Very short exposition of the facts in honor of @treeffles
And whoever wants to read it.
Well, let's see: the following points constitute a basic approximation, but they can be developed more extensively. They also admit subsequent nuances.
1 – The information offered to us about the subject is partial and limited. The premise is manichaean: they present us with a subject from whom only unpleasant characteristics and behaviors have been selected, compared to other characters that cover a broader evolutionary arc. Throughout the game we can see that everyone can choose various actions, which change their behavior and interaction with respect to the android reality. Not so in the case of Reed, whose gameplay is not as extensive as the rest. He is a character deliberately projected to be "the bad guy."
We can accept the decision that the program has made for us (which, if we think about it, is a small scam comparatively speaking), but if so we must also accept that it is not his fault, he have been designed that way.
Therefore, there could be many possibilities to see other facets of the character, which they are deliberately stealing from us. That being the case, I decide to consider that these possibilities exist. The opposite is meekly accepting the story that the creators have decided that I have to validate as the only possible reality.
“The ones who push the limits, discover the limits sometimes push back." – Gerard Butler
2 – We are not taking into account his background as a worker in a society in which artificial intelligence is severely affecting unemployment figures. What impact has this had on his life, on his family, on his education or lack thereof? It's easy to see him as the "bad guy" without knowing anything about his life and past, especially when his opponent is a cute boy with an initially docile demeanor. The most naïve conclusion would be that Reed is a bastard who abuses a poor boy, but we are letting ourselves be carried away by biases and prejudices.
If we stick to what we just have in front of us, we have the option of considering that we don't know enough about Reed and his background, or his life outside or inside the precinct to conclude that he is an asshole, all the time and for any reason. And for his part, Connor is not a poor boy: the thing which arrives at the precinct is an overdeveloped AI, a highly sophisticated set of machinery with a human appearance. Nothing else. Gavin's initial reaction is no worse than that of Hank and other characters, with the aggravating circumstance that he is not allowed to deal with said machine other than a few specific moments within the precinct. He can't change his mind about Connor because he doesn't have opportunities. Within this scenario, his aversion is predictable and reasonable. Gavin has done nothing wrong beyond his very human aversion to the possibility of being replaced in the future by an an airy toaster.
3 – General conclusion: there is not enough evidence to affirm that Reed is a brainless asshole. In fact, no one becomes a detective without some degree of experience, discernment, and training. We can choose to judge him by the limited features that have been presented to us, that is, what we know about him (which is really little) or to go off the rails that have been imposed on us and consider everything we do not know (which is a lot).
Not to mention that even when we stay within the “Reed is a horrible human being” bias, we can keep in mind that no one is irredeemable: Gavin can open up to the reality of other circumstances as they change over time. Redemption is within everyone's reach, although personally I think he has done nothing wrong. Otherwise, I would be the worst person in the world for all the times I've yelled at my laptop xD
That being said, whoever has something to ask, add or object to, can shoot. Everyone is welcome :)
@luciaintheskyainthi
"The anger was immediate and blinding. “You think this is a fucking game? You fucking hypocrite!” Jason snarled and hauled Peter up by the front of his hoodie. Peter let him, still trapped in that dreamy state. He wanted to shake Peter’s shoulders until reality rattled back into him. “You get up me just for breaking some asshole’s leg, and then you pull shit like that? You’re a fucking meta! The fuck you think woulda happened if you’d aimed for the head?”
“I would have killed him.” Peter almost absent-mindedly grabbed Jason’s forearms to support himself, the hoodie big enough he could have slipped straight out. The compliance only fuelled Jason’s anger."
Fandom: DC/Marvel
Characters: Jason Todd, Peter Parker
Fic: Existential Crisis Mode
Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/55345306/chapters/140413300
We live in the dumbest, lamest cyberpunk dystopia possible.
So LA has been — and continues to — protest against ICE. These protests haven’t gotten any smaller or lost any momentum, but social media wasn’t reflecting it.
TikTok users, realizing that the platform/other social media are censoring/deleting/shadowbanning these protest videos, decided to find a workaround.
They’re calling it the LA Music Festival. Ice detention centers and other protest locations are “stages.” The hottest band is Rage Against the Machine. “Here’s what gear you should be bringing to stay safe at the LA Music Festival.”
And it fucking worked.
TikTok has become a proving ground for a lot of new music, meaning lots of labels and organizations have lucrative deals with TikTok to promote their new artists and music festivals. So they absolutely cannot censor the words “music festival” or train the algorithm to ignore it, or they risk endangering that very important revenue.
So now protest videos are flooding feeds again, but it’s the LA 24/7 Music Festival. Truly an incredible timeline we’ve landed in.
hey guys remember that Camp Cretaceous fanfic I was writing where Dave and Roxie get stranded on Isla Nublar with the kids?? 🫵 well guess what I FINISHED THE FIRST CHAPTER ✋😟🤚
Here’s some art I made for the chapter teehee, i’m pretty happy with how it turned out! Anyways chat i am sleep deprived so here you go
(please mind the tags, this story will get pretty heavy)
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