itskingahi

The thing is, it was supposed to be a hangout between Jeremy and Kevin. But where Jeremy goes, Jean follows, and where Kevin goes, Andrew joins him (and, by association, Neil too). So there they are, the five of them, sitting in a local cafe.

Kevin had expected to third-wheel (or fifth-wheel?) all afternoon. However, it turns out differently.

Andrew lets him sit between him and Neil in the booth, their thighs and shoulders pressed together, but he doesn’t seem to mind.

Neil absently brushes his fingers along Kevin’s arm, sending little shivers through him. At some point, he takes Kevin’s left hand and doesn’t let go.

Jeremy reaches up and subtly brushes a few rebellious strands of hair away from Kevin’s face, looking at him with adoring eyes.

Jean offers him his coffee when Kevin’s is too strong and lends him his jacket when they leave and it’s too cold outside.

The issue comes when people try and claim theyre NOT canonically aroace. Its fine to be like "This character is aroace but im making them X for this fic". Weird but fine. It is not okay to say "actually character is not aroace theyre actually X canonically idc about the source material". The second one is erasure, plain and simple.

Most important to address is the hypocrisies. IF YOU WOULDN'T DO IT TO GAY OR LESBIAN CHARACTER WHY ARE YOU DOING IT TO AN AROACE?

That needs to be addressed; do you value aroace people less? do you see our identity as less worthy of respect or acknowledgement? is there a reason you would change a canonical idenitiy when its an aromantic or asexual idenity, but you would loose it if someone shipped your favourite yaoi with a woman or yuri with a man?

Why is that any different? Both are identities acknowledged in the media are canon, and they show no attraction/attraction to women, so why is me shipping Shane with a woman "so bad and gross" but shipping an aroace character is "normal and fine"?

Is it maybe because you value these identities differently?

Something to consider, that's all.

Jeremy's story isn't more cruel than Jean's or Andrew's, but why does that make him less worthy of empathy? Why do people oversimplify his problems so much? It's as if they've only read about how he got addicted to cocaine and was caught having relationships with men, and then his credit card was blocked by his mom who's just very disappointed.

useless/ arrogant/ oblivious fool

ignorant/ feckless/ wayward child

hard-of-hearing imbecile

insignificant brat

tiny bastard

unhinged optimist

ignorant/ miserable/ ruinous wretch

tedious malcontent

abominable cockroach

worthless trash bag

rabid little fox

know-nothing/ ill-bred child

wretched beast

unwanted dog

malfunctioning cretin

braindead fool

IGNORE

fair-haired rat

rancid bitch/ menace

half-baked baguette

walking disaster

lackadaisical pushover

disobedient shit-stain

bonus:

he’s just escaped a lifetime of abuse and manipulation. he was taught that exy is the only thing that matters, the only thing that makes you important. of course he’s going to be obsessed with it.

of course he’s a bit spineless. he’s just escaped and now everything he’s running from is coming back because neil won’t stop poking the bear.

kevin is mentally fucked up beyond words. it is paralyzing. that man has severe anxiety and every choice he ever makes still gets effected by the way he was conditioned since birth. I don't think he ever got the chance to be his own person. he did not get to discover who is like everyone else might have when they were teens. he did not got to explore his own personality and quirks. growing up where he grew up, he was told to be someone they seemed fit. he didn't become himself. if it makes sense.

so I fucking hate kevin haters and I hate people who underestimate kevin's trauma and mental abuse he suffered. you do not care about abuse survivors if you only care about physical abuse survivors. it is performative.

"Kevin day is a coward look at Neil and what he did"

You mean Neil the idiot (I love Neil) with no survival skills who almost died at his dad's basement and only survived out of pure luck

You mean Neil who went to evermore with the promise that he won't harm Andrew (riko is a liar and will not keep his word) and got hurt there for two weeks for nth Andrew was still harmed

Neil who got them into an even deeper mess with the mafia

That Neil

Difference is Neil doesn't think rationally he has this weird complex he's chaotic which is amazing don't get me wrong but he didn't make a single good decision the entire time

"But Kevin is a coward" no he isn't Kevin has been with them the longest he knows how to play it safe

Jean been there for 4 years

Neil went there for two weeks

Kevin was there for 10 fucking years he knows how they operate

Also Kevin wasn't sold he was betrayed ofc he won't handle it the same

Neil is chaotic and stupid most his choices are made on impulse he doesn't care what the outcome is he thinks he's a dead man

Kevin has a lot to lose remember the mafia knows who his father is and his father is someone who isn't involved

Kevin thinks a million times he calculates the risk and the outcome because that's how you survive

Kevin didn't want to die because if he does so does jean and his father and probably Abby btw

Neil doesn't have that weight Neils mom was already dead

So no they don't compare when you have nothing to lose you have the luxury to act irrationally

Also Kevin was brainwashed some of you forget that 10 years isn't a short time spacially due to his cptsd

Kevin wasn't 18 or 14 (not saying jean didn't suffer he did my poor boy) when he was being abused he was 9 it shaped how his brain works

Plus to Kevin riko was his brother before he was his abuser and titsuji was his uncle/godfather so it's a totally different scene

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