#they also very well could have chosen like

[captain-kit-adventuress]

Jo even has a whole arc (in the 1994 movie, and I don't remember if it's in the book or not, I haven't read it in ages), where almost exactly this happens. She's publishing sensationalist literature and making enough of a living that she's got extra to send back home, and her acquaintance Frederich Bhaer (later the aforementioned "funny" husband) is chiding her like, "This is the shit you wanna write? Vampires and all that crap? You're so talented, you should be writing from life, from your heart, there's nothing in here of the woman I know" and she's rightfully offended, like, "I know it's not the most intellectual of work but it will buy a new coat for Beth, who will be very grateful for it," and kind of storms off (again, rightfully). This is an allusion to Alcott's own situation, because Jo implies--and Frederich would have understood--that she has to provide Beth with a new coat because Mr March and Marmee could not.

(There's also a way to read that scene as a comment on patriarchy and what a woman is "supposed" to write, but that's for another time.)

This is the reverse of what Alcott wanted to do, but the comment is the same regardless. Writers have always written for readers because readers are the ones who pay for stories. Back then it was often via newspaper subscriptions and now it's via individual works. How many famous authors also famously disliked their most popular creations? But they didn't stop writing them, even if they tried, because the readers loved them so much and ultimately, that's where the money and therefore the people willing to publish it are. (And it's not just print writing, Tchaikovsky loathed The Nutcracker because he thought it was utterly banal commercial crap.)

It is not some great travesty that writers have to write for readers and that their work is at least partly commercial. The travesty lies in that we are forced to write things that don't interest us for subsistence; not enjoyment or leisure, but the meanest basics. As usual, it's because humans have chosen and now perpetuate the greedily ridiculous idea of survival based on artificial scarcity and not allowing that people have a right to live well simply because they are alive, and that we have to "justify" our art by how many people want to put that survival in danger, however slightly, to obtain it.

I feel like we really lost something when we started looking at writing as a reader-centric product meant to appeal to the desires of a specific audience rather than a writer-centric approach of someone writes whatever particular thing particular compels them/whatever weird thing the demons in their head want to talk about, and people out there who are also compelled, and/or relate, find that writing. A lot of discussions of writing really center around what readers want rather than a writer's exploration. Sometimes as a reader I don't know what I want. I click on a fic or pick up a book I'm not sure about but that looks interesting, and I love it. Reading what I expect to get is it's own joy, but we always need to expand our horizons and not get mad at creators for not always writing what we want/expect.

[nataliescatorccioapologist]

Season 3 Official Trailer Breakdown

*Huge disclaimer that this show is so unpredictable that all of my guesses will probably be wrong. I know many of these shots are probably misdirections and missing important context.*

Lottie spotted alive and well and looking great (with a bodyguard? Or just a very well dressed man?)

A series of scenes that imply Nat is definitely in some hot water this season. It seems that she might have known where Coach Ben was but didn’t tell the group to protect him, which pisses the rest of the group off enough to question her leadership. Unlike Lottie, Nat wasn’t chosen by the group to lead them, which will likely result in tension and resentment from those who feel like she didn’t earn her new title. The group is shifting towards ferocity and darker morals, so maybe Nat can't meet the group’s needs or take them down the path they want to go on. Maybe the trial we saw in the first trailer was actually related to Nat? But why would Coach Ben be there in the background for that?

With the way Nat looks on her knees in the middle of the group and the vitriol she seems to be facing, I am so interested to see how she makes it out of this alive. However, I do think it’s important to note that, in the close up shot we get of her with blood on her face, there are no actual wounds visible. It could be someone else’s blood!

And related to that, we see the group setting up what appears to be a makeshift table. As we saw with Javi, I wonder if this table is being set up to butcher something (or someone) on. Or just to have a nice innocent family feast on.

I think it’s interesting to note that the clip immediately following this is Nat in what appears to be an apron with her hair pulled back. To me this looks like Nat is going to be the one doing the butchering in this scene (the apron and her hair being pulled back implies that she’s trying not to get blood on her clothes and hair). Could Nat be relegated to Shauna’s role as the butcher after Shauna becomes the new leader? Or is she just filling in for the moment?

It looks like Travis might be getting bit here (by Shauna?) while Lottie laughs. I really have no guesses as to what’s going on here. Maybe Travis stood up for Nat and therefore was attacked? I have a feeling Travis is going to be very conflicted as to where his loyalties lie this season, which might make him a target. The first image could actually be Mari getting the chomp, though, as we have already seen a clip of Shauna biting her hand in the previous trailer.

It looks like Tai is attacking Van here (!!), which I'm willing to bet is Other Tai taking over, and we also see Tai screaming and crying (which I'm guessing is related to her attacking Van?). I'm wondering if this could be some kind of nightmare Taissa is having of losing control and hurting Van, which reflects how she is afraid of herself and her lack of control over her darker alternate. Or it could be her actually attacking Van. And is it just me or does it look like they are wearing the same outfits in the attacking scene and the scene where they're running through the street?

It looks like Shauna (and likely the other survivors) will be receiving some threatening letters and tape recordings from an unknown source (Shauna says that someone is trying to kill them for what they did in the wilderness). It looks like Shauna received both a letter (notably addressed to Shauna Shipman, not Sadecki, which could be a way of hinting that this person knows her past) and a tape? And then it looks like she is trying to secretly play the tape in her bathroom (trying to hide it from Callie and Jeff?).

There's another clip of Mari running from the group again and hiding behind a tree, very reminiscent of when Nat hid behind the tree after drawing the Queen card in S2. Even though Mari does look genuinely scared here, the second clip of Mari laughing with Van in what appears to be the same scene makes me wonder if this is actually not Mari running for her life and rather just a fun game the YJs are playing. Maybe they're literally playing tag or something? Or maybe they were playing a harmless game which quickly devolved into something darker.

A closer shot of Tai holding the gun. This time, we can see she is not as stoic as she appeared in the promotional images we saw before. She's crying, and I feel like that combined with the following clip of blood splattered on some leaves nearby confirms that Tai put to the task of shooting someone in this scene. Mari is in the background, so its not her, so is it Coach Ben? Why is Tai the one chosen to carry it out?

We see more of that scene where Shauna is being pulled down into the lake by someone/something. I truly have no idea what is going on in this scene. I am kind of hoping that its Nat taking revenge and trying to threaten her/drown her but I am 90% sure that's not going to happen. Who do we think would try to drown Shauna?

Pretty sure this is Mari spraying Shauna with some kind of mace! And by the looks of it, Shauna probably deserves it (sorry). Maybe this is following the scene where Shauna is trying to bite Mari's hand and then Mari sprays her with whatever this is to defend herself?

A shot of a hooded figure holding the rifle, with some other hooded figures following behind. To me this looks like some kind of search party, like they are hunting someone down who ran away and hid. I wonder if they're looking for Nat? Especially after Shauna's "We'll give the wilderness what it wants" line. They could also be searching for Coach Ben or Mari.

Tai and Misty about to smother someone to death in a hospital?? I would think this person must know too much about what they did in the wilderness and therefore they have to kill him. Another part of me is really just hoping they're smothering Lottie's dad to death because I know he's going to be in this season and I really hate that guy, but I am also pretty sure that's just wishful thinking on my part.

Things aren't looking too good for Akilah. The expression on her face and the way she's being held up by someone make it seem like she just got shot or stabbed/is actively dying. But not sure if they would be bold enough to show that in the trailer. Whatever is happening to Akilah here, she definitely doesn't look like she's doing too great.

I'll say it: I think we're getting a Pit Girl reveal this season! Or at least we will get up to the point in the storyline right before Pit Girl. These are the same outfits we see the group donning in the opening scene of the pilot episode. We can clearly see the skunk head (referred to as The Hunter in the script) who was standing over the pit trap looking down at Pit Girl's body. It is still pretty impossible to tell who's who. But I think this tells us that Season 3 will go through spring, summer, and into the beginning of the second winter (or we could just be getting flash-forwards to winter). Looks like they've gone full feral at this point, they've got spears and they are definitely hunting someone down. I wonder if this is actually the Pit Girl scene itself, just from the perspective of the hunters now instead of the prey.

This is pretty much confirmed to be Lottie given that we have behind the scenes photos of Simone Kessell wearing this exact dress and heels. Lottie, I am so scared for you, please be okay. hoping she's just passed out or something. Or maybe she just got tired and she's taking a nap...on a dark mysterious concrete floor surrounded by candles.

And last but absolutely not least we have Lottie eating the fuck out of someone with blood all over her face. The cannibalism in this season has been turned up to 11 for sure.

--

There are some shots that I left out because I ran out of room! There are just so many details in this trailer that I want to unpack, but I tried to pick out the ones I found most important. Some other important shots not mentioned were the arrow in the tree trunk (I'm guessing this is actually the adult timeline since I'm really not sure where the girls would get an arrow like that in the wilderness, unless it belongs to someone outside of the group👀), a Queen card being picked up off the street in the adult timeline, the floating lantern scene we have seen in promotional photos, the girls having a feast, Travis walking with the rifle, and the girls running around their makeshift huts having fun (wholesome).

[anghraine]

Further contemplated the femslash Spirk concept while I was going to sleep, inevitably, and concluded:

I am perfectly aware this has been done before in the last, you know, nearly 60 years of this ship's towering fandom influence; I've definitely seen art and cosplay. However, I'm deliberately insulating myself from reading any other versions until the finer details are more nailed down in my own head.

McCoy is definitely still a man (specifically DeForest Kelley c. TOS) because it only later occurred to me that 1) thematically, I definitely prefer this trio as a mixed gender group and 2) the advocate for emotion and instinct and human warmth being a male doctor and the voice of logic and discipline being a woman and technically his superior pleases me greatly. I also like the McCoy-Kirk brotp as a male-female friendship that is intense, complex, and 100% platonic.

I'm still figuring out how Kirk being repeatedly menaced by the woman of the week would pan out with f!Kirk. With m!Kirk it feels like the show pushes him having an irresistible appeal to women in general (regardless of the woman's morality) that is where this ultimately comes from, but he's got a lot of Odysseus tropes to him as a character that make his femme fatale allure and willingness to use it as a tool more interesting than as the inevitable fate of a female space captain. Also, even in a femslash context, it feels homophobic for it to always be women sexually harassing f!Kirk.

Kirk's going to be Jessica instead of my original idea of Deborah. I was thinking of what would be a sturdy, ordinary name in the Midwest comparable to James that would also abbreviate conveniently to a common short form (Jim / Deb / Jess). I wanted the shortened version to be something that could carry the emotional weight of Spock's very occasional "Jim" without feeling that the nickname itself is more significant than Jim is for a dude from Iowa. I also wanted to avoid the -y/-ie endings of so many English nicknames (sorry, Francophones). Deb seemed to work well enough, except I'd forgotten that I have a considerably older family friend who not only uses Deb (and is named Deborah) but happens to have very similar coloring and background to young Shatner. As I was plotting the femslash, the association with her felt increasingly weird and uncomfortable, so I switched to Jessica (chosen for reasons largely unrelated to it also beginning with J, but that helps!).

Does Jessica Kirk wear the miniskirt and go-go boots while issuing non-negotiable orders from her captain's chair? Definitely.

[invinciblerodent]

I love the arcs and stories we got from Veilguard, and I know continuity-wise it wouldn't have been possible to integrate this, but recently, I had a thought that simply won't leave me be:

I think it would have been so bloody interesting if the Iron Bull had been there, to act as a thematic counterpoint to Shathann in Taash's storyline.

Like... okay, I know that in reality, it would have been entirely unfeasible due to the way Bull's story can unfold in Trespasser, but I'm not going to lie, I do have a bit of a bone to pick with the binary choice at the end of Taash's quest specifically. (I think it was likely done this way so they won't stick out from the rest of the companions, but both culturally and thematically, it feels strange to me to have them specifically come down to a choice of A or B, when developing their own, mixed heritage would have not only been more realistic, but it would have also echoed exploration of their nonbinary identity more closely), and I think having another, maybe more intimately significant personal influence in Taash's life besides Isabela (who is less a mentor, and more a friend and boss, I feel) to exemplify the other choice would have added a nice, additional layer of nuance to the arc, another bit of emotional weight to the choice.

And, to support my point: if Bull is alive for Veilguard, not only does he have no other, definite place to be post-Inquisition (I believe after Trespasser, his epilogue only says that he goes off adventuring?), and have at least the interest in dragons in common with Taash (to be a basis of an immediate emotional attachment), he's also definitely Tal-Vashoth- and most importantly, he chose that life, having left the Qun for his family's sake in a way that very nicely mirrors Shathann's choice to flee with the infant Taash.

He also had had doubts before leaving the Qun (which is why he submitted himself to the reeducators prior to the Inquisition assignment), but like Shathann, he was also raised in Qunari culture, and has a pronounced emotional attachment to it- but, instead of Shathann's adherence to tradition and apparent desire to preserve the Qun in her (and by extension, Taash's) life while adjusting to living further South the best she could, Bull seems much more enmeshed with the Southern way of life (has more of a familiarity with the southern perception of gender too)- and he seems happy that way, which can be a source of conflict between him and Shathann as well. (Could be shown through her initially still calling him "Hissrad" perhaps, and transitioning to "Bull" later?)

He could have very nicely embodied the "Rivaini" choice (which would ofc need to be called something different, needs workshopping lol), and provided another, different, but familiar angle on what being Tal-Vashoth is like long term. Especially now that that word's meaning has changed so drastically, with the entire Antaam having split off the Qun, and willingly become essentially Tal-Vashoth.

.... I also think it's quite easy to imagine him joining up with Isabela as a Lord of Fortune (and being the other faction leader perhaps, to keep them all in pairs?), but also being a valuable asset to Rook and co. in their efforts to bring Solas down: both as someone who just knows Solas (most likely better than most), and as an experienced and talented strategist and spy.

I think it would have been really cool if instead of going either Rivaini or Qunari, the final choice for Taash's personal quest had come down more to them following either their mother's footsteps, or an almost father-like mentor's, instead of choosing one culture over another. (Potential downside that even fewer people would have then chosen the Qunari side of it, but that can be mitigated via wording choices.)

(The argument could ofc be made that if it's about Taash being torn between two people, rather than two abstracts, maybe the choice wouldn't center them in it quite so clearly, but I do think that it would have made for a touch stronger story overall.)

(ALSO, the inevitable shipping of Taash's mom and mentor, and the three-way dynamic of them? Would have been really cute. I'd have been on board with that. Lots of dialogue that sounds like they're both 20 years married and very divorced, some "do you see me as a father figure, Taash?" "I see you as a BOTHER figure" type of lines, plus it could have been actually really easy to write him consistent with who Bull is while keeping his lines ambiguous enough to allow for him already having a partner in some worlds.)

[glasspalacesstoneshop]

Honestly because the map is smaller and more linear it feels more fleshed out. like there's a lot of detail and care in these spaces. And while you do repeatedly return to the same spaces they're completely recontextualized with new mechanics and drastic environmental changes. Day Skyloft and Night Skyloft are two different environments in the same place. When you get a new weapon/tool you get new aspects of a space that completely change how you play it.

Faron Woods gets FLOODED. I think this works better than just a water dungeon because you see real physical impacts of the story on the environment. Now you need to save the forest not just for abstract game reasons, but because the woodland creatures are suffering. It makes a much denser world.

The time mechanics of the Lanayru robots rank as one of my favorite game mechanics of all time--and are a great example of how well the game uses its space and how the environments really feel like they have a history outside of Link. It's also such an interesting way to do a time travel mechanic and I haven't found anything like it in any other story. It really makes me think of the impermanence of civilizations. The robots are dead and gone and you cannot save them. Link may be the chosen one of this world, but this world exists independently of him. He's the main character to the audience, but he's not the main character of the NPCs. A lot of other Zelda games feel like the NPCs aren't actually people, just props.

In a lot of Zelda games you can explore as a mechanic but there's not much to really discover. BOTW has a big world, but it doesn't really have a dense world. Story beats are just separated by grassland. I think EoW is much better in this open-ish world aspect, because even if there's not as much to look at, they use all the space to create different environments and civilizations. Plus with Zelda's unique echo mechanic, exploration felt like a challenge to see if I could outsmart the game and get somewhere without the mechanic I was supposed to use. Meanwhile, BOTW doesn't really have that to its exploration, because you know Link's abilities. And the environments flow better together than Just Put Grass Between Them. WW doesn't solve this problem, but the fact that everything is literal islands is at least very honest. And because your brain is told to treat it as dead space, actually encountering stuff in the ocean feels like a genuine surprise. Wind Waker is also good at the environment telling a story, because they put stuff underwater.

I also really like the watercolor look of the game. I think the stylized worlds of SS and WW have aged a lot better than TP's graphics, which were very on trend at the time, but kinda look like they just have a muck filter over everything. Color is Good and My Friend please don't make everything brown

which is your favourite LoZ game and why is it Twilight Princess?

wrong, skyward sword. but twilight princess is really good too

[evilbirdy]

Hii, could you do a fic of Se-mi with reader, who’s Thanos’ little sister and is the total opposite of her brother? Se-mi adores her, has a soft spot for her, trusts her and kind of feels bad for her, since she’s like calm and quiet with a chaotic brother 😭 also unlike her brother reader never takes drugs, smokes, etc. maybe headcanons or just a one-shot can be in or outside of Squid game au idrc

That you were right in front of me

now playing~ infrunami by steve lacy

Se-mi x fem!reader

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

omg guys, my writing is becoming shirt, is this what writers block feels like 😭

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanos is an…interesting person, he captivates the room, gets all the girls, loves the attention.

You are the other hand are nothing like that, you are reserved, you have barely held hands with someone, and you hate being put out on the spot.

You both are the two sides of the same coin, the same but so different.

When Se-mi met you, she didn’t believe you were Thanos’s younger sister until she came over to your house. She felt so into you, you were smart, kind, sweet. You were very shy until you both had gotten closer than you let down a wall only for her.

Likewise, she has a little spot in her heart for you, she felt bad, you kinda had to take care of your older brother since your parents weren’t around and Thanos was drowning himself in drugs and alcohol.

That’s why you never partake in said activities, you hated watching your brother destroy himself slowly, you always scolded him as you made him a meal to help his hangovers or highs.

“Really Su-bong you downed three bottles of soju, wh-what would our parents say, huh?” Min-su and Nam-gyu was carrying him into the living room onto the couch, Se-mi stood next to you the whole time, as much as she loved seeing Thanos in such an embarrassing state, she didn’t like you being in distress.

Thanos tried to explain himself but you held your hand making him cut himself off, you walked into the kitchen with Se-mi following you.

“ *sigh* I apologize for my brother’s antics…again,’ you laid your head on the counter before going to the fridge and grabbing a water.

“No worries, I would rather babysit Thanos for decades, if it means I get to be here with you,” you looked to her, smiling all giddy. You two had some silent attraction to each other. You knew she liked you and she knows you like her, it was all on who was gonna say what.

“Thanks for being here, Se-mi,” you walked up to her, kissing her cheek before going to give your brother his water. She touched the spot you just kissed, she looks down her face becoming red.

A couple of weeks later, your brother was out recording his little tracks, Se-mi came over to your house for the fifth time that week, she might as well sleep over at this point.

You were laying your legs across Se-mi’s lap, she traces her fingers on your legs, she smirks watching how you got all flustered.

“Hey umm (your nickname),” you looked up at her, titling your head. She leans her head back onto the headboard.

“I um I really really like you, like these past few months, I have never felt this way about someone, like come on, I have chosen to hang around Thanos of all people to be with you,” you giggled, you took her face into her hand, you kissed her cheek and looked to her.

“i like you too, Se-mi, I never though could love but…you made happen. Are you really sure you want to be with me though cause that also means committing to my brother in a way,” she sighs pulling you into her. “Like I said I would spend decades babysit that man-child if it means having you with me every day,” she kisses me all over your face as you laugh.

[shegatsby]

Hello

Could I request this idea where Hannibal goes to see the “Swan Lake” ballet and becomes obsessed with the reader who plays the swan queen

Let me know what you think of the idea

A/N: Hi!!! Thank you for this request. Thanks to you I've watched the Black Swan on youtube here is the link;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rJoB7y6Ncs&t=1561s

this is the old version ofc. Love you all xxx

Doctor Hannibal Lecter climbed out of his car and headed towards to the building. Tonight was a special night because he was going to see The Swan Lake, it was a big production and last time he watched it was in Italy, this time he was in Baltimore, Maryland due to his work. He was excited for tonight, he liked being among high society, he was a classist who believed that people who belong to the upper class should have the higher power in politics and other aspects of life. He had grown up in this environment and to his bones he felt a sophisticated gentleman. He was well educated, he had a profound knowledge of art and literature, he respected all his life and he rewarded himself with treats such as opera nights or ballet such as tonight.

He was wearing his tuxedo, black and white with a dark red handkerchief on his jacket’s pocket. He slowly approached to the building, the entrance had red carpet, the doors with golden handles were opened for him, he smiled kindly to the workers. ‘’May I see your ticket?’’ the young lady at the front desk, ‘’Here you go.’’ He liked having tickets, or tangible things in his life. He liked living analog, of course he didn’t denied how technology made his life easier than before. ‘’You may proceed.’’ The lady smiled but didn’t reach her eyes, most workers had the same expression due to the fact that they worked minimum wage or even under. It was the way of the world, some were more fortunate than others.

The seats were dark red, he took his place. He looked around to see the dress code, everyone wore clothes accordingly which pleased him. He took a certain joy in order and people following it. The upper class he belonged to had always followed rules like these but for the other… they were the ones who would like to be ‘’different’’ and rebel against the system.

He crossed his legs as the lights dimmed and curtain opened, as soon as the music hit his ears he smiled to himself. The seat next to his was empty, for a split second he envisioned a woman next to him, wearing a dress he had chosen for her…. No. he stopped himself and focused on the stage.

Soon the Queen Swan entered the stage and Hannibal felt his breath hitching at his throat, she was wearing the same white dress as other women but she had a dark red feather sticking from her tied hair, she was the queen and they needed to show it to the audience. Her movements on stage were so elegant, without realizing Hannibal leaned forward on his seat, he couldn’t believe his dark eyes, she had total control of her delicate body which he admired and found it very powerful.

When the first act ended he immediately got his phone, ordered a bouquet of black and white tulips that had a red rose in the middle. He wanted the bouquet to represent the Black Swan and also the Queen Swan. He also wrote a note and asked the delivery guy to bring it to the Queen’s dressing room.

The ballet lasted for an hour and half, later he was approached by the director of the ballet, Lisa-Macuja Elizalde, he bowed in front of her. ‘’For an hour and 30 minutes I have experienced pure bliss. Thank you so much for your contribution Madame.’’ He kissed her hand, the woman smiled with pride. ‘’You’re welcome Sir. I’ve heard that you had sent flowers to our queen. Would you like to meet her?’’ with this question he couldn’t hide the grin he had. ‘’I would love to.’’

‘’Follow me please.’’

He followed her to the back stage, it was crowded, together they approached a door which didn’t have her name on it, on the door it said ‘’The Queen Swan’’ was she show off? Only one way to find out. Madame knocked on the door and they heard a soft voice say ‘’Come in.’’

She was sitting in front of the mirror, her make-up off, she had a long satin black nightgown, her hair was still tied with the dark red feather sticking out. She got up with a swift move, turned to them. ‘’Doctor Lecter?’’ she asked because the note she had on flowers had his name. ‘’Yes,’’ he extended his hand which she gladly took. ‘’I would love to learn the name of this enchanting Swan Queen, If you don’t mind of course.’’ He kissed her hand, ‘’Y/N, Y/L/N.’’

‘’Y/N… such a unique name.’’ he praised, ‘’Thank you.’’

Hannibal was an observant man and during this interaction he carefully watched her, Madame Lisa-Macuja Elizalde left them alone she excused herself because she had to attend to some of the dancers.

Hannibal and Y/N sat on the velvet couch and talked about ballet, classical music and fine arts. He never had such an elite and uplifting conversation with anyone and at the back of his dark mind he could hear his wicked thoughts such as;

Where does she live?

Is her home safe?

Most importantly… does she have a partner?

How long has she been performing?

Hannibal, deep down, knew that it was over for them both because she belonged to him now. He was going to make sure she had no one to go to but him at the end.

Thank you for reading. :)

[lord-squiggletits]

Thinking about IDW Optimus again and the fandom's aversion to even acknowledging he exists bc he's a cop or whatever and like. Most of the time people literally just replace him in fic with some white bread knockoff archivist/librarian, not even bothering to keep in IDW OP's personality (which just bolsters my theory that the problem isn't him being a cop the problem is that he's too multifaceted but I digress).

And it's annoying because you could totally write IDW Optimus as not a cop while still keeping his canon personality. You just have to realize that the reason IDW OP became a cop in the first place is because his formative experiences when he was young shaped him to basically have two priorities: 1. To help people and 2. To do it by being on the ground actively doing something about the bad things happening to people.

IDW OP would not be a fucking librarian or archivist because even though those are noble pursuits that can help people and change the world, and Optimus is educated/smart enough for the profession, he wouldn't be satisfied just teaching people or spreading information about activism or social-historical studies or whatever. He's a mech of action: he needs to be doing things right now, in front of him, to people he sees/interacts with in his own eyes, improving society with concrete actions rather than indirect action or abstract inspiration.

So basically the alternate job ideas I can think of for IDW Optimus are something like being a firefighter (or any first responder really) or even whatever the equivalent would be to international charity organizations, those ones that send volunteers across the world to do stuff like build housing/infrastructure or distribute food or whatnot. I mean I can't imagine that the equivalents to these things would be exactly the same in IDW Cybertron, so you'd have to get a little creative with it, but these are just some ideas of jobs that would fit IDW Optimus' personality while still filling the niche of "not a cop" for people who are just that opposed to it.

Though I think the revulsion against coptimus is annoying in general tbh because IDW is already a continuity that rejects the idea of easily defined good/evil people or groups. It feels like people really want Optimus to be a good person in a very sanitized and academically approved way, so he has to be nice and squeaky clean but also like, a perfect leftist who knows theory and holds the most progressive opinions on every single issue....

There is no room for the idea that good people join bad institutions, there's no room for the idea that the reason people think cops are good guys who help people is bc of the government propaganda everything is saturated with. Hell there's even later issues of the Optimus Prime series by John Barber where Optimus like, MULTIPLE FUCKING TIMES, is shown in flashbacks grappling with the fact that he as a cop/Zeta's regime that he works for might not actually be improving society like they say they are, and dealing with the fact that he feels more like a lesser evil compared to the Decepticons (perhaps not "lesser" at all).

It's like there's this idea in fandom of like, fictional media and opinions on media having to strictly adhere to progressive ideals at all times. So people just go "cops bad, this character is a cop, therefore they suck" without being willing to engage with the idea of like. IDW OP is born wanting to fight injustice and protect people -> a good way to protect people is to fight the people who are hurting them and committing crimes -> surely following the law is a reliable moral code to guide him in this -> becomes a cop because he's been indoctrinated into a society (much like our own) where he was told that the state/the law exist to protect the people and being a cop means you get to fight bad guys that hurt people. There's really so many interesting concepts there that could be (and CANONICALLY IS) explored about how good, well-intentioned people can be led to harmful actions simply because they have been fed the idea that the things they're doing are good/helpful/noble. Which is especially important for a character like Optimus, I think, who has a cultural icon status as The Irrefutable and Perfect Good, so it's really important actually to use IDW Optimus as an example of how even the most noble people you know have held problematic beliefs or done bad things at some point in their life. You know, because no one is born perfect and ideologically pure, and in fact society is constructed in exactly a manner to make people drink the kool-aid and believe that the systems designed to hurt them/others are just a normal, if flawed, society.

I mean the writing in IDW literally has Optimus deal directly and indirectly with the harm he's done as a cop and how people don't/didn't trust him because of that. I don't know what the fuck else this fandom wants if the source material literally saying "OP realizes that cops suck and he hurt people and earned their disdain by doing the things he did" doesn't stop them from going EW cop bastard sucks and is the worst Optimus. Like the narrative barely stops short of outright saying ACAB and Optimus himself would agree with this sentiment.

At that point, the collective fandom beef with IDW OP isn't because he's a cop and the narrative didn't do enough to condemn that. The problem is literally just that people don't read and don't care

TLDR: Consider the fact that good people can do bad things sometimes especially when living from birth in a corrupt society that thoroughly disguises its vices/oppressive structures as completely normal parts of existence

[foolbehavior]

I definitely agree that Badeni’s tattoo plan is convoluted and has a high risk of failure on multiple fronts, but I think done more in-service of concluding his character arc. 

Badeni’s story is deeply tied to Ocxy (and Jolenta to a lesser extent), and formulating a plan like this proof of Ocxy’s impact on him. It hammers home one of the main themes of Orb; of how the idea of a moving Earth can dramatically move people as well and the power of shared connection. Badeni—a man seemingly immovable in his mission of proving heliocentrism through independent research and concrete scientific evidence—ultimately forming a plan entirely dependent on trusting in people and the power of inspiration/inherited will, while still maintaining his flair for the dramatics. It’s pretty poetic to me.

That being said, though the result of his plan is the same as simply leaving Ocxy’s book behind, I think there are also a few practical, non-character arc reasons he may have chosen this method of delivery:

Badeni is explicitly trusting Grabowski with the fulfillment of his plan

He knows Grabowski has an interest in the secular (re: the poem), thus may be more open minded to these ideas.

He knows Grabowski is a compassionate man and it’s much harder getting rid of 60 people vs burning/ignoring a book. Hostages in a sense, as you also mentioned, but their efficacy as hostages increase because he’s targeting Grabowski specifically.

The convoluted nature of his plan is a trial of sorts. If Grabowski is willing to listen to his letter, follow the beggar, and not run away, he’s likely to go all in.

Like how he hooked Jolenta through her curiosity, or how Hubert did similarly to Rafal.

Since Grabowski is very aware of Badeni’s prickly, bad personality, him trusting other people may also be a sign to Grabowski of the depths of importance the information holds.

So willingly trusting others must mean it’s something Badeni would change his principles for.

Badeni wasn’t planning on leaving anything behind in the first place, so he was already staking it all on small hope.

If he’s going to leave something behind anyway, might as well do all he can to hide it and he’s a man that doesn’t do things halfway

Similar to your point of audaciousness, leaving the tattoo heads creates a stronger legacy.

Even if Grabowski fell through, if the rumours of tattooed heads reached the right people it would be intriguing enough to pursue.

Perhaps he thought leaving a book behind, especially one simply written, wouldn’t be inspiring enough to chase down.

Classism and social standing.

Ocxy seems to be the only one consistently caring for the beggars.

Badeni was probably trusting in the fact that the beggars would have no one to tell and that no one would care about them to notice any changes.

Badeni also could have been checking in on them before things went to shit or by having Ocxy visit, he instills in them a sense of being watched (despite Ocxy being unaware).

However, I’m more trying to justify Badeni’s actions rather than fully understanding them. As you said, we can only guess based on the limited info we have. Only Badeni know’s what Badeni is thinking and unfortunately the man himself is dead. But it’s fun to think about…

Ok, maybe a controversial opinion, but I don't understand how Badeni's tattoo plan was in any way clever or practical.

Functionally, how is it any different from simply making a paper copy of Oczy's diary and hiding it in a safe place, then leaving behind directions to find it? If he trusted Grabowski enough to lead him to the beggars (making the assumption that he wouldn't report the blasphemous tattoos to the church), then I'd say he could equally well have left the entirety of Oczy's diary with him directly.

Worse, tattooing the pages on 60 different people causes a bunch of unique problems that a paper copy doesn't have.

Firstly, life expectancy wasn't exactly fantastic in those times, especially for a beggar. By the time Grabowski discovered them, half the pages could be missing from them dying — or hell, just moving to a different slum. I'd say it's very lucky that all of the people Badeni tattooed both survived and stuck together long enough for the plan to work.

Secondly, that's at least 60 people who have witnessed/experienced Badeni tattooing something weird on their heads. They may not know how to read, but they should have at least some idea of what writing is. So, again, it's an immense stroke of luck that none of them, at any point, got curious or suspicious enough to go to a clergyman and ask "hey, what the hell did this guy write on my head"?

And remember, that's 60 people we're talking about. Whatever chance one of them has to accidentally or deliberately reveal the plan — multiply it by 60. Plus, if even one of them was discovered, catching all the others would have likely been fairly easy for the church.

So... what exactly was the point of the whole plan? If you think about it, it's an immense amount of work for seemingly no reward. I'm genuinely curious what Badeni thought the advantage was in doing things this way.

[2025-01-15 EDIT:]

On further reflection, the only two possible reasons I can think of are:

Badeni was hoping that his sheer audaciousness would create an emotional effect on whoever finds the writing. The plan was proof of his devotion to the cause, and a plea for the next person not to squander all this effort. Though I seriously doubt this would be enough to sway anyone devout to the church, so it's a bit of a stretch.

The 60 tattooed beggars were essentially hostages. Badeni was expecting that if the church found them, they would be accused of heresy and executed. So he put 60 human lives on the shoulders of whoever finds the writing. Reporting the tattoos would mean condemning 60 people to death, which I bet even devout believers would hesitate to do.

But these are just guesses based on imperfect information. If the beggars explained how they were unwittingly roped into the plan, maybe they wouldn't be executed. So it's unclear if they'd even work as hostages.

[forcedhesitation]

*wheeze* slowly, but surely, working on art of them all

[moxtoons]

Hello! I have been watching your drawings for a long time, and I really like your work!

Can you draw Fancy tickles Stickler?^^

Cuphead

Thank you I really appreciate that!

I don't usually do requests, but I'll take any opportunity I can to draw FancyxStickler! (featuring their daughter Audri!)

Sometimes they have to really distract him to get the man to take a break, even after "work hours" 🤭

Reblogs are appreciated please don't repost

[im-still-a-robot]

Sailor Merope!!!

[bhaalsdeepbat]

just to add:

Using Poe rather than any other Dark Romantic writer that was his contemporary to pull a quote from was such a good choice. Of his sotries, "The Tell-Tale Heart" was the perfect one for Astarion, but Poe very specifically believed stories should be written in a circular manner - like a snake biting its tail - which fits so perfectly with all the little ways Astarion's story and romance references itself.

Direct quote from my source:

Poe believed in “fashioning a tale like a kind of ouroboros, with its tail in its mouth, beginning with the final effect and working backwards to that the story’s beginning is a natural derivation of its conclusion.”

It's the setting up of the Romantic Astarion in act 1, finding out he's not as fine as he keeps insisting as the narrative swings into Dark Romantic territory, the paranoia starts to really come out (relating back to tell-tale heart), and then he is literally given a choice: continue the cycle or break free. The cycle of abuse is literally a circle here. He can take up Cazador's place in the ritual and step into his role entirely, reentering the ouroboros I mentioned earlier.

The "Thank you" when he first bites the player being referenced later when they see past his paranoia and how unreliable of a narrator he is about his own feelings and seeing that he doesn't want power. He wants safety in a world that he believes isn't capable of kindness or good.

I love how Astarion quotes The Tell-Tale Heart every once in a while. It's a rarer line, and initially I thought it was out of place (Neil is very well versed in theater, so I assumed it was a riff from him), but since reading an analysis of the work I think it was pretty purposeful.

The piece is all about fear and paranoia, things we know Astarion is plagued by despite how he might act. Similarly, the narrator of the story also tries to convince the reader that they are not as troubled as they seem. In the end, the narrator is consumed by the beating of the heart of the old man he killed and dismembered, the sound growing louder and louder until in a fit of rage he reveals the body to the police to absolve himself from the persistent beating.

Except the police never heard the heart beat, because it wasn't the old man's heart at all. The narrator was consumed by the sound of his own heart beating more and more rapidly in his chest from fear. He was the owner of the thing that forced him to reveal his true nature, he is the owner of the tell-tale heart.

And what happens with Astarion after you romance him? He realizes over time that, while he tried to deny his feelings and was initially only interested in manipulating you for his own means, he actually has grown to care for you. You have done something to his heart that hasn't happened in centuries, you have made it feel as if it has started beating again.

Therefore, his tell-tale heart leads him to admit his transgressions, which were committed out of fear and paranoia for his safety.

So the line is actually very, very apt. His confession during Act 2 is his own version of "Villains! Dissemble no more! I admit the deed! Tear up the planks! Here, here! It is the beating of his hideous heart!" Except, of course, it is his own heart that he is unearthing for us (and it's not so hideous, after all).

[raphaelderberry]

so this is probably my best digital painting yet!

reference image is from here (x) I have no rights to it and make no money from this.

[imabiscuitinthousandworlds]

okay but. success! all of my grandparents now know i'm trans and my preferred name!! they all took it well, if occasionally confused!! only six people left to go then i'm out to all of my family and can finally rest!!

[sschmendrick]

I kinda miss hanging out with old people. All my friends used to be old people.

But the older I grow, and the more I'm expected to behave well like a normal adult, the harder I find it to keep those links. I'm lost between trying to stick to a script I don't know the words of to have a proper normal and interesting relationship for them, and allowing myself to screw up a little, be boring, be interested in stuff they aren't, having opinions they don't agree with (for silly stuff like music, though yk me), not be cool. Cause the latter stresses me out. Cause I see no reason for people to want to be friends with me if not that.