#he apologized for it all and yet people treat him as irredeemable and an abuser

[tfemthanatos]

“we need more morally grey characters” y’all can’t even handle thanatos hadesgame!

[sprinkleonthatcriticism]

I really don't like people's double standards sometimes and I'm not just talking about how stans treat Stolas and Stella, this ain't relating to that, I'm talking about the situation with Jack/Damagedcoda6669 Warning for Suicide mention, ableism, COCSA, SA and Child grooming

A while ago, Jack made a come-back video and he mentions that Kittydog had groomed him as well as commited COCSA (Child On Child Sexual Assault) towards him and barely there were any people calling Zola out and Kittydog makes a youtube vid and twitter post apologizing for what they had done to it, and seemingly everyone WELCOMES Kittydog back with open arms and acts like nothing had ever happened.

But when it was revealed that Jack committed cocsa when he was 16 and the minor was 13, suddenly Jack/Damagedcoda6669 (aka Birdie/Sansbirdie in case ya'll ain't in the loop) is a irredeemable monster all because he had that "He was birdie" label on him and all because Jack rightfully stolen his cat back from Synni.

And before you all accuse me of downplaying the criticism that Jack is rightfully receiving (which, I'm not downplaying it, you can criticize Jack if you want as long as you ain't being clowns or bringing up stuff that Jack had already apologize for just as the borderline 13? thing) or say "But, Jack was talking to a minor under "sexual" art!!1!!!".

Lemme say that the minor in question (who is in fact a grooming victim like myself) made a post literally explaining that Jack NEVER pm'd xem as well as spoken weird to him either.

You guys claim to care for victims of grooming but you go around and talk over the minor or mock Jack instead of waiting for him to recover due to the stress that it had receive so he could hopefully make a post or vid talking about the situation.

Heck, you guys even claim Jack "suicide baited" (not using the term right btw you guys, suicide baiting means to maliciously try to get someone to off their-selves NOT faking suicide) instead of simply checking in on him when he made that post showing that you don't care for mental health either and just want to repeat history again because to your eyes "Birdie is still bad no matter what happened to it in the past".

And again, you guys are allow to criticize Jack, I also had criticized Jack in the past and even sent him an ask, explaining to him calmly and politely that "he should address the allegations but not now, he needs a break from online due to the backlash that it was receiving on twitter" and I even suggest him to stay on Bluesky since there is none of the "Let's compare a sexual assault victim (Jack) to his sexual assaulter (Synnibear03)." bs on that site, which quite frank is absolutely disgusting.... Again, nothing WRONG with criticizing Jack, and again, I do agree that Jack shouldn't of accused a (former) 13 yr old of having a grooming fetish but don't be gross and pretend that Jack isn't a victim of sexual assault, grooming, abuse and such or better yet, don't try to paint Synnibear03 as a victim of Jack, SHE is not a victim of Jack.

Just because he stolen Skqrp from Synni doesn't mean shit because Synnibear no matter how much she swears up and down that she didn't brought the cat as a gift for Jack, she still brought the cat for JACK and the only reason her name was in the papers is because Jack rightfully didn't want to write down his dead name and who can blame him?

[respectthepetty]

I stand by it, BMF has not done a single bad episode so far!!

Anon, I was right there with you.

Every single week for the first eight weeks, I was shocked that this show kept getting better.

Then episode nine happened, and I felt a redemption arc coming.

I enjoy bad characters.

I enjoy bad characters doing bad shit.

I enjoy bad characters doing a lot of bad shit without ever apologizing for it.

But what I don't enjoy is bad characters who have done a lot of bad shit without apologizing being redeemed in the final episodes (mostly if it's a shitty dad).

I watched all of Double Savage. All. Of. It. Yet I wrote zero posts about it because I had a feeling it would redeem the shitty dad. And guess what? IT DID! He was the worst for eleven episodes, and in the finale, all was made okay with a quick chit chat between him and the son he consistently abused all of his life. *POOF* All was forgiven.

10/10 Alans

The main character's parents in About Youth were *singing* "The Worst" yet in the final episode, redeemed! The mom threw soup down the sink while the dad smacked him, but all was well in the end.

12/20 Alans

So if Be My Favorite decides to redeem Not in these final episodes . .

FULL ALAN!

This show has been good up until the point. Even episode nine was good, but my gut is screaming at me the same way it did with Double Savage.

I know culture ties into the forgiveness of parents, but Not? Some random classmate who continues to do great harm to several people he calls friends and treats both Kwan and Pear in the most misogynistic ways is not family, and if this show tries to offer up a redemption arc to this asshole in the final three episodes, especially the final episode . . .

FULL PETE

Dark Blue Kiss understood bad-people-do-bad-shit and will continue to do so unchecked. Non had plenty of reasons for being the way he was, but even when confronted with the damage he caused Kao, he stood firm in his arrogance.

Non and Not sit at the same table. Even when confronted with the pain they have directly inflicted on others, like Pisaeng telling Not to do better, Pear telling Not that recording Kawi was disgusting, and Kwan begging Not to pick anyone but her best friend, Non and Not only care about themselves and cause more harm. They are jerks who manipulate others for their own pleasure. They are selfish and careless with other people's feelings. They are impulsive and dangerous when given the slightest bit of attention.

AND THEY ARE IRREDEEMABLE.

I hope I'm working myself up over nothing and Not ends up alone and unhappy with his choices in the finale, but until then . . .

I'm watching you Be My Favorite (but not in the same way I was watching you before, but in a more suspicious you-better-not-fuck-this-up kind of way, you know? You know! Why am I explaining myself here. I already did that above!)

Don't fuck this up Be My Favorite.

[hello-nichya-here]

Honestly, what is the difference between current canon Azula and Ozai in terms of redeemability? Ozai led the end of the Hundred Year War where it was common policy to jail non-combatant Earth Benders & put captured soilders in the front lines in full FN armor, authorized Zhao's kill the moon plan, and attempted a genocide. And personally, he abused his son and wife (not Azula), killed his father, banished that one teacher for disagreeing with Azula, and illegally usurped his bro. Cont.

Meanwhile, Azula abused her bro & friends, attempted to jail/murder her bro & Uncle several times, attempted to kill The Gaang several times, jailed the Kyoshi Warriors, conquered Ba Sing Se, blackmailed her bro, almost killed Mai, jailed Mai & Ty Lee, attempted to overthrow Zuko, almost killed her mom, broke a bunch of inmates out so she could engage in mass kidnapping, assault, break & entering, & dangerously manipulate an insurrectionist group all so she could just fuck with Zuko.

Like considering everything, is it a hot take to say that Azula is just as irredeemable/evil as, if not more than, Ozai? And it seems more likely that Ozai could redeem himself than Azula?

***

"Ozai didn't abuse Azula"

Ozai's abuse is pretty much 99% psychological and he prefers using manipulation over violence. Ozai's abuse of his children has Zuko as the escapegoat, the kid who is always msitreated and blamed for everything, and Azula as The Gold Child, the kid who is treated very well - until they step out of line. Zuko doesn't have the right to make mistakes or disagree with Ozai, and neither does Azula (he literally told her to shut up when she was mad at him for excluding her of his plan in the finale). Her desperate need to be in control of absolutely everything, including people, and completely inability to connect with people outside of a militaristic setting (The Beach) are clear signs of emotional abuse, specifically abuse by a parent who is never satisfied by anything, and of the negative impact the war and Ozai's teachings had on her mental health. Add in Ursa's accidental, but very real failures as a mother (hint: asking one kid why this misbehaved, but not doing the same for the other and even asking "What is wrong with that child?" with said child still in the room is TERRIBLE parenting) and it Azula's breakdown at the end is not at all a surprise.

"Azula did this thing that is simmilar to something bad Ozai did"

Yeah. She tries to immitate him. Azula did many horrible things to gain Ozai's love. So did Zuko. Azula wanted to conquer Ba Sing Se and then burn it to the ground. So did Iroh - he even joked about it, both Zuko and Azula laughed, and Ursa was not disturbed by that at all. People acting just like their deeply troubled family members isn't "proof" they can't be redeemed - especially in a story like Avatar that literally had it's protagonist say "Everyone is capable of great good and great evil".

"What's the difference between Azula and Ozai?"

In the finale, "Ursa" (Azula's mind) tells her she used fear to control people and that this is the reason why she ended up alone, and Azula then asks "What choice do I have?" and then breaks down crying - which would happen again after her Agni Kai with Zuko. Aang gave Ozai the choice to not go on with their battle, and he refused to back down. Zuko then said to Ozai he hoped that this defeat would help him change, and Ozai seemed completely uninterested yet again.

Ozai stole Iroh's crown, then imprisoned him when he had the chance. Azula cheered when Zuko was burned and banished.. then brought him home like she promised, despite her being the one in control of the Dai Li meaning she could just stab him in the back after he helped her, didn't even know about Aang being alive until Zuko let it slip and then told their father HE was the one who killed Aang so she wouldn't be blamed if/when the Avatar came back (yet more proof Ozai's love for her was conditional)... and then warned Zuko to be careful if he was going to keep visiting Iroh, otherwise he could get in trouble. Azula was FAR from being a perfect sister, but she gave Zuko the crown despite wanting it for herself, and even helped him keep it until he changed sides.

When Zuko confronted Ozai about their Agni Kai, Ozai still insisted it was "To teach him respect" and that if Zuko didn't understand that, then he had not learned anything - there was no scene at all indicating that any part of him believed Zuko was right. When Azula made Ty Lee cry at the beach, she apologized. After her friends left her, Azula's mind broke, and an hallucination of her mother full on told her that her friends were right to leave her.

Azula showed regret for the things she did. Ozai did not. Azula felt she had no choice but to be the way she was. Ozai scoffed at the thought that he might have been wrong. Azula was conflict with herself. Ozai was not. Azula did show genuine affection for others. Ozai did not. Azula was a 14-year-old girl who was afraid of losing the one person who had stuck with her. Ozai had been wiling to kill his son, did help murder his father, stole his brother's crown then imprisoned him, banished both his wife and his son, and then did not allow his daughter to be by his side during the most important battle of their nation's history.

Now tell me, why are you willing to label a 14-year-old abuse victim as irredemable, but won't do the same for her abusive father who never showed any indication that wanted to change?

If you believe Azula can't/won't change or you just don't want her to, that's fine - but acting like she is worse than her abuser despite her being the one who showed any ounce of regret for her actions? That is at best absurd, and victim blaming at worst.

[kitkatopinions]

Do you think that overall the male character s in RWBY are more compelling than the female characters? Something I’ve noticed about the RWDE bloggers I keep up with is that their favorites all seem to be Ironwood, Oz, Oscar, Sun, and Mercury. Don’t get me me wrong, I’m definitely NOT accusing the RWDE community of hating on female characters and being sexist. It’s totally normal for people to prefer male characters when the creators have made a bunch of interesting, multi-dimensional male characters and neglected female characters (or in RWBY’s case, letting the formerly multi-dimensional and interesting female characters fall into unlikability). Just curious if you think this is the reason for the male fave prevalence with RWDEs or if it’s just coincidence

I think that the writing is definitely a big part of it. Back in the first three seasons of RWBY, the main four characters were put in a lot more focus in the narrative, and the writing was more even. Most of the RWDE posters I've seen, talk about having loved many characters back then, including me. My favorites for a long time were Yang, Blake, Sun, Qrow, and Nora. And there were other characters I liked and enjoyed like Ren, Ozpin, Ironwood, Jaune, Mercury, Emerald, Ruby, Weiss, Whitley... But they tended to take a backseat while I gushed about how much I loved all the Yang scenes in volume five and how Blake got a bad rep and about how fun and cute I thought Nora was and how freaking awesome and fun Qrow was. But the longer the show went on, the less Team RWBY were actually treated like the main protagonists, while the writing focused on other characters and paid more attention to them.

Another interesting thing to note is that many of the characters that are commonly loved and defended among RWDE posters are characters that either the show or the fandom treats badly.

Oscar gets beat, kidnapped, and attacked more than arguably any of the other mains, while he's also one of the only characters that didn't fully volunteer and was more or less trapped into getting involved. And on top of that, he's an active hero who tries hard, and matters to the villains while having an important role.

Oz not only got mistreated and traumatized by the mains without apology or recognition of everything he went through in the show, he also gets crapped on over and over by the fandom at large, who refuse to recognize him as an abuse victim and try to paint him as a horrible, manipulative, wicked person - all while making tons of excuses for Ruby doing basically the same stuff. And on top of that, he's active and tries hard and matters to the villains while having an important role.

Mercury gets painted as irredeemable scum by a lot of the fandom, who all were ready to forget him and ignore his own past as an abuse victim the second Emerald was no longer around him, and are already making posts about how people only like Mercury or want him to be redeemed because he's a man and writing him off as hopeless. And the show itself have been shafting him and not portraying him very sympathetically, despite the fact that his backstory is arguably more sympathetic than Emerald's (not trying to compare trauma here, just trying to talk about one reason why people are frustrated.) And on top of that, he hasn't actually been featured much since season five, and therefore hasn't yet had his character ruined or complicated.

Likewise, Sun is often treated as a nuisance and a pushy jerk that Blake never even liked by the fandom, who only got in the way. People over-exaggerate a lot of his flaws and downplay his good traits and his role with Blake. And in the Before the Dawn book, the Sun hate gets literally hard to read and the writer is so obviously biased against him that it's a little comical. On top of that, like Mercury, he hasn't actually been featured much since season five, and therefore hasn't had his character ruined or complicated.

Other RWDE favorites like Whitley and Ren are also mistreated or misrepresented by the fandom at large, and favored by RWDE posters. Because honestly, once you start defending someone and trying to get into their head, you're more likely to like and get attached to that character.

I personally always have a problem when I talk about my favorites in RWBY, because if I talk about my favorite characters to write for that I still love the concept of, it'd still be Yang, Qrow, Blake, Nora, and Roman, with James added because after V7 I did start loving his character a lot more. But although I still talk at length about how the characters have been mishandled, when I'm actually discussing how RWBY characters are in canon, my options become limited as far as picking favorites. XD Sun and Mercury haven't been really damaged yet by the show's bad writing, Whitley, May, and Jaune managed to come out of the last couple of seasons mostly looking good, Yang, Ren, and Penny are at least better than most of the others... And Oz is still really good, while Oscar is... On thin ice, but mostly fine I guess.

I can't even credit Ironwood as a canon favorite, because he was horribly done (and Winter was better than most that season too, but so tied up in pushing Ironwood as a villain that I personally can't get past it right now.)

But yeah, I'd say one of the reasons that RWDE posters tend to favor a lot of male characters is because they're simultaneously treated as more important to the plot and given more focus than the woman characters, while at the same time, they're often villainized and treated unfairly by the narrative or the fandom or both. It's definitely not because the RWDE fandom just doesn't like women, it's because the RWBY writers actively struggle to present their women characters as active and important to the plot, while at the same time, they try to say they're great and don't acknowledge their flaws. There's a lot of internalized sexism in RWBY, I think. They made iincredibly flawed woman characters who are constantly overtaken, outmatched, and treated as less important than the men around them. And yet they have them glorified as flawless and amazing badasses with sass. While at the same time, they rely on them being sympathetic by being cute, vulnerable, wide eyed, and teary to get people to squee and aww over how upset the terrible circumstances have made them and how no one can expect them to keep going like this. It makes them feel lackluster and not convincing or compelling. It's like watching Tauriel in the Hobbit movies. Disappointing, a little insulting.

[minimoffs]

on a serious note, there is a complicated grey area in fandoms when you judge a character, between “this character has done something absolutely unforgivable and can never be redeemed” and “i’m just going to ignore what the character did because i like them”. not every character has to be completely unproblematic, because i sure as hell know that regular human beings aren’t. but at the same time, that excuse can’t be used lightly to justify things that characters have done which are actually unforgivable (i.e. murder, immoral acts etc).

take the character of grace, for example. the facts are: yes, she is sixteen years old, and yes, we have seen from an outside pov things that indicate abuse from her only parental figure, which most likely indicates manipulation of some sort. before she assaulted matthew, he alluded that he might expose her. we haven’t seen inside her head yet, and we don’t know the reasoning behind her actions, but we know her circumstances aren’t going to have helped her grow into a balanced, rational individual.

but.

we know that her actions have caused james a great deal of misery for many years. we know that she has manipulated him into a different person. we know that she has sexually assaulted matthew. in manipulating him, she has done the same to james. her actions are very hard to see past — and sexual assault is absolutely not to be downplayed. these facts, naturally, lead to a lot of dislike, in fact hatred, for her character. and in no way am i say that you should be forced into letting this dislike go.

but it is discouraging to see so much blind judgement of a character that has barely been introduced. the need to be black and white in liking a character, which i see especially in this fandom, and have been guilty of myself, is odd. is grace unproblematic? no. grace absolutely, unforgivably irredeemable? i mean... not really? can you acknowledge her background and circumstance whilst still holding her actions against her? yes, you can. (it does get a little tiring of saying this every time you indicate that you don’t absolutely hate her, though)

i guess what i’m trying to say is that you can treat a character like a human being. at age 15, did i, like alastair, say some nasty stuff to people? um, yes — have you met high school teens? do i regret it? yes. do i wish i had never said it? yes. does it sometimes come back to me at inoppurtune moments and make me cringe? yes. i was a stupid 15 year old, but who isn’t? and sometimes, you can move past mistakes without feeling the need to verbalise all your dirty laundry and apologies in a speech, which a lot of people expect from characters. sometimes human beings just grow, and grow past their past. sometimes seeing that growth is half of the apology/redemption (re: alastair). only half, though.

grace’s actions are heavier though. if we were to treat her like someone we knew in real life, she would be disliked and need to face consequences for her actions. does she deserve to be treated as the unforgivable monster of the series though?

personally, i don’t like nor dislike grace. but i don’t think she deserves the intense hatred that she’s receiving. i still think that you can judge her whilst understanding her though — we shouldn’t be limited to a black and white mindset, and i think fandoms as a whole need to break away from it.

tl;dr: literary analysis and critical thinking skills are essential when judging a character, and there is an area between “unproblematic” and “irredeemable” that exists.

[batskulldrag]

Phoenix by Fallout Boy

I’m posting two today. Abuse warning. I don’t know how to do this, so i’m jsut tagging every chapter

Chapter Six: Fireflies by Owl City. It’s my story so it counts.

Roman walked back into the living room with a large cardboard box.

“They sent me a place to live.” Virgil chirped at him from the floor.

“These are from Dodie.” Roman set the box down. “She gave us some very nice linens.”

“Aww, how sweet.” Patton cooed. “I love Dodie.”

“Right and if anyone asks,” Roman stated. “Virgil is too ill for any introductions yet.”

“We knew that,” Logan said, annoyed. “He’s still getting settled and still has strep throat. It’s not even a lie, it’s just us keeping a contagion under control.”

“Let’s just act like I’ve been here the whole time and they just didn’t notice.” Virgil gave them a crooked smile.

“That would be hilarious!” Roman declared. “Let’s do it!”

“No, we are not going to deceive our neighbors.” Logan forbade. “They have all seen the news by now and will know it’s a prank.”

“How much of this is on the news?” Virgil’s demeanor dropped and his guard went back up.

“Just the fire.” Roman stated.

“And… the…” Patton looked at the floor.

“It was on the news that your father has been arrested for child abuse.” Logan said bluntly. “They kept your name out of it and spared any details. All they did was report the arrest.”

“So, all of Florida knows now.” Virgil mumbled, receding further into his hoodie. “It doesn’t exactly take Sherlock Holmes to figure out who the victim is in the case of the dude with one kid getting arrested for abuse.”

Logan knelt in front of Virgil.

“Virgil.” He said softly. “I know how you feel, but you have nothing to be ashamed of. You did nothing wrong. Your father is the one who should be humiliated, not you. What he did is irredeemable, and you had no part in that. This is not your fault. What he did reflects him, not you. And what he did is not your fault. All you did was endure a horrific situation. And I cannot stress enough that your situation was not your fault. You have not decreased in value; you are not weak, and you are not destroyed. You can get better from this. And whatever is on the news is going to be forgotten in a month. And most importantly anyone who can actually think knows that this isn’t your fault, and anyone who can’t recognize that doesn’t matter anyway. Do you understand?”

Virgil blinked quickly and tears leaked out. He inhaled and exhaled rapidly and whimpered a little bit. Then, trembling he hugged Logan.

Logan looked up at Patton for help, only to see his husband grinning from ear to ear with tears in his own eyes. Logan mouthed out ‘what do I do?’ and Patton slowly started taking pictures on his phone. That was not helping!

Logan awkwardly rubbed the younger man’s back.

“There, there.” He said tensely. “I’ve got you.”

“Do you mean all that?” Virgil mumbled into Logan’s chest. “Is that really true?”

“Abuse is never the victim’s fault. Especially if they’re just a kid.”

“I thought…”

“I know what you thought.”

“He-he said…”

“I know what he said, it’s what they all say.”

“He told me that they’d all...”

“That they’d all side with him, because everyone always believes the adult. And I take it he found a way to prove that to you?”

Virgil nodded. Patton knelt beside the them and Roman watched in a stunned silence.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Logan asked, running his hand through Virgil’s hair.

“No.”

“That’s ok, too.”

“Has he always been this way? My dad I mean?”

“We never realized he would stoop this low, but yes, he’s always been a functioning sociopath.”

“How do you know all this stuff?”

Logan sighed heavily.

“Oh.” Virgil whispered. “I’m sorry.”

“Neither of us have anything to apologize for.”

Virgil pulled away quickly.

“Sorry about that,” He stuttered. “I should have asked if you were comfortable with… ya know…contact. Some people aren’t. Which is ok. I’m sorry if I imposed.”  

“I married Patton; physical contact is fine with me.”

                                                               #             #             #

Logan dropped to his knees on the asphalt. Everything was still reeling through his head. He shouldn’t have come. Prom was a mistake. He should have known better; he should have known.

“Are you ok?” Patton’s voice soothed him. “Did they hurt you at all?”

“I’m not hurt.” He forced a smile. “That was quite a speech you made back there.”

“I blacked out in there.” Patton mumbled. “I was really mad.”

“Well thank you. Not many people would have done that for me.”

“I would every time. You didn’t deserve that.”

Logan said nothing. Patton stooped beside him.

“If you wanna go home, I can call my brother to get us.”

“I’m alright, I just need a minute.”

“Yeah, I don’t want to talk to Payton either.” Patton looked up. “Logan, I’m really sorry I brought you here. I just wanted you to have a good time. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”

“It’s not your fault.” Logan sighed and felt himself blush. “I’m sorry for getting all out of sorts back there. I probably embarrassed you, I certainly embarrassed myself.”

“Don’t be embarrassed,” Patton put a hand on his shoulder. “You didn’t do anything wrong. You don’t have anything to apologize for or anyone to apologize to.”

Logan desperately wanted to tell Patton how he felt at that moment. He felt like he belonged, like he was whole. Like he didn’t need to be fixed, he wanted to tell Patton how amazing it felt to meet someone who didn’t consider him to be broken. But there weren’t any words that could describe this euphoria.

“Patton,” Logan said, shaking and flustered. “Kiss me.”

“Are you sure?” Patton asked hurriedly, “This’ll be our first time and you’re not out yet and someone might…”

Logan cut him off by grabbing his jacket and pulling them together. Their first kiss. It was nice.

That one moment stayed with the two of them forever and came back to haunt them the next week. Logan showed up on the Foster’s doorstep in the middle of the night with looking like he had just been mugged by a pro wrestler. He had dragged himself through the streets with broken glasses, torn clothes and blood covering his face. Patton pulled him inside with unnatural speed and laid him down on the couch.

“What happened?” Patton asked frantically. “Who did this? Do we need to call the police?”

“Somehow my parents found out we kissed last week.” Logan mumbled. “Don’t bother with the police, I don’t think they’ll help.”

“Your parents did this?!” Patton yelped, horrified. “Why?”

“I think it has something to do with the shape of my brain. They never did like how I functioned.”

“Have they done this before?” Patton stared at him intensely.

“I don’t operate like normal people; my parents can’t handle that. And apparently they’re homophobic as well.”

“Why are you so calm?” Patton screamed. “This isn’t normal! This isn’t right! You have to realize that this isn’t fair!”

“I was told this is the only way to control me. They had to make me understand.”

“No! That isn’t how this works! It’s not! Do you understand me? This is not right! They are wrong! And what they did is wrong! This is abuse! This is assault! This is inhuman!”

“But I can’t…” Logan stuttered. “I don’t… work like everyone else. I can’t feel like them. I can’t feel at all.”

“That is the biggest load and you know it!”

Payton came down the stairs to yell at Patton for making a racket, and Patton sent him right back.

“If your parents think attacking you is a good strategy then they’re the ones who can’t feel! You are not the one acting like a caveman! You! Do not beat people to get a point across! You! Do not treat other people like garbage because of the way they think! And you! Did not just send your son off into the night looking like he owed Godzilla money! Have I made myself clear!?”

“Yes.” It came out as a whisper as Logan went over Patton’s speech, stunned.

“Good,” Patton sighed. “Let’s get you cleaned up. Then you can sleep in my room. You’re not going back there tonight.”

“I’m here because they told me not to come back at all.” Logan confessed. “I didn’t know where else to go.”

Logan swears that Patton’s eyes, normally blue in color, turned green like the hulk. His entire being contorted in rage. It was that night that Logan learned that empathic men can have an unholy amount of anger stored up. And boy was he grateful that Patton wasn’t mad at him.

Patton did call the police and reported the assault. Nothing came of it because Logan wasn’t willing to press charges, but he was able to get his stuff back from his parents’ house. Logan never spoke to them again, but Patton would always send them passive aggressive gifts around Christmas. And that is the story of how they moved in together.

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“Patton,” Logan began as they were getting ready for bed. “We did say we would talk about it later.”

“We did.” Patton sighed. “Go ahead.”

“What happened is no more your fault than it is mine.”

“It’s my fault you got outted!” Patton objected.

“No.”

“But…”

“No, it’s not. I kissed you.”

“But I took you to prom.”

“And it was the most important night of my life.”

“But your parents…”

“Are independent operators.” Logan cut him off. “Who were just looking for an excuse to be rid of me, and apparently couldn’t wait until I went to college. I’m better off without them.”

Patton sighed.

“I just feel responsible.” He mumbled.

“You’re not. In any way.” Logan smiled gently. “And even if you were, it’s the best thing that happened to me.”

“You mean that?” Patton looked back at him.

“Yes.” Logan paused. “And while on the subject of my parents, I would like you to stop sending them hideous lamps with a card that says, ‘I saw it and thought of you.’ It’s getting creepy.”

“Fine.” Patton sighed. “It’s not worth the time anyway.”

“And stop sending carolers for domestic abuse foundations to their house.”

“I can’t control the carolers!”

Logan stared at him.

“I’ll stop.” Patton looked at the floor. “But if an abuse charity that I’m not a part of shows up for them, it’s not my fault.”

“And stop sending them subscriptions to gay porn.”

“That one was Roman.” Patton interrupted.

“Ok.” Logan frowned. “I’ll talk to him about that in the morning.”

“Fine, no more gifts.” Patton sighed.

“And that goes for Payton too.” Logan pointed. “We’re parents now, and we need to set a good example. No more petty passive aggression.”

“Fine,” Patton pouted. “But I’m doing everything in my power to see my brother sent to prison.”

“So am I.” Logan nodded. “We just won’t be petty about it.”

                                               #             #             #

Virgil stared up at the ceiling and counted the tiles. He wasn’t about to fall asleep any time soon. He rolled over and stared at the dresser by the bed and the desk across the room. It certainly wasn’t the small room with a cot he was expecting. Patton had lingered around for a minute to make sure he was settled; he might not have gotten the memo on thirteen-year olds. Usually they don’t need to be tucked in.

Virgil sat up and took the cup off the dresser. Patton had left him the straw cup from the other day. In case he got thirsty in the middle of the night. He fiddled with it for a while, looking at all the different cats and put it back.

The bed was made with pale blue sheets. Must have been what they had handy. But it was a really inconvenient color. And not just for his reasons, just in general. It stained easily and showed dirt. He kicked his blanket off and admired his cast in the lamp light. Could this really be happening?

“What the hell is the catch?” He whispered. “This can’t just be it.”

“What’s gonna happen if Logan finds out I lied about grade I’m supposed to be in? I don’t want them to know I was held back. Maybe I should set the record straight, Patton was held back, no one makes a big deal out of that.”

He chewed his bandage, wishing he could get at his nails. Or pick at the blisters that he could feel forming. Stupid human nature, that was disgusting, why’d he want to do it so bad? He knocked on his cast. Cool sound.

“I don’t want them to know I lied though,” He reasoned. “Then they would think I’m a liar. And if they think I’m a liar then they’ll definitely think I’m lying about my dad. Which he will undoubtedly tell people.”

A chill ran through him, like death itself had just dropped an ice cube down his shirt. He could see his dad in court.

“Why, I would never lay a hand on my son.” He’d feign hurt. “And I have no clue why he would say such things. Teenage rebellion I suppose, but how anyone could lie about such a thing and go so far as to hurt themselves is beyond me.”

Virgil gagged. He’d do it too. That’s exactly what he’d say.

And they’ll believe him too. They’ll believe a prominent lawyer over a teenager any day. They always side with the adult, and they side with the dude who hasn’t been diagnosed with anxiety.

“Shut up.” Virgil whispered weakly to his thoughts.

But he believed that. And with every emergency room visit when his dad really lost his temper; and the doctors one hundred percent believed that he had just fallen down the stairs or something he believed it more. Last year when he got held back was the worst.

He wrapped his arms around himself to pull things together. No, he’s not going to think about last year.

Held back! Even with summer school! You need to be held back! That voice shook him to the core.

               “No.” He hissed, shaking his head. “Shut up.”

               Are you lazy, or just slow!? Because next year when you show up to class you’ll be taking it with all the kids who didn’t get held back. The ones who didn’t fail to do something basic. This is seventh grade, what don’t you get? You passed sixth grade, so I guess you’re not hopeless! But what’s so different between the two grades!

               Virgil slid out of bed and hopped on one foot over to the desk. He switched on the computer that he and Logan had set up earlier. These guys had really thought of everything. They acted like they expected to keep him. Tumblr would probably drown his thoughts, and now he had new thing to look into.

               He hobbled back to the bed and set the computer on his lap. Time to kill a few brain cells.

                                                                               #             #             #

               Patton knocked gently on Virgil’s door.

               “what?” The kiddo mumbled a half-asleep response.

               “It’s me, Patton. Can I come in?”

               “Sure, it’s not locked.”

               Patton walked in and saw Virgil curled up in a ball at the head of his bead. He pulled himself up stiffly and slowly shut his computer.

               “Well that explains it.” Patton teased.

               “What?”

               “You slept till noon.” Patton felt his forehead. “I was gonna leave you be, but I didn’t want you to dehydrate.”

               Patton pulled his hand back and wiped it onto his own pant leg. Kiddo needed a shower.

               “Is it that late already?” Virgil looked shocked. “What’s everyone up to?”

               “Well, Logan and Roman both teach summer classes, so they’re at work.” Patton explained. “I usually work at the library over the summer, but I took the week off to get everything settled.”

               Virgil shifted his eyes again, as if he were suspicious of something. He also seemed to brace himself.

               “Anyhoo, it’s time for your medicine, then I’ll leave you be.”

               “What are you gonna do?”

               “I’m not sure, I have some thank you cards to write, but that’s about it,”

               Virgil looked up at the ceiling for a good long time,

               ��If you want… I could keep you company.” He said, finally looking down.

               “That’d be great! I did say I’d like to get to know you better.”

               “Sure.”

               Virgil mostly just sat there and quietly watched him. But he had in intense interest in doing so.

               Did Payton ever love you? Patton telepathically asked the kiddo for the hundredth time.

               “You looking forward to high school?” Patton asked instead.

               Virgil looked around and bit his lip before nodding slowly.

               “I met Logan in school.” Patton smiled at him, “But I guess you knew that already.”

               “How long have you been married?” Curiosity glimmered in his eyes.

               “Ten years in September.” Patton sighed gleefully. “On the twentieth.”

               “Ten years?” He leaned back in surprise.

               “Yeah, we got married in college. He just asked me, and we got married the next day.”

               “It sounds like you eloped.” Virgil smiled coyly. “Do you have a shady past?”

               “We didn’t really elope.” Patton looked up as he recalled things. “Mom had already passed away, and Logan hates his parents. So, it was just us, Roman and Roman’s brother.”

               “Roman has a brother?”

               “Yeah a twin, he’s off in grad school right now.”

               “Cool.”

Virgil gave pause and looked pensive. He rapped his hands together and bit his lip.

“Something on your mind buddy?” Patton tipped his head.

“Do you…” He looked around. “Do you know what happened to… my mother?”

“She moved to Italy.” Patton said flatly. “I never did know what to make of that.”

Virgil looked down at the table and sighed. Patton reached over and stroked his hair. The poor baby probably felt unwanted.

Well, I want him. Patton stated internally.

“I’m sure she loves you very much,” Patton soothed, falsely, but still. “And she’ll probably want to see you when CPS finds her.”

Virgil gave him a knowing look. Comfortable lies didn’t work on him. At least not anymore.

“I’m ok.” He smiled weakly. “I kind of figured.”

“That makes it worse.”

“I mean, I can’t make her feel anything, or him. I get it.”

“You have people who care about you now.” Patton said firmly. “And we love you.”

“We only just met.” Virgil laughed.

“But we’re family. And I fed you cake on your first birthday. That means something.”

Virgil smiled at him.

“Can I ask you a personal question?” Patton asked after a moment.

“Uhh, sure?” He shrunk into himself a bit.

“When was the last time you had a shower?”

“Friday…” Virgil looked confused.

“Are you comfortable?”

“No, I feel like I have bugs crawling on my skin. Why? What are you gonna do to me?”

“Ok, one more weird question,” Patton folded his hands together in front of his face. “Will you let me wash your hair? Nothing below the neck unless absolutely necessary. But will you let me do this, it looks like you combed your hair with a porkchop. And it feels like your hair is a porkchop.”

“Nothing weird? This isn’t like your kink or something?”

“What’s a kink?”

Virgil looked at him, his mouth slightly open showing just the tip of his bottom teeth.

“What did you say you did?”

“Well I work at the library during the summer, but I normally teach special ed in elementary school.”

“There a strict vetting process for that?”

“Well, yeah.”

“Swear to God that you won’t do anything weird to me.”

“Of course. I’m not some pervert.”

“ok.” Virgil held up his hands. “Go ahead.”

#             #             #

               Virgil sat quietly as Patton ruffled his hair with a towel, true to his word Patton hadn’t done anything weird. Though, he had used baby shampoo. And that was an odd thing to have.

               “There, that should feel better.” Patton smiled and patted him on the head. “It certainly does from where I’m standing.”

               Virgil nodded; he wasn’t sure how to process what had happened. Maybe Patton was an obsessive neat freak, that made sense. But he didn’t really impose, he was very polite about it. Nothing made any sense anymore.

               “It feels fine.” He sighed and forced a smile in his uncle’s direction.

               “So, is that your natural color or do you dye it?”

               “I’ve had black hair for as long as I can remember. It’s just what color it is.”

               “Must come from your mother, her family is European.”

               “That why they moved to Italy?”

               Patton looked as something had just clicked.

               “Probably.” He nodded, pointing in Virgil’s direction. “I hadn’t thought of that.”

               “It’s not a problem that I have black hair is it?” Virgil said quickly. The ax was about to fall.

               “No.” Patton said, very confused. “Why would it be a problem? I was just asking because you were blond when you were little. I guess you grew out of it.”

               Virgil stared at him. The ax stayed where it was. When was this thing going to fall and get it over with?! Why was Patton so casual? What was he hiding? He has half of the DNA of his father; he can’t be this nice. He can’t be. Did he get the good half? Was that possible? Was it possible that he was just naturally warm and inviting? Could he just be a good guy?

               No! It wasn’t possible. He’s just an angler fish. He has the only light in the entire hell scape that is the ocean, and when you get close enough to the light, he unhinges his jaw and sucks you into a vortex of over lapping fangs. There is no refuge. Just stay in the dark, you’re in danger either way.

               Vigil snapped out of his debate when he felt something cool against his forehead. He looked up to see Patton standing over him.

               “Your fever is still pretty high.” Patton said gently. “I think you should take some aspirin and lie down.”

               Virgil looked at his feet, up until Friday he had just been downing cold medicine to combat the symptoms. He found out in the hospital that all he had actually been doing was putting himself to sleep and not treating the strep throat at all. Evidently, strep is an infection and the flu, which he thought he had, was a virus. And the medicine is not transferable. So, now he was on antibiotics and felt like a moron.

               Patton returned with aspirin and the cat cup. This guy had a thing about water.

               “Ok, go ahead and take this.” Patton dropped it into his hand. “And you can take the antibiotic after dinner.”

               Virgil examined the pill in his hand. It looked like generic store brand aspirin. But then again, it might be the nighttime stuff and knock him out. Then what?

               “A cookie for your thoughts, kiddo.” Patton tiled his head.

               Virgil laughed softly.

               “It’s supposed to be a penny.” He fought a smile.

               “No one wants a penny.” Patton smile. “But everyone loves cookies.”

               Nighttime stuff is blue, this one’s red. It’s probably ok.      

               Virgil dropped the pill into his mouth and swallowed it. Patton handed him the water regardless.

               “It’s ok, I already got it down.” He leaned away from the cup.

               “I know, but you need to stay hydrated. You have a lot of healing to do.”

               The drugs are in the cup. Wait, what drugs? Why would he drug me? There’s no way he’s that kind of pervert. He teaches school, he’d have snapped and been caught by now. That’s one of those things that you can’t just secretly be.

               You sure?

               Chill out man, I just don’t wanna pee the bed anymore. Now you’re going on about pedophiles and slave traders. Wait, is that why he wanted me to be clean?

               Patton set the cup down and walked over to the fridge. He returned with an unopened bottle of water.

               “Would you rather have this buddy?” Patton offered.

               Virgil stared at the water. His mouth felt like he had been eating sand for a week and his throat burned. Just a little sip couldn’t hurt. He reached out for the bottle, fully expecting Patton to jerk it back and mock him.

               Instead, Patton gently fit it in his hands and took off the lid for him. Ok, just a little. Just enough to get the sand taste out. He put the bottle up to his lips and tilted his head back. A drop hit his tongue, and before he knew it, he was inhaling the entire bottle. Water was spilling down the sides of his face and dripping onto his shirt. He nearly choked from trying to swallow too quickly. Finally, some of it went down the wrong way and he was thrown into a coughing fit.

               While he fought for air; Patton patted him on the back a bit. Virgil inhaled properly. The fit was over.

               “You ok?” Patton asked, wiping stray water off Virgil’s face.

               “I’m fine.” He looked down again. Where were the insults? He had just chocked on water and spat it all over himself. He was walking into it at this point.

               “Let’s get you to the couch,” Patton said, holding up his bandaged hands. “And then I’ll see about changing these.”

               Virgil felt lightheaded as Patton helped him limp to the couch.

               Do something you non sequitur! Don’t leave me in suspense like this! Just do it and get it over with! Why are you dragging this out!    

               Patton left him alone in the living room for a moment. He felt his eyes start to burn with saline.

               I will not cry. I will. Not cry. I will not. I. Will. Not. Cry.

               Patton returned with a wet washcloth and fresh gauze. He gently placed the cloth onto Virgil’s forehead and started removing the old bandages.

               “Did any of your friends visit you while you were in the hospital?” He asked brightly.

               WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS!!!!!!????? Virgil’s internal monologue shrieked in a demonic tone.  

               “Nah.” Virgil shrugged, struggling to be nonchalant.

               Patton looked a little sad at this revelation. Damn it, what was he thinking?

               “They probably just didn’t know what hospital I was in.” Virgil laughed tensely. “Or, ya know, they were busy. A lot of the guys at my school are already studying for the SATs.”

               “Well maybe some of them’ll come by later, or you could invite some.”

               Should I tell him I’m a friendless loser? Will he laugh?

               “Sure.” Virgil looked away. He didn’t want to lie to Patton, the dude had been nothing but wonderful to him.

               “Well, it might get boring if you just have to stay here by yourself.”

               Maybe he won’t laugh….

               Patton pulled the bandage off and his disposition dropped. His face went pale as if someone was draining his blood and the light went out of his eyes. He looked like a cadaver. His lip trembled a little and he bit it roughly. Inhaling deeply, he went back to his task with a forced smile.

               Shit! What did I do?! I pissed him off! How?! What’s he gonna do!?

               “Were you good at wrestling?” Patton asked stoically.

               He’s trying to gage how well I can defend myself!

               “No. Not really.”

               “How about debate?” Patton tilted his head.

               “I was ok at it.”

               Physically and verbally. He’s sizing me up all the way.

               “Did you like it?” Patton kept up the small talk, yet to make his move.

               “I liked it ok.”

               “You also said you played chess, right?”

               Now he’s after my planning abilities!

               “Yeah.” Virgil looked around, there were no witnesses. Isn’t that always the way?

               “Logan plays chess, maybe you two could play together some time.” Patton perked up a little. “He hates to play me and Roman.”

               Why won’t you let the ax fall you maniac!!!??

               “Ok.” He barely whispered.

               They sat in a soul crushing silence for a solid minute while Patton finished rewrapping his hand. Patton then kissed the freshly sealed appendage and moved on to the next one. He tilted his head pensively.

               “Virgil,” Patton said gently. “Let me know if I’m imposing, but.” He sighed. “Well, Roman told me you were trying to break your window to get out, and he didn’t say anything about there being a screen in it. And it’s summer in Florida. But the thing is, why were you trying to break out? Couldn’t you open the window?”

               Virgil didn’t know what to do with this question. He knew the answer, sure. No, he couldn’t open the window, it was nailed shut. The problem was that this would seem to be abnormal everywhere else. And Patton might get upset with the answer.

               “Uh,” Virgil answered. “My dad kind of… nailed it shut. So I couldn’t sneak out.”

               “I was afraid of that.” Patton sighed and looked down. The fury in his eyes not concealed at all.

               I pissed him off again! What’s he gonna do to me!?

               Patton finished replacing the wrappings on Virgil’s other hand, sealed that one with a kiss as well and stood up.

               “You should get some rest.” Patton smiled and ruffled his hair. “Strep can be a doozey.”

                                                                               #             #             #

               Virgil was still wondering what he had done to annoy Patton when Logan came home. The two discussed something in the kitchen that Virgil couldn’t make out, so he was left in suspense again. Why couldn’t they just let the ax fall? Roman came home, grabbed some food and left shortly after. As he walked by, he explained that he had an interview with a news station.

               “How ya feeling now kiddo?” Patton chirped, strolling back into the room. He seemed to have calmed down.

               “Better.” Virgil said, quickly dropping the washcloth, which he had been sucking on for the water.

               “Do you want some water?” Patton asked, staring at the cloth.

               “No, I’m good.” Virgil slid the cloth further away.

               Patton bit his lip and cocked his head.

               “You should drink something. You gotta try to flush all the germs out.” He finally said.

               Ok, it’s still early in the day. Nothing should come of it if I drink some water right now. Besides I was just sucking the moisture out of a rag. I am kind of thirsty.

               “Ok.” Virgil pushed himself up. “I guess I’ll get some water. You know, just to be doing it.”

               Patton darted over to make sure he got up ok.

               “You know I would have brought you the water.” Patton said helping him to the other room.

               “I’d like to get it myself though. Besides you’ve already like, everything. And then some.”

               Of course, it was what Patton and Logan hadn’t done that confused him the most. He was even starting to think that there wasn’t going to be an ax falling. But it wouldn’t do to think like that. He probably just hadn’t triggered it yet. Or they were those people who let stuff build up.

               He got a bottle of water out of the fridge and Patton helped him back into the living room.

               “I’m gonna go heat some things up for dinner.” Patton chirped at him. “Do you want me to reheat the soup again?”

               “If there’s any left, I guess we’d ought to get rid of it.” Virgil tapped on the arm of the couch.

               Patton smiled and left. Shortly after that Logan turned up and sat down in a recliner across from Virgil.

               “Are you feeling any better today?” Logan asked him.

               “Yeah, my throat doesn’t hurt so much anymore.”

               “How long did you have this before going to a doctor?”

               “A week, maybe ten days.”

               Logan’s jaw slackened a bit as if he were surprised.

               “I am absolutely floored by that.” He said in his usual tone. “Your father didn’t take you to a doctor?”

               “No, we just thought I had the flu.” Virgil leaned back and tried to absorb himself into the couch.

               “Which is fine, but if you were still sick after ten days….” He paused. “Anyone else would have rushed you to the emergency room in a state of panic. Even strep throat should go away after that long.”

               “I mean…” Virgil stopped. Why was he making excuses?

               “This could cause complications.” Logan mumbled to himself. He looked back to Virgil. “Have you had all your shots?”

               “Yes. Why?”

               “I was worried that you were immunocompromised. But it seems that your immune system has just been weakened by stress.”

               “Do you like Sherlock Holmes?” Virgil wondered out loud.

               “I do hold a special fondness for him.” Logan smiled at him. “Cold, analytical, brilliant. And driven to distraction by these very gifts. I could always relate to that for some reason.”

               Virgil was surprised by this. His dad had always said that people like Logan couldn’t relate to things. That they couldn’t feel. They couldn’t love. What else had he lied about?

               “Do you have a favorite story?” Virgil leaned in closer.

               “I’m not sure I do. It’s been a while since I ranked them.” He looked up like he was thinking. “I always appreciated the introduction of Irene Addler. Before it became overly romanticized.”

               “Really, the one where Sherls gets emotionally attached to someone?”

               “It wasn’t emotional, he was thrilled to have someone on his level. He admired her as a worthy opponent.”

               They were interrupted by the doorbell ringing.

               “I wonder who that could be.” Logan stood up.

               “Wait, I’ll get it.” Virgil fought gravity. “Whoever it is is gonna be so confused.”

               “Most of our neighbors realize we took you in,” Logan argued. “You’re not fooling anyone.”

               Virgil crutched to the door with Logan in tow.

               “I’m gonna pretend that I’ve been here the whole time.” He grinned.

               “That won’t work.” Logan said flatly.

               Well, it was Thomas outside. The one person he couldn’t mess with.

               “Hi Thomas.” Virgil said trying not to sound deflated.

               “Hey Virgil.” He seemed surprised to see him. “Hey Logan.”

               “Hello Thomas.” Logan said, taking control of the door. “I assume you’re here to check up on us.”

               “I gotta do my job.” Thomas shrugged with a smile.

               “Well, in that case come right in.”

               The three of them went back into the living room.

               “I see you’re making a pretty good recovery, huh Virge?” Thomas smiled brightly.

               “Yeah.” Virgil hovered awkwardly over the couch, waiting for one of them to say he could sit down.

               “Virgil you can sit.” Logan said abruptly. “You don’t have to wait for permission.”

               “What?” Virgil said trying to mask embarrassment. “I’m not. I just…”

               He sat down quietly. Thomas and Logan exchanged looks. What were they thinking?

               “Logan,” Thomas said, his demeanor dropping. “I’d like to talk to you and Patton alone if I could. It’s about,” He looked at Virgil. “Well, it’s about what your next move should be in order to get custody.”

               “Alright.” Logan looked faintly timid. “We can talk in the kitchen.”

               The two disappeared into the other room. As soon as they were gone Virgil limped over to the door and eavesdropped.

               “I know this is early on,” Thomas began. “But I’d like to know if your gonna sue Payton for custody of Virgil. And the sooner the better.”

               “We’ve already talked about.” Patton said softly, there was guilt in his voice. “We’re suing for custody.”

               “You’re certain?” Thomas asked.

               “If we get custody of Virgil legally then Payton can’t get him back even if he gets out of the charges against him.” Logan explained. “It is the best possible option.”

               Thomas sighed.

               “I have to ask,” He said heavily. “Do you two want Virgil? This is a long-term thing, he’s not just here on vacation. If you do this, he’s yours, forever. Are you sure you two are down for that?”

               “I mean, we’ve been wanting to adopt for a while now.” Patton added. “We understand what it takes to raise a kid, or teenager.”

               “I believe we’re ready for the responsibility.” Logan chimed in. “Besides, Patton is very attached to him by now.”

               “Well, in that case.” Thomas continued. “I can line you up with a lawyer and I think we have a pretty solid case.”

               “Virgil isn’t gonna have to testify, is he?” Patton asked quickly.

               “He can if he wants to. And it would certainly help the case against Payton. But if he doesn’t think he can do it, no one’s gonna force him.”

               Virgil slid to the floor. They wanted him. Why did they want him? A tear traced down his cheek. Could they really want him?

               Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t cry. He yelled internally.

               “Why did you come down here to ask us that?” Logan questioned. “Did something else come up?”

               “Virgil has records in a hospital out of state, from last fall. Around the end of summer. Before your brother moved back here.” Thomas sighed. “Official cause of the injuries is that he fell down the basement stairs, but…”

               “I see.” Logan audibly grimaced somehow.

               “Was he very badly hurt?” Patton asked in a half whisper half growl.

               “The so-called fall ruptured his appendix. They had to cut it out. He almost bled to death.” Thomas spat out the words as if they tasted vile. “Aside from that he had a collapsed lung. And then…”

               “The usual ‘I’m gonna beat a child half to death and say he fell down the stairs’ type injuries.” Patton said hotly. “Never mind suing him, I’m gonna kill him.”

               “Patton, it’s alright. Virgil’s safe now.”

               “That kills people!”

               “I know.”

               “People die!”

               “Patton, breathe. Count to ten.”

               “Did he say why he beat an innocent kid half to death?! Fun?! Sport?!”

               “Ok, how about you walk this off?”

               Virgil heard the back door open and close. It was probably best to get out of dodge at this point, so he crawled back to the couch. He had much to ponder.

               Patton and Logan both seemed like they wanted him. And Patton was indignant at the idea of beating him, so there may not be any of that. Cool. But was it for the benefit of the social worker? Surely no one can get that angry on command. Right?

               Logan and Thomas left the kitchen. Thomas looked impressed.

               “Patton doesn’t normally lose his temper like that.” Logan awkwardly explained. “He just gets defensive of kids and animals. He teaches second grade.”

               “I’m concerned about the rage thing,” Thomas said, “But not as much as you think I am. Based on that I can probably assume he won’t hit a kid. But I can’t really assume things in this job.”

               “So, what is going to come of that?” Logan asked.

               “Nothing, for now.” Thomas shrugged. “I can’t really do much. As long as he doesn’t prove himself to be an unfit parent, we can’t do anything.”

               “I understand.” Logan nodded. “And I promise that Patton would never do anything to hurt anyone.”

               “I didn’t think he could. I mean, just look at him.” Thomas laughed, breaking the tension.

               “Do you have a calling card for any good lawyers?”

               Thomas handed Logan eight different cards.

               “Three of those are psychiatrists slash family therapists.” He said pointing at the stack. “I think you actually met one of them already, Dr. Emile Picani?”

               “Yes, he was very thorough.”

               “Yeah, he mostly does family counseling, but he’s pretty good. Very approachable.”

               “That is useful when dealing with children.”

               “Especially kids who…” Thomas sighed. “Yeah.”

               “Would you care to talk to Virgil?” Logan gestured towards the couch where he was sitting.

               “Do you mind if I talk to him alone?”

               “Not at all.” Logan walked back into the kitchen.

               Thomas walked over and sat down besides Virgil.

               “Sup kid?” He asked casually.

               “Nothing really.” Virgil tried to size him up. He could probably take this dude, if he hadn’t of lost all that weight last year. “It’s nice here.”

               “How are you adjusting?”

               “Ok, I guess. I don’t really have anything to go off of. How does everyone else adjust?”

               “Differently.” Thomas smiled at him. So, he was funny. “Are the guys treating you ok?”

               “It’s a low bar. And they’re way above it, like they can’t even see the bar anymore. The bar is a dot to them.”

               “I’m not sure I understand.”

               “They’ve all been really great.” Virgil looked at the floor. “I… I like it here.”

               “That’s good.” Thomas patted him on the shoulder. “Are you healing up ok?”

               “Yeah, Logan has been helping me with the bandages. And Patton’s been fussing over me nonstop. He won’t let me go thirty minutes without getting water.”

               “How terrible.” Thomas joked sarcastically.

               “So, I guess I’m ok. Can I ask you something?”

               “You just did.” Thomas pointed at him and beamed. “But you can ask me something else.”

               “What’s gonna happen to my dad? Is he gonna come back?”

               “Your dad is being charged with a lot of things.” Thomas lapsed into talking to a little kid mode. “And if he’s found guilty, he’s going to prison for a long time.”

               “Is there a chance he won’t be found guilty?”

               “I don’t know. But I think he’d have to bend reality for that to happen.”

               “Do I need to testify in court?” The idea of it made him itch.

               “You can, and it would help the case. But if you don’t want to, you don’t have to. Nobody’s going to make you face him unless you’re sure you’re ready to.”

               Afraid, who’s afraid? I’m not scared of him. Virgil defended internally.  

               “I can face him.” Virgil scoffed.

               “We don’t have to worry about that right now.” Thomas didn’t buy it. Stupid human lie detector. He changed the subject. “I see you tricked out your cast.”

               “Yeah,” Virgil perked up. “Roman painted it for me. It’s awesome. He did his too.”

               “You are a kid.” Thomas said enthusiastically. “I was worried you lost that.”

               “Did you think I was a giraffe?” Virgil held up his hands in question.  

               “I thought you were a badger.” Thomas patted him on the head. “I’m happy for you kid.”

               “Thanks.”

               “And I think everything’s going to work out.”

               “Do you?” Virgil looked up at his seriously.

               “I do.” Thomas stood up. “We’ll make sure of it.”

               Why though?

               “Cool.” Virgil said to the floor. “I’ll see ya around.”

               “Not if I see you first.” Thomas retorted. “Peace out.”

               War in. Warren.

               With that Thomas left. Not long after he was gone Patton came in through the front door. He still looked a bit peeved. He moved over to the couch and sat down blankly.

               “Virgil,” He asked. “Can I give you a hug?”

               Hell yeah, I want a hug! A voice that was all but forgotten rang through his mind.

               “Sure.” He played it off.

               Patton enveloped him like a cocoon. It was amazing. That warm and safe feeling wafted over him. He felt himself relax and sighed contentedly. Maybe he could just stay here.

               You’ve got something nice going, don’t blow it. His thoughts intruded on the moment.

               Leave me alone.

               Don’t blow this.

               I won’t. shut up.

               You already blew it.

               I haven’t done anything!

               You lied to Logan about being held back, and you lied to Patton about having friends.

               Maybe I’ll just come clean.

               So, maybe they like being lied to. So, maybe they don’t think of you as that monster’s son. So, maybe they won’t mind that you got held back.

               Patton got held back, he’s not making a big deal out of it. And he was upset about what dad did.

               Remember what dad said though.

               SHUT UP! LEAVE ME ALONE! LET ME HAVE THIS!!!

               Fine, if you think you can keep this.

               “It’s ok, I’ve got you.” Patton broke in. Soothing him as he pet his hair.

               OH MY GOD HE CAN READ MINDS!!!!!!!!!  

               “I…I know.” He stuttered. “Why would you say such a thing?”

               “You were whimpering.” Patton looked confused. “I thought you were upset.”

               It’s worse than I thought, he can’t read minds. I’m just shit at hiding my emotions.

               “I was probably just breathing funny.” He felt his face redden.

               “Ok.” Patton smoothed his hair a few more times. “I’m gonna check on dinner. Do you wanna eat out here or in the kitchen?”

               “I’ll eat with you guys. Unless you think that’ll get you sick.”

               “We both work with kids.” Patton laughed. “I’ve got antibodies to things you’ve never heard of.”

               Both of them walked back across the room to the kitchen. Patton contentedly chattering about teaching school and whatever else he was thinking about. It was a very homey feel, not Virgil’s home. Somewhere nice.

               Remember what he said.

               “Patton,” Virgil asked, pulling himself smaller. “Did you really get held back a year?”

               “Yeah. The only classes I had good grades in were history and home ec. But the next year I went to tutoring for just about everything. That’s how I met Logan. And Roman.”

               “Did any of your friends think less of you?”

               “Not the ones who mattered.”

               “How do you know who matters?”

               “Everyone who abandoned me or judged me didn’t matter.” He sighed. “Sure. I found that out the hard way. But it was a good lesson to learn.”

               “What’d your parents think?”

               “Mom was disappointed, but fair about the whole thing. And I hadn’t actually seen my dad since I was nine. So, he was fine with it.”

               Remember what he told you. Remember what he said.

               “What about my dad?” Virgil cringed.

               “He made fun of me a lot.” Patton stared intensely at the wall. “But as time went on he got a girl pregnant and then cheated on her with another guy. So, he really wasn’t all that either.”

               “My mom? Or do I have half siblings?”

               “It was your mom. The guy was Roman’s brother weirdly enough.”

               “Yeah, you mentioned him.”

               “Yeah, he’s kinda the black sheep of the family though.”

               “You guys don’t have good luck with brothers.”

               “I never thought of it like that.” Patton tilted his head.

               Virgil smiled down at the floor. Patton’s head tilt was adorable. He looked like a giant puppy.

               “Cookie for your thoughts kiddo?” Patton asked, sitting him down at the table.

               “It’s nothing.” Virgil smiled at him.

               You’re thinking about what he said!

               “Alright then.” Patton teased. “No cookie for you.”

               Virgil laughed.

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

How do you feel about Catra, Shadow Weaver, and Hordak? I know you said you find SW interesting but like on a scale how redeemable do you think these characters are. Ive seen a lot of infighting in the fandom cause some people love one and hate another and I just figured you would approach the topic nicely

Oh damn, happy to respond! (Under the cut because I don’t know how to shut up.) 

I think I’ve seen some of the posts that you’re talking about, and my friend did tell me that there was apparently tension between Entrapdak and Catradora shippers for that very reason. Still, I should start off by saying that the only character who is probably completely irredeemable is Horde Prime. And knowing this show, they’ll find a way to humanize even him if they are so inclined. The great thing about She-Ra is that there aren’t so much heroes and villains as there are complicated people. Undertale is the same way. This might sound weird, but I legitimately hope Horde Prime does get humanized, because otherwise it’s just way too easy for all of the characters to band together and take him out for a happy ending. This show has never had a character that was pure evil before, know what I mean? 

With that in mind...let’s talk about Hordak. 

I know, I know...before Horde Prime was known to us...Hordak basically was Horde Prime. That’s the role he played in the show, and it’s not like he isn’t guilty of countless war crimes. He’s a conqueror, and yeah, conquerors should not get off scot-free. But...Hordak is also clearly an abuse victim. That doesn’t excuse him from what he’s done, but I can’t just ignore it. He was so eager to get back to Horde Prime, so determined to please him and prove himself to his “big brother.” and the moment that they’re reunited? We see what a nightmare it is for Hordak, see him get mentally violated and brain-washed. This can’t be the first time it’s happened, and yet all Hordak wanted was to return to Horde Prime. This man is so sheltered and so emotionally stunted in relationships, that I doubt he understands the full ramifications of his actions. He certainly doesn’t understand that he’s in abusive relationship. Hordak is just doing what he knows. He could learn better, if he learns to accept what a monster Horde Prime is. (But first he’ll need to break from the conditioning.)

 I genuinely like how it took Entrapta, a character who isn’t really loyal to either side, to reach out to him and help him understand how it feels for a person to care about him, and not fear him even when he tries to be intimidating. And whether or not you ship them, (I do, I admit it) Hordak clearly has feelings for her and that guides his character in Season 4. I don’t know if Adora and the others will agree to take him in...but Entrapta will remember the bond they had. I just feel so bad for this guy, even if he has killed countless innocents. My philosophy about redeeming villains is very much a pragmatic one...will Hordak’s redemption spit in the face of all his victims? Perhaps. Will it bring them back to life? No. But neither will executing him or throwing him in prison. If he can heal, if he can learn better, and do better...why should we waste that growth? Why shouldn’t he be allowed the chance to make up for what he’s done? It seems to me like there is everything to be gained, and nothing to be lost, in letting him redeem himself.

Of course, there are many types of crimes...let’s move on to Shadow Weaver.

....She’s a child abuser. Plain and simple. That is a hard pill to swallow, that is a very difficult thing for me to look past. I don’t think I can do it. The way she treated Catra, the way it’s ruined Catra and Adora’s relationship...it’s unspeakable. She manipulates Catra one last time and leaves her high and dry so she can escape and go to Bright Moon...whereupon, she starts grooming Glimmer the same way she did Micah. I know it seems silly to be more upset about child abuse than what probably amounts to genocide on Hordak’s part...but part of it is how relatable the crimes are. There’s a reason most Harry Potter fans hate Umbridge more than Voldemort. Most people don’t know a mass-murderer, and excusing a character like Hordak won’t change their perspective on murder being wrong. But plenty of people might know an abuser, and abusers thrive on a culture that blames victims and downplays the effects of abuse, or otherwise excuses those responsible. We need to get better about sending the message that abuse is real, and wrong. But the great thing about She-Ra is that it depicts the cycle, from Shadow Weaver to Catra. If Catra is redeemable, why not Shadow Weaver? 

And here’s the thing...I’m not saying she isn’t redeemable. Just that I don’t expect this show to fully redeem her, and I’m 100% behind that outcome. She could be allowed to live in peace with the other characters, her victims might forgive or at least tolerate her. (Especially if she wins over Micah again.) But even if I find her genuinely compelling...I’m not seeing too many outcomes where she would deserve this mercy. Shadow Weaver has done terrible, selfish things, and her only loyalties seem to lie with knowledge and power. She’s completely unrepentant, and while she acknowledges that she was “hard on Catra” she also refuses to apologize. Shadow Weaver strikes me very much as a kind of “no regrets” type of person. But she also has a fascination with power, and any time she sees a youngin’ with a lot of potential, (Micah, Adora) she seeks to train them. Considering how poor her record is...she needs to stop doing this. I might be inclined to forgive Shadow Weaver, if she acknowledges her own short-comings, apologizes to the people she’s hurt, and realizes that looking after children is not something she’s cut out to do.  

Finally, there’s Catra. 

In many ways, she’s my favorite character. (Though I also might go with Glimmer.) The story is largely centered around Catra’s journey alongside Adora’s...she might as well be a secondary protagonist. What’s more, she’s a character who we basically know is going to get redeemed, Noelle has all but told us that it’s going to happen. I’m fine with her getting redeemed but so help me god if she dies in the process....if any aspiring writers are reading this, please stop killing your villains to complete their redemption arcs. Let them enjoy being redeemed. Please. Anyway, where was I? Ah that’s right, Catra. There have been times that I was beyond frustrated with her because she was purposefully choosing to be “evil” as Double Trouble lampshades at the end of Season 4. By the time she opened up the Portal, after sentencing Entrapta to die, nearly dooming the entire world, causing Angela’s death, and despite it all she still blamed Adora even though she only did all of this because she wanted to beat Adora...yeah, I was really running out of patience for Catra. And even now, I can’t really bring myself to agree with the fans as they draw parallels between Catra opening the Portal and Glimmer activating the Heart of Etheria. I’m sure this was intentional, too. The echoing of two characters dooming everyone through an impulsive, reckless choice. However...as I said, Catra was pretty much going off the deep end when she opened the Portal. She just wanted to stick it to Adora. I realize I may be biased as a Glimmer stan, but Glimmer was at least trying to defeat the Horde. Her intentions, however misguided, were noble. She thought she was doing the right thing. Catra just didn’t care. 

All this, and you might think I’m Anti-Catra, that I await her inevitable redemption with gritted teeth. But that’s not true at all. Catra is a character who is her own worst enemy, and characters like that have a knack for winning my sympathy. She continues to dig herself into a deeper hole and hurts those around her in the process. Part of her journey is realizing that and presumably working to change it. This is why I love how distant she becomes from Lonnie and the others in S4. Why I love Double Trouble betraying and completely shutting her down with their monologue about her. Why I cheered louder than you can imagine at “You’re a bad friend.” Because it was such an amazing crossroads in the development of both Scorpia and Catra’s characters. To be clear, I love these moments not because I dislike Catra, but because I genuinely like her as a character, and Catra as a “good guy” is a lot of fun. I don’t know how many people remember what it was like in the first episode when Catra and Adora were still besties, but it was just generally fun. I miss that dynamic. I want Catra to learn from her mistakes. Because I rambled on about the terrible things Shadow Weaver has done, and onscreen those were primarily done to Catra. She’s a character that I am rooting for one-hundred percent. A character who is almost a deconstruction of the tired writing trope “They had a hard childhood, and now that you know that, they are redeemed.” Catra turns that on it’s head. “Promise” is one of my favorite episodes for this very reason. Few moments have gotten me as choked up as Adora saying that she thought Catra didn’t care about being Force Captain, and Catra exploding with “Well I was lying, obviously!” It was a reveal that I genuinely didn’t see coming, but it makes so much sense, and demonstrates how much Catra has sacrificed for Adora and how much that weighs on her every time she makes a villainous decision. 

TL;DR: I am one-hundred percent on board with Catra and Hordak redemption, and tentatively on board with Shadow Weaver redemption.

[reinathevocaloid]

Y’all the more I think about Persona 5’s themes and plot, the more I realize how much toxic masculinity and sexism really affected it. Like the game is literally about how society is corrupt and how young people are victimized by abusive adults in power. So then why is it that the teenage male characters are treated differently than the female characters?

Mishima: Similarly to Shiho, he is physically abused and threatened by Kamoshida. Also, Mishima, Ann, and Shiho all remained quiet about the abuse that was happening to all of them, and they all had no control or power over Kamoshida’s actions. However, Mishima is treated as if he has to apologize to Ann, Shiho, and Akira. Why???????????????? He is also a victim who had zero control over the circumstances so why does he have to apologize and make amends for the actions caused by Kamoshida???????????

Ryuji: Ryuji was also abused by Kamoshida both physically and verbally. Kamoshida legit broke his leg! And yet, during his social link, Ryuji is treated as if what happened was his own fault. Why??????????? Why does he have to get beat up by his own teammates when he was the one to step up to Kamoshida for them in the first place?????? Kamoshida was planning to cut the track team anyway, so why does Ryuji get attacked when he actually tried to stand up to Kamoshida’s abuse and literally got his leg broken for it?????????????

Yusuke: Yusuke was literally exploited by Madarame throughout his life. Yet, after Madarame is defeated, Yusuke is treated as if he has to fend for himself now because he “let” himself get used for so long. What?????????? He was literally mistreated by his caretaker his whole life and it’s suddenly his responsibility??????????

Akechi: Akechi had an extremely difficult childhood, a terrible father, and was thrown into the Metaverse at around 14 years old without finding the literal embodiment of hope to help him. And yet he is considered an irredeemable character???????? Why?????????

Akira: Yes, I’m even mentioning Akira because he goes through an incredibly traumatic experience before the start of the game and then later has go through a similar traumatic experience again. Despite this, Akira is expected to bare that trauma on his own and not receive help. He has to be the strong leader all the time despite the fact that he is literally 16 years old and just went through a terrible experience. WHY????????????

All of these characters were abused by an adult in power. All of these characters were victims. And yet, because men are “supposed” to be strong and women are “supposed” to be weak, teenage girls can be victims of adult men, but teenage boys can’t be victims of adult men. Even if the teenage boys were abused by men in power, they can’t actually be “victims” of those men because they are “supposed” to have autonomy and power that women don’t. Their masculinity is “supposed” to make it so that they are always the ones dominating every situation. If they are not dominating and are victims of another force, this means that they are not “masculine.” All of this is absurd and ruins the main plot and themes of the game. Because of toxic masculinity and sexism, Persona 5 is never able to reach its full narrative potential.

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Psycho Analysis: Lucy

(WARNING! This analysis contains SPOILERS!)

It’s not very often you see a series where the villain is the main character, but then again it isn’t very often you see a series quite like Elfen Lied. The series is dark, foreboding, and gory, and a lot of that has to do with its protagonist, the Diclonius woman Lucy. Lucy is one of the most brutally tragic villains you’ll ever see, between her incredibly nightmarish childhood to the constant torment her very nature puts her through as a mutant. It all adds up to a very rich, complex character... though one that ends up not as fully realized as she could have been.

Actor: Kira Vincent-Davis portrayed Lucy in one of her star-making roles. The other? Osaka from Azumanga Daioh. She definitely delivers an excellent performance here, and it is easy to see how she managed to get such a varied career out of this. She knows just how to inject the right emotions into Lucy’s voice, and when Lucy is in her Nyuu personality she manages to fill the latter’s Pokemon speak with enough character that you get what she’s going for.

Motivation/Goals: Lucy is a Diclonius, and as such she has internal homicidal instincts that make her desire to slaughter as many people as humanly possible; coupled with the horns, the name she ends up being given (her true name is Kaede, but she ends up being called Lucy), and the fact she ends up embodying each of the Seven Deadly Sins if you read into her actions, and Lucy ends up a symbolic stand-in for the Antichrist. Of course, as a child, she didn’t really grasp this and in fact actively tried to suppress these feelings, but unfortunately fate decided to deal her a very poor hand.

First was her only source of happiness at the orphanage she grew up in, a puppy. A puppy that her bullies found out about, and in one of the most infamous moments of the series, beat it to death in front of her… and in turn, begin her descent into villainy as she slaughters the entire lot of kids, from her bullies to the girl she had befriended earlier who decided to snitch to the bullies about the puppy.

Second was what she felt was a betrayal at the hands of her only friend, Kouta. After he got her to open up and befriended her, she saw him at the festival with his female cousin and became insanely jealous, thinking he chose another girl over her… and so she went on a killing spree, which culminated in killing Kouta’s father and sister right in front of him.

And finally, her last ray of hope, a human who she had befriended was injured by the people who finally took her into custody… she died of her wounds, but Lucy wasn’t told until after she was imprisoned under the condition that they save her. When she finally gets a chance to escape, her sole motivation seems to be staying near Kouta again and try to find some way to apologize for her heinous actions, though even she realizes she’ll never be able to atone for what she did to him.

This brings about a pretty interesting facet of her goals: she slowly starts to defrost and gain more humanity the more time she and her split personality Nyuu spend with Kouta. It is in fact a major part of the story that she slowly becomes less evil as time goes on and she begins to develop, though by “less evil” I mean to say that at best she is an anti-hero, one who has no qualms about brutally dismembering anyone who dares to harm Kouta or herself.

This also ties into one of the major themes of the series: nature vs. nurture. Obviously, Lucy’s internal genetic desire to wipe out humanity is her inherent nature, but one also needs to look at what drove her to her killings; she was bullied, abused, and faced prejudice, betrayal, and scorn all around her for her entire childhood. Notice how when she’s shown the simplest compassion, she immediately starts to fall for that person and seems to want to do better, before a simple misunderstanding causes her to react in a volatile manner. It may seem over-the-top and disproportianate what she does to Kouta, but this is what her peers and caretakers molded her into: a violent misanthrope who clings desperately to even the tiniest shred of kindness in the world, and when she feels betrayed she lashes out and kills in a fit of rage, giving in to her violent nature. After gaining the amnesia during her escape at the start of the series and gaining her split personality, she is taken in yet again by Kouta and treated as a friend, an equal, and this begins Lucy’s ascent from pure villain protagonist to very, VERY dark anti-hero. 

Personality: Lucy is a cold, cynical, and bitter woman due to the numerous tragedies she experienced, but she is no emotionless husk; if there is one thing that is true about Lucy, it is that her capacity for love is one of her greatest strengths and greatest weaknesses. Love is what drove her to kill Kouta’s family out of jealousy, it’s what drove herself to sacrifice herself for Aiko (the girl she befriended before being captured), it’s what drives her the most throughout the series really. Her capacity for love is only even closely rivaled by her capacity for hate.

Final Fate: In the anime, Lucy finally confesses the truth to Kouta, and while he outright says he can never forgive her for what she did, he is at least a little more sympathetic to her plight than he was in the manga, where he outright said he hated her (though he did at least say her split personality Nyuu could stick around as long as she promised not to kill anyone). She then makes a heroic sacrifice against the army who is after her, one which she may or may not have survived. The ending is rather ambiguous, as opposed to that of the manga in which she is really and most sincerely dead after nearly bringing about the apocalypse in a fit of rage.

Best Scene: There are a lot of contenders, but perhaps her finest moment is the scene where Lucy as we know her is truly born, baptized in the blood of the bullies who killed her dog.

Best Quote: “When you're miserable, you need to make someone even more miserable than yourself.”

Final Thoughts & Score: Lucy is an amazing character. Her character arc is a depressing, heartrending rollercoaster showing her descent into the darkest depths of despair, cynicism, and evil before she begins to slowly but surely rise again, climbing out of the dark if only just a little bit. She’s stoic and sadistic, monstrous and vicious, cruel and uncaring… but at the same time, she has a boundless expanse of love inside her broken, battered heart, and a burning passion that drives her actions and the plot. She is shattered, she is flawed, but she is so very interesting.

A really fascinating aspect of her is how she deconstructs the tropes of the cute monster girl and magical girlfriend. The former is deconstructed by the fact that, despite being appealing to the viewer and us being given no reason to think she’d be unattractive to the humans of her world, her horns and other differences cause her to be mocked, tormented, and persecuted by her peers, with said persecution ultimately pushing her over the edge and causing her to become a serial killer. For the latter, her powers are incredily, seriously dangerous, as her invisible arms (or vectors, as they are called in the series) can easily dismember and when not dismembering infect the reproductive capabilities of whoever they touch, and there is also the fact that they are part of the contributing factor that drives her to madness.

Lucy gets a 9/10. She’s a very impressive villain, and one who has one of the most fascinatingly tragic backstories. In fact, she has the backstory by which all tragic backstories should be judged; if your villain wants to destroy the human race and yet their backstory wasn’t a horrendously cruel conga line of trauma the way Lucy’s was, you may want to rethink that backstory. It really is the tragedy and the way the series unfolds to show you just how she became the way she is that makes her so great; the only reason I don’t give her perfect marks is because the manga goes into far more detail in developing her, as the anime was made while the manga was still ongoing. 

And you know what? That might honestly be for the better. Lucy in the manga was far more insane, far more evil, and far easier to see as irredeemable, though even there she had moments of kindness and compassion that ultimately belied her true nature buried under the years of systematic abuse and betrayal. In the anime, while she is still a bitter, jaded serial killer, she comes off as bit more worthy of redemption; she revels far less in the actions she takes and seems to act in her adulthood more out of self-preservation than anything, as she harms only those who have wronged her rather than people who just get in her way. It does end up making it more believable when Kouta offers his sympathy at anime’s end; this version of Lucy seems more like a broken monster who does all she does because at this point it’s all she knows and all she thinks she can be rather than someone who all too often indulges their twisted genetic instinct. I would have much preferred to see this Lucy receive the culmination to her character that the one in the manga did, but sadly that did not come to pass. We are left with something brilliant, but also something that could have been even more heartbreakingly beautiful in its tragic poignancy. 

[kitkatopinions]

So let me get this straight: Hazel after killing all the huntsmen in Mistral and brutalising Oscar for most of v8 (and people dont come with "Ozpin took most of it" its still Oscars body???? Hello????) gets an redemption via death but Ironwood who we know since v2 and was always an ally and a really cool character till v8 dies as a iredemable villain???? How? Why? Its just so dumb... love you blog btw

You know, this reminds me of seeing posts that were like ‘RWDE posters are mad about Ironwood not getting redeemed and yet they don’t like Hazel or Emerald being redeemed???’ And just... Yes, Kathy, the two are incredibly different.

Ironwood has been a hero for seasons who has displayed flaws and made mistakes but was not ever treated as a possible future villain by the narrative, and he was treated as pure evil before he tried to do anything more evil than ‘saving the people he can since he can’t save everyone,’ but then started getting pushed into the maniacal heartless abuser villain role at lightspeed within one season + one episode of the show and (I cannot stress this enough) two or three days of in show time. Our main characters treated him like a monster without knowing about the more villainous actions for the better part of the season, without any of them wondering if there was some mistake, no sympathy given to the fact that Ironwood had his back against the wall or was suffering from mental strain or a horrible injury, no recognition of anything that the mains did badly that maybe contributed to the situation they were in. His ‘fall to villainy’ was outlandish, over the top, out of character, and lacking in any real emotional depth, they blamed him for all of Mantle’s problems despite him having done his very best to ‘go for both’ and Jacques Schnee and Watts being the actual ones responsible for the state of Mantle - as well as huge systemic issues that Jacques was purposefully trying to preserve. He then was (most likely) killed off by the writers who then laugh at how it was ‘always planned’ while no single person in the group of protagonists gives a care.

And on the flipside, you have Emerald and Hazel! Both of them spent seasons being three times worse than James at his worst (seriously, he at least had good intentions.) Emerald and Ironwood’s direct kill count is the same (one,) and Emerald contributed to the deaths of hundreds more at the Fall of Beacon, knowing what it would lead to, and only gives small, rare indications that she feels remorse for it (it’s almost sad.) And Hazel is hinted at being responsible for many of the deaths in Haven and spent his time blaming Ozpin for the fact he was actively trying to murder children. Both of them continued their villainy right up until the very season they got redeemed as they both continued working with Salem to bring down yet another kingdom and while Hazel was beating a fifteen year old, Emerald was eagerly volunteering to help Cinder try and murder Penny yet again. And then when it was revealed that Salem wanted to destroy everything including them, they turned out of self preservation without apologizing for their terrible, harmful, murderous actions. And then the narrative acts like Hazel was some martyr who taught Oscar a valuable lesson about not letting anyone else die and isn’t it sad he died before he could do the bare minimum to earn any sort of redemption. And Emerald winds up having friendly laughs and getting endearingly teased by the people she’s arguably hurt the most, with the girl she’d murdered right there laughing with them. And now she can get away with now being part of the group without any indication she’s changed, no apology, anyone that protests her involvement being scolded for their lack of trust...

One of these things is an incredibly badly handled hero-to-villain story, where they failed to get the beats of emotional depth for a fallen hero arc and rushed it instead without care, leaving it feeling out of character and out of the blue despite the small bit of groundwork that they had in place for the narrative.

The other two are incredibly badly handled villain-to-hero stories, where they failed to get the beats of emotional depth for good redemption arcs and rushed them instead without care, leaving them feeling very insincere and out of the blue despite the small bit of groundwork that they had in place for the narratives (mostly on Emerald’s side, Hazel gave less indication.) 

Also we weren’t playing Yankee Swap, we didn’t trade in James as a hero for Emerald or Hazel, we just had three characters who were all handled badly.

But yeah, it’s really weird that the same volume where the writers were trying to force us to sympathize with Hazel was also trying to force Ironwood into an irredeemable category. The thing is, if I didn’t know about James’ never-mentioned-in-show semblance, I’d not be down for a post volume 8 redemption because I think trying to kill children and actively wanting to torture people as a full grown adult is kind of hard to get redeemed from. But Hazel did that, Hazel is just as if not MUCH MORE evil than Ironwood, so why on earth did the series treat Hazel as redeemable and kind of right and just needing a hand of mercy extended to him? Why was James ‘keep soldiers off the battlefield, turn my gun around because I don’t want to hurt Qrow even though I think he’s trying to murder me, look away from the Grimm while I shoot it’ Ironwood treated as the 100% deserving of pain and death and treated as totally irredeemable villain no one could sympathize with?

When you factor in his semblance it really just makes even less sense. I literally cannot comprehend why the RWBY writers do what they do. Also, thank you so much for the compliment on my bog! Sorry to kind of rant there haha. XD