beta
i understand why people have a problem with this story and find it disgusting. after all, the contents are extremely disturbing.
despite that, i personally really enjoyed it. i’m currently studying psychology as i find it very interesting and reading this story was a bunch of fun. people commenting “oh, if he’s not your real brother then leave” don’t understand that the MC has been with that abuser for more than half his life. you need to consider his situation: he was an orphan who met his abuser in middle school, so prior to meeting he didn’t have any suitable parental guidance and likely grew up socially underdeveloped. he finds family important, considering he stuck with his abuser well into his mid-30s to protect his (allegedly blood related) brother. his abuser has not only trained him through pain in a way that he probably has a pavlovian response of fear to the smell of tobacco, he’s left him permanently disabled with a complete lack of one of his 5 senses (not even including the disfigurement of his face that will stay with him forever). to find out he didn’t actually have a brother would leave him with no family, and unfortunately, the closest thing he would have would’ve been his abuser (based on how long they’ve been together).
but okay, let’s play with the scenario that this particular victim DOES successfully escape without any outside help, and his abuser never finds him and never will, and can no longer hurt him. even doing so, the abuser has permanently altered the MC and has left him in a state that is undesirable in the adult world. he went to middle school briefly but it would seem that his abuser pulled him out before highschool—meaning that he is uneducated—crossing out most well-paying jobs that will provide him with a stable income and insurance. as for easily accessible jobs (retail, public service, etc) with his facial scars most jobs will turn him away before any kind of interview. and if he does pass an initial screening, he would be low priority, and a high schooler would have a higher chance of getting the job than him. he has no real life skills, no education, no house, no money, never did his military service, no job experience, no friends or family, and no support system.
the sad fact is that this man in particular, had he managed to escape, wouldn’t have survived- and would’ve likely died in a year.
again, i completely understand why people wouldn’t like this story. it is dark and deals with very heavy, very real, and very disturbing content. however, saying that the story is bad because of the ending, because he didn’t run away, is just plain naive and disregards everything that lead up to the end.
and to reiterate: i do NOT condone anything in this story. just because i liked reading it doesn’t mean i like rape or abuse. i like the concept and how it’s handled and portrayed, and honestly, had it have dragged on and been any longer i wouldn’t have liked it at all. i am NOT victim blaming. i am being realistic and logical.
like it or not, stories like these deserve to be told. people clearly need to know about dark things like this considering the ignorant response it’s received. life-long abuse, to this level, happens to real people in the real world. instead of harping about how bad it is (rape and abuse is bad, shocker) try to turn it into a learning experience. what can you take away from this? not all victims have the strength to leave their abuser alone. even with a reason and a support system, it will ultimately be hard. show some respect for victims, leaving isn’t easy.