#insufficiently organized crime | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

howtofightwrite · 1 year

Note

Why do some armies, militias, or rebel groups commit war crimes at much higher rates than others? If you're trying to go beyond designating good guys and bad guys by authorial fiat, what are some of the fail-safes you'd want a fictional armed faction to have to minimize their My Lais as much as possible?

So, an important warning on this, I'm mostly writing this off-the-cuff, and I'm not doing a lit review at all. So, if you're looking at this as a scholarly work, please consider this a rough draft at best. Also, somewhat obviously, the subject matter here will get pretty dark.

Unsurprisingly, TW for war crimes, and terrorism. Though, I'll try to keep this clinical.

The short answer is multiple factors with no individual one ever being universally true. I'm going to break down war crimes and atrocities into two general categories: Planned and Unplanned. This is because these spring from distinct factors.

There is another possible dichotomy, distinguishing between war crimes of action, and technically illegal behavior, such as the use of munitions or weapons that are legally prohibited, but are not directly associated with any atrocities. Examples of the latter could include deployment of chemical weapons against valid military targets, or even military buildups in violation of previous armistice treaties. For example: the Bismarckand Tirpitz were floating war crimes, simply by existing, and violating existing treaties (I'm not 100% sure which treaties off hand, and the legal status of these battleships is a little more complicated than I'm suggesting.) In general, I don't think this is what you're looking at, but it's worth remembering that war crimes cover a much wider range of topics that just atrocities committed against civilians.

Planned atrocities are intentionally executed by the faction, these are often deliberate strategies employed by those organizations. This can include things like terrorist attacks, or deliberate targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure to demoralize enemy forces or the civilian population itself, these can also be employed to erode public support for ongoing military actions. Of course, in some cases, the deaths are the primary goal, and any effect on morale is incidental.

Unplanned war crimes and atrocities occur incidentally, often as a result of failures in the chain of command.

This isn't a strict dichotomy, a group may have policies or strategies that can lead to war crimes through insufficient discrimination (in this context, discrimination refers to the concept as it exists in Just War theory/doctrine, which is to say, discriminating between civilian and military targets.) For example, a faction who intentionally bombards military targets in a civilian population center (read, a town or city) would probably fall more on the unplanned side of the spectrum, in contrast to a faction who simply firebombs the entire city.

When it comes to planned atrocities, ideology is probably the biggest factor to consider. Particularly how their ideology regards the people they're killing. This can take a few really horrific turns, but if you have a group with no regard for human life, and no concern for international law, then you're likely to start seeing war crimes coming fast and heavy.

It's easy to simply designate these groups as, “the bad guys,” but that really undersells how subversive some of these thought processes can be. Unfortunately, the line between terrorist and freedom fighter is a question of perspective, and even groups you'd normally be sympathetic to may be responsible for some horrifying acts, which they justify to themselves by othering their victims. (Usually this othering is based on religious, ethnic, or political affiliation. Though, it can be any combination of the three.) A group of rebels may not have any qualms about “collaborators” getting caught in their attack, even if those people are considered guilty by simple proximity.

A classic examination of this is Battle of Algiers (1966), it's an excellent film, and absolutely worth the watch if you've never seen it.

Unplanned atrocities and war crimes can often lead back to two compounding factors: discipline and morale.

Discipline comes with a massive, “citation needed,” sticker, because it's not completely predictive. Nominally, well disciplined armies can engage in unplanned war crimes. Some of this ties into the second factor, morale, but some of it is independent of that.

Some of the difficulty with discipline is opportunistic crimes (such as looting), which can then spiral out into worse atrocities. In these cases, you're looking at the individual discipline and morale of each soldier combined with a lot of contextual factors, but that doesn't translate smoothly into a generalized model.

The simple model would be that low discipline forces are more likely to engage in opportunistic crimes. They're more likely to evaluate their current situation in relation to how it can potentially benefit them, and when you combine that with the chaos of war, it is a recipe for unplanned atrocities.

Morale is a little more complicated than discipline. In theory, troops who are suffering from low morale are more likely to engage in unplanned atrocities. (While it's a gross oversimplification of the background factors, this is an apt description for the Mỹ Lai Massacre. Nominally disciplined soldiers, suffering from flagging morale, who incorrectly identified the villages' civilian population as collaborators, and started murdering people.)

However, in practice, morale can be a double edged sword, low morale creates a real risk of soldiers ignoring orders for personal gain, or engaging in illegal behavior out of desperation, however, a sharp increase in morale can also result in lapses leading to criminal activities. The primary example of this would be victory looting (which is a war crime, in case that was unclear.)

In theory, morale and discipline should slot together fairly cleanly to create a single spectrum, but the reality is a lot messier.

In the case of many irregular groups (such as militias, resistance groups, and rebels), the actual forces will be a coalition of different groups that may not see eye to eye on things. In this environment, it's basically impossible to effectively police the different factions within the group. And, unfortunately, history shown that these kinds of coalitions tend to purge their less radical members as they consolidate their power. (The only case I can think of where the radical and terrorist elements were shed by the more mainstream factions would be the IRA. In almost every other case, victory filters for the most ruthless.)

Importantly, coalitions like this tend to be regarded as a single entity by non-members, with the actions of each individual group reflecting on the coalition as a whole. The major exception here is with advanced analysis, where someone who is very well versed in the political or strategic details may be able to explain the different groups and how they fit together. But, for general public opinion, the coalition may as well be a single faction.

Coalitions like this are almost certain to have members who have no qualms about civilian casualties, either due to indifference to collateral deaths, or by identifying civilians as acceptable targets. This can cause problems for these groups as they alienate less radical members of the population. In extreme cases this can even result in recruiting difficulties, and the terroristic elements can cause problems for any peaceful negotiations with outside powers.

These terroristic elements, and atrocities in general, can bolster support against a faction. In some cases, these radical elements can become more of a detriment to the coalition as a whole than its real foe.

If you're hoping for a way to prevent this, there really isn't one. These kinds of coalitions are, “opt-in.” Worse, some radical elements are likely to spin up from existing members. In theory, these internal radicals can be a discipline issue, but in some kind of rebel group, they really won't have the resources to fight a war on multiple fights, especially not against themselves while their, “real,” foe is hunting them.

Radicalized organizations (whether they're part of a coalition or not) are also dangerous to their, “allies.” This is because they can provoke an escalated response from their foes. In many cases, if a group has proven that they're willing to deliberately target civilians, it will provoke a more severe response from their foes. That can come in the form of simple retaliation strikes, or could result in enhanced security and greater scrutiny. Finally, these organizations can provoke the emergence of radicalized organizations among their foes. For example, an renegade rebel cell with no qualms about civilian casualties could become the justification for an authoritarian regime's military to create death squads and deploy them in territory that the rebels operate in, taking a scorched earth approach.

While it's not frequently discussed in fiction, cultural differences can also result in, unintentional hostilities, which can also provoke escalation. At the very least, this can provoke resentment against foreign forces, which ensures that any rebel group would have a continual supply or recruits.

So, the original question you asked was, “how do I avoid this?” And, unfortunately, the answer is, “you don't.” Wars are horrific and messy, and unfortunately, the only way to avoid these kinds of horrors is if everyone agrees to, “play by the same rules.” In an asymmetrical war (such as with a rebellion or resistance), that's not possible. The, “legitimate,” government wouldn't view the rebels as a legitimate military force, and if the rebels operated openly they'd be arrested and executed. From there, the fuse is set.

-Starke

This blog is supported through Patreon. Patrons get access to new posts three days early, and direct access to us through Discord. If you’d like to support us, please consider becoming a Patron.

#how to fight write #Starke answers #tw war crimes #tw terrorism #writing advice #writing reference #writing tips

176 notes · View notes

abigail-pent · 7 months

Text

I'm just like. Absolutely sick about everything that's going on over there. And I do mean everything: both the pogrom and the looming ethnic cleansing. I'm sick at the loss of life, the terror, the everything. The certainty that this is the beginning of something terrible. I'm also sick at the callousness I've seen from people on the left (particularly in my former grad student union) and their eagerness to celebrate the pogrom, even before there was retaliation by Israel. I'm sick at the personal and ad hominem attacks against left-leaning Jews who say "hey maybe *all* the war crimes are bad and *none* of them should be celebrated and *all* of them should be stopped" by others on the left who take that statement to mean that we are like insufficiently knowledgeable or sympathetic to the plight of civilians in Gaza. I'm sick of atrocities being committed in my name (by the right-wing Israeli government) and other atrocities being celebrated in my name (by left-leaning "civil" society organizations). I'm sick of being asked "well how would YOU solve this intractable global conflict" by people parroting bloodthirsty rhetoric, and answering "well obviously I don't know, but certainly not with mass murder!"

I go through every day with two things in my head. The first is the breathless and panicked thought that "he's going to do it. he's going to kill them all. and he's so embarrassed by the way the weakness of his government was revealed by the pogrom that I really don't think there's anything that can convince him to stop." The second is that Hillel poem:

"If I am not for myself, who will be for me?

If I am only for myself, who am I?

If not now, when?"

21 notes · View notes

nocturnalazure · 8 months

Text

Bold the Facts

Tagged specifically for Anh by @kimmiessimmies, thank you lovely!💖

Anh's profile is very similar to a certain someone... with a few notable exceptions.

[ PERSONAL]

$ Financial: wealthy / moderate / poor / in poverty ✚ Medical: fit / moderate / sickly / disabled / disadvantaged / non applicable (NB: she's got a slow metabolism which makes it too easy for her to gain weight and primary ovarian insufficiency which seriously lowers her chances to have children) ✪ Class or Caste: upper / middle / working / unsure / other (NB: her family is influential all the way up to Shang Simla) ✔ Education: qualified / unqualified / studying / other (college dropout) ✖ Criminal Record: yes, for major crimes / yes, for minor crimes / no / has committed crimes, but not caught yet / yes, but charges were dismissed (NB: having a criminal record would be the end of everything for her)

[ FAMILY]

◒ Children: had a child or children / has no children / wants children ◑ Relationship with Family: close with sibling / not close with sibling(s) / has no siblings / sibling(s) is deceased ◔ Affiliation: orphaned / adopted / disowned / raised by birth parents / not applicable

[ TRAITS + TENDENCIES]

♦ extroverted / introverted / in between ♦ disorganized / organized / in between ♦ close minded / open-minded / in between (NB: she tends to have her own views and personally stick to them, but she's also open to different opinions) ♦ calm / anxious / in between (NB: still waters run deep...) ♦ disagreeable / agreeable / in between (NB: as Laurie very well knows) ♦ cautious / reckless / in between ♦ patient / impatient / in between (NB: she tends to lean towards impatient, but she knows that some situations require calm and composure) ♦ outspoken / reserved / in between (NB: she speaks her mind but she's very cautious about sharing anything personal) ♦ leader / follower / in between (NB: and she will fight tooth and nail for that position) ♦ empathetic / vicious bastard / in between ♦ optimistic / pessimistic / in between ♦ traditional / modern / in between (NB: she's actually more modern than traditional, but traditions are so important in her family that she can't just ditch them completely) ♦ hard-working / lazy / in between ♦ cultured / uncultured / in between / unknown ♦ loyal / disloyal / unknown ♦ faithful / unfaithful / unknown

[ BELIEFS]

★ Faith: monotheist / polytheist / atheist / agnostic (NB: none of these apply, her family is confucianist) ☆ Belief in Ghosts or Spirits: yes / no / don’t know / don’t care ✮ Belief in an Afterlife: yes / no / don’t know / don’t care ✯ Belief in Reincarnation: yes / no / don’t know / don’t care ❃ Belief in Aliens: yes / no / don’t know / don’t care ✧ Religious: orthodox / liberal / in between / not religious ❀ Philosophical: yes / no

[ SEXUALITY & ROMANTIC INCLINATION ]

❤ Sexuality: heterosexual / homosexual / bisexual / asexual / pansexual ❥ Sex: sex repulsed / sex neutral / sex favorable / naive and clueless ♥ Romance: romance repulsed / romance neutral / romance favorable / naive and clueless / romance suspicious (NB: yes, all that at the same time! She wants and she doesn't. She is mostly scared.) ❣ Sexually: adventurous / experienced / naive / inexperienced / curious ⚧ Potential Sexual Partners: male / female / agender / other / none / all ⚧ Potential Romantic Partners: male / female / agender / other / none / all

[ ABILITIES ]

☠ Combat Skills: excellent / good / moderate / poor / none (NB: she did receive some martial arts training so she's not totally helpless) ≡ Literacy Skills: excellent / good / moderate / poor / none ✍ Artistic Skills: excellent / good / moderate / poor / none ✂ Technical Skills: excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

[ HABITS ]

☕ Drinking Alcohol: never / special occasions / sometimes / frequently / alcoholic ☁ Smoking: tried it / trying to quit / quit / never / rarely / sometimes / frequently / chain-smoker ✿ Recreational Drugs: never / special occasions / sometimes / frequently / addict ✌ Medicinal Drugs: never / no longer needs medication / some medication needed / frequently / to excess (NB: she's tried appetite suppressants and food supplements) ☻ Unhealthy Food: never / special occasions / sometimes / frequently / binge eater (NB: Anh's relationship with food is complicated - she has her phases) $ Splurge Spending: never / sometimes / frequently / shopaholic (NB: her family is rich but she hates spending money) ♣ Gambling: never / rarely / sometimes / frequently / compulsive gambler

#sims 3 story #character development #anh wong #tagged

21 notes · View notes

skrunksthatwunk · 4 months

Text

yakuza: dead souls - american vibes, bigass guns, and why zombies are super weird to have in ryu ga gotoku thematically/ideologically speaking

so i've been playing dead souls recently (hell yeah hell yeah hell yeah) and although i'm having the time of my life with it, there was something about it that kinda felt off to me, and i think i've figured out what it was, but i'm gonna have to walk you through a bit of my thought process to get there.

my first instinct was that it felt... american? and upon further examination i think that boils down to a couple of things:

everyone suddenly has lots of guns and also way way bigger guns

high emphasis on individual heroism (this itself is quite typical for rgg, but it manifests differently here; more on that in a bit)

military/government incompetence, which must be solved by the right individuals having the biggest and bestest guns

[for the sake of transparency i will note that my experience with zombie media is pretty limited and skews american (and i myself am american), so that may create bias. however, the 'this feels american to me' instinct is a rare one for me even in genres where i have seen little/no non-american media, so i think the fact that it did occur to me is notable. what about dead souls triggered that response when little else has? that's why i examined it and, truthfully, i think there's merit in the idea itself.]

the first point is pretty self-explanatory. america's got more guns than it does people, and its gun worship is infamous. japan's ban on guns (aided by its being an island state) means there's far fewer guns in the country, as well as far fewer people with guns (and likely far fewer guns per gun owner, excepting arms dealers/smugglers) than somewhere without such a ban. obviously, there are guns anyway. due to their illegality they are clustered within the criminal population, which explains their presence within organized crime within the series. very few guns will be sitting around in the homes of otherwise law-abiding citizens.

and yet, when the zombie outbreak hits kamurocho, plenty of civilians suddenly have access to quite an arsenal. everyone has the knowledge they need to aim, fire, and reload smoothly and quickly; ammo is infinite for certain guns. characters we've never seen using firearms before suddenly have shotguns under their couches (looking at you, majima). it's not only very different from reality, it's very different from guns' place within the series up until this point, when they were limited weapons used primarily by the enemy.

and they're making a zombie shooter, so of course they would have to do this. it has to be unrealistic to be simultaneously in this setting and in this genre, in the same way that yakuza solving their problems with bareback fistfights instead of guns is itself both unrealistic and necessary to being the kinds of games rgg are.

my point is that this is a kind of focus on and valorization of gun ownership and competency unusual for the series and setting. further, it serves as an argument for why an armed, competent populace is crucial typical in american media.

which brings us to the third point (we'll get to 2 in a minute). guns are often marketed as self-defense weapons. the implication is that the government's defense of the individual (via law enforcement or the military, but particularly the former), are insufficient. this is objectively true. if someone pulls a gun on you at the gas station, will a cop manifest out of thin air to intercede? no. that's impossible. but if you have a gun, or if some bystander has a gun, you or they may be able to do something with that gun to stop the armed person. thus, there is an undeniable gap in the effective immediacy of such responses.

many gun advocates also point to the incompetence or insufficiency of law enforcement, even when they are present to stop an armed aggressor. the fact that law enforcement do not have a 100% success rate in protecting the citizenry is also objectively true.

so, when you are in danger, arming yourself increases your chances of being able to put down (or at least take armed action against) a present or potential threat. whether it is viewed it as a supplement to or a replacement for law enforcement, it is meant to make up for the shortcomings of the government's ability to completely protect all its citizens. it's a safety net for state failure.

back to dead souls. rgg has always centered political corruption in its stories, including politicians, the police, and sometimes even the military, though usually the former two. sometimes this is treated sympathetically (i.e. tanimura, a dirty cop, whose dirty-cop-ness allows him to work outside/against the law to help disadvantaged people, not unlike how kiryu views being a yakuza), and other times it's simply a matter of greed or lust for power (i.e. jingu).

however, something that's almost never touched on so clearly is government incompetence. when the government fails to help people or hurts them or does corrupt things, it's usually due to a competent, malicious bad apple who is removed from power by the end of the game. this implies holes in the system because it keeps happening all the time, but that's on a series-wide scale, a pattern ignored by the series in favor of the individual game solution of "this guy's gone now :) yay".

but in dead souls, the SDF's barracades fall, their men are killed, they are unable to help protect the people outside or inside the quarantine zone. they are weak in a way the government usually isn't in these games. and who is stronger than them? our individual good guys with guns. so we need to be armed because the government is weak and can't protect us. boom. america.

returning to point 2, i'd like to say that dead souls is not particularly more individualistic than any of the other games in the series (other than, perhaps, y7). rgg is an incredibly individualistic series, actually. its protagonists are usually men who defy, oppose, and skirt around the law as a way of helping others and doing what is truly right (with a few exceptions, like shinada and haruka). the romanticized view of the yakuza as a force for helping the community in the face of government incompetence is a real one, and one that tends to manifest itself most in kiryu and how the series treats him. it shows us yakuza who aren't willing to kill, yakuza who cry about honor and justice and humanity and brotherhood, yakuza who never dip their hands into less palatable crimes, or only do with intense regret (and only ever as part of their backstory). the beat-em-up style emphasizes this as well. i mean, what's more individualistic than a one-man army?

put more clearly, this series is about men defying legal and social laws and expectations to live in a way that feels right to them, and about making themselves strong enough to combat those who would get in their way. the individual is placed before the society in importance, (though generally in a way that benefits the community, because they are good guys who want to use that agency and power for good).

all of this is true in dead souls as well, technically. those who live on the outskirts of society are the ones who actually save the day, and the ones who go in there and save people rather than just walling them off and pretending like they don't exist. they have the guns, which are illegal and mark them as criminals, but this broken law is what gives them the power to save themselves when the government will not, and to save their community if they so choose.

where dead souls differs is in the nature of that strength.

rgg places a lot of emphasis on self-improvement, both of one's body and of one's character. do both of these, and you will be strong enough to back up your ambitions. what allows someone to carve their own path in life is the ability to put down ideological and physical resistance by having resolve and the ability to tiger drop whoever won't be swayed by your impassioned speeches. you make yourself a weapon. you make yourself strong. in dead souls, that strength comes from an external, material possession. strength is something you buy (or that you take from someone else). who is able to survive the apocalypse comes not from the heart, nor from rigorous training, but from who has the most, the biggest, and the most bestest guns. it's an intersection of capitalism, militarization, and individualism. simply, deeply american.

[when i was talking myself through this a few days ago, i spent a lot more time on the capitalism + individualism stuff, but i think i'll keep this moving. consider this aside the intermission]

dead souls also differs for a few other interlocking reasons. it can be described with this equation:

zombification of enemies + lethality of guns = loss of emphasis on redemption

if your best friend turned into a zombie, could you shoot them? or your child? or your lover? it's a common trope, but it's a damn good one. watching your family, your neighbors, your town, everyone turn into a husk of themselves, something that looks like them but cannot be reached, is deeply tragic. it's even more tragic when these husks are trying to kill you. unable to be reasoned with and unable to be cured, you must incapacitate them before someone innocent is hurt--or hurt, then themselves made dangerous; each loss adds to the number of threats surrounding you. your life is seen as more valuable than that of your zombified friend, not only because the zombie is attacking you and it's self defense, but because they are no longer a person to you. to be a zombie is to no longer be human; zombification is dehumanization.

and so in a series so focused on connection with one's community, on saving innocent civilians, often on saving kamurocho specifically, one would expect similar tropes to occur. even if one's friends aren't turned, perhaps the cashier at poppo you chat with sometimes is. it's the destruction of that community and of the members one has tertiary relationships with that i expect would occur most within a kamurocho zombie story, since they are likely unwilling to axe anyone more important than that, even if dead souls isn't canon. i'd especially expect to see that in the beginning, before the need to kill zombies rather than contain or redeem them becomes apparent.

this does not happen.

i cannot speak for the entire game, but i can speak of gameplay choices that affect this, and ones i think will not be subverted throughout, even if they are somewhat contradicted by plot events i am presently unaware of.

kamurocho is not a community to protect, nor is it filled with your fellows. it is a playground filled with infinitely respawning, infinitely mow-downable, infinitely disposable zombies. you are meant and encouraged to kill them by the thousands, and never to hesitate or consider whether they may be cured or who may be mourning them. who may be unable to identify their loved one because you were trying to reach a headshot goal from hasegawa. you are not meant to consider them as human, nor beings that were once human, nor beings that could be human again, in the eyes of the zombie shooter. they are merely bodies, targets, and obstacles.

the zombies are contrasted with the true humans, those barricading themselves within the quarantine zone or those living in ignorance outside it. humans are meant to be saved, zombies are meant to be killed. the player character is the only one who can truly help with either of these goals, because the other humans are cowardly, ignorant, or unarmed/helpless. you must be their savior. to be a savior is to eliminate zombies, who are less than human.

the black and white nature of this is also emphasized by another gameplay characteristic: the lack of street encounters. when you traverse the peaceful parts of kamurocho, you are never attacked. you are also never directly attacked by the humans within the quarantine zone. kamurocho feels very different without its muggers and hooligans, but it's because this is a zombie shooter, not a beat-em-up. in a normal rgg title, you'd subdue threats by punching, kicking, and throwing them. you'd use your body in (supposedly) nonlethal ways. dead souls does not have a combat system meant for civilians. you have your guns. you subdue threats by shooting them, preferably lethally. the game doesn't want you to do that to humans, so you never fight humans. this furthers the black and white divide between the salvation-worthy, noble humans and the death-worthy, worthless zombies. combat is only lethal, and only used against the inherent other.

this leads me to the part of dead souls i find most conflicting with the ethos of rgg broadly, and perhaps its greatest ideological/thematic failing.

because the enemy are incurable, dangerous, and inhuman, you must kill them to protect yourself and others, others who are still human. humanity is something that is lost or preserved, but never regained. once someone's gone, they're gone, and you not only must kill them, it is your duty and your right to kill them. you should kill them.

in dead souls, there is no redeeming the enemy.

and that's a big problem.

rgg is about a lot of things, but a key one is the ability of people to change for the better. its most memorable, beloved villains are those who see the light by the end and change their wicked ways (usually through some form of redemptive suicide, though that's another essay in itself). its pantheon of characters is full of those who come from questionable backgrounds struggling to be the best people they can be, to live as themselves authentically and compassionately. it's about the good and the love you can find in the moral and legal gray zones of life/society, and the potential/capacity for good all of us have, no matter how far we may have fallen. it is a hopeful series. it is a merciful series.

this is something bolstered by its gameplay. countless substories are resolved by punching a lesson into someone until they improve their behavior, either out of fear or genuine remorse/development. the games don't just discourage killing your enemies, they don't allow you to (yes, we've all seen the "kiryu hasn't killed anybody? umm. look at this heat action" stuff before, and while they've got a point, i believe it's the narrative's intent that none of this is actually lethal, based on how laxly it treats certain plot injuries (cough cough. y7 bartender) and the actual concept of taking a life, the gravity it is given by the text, particularly when it comes to characters crossing that threshold into someone who has killed. explicit killing is not an option open to you, even when you're being attacked by dozens and dozens of armed men. conflicts are resolved by simply beating up enough guys in this nonlethal manner.

but dead souls is a shooter. to avoid conflict with the series' moral qualms about letting its characters kill, the enemies cannot be human. furthermore, the zombie shooter genre can only fit within the series if its zombies are completely inhuman. this means their pasts as humans cannot be acknowledged, nor the possibility of a cure, nor the characters' own potential conflicts about killing them; or, at least, not in a way that impedes their or the player's ability to gun them down afterwards.

if you can't kill humans in your series, then it cannot be possible to save (in this case, rehumanize) zombies. this is especially true in a game where you are unable to fight humans, and thus human lives are universally more valuable than zombie lives. because if you kill a zombie that can be cured, you are, in a way, killing a human.

and so, in a series where you should always assume your enemies (and everyone, for that matter) are capable of reason, compassion, change, and redemption, and where they are always worth that effort, even if they reject it in the end, dead souls' enemies are irredeemable and only worth swift, stylish slaughter. there are only good guys and bad guys. good guys must be protected, lest they be turned irreversibly into bad guys. good guys are only protected by killing bad guys, and the only way to save good guys is to kill every last one of the bad guys. do not spare them, and do not ask whether or not it's right. only kill.

i love dead souls. it's a silly game. i like seeing daigo in decoy-drag and majima gleefully cartwheeling his way through zombies and ryuji with his giant gun arm prosthetic. it's fun. but when i was trying to figure out what felt off about it to me, one of the words that came to mind (besides american) was indulgent. that, too, felt odd, because i love indulgent media. i am not one to scorn decadent, hedonistic, beautiful high-calorie slop type media. if dead souls was just fan servicey, that wouldn't really bother me. i am a fan and boy do i feel serviced. it rocks. but i think my problem is in what dead souls is indulging.

i think dead souls indulges in the desire to cut loose, and to see these characters cut loose. thing is, they're cutting loose all over kamurocho, and all over the bodies of people they used to (at least in concept) care for. with lethal weapons. it is catharsis via bloodbath, not by pushing your body and mind to the limit in man to man combat, but by pulling a trigger before the other guy can hurt you, or even think about hurting you, for the crime of existing as the wrong kind of thing.

and i just don't think that's in line with rgg's beliefs.

yes, it's probably fair for dead souls' characters to kill zombies. i'm not against that. i'm also not against games letting you do purposeless violence. i spent a good amount of my elementary school years killing oblivion npcs for shits, like. that's not what bothers me about dead souls.

rgg as a series has always taken a hard stance in both its game design and narrative choices against killing and for the potential for redemption in its enemies. and i think the lengths to which it goes to promote that despite the probably-lethal moves you do and the improbability of a harmless do-gooder yakuza is one of the most endearing things about the games. so for this one entry to disregard that key theme for the sake of a genre shift that flopped super hard, well? i dunno. it feels weird i guess. it's out of place not just because it's a dramatic shift in gameplay and style and also zombies are only a thing here (and the supernatural/fantastical are thus only prominent here), but because of what those shifts imply.

so, uh. yeah. my pre-dead-souls thoughts that dead souls wasn't that out of pocket bc rgg's just kinda weird? turns out it was actually super weird to have a zombie shooter in there, but for way way deeper reasons than anyone gives it credit for.

(footnotes in tags)

#1) i deemphasized the physicality of shooting to emphasize my points about the viscerality and personal nature of rgg #brawls and the colder more detached nature of gun use relative to that but i do NOT mean that shooting has no physical component to it #obviously it takes a lot of skill to shoot quickly and accurately and lugging a bigass gun around kamurocho would tucker me out for sure #2) no i don't think all those things i said were american were usa-exclusive. it's a big world out there. i'm just saying those things #combined feel like a particularly american flavor of thing to me #3) there's probably more to be said about the connection between wanton killing and american styling or anti-immigration theming in zombie #stories or dead souls But i figured that was a bit too disconnected to the funny zombie game. this shit was a lot anyway y'know?#4) also i don't think most of this was intentional on the part of rgg studios. i genuinely think they just wanted to make a fun zombie #shooter and didnt really think about it all that hard. whenever you make smth there's gonna be implications you never considered. it happen #5) is it ballsy to write a giant essay on a game i'm like 1/4 the way through? yes. i've done smarter things. i'll revisit it when im done #if i'm wrong then i'll figure it out probably. but like. i don't think they'd set up the hasegawa objective stuff or have akiyama just #unflinchingly start shooting zombies and then later challenge that. we'll see but my hopes aren't high y'know? i know rgg #6) i should also clarify that violent catharsis is a) a part of all rgg games and b) cool as hell. it's the lethal bit that doesn't fit with #the series y'know?#rgg #ryu ga gotoku #yakuza #like a dragon #yakuza dead souls #dead souls #classic skrunk 4 hr middle of the night impulse essay hooorayy

15 notes · View notes

devilfruitdyke · 4 months

Text

ok i realized i would have been derailing a post with this but the brain does not fucking stop developing at 25. the study this figure comes from is bunk.

from a contemporary nbc news article that agrees with this figure, despite knowing that the researchers never fucking bothered to study anyone over 26 (and then rounded it because 25 was a more satisfying number)

[ID: text that says "The study, which is ongoing, involves scanning the brains of 2,000 people ages 4 through 26 using magnetic resonance imaging, a radiation-free tool that permits researchers to view the organs of healthy people in minute detail." end ID.]

even if this glorified piece of trivia was actually true, using it in policy does real-world harm.

from my favorite nih article, linked below the cut

[ID: text that says "Although such research is currently underway, many neuroscientists argue that empirical support for a causal relationship between neuromaturational processes and real-world behavior is currently lacking [4]. Despite the lack of empirical evidence, there has been increasing pressure to bring adolescent brain research to bear on adolescent health-and-welfare policy. For example, in the policy process, adolescent brain immaturity has been used to make the case that teens should be considered less culpable for crimes they commit; however, parallel logic has been used to argue that teens are insufficiently mature to make autonomous choices about their reproductive health [5]." end ID.]

that article is from 2009, but for a current example, look at usamerican republican presidential candidate vivek ramaswamy

[ID: text that says "There needs to be some civic experience you need to have gone through in order to actually vote,' Ramaswamy said. 'That experience could be living seven years as an adult and voting at age 25. That experience could be direct service to the country or some first responder service,'" end ID.]

it isnt a radical position to parrot the same shit that this man wants for his country. child labor is still evil because the ruling class is expanding its cache of people to exploit, not because the wage slaves' prefrontal cortexes haven't finished cooking. if you think people with 'underdeveloped' brains aren't fit for the privileges of being a legal adult, you should stop talking before you get to your position on disabled people.

#ok . good night tri state area #JUSTT kidding i have 2 paintings to do No sleep 🤙#id added #please reblog this it means a lot to me. and no one else honestly

5 notes · View notes

beartrice-inn-unnir · 10 months

Note

👋 for the book reader asks: 3, 7, and 12?

3. What’s something you read recently and wanted to argue with (either with the book or the author or the fans)?

Maybe the Library at Mount Char - I liked it a lot, but I have a whole collection of books I call “Books about Libraries that are really Private Archives”. LaMC is only the most recent addition that I’ve read.

And it’s true, for a long long time up to the very recent past, libraries were usually private collections of resources which were only available to small affiliated groups. The Public Library is recent idea and the huge swathe of public social services the average (American) Public Library provides shouldn’t fall entirely on this one underfunded organization that can have insufficient training in social work etc. See this excellent Vocational Awe article for more info.

But I still want to read a book with a magical library that’s open to the public, that provides services and educational events, that supports its community, but isn’t hard to find. I really love a lot of these magical private library books, but the ubiquity of access is really important to the modern library (in some places anyway), and I’d love to read something that shows that someday.

5. What book do you love but usually not recommend because it’s weird or intense, etc?

I utterly adore Katherine Addison’s The Witness for the Dead, but it’s so hard to describe (and, as a result, to recommend) - the setting is so lush and the characters are such a product of their setting and life-experiences. It’s a non-violent crime novel. It’s very religious and spiritual. There might be werewolves. There are murderous ghouls. There’s opera and air-ships. It’s a detective novel. It’s a political thriller. It’s slow-moving and deeply kind. The protagonist is having a very long week. It’s only 232 pages long.

12. What book have you re-read most often?

I pick up Connie Willis’s To Say Nothing of the Dog whenever I need a break from other things in life, so probably every few months on the outside 😹 I love that if I ever don’t understand what’s happening, the protagonist understands even less than I do. He’s overtired and overworked, and it’s made him into a soppy romantic who keeps mishearing people but is too polite to ask for clarification. I relate.

Robin McKinley’s The Blue Sword and Tamora Piece’s In The Hand of the Goddess are two other comfort rereads that I have as audiobooks, so they probably are the stories I’ve read/heard the most often by sheer numbers.

#reader asks #the library at mount char #Scott Hawkins #books about libraries #the witness for the dead #katherine addison #to say nothing of the dog #connie willis #the blue sword #robin mckinley #in the hands of the goddess #tamora pierce

12 notes · View notes

allbeendonebefore · 11 months

Text

“For all of that, the notion that Alberta’s politics stifles all dissent, or made queer life impossible was not historically accurate. This research illustrates how the largely middle-class activists and organizers strove to make it safe... to be queer in Edmonton. And it makes plain how much further they had to go than their peers in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.” “It is suggestive of the challenges of being queer in Edmonton that so much energy and resources went into counselling individuals struggling with their sexual orientation and negotiating the commensurate identities issues.”

this is very hard hitting to me because waking up today in this reality was an ordeal. but it makes me think a lot.

i don’t want to glamourize or valourize the difficulty of being queer in the “tough” city too much because i don’t want to fall into the trap of queer life in edmonton = suffering only but. at the same time it makes me reflect a lot on how i’ve perceived and chosen to personify and characterize my city (is it mine yet? has it always been?) in art over the years and so rambles about that follow

i designed Ed in sub-rural high school a few years after returning to Canada from post 9/11 midwestern America when i was filled with this dissatisfaction of being "home” only to discover that my life was matching next to none of the imagined past i had growing up in Edmonton, and trying to reconcile the gap between this mythical multicultural utopia in the Big City just out of my reach that existed only in my memory and this growing awareness of the rest of Canada looking down on us as a province and as a city- as I discovered firsthand in a rural k-9 school (which even this past year was subject to a horrific hate crime), this was not an entirely undeserved reputation.

of course during this time i was dealing with several battles that didn’t occur to me until later as having any real impact on who i was: all my classmates assuming upon barely interacting with me that i was a lesbian on the grounds of not admitting to liking anyone Ever; being referred to as “that” because my gender expression was considered deviant by my peers; grappling with the sexual deviance associated with hobbies at the time that were far far far from the mainstream at this point (anime and online social networks! gasp); protesting bill 44 without a second thought as to how people would perceive me after; coming out as asexual to relative strangers in a time where there were still only 2.5 orientations and identities barely spoken aloud; and graduating (finally!) into Big City University where I was struggling to reconcile things like being a notorious atheist completely against religious fundamentalism with my Not a Sexuality TM with my Yaoi is for Perverts Which I Am Not with my Feminism is Too Political For Me and so on and so forth.

(so you can see why when i was stepping between ultra religious conservative alberta and weird lefty university life i made these characters somewhat ironically with all the yaoi tropes and demanded that they not be shipped together. lmao. what was i thinking honestly. was it a challenge for others or for me? was it the start of a dialogue or the end of one?)

and sequestered as i was in my little southside university life a certain born and raised Edmontonian from an inner city north side school background, as desperate to escape the city as i was to be repatriated to it, decided this was insufficient and thrust me into directly confronting the fears and anxieties i had picked up through osmosis of Scary Downtown Edmonton. It’s not really a coincidence that the two major changes in Ed’s design (his queerness and his Indigeneity) happened at northside transit stops, both at night, in the company of the incorrigible quatschmachen). I remember us joking about Ed as “the gay cousin” after a particular journey to a discount theatre with a distinct sketchy reputation just a hop skip and a jump from the industrial, uh, charm of the meat packing plants and Belvedere LRT station and, naturally, it stuck. The myth in my head was beginning to grasp onto the realities that I had once been disenchanted by and was desperate to cover up. And it stuck.

And it stuck and I spent a long time “justifying” it in my head, because you have to remember up until this point that personifying a place with any “difference” (in ethnicity, ability, etc) or acknowledging the real struggles of being queer in a place outside of the sacrilegiously gay-and-silly and yes subversive heta-verse... it wasn’t acceptable in fandom. It was rarely done and when it was it was often met with extremely virulent hostility, hostility in similar-but-different ways to the hostility i faced for accidentally expressing “difference” that I didn’t realize I was expressing in rural backwater Alberta.

And it stuck and suddenly it became a gateway into this secret untold history of the city.

And maybe I will write more about that as my research progresses. but there you go, a little insight into why I designed Ed the way I did and why I’ve upheld that particular characterization for all these years. And now a decade after designing him exist the citations to back up my choices, on one hand, and the resolve to keep fighting, to keep writing that history in spite of these odds that look insurmountable from the outside.

it’s tough being the tough city but the battles are worth fighting. and that’s why i do what i do.

#hapo rambles #ed notes #hapo reads canadian history #hapo reads queer history #personal hapo

14 notes · View notes

mariacallous · 1 year

Text

(New York Jewish Week) — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a new “hate and bias prevention unit” to combat antisemitism and other forms of hate on Monday.

The unit will include public education and outreach efforts, a “rapid response team” to assist communities affected by a bias or hate incident, and regional councils where community members can share concerns, host events and conduct training, among other functions.

Hochul’s announcement came during a 90-minute conference held by the Orthodox Union at Manhattan’s Lincoln Square Synagogue to discuss the rise of antisemitism. The event also featured Sen. Chuck Schumer, New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas.

Hochul said that the new prevention unit will be implemented statewide and embedded in the Division of Human Rights. “It’s not just going to be sitting in a bureaucratic office,” Hochul said, adding the new unit will also be used as “an early warning system.”

“We can be in the prevention business, by educating people as to what the signs are,” Hochul said. “I’m going to make sure that this organization is actually an effective instrument for change.”

The new unit will also mobilize support to “areas and communities in which a bias incident has occurred,” according to a press release from the governor’s office.

The new regional councils will be organized by the Division of Human Rights.

Hochul’s announcement follows her signing of a bill in late November that requires mandatory hate crime prevention training for individuals convicted of hate crimes.

The state also made $50 million available to strengthen security measures at organizations at risk of hate crimes, as well as $46 million in federal funding for 240 such organizations across the state.

The New York Police Department reported that antisemitic attacks in the city in November 2022 last month were up by 125% when compared to the same month last year.

Also, a report from the Anti-Defamation Leage counted 2,717 antisemitic incidents across the country in 2021 — a 34% increase from the previous year, and the highest since it began tracking in 1979.

During the Monday morning conference, Adams reiterated what he said last week about building up a pipeline of new relationships between the Black and Jewish community to combat hate. He also said that “there should be a no plea bargaining rule” when it comes to hate crimes.

“I don’t believe we have one person who has been arrested for a hate crime that served time in jail,” Adams said. “That is unacceptable. That sends the wrong message.” (An analysis earlier this year by The City news site found that between 2015 and 2020, only 87 cases, or 15% of hate crime arrests, resulted in a hate crime conviction.)

Sen. Schumer warned about the “dramatic resurgence of antisemitism” and called out former President Donald Trump for having dinner last month with Kanye West, the rapper who has shared a torrent of antisemitism in recent weeks, and white supremacist and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes.

“Rather than apologize afterwards, [Trump] lectures American Jewish leaders for insufficient loyalty,” Schumer said, referring to remarks Trump made Friday on his social media platform, Truth Social. “It is incumbent on all of us to speak out.”

Schumer said added that antisemitism is “seeping into our society” from not only the far right, but also the far left. “I must say that some, certainly not all, of the anti-Israel sentiment among some here in this country seeps right over into antisemitism,” he said.

The Orthodox Union’s managing director, Maury Litwack, who introduced the mayor and governor at the event, told the New York Jewish Week that the conference wasn’t just about denouncing antisemitism but included “concrete actions.” “This is about tachlis,” Litwack said, using the Yiddish expression meaning “brass tacks.” “It’s not enough to simply say ‘denounce this.’ Each elected official has a responsibility. Like so many other communities, it’s our job to step and have that conversation.”

Major players from leading New York Jewish organizations attended the event, including Agudath Israel of America, UJA-Federation of New York, the Community Security Initiative, the Hasidic Bobov sect and even former “Real Housewives of New York” cast member Lizzy Savetsky. There was a notable Orthodox presence.

Rabbi Moishe Indig, a Satmar community activist who has a close relationship with both the governor and mayor, told the New York Jewish Week that the event was important to bring awareness to the issue of rising antisemitism.

“If you don’t speak up, if you don’t do anything about it, if you don’t bring awareness, then you barely know what it is,” Indig said. “We are calling it out and trying to do prevention.”

Tzvi Waldman, a Rockland County activist and one of the few Jewish representatives at the meeting from outside the five boroughs, told the New York Jewish Week that it was important to show elected officials that there is an interest in these issues.

“If we’re willing to work with them, they’ll work with us,” said Waldman, who is also suing the governor for not allowing guns in synagogues and other houses of worship. Avi Greenstein, the CEO of the Boro Park Jewish Community Council, told the New York Jewish Week that it’s important to “hold our elected officials accountable.”

“Having the opportunity to hear from our elected leadership about their resolve to stand up for us, it brings out a cautious hope,” Greenstein said.

8 notes · View notes

mrs-tsunderemeitantei · 2 years

Note

Well.. we all know that BO will be destroyed one day, the whole world will know about it's existence... truths will be resurfaced and the most darkest secrets will be revealed..!!

Most characters fates are almost well known, with exception of Sherry/Haibara Ai.. What about her??

I always wonder about the topic of "Aftermath of Sherry" in the end of DC story!!

For example.. Let's imagine that the BO had fallen... its members as well as their boss were all captured and brought to justice, and Haibara regained her true identity as Miyano Shiho after creating the final antidote!! May be it sounds good and expected ending.. but the hardest part has yet to pass. Returning to her original body, Shiho will be left to pick up the pieces of eighteen years living with a noose around her neck..!!

Not only that, but I've always had a weak spot for story dealing extensively with the aftermath of the BO fall, especially when it's around Shiho who will be trying to rebuilt a new life on the ruins of the old one.. in addition, I'm curious and interested to see Shiho dealing with the consequences of her work in the organisation, facing and/or atoning for her sins in the past. I do not know how she will be treated by PSB, police or any other secret service intelligences.. will she be treated as a suspect/ criminal/ victim??!! Also, how she will be viewed according to her country's laws?? And what will be her punishment if she was viewed only as a high-ranking criminal from BO with codename "Sherry"??!!

However, I have different theories/ideas about her aftermath once BO is destructed:

1- Abandoning Shiho Miyano and living as Ai Haibara (I don't think so)

2-Returning to Shiho Miyano, handing herself to police station. Transferred to Teitan High School with suspended sentence, and joined Shinichi Kudo and Ran.

3-After returning to Shiho Miyano and paying for her crimes (imprisoned for several years), she will return to Ai Haibara and live with Dr.Agasa as well as DBs again.

4-She will return to Shiho Miyano, handing herself to police, but would not be prosecuted due to insufficient evidence. After receiving a thank-you for some rescue drama from the detective boys, She says goodbye to Shinichi and others, aiming to develop a drug that makes people happy, and go on the path as a scientist and researcher... or choosing a career that saves people lives (being a doctor for example) !!

5- The fact that Haibara is accused means that the existence of APTX4869 will be known to the world. If that happens, nations and terrorist organizations around the world will make a leap toward APTX4869, which could be out of control. Perhaps the FBI and PSB will hide APTX4869 data, as well as concealing its terrifying effect as lethal poison which doesn't leave any trace in body, and of course the shrinkage effect on Conan and Haibara. Therefore, Haibara will not be accused or arrested .. and APTX data will be kept as a secret, but of course, with the exchange of information about BO from Haibara since she was deeply involved in BO.. knowing much more than wanted about them (plea deal as I guess).

That all I have thought about until now.. and only God knows what Gosho has stored for Haibara in the end of this great series.. but since he stated before that's her ending is gonna surprise everyone, I'm -on the other hand- looking forward to see it. I know her ending being a surprise scares fans..And while there are so many ways to screw up her ending, I'm optimistic Gosho will deliver us an ending worth the wait.. !!

I honestly have nothing else to add 😂 You came up with all the possibilities and I applaud you and thank you for that👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 Also I think it's so amazing that we share the same opinions. It makes me really happy😁😁

I have my own theories in the pinned post of my page regarding her ending and I agree with your fourth point the most. I hadn't thought about the last point but I think it's very valid and important and I very much see it happening.

But like you said, we're going to have to wait and see what Gosho has in store for us.

Once again thank you so much for this!💛

27 notes · View notes

elevatingearth888 · 10 months

Text

"Invisible Chains: Unveiling the Hidden Forces Behind Human Trafficking"

Human trafficking, including the trafficking of children, is a complex and devastating crime that occurs worldwide. Several key factors contribute to its occurrence, and understanding these causes is crucial in combating this heinous practice.

Economic Factors: Poverty and lack of economic opportunities are major drivers of human trafficking. People living in impoverished regions often become vulnerable to exploitation, as they may be lured by promises of better jobs or higher wages. Desperate circumstances can push individuals to accept risky opportunities without fully understanding the risks involved.

Demand for Cheap Labor and Sexual Exploitation: The demand for cheap labor and commercial sexual services fuels human trafficking. Industries such as agriculture, construction, manufacturing, and hospitality often rely on low-cost labor, making them potential hotspots for trafficking. Similarly, the demand for prostitution and the sex industry creates a market for traffickers to exploit vulnerable individuals, including children.

Social and Political Instability: Conflict zones, regions with weak governance, and areas affected by social unrest provide fertile ground for human trafficking. Displacement, breakdown of law and order, and the breakdown of social support systems create an environment where traffickers can operate with impunity. The chaos and desperation that follow such circumstances make individuals, particularly children, more susceptible to exploitation.

Gender Inequality: Women and girls are disproportionately affected by human trafficking, primarily for sexual exploitation. Gender discrimination, lack of access to education, limited job opportunities, and societal norms that devalue women contribute to their vulnerability. Gender-based violence, including domestic abuse and sexual assault, can also make individuals more susceptible to trafficking.

Lack of Awareness and Effective Law Enforcement: Inadequate awareness and weak law enforcement systems contribute to the persistence of human trafficking. Many victims remain hidden due to fear, stigma, and lack of knowledge about their rights. Insufficient resources, corruption, and inadequate coordination among different agencies hinder the effective identification, prosecution, and rehabilitation of traffickers and victims.

Addressing the causes of human trafficking requires a comprehensive approach that involves improving economic conditions, addressing gender inequality, strengthening law enforcement efforts, promoting education and awareness, and providing support and rehabilitation services to survivors. Efforts must focus on collaboration between governments, NGOs, and international organizations to implement strategies that prevent trafficking, protect victims, and bring traffickers to justice.

#be the change #helpothers #volunteering #human rights #charities #save our children #save our kids #anti-human trafficking #anti child abuse #human trafficking awareness #end human trafficking #human trafficking #child care #child trafficking #end child trafficking

2 notes · View notes

girlsmoonsandstars · 2 years

Text

the divide between radical feminists and liberal feminists has always been revolution vs reformation.

liberal feminists believed that they could work within the system to change the system, that they could change patriarchy by using patriarchy's institutions. radical feminists believed that this was insufficient, that patriarchy could only be dismantled from the outside.

liberal feminists got a law passed that said it was a crime to rape your wife. radical feminists organized domestic violence and rape crisis shelters for women whose husbands would rape them anyway, knowing that a jury would never convict, a prosecutor would never try, a detective would never investigate.

liberal feminists celebrated the progress of society when the law said that they were human. radical feminists watched with unease, knowing that what the law said didn't matter when a group of men could simply change their minds at any given time.

i don't know what to do. i don't know how to help. i do the best i can for the women in my life but they stay ignorant and i am losing patience. i am trying to keep hope.

44 notes · View notes

maxverstepponme · 1 year

Note

Everyone Kelly works with is always linked to something bad or strange.

The online designer second hand/preloved business Sellier Knightbridge/Monaco owner Hanushka's husband is a dodgy Russian business owner who is on the Russian sanction list.

There's a twitter thread called 'Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project' that exposes Sergey Toni finances .

Source = https://twitter.com/OCCRP/status/1359540767992201216

A 2021 investigation by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, or OCCRP, found that Sergey Toni, a Russian national, had no profitable businesses or discernible business profile, yet owned real estate worth over $59 million. His father, Oleg Toni, is a deputy managing director of the state-owned company Russian Railways, which is one of the largest transportation companies in the world. Given Oleg’s role at a state-owned enterprise, his salary is likely insufficient to explain this level of wealth, raising serious questions as to the source of the funds used to purchase such a vast empire of real estate holdings.

Source= https://sayari.com/resources/blg-how-to-spot-money-laundering-in-the-property-sector

Can’t say I’m surprised

3 notes · View notes

theivorybilledwoodpecker · 2 years

Text

Fundraiser Text: Jayceon was badly burned on August 9th, 2022 in Warren, Arkansas while visiting a friend’s house. He has been in ICU at the Arkansas Childrens Hospital since the incident. Jayceon has suffered burns over 80% of his body, not to mention that he’s coded twice and had to have a tracheae placed in his neck. Doctors have had to remove 5 inches of his small intestine and he’s had sepsis. Our prayers is that Jayceon is able to fully recover and come back bigger and better than before. I ask that you please have and show compassion to this baby. Any and all donations will truly be appreciated.

So the fundraiser text doesn't give the whole story. What happened is even worse than what is described. Jayceon was over a friend's house. They were going to go to an amusement park. The family was roasting hot dogs, and a fire somehow got out of control. Jayceon was badly burned. Now this alone was undoubtedly accidental. I don't know if the family followed proper precautions in lighting the fire, but I doubt they meant for it to get out of control.

However, what they did next is unforgiveable. They didn't call 911. They didn't call Jayceon's parents. They smeared vaseline on him and wrapped him in saran wrap. I think most people know this would make the burns worse, but even if the family didn't, they had to know it was insufficient treatment for those types of wounds. They had to know that this little boy needed to go to the emergency room...and they chose not to call for help. They chose not to even call his parents to let them know their son had been injured.

The parents only found out when Jayceon called them, screaming in pain, and his mother had to be the one to drive her son to the emergency room.

This family committed child abuse of some of the most heinous crime. It may have started as an accident, but they chose to take actions that increased the pain and suffering of a child.

I know that there are a lot of things going on now. There are so many causes to donate to, and a lot of us don't have much to spare. But if you can, please donate to Jayceon. You can verify his story through a google search. It's been reported on. Even if you can't donate, please boost the signal. In addition to this meaning it reaches more people who might be able to donate, it will also mean the public's eye will be focused on the case. One article I read said that while an investigation is going on, the investigators don't often touch base with Jayceon's family. The best way to make sure he receives justice is if the investigators know the country is watching them.

#Jayceon Charles #Black Lives Matter #Signal Boost #Boost the Signal

7 notes · View notes

a-weird-writer · 2 years

Note

oh hi i want to give Uranus a very gentle kiss on his metallic face and hold his hands endearingly as i talk to him about plants because i think he’d have a fascination with plants

It's a bit "dead" to him, for lack of a better word. His passion for anything is...

pretty distant.

It is already hard for Uranus to attach, to love. Let alone one of Earth's human natives, its plants are no different. They don't necessarily disgust him, but clearly held them to no critical value, thus he maintains no major opinion on them for that matter.

Plants are insufficient organisms to Uranus, as are all weak lifeforms. Small things, lowers he never gave a second thought about. But he does care for his love, deep enough to do warrant second thoughts. Not stomping on them or referring too bluntly and inconsiderate to plants in your presence, since you hold them dear to your soul.

Uranus doubts he can effectively measure such endearment even if he really tried, that pure unadulterated gaze, filled with the same tenderness and compassion a mother shows their labor's fruit, how dedicated you are to various flowers and greenery. It can be uncomfortable for him, witnessing priceless emotions he can't wrap his head around; actions you don't understand, alien hearts and feelings.

Uranus's hatred for existence and youth isn't as incredibly extreme as his more notable (Terra and Sunstar specifically) brothers, but it is intense regardless. Despite this, he does contain reasonable layers of 'respect' to life, which is a lot in a Stardroid's case and already plenty. Note 'respect' in air quotes, just because Uranus loves you doesn't mean he won't mercilessly crush anything suddenly in his way. Plants aren't priority in that matter, the complete destruction of humankind however was.

Uranus is a bulldozer, a heavy weapon in a group of cosmic calamities, undergoing an eternity-long mission of pure devastation; huge, strong and mows through the surrounding areas-unlucky enough to be his path. Crashing. Crushing in clear purpose to destroy and conquer, and the Stardroids care not for guilt or empathy to follow after.

That said, it is not totally impossible for Uranus to change views, but it is difficult, and it wavers little. If not, then only slightly. Humans will always be bugs to Uranus; insects waiting their pitiful demise by a much larger hand, he stands by it just as his lordship Sunstar does. Humans; nevermore than dirty, monstrous beings, infecting the universe with lowly existence and their stupid, useless oxygen.

But you can have an immoveable view about something and an entire differing opinion on it, as weird as it sounds. One person can hate murder-the full concept of killing but can still commit such a crime in earnest purpose. Or absence of full retrospect.

Mayhaps it grows with you, a strange turn in his mission-his fixture.

A special someone in his life who he actually doesn't wish to see perish. Obliterating you into itty bitty pieces, into mere atoms and harmless molecules hasn't crossed his mind even once. You're his own little treasure, pretty and clean. A gold coin shining in a pile of worthless copper, the grass you take care to help flourish. Whom spends time-their own energy promising, ensuring someone like him is happy as a clam in high tide. And he is to the moon and back in love with you, falling long and hard.

Uranus is a statue; heavily blunt and evermore calm. But he is hardly empty, hardly ever mad when you are so eager to kiss him, to embrace and love him no matter how much he outweighs you. Fulfilling-proving your devotion, your possession. To counter his still, quiet nature with a powerful nature of your own, your floral love for him.

You bloom, petals out. You catch the stress and release all the joy in the air, thick with your laughter and friendly chatter. Fukurokuju would frown in jealousy at your happiness. Equipped with a sunlit smile, bright enough to water the blight running within his corrupted circuits. It ripens so beautifully for him. Nobody else in this small, pitiful world.

Growth ends in change, whether unintended or the opposite. This life you love to praise, these-erm-plants perhaps isn't as ugly as he was originally programmed to view it.

Uranus can grow to eventually love the Edens you so passionately describe, come to reflect-inflict your wise, compassionate tones and kind words upon his black heart, like how he grew to adore you. And if your cute lectures end in more kisses and delicious affection, that attention he so craves like a starved man, then it will be worth sitting through. Still a win for him, you make every end meaningful,

oh, how he wishes it didn't end.

A brick wall, designed to withstand anything at any time in any period. As immoveable as Uranus is, he isn't stupid. Shockingly, he is labeled as 'the wise one' of his numerous siblings. None in this world, in this universe over to the next, is indestructible. A beginning eventually reaches a climax, you can only delay the inevitable. In the end, death comes for everyone, it will take, and it will claim. And the Stardroids were created to be the very embodiment of it.

Quite unpleasant, to the receiver that is.

Anytime he parts from you is a bloody stab, a displeased throb within his nonexistent heart. He treats every moment with you like it is his first and last standing. Uranus is an alien robot, but he was made with the illusion and act of a "man", though beastly in truth. He longs and craves. One can't do without the motivation and curiosity to do so, and Uranus is bluntest of his brothers in receiving wants. He always finds a way back to you, ruthlessly and enthusiastically. It often surprises him, how much you long for him. How you truly miss him; how tightly you cling to him for dear life, like letting go will only meet your demise, how blissful your relieved sigh-a hot exhale-warms his broad chest.

He missed you too.

It's often too tight, too boring for Uranus in Sunstar's ship anyway, you're the perfect excuse to get freedom in a time where he was never meant to deserve it.

As long as it ends with you, nesting with his arms like seeds within the oceans of soil, cuddling comfortably,

he can at least pretend he does.

#ask #anonymous #anon #uranus #megaman #stardroids #classic mega man #megaman x reader #reader insert #uranus x reader #tw mentions of violence #a bit angsty but not too much #but ill put a warning just in case #can never be too careful #tw angst #tw violence #tw death #tw death mention

8 notes · View notes