The Beginning Of Everything (Gladiator Optimus AU)

«Into the Unknown» just fits both of them so perfectly

'Dreams of the Fortune Man'

This comic is dedicated to Hob's memories and how Dream might try to navigate through them - as a mysterious Observer following Hob through the events of his immortal life.

P.S. This comic made me draw constantly for a month, up to 8h per day and accept challenges I wouldn't have taken otherwise! I am grateful for all the inspiration and self-confidence it gave me. I will treasure this experience dearly!

This post cropped for twitter is here.

I just rewatched the prequel trilogy for the first time in YEARS and I have to say, they were nowhere near as bad as I remembered.

I mean, yeah, the direction was shit and made the actors seem like they’re awful (which they aren’t, most of the cast is made of very decent actors) and the writing was kind of ridiculous but the story? The story is amazing.

And it really just reminded me how horribly everyone in Anakin’s life failed him, with the exception of Padmé.

Obi-Wan did love Anakin like family but he should have fought harder to keep Anakin more distanced from the Jedi and from the Senate when it became abdundantly clear that he was too unstable to handle it. But he, and the rest of the Council, just saw this unbelievably powerful young man and they used that power.

Most of all, they (and Padmé) should have opened their eyes and seen that he was being manipulated by Palpatine. But instead, they encouraged him to get closer and closer to Palpatine to spy on him and report back.

And they left him in the clutches of Palpatine who gave him everything he wanted - someone who believed in him, who didn’t exclude him without reason, who didn’t discount his feelings. They failed Anakin in exactly the same ways that Ben was failed so much later.

Watching the prequels again also really cemented why I hated how the sequel trilogy ended. Anakin’s life was nothing but pain, loss, failure, and disappointment. He never had a chance against everything that happened to him.

Anakin’s tragedy continued through the original trilogy where we see him truly stripped of his humanity, always abused by his Sith master.

And despite that, we see Anakin redeemed at the end, but only through death. At the very least though, his death is genuinely mourned. His loss is felt deeply by his son who, despite it all, still loved him. Anakin is forgiven and he is allowed to come back as a Force ghost. And he comes back as Anakin, not Vader. The young, vibrant man he once was who died as soon as Vader was truly born.

And therein lies one of the many ways that the sequel trilogy was so incredibly unjust to Ben Solo. Like Anakin, he was tormented his entire life. He was manipulated and abused. Everyone who should have protected him failed to do so and Ben was lost, giving rise to Kylo Ren.

But, unlike Anakin’s change into Vader caused Anakin to die, Ben was simply lost behind Kylo Ren. He was torn between the two sides rather than entirely lost to the dark side. He was more primed for redemption than Anakin could have been.

Kylo Ren actually tried to shake loose the things that kept him bound to the light, unlike Anakin who had everything ripped away from him. And despite Kylo Ren’s efforts to sever the light that was causing him so much pain, he was NEVER able to succumb completely.

So strong were his innate ties to light and goodness that he could not give in even if he tried. He wore a mask trying to convince the world and himself that he was solidly evil, but it was a facade that no one entirely believed.

Palpatine was able to fairly easily bring Anakin into the darkness. But even with all his efforts, all his desire to possess this last Skywalker, he could never own Ben Solo.

So strong were his ties to the light that he could never bring himself to harm Rey. He didn’t even kill Finn when he easily could have - why? Was it his innate goodness? Was it that he knew killing Finn would hurt Rey deeply?

His lightsaber was the perfect way to express his anguished personality. Unstable, over heated, unusual. Always shimmering with a passion and energy not typical for a lightsaber, whether it was a Sith saber or a Jedi saber.

Like Rey, he was neither a creature purely of light or darkness. Both were perfect mixtures of grey.

And then, we lose Ben Solo.

It is beautiful because he saves the woman he loves so much.

It is also abrupt, unexpected, and unceremonious.

He is not mourned.

He is not remembered.

He is just gone.

He was made to be mourned and remembered less than even the most evil characters we see. His loss is treated with less concern than anyone ever gave to a red shirt in Star Trek.

His life and his death are both devoid of meaning.

The boy, lost and broken, who was failed by everyone who should have protected him. The boy who crawled from the pit of death to answer the call of the light. The boy who so desperately wanted to be free of pain that he was willing to break his own heart.

The Skywalkers - all of them - deserved better. But especially Ben Solo. His life was reduced to nothing. His death was reduced to nothing. His redemption was reduced to nothing.

And that is my biggest beef with the end of the sequel trilogy. I loved the prequel trilogy because it humanized Anakin in preparation for his redemption. The sequel trilogy humanized Ben Solo in preparation for ... nothing. Just an unceremonious death and to be forgotten by everyone.

He deserved better.

Contrast: A Zutara Coloring Book is OUT NOW and free to download! Grab your copy here and start coloring! @zutaracoloringbook

Here is my piece, Fragile Line. I’m so happy to have been a small part of this wonderful project. 🤗

The finished product is absolutely beautiful y’all. ZK fandom, I hope you enjoy, and don’t forget to tag us artists with your colored pieces ❤️‍🔥

R.I.P. Game of Thrones 2011-2019

A list of things that GoT, Endgame, and TRoS have taught me:

-Satisfy the plot; if you set something up a certain way, don't just decide to deviate from it for no reason. As a creator I have a duty to satisfy the story, and also the audience. I want the audience finishing my story and going "Yes, that's the end." And be able to sigh, think for a moment, and feel satisfied. Not feel like their time was wasted.

-Answer the Questions; I might not be able to answer every question, but I can answer the points that need a solution. I can at least make it have a logical conclusion.

-Don't Kill a Character for Depth; Characters can die, but a character death should not be the substitute for emotional depth. There should be a reason for the death.

- Don't Unexpectedly Kill a Character; kind of a second part to the one above. Especially when it comes to main characters, just suddenly having them die when there was no reason for them to? Just so you can shock people? You should know the ending of your characters from the beginning of the journey. If you don't know their ending, then you can't truly bring justice to the character.

- Stop Being So Fucking Tragic; Look, sometimes tragic stories are beautiful, but I personally think they should mostly stay in the historical and indie genres. Not science fiction and fantasy. Some tragedy is good, but why the does THE END have to also be tragic? I go to movies and read books to ESCAPE tragedy and heartache. Yes there's a little through the journey, but the end is always worth it. Don't say your film/show is hopeful, or fun, or even bittersweet and not deliver. Say it with me now: A main character surviving ALONE is NEITHER hopeful, fun, or bittersweet. It's just fucking SAD!

-It's OK for the Audience To Guess the Ending: I think the biggest thing this decade is creators being obsessed with audiences not being able to guess how the story ends. Here's a fucking shocker for those creators: IF NO ONE CAN GUESS THE ENDING THEN YOU HAVEN'T SET UP THE STORY WELL! You can make an audience member go "hold up, is this ending going to happen?" And have that uncertainty, but if no one saw how your story would end (with the exception of mysteries) then you didn't set up the story in a cohesive enough manner.

-Once a Story Is Done, It Should be Done; I can slightly understand killing off a main character to prevent some other outside parties from putting pressure to make "more" even when the story is done. However, this is the point of standing your ground. You are the owner, it is your property, and you have the right to make the decision to say "No, I ended that story in a satisfying way. Yes, the characters are still alive but their time is over." Also, on a side note with that, make sure that if you ever sign your creative work to someone to help distribute, you make sure the contract says nothing about them owning the franchise and continuing it with or without your support.

- Romance Should Make People Happy; If your story is going to have a romance, please don't always make it tragic. Sometimes a tragic romance is beautiful and bittersweet. But when you already have characters who are damaged, bruised, touch starved, and need somebody to love and hold them, why are you making it extra tragic? Why are you making these characters so desperate for real happiness, then not giving it to them? That's dissatisfying, it's heart-wrenching in the worst of ways, and it makes audience's not want to go back and watch it again. Seriously, it hurts too much to watch. What a fucking concept: People don't like to constantly be sucker punched in the heart with endless suffering.

- Don't Create Unrealistic Expectations; These companies are trying so hard to keep their franchise a secret the day of the release; that I'm fine with. What I'm not fine with are what everyone else is forced to say to comply with said policy. They leave audience members with non-answers that give way to wild speculation, crazy different theories, and ultimately leads to everyone's disappointment. You don't want to reveal? Then simply say "I can't tell you." Or "I unfortunately can't talk about that, yet."

- Don't Fanservice; This goes in hand with the plot. If you have a multiple part series, you need to stick with your plan no matter what happens. Sometimes fans want a lot out of a story, which can be both a great and terrible thing. It shows interest in the project, but it also puts pressure on the creator to advance the plot lines the audience wants, and that could simply be too much for both the story and the creator. So stick with your gut, and only change a character or story arc if YOU decide that it's better that way.

These are all not necessarily for all three of them at the same time. Some are for two, some just for one, and some for all. Either way, they are things I have learned from being in these fandoms, spending so much time on each of them, and being brutally disappointed for varying reasons. 2019 has kicked my ass when it comes to fandoms and ships.

If anyone has any more they wish to add, feel free to give it a reblog with your own additions. I look forward to reading them.

Brother Bear Appreciation Week

Day 3: Favourite Quotes

I’m a simple woman.  All I want is a five years later epilogue with Bran visiting the Northern kingdom, looking over Jon and Sansa’s four children, and asking, “Is this all of them?  Where are the rest…?”