#i can't think of a dramatic enough moment of rebellion to work and i can't think of a way to subvert the line satisfyingly either...

[marley-manson]

there's one line in this song i can't come up with a clip for and normally that wouldn't be an issue because i generally don't adhere too closely to lyrics when i vid, i use them more as a general thematic guide

but it is like the climactic line so i do actually need something significant and dramatically satisfying here :/

[sitepathos]

Hello. I know this might sound dramatic, but I want you to know that you probably save my life tonight.

I was having a really bad day. My family doesn't understand me enough to care, and maybe my issue with my family is the reason why I found comfort in Batfam fics. Today, everything just got worse. My father yelled at me for something he didn't even know, I don't know why he even had the audacity to speak when he doesn't even know the matter, and now I can't speak and yell at his face that he's wrong because I am a child and not a parent, I would be considered "disrespectful" if I wanted to speak what is right and true.

I was really begging any Gods at that point to take me. I was thinking of ways to execute myself tonight. I was planning to starve myself tomorrow and ignore today's dinner. I was planning on searching what's "Metoprolol" is because growing up as a kid, I always think that "concern" is a form of love, and maybe if they saw my dead body tonight, maybe they'll cry because they love me. I know this is bad. I know this is inappropriate to say, but when I tried to atleast make myself feel better and decided to read Batfam fics again, I saw your new chapter of From Gold to Mold and it genuinely makes everything better. I didn't want to read Chapter 3 because I saw the comments that you left it with a cliffhanger, and I hate that, and decided to wait for the next chapter instead. Ever since I saw the new chapter, I actually ate dinner, because atleast I know there's still things in this world that makes me happy. When I saw your new chapter, I asked God, "Is this your way of comforting me?", and I want you to know that your work is a form of blessing for me. I started thanking God at that moment, and told myself that I also want to thank you.

I actually don't read Batman comics, or watch Batman. I never read or watch any DC movies before, but Batfam fics is about a family that I will always desire yet never really grasp. I wish for all Batfam authors to live the life they wanted.

I am very sorry for saying this, and straight up said that I was actually considering doing it. I am very aware that this is inappropriate but I really, really, really want to tell you that you save me. I know saying that a "fanfiction" save my life sounds ridiculous, but that's where I found my comfort in, and I would be willing to be ridicule at if it means showing what genuinely makes me happy. I will always love your works even if it means showing my lack of redamancy for my family, or even hatred if I have to admit. This doesn't mean that you are a start of my rebellion. I am only stating that you are a light in my times of darkness.

Thank you.

Wow, ok, wasn’t expecting my work to have such an impact. Good to know.

First of all, I’m glad you’re enjoying the series! When this idea popped into my head, I wasn’t sure if there would be many who’d actually enjoy it. With people like you, I’m inspired to put all that I have into From Gold to Mold! I hope my future work meets and exceeds all your expectations!

Second of all, I’m so sorry that you’re going through such a rough time in your life right now. Since you were brave to share a part of you for all to see, I’ll share something, too. About five years ago, my mother was a major junkie. With that, plus her narcissism, led her to divorcing my stepdad (who brought me out of my shell and made me a better version of myself) and moved us to my grandmother’s house after my grandfather died after battling lung cancer. Living with her was a nightmare, constantly walking around eggshells for fear of pissing her off, her stealing money from my grandmother, and yelling at everyone. She was always riding my ass to get a job just so she could take money from me. Early 2020, she was finally evicted and it’s just my grandmother and I living together.

She’s actually cleaned herself up and we enjoy a decent relationship.

So, while things look horrible and it may take a while, things do get better. I’m rooting for you.

[bleachanimefan1]

Dragon Ball Legend Part 18

Piccolo's Return,

"Somehow you've managed to defeat the entire Ginyu force. I wished I could've seen the look on Ginyu's face." Frieza smirked.

"Oh, he's been shrunken down to size." Ocarin retorted.

"No matter. What do you say that we get started? I hope that you all are anxious to settle this once and for all." Frieza said. He jumped down from the cliff and landed in front of everyone as they backed away from him. "I always knew that you would turn on me, Vegeta, but I never knew when. Now I see that you were just waiting for the stakes get higher enough before you played your hand. A valiant effort but in the end, it just didn't work, now did it. I hope you enjoyed your little rebellion because now it's over, my restless little warriors. Now you die." "I should've done this a long time ago! You ruined everything you little scumbags! How dare you stick your noses in my affairs! You ruined my chances of becoming immortal! I hate you!" Ocarin placed Necke down near Dende and stood up, looking down at them.

"Dende, Necke, go and hide." She quickly told them. Necke shook his head, grabbing onto her shirt, while Dende didn't move from his spot. Neither of them wanted to leave her.  "I'm not going to ask you two again. Go. Now." She snapped. The two Namekian children's eyes widen and Dende grabbed Necke's hand pulling him as the two ran to take cover. "Come on!" The two of them hid behind the stone remains of the Dragon balls and peeked over, keeping their eyes on Frieza.

"I don't care if you hate me. I quit! I'm free now. To think that I was nice to you all those years makes me want to puke!" Vegeta shouted at Frieza.

"That's nice. Get it all out even if it's only for a few more moments. Time's up!" Frieza yelled and started to power up as he began to gather his energy. Everyone watched as they felt the dramatic climb of his power levels increasing by the second. Krillin turned to Ocarin and whispered to her.

"Ocarin! Can't you do something!? Go blue!" He hissed. 

"I don't know how! I would if I could!" She said. Krillin's eyes widened, along with Gohan's as they stared at her in shock.

"What?! But I thought Guru unlocked your potential!" Ocarin gritted her teeth as she looked at Frieza, who was still gathering up energy. She was overwhelmed by how strong it was. It was enormous!

"He did. I've seen it for myself. But I don't know how to control it." She explained as she told the two of them. Krillin gulped and turned back to Frieza as he gritted his teeth in frustration.

"We are so screwed!"

Piccolo flew as he headed towards the energy he had been sensing quickly trying to get there. His eyes widen as he felt an enormous spike as it started to rise rapidly, making the Namekian stop in his tracks. Whoa, that's one heck of a power increase! The action's definitely getting ready to start. Then Piccolo turned his head when sensed another power level below him on an plateau, it was faint but slowly fading. Wait, a dying power? That better not be Gohan! Please don't be Ocarin's...

Piccolo flew down to investigate the source from where the energy was coming from until he saw a body lying on the ground. It was an Namekian like him! It was Nail. He landed down beside them. Piccolo frowned seeing the state the Namekian was in. Nail was completely beaten and battered and bruised up, his pants was in tatters covered in holes and rips. There were cuts all over his body and face as purple blood dripped from the wounds. One of his eye was swollen shut. "H-He looks like me." Piccolo murmured as he looked down at Nail. "Hey are you alive?"

Nail groaned as he opened his other eye, seeing Piccolo standing over him. He smirked. "Wow, it's like looking in a mirror. That female earthling told me there was someone similar to me she wanted to bring back. I'm guessing that's you. I guess they got their wishes after all. That's good." Piccolo's eyes widen a little before he bent down next to Nail.

"Female Earthling?" He questioned before he realized the Namekian was talking about Ocarin. "You saw Ocarin?! Listen, I don't have the time for this. Tell me where she's at." Nail coughed as he struggled to breathe.

"I can sense a great power up ahead. That's probably where she's at." Piccolo stood up and looked down at him one last time before he started to walk away.

"I know that we've haven't met before but I'm glad your beating hasn't made you lose your sense of humor."

"Wait a sec." Nail stopped him as he called out to Piccolo. Piccolo returned back to him wondering what he wanted. "I don't think your power is going to be enough to stand against that monster." Nail said to him. Piccolo frowned.

"We'll see."

"If only if you've come back as your original self. You could've beaten Frieza for sure." Nail replied. Piccolo's eyes widened in shock.

"What?!"

"I've fought him. I know how strong he is. You don't stand a chance as you are now." Nail explained. Piccolo gritted his teeth.

"So, if I united with Kami, I'd have what I need right now. How ironic. He's probably laughing so hard that we could hear him all the way from Earth." He spatted out bitterly. Nail shook his head.

"No, you're wrong. Nobody wants you to win as much as Kami does. His very survival depends on it."

"Well, I hate to break it to you, but I'm never reuniting with that old geezer. I despise every fiber of him." Piccolo answered.

"Unite with me then." Nail suggested. Piccolo his eyes at what Nail had said, looking at him confused.

"Huh?"

"Listen, I don't want to die and you're in need of a power boost. It's the only way. I'm the only last warrior left on Namek." Nail explained to him. Piccolo sighed.

"You are? That's just great."

"I know, but if we unite, you will be much stronger than you are right now." Nail insisted.

"I appreciate the offer but there's not enough room inside me for the both of us." Piccolo scowled at him. Nail chuckled weakly.

"Big ego, huh?"

Piccolo growled in frustration as he started to weigh in his options. But what other choice did he have? He was definitely not going to fuse back together with Kami again. Not that it would help anyways considering that he was too far from Earth. But this guy, he knew nothing about him, let alone trust him.

"I'm not trying to trick you, brother. Please I'm just trying to help you out. You are one of us. We have work together. Freiza's just too strong. If we don't use every scrap of what we have to fight, then we're done for. All you have to do is place your hand on me." Nail said.

"Will I still be me?" Piccolo asked him. Nail smirked, chuckling a little.

"For the most part, yes. Sure, you'll notice a difference at first, but who knows, maybe you might find it to your liking."

Piccolo sighed and reached his hand out placing on Nail's arm. "Fine. Alright! Alright! You're on, but if I don't like it, you're out, understand me?"

"You're too much. Just wait, you'll be begging to keep me around." Nail smirked at him.

"Yeah right, I doubt that. Now tell me what to do, quick!" Piccolo quickly answered.

"Just keep your hand there." Nail told him. Piccolo nodded.

"You can stay until we beat Frieza. After that, I'm going to be charging you rent, you got that?" 

Then Nail suddenly began to yell as he started to gather up energy, creating a bright blinding light. Piccolo struggled to keep his eyes open wondering what he was doing before it got even brighter. He quickly closed them until he felt Nail disappear on the ground. Piccolo slowly opened his eyes, looking at his hand. Then within an instant Piccolo was immediately surged with Nail's memories as they flowed through his mind.

Piccolo found out the Namekian's name was Nail. His fighting abilities and styles and their culture that Piccolo was surprised as well as enamored by it, an tall elder Namek appeared in Nail's memories who Piccolo assumed he cared for along with a smaller Namekian child called Dende. Then Piccolo saw the last remaining of Nail's memories as Ocarin appeared in Piccolo's mind as Nail showed him. She cared for him, she made him felt like he belonged somewhere. He was not going to lose her, including Gohan. Then Piccolo was shocked when he felt an immense increase of his energy. It was stronger than ever! Maybe he did have a chance after all! He was finally someone! An Namekian!

"Wow! Unreal. Oh my gosh! This is amazing! I feel incredible! Yes! Yes! Yes! I can WIN! I feel GREAT! I. CAN. DO. THIS!" Piccolo cheered as he chanted to himself.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Piccolo paused and looked around when he heard Nail's voice. He could have sworn he heard him, where was he.

"Nothing."

"Really? Because it sounded like you were chanting." Nail said to him, chuckling.

"Are you in my head?" Piccolo questioned.

"Yeah, but I'll probably fade into your subconscious eventually. Maybe." 

"That's very reassuring." Piccolo retorted, sarcastically. "So, what now?"

"By my estimate, this fusion should have given you enough power to wipe out the bastard who killed our people." Nail explained.

"And?" Piccolo asked.

"Let me put it into words you'll understand; "You can WIN! You feel GREAT! YOU. CAN. DO. THIS!" Nail laughed.

"Oh, ha ha!" Piccolo scowled. He was already having second thoughts about this.

"Now look at me, Vegeta! You fool. How dare you challenge me!? Have you forgotten what I really am!?" Frieza shouted at Vegeta.

"Come on!" Vegeta taunted. As the two began to clash against each other. Ocarin quickly ran grabbing Dende and Necke in her arms, and Krillin and Gohan followed behind her as they quickly took cover behind the cliffs as Frieza and Vegeta fired energy blasts at each other. Ocarin set Dende and Necke down. Krillin turned to her and Gohan.

"Gohan, Ocarin, we need to attack him while he's still distracted. It might be the only chance that we get!" 

"Okay." Gohan nodded.

"Let's do it!" Ocarin agreed. The three quickly ran out from cover facing Vegeta and Frieza and fired energy blasts at Frieza, who only smacked it away, sending it back at them. Ocarin's eyes widen, along with Krillin's and Gohan's as it approached. Dende quickly ran out from their hiding spot, running towards them. Necke followed behind him trying to call Dende back.

"Krillin, Gohan, Ocarin!" Dende cried out. The two were now in target of the blast!

"Dende, no! Necke!" Ocarin shouted as the blast came closer. She quickly got in front of the two and Krillin and Gohan, putting up a barrier, bracing themselves. Vegeta quickly appeared in front of them and smacked the energy blast away.

"H-He's too strong! I don't think that we can win!" Gohan sputtered.

"What are we going to do?" Ocarin asked Krillin.

"I don't know!" Krillin exclaimed. Frieza laughed evilly as he looked at them.

"Well, I do. You are all going to perish, and it won't be pretty." He smirked. Then Vegeta chuckled.

"Nonsense." He smirked as he mocked Frieza. "That's right. Our chances of winning are as good as yours are!" Frieza frowned, looking at him in confusion.

"That's absurd! You're finished!" He shouted.

"No way." Vegeta replied.

"So, what's your plan?" Frieza questioned.

"You're so blind. Haven't you noticed yet? Their fighting powers increasing with every attack, especially the little guy. His powers are enormous, but he doesn't even know it yet. And the girl, hers are beyond the both of us. Bigger than you can ever comprehend. And that's not all, soon I'll be a Super Saiyan! Your worst nightmare!" Vegeta smirked as he told Frieza. Ocarin blinked.

"What's a super saiyan?" She asked Gohan.

"I don't know." Gohan shrugged. Then everyone say Frieza began cackling out loud like it was a joke.

"A Super Saiyan? Don't tell me you believe that load of nonsense. You are not a Super Saiyan!" He roared at Vegeta and charged at him. Vegeta did the same and the two, grabbed each other.. A large crater began to form around them, shaking the ground nearly knocking Gohan, Ocarin and Krillin and Dende and Necke off their feet as Vegeta's and Frieza's energy levels began to rise. Then Frieza's scouter exploded and he quickly released Vegeta jumping away from him. Vegeta jumped back landing in front of the group, facing Frieza.

"He destroyed Frieza's scouter!" Krillin shouted. Frieza chuckled darkly.

"Not bad. You've definitely improved, Vegeta. I commend you. Perhaps you are close to becoming a Super Saiyan." Ocarin frowned, seeing that Frieza was not even fazed by what just happened.

"Why is Frieza so calm?" She murmured.

"I don't like this." Krillin gritted his teeth, sensing that something was wrong as well.

"Why don't you transform, Frieza?!" Vegeta shouted. Ocarin, Krillin and Gohan looked at him confused.

"Transform? Isn't he already powerful enough!?" Ocarin shouted.

"Well, how about it Frieza? How about you stop playing around and show us your real form!?" Vegeta demanded.

"So, you know about my little secret?" Frieza asked.

"That's right. You're loving minion Zarbon blurted it out." Vegeta said.

"What are you talking about?!" Krillin shouted at Vegeta.

"The form of Frieza that you see standing before you is not what he really is. It's just a clever camouflage, a simple mask. He can transform into his real self at any time. He just uses this form to conserve energy." Vegeta explained.

"You rude little ruffian. Please I don't choose my real form because my power is too radical to control." Frieza chuckled.

"That's just great." Ocarin sighed.

"Don't listen to him! He's just saying that just to intimidate you. His power won't increase that much." Vegeta replied.

"Is that so?" Frieza mocked him.

"Show us then." Vegeta demanded.

"Oh alright. I'll give you what you're asking for. Get ready, you're in for one heck of a ride!" Frieza smirked. "And Vegeta, I want you to know that any remote chance of winning you may have had is about to go flying out the window. Hold on, I almost forgot. I never transform unless someone gives me a countdown!" Vegeta twitched looking at him in disbelief.

"That's ridiculous!" He sputtered.

"I'm waiting." Frieza said, waiting.

Everyone looked at each other while Vegeta began counting down from five. "Fine." Ocarin frowned as she looked at Frieza who waited for Vegeta to finish counting.

"I don't like this."

[world-cinema-research]

"Free thinkers at seventeen!"

Dead Poets Society - Grant Montoya

Security and conformity, or insecurity and the chance to prove all you're worth?

Within many, there lies an urgency; gnawing desperation to do something great before we can't anymore. If one never comes to this realization, then it'll be years more of tearing across the dotted line.

In the 1989 film Dead Poets Society, we get to see what happens when an unorthodox English teacher Mr. Keating (Robin Williams) helps a class of young students lift the veil off of this very subject, and we the audience must decide: Was this for the better, or for the worse?

I was able to find what hit me the hardest in this movie after my long-awaited rewatch. It was a scene where one of the more reserved students, Todd Anderson, was called up to do an impromptu poetry exercise with Mr. Keating after informing him that he didn't do his poetry homework assignment:

I thought this was a brilliant display of the director's use of "show don't tell," as such Todd's poetic rambling is raw and believable. Afterward, I felt sympathy with the character because I too feel as though my voice, literally and figuratively, is weaker than my peers. Dead Poets Society boasts a number of these scenes, and this if nothing else is worthy of applause.

It's interesting to see the rating this film received from renowned film critic Roger Ebert, who has a website where he along with many co-writers reviews various movies. Although he found this movie special enough to review himself, the 2/4 score he gave it doesn't give it much merit.

"The society was founded by Keating when he was an undergraduate, but in its reincarnate form it never generates any sense of mystery, rebellion or daring. The society's meetings have been badly written and are dramatically shapeless, featuring a dance line to Lindsay's "The Congo" and various attempts to impress girls with random lines of poetry." - Roger Ebert

I would argue that the tone of Elbert's assessment is more on the level of a snob's wishlist of things or ideas that could have been. Nonetheless, I guess that a more sophisticated person might find the movie to be lacking compared to other works with similar themes.

Beyond the reviews of the critics which are mostly mixed, there lays an abundance of high audience ratings. A user by the name of 'peterwixongb' of IMDb said the following with a 10/10 score:

"Dead Poets Society has got to be one of the best-written films I have ever seen. The way the writers are able to control your emotion is insane."

The themes and underlying message of the movie are pretty clear and universal; something to the tune of "seize the day and live on your own terms." But the unconventional aspects are apparent in how the movie shows this idea. This is most noticeable (spoiler ahead) at the most emotional moments i.e. when Neil commits suicide, Keating's unhappy ending, etc.

Nonetheless, Dead Poets Society did phenomenally well at the box office for a 1/1 lesser-known adaptation, and it also stars the beloved actor/comedian Robin Williams, so we're definitely looking at a mainstream movie.

I feel that the producers of the film did try and appeal to the masses by implementing all of the things that people like to see in cinema. There were bouts of comedy, a love affair, dramatic music, and relaxed cinematography. The story was linear, and despite a few instances of symbolism, there weren't many loose ends or odd artistic choices.

Honestly, as much as I like this movie, I think that there is a lot that could have been left out. Half of the character interactions felt dry of anything progressing the story, and there may have been too many ideas without enough divulgence. Mr. Keating's character was outspoken but at the same time, it would have been nice to see what he truly thought of the rest of the character's actions, especially towards the end.

More than anything, I would love to see how this teacher would respond to a class that has no initial interest in any of his antics or preachings. Maybe this has been done before.

This movie came from a book as previously mentioned, and as such, I doubt that the release date of the movie was planned in alignment with a certain social agenda or contemporary event at the time. There is nothing of which I've found that even slightly contributes to the premise of the movie.

Anyone who is still looking for their identity in a world that demands conformity would highly benefit from watching this.

[catrasredemption-moved]

The rebellion finding out about Catra’s 9 lives and completely freaking out while Catra just sits there confused as to why they all seem to care so much?

It wasn't really a surprise when the Best Friend Squad was late to anything. Catra had, surprisingly, done wonders for their punctuality, but even her talents were limited. Still.... this was a little excessive.

"Juliet just said they were going to Thaymor to check on something," Spinnerella said, looking around at the others. "They should be back by now."

"Maybe they got distracted by a cute butterfly." Mermista was checking her nails as she spoke. "I'm sure they're fine."

"It's been thirty minutes-"

A burst of sparkles drew their attention to the door, immediately followed by an annoyed voice.

"Bow stop - poking - for fuck's sake I'm fine-"

"How?!"

Adora was clinging to Catra's arm while Bow did his best to look her over even as she slapped him away. Glimmer looked torn between frustration and shaken concern.

"Everything okay...?" Netossa asked slowly, looking between the four of them.

"Catra died!" Bow burst out before anyone could stop him. Adora's grip on Catra's arm tightened. She groaned.

"Can you not-"

"I'm sorry, what?" Frosta asked immediately.

"Looks pretty alive to me," Mermista added.

"What do you mean died?!" Scorpia yelled, jolting out of her own seat.

"Are you sure she didn't just get knocked out?" Entrapta asked.

"Everybody shut up!" Catra somehow managed to raise her voice above the chaos, loud enough to be heard. "My head hurts and none of you are helping!"

"Oh, your head hurts?" Glimmer asked. "Really? I can't imagine why, you only cracked your skull open-"

"Is being dramatic a requirement to be a princess?"

Bow was trying to check Catra's head now, while Scorpia took over checking the rest of her. "Seriously guys, can we not? It's not exactly the first time-"

"What?!" Catra winced as everyone - including Adora - yelled at the same time.

"How-"

"What do you mean-"

"You've died before?!"

"When?!"

Catra covered her face with her free hand, letting out a long sigh. "Can I sit please?" she asked pointedly, waving Bow and Scorpia off. "Coming back to life is hard work."

Adora dragged Catra over to a chair, sitting and pulling her into her lap. "Adora-" The blonde just held on tight. Catra blew out a breath. "Fine. Yes. I've died."

"How many times?"

"Uh... Well I thought nine, but now I'm not-"

"Nine times?!"

"That's real?!"

Catra waited for everyone to calm down again. "Yes. It's real. It's part of the whole, ya know-" She waved a hand at her ears. "My people's magic. I didn't understand it until I got my hands on Shadow Weaver's records and started looking into things."

"You never told me about that," Adora said in a small voice, speaking for the first time. Catra's shoulders hunched, expression guilty.

"I didn't think it mattered."

"How could this not matter?"

"Because I thought Horde Prime burned my last life."

Everyone went very quiet. No one liked talking about Prime, but of them all, Catra did it the very least. "When I... on his ship..." She rubbed the back of her neck. "I thought I just got lucky that you managed to... heal me. But today... I don't know, it felt the same as all the other times. I guess She-Ra... reset things? Wasn't really expecting it, though."

A long moment of silence followed. "Okay," Mermista said slowly. "Putting literally all of that aside for a minute, you didn't think dying nine times was something to mention?"

"Didn't want to give you any ideas, obviously. What if you tried to test it?"

Given the look on Adora's face, no one wanted to make a joke about that.

"That's... messed up. I mean, dying that many times has to mess you up a little," Netossa said. "How old are you, again?"

Catra burrowed into Adora's arms a little, not answering.

"I think we can all agree that today's meeting is canceled," Glimmer said tiredly. "I'm going to call my aunt. Maybe someone in Mystacor knows something about this and can help us figure out if Catra actually has nine lives... again."

"Eight now, technically."

Adora held her a little tighter.

[script-a-world]

Is it honestly actually possible that bad people run most of the galaxy or several galaxies? Or at least even just an entire planet? It's done in sci fi a lot. However in real life that obviously has never happened. I'm not sure how to well, begin, create the circumstances that will give them that kind of vast power and not be defeated before. Even if they are the good guys, still, can't see how they can run everything either.

Bina: Totally possible since “bad” is relative depending on you who ask. If they have a believable facade of being “good” (or if they ARE doing good....... to just the right people (such as, politicians or powerful allies who will back them up)), and if they have a lot of supporters who think they’re the good guys, then it’s super feasible that they can take control of the majority of the galaxy with very little opposition.

Heck they can even get away with people just not thinking badly of them. They don’t necessarily need supporters who think they’re the right people to have in charge. Having people be neutral towards them can also be also good enough for them to take control without anyone complaining. All they need is people not caring. People supporting them is bonus, but apathy from the common man also goes a long long way in helping bad people come into power. 

In the end it’s all about controlling their narrative and their own publicity. They can be totally truly evil, but if they cover their tracks with enough propaganda and efforts to appear like they’re doing nothing wrong, or even that they’re doing things for the benefit of the people (or that they’re beneficial for powerful people who have more sway than the average person and can thus override the wills and desires of the common people), then the baddies can take power and the common man would either take no issue with it or be unable to do anything about it. 

Tex: The thing about leadership is that morality doesn't really calculate into it - they're two separate areas with very little overlap, especially if a leader is a successful one. The longevity of a leader's reign has more to do with their bureaucratic competency, organizational skills, competency to set and achieve certain goals that benefit those whom they rule (in some form), and ability to manipulate people. And, I hate to break it to you, but both "good" and "bad" people are manipulative, just for different reasons.

Al Capone is a classic example of how "bad" people can do good things that legitimately benefit others. He was a gangster that directly or indirectly had a hand in killing a great deal of people - but he was incredibly influential in making sure milk had expirations dates, among other things (Atlas Obscura). It could be argued that running bootleg alcohol at all was a good thing, given that a significant portion of the US population did exactly the same thing (to various degrees) during Prohibition. Is profiting off civil disobedience in such a manner against the mores of altruism? Murder or no murder, Capone straddles the line of "good" and "bad", depending on your point of view.

Martin Luther King, Jr, while on the surface might look like a paragon of virtue, did purposefully break laws with specific goals in mind - while his civil disobedience resulted in drastically fewer deaths than Capone's, he did still break the law. There are some schools of thought that believe adherence to the law is virtuous, and thus moral (and thus, "good"). Is MLK virtuous in this regard? Does his position as a minister of his faith grant him more morality than the average person, who isn't an official representative of a codified set of beliefs?

Both MLK and Capone caused immense upheaval in their respective eras and societies. Is this necessarily good? Is upheaval - change - bad? I'm sure there are proponents regarding both of them that can see the advantages and disadvantages of their respective actions. One is classically referred to as a "bad" person, and the other a "good" person. Why? And through whose lens are these judgements being made? Is the perspective itself moral?

Let me bring some fictional examples into this.

Emperor Palpatine, of Star Wars, is coded to be a distillation of evil - the evil, a scourge upon the galaxy. And yet, when he rose to power and declared himself emperor of a new empire, he was lauded as an incredible unifier. General evil-doer he may be, but his grip upon his own galaxy was ironclad, and his background as a senator and then chancellor shows that he was canny, able to organize his political agenda in influential ways that effected significant change upon the political and even economic landscapes of the respective eras of his life.

He was respected - yes, even by the Jedi - for his affable demeanour and bureaucratic acumen. His death, depending on the canon you subscribe to, did not end the vast reach of his influence, with post-mortem orders that were followed with the same fervent veneration as in life. Palpatine's opinion was trusted, and regardless of his moral compass, trust is still something that needs earning. What perceptions his followers are predisposed to, well- that's certainly another topic.

Aragorn II, son of Arathorn, of Lord of the Rings fame, ruled over the reunited kingdom of Arnor and Gondor after the war against Sauron. He is typically coded as the exact opposite of someone like Palpatine - generous, compassionate, wise. A unifier that began an unequivocal era of peace. However, his death toll is proportionally similar to Palpatine's during the war that secured his place upon the throne, and he had eschewed his responsibility as blood heir to the throne for a great deal of his life, a time during which there was famine, suffering, and death from Sauron's own influence. Are his reasons for obscuring his identity and being a Ranger good enough to justify the expansion of Sauron's reign through his relative inaction, his non-acceptance of leadership? Does the end of the war justify the means that Aragorn took to get there?

Is Aragorn more moral, more good than Palpatine, because his reign was brought about through total bloodshed? Palpatine's was wrought through the genocide of the Jedi, and yet his own reign brought a stability to his empire. It can be argued that the inaction on Aragorn's part, and the action on Palptine's part, during their respective wars pre-coronation, were a manipulation of the masses. They both chose to guise themselves for who they really were - the son of Arathorn II and the Lord descendant of Bane's line - only to unveil themselves at an opportune moment hastened on by their own actions to claim, and unify, these warring factions.

All four of these individuals, be the real or fictional, share something in common - the ability to be a successful leader. Their morality did not, in the end, impede them from swaying the masses to their opinions and leveraging the influence that they had - through argument, through force, through lineage - to assemble under a common goal. They all enacted dramatic, sweeping changes upon the society in which they lived, and utilized the power granted to them through their public's opinion to direct society in a direction that they wanted. They were good leaders, but that doesn't mean they had to be good people. 

Saphira: In my novel, I am working with two different rulers. One is an Empress and the other a Tyrant. I'll see what I can glean from each of these two to provide more context in a fictional setting.

The Empress has a positive perspective from her people, as he is backed by her Goddess and her long family line of rule. She has  well developed court, council and structure set by both the Goddess and generations of Empresses before her. (Yes, it's an all female-ruling lineage because they're Elephants and the species is largely Matriarchal, but I digress.) She uses generations of Faith-based morality and ideology  to cultivate the values and perspectives of her subjects. Her choices are just because the Goddess has told her to do it, and our Goddess is Benevolent for all. Behold, she has given us life and freedom beyond our bestial origins. She makes her decisions and rules her people using rigid methods and strict guidelines to keep the common life consistent and rational. Whether she is aware of it or not, it is not so much the faith or the prestige of her rule that is powerful, but that selfsame consistency and rationality of her people.

What I mean is this: because the way of life is consistent, it feels rational. Any good or bad that she does is ruled by the same beliefs as those before her. That makes it easy for her subjects to accept her decisions because it makes sense in the context of their everyday lives. Of course she is going to hoard all the 'non-essential' food in storehouses for the war, because we, the entirety of our people, have been preparing for the war that dominates over other races since our inception. Of course we will put finances into the arts, because we are the great race that will take over the planet and arts show how sophisticated and glorious we are. All of the laws that control, govern and guide her people tether to the same principles, and that makes her powerful. There is minimal resistance, because to resist is to change their daily life and core philosophies.

The Tyrant, on the other hand, has by definition stolen the power for himself by force, and that leaves him with a radically different set of tools to stay in power and rule his territories.

First is the Legacy. The narrative of his glorious victory, his noble war that dominated over the nations to protect the underdogs, helps give him some positive influence, but force is force. He is still dealing with those who will be able to mentally reject or object to his power. He could have taken one of two simple routes: A. Quell or crush any rebellion, or B. Wield that rebellion and outcry as a tool for positive change. A sometimes needs to be done, but his ideal is B. This helps create a positive influence over the territories to help reinforce his Coming to Power Narrative, and also fixes problems in the nation that allows him to turn his focus to other problems. Fun stuff.

His true power is that he is cheating. He is using his arcane ability (which won him the war in the first place) to A. live far longer than anyone has any right to, and B. give the overall impression that he can snap his enemies with the thought of snapping a matchstick. This makes his greatest tools Benevolence and Fear. Or, rather, Love and Fear. This gives the people two reasons to hesitate against him: "I don't want to because he does a decent job most of the time," followed by "also I just like being alive in general." 

Where he lacks in 'legitimate rule' with a long lineage, he has made  up for in a single, long lifespan. The current generation has never lived outside of his rule. Their parents were under his rule. Their great grandparents were under his rule. This also introduces a fear of change, and the fear of change is the greatest tool of all. If there is no great and colossal reason why something should be different (like, I dunno, a lot of people dying) then things tend to stay as they are.  

So what it comes down to are three factors, for staying in power. 

1. The populace thinking it's honestly not that bad, or it could be worse. 

2. Fear of change, or that this thing that claims to be better, isn't. 

3. The consequences of change are too dire. This person can murder me, my family and if they die the economy dies with them.

The moral strength of the character may be a direct influence over these factors. That moral compass might be completely irrelevant. That depends on the characters you want to write and what the narrative needs to present your ideas xor experience. Either way, it's how the ruler handles these factors, ether with skill or great lacking, that determines the strength and distance of their power. 

Constablewrites: Cracked just had an article about this from the perspective of the citizens: http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-ways-normal-people-allow-evil-rulers-to-thrive/ It's got some good links to sources discussing real-world regimes and historical examples.