Maybe it's actually the same few people setting up more accounts just to piss people off?
Is there really that many people that can't read at least the last page?
Handholding. SMH. Some people are just sickos!
Or, Steam actually has worked and newbie steam players want all the goss because there will be a new season is the next 10 seconds right? Right???? Riiiiiiiiiiiigggghhht....
You draw conclusions about the personalities of the characters based on replaying and looking at them from the end to the beginning. Which, as it were, is not entirely correct.
There's some really valid points mixed with some inconsistencies here. I agree 100% that during a playthrough, one shouldn't assume the characters know things in Ch1 that they find out in Ch4.
You're adding aspects to Vanessa's personality that weren't covered in the season (that she's an innocent bird who didn't hurt anyone and doesn't deserve to be a pawn). Moreover, her line is not over yet and the “plan” was interrupted mid-word between “cancel/doubt/change.”
So which is it? Nika knows nothing of Vanessa other than what Bella tells him. This is the whole concept you've portrayed. Yes, Vanessa is innocent, and they maliciously decide to use her to satisfy their own goals. That is what we know, in a linear fashion. It is the same as what Nika knows of Brenda, or Stefan. It's all based on what Bella has told him, as he hasn't observed them nearly enough to make an opinion of anything.
Regardless of innocence, it is illegal to act as a vigilante. But Bella and Nika can't even claim to be vigilantes. They're doing things to right perceived slights, there is no criminal activity they are 'punishing'. Nika and Bella are purely off the rails. That is what we see from the start.
The narrative is sympathetic to Nika and Bella, so we focus on their building romance rather than question their motives. It is never acceptable to act as a vigilante in society - the term itself implies going outside the social contract of the culture you are in, circumventing the rules of normality. But again, they are not vigilantes, just immature and criminally minded.
Getting back to Vanessa/Brenda/Holgersons: It doesn't matter whether they are innocent or not. Someone at college age should know better than to do any of this. When was the last time you bought a data slurping USB stick from a black market dude, just in case? At that point, Bella and Nika were just observing, and Bella just 'happened to have an illegal device for breaching privacy.
With her boyfriend playing ball with her daughter?
Where is it said Stefan is Amber's boyfriend? He is her neighbour who wants to be more, (but that is according to Bella, we don't know). Have I missed something? The whole storyline that follows is because Bella hates the idea that he wants to chase Amber. It could well be that Amber plans on setting up Stefan with Stephanie (remember the phone call where Amber said she has someone in mind for Stephanie?)
This is if you ignore the character’s repeatedly mentioned lack of character, ignoring which you still conclude that it’s not worth ruining his life. Out of common decency, probably. And again, ignoring the fact that the story comes from the perspective of a teenager who didn’t care about adult rules of good manners and lived without any idea what a full-fledged “family” is.
Nika is not the worst individual as far as upbringing goes. Yes, very dysfunctional, but Noji is a good parent figure, and they have quite a close family bond so far. Nika remembers things like good first aid. I highly doubt Noji didn't install some good morals in 15 years of his life. I can believe Amber has let Bella drift without consequences, but Noji has actually tried to instill a moral code. We can see that in her interactions. Whether she was effective or not, well, no parent can ever be sure they've done enough.
Although Nika doesn't know what a full fledged family is, these days, who does? Some of the more functional people I know have only a single parent, some of the most dysfunctional were raised with two parents in a religious upbringing. The question is not the appearance, but the quality of the care. We can see that Noji does care about their upbringing, and Nika does feel lot of gratitude to her sacrifices.
All this aside, Nika and Bella have no excuses for their actions. They are adults, if they get charged, they will be judged and get convicted as adults. We know their motives are questionable, while we know nothing of Stefan/Brenda/Vanessa's motives at the time Nika and Bella started their illegal schemes. Common rules of decency are expected for people who are of adult age, or they risk punishment equal to their age bracket. It is NOT normal to scheme and plot to ruin a whole family over a few verbal insults. Far easier for an immature Bella to throw tantrums over going to the Gala, and to actively denigrate Stefan and Mario in front of Amber. Socially awkward, but a non criminal approach. Nika has nothing other than his anti social aspect, that he repeatedly mentiones he's trying to tame.
The only reason I see for the current plot is that Ocean wishes us to see how broken Nika and Bella are. Hopefully as the start seeing how their scheme will affect them close to home (certainly in Nika's case) they will start to mature. Whether or not there will be consequences will depend on how thorough Ocean decides the setup needs to be, and what direction he takes it.
Last point, which is more a finger pointing at myself: Ocean isn't necessarily basing this story on standard social frameworks. There is an element of fantasy in that he's not trying to write an ironclad legal document with no inconsistencies. He's trying to create a feel and a mood, so in that sense, everyone's off the hook, because Ocean has his own purposes for them to play out. I just hope he chooses the harder path of the consequences, as Nika mentions actions having consequences multiple times (despite acting mostly as they don't before Ch4). Actually, Nika swings between mature and asshole so much, it's hard to see if he's the one that promises Vi, or that steals without concern. Tries to be a better person, then looks at the figurines in th book club as though they're his next theft.
