Augh I am not knowledgeable enough on this and I do not have the energy to see more of it but I am still thinking of it <- the morality and ethics of fiction and things like that and also how much of the author's views are affecting it
Quick example here: light from DN, most people tend to assume he's misogynistic, because the author unintentionally wrote his views onto Light's character. Of course, it is in a way where it does seem to be fair to have that negative trait onto Light, but in his other works that sexism is toned a bit higher and clearer to see.
So, that asks the question of many other works of art. At what point is it part the story, the themes, the character, and at what point is it the creator of their work, intentionally or unintentionally having their views baked into it.
Of course, I feel, it is maybe inevitable some of one's thoughts on matters are worked into their craft. It is your art, it will have your touch on it, whether you see it or not.
Wauhh there's so much to this. I am. Ough.
This of course eventually goes into rougher territory, does this person actually think this [horrible action] is acceptable, or justifiable? Or should we give the benefit of the doubt that it's meant to be in the realm of fiction that was meant for pondering, evoke emotions and connections to these characters.
What is romanticising/glorifying, truly? Though I suspect it may come to a 'case by case' sort of thing.
What is simply one's fantasies, of which, may be illegal to do so in real life, but they are fully aware of such. They still wish to engage in pleasure, though within the realm of fiction rather than reality so they do not actually harm others.
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wind whistled through the spindly trees, bony and barren in the late autumn sky. hardly proper cover for thievery, the sniper mused, bundling himself within in his thick woolen cloak, but it would have to do, what with the circumstances being as they were. his coffers were dangerously dry, and little remained except for that which he preferred to avoid, wherever possible.
bracing his leg against the trunk of the stalwart oak, the sniper slung his rifle from his back, fishing in his ammo box, careful to avoid what lay at the bottom. lead knocked against lead knocked against the secret the sniper kept deep within the pouch wrapped tightly round his chest, and at last, the slug slammed home with a click. the sniper cocked the hammer back with a self-satisfied sigh.
a chill settled in all around, his breath suddenly fogging in the air. the sniper raised an eyebrow.
"was starting to wonder when you'd show."
beside him, a flickering, ghostly form materialized from the fog, vaguely resembling the form of a slender man haloed by a cloud of weightless hair, streaked with gray and blue. his face, though awfully vague, boasted a self-satisfied smile.
"apologies, mon cher, you know how tenuous my connection is."
"'course." the sniper cleared his throat, testing the view down his sight. a narrow, winding road stretched out beneath him, soft-packed dirt crisscrossed with the marks of carriage wheels. traffic was light, this time of night, but all he needed was one good shot. he touched the brim of his hat, pulling it down over his forehead. "you alright?"
"as ever," the specter mused, considering his right hand, turning over its faint outline. "i have missed you."
"yeah, well, business has been good."
"hmm. a shame."
the sniper rolled his eyes, shivering slightly from where the specter pressed against his leg, his torso, cold air flitting past his neck. "you're just about the only person who thinks that, you know."
"well, i really do grow lonely," he replied, gesturing loosely toward the forest around them. "not much to do when you are the only one who can see me."
"unfortunate that you can't come visit the tavern." distant hooves against the trail echoed in the sniper's ears, and he settled his rifle on his shoulder, letting out a long exhale. there was no other sign of company, but the sniper kept his eyes trained on the bend in the path, searching for a lamp; or, more likely, a carriage blacked out to defend itself from the likes of him. not that it would do much to stay his hand, the sniper was very, very good.
"i know, love," the specter murmured, draping his arm across the sniper's back. "but we all know life rarely finds space in its infinite mercy to be fair."
"i s'pose." shrugging, the sniper considered the fact that he was even allowed to see his lover like this was an act of grace in and of itself. few others were afforded the option to speak with those they lost from beyond the grave, afforded the sort of closure he had been begrudgingly given by forces he did not understand. the hand in his ammo box weighed against his chest like an anchor. "you know you're always welcome, if... well..."
"yes. if, indeed." blank eyes boring into the distance, the specter's form seemed to shimmer and shift with the breeze, stirred up like a thick mist. his furrowed brow belied very little, except perhaps a lurking sense of unease. the sniper longed to reach out and touch him, to offer some reassurance, but all that remained to be held, to be caressed in the way he desired, was the collection of leathery skin and spindly bones bound together with beeswax buried under a collection of lead rounds, a makeshift, mobile grave.
shifting uncomfortably, the sniper reached for his pack and rummaged through its contents until his fingers closed round the wrist of the hand of glory he kept by his side. he drew it forth with an aching tenderness, and placed the palm against his cheek. the specter blinked, before laughing in that disjointed way he'd come to associate with this particular kind of haunting, and brought his other hand to the sniper's cheek. while there was no contact to be had, the specific damp and cold that enveloped his skin was comforting, strangely familiar.
the sniper, overtaken by a horrific sort of euphoria, a grief and a love and a regret that seized his throat like a clenched fist, leaned forward, and so too did the specter.
of course, they did not kiss.
in such a state, how could they? the specter was as impermanent as he appeared, and all the sniper felt was a rush of breath stolen from his chest, and then nothing at all. like two ships passing in the night, he reached for something he had never really known and would never really know again, coming up woefully short. his weight lurched, and he almost lost his grip on the branch, and the imbalance whirling in his stomach was as emblematic as it was literal.
upon regaining his position, the sniper simply whispered, "sorry."
the specter regarded him with a curious expression, facial features shockingly distinct. his brows creased, mouth twisted at the corners, and he brought his hand to his lips slowly and delicately.
below them, the echoes of a team of horses drew nearer, and a carriage-mounted lamp swung its beams through the trees, wild and reckless. ornate golden filigree glowed in the light.
the sniper drew his rifle to his chest, willing his heart to slow. his finger hovered about the trigger.
and then, the specter's hand braced against the barrel of the gun as his body twined around the sniper's prone form. his mouth hissed, words cool and sharp as a blade against a whetstone.
"don't miss."
stilling the rise and fall of his chest, the sniper said, "i never do."
the crack of gunfire lashed through the trees, deadly and final as the gallows.
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