OOC rambles
This was partly brought up by an on-going thread, where Apollo angsts about being a sadist, and also because I was wondering how far I could push Hyacinth's nonchalance about human rights.
I don't think people in the past were particularly adverse to cruelty- take public executions, floggings and the like for example. Ordinary citizens cheered at these events, and while I'm sure there are a squeamish/compassionate few, the majority don't seem to have any qualms about pain being inflicted, as long as it's not on them.
Hyacinth's not a cruel person, but he's not exactly the most compassionate of the lot out there either. He'd protest beatings and the like if he thought the person didn't deserve it, but on the other hand, guilty parties won't earn much sympathy from him. Besides, whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger, eh?
Despite being a prince, Hyacinth was probably subjected to the same sort of treatment that common soldiers received, such as the gauntlet, where children would be expected to run around a group of older children who would then flog them continually with whips, sometimes even to death. I'm not really sure per se, and Wikipedia doesn't give much information lol lazy, but I think that in such a state, even royalty wouldn't have room to indulge in luxuries. IMO, it's more a case of, set high standards for the soldiers and even higher standards for their superiors. But IDK really; if anyone knows different, please leave a comment~ :D ♥
So. I guess cruelty and brutality doesn't really bother Hyacinth all that much, considering where he's born and that he's probably been in a few wars, probably even led a couple of battles, though the moral part of it gets him more than anything else. He's also likely to have killed more than a few people, going by the kryteia system (boys graduated from the agoge were formed into small groups and sent out to kill slaves who were out at night, partly for their own discipline, and also to keep the helot population in check).
... Yeah, I'll edit this when I actually bother to read up. |D;;; Just my thoughts on why he doesn't really care even if you flay someone in front of him as long as he thinks the person deserved it.
Edit: Only heirs apparent are exempt from the agoge system it seems! So Hyacinth being a second son would probably have to go through some form of it? /assumption. =|