I hate hate HATE all those 2edgy 4me theories about kids shows. Like Angelica dreaming up the rugrats, or the ed, edd, and eddy children being ghosts, or literally anything that takes a lighthearted and fun kids show and has to turn it into some tragic take of rape or murder or misinformed mental illness.
So you know what? From now on I’m gonna do the exact opposite. Every cool grim-dark show is now because of a bunch of children. To get us started:
Game of Thrones: A middle-school DnD campaign with the most angry, vindictive DM who has promised to kill everyone’s player characters (and their family) by the end.
dreadwerewolf
The Walking Dead is actually a bunch of kids playing zombie apocalypse in their neighborhood and every time someone “dies,” it’s because their parents called them home for supper.
leaveliestotheliars
Breaking Bad is actually just a fanfic the students in Mr. White’s class write about him because no one has any idea what he does with his free time and the running jokes about it got wildly out of hand.
It only took Hinata a glance for her to know that he was not okay.
He came rushing inside the house when she was still in the living room, just about to cook something just in case Naruto and her sons come back home. Himawari was sleeping upstairs, it was hard to put her to sleep because she kept asking about her father and her brothers' well-being. As small of a child as she is, she could understand that something had happened when a lot of Konoha's jounins and police force scattered all around the village, shouting to everyone they passed by to immediately go to the hidden evacuation route into the secret shelter beneath the Hokage's monumen. Few hours passed until one of the jounin announced that the Hokage had taken care of the situation and they were allowed to leave the shelter.
Hinata had always told her kids of the responsibility their father carried as the Hokage, that if anything happens to the village, their father would always be in the front line to face it. It was like an implicit attempt she tried to make them understand, even though slowly, that they have to be ready for whatever that may come in the future. But, she always made it clear of the most important thingㅡthat they have to believe in their father, that he is strong, and he would be able to protect Konohaㅡ protect everyone.
Hinata could clearly see the apparent worry in her daughter's face. Thus, she kept reminding her that everything would be alright. That her father and brothers would be back soon. Though, she couldn't deny the worry looming within her own when she found out that both of her sons were also involved in the matter.
She couldn't describe just how relieved she was when Ino suddenly called her with her communication jutsu about the arrival of Naruto, Sasuke, Boruto, and Kawaki back in Konoha. Hinata asked her about their condition and Ino informed her that everyone was safe, though they would be sent to the hospital for a thorough check up just in case they missed anything.
So, she decided to cook something for them, and waited for their return. But, what she didn't expect was Naruto suddenly appeared in the house, dashing in a lighting speed and hugged her into a crushing embrace.
One glance at his eyes and she knew, he wasn't okay. She didn't say anything though. Not yet. She knew she had to wait. She could see how his clothes was torn and the many holes adorning his Hokage cloak. His face wes so weary, and there was ghost in his eyes that made her heart shattered.
His breathing was erratic and his embrace didn't seem to get loose eitherㅡjust getting tighter and tighter every passing second.
They stayed like that for a few minutes in complete silence. It felt so dreadful, yet she couldn't do anything other than to wait for him, until he was ready. She reciprocated his hug, while rubbing his back as to assure him that everything was fine. Though, she knew it wasn't, completely.
She took the chance to activate her byakugan, one second she frowned, and the next she could feel how her heart fell and crashed to the ground.
"I thought...I'd never...be able to...see you againㅡ" his voice was disjointed by his choking sobs. Yes, he was already sobbing on her shoulder. She felt some warm liquid seeped through her clothes and making her shoulder wet. Her heart was torn by every sob he made, and every broken voice she could hear.
"Hinata….Hinata…." He kept calling her name in anguish.
"It's okay... it's okay… I'm here, and you are here… it's okay…."
All she could hear was his sobbing.
"B-but, he's not with me anymore, Hinata. K-Kuraㅡ" he couldn't finish his sentence. He completely broke into a crying mess. His sobbing was getting louder and louder until it was totally impossible for him to even utter a word. It was the first time Hinata saw Naruto crying this hard, and looking so so vulnerable.
Tears have gathered on both of her eyes without her even knowing. And the next thing she knew, two streams of tears were running endlessly on both of her cheeks.
"K-Kurama saved me. He saved me and everyone. He said that we would die, and I've prepared myself for it. B-but, in the end, he liedㅡ"
Sobs
"H-he lied to me. It's only him who died. He traded his life to save everyoneㅡto save meㅡ"
Sobs
"He left me, Hinata….he left me…"
Sobs
"He is not with me anymore...."
Sobs
At this point, her brain was numb. Her whole body was numb. As painful as the news destroyed her, the thought that it could be himㅡit could have been him, who died, scared the living soul out of her.
And she couldn't do anything other than hugging him tighter, as tight as a person could possibly be held. As to remind her that he was really there, in flesh and bone.
That he survived.
That he didn't die and leave her alone.
That he was there, really really there in her embrace.
Maybe he’s ordering a decaf because he has a heart condition, and you’re about to give him a heart attack and send him to the hospital.
Or maybe he’s just ordering a decaf.
Maybe she’s ordering sugar free because she’s diabetic, and you’re about to put her six feet under.
Or maybe she’s just ordering sugar free,
Maybe they’re ordering non-dairy because they’re intolerant, and you’re about to ruin their day. Maybe they’re allergic, and you’re about to sponsor an all black event in an open field.
Or maybe they’re just ordering non-dairy.
Maybe they ordered gluten free because they can’t process it, and you’re about to destroy their digestive tract.
Or maybe they’re just ordering gluten free.
Maybe they’re ordering this way just because they don’t want the food, for whatever reason.
Also, please remember that some people with sensitivities may get sick hours to days later. Just because they don’t have an immediate reaction doesn’t mean they are “exaggerating” or “lying”.
Whether illness or personal preference— just make their dang food the way they ask!!!
Last saturday there was a whole radio program on one of Italy’s main radio stations about asexuality that ended up just being two women giggling about how “those weirdos are sick, and they want to be proud of it! lol! but at least they don’t reproduce so the disease won’t spread”.
They said asexuals people are gross and need to be kept at distance. That we should become extinct as soon as possible. “keep the children far from this”.
Asexual people got mocked and insulted Nation-wide, and now there will be people that, not previously knowing what asexuality is, will think that we’re just dumb sick weirdos.
So yes, obviously there’s absolutely no stigma at all, no social backlash at all with being asexual, or god forbid aromantic. Yup.
The good news is, people are reacting to this. I’ve seen this reported and criticised in several quite well-known newspapers, and the Italian lgbtq+ community is taking action against this kind of representation. A lot of people have attacked and/or questioned the two women, the author of the program and the program’s pages, and while I don’t think there’s going to be any kind of official apology (nor do I care: these people are horrible and an apology wouldn’t be sincere), it’s good to know that people are fighting with us and that we’re part of a bigger community, despite what some gatekeepers on here like to claim.
I was bored, so here’s a rough translation of the article.
“Asexuals are weird, they’re sick”, debate on the Radio2 broadcast hosted by Paola Perego
On Radio2, during the radio broadcast “Al posto del cuore”, asexuals have been heavily mocked.
Just few days ago we told you about “asexuals”, trying to explain what asexuality is, and today we have to talk about it again, because of what happened on August 4th on Radio2, during the radio broadcast “Al posto del cuore”.
The hosts Paola Perego and Laura Campiglio have indeed confronted the theme of asexuality, mocking it far and wide (HERE’s the recording of the episode, from minute 10). The two hosts have introduced the topic as “something we have to firmly say no to: asexuals”, then went on with an embarrassing, to say the least, verbal crossfire.
“Are they the ones who don’t get laid?”. “No, worse, they reclaim this thing as a life choice. What’s next?”. “But do they exist? Are there men as well? Men who have no interest in sex?” “Crazy but true”. “According to recent studies, they’re 1% of the population: it’s a very widespread disease”. “They’re sick, this is crazy”. “These weirdos, because they are weird…”. “They reclaim their life choice just like that, with no shame, I can’t fathom”. “Aren’t they living a better life? They have no distractions and women can not shave…”. “Paola, please, stop, you’re talking like an asexual”. “This condition of theirs, this illness of theirs, let’s admit it…” “There’s good news: asexuals for sure don’t reproduce, so they’re an endangered category”.
These words have of course made the asexual associations of Italy flare up, who have been doing informative work, local and national activism for years, with their little means and with the effort and passion of many volunteers, to reduce the many commonplaces about them. Asexual people (for whom the data of 1% is to be considered outdated, there are numbers about 5% when it comes to the asexual “spectrum”) are victims of prejudices.
“A radio broadcast like this one, deeply offensive and disinformative, on air at 11 am of what is practically a holiday”, Gruppo Asessualità –
ArcigayMilano, NovarArcobaleno, Arcigay Rainbow Vercelli Valsesia, Collettivo Asessuale Carro di Buoi and AVEN Italia stress through a public statement, “definitely didn’t bring anything good, especially toward those younger people who, as soon as they have “come out” to their families, will feel mocked like this, and thus invalidated and put to shame in front of their loved ones, and to those who are not “out” yet, but felt offended and treated as circus freaks on a national scale”.
Asexuality, we have to stress, is defined as a sexual orientation characterized by the lack of sexual attraction toward all genders. They started talking about asexuality during the studies of Alfred Kinsey, at the end of the 40s, who noticed a percentage of people (evaluated between 1% and 10%) who didn’t have sexual attraction toward any gender. The first asexual association, only virtual at the time (AVEN - Asexual Visibility and Education Network), was founded almost 20 years ago (in 2001). Asexual groups participate in the Pride on global scale since 2008. In Italy, the first asexual groups have participated to a Pride for the first time in 2014, at the Milano Pride. In 2018, the asexual groups have participated, in an organized way, in five Pride of the Onda Pride, and in at least three of these some activists of the asexual community were present as organizers.
“Visibility is one of the reasons of the existence of asexual associations and groups itself”, they go on. “We can, gladly, do without the visibility given by Radio2 in this way. We won’t ask for an apology from the hosts. We only ask, if media don’t have interest in talking about asexuality with awareness of the facts, to please not talk about it. They are free to talk about the summer adventures of some guy from a reality show. After all, it’s better to be useless than harmful”.
There is another article, actually! It was written yesterday, and it includes the answer from Marco Salvati, who is the author of the radio program. You can read it (in Italian) here.
I’m a little tired now and I don’t have the energy to translate the second article right now, but the summary is this: the two female hosts didn’t say anything about the matter anymore, and Salvati pretty much dismissed the whole thing and all the people who were hurt by this, saying something like “it was a joke, it’s crazy, now you can’t even tell a joke about supplì [supplì is an Italian food, T/N] because there’ll be an association for the defense of supplì that will sue you”, and… he’s probably an exclusionist as well, because he said that “trans and homosexual people are mocked and deprived of fundamental rights, but asexuals are not mocked because they have the same rights as single people, you can’t recognize them on the street so it’s impossible to make fun of them”.
Exclusionists will say they're just trying to protect the community then turn around and literally dox queer people for existing in a way they don't like.
Artist note: While I’ve read many books with asexual characters, this is the first I’ve read of an asexual mc dealing with dating life. It’s a cute fluffy read and own voice.
