit partially by his own doing. He wasn't connecting with that friend's brother (Wilhelm) in the way he expected to, and his friends at school ditched him at the first opportunity to exert power over him to meet their own needs. His shitty behavior (misogyny, etc.) was encouraged/excused by Erik and all of his school friends. Vincent is at least classist, possibly racist (S2 rowing scenes) and homophobic. August feels pressure to succeed at school, he faces financial problems that he's left to navigate on his own and a choice of giving up two things that are equally important to him (the land, art, etc. left to him by his father and the things he's earned on his own at school), and now he has the added pressure of being Wille's backup as crown prince. Meanwhile, he has an inconsistent supply of the drugs he's dependent on, a secret relationship with the sister of the Wilhelm's love interest, who's problematic in the eyes of the royal court, a history of selling/doing drugs and consuming alcohol at school, which he lied about, and the guilt of taking/uploading the video, which is separate from the weight of the consequences. I dare to call all of this canon (except where I've specified otherwise).

The boy has made some BAD, HARMFUL decisions. But we also see him in a very different light when he's with Sara. He puts all of the manipulative shit aside during his time with her and only does his shitty thing again when he feels backed into a corner in S2. I believe that he shows that he's capable of change. What we haven't been shown yet is an avenue for that change. I think that Sara was an important step toward this though, because she seems to be the only person he really cares about in the entire series so far, and hurting her visibly caused him pain. He needed this to happen so he can begin to understand the hurt that he's caused to others.

I speak now as someone who believes in police and prison abolition. August needs help from folks who have been minimally affected by his actions. I want his stepdad and the royal family to keep him out of prison (if Sara was in fact reporting him and not turning herself in to take the fall, I have a Theory™️) and I want Sara, Simon, Wille, and Alexander to get more tangible justice. He should absolutely be removed from them so they can heal in their own way, but he needs therapy, and he needs to find a way to understand that failing to take accountability and face consequences for his actions will cause further harm to both the people around him and his current and future self. He needs better role models, and he needs a chance to form new emotional bonds with others so he can keep learning what it means for people to care for each other.

A final defense for Sara: She didn't just say that she lost her way because she was in love, she said that she thought the damage of the video had already been done and that she was convinced that August was trying to change, and I believe her. She barely saw any of the ugliness that happened between August and Simon in S1. She saw Simon upset with him at parents' day, which would've seemed over-the-top without the context of the money/drugs, and she knows that August posted the video (correct me if I'm missing anything). She DID incorrectly convince herself that he wanted to turn himself in – he never hinted that he would – but he otherwise showed her an entirely different side of himself. He genuinely said he would never hurt her, he wanted to be seen with her in public, and he comforted her when she was upset about Rousseau (that meltdown is also specifically attacked by an upsetting number of viewers as being childish and evidence that she's an uncaring person/sibling with misplaced priorities). They were happy together. The fact that she got that kind of love (from AUGUST even) as an autistic teen who felt so out of place at that school was beautiful, and it absolutely represents a justifiable source of internal conflict for her.

/fin (for now)

[bookdragonlibrary]

Hey !

Longtime follower here ! I'd love to get your insight on an issue, and I know I can count on you, when I read all your detailed and well written responses.

One issue plaguing the YJ community is the infamous debate of the timeskips, I personally think it didn't do any favors for YJ. I would have preferred to keep the one season, one year format, while progressing in the main subplot (Vandal savage VS Darkseid VS JL& The Team).

What's your take on this ? What would your plan of each season look like ?

Thank you for your ask and following me :)

As you could have seen, I love Young Justice writing! That's why it's even funnier and more interesting to analyse!

About the time format, I think YJ shouldn't limit the story to happen in one year just to mimick the first season, but has a rythmn according to the story's needs. But I can see the appeal of keeping the same formule so to speak to write the story. But I wouldn't let limit me and my creativity to tell the story and the pace it needs. As a writer, let's say the series is a book saga and the tied-comics like short novels to explore more the universe and the characters but with stories that are shorters than for the main saga. That is what I'm planning for my own work :)

That was the short answer, let's keep going for the long one! :D

For the timeskip. There is good and a bad consequences from it. The good is it's flesh out YJ world and make the DC lore in one coherent world. The characters continue to grow between big events happening in seasons, just like real people.

The bad consequence is for us, viewers, as we are a little lost at the beginning of the season about the changes. But we need to keep in mind that YJ was supposed to be a multicanal storyline with the series but also videogame (where Tula dies) and comics. Young Justice should have more tied-comics to explain and explore the stories between seasons and to develop more specitic characters who don't have a lot of screen time. But the main problem is DC Universe now Warners Brothers don't invest much in Young Justice but instead make DCU movies and we know the quality of them compared to YJ and the animated films (that I 100% recomand if you didn't watch them yet!!).

My plan is the last season seems to be a building for a supposed (let's hope!) five season with Darkseid and Vandal as the main antagonists and each sub-story of the 4th season was to build it up and explain to us the many changes there will be between season 3 and 5 so we won't be lost like at the beginning of season 2 and 3. So it feels like season 4 was the first part of season 5 if you see what I mean?

I don't know if you know this series as it's a French one but Wakfu (it's on Netflix if you want to try it ;) ) has a similar storyline with a main series which will end with its 4th season on January, OST that could be a long film and a manga series. But the same universe also has an online videogame WOW-like called Dofus, a manga series with the same name, films and series with different characters, sometimes at different time periods. You can read the Dofus manga or watch only Wakfu and you won't feel lost about the story. Because it's not made like the MCU where you have to see multiple series on Disney+ just to watch one film on theatre...

Wakfu works because it's the same studio who makes all of that (their name is Ankama). Young Justice is a gold pile the producers are sitting on because they don't invest on it... If the writers have the whole freedom than Anakama has, we wouldn't feel bad about the timeskips because we would have more content to fill the gap :)

I hope that answer your ask and give you another point of view :p