Lex Talionis

Lex Talionis is a dark slash fanfiction written by Foodstamp, set Twenty Minutes Into the Future for the characters of Matt Stone and Trey Parker’s long-running animated show, South Park. Story can be found here.

Years after losing contact with their childhood friends, Detectives Stanley Marsh and Kenny McCormick pick up a domestic abuse case that exposes their own dark history. And Foodstamp takes you into four chapters of Mind Screw, where the villains are sympathetic and the victims aren't innocent. Add in a gruesome murder, long-lost lovers and a mystery that surpasses even the law and you’ve got the perfect revenge story of love and loss.

It's very seldom that fanfiction can be as eloquent, brilliantly written and smart as Foodstamp's works, and Lex Talionis is by far one of her best. Check out Foodstamp’s main page on Fanfiction.net for more stories written by her.

Note that this fanfiction is not yet completed, and still has an epilogue to go. As of December 2009, Foodstamp has left the fandom. It will probably never be finished.

Tropes used in Lex Talionis include:

Abduction Is Love: At least, as far as Cartman is concerned. A lot less consensual than other examples, though.
Accidental Murder: Stan wasn’t originally going to kill Eric. Later subverted since the killing was intentional.
Asshole Victim: Eric Cartman deserved to die.
Be as Unhelpful as Possible: Kyle’s interrogation; he refuses to admit that he isn’t the murderer, even when his lawyer says otherwise.
Beta Couple: Cartman/Butters, despite the other characters not being aware of it.
Big Bad: Similar to his role in the series, Cartman, even after his early death.
Bittersweet Ending: Stan’s arrested, Kyle’s released, and Kenny disappears, never to return.
Boys Love: Pairings being Stan/Kyle, onesided Cartman/Kyle (and one-sided Cartman/Pip, Cartman/Tweek, Cartman/Thomas), Cartman/Butters, Craig/Tweek/Thomas, Damien/Pip and Christophe/Gregory.
Break the Cutie: Kyle, Tweek and Pip (although Kyle is definitely the most severe case).
Broken Bird: Dear God, Kyle.
Cold-Blooded Torture: While Kyle mostly received the worst of Eric’s abuse over the years, others apply, too.
Corrupt Corporate Executive: Montgomery
Cycle of Revenge
Dark Fic
Dead Fic
Detective Mole: Kenny thinks Gregory is one of these. He’s not.
Domestic Abuse: Reported by Christophe, the only way Kyle was saved.
- Domestic Abuser: Cartman, at least as far as their fake “fiancé” personas go.
Drama Bomb: Cartman’s murder and Kenny finally acknowledging Mr. Norman as Kyle.
- Drama Bomb Finale: Stan confessing to Cartman’s murder and getting arrested for it.
False Confession: Kyle’s constant claim that HE killed Eric despite the fact that he knows it was Stan.
Felony Murder: Cartman’s murder. Since he was an undercover cop, the punishment is even fiercer.
The Golden Rule: A main idea of the story: Lex Talionis, the law of Retaliation.
Heroic BSOD: Stan, upon realizing what Cartman had been doing to Kyle for the past decade, snaps.
- Actually, it's seeing a knife on the bed they’ve shared for that amount of time is what really got to him.
- Kenny has one too, after Harris tells him his theory of Gregory killing Cartman to avenge Christophe.
High School Sweethearts: Stan and Kyle, the “Soul mates” variety.
Huge Guy, Tiny Other Guy: Although never seen together directly through the story’s duration, Cartman is described as towering over all the other characters while Kyle is shorter than average height.
I Have You Now, My Pretty: Cartman to Kyle.
I Love You Because I Can't Control You
I Will Wait for You: Stan for Kyle, although the latter gave up hope after a few years. They get their happy ending (kind of).
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Gregory.
Justice by Other Legal Means
- Justified Criminal
Love Makes You Crazy: To be frank, Cartman was already crazy; even as a kid he had terrible mental health. But realizing the person he loves(?) is in a relationship with someone he really doesn't like and that he’ll probably never get what he want on top of having poor mental healthy is probably what got him over the edge.
- Love Makes You Evil: While this can be argued, Cartman does do some awful things to Kyle over the course of ten years.
Love Triangle: Well, it’s an odd variation. (A↔B← C)
Miscarriage of Justice: Another theme explored in the story.
Mistaken for Murderer: Kyle didn’t murder Cartman; Stan did, and the evidence clearly points to this.
Murder the Hypotenuse
Private Detective
Psychological Horror
Rape as Drama: Kyle and Tweek. Pip, however, was thankfully saved from this fate.
Rape Is Love: Well…
Scars Are Forever:

Kenny: “ Kyle was facing death row with the same wounds he'd had on the floor of Yes Foods Grocery, wounds that weren't going to heal.”

- Though mind that those are psychological scars.
Screw the Rules, I Have Connections: Cartman gets away with terrible, terrible things because he had such an influence on Montgomery.
Slash Fic
Sleep Cute: Kyle while Kenny’s checking on him while asleep.
Sliding Scale of Law Enforcement
Stalker with a Crush: Cartman for Kyle, at least in the early stages before he kidnaps him.
- When Craig and Tweek are reporting Cartman's sexual assult on Tweek and his imprisoning Kyle, Montgomery makes Kyle seem like this to Cartman.
Suspiciously Idle Officers
Sympathetic Murderer: Stan.
The Bad Guy Wins: Even after his death, Eric has still kept his hold over his victims.
Turn in Your Badge: Although not outright told to do so, Kenny does this to himself after he realizes that he can’t take Kyle’s case anymore and he tries to run away. He does eventually leave forever.
Unwanted Rescue: Subverted; Kyle does want to be rescued, but he has just given up hope.
Victorious Childhood Friend: Stan won Kyle’s affection.
- Unlucky Childhood Friend: Cartman, no matter what he did/does, loses Kyle to Stan.
Villainous Crush: Although it’s to be seen whether Cartman was actually in love with Kyle or not.
We Used to Be Friends: Kenny laments over his previous vows of friendship with Cartman.
Yandere: Cartman will do anything to keep Kyle with him including raping someone trying to help him, blackmailing another person trying to help him, basically threatening a priest with rape if he calls the police, and messing with the entirety of Denver’s police force. All for Kyle, of course.