Superheroes that are like “if we kill them we’re just as bad as they are uwu” ? Micro dick energy
The only exception is Aang, whose whole “I’m not gonna kill him if i can find another way” thing is less false moral equivalency and more “I’m twelve and I have been through way too much bullshit this year to add ‘commit my first murder’ to the list.”
I do respect superheroes who don’t kill, and I really think “we’re as bad as they are if we do it” is a terrible oversimplification of why someone would come to that moral conclusion.
Three reasons why a hero might not kill:
1. They are not granted by their society a “licence to kill.” Many (not all) people accept that a soldier or a judge might need to kill a wrongdoer in the course of their duties. Those people (should) act under strict rules and processes to determine when a death is just. A society, to be peaceful, usually functions under a guarantee that people won’t on their own judgement decide to off people. Vigilantes don’t usually have state-sanctioned authority, but they do rely on public goodwill to be counted as heroes and not menaces or even villains. A hero, especially an independent, self-proclaimed one, may lack the authority or judgement to serve as executioner. Most just societies require a trial before delivering a sentence.
2. They don’t need to. Paradoxically, or maybe not so much so, the stronger a hero is, the less they need to kill. One of the most common defenses for a murder is “self defense,” the idea that the person making the plea was in so much danger from the deceased that killing them was justifiable. But once you’re a swordsman swift enough to cut bullets or a muscleman strong enough to lift trucks, who’s that big a threat? As your control over your power and your ability to master an opponent both increase (and barring completely wild or uncontrolled abilities, these two are very linked) the easier it becomes to hold back, to subdue with the minimal amount of damage and to render even the worst villains neutralized without going nuclear.
3. The power to kill is bad for their mental health.Not everyone can perform even a “just” killing with a clean conscience. A hero might fear the trauma of killing, and seek to avoid the damage. Or a hero might introspect, and realize that, should they kill today, tomorrow the choice will be easier. Killing an opponent, rather than subduing them, is often the easy way out, and a hero who comes to rely on that solution might find themselves killing more and more, Even if killing isn’t addictive, a hero might still fear that mindset.
Now, a common version of this problem is Batman, who wouldn’t kill the Joker even if the Joker is at maximum edge, dealing out huge terrorist acts and body counts. The best reason for Batman not to kill him isn’t “I am as bad as the Joker if I kill,” but more, “I am a man who uses superheroism as a trauma coping mechanism, and if I start committing extrajudicial killings my mental state and my loose alliance with the police will both deteriorate.”
THANK. YOU.
4) There’s specific ethics/religious beliefs/cultural values at work and people have the right to have different ideas about those things. See, for example, how often in anime you get resolutions that aren’t about killing your enemy. The idea that killing is the only valid solution to problems is actually very extreme and nobody is obligated to agree with it or promote it in their stories.
5) A hero is being written as aspiring to or embodying really high ideals because they’re a hero and heroic literature is about people who move outside the bounds of the ordinary. It doesn’t mean everyone has to walk around with that level of extreme commitment to whatever their ideals are. So they’re more forgiving or whatever… it’s not the end of the world or an insult to anyone who isn’t so forgiving.
What I want to see is a mutual pining fic where everyone else knows they’re in love and have been for ages… because everyone else thinks they’re already together.
scenarios:
it being assumed that each member of the pair will plan the other’s birthday parties
the pining pair getting each other “consolation” Valentine’s Day gifts
the friend group inviting the pair to a wedding without a plus-one option
the friend group inviting the pair to stay over and only supplying one bed, because of course they only need one bed
friend group using one member of the pair as an answering machine for the other person
the pair answering questions like “do you ever think about getting married” with a resounding no because if they admit yes, they’ll end up gushing all their secret hopes and dreams regarding the other one, and the other one doesn’t want to get married anyway, so the point is moot
enough people asking why they don’t live together that they end up moving in together, relieved they weren’t the one to bring it up
the parents of one inviting the other to all family gatherings and it being established which way they share on holidays
whenever someone asks a member of the pair, alone, why they haven’t moved to the next stage of their relationship, the person responds that they’re afraid to lose the other and all that jazz, with everyone on entirely different pages as to what “the next stage” means
they’re each other’s emergency contact, for all those H/C opportunities
MORE THOUGHTS ON ASSUMED RELATIONSHIP TROPE
the siblings of one referring to the other as their sibling too (ditto for nieces/nephews/niblings)
parents of one insisting on taking the other one out for their birthday, too
parents dropping hints about grandchildren (adult child assumes it’s about their single status, presumed partner assumes it’s due to how they’re considered a family member who could also provide “grandchildren”)
seating arrangements always putting the two together (meals, movies, car rides)
follow-up to above: when there aren’t enough seats, one is expected to sit on the other’s lap when the other couples combine thusly
all their profile pics are of them together
the friend group intercedes when one of them gets flirted with by someone else because of the sheer level of awkward the pair exude
friend group members asking them (separately) for romantic advice in the certainty that they have it figured out, what with the awesome relationship
double-dates forever where they end up sitting next to each other while the other couple makes out during the movie
one ordering food/drink for the second while the second is in the restaurant/bar bathroom
ordering food with the assumption of sharing (bonus points for person being protective of their food against everyone else except their presumed partner)
one keeping track of the other’s allergies/medications and being the first to remind friend group about where the other can eat, etc.
friend group gets them both a pet/large gift/household item (bonus points of it’s for only ONE of their birthdays and not a gift-giving holiday)
POTENTIAL PLOT RESOLUTIONS
Add more tropes:
they need to fake date for something and are bewildered when no one notices
one of them needs to get married for a green card wedding. Whether they’re surprised or grateful when their entire friend group instantly confirms their cover story is up to you
THERE WAS ONLY ONE BED (as provided by the friend group)
OH MY GOD THEY WERE ROOMMATES (as talked into by the friend group)
a friend who is a writer openly says in an interview that their popular romantic couple is based on them
One person realizes:
Person A confesses love of Person B to Friend A. Friend A just assumed they were always together, and maybe the lack of sex is just because Person B is asexual(?). We progress into Didn’t Know They Were Dating trope with Person A assuming they were the one who didn’t know (but their partner totally does, right?)
OPTIONAL the same exact conversation takes place between Person B and Friend B as well.
BONUS POINTS if Person A and Person B pretend they both knew they were dating the entire time so as not to hurt the other’s feelings.
ALTERNATE BONUS POINTS if neither is actually asexual, have the truth come out when one person refers to the other as ace and it spirals into “But YOU’RE ace!” “But I thought YOU were ace!” and the UST of cuddling is abruptly resolved
Misc:
friend group realizes and Much Ado About Nothing Ensues
for Contrived Plot Reasons (unicorns, spells, etc), the virginity of one is made public and the assumption is revealed
Person A goes on a date with someone else and the entire friend group is AGHAST AT THIS CHEATING, but Person B is just resigned and going “I just want them to be happy…” while everyone shouts to not give up on their love
new friend in friend group just outright asks, spawning massive confusion
Hairdresser: We’re going to have to use a color remover to take out the blue pigment, then apply more pigment to allow for the proteins in the hair to adhere to it. Then possibly mix three different types of toners to reach the goal of your natural hair color.
Hairdresser: pretty simple
Me: this is chemistry
Hairdresser: yeah, but people don’t like when we talk that way
Hairdresser: so you’re a mortician?
Me: apprentice
Hairdresser: do you know why formaldehyde is used in clothing?
Me: I didn’t know that was a thing
Hairdresser: I think it’s due to the preserving qualities? But I don’t think that’s right.
Me: It’s not just a preservative, it’s also a disinfectant ‘cause it destroys bacteria as well as their food supply. It’s also a dehydrator.
Hairdresser: why not just use alcohol?
Me: good question. Formaldehyde is super cheap, so probably to cut costs
Hairdresser: is it really a carcinogen?
Me: yeah, I’m going to have so much cancer
Hairdresser: so you’re going natural to work at a funeral home?
Me: yeah
Hairdresser: while still in school?
Me: well we work in the funeral homes so we have uuuuh … experience with cases
Hairdresser: you can just say bodies it’s fine
Me: oh thank god
Five Minutes Later
Me: yeah so we don’t do autopsies it’s one of my pet peeves
Hairdresser: what if someone wakes up while you’re embalming them?
Me: there’s a huge difference between a living body and a dead one
second hairdresser: I think we should add more toner, but yeah I think rigor mortis would make it pretty obvious
Me: that and being in a fridge for a few days you will be dead by the time you get to us
Hairdresser: I think pumping them full of a carcinogen would help with that
you know a joke that never EVER gets old is when a character says smth like “I will NOT go to [place] and that is FINAL” and then it cuts to them in that place I eat that shit up every single time
Equally good variant: when the character says smth like “what’s the worse that could happen?” and it cuts to a scene where it’s so much worse than what they imagined
it’s called Gilligan Cut and I will not link to tvtropes because I don’t want someone to lose days
more on writing muslim characters from a hijabi muslim girl
– hijabis get really excited over pretty scarves – they also like to collect pins and brooches – we get asked a lot of questions and it can be annoying or it can be amusing, just depends on our mood and personality and how the question is phrased – common questions include: – “not even water?” (referring to fasting) – hijabis hear a lot of “do you sleep in that?” (we don’t) and “where is your hair?” (in a bun or a braid, usually) – “is it mooze-slim or mozzlem?” (the answer is neither, it’s muslim, with a soft s and accent on the first syllable) – “ee-slam or iz-lamb?” (it’s iss-laam, accent on the first syllable) – “hee-job?” (heh-jahb, accent on the second syllable)
– “kor-an?” (no. quran. say it like koor-annn, accent on the second syllable) – people tend to mess up our names really badly and you just get a sigh and a resigned nod or an awkward smile, maybe a nickname instead – long hair is easy to hide, short hair is harder to wrap up – hijab isn’t just covering hair, it’s also showing as little skin as possible with the exception of face, hands, and feet, and not wearing tight/sheer clothing – that applies to men too, people just don’t like to mention it ( i wonder why) – henna/mehendi isn’t just for special occasions, you’ll see people wearing it for fun – henna/mehendi isn’t just for muslims, either, it’s not a religious thing – henna/mehendi is not just for women, men also wear it, especially on their weddings – there are big mehendi parties in the couple of nights before eid where people (usually just women and kids) gather and do each other’s mehendi, usually just hands and feet – five daily prayers – most muslim kids can stutter through a couple verses of quran in the original arabic text by the age of seven or eight, it does not matter where they live or where they’re from or what language they speak natively – muslim families tend to have multiple copies of the quran – there are no “versions” of the quran, there has only ever been one. all muslims follow the exact same book – muslims have no concept of taking God’s name in vain, we call on God at every little inconvenience – don’t use islamic phrases if you don’t know what they mean or how to use them. we use them often, inside and outside of religious settings. in islam, it is encouraged to mention God often and we say these things very casually, but we take them very seriously – Allahu Akbar means “God is Greatest” (often said when something shocks or surprises us, or if we’re scared or daunted, or when something amazing happens, whether it be good or bad; it’s like saying “oh my god”) – Subhan Allah means “Glory be to God” (i say subhan Allah at the sky, at babies, at trees, whatever strikes me as pleasant, especially if it’s in nature) – Bismillah means “in the name of God” and it’s just something you say before you start something like eating or doing your homework – In Shaa Allah means “if God wills” (example: you’ll be famous, in shaa Allah) (it’s a reminder that the future is in God’s hands, so be humble and be hopeful)
– Astaghfirullah means “i seek forgiveness from Allah” and it’s like “god forgive me” – Alhamdulillah means “all thanks and praise belong to God” and it’s just a little bit more serious than saying “thank god” (example: i passed my exams, alhamdulillah; i made it home okay, alhamdulillah) – when i say we use them casually, i really mean it – teacher forgot to assign homework? Alhamdulillah – our version of “amen” is “ameen” – muslims greet each other with “assalamu alaikum” which just means “peace be on you” and it’s like saying hi – the proper response is “walaikum assalam” which means “and on you be peace” and it’s like saying “you too”
As a Muslim this post is so very important and it makes me so happy that it gives the small facts and details that one might be unaware of or confused about.
Being able to sleep in almost any situation or position
Irresistible urge to chase squirrels and rabbits
Hating the vacuum cleaner
Wanting to do everything with friends
Loudly and repeatedly announcing to housemates that someone is at the door
Long, shouted conversations to other werewolves across the neighborhood (bonus points at 2am)
Taking advantage of any and all free food
Werewolf-vampire solidarity
Fighting any animal that trespasses into the backyard
Boundless energy
Too much energy
Eating out of the trash if it smells tasty
Being bad at sports because you don’t want to let anyone else take the ball from you. Then destroying the ball in front of everyone because you want to make a point
Trying to fight things 10x your size like a fucking idiot
Being unable to hold a grudge for more than a few hours
Trying to make people feel bad for you over mundane things that aren’t actually that bad. And somehow succeeding.
Snoring
Needing to try a bit of your friends’ food, even if you’ve tried it 5645674 times before and have never once liked it
Getting way too friendly with random strangers
Being in a love-hate relationship with water
Digging. For no reason.
Thinking you’re a badass despite being a hyperactive ball of emotions and hedonism
Loud sobbing while pressing yourself up against the sliding glass door at your friends who locked you out because they were tired of your bullshit and wanted some goddamn peace and quiet
fadeslikewhispers 