#and IN ANY CASE is still a human being deserving of sympathy

[hawkinsbnbg]

hold me tight

Written for @steddieangstyaugust Day 20: “I didn’t know where else to go.”

tags: post Starcourt, friends to lovers, requited unrequited love.

rated: T | word count: 1k4 | ao3

This was stupid, Steve told himself. Absolutely stupid. It wasn't like Eddie was his friend or anything.

They just happened to spend many sleepless nights together smoking and talking about everything and nothing. They just met up at Skull Rock almost every day so Steve could decompress by listening to Eddie's ramblings about DnD, Hell Fire Club, and Corroded Coffin. They just told each other a lot of secrets and held hands to offer each other comfort. They just shared multiple inside jokes that not even their own friends would know.

They just—

Okay, maybe Steve had downplayed it. Because at this point, Eddie might be his only real friend in this town.

And it was just Steve's luck to catch feelings for him and lose him in the process.

See, since his young age, Steve had always been self-aware enough to know what he wanted. Whether it was toys, food, or people. He just never made his liking obvious in case his parents decided to hold them over him.

Hence, nonchalance had always been his default façade. It was the "Kill two birds with one stone", helped him protect his secrets, helped him conceal his most vulnerable part, and helped him remain indestructible under scrutinizing eyes.

And for a long time, Steve thought he was so smart, hiding his true self behind the garnished mask he had created.

Until he met Nancy, until he got his heart broken that night in Tina's bathroom, until he stumbled on Eddie and realized that the mask he wore made him look exactly like what he always hated.

Bullshit.

And now, standing on the Munson Trailer's porch, Steve tried to not turn on his heels and run away or puke his guts out because he was too scared of facing rejection again.

But he also didn't want to be alone right now, and call it his moment of weakness, he just wanted to be held and reassured that everything would be alright even when he probably didn't deserve it.

Selfishly, though, he knew Eddie wouldn't say no to him, not when he was in such a pitiful state, not when they used to be good friends up until Steve ruined it all. And perhaps, it was the thought that gave him enough courage to rap his knuckles on the door.

"D'you know what time is it, man? If you're here to ask for weeds– Holy shit!"

Against his better judgment, Steve shrank in himself, ashamed that he was causing trouble for Eddie once more, making himself as small as possible and bracing for another rejection.

"Uhm, hi?" He smiled weakly.

Wordlessly, Eddie guided him inside, led him to the couch, and sat him down.

After handing him a glass of water, which he sipped slowly, Eddie started cleaning the cuts on his face, movements gentle as if afraid of hurting him.

Though it wasn't much and Steve knew any decent human being would treat him with the same sympathy, his heart still didn't get the memo and started somersaulting in his chest.

He watched the soft yellow light cast on Eddie's face, illuminating those dark brown eyes like stars, shining on the plump lips being worried between those sharp white teeth.

He glanced down, taking in the sleeveless black tee and gray sweatpants, the crimson guitar pick dangling on Eddie's chest as he leaned forward slightly, the tattoos on the pale arms, the long fingers, void of rings.

"What happened?" Eddie asked, sounding genuinely worried, after a moment of tense silence.

Instead of answering the question, Steve only shrugged and grimaced slightly.

"Sorry for waking you up this late. It's just," he averted his gaze to avoid Eddie's intense look. "I didn't know where else to go."

"You're always welcome here, Sweetheart," said Eddie kindly. "And you can wake me up whenever. We're already past that, aren't we?"

Eddie was right.

It wasn't rare for the older boy to climb through Steve's window at random hours and invite himself into Steve's bed so they could cuddle until morning. And it wasn't new for Steve to do so to Eddie, either.

Over just a few months, they had grown impossibly close and Steve would dare to say Eddie was the one who understood him the most and vice versa.

Except, it was never that simple, wasn't it?

It wasn't as if Steve hadn't kissed Eddie in a completely un-platonic way. It wasn't as if they hadn't seen each other since the day Eddie ran away from him, confused and terrified, leaving Steve with even more nightmares.

He sighed, suddenly feeling tired. Who was he kidding anyway? It was a huge mistake to come here after all.

"Yeah," he sniffed. "But I thought I wouldn't be welcomed anymore after what I did to you."

"Steve," said Eddie sharply.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he squeezed his eyes shut and raked his fingers through his sticky hair, using the dull aches to ground himself. "I– Tonight's been a lot. People died, Eddie. And all I could think about was you. As much as I regret driving you away, I'd kiss you again and again even if I were allowed to come back to that day to fix my mistake. Because it had kept you safe and away from me, from dangers. And I swear I'm not trying to make you forgive me out of pity. I know I had screwed up big time. So I'm gonna be out of your hair soo–"

Steve let out a gasp when Eddie suddenly kissed him, staring in shock as Eddie pressed another one on the corner of his mouth, tasting his blood and pain.

"What–"

"I'm aware this is far from the appropriate answer you deserve," Eddie brushed a hair out of Steve's forehead, smiling sadly. "But I couldn't find any way more obvious to tell you the kiss was never a mistake. Because I've been dreaming about it for months and you had granted me exactly what I wanted."

Steve was confused. Because why would Eddie say that? Why would he kiss Steve then when all Steve wanted was to make it right? Why would he look so sad when he had already shattered Steve's heart into pieces?

"Why?" Steve asked softly, unable to hold a grudge when Eddie was looking at him like he hung the moon and stars, overwhelming and nothing he had feared at all.

"I was scared," said Eddie bluntly without needing him to elaborate, always understanding him beyond words. "That's not an excuse for the way I acted with you. I was an ass for going radio silence and leaving you in the dark. As your friend, I should've known to communicate better. But I didn't and I caused you all this pain just because I panicked over a kiss I've been wanting since the first time I saw you."

"I'm really sorry, Sweetheart," said Eddie quietly, hand cradling his face gently like one would hold something precious. "For having been an idiot and a coward. For breaking your trust. For running away. For hurting you."

Leaning into the touch, Steve closed his eyes and breathed deeply, inhaling the smell of old weeds, leather, citrus, and cigarettes, feeling oddly homesick even though he was already home.

He wanted to get mad at Eddie, to demand some kind of compensation for his battered heart; and yet, he was tired, in pain, and about to keel over now the drug in his system had worn off.

However, he was in no shape to hold a serious conversation at the moment and he knew Eddie had noticed it too.

"Let's go take a shower first, okay?" Eddie leaned in and kissed his shoulder. It was so random but Steve still felt his cheeks warm at the intimate gesture.

Somehow, he didn't have the energy to feel embarrassed about it and ended up having Eddie wash his hair for him.

———

After making a call to check in with Robin as promised, he padded into Eddie's room and joined the older boy beneath the quilts and blankets, smiling softly as he thought about all the time he had been in Eddie's bed when he couldn't stand his parents' arguments.

When Eddie pulled him closer, he went willingly and melted into those arms, feeling warm and safe for the first time after two months of staying apart from his best friend.

"I love you," he mumbled into Eddie's chest, too relaxed and sleepy to care about the consequences. Go big or go home, right?

And when Steve finally drifted off, he heard something almost sounded like, "I love you, too."

[inbarfink]

I mean, the thing is that fiction about aliens is almost always going to be about some sort of Other on some level. Whatever it’s about demonizing or fear-mongering about some sort of Outsider Group or trying to get the audience to sympathize with the Other via the metaphor of a lovable alien. 

And Invader Zim is kind of an interesting spot there because, like, it’s not just ‘Bad Outsider Out to Destroy Our Beloved In-Group’ or ‘Poor Sympathetic Outsider Being Put-Down by the In-Group’. First thing first because Zim is kinda both. He is both the Outsider secretly hiding inside the in-group plotting their destruction - but the narrative and framing also sympathizes with him and supports his view of the in-group (that humans are stupid and gross).

So he can’t really be A Scary Demonized Outsider when he gets so much narrative sympathy and support, but also… he is a murderous little world-conquering bastard and most of his suffering is generally just him gets exactly what he deserves so he can’t be your classic sort of Sympathetic Outsider either. 

And the other thing is that the in-group is not even really involved in Zim’s conflict. Zim’s biggest challenge in conquering the earth is Dib, another Outsider. Often, despite being a human and thus part of the literal in-group, Dib is an even bigger Outsider to humanity than Zim is.

Zim and Dib are both Outsiders, and Zim isn’t just an Outsider as an Alien on Earth - among his own people he is in the same situation as Dib is, an Outsider in his own in-group. (Not that he can ever admit to himself that is the case). So these two Weirdos are fighting to protect/further the goals of two in-groups that will never actually accept them. 

And so often their main weapon against each other and the primary danger and the source of their suffering for themselves is the same thing; the in-group conformity and enforcement of social norms. 

Dib’s main evidence that Zim is an Alien is, most of the time, just the fact that he looks and acts weird. But also he himself is constantly bullied for looking and acting weird.

And Zim’s most constant source of anxiety while undercover on Earth is the fact that he’s going to get caught being Too Weird and then not just fail his mission, but get brutally dissected and experimented on. But his best defense against being exposed is… basically just to point out just how much Dib also Diverges From the Norm.

It’s the story of two Weirdos trying to get the other punished for being weird in some way, while the Normies just kinda look on and laugh at them both. And the actual thing they want, recognition and acceptance from their in-group is the one thing they are doomed to never actually get. 

And honestly, I think that's actually what makes a lot of real-life Outsiders cling to IZ, especially while we’re teens. I think, in a way, the fact that it’s kind of a messy Outsider narrative makes it more relatable to the messy middle-school/high-school experience than something more neatly crafted to be uplifting to the Weird Kids.

I mean, I certainly see the obvious value in fiction that’s actually trying to create a positive narrative for queer teens or autistic kids or maybe just scene kids or any combination of the following. This sort of media is very good, and can be just as important to some folks.

But... also the truth is that when you’re an edgy teen wrecked with self-loathing for Weirdness you don’t even fully understand “There’s nothing wrong with me and all the people making me feel like they are Bad!” can be a hard message to really believe in. Sometimes it’s easier to start from “Maybe I am all the terrible things people say that I am but.. still deserve love and sympathy, I can still be the hero of the story”. 

And because, sadly, the problem of Weirdos attacking each other for being Weirdos using the same rhetoric that’s used to hurt them, just for the sake of approval and recognition from in-groups that are never going to treat either of them as nothing but a joke - is not a phenomenon exclusive to the Silly Alien Invader Nicktoon.

And Dib and Zim’s rivalry is a great basic framework to explore it both in analysis of the canon and in fanworks.

[lover-of-skellies]

Don’t know if you’re still doing this but has anyone asked about inks smoochability?

It's been a year since I've done anything with the smoochability ratings, but hey. There were a few skeletons I hadn't done this for, and Ink was one of them, so I figured I might as well :P

All my logic is under the cut if you wanna look at it, but at the end of the day, Ink gets a smoochability rating of 9. He's one of the safer options, surprisingly enough, so if you'd like to smooch him, go right on ahead. Just be prepared; he could end up accidentally nipping or throwing up ink on you if you get him too excited

1) Is Ink's mouth dangerous at all? I don't believe it would be. His teeth are flat and standard, though I've seen some depictions of him that had little fangs, too. There are no parasites in there, no mysterious diseases/viruses you could catch, and a kiss wouldn't kill you; in fact, the worst thing that could happen would be Ink getting too excited and throwing up ink in your mouth and on you in general. While that's incredibly gross to think about, that's more of a health hazard than a danger factor, since if you kiss him, you'll at least leave without having any blood drawn. So, 2 points for safety

2) Would he bite? Not intentionally. While he IS like adhd incarnate and while he DOES do things that are a bit impulsive (see: everything involving taunting Error), I would assume he knows that biting people is bad. There is a chance that he might bite accidentally if startled, but for the most part, no, I don't see him being a biter. 2 points for not munching on anyone's lips

3) Are there any health hazards to the smoocher? Uhhhh yeah. It's the fact that if he gets too excited, he vomits ink. That in and of itself is gross, but not overly harmful. Then again though, there are different types of ink that exist, and we don't know what specific type he vomits. The impact that accidentally swallowing it might have on a human person could vary, depending on what exactly the type is. Worst case scenario, it's toxic and you need your stomach pumped asap to get it out, and best case scenario, it's yuckydisgusting and only makes you slightly sick for a short amount of time. The hazard level is up for debate here, but I'll still give him at least 1 point since death is not a guaranteed outcome

4) Does he have a sympathetic backstory? Sort of?? I know he was from an incomplete AU and was sorta. Left alone in the vast nothingness, until creators' feelings started raining down on him and he started experimenting with them. It'd really suck to be the only vaguely self aware person from your home, and then be alone eventually, surrounded by nothingness, so that does give me at least a little sympathy. So,, 1 point. It's very unfortunate, but it's not sad enough that I feel like crying over it

5) Does he deserve a smooch? Ehhhh, this one is up for debate. Personally, I'd say no, since from what I know and remember of his canon story, he never really did anything that would make him deserving of a smooch. 1 point, since maybe under the right circumstances he'd be deserving, but as is, I'm not really feeling it

6) Is Ink cute or cool? In a way, yeah, he could be considered cute and cool. He's cute in the "small guy with 0 thoughts behind those eyes" sense, and then he's cool design-wise. His first design was interesting and unique, but it had a lot going on, and then his updated design has less going on visually, but it's still pretty interesting and unique. If I was shown a silhouette of him, I'd be able to identify who he was, so. 2 points

When we add up all of our points and take everything into consideration, Ink is a 9 out of 12 :P he's a safer option, but even then, he could still unintentionally give you a nasty surprise. This is the part where I'd add in a scenario to kinda lay out how it'd go, but like. It's hot here. I'm feeling lazy, and thinking is Hard right now. I have a first kiss master list in my pinned post, which could be something to consider checking out if you're curious at all!

[columboscreens]

i was asked recently about my top three and top ten columbo murderers who i think most deserved their fate. after wrangling with the tumblr post editor undoing my text changes and fucking up my photo placement, i finally finished the post. everything looked good in the drafts, in the queue, and in the blog preview.

then for some ungodly reason tumblr published the rough draft version of the post i'd written weeks ago anyway. i got so frustrated i yelled expletives and nuked it. so i'm starting anew. without further ado,

here are the top ten piece of shit columbo murderers who absolutely deserved it:

justin rowe & cooper redman, columbo goes to college: truly, i hate these two scum-sucking motherfuckers the most. they're brats, yes, but look at the absolute dogshit stakes at hand. all the other murderers in this show are killing for true love, power, multimillion dollar fortunes, careers of great prestige--usually for that upon which they've staked their entire lives. these two tar pits blow their professor's brains out because they Got Bad Grades, which was their fault to begin with! they bully columbo mercilessly. i can't even look at them without wanting to throttle them

dr. barry mayfield, a stitch in crime: though his reasoning for murder starts out with at least some comprehensible amount of dignity, he quickly devolves into one of the most evil murderers of the series, not only by trying to off his research lead, but for causing so much collateral damage. he kills his nurse for knowing too much, sure, but killing her poor vietnam vet ex who's trying to shake his perc addiction while working at the petting zoo is…almost comically evil. it's no wonder columbo gets visibly fed up with his shit.

commissioner mark halperin, a friend in deed: god this guy is such a huge piece of shit. he's a spectacularly corrupt cop, covering for his friend's manslaughter and then using it as an excuse to drown his own wife for her money--to make it worse, his wife is somehow an absolute sweetheart angel darling who spends all her time working with underpriviliged children and people of color. then he's dumb enough to let columbo, the star detective with a 200% solve rate, work on the case, while also openly disparaging and discouraging him. utterly contemptible.

nelson hayward, candidate for crime: in typical politician style, so plastic and two-faced that he's not even a real human being. cheats on his adorable wife with a 20-year-old floozy and then gets mad at his clearly fantastic campaign advisor for wanting him to get a grip and fix his fucking marriage. then he shoots him about it. then he tries to make everyone think he's in danger--and he's such a rutting, lying pig that his own wife clearly believes columbo more than she believes him.

sean brantley, columbo cries wolf: i'm not sure if there exists a more smug columbo villain than sean brantley. uniquely repugnant in that he uses and abuses columbo to generate a media frenzy, then mocks and embarrasses him on international television. uniquely moronic in that when he actually DOES do a murder he hides his partner's body in…his own wall? with her smart watch still attached to her wrist. actual dirt man

dale kingston, suitable for framing: total piece of shit who always thinks he's the cleverest person in the room. says the absolute dumbest shit about art all the time; as in, literally everything that comes out of his mouth makes you want to curbstomp him. the girl who loves him gets kind of scared about being an accessory to murder, so instead of being reassuring in any capacity, he brains her with a big rock. this man deserved impalement

paul galesko, negative reaction: starts off the episode SO sympathetic when we see how bitchy and abusive his wife is, then immediately vanquishes all sympathy by being the most annoying, insufferable fuckhead at all times. fucked around with yet another 20-year-old floozy, killed an ex-con who was trying to rebuild his life, and planned everything poorly. is terribly mean to columbo…

milo janus, exercise in fatality: a complete fucking slimeball with vanishingly few redeeming qualities. kills a guy with his bare hands for even suggesting cooked books and then taunts his estranged widow about it by...asking her to fuck? (in all fairness--he has to maintain Quality. when he grows? you grow). it's no wonder that columbo loses his shit and yells at him

emmett clayton, the most dangerous match: seldom talked about in these conversations but he is so smug and killed one of the least deserving columbo victims because…he's a massive fucking coward who is incapable of losing. pathetic! get over yourself! plus this guy was like Ooo i am so Extremeley Jeanius but when columbo diverted his attention for like five seconds he lost to a fucking fool's mate. literally the quickest way you can lose a game of chess. real bobby fischer swag you big goofy ass bitch. grow up moron

harold van wick, playback: just the most abrasive fucking asshole the entire episode. insufferable proto-tech bro who is mean to beautiful radiant sweetheart gena rowlands and not even in the smug columbo murderer way, just an old school ableist/misogynist who openly says shit like why should i allow my dumb disabled wife to Make Decisions. doesn't even pretend to be nice to columbo at any point and not in the charming robert culp way. loathsome garbage heap of a man.

honorable mentchies go to jack cassidy nazi magician, evil french chef, pedophile johnny cash, weird italian polycule artist, and both william shatners. fuck you

[jedimasterbailey]

Hello, friend. 🖤🤍📖💀 for the ask game, please. 🙏

Hello there friend 💙💚 Thank you for the ask and thank you for choosing some questions that really make me think 🤔 let’s do this!

Link to the original ask questions below if y’all wanna play along which please do because I love to snoop 👀

🖤- Which character is not as morally good as everyone seems to think?

Dooku and yes I know he’s a Sith Lord and not considered a hero by any means but since the Tales of the Jedi episodes (which I love btw don’t @ me there) but I feel that fandom kinda looks at him like they do with Anakin. That even though Dooku and Anakin have done HORRIBLE INEXCUSABLE crimes that killed so many people and betrayed their loved ones that just because they “had their reasons” then that makes them worthy of sympathy when in reality that shouldn’t be the case. Dooku didn’t do what he did for the greater good or to serve others; he did what he did to serve himself and what he wanted. Dooku knew what the Empire was going to be (I.e. an all human regime that oppress alien races) and yet still went along with it thinking he could rule that regime himself one day. I don’t care that he was hurt by losing Qui-Gon or Obi-Wan; he still hurt and betrayed them regardless. If you ever read the Master and Apprentice book by Claudia Gray, you would come to find out Qui-Gon was 1.) terrified of Dooku because of his very dark actions 2.) Overlooked him for his first Padawan (Aveross I think his name was?) and 3.) Fixated on his own interests over being a proper teacher for Qui-Gon. In short, Dooku is a pretentious self serving privileged man of status and power and that’s that. The moral compass he has is whatever benefits him.

🤍-Which character is not as morally bad as everyone else seems to think?

Mace. Windu. For fucks sake y’all he is NOT a bad man! Had it not been for Anakin’s choices, he would have ended the Clone Wars once and for all and brought peace to the galaxy avenging every single soul who have lost their lives or sacrificed so much in the war that never needed to happen. Anyone who has read the Legends Shatterpoint novel or pay attention to Mace’s actions/words in the Clone Wars show and in the movies can see that Mace is a very admirable Jedi that anyone should look up to. His fighting style is all about using the Dark Side against those who use it which means this man has had to master his own demons for sake of doing good. That is a very rare quality even amongst the Jedi. He stays true to himself and Jedi philosophy within reason despite others trying to sway him. He also raised Depa who we all know is a wonderful woman who went on to teach Kanan who was a great Jedi. So yes, Mace was more than deserving of his rank and if he was such a bad man who come no one in his lineage ever turned to the Dark Side or left the Order? Clearly he was doing something right. And don’t even go down the tone deaf “he was mean to Anakin” route because Mace was always understanding, trusting, and respectful of Anakin, he was just trying to save Anakin from himself. We love and respect Mace Windu in this house 💜

📖-If you had to remove one book from the series, which would you choose?

The Ahsoka book for sure, sorry to those who like it but it’s not for me and that’s okay since not all books are gonna be everyone’s taste. As a Barrissoka stan I can’t stand whatshernuts constantly being up Ahsoka’s ass and causing her problems. Ahsoka was doing just fine on her own trying to survive after very traumatic events, losing everything she knew, and learning to survive in a galaxy that wants you dead for who you are until of course the stupid ass village needed saving. The book could have had a much better plot. The only parts of the book I liked where when Ahsoka was alone in her thoughts processing and trying to decide her next move. We could have had a very healing story much like Obi-Wan did in his show but nope. Furthermore, I’ve got beef with E.K Johnson for many reasons, the major one being that she’s a very ignorant person that tries to be the “white savior” so… yeah not fond of her work, her views of these characters we love so much, or the story she made for Ahsoka.

💀-If you had to choose one major character to die, who would you choose?

Palpatine of course because without out him the entire galaxy would be spared from mass genocide, destruction, pain, suffering, and pure evil. All of our favorite characters would have a much happier ending 😭 we also wouldn’t have dickheads like Tarkin rising to any position of power.

Link to original unpopular opinion asks

[liliallowed]

How do you think Dust would react if his player ditched Frisks body and got their own body. (By like coding or something? Or maybe it was given to them by a mystery man?) After leaving Frisk as a vessel they have multiple things they can do with them. They could kill the kid after getting the new vessel, since the players determination will ways overpower Frisks. Or maybe the player would be attached to the child (They might see them as doll, or old body, or "MY BABBY!!") and drag them around to witness their horrible crimes and to be a witness to Dust and the Plyers shenanigans? How would Dust react learning that Frisk was truly just a puppet and had their own personality and desires? Sorry for rambling lol

at some point during the genocides I'm pretty sure frisk loses their identity and seperate spirit.

the player pretty much killed all hope or sence of independence frisk would have. so far that they even forgot their own name.

if player left their body frisk won't even move without their input. they ARE a doll. a hollow empty vessel that's long lost the ability to defy it's soul.

"frisk" wouldn't even exist technically speaking. (canon to dusttale).

be it a new vessel or using the human child as a body, it will be no different. both are unfeeling. both have been emptied of their wills and filled with the desire of the player...

as for player having a seperate body? they'll keep frisk around. like a back up vessel.

in case the new one gets destroyed they'll just go to frisk and try something else with their body.

frisk wouldn't move or do anything. only be on standby as the soul leaves their body (like Kris being unable to walk properly without it, but even then they don't HAVE the will to even fight against it.)

and yeah, player would TOTALLY be attached to frisk like they're a trophy of sorts. a sentiment of old times. a time where obsession hadn't clouded their life. a time when toriels pie wasn't tasteless and boring.

a time where fighting papyrus was scary to them.

a time when they thought Asgore was a cruel mastermind behind the deaths of the previous humans and a tyrant...

they miss it. they miss the feeling so bad. but they CAN'T FEEL ANYTHING anymore. it has no appeal anymore. frisks life would be something they crave.

they hate frisk. they hate them so much. they're jealous. how come FRISK gets a happy ending while they're stuck behind a screen?

it's all their fault. frisk left them behind! (they didn't)

it's all their fault. they deserve this. (they don't)

they STOLE their perfect happy ending from them! (they didn't. you simply cannot exist there)

they feel a LOT of things. jealousy, hatred, envy, adoration, love... and the meaningless nostalgia.

as for dust realizing frisk was a puppet?

yeah. he knew. he knew this thing in front of him was never "human". it's why he called them. an anomaly. something that doesn't belong. something outside of his world and understanding.

he just DOESN'T care that he has to kill frisk (an innocent kid) in order to prevent the player. cuz what's one more innocent sacrifice to add to the pile? it's not like he values frisks life above his brother whom he already killed.

nothing about his feelings will change.

if frisk shows signs of rebellion? or consciousness? he'd KNOW it's because the player is willingly letting it slip through to manipulate him. he's completely closed himself off to ANYTHING that happens to frisk.

he can't help them. he can't even help himself. it's hilarious. bringing a child in between them and expecting any sympathy?

HAH!

he lost that the moment he got rid of the other monsters. what makes them think this brat will change his mind? they're just another chess pieces he needs to get rid of to beat them.

if the player splits from frisk and frisk still has their own desires? dust WILL STILL kill them.

maybe be a bit faster and more painless. more gentle. but he'll STILL kill them.

if the player LEAVES and it's just frisk and sans?

he'd probably just interrogate the poor child first making sure they aren't possessed and what not...

and attempt to kill them for good measure to see if it doesn't reset.

yeah he's not gonna spare frisk in any form.

he might give them a painless death and properly bury their body respectfully to human culture though.

he's not heartless.

[scotianostra]

Thomas, Lord Erskine was born January 10th 1750. During his lifetime he became Britain's foremost advocate, through his defence of people accused of treason and corruption.

His defence of Thomas Paine, accused of high treason for his work, The Rights of Man, cost him his position as Attorney General to the Prince of Wales. Later, Erskine totally alienated George IV by defending Queen Caroline against the king's attempt to deprive her of her rights and title.

Rather go into all the boring education, career stuff I will focus more on the man, the character, for I think Lord Erskine was a bit of a character, he had a favourite dog with him at all his consultations in Chambers a favourite a large Newfoundland dog called "Toss". He taught it to sit upon a chair in chambers with his paws placed before him on the table. Erskine would put an open book before him, a wig upon his head and one of his advocate's bands around his neck. What his clients thought of this exhibition we do not know, but it is unlikely that they would have forsaken him for another counsel.

He was obviously an animal lover a dog he kept by him was one he had rescued from some boys in the street when they were about to kill it. Later, on March 2, 1811, he sent a bitch to a fellow peer with a note to say that, "her name is Lucky and may all good luck attend your Lordship".

He also had a pet goose which followed him about in his grounds, a macaw and a great many other dumb friends. He even had two special leeches which he believed had saved his life when he was ill and which he called his "bottle conjurors". These he kept in a glass and, he said, he gave them fresh water every day and had formed a friendship with them. He would often argue the likely result of a case on how they swam or crawled.

Erskine said he was sure they both knew him and were grateful to him. They were called "Home" and "Cline" after two celebrated surgeons with quite different dispositions. He amassed the company at a party given at his villa in Hampstead, near "The Spaniard's Inn", by talking about his regard for animals and, in particular, those to whom he was attached. He then produced the leeches in their glass which he placed upon the table. It was impossible, however, wrote Samuel Romilly who was present, "without the vivacity, the tones, the details, and the gestures of Lord Erskine, to give an adequate idea of this singular scene".

He introduced into the Lords a Bill for the prevention of malicious and wanton cruelty to animals, saying that it was a subject very near to his heart. Disgusting outrages, which he said

"were too painful to describe, were being perpetrated upon animals whilst the law did nothing. This was because animals were considered only as property. They were entirely without protection from cruelty and they had no rights. Yet man's dominion over them was not given by God for their torture but as a moral trust.

Nature had provided the same organs and feelings for enjoyment and happiness to animals as to man -- seeing, hearing, feeling, thinking, the sensations of pain and pleasure, love, anger and sensibility to kindness. Such creatures might have been created for man's use but not for his abuse. Towards them, as in all other things, men's duties and interests were inseparable. Extending humanity to animals would have a most powerful effect on men's moral sense and upon their feelings and sympathies for each other."

When the speech was published as a pamphlet, its editor suggested in the Preface that it should be introduced to families and schools and deserved to be circulated "among the lower classes of society by the clergy, and by all moral and pious persons'.

When the Bill was in its Committee stage, Erskine pointed out that during his 30 years of Parliamentary life he had never before proposed any alteration in the law. He still had no wish, he said, to link a statute with his name; he had a better motive. If the Bill were enacted, it would not only be an honour to the country but would mark an era in the history of the world. In the event, the House of Commons proved not to be ready for animal rights and the Bill was defeated but eventually went through in 1809.

Lastly and briefly, perhaps our Lord Erskine was also a wee bit of a romantic, he survived his first wife, Frances, she passed away in 1805 after 35 years of marriage, on October 12, 1818 he married Sarah Buck in Gretna Green, he was 20 years her senior.

It is said he never missed a day in court and led a very healthy life but in 1823 Erskine set out by sea on a visit to Scotland with one of his sons, hoping to see his brother the Earl of Buchan. But he became ill with a chest infection on the journey and was put ashore at Scarborough.

He managed to travel to the home of his brother Henry's widow in Almondell in West Lothian, where they were joined by the earl. He died at Almondell on 17 November 1823 and was buried in the family burial-place at Uphall in present day West Lothian.

[juniperkinglet]

Okay okay jumping off this great post from @neilsexy about Nicky hate to also talk about my Riko thoughts.

I find the treatment of Riko by the fandom fascinating. Calling it The Azula Effect cuz it's just like how a lot of Zuko fans treated Azula.

Riko is an antagonist, a villain, yes. He's literally there specifically for you to hate, so if you hate him, he's fulfilled his narrative purpose. BUT! There's this weird puritanical pathologizing of Riko and Riko fans that our protagonists don't receive, which I think points to modern fandom's whole "evangelical conservative beliefs with a gay coat of paint" thing.

Riko is a villain, but he's also an abuse victim whose only outlet is abusing others (and he is encouraged to do so by his environment). He holds a terrifying level of power over the protagonists, which masks how little power he has over his own life.

Riko isn't a sadist for just for the fuck of it. There is a meaning to his cruelty. When he abuses people, it's an attempt to keep his delicate social standing and illusion of power--which is all he has--by discouraging his peers from acting against him. There is a meaning to Andrew's cruelty as well, and fandom is totally fine with you sympathizing with that meaning and still loving Andrew despite his violence... but that same fandom will discourage you from having any sympathy for Riko's meaning and treat him as some special case of Inexcusable. Not to say Andrew's actions are on par with Riko's, or to discount all the work Andrew did to grow, but there is hypocrisy there.

Folks will designate Riko as evil from birth rather than circumstance, saying a lot of shit that sounds very "mentally ill people are inhuman monsters" and "sinners can never be forgiven and will burn in hell for eternity." This whole idea of "good person vs bad person" instead of "good actions vs bad actions" is just unhelpfully reductive.

Also, the very force driving Riko is the desire of a traumatized kid to be loved by his family. But because his family are cruel mob bosses, the only means to gaining love he sees are through enacting that same cruelty. And the great tragedy of Riko, and what makes him such a compelling character to me, is that all of that cruelty he used as a shield and a plea couldn't protect him or garner him love in the end.

Riko never had a Wymack (an "Uncle Iroh" so to speak). He never had someone who believed in him, which is what made all the difference in the lives of the Foxes. Because Riko was born a Moriyama, he never had an escape or a second chance, and his life was never going to end in anything but a bullet to the head when he became a nuisance. That's the difference between him and our protagonists. Not some special evil gene that made him incapable of humanity. He was a traumatized and flawed human being just like the protagonists, but unlike them, he never had an opportunity to grow. I know I'm overly optimistic, but I believe that everyone can change if they have the drive and resources to do so. It's come from a hard reworking of my beliefs to move away from punitive justice and towards restorative justice. And it's a theme I found prevalent in AFTG.

So why aren't fans allowed feel sympathy for Riko? It feels like wildly missing the point of the series to insist he is the one exception to its themes. You don't have to excuse any of a character's actions to sympathize with them or believe they deserve a second chance.

[stheresya]

recently i was watching an youtuber react to a right-wing conservative complain about evil being too normalized in hollywood nowadays. he was upset that villains always have sad backstories that, in his mind, were an attempt to justify their evilness. and one of the examples he cited was kylo ren from star wars. he thought the idea of rey (the heroine) and kylo (the villain) falling in love was absurd, because kylo was evil and thus did not deserve love nor sympathy from any of the good guys. isn't this familiar? only i'm used to hearing this from people who claim to be in the opposite side of the political spectrum.

this also reminded me of another time i witnessed another right-wing influencer call grrm "sick-minded" for including incest in his work. mind you that this person was a fan of asoiaf and did not have any issue with all the other violences in the series. only the incest was just too much. this made me think of antis who occupy horror/gothic fiction spaces who looove spooky aesthetics and gore but lose their minds if someone holds special interest in a problematic character or relationship or, heaven forbid, if someone eroticizes the grotesque.

i'm from a country where the death penalty is outlawed. my country also has one of the highest crime rates in the world. of course, this could be explained by the fact that we have a lot of social inequality as a result of centuries of colonization + some imperialism because we're America's backyard. but some politicians and influencers try to get it all that this is a morality problem, that some people are just born rotten, all to justify them enforcing harsher security policies (re: killing people), which obviously affects poor the most. they hate the idea of morally reprehensible characters being humanized in media because it puts to question their black and white worldview, a view that is only possible through the dehumanization of 'the other' (usually poor and bipoc). the idea that people resort to crime because they are led to by the harsh conditions they live in infuriates them because, in some way, it puts these people as victims of their circumstances, victims of a harmful system that they keep enforcing. and so they need pop culture to keep reinforcing the good vs evil mentality, because nothing is more threatening to the authoritarian worldview than nuance.

anyway, this made me come to the realization that we're too obliging with antis. we treat them like misguided teenagers who just need to live a little more and understand that fiction isn't reality, that fiction exists as a safe space to allow our imagination to venture in the wildest and darkest places. but this is a case of a harmful ideology infiltrating spaces that should be celebrating freedom of creativity. everyone knows (or should know) that believing the main role of art and fiction is to promote good morals is borderline fascist rhetoric. certain "progressives" are parroting that idea by turning it into rainbow puritanism. but it's still conservatism nonetheless. just because they don't use god's name to justify their stances doesn't make their goals any less conservative.

[deathdxnces]

am curious. how would irelia feel about knowing kayn is born noxian?

or in other words, what's her opinion about nature vs nurture.

— @axewhirl

GOOD QUESTION, IT LIVES IN MY HEAD RENT FREE THANKS FOR GIVING ME AN EXCUSE TO SHARE MY THOUGHTS ILY REY

so. irelia's feelings about noxus and noxians are very simple, of course — they deserve to die. i've spoken before about the dehumanization of the enemy and how it was also a coping mechanism to her, but when it comes to long-term effects, it definitely impacted her ability (and willingness, perhaps more importantly) to show them any sympathy. they're not people. she's content to look at them as barely human, in a way. of course it's not that easy, but she had no reason to challenge that notion so far (except, perhaps, during the sentinels event with riven but... bleh i don't like how anything about irelia and being a sentinel was handled).

which is an overly rambly prologue to get to the real question. how would she feel about learning kayn is noxian? i think there's no ultimate answer for that, because to a point it depends on her relationship with kayn. were she to see him as an enemy, wouldn't it be simple to blame how awful he is on his noxian birth? but i personally don't think an enemy is ever what she sees in him; she doesn't look down on the yanlei as much as many other ionians, because she is well aware their origin as an order and her own path aren't that unlike. they chose to fight. they did things considered extreme. so did she — even if not to the same extent, and even if there are things she disagrees with them greatly, such as the matter of wild magic.

in game, her interaction with kayn is the same as for other 'ionian villains' (zed, syndra and jhin iirc). she wants to believe there's good in him, as she wants to believe there's good in any of the others. would she still be as hopeful if she knew he was noxian? honestly, without a personal connection, maybe not. but i'm inclined to say regardless of having any sort of relationship with him, knowing he's noxian by birth wouldn't ultimately result on her regarding him as a lost cause. because despite everything, kayn is ionian in every way that matters. he was raised as ionian for a good portion of his life, he fights for ionia too. he hates noxians as much as she does. how can she possibly just throw him along the rest of them?

so, yes, i think despite her views on noxus as a whole, she wouldn't think he's fated to be just like the other noxians because he's noxian by birth. of course, that might force her to question some of her other stances towards noxians, who she'd have dismissed as all being the same (because if he is not, others may be different too — and he wasn't even raised as ionian from early infancy, so when does one draw the line? when do they become irredeemable?). it's something else to consider whether or not she'd want to make that distinction for other cases. personally i think she'd be content to just make him an exception (because that's easy, and comfortable, and she would have seen him as ionian well before she saw him as noxian; it's easier to ignore the other implications), rather than truly let that change her outlook on things more broadly.

i think the moment she learned about it, it'd be a shock (because, like i said, her view of noxians is really black and white; they're evil, they're monstrous, they deserve to die). immediately, there's no way it wouldn't have an impact because i don't think irelia would know how to feel about it (but the extent of that impact depends on how much she cares about him, too; like with cyn's kayn, where there is a relationship, then she obviously cares more, and in turn it is more of a shock to learn that he was born noxian than in a situation like canon, where they haven't really interacted). still, i don't think the confusion would manifest as aggression or rejection, and that it'd be pretty short-lived (both in the sense of an immediate reaction and in any lingering, posterior doubt). kayn may have been born noxian, and he may have spent the first years of his life a noxian, but he has long since left that behind. zed took him in and kayn embraced his new life, a life he leads as an ionian. if she accepted him as that before, knowing he was born noxian wouldn't change she accepts him as that still. knowing he was born in noxus doesn't change what he is or what he does now.

[sanpatron]

While I wouldn't consider the drabble explicit by any means, I still think it's necessary to put out a warning for anyone who might read it as I'd consider this quite heavy material. It ain't a happy post by any means as the intention is to go over Django's current state of mind and how he's been dealing with everything in his life that has led up to this moment. No holding back. Everything on full display. To anyone who does wind up reading this, I thank you for your time and hope you found something to enjoy regardless of how it's written.

I'm in bed again. Can't be bothered to move. Can't be bothered to go out. Can't be bothered to do a single damn thing that isn't just wallowing in my own misery. I'm tired. I'm sick of everything. I'm so done with myself and this constant pain I've been consumed by. How fucking stupid of me to think I'd be allowed to be happy on this godforsaken island. People like me don't deserve that. People like me are incapable of holding on to anything remotely good. I'm so fucking naive. I shouldn't have let myself get this lost in my emotions. Fuck them. I wish I could get rid of these awful things. Turn myself into an unfeeling piece of shit. I want to be completely devoid of any humanity. There's no point in trying anymore. Let me become a weapon. That's all I'm good for. That's all I'll ever be.

Four years and counting of this bullshit. And what for? I still have no idea. I don't think anyone who's stayed long enough knows either. Wouldn't be surprised if this turned out to be some kind of sick joke played on all of us. Sure feels that way to me. What the fuck do they even need a gangster on this island for? Am I meant to do something? Am I just a tool for them to use in case of another attack? For fucks sake just tell me already! PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD TELL ME ALREADY. I DON'T KNOW WHY I'M STILL HERE WHEN I HAVE NOTHING LEFT.

This is Hell. This is my eternal punishment. Strip me of everything that made me who I am; my gang, my friends, my power. Take it all away and dump me here in some fucking hellhole where I can't do a single god damn thing about it. All the talk about fire and brimstone, demons tormenting you for eternity, none of that compares to this. It's a slow and agonizing waking nightmare that I will never get out of. I am doomed to rot here, living out a mundane existence until all my previous memories wither away like my will to continue.

For a moment I decide to sit up in bed and look out one of the windows. Before me is the Cotes Ward, with the rest of the city just barely in view. To think for a while I was actually fine staying here. That I could make a new life and live comfortably. Fuck easy living. Fuck being normal. I ain't that. I never will be.

As I continue to stare out across the city, one of my dogs decides to lie down next to me. Maybe I'm crazy—wouldn't be surprised—but I feel like they can all tell how tired I am. I can see the sympathy in their eyes. They don't need to understand what exactly led me down this path. All they need to know is that I'm sad. That I'm hurting. That I'm in such terrible pain. Those concepts are easy enough to grasp. Universal, even. And while I take great comfort in knowing that they feel for me, I really don't think this is what's going to set me free.

It's honestly suffocating. I don't know how in the hell people can even deal with this shit—especially with no one to talk to. Honestly, who the fuck can I even go to here? There's not a single soul who'd get me. Nobody wants to relate to a fucking criminal of all people. Actually, why do I even still call myself that? It's over! It's done! That life has been dead for years now! Everything I worked so hard for gone in an instant. It's all a sick joke. Fuck them! Fuck them! Fuck them! FUCK THEM! FUCK THEM! FUCK THEM! FUCK ME OF ALL PEOPLE! i can't even revive my own fucking gang here without messing it all up! Jesus Christ, and here I thought I was gonna go places?

I should be dead.

I should be dead.

Can't even fucking die here.

Can't fucking end this suffering.

Can't do anything but live with it.

I don't want to. I don't want to.

I DON'T WANT TO.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE MAKE IT STOP.

I DON'T WANT THIS ANYMORE.

I CAN'T TAKE IT.

THIS HURTS TOO MUCH.

My eyes open and I find myself yelling into a pillow. My poor dog is concerned. All of them have entered the bedroom now. I look at them with such exhaustion in my eyes. Wish I could cry it all out. Don't think I can anymore. Don't think I even know how to. Hate this. So tired. So very very tired.

I have no one on this island. I have no one who will stay with me. All of it is conditional. All of it is meaningless. There is no point in making connections anymore. There is no point in trying. There is no point in doing this for her, for myself, for anyone.

I accept my punishment. This is my eternal Hell. My prison.

I give up.

[machifuwa]

World's Most Beautiful Mirror | Epilogue 2

Shinobu: That's right... I do like to collect ninja comics and others related to that but...

I don't remember many details of the ones that were mass-produced because they were popular before.

I'm afraid that one day I'll be forgotten as one of the "common idols", as well...

Koga: Yeah. I'm thought of as a degraded copy of Sakuma-senpai by many people, that giant piece of light named "Rei Sakuma"ーBut one day, I myself will be forgotten.

It's...scary.

Well, I shouldn't end up like that, though~? I've been working hard these days to write songs and find my own personality, yeah!?

Shinobu: Oogami-dono, you don't look like Sakuma-dono as much as they say, though?

Koga: Oh, really? Well, as for your unit, you're a pretty unique group of "Heroes and Idols!"ーa group of uniquely crazy people, so I feel like you'll be remembered. I'm not sure, though~

Shinobu: Oogami-dono really is kind...♪

Koga: Aah?

Shinobu: ...Fufu. In that sense, "2wink" may also be remembered because they are twins, which is very rare.

Koga: That's right but, it's probably complicated for them too.

Everyone remembers that they're twins. But, only a few people will know which one is Yuuta and which one is Hinata.

And since they're idols too, there's probably times where they'd think, "I want you to look only at me!"

In such a case, It's hard to be thought of as "the other twin," ain't it?

Shinobu: Could it be that Yuuta-kun's recent irritability is due to his budding desire for such things?

Koga: Aah? I don't know, I ain't Yuuta, am I?

But. I wonder if that's what the "Producer" was thinkin'.

That's what I'm guessin'. He seems to be the typa guy who knows how hard it can be to forget "oneself"ーfrom his own experiences.

Shinobu: ? Oogami-dono, are you acquainted with the "Producer" by any chance?

Koga: No, I don't know him at all, but that's the only thing that was written on the CD booklet he has ever released under his own name.

"I got what I deserved. I was acting as if I was parasitic about other celebrities, and that's the reason I lost my sense of "self", he wrote there.

He wrote that in the booklet when he put out that CD, because he wanted people to find that kind of him, and he wanted everyone to know about it.

I heard that the CD didn't sell well, though.

Shinobu: Well, that's just something, that poor thing...

Koga: Heh, if sympathy can get people to buy CDs, anyone can be a top idol.

He was a strong man, and after that, it seems he stopped working as an individual and went back to bein' a parasite.

And, well, he built a fortune, he's well connected and even now he's still goin' strong. Don't feel sorry for him. He became a happy dude in his own way.

However. To the world, he looks like a carefree and frivolous parasite, but because of his true feelings leaked out, it remained in some people's hearts for a long time.

The words he spit out as a normal human being, who wasn't a parasite, overlapped with what Yuuta said in "SS".

Shinobu: ...What exactly happened in "SS"?. Yuuta-kun, you've changed a lot since then.

Koga: Hmm. If he hasn't said anythin' to you, I can't tell you what's going on and what's not, but...

...That Yuuta, he gave up.

Even though he said somethin' like he was feelin' refreshed after tellin' me his true feelings, he didn't make a face like "I want you to understand me like that" at all.

He already thought that I'll never understand, and what's worse is that he looked as if he didn't believe in me. Of course.

I've never been able to understand his feelings.

I'm such a disappointing senior, y'know, it's no wonder he has given up on me.

Shinobu: ……

Koga: But you know, it must be tough not to be understood by anyone. Even a transcendental person like Sakuma-senpai can't stand it.

So I at least tried to tell him that there were some people who might understand what he was goin' through.

Shinobu: That is...?

Koga: I'm talkin' about the parasitic bastard that no one understood.

At the time, the guy whined about how no one was looking at 'him' back then is now a very popular "Producer" who is loved in and out of the industry.

From his way of life, I thought that Yuuta and Hinata could learn somethin'. Not sure.

I thought, at the very least, that guy would never pretend not to see Yuta and Hinata...so I told Hinata.

It would be a shame to kick away a man who is supposed to understand us, thinking he is our enemy, right?

Prev | All | Next

Season: Winter

Translated by mars

Proofread by machi

[tea-with-evan-and-me]

Nah I just feel like I’m some ways he probably felt sympathy for dahmer and maybe related to him in certain ways i don’t think he’s racist but id love to know how his role made him feel about them

sorry in advance for the novel, but i think it's an extremely complex issue when people talk about having sympathy for serial killers, and it's muddied by the teenage girls who fetishize them like they're boyband members. i'm also very into true crime, and i've read several books about dahmer, documentaries, etc. well over a decade before the netflix series, because the case interests me. i think it troubles people that anyone could have empathy/sympathy for someone who could do such heinous killings. from a psychological standpoint, i think that is because we try to completely separate ourselves and humanity from our fellow humans who are capable of extreme violence. that's one reason why you see so many people bemoan that the dahmer series ''humanized'' him. but it would actually be deeply disingenuous if they wrote the series and made dahmer a robotic killing machine with no emotions or backstory just so people could really feel the hate for him. serial killers aren't two-headed monsters who you could pick out from a crowd - at the end of the day, jeffrey dahmer was a human of flesh and blood like you and me. he was once an innocent kid, he had moments of great pain, isolation, he was incredibly emotionally damaged and unwell.. and he was also a prolific serial killer. if you feel sympathy when you see someone, anyone suffering, that just means you're human, and a far better one than dahmer was. and quite obviously, the majority of anyone's sympathy should be reserved for the innocent victims he killed and the families he changed forever. jeffrey dahmer is dead, which is quite frankly what he deserved, but many people had to live on with unimaginable pain.

if anything, i hope that being a part of the series was educational for evan re: how POC have to navigate the world entirely different than he does. that the justice system does not work the same for everyone. when your life is valued less than your white counterparts, these things can happen. jeffrey dahmer was not a wealthy, educated and polished man by any means. he was an alcoholic, convicted sex offender who could barely afford to live. he lived in a poverty-stricken neighborhood among mostly black/POC but he still was repeatedly given the benefit of the doubt while having chopped up bodies rotting in his apartment, simply because he looked non-threatening and white. the netflix series highlighted aspects of the case that are usually glossed over - the racism, the homophobia, the protection of the police officers who could have cut his killing spree much shorter if they weren't blinded by their own prejudice. which is why i don't agree with a lot of the criticism it receives.

[phoenyx-rising]

I’m wary of anyone who calls for the sympathy and humane treatment of literal rapists/pedophiles… people who are actually inhumane in their actions… this is the hill we want to die on?? Defending criminals??? Defending RAPISTS AND PEDOPHILES?!??

Either you didn't read the post that was on and just cherry-picked for shock value to make yourself feel better, or you are a troll. If you respond to this and continue the trend of not reading, I won't continue. Sorry to anyone who follows me for the wall of text that's about to occur. That being said, let's try to un-cherry pick your grievance, and I'll start with the TL:DR sic-semper-hominibus kindly put in the actual post: "your disgust-based violent politics are not less reactionary than any run-of-the-mill homophobe or racist's disgust-based violent politics". This is important to remember whenever you start demonizing any group, regardless of their crimes, because it allows for Literally Any group to be demonized. When the flamboyant gays are targeted first and people look the other way cuz they're strange, it shouldn't come as a shock when other queers are attacked next. It's to protect children from pedophiles, don't you know? And well, Florida is registering trans people as sex offenders now, and sex offenders aren't human. (Points 3.a and 3.c in case you really did not read the post you are commenting on... again, a little silly if you ask me, but referring to people as sub-human because they committed a crime is a slippery slope to allow groups to target people they don't like.) That is obviously terrible, and should be seen as terrible from any group, regardless of their politics. Now, regarding Actual sex offenders, pedophiles, murderers, billionaires, etc? Yea, they also deserve a fair trial and to be treated humanely. Part of that is because it is - once again - easy to point fingers and claim someone is a rapist and if we just immediately go welp, gotta kill them now? Well, that's happened. As was stated in the original post (point 3.b, if you want to look back and rethink your horror) it was really easy for white women to point at a black man - man used loosely here, as teenagers were also accused - and have them lynched. But the other part that you might disagree with and I will wholeheartedly defend, yes, is that even if we put them through a fair trial and it's proven without a shadow of a doubt that they did indeed commit the crime, then at the end of the day they are still human, and deserve to be treated as such. They broke the laws of society and a just response as decided by that society needs to happen, but there is a reason so many countries have abolished the death penalty. There's a reason why so many US states have abolished or placed a moratorium on it. There's a reason why many people condemn countries that haven't and continue to execute their citizens in painful ways. It's because current methods of execution are painful and inhumane, and the criminals are still Human. (It's also cuz capital punishment is more expensive than life imprisonment, and because the racism, sexism, ableism, etc etc etc in our Not perfect justice system means that innocent people are convicted of crimes they did not commit, which brings me back to the beginning where just cuz someone is Accused of committing a heinous crime does not mean we get to treat them as sub-human. Vicious cycles and all that which only ends up hurting innocent people). Anyways, now that I have reiterated the original post that was more clearly written - which I hope you read and just didn't understand, and that's why you're here, not cuz you're a troll - maybe now you will better understand why human beings - even criminals - should be treated as human? Like, it is basic empathy levels, but it's also just humanity. So yea, go re-read that post that I left TAGS on, and the responses on it, and have a good day :)

[nyotaliafan-pinkmermaid]

Two hearts united as one (Part 2)

Fandom : Hetalia

Characters/pairings : Aurelian x fem!Probus (HWS Roman Emperors , even though in this story are just named after them). Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, North Italy , South Italy , Seborga, Genoa , nyo!Cyprus and nyo!Greece make guest appearances (Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece aren't married though nor they are related to eachother and the antagonist is actually an unnamed human OC).

Genres : Romance , Emotional, Modern AU

Rating: K+

Warnings : mentions of abuse(even though I won't make it too edgy) , nudity (nothing is explicit and nothing sexual happens between the main couple), parental loss , plus the bathing scene may make some people burst into tears so it will be better to have some tissues with you.

Word count: 6708

(Note : in case you don't like it , don't make any hateful or bashing comments or even message me, expressing hate. Instead feel free to get out).

When she woke up in the morning , Probus felt like her chest was burning. But the most surprising thing was that the pain wasn't because of an illness or negative emotions. It was because the feeling of love  was strong inside her, since yesterday.

She couldn't get the handsome and kind man she met yesterday , out of her mind , no matter how hard she tried . And it was clear, that she started having feelings for him, just like how he started having for her.

Even while she was doing the housework, Probus couldn't stop thinking about Aurelian and the way he behaved towards her. She wanted to meet him once again and know him better.

While she was doing the chores around the mansion, her head was still on the clouds , as she was thinking about the last day's event that would change her life forever. She had to concentrate on her work, so she would have time for herself.

After finishing her work, Probus went to her room and changed on her white dress. Without wasting time she went downstairs and left the villa, without forgetting to take the keys and put them in her dress' pocket.

She started walking and admiring the nature around. Some time later her legs started aching and she sat nearby a fountain to relax.

She was admiring her reflection in the crystal clear water, when suddenly she noticed, someone else's shadow behind her. Probus stood up and turned around. With a great surprise , she saw Aurelian smiling at her brightly.

"Greetings my lady".

"Good day to you as well my knight".

"Everything looks beautiful here".

"Yes , it's a beautiful place indeed".

"Not as beautiful as you , of course".

As the hours were passing the couple started realising, that they had both fallen in love with eachother and that fate brought them together.

A feeling of grief filled the woman's eyes and she desperately wanted to tell how she felt.

"Promise that you won't get angry or laugh, after you hear what i'll tell you".

"Of course, feel free to tell me whatever you think".

After taking a deep breath, Probus started sharing her story, as it really was and not how she wanted it to be :

"The truth is that I am not someone who has lots of money. I work as a maid for three years in a mansion, but my boss is very cruel with me.He treats me more like an object than a human being and punishes me harshly, whenever I do something wrong. Now the dress which I wear was a gift from my mother before she and my father passed away".

This small speech made Aurelian feel sad for Probus. His heart couldn't take it, how such a lovely woman was treated like that.

"You don't deserve such treatment. I won't treat you like that, I can't do it. It is because I love you and I mean it. I lost my parents in a very young age, so I know very well, how this feels".

These words touched the girls heart and for the first time in her life, someone felt sympathy for her and understood her, instead of telling her that she is overly dramatic and that she puts it all out of her mind.

In fact there were three more people that believed her until now and it was no one else than her tutor and her tutor's two daughters.

As the hours passed, the two lovebirds were learning more about one another. They even realised that they had things in common.

Both parts have lost their parents while they were still teenagers and it was thanks to their strong mental health, that they didn't give up yet.

The two of them had such a good time together, that they nearly didn't realize it started getting dark.

Few minutes later, he asked her:

"Would you like to come and stay with me?"

The question surprised her greatly and she responded to him:

"Of course my dear. But my boss will be angry if he learns that i'm not in the mansion. He will be back from his trip in two months".

"Don't be afraid. I'll take care of it and you won't live in that golden cage anymore. I'll make you happy".

"Thank you so much, for the nice gesture. Though I want to go for a last time to the mansion to take my things and then we leave immediately".

Soon after that, Probus showed Aurelian the way to the mansion and after helping her , pack her things they escaped without anyone noticing them.

The young lady couldn't believe , that this exact moment  would be the start of her freedom.

She didn't feel like a bird in its cage anymore. From now on she was ready to take her destiny in her own hands and not letting anyone else besides her to control it.

The couple finally arrived to the boy's home. It wasn't that big or luxurious. It was simple but still lovely.

By the time the two of them entered the house, Aurelian made sure that Probus would feel like she was in her  home. He didn't want her to feel like a stranger or an unwanted visitor.

He helped her tidy her things and after that they put more comfortable clothes and went to sleep in the bedroom, which originally belonged to the young man's parents.

By the time , the young woman layed  on the bed she immediately felt how soft and comfortable it was. While she was working in the mansion as a servant , she was sleeping on a bed that looked almost like it was going to be destroyed at any time. This had as a result, to make her feel very uncomfortable and she couldn't  sleep well at all.

Her master didn't  even bother to call someone to repair it or even go and buy a new one. Instead he preferred to spend his money on riduculously expensive things,  while he was displaying his wealth in a narcissistic  and delusional state that not even himself was aware of.

After  exchanging  "Good Night" with one another , they fell asleep next to eachother. Aurelian leaned his arm protectively towards Probus, making her feel safe and loved at the same time.

She wasn't afraid anymore, because now she was with someone that she could trust and that wouldn't even dare to cut her wings off.

To be continued...

[exploringme2022]

He is fucking lying peice of shit, he lies in every sentence to everyone, he potrays himself as a victim always literally always so everyone feels sorry for him, once again I got into same trap , even talking to him as stranger that he is the victim , everyone did wrong to him, he is very lonely and stuff, i start feeling sorry for him, like I did wrong to him, but the fact is he didn't realised his mistake a bit playing with 2 woman at a time, lying to 2 woman at a time, basically using 2 woman for his own thril, cheating on 2 women's, hurting me and started cheating on me in March, have no sympathy or empathy for me, whatever good i think of him is completely wrong, while he was feeling thrill he didn't have to hurt me, lie to me, or keep using me at my worst but he did, he didn't even keep my respect or dignity or consider me as human being, 5 years I was with him, and he didn't even care about me for a sec, he is fucking selfish person and always been, he always think of himself and has always been, why the fuck I have adjusted so much for him because I always felt sorry for the guy. He doesn't have money so can't go out, he doesn't want this so can't do this or that, why didn't I demand what I wanted... Well fuck off I was okay 😂😂, I was okay and alive without him and I will be okay and alive without him... But I will always regret that our paths has crossed and will always regret trusting you blindly, even though I told him i can't trust anyone again but he said he will never break my trust but he shattered, i regret trusting someone again, i don't care if someone loves me or not I need to find love within myself, I need to learn for not trusting anyone anymore or giving someone power to disturb my mental peace again, and I forgive myself for trusting him, or finding love where respect has not been served or the person who always lives in his past, and I don't want him anymore, first of all he didn't realised his mistake ulta he realised I don't deserve him😂😂, ok i seriously don't deserve this guy or any woman , who doesn't know how to respect woman, gf, sis or mother, second he still loves her like deep water as deep shit good for him he deserve e and he just did like and doesn't love me or miss me anymore and moved on, he still wants to spend time with her, well she is his karma, and he lives in past, he wants her more than me and he doesn't like to go out Netflix and chill or cooking at home, boring, no personal life, and he chooses pain over happiness and past over present... Bullshit, well he thought Anusha came to rescue but not again, because whoever comes in his life give him immense amount of love or anything he will die for that Randi only, so go deal with it , because this is the first someone showed you the mirror, and he thinks there are plenty of options out there easy to fall in love, then go find one or in your case go find someone ruin their life and again go fall in randi's trap or let someone use you... Well it was for fact that you don't deserve me and you never did, you don't deserve loyalty and honesty, you deserve a person who treats you like a shit.. good for you, and I am happy you are not part of my life anymore, talking to you as a stranger made me feel anxious, if I talk like shefali then i will have anxiety agains, i can't forget what I have been through, i accept all these things and let you go in peace,

I can't deny I loved you and cared for you, and you get what you deserve, and shall be able to pass this loneliness phase of yours, and I did what I had to do to save you from toxic situation that can cause your life, but you're life is not in my hand it's in hand of God, but I wish you to survive come out as stronger and good person and value what you have instead of running what is not worth your time and be happy and live your life again and be better version of yourself, i let you go in peace...and i wish our paths should never cross again, i hate it that someone whom I consider so much in my life and gave so much power turned out to be biggest lesson of my life..