yes ! oh oscar wilde had it awful. it was said he died early because of the hardest labour he did in prison. and the guy he was seeing; his dad sued him for the indecency it was so ughhhh.
thanks for leaving such a nice and informative reality check. kudos to you. (▰˘◡˘▰)
Exactly why I enjoyed it.
Oscar Wilde had and awful time yes. And that what would have happened at most to Laurent. All the blessings you count for Arthur are exactly the thing that could have been used (and were used at that time) to shield homosexual relationships. That's why Wilde's lover wasn't prosecuted.
So the bad(?) Part about Arthur was that he didn't stop to thinks who such a relationship could affect Laurent's had it been exposed. But then again, he couldn't imagine that since he was a privileged person. So Laurent, who does know, should have conveyed that.
Both were selfish. But I think Laurent was worst because he had a view of the bigger picture and instead of talking he just bolted. And I really don't know what he was expecting with that because given Arthur's character it was pretty obvious to me what he was going to do
...I think like 90% of the people commenting on this story have NOOOOO idea how this time period worked.
Laruent had every right to be concerned about their positions. One false move and they both could have lost everything (society was pretty damn harsh back then, guys)... and before you say "Oh but Arthur did lose everything" no he did not. He resigned his position with grace and was therefore able to seek and acquire employment - had he been stripped of his title and belongings due to a scandal, he wouldn't have even been able to have that much.
Of the two, Arthur was actually the most naieve. Laurent loved him, but would never selfishly ask Arthur to give up all of the blessings he was born with (status, wealth, home, family, friends etc) just so they might enjoy a love affair (and because he didn't feel worthy of him). He wanted Arthur to have those things so he settled on a platonic relationship instead. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT.
I do think that Laurent should have explained this better to Arthur; the two had very poor communication... but I also think that had he done so, he would have never let Arthur throw everything away for him. I'm sure even at the end he had some conflicting feelings about it.
Lest we forget the plight of Oscar Wilde who, while always rumored to be a homosexual, was ruined, bankrupted and exiled because he was found guilty of sodomy and indecency in a court of law (because that was a thing you could do; sue someone over buttsex). He lived three years in poverty and exile after that.
This manga is LITERALLY the best case scenario. Especially if they have open-minded employers. So don't hate on Laurent. He was doing his best to protect the one he loves most, and while Arthur was desperate and straight forward with his feelings, he should have thought things through more carefully... which he did at the end. So everything worked out. I love them both. (〜￣△￣)〜