#they will be massacred and you can't find the empathy to even stop to think

[emily84]

seriously though. seriously. considering just israel's perspective on this. tensions have been building and building after netanyahu's scary (and successful!) attack on the supreme court, there have been mass protests and escalation and repression by the most conservative, far-right government israel has ever had. support for the compulsory military service has been at its lowest point. not even considering the worsening of the demographic crisis (ultra-orthodox vs. jewish people from former soviet union countries vs. secular, etc.)

and suddenly there's this powder keg exploding that completely derails the israeli people's attention towards this one specific target - and you're going to tell me, you're gonna look me straight in the eye and tell me it's not convenient that it's happening right now? right now, when this government is being rejected, its many policies questioned including the occupation, and netanyahu desperately needed something to boost loyalty and completely destroy any nuance in the ongoing conversation about these issues, and this suddenly happens, and you are seriously telling me this, the oldest fucking trick in the book of any reactionary/authoritarian regime in action, isn't giving you even the smallest bit of pause before you lash out against "the palestinians"?? seriously???

[evilwy]

About Rentz 🐍🔗

(3/3)

(I apologize in advance for any typos or mistakes, I'm dyslexic, thanks for understanding)

Most important thing I think it's worth saying that when he wakes up on nautiloid, Rentz remembers absolutely nothing, not even his name. There is no despair, no pain, no anger, they come later, there is only emptiness and a feeling of cold at the beginning.

Fear appears almost immediately from the ringing emptiness in his head, from the realization that he exists. Bruises on the body respond with pain when he trying to move, and anger flares up when a silhouette appears in front of him. His mind, like an open wound, itches and bleeds, he can't utter anything but... help.. me... This is what their meeting with Lae'zel actually looks like, he meets her first.

Rentz is a soldier, all his life he carries out orders that he cannot disobey. He's wise and observant. Knows a lot, but doesn't want to share it with anyone. Rentz watches distantly most of the time, not wanting to attract too much attention. Authority is important to him, he only follows orders. Rentz himself does not want to take the place of a leader of the group and it even scares him a bit.

The whole path of Rentz is saturated with such a strong enveloping dread. Everything he does is connected to it, but what he's afraid of, he cannot understand. And a bit later, a caustic whisper of savagery begins to seep out of the emptiness of consciousness. At first it's easy to ignore it, but it develops into a mad scream of a thousand voices that seems to drive him crazy. Rentz doesn't sleep at night when the screams get louder, he doesn't understand and is afraid of this. Afraid of his disgusting desires to maim, harm, massacre, slaughter.

TW: BLOOD

No one in group asks his name right away, they're just satisfied that he's on their side, and when the question does sound, it hangs in ringing silence. He doesn't know. And the fingers involuntarily begin to tremble. He subsequently finds his "own" name in a randomly found note, where initials are written in a neat handwriting in the lower corner of the paper. "Rentz" is his name now.

It's like there's no empathy inside Rentz, and there's too much of it to the point of nausea. Initially, he kills out of supreme pity, as it seems to him. "Faerun is too cruel to everyone, I'm ready to put you out of your misery," he thinks and is afraid that he won't be able to stop.

Later, so much anger remains inside him that he can choke on it, it retreats only after the murders, the veil slides from his eyes and there remains a void that is filled only by pain and violence.

(cw: not major spoilers)

During Alfira's murder, he sees Astarion and realizes that he's lying about his nature, Astarion in turn sees him and this knowledge unites them in the thought "I am a monster". For a while, they're like two predators baring their teeth at each other, but do not dare to attack, and later in their hatred of the world they find similarities in each other.

(Til'em is a character of @virgil-630 , later the two of them will have an affair with Astarion)

Rentz has a complicated relationship with Til'em, he dreams of squeezing his neck until it crunches from the first meeting, and this is more a personal dislike, not a dark temptation. In one of his outings, he tries to kill Til', but something prevents him and at the last moment Rentz changes his mind.

He begins to see in Til'em something more than just a leader of a group much later.

Til'em skillfully plays on Rentz's sense of abandonment, his deep desire to be accepted, to be normal. He skillfully presses all the levers of Rentz's soul, even though it takes him lots of time, and he opens up to Til'em like an abandoned child who doesn't trust anyone because instead of hugs he is afraid to get a slap in the face. Who closed himself off from everyone so as not to hurt what little of a person was left in him and pushed it so deep inside that he no longer believes that anyone can love him.

[the-real-sasuke-uchiha]

Sasuke, I’ve been thinking about this for a few days now. I used to think analyzing people’s reactions to the Uchiha genocide was fascinating. I would say to myself “wow, people treat this like it was some kind of ‘both sides were wrong’ type of thing but I’m sure if it was happening in front of them, they would think differently.” WELL. Now a genocide is happening in front of us and people are REACTING THE SAME WAY. “Oh it’s not a genocide, you are being dramatic.” “They deserved it because they’re all evil.” “Is**** has a right to defend itself against terrorists!” Holy moly… Literally word for word. I feel so naive to have believed in humanity as much as i did.

I feel you, my friend. I never talk about these things because I think it might be upsetting if an anime blog starts talking about real life genocides in between joke posts and memes. I also don't like to parallel fictional and real life crimes for fear that people will find it frivolous and offensive. So please, everyone reading this, know that this is not by any means my intention, and that I am not trying to use real life massacres to justify my take in this fandom or anything, I am just answering a friend here.

I don't know what to say, really, I lost all hope in humanity long ago too. But, it baffles me that I keep seeing people around me repeating the bullshit you describe. And it baffles me mostly because I see this coming too from good people that have nothing to win out of this infamy. Now you are thinking that "good people" would never find excuses to turn a blind eye to a genocide, but I can ensure you they are no monsters, they really aren't. They are not indifferent to human suffering, I saw them committed with other causes, I know they wouldn't hurt a fly, so what is wrong with them?

I am no psychologist so, forgive me if I say something dumb. But I think the thing is, reality is just to damn painful. You just can't accept it like that. A genocide, complete and atrocious extermination of a whole group of people, just because? Just based on hate and lies? Just to steal their land? And you are comfortable at your home, safe just out of sheer luck, because you were born in the right moment in the right place. Two very agonizing realities arise when you become aware of this. The first one is that you, citizen of the so-called "free world", convinced during your whole life that you have the voice and the power in your very democratic country, are practically impotent; unable to do anything or to help anyone, unable to even get your government to officially condemn the genocide, let alone to get them to stop sending weapons to the perpetrator. The second one is that you are only safe until your annihilation can be of purpose to the geopolitical interests of some dominant global power.

So, I believe blaming the victim is a defence mechanism to help us convince ourselves that bad things happen for a reason and that we could never be subjected to such cruelty. Similar to when we blame poor starving people for their bad choices, or when we blame women for being raped because, you know, they were dressed like that, they drank or whatever. We want to believe that we know better, that we are safe because we are clever and not because we are lucky, because that would mean our luck could end one day and we could be susceptible to monstrosities any time. And I guess that is unbearable.

And then, of course, we have the media bringing us those excuses. Thoroughly. Picturing the victims as terrorists for defending themselves and the aggressor as a victim with legit reasons to commit a genocide. It is extremely well-thought and intentional, from the language they use to the things that they decide to tell or not. They know very well how to manipulate people and how to redirect their feelings and empathy to fit the goals and interests of the very rich people behind mass media. Many people speak only one language, never left their homes, never met a foreigner. They have access only to mainstream tv channels and newspapers, and they will never believe anything different from what they consider "official". And you would expect something more from educated people, but even the school curriculum is designed to shape your mind in a particular way that fits the political interests of your nation.

And going back to fiction, of course, I understand that people have a right to enjoy whatever they want and like any character they want and this is no reason to judge their morality. But, indeed, like you, I also find parallels between the excuses people give to overlook or justify fictional massacres and the real ones. I guess fiction mirrors reality and this is why, sometimes, we live this fandom a bit to viscerally. Because when you see someone justifying a fictional genocide you imagine them doing the same in reality and, well. As you say, we don't really need to imagine that at all, it is happening.

[lozmastermm]

Really I think the worst part of living and being broken since birth, but choosing to, in an infinitely shrinking perception of existence, be the best person I can, finding every philosophy, outlook, religion, whatever I had energy for, and be able to form genuine connections with people, but only specific people:

And slowly, but certainly, finding out you may be the only one who truly cares. At least as much, at least as far, and at least as one in their states can manage.

Idunno, realistically I'm probably wrong, but another part of me knows that I've set my standards to a height no one can match or fit with me.

All that to say: everyday dying certainly sounds funner than existing in a broken state, inside a state that has bottom of the barrel health everything everywhere.

The world is just terrible. Honestly. The little fragments of joy aren't enough, everything is an addiction and life stopped being anything but a rich's plaything and the masses are genuinely too retarded and accepting to do anything.

The most I can possibly derive from life is being able to be a good person for someone. And when your ability to is diminished by failing mental health and worsening economies, when my ability to even be peaceful for moments, when I simply can't be Baseline "Okay"

Well, it's kinda a waste of time innit? It amounted to nothing but fun experiences in a total hellscape everyone is dedicated to keeping as shitty as possible for someone because their dick is small.

I gave people reasons to live and they boiled down to nothing. Incapable. That's existence. Nothing is possible, every possible roadblock will be thrown, your life is not just worthless it's meaningless. Apply meaning and someone will take it away. Every. Single. Time.

So, really, all this is truly to say this: I fucking hate humanity. Of all species we are just fucking callously worthless. An actual parasite of beligerants.

The handful of people who try are fucking massacred by everyone because no one thinks past an emotional none. How the Fuck was I smarter and more capable at 13 when people even now are less capable than babies? That's not a brag it's a fucking cry for help. Do better for fucks sake.

You think there's any pride in having hit the innevitable wall to climb before I was an adult, when no other adults had even started or attempted any intellectualism? It's horrifying. That so many of you, are this lead-filled.

I have an excuse to stop climbing walls, my brain is damaged as shit, ya'll just drink yourselves half to death in an attempt to feel anything but stupid.

All it takes is patience and empathy. I'm willing to say more than half of humanity are utterly without. We don't solve gun problems because it solves the mental health crisis and a buncha other capitalist induced shir, in that nobody gives a shit to fix the problems that lead to gun problems because we genuinely as a species fucking love killing people even children.

I tried growing up just thinking, man, people will be smarter, it's only a small bunch, we live in peaceful times. Good, or truth, triumphs.

Nah. We live in a dystopic hell that's just too lazy to go full blast yet. Ya'll idiots are why the rich don't want to help, I wouldn't, fuck ya'll idiots you ain't worth it, you're killing your own class but yelling at them. Utterly pathetic weak willed shit.

Do better than 13 year old me and I'll have some respect for you, til then, I don't respect a species unwilling to *try* and beat the 13 year old's interpretation of the world. Because my god, it wouldn't be hard, you'd simply have to try. And that's the worst part of being worse than a 13 year old, the single, crucial difference between one loser loner 13yo and most of humanity, was integrity/standards.

All I did was give a shit about myself, sooooley for the benefit of others. And ya still, even now, don't try.

Why did I even waste my time? I have standards for myself, and they're high, but realistically, low, ya'll just set the bar so fucking low my own are simply high in comparison. Again, it's not ego, I'm simply dumbfounded every day since 16 how far I was ahead of most life on the planet just 3 years ago. And then again in 6 years, 9, my god.

So, here's my life advice: Fuck you. Die. Don't try. Nothing is worth it. Everything is on fire so why put any of it out.