“I’ve always connected with Harper on a different level than most – and that’s not just because we share a name.” Charles Tate, 32, is one of many heart-broken individuals struck by the sudden and unexpected passing of Charlie Sheen’s character, Charlie Harper, on the popular sitcom Two and a Half Men. Harper was last sighted in his Malibu home at around 18:30 S8E16. The details of his death remain unclear as of S9E1.

Having reached the end of Two and a Half Men’s eighth season, Tate continues to grieve, despite the existence of 85 additional episodes. “I never thought it would end that way. One moment I was in his room, and the next I was at his funeral listening to Alan’s stupid eulogy. An eight year bond gone in the blink of an eye.” Unlike the rest of 2011, Tate refuses to accept Ashton Kutcher’s character, Walden Schmidt. “Something about him just seems off. I couldn’t even finish the episode.”

But Tate is not alone in his refusal of Walden’s on-screen presence. Likeminded Harperites gather on internet forums to discuss all things Charlie Harper. Reddit user SxyTigerBl00d offers their own opinion on the season eight finale, arguing that Harper never actually died. Instead, he shrunk himself down to the size of an ant so that he could infiltrate the Department of Agriculture and destroy the country from the inside. Unfortunately, not all Harperites are as optimistic. In a now-deleted post, user SheensVaccineQueen posted a picture of their Charlie Harper metal relief, titled “Chameleon, comedian, Corinthian and caricature R.I.P. 🕊️🕯️”

Regardless of Harper’s fate, Charles Tate alongside these few but committed internet denizens serve as a testament to the power of loyalty, nostalgia, denial, and – above all – winning.