#anonymous force

There’s this one book I read in the first grade. No matter how long it’s been, I can still remember reading this book for the first time like it was yesterday. I was so scared, and yet, simultaneously fascinated. Its visuals were uncanny, and held no punches, but there was an earnest feeling to the pictures. Like a nostalgic dream, filled with child-like wonder and fear. Honestly, it was probably my earliest introduction to body horror, and the kinds of stories that could be told with it. I just couldn’t stop reading it, no matter how unsettled I felt. Like a train wreck going in slow motion. The protagonist of this book is one of the first characters I think I ever connected to, and consider kin. There’s just something about this story and her struggles that speaks to my soul, even from that young a age, so this story wriggled its way into the roots of my forming mind, and it’s never left. This story is very special to me, so I won’t spoil it for you. But if you are interested, I’m sure there’s readings of it on YouTube or virtual copies. It is probably one of the best displays of people-pleasing and the crippling-and often unnoticed-insecurity that feeds it that I have ever encountered. This particularly special story is A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon. I promise if you give it a read you won’t be disappointed.

@ask-good-cop-bad-cop this is part of @anonymous-force’s special gift just for you! I haven’t been in this community long, but you’ve one of the many things that have made my experience truly wonderful Ki! You put so much effort into being involved and have been a great friend so far! So I felt these silly doodles of mine were the least I could do to return some of that joy. I hope you like them as much as I liked making them for you! -Avi✈️

so.. have you ever thought about designing a plane? (fantasy? or realistic. not full on engineering of course) just for fun. what parts would you consider important?

Haaaiiiiii!!! I’m not going to lie to you Inertia, this was such a good question I genuinely spent a week pondering it! So to answer the first part; yes! I most definitely have dreamt of designing aircraft in general! Now here’s a quick warning going into the second question: THIS IS A MASSIVE AUTISM FUELED RANT. If you are not interested in hearing me yap about aircraft and how they’re portrayed in media; this is your warning. Click off now.

  Ok, non av-geeks gone? Lesdo this!

  So for me I’d say the most important parts in a aircraft design are:

Wings (or similarly functioning aerodynamic surfaces)

Propulsion mechanisms 

Stabilizers (Vertical & elevators) 

Liveries

Landing gears (optional)

  Starting out with the undeniably most important and identifiable feature of any aircraft: the Wings. Wings or similar aerodynamic surfaces are a must-have in design, for the simple reason that without them (except for rare cases) the vehicle will never leave the ground. For example, let’s look at the Millennium Falcon. As much as I love it, having rode the ride in Disney World, practically that rust bucket would’ve never left Tatooine. Not only is it bulky, but it lacks any lift-generating surfaces. Sure, the engines may be powerful enough to move it, but even in space, you need to generate lift, hence why most shuttles or rockets have at least small wings or stabilizers. Plus, a good wing design can make an incredibly identifiable aircraft when designed correctly. There are watsonian ways to work around wings if you’d really like to, like maybe a civilization that invented powerful hover technology using idk magic crystals and their aircraft no longer need wings, instead utilizing the ground effect. That’s a really cool idea that makes sense in the context of the story, and adds a touch of world building on the side! (I’m a sucker for good world building) But in most cases, adding wings is never a bad idea, and there are plenty of options to choose from already, or you can just come up with your own! Just make sure it makes sense in the context of the world if you decide to get creative. 

  Next, we gotta bring in the power. Yea wings are always smart, but if the aircraft can’t go it’s basically useless. Engines are the pow behind the wing’s punch, and are vital to almost all aircraft assembly. Though there’s a lot more options than just engines. Going back to the hover crystal example, the hover technology employed is similar to that of a helicopter, and has the added perk of dual propulsion and lift systems. In non-technical terms, the wings and propulsion are combined into one, and function similarly to a helicopter with its blades. Propulsion can be obtained by many methods, whether it be the modern jet-engine or a steam powered flapping mechanism. Propulsion is the energy of the equation, the spark that allows a plane to truly soar. So often in media I see engines without wings or wings without engines, but the two are yin and yang, and one cannot simply exist without the other. Without thrust, there’s no momentum, and it renders a craft devoid of purpose. 

  Now I know what you’re thinking, “Stabilizers?! Those things are so hard to draw in perspective, and aren’t they purely aesthetic anyway?” And I completely get that! Stabilizers are hard to draw; I’ve tried! But they are so much more than just a throwaway aesthetic! I’m saying it here and now, and drawing my line in the sand. Let it be marked: Unless given proper story reason to not have them, a lack of stabilizers is lazy. It’s so frustrating! I almost never see stabilizers outside of live action, and they deserve much more love, considering they are the only thing that keeps an aircraft stable in flight! Just Google aircrashes caused by stabilizer failure! Similar to the naming convention of the liver, the stabilizers keep the plane stable and steerable. Without them, it’s game over. I should clarify, however that stabilizers are made up of two stabilizing elements: Vertical and Elevators. The vertical stabilizer allows the aircraft to turn left and right, and the elevators enable the plane to rotate up and down. There are many different ways to integrate stabilizers in a design, and the stabilizers you choose will say a lot about how the aircraft handles in flight and what it was made to do! For example, some aircraft don’t need vertical stabilizers, instead only employing elevators and advanced wing flaps, such as the B2 spirit bomber, or the vertical stabilizer is fused with the elevators, as seen in aircraft like the CRJ-700. Going back to the magic hover aircraft example, since the hover planes utilize the ground effect, they also can take the place of a vertical stabilizer. This can be accomplished by adjusting the thrust in each hover mechanism to create asymmetrical thrust, allowing for turning. Sure, you’d still have to design elevators, but if implemented correctly they could act like mock-wings. They could have their own flaps and trailing edges, allowing for gliding if the hover tech ever failed in flight! (I am having so much fun with this oh my skies!) 

  Ahhh, liveries. The creative pinash of an airplane. Liveries are the makeup of the aviation world. You can say so much through a livery, or lack there of! Liveries can foreshadow plot events, provide identity to an aircraft, give an impression of the company which employs the aircraft, the era and values of which the liveries were emblematic of, and spice up sets when they’re in the background! So often I see generic, simple liveries that were clearly an afterthought. If that’s what you were going for as a creative choice that’s fine! But you can add so much world building and lore with some simple effort! Is the livery old or outdated, in need of retouching; or is it hot off the presses, chic and brand new! What kind of airline is this? Does it have a recognizable brand, or is it a cozy regional service? Maybe the livery can be used to make subtle jokes or hint at what’s to come? The possibilities are endless, and there’s so much untapped potential in the overlooked art of liveries! And as you’re probably expecting, we call upon once again our futuristic hover plane! Maybe in this age of innovation, the plane is a sleek white, complementary of the glowing hover crystals that give it life! And perhaps it alludes to this in a sleek, minimalist style inspired by the art deco of the 1920s with a modern flair! This could give an idea of the society that created this craft, being sleek and educated; prosperous but rigid in its ways. And I think we all know of the hardships the came with the depression at the end of the 1920s. The livery gives a look at a society at its peak, while also hinting at its decline. Add some subtle metaphors in the imagery, and you’ve got it! Or maybe it’s a society in the middle of a war, so its design is brutalist and utilitarian. Maybe the crystals were mined as part of the war effort, and this is the newest stealth patrol aircraft monitoring the skies of a peoples under siege. The color scheme muted to draw attention away from the crystal’s dangerous glow. So many possibilities! Just remember to show not tell, and when in doubt: less is more! 

  And finally we have reached the last detail. The landing gear (or landing mechanism in general) at this point you are well aware that I am a sucker for intuitive design, and so the same logic applies to a land mechanism. Maybe they were built to land in harsh terrain, or be extendable legs activated by proximity to the ground. A landing mechanism gives an idea of what the machine does when it’s in downtime, and how long that downtime could last. I personally feel that our example aircraft would have perpetual power, even when out of service. The reason being that the aircraft can use the ground effect to float just above the ground, and it’s cheaper to leave the crystals running at reduced power than to shut off the aircraft. She’s ready to fly at a moment’s notice, and a workhorse built for duty. 

I saw your post in legomovieheadcanons-daily! very interesting... now let's get to details! I wonder how they discovered that they have DID. how old were they at the time and what was their first reaction? how exactly Good helped them process their trauma? and did they get along well? it's a curious question, because you mentioned something about Bad appreciating Good /again/ in the end.

by the way, just like Bad Cop has anger issues, does Good have his own defence mechanisms? and how did Ma and Pa react to their son being a system? did they know about their trauma and how did they try to help them?

back to the movie: do you think they saw evil in Lord Business' plans before he revealed the Kragle? what did they think about everything he'd been doing to masterbuilders? his betrayal was the last straw, but how exactly did it shake BC, was it just the fact that he sacrificed everything for nothing?

that's it for now. BUT don't limit yourself, I want to know all of your headcanons! >:D I'll look into them and pester you with new questions later!

 (Psychology is one of my special interests and DID is one of the disorders that intrigued me, so prepare for technical terms!) Well, that’s a bit complicated. So in order to understand my reasoning for this we have to understand how I envision them becoming this way and it happened because of a house fire. It was late at night, and Alex(bad) was asleep in his room, when the electricity shorted, and it caused an appliance to catch fire. Alex was woken up by the smoke, and could hear the fire. No matter how loud he screamed for his parents, they wouldn’t come. He was alone. Being a terrified 5-year old this was a reasonable assumption to make! The fire didn’t last long; and didn’t make it very close to his room. But by the time Ma and Pa had put the fire out and gotten to baby Bad’s room, the damage was done.

After the fire, he began to lash out a lot, and have frequent tantrums, especially anytime his parents left. He became very clingy! Ma and Pa saw this, and recognized that their son was having a hard time. So began to take off work in increments so one was always home with Alex. His emotions were big and scary, and he began to struggle to keep them in check. This is around where he started to develop latent DID (more info in this article: https://care-clinics.com/the-lesser-known-forms-of-dissociative-identity-disorder/?noamp=mobile) Ma and Pa noticed him zoning out a lot more, especially after tantrums or stressful situations. They really started getting concerned when the depersonalization started happening. Alex began to forget his name and became unable to recognize or recall details about himself. He would forget large swaths of time and his personality was in flux. He said it felt like he was “Dream walking” and that there was “a confused fairy in my head”. Bad thought good was a fairy when he first showed up lol! (Which makes sense when you consider he’s Irish and also 5)His parents thought he had an imaginary friend until an incident he had with Pa (that I might write a fic about later). TL;DR: Pa nearly jumped out of his skin when his son’s head flipped around, revealing he now had two faces. Ma was working when this happened, so Pa grabbed a very confused bad and dashed to the nearest hospital. The doctor confirmed that bad was a completely healthy, albeit difficult patient (we both know he was not gonna tolerate getting prodded by a doctor). And bad seemed to have calmed down! That was, until a very disoriented and confused Alexander (good) switched in. Let’s just say the doctor was thankful he wore his brown pants to work that day. Ma finally arrived not long after, to the elation of an exhausted Pa. A psychologist came to see the boys, and that’s how they got diagnosed with DID. Their parents were a bit shaken at first, but once they got their bearings they learned everything available to them to help their sons! It was an adjustment, but they love their sons with all their hearts! Not much was available in the way of treatment or resources, so they kinda had to wing it! They got the boys a journal so they could communicate (an idea which I totally didn’t steal from @differentsublimephantom ! I would never! 😇), enrolled them in a private school for children with neurological disorders (it was close to home, in Lego world DID is a more common disorder. It’s still incredibly rare, but not to the extent it is in the real world), and began going to therapy with them twice a month to get their trauma in check. They had to grow into it, but overall their parents were incredibly supportive! As for the boys? Well, they were very little at the time, so when their parents said they were brothers Alex didn’t question it! He had to get used to sharing his body, but he became very attached to Alexander! He became incredibly protective of his new brother, and stood up for Alexander when he couldn’t find the right words. Alex loved to play with his brother, and wrote to him in their journal often. When they were more practiced in communicating with each other, Alex would talk aloud to his brother, narrating almost everything he did. Alexander helped him keep a level head, and made the emotions and memories bearable. Though Alexander’s trickster tendencies did get on his nerves from time to time, he knows he’s not the easiest to deal with either. He can’t remember the trauma exactly, and though he may not admit it out loud, he really does love his little brother. He wouldn’t know what to do without him. Because without him, he’d be all alone.

Alexander was pretty anomic at first, especially on the memory side. But even from the start his personality was distinct! His parents helped him develop when he switched out, teaching him the same they taught his brother. Alexander also grew incredibly attached to his parents, and admired them greatly. It was like Alexander was an adopted son, and he loved his new family. And he loves his big brother. In his eyes, they’re two halves of the same whole. And he’s got so much to be happy about! Croissants, his parents, coconut donuts, puppy breath…this new world is awesome. Earlier on, he would switch in every time Alex was distressed, especially scared. He acted as an emotional shield for Alex. When the world became too much for his brother, Alexander was always there for him, taking his place and allowing him refuge and comfort. This often meant he was thrust into all sorts of uncomfortable situations. And what happens when you get thrown into scary situations and don’t know how to react? Contrary to popular belief, there is actually four different reactions: Fight, flight, freeze, or appease. And Alexander learned to do the latter. If Bad couldn’t handle a situation, Good was much better off mitigating the situation and cleaning up Bad’s mess than fueling the flames. His brother’s been through a lot, and Alexander knows he can’t stand being alone. Nowadays they have better control of their switching, but Alexander maintained the stronger switch control of the two, enabling him to come out as he pleases. Though if a situation does get too rough, Alexander switching in is involuntary. He enjoys his conversations with Alex, and loves to play tricks every once in awhile! Alex may not be the easiest to get along with, with his grouchy moods and propensity for bossiness, but Alex is his grump. And he knows his brother loves him, even if he doesn’t show it. They would come up with all kinds of games together, though their favorite was Good cop, Bad cop. They would come up with crimes, and would play cops finding the answers. Just like Ma and Pa.

Now I’m gonna take less of a in character writing approach for this, because we know what happens next. We have a rough idea of the atrocities GCBC goes onto commit. But originally? They didn’t see much evil in business’s plans. He was eccentric, sure, but he wasn’t wrong originally. At least in the eyes of the cops. This plays into my Emmet hcs (get this post to at least 15 notes no spam and I’ll post my Em hcs + a deep dive into the cop’s cruiser’s’ general air worthiness as a treat if it gets over 15 notes) but the masterbuilders kinda sucked for the general population in the times before the Octan regime. They had no respect for public property or the lives they could be affecting with their building. All they cared about was themselves. (Once again I’ll get into detail on the philosophy I have on this in the Em hcs) And the non-builders were powerless against them. It was utter lawless chaos, and it upset the cops to no end. So when an influential businessman with political aspirations approached the men the precinct assigned to escort him in public with the seemingly altruistic motive to restore order and justice for those they swore to protect and the resources to finally get the builder problem in check? They couldn’t resist! Business was always motivated by world domination, but the cops? They originally just wanted to do their civil duty and service the people struggling with the builder crisis. But business was a cunning man, and through a cocktail of manipulation, workplace abuse, gaslighting, and enabling he slowly radicalized the cops to his cause. It started small, but business slowly pushed them further towards the edge, reaching deep into their psyche and implementing his wicked agenda on them. All with the hope of bringing out the worst in them, and amplifying the negative traits they had that were useful to him. No, they didn’t see evil, they thought they were working for the betterment of Bricksburg. It wasn’t until the Kragle that they both were truly questioning business and his intentions.

He was the one who insisted that they go by Good and Bad, because they were perfect nicknames! Yea totally not a way to psychologically detach your consciousness from your crimes so you don’t question it while also acting as a dehumanizing tactic to reinforce the narrative and negative mindset he wants you to have! He would never! It’s totally your fault Bad cop that the masterbuilders caused a house to collapse! If you had just done your job correctly and kept your brother in check you could’ve brought these evil people in and he wouldn’t have to threaten you like this! The pressure got to the cops, and as businesses slowly molded them into the character we see in the movie, a rift develops between them. This is exacerbated by when LB pushed them beyond the point of no return. He demanded they torture a masterbuilder to get intel on the location of…some no good dangerous artifact the builders are  gonna use to end the world. Good had his doubts about business, and though he’s still loyal to him this was objectively wrong. Even if they possessed a world ending weapon, this wasn’t the way to get that information. Their mission is good, but this isn’t. Maybe there’s another way? Bad never questioned it. Why couldn’t his dumb brother get with the program?! They had a job to do and people to protect, and this is the way to do it! Why won’t he just get out of the way?! Good eventually conceded to Bad and went along with the torture, but for Bad all this incident did was affirm everything business had told him. Alexander was holding them back. A useless waste of brain space! He doesn’t need him! In frustration he kicked the chair they were sitting on. It became habit.

As mentioned in the hc post, Bad nosedived after the Q-tip. I wanted to clarify what I meant by that here so my answer to your final question makes sense. Bad also began to doubt business in the Kragle scene, but was acting out of a combination of self preservation and loyalty towards business. When Alexander’s face was erased, it didn’t get rid of him. Instead it caused him to regress into an anomic state and go dormant like he did when their DID was still in its latent phase. Bad felt horrible about this, but he also couldn’t help but feel relieved. Finally, free to act as he pleases! So he performs a massive sting in the old west. And proceeds to have one of the worst capture days since his first attempt at capturing Benny and the other space people. As he’s falling into the ravine in his car turned baby carriage his rage swings in at full force. And he has to face the brunt of it all alone. In that moment he remembers how deafening silence could be. But no matter, he’s got a tracker on the special! And if he’s correct it’ll lead him directly to the remaining masterbuilder’s hideout! Business would be so pleased if he came back with a boat load of masterbuilders and the special! That would surely make up for his earlier failure to apprehend and maintain containment of the special and his cohorts! But…that’s not why he started doing this. He did this to protect and serve…and he is, isn’t he? A civil servant wouldn’t Kragle his own parents. I-It’s the darn masterbuilder’s fault! If they hadn’t caused this trouble to begin with he wouldn’t have to do any of this! It’s their fault he’s the bad guy. It’s their fault Alexander’s gone, and those darn turkeys are gonna pay. 

So Bad is in the middle of an “Am I actually the bad guy?” crisis from Cloud Cookoo Land till the think tank scene when he has the epiphany. Yea sure he was doing some undeniably horrible things but it was all for the greater good of Oct-no Bricksburg! Who is he protecting?!The people, or Business? So the jokes he made while invading CCL was rationalizing and that’s why he seemed so off kilter.

And that leads into your final question. When business betrayed him he didn’t snap just because of everything he sacrificed. His entire worldview came crumbling down. All these years, all the obvious signs he ignored, all these memories and actions recontextualized under the lenses of his new perspective. Business never wanted to help the people; he used them to seize control! They really were the Bad guy! Alexander was right, and he’s gone because Alex couldn’t protect him! And now on top of that he’s going to die, and he’s going to die alone!? If I was in his shoes I’d go into psychosis just thinking about it. And that’s how Alexander came back. Alex was so overwhelmed by the swell of emotions that it triggered Alexander, just like when they were kids. But without a face, he couldn’t front. It’s not like Alexander had the strength to anyway. In his…abstracted state he couldn’t put much together thought wise. But he was there for Alex all the same. When Alex felt that weak presence in his mind, it was the greatest moment of his adult life. It gave him the boost his needed to fight off the skeletrons, and I think you know how it goes from there!

After freedom Friday, it was made clear Alexander had regressed significantly due to the trauma. With the support of his parents, and the fellowship of strangers, the cops returned to therapy to help fix up Alexander and work through the years of abuse inflicted on them by business. Alexander, though still clearly himself, was never quite the same afterwards. But Alex didn’t care. His brother was back, and he finally remembered why he appreciated his brother, and doesn’t plan on loosing him ever again. By now the two have gone through extensive therapy, and though they’ll never be the same as they were before Business, they’re both functional and together. And that’s all they’ll ever need.