#wow this was a lot

[right-there-ride-on]

A "Brief" Analysis of Religion and Johnny Joestar

Introduction

I would be remiss not to begin by addressing Stone Ocean. I believe SO was where Araki really began playing with the idea of faith. Enrico Pucci is a priest, and his outfit is emblazoned with a giant cross. While there is something to be said about Pucci's repurposing of religion to suit his own goals (there are several good discussions of Pucci's character with relation to his faith that others have made, though I don't have them on hand), for my purposes there are only two aspects of Pucci's connection to Christianity that are relevant here:

a) His actual religious faith is somewhat disingenuous (Pucci listens to Dio's Heaven Plan because it serves his own aims - like Hot Pants)

b) He belongs to organized religion (introduced in a church, works in a prison chapel, 'Father' Pucci)

And one aspect of his character that is relevant:

a) He fully believed the Heaven Plan was righteous and would be a boon to humanity

Given that Pucci is the villain of the part, I think it's safe to say that we are supposed to take away that all of these are negative qualities.

I bring this up specifically to juxtapose SO's depiction of Christianity to SBR's. Steel Ball Run is a natural evolution of Stone Ocean's religious theming that represents both a critique and affirmation of faith. This analysis will focus on the character I think best represents SBR's religious themes: Johnny.

Unlike Pucci, Johnny's faith isn't immediately obvious. He wears no crosses and, if it weren't for his own narration, we likely wouldn't know he was religious. After all, Jesus appears to multiple people throughout the part, not just Johnny. It is possible to reduce Jesus' manifestation to simply being the work of corpse parts, but working in tandem with Johnny's character, it becomes plain there's stronger themes about Christianity and religion at work in the narrative.

(It's also very telling when even ten years later (as seen in Jojolion Chapter 22: Morioh, Year 1901) one of the few panels we get of Johnny is him in prayer.)

Johnny's character is extremely rich, but for this analysis I'll choose one of the more prominent overarching themes for his arc: the search for forgiveness. The concept has another name too - redemption. I'll be using them interchangeably.

Section I - An introduction to Johnny Joestar

I'll start with a quick rundown of Johnny's backstory.

Here's a few panels to representative of George's parenting:

And here's a few of Nicholas. After several panels of darkness, from Johnny's POV we're given this:

Johnny admires him greatly, but already feels a great sense of inferiority toward him.

"Maybe I'm not your real brother?" Gee, I wonder who put that in his head.

Here's what we learn about the Joestar family:

(a) George Joestar is a Grade-A asshole. This will be a running theme.

And (b) Nicholas was everything to Johnny.

I want to point out this panel:

Even with George essentially physically threatening him to kill his pet, Johnny's kindness still wins out. His kindness toward animals is a consistent trait and also functions as indicator that, at some point in the past, he was far less aloof than he is in SBR. As readers, we find out this is because of Nicholas' death, which Johnny believes himself to be responsible for.

Johnny's perception of his own guilt in the accident is not helped by George's constant criticizing and reinforcement of Nicholas' amazingness:

It is made abundantly clear that Johnny isn't good enough for George.

And Johnny never will be good enough. He's already the youngest person to ever win the Kentucky Derby (one of the qualifying races for the Triple Crown, which it's previously stated his father won several times) but George doesn't care. You can explain this with grief, but it seems clear that Johnny was always the unfavorite. Nicholas' death just cemented things.

The death of his brother and his relationship with George severely damaged Johnny's beliefs about himself.

Chapter 42: A Silent Way (Part 2)

From a very young age, Nicholas' death caused Johnny to perceive himself as a murderer, willing or not. In other words, he has almost always considered himself a sinner. The 'sin' he committed of killing his brother is why he believes he is undeserving of happiness (Cain and Abel anyone?).

Because he is a 'sinner' - an unforgivable sinner - Johnny cannot fathom his life through any other mechanism but karma. He will always deserve the awful things that happened to him, because his sin is too great to forgive. God just hasn't noticed his mistake yet.

Section II - Broader themes in SBR

These are two main themes I will discuss here:

Individualism

2. Religion

My discussion on individualism in SBR will be limited to its connection to the religious theming. If you want a more in-depth look at this theme in general, check out this video.

As noted above, in Stone Ocean Father Pucci was a member of organized religion. Yet his faith was not truly in the church, but in the 'Heaven Plan', the completion of which would enable people to know their fate. They could not deviate from their set course, but the intention was that they would be able to find 'peace of mind' in that idea. This is how things are supposed to be.

We can also look at the Heaven Plan through the lens of "God has a plan for you". No matter what struggles you endure, you are supposed to be able to find comfort in the idea that some unknowable thing has it all taken care of. Is it a trial of your character? A test of your faith? If you accept God has a plan, then no matter what happens you can be assured you made the right decision (and alleviate your guilty conscience). If you live your life according to the Bible, then you have nothing to fear. If your life sucked in particular, then don't worry, because Heaven's waiting. Faith is based on the idea of "hope". That's what a prayer is - hope that someone is listening.

These ideas of religion and God's plan (i.e. fate) are also present in SBR, in a more subtle capacity. Most obviously, we have the corpse parts. The corpse is understood to be an object of power and value by most everyone in the story.

Here are a few panels of how different characters perceive the corpse.

Chapter 27: Tusk (Part 3)

Gyro understand the corpse in the capacity of its ability to grant power and glory to the nations of the world. Still, he acknowledges "saints exist for the common people".

Chapter 57: Civil War (Part 2)

Chapter 75: D4C (Part 8)

Hot Pants initially seems to have a similar impression of the corpse as Gyro. However, as the story progresses, we learn that they and Johnny's motivations to collect the corpse are quite similar. The difference is that while HP wants the corpse for themselves (to earn forgiveness), they believe they can accomplish this forgiveness by giving the corpse to a higher cause (the Vatican). Hot Pants, too, acknowledges that the miracle of the corpse is supposed to belong to the people.

Meanwhile, Valentine uses the corpse as proof of the 'napkin law'. Whoever has the corpse will have the power to influence the rest of the world. This is representative of religion as an influencer and indication of power.

Chapter 78: D4C (Part 11)

Valentine quite literally claims the power of the corpse - the power to control the right to good fortune, to decide who deserves good things and who doesn't - as his own. He even decides this power doesn't belong to the corpse, but was his all along, his own potential just waiting to be drawn out. He compares this new ability to that of God himself. Valentine is putting himself in the position of God.

All of these characters consider the corpse in terms of what it means to a larger cause. The corpse, and thus religion, is a tool to grant power to those who possess it. It enables whatever entity possessing it to impose "God's plan" (I use that liberally) onto others, supposedly for their own good. Even HP, who has the motivation closest to Johnny's own (even mirroring his 'any means necessary' approach), still views the corpse in terms of its wider applicability. These viewpoints are starkly contrasted by Johnny's own; he just wants the corpse to be able to walk again. Johnny's motivation is very base, but out of the everyone in the cast, it is the humblest and I would argue the most sincere. It's a wish that would affect only himself. The corpse - and thus religion - is something deeply personal to him.

This relatively deterministic stance on religion - as a power related to fate and a tool to control the fates of others - would be in strong contrast with SBR's individualistic themes, were it not for Johnny.

Section III - Understanding Johnny's Search for Redemption

Now I will take a moment to address the unfortunate elephant in the room, namely Araki's treatment of Johnny's disability as a metaphor. I'm not happy with it, and I think magically healing his injury was kind of bullshit when the narrative had reached a point and almost spelled out that it wasn't necessary, but it is what it is so I'll be discussing his disability in this essay in that capacity.

On a related note, I’ll say something kind of controversial: Johnny’s hunt for the corpse was never really about his legs, though that was certainly part of it. As discussed in my Civil War analysis, the parallels between HP and Johnny reveal something else: narratively, gathering the corpse is shortcut to characters earning forgiveness. I’m not sure Johnny himself realized it before Philadelphia, but at some point the corpse became less about his disability and more about spiritual redemption. Healing his legs is representative of cleansing himself from his 'original sin' of "killing" Nicholas.

Chapter 72: Ticket to Ride (Part 2)

Johnny perceives his shooting as the ultimate payment for Nicholas' death. He ran from George after their falling out, pretending he was living the good life without actually forming genuine relationships with anyone. He ran from the guilt he felt toward Nicholas' death for even longer, only recently truly facing his trauma in the Civil War arc. His disability prevented him from being able to run away anymore and forced him into further isolation. It was the final proof he needed that he is someone not allowed to be happy - not allowed to be forgiven. As he is, he's not worth anything to anyone. That's why he's so desperate to walk again. Johnny has been in the 'negative' his entire life. The corpse granting him mobility would be the ultimate proof that he is a person worth healing / saving.

I'll also suggest that his statement of "not giving a fuck if the corpse is a saint or whatever" is less how he feels about religion and moreso about the apparent reverence everyone around him has for it, namely Hot Pants, Valentine and even Gyro. They all believe the corpse to be something valuable because of what it means to a larger cause or organization. For Johnny, it's a means to an end. At this point in the story, it's become clear that the one thing Johnny wants most of all is to be forgiven for his 'sin' - a chance to wipe the slate clean.

Section IV - Johnny and Faith

Firstly, Johnny was raised in a religious household. As seen above, his father is obviously religious to some extent, and when Gyro initially questions him about the corpse he's able to list off a few Saints.

Chapter 27: Tusk (Part 3)

At the same time, however, I believe there's enough evidence to suggest he's in a crisis of faith. As per evidence I'll show later, he may simply think God has abandoned him like everyone else.

I'll move on to Johnny's perception of himself and how that relates to the religious themes in the story.

Chapter 41: A Silent Way (Part 1)

Stands are reflective of their user's fighting spirit, or, more literally, their soul. Tusk's bullets being destroyed so quickly is reflective of the weight of Johnny's guilt against his goal of forgiveness. At this point, Tusk is still in Act 1. Johnny feels any progress he makes towards forgiveness simply... fizzles out. Forgiveness means he can be happy, but he can never be truly happy because he has always been a sinner.

The dinosaurs here function as a metaphor for Johnny's guilt (isn't that a sentence?). He was able to start down the road to forgiveness through the hunt for the corpse parts and gaining Tusk, but at this point he still doesn't feel like he's truly earned the right to have them. 'Fate' will catch up with him before he can be forgiven, because he doesn't deserve to be forgiven.

Contrary to popular readings, as much as Johnny appears rather cold most of the time, he's actually an extremely caring person. His kindness with Danny backfired on him in a big way, which I why I think he tries to shut down the softer part of himself so hard, but it still comes through. We can see it in his loyalty to Gyro, putting up with his jokes and even playing along, as well as putting his life on the line to protect him several times when the easier option would have been to run away. He feeds the stray wolf in Wrecking Ball because he felt bad for it. He's also one of the only people to be genuinely kind to Lucy, even defending her to Gyro and protesting her involvement in the corpse hunt. Think about that - Johnny, Mr. "Get the Corpse at any cost" Joestar, was obviously willing to put Lucy's safety before his determination to get the corpse. Much of his coldness can be attributed to walls he built due to those he cares about frequently abandoning him, voluntarily or otherwise.

Chapter 42: A Silent Way (Part 2)

And if everyone has abandoned Johnny - because he has never been worth anything, because he is a sinner - then God surely has too. Very early in his life, he closed himself off to other people (and we can infer, by extension, closed himself off to God).

Because of this - because of his lack of connections to others, because of his low self-worth, because he feels he isn't someone who deserves happiness - Johnny's conviction to collect the corpse parts frequently wavers.

Chapter 44: A Silent Way (Part 5)

His 'dark determination', first seen in True Man's World, demonstrates that he does have the motivation to collect the corpse parts at any cost. At the same time, A Silent Way highlights his tendency to give up on himself. That's the struggle he must overcome in that arc. Johnny must harden his resolve, because despite still feeling like he doesn't deserve anything, he does want the corpse parts so that he can be someone worth something - to Gyro, at the very least. And because of his strengthening bond with Gyro, Johnny finds the resolve to fight on not just for Gyro, but for himself as well, evolving Tusk into Act 2. Even so, at the end of this arc, Johnny is still wavering. His still isn't sure of his worth because he has yet to pay for his 'sin'. Deep down, he believes he is not and never will be worth forgiveness.

But he keeps trying.

Johnny is the first to explicitly recognize the corpse as Jesus Christ, and Johnny is the only one to whom Jesus speaks directly and addresses by name.

Chapter 58: Civil War (Part 3)

As discussed in my Civil War analysis, his connection to Jesus, and Christ's words to him, are critical in Johnny realizing that Nicholas' death was not his fault. At the end of the arc, Johnny is purified, because Nicholas' death was never his sin to bear. Furthermore, despite threatening it several times, Johnny has never murdered in cold blood. Each and every time was self-defense against Valentine's minions (ironically, Gyro probably has a higher kill count.) When Axl Ro kills Johnny, his old self quite literally dies, and he is reborn purified of past sins (hey, that's a familiar story).

What we learn here is that it was the one man who was collecting the corpse - again, representative of a shortcut to forgiveness - for his 'selfish' goal of spiritual redemption that Christ deemed worthy of showing himself too. By reading Civil War as Johnny reconnecting with his faith through finding forgiveness for his sins in both himself and Christ, we understand that he isn't wavering anymore - now, he does believe himself someone worthy of redemption. But even with his faith in God and Christ solidified, Johnny still believes he hasn't been completely forgiven, as his legs are still not healed. Hence why he fights so desperately to reclaim the corpse in the D4C arc.

Section V - The Two Sides of Religion

First, the corpse siding with Valentine causes Johnny to have another crisis of faith.

Chapter 79: D4C (Part 12)

Valentine and Johnny's stances on faith are opposed to one another throughout the final confrontation. Valentine is trying to impose his version of "righteousness" onto the world. Valentine believes that, through the corpse (religion), he has the right to decide who is worthy and who is not. Johnny, by contrast, is fighting to save Lucy and reclaim the corpse - to make himself someone 'worth something' again. Yet we see that even Johnny isn't completely sure of that his path is the 'righteous' one. Does someone like him (someone still unworthy, a sinner) even have the right to oppose Valentine's vision? Is he worthy of forgiveness?

Chapter 88: Break My Heart, Break Your Heart (Part 1) - quick side note: notice how Johnny still has very low self-worth and continues to condemn himself as a 'sinner' (someone evil) frequently and without much cause. Even after Valentine literally killed his best friend, Johnny struggles to see himself as someone who even at the bare minimum deserves to judge others. George Joestar when I get you...

Valentine assumes a similar role to Pucci. In this final confrontation, he is representative of the use of religion as a tool of power.

Quick aside here:

The comparison of those involved in the race to a lamb - famously associated with Jesus Christ himself - is curious.

Chapter 85: Ball Breaker (Part 3)

Valentine indirectly refers to Johnny as his 'greatest challenge' and moreover attempts to force him to attack first (Chapter 85: Ball Breaker (Part 3)). Valentine is trying to force Johnny to become a sinner again before he condemns him to death for being unworthy of Valentine's 'righteous' world. Valentine is literally acting in God's place as judge, jury and executioner by determining who is 'worthy' and 'unworthy'.

Johnny, on the other hand, is representative of religion as a healing influence. He doesn't want to influence large groups of people or protect any nation. His connection to God and Christ through his faith is far more individualistic and personal. I think it's very telling that he's the winner here.

Section VI - Conclusion

At the end of SBR, we learn that despite everything - even through his crisis of faith - still, Johnny prays. He's always been praying.

Chapter 95: The World of Stars and Stripes

The story of Steel Ball Run is about finding your faith again. Johnny always prayed, even when he thought he’d never be forgiven, even when he believed God wasn’t listening. He is the kind of person that miracles are for (as alluded to by Gyro and Hot Pants in Section II). Johnny is the only religious character to escape the narrative unscathed, largely because religion was something so deeply personal to him. Rather than simply being 'selfish', his goal was personal, spiritual redemption. Faith carried him across the continent, helped him overcome his trauma, helped him connect with Gyro, and showed him how to find self-worth again after his lowest point. His faith was sincere and for himself, in contrast to most everyone else in the story who tried to impose their beliefs onto others.

Hot Pants, a member of organized religion, used it as a means to an end but never found the forgiveness they were looking for because their faith was performative. Pucci too failed because he used his faith (in the Heaven Plan) to try and assume control of the fate of others (similar to Valentine).

In contrast to Pucci and Valentine, Johnny absolutely wavered in his faith. Several times, in fact. He believed for most of his life that no one, least of all God, was listening. God had no plan for him, because his life was a mistake. Even so, he found comfort in praying for himself and Gyro, and by the end at last believed himself someone worth forgiving. And he was forgiven - cleansed, if you will. His being able to walk at the end of SBR is indicative that he no longer considers himself a sinner, but someone worthy of a new beginning as a person.

By the end of SBR, it’s apparent that the corpse itself isn’t what Johnny needed. It was because of his relationship with Gyro and the trials they faced together that he was able to gain a better understanding of himself, where he fucked up in the past, and learned how to be a better person. Lesson 5 is the key. "The detour was the shortest past." (Chapter 84: Ball Breaker (Part 2)) Johnny never fully possessed the corpse, preventing him from using it as a shortcut to redemption. It wasn't the corpse, but the corpse hunt itself that enabled Johnny to find forgiveness in himself and reconnect with his faith.

Narratively, Hot Pants, Valentine and Pucci were punished because they were not sincere in their proclaimed beliefs or otherwise abused religion in a position of power. Yet religion itself still isn't represented as a negative thing. Johnny's character carefully combines themes of individualism and religion to demonstrate the healing influence of personal faith.

Closing Notes

This essay was a much bigger undertaking than my previous analyses, primarily because I feel I am not the person to be writing it. I wasn't raised particularly religious (I barely know the cliff notes of Christianity), but at the very least I hope this is valuable jumping off point for others.

I apologize if I repeated myself too much. This was a very messy essay and I tried to clean it up a bit, but I'm sure I missed some things.

Based on some brief scanning of different Christian denominations and what occurs in SBR, I'd say Johnny was probably raised Lutheran. What do you guys think?

Also, shoutout to Johnny’s little devil horns.

Thank you for reading! Please feel free to share your thoughts as well.

[jalebi-weds-bluetooth]

IPKKND SS: There’s More To Her #9

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Awakening

An overconfident Khushi had correctly assumed that Arnav Singh Raizada would be absolutely helpless when it came to finding a location for Akash and Payal’s first date. And Devi Maiya always sided with her favorite devotee, until that devotee gloated in the ego she accused the atheist for.

It was funny that the atheist had no idea how often Devi Maiya sided with him.

Hence, the final, accident free date location was Akash’s office with a variety of snacks that a closed office canteen could offer. Pre packaged brownies, coffee from a coffee maker, tea in a to-go cup and some favourless, tasteless digestive biscuits from Arnav Singh Raizada’s personal stash of snacks along with two bottles of mineral water - of course.

Khushi, though, had worked her magic into Akash’s office. White rose petals scattered on the dark table, all lights were switched off except the fairy light trees and a lone office desk lamp.

Although the effect never reached its recipients as Akash and Payal took their sweet time gazing at each other. Despite her upbringing, Payal let her eyes wander over the well fitted chocolate suit and white shirt on Akash. He was taller and more muscular than she thought. White really was Akash’s color.

Akash was not indifferent to female gaze. While his brother benefitted from the don’t-you-fucking-stare-at-me face, Akash’s politeness and Raizada-ness left him to awkward thank yous and exit strategies from press meetings.

But this was Payal, and all he could feel was dhak dhak.

Khushi, oblivious to her nauseated partner of third wheeling the love birds, played with the fairy lights and begrudgingly accepted that Arnav had otherwise done splendid work.

But before Arnav could recover from his nausea at the puppy eyes Akash and Payal exchanged, he balked at the outfit Akash held for Khushi.

Red saree

“Yeh?” Akash snapped out of his trance at Khushi’s question.

“Oh, yes Khushi ji, isn’t it wonderful that I found this in the wardrobe? Although it is last season,” Akash mused.

Arnav stood rooted to his spot, memories assailing his heart and mind without a drop of mercy.

“Nevermind, I thought you’ll be comfortable in this because you modeled-”

“Modeled?” Payal frowned.

“Haan, that’s why Khushi came home late-” Akash stopped, belatedly realizing Payal had absolutely no knowledge of the disastrous calendar photoshoot that took place on her birthday. Payal shot a look at her younger sister, waiting for an explanation that was overdue.

“Woh, Jiji… I was responsible for looking after Liza-”

“That snooty model?” Payal scrunched her nose in disgust. Khushi nodded,

“Yeah wohi, so I was responsible for her fur coat. I had to hold it still until the shoot was done but somehow it got spoiled so as punishment I had to model in place of her.” Khushi concluded. Payal frowned, Khushi usually told stories that had no head or tails and this one simply took the cake.

Of course there was one man responsible for this.

Arnav Singh Raizada

That man had the grace to look away.

“I appreciate what you have done for me and your brother Arnav-ji, but you’re telling me that a fashion house does not have a single cupboard-” Payal began but Arnav and Khushi sneezed at once, shivering in their wet, unchanged clothes.

“As I was saying-”

“Jiji, there’s no need for this. You and Akash-ji enjoy your date. And if I change my outfit any later then I’ll catch a cold and you don’t want that right!” Khushi grabbed Payal’s arm, begging her to let go of the matter. At the end of the day despite the horrible memories of the day at the office, what mattered more to Khushi was her sister’s office. After months she needed no revival of the challenging days, nor any apologies.

Payal sighed and tapped her hand with reassurance. Khushi smiled and hugged her sister gently, careful her wet clothes didn’t ruin Payal’s new ones, patted Akash’s back and whispered ‘good luck’ before skipping out of the office. Arnav waited until Khushi was out of sight.

“Payall, I know how it seems….” Arnav started. Payal closed her eyes and willed patience.

“I crossed multiple lines-” Arnav said.

“The one to whom  you owe any apology or explanation isn’t in this room Mr. Raizada.” Payal snapped, “and the explanations provided out of questioning instead of conscience have no value in my eyes.” Payal concluded. Arnav’s jaws tightened. For once he wished Payal yelled or debated, it gave him ground to fight.

But one rarely could if they were confronted with righteous anger and dignity. Arnav looked at Akash who chose to remain silent. For many times Arnav counted on Akash’s silence, be it keeping things private or taking reprieve that at least one member of his family wouldn’t harp on him about marriage.

But now, seeing Akash’s silence when he too knew what the events were, left Arnav all alone to face Payal’s anger. Arnav finally realized why Akash rarely involved himself in others’ battles.

It forced accountability.

Payal waited for Arnav to come up with a reason regardless. If he’d launch into long paragraphs, her remaining respect for him would touch the grounds. Because ever since the day her sister came home unconscious in his arms, Payal stopped giving any heed to Arnav Singh Raizada.

It was his love for his family and the lengths he went to get her and Akash together that made him an average man.

So when Arnav said no further and headed for the door, Payal stopped him.

“A final word, if you don’t mind.” Arnav stood still, giving her his attention “I don’t ever want you to respect my sister because there might be a relationship between the two families one day. I don’t want you to think anymore that she’s behind money because it has been proven that every assumption you’ve ever had of her was wrong.”

“When you do respect her, let it be for the fact that a 20  years old middle class woman with a third of your education, wealth and experience has been providing for a family of five which involves three aged people and a sister with a broken marriage.” Payal said, tears betraying the potent love for her sister.

Arnav briefly nodded and left the room.

“You know right, your broken marriage doesn’t define you.” Akash began, giving Payal a glass of water. Payal softly smiled, not having the energy in her tonight to explain it to him that it is how the society defined her.

“I’m sorry, I should’ve started this on a better note.” Payal said after a moment.

“Payal ji, never apologize for doing the right thing. A part of me loves you because of who you are and how fiercely you love your sister.” Akash pulled a seat for her held her smaller hands in his.

“Then what does the other part of you love me for?” Payal added, her reddened cheeks and soft smile mirrored on Akash’s face.

He leaned in as her eyes closed at their proximity, “For how beautiful you are.”

Payal’s eyes flashed open and her nose brushed against his. She removed her hands and played with the hem of her saree, “Really?”

“No, it’s actually the way you scold Bhai.” Payal stared at his blatant response and broke into a laugh as he chuckled at his statement.

– – –

Arnav sat in the cafe in a fresh suit, Payal’s words playing in his mind in a loop. He closed his eyes and sighed. She was right. Every single assumption he had of Khushi Kumari Gupta had been proven false. From the moment she fell into his arms at Sheesh Mahal to when he’d accuse her of visiting Shantivan to charge extra money from his family.

Speaking of Khushi, where was she?

A familiar prick of awareness seeped through him. Goosebumps broke on his flesh. His heart pumped in a staccato rhythm.

“Khushi,” He whispered even before he saw her. With a soft turn he watched her in the darkness of his office. Little beads of sequins reflected the dim lights. The gossamer red saree left little to imagination.

Khushi stopped still, feeling the heat of his eyes on her. She clenched her fists and sat on the nearest chair she could find - farthest away from him. She prayed, prayed to calm her racing heart, feel the chill of the air instead, to stop the dastardly pull towards the one man who would push her off the cliff.

She barely looked behind and sighed in relief and disappointment when he looked away.

For how long must she rot in these emotions?

– – –

“Akash ji, if you don’t mind, I’d like to ask  you a few questions before we…” go any further. Payal hesitated. Akash was more than the man of her dreams and she wondered if she tested his and Devi Maiyya’s patience by putting every single obstacle instead of accepting the gift of love.

From denial to innumerable questions, was she jinxing her relationship even before it began?

“Please do Payal ji.” Akash smiled, worried at her hesitation. As much as he believed love was at first sight and that he would never regret having Payal in his life, he wondered if he had pushed her into accepting her love. He should’ve waited. True love didn’t come from desperation, it came from patience.

There was still a great distance between them. It was strange. He had thought an ‘I love you’ from both the ends sealed the deal. But now that they lapsed into awkward silence around difficult questions, he wondered if he had ruptured things by hastening it out of fear.

“Akash ji, I do… love you,” Payal confessed, worried at his sudden silence, “but I won’t find any comfort in this love until certain things are clear. Please understand.”

“I absolutely do Payal ji. Please feel free to ask about anything.” Akash reassured her.

“What’s yours and your family’s take on dowry?” For a second Akash was offended at her question. Didn’t she know how much he loved her? How he and his family would never take a cent for such a crime! But looking at her frightened eyes he was ashamed at feeling offended. He had the luxury of never being associated with such folks. She had lived through this.

“The Raizadas have never given nor taken a cent. We did make the mistake of offering a property and farm lands as gifts for one wedding, it is perhaps no surprise things didn’t end up well.” Akash’s mouth soured at the memory of the Maliks. He had never liked that side of the family, even as a child. When he had helped Arnav get back his mother’s property from the Maliks - one Arnav’s uncle had in possession - Akash was glad that his cousin never grew up in that environment.

His Dadi’s friendship and care for Arnav’s Dadi was the only sorepoint between Arnav and Akash. Akash never approved of his brother spending hard earned money behind a member of the family that had only hurt the Raizadas and above all, hurt his dearest cousins. Although his inner emotions couldn’t be revealed to Arnav at a worse time.

“I cannot believe this Papa. Dadi-ji sent Anjali-di to dissuade Bhai from buying Sheesh Mahal!” Akash fumed, clenching his fists to reign in his temper.

“Subhadra Devi-Ji had called Amma. It is the last house her son has.” Mahinder sighed, weary of the fight he had with his own mother, “And Amma said it’s not right for Arnav bitwa to treat ancestral property as a tool for revenge-”

“That property is ours. Phupha-ji got it as dowry. If anything, Bhai and Di deserve to have it back. We’re paying for that woman’s extravagant ashram, it’s enough.” Akash said.

Mahinder shook his head and patted his young son’s shoulder. It was rare to see him so worked up, even for the right reasons, “Akash bitwa, aisa nahi bolte. You know that Amma believes her friend has a good heart after all-”

“I won’t let them misuse Bhai’s newfound fame. I don’t know why Dadi forgets she’s a Malik. That family sucked us dry. I hate it that we have an association with them-” Akash stopped, noticing Arnav on the door, his face ashen.

Arnav said nothing, nearly pretended he heard nothing. He simply lavished Mami with an unlimited access of jewelry from his bank account, Mama was given a significant share from his company, and stopped any of the Raizadas from contributing to Subhadra Malik’s expenses.

Akash knew. That even in a slip of tongue, Arnav took the words to heart and paid the Raizadas ten fold for any kindness they ever showed.

And because Arnav wouldn't accept any apology - for his side of the family was terrible - Akash vowed to stand next to him and never make him feel ‘othered’.

Payal held Akash’s hand, her heart melting at Akash’s sincerity and stories of the extent Arnav went for the family.

“Bhai has quietly become the head of the family. It’s not arrogance, it’s a fact. He looks after everything. And when he has his blessings over this relationship, no one and nothing can come in between because he simply won’t allow it.” Akash reassured her. Payal smiled, finding some hope in the marriage ahead of her.

Perhaps Arnav’s rejection of tradition and Akash’s genuine love was all she needed. To think of it no one apart from his mother scrunch their noses about their class difference. True, at times they were a bit blind in privilege, but that also stemmed from harmlessness.

– – –

Arnav kept looking behind, losing his heart every time he saw the flash of red. He had rarely seen Khushi so quiet. After ten uncomfortably silent minutes, he turned to find her engrossed in some books, highlighting something with a pencil.

It was a mathematics textbook. For children.

Khushi looked up, aware of his questioning gaze and cleared her throat, “Woh… I tutor kids so I’m preparing materials in advance.” Arnav took that as an offer to walk towards her. Khushi tucked back a strand, nervous at their little talk.

“Mathematics?” He asked.

“Yes, I was studying financial management so mathematics had to be my favorite subject. According to Babuji finance is the backbone of any successful venture.” Khushi smiled, recalling her days in college and at the sweet shop. Arnav realized he truly didn’t think about Khushi’s life before they met.

“But I haven’t seen you attend college…” Arnav said, sitting next to her.

“I dropped out.” Khushi said and plastered a big smile on her face, “Anyways according to Babuji real life experiences shape you more than education. So between running a sweet shop in the morning, tutoring kids in the evening and managing orders for Buaji’s chikankari sarees, I’m running quite the enterprise here.” Khushi went back to her book, happy at the way her life shaped. Of course, she’d never want Babuji's ill health, but if she was in Lucknow then she would’ve happily left her college to marry right after Payal did.

It never crossed her mind that there was more to life. There was more to her.

Arnav couldn’t manage to return her smile. It didn’t take a genius to figure out why she couldn’t complete her college. Between the scandal, the loans, resettling to a new city, financial pressure and her father’s health - Khushi’s education would’ve taken the back seat.

And he was responsible for nearly all of it.

“You know, AR is hiring-”

“No.” Khushi said, “I cannot work here.”

“No one refuses Arnav Singh Raizada.” Arnav glared.

“Accha. No, no, no, no.” Khushi stuck her tongue. If only Khushi knew that she was far from annoying, rather quite adorable.

“So what happened to your Babuji’s business… now that you’re running on your own?” Khushi couldn’t believe if Arnav was actually engaging in small talk. It felt new. It felt good. It had been too long since anyone asked her about her life.

“Well they were seized by the loan sharks-” Arnav frowned, “-woh Babuji had given it up for loan for Jiji’s dowry to loan sharks. And then the people refused to return the store back considering Babuji’s fallen goodwill. The scandal-” Khushi grew quiet and Arnav cursed under his breath.

The more he spoke to either of the sisters, the more he learned about the things he wished he didn't.

– – – – – – – –  

“I genuinely loved the dupatta!” Payal gushed over the intricate fabric designing and detail with Akash, enjoying the moment as they bonded over their shared love of textiles. Akash was the finance man, but he was enamored by the beauty of embroidery and the texture of fabrics - except he never had the talent to actually make anything out of it. Although to Arnav that was an asset, Akash would always know if their materials were genuine or if they were being scammed.

“If I knew it was you I would’ve packaged it better!” He confessed. Payal was touched. The fact that Akash was ready to give it a stranger because it would brighten Khushi’s day meant everything. She had seen fate play on someone’s goodness, it was surprising to see someone’s goodness move fate.

“Would you mind if I worked after marriage?” Payal asked.

“Do you want to?” He asked.

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen myself there. I’ve never had ambitious dreams,” Payal admitted. Akash empathized. Ambition was never his asset. On the other hand Khushi and Arnav had heaps of it.

“Payal ji, I might’ve been born with a silver spoon but all I’ve ever wanted is good work and a happy life. Really. And maybe a dog one day.” Akash mused.

“A dog? In a house where there’s a lamb?” Payal chuckled.

“Why, don’t you want one?” Akash asked.

“I’d get another lamb, or maybe a little dove. Khushi loves doves and seeing doves would remind me of her. But… I wouldn’t want them in a cage.” Payal said.

“Bhai’s garden is big enough for a sanctuary for a few birds, but I’m wondering what he would say when they would leave droppings in his pool!” Akash laughed.

“Aur kya kahenge? What the?” Payal growled, imitating Arnav to perfection. Akash clapped at the mimicry and shook his head, “It looks like I’ll have to create a garden for the doves.”

“And I’ll have to teach the dog to be calm - especially around the doves, Lakshmi and future children.” Payal dreamed.

“Children?” Akash asked.

“Kyun, you don’t want any?” She questioned. Akash did look like he’d be an excellent father. Graceful, patient, calm and a listener. If that wasn’t like Babuji, who else was?

“Only if they look like you.” He smiled as Payal turned a pretty red in shyness. Akash brushed a tendril away from her face and stroked her cheek with the back of her fingers.

“Akash-” the lights went off, leaving them in the darkness.

– – – – – – – –

“Hey Devi Maiyya!” Khushi gasped as she couldn’t see anything. Before she could move, Arnav's hand found hers.

“It’s ok Khushi. The generator should kick in soon.” Arnav’s firm voice instantly calmed her nerves. It was alright. He was here. She is not alone. Her nails dug into his skin. Her palms had turned clammy.

To Khushi’s relief Arnav switched on his phone’s flashlight.

“Fuck,” Arnav swore under his breath. His phone battery was at ten percent. Why wasn’t the generator working?

“Khushi, wait here. I’ll go the studio and grab some candles-”

“Nahi, please…” Khushi gripped his hand tighter.

Arnav tugged her along. They made it to the fusebox, a candle in place of the dying flashlight. For a moment Khushi was arrested by his face lighting up by the flame. His expressionless face was scrunched in worry. Arnav realized he was being watched.

“Kya hua? Tum theek ho?” Khushi nodded and looked at the board. Strange, everything looked fine. Even the fuse was intact.

Arnav leaned by her, Khushi stiffened at the proximity. He bent to her eye level, looking at all the switches. She could feel his breathing, the heat his body emanated.

“Oh of course! I completely forgot that we had the electricity maintenance-” Arnav stopped as his nose brushed against hers, their faces close up next to each other. Words died out as her large eyes looked deep into his. His eyes flickered to her lips and her breath hitched.

He gulped as her lips parted. It had been so long since something right had happened. Memories of Diwali and the photoshoot intermingled with his hidden fantasies. Time lost its essence to Khushi. All she could see was him, his eyes and his lips. Desire flowed like blood through her veins. There was so much tension in his face. If she could only brush it away.

Arnav leaned in, without rationale, and Khushi inched up, on instinct. His arm slipped to her waist and her hand rose to his cheek. Arnav closed his eyes at the touch of her fingertips but froze, feeling the metal band of her ring on his cheek.

Khushi’s trance snapped, the diamond of her engagement ring shining brightly in the candlelight. Horror flooded her face. What was she about to do? Arnav sprang back, his breath harsh. What had he just done? The lights came back to life, revealing their darkest desires to each other. Without a word Arnav turned around and rushed out of the room.

– – – – – – – – – –

Akash and Payal exchanged the sweetest glances across the rearview mirror as Arnav drove them all home. A slow romantic ballad played on the radio and Arnav held the steering wheel in a tight grip. Khushi stared out of the window, bothered by her own immorality.

He was Lavanya’s! She was betraying her best friend.

Khushi saw the stars above, twinkling in the clear night and she didn’t have the courage to meet them. She had sinned. For he was anothers.

Who would help her in this crisis? Who could?

Payal reached out and squeezed Khushi’s hands. She had seen Khushi look lost throughout the day. She gestured if everything was alright with her - Khushi only smiled back in response. She didn’t even realize when they stopped near Preeto’s house at an alley where they could be safely dropped off without any nosy neighbors.

Akash led Payal down the SUV, his heart hammering with joy and anticipation. So much was said and so much was left to be said. Payal’s mind urged her to hug before they left, but her sensibilities of society prevented her from doing so.

Khushi realized after a moment that she and Arnav were alone in the car. She immediately tried to remove her seatbelt but fumbled in her nervousness. Arnav walked around, opened the door and removed her seatbelt. His eyes no longer bore warmth. Khushi knew very well what that look meant. She ignored his hand and stepped out of his car.

“Just so you-”

“For the love of God don’t say anything.” Khushi warned him, anger sitting as tears in her eyes. She could not bear another word. Arnav stood still, clenching his jaw. He didn’t know if he intended to give an explanation to her or to himself.

“Akash!” Payal called out to Akash, and the shy lovers met for a hidden hug behind the car. At first there was hesitation, which slowly melted as he leaned awkwardly to match her height.

Khushi pulled the edge of her saree, it was minutes away from ripping. Arnav rolled his eyes and moved to tug it free but she stepped away,

“Stay away,” She hushed, aware of Akash and Payal.

“It would’ve ripped-”

“Then let it rip, aapko kya farak padta hai?” She snapped, pulling off her saree that left a little tear. Arnav growled, he wasn’t an idiot to not realize that this conversation was a painful continuation of the ones left abruptly before.

Yet, his ego stung.

“Don’t get any ideas, you mean nothing-”

“Exactly! You’re Lavanya ji’s, we must never meet again.” Khushi decided, tears of anger flowing down her cheeks. Burned, Arnav got into the car and slammed it shut - shocking Akash and Payal who embarrassedly pulled away, cheeks tinged in red.

Payal mistook Khushi’s urgency as the threat of Buaji questioning the delay and Akash misunderstood Arnav’s urgency as his usual nausea to affection.

Long after Arnav reached Shantivan, he paced throughout his room, a niggling doubt solidifying over time. Ever since he and Khushi were engaged - to different people - Khushi always mentioned his engagement. For someone very chatty, she spoke about anyone and anything except her fiance.  

You’re Lavanya ji’s…

So what about Khushi? Who did she belong to in this world of commitment? Arnav was aware of the arranged setup that seemed to have been exchanged between Khushi and her fiance… but if he could read her well, she just didn’t want to not marry, she despised it.

She despised her fiance.

“Khushi… what the hell are you doing?” He murmured, unaware of the irony.

But it wasn’t lost on Akash who stood by the door, listening to Arnav’s murmur. The discord he long suspected between Arnav and Lavanya was not due to the former’s commitment issues or the latter’s drastic change of opinion of marriage. 

Arnav had tragically fallen in love with the wrong person at the wrong time.

– – – – – – – – – – – –

Payal paced in front of the bathroom, her concern growing as Khushi took a late evening shower in cold water.

“Haye re Nandkisore! We barely have water saved and the queen needs to take a bath after a simple outing!” Madhumati complained. She was touched by the exclusive gifts Preeto had given Payal and Khushi - the yellow and red saree looked exquisite! And laughed at the kids' childishness to wear the gifted outfits and come home.

“Buaji, let Khushi ji be.” Shyam sweet talked to Madhumati, both sharing a secret smile over what happened minutes ago. And for all his honeyed words - he couldn’t match Payal’s suspicious eyes.

“Khushi, you look beautiful.” Khushi was startled as Shyam dropped the ji, walking incredibly close to her. Panicked, she looked around to find Buaji smiling and turning around - giving the couple their ‘privacy’. After all, to-be-newlyweds must spend some time together!

Shyam looked around and then grabbed her wrist,

“No one is watching us, don’t worry.” His fingers traced her arm.

“S-Shyam ji, this isn’t right!” Khushi snatched her hand back.

“Why? We’re engaged aren’t we?” He smiled. Khushi balked at the predatory glint in his eyes and started to sweat. A hand moved to her face-

Khushi splashed the water over herself, shaking as the cold seeped into her body. What if Payal hadn’t interrupted him? She scrubbed the soap over her wrist multiple times. The touch… it felt wrong. She muffled her sob, cleaned up and got out of the washroom - giving Payal her best smile.

Payal couldn’t return it. Shyam and Khushi were a couple. Yet what she saw, even in the flicker of a second, frightened her.

It looked anything but romantic.

Madhumati and Garima were deep into a conversation, they saw Khushi and stood up. Fear crawled in Khushi’s stomach. Every single time the two had something to say to Khushi it was the worst.

“Khushi, Lata saw you and Shyam babua together at the patio. Granted you two are marrying but everyone must keep boundaries. Shyam babua is very kind and mature enough to promise not to visit anymore in the evening.” Khushi wanted to protest, minutes ago Madhumati had been the one who left them alone!

“And hence, a decision has been made.” Madhumati spoke, giving little room to anyone else present.

“In three weeks you and Shyam babua will be married.”

- - - 

A/N: Hey there! Thank just in case if you actually remember the story! I’m finally back with an update and I sincerely hope you liked it - just a couple of chapters left for me to wrap this up!

- JWB

Tagging: @butaneandthebeast @shaonsim @shiyaravi @myloveforstuff @leila1 @lostafpanda@laadgovernorandsankadevi @laad-governess @thenainitaldisaster @maansiloves@chutkiandchotte @honeybellexox @bigfatreader @simplycurlz @thecharlesboyle@sapnokiduniyaisalwaysbetter @zaphbeeblebrox @shehzaadimira @pakki-ya-nahin@mindpdnim @jaanedil @pandora-678 @featheredclover @rae-blogging @goals1024@onadaanparindey @magicfeltmybloop @acroakingbird @blogenana @starzin8s@exosexosekai @noor1025 @ijustchangedmyname@delicatecloudfestivalweasel @sankititaliya @dvk-ok @roqiaposts​ @white-thebeauty​ @childofsquidward​ @maansiloves​ @shehzaadimira​ 

[if you want to be added/removed from tags lemme know!]

[sskim-milkk]

Bad Batch season 2 thoughts

This was originally going to be my thoughts about the finale, but it seems like everything I want to say has already been said so here are my thoughts about the season as a whole :) (quick warning this is going to be all over the place lol)

Such an amazing season, oh my goodness! I loved the first season so much, and I think this one is even better!

I love that each character had their own development, with Tech, Echo and Crosshair being in the spotlight, as opposed to really only Hunter, Omega and a little bit of Wrecker last season

Tech: this dude is literally the best! I’ve always been a Hunter girly but this season they were neck and neck 👀 I love that even though Tech’s the brainiac of the group he seemed to learn so, so much. He learned a lot about people and himself. In the cave with Omega he was able to understand her more and her upset about Echo leaving, get her to understand his own thoughts about everything that’s happened so far, and figure out for himself some of these thoughts that he has. And through Phee he’s learned the importance of preserving things, not for monetary value, but for sentimentality. I’m sure with being a soldier, sentimental things were few and far between. It was important to travel lightly. Another thing I love with Tech is just how much of a badass he is. There are just so many times throughout the season where he was doing the coolest things and being confident during it. Ahh I love him! And lastly, his sacrifice, Omg it’s hurts. It hurts so much. I’m praying praying praying that he didn’t actually die. It shows how much he loves his family though 🥹 so yeah, Tech is amazing, I'm in denial about his death, and I want him and Phee to be together forever.

Speaking of Phee, I love her SO much! She's so fun and I love how important preserving people's cultures are to her. She seems like a great adventurer, even if she stretches the truth during the retelling of the stories. Ugh, I want those two nerds to be together forever!

Echo: I’m so happy that Echo found a new purpose this season. I missed him so much when he left, but based on his stances through the first season and this season, it makes so much sense. This isn’t to fault Hunter for not wanting to join him and Rex though. It’s clear how important this is to Echo, and I'm so happy he listened to his heart and went to go fight for his brothers with Rex.

Hunter: what a cautious, caring and calculating guy. I think it’s clear from the start of the season that Hunter wants to stay out of the radar of the Empire. I think he was a bit lost season. A solider’s life is the only thing he’s ever known. He’s good at it, and that’s how they make money. But with the empire growing and Cid becoming more suspicious with each episode, it’s clear that Hunter wants something different, better for his family and for Omega. Once he got to Pabu, I think that vision became clearer. He saw how happy everyone was, how happy Omega was; what more could a leader hope for? Sadly, THE FINALE TOOK THAT AWAY! 😭😭😭 now Hunter has to do exactly what he was avoiding all this season: face the empire. It’s worth it for his girl and brothers though 🥹 also side note Hunter was so pretty this season 😍so pretty and so buff and so fatherly hnnnggg

Omega: ahhhhh the bebo is not such a bebo anymore 🥹 I’m so proud of how much she’s grown. I’ll admit, in the first season I was annoyed when she kept running away and putting herself into danger that could have been avoided. However, I think that now makes her character growth this season so much more satisfying. She can really hold her own now! And she’s grown so much in maturity! I love that there were plenty of opportunities for her to still be a kid though. Getting excited for treasure, being a bit gullible with Phee’s (maybe true) stories, making new friends, and so much more. I wish we got to see more of her training. It’s clear she’s made a lot of progress; I would have loved to see her brothers training her with her and how to be stealthy and stuff like that. I just love this girl so much and she’s so smart and just a little ray of sunshine and I just hope everything will be okay next season 🥹

Wrecker: I love this man SO MUCH! Even though we didn’t get immense character growth, I think he still showed a lot of instances with more maturity than last season. I’m completely okay with him not getting a full character arc or something. He’s just such a fun-loving character, it would be difficult to see him go through a whole arc, in my opinion. Anyway, he gave Gungi his food when he noticed Gungi looking at it, as opposed to last season when he almost took Omega’s food until Hunter stepped in. He’s better at stealth now, and made that rocket launcher or whatever out of scraps?! Ahh that was so cool! I just hope after everything that’s happened this season, that Wrecker is still light hearted and fun 🥺

Crosshair: oh goodness. What a doozy. I think Crosshair is one of the most interesting characters ever written in Star Wars. Even though we only got about 3 episodes with him, he grew so much. Cody got him questioning the empire, and then the outpost and Hemlock going after the Batch really sealed the deal for him. All while having plenty of badass moments! I’m so scared to figure out what’s going to happen to him next season. It’s clear how much he cares about his brothers and sister, going through TORTURE and being POISONED just to not give up information about them 😭 what a guy. He's lost so much even though he thought being a soldier for the empire was the right thing to do. He's done so much for the empire and what have they given him in return? Nothing. Heck, he waited for a MONTH on that platform. I'm glad he's beginning to realize that he truly is just a number to the empire, like Hunter said. Crosshair I love you. I feel like there’s so much more I could say about him but I would be rambling even more than I already am.

Also, the music this season was out of this world! Need More Speed is an absolute banger and I'm so glad Tech got to be the reason for it

I think next season will take on a darker tone. Tech is presumed dead for now, Crosshair and Omega are with the Empire, Cid is out of the picture, and Wrecker, Hunter and Echo are grieving while trying to find a lead on where Omega might be. It's seeming like there will be a few plots going on at once too.

I'm very interested to learn more about Omega's 'sister' too! And why she's working with the Empire.

It's safe to say waiting for the next season will be grueling! I can't wait though

[spintheiterator]

Your vultures are quite interesting

Avian creatures ..

mine are more like mollusks and have little social structure, except who can beat each other in a fight

would you happen to record the mutations over time of your vultures

I would like the data

-eternal anomaly

SPIN: Wow it’s so interesting to know such similarly named creatures are the complete opposites. And of course I have the records for the mutations over generations.

SPIN: The species started with purposed organisms, as most do. They were scouting creatures, originally intended to scope out the areas for new cans and sent out in pairs. But that didn’t last long, blame the mass exodus of the Ancients. After that most just stuck around my can and settled in the abandoned buildings.

SPIN: The first generation didn’t have much change, aside from lacking the mechanical parts of their parents. They were very social , although lacked much of the complexity of today. With most relationships only revolving around pairs. They’d started to become much more group focused by the 5-6th generation. Mask complexity also increased with this much more social environment. I hypothesize that this was because they needed this to help distinguish between each other.

SPIN: They also grew bigger, until about the 8th generation when this petered out. This size protected them from the lizards they routinely fought and brought about much more colorful pigmentations.

SPIN: Most major mutations stoped around this time. Probably because the more highly mutable genes had died out. So the ones today look pretty similar to the ones four generations back.

SPIN: Oh, they’re also very long lived. Which is why so few generations have happened since the founding group.

SPIN: I’ll try to get diagrams and references to you sometime soon. They’re just fairly old and buried under all my files so it might take awhile.

[falling4fandoms]

Here is a breakdown of each situation because holy fuck. Most people on this list have serious holes in their case or in their sentencing.

Most evidence and conclusions in this breakdown was either included in the links provided or in the links to their full case on the petition page. All outside research done will be linked here as well. A TLDR will be at the bottom.

Ramiro Gonzales- In Texas one of the fundamental requirements for someone to recieve the death penalty is for them to unanimously deemed a future threat. In Gonzales's case, that decision was made on the judgement of a medical professional who has since recanted his opinion after visiting him in prison and has been actively arguing to take Gonzales off of death row.

Gonzales no longer meets one of the fundamental requirements for a death sentence.

https://texaslawchanges.com/explaining-texas-death-penalty-laws/

Richard Rojem- The entire case is based on circumstantial evidence. Not only that, 3 different DNA tests have failed to place his DNA on the victim or the victims clothing. Rojem is accused of the kidnapping, rape, and murder of his 7yr old stepdaughter in the late 80s. Why is that relevent? At the time the general public did not know a whole lot about how forensics works and for three separate DNA tests to fail to place his DNA in a kidnapping and rape situation that would be fairly hard to accomplish. Impossible? No, but definitly not easy by any means, especially when they were able to find skin cells under the victims nails and on her underwear but couldn't connect any DNA to Rojem.

With all of that said, I couldn't do much farther research into the case. I read through some of the original trial and overview of appeals and it's a lot. DNA isnt the end all be all of cases because of many different variables but this case is weird when it comes to the DNA testing results. I would have liked to do further research but because of the nature of the case I had to stop.

Keith Gavin - Gavin had multiple rights violated both during and before his trial. The trial was not impartial and lawyers refused to pursue reasonably available mitigating evidence that could have influenced the decision. After his 2016 appeal District Judge Bowdre ruled in favor of Gavins claim that his lawyers performance was deficient and prejudiced. Despite this the state appealed the claim and the Circuit court determined Gavin failed to establish evidence of his lawyers failings to be prejudiced. It should also be noted that his execution date was schedule ahead of other inmates on death row that have already exceeded their number of appeals. Farther info including statements can be read here:

https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/ca11/20-11271/20-11271-2022-07-14.html

Arthur Burton - No further comments are provided on the page and I have been unable to find anything compelling or otherwise unusual about the case or the ruling. Below is a link to the most recent appeal on his case that I could find.

https://law.justia.com/cases/texas/court-of-criminal-appeals/2009/18166.html

Marcellus Williams - The conviction largely rested on two testimonies that were inconsistent and had incentives. Recent crime scene testing fails to place Williams at the scene of the crime and has excluded him as the source of DNA on the murder weapon. No court has considered this evidence even though it went back to the Missouri Suprume court in 2017 after the findings were released. On top of that former governor stayed Williams execution based on "powerful DNA evidence" ... that doesn't exist.

https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/news/missouri-court-denies-condemned-prisoner-stay-of-execution-review-of-case-despite-exonerating-dna-evidence

Travis Mullis - No extra information is provided and had to stop farther research due to the nature of the crime and evidence. If anyone else would like to add to this one feel free.

Alan Miller - According to Alabama law Miller shouldn't have bee eligible for the death penalty in the first place as Miller was experiencing delusions due to a disorder at the time of the crime. On top of that, in Sepetember of 2022 Miller faced execution only to be returned to his cell hours later after multiple failed attempts to establish an IV over the course of the time.

TLDR:

Ramiro Gonzales - No longer meets the fundamental requirements for the death penalty in Texas

Richard Rojem - Case is built on circumstantial evidence, three DNA tests have failed to implicate him.

Keith Gavin - Multiple rights were violated I the trial, Circuit Court shot down appeal that had reasonable concern of not assessing all avalible evidence

Arthur Burton - Nothing particularly special or unusual

Marcellus Williams - Convicted on inconsistent testimonies, later forensic testing proved he could not have been the murderer. Lots of fishy proceedings and rejected stays.

Travis Mullis - Research incomplete due to nature of topic

Alan Miller - Alabama lay states that a crime committed due to mental health crisis cannot be sentenced to the death penalty, despite this Miller was.

death row prisoners in the US scheduled to be executed this year: and petitions for clemency

Ramiro Gonzales - Texas - June 26th

Richard Rojem - Oklahoma - June 27th

Ruben Gutierrez - Texas - July 16th

Keith Gavin - Alabama - July 18th

Arthur Burton - Texas - August 7th

Marcellus Williams - Missouri - September 24th

Travis Mullis - Texas - September 24th

Alan Miller - Alabama - September 26th

click each person's name to sign their petition. full list that includes petitions against unscheduled and on-hold executions here. as far as i know you can sign even if you are not located in the US.

[supertaliart]

A continuation of my previous Skywalker Twins comic - feat Yoda part 3

[ot3]

i love the artistic stylings of studio ghibli as much as anyone else does but im kind of sick of anything with like vivid environments and big blue skies being branded as ghibliesque. because its like. you know where else you can hypothetically find some vivid environments with big blue skies? my friend the great and wonderful outdoors are here for you

[bean-spring]

Hot take and not to be a killjoy or the shipping police but people treating Viktor or Jinx's aroace headcanons as if they were canon is not the revolutionary take people think it is.

Headcanons are always all right but we have to acknowledge that they are somehow damaging when they apply to stereotypes. It might not be the case for everyone but most of the time people unconsciously assume that disability/mental illness=asexuality. These headcanons erase the freedom of attraction from people who are already seen as unable to have sexual/romantic experiences/desires, when it's completely untrue and harmful.

You can headcanon Viktor and Jinx as aroace, but I have seen people changing their minds once Viktor is no longer disabled (s2 with all of his other forms) and Jinx is no longer as mentally ill (alternate universe Powder). And it speaks wonders of how people see these characters.

"I never thought about Jinx being able to feel romantic/sexual attraction until s2!" To believe she's actually only capable of that when she's not "damaged" is incredibly disturbing. Especially since Jinx has always had a bit of a flirty personality too.

"I've always seen Viktor as asexual, I don't know why!" That's fine. You can headcanon him as ace. But I believe there is a reason behind it, most of the time, if for some inexplicable reason the "vibes" of the disabled character are making you think he's ace.

I say all of this being aroaspec myself, by the way. Headcanon all you want but going to people's posts commenting how "it's weird for you that they have romantic/sexual plots when they're clearly aroace" is not a win at all. It's a headcanon, after all, and it should be treated as such, and that's fine. But it also is damaging to spread stereotypes like these.

Of course the disabled character is asexual. Of course the mentally ill character is aromantic. It's not as revolutionary as you might think, tbh.

Fandom is not activism and it's all right to have any headcanons you want BUT some of them are filled with damaging stuff and perhaps we should look into ourselves more before treating these assumptions as something canon.

[violent138]

Bruce showing someone his kids' pictures from when they were little: "And this is Jason--"

Jason: "That's a picture of Tim, actually--"

Bruce, fumbling with his wallet: "This is Barbara when she was younger--"

Babs: "Steph isn't even a redhead, how are you messing this up?"

Bruce: "This is Cass--"

Steph: "That's literally a cropped baby picture of you. What are you doing?"

Bruce: "You can't see it fully but this is Alfred with Dick--"

Damian: "That used to be a picture of me and Grandfather."

Bruce: "Here's a picture of Tim."

Batkids: *examining it*

Tim: "That... actually could be anyone."

Damian, simultaneously: "It's not ugly enough for Drake."

Bruce, oblivious to the fight breaking out: "And this is Duke."

Duke, spitting out water when he sees it: "How the hell do you have that?"

Dick: "Well at least he's two for ten."

Jason, going through the photos: "Why are some of these fucking stock photos?"

Dick: "You think that's bad? He's got a picture from the circus with Tim circled in the crowd."

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Happy one year anniversary to In Stars and Time!

[artsymeeshee]

Random idea I got this morning thinking about how small little things (mostly about missing important moments of the past) make the boys emotional and sorrowful.

[bacchuschucklefuck]

typical tavern scene

[friedri-ce]

FORBIDDEN LITERATURE || comic

[mangozic]

🦑

[lotus-pear]

charm stat at debonair ‼️‼️

[sandeewithtwoe]

HAPPY PRIDE MONTH EVERYONE!!