#He sees the 'hero' and sees he has a type

[fanfic-writer-and-rambler]

Harley Quinn, former bad guy, anti-hero and unemployed therapist chases after Nightwing (Dick Grayson) as he tries to get away from her while on patrol.

Nightwing: Stop chasing me!

Harley: Then have a chat with me!

Nightwing: How did you find me!

Harley: Babs told me.

Nightwing stops running causing Harley to halt her running as well. He puts his index finger up and presses his communication device.

Nightwing: Babs, what the heck?

Oracle: She begged me and I can't say no when she pinpoints my mental health issues! Just let her spend some time with you.

Nightwing looks down at Harley who has a big smile on her face. He runs the other direction as Poison Ivy walks over to the group while watching 'Little Shop of Horrors' on her phone.

Ivy: He caved yet?

Harley: Not now, babes. Follow me.

Harley chasses after Nightwing. Her girlfriend casually walked behind her.

Harley: Stop running! Why are you running?!

Nightwing: Because I don't want you touching me! I am not a piece of meat!

Harley: I'm sorry, I wasn't aware you were uncomfortable with the butt smacks!

Nightwing: I was very vocal about it!

Harley: Do you think that stems with some trauma in your past?

Nightwing: Stop therapizing me!

Ivy (pausing her movie): This is the smartest approach, Harley.

Harley: Ivy, not now!

Nightwing runs around Ivy and uses her as shield, then shoves her on Harley.

Nightwing: You chasing me doesn't prove your point.

Harley (pushing Ivy off of her): Let me make amends.

Nightwing(whining): NOOOO!

Harley: I made a full bill of health at Arkham. And I may not have the diploma, but I can be your-

Nightwing (in angry romani): Me sem bahtalo tumare progresosa, numaj te aven dur mandar!

Harley: What?

Nightwing stops at a fence and turns to Harley.

Nightwing: I said, "I am happy with your progress, but stay away from me for now!" It... It will take some time. Okay?

Nightwing jumps a fence and keeps running.

Nightwing (over his shoulder): Bye!

Ivy: See ya, kid.

Harley: But... Shit!

Harley tries to climb the fence, but Ivy, best friend and girlfriend uses a vine on her hip before she jumps the fence.

Ivy: Harley, don’t do that impulsive thought.

Harley: But they need a therapist. All of them, Jacey ran from me, now Nightwing? Why can’t I catch a break?

Ivy: If I may, it has something to do with working with the joker, who killed one of them, tortures the batfamily on an annual basis... oh and you won’t take a hint to give them space.

Harley glares at her girlfriend.

Harley: It was a rhetorical question!

Ivy (chuckling dryly): Aww, Harls, you know I don’t care about that. He did say it takes time, he's saying you have a chance, but at this moment of time, no. Remember I’m not dumb either. I worked more in science for botany over what you do, but I can see when someone doesn’t want to talk or want your therapy services.

Harley groans, bending back: You’re right, I’ll give 'em space. Plus you didn't say I slept with my professor.

Ivy: Please, you wouldn't degrade yourself like that... Get with a homicidal lunatic who thinks clown makeup is scary, but you are not the type who tries to get easy A’s in school.

Harley: Damn straight!

[beomiracles]

I know you're busy rn but once you’re back

I neeeed thoughts on superhero/superpower txt. Or any recommendations you've read.

luv u 💋 i'd hug you but you couldn't handle the heat 😜 🔥

ouuu superhero txt hehe.. thing is I don't think I've read any fics what that theme unfortunately :(

if anyone's got recommendations please drop them !!

but THOUGHTS I've got many.

kai def one of those ridiculously strong ones, like he could lift an entire building if he wants to, also kai villain arc is definitely an opportunity, like a hero turned bad. beomgyu on the other hand strikes me more as a morally grey one, like you can't really tell if he's doing something out of malice or goodwill yfm? he def has mind manipulating powers.

I know u asked for superheroes but yeonjun is so villain coded, he's got the face for it. and he's got like the power to manipulate electricity and such, I just feel like he'd make things spark. taehyun would have much more subtle powers, like he doesn't flaunt them. more like a shadow of the night type shit. but he's definitely got inhumane speed, always there to save the day though no one actually knows who he is or what he looks like.

and as for soobin, this man could fly, no I mean it. I feel like he might have an almost superstitious touch to him, maybe he can communicate with ghosts, or even see the future, allowing him to stop accidents before they even take place !

I have no time to develop any of these into actual fics but good lord

[erendur]

Tragic heroes, and why the sons of Fëanor are the heroes of the Silm (ok, the Finwëans)

A few rambling thoughts on the respective merits of Doriath vs the Fëanorians/Finwëans, differences between LOTR and the Silm and different types of heroes.

We can all agree that LOTR is about small, ordinary people, who against all odds manage to defeat Evil thanks to their courage and moral qualities. LOTR’s universe is quite simple, morally wise : there are the good guys, who have their weaknesses but a lot of courage and an infallible moral compass, and the evil ones, who have no redeeming qualities, and in fact no human traits at all (Sauron is an Evil Eye ; he is served by faceless wraith, at times riding monsters, and is served by armies of non-human monsters). We are offered a very brief glimpse of a slightly more complicated picture morally, when we see the Easterlings (human, non-dead servants of evil, and we are made to wonder what motivates them to serve Sauron), but it’s only a parenthesis. The heroes have weaknesses of course, they are afraid, and it makes them great, but they are all morally upright, and right. They rarely, if ever, makes mistakes, and they are rarely, if ever, wrong (especially morally).

The Silm is another beast entirely. It’s not a story about plucky underdogs defeating Evil, it’s a mash-up of genres from creation myth to mythology to epic to, uh, magical ladies and their magical talking dog. 

But I think that, overall, the Silm belongs to the tragic genre, and deals with tragic heroes (a Christian tragedy with a side of Fall, but I’m not going to get into that).

Tragic heroes typically have several characteristics : they are important people (royals, people in power) ; they make bad decisions, and suffer because of them, while not being morally evil ; they often make mistakes (and suffer) because of hybris (pride, arrogance). They have great potential, but make a mess of it. They have flaws, but are not evil. 

We, as readers/audience, are meant to sympathise with them. “You’re only saying that because they’re hot”. Yes, duh. They are princes and kings and they’re hot and talented, and then they make bad decisions and they die. That’s the whole point of tragedy.

And I would argue that these characteristics apply to all of the main characters of the story. 

They all, Morgoth included, have great potential. Yes, even the bad guy of the Silm is not the pure Evil of Sauron in LOTR, he had the potential to be the best, but…pride and bad choices. He ends up being unredeemably evil of course, but it’s gradual,  and it’s a Miltonian Satan we have here (Milton’s Paradise Lost’s Satan is often described as the “hero” of the poem, a tragic one, of course), not the faceless pure Evil of LOTR (plus, he gets chased by a giant spider and has a door flung into his face). 

Fëanor is the greatest Elf ever; his sons start with amazing potential. Among the other Finwëans,  Fingolfin is the best at fighting, until he gets squished by Morgoth’s foot. Fingon is a true, galant hero, doing magical rescues and fighting dragons, until he gets slaughtered in battle and trampled under his foes. Finrod is “the wise”, who ends up fighting a werewolf to the death with his teeth after following an ill-devised plan to fulfil a silly oath he took (and he knew swearing an oath was a bad idea ! He told the Fëanorians ! He told Galadriel !).

They all make bad decisions, and mistakes, Valar included (oh dear, do they make mistakes ! And they know it !). Even the best of guys (according to the narration) made bad decisions : Thingol, Elwing and Dior all make the choice of hanging on to that damned Silmaril, with terrible consequences for them (Melian told them not to !). Obviously, Fëanor and his sons make the stupidest of oaths. Finwë gets remarried (Indis marries him). Turgon decides, for some reason, not to listen to Ulmo. Obviously, I could go on…

There are, of course, a few characters who do no wrong, but I would argue that they are very peripheral to the story :

There are, of course, the ones who suffer through no fault of their own at all : Elured and Elurin, the nameless people who get killed in Doriath and Sirion (wrong place, wrong time), the nameless, countless ones who are abducted/killed/tortured by Morgoth. But the Silm, like all tragedies, does not focus on these people (we’re only interested in Important People here, not the nameless victims of the decisions made by others).

Elured and Elurin are a pathetic touch, and tragic figures, but they are not the heroes of the story, just like Astyanax is not the hero of the Illiad (his parents and his killers are) or Oedipus’ dad is not the hero of Oedipus Rex. Or like, Desdemona is not the heroine of Othello (it’s Othello). I could go on (the princes in the Tower are not the heroes of Richard III !)

Galadriel is in the Silm like the characters that survive at the end of Hamlet : the only reason they are still there is because they didn’t do much, and do not matter very much to the story.

Eärendil is a a true, non-tragic hero, but it’s not his story.

The only characters that are given some limelight are the ones who get to make the decision that provokes their downfall. Some make bad decisions, but are not morally guilty of anything, and get rewarded by the narration. Elwing, for instance, gets enough screen time to flee from the Fëanorians in Doriath with the Silmaril, marry, have children, refuse to return the Silmaril, have her own personal tragedy episode II, then her almost-happily ever after because even though she made bad choices, she is not morally guilty of anything, and she can be rewarded by the story. Finrod gets reembodied quickly and reunited with his father (he’s only guilty of minor rebellion and is otherwise a great guy). Fingon took part in Alqualondë so I guess he’ll have to wait a bit more (but we don’t know, it’s all speculations).

Others are less lucky. The Fëanorians, obviously, not only made bad decisions but also committed atrocities, so no happy ending for them. Húrin and his children get awfully punished for transgressions not of their own will (murder, incest). They are, arguably, the most tragic of the lot.

The Tale of Beren and Lúthien is of course the antithesis of what I’ve just said, and I think that’s partly why it feels jarring for the non-fans. Tolkien knows it, who go like “and now, on a completely different tone amid all the tragedy and destruction…” 

Lúthien makes no wrong choice, ever, does not make bad decisions (except for insisting on wearing a Silmaril that makes her die more quickly, but that’s an aside). She’s a magical lady with no flaws (note that she’s not really given human qualities : she’s not brave or clever in any realistic way, she’s got magic instead), Beren is a great guy with no flaws who follows her lead. They swoop in into Angband (Boromir would have been livid), confront superlative odds (evil dark lord of all bad creatures Sauron, Morgoth in his Satan stage, death and destiny to finish with) and win effortlessly. There are a few moustache twirling villains (Curufin and Celegorm, who stop being tragic heroes to become the bad guys in a historical novel), Lúthien’s dad is against the lovers being together, but we know that they’re going to win in the end. They have a magical talking dog.

I’m not criticising people who love Beren and Lúthien (I don’t, I belong to the Jane Austen school of “pictures of perfection make me sick and wicked), but it’s a bit like if the action suddenly stopped in Othello or Macbeth to have a brief interlude of A Winter’s Tale. Of course A Winter’s Tale is great, but we were in the middle of something else. 

So, to finish with… The Silmarillion is all about tragic, flawed, tragic characters, who make bad choices (mostly out of pride) and are punished for them. So, of course, the Finwëans are like… poster boys for that.

I haven’t touched on the curse and fate elements there, but it’s another characteristic of Greek tragic heroes that they suffer as the result of a family curse, and Fate. In the Silm, both of these elements are present : there are references to fate, without much precision about the exact meaning of the word, and of course the Finwëans are under the effects of the Doom, and the Fëanorians of the Oath, without any of these two elements being explicitly defined and explained. We simply don’t know what the exact nature of each is (how magical, binding they are in particular). It’s another key element of tragedy, usually : the conflict between free will, the desire to do good, and the effect of a curse/fate, and to what extent the characters’ actions are informed/influenced by each of these elements.

I’ll just finish with the very obvious point that none of these people are real, and therefore nothing that they do “has to be”. Tolkien didn’t have to have the sons of Fëanor swear an oath (they could just murder because they think it’s expedient, or because they are bad) ; he could have shown us the sons of Fëanor attacking Doriath the minute they had a Silmaril, without negotiations ; he didn’t have to tell us that they sent a message to Elwing of “friendship yet of Stern Demand” ; he didn’t have to write about Maglor raising E&E, and he did not have to show us the last two sons of Fëanor, alone and having lost everything, driven to despair. He could have shown us the sons of Fëanor randomly attacking their neighbours out of greed, or cruelty. He could have written Elwing as a passive victim whose entire family was killed  without warning because her evil orc-like neighbours wanted to rob her of her family possessions (like, their OWN stuff)… But that’s not what he wrote. 

[respectthepetty]

Addicted Heroin (Th) Cut Scenes and Colors - Episode 7

I'm reporting on the missing scenes from YouTube's version of Addicted Heroin [episode: one, two, three, four, five, six], and strangely, episode seven only had two cut scenes, which means the chaos we are witnessing between these two color-coded boys in love is not due to missing scenes, but just editing in general. -_-

First cut scene:

So after Green Guy Pop opens the door to (lying) Pink Person Palin, we know he is disappointed because he has blue written over his heart, and all the colors point to the conclusion that he wanted Blue Boy Hero to show up instead.

But after checking that Hero is not at the door (after Palin LIED!), he comes back into the room to Palin making herself very comfy on the bed after telling him that Tiger snitched on him (WHY CAN'T HE BE QUIET?!). She also tells Pop she'll be staying since it's so late, so he says he'll sleep on the floor. She says he must sleep in the bed, with her.

She then takes off her towel saying it's itchy (which, if Together With Me taught me anything, it's that "itchy" is code for horny) and tells Pop that only she understands him, she is best for him, and he can easily cover up his bruise with BB cream if he really wanted to be at home instead of the hotel with her, which is what we see him do in the next scene when he goes home.

Second cut scene:

After Green Guy Pop gets out of the very blue hospital, he immediately sits down with Palin to discuss her true colors.

He knows she's not only faking her pink color, but also lying about the story because even though she appears to be happy and in love,

She is scheming!

Therefore, Pop told the police to drop the case since she planned it all herself.

She says that it's not fair that he is picking Hero over her, which Pop tells her that Hero has nothing to do with this (the background colors say otherwise), and the reason they can't be together is because she does bad things because of him and she is rich. Palin questions the rich part (not the doing bad things part) because Hero is rich too, so she wants to know if it's just because she is a rich girl and not a rich boy.

Pop tells her it boils down to her staging the kidnapping, and we are right back where we started, so he tells her he is not going to school with her abroad, but he hopes she finds happiness. She says she still loves him.

Then, he goes home to his family only to hear his mom speak badly of Hero too, and that's it on cut scenes!

soooooo . . . . .

Personally, the pacing of the show has felt strange the past two episodes, and I think it's because of this.

Not the corny socks, but what they imply because the colors heavily imply it as well.

We KNOW the boys are together because they hold hands while using their color-coded water guns.

They live together in their color-coded bliss with color-coded pens, sticky notes, and accessories.

And they wear each others colors even when they are upset at each other.

So it's obvious they are in love.

But it's even more obvious that they are having sex . . .

Like, all the time.

The dad holding up the green underwear and scrubbing them . . .

Hero washing the socks with their color-coded baskets . . .

Hero helping Pop go to the bathroom . . .

So even though I know why we aren't even seeing kisses (the actor's age), it's odd how we have to fill in a lot of the blanks about Hero x Pop's level of intimacy because we can't see any of it.

It is ironic that we went from a censored Chinese BL to a different type of censored Thai BL.

But that's just me! Let me eat my snacks and enjoy the chaos.

[evillustrations]

@shiningxfates

"Er... have you always sounded like... this?" Wait. That wasn't specific enough. "I mean-- this entire time, has your voice been... um..." Well, the artist wouldn't get an answer without being explicit, now, wouldn't he? [!]

[cr1mson5returns]

Sort of obsessing over the concept of Tim, having been acknowledged canonically as a talented photographer, using these skills for morally gray reasons. This kid doesn't intend to use his fists to win every battle, or even most battles, actually. He's well-connected, fits into unconventional hiding spaces due to being lean and slender and 5'6", and he has a very nice camera. So really, Senator, it's a shame you thought you'd get away with so much. Think of what the Times could do with this evidence. High-definition doesn't lie. So you'll vote to expand funding for public education and Medicaid in the state, is that correct? Of course, you're an upstanding politician, after all. Couldn't have all this getting in the way of your career.

[coyotecares]

1-a somehow finding out that their stoic, hardass homeroom teacher is absolutely stupid head over heels in love with their goofy, ridiculous, eccentric english teacher and subsequently reading WAY too much into how they interact in passing when they switch periods every morning

ie: in that scene where shouta takes too long to conclude class and makes mic wait, there's a slight pause in his canter before he calls hizashi "mic"-- class 1-a would be gripping their seats to bring that up in the dorms later about how aizawa-sensei probably almost accidentally called mic-sensei "pookie bear" since that's most DEFINIETLY what he calls him at home

they talk every morning when shouta is leaving the room and hizashi is walking in, and every day, class 1-a will watch for subtleties in behavior so closely that some of them don't even breathe or blink

[wildstar25]

What physical part(s) of Arsay does her partners find the most attractive! Is it the same for all partners or does it differ between them?

(also optional bonus ask of what part(s) of/about Arsay generally do they love the most, physical or not!)

Meanwhile, if you were to ask the same of Arsay:

[airanke]

Werewolf Touya in his human form. He's insufferable because he knows how attractive he is and he likes to make Dabi's life a living hell (twin Werewolf AU btw).

[fallingbyjuleecruise]

every day i think about the ansur plot in act 3 could've actually had emotional weight if larian studios gave a shit about wyll. damn.

[fitzrove]

Started watching a "problem with greek myth retellings" video and it began with a blurb montage like "Condemned by the misogynist guys of history, this is the true girlboss feminist story of [A WOMAN]" and like. brb writing one of those about crown prince rudolf. It's ok he's like a misunderstood girlboss to me<3

[merrysithmas]

tw eating disorder

jtk headcanon that after tarsus jim struggles with an eating disorder resulting from his guilt over food/where it comes from/its sustainability/survivor's guilt.

[chatotic]

Now I know what Felix had done wasn't good but some people need to stop with "he wants to harm adrien" narrative when obviously he was just having his Eren Yeager moment and remember, he is like 14.

[spectral-honey]

Civilian Tim au where hes one of those guys whose job it is to just try to break into places just to see if he can

[jacqcrisis]

This is absolutely the kind of get-up Alfonso would've worn in the ring as "The Face-Breaker". Just playing up that cruel, evil orc stereotype before he rocked some dude's shit as the crowd jeered and booed at their favorite up-and-coming heel.

Sometimes with his late tag-team partner, Cody Half-Roads, who finally made an appearance:

This is gunna get real weird when the Emperor starts trying to flirt with dear Al, I tell you what.

[kariachi]

Sorry-not-sorry I'm back on my normal 'Kevin and Argit were so small' bullshittery.

Because they fucking were. Kevin was twelve when Servantis tossed everybody, and Argit couldn't have been far off. They were middle school aged. 'Puberty would be starting about now if we weren't wandering the Null Void and therefor likely not eating near enough' aged.

A pair of children, with minimal education, no paperwork, no homes, no guardians. Wandering the Null Void and then the Milky Way, on their own. One a prime target for the slave trade, both prime targets for adults looking to take advantage of them (*coughcoughOttocoughcough*). With only as much security as they could provide themselves and each other. Only able to rely on themselves for the basic necessities of life.

And then this show has the audacity to try to tell me that they turned to crime due to poor morality. That they're money focused because they're just naturally greedy. That they don't trust people and look out for themselves because they're bad people that either will always be bad people or will only improve because of the power of Tennysons.

What options were there for them? What jobs are there in the Null Void? What jobs are there in the galaxy that'll hire barely-teens, if even that, with no paperwork or educations, that wouldn't ruin them as badly and pay worse than the crime they already had experience with? Will keep them fed and clothed and sheltered? When one of them already has a criminal record, for violent crimes at that? When there's nobody there to stop even the 'good' adults from taking advantage of them?

The show will sit there and tell you that Kevin's violent crimes were the result of a rough childhood, but he and Argit's non-violent ones? Totally on them, no excuse, wholly a matter of greed and not giving a shit about other people. Fucking bullshit. This is a pair of kids who had to grow up way too fast, up against an existence that saw at least one of them as easy profit, with nothing but themselves and each other, and no opportunities. They're a pair of traumatized kids who grabbed the opportunities available to them with both hands and were molded by the problems they faced.

Of course they're money-focused, unlike the Tennysons they don't and haven't had anybody making sure they had enough to get by. They've had to support themselves and live with the constant worry that something is going to go pear-shaped and they'll have nothing.

They spent years with anybody and everybody being a potential threat (even between the two of them, Argit's noting that Kevin's snapping while he worked for the Rooters was the worst he'd seen 'before or since' makes it quite clear he's seen him on and passed the edge at least as much if not more than we have), of course they're going to be slow to trust, quick to toss people aside, and unwilling to help their enemies without some sort of payout, they've been burned before.

Just- Damnit these two come from some shitty fucking situations, the effects they had on them are obvious if you bother to fucking look, and they both deserved better than the series just going "oh yeah they're assholes what do you expect they're criminals" and moving the fuck on. Like, for fuck's sake at least acknowledge that they're like this because life was a fucking lead pipe to the teeth to them! We know Kevin's situation was shit even before they met, we got to see it, but even if Argit had a perfectly good life beforehand (unlikely) the earliest we see him is being held captive for illegal experimentation purposes by law enforcement! These two have been through shit! At least acknowledge it!

Fuck, they could've replaced Color of Monkey with that, hitting on the differences between how Kevin and Argit adapted to their circumstances, give us upfront the Tennysons being a safety net that let Kevin heal (rather than just 'oh the Tennysons taught him morals because they're the Good People') while Argit's issues and lack of security kept him stagnant. It would go better with what we see of him over the course of OV leading up to the Rooters arc, and what we're shown in the Rooters arc. Give us him still being far from great or on the up-and-up but improving with the stability that comes with his 'hero' status, a repairing relationship with Kevin after that arc, and a flourishing, above-board business. Rather than backpedaling on any good the writers had thrown at him like they'd realized they were coming up against a cliff.

Shit that makes you want to get the writers by the shoulders and shake them mercilessly.