#weak hero was soooo good

[jondalars]

movies, tv shows, and books of 2023

((* is a rewatch/reread; currently watching; can’t get through))

She and Her Perfect Husband (s1)

1899 (s1)

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (vol. 4) by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

White Noise (2022)

New Life Begins (s1)

12 Angry Men (1957)

Babel, Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution by R.F. Kuang

Bliss Montage by Ling Ma

Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

Popular Chinese Tales by H.F. Chiang

First Love (s1)

Spare by Prince Harry

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

Heroes (s1)

A Romance of the Little Forest (s1)

Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

Heaven Official’s Blessing (vol. 5) by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

Twenty Five Twenty One (s1)

Physical: 100 (s1)

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

The Circle (s5)

Unchained Love (s1)

Liberation Day: Stories by George Saunders

Extra-Ordinary You (s1)

Stay True by Hua Hsu

Three-Body (s1)

Something in the Rain (s1)

Falling into your Smile (s1)

My Roommate is a Gumiho (s1)

Survivor (s44, s45)

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center

Romance is a Bonus Book (s1)

The Journey of Chong Zi (s1)

Mr. Queen (s1)

True Beauty (s1)

Nope (2022)

Outlast (s1)

Begin Again (s1)

The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand *

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton *

Weightlifting Fairy, Kim Bok-Joo (s1)

W (s1)

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen *

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen *

Murder Mystery 2 (2023)

To Have and the Hoax by Martha Waters

Sh**ting Stars (s1)

Scarlet Heart (s1)

About Fate (2022)

I Told Sunset About You (s1) *

Lady Chatterley's Lover (2022)

Weak Hero Class 1 (s1)

Swarm (s1)

Thirty-Nine (s1)

Flower of Evil (s1)

Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

Beef (s1)

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

Jury Duty (s1)

Promising Young Woman (2020)

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

Nothing but You (s1)

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte *

Love in the Air (s1)

Till the End of the Moon (s1)

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell *

Semantic Error (s1)

School 2013 (s1)

The Eighth Sense (s1)

The Love You Give Me (s1)

Hana Yori Dango (s1)

School 2015: Who Are You (s1)

Happy Place by Emily Henry

What Six Survivors Told... (s1)

Heirs (s1)

I Think You Should Leave (s3)

XO, Kitty (s1)

Boys Over Flowers (s1)

Back from the Brink (s1)

How Much of These Hills is Gold by C. Pam Zhang

Personal Taste (s1)

The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

To Love and to Loathe by Martha Waters

F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers (s1)

The Guest by Emma Cline

To Marry and to Meddle by Martha Waters

This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar, Max Gladstone

Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood

School 2017 (s1)

Dog Day Afternoon 1975)

Tár (2022)

See You in My 19th Life (s1)

Black Knight (s1)

Black Mirror (s6)

D.P. (s1, s2)

Jade City by Fonda Lee

Hidden Love (s1)

M3gan (2023)

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (vol. 5) by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

Bride of the Water God (s1)

Devil Venerable Also Wants To Know by Cyan Wings

Guide on How to Fail at Online Dating by Jiang Zi Bei

Heaven Official’s Blessing (vol. 6) by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

2gether the Series (s1, s2)

Claim to Fame (s2)

Beyond Evil (s1)

The Legend of Anle (s1)

Knock at the Cabin (2023)

Doom at Your Service (s1)

Jade War by Fonda Lee

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center

Bloodhounds (s1)

Uncontrollably Fond (s1)

Bones and All (2022)

Red, White, and Royal Blue (2023)

When I Fly Towards You (s1)

The Starry Love (s1)

Only Friends (s1)

Between Us by Mhairi McFarlane

Commonwealth by Ann Patchett

Cocaine Bear (2023)

Mad About You by Mhairi McFarlane

You Are Desire (s1)

The Blonde Identity by Ally Carter

The Out-Laws (2023)

You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah (2023)

Fake It Till You Make It (s1)

Love at First Sight (2023)

The Glory (s1)

My Lovely Liar (s1)

King the Land (s1)

The Devil's Plan (s1)

Flux by Jinwoo Chong

The Genius (s1*, s2*, s3*, s4*)

The Romance of Tiger and Rose (s1)

House of Villains (s1)

Coffee Prince (s1)

Society Game (s1, s2)

Barbie (2023)

No Hard Feelings (2023)

Secret Garden (s1)

Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace

My Love Mix-Up! (s1*)

Heaven Official's Blessing (vol. 7) by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)

Comet (2014)

X (2022)

Zola (2021)

The Green Knight (2021)

Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams

Twinkling Watermelon (s1)

After Yang (2021)

Only For Love (s1)

Pearl (2022)

Dear Ex (2018)

Ma (2019)

The Worst Person in the World (2021)

Deathless by Catherynne M Valente *

Your Name Engraved Herein (2020)

Tune in for Love (2019)

Lost in Translation (2003)

My Roommate is a Vampire by Jenna Levine

Crimes of the Future (2022)

Only Just Married (s1)

In-House Marriage Honey (s1)

Love to Hate You (s1)

Supervisor Husband (s1)

Aftersun (2022)

[heartofmortis]

✧ exile (what a ghostly scene)

. *. ⋆ Anakin / Vader x Reader

summary: you were bail organa’s ward, raised on alderaan with your younger sister. in the twilight of the clone war, you and anakin fell in love. when the war died, it dragged you and anakin to early graves with it — leaving only darth vader behind. even after years without you, he still wants you back. and there is nothing he would not do to bring you back to him. . .

tags: angst, tragic romance, suitless vader, no y/n, gn reader, inspired by the 2020 vader comics & vader immortal, past major character death, mourning, vader needs a hug, resurrection

note: my first reader/second person fic — i’m sorry if the tense is bad ajsjwjwjqjq. i’ve had this in my drafts for soooo long and i finally decided to finish it 🫶

word count: 1k

part 1 of 4

The stars have died, fizzling out into oblivion. All that remains is a charcoal heart that once belonged to Anakin Skywalker.

The boy from Tatooine is unreachable now, trapped inside the twisted soul of Darth Vader. The galaxy’s beloved Hero With No Fear is gone. With the rise of the Empire, the Jedi and their sympathisers will be erased from memory. A clean slate to start a new era.

Three years after the creation of the Empire, Darth Vader stands alone. His tower on Mustafar is isolating; its strategic position is a constant reminder of that day. His injuries still hurt sometimes: phantom itches on his now metal legs; scars from his burns that did not fully heal. The medical droids say he is lucky — the fire could have done more serious damage, and he could have been forced to rely on a suit keeping him alive for the rest of his days. Instead, the ebony coloured mask and suit he wears are to conceal his identity. A precaution so that Anakin Skywalker can fade from people’s tongues and memory, leaving the tyranny of Darth Vader in its place.

The weight of his failures is not the heaviest burden. Darth Vader drowns in his anger and grief. He was not strong enough to kill Obi-Wan Kenobi. He was not strong enough to save you.

(All things die. Even stars burn out.)

You were the stars in his sky, his light in the dark, the silvery moon to his blazing sun. So tender and kind. Perhaps your heart was too good for this world. Perhaps, it was your weakness all along. (How could peace ever love a dragon?)

Since you met, you had been Anakin’s sun. You anchored him; guided him home. You were his destiny. And, without you, the galaxy had turned cold. The fiery world outside, all hot air and lava fields, only stood as a reminder of his failure. He’d lost you. After everything Anakin had tried — surrendering himself to the dark side, betraying the light — he could not save you. Time had not quelled the pain.

Vader wonders if you would still recognise him. His copper hair has grown longer (he remembers how you used to cut it for him after he returned from another mission, and you’d giggle as you braided thin locks together), but his face hides behind an obsidian mask. You always loved the blue of Anakin’s eyes, but now they are blazing amber.

Mornings are the only time Vader allows himself to dwell on the past. It is when he finds himself alone and does not have to hide.

Vader recalls how you arrived on Mustafar like it was yesterday. (You haunt him every waking moment.) He could sense your conflicted emotions as soon as you disembarked your ship. Vader wasted no time approaching you, drawing you into his arms (where you belonged; where you were safe). His lips reconnected with yours, fitting together like puzzle pieces as he kissed you hungrily, his hands settled on your hips to keep you close.

You and Anakin had met after turning nineteen. He and Obi-Wan were called to Alderaan to protect the Queen and Viceroy from an assassination attempt. Being their ward, you had been there the whole time and quickly formed a connection with the young padawan — your relationship had blossomed during the Clone Wars.

He rested his forehead against yours as you spoke. “I heard terrible things. Tell me none of it is true.”

Vader hadn’t replied immediately and instead drew his head back to look at you. He would tell you any sweet lie if he needed to as he fought to quell the anger flaring in his eyes. “What have you been told?”

“Obi-Wan told me—”

Vader’s grasp around you tightened protectively. “Obi-Wan is alive?”

“He said you’d killed Jedi. Killed younglings.”

“You must not believe him, my love. He’s a traitor.”

It wasn’t the answer you sought, and you took a step backwards out of your husband’s grasp. “What have you done?”

“I did this for you. To save you.” He cupped your chin in his flesh hand and whispered your name. “I love you.”

Your eyes trained into his. There was no denial, no remorse in his stature; his only regret was letting Obi-Wan tell you anything.

He repeated his words. “I did this for you.”

From the shadows of your cloak, you drew a blaster. Only a small, weak thing. Vader watched your hands tremble. He did admire your courage. “Fix this,” you demanded. “Please,” you begged.

Anger flickered in Vader’s eyes. He had never seen you unimpressed with him. With an easy glide of his hand, Vader used the Force to knock the blaster out of your grip and pin your arms by your sides

“I am stronger than the Chancellor now,” he explained desperately, drawing you to his side. “I can overthrow him. Then you and I can be together; we can run away — just like you always wanted to.”

(But you didn’t. He lost you. Some might call you a traitor — Vader maintains that you were misguided.)

Three years later, regret still festers inside Vader’s hollow soul. There must have been a way to save you.

He misses you endlessly: craving your touch and the sound of your voice. (There is nothing Vader desires more than to have you back in his arms.)

Part of him wants to forget. To cast his memories of you into an abyss; to put the past behind him. But it is an impossible task. You are too well tangled into his soul. You haunt him. (And you’ll haunt him until his death.)

Today, there is no time to focus on you. A new morning brings meetings and training. You were Anakin’s Achilles Heel — but Darth Vader shows no such weakness. As Vader sits on his throne, reading over mission logs and other updates from the spread of the Empire across the galaxy, he receives a message: he must make his return to Coruscant immediately. (Your memory pulls him under the ocean again until he can no longer breathe.)

[raineandsky]

Ur writing is soooo delicious 🤌 love it

Could u write a story about hero who is villain’s older brother and who is desperately trying to protect his little bro despite their completely different life attitudes . So villain is getting hurt and of course his older brother comes to his aid

Bonus points if there also is sidekick who doesn’t like villain but is still helping, cause he literally admires hero

I’d be really happy to read such story🩷

oooooh i loved this!! cant go wrong with some messed up family dynamics - thank you, hope you enjoy :)

(part 1) (part 2)

No one wants to see their brother hurt. Not even the hero, not even when his brother has so clearly already chosen his side.

It had happened so fast. The villain was facing off with someone. Another hero, at the distracted villain’s back. A kick, the slash of a blade. The two heroes had laughed and shared a friendly high-five when the villain had gone down.

Heroism hasn’t been what the hero had expected—it seems the hero is one of the only ones that doesn’t hunt villains down in the name of fun.

Waiting for the other heroes to leave had felt like an eternity. The villain—his brother—left suffering on the pavement whilst the pair look for food places on their phones. Eventually, though, finally, they make a decision and casually make their way to the end of the block.

The hero can’t leap up fast enough. His sidekick lags slightly behind, glancing nervously at the road around like it might eat him.

The hero sinks to his knees in front of the villain, earning half a second of attention before the villain scoffs irritably. “Oh my god,” he says flatly. “Go away.”

The hero fights a roll of bandages out of his bag. “I’m helping, you moron.”

“I don’t want you to.”

“Well I want to.”

Despite the attitude, the villain’s breathing is laboured, his face scrunched up slightly in pain. Blood is smeared on his clothes like the world’s ugliest, most heart wrenching painting.

“Ugh,” the villain says faintly. “You always had a thing for showing me up, didn’t you?”

“Saving your life isn’t me showing you up. I’m saving your goddamn life.”

“Don’t give yourself so much credit.”

The hero laughs, and the villain manages a a weak smile. The sidekick lingers awkwardly behind the hero, watching with wide eyes when the hero beckons him onto the ground next to him. “Hold that,” the hero says, holding the bundle of bandages to the sidekick, and he takes it without question so the hero can sever a strip from the roll.

The villain’s gaze flits up to him momentarily, like he’s just realising the sidekick’s there. He probably is, given the state he’s in. “Wow,” he says in the tones of brash sarcasm. “You brought your agency-sanctioned child with you and all.”

“I’m not a child!” the sidekick snaps, even though his voice has that traitorous childish squeak to it. “I’m a hero in training.”

“You go ahead and believe that, kid,” the villain says with a laugh that seems to pain him the moment it comes out.

The hero lays the bandage to the villain’s side, trying to ignore the way he winces at the contact. “Where’s your base?” the hero cuts in. If he didn’t, his brother would start an argument and then he’d never get a word in edgeways.

The villain rolls his eyes. “I don’t like you enough to tell you.”

“I’m trying to get you home, [Villain], I swear to god—”

“Give me one good reason to tell you.”

The hero thinks for a moment as he pulls the villain’s shirt back down and takes the roll back from the sidekick. “I’ll tell dad you ate his last cinnamon bun last year.”

The villain doesn’t look any less like shit, but he suddenly looks a little more alive. “You wouldn’t.”

“Where’s your base?”

“[Hero], that wasn’t me, I didn’t—”

“I saw you come in through the window and take it off the kitchen counter. Where is it?”

“You saw that?”

“[Villain].”

The villain groans in defeat. “You suck. It’s in that abandoned library at the other end of town.”

“Thank you. Right, [Sidekick], get his other side.”

The sidekick hesitates for a moment. “Is there a policy that we can drop villains off at home?”

“Of course not.” The hero fights off a slap as he helps the villain sit upright. “But if we don’t make sure people don’t die, who will?”

The ghost of a smile pulls at the sidekick’s lips. “That’s why I wanted to train with you. It’s just, I don’t know…”

He glances at the villain, who happily gives him a cold glare in return. “Only the best familial relations,” the villain says coolly.

“He’s my brother.” The hero ruffles the villain’s hair a little, earning a second, much harder slap. “We’re not on the same side, but at least he’s alive to be on the other side. I try to think of everyone we help as someone else’s brother.”

“I wish you were someone else’s brother,” the villain snaps, much to the hero’s amusement.

“Ah, that’s too bad for you then.” The hero gestures for the sidekick to take his spot, and together they heft the villain to his feet. “Because even when we’re on different sides of this war, you’re still my little brother.”

“Ew.” The villain makes an attempt to kick the hero and misses. “Don’t say that in front of your child.”

The hero laughs, and for a moment, it feels like they’re young again. Still at home. Still on the same side.

(next part)

[hypewinter]

Dick heard sniffling coming from somewhere. Which was weird to say the least. It couldn't be Bruce. Dick has just finished storming out of his study after another argument and this sniffling was coming from the opposite direction. Besides Bruce didn't cry. He frowned and grunted in displeasure. At most he would get this pathetic kicked puppy in the rain look that always weakened Dick's resolve but he never cried. And it definitely couldn't be Alfred. Dick had never seen the old butler show anything beyond mild disdain in ways of negative emotions. Even when he was angry at Bruce.

So then who was crying? Dick immediately switched to detective mode. He lightened his footsteps and carefully followed the sound down the hall. He crept closer and closer to the noise until he arrived at a door where he could hear hiccupping. The boy prayed that this wasn't one of the creakier doors of the manor as he opened it. It creaked but thankfully not loudly. At least not enough to notify the stranger as the noises didn't let up.

Dick slowly clicked the door closed and waited patiently for his eyes to adjust somewhat to the newfound darkness. Judging by all of the boxes placed all around, this must be one of the many storage rooms around the manor. Dick's mouth set in a firm line as he tiptoed around the boxes, looking for the source of the sound.

As he rounded the corner of one particular stack he caught a flash of green. The sniffling abruptly stopped but the intruder could not stop his hiccups, which had become more frequent. He was panicking. Dick put his hands up in a placating manner, hoping the figure could see his silhouette.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he whispered.

"I-I'm sorry. I-I didn't know anyone lived here," came a whimper. It was low but not deep or gravelly. So a teenage boy? What was he doing here?

Dick took a hesitant step forward but immediately stopped once he saw the boy scramble back. His eyes were adjusting more now aided in the fact that the boy's eyes cast a faint blue glow. Odd. He could have sworn the boy's eyes were green a second ago. One thing at a time.

"Nope, I live here with my d- guardian and butler. Though between you and me, he's more like my grandfather." That earned him a weak chuckle. That was good. He could work with that.

After a beat Dick asked, "Mind if I join you? It feels weird towering over you like this."

The boy shrugged. " 's your house," he replied. Dick took this as another good sign and carefully sat next to the boy.

"Soooo-" he started- "any reason you're crying in a storage room at my home?" It wasn't exactly the most tactful way to go about it but the boy wonder had a feeling that trying to beat around the bush wouldn't work out so great.

He moved to get up but Dick quickly stopped him. "It's okay. You can stay. It'd be pretty heartless to throw you out right now when you clearly have nowhere to go."

"I just- I needed a place to lay low. I thought an abandoned mansion would be a good place." That tripped quite a few red flags in Dick's mind. "Bu- But I'll leave now," the boy quickly said, scrubbing at his eyes.

The boy flinched at that. Okay that was a sensitive topic. Got it. The young hero redirected the boy to a different topic. "What's your name?" he asked. "Mine's Richard Grayson by the way. But you can call me Dick."

"Dick?" the boy repeated.

"Yep," Dick replied, popping the p.

"I.... see."

Dick was honestly surprised the boy hadn't made fun of his name. Many his age often did but then again, not many his age snuck into gothic manors to cry their eyes out.

The boy rubbed at his eyes again before saying, "I'm Danny."

"Nice ta meet ya Danny," Dick said with a beam. He got a nod in return.

Another silence lapsed between the two before Dick spoke up and said, "Say are you hungry? Alfred will probably be preparing dinner around this time. You can join us if you want."

Even in the darkest he could tell Danny's eyes grew round like saucers. "Really?" he asked, incredulous. "But why?"

"Well because you look like you could use some food." And seeing the look on Bruce's face would be priceless.

Danny hesitated a little but after his stomach made up his mind for him by growling, he agreed.

Dick guided Danny out of the room. Once they were in the well lit hallway, he could finally see that the boy was only wearing some tattered jeans and a well loved hoodie. In the middle of Gotham winter. How was this kid not a popsicle? Even his shoes were just some beat up converses. Dick was desperate to know Danny's story but decided to at least wait till after dinner. As to not overwhelm him.

He led Danny to the dinning room where Alfred was already setting out the plates. The old butler took one look at the boys before silently going to the kitchen. He returned a minute later with an extra set of plates.

"Shall I also prepare a guest room?" he asked.

When Danny's only response was his mouth hanging open, Dick couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah Alfred, I think you'd better prepare one," he said, clapping Danny on the back.

[angel-derangement]

season four sam is like such a evangelical religious nutcase to me in how he’s thinking. He’s like yeah god and the devil and angels are all real, duh. I do not care at all about the implications. There’s a natural order to the universe anyway and yeah people die womp womp but I have a special secret journey and I have a special power and im gonna save the world and I’ll do anything to get there and I am so convinced of this that I’ll hurt whoever I need to because I have this one guiding person to follow. And we’ve got the answer. And you can’t stop me you weak little faithless wimp of my brother. Oh but I love you soooo much I prommy. do not ask about if my actions reflect that. This is so incredible to me personally that they did this to him because a) 100% an accident, I think they weren’t constructing him to be a blind follower but the “voice of reason led astray” b) he has demon blood literally coursing through him so why would he be the one to represent christianity c) isn’t dean the one associated with the angels?? But no. That is not how Evangelical Christians work. They require an Enemy that Can Be Defeated By Measures in order to construct their entire worldview and they don’t put angels or God in the place of Hero Facing The Enemy, they put themselves there and do anything to structure that power to their advantage and never ever question it deeply no matter what you say. Dean meanwhile is questioning every single thing that every single person is doing, whether they say they’re good or bad, and he has serious issues with the choices both sides are making. And then he leads an angel into losing his faith while sam gets his faith fully betrayed. Anyway. If I think about this too much I go crazy. They’re all deconstructing in a way over the course of seasons 4 & 5. Sam is like a fundamentalist whose beliefs finally bit himself in his own ass. Dean is someone who grew up questioning it and so never got invested and can’t believe everyone else is getting sucked in. Cas…. Well Cas wants so badly for it to be true, and is forced over and over again into proclaiming his allegiance to the line, but ultimately has to give in to the slow crawl of doubt that leads to the demise of who you once were and who you thought you’d be, just because it turned out to be rotted the whole way through when you looked too closely. Don’t get me started on Cas.

[twentyfivemiceinatrenchcoat]

Does gojo just fight for the thrill of it?…

Idkk I’m really confused tbf the manga really puzzled me 😭😭 (IM GONNA GO ON A RANT BEAR WITH ME PLSS 🙏 LOLL)

The afterlife chapter and how it’s shown, that he just fought sukuna for the thrill of it and not to protect others (students). I think that was implied by nanami when he called gojo a freak for enjoying and getting a thrill out of fighting them, while most sorcerers take it more seriously in a sense where they’re fighting for their lives and to survive/not get killed.. also what even is gojos motivation to keep going? This is a question I ask myself alot!! Is it his entire upbringing and how it was drilled into his head that he’s a weapon meant to be used or is it that he sincerely enjoys exorcising curses and it makes him feel superior (I find the latter more uncharacteristic of him tbh since why would he just do it for the sake of it?? It’s definitely draining to go on missions constantly and shoulder the responsibility of saving the world.. so does he view himself as some sort of a curse exorcising machine?…

Also many ppl on twitter call him selfish and uncaring towards others (his students,colleagues..) since he didn’t kill sukuna right after he got unsealed and waited for a month when sukuna got much stronger? Where he could’ve just finished sukuna off instead of dragging it into the shinjuku arc…

Also I really hate how in general gojo our smoll pookie baby gets soooo mischaracterized and gets called selfish, a philanderer, red flag, uncaring towards EVERYONE?? Some ppl even go as far as to say that he has a chronic god complex. <———— THIS ALL DRIVES ME INSANEEE

however, I kinda do think he has a superiority complex going on… Since he was put on a pedestal since birth and everyone praises him and considered him as the strongest and some kind of hero who’s only job/purpose is to constantly keep saving the weak… This may have gotten into his head a lil too much which shaped his perspective into him believing he’s superior than the other people who he must save from curses etc..

I WOULD LOVEEE LOVEEE YOUR TAKE ON THIS MY DEAREST ARI PLSS SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS (even if it’s multiple paragraphs 😋) ❤️❤️❗️

P.S I’m a new anon so call me bunny anon for any future asks 🥺

hiiiiii there my dearest little bunny anon!!!!! is this emoji okay? 🐰 or would you prefer this? 🐇 i’ll go with the former for now but please tell me if you’d like the other one instead <33333

NOWWW . okay okay okay. this was super interesting to answer, thank you sm for sharing your thoughts and letting me do the same!!!! and please keep in mind that this is all really just my own take :3 but i do have a loooot of thoughts abt this + the sukugo fight in general, so!!! buckle up.

long discussion + spoilers for chap. 236 under the cut!!

ALRIGHT . SO . i’m gonna try to adress everything in this ask but i am in fact scatterbrained so please bear with me 😭😭😭

well, first of all — yes, gojo absolutely fights for the thrill of it. the sukugo fight is a great example of this because it’s the only fight we see gojo let completely loose, but it’s an even better example because it also proves that gojo fights for a lot more than that. he obviously enjoys fighting, but i think you’d be missing a lot of key points of his character if you tried to say that’s all he fights for, you know? we know that gojo is fighting and training for the sake of making a change, of nurturing others, but more than anything else — gojo fights because that’s all he knows how to do. he was raised as a weapon. of course he’d grow to love fighting!! he literally has no choice but to live the life he was born into, and that’s the life of a weapon. weapons exist to kill.

i think his love for fighting is sincere, but it’s also a direct effect of being born as the strongest — do you see what i’m saying? gojo enjoys the thrill of a good fight, but there’s a lot more to it than that. and i personally think that he views fighting as a way to connect with others, not just an adrenaline rush. that’s kind of the whole point of the sukugo fight — they’re reaching out for each other.

aaaand that brings me to my second point!! i think the sukugo fight is like…. the most important fight to examine when discussing gojo’s character, because it tells us so much about him and why he fights in the first place. in this case — the manga almost outright states that he was fighting to teach sukuna about love. and this following part is just my own take!!!! but i think gojo cared about that on a personal level, that went beyond his duty to exorcise sukuna as a curse. gojo cared about sukuna. i think this is undeniable and that alone proves that he was fighting for something other than the thrill of it. he was having fun, but it wasn’t just because of the violence — it was because of sukuna himself.

(stan sukugo btw)

and!!! it was also because of his students!!! i think this point is also undeniable. i reaaaalllyyy disagree with anyone who thinks gojo doesn’t care about them because it’s so …. obvious??? that he does???? he may not be the perfect father figure that the fandom often depicts him as (<- not complaining btw i eat that shit up), but he’s a good teacher. and he cares for them. he’s fighting sukuna for a lot of reasons, one of them being his love for megumi, who i’d argue is like a younger brother to him / the most important person to him since suguru died. <- that’s just my own hc really, but either way gojo cares for him!!! it’s obvious that he’s fighting with his students in mind, because he mentions them so many times. he is fighting to protect them. his character is built on a desire to nurture the youth, even at his own expense.

(he loves them!!!!!!)

so, with that out of the way — let’s talk about nanami’s comment in 236. because i think a LOT of people misinterpreted it completely 😭😭 nanami mentions a scene back in premature death, where he exhaustedly asks geto why they can’t just leave everything to gojo. he then proceeds to say that gojo never cared about keeping sorcery going, or protecting people, and that his strength was all built on self satisfaction.

panels for reference:

…. but notice that nanami is speaking in past tense. he mentions a moment in his youth, and follows it up with what his thought process was during that moment — to put things really simply, nanami isn’t talking about our gojo in this scene, he’s talking about gojo during his teenage years. the reason why the cast appears as teenagers in this scene isn’t just because that’s when gojo was happiest, but also to highlight how far he’s come as a person. how much suguru’s defection changed him and his values. teen!gojo wasn’t a bad person by any means, but he was definitely more selfish than gojo is now. teen!gojo cared about the people around him, but he did fight for self-satisfaction above all else.

our gojo doesn’t. our gojo fights to protect people, to make sure no one is lonely — not even sukuna — and because he has to. because he enjoys it, but also because it’s his duty to do so. there is absolutely a purpose behind gojo’s fighting. he’s matured a lot. he cares about a lot.

so, to answer your question properly: yes, gojo fights for the thrill of it. he also fights for a lot of other things.

[halt-kun]

My Hero Academia Chapter 430 - My Hero Academia

THE FINAL CHAPTER IS OUT

I LOVE THEMMMMMMMM SO MUCH

ARGH the unavoidable timeskip chapter

I swear to god if some people are together and we didn't see any confession I'll BE MAD

Izuku is now a teacher at UA narrating everything that happened before in his memoir

KODA's HERE TOOO

AND some cool looking lady (or boy I don't know)

So in the next two years, Izuku loses the embers definitely

MOMA IS HERE

Are Gran Torino and Recovery Girl together now ?

Bakugou is sooooo tired at this exam (Izuku is no better)

another sports festival with Todoroki leading

MA GIRL MIRKOOOOOO, still kicking (bad guys). She's a funny arm now

Shoji being important for heteromorphs it seems

Koda and Eri being friends (we all know people even if they're together in primary school, they'll definitely split up before the end of middle school but stay friends)

Hawks is still Tokoyami's dad, or maybe older sibling

Endeavor looking good all bandaged up

Aizawa and Mic praying for their lost boyfriend together

WHO'S THAT GIRL

Iida is without the suprise, the third year doing a speech

Bakugou fucks it up with Monoma (it seems like he recovered well)

I just thought of the rarepair Monoma/Bakugou, that would be a nightmare for everyone in both class 1-A and 1-B. Competitive boyfriends who never tone it down

So Deku is 24, fresh out of university and already a teacher, nice

Those don't look like middle school kids

The furry wants to do programming, what a suprise. Gentle and Lovelover will love you (they're furries too)

MEI IS WORKING SOOOOOO GOOD

I ship introvert/extrovert so much, goooo

Seems like this might lead to some other dark age where only the few heroes are idealized and people do nothing else than complain

or is it just implying Hawks dream came true and they don't need more professional heroes ? (probably that)

Of course everybody wants to be Katsuki, Todo or Deku but you're lacking TRAUMA

Shoji is soooooo cool

fixing racism

just that

Koda and the class B dude are hyped

Wow, this must be the seriously effecient team of their generation

Uraraka fixed quirk mental health cool

ERIIIIII OOOOOooooh maybe she was the long haired girl from a few pages ago

Bakugou will never change, that's why we love him

(well he actually did change but fuck it you get it)

TOGATA FIRST HERO

WHAT ABOUT TAMAKI ???????? ARE THEY TEAMED UP ? PARTNERS ?

Midoriya and Aizawa are such nice friends, Izuku does feel a bit left out and sad to be quirkless

I'm not sure he will ever get past that

I wonder what they mean : "popular with men" (we all know, shhhhh....)

Oh no that poor baby is going to fall ????

Who will get him up ????

Oh wow you caught him ????? He seemed so far

well the other child fell for some reason, how did he ?

Oh no that's the teenager from before

talking to the All Might statue everyday

I wonder what his weak quirk is

No more OFA Deku, you'll have to break his dreams

All Might could magically not break yours earlier in the series (like 340 chapters ago)

Thank god you're a quirk nerd

(says the guy that would also be a huge one)

YAY

Thanks Deku

soooo cute

Quite bold to call him a kid while being 24 Midoriya

THE END

HE'S HERE AGAIN

Bakugou made up a project with everyone so that Deku could become Ironman ????? Cool

I'm touched

so cute

Deku is about to cry (one last time)

YEP HE CRYING

and I wouldn't know how to say it better All Might

BAKUGOU TEAMING UP WITH DEKU

CO-N°1

TITLE DROPPPPP

I'm CRYIIIIIIIIING

oh no i felt fine before but this is too much at once

They are all looking so coooool

Ojiro, Mina, Tokoyami and Yaomomo especially so

WAIT BAKUGOU, ARE THOSE DREADS ?????? No it looks more like Atebas (I know it's for the dynamite reference but still)

Jiro still has one ear

Cute

I forgot it was the anniversary

Well I don't know how to conclude, this feels so weird

it was such a ride

the anime is still coming out so it doesn't feel like the end yet

I'm excited for what's coming next from Horikoshi

(PLEASE NO SPINN OFF OR SEQUEL OR ANYTHING)

A NEW WORLD

NEW CONCEPTS

HAVE FUN

THE END

[superloves4]

We can always begin again - Chapter 3

Relationships: Celegorm/Aredhel, Curufin/Finrod (background) Summary: Celegorm didn't think he'd be granted mercy, that he'd be re-embodied or that he'd be welcome anywhere. Aredhel thought she'd never welcome him again after what he'd done. They were never good at staying away from each other. TW: none for this chapter but a warning: this is mostly canon compliant Celegorm, for what this fic is supposed to be this means Eol won't be beyond salvation (he is in only one chapter briefly but I felt this needed to be said) (Not to worry tho, I have another aretyel fic in the works where Eol is just the worst) A/N: I rewrote this chapter soooo many times, here's the result of my suffering.

Masterlist - also on AO3

The sun wasn't up yet when Celegorm crept down the stairs and out the door, he was granted neither bow nor arrow when he was re-embodied, it made sense although Celegorm would've argued to be a needless precaution, regardless, it meant he would have to do with whatever he could find.

That was how Aredhel found him when she opened the door to gather some rosemary for the day's food: hair up, shirtless, legs hooked on a tree branch as he hoisted his torso to his knees. She almost laughed.

"You know," she told him "Mobility comes faster if you allow yourself to rest."

He heaved himself up again "Rest is for the dead."

Aredhel decided it was not worth to remind him that he was just that merely yesterday.

"You made an herb garden?" was his panted question.

She shrugged "It's convenient."

"You used to just gather directly from the forest."

"You used to be kind."

It was frustrating how gracefully he jumped from the tree, she had felt wobble footed her entire first year of re-embodiment, pushing jealousy aside she stared defiantly at him, gray eyes she used to know well. The desire to speak to him as if time had never gone by was more easy to push aside when she looked into his eyes.

There were edges there now.

He didn't speak yet, instead he searched for something in her eyes, perhaps he looked in hope of finding that familiarity they used to share when they were children, running away from parties and into the garden, hoping their feet would take them as far as the forests. Would she ever be able to see her friend in this strange man in front of her now? Did she want to?

"You're afraid of me."

She scoffed at his conceited assertion, Aredhel hadn't been afraid of Celegorm since the day she'd seen him fall from his own horse after laughing too hard at a joke.

"I'm not afraid of you," she hissed.

He took a step forward and she took a step back.

His gray eyes took notice of her skipped breath, the way her body moved, all but the throat, terribly unprotected but raising her head in defiance.

"I know," he breathed "how people look when they are afraid of me..."

Aredhel grimaced in disgust "I'm not afraid of you." And she turned around and walked back to the house. Celegorm sighed and berated himself, he hadn't meant to imply weakness. He knew she'd never forgive him such an offence.

He considered going inside an talking to her but he noticed Maeglin was staring at him from the top of the terrace, he had no idea when he'd arrived or if perhaps he'd observed the whole scene, but the man didn't speak, simply continued to watch him. Celegorm wasn't sure how to behave so he let him continue his observation, he'd talk to Aredhel when they were of clear mind so instead he picked a nearby tree branch and fashioned it into a javelin, he couldn't let his accuracy wane simply because he had no bow.

"You weren't my childhood hero."

Celegorm turned around in surprise, Maeglin gaze was something he couldn't truly decipher.

"You don't need to tell me," he shrugged then turned and sent the javelin flying "I enjoy teasing, no need to take me seriously."

That didn't seem to please the other, however, as he furrowed his brows.

"Is it true, then?"

"What exactly? There are many 'truths' about me, you see."

Maeglin raised his chin "My mother's stories," he said "that you speak the language of animals?"

He had to laugh, it was such an innocent question that somehow Celegorm felt lighter simply by hearing it, even Maeglin's inscrutable eyes seemed younger then, how old even was he? Celegorm smiled.

"My personal favorites are worms, they have the most interesting speech pattern you'll ever hear," he explained and watched as Maeglin seemed just a little less defensive than before "Although your mother was more fond of the hounds, alas she didn't share my passion for patterns."

"When I was a child," Maeglin took a step forward "she told me you'd be able to tell me what my pet mole was saying, she told me much of your brothers and about you, I thought you'd simply appear one day to teach me as well."

Maeglin looked away.

"I wished to meet you then, you know," he crossed his arms, gaze set somewhere far from there. This time Celegorm didn't even need to wonder where before Maeglin whipped around to stare at him.

"Did you love her?"

That question surprised him "Irìssë? Of course I did, I still do, she was my best friend, how could I not love her?"

"Not her, Luthièn."

Celegorm didn't dare breath, he knew someone would ask eventually, he expected all the usual accusations and thought he was prepared but now under Maeglin simple question he faltered. There wasn't even a hint of anger or disgust in his words, Celegorm looked around, searching for an answer among the trees perhaps, he wasn't sure. He never expected this and for the longest time he hadn't wanted to think about it.

He was silent for a moment,  hands sweating, he paced around, before he could finally stand before Maeglin.

"Most people would say I don't know what love is."

Is all he could find as an answer, he had closed his mind to all memory of Luthièn and the brief moment their paths entwined and the way it changed his own. However, he was aware of what people thought of him, his keen ears never letting a rumour fly. He wasn't lying or exaggerating, Celegorm knew what people looked like when they were afraid of him.

Maeglin nodded, although Celegorm had no idea if it was as an acknowledgement or if he agreed with the sentiment, but Maeglin didn't clarify, simply stared at him.

"You don't know anything about me, do you?"

Celegorm shook his head.

Maeglin raised his chin and pointed towards the house.

"She doesn't let me touch her either."

Celegorm frowned "But you're her son."

"I'm also my father's son. Some destinies are stronger than others."

[bitterrobin]

welcome back to wasp rants about severely underappreciated DC characters who got shafted

Today: Its all about Rory Regan, the Ragman.

A preface before we get into it: I am not Jewish. I am agnostic. I'll try not to overstep my boundaries here but I do want to highlight how important the religion is to the character in this post.

*ehem* So, Rory Regan. He was created by Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert in 1976, and initially, he was just Irish. He's vigilante with a suit made up of rags with absolutely zero tech. He just has the inherited skills of his dad and his friends when they died in the go backstory.

The real meat of the character is established in Ragman (1991). Here, he is retconned into a Vietnam War veteran, Jewish, and haunted by PTSD. He is now from Gotham City, and operates there for the whole mini-run. Rory is an Irish name, as his father was a fan of it. Regan is anglicized from Reganiewicz.

The first two pages of the first issue. The things that really struck me when I first read this was the monologue:

It's all up to me! I'm scared and alone and its all up to me!

This phrase continues to pop up as he becomes a vigilante and struggles through conflict. It's poignant, and it's rare for a hero to admit such weakness in comics. At least from what I've read.

Rory lives with his father, Gerry Regan, who owns a pawn shop. It used to be a clothing store, but their neighborhood in Gotham has sunk into deep poverty. His father is kind and known to people as a good man. He anglicized his name from Jerzy to Gerry.

This is Betty. A homeless woman and part of the very, very small supporting cast of Rory's story. She's absolutely great and I love her.

Rory, compared to his father, is brash. Rough. He complains a lot about their poverty, the shop, how kind his father is to people who can't pay him back. But he's not an asshole.

The main plot line of this comic run is this: their neighborhood in Gotham is very poor. It's a crime-ridden dump, and it sucks for everyone living there. Later on in the series, we see that even Batman rarely goes there. (This'll cause conflict later.) Either way, Gerry gets mugged by gangsters who want to use the shop as a base for selling drugs.

Rory doesn't like his situation. But he's not going to leave his father to fend for himself. Early on, we get that his character is loyal despite his toughness. The thugs break into their apartment (connected to the store) and kill his father, beat and stab Rory and leave him to die in the alley.

The next pages just...speak for themselves.

I'll explain the Golem later. But I want to stress that Rory, prior to his father's murder, wasn't religious. As far as I know, he did not practice Judaism, and yet his father's influence is strong. You can feel the love and grief. (The art in this comic is sooo 90's and yet soooo Good.)

Btw, it was Betty who found him in the alley and took him to a backdoor clinic. The thugs move in on the store and set up some criminals as Rory's fake aunt and uncle in order to legally own it. They immediately start selling drugs and pushing out/degrading drug addicts.

Rory starts investigating who took over the store. It's shown, from the beginning, that he's friends with homeless people like Betty - and he treats them as equals. With respect.

It's all up to me!

Rory goes back to the shop in the middle of the night searching for evidence. Something to get the store back, to take revenge.

He finds the rags instead.

Insane first issue!!! INSANE. I love it.

SO. The Ragman. It's a title. A magical item passed down. The rags are each sentient, a soul of a former sinner who got absorbed. They can talk to Rory and give him advice, either willingly or not. If they help Rory solve crimes/do good deeds enough, they will get to go to heaven/be absolved. All together, the rags form a being that acts on instinct and Rory has a constant struggle to control the suit and ask it for help.

Next issue #2. Rory fights the criminals who took over the store. The suit is strong, it makes him invulnerable. He takes three gunshots to the chest and keeps on walking. In later comics, it's revealed that the suit slows the wearer's aging. He eventually finds one of the men who killed his father.

He finds the other man back at the store. One thing to note, Rory is filled with rage. It's a consistent character trait that while he tries to be a figure of goodness, he's never not angry at the injustices in the world.

Another thing. The Ragman is terrifying. We can talk all day about how Batman uses fear against criminals, but the Ragman is fear. He's untouchable, unkillable in a way that Bruce isn't.

The man flees. The Ragman follows.

Let it be known that I hate heroes who kill for edgy reasons. Rory kills a man in the second issue. Why do I keep reading? Because he regrets it. Because it isn't portrayed as a good thing. The point of the suit is redemption, and the character will continue to grapple with this. Rory does get called out by a different character literally the next issue.

He hesitates. He still does it, but he hesitates.

I'll skip forward now, so you get to see the consequences of his actions. He does not kill and get away with it, no matter the notions of revenge or crime. You could probably make some sort of connection between this and his past as a Vietnam War soldier, how it dehumanized people and created killers. This story is also from 1991, a time of grit and "realism" through violence.

Issue #3. We meet Rabbi Luria and get the backstory of the suit.

Because there's an image limit, I'll continue the story as much as I can in text. Go read the full mini series yourself please!! It's great.

So, the rabbi tells a story about the creation of the Golem. (He calls Rory "Mr. Wisenheimer" when he interrupts him lol). In this story, the Golem was created in 16th century Prague to protect the Jewish people. Apparently, they created it without a soul, and several rabbis came together and decided to create something different. They created the rag suit using the same kind of magic, a suit that needs a human wearer to use it. A worthy man. And the Ragman is born.

Rory cuts in by exclaiming its all ridiculous bullshit. The rabbi chews him out for his lack of faith and for killing five people (there's panels I did not include). He says:

A story?! Why you ignorant young fool! Five people are dead! Do you find that ridiculous? Because I do! I find it ridiculous that anyone so unworthy...would dare to put on a suit composed of the souls of the dead! Listen to their voices wailing in torment! Feel the evil of their presence! And tell me...who is ridiculous now?

He takes the suit and shows Rory one of the stitched-in rags. It's the woman he killed in the shop, the one who was posing as his aunt. Her enraged, ghostly face screams from the rag:

He doesn't know what he's doing! Vorst said he was sorry and he killed him anyway!

Vorst is the ginger guy he killed by dropping him off a building. Rabbi Luria continues to push the rag in Rory's face, demanding:

This is true, Rory? There was repentance?

Rory gets sick and runs away to vomit. The rabbi chides him with a click of his tongue. He looks at a picture of Jerzy and mourns him, lamenting what happened to him. Rory comes back, overhearing the non-English name of his father. Rabbi Luria explains his true Jewish name and their history as survivors of the Warsaw ghetto during World War II. Rory is shocked to hear all of this. You can probably glean that Jerzy tried to his best to fit in to America.

The rabbi continues on, explaining that Jerzy was the former Ragman. He rescued as many Jewish people he could out of Europe, and when the Nazis came for the ghetto - they burned it down. The one weakness of the suit is fire, so Jerzy couldn't do anything as the place went up in flames. Rabbi Luria notes the irony. Still, Ragman pushes on. He is a symbol of resistance. The Jewish people fight back, but at the turn of the battle, the Ragman vanishes. The rabbi says that the Ragman's duty is to protect the people and inspire hope, but there was no hope left. The remaining people are rounded up and taken to the camps.

The suit had teleported Jerzy away from the fight, to go somewhere else it was needed. It moved its wearer away from danger also as part of its safety feature. While Rabbi Luria understood that the Ragman had to go - Jerzy was ashamed. He was infuriated, sad, he believed he could've done more. Saved more lives. In his shame, he goes to America in self-exile.

The next day, the rabbi explains that oopsie, he created another golem after the war and now it's coming to kill Rory. Over the years, it saved lives and gradually became more and more human. The golem's goal is now to destroy the Ragman as it fears being replaced.

Rory does not want any of this shit. But the Ragman and the Golem can't exist at the same time, and the rabbi says he has to fight. Rory has another nightmare.

He resolves to fight the Golem and win. He wants to makes the world a better place. He asks the rabbi to teach him.

(And this post ends here because there's more images I want too include and way more story - but sleep calls.)

[brxkxnhxxrtsclxb]

Hii! Just wanted to ask if you saw Boruto leaks? (If you didn't, i'll just that it's over for Sarada😭).

hi anon :3 !!

sigh… a can of worms i didn’t want to open has been opened soooo…

long rant ahead:

[TLDR: this manga is a hot mess. sarada deserves not better, BUT THE BEST (i’m biased, she’s my fave so she only deserves the best)]

dear anon, i. am. tired. TIIIIRRRREEDDDD !!!!!

i’m sorry if this comes off as mean and rude and pls know i am not cussing you out (literally not directed at you, but at the manga) but WTF . respectfully, WHAT THE FUUUCCKKKK ??!! this manga is soooo i don’t even have the right words. well for one it’s ghetto. i can say that

so now we know chapter 10 WAS sarada’s fight this time skip. seems she’s for real gonna get the sakura treatment in being underutilized. sakura got her one fight against sasori and that was that UNTIL the war and fight against kaguya. seems sarada is unfortunately suffering the same fate. she got her dodging and chidori against hidari moment (which was literally the bare minimum tbh) and that’s it. WTF ._.

she’s being saved by we all know who YET AGAIN. it’s tiresome. why does she constantly need to be saved ?? we KNOW she’s capable to do her own thing. WE KNOW THIS !! she’s a shinobi dammit. her best moment was in the kawaki arc against boro and she’s never had another chance. that was all kodachi. i truly lament the day kodachi was let go (reasonable as to why but i didn’t realize how good we had it T_T). also, she has the other jonin with her so again, WTF. get them out of the way to give the MC yet another hero moment (same with himawari which doesn’t even makes sense. she got kurama now right ?? she got a huge power up somehow. tf she needs to be saved for?? hello ?? who’s writing this ??)

why IS sarada always being saved ?? they have her yapping about her goal to become hokage YET she’s done nothing to prove it (only did so by welcoming and befriending kawaki) and SHE IS THE ONE BEING SAVED !!!! the hokage’s job is to PROTECT THE VILLAGE !! she’s the one who is suppose to be doing the saving, not be saved!!!!! omg who IS writing this ??!!

i will say it’s possible the leaks are fake. i know this guy who said this is a reliable leaker but he also did say he wasn’t posting any since the chapter was dropping soon anyway. it’s possible he posted them so people could stop pestering him about them OR he just lied to, again, get these people off of him idk. of course there is the chance they’re true but that doesn’t matter anymore. this manga is fried. chapter after chapter, it’s the same washed stuff

kishimoto and ikemoto said it’d get dark and would be darker and better than naruto, that’s not true at all. fandom kept telling those outside of it (haters and those neutral to the manga) to give it time and how the time skip will get better. here we are now and nothing. it’s all… for what ??

they haven’t canceled this manga because reasons. and if that’s the case where they (jump) wanna keep it around, they’re better off canceling it while they still can and rebooting it tbh. they can use the same karma and otsutsuki plot line. it’s good. it works. all they need to do is hire an actual writer who knows what they’re doing and how to tell a story (like they did with kodachi), or idk a different mangaka who writes and draws and knows what they’re doing to work on it (like almost every manga). this isn’t any hate to ikemoto, but we know the man isn’t a writer. if that were the case we wouldn’t have needed kodachi from the start (shit, maybe ikemoto is the one doing everything which is why it’s all so contradicting and makes zero sense and so repetitive but this goes into conspiracy theory territory so i’ll leave it alone)

i’ll keep reading to see where they go with kawaki cuz i do like him too (and where is the lil vampire ?? where he ran off to?? hello ?? code, you there ??!!), but other than that this manga is a hot mess. notice how everyone in the ENTIRE CAST is dumbed down and weakened to make boruto look good ?? if you need to make your entire cast stupid in order for your main character to shine, you’re not a writer who knows what they’re doing and your main character sucks. your MC is boring and needs to be made to look cool and special by sacrificing the other characters. i’m sorry that’s SUPER RUDE, but that’s the truth and all there is to it. i can’t sugarcoat it :((

sorry for getting into a long rant anon. thank you for thinking of me and letting me know when seeing the leaks. i appreciate it🖤 it’s comforting to know someone sees things for the way they are. it IS over for sarada. as a fan of hers, i can say that cuz that’s what we’re getting. i’m not gonna sit here and be like “no she’s doing just fine”😭😭. only people i see defending this are shippers which is so stupid cuz that’s not the way to read shonen manga and not the main focus. you can have your ships, yes, but it’s literally not working in sarada’s favor AT ALL

idk. maybe it’s possible things will get better for sarada and i REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY WANT IT TO. YAY if that does happen but she’s in the middle of combat and this is what we get for her :(( she doesn’t get fights. ZERO TIME TO SHINE and it’s so stupid. she’s the main heroine, please treat her like it

imma go and cry in a corner now (not literally lmao) cuz my girl only deserves the best and that’s not boruto cuz all he does is hinder her character and potential😖

i am not okay with any of this T_T

[mermaidsirennikita]

Hi, I Just read Devil in Winter and OMG what a book, I wasn't expecting the level of care taking Sebastian was doing with Evie but I absolutely loved it, can you please recommend books with that kind of dynamic? Of the hero being like that?

And also now that I have the courage to así lol do you have books with the classic he's a super grumpy man but has a soft spot for her?

Hiii Devil in Winter is an amazing book! It's one of those novels where you totally get why it's a classic. Hot, romantic, well-written, and yes! I agree, the caretaking is something you don't expect and frankly don't get from a lot of rake books especially.

And also, don't be worried about asking me for recs, I have anon on for a reason, if I have recs to give I will always give them!

Caregiver Heroes:

When a Duke Loves a Woman by Lorraine Heath. Historical. Just read this, and it actually has mutual caretaking! The heroine is a lower class tavern owner who begins by discovering the hero (a duke lol) after he's basically been mugged and is badly hurt. She nurses him back to health (not like breastfeeding nursing despite his best efforts but you get me) and he can't quit her so he comes back and ends up taking care of HER after she gets a concussion and is very like "you deserve nice things, let me show you what it's like to not have to take care of yourself all the time".

Between the Devil and Desire by Lorraine Heath. Historical. One of Lorraine's best, about a widow and a lower class scoundrel who becomes the guardian to her son (a baby duke). Olivia is super in charge and though her husband wasn't mean he never gave her the attention or care she needed. Jack really takes over (while not undermining her) and becomes this loving father figure to her son, and she's resistant at first because they dislike each other, but she gradually caves and lets him care for them--and when she gets sick??? Oh, dude. He is CARING for her, including a scene where he has to put her in an ice bath and it's sooo good. TW for discussions of childhood sexual abuse.

Surrender to the Devil by Lorraine Heath. Historical. Follows the previous one, is more about psychological caretaking. The hero is a duke who wants to take the lower class heroine as his mistress, but she has a lot of trauma (TW: childhood sexual abuse) and is super independent. It's another one where he has to basically convince her to let him care for her, and it's big on recovery and tenderness.

Never Seduce a Scot by Maya Banks is a medieval romance with these vibes, for sure. The hero and heroine are in an arranged marriage, and she's deaf, so a lot of people think she was set back mentally by an accident she had years ago (which actually just caused her deafness). The hero is super gentle with her, and though he's attracted to her he initially is resistant to being with her because he doesn't believe she has the capacity to consent. He's actually a very sweet guy, despite being a warrior lol. They develop this very tender relationship where he takes such good care of her and understands her in a way nobody else does.

Reel by Kennedy Ryan is a contemporary I wanna recommend because the heroine has lupus and the hero is her director (she's an actress, and he's giving her her big break). He is soooo caring, and he was actually a caregiver for his mom before she died. The heroine is resistant about being vulnerable about her condition, but man, it's lovely.

Seduce Me at Sunrise by Lisa Kleypas is a historical, came after DiW. The hero and heroine were childhood friends, and he actually took care of her when she had scarlet fever, while she took care of him after an incident that made him super ill. His issue is actually that he doesn't want to hurt her, and he thinks he will if they have sex, because her body is still weak after she recovers. So he rejects her, and she comes back from Europe after a couple of years much stronger. So you get a different take--he's so caring, but that makes him hold himself back from her physically.

Waking Up with The Duke and The Earl Takes All by Lorraine Heath are two of her more well-known historicals (the "local mask asks hero to impregnate his wife" book and the "hero pretends to be his identical twin to spare twin's wife the shock" book). They're both, as Lorraine often writes, focused on heroes who sort of try to show the heroine a different side of life, a different level of tenderness. The hero of Waking Up with The Duke like, rubs the heroine's back and feet. The Earl Takes All has a hero who gives the heroine this different level of affection and tenderness than what she got from her husband, etc.,

Forget Me Not by Julie Soot, again if you're open to contemporary, is a second chance romance between this driven wedding planner heroine and the florist hero who just really wants to take care of her and give her a soft place to land--which is hard for her to accept.

The Rakess by Scarlett Peckham has a heroine who's super independent and controversial, and she begins an affair with this lovely single father widower intending to love him and leave him, but he wants to show her tenderness!!!

Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage by Jennifer Ashley is a second chance romance between an estranged husband and wife, and he wants to rebuild the marriage while she doesn't trust that he can, essentially, give her the emotional support she needs. He spends the book trying to prove it to her!

As for the grumpy hero, absolutely! Try:

What I Did for a Duke by Julie Anne Long. Classic, lol, he's so grumpy and he initially is trying to seduce the heroine to get revenge against her brother, but quickly develops a major soft spot for her.

After Dark with The Duke by Julie Anne Long. Another "he's starchy. and grumpy and withholding" book--and initially, he's that with her too, but he gradually softens and she becomes like, the light of his gloomy life, etc.

The's Perfect Wife by Jennifer Ashley has a hero who's so known for being grouchy and aggressive, but when his ex-fiancee comes back into his life he is immediately so into her again, and she's the only one who can really stand up to him and break down his walls. An all time favorite!

In Which Matilda Halifax Learns the Value of Restraint by Alexandra Vasti. This has a very shy yet very horny heroine who runs afoul of the stern hero, who everyone finds scary--but she doesn't. So good!

The Duke Who Knew Too Much by Grace Callaway. Stern, cold hero who everyone basically thinks committed a murder, lol, but while he and the plucky heroine are initially at odds, she quickly worms her way into his heart.

Managed by Kristen Callihan is a contemporary, but I'd so recommend checking it out. The hero is the uptight manager of a rock band everyone is kind of scared of--the heroine is the whimsical photographer he hires to chronicle the band's tour. They begin this weird arrangement where she sleeps in his bed platonically because he needs her to help with is insomnia lol.

The Truth About Cads and Dukes by Elisa Braden is a marriage of convenience book with a hero who's super stuffy and stern, but ends up falling for his wife despite his best efforts. And becomes OBSESSED.

[princess-of-the-corner]

Thoughts?

https://www.tumblr.com/immaturityofthomasastruc/726947568371826688/does-anyone-else-feel-just-a-bit-uncomfortable?source=share

I mean. Yeah. It's.

Let's look at the 'disabled rep' within Canon.

We have Tomoe, who is blind but..... only in character description. She seems to be able to see just fine? Like Gabriel shows her his Cataclysmed arm and she knows what he's talking about instead of going 'bitch I'm blind?'. Also she's a major villain.

We have Gabriel and Nathalie count. Gabriel in Season 5 is getting fucked up by Cataclysm and it effects his ability to complete tasks, so yes it counts as disabled. Nathalie has been fucked up by the Peacock for three seasons now, in ways that her health is impacting her ability by making her weak and faint often. There's the point in Season 4/5 where she can't even walk unaided. Absolutely disabled. Also a pair of villains.

There's Lila who claims disabilities, but they're all fake. She's just trying to get attention. Also another Villain. But she's a liar who's faking so it's /good/ that Marinette screams at her to try and prove she's not actually disabled, right?

Then we have Rose, our only disabled Hero character. Whose disability is an incredibly vague illness. But she's the 'good' disabled where she's functional 95% of the time and she's soooo nice about everything and she doesn't want help at all when she's having a hard time because it's such an inconvenience to others isn't it?

Also not a character, but it's canon that the school isn't actually following the most basic of compliance for whatever the French ADA is called because there's no wheelchair access to even get into the fucking place they literally don't allow handicapped people into the school. This isn't just 'they forgot to model a wheelchair ramp for the school' this is something that is said directly in Canon.

[biglittleluobo]

纸上谈兵

纸上谈兵 (zhǐ shàng tán bīng) – literally, “to discuss military strategy on paper”

Meaning – “inflexible theory will not solve real-world issues in practice” or even as a descriptor meaning “armchair strategist”

大家好！

Welcome back everyone for another 成语 aka Chinese idiom or proverb, brought to you by yours truly, 萝卜！Today we will be learning 纸上谈兵！This is a real historical story about the Battle of Chángpíng (长平之战) during the Warring States period in ancient China but it definitely still has relevance today. I’m sure you can all imagine a time where being “book-smart” has landed someone in hot water! Let’s get to it!

During the Warring States period, General Zhào Shē (赵奢) famously repelled an invading Qín army while significantly outmanned, becoming a hero of the Zhào kingdom (赵国). His son, Zhào Kuò (赵括) surrounded himself with military books, reading them over and over until he could handily defeat both peers and military officers in discussions about military strategy. Consequently, Zhào Kuò developed quite a reputation as a strategic genius! (With arrogance to match!) Despite this, his father feared that he simply recited theory and lacked the flexibility required in real battle. He warned the country officials that, should his son ever lead an army, the country would suffer a great defeat. This fell on deaf ears, however, as they assumed “like father, like son”. Surely it would work out...

Later, after Zhào Shē passed away, a protracted battle was occurring at Chángpíng between the Qín and Zhào armies. Led by another famous general named Lián Pō (廉颇), the Qín army could not break through. Instead, they started a rumor: “Oh the Qín army is soooo afraid of Zhào Shē’s son, the famously brilliant strategist!!” As the rumor spread, the king of Zhào sent Zhào Kuò to replace Lián Pō, who was elated to finally get to put his knowledge to the test. Upon arrival, Zhào Kuò changed the entire strategy, much to the chagrin of the soldiers. Without a choice though, they followed his orders into battle, where all 400,000 of them were lost in battle, including Zhào Kuò!

And that’s it! Did you enjoy the story? Not a very happy ending (unless you’re from the kingdom of Qín, who did eventually unify China!) but a fitting pair to 熟能生巧 (“practice makes perfect”). It’s one thing to be book-smart, another to put it into action! While it’s good to build knowledge, don’t be afraid to hop in and start practicing whatever you want to improve! Your mind is a muscle too! 💪

Here are the other idioms that popped up in this story:

以少胜多 (yǐ shǎo shèng duō) – “using few to defeat many”, meaning “to win from a position of weakness”

哑口无言 (yǎ kǒu wú yán) – “dumbstruck and unable to reply”, meaning “left speechless” or “at a loss for words”

虎父无犬子 (hǔ fù wú quǎn zǐ) – “a lion father cannot have a dog for a son”, meaning “like father like son”, though n.b. this would exclusively be used in a positive manner! More like “with such a distinguished father, the son is sure to do well”.

听信谣言 (tīng xìn yáo yán) – “to take heed of idle chatter”

See you next time! 再见！

[musewrangler]

I just finished The Golden Rendezvous and I enjoyed it so much! I was so invested, I delayed cooking dinner by a quarter hour and skipped practicing just so I could finish the last 50 pages. Thank you for the recommendation!! I told you right after I started that I loved John Carter on the very first page, and I love him even more on the last one. He isn’t Piett, but I can see pieces of him in your Piett—his iron-willed determination to protect his people and defeat his opponent, his love for his ship, the way his intimate knowledge of her enables him to outwit his enemies, and demanding the doctor pump him full of meds so he can do what he believes is necessary. Of course, Marston is no Henley! 😆 I also enjoyed the way my perceptions of the characters changed as Carter either revealed more about them (Bullen, for instance) or changed his opinion of them (Susan and her parents). I came to really love her, too, by the way, and their romance was the cherry on top of this delightful book. I would have loved more of MacDonald and Carter’s friendship (such a bromance it could have been!) but what we got was wonderful, especially that moment when Carter is trying to get back to the medbay but had to change his route and MacDonald figures out what he’s doing and signals that he’s got Carter’s lifeline. So so good. Oh, yes, and I teared up when Bullen accused Carter of treason and then Susan castigated him too, and he said, “You’ve all got families. I’ve only got myself. Can you blame me for wanting to look after all I have?” And they all think (because he intends them to think it) that he means he wants to save his own skin, but he really means they’re his family and he doesn’t have anybody else so he’s going to do whatever he has to do in order to protect them! It’s all soooo satisfying!! Anyway, it’s totally worth a slightly late dinner and a missed practice session. :D

I am SO DELIGHTED you enjoyed this!!! It's one of my favorite stories, and Carter is definitely a favorite hero. I have such a weakness for British understatement and the stiff upper lip so this fits that bill perfectly. And yes, Susan is well done too. I get very fed up very quickly with either the uber feminist, girl power, don't need no man thing OR the pathetically helpless, limp and drooping little thing when it comes to the girl in a story. MacLean is someone who gets the balance right I feel.

And yep, I've read it a million times now, but when they all believe he's suddenly a coward and a traitor---OW. At least MacDonald knows him well enough not to buy it. But still.

I'm tickled that you had a late dinner and missed practice for this story. A sign of a good tale indeed. Thank you friend!

[tytarax]

Say, who are you're favourite characters of Dragonball Z, MHA, Hazbin Hotel and Supa Strikas ?

Good question, thanks for asking!

(I'll give you my fav characters and some reasons bcs just writing the characters looked weird)

Soooo, Dragon Ball

When it comes to Z, I don't have a lot of favorite characters, but I'll say

Bardock, he's simply my favorite on all Dragon Ball franchise

Gohan, him as a child was so cute, I honestly prefer child Gohan and future Gohan instead of present Gohan

Also little Goten, favorite scene: When Goku had to return to heaven and Goten didn't want him to leave.

And Goku's grandpa, just because

If we talk about Dragon Ball Super, there are more characters

Black Goku, my beloved crush

Liquiir (God of destruction of the 8th Universe), Idk, I think he's really cool and his tails must be fluffy

Korn (Guide Angel of the 8th Universe), is also really cool, I've seen a lot of fan art of him interacting with Vados and Whis, I think it's canon that he's their older brother.

If it's canon, then that trio of siblings (Korn, Vados, and Whis), I was a little inspired by their interactions to create the trio of Danica, Turles, and Hazu

Grand Zeno, he's just so cute, I have a weakness for cute things

Beerus, because... y'know, he's Beerus

Now, My Hero Academia, this one is shorter :)

Bakugou and Kirishima, I mean, I have a fanfic of them x reader, they are my husbandos

Aizawa, he sleeps as much as I do, so, yeah

Dabi, love his backstory, I mean, is sad, but I liked it

Enji Todoroki, character development!

Hazbin Hotel, this one is simple

Alastor, definitely, the psychopath mf is a deer

Angel and Pentious, character developmennntttt

Lucifer, he's just perfect

Husk, I feel we would be drinking buddies and I could really use a bartender in my shitty life

The egg bois, silly thingies yay

Emily, as I said, weakness for cute things

And last but definitely not least, Supa Strikas... (When I was younger it was called Super Strikas... do you know why the name was changed?)

Johann Uber has the first place in this one, big teddy bear vibes

Ja Nein, as I said in a publication, he's just, I quote myself, "300 IQ but so fucking cute"

Klaus von Jurgen Ulf Gutentag, again, cute

I think that's all... I really enjoyed writing this, thanks <3

Masterlist

[andtheyweresquirrels]

Merlin, 2x01

Arthur doesn't understand Merlin's jealousy. (I know it actually was fair suspicion, but let me think there was some jealousy in there.) Merlin was pissed when Cedric tried to take his place as Arthur's servant. And he was even more pissed that Arthur could replace him so easily. (He could not, he would have not resisted long before ordering him to please come back.)

The confrontation with the raven guy gave me soooo much Harry Potter movie vibes. The speech about power felt a lot like Vody's one in the philosopher's stone, while the possession scene felt like the battle at the ministry in movie 5.

Merlin 2x01 (2009)

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)

Merlin 2x01 (2009)

MERLIN: That's the way it has to be.

SIGAN (CEDRIC): Does it? You're young, Merlin. Look inside yourself. You have yet to discover your true power. I can help you. Think, Merlin. To have the world appreciate your greatness. To have Arthur know you for what you are.

MERLIN: That can never be.

SIGAN (CEDRIC): It can, if you join me. Together we can rule over this land. Arthur will tremble at your voice, he will kneel at your feet.

MERLIN: I don't want that.

SIGAN (CEDRIC): You'd rather be a servant?

MERLIN: Better to serve a good man that to rule with an evil one.

SIGAN (CEDRIC): So be it. If you will not join me, I will become you and your power will be harnessed to my will.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001)

Voldemort: Don't be a fool. Why suffer a horrific death when you can join me and live?

Harry: Never!

Voldemort: Haha. Bravery. Your parents had it too. Tell me, Harry, would you like to see your mother and father again? Together, we can bring them back. All I ask for is something in return. That's it, Harry. There is no good and evil. There is only power, and those too weak to seek it. Together, we'll do extraordinary things. Just give me the Stone!

Harry: You liar!

Voldemort: Kill him!

(Transcripts from https://merlin.fandom.com/wiki/Transcript:The_Curse_of_Cornelius_Sigan and warnerbros.fandom.com/wiki/Harry_Potter_and_the_Philosopher%27s_Stone/Transcript#The_Man_With_Two_Faces)

I don't know, maybe it's just generic villain-trying-to-get-the-hero-to-their-side speech and I made the connection because I was already thinking of HP.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯