Read, reblog, and resonate!
I think some of the things in AFTG don't make sense to a lot of people who aren't also abuse victims, and it means that a lot of fandom posts are just... wrong?
Like, I really don’t think Jeremy going to the press about his family's abuse would help him. He's financially dependent on them; his ability to go to USC and not be in prison hinge on his family's support. They're classic abusers in that they've tied him down.
Just like Andrew couldn't just tell his foster parents about the abuse; the ones who knew didn't care anyway.
There's a perfect example of this in Kevin leaving the Nest and making things worse on Jean. Riko's rage towards Kevin was just turned onto Jean. The abuse didn't end; it was just redirected. And Kevin was still traumatized and constantly in danger. He couldn't go anywhere near the Nest safely. He couldn't talk about what happened publicly without facing retaliation.
All of this is true for Jeremy, too. Financial and emotional abuse is still dangerous; he can't just suddenly leave. He can't just stay at Laila's place and try to hide; that kind of reset is both horrifying and extremely dangerous for most victims.
I feel like people who aren't victims just miss half the context of AFTG. I wouldn't wish that depth of understanding on anyone because this series hurts me intensely. But I do wish I could explain it to people better.