#literally what else can you want from a book

[infatuatedlilbitch]

SOCIAL MEDIA "ACTIVISM" IS KEEPING YOU FROM ACTUAL ACTIVISM - HERE'S THE TRUTH

You think you're staying "informed" by doomscrolling through your social feeds 24/7? That's exactly what they want. It's literally designed to keep you angry, scrolling, and - most importantly - doing absolutely fucking nothing.

HERE'S WHAT NO ONE TELLS YOU:

It's OKAY to edit your feeds so you don't see that shit when you're just trying to exist

You do NOT have to consume the world's suffering every second of every day to be a "good activist" - and by the way? You're not even getting "informed" by scrolling. You need to actually look up real articles OFF of social media to understand what's happening

Hitting like and share isn't activism. Sorry. It just isn't.

You wanna actually do something?

Learn your neighbors' names. ACTUALLY TALK TO THEM about what's happening

Join your school board and ask them face-to-face why they're against queer education

Stand up to your racist uncle instead of "keeping the peace" (peace for WHO exactly?)

Find out what abortion rights groups are ALREADY DOING in your area instead of reinventing the wheel

Join an actually inclusive church (you know, like Jesus would've wanted) and see what they're ALREADY DOING to make the world better

And for fuck's sake, stop saying "oh I don't talk about politics" - YOUR SILENCE IS POLITICAL

NEWSFLASH: You don't have to start the fucking underground railroad by yourself. That shit ALREADY EXISTS - you just never had to use it before. Lucky you. So volunteer if you're a safe person, at whatever level works for you:

Send money

Show up in person

Pack supplies

Make pamphlets

Whatever you can do

Not everything's gonna get you in the history books and you know what? IT DOESN'T FUCKING MATTER.

And here's something else that matters: Going to trauma therapy - REAL trauma therapy with a therapist informed in decolonization practices - is a RADICAL ACT. If you have the means to do it, DO IT. Healing yourself is part of the work too.

AND LISTEN UP BECAUSE THIS IS IMPORTANT: IT'S OKAY THAT IT TOOK YOU THIS LONG IT'S OKAY THAT YOU'RE STARTING SMALL IT'S OKAY THAT YOU DON'T KNOW EVERYTHING

NO ONE EVER PUNISHED THEMSELVES INTO SUCCESS.

You grew up with some racist/sexist views? Yeah, most of us did. You can't get stuck there. There's too much at stake. It's time to deconstruct. It's time to do the work.

But scrolling and sharing posts while feeling guilty? That's not the work. That's what they want you to think the work is.

Get off your phone. Talk to your neighbors. Show up at meetings. Stand up to family. THAT'S the work.

[randomthefox]

Absolutely my favorite cutscene in the entire game. There's so much to MICRO ANALYZE about it! My favorite thing to do ^^

Why Shadow. You look like you've seen a ghost.

The way he looks at her when he recognizes it's her. It's just so perfect. He's in total disbelief. It has been twenty years since ShTH, twenty years since he moved on from all that pain and trauma. And now she's back, staring him in the face. He doesn't know HOW to feel about it.

The way he fucking BACKS AWAY FROM HER when she runs up to hug him! He isn't HAPPY about this reunion, he's SCARED of it. Scared that it's perhaps some kind of trick that he shouldn't trust as really happening. Scared of letting down his emotional barriers and accepting it as a real event, and being hurt by that vulnerability. Scared of losing her all over again. The way they conveyed his emotional state of mind via his expressions and body language is SUPERB.

This could have been SO EASY to fuck up. It would have been so easy for them to have some trite bullshit hokey reunion where Shadow goes "Maria ='D " and tearfully embraces her, oh pinch me this must be a dream! (You know, like what they did in fucking Archie)

Golly, you know, if you were to tell me that the person who wrote this piece of trash garbage stupid idiot comic book was also the same person who wrote Shadow Generations, I would be forced to conclude that you didn't know what the fuck you were talking about. Because it couldn't be more clear that the HACK FRAUD MORON who wrote this stupid comic clearly didn't have anything to do with the creative decisions that went into this video game literally whatsoever at all.

anyway....

"Huh, well, she hasn't tried to stab me yet, so I guess this isn't some kind of Sonic Omens boss fight hallucination..."

You can see Shadow starting to accept that this is really happening at the very least, although his emotions are clearly still very mixed up about it.

Once again, absolutely perfect reaction. The way his pupils fucking dilate at the sight of Gerald. And again he steps back. His feelings are probably very similar to how he reacted upon seeing Maria, but probably some extra emotional conflict thrown in because of the whole "Gerald brainwashed me and tried to turn me into an instrument of revenge to destroy the world" as well. Imagine the last thing your father ever did was try to stab you to death with a knife, and then all of a sudden you were thrown back in time to the first time he ever changed your diapers. It'd probably give you some fucked up internal emotional conflict.

Let's focus on the look on Shadow's face. You can see the gears turning in his head. This threw him for a loop for sure, he doesn't know how to feel. He's disoriented. But then

he locks in.

Shadow ain't no dummy. He's been paying attention to all the levels up until this point. Hell he just ran into Black Doom earlier. Obviously this is some time travel shenanigans. What's great about this is that it's all internalized, this is just his inner monologue. It provides insight into what his thought process is at every other time too. We so rarely are given telepathic insight into the characters internal thoughts like this. Shadow is having this kind of inner problem recognition to problem solving analysis all the time, we just aren't usually privy to it.

He goes from looking at Biblically Accurate Black Doom in the sky, to glancing towards Maria when she starts talking to him, then glancing away from her as he tries to think about how he should respond. He doesn't want to tell the truth just yet. He doesn't want to let on about how he's really feeling. Perhaps he's trying to think back about what he was like back when living on the ARK, and get back into that kind of personality? Or perhaps he doesn't particularly care, and has just shifted into Mission Mode moreso than anything else.

Hehe, I love his little gestures. "I'm fine. *waves his hands around like a power ranger* we'll ALL be FINE!" He's so animated. You can really tell how much he's off his game because of this encounter. I'm inclined to think he's trying too hard and laying it on too thick because he's putting on a bit of a performance right here for Maria's sake. Which is why Gerald is able to get a hunch that maybe this isn't HIS Shadow after all.

Best cutscene in the game, I fucking love it.

[ratanslily]

Just Ask.

Book: hsr. Pairing: AnnaLane. Ratings: G. Words: 782-ish. Warnings: none, just fluff. A/N: ooc to the max I'm sorryyy. Dmitry being a grumpy older brother. Tags: @rc-catalog Feb 7: only one bed | blanket-sharing, a gift for @agattthaa happy valentine's and fck aleksandra‼️

"Are you serious, General? No girl advice for me? You're a freaking general. Kira is literally all over you."

Anna fixes her brother with a glare, crossing her arms over her chest, mimicking his stance. To which he just sighs and shrugs his shoulders.

"C'mon, Anna. I have more work than being a matchmaker for you. Just, I don't know. Kiss her or something. Get her to cuddle you. I've literally put you both in the same room, what else can I do for you?"

"Ugh, fine. I'll handle it myself."

--

And that's how Anna found herself in front of Lane's bed, cooking up all sorts of excuses to get into hers.

"You see, my bed's all wet. I dropped tea over it and I would appreciate it if you could just-"

"-Let you sleep in mine?"

"I- Yeah. Exactly. If that's fine by you, I suppose."

".."

Lane isn't exactly comfortable sharing her space with others, but.. it's Anna. She's been sharing her outfits with her selflessly, so why shouldn't she share her bed with her? It's just for one night, right?

Right.

She scoots over, making way for the scientist to slip under the heavy blanket, onto the warm bed, leaving enough space for her to fit in comfortably.

"Thanks."

Anna watches as Lane pulls the blanket over her, and traps them underneath it, a world of their own, cut off from everything. From Rotkov, from abominations, from heaven and hell. Their shared space, warm and comforting.. theirs alone.

Maybe she should initiate something?

"Kiss her or something. Get her to cuddle you."

Dmitry's words ring in her mind. But damnit, how the hell should she do that? She's right there in front of her, so close. Just one lean forward, and her nose will touch the mole on her face. So close, just one, oh one freaking step! But she only manages to say, over the beat of her heart pounding in her ears,

"It's cold."

"I know."

"Can I come closer?"

"Wait. Stay there, I'll do it."

Lane shrugs, and scoots closer to her nonchalantly.

"Better?"

Anna sees a chance, and grabs it. She responds by placing her arms on Lane's waist.

"Yes. Now, better."

Theres a certain satisfaction in seeing Lane's usually relaxed eyes widen that bit. Her usually composed body, now tensing up at the contact. Her cheeks turning red from brown. Her breathing turning deep, apparent by the way her chest heaves. It makes her feel oddly satisfied. She did.. that. She caused it.

She wonders how far can she go. How far she'll allow her to go. Will she allow her to cuddle her? To press herself onto her warm body? To rest her head on her heart? To feel it beating wildly, mirroring hers?

A kiss, maybe?

Only one way to test it out..

Anna musters her courage. Under the proximity of the blanket, she inches closer, and closer, like the first snowflake drifting through the misty air from the cloudy sky.

It feels like forever, it feels like time is stuck in place, as if watching them get closer herself.

And finally, the snowflake lands onto the warm ground, melting into it.

...Finally, her lips meet Lane's soft ones, her lipstick giving off a sweet scent.

At first, she's scared. What if she pushes her away? What if she gets disgusted? What if, she doesn't want to kiss her back?

BUT her fears were for nothing!

Lane blinks a very "what are you doing?" look, but kisses her back anyway, as if starving for this very moment since the moment she stepped into their lair. Her hands in her hair, Anna's bangs tousled from the action. From where does her body end, and from where does hers begin? She doesn't know. All she knows is the feel of her lips on Lane's and her tongue mingling with the latter's. Her hands go up her back, feeling her spine, feeling each curve, each bone, feeling her arch against her.

Sheets rustle, and Anna wraps her legs around her waist, drawing her even closer.

So hot, so intense.

maybe, even too hot.

Unfortunately, Anna's glass fog up, which is how their kisses stop, and they pull away from each other, Lane suppressing a chuckle at that.

It was a cute sight, Anna taking off her glasses, and frantically rubbing it against her shirt to clear it off.

"Why on earth would you wear glasses to bed?"

"To see you better, duh."

"Contact lens exist. And you like them."

"Eh. Uncomfortable while sleeping."

"And glasses are comfortable for that?"

To which Anna doesn't have an answer. She got her there. Why did she even not notice her glasses were still on? Maybe it slipped though her mind..

"And just so you know, I saw you dumping your tea over your bed.."

Uh, yikes. Awkward.

"Well."

"If you wanted us to share a bed.."

Lane continues, entwining her fingers with hers and looking into her eyes.

"You could just ask, you know."

And that was all Anna needed to hear.

[ihopesocomic]

It's 2025 and it's been years since the last episode/update: can we as a species please move on from shit like MP? Every time I read about some new defense that MP fans are coming up with just so they can watch it guilt-free, I can only sit and think why? Even if the show was written decently: the creator is transphobic, she slapped multiple people (including a trans VA) with false allegations because her fweelings got hurt and she bailed rather than face criticism. Stop supporting her already.

I think the saddest part of all of this is Tribble doesn't even like her fans. So many creators in and out of the industry keep in contact with their fans because obviously without them, they wouldn't be where they're at. There's an innate gratefulness there. Tribble can't even be bothered to tell her fans that Season 2 is never happening, she's never making a comic, or whatever crumbs everyone is groveling for. I'm sure she'll be back if she needs some money from Makeship or whatever, with continuous months of no news. Is that someone who respects you? Is that someone who's worth your undying fealty?

I know a lot of her remaining fans are young teenagers who would rather watch a cartoon than read, but no one's forcing her to do a cartoon or nothing with her own content. She's already offered to write it as a book (like she also offered to do with COTW) but then she says she's only willing to do it if people subscribe to a Patreon, therefore getting fans' hopes up for no good reason. Whatever her reasons are, she certainly has enough drive to test the waters and see how far she can get by doing the least amount of work possible. Proof is in her community tab for the doubters who insist we're wrong.

Tribble always intended to leave because people were already openly criticizing her and seeing her for the person she truly was for nearly a year before we said or did anything. Because she's a thin-skinned coward and because MP wasn't raking in the opportunities she thought it would (who could've predicted this?). Her fans just don't want to accept this because 1) the mental gymnastics of blaming us for "driving her away" are too great to resist and 2) they don't actually care about what she did and actively play things down as opposed to us saying that her show isn't that great. God forbid.

You'd think that RJ having followed her work for years and us having years' worth of conversations with people who have worked for her on top of everything else out in the open would be sufficient evidence that we're not just making shit up. (Ironically, making up reasons to like/hate something is what these people excel at.)

Some have come to terms that Tribble just used them so she can get paid and bounce, but too many still have a vice grip on this embarrassing slop that only exists because Tribble has Warrior Cats views on Youtube. And since people confuse YT popularity with quality, well, we all know the ending to that sad story. Because of that mentality we get more slop like HH/HB.

The majority of these people have to make something up in their head to "defend" MP's writing, like quite literally all the "explanations" for characters' actions are 100% fabricated and was more effort than Tribble put into her own show, so how exactly do your headcanons cancel out anything that's there in front of your face? And these are the same people who have the temerity to say shows like Big Mouth and Velma are bad but MP and HH/HB are good, when MP and HH/HB are also offensive shoddily written dreck made by privileged individuals who don't care about you until they want more money from you.

And then people want to turn around and say IHS sucks because it's "not realistic" (even though we've never said we're trying to be realistic) or "just like Warrior Cats or TLK". Pick a real reason to not like our comic, I'm begging. If our comic was "just like Warrior Cats", hell they'd probably like it because it would have no gays and enough ableism to last them a quarter of a century, ha. But I'm clearly not interested in pandering to these smooth-brained goons whose highest standard for xenofiction is "no gays", if they can even get as far as opening so much as a Kindle or Audible app.

And I don't feel bad for saying this. Even other once-fans of MP can concur that current day MP stans are some of the most homophobic, transphobic, sexist, ableist, victim-blamey trash we've ever had the misfortune of giving the benefit of the doubt. (It's no wonder why they like the show so much because the characters - like Hover - enable this kind of atrocious behavior.) Quite a few of these testimonies are on our review alone. And I'm over it. The shit that's going on in the world has driven me to be exponentially less tolerant.

We now live in a point in time where being LGBT+ is considered a legit federal offense and we're just done. Some of you can piss and moan all you want when we say "no" and block you when 90% of your complaints about our comic concern it being LGBT+ and the other 10% is made-up or incorrect nonsensical bullshit that isn't worth writing on toilet paper. Why should we listen to you exactly? Why should we take everything out of this comic that - whether you like it or not - provides solace to people just to satisfy your bigotry that you try and hide behind a veil of pretentiousness? Get fucked. lol

And I am beyond tired having to keep explaining this to people who appear to not be used to the idea that maybe the thing they like has a ton of problems that far outweigh anything good about it. But then they go ahead and take it personally, because people are so chronically online, their identity is welded to "entertainment". Bot behavior, truly.

Even the existence of I Hope So is tainted, simply because MP was so indefensibly awful about queer/disabled representation. IHS shouldn't need to exist, but because of people like this it has to. Some people just want to read something that has animals, queer rep, and no ableism. But to some of these people, we may as well have killed their dog in front of them. We have seen people who have all but made it their life's mission to purposely misconstrue the whole comic. They should thank whatever space fairy they pray to that they're a bunch of nobodies whose only value is being a lolcow.

The best thing I can hope for these people is them moving the fuck on to literally anything else. They'd be happier for it, or less miserable at the very least. There has been so many good comics and cartoons to come out over the last 4 years. Maybe if people removed their head from their ass for two seconds, they'd manage to see some of it. - Cat

[romicat]

I mean it's pretty straightforward and a solid evil plot I think. The problem with it is that literally everything else in this book. . . it is a poorly executed narrative.

The fact that we only find out what their plan was in literally the same issue they stop is like, lol what?

Up until that point it's just like, mysterious bad guys meeting mysteriously and talking about how awesome their mysterious plot is.

And like, Empath didn't have a plan B? Or contingencies?

The writers talked about how they wanted to build Kamala and Laura's dynamic as a "superman and batman" type (they are noticeably the only two of the main cast wearing hero/villain outfits along with Julian at the start of the series.) And while I don't completely agree with that narrative direction there is something there.

Like, you could've just had those two in an initial buddy cape story as a running subplot/main plot. With Prodigy and Anole mostly staying in the sidelines for their own reasons initially.

I feel like it makes sense for both Kamala and Laura to recognize Julian almost immediately but still want to try and confirm it before making any assumptions.

Especially when they realize he's not just committing property damage and having superhero fights in the streets to make a point, but is at least complacent in murder so you introduce that doubt and emotional conflict from Laura earlier instead of literally issue where they'll probably resolve it (#8).

It feels like you could also just fold the Mojo plot in with the QC, because of that whole "huddled masses yearning to breath free" part. Have them also exploit the homeless mutant population by promising them security and community, a number of disfranchised mutants who they can radicalize, the foundation of their glorious "mutant revolution". Homeless people are already dehumanized and painted as dangerous and undesirable, so it would take next to nothing to get 24/7 fear mongering about the "growing dangerous unhoused population of mutants."

So they think this is Julian's plan, start a "Neo Brotherhood", except it doesn't all add up. They realize he's covering up/burying news of the politicians deaths. Weirder still, they were all pretty hard-line defenders of Mutant rights. They investigate further and learn their replacements are part of the push for the mutant ghettos. So what's his end game? Is there someone else behind the scenes?

During it Sophie tries to throw them off, tries to steer them in the wrong direction. "Maybe Julian just doesn't think there are any good humans anymore." Maybe even actively sabotage them once.

For pacing sake and to raise the stakes you could have Sophie/Cuckoos make Laura indisposed/take her out temporarily when they get too close. Leading to the start of the issue where Kamala tries to ask Prodigy for help since not only has she and Laura uncovered the entire plot (or think they have), but now Laura's gone missing too.

The events of issue 4 play out mostly the same (except maybe its issue 5 or 6 now, the mid point to the QC arc instead of the lead up to the finale.)

The main characters can still ruin their initial plot early when Sophie makes the turn, but you can then just have Empath turn out to have had contingencies and secondary plots in case any of the people he's working with (who are all former heroes. . . ) turn on him.

I think the most frustrating thing about NYX is that there's a good story in here. You wouldn't even have to change a lot, just execute those ideas better. It has some good bits in it but they don't always feel earned.

Like that scene in the preview would be so much better if you had more build up leading up to it. The angst. The betrayal. The confusing emotions. The anger. The denial.

Having the QC represent the problem with the mutant metaphor that a lot of writers run into would've been amazing for this series. Making the fictional discrimination be the only type of discrimination that matters and ignore the intersectionality of mutants who don't look like them. Making them basically the mutant version of terfs or white feminists. Mutant nationalists of a nation that doesn't exist anymore. Who like you said, are just done with humans all together. All humans. Good or bad. Black or white. Immigrants or citizens. Gay or straight. Muslim or Christian. All humans are the same to them. Those are human concepts and human religions. The only identity that matters is Mutant.

TL;DR: Unfortunately this book is just mostly unrealized potential with the occasional hype scene that makes different sections of the fandom go wild. . . Also I need to learn to make shorter posts.

….

[nedlittle]

need the historical romance girlies to go back to their roots and read forever amber (1944)

[fromtheseventhhell]

Arya watched them die and did nothing. What good did it do you to be brave? One of the women picked for questioning had tried to be brave, but she had died screaming like all the rest. There were no brave people on that march, only scared and hungry ones. (Arya VI, ACOK)

--

The night she was caught, the Lannister men had been nameless strangers with faces as alike as their nasal helms, but she'd come to know them all. You had to know who was lazy and who was cruel, who was smart and who was stupid. You had to learn that even though the one they called Shitmouth had the foulest tongue she'd ever heard, he'd give you an extra piece of bread if you asked, while jolly old Chiswyck and soft-spoken Raff would just give you the back of their hand. (Arya VI, ACOK)

Arya: *restrains herself from acting out when captured by the Mountain and his men because she knows fighting back/being brave wouldn't accomplish anything*

Arya: *takes note of the temperments of several Lannister guards so that she can learn how to navigate around their behavior*

Fandom: Arya is a feral idiot with no self-control uwu 🤗

[unproduciblesmackdown]

no context no details "these days ppl can't Work Through Conflicts or they don't Try hard enough & this is why Communities are broken :(" how is it meaningfully different from "look at the divorce rates Today vs in the '50s :( everyone just throws marriages away. Women aren't having Kids everyone just throws Families away"

"oh these days people can think about their experiences as Trauma or Abuse simply if they Want to :( you can't even talk to anyone anymore, if you make them uncomfortable (through no fault of your own. they're too sensitive & i'm simply always Being Normal) they'll be crying victim :(" how is this meaningfully different from "ugh how can a man talk to a coworker woman anymore or even look at her. how can men try to flirt with and date women anymore :( everythinnng's misogyny ohh harassment assault oppression because you breathed in her direction :("

[floral-hex]

Writing is stupid! It’s dumb! It doesn’t make any sense! It’s all just jumbles that don’t mean anything and I hate it forever goodbye!

[strwbrymlkshake]

LOVE ME THE MOST THE MOST YOU POSSIBLY CAN!!!!!! LOVE ME THE MOST I NEED TO BE THE ONLY THING IN YOUR MIND

[spindle-girl]

the general idea wildbow was going for was that the unwritten/unspoken rules we see is that Brockton Bay is a case where the rules are getting discarded as more and more things happen in such a quick pace they can't recover. in statements outside the story, wildbow certainly seems to lend credence to both the rules and the cops and robbers game, talking about it like an actual thing outside of BB, but at the same time a lot of the things he talks about are the fucked up side of the cape world and mix that with canon and it really paints the opposite picture.

the way he views guns is that they are an escalation no matter what, but if you only bring them out a certain way, backed up with a power excuse, you're treading the line but still good, which is why Tattletale (thinker who knows who/where to hit without being lethal) and Miss Militia (literally her power so she has to and can go non lethal) are fine. this is what wildbow intended to be allowed under the unwritten rules. also intended under the unwritten rules/cops and robbers game is that if you're someone who's already broken the game then everyone else can go all out. see the Undersiders/Travelers using guns and explosives against the Nine.

the reason Prism should be allowed to use a gun against Taylor during the fight with the mayor is because from the heroes pov, the Undersiders have broken the rules in the past (releasing the E88 IDs, finding Shadow Stalker's identity during the Endbringer aftermath, controlling her) and are actively breaking them (taking over a city and attacking Triumph's family [i think this is the scene you're talking about above]). it's part of the lead up of showing how far they are from the normal game

but at the same time, they never really were there in the first place. Coil kidnapped both Lisa and Dinah and is known to have mercs that use guns, Lung planned on his hench shooting the Undersiders in Arc 1, E88's initiation is to find an acceptable target and beat them near or to death and they show up to Bitch's place with guns trying to shoot her and Taylor. i think the one time someone goes, oh woah a gun! is Miss Militia sometime later to Taylor when she's given the chance to go through her things and Taylor has to divert claiming she was only shooting wooden boards while trapped in a flaming building (which is true, but not fully). i think some guy that wanted to join the Empire straight up shot one of New Wave in her home and in Ward we find out that when he got out of jail he joined up without issue (besides New Wave being angry about it but nothing major happened)

and the thing is, all of that isn't supposed to be normal, with how wildbow talks about it. it's supposed to be this sliding scale that gets thrown out of wack by the ABB bombing places, then Coil (pinning the blame on Lisa) releasing the Empire identities, the Empire bringing down buildings, then Leviathan, then the Nine, then Echidna. so if you feel like things aren't following the rules i think that's supposed to be intended since shit's fucked

but again, the first fight in the book opens up with the line of shoot the children, so

If I can criticize one smaller thing about Worm and the concept of the "unwritten rules" in it, it would be how the "no guns" rule seems to only matter/exist sometimes in canon

I don't know how to word it best, but I just feel like it's something Wildbow added after the fact without looking back and realizing that there's a fair few capes who use guns, but don't suffer consequences socially for doing so

I do like the general concept of it from purely the cape's perspective, the idea that it is more or less a way to help lessen tension overall in situations by leaving such blatant lethality out of the question, but like. It isn't really enforced/mentioned much in the text, from what I've read

Anyways, I still find Prism carrying a handgun and attempting lethal force against Taylor in that one fight to be a little crazy, but at least that situation is justifiable given Taylor's other actions

[stuck-in-the-ghost-zone]

the vitriolic hatred most people have for things that look weird is so upsetting to me sometimes :(

[newvegascowboy]

+

[weaselle]

i want to talk about real life villains

Not someone who mugs you, or kills someone while driving drunk, those are just criminals. I mean VILLAINS.

Not like trump or musk, who are... cartoonishly evil. And not sexy villains, not grandiose villains, not even satisfyingly two dimensional villains it is easy to hate unconditionally. The real villains.

I had a client who was a retired executive for one of the big oil companies, i think it was Shell or Chevron. Had a home just outside of San Francisco that was wall to wall floor to ceiling full of expensive art. Literally. I once accidentally knocked a painting off the wall because it was hanging at knee height at the corner of the stairs, and it had a little brass plaque on it, and i looked up the name of the artist and it was Monet's apprentice and son-in-law, who was apparently also a famous painter. He had an original Andy Warhol, which should have been a prize piece for anyone to showcase -- it was hanging in the bathroom. I swear to god this guy was using a Chihuly (famous glass sculptor) as a fruit bowl. And he was like, "idk my wife was the one who liked art"

I was intrigued by this guy, because in the circles i run this dude is The Enemy. right? Wealthy oil executive? But as my client, he was... like a sweet grandpa. A poor widower, a nice old man, anyone who knew him would have called him a sweetheart. He had a slightly bewildered air, a sort of gentle bumbling nature.

And the fact that he was both of these things, a Sweet Little Old Man and The Enemy, at the same time, seemed important and fascinating to me.

He reminded me of some antagonist from fiction, but i couldn't put my finger on who. And when i did it all made sense.

John Hammond.

probably one of the most realistic bad guys ever written.

If you've only ever seen the movie, this will need some explaining.

Michael Crichton wrote Jurassic Park in 1990, and i read it shortly thereafter. In the movie, the dinosaurs are the antagonists, which imo erases 50% of the point of the story.

book spoilers below.

In the book, John Hammond is the villain but it takes the reader like half the book to figure that out. Just like my client, John is a sweet old man who wants lovely things for people. He's a very sympathetic character. But as the book progresses, you start to see something about him.

He has an idea, and he's sure it's a good one. When someone else dies in pursuit of his dream, he doesn't think anything of it. When other people turn out to care about that, he brings in experts to evaluate the safety of his idea, and when they quickly tell him his idea is dangerous and needs to be put on hold, he ignores his own experts that he himself hired, because they are telling him that he is wrong, and he is sure he is right.

In his mind, he's a visionary, and nobody understands his vision. He is surrounded by naysayers. Several things have proven too difficult to do the best and safest way, so he has cut corners and taken shortcuts so he can keep moving forward with his plans, but he's sure it's fine. He refuses to hear any word of caution, because he believes he is being cautious enough, and he knows best, even though he has no background in any of the sciences or professions involved. He sends his own grandchildren out into a life-threatening situation because he is willfully ignorant of the danger he is creating.

THIS is like the real villains of the world. He doesn't want anyone to die. Far from it, he only wants good things for people! He's a sweet old man who loves his grandchildren. But he has money and power and refuses to hear that what he is doing is dangerous for everyone, even his own family.

I think he's possibly one of the most important villains ever written in popular fiction.

In the book, he is killed by a pack of the smallest, cutest, "least dangerous" dinosaurs, because a big part of why we read fiction is to see the villains face thematic justice. But like a cigarette CEO dying of lung cancer, his death does not stop his creation from spreading out into the world to continue to endanger everyone else.

I think it is really important to see and understand this kind of villainy in fiction, so you can recognize it in real life.

Sweetheart of a grandfather. Wanted the best for everyone. Right up until what was best for everyone inconvenienced the pursuit of his own interests.

And my client was like that too. His wife had died, and his dog was now the love of his life, and she was this little old dog with silky hair in a hair cut that left long wispy bits on her lower legs. Certain plant materials were easily entangled in this hair and impossible to get out without pulling her hair which clearly hurt her. When i suggested he ask his groomer to trim her lower leg hair short to avoid this, he refused, saying he really liked her usual hair cut.

I emphasized that she was in pain after every walk due to the plant debris getting caught in her leg hair, and a simple trim could put an end to her daily painful removal of it, and he just frowned like i'd recommended he take a bath in pig shit and said "But she'll be ugly" and refused to talk about it anymore.

Sweet old man though. Everyone loved him.

[loki-spaz-moments]

Mood

[snekdood]

snakes do not deserve anywhere near as much shit as they get omg like. he literally doesnt even have legs your honor and THATS the worst most evil creature to you? YOU CAN LITERALLY OUT RUN HIM??

HOW in tf did snakes get the bad rap when fucking. grizzly bears and hippos n shit exist like