SquirrelWithATophat
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This reminds me of how I always felt sad seeing someone else's toys get broken and discarded. I always chalked it up to having a strong emotional attachment to my own when I was little, so it made me sad to think what someone else might be feeling if a toy they cared equally as much about got broken or lost.
zylokun
Having held both a rat and a crow, I can say it's because they're free friends. They are kind.. and sometimes snuggly as hell. I love you too furry potato
TMCybersnark
There's actually an anime about this airing now; Gachiakuta. Lead character has been told he's garbage for so long that he's developed trash-based superpowers (. . . and a complex).
Imjurbro
I’m unable to get past rats and crows being in the same list of “creepy” animals. Rats eat babies and spread the plague, crows have been attributed to just about all manner of events and motivations, but always respected.
CrumbyCake
https://media4.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPWE1NzM3M2U1M2hsNmc5dGpmMzUzZWJ5ejVoOTZzcmIycjU4NjZ0ZTE0b3FidWk3YyZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/l0HlF0Uc19pEzigGQ/200w.webp
cre8majic
A neighbor moved out of the next apt over. I saw in during cleaning and so many photos and toys being swept up and tossed, made me sad
seasonaldirtcandy
I pick up all of the obviously-made-by-a-child handmade clay item gifts that have their name scribbled on the bottom (weird small containers, sculptures, cups, vases, etc). How did these items end up in the thrift store? Who is/what has become of this child? Did my childhood gifts end up in the thrift store? Where are the items my kids made 35 ya? The passage of time weighs heavily remembering those days. Hiraeth. New word for me by Imgur poster. Love that word.
JohnWickdidnothingwrong
Big yup. I've tried really hard not to let it fester into contempt for the normal. Mostly succeeded. It's not easy.
Ohdearthesearemymonkeys
Yeahhhhh, my son is loved and cared for. But when one of the music boxes my MIL got for Christmas bundles was wonky and the music sounded like it was haunted by the spirit of a vengeful elf, he claimed it for his own and said it was wonderful. I’m terrified to show him the old Rudolph movie because of what his reaction to the island of misfit toys will be.
cronkey
Okay but now I'm crying
SubTrout
There's a scene in the rather fun co-op game It Takes Two, where the parents of a young girl are basically turned into little toys and have to go on adventures to try and turn back. At one point they mistakenly think they need her to cry again to reverse the spell, so they decide to destroy one of her other toys. In game you have to tear apart this adorable elephant doll that's crying for her life, and NOTHING in a videogame has caused me greater psychic damage and emotional trauma.
Eiladar
In my case, it's the opposite - never getting attached to things because, if you show favoritism to something, it could get taken away from you at any time as 'punishment'; or critically eying anything you're given have done for you because there was always a catch or strings attached that could stretch on for years; or not talking about your friends, favorite shows or really anything, because that would be weaponized and/or blamed as a 'bad influence' and get forcibly removed from your life.
Eiladar
You started to look forward, or even prefer, to the neglect; because that was the only time you could do what you enjoy, hang out with people you wanted, be yourself, or really just feel like you could breathe.
Imallupinthebenz
Noop, sorry. Crows are fine, I love crows. But rodents can go somewhere else please. Ive hated small rodents since The Great Mouse Hunt of 2018 where I killed 58 mice personally and the exterminator's traps got 22 in my wife's Grandmother's house. Poor woman suffered from dementia and the women that was rooming with her let the house go to complete shit.
whoisyourdaddy
Something-something-Island Of Misfit Toys?
Madringo
I like the broken things for a different reason, curiosity. I always loved to take apart toys, electronics, everything as a kid. As I got older I loved taking apart the broken stuff to repair it. Again curiosity. I love to see how it was made and the challenge of making it whole again.
BorderlineBunny
Proud defender of moss and weeds amongst patches of grass.
SquirrelWithATophat
I love moss. There is just something so serene and peaceful about it.
AFelineMassofEyes
Organic velvet
PhilStone911
Watch Gachiakuta please
Nephytis
Now now...I can think of quite a few people who currently exist in the world that do not deserve to.
Sethiusalpha
I wonder if that is related to my childhood identifying with movie villains over protagonists. What do you mean the smartest, strongest, and most goal-oriented character got his ass handed to him by some plucky schmuck with only the power of friendship? This is an outrage!
TMCybersnark
For me it was always the aliens. I knew I was never going to be the square-jawed socially-charming hero, but I could be Data, or G'kar, or Exedore, or Admiral Ackbar.
NickNoltesDrinkingShack
I'm right there with you my dude. That strong emotional attachment that it seems nobody understands. I hope you are well.
minipancho94
There is a significant overlap between those who are neurodivergent/ autistic who have "over developed" senses of empathy, and those who are "othered" and targeted by abusers. Our options have always been either mutual aid or overwhelming violence, as the system is typically created and run by said abusers, and as such will work against us.
meganical
I’m too sentimental for my own good. I struggled parting with my very first car, even though it was literally falling apart and kept dying on me
shanasphone350
That is not sentimental. That is appreciation. I love my cars. I can't work without them
azazyel
https://poets.org/poem/lake
Shouldhavethoughtthisthroughabitbetter
Dandelions arent useless plants at all, they're pretty much the first to bloom in spring which gives bees their first feed since going into hibernation. Just because they're a weed, doesn't mean they're a pest.
YouAreTheInsultMaster
I once used one in a soccer match to plug a node bleed
idrinkcheapbeer
DarkfireDragon
They go great in salads.
OrangeFlavours
Yeah. Weeds are just plants people don't want in their gardens/lawns, so they're usually hardy and spread easily, but can be useful.
BranDohCalrissian
"Weed" is a word assigned to any and all plants that are not the intended plant to be grown by a human in a specific place at a specific time. The characteristics of said plants are inconsequential, they could be extremely beneficial and that doesnt matter bc "iM gRoWiNg CoRn HeRe."
Salticido
They're also edible. You can use them in salads and tea. Just don't forage any in places that might've been sprayed with pesticides and such.
derJake
Also lots of pet bunnies love eating them. That and clover.
Kablooeeey
You didn't need to be abused or neglected as a kid to experience empathy for the broken, you just needed to know someone who was, and all of us knew someone who was. I had the luckiest of childhoods, but so many of my friends were brutalized, how could I not fall in love with the neglected, the tossed away, the oppressed and the unwanted? The world is a foul place when random humans are part of it, you have to embrace the ugly to find grace amidst the horror.
PhilStone911
“When I was a young boy, my father took me into the city to see a marching band…….”
kroetoj
You are right. It took me a long time to know the difference between cause of behaviour, and realizing how much if it is just me. Seemingly unrelated but still.
Kbantar
I wasn't abused or neglected. I just had empathy as a toddler. I find it weird that so many need someone to teach them that.
RevolutionOnHerLips
Did you have other family members to model empathy for you?
Kbantar
That wasn't the scenario. I didn't have to see or be abused to have empathy.
TalaayaCosplay
I strongly believe it's both nature and nurture, with the nature part being how your brain is wired. For example, my flavor of autism comes with a strong sense of justice, meaning it's viscerally upsetting to me when something isn't "correct", and it leads to me caring deeply for others. A strong sense of justice is a known trait common to many people with autism. So while I did learn from family members about empathy, it's also combined with something that was definitely not taught to me.