Let's be real... the villains are the best. They're usually the most dynamic and are so deep and emotionally entangled. They've been wronged in some colossal narrative and the only way to right that wrong (in their mind) is an eye for an eye or causing enough pain to heal their own. It's misguided and often overly dramatic and but damn if they aren't fun to watch. In films, television, literature even music... the villain is often our muse. And often we can empathize with their struggle.
Redditor u/murdo1tj wanted to hear form everyone who they believe had justifiable actions by inquiring.... What villain was actually somewhat justified in their actions?
Tom for the Win!
Giphy
Tom, from Tom and Jerry. I mean that's his job, there's a rodent in the house. bizzywhipped
Ever notice how normally Tom is just going about his business when that thieving little sod Jerry turns up and starts messing with him?
Tom IS the good guy. GrinningD
Go head Medusa Girl!
Medusa. She gets such a rep. First she's assaulted by a god. Since she was assaulted in Athena's temple, Athena gets mad at her and turns her into a monster. Super sucks so she goes to live in an isolated place where men keep coming to try to kill her. She kills them, which I think is super justified until Perseus comes along and chops off her head. allycakes
The Humans are the Villains....
The ship from Wall-E.
Humanity had already doomed its home planet and transformed into a population of lazy slobs that could barely walk. Sending them back to Earth in the feeble hope that a lone sprout could revitalize a garbage-strewn wasteland was a death sentence, and the ship knew it... true love be damned. drmcsinister
Magneto Knows....
Magneto. In every X-men movie he keeps saying "The humans are going to wipe us out!" and then in Logan you can see that the humans have pretty much wiped them out. Reddit
Yes! The center conflict between Charles and Erik is that Charles believes humans can learn to accept them, and Erik believes that in their fear they will destroy them. Erik is obviously shaped by his experiences in the holocaust, and he knows exactly what humanity is capable of.
In pretty much every storyline, Erik's predictions come true. nuggetblaster69
From eating Trix to turning them...
Giphy
The Trix rabbit, all he wanted was a bowl of cereal and those kids never offered him some. So he turned to a life of crime thieving cereal. Tragic. HeyDannie
Imagine how much the Trix rabbit hates Tony the Tiger, who eats delicious cereal for every meal with no interference from meddling kids. sordines
The Machines the Saviors....
The "machines" in the matrix.
We destroy our own planet to destroy the machines, only to have the machines kindly take us underground and put us into pods where we can live in virtual reality that's exactly like how we lived before we destroyed our planet. megiverly
Just trying to survive!
Galactus.
Guy doesn't even want to conquer or destroy planets cuz he's "evil," literally devours planets just because it's how he stays alive. thepotatoprime
Yeah he's not a villain, he's just a force of nature. Not good, not bad. jjacobsnd5
Doing it for Justice....
General Francis Hummel
- Was completely bluffing
- Just wanted recognition and compensation for fallen heroes. walkingcarpet23
Poor judge of character when it came to picking his officers. RockerElvis
We all got bills to pay!
The landlord in "Rent."
He just wanted them to pay their rent. LAST YEAR'S RENT. He was very forgiving to let it go on that long! Like, it's all well and good that they're bohemians and pursuing acting and music and stuff, but maybe get a job on the side? bsweddingthrowaway
Not just a Monster.....
Giphy
Frankenstein's Monster, dude was just trying to make the best of his situation and kept getting shat on and never asked for any of it. Frankenstein was just a dweeby little prick who stumbled on something greater than his own understanding. XtacleRonnie
Be Invincible!
Ozymandias. Also, Robot from Invincible. xenulives
He saved the world from nuclear war, but he was a total butt about it. zzzaacchh
"Primed" & Ready....
Choose a Tales series villain. They tend to do this with their baddies.
Schwartz from Legendia wants to end human suffering... by destroying time itself.
Grand Maestro Mohs (pro. "mows") from Abyss wants to keep to what's known as the Score, a prophecy that promises prosperity for the planet... after a colossal war between the two largest countries that will kill a huge portion of the population.
Mithos from Symphonia wants to stop racism against half-elves... by genocide of humans and elves.
Bakur from Xillia 2 wants to help save the world by easing the burden of rebirth for the spirits... but that requires destroying parallel worlds. Plus it's suggested by some characters that the protagonists may not be from the "prime" dimension. Aniki1990
Gotham's Freakiest....
Giphy
Ra's al ghul
Gotham never got better to my knowledge for all of Batman's antics over the years. It just kept locking away violent psycho criminals who would later escape and the cycle would perpetuate if not get worse. More villains kept creeping out of the woodwork as Batman went along too - some created by his own actions/indirect actions. Gotham was just a breeding ground for violence and psychosis it seems. In "The Dark Knight" the Joker alludes to this stating that Batman himself is partly responsible for "freaks" like him coming into being. Showerthawts
Be Doomed!
Dr Doom has beaten Thanos.
Dr Doom has wielded the infinity gauntlet.
Dr Doom cured cancer and ended poverty.
Dr Doom is doom. ukima9
You're not a mean one Mr. Grinch!
One of my favorite tweets I've seen was a guy who said that the Grinch was justified. Something along the lines of, "the Grinch didn't hate Christmas. He hated people, which is fair." Lol mermaid-in-disguise
They weren't materialistic though. The Grinch was and thought they were like him. When he stole Christmas they still enjoyed it anyway. G_Morgan
Don't want to Miss a Thing....
The asteroid in Armageddon. It just goes where Newton tells it to. Rhodie114
People don't think the universe be like it is, but it do. Red_Chinchilla_1
Not the movie version...
Mister freeze from the batman franchise. Man just wanted treatment for his wife, not to harm. Watashiwarsh
Let the Skyfall...
Giphy
Raoul Silva in Skyfall. Tortured for days even weeks, his cyanide capsule failed severely disfiguring him and from his point of view he was completely abandoned by his agency. But I may just be biased because I think Javier Bardem played him brilliantly. Mammoth_Entertainer
Yo-Ho-Ho!!
Cutler Beckett from Pirates of the Caribbean. Since when is wanting to wipe out pirates a bad thing? Mad_Squid
Cutler Beckett was really just a different side of the coin. He wanted money and power in the same way the pirates wanted money and power. Cutler got his from the existing power structure and the pirates got theirs from going around it. Flutterwander
Lex is the Best!
Lex Luthor!
Everyone seems to be alright with a power existing that could, on a whim, destroy the planet or take over. Lex Luthor is trying to protect to human race from a potential threat. He has some more selfish aspirations but at his core he is doing what is best for humanity. If he could stop being so damn evil and killing people for no reason, that might make him a little more of a complex character.
S/O to Injustice comic series/video games for giving us a good story where superheroes go off the rails and it's up to mostly human heroes like Luthor and Batman to take them down. MooneySuzuki36
I haven't tried these rooms yet. Not sure I want to. Highly claustrophobic. Convince me...
No touching...
"I used to work at one. I can’t tell you how many people thought that power outlets were a prop and tried to stick keys into them. Guys. There was a lamp plugged into it and a 'do not touch, not a part of the game' sticker on it. It’s not a trick, don’t do that."
brasscassette
Shackles
"A friend of mine works for an escape room and he told me one about a puzzle where the key to the next door was shackled to a desk by a combination lock. What you are supposed to do is figure out the combination for the lock from the clues around the room to free the key. What one group decided to do instead was get a guy on each corner and pick up the 150 pound desk and carry it across the room, slide the key into the lock, and then rotate the entire desk to unlock the door."
sharrrper
'Yale'
"I am not an escape room employee but I did a lot of em and talked to the employees often. One of them told me there was a simple lock (opened by a key) that had 'Yale' written on it (the name of the lock company) and a lady (not native English speaker) thought it read 'yell' and legit shouted 'OPEN!!' at it, expecting it to open."
Dorza1
searching the fountain...
"Recently went to an escape room with my co-workers. Before we started, we were explicitly warned not to touch or drink the bright blue water coming out of a fountain because it would turn our skin blue - clearly people had tried searching the fountain as part of the escape room previously and now they have to warn everyone."
babers1987
Voice of God
Whos That Voice Of God GIF by Shark WeekGiphy"I was in an escape room once where one puzzle involved some objects that needed to be manipulated inside a structure that made it very awkward."
"We were all looking at it trying to figure out how to proceed when I said 'Well, the bottom is held on with screws and I have a screwdriver in my purse, but that would probably be cheating.' Instantly the Voice of God came over the intercom 'THAT WOULD BE CHEATING!' So we didn't do that..."
Miss_Speller
Well people really do get creative at this game... don't they?
Reverse
genius GIFGiphy"Had a group of engineers who were familiar with the style of the lock effectively reverse engineer the lock. They showed us how they did it afterwards."
Snowf1ake222
Smoked...
"When I was in one they told us several times that the fire extinguisher is NOT part of the puzzle. They said it so many times, I'm 98% sure someone once used it lol."
Zirael_Swallow
"I always wait to see if they say not to disassemble smoke detectors, if they have that warning, I ask about it, and every time they will always have a story about a dumby who ignored the warning labels and disassembled the smoke detector."
cleverplaydoh
Group of 4
"There was a story on here a while ago about a guy in a group of four who took a broom from the first room because 'it had to be for something.' He said it looked too out of place to not be needed. Well he was half right. It was out of place but that's because it was the broom used by employees to clean the room."
"It was simply forgotten when they cleaned last time. The guys giving hints thought it was hilarious that this guy carried a broom through four rooms expecting it to be the key to their escape at some point. I thought that was funny as hell."
PCCoatings
Damages...
"Take in a screwdriver and dismantling furniture or taking doors off hinges... all the while we specifically tell them not to use force and that furniture is just furniture. Though I don't care cause they gotta pay the damages. Also had some groups press our panic button cause that opens all the doors (for emergency cases)."
"So they can skip puzzles and be faster. Makes zero sense to us cause they are paying for an hour of playtime and to solve puzzles, not like the prize is reduced cause you solved less in fewer minutes. Especially since our prices aren't cheap."
karmasabitterpill
Idiots
Idiot Facepalm GIFGiphy"Breaking EVERYTHING. Trying to eat or drink things they should totally not be trying to eat or drink."
Radiant-Comb9058
Even though there are a million ways to escape, I'm still gonna pass. My claustrophobia won't allow it.
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While many cultures should be celebrated, there are some individuals who just can't help but reserve their opinions about those whose behavior and customs differ vastly from their own.
At the risk of coming off as offensive, some might even call these customs, "weird."
European culture got the spotlight when Redditor CoffeeBoy88 asked:
"What is something weird about Europe that Europeans don’t realize is weird?"
Apparently, there's never a dull moment in European nations.
"German tourists are OBSESSED with mooses."
"/A swede."
– worldkeeponspinning
No Offense
"The UK has 30 accents per square mile. And if a large man calls you duck in Stoke … that’s okay."
– InItsTeeth
Nighttime Exposure
"Norwegians don't close their curtains when it gets dark."
– judochop1
The Swarm
"The amount of mosquitos in Finland, Americans go crazy in Spring because of it."
– TheFargus
Redditors discuss what it's like traveling around Europe.
Come And Go As You Please
"How incredibly inconsequential it is to cross country borders. Cycled through France - Belgium - Netherlands and there is barely even a sign."
– sicknessandpurgatory
The Contrast
"You drive five hours in the US: you’re basically still in the same place."
"You drive five hours in Europe: everyone’s talking funny and the cheese is different."
– KaimeiJay
The Short Commute
"The first time I was in the UK my husband wanted to go to Wales and I looked at the train route from London and was like 'It’s all the way on the other side of the country! We’re only in the UK for a week. We don’t have that kind of time!' And my husband was all, 'you know it’s a 2.5 hour train ride, right?' I thought it would all day."
– KateDinNYC
Germans In Transport
"the absolute lack of air conditioning even at 40°, german transport gets sticky and stinky quite fast and nobody seems to care, many people even shut the windows to avoid the 'annoying breeze.'"
– ahorasimeaborregue
Maintaining distance was a thing long before pandemic measures recommended people to be socially distanced.
All About Respect
"Finnish people are silent, small talk doesn't exist. Their personal space larger than COVID-19 social distancing rules, and it's considered normal. Don't speak unless spoken to, and don't invade other people's personal space - it's seen as a sign of a respect."
"Those Finns, who haven't been to abroad or haven't met too many foreigners, don't often even recognize this behaviour being unusual in the global scale."
– RockNRollNBluesNJazz
The "Safety Coffee Cup"
"I'm from Finland and one European thing that all Finnish people hate is cheek kisses when greeting. Its mostly southern european thing but still. There is this saying in Finland that goes 'Everyone has their own safety coffee cup' meaning the closest distance someone should get to you should not be closer than your coffee cup when you're holding it."
– eelisonparas
Let Them Shop In Peace
"Weird at first but I appreciate and wish for it. It might be just a Germany thing but from what I’ve been told German Walmart failed because the North American style of customer service was very unliked. From the greeter at the door to clerks asking if you need help unprompted. German shoppers just want to shop and go home as undisturbed as possible."
– UnusualHospital9579
I remember being weirded out when I went to Paris and asked for some ice at a cafe.
The waiter served me coke by opening the room temperature can and poured some of the contents into an empty glass. With no ice.
When the server came back, he had with him a spoon with one ice cube on it. I thought it was stingy but it got worse.
He poured the rest of the coke over the ice on the spoon he was holding and then walked away with the ice and spoon.
I guess the coke was colder than when I had my first sip, so according to the server, it was viola: mission accomplished!
Do the French not like ice-cold beverages? Weird.
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People tend to forget that therapists–the professional we seek for guidance when we're vulnerable–are also human and are just as prone to feeling the feels.
Curious to hear from therapists who've exposed their emotional vulnerabilities in front of their clients opened up when Redditor Unkw0n_pers0n asked:
"Therapist that have cried in a session, why?"
A patient who feels seen and understood reinforces why therapists endeavor to help people in the first place.
It Wasn't Her Fault
"I was working with a deeply depressed client who had a lot of negative self talk about how she was always a failure. We were exploring the origins of this and how young she was the first time she felt self-blame. She told me her earliest story of when she was in 2nd grade."
"Afterwards, as we were processing it, I expressed that 'it wasn't your fault' about the story. She just broke down sobbing and said 'nobody has ever said that to me before' in between sobs. It hit me and I cried a little."
– Ayzmo
Relatable Experience
"i cried after i worked with a kid who described an emotionally difficult situation with a sibling. the kid’s experience aligned very similarly to something i went through with my own sibling when i was the kid’s age and i hadn’t realized how much hurt i was carrying from the experience."
"being a therapist sometimes means being confronted with things you didn’t realize had such a strong impact on you. luckily, i have a stellar therapist of my own that i can work through these moments with."
– rejecteddroid
The Patient With A Disorder
"I was doing a cognitive assessment for a girl. We were doing tests and at one point she started crying she was unable to tell me why, she was fine just one moment before. I let her collect her thoughts, then she said softly 'I don't want to be more stupid than my friends'. She wasn't actually, she was very bright, but she didn't know that she has dyslexia, dysorthograpy AND dyscalculia. I realized that she went through THIRTEEN years of school without help. Her parents didn't want to do an assessment as they thought she was just lazy. I told her that she was very brave to decide to get help and things would get better after our assessment and I felt tears in my eyes."
"Edit: first of all, I have great empathy for parents, for most of all is just a matter of ignorance, fear and parenting is hard. If you are a parent and you see your kid struggling, PLEASE listen to professionists, we are here to help, not judge, and we will find ways to help you and your kid. Disorders don't go away, don't underestimate it, the sooner you get help, the better the outcome can be. It's ok to be scared but we're here for you and we understand you."
"Second, I'm really sorry to read so many heartbreaking stories about people that weren't believed and struggled being undiagnosed. I wish you all the best, I hope you are in a better situation and you got or you'll get all the help you deserve, because you do deserve it."
"Third, if you think 'something's wrong with me', get help if you are in a position to do so. Worst case you understand yourself better and have a chance do make peace with parts of yourself."
– ---honeybadger----
A patient who has already accepted their heartbreaking fate recalls seeing their therapist getting emotionally involved during a session.
A Mother Who Didn't Want To Let Go
"My therapist cried while 'mediating' a discussion between my mom and I. I have a neurodegenerative disease and she is my full time caregiver. Because of my severe disability, she also has legal guardianship of me, even though I am in my 20’s (this is all fine with me, I need the help, and I agreed in court to all of it. This was the first true 'disagreement' that we ever had.)"
"I am ready to die. I am in pain, unable to do anything for myself, and it’s only getting worse. I asked my mom to sign a DNR, because I have been resuscitated before, it was a mess, and I don’t want it to happen again."
"She refused. She doesn’t want to lose her child and wanted to do everything medically possible to keep me alive."
"The session was essentially me begging her to let me go, while she sobbed and said she could never sign a paper that would lead to my death. It was a terrible situation. No one was 'the bad guy', no one was trying to hurt the other. It was someone wanting their suffering to end, verses a mother not wanting to lose her child."
"My therapist agreed that I should be allowed to make this choice, but certainly didn’t think my mom was manipulative or evil, just already grieving and trying to hold on to me as long as possible. I saw her wipe her eyes several times, and they were red by the time we were done. She actually hugged us both at the end."
"The situation wasn’t resolved during the session, but my mom came around shortly after. She wouldn’t sign the DNR, but gave me legal permission to do so (so, in her mind, it wasn’t her making the final decision.)"
"BTW, my mom and I have a GREAT relationship! This was just one issue that we couldn’t come to an agreement on ourselves. But it worked out, and I’m now in palliative care and have a great team looking after me, INCLUDING my mom!"
– fightwithgrace
The following examples continue to demonstrate how therapists are more emotionally invested in their patients and clients than you think.
Responding To Tragic News
"I cried in a substance treatment group. A client’s mom had reached out via email to me to say that her daughter died from an OD. She called during my group so I chose to take the call and spoke with her briefly. I thought I could continue with the group. Ended up in tears instead."
– ChicagoOwls
She Patient Who Felt Unloved
"My patient cried and said 'there's nobody on this planet who loves me anymore.' I cried when I left because I knew she was right. For context: she was 95, her husband and son had died, she had a personality disorder that made her behaviour unbearable for her environment after her husband died and every person still in her life were paid for to be around her. She died a few months after this conversation."
It is unsurprising that therapists are compassionate people.
Otherwise, they wouldn't be in the room to help someone who is struggling internally.
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