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sflow-er · 1 year

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

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

So, here goes, haha.

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

Part 1: The system

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

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

Firstly, the now-outdated law and practice include something known as ungdomsrabatt (juvenile discount).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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Part 2: The crimes committed by the mains in YR

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

Kränkande fotografering (intrusive photography): August

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

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

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

Olaga integritetsintrång (unlawful breach of privacy): August

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

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

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

Förtal (defamation): August

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

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

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

A note on aggravating or special circumstances:

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

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

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

Högmålsbrott (treasonable offences): August

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

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

Next up, the elephant in the room.

CP: August

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

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

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

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

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

Narkotikabrott (narcotics offence): August, Simon, Wilhelm

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

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

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

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

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

Furthermore, Simon also committed:

Stöld (theft): Simon

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

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

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

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

Olaga hot (unlawful threat): Wilhelm

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We shall see.

#young royals #young royals season three #young royals season 3 #yr s3 #young royals season 3 predictions #young royals predictions #young royals speculations #young royals analysis #young royals meta #criminal justice in sweden #swedish justice system #swedish law

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overwatered-alocasia · 5 months

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#young justice tv #young justice phantoms #young justice #dick grayson #kaldur'ahm #young justice meta #nightwing #character analysis #why leaving two people with fearful avoidant attachment in a room together is a bad idea

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wonderbutch · 2 years

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Cassie Sandsmark’s Relationship With Femininity

ok so i want to dive more into cassie sandsmarks character and her relationships.

throughout her comic appearances, gender, femininity, sexuality and lack thereof is very prominent in cassie sandsmarks character. Its shown as soon as she appears. shes 14, short haired and wears baggy clothes and overall gives off the stereotypical tomboy vibe which continues on and off throughout her young justice appearances, but she also battles deeply with what she really wants.

she also clearly shows multiple times that she wants, or thinks she wants boys, specifically superboy (kon-el) to like her, going as far as to join young justice to see him (although i have more thoughts on this which ill get to later)

she also shows jealousy towards cissie because of kons attention to her.

HOWEVER i have reason to believe that this is born of compulsive heterosexuality and a misguided attempt at displaying her need for attention and validation (often from guys because, again, comphet).

for example, here it mentions that cassie cant stop thinking about cissie “doing something romantic” with superboy.

which, i may be reaching here, but if she was truly romantically interested in kon, wouldn’t she mention him first rather than cissie? also, she mentions shes not thrilled that boys are looking at her, even though she thought thats what she used to want.

later on she becomes best friends with cissie, almost instantly after seeing her stick up for others, going as far as to literally fall asleep holding her hand. you cant tell me thats not at least a little gay.

as shown before multiple times, cassie strives for companionship and attention, its not a bad thing, in fact it further shows that cassie is kindhearted and loves those around her deeply, even if they don’t necessarily feel the same or treat her well (for example, the boys are constantly underestimating her in the early issues, especially kon who goes as far to be outwardly shocked when she takes a risk and turns out to be right)

(this isnt hate against kon, theyre all learning and figuring stuff out)

but after cissie leaves the team, which cassie doesn’t take very well, her “attraction” to kon seems to fade away, she also seems to be slightly more aware of the fact that kon doesn’t exactly take her completely seriously.

after young justice: sins of youth, cassie sheds the wig and the shorts and swaps to jeans and a leather jacket which is more “masculine”. she also refers to her old outfit, which could be seen as symbolic of her comphet, as her “what was i thinking phase”

despite seeming more sure of herself, shes still battling with who she is and how she wants to be, she gets angrier and moodier, which is touched on in issue 22

she doesn’t know what she wants, and it scares her. shes 14-15 and a superhero and people have expectations for her, she has expectations for herself too, which she often projects onto other people (which ill mention later when i get to her in teen titans) shes only sure of a few things: she wants to be a hero, she wants her best friend back, she wants to be taken seriously. between those three things though? she has no idea.

around her, everything is breaking down. cissie is struggling with her mother and cassie (for the most part) had a healthy upbringing and doesn’t know how to relate and help cissie with that. despite this, she still has unrealistic expectations of cissie. she doesn’t understand why she doesn’t want to be a hero because cassie has always wanted that, and wants cissie to want that too.

so, we get to issue 35 where everything comes to a head with cissie.

she refuses to listen to cissie even though time and time again shes told. after cissie proves a point, cassie finally starts to understand (although she still pushes it a few times in the next issue)

and then after going through a war and having tim and bart leave, and tim come back, and suddenly shes running for leader and confesses to “kon” that she loved him, or thought she loved him, and then she is leader and shes handling a full on invasion of zandia.

so needless to say, cassie doesn’t really have time to think about herself and her identity. at this point her hair has grown significantly, and she’s no longer acting entirely like herself.

so this all happens, greta betrays everyone (deserved) and then suddenly shes human and then donna dies which cassie takes very hard.

a pattern ive noticed is that the more disconnected from herself that she gets, and the more angrier, she changes her appearance to be more feminine, like she’s in denial or at least trying to hide behind femininity so she doesn’t have to admit her own emotions to herself.

as she starts a somewhat vague relationship with conner, she never really refers to him as her boyfriend, often using the word friend instead, despite conner referring to her as his girlfriend.

she also starts to project this idea of femininity and repression, specifically onto raven. when raven expresses considerable discomfort at wearing a dress, cassie counters this with a “you said you wanted to expand your wardrobe”, like she wants raven to be what she’s trying to be. feminine, happy and without fault.

later, she mentions her previous appearance, ambitions, and seems to have a sense of hatred for her previous self, despite in all accounts she was quite happy and open during that period in her life.

to me, cassie’s femininity is a way to hide her true self. its the way she can feel better and not as confused, and try to be someone shes not by just denying the way she really feels.

in conclusion cassie is a butch lesbian thank u for reading this makes absolutely no sense but idc bc the cassie brainrot is real and has taken hold

#cassie sandsmark #character analysis #does this make sense #wonder girl #dc comics #lesbian cassie sandsmark #queer cassie sandsmark #young justice 1998 #young justice #teen titans #teen titans 2003 #teen titans v3 #quinn shut the fuck up challenge #cissiecassie

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phoenixkaptain · 2 years

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Nineties Tim Drake is a balancing act of being perfectly confident and competent when in the heat of battle, being completely sure of himself and being capable of changing his plans on a dime and all-around being borderline scary because of how well he can read his opponents moves and react to them, but outside of combat he is an awkward little duck boy who wants to befriend other superheroes but is also internally fanboying a bit over meeting other superheroes, so he comes across as stilted and nervous in social situations.

Yes I’m thinking about Tim Drake again. Did I ever truly stop thinking about Tim Drake? Who cares?

Tim is so funny because he is completely confident, the picture of a perfect leader, but the very second he has time to think about anything, he doubts literally everything he’s ever done. The Baseball Arc (my beloved) is a great example because Tim doesn’t trust himself, doesn’t actually believe what he’s doing will work, thinks he’s dooming two separate planets by being stupid. The comic goes out of its way to show us Tim doubting himself, because when he’s actually out on the field, playing baseball for the lives of billions of people (and yes, that is the funniest thing I’ve ever typed in my whole life) Tim is the complete opposite. More than trusting himself, he asks his friends to trust him, to believe in him that he can make them win a dumb baseball game and that he knows what he’s doing.

And they do trust him! That’s what really sticks, in Young Justice! The others trust Robin, they trust Tim, with their lives and the lives of everyone they know and care about. They trust him to do what he says he will, and he pushes himself so that he never lets them down because letting them down would prove that his doubts are correct.

But, even as he exceeds expectations, Tim is still doubting himself. He doubts that he’s a good enough Robin. He doubts that he lives up to Jason’s and Dick’s legacy. He doubts that he lives up to Bruce’s standards. He doubts that his plans will work, even as he comes up with a billion contingencies in the case that they don’t. He doubts himself, and Young Justice shows us this multiple times.

Tim Drake has a constant struggle with himself, with his internal voice that tells him he isn’t on the same level as the heroes he surrounds himself with.

But, the Young Justice team don’t believe he’s subpar. They’re baffled by him, they don’t understand him, they can’t read him at all, but they trust him and it means a lot to me that Tim can take the trust they put in him and build himself up with it. He trusts them just as much as they trust him.

He trusts them more than they trust themselves. He trusts Impulse even while everyone else thinks Bart is just an impulsive boy who can’t sit still. He trusts Wonder Girl even while Cassie doubts herself in similar ways that he does. He trusts Superboy even while Superboy struggles with everything under the sun. Tim even trusts Secret! Do you know how hard it is to trust Secret? Secret literally tried to murder Stephanie and Tim was just like “Girls will be girls” (I blame the writers for being sexist, but it is really funny to think that Tim thinks of girls in the same way people say “boys will be boys.” Like, he thinks that all applies to girls, not boys. Look who he surrounds himself with, Tim is more shocked when girls don’t punch each other to show affection)

Anyway, long story short, I fucking love how Tim is the most capable awkward little duck man in the world and I support him more than I support myself-

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good-beanswrites · 1 year

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

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

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

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

#milgram #kotoko yuzuriha #i think people get so caught up in t2 attacks but like... it wasnt mindless or coldhearted #its the exact same type of glorified heroism that fuuta lost himself in and that many people find endearing #it just seems like a different kind of behavior because she has everyone convinced she has a perfectly developed sense of justice #maybe this is obvious to everyone else but i have to keep reminding myself how young she is :(#analysis/thoughts

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characteroulette · 9 months

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Smash cut to that fateful trial seven years ago.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#Momo writes stuff #Ace Attorney #Klavier Gavin #Apollo Justice spoilers #Spoilers #Character analysis be like #To no one's surprise but my own #I had a LOT to say about Klavier #Is it obvious that I RPed him at one point lol #Specifically young Klav but still #Woof #I have so many mixed feelings on this man

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londondziban · 4 months

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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kaldursecondspouse · 2 years

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You know, I think one of the most complex ways Greg incidentally wrote Kaldur is when M’Gann broke his mind and when she finds him in the ruins, he is faceless and doesn’t know who he is anymore.

Now being faceless has many interpretations but one of the ones that really connect to my analysis of faceless Kaldur is that when someone is seen as faceless, it can mean that you never know who they truly are as a person because they refuse to show you.

Again, this is very important for Kaldur’s arc in Season 2 because he’s been lying and pretending to be someone else—a horrible person at that is so opposite of his true self—for the past year, hiding behind facade after facade for the greater good. So him being faceless in that scene represents just how much he’s been hiding away from people and lying so no one can see the truth.

But there’s another layer as it is Kaldur himself who sees himself a faceless and in his own eyes, doesn’t know who he is beyond the masks he wears. He even tells M’Gann that he is ruined, what is left for him as he can’t even begin to understand who he is as a person.

Like it is obviously talking about him being a spy and all, how he is backstabbing everyone to save them, destroying everything he ever loved so the act can be flawless. This performance has to sell because he can’t risk being outed as a actor.

But in the ruins of his mind, we can see for the first time how this is actually affecting him, how all the costumes and performance have left him…without a face, without a true self, that he doesn’t know who is he beyond all of his charades.

And that isn’t just a metaphor for how the mission has gone for Kaldur, it just how Kaldur has moved throughout his entire life, how he perceives and who he is as a person. Kaldur is a leader, a solider and faithful to the cause…but who is Kaldur’ahm?

Without those titles, who is he? Without these descriptions and honorifics and status, Kaldur is just….no one.

He is faceless because without his duties and responsibilities, in his mind, he is no one because all of those things are what make him. Kaldur’s achievements and even his shortcomings are who he think he is.

So when stripped of everything, he is bare, open and…nothing. He is a nobody and no one remembers the nobody’s face, now do they?

#I love character analysis before 1pm—it’s fun #jules sonic shrieks into the universe #kaldur #kaldur’ahm #m’gann m’orzz #young justice

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batfambyval · 8 months

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

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

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

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

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

#dc #analysis #dc meta #90s young justice #young just us #cissie king jones #arrowette #new earth #bonnie king #green arrow #superheores

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the-stove-is-divorced · 2 years

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listennnnn

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

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

1. FREAK ACCIDENT ORIGIN STORY

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#jaime reyes #young justice #blue beetle #danny phantom #danny fenton #am i using this to hopefully get more ppl to love blue beetle? yes #dp fans love angst blue beetle has plenty pLZ IM BEGGIN #analysis #using my compare and contrast skills #this is why you need english class to rave like a lunatic about ur favs #dc #dc young justice #dc blue beetle #potential crossover plz #IS THIS INSANE TO ANYONE ELSE OR JUST ME

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kidflashimpulse · 1 year

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

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

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

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

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

#YJ asks #bart allen #young justice #impulse #kid flash #yj #bart allen analysis #renewyoungjustice #saveearth16 #young justice season 5 #renew young justice #save earth 16 #just realising now i could be using the tags properly instead of writing it all together #lmfao welp

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dcmarvelshit · 2 years

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So, the second issue came out.

I have reservations how the issue was paced, but I can see what she is trying to set up. There are some things off about the characterization of a lot of the characters, but I am gonna hold on until like issue 4 to talk about them. (because there could be an explanation!)

However, a positive note about the story (in midst of the seemly negative): Bart’s characterization.

He is surprisedly well done here: Fitzmartin is not writing Bart as an idiot, but rather the most clever of the trio here - this is his area of expertise and it is kinda showing! He is not happy-go-lucky and hyperactive as fandom and some writers like to write him - he is snarky, annoyed, and clearly wanting to get on with the greater mission. He is the one who is calling out most of the inconsistent beats in the narrative. He is not onboard with a lot of the things that the other characters are spitting out. He is quiet and observing, but also honest on his thoughts of the entire thing. It is interesting and is in character on some level. And it makes use of his intelligence and his experience with situations like this and bringing back the more serious parts of his character.

Looking at the panels where he makes a sexist comment - he clearly is uncomfortable with what he said and surprised he said it - so in other words, the world can control the words that the boys say - so there is a chance that the world can also control their thoughts on some level.

Which brings up the Tim-Batman thing - where he goes, “yeah, I wanted the cowl.” <-- which is not in character of him! He never wanted to be Batman, Robin was supposed to be temporary, and every time he does become Batman, he always ends up miserable.

And normally, I would dismiss that as bad writing - but for now, I am just gonna take into stride until the mini-series is over - because there is a pattern being set up throughout the second issue:

Bart, when he makes a sexist comment that he would normally never make because he is not a perv!: Why did I say that? I was never like that... was I?

Tim, when Cassie tells him he always wanted to be Batman (even though he never did!): Is that true? I mean...I did think that.

Both of the characters, when faced with the contradictions of their characters, were questioning it - pointing out how it feels off but at the same time, having a hard time saying why.

Tim went on to justify it, saying that he told Detective Williams about wanting the cowl, but, it feels like he was only saying that to convince himself that Dream Cassie was right.

Later on he goes: “so, who am I, if I’m not going to be Batman?”

The Batman part feels tacked on - as if the thoughts were trying to push him to think that is why he was having identity issues - because of Damian, because of not getting the chance to be Batman anymore, but when in reality, that is not at all why!

This is noted - because after this scene comes the Fake-Batman being an ass scene. Where Bernard is brought up, where he is being told he is in a phase.

That whole scene feels like it is to remind the audience that Tim’s thoughts are not true, the whole wanting-to-be Batman thing is not true.

Like if Tim did want to be Batman, then he wants to be with Stephanie, but he doesn’t! He is happy with Bernard! He wants to try to be with Bernard!

Tim is hesitant in accepting that being Batman is what he wants.

(then again, it could be bad writing and I am analyzing it too much to justify it)

Another thing I want to point is Bart’s whole spiel:

“It’s like there are cracks in the world. And this total lack of awareness when it comes to other people... was it always like this?”

First of all, the pattern of questioning and then the hesitation afterwards is there, like with Bart earlier and Tim.

Second of all, there is obvious something wrong with the world - Bart can see it and he is getting a sense of what it is.

Third of all, “total lack of awareness when it comes to other people” <- is this about how out of character some people are? Of course Bart could be talking to himself, but I think he is referring to how the world is structured and how biased and off it is on people’s characterization.

Who knows?

Regardless, this issue feels like it is setting things up again.

Its strongest point is Bart’s characterization. (Obviously it is not the best, but it is not the most off in the issue)

(then again I might also be missing things about Bart and that is why I think that.)

#dark crisis: young justice #dark crisis 2 (2022)#Tuesday spoilers #Tim drake #bart allen #dc #dc comics #analysis

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fordearlife · 2 years

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to those who hate August and Sara

cw: su*cide

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

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

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

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

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

/fin (for now)

#young royals #august #sara #autism #transformative justice #analysis

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