#but they also both have extremely strict moral codes

[autistichalsin]

I'm sorry, like, I can legit understand where quite a few criticisms of Halsin come from even if I don't agree, but when people get upset that he's a bad leader, I just-

You guys. That's literally the point. The entire point is that he is unable to balance his own moral compass with the strict requirements of Druidic leadership, leaving him with the worst of both worlds, because he can't find a way to act that satisfies everyone. (A lot of) non-Druids see him as too obsessed with nature at the cost of people, and (a lot of) his Druids think he's weak and ineffective. The Grove does as good, if not better, without him around because his successor is able to adhere to Druidic code, preventing discordance. Halsin comments on this several times.

He struggles the entire time with being a devoted worshipper of Silvanus, (who is the god of wild nature in particular and doesn't even care that much about "balance" between nature and humanity, though Halsin clearly does a great deal), and his deep love of humanity- caring so much about others, about suffering, even about suffering that is entirely the result of the problems with civilization.

The entire reason he gets the much-maligned arc about hating the city isn't because "lol hippies", it's because it is the ultimate stress test for his priorities- and what ultimately illuminates his solution. Let the people in need be at the forefront while also getting a chance to serve nature as he loves so much. Him creating his commune isn't just running away from a romanced player- it's him balancing his need to serve the greater good with his struggles with leadership with his love of nature with his love of humanity. And this provides the best solution.

And he agrees with the assessment that he wasn't meant to be a leader, at least not in the Druidic order; if a romanced player tells him his new dream suits him, he softly says, "better than Archdruid ever did. The old teachings could never have foreseen this world."

Halsin isn't bad at all kinds of leadership, if you look closely at OTHER situations where he takes the lead outside of being Archdruid. It's just that weighing his beliefs vs those of the Druids left him unable to act effectively. If he's no longer constrained by those rival beliefs, he shows himself to be extremely effective, and his kindness and compassion guide him to helping those the most in need.

There is, after all, a reason that the first thing we learn about Halsin is that he took a group of Tiefling refugees into his Grove- a highly unusual act for the leader of a Druidic circle. It was all foreshadowing, all along, that his soft heart was going to be in DEEP conflict with the harder nature of the Druids.

That is literally his entire arc. Snarking that Halsin isn't great as an Archdruid is like snarking that Shadowheart seems unable to fully commit to worshipping Shar.

[thestartarot]

Capricorn north node & Cancer south node analysis:

Your destiny point: independence, happiness, growing into responsibility and authority, leaving a legacy in your work. Learning to trust yourself and embrace your ambitions. Be unapologetic, the family doesn’t own you anymore.

What you have to overcome: feeling an extreme lack of safety. Nobody saves you except you. Authority issues

Childhood: ** trigger warning, talk of emotional abuse

Individuals with this placement didn’t have a positive family experience as a child. One or both parents were often very emotionally and mentally abusive, forcing these individuals to always be in a state of “reading the room” for hints of unpleasant emotions because the family was so volatile. In addition, this placement is rebellious and often times they are THE MOST rebellious when everything is fine in their life and they are feeling safe. It really is behavior that was engrained in childhood. It’s very hard for these individuals to understand that things can be fine and safe and not feel like the floor could fall out at any minute. As a child, they probably felt a tad bit uncomfortable with feelings of security, happiness, and joy because as quickly as those wonderful feelings happened, they were quickly destroyed by an abusive family member.

<tarot observation> pulling The Moon in a “fears” placement of a spread

May have also struggled going to school because school was full of strangers and the individual couldn’t read their surroundings often thinking the worst before school. May have also been bullied because of issues with the family (strict, overtly religious, not religious, black sheep family.) the home environment is definitely a dichotomy, because they hate to be there but don’t want to leave.

When getting in trouble, this placement will over explain their side because in the childhood home, mistakes had to be so justified and reasoned to survive.

In the song, “Living the Dream” Sturgill Simpson sings, “Living the dream makes a man want to scream” reminding me of this placement. Also, Big K.R.I.T’s song “Mixed Messages”

May have an angel like appearance. People tend to fight over this child.

Adult:

Despite a tough childhood, this placement is actually very ambitious and successful and will work tirelessly to build a home full of safety and comforts, but it’s a double edged sword because when it’s too quiet or too happy, individuals will replay their parents, feeling a need to disrupt the peace and change something or leave causing emotional abuse to those around them. Individuals with this placement need to learn they don’t have to leave and they don’t always have to feel included. They can literally just be. a. person.

They often struggle with emotional identification and may borrow emotions from others, may even have imaginary friends as a child and into adulthood, because they would rather be together in a sad emotion than alone in one. This is why it’s so hard to stay peaceful with this placement because the cancer south node fills this individual with insecurity. It’s almost like with this placement safety doesn’t exist or felt rarely…. So why not act out?? Developing a strong sense of self will help this placement. Self discipline and self discovery needs to be learned.

Very gangster like qualities to this placement. This placement is probably a talented artist, writer, actor, executive, manager, politician, lawyer, professor, or in law enforcement.

***women with this placement may experience issues with male control from childhood into adulthood.

How to overcome:

Self actualization is key. A stable sense of self. Let the abusive family go. Cut contact. Know that the family can’t save you. Quit being pessimistic. Observe needed moments for a rebellious approach. Believe in a moral code that guides them in a good direction. This placement needs to let go of the pain and welcome the happiness that is available to them as long as they can stay away from the pitfalls of childhood and a rough start into adulthood. RECEIVE LOVE. Also, needs to stop being so critical of themselves and over explaining when they have messed up. Forgive oneself. Individuals need to understand that they are included within oneself and they belong to themselves. You are your own authority and you’re not always responsible for how someone feels. &&&& use the intuition required for survival in childhood as a strength in adulthood.

Also, know that there is room for you too ❤️

More North and South Node threads coming & also Chiron analysis

— Casper

[doberbutts]

Hey there! Before I begin, I totally understand if you aren't comfortable with answering questions about this. Feel free to delete this ask.

Would you mind describing the treatment of animals you saw when you were in Mennonite communities? I've heard Amish and Mennonite communities treat them more like tools than living creatures.....

Yes, Mennonites and Amish largely treat their animals as tools and a means to an end rather than like living creatures deserving of their own respect. Understand that this is very much hard-coded into the religion and culture itself, so it is a difficult mindset to combat. Even Mennonite-adjacent communities often treat their animals in a similar manner, even if they say that they don't like that type of ownership, because of the same.

In the Christian Bible, there are a lot of verses about man having dominion over the earth and nature existing to do two things: worship God and serve Man. And Anabaptists in general believe that the best way to worship God is through hard manual physical labor and rejecting any and all paths that make this labor easy. It's why the Amish don't do electricity, for a rather extreme example, but it's also why many of these communities seem addicted to the ideals of "work" and "discipline" being the way to a Godly life.

So... if animals exist to serve Man and worship God, and the best way to worship God is through hard manual labor and rigid discipline (read: punishment) for anyone who steps out of line, it follows suit that the animals are not treated particularly kindly.

Don't get me wrong. These communities are also filled with horrific human rights violations. From child labor to forced marriage and impregnation to abandonment of the elderly and disabled to rampant domestic and sexual abuse to denial of education and medicine... this is not just an animal problem. I know I'm running an animal blog, but it's really important that if I talk about the way they treat their animals, I also have to talk about the way they treat the women, the children, the elderly, the disabled, and anyone who dares think outside of their strict rules. The care for the animals is just a symptom of the same problem.

It is my experience that the Amish are worse about it than the Mennonites, but they are also sort of cut from the same cloth so various communities of either can really vary widely. Animals are expendable. They serve their purpose and then they die and the owners get a new one. Dogs, cats, horses, livestock, doesn't matter. Most of these animals are not pets and, even if they are, they are not pets in the same way that my dogs are pets. If they get sick, letting them die or killing them outright is usually the path taken instead of medicine. If medicine is used, it's what can be purchased from a trip to the local farm store, not actual doctors and prescriptions.

Unfortunately, pretty much every attempt to fix this problem has been met with "it's my religion" and thus it continues to be an issue. Again, I have to stress, this is a religious problem, there are very specific verses they are using to justify this. It also does not help that their religion teaches that "the world" (anyone outside of their local church community) will try to lead them astray by telling them their religion and religious practices are morally wrong, and so pretty much any "hey maybe don't work the horses on the plow until they literally fall over dead" or "hey maybe breeding hundreds of dogs per year with no vet care or oversight is not the nicest way to do this" is met with "THE DEVIL is trying to tell me THE WAY I SERVE GOD is WRONG, clearly this is an attack directly on my soul" and not like. "Maybe you are right and I should be nicer to my animals and not work them to death and provide vet care when they're sick and injured"

This is why I call both Amish and Mennonites cultists. You have to have experienced the religion and culture firsthand to understand how this all hooks together. It's not so simple as just improving the law because these communities believe they are not bound by the law in the first place.

[onepiece-polls]

One Piece Shipping War - Round 2 Side D

MiShanks art by @oz-gauze. Check out the original post here.

Propaganda under the cut.

Propaganda for Iceburg x Paulie:

"I find the 'IcePaulie' ship in the "One Piece" fandom particularly compelling, and there are several reasons for this. Firstly, the two characters involved, Iceburg and Paulie, are wonderfully complex and engaging. Iceburg, as the mayor of Water 7 and president of Galley-La Company, is a serious, highly respected figure whose calm and composed demeanor grounds the duo. On the other hand, Paulie, one of the company's top foremen, is known for his strict moral code and boisterous nature, which provides a perfect contrast to Iceburg's character. What I appreciate most about the 'IcePaulie' ship is the potential for dynamic interactions and growth that arise from these contrasting personalities. The calm, collected Iceburg and the more hot-blooded Paulie provide a balanced character interaction, which can lead to interesting conflicts or heartwarming moments of mutual understanding and respect. Moreover, their shared commitment to their work within the Galley-La Company serves as a common ground that bonds them together, further enriching their relationship. In conclusion, the 'IcePaulie' ship, to me, is about more than just a potential romantic or platonic relationship. It's about the exploration of two distinct characters, their individual quirks, values, and the unique dynamic that forms between them. This interplay of personalities and the potential narrative arc their relationship could follow are what make the 'IcePaulie' ship truly captivating to me."

It's one of my fav ship not including the big 5 so 👉👈 It's really damn adorable and romantic, like just paulie being extremely overprotective and iceburg just loving him more everytime. And how they deal with the others shenanigans (that they love)

Propaganda for Shanks x Mihawk:

They had a massive battle at one point, when mihawk showed up on that island where shanks was relaxing shanks convinced him to get drunk with him very easily, also in the war of the best mihawk just flat out said he refused to fight shanks

Goth swordsmith & Golden retriever

Two of the most badass characters in the whole series, cat/dog energy, the fact that Mihawk specifically sought Shanks out to show him Luffy's bounty??, also Mihawk leaving the fight because he didn't sign up to fight Shanks??, I love two middle aged man who are somehow friends AND MAYBE MORE lmao

They’re so funny to me. Like seriously goth Mihawk and happy chaotic Shanks. I just think they could be so good together

Rivals to lovers -- Powerhouses -- Introvert and extrovert -- Mihawk wears red and has black hair while Shanks wears black and has red hair like ✨Color schemes✨ -- SAME BIRTHDAY YOU CAN'T CONVINCE ME THEY DON'T CELEBRATE IT TOGETHER

They are rivals. They are besties. They are so friggin gay for each other. It's DILF love.

what if we were both swordsmen but you lost your arm to save the future king of the pirates so i have remained SOOO bitter about it but then find out the kid u saved has a promising swordsman so im less bitter so i go drink with you and you force me to ditch my wine for booze but it works because you care about me despite my solitary life so we remained long distance bfs and think about each other constantly. is that something

Mihawk being a recluse but going out of his way to visit his bf regularly is proof enough

[just-sp-in-inginthevoid]

Autistic Kakucho propaganda because I need to convince someone:

Loyalty (no need to explain that one)

Honesty (same thing)

When he first meets Izana he tells him "You'll get bullied too if you talk to me". Ofc we could say that he got bullied because of his scar, but also, autistic mood + the "leave me alone" he said before, if he's ostracized then he's going to ostracized himself first - no need to be hurt bc people don't want to interact with him if he doesn't want to interact with them first

When Izana tells him to live for him + give them their King and Servant roles, he takes it as unmalleable truth (literal thinking). Sure, it could also be bc Kakucho desperately needed to find something to live for since he was very suicidal at this time. Perhaps a mix of both

If I had his earring I'd stim the fuck out of it. It looks extremely stimmable.

Not saying Izana is his special interest but he def arranges his entire days and life around Izana and what Izana wants/needs. His entire drive force is Izana

The same way you can't convince me that he doesn't follow a routine every day on when to train, when to cook (for Izana), when to clean,...

When Izana dies, his entire routine is thrown off balance (and lack of the meaning it had. How is he supposed to wake Izana when Izana's not there? When he doesn't live in the same place he lived before? Not to mention his grief is also present and impacting him)

Strict moral code and determined to follow it, strong sense of Justice may also be present

Would bend his morals for Izana (bc undying loyalty is prioritized; the most strict moral Kakucho has, perhaps? No betrayal no matter how small (no betrayal is ever small)? To keep following "the man [he] offered [his] life to into hell, if that’s where his path leads"?) but his undying loyalty won't budge even if he disagrees with Izana. If you disagree with Izana and he does too he's going to stop you rather than Izana (and ofc he'd try to rationalize Izana but if it doesn't work, it doesn't work)

Keeps a blank face most of the time

Has no interest forming new relationships, only did because Izana asked him to (Ran to South, chapter 227: "Kakucho ain’t gonna listen to you. In fact, he wasn’t really one of us until Izana told him to be")

Either no sense or twisted sense of danger (went to a Yakuza hideout to train (Rindo's failure story) and when Kisaki shot him he ran towards him)

Didn't see the problem with the Haitani standing out/asking for a different color for their uniforms (not really something NT people can't do, but can also be him missing a social clue)

High pain tolerance

Most of the time doesn't wear a shirt -> can only handle some textures; would rather not have to wear one (I can go VERY FAR to justify something, do not test me)

Uhhhhh... That's all I can think of for now

@chaoticdelinqueerwithglitter

[hiding1ntheforest]

Sexuality in Saxony: The Germanic Perspective on Promiscuity, Love and Lust

One frequently misrepresented aspect of Germanic society is the view on promiscuity, marriage and sex. The attitude of the Germanic peoples as represented in secular culture is vastly different than its historic counterpart. Television and cinema depict the Germanic peoples, especially the Norse, as unchaste, polyamorous and sexual. However, we have a variety of literary sources such as law codes and sagas which highlight the true perspective of these topics at the time. The entertainment industry often focuses on the Viking era (8th-11th centuries), so this post will focus on what we know from this period. It should be noted that the Viking Age is not necessarily the “golden age” of thriving Germanic paganism. Nonetheless, sources show that the society still had very strict moral guidelines in this realm. This post will provide some insight into the authentic attitude of the Germanic peoples in regard to marriage and procreation, as well as how these misrepresentations may have come about.

Tacitus

The Roman historian Tacitus dedicates an entire portion of his work “Germania” to the marital and sexual lives of the Germanic tribes. He wrote this piece during the 1st century when the peoples were still strongly traditionally pagan. This work highlights how strongly valued marriage between one man and woman was. Additionally, both men and women were expected to remain celibate until they become wife and husband. Intimate relations were viewed as having one purpose- procreation. It was also viewed as “extremely wicked” to limit the number of one’s children through abortion. Remaining chaste until marriage allowed the tribe’s youth to maintain their mental and physical strength as well as learn how to turn away from lustful temptations. When a couple was wedded, they were both mature and prepared enough to engage in an activity which may result in an offspring, furthering the legacy of the clan. Prostitution was forbidden and women who had intimate partners outside of marriage were shunned from society as well as ineligible to marry. Adultery was a highly punishable offense and any woman who betrayed her spouse in such a way would have her hair cut off by her husband as well as humiliated in front of the entire village. Tacitus concludes this section by writing “Good morality is more effective in Germany than good laws are elsewhere.”

Marriage

Fathers had a heavy say in who their daughter would marry. Marriages were often times arranged, though the father would have to approve of the young woman’s spouse in order for the marriage to go through anyway. If the woman’s father had passed then another male figure would have to grant approval, such as an uncle or brother. In some cases, a widow who would like to remarry would seek the approval of her son. Both parties were expected to be monogamous and faithful to one another. However, it was not uncommon for men of a higher status to seek concubines and have extramarital relations. A concubine would never be eligible to marry due to the great class difference between her and the man. Women were not permitted to have relations outside of the marriage and this was grounds for divorce. A man would also be punished if he slept with another man’s wife. Some marriages were strategic. Fathers would marry off their daughters to the man he felt would most bring the family economic prosperity or political influence. Despite this, a woman’s opinion on her potential partner was still taken into account and acknowledged. This is clearly an important element to a relationship, especially with concern of longevity, as reflected in the sagas. From Iceland to England, we also have a number of romantic poetic pieces from this time (though English poetry was especially heavily Christianized by this time.) Cultic veneration of love and fertility Gods and Godessses also highlights the importance of romance, sensuality, and family. The sanctity of love is reflected in the mythology, runes, and other literature from that time.

Promiscuity

As mentioned previously, any act of promiscuity brought great consequences. For women, it meant being extremely socially stigmatized, unable to marry, and humiliation. For men of a higher status, it was not encouraged but it happened, as was the case in a variety of cultures. Although prostitution was penalized according to Tacitus, there is no historical documentation of prostitution being an issue at all among the Germanic peoples, so it is unlikely that this was a widespread occurrence. In a saga of a later date, there is a tale of noble women being sold into prostitution under the reign of a new king. Promiscuity was extremely frowned upon primarily due to the view of sex being an act for the purpose of procreation and having a child outside of wedlock was viewed as abhorrent. Additionally, marriage and love was conceived as a divine act between one man and one woman, anything different is transgressing against divine law.

Conclusion

The entertainment industry portrays our ancestors as immoral, lustful hedonists, though sources from that time illustrate the opposite. Tacitus demonstrates the strict societal customs pertaining to relationships and intimacy among the Germanic tribes of the 1st century. Later sources show that much of these ideas were still intact even towards the decline of authentic paganism. To our ancestors, marriage and intimacy were linked while ensuring the success of the tribe. Promiscuity was an anomaly, though strongly punished when it occurred. Literary attestations disprove the modern narrative surrounding such topics.

[beskarfrog]

Controversial lukewarm take on the Jedi Order

I’ve seen a lot of posts floating around about how the Jedi Order needed to change and other posts rebuffing them as an attempt to make the Jedi Order conform to western ideals. I think both sides are valid, but more because they’re both religious interpretations rather than one is more morally correct or more adherent to canon. It’s also really funny to me because I don’t think either of these groups would think of themselves as religious fundamentalists or progressives. 

So let’s take a look at these positions from a more religious studies influenced standpoint. Within canon, there are already varying degrees of adherence to the Jedi code and interpretations of it. If we take Luke’s situation at the end of RotJ, we have one man trying to resurrect a religion with little more guidance than old texts he finds and a few months of training. My dudes, that’s how we get cults in the real world. I find it extremely unlikely that Luke wouldn’t reinterpret the Jedi principles within his own context and experiences. What that would look like, I will leave to the fanfic writers and lore speculators.

Even if the Empire never happened, I feel like the Jedi would have changed post-Clone Wars. Could they have started to encourage a more familial structure that allowed for Jedi to pursue relationships and have children in response to the trauma of the war? Yes. Could they have fallen back on an even more strict interpretation of the Jedi Code as a way to regain their principles and withdraw from Republic affiliation? Yes. Could there be two different groups that split into different Jedi Orders because they interpret the Will of the Force differently? This is probably the most realistic outcome. All of these are valid and reasonable responses to a messy situation.

Religion is always in a state of flux and response to the world. That doesn’t mean it completely abandons its principles to conform to the culture that surrounds it, but it often adapts to survive, especially in times of crisis. Syncretism happens. Moral standards change over time. Power structures may have to be dismantled to better serve the needs of the people.

The Old Jedi Order could have fantastic principles and still need to change, like real religions. I don’t really feel like this change is something to mourn for losing the old ways or to celebrate by branding it as progressive. It’s like evolution, where we’re not heading toward some perfect end goal, we’re just trying to survive. Change is inevitable.

This is all to say that the Star Wars fandom is doing what religious people have done for centuries and doing it very well. These are fantastic theological debates on Jedi orthodoxy and orthopraxy!

[advertingpizza]

You were informed about Cyareclones scamming, ( they also bully artists, they were called out for having a discord server where they mocked, laughed and bullied SW artists) and you allow to get attacked by them

Odd, considering that you were didn’t support them anymore (now deleted, I wonder) but go off ig. Just shows that the SW community accepts and supports problematic and harmful creators because of their art/large platform. Good day 👋🏿

first thing's first, please stop stalking my accounts.

i felt extremely pressured into posting it in the beginning out of the fear of being harassed if i didn't (point very proven lol), so i deleted a few mornings ago in the middle of the night because i couldn't sleep and felt so icky about it. i have a very strict moral code and genuinely just don't like being involved in internet controversy so i deleted it :/ if that boundary is enough for you to be upset with me, idk what to tell you.

more below

i don't like that you're actively stalking my socials just because of this, it makes me genuinely uncomfortable and this is my formal request for you to stop. if you're trying to convince others that someone is bad, you probably shouldn't stoop down to their level. blackmailing and fear-mongering are both horrible things to use to manipulate others.

just so we're clear, here's the original!

i deleted this long before anything even happened with cyareclones quite honestly because i looked into it and didn't want to be involved. i watched both videos linked in the instagram channel as well as going through the tumblr and various other sites i could find (da posts, reddit posts, comment sections) and i genuinely just do not want to be a part of it, and that's the truth! me stating that i want no part in what's going on shouldn't be a reason for you to religiously refresh my page to make sure i'm 'staying in line' with what you want from me. that's just weird and obsessive.

i appreciate that you're taking the time out of your day to do this and bring attention to this problem, but harassing random people because they don't continuously push your platform is NOT the way to do it. if me deleting my post really has you this upset, i hope you find it in yourself to forgive me and move on, because that's exactly what i am doing :p

[johnwickb1tsch]

Rambling time again because-✨ late night thoughts ✨

So with each new chapter of bittersweet, (and the tex+john collab, which I could also ramble on for hours probably 😂) it's becoming more and more clear that John and the reader's relationship is currently like a stretched out elastic band. They're both very clear on what they want, they're both very stubborn about it, and aside from little sweet moments - or not so sweet moments 😏- here and there, they're basically getting pushed to the limits of their patience and sanity.

And it especially struck me with John, because let's be honest- The man is terrified of letting us go, letting our leash go in a metaphorical sense, in terms of something getting our of his control. It makes absolute sense with the life he lived, and especially with the amount of people he lost, Helen being the most relevant. Despite working for Ruska Roma and serving the Director during his early life, John has been in control for the most of his existence. He usually stays very cool and controlled from an outsider's view, but someone like Winston can easily see through him, and knows that he's anything but. He's calm, sure, but he's also impatient when it comes to things, hotheaded even if you look at the second movie - or any of them really - and what he did to Santino (who fucking deserved it, and I wanted to tap-dance on his corpse 😂). He's stubborn as a mule, and most importantly, he's not afraid to break the rules. Ever. Due to his skills, there really isn't many people who could hold his responsible if he does happen to break the rules either, and this also plays hand in hand with the fact that he was born and raised a morally dark/grey character. While all of this helps him a lot because he's practically unstoppable if he puts his mind to something, it also means that he is irrational, maybe even slightly delusional.

Have I mentioned that he's also very emotionally driven??? Look at him during the first 2 movies. The man went fucking bat-shit-crazy after people NOT disturbed him, but disrespected his late wife's memory, and pretty much ripped everything away from him that still tied him to Helen, - aside from their memories and his feelings - the very person who prompted this emotionally driven action from him to actually get out out of the life he once lived.

So now.. We have this extremely stubborn, and also extremely emotionally attached person, who lost pretty much everyone close to him, and is in fact very much so aware that his reputation means a death-sentence to pretty much anyone who interacts with him, INCLUDING little ol' us. So on a basic level, he is rightfully cautious and terrified, because people will not stop to consider whether they're bringing an innocent into this or not, they just want leverage over him.

This, combined with the fact that we, the reader, are also extremely stubborn (too), with a great amount of self-respect, an incredible display of self-esteem, and a set of although grey, but also pretty strict moral code, - where the lines do blur here and there depending on who does what, and why they do it - which he LOVES, however it also means that we're unpredictable. Attracted to him? Sure. Emotionally attached to him? Absolutely. But we're a strong individual and a free spirit, and that definitely made him doubt whether we would stay with him early on, (jealous!John intensifies 🤤) and is in fact actively making his paranoid that if he slips up, let's his defenses down, or maybe even becomes more lenient, we might be able to just slip out of his grasp, not that he'd ever allow it of course.

Buuuuuuuuuut- All of this is playing against him, against both of us really. While we might be able to get some kind of leverage over him the more he reveals, and the more time we spend learning the game, if there is to be a genuine relationship in the future like he wants there to be, like both of us want there to be really, he's doing this the wrong way, because he's basically trying to force it on us, and cage a free bird, thus the elastic band being stretched. And as we know, you can stretch an elastic band quite far, maybe even past it's limits sometimes, but at the end of the day, it will rip and it will snap back three times as hard, which is what I imagine will happen. Maybe not today, or not even tomorrow, but there is a limit to everything, including the patience of both characters, not to mention that John is already showing the signs of being tired with our constant stubbornness, (latest chapter 🤤) and if say.. He were to snap instead of us, it may very well snap us out of our helpless emotional state, in case he maybe were to overstep a line that he definitely shouldn't have.

Same goes for the reader. Poor girl is extremely strong, so, so strong, with an incredible sense of self-worth but there is a limit to that as well. She still hasn't quite processed that her family and friends practically abandoned her, and it's not like John's back and forth, their little cat and mouse games, or being punished for not behaving a certain way - which makes John an absolute hypocrite because unless he wants to change our personality completely, he should not be punishing us for showing signs of what he fell in love with, of who he fell in love with in the first place - are helping.. So honestly- I await whatever you have in store for us because it is going to be WILD.

Spooooky! LOL once again I have to ask if you've been rummaging in my WIP??? 😂 You make so many excellent points!

Especially that John's excessive enemies would definitely fuel his paranoia for keeping this girl under lock and key, after EVERYTHING he's lost. 🎡🏹 It's like it's just not enough to be John Fucking Wick. These idiots keep testing him, even though they should absolutely fucking know he's going to kill them all in the end. BUT that doesn't help you if you're the collateral damage...

AND he IS such a hypocrite because of course he fell in love with her for her independent nature, but he wants to be the one to bring her to heel, for his own peace of mind? I think she's into it to a point because she's never really met anyone who could do it (and still retain her love). It's new and mysterious but once the shine wears off and she gets her feet (because shit what are we on? Like day 2? 3? He's going to find out how stubborn she can really be. You're right, something's going to snap.

[ghoulishtapir]

i think out of all the riptide captains, chip is the least likely to become a villain or "evil" by his own volition. which is interesting because at face value it might seem the opposite; jay and gillion have relatively clear goals, both personal and overall (like jay wanting to find out who killed her sister AND trying to make the world a better place, kinda theu influencing or reforming the navy). chip has a direct goal (arlin, although that may be shifting a bit), but not really an overall goal like his co-captains.

jay and gillion, while not directly saying it, also for now seem to have moral codes that they stick to, those codes still influenced by their training. chip has expressed being against killing (which also might be chamging), but is fine with stealing and lies easily. and u may be thinking, that sounds kinda evil or could turn him corrupt with greed, but hear me out!!!

chip not having as strict of an ethical code or direct goal is exactly why i think he's least likely to become a villain; he doesn't have enough of a reason. his moral compass is vague enough that it would be difficult to misconstrue it enough that he would be evil, whereas gillions morals could lead him to more drastic, extreme actions for a "greater good." charlies even talked about gillion possibly being a villain to unite the land and the sea against a specific threat!!!!

jay works in a similar way, albeit probably less of a "im bad so others can be good" and more of a "im doing the right thing, even if it hurts people." she still seems unsure as to which side of this future war is the 'right' side, and with enough push (like finding out which side killed ava) i could definitely see her going on a feral warpath.

atleast where it stands now, i dont see chip becoming a villain unless it had to do with price or niklaus. thats not to say that his co-captains are on their way currently, just that if they did do a little evil in the future i wouldn't be surprised :0

[m00nz-artpad]

Official (updated) Edna Jade Ref Sheet

General Information:

Name: Edna Louise Jade

Nickname: Edie, Eddie, Eda, The Dead Woman Walking (by the media)

Citizenship: American

Species: Artificial Demon

Age: 20

Birthday: September 7th 1987

Gender and pronouns: Female [she/her]

Sexuality: Straight

Height: 5’3”

Weight: 143 lbs

Personality: Edna was once a kind, complacent and perfect woman. But after dying and being resurrected, she becomes abrasive, brash, distrusting and relatively bitchy. However, she has a habit of still being extremely helpful and even a people pleaser, the kind of woman who in the store would help (if she can) an elderly person reach something on the top shelf, or even help a sweet old woman across the street. She’s also extremely loyal, her loyalty holding absolutely not transactional means. She’s the kind of friend who would do anything for those she cares about, even if they backstab her because she won’t let someone she loves hurt. Though, she’s also an incredibly strong willed woman and refuses to let people push her around, always willing and ready for a fight if necessary. When she forms bonds with the likes of Eyeless Jack and Jane Richardson, Edie finds some comfort in people like her, but she also finds comfort in her human friends, Jay and Tim too. She has a short fuse, often having outbursts and sulking when she doesn’t get her way or she gets stressed enough, but she’s always willing to apologize for her actions and actively try to do better.

Family: Mark Jade – father

Lianne Jade – mother

Norma Jade – aunt

Carmen Jade – cousin

Occupation: Proxy

Relationships:

Significant Other: Tobias Erin “Toby” Rogers - boyfriend

Enemies: Jeffery Woods

The Operator

HABIT

Jared Becker

Zalgo

Mr. Widemouth

Dr. Smiley

The Rake

Other Information:

Skills: Hand-to-hand combat, weapon proficiency, stealth, parkour, high intelligence, survival instincts, durability

Abilities: Superhuman strength, superhuman stamina, superhuman agility, superhuman senses, superhuman smell, regenerative healing factor, immortality in the Mid-Realm and Under-Realm(after becoming a proxy), demonic powers, teleportation(short distances only), energy tracking

Hobbies: Guitar, painting, mechanics

Close Ups:

Character Description:

Edna Louise Jade - AKA The Dead Woman Walking - is a Maplewood Hollow, Oklahoma native. Born and raised in Maplewood Hollow, Edna suffered abuse at the hands of a priest (physical) at just 7 years old and leaving her with immense religious trauma. Later in high school, she met her abusive ex-boyfriend, Jared Becker. Jared later killed her one late night in the summer of 2007, using her as a way to get his aggression out. What he had no clue of was that demons such as the demon Edna would later become attached to can see when humans should and shouldn't die - their lifespan.

Tronweryon - AKA Zephyr - came to Edna in the afterlife to give her a second chance. A chance to make things right, to live and more importantly, to kill Jared. However, after Tronweryon leaves to close what is called "Hell Gates" in order to prevent the veil between the Human World and Hell to be completely ripped to shreds, she becomes Slenderman's proxy and quickly proves herself to be a very formidable foe for any and all she's sent to "deal with".

Unlike other proxies, Edna has a very strict moral code; no murder of innocent people, no exceptions. Because of this, Slenderman uses Enda exclusively for criminals and abusers who cause problems for civilians and the proxies.

Edna is in a committed relationship with Toby Rogers, but in the times where she and Toby break up (because neither of them had ever really seen or been in a stable or healthy relationship) she would go to Tim Wright, a close friend of Edna's. Despite being torn between both men, she's desperate and determined to make the relationship with Toby work because she loves him much more and is also absolutely terrified of bringing a full human into the life she's now bound to.

You can read more (as well as a FAQ) about Edna here!

(* note! I will be making Tronweryon's ref sheet hopefully very soon!! There's a lot about Tron that is unknown and I wanna share more about that sarcastic bastard.)

[transingthoseformers]

The Autobots in this one lack the having flexable and highly adaptable leadership. If Prowl mirrors his IWD counterpart he will stop at nothing to win. Do what he seesnessary and devil take the hindmost. But he doesn't consider his blindspots. Ultra Magnus is extremely lawful but he is very much lawful good. UM would do well early on but as the facade crumbles he's gonna struggle. And he might be the first with shadow play or slave coding. At that point UM is going to be subtlety careless and start implementing malicious compliance. Maybe his Malicious compliance is how the Wrecker managed to get out. Starting a methodical grid search in the wrong spot to give them time to escape. Deliberately emphasizing and deemphazizing reports to poison the Tac-net's data.

Also once the Deceptacons learn about the slave coding they're going to be less focused on killing and more on capture and debuging. OP because it's right, Megatron because New Recruits.

I think things will be interesting with Forged mech and the council's access to them. Because their intermediaries with the Allspark are not on their side. And ya know ya boi Starscream, she's real good at assassination. The ones who sided with the status quo don't have a long life expectancy.

Megatron is gona be so touched when OP did a Violence™️ for him and their stillborn though. It won't fix everything but they're on the path to a new OK. Enough so he's not lashing out through the bond anymore

Yep yep they do

Now, I don't know much about aligned Prowl other than the fact that he's not in tfp, but I can very well see his personality becoming more and more like IDW Prowl's more notorious characterization the more he works with the council's autobots as his moral boundaries are pushed again and again until he learns to just. Throw morals to the wind because they're going to get stomped down regardless. After all, IDW Prowl didn't start out as methodically ruthless as he soon became infamous for.

Exactlyy I do feel like rolling with tfp Mags he's certainly caught up in the rank of it all but he's going to have so many opinions about all of this, honestly I feel like he's a good target for slavecoding (which I can totally see being connected to mnemosurgery in a different way than shadowplay??) considering his role and how you're suggesting malicious compliance.

And from what you're suggesting yesssss on it being the way out

Cool that this makes them focus more on capture and not kill, I just got the vague idea that this would play as an interesting game dynamic

I get the vibe that the council's autobots will utilize a lot of "short term" members with short life expectancies, being fed on a strict information diet with our dear friend propaganda in there, and typically aren't all that loyal? If that makes any sense?

Starscream will play a very interesting role because she is really good at not only assassination but the entire political game and strategy; aligned Starscream was a full ass high ranking Vosian general both before and during a lot of the canon war, after all.

Optimus and Megatron are going to have such a time healing from their loss and navigating being Prime and Protector, "a new OK" is a good way of describing it

[milehighmechanic]

repost and rate your muse's traits out of 10 in each category !

★  ⸻   COMPASSION: 9/10. he is extremely good at hiding it, both intentionally and not. but compassion is honestly one of his main driving factors, even if he himself doesn't always realise that. but it also drives his guilt complex.

★  ⸻   BITTERNESS: 5/10. very low prior to CW, unless we're talking about obie or his father. huge spike after CW. but he's also generally more interested in the future than the past.

★  ⸻   HAPPINESS: ?/10 the gap between IM2 and Av1 is probably the only time there's nothing particularly negative dragging him down. he is mercurial, and he knows how to enjoy the moment, but his happiness in life is a rollercoaster.

★  ⸻   POLITENESS: 4/10. depends on the situation. he is perfectly capable of being polite but he has the money and the privilege and the assholeness to not bother most of the time, at least not by most people's standards. he can be 100% respectful without being polite about it.

★  ⸻   MORALITY: 7/10. it varies. obviously this changed a lot in afghanistan. he has no problem killing people who are fighting him or hurting others, he has no problem using extralegal or even illegal means for the right cause. he doesn't really have a strict moral code, just whatever is best at the time that he thinks will protect the most people.

★  ⸻   CHIVALRY: 5/10. i mean no, but then tony as a knight is very much a Theme so. he can be very sweet or gentlemanly but he also can very much Not.

★  ⸻   PRIDE: 9/10, as with everything on this list, it zigzags between 10 and 0 a lot. narcissistic traits coupled with self-esteem issues, a lifetime of making mistakes and a transformational experience where he learned everything he was proud of was a lie? it's complicated.

★  ⸻   HONESTY: 4/10. can't even be honest with himself most of the time, will cheerfully lie to protect people, to push them away, to spare himself an awkward moment, to manipulate people he doesn't like..... but on the other hand he is sometimes painfully, brutally honest. context and mood dependent.

★  ⸻   BRAVERY: 10/10. learning to be braver is definitely part of that afghanistan learning curve but otherwise can't fault him on that one.

★  ⸻   RECKLESSNESS: 8/10. gets better as he gets older, and he's less reckless than he appears to be, but still. very much.

★  ⸻   AMBITION: 10/10, he wants to save the world, he wants to protect the world, he wants his company to be the best, he wants to build and create and invent more and more and more to make the future better.

★  ⸻   LOYALTY: 8/10. its hard to earn his loyalty but when it is earned he is rarely the one to break it, at least, not from his point of view. he does have a bad habit of pushing his friends away but he gets better at that and that's not disloyalty exactly, as much as stupidity.

★  ⸻   LOVE: 10/10. romantically he does not fall in love easily but when he does he falls hard. platonic or generally, he loves a lot, too much sometimes, and he can also be very bad at showing it, or showing it appropriately, there's so much love in him but it doesn't always show in ways that make sense to other people

★  ⸻   SENSE OF FAMILY: 4/10. up and down like a yoyo. in the end the only people who he 100% thinks of as family are pep, rhodey and happy, and morgan obv. unless it's a verse where julie exists which boosts the score tremendously.

★  ⸻   ATTRACTIVENESS: 10/10. cmon we know he's been top of multiple lists

★  ⸻   AGILITY: 7/10 for a regular human guy with reduced lung capacity and a heart condition, he's pretty fucking spry.

★  ⸻   SEX DRIVE: 7/10. drops from the 10+/10 prior to irn man. unsurprisingly, 3 months in a cave and a reactor in your chest cooled things a bit in that department for a while.

tagged by @thrownsoul tagging if u want to do it pls tag me so i can see

[llycaons]

ooo can you explain more in depth on how lwj is insane? i want to write him but i also want to get him right. thanks!

hi anon! I'm flattered to be asked, but since I'm not a writer, I don't know how much my perspective will help. it's more that I read something and then judge the characterization as a whole. even in that post complaining about people making him too boring, I wasn't thinking of a particular work or writer. oh boy this got long, see under the cut

well first of all in canon lwj's character is written to heavily revolve around wwx, with the exception of independently liking rabbits, having a love of music, mourning his mother, and being a teacher. he also has a strong moral code, but if you stick with his motivations and interests being mostly wwx, and/or his conflict arising from when wwx defies the rules he believes are sacred, you'll probably get a good grasp on him. I don't think lwj knew wwx for one day without being at least a little enamored with him, and the strength of his feelings only grew when he got to know him better. but this conflicts with his near-obsessive adherence to the rules of his sect, and this contradiction provides the foundation for his character development as he struggles to reconcile these two elements he views as disparate and mutually exclusive

when I call him insane it's a bit of playful hyperbole to push back against writers that take him at face value, which honestly doesn't happen very often because most writers know he's more than he appears. in canon, he's perceived by other characters as extremely reserved, upstanding, stoic, strict, dour, a model cultivator and young master. throughout the story, we can tell he has a lot more going on - he's intensely principled, highly emotional, forms extremely strong attachments, and as the story progresses, becomes more willing to defy authority and engage in behavior shocking to his family and sect. he drinks! he graffities! he's really horny! and as a teenager he was very serious and clung to his dignity in ways that I found quite endearing.

his sex drive isn't not explicit in the show but if the author is a good writer it can be fun to explore what kind of things he's into that defy reader and social expectations. given what he likes in the novel it's a bit of a landmine but in theory I like the idea.

he's very all-or-nothing. he doesn't often do things by half measures. he's either absolutely committed to one path, or he's turned back from it completely. when he broke from his sect, he went from perfection to a bloodbath. he struggles to manage moral ambiguity, and he finds himself paralyzed with indecision if the path is unclear. he eases from this a bit postres, but he's still a character very solid in his decisions and someone who's able to commit to something and really mean it. very resolute. so yeah 'insane' isn't a great way to describe him I suppose, bc his surprising behavior is most noticeable compared to what people expect of him

in the book he does some really bad things to wwx both pre and postres which I suppose could be considered another way he defies expectations, but I don't like that version of his character very much so I'll stick with his cql self in this post. he did draw porn on a wall while drunk...that was crazy. but. yeah in cql that scene was more silly than anything

for more general notes on how to write him...when I think of him in fics, I don't think a lot of authors really capture how intense and stiff and sincere he is about everything, or get his dry humor down very well. he's fairly good at one-liners, but better with precise physical comedy. I find some authors just make him a sensitive and sweet and gentle boy, and while he is those things sometimes he also has a powerful conviction, a high opinion of himself, an unseen but constant incredible amount of stress preres, and a ready willingness to act - he's a very strong person. he does have a sense of humor, but it's quite deadpan and subtle. when he speaks, he chooses his words very carefully. a lot of times there's this delicate balance between action and non-action, if that makes sense? he's very reserved with touch up to a point, and then after that he's not afraid to get physical - think of him pulling wwx up onto his back with no questions asked postres. this is also why I don't think they slept together or confessed until the cliffside - wwx may have tried to say something at some point, but lwj can't/won't reciprocate until he knows they can actually have a life together. when they reach that point, then they're both all in. super domestic, married after a week

I read him as autistic so that kind of ties in with my interpretation of him as someone who's isolated from the world and whose connection to it is somewhat impersonal and unconventional - he wants to do good for people in a general sense but doesn't really know them personally. he speaks easiest through music, or through rule recitation. I feel like he has strong sensory preferences that can be assumed from canon - many-layered robes for pressure, the soft fur of rabbits, gripping bichen as a stim, preferring bland foods. he finds it easiest to communicate nonverbally, through music mainly. but he and wwx develop a fairly strong nonverbal communication just through body language that I think is a really important part of their dynamic, especially when they get together. depending on how you read them in cql, they might not even need to speak when they eventually get together. they have a natural chemistry and they know how the other thinks, moves, fights, etc. I like big confession scenes, but there's something very satisfying about reading two people just knowing each other without needing to speak much

he offers a nice counterbalance to wwx, someone who grounds him and reminds him to take care of himself, someone who tells him he's loved and his hurts should be taken seriously. wwx is someone so used to joking and hiding and shrugging off his needs that lwj's attention to him, and his knowledge of wwx, and his reliability, and the security he gives to wwx, and the sincerity with which he provides all these things, are all reasons that they're such a strong couple

umm I find it hard to even conceptualize him as a teacher since we see so little of it but I've liked fics that have had him hands-off and encouraging students to think for themselves. he is usually an unflappable teacher who protects and encourages his students. he has a petty streak, but usually for good reason. he's willing to be rude if someone is being rude to him first, or even if he just wants to leave a situation. he's judgemental and he doesn't care much about social niceties, or politics, or reputation, though he's not unkind or disrespectful to people who aren't hurting anyone. he's very practical, very hands-on and straightforward. his philosophy grounds him. and he's usually not driven by anger unless wwx is involved

my favorite thing about lwj is actually how much of a caretaker he is! how sensitive and attentive he is...to wwx, to children, to animals. he can appears forbidding and heartless, but he has a big heart and it hurts very easily, and he loves so so much. so I tend towards fics like that, but then I feel like they don't get enough of his zealous beliefs, or his willingness to act, or his confrontational nature.

he is also just kind of a weird dude. he's into things no regular teenager is into. he loves being alone. I like when fics make him do silly things that make no sense, and tie it to him being open and freer and more himself and happier with wwx. like in one fic wwx bought a bun and offered some to lwj and lwj leaned over and bite a piece right from wwx's hand. that was adorable. he is very cute sometimes!

sorry this is so long 😭 again I'm not a writer and I'm white so I'm not claiming that my reading is the only one, or the correct one, and there are many different interpretations of his character. and just because I disagree with a certain choice doesn't mean it's objectively the wrong one, no matter how passionate I sound in those posts of mine. however you write him, you're sure to have both admirers and critics - he's a difficult character to write and everyone has different visions of him in their head

OH but this is important. please write him speaking with correct grammar. from what I can tell, the stilted and awkward sentences people write for him (dropping the "I", having him speak in half sentences, for example), are due to mistranlsations. he's a highly educated and articulate man, it's just that mandarin and english don't always translate well.

regardless, good luck and have fun! I hope this helped and I really admire you for taking this up :) ultimately as long as you have fun and are respectful (I also recommend doing some research), I wouldn't stress too much about the exact correctness of his characterization. thanks for the ask!

[skeleton-in-a-hoodie]

I have accidently made myself emotional by thinking about Gyogi and what the word sensei means to Splinter.

This ended up being half about Gyogi and half about Yuuta. Under a readmore cause it got long.

There's some stuff that remains the same across all my au's, and Gyogi is one of them. He was Splinter's sensei and beloved uncle, as well as Yuuta's younger brother and opposite in several key ways.

The shortest explaination of the difference between Gyogi and Yuuta is that Yuuta was a good ninja but a lousy father, whereas Gyogi was a good man and a bad ninja.

The long explantion is this:

Yuuta valued the clan above all else, and was willing to go to any lengths to preserve the clan. This meant that even if he knew something was morally wrong, if he believed it was best for the clan, he would do it e.g. killing all the Oroku family and then kidnapping their son. Honour meant very little to him.

His family also always came second to the clan - whilst he did love his children, he was much more focused on the clan than on them, and it also influenced his decision to name Yoshi his heir rather than Saki. In my aus, Splinter was the younger son but was Yuuta's heir because, even though he did see Saki as his son and loved him as such, Yuuta saw Saki as Oroku Keiji's child and doubted that the rest of the clan's leadership would accept an Oroku over his biological son as the next clan head.

This had the knock on effects of him a) not caring about Yoshi's interest or dreams, because you're going to be the leader one day, put that paint brush down and practice your ninjutsu; b) fostering a rivalry between his sons and c) giving his sons an extremely warped view of what parental love should be like.

Point a resulted in Splinter dropping all his non-ninja related interests, because he was taught none of them matter.

B ended up destroying Splinter and Saki's relationship, because even before Shen they were essentially competing for any scrap of love and attention they could get. Also meant that they stopped relying on each other for help and resentment just grew and grew until one day it exploded.

C also gave both men trauma that massively effected how they raised their own kids. My au Shredders who are more similar to 12 Shredder (so, without spoilers: Stolen Child, Step dad Splinter au Shredder, GS2, Timeskip), all believed they were good fathers to Karai. Yes he hurt and threatened her, but as far as he was concerned you're supposed to fear your father's wrath. You're supposed to be terrified of disappointing him. Praise and affection are things that kids have to earn, not something you just give because that's your baby and all children deserve to know they are loved.

Meanwhile for my more canon compliant Splinters, he jumps between being over protective and not spending enough time with his kids, because he's trying to find a happy medium between stern authoritarian and letting his kids have space to be themselves and explore their interests, and isn't quite managing it. He's trying to be a better father than Yuuta because he recognises that Yuuta's parenting wasn't great, but Splinter hasn't realised that he didn't deserve to be treated that way, which complicates his attempts to be better.

The above just made the Tang Shen situation worse, because even though they properly didn't realise it, Shen was one of the few people that made those two feel safe and loved, which meant neither was going to back down. Also in a lot of ways, Shen chosing Yoshi was the straw that broke the camel's back, rather than being the sole reason Shredder went off the deep end. It's also why Shredder is still obsessed with her 15+ years post death - he sees her as the only person who ever truely loved him, and blames Splinter for taking that away from him.

So, er, Splinter has some very mixed and complicated feelings about his father.

Gyogi, by contrast, was a very honourable and compassionate individual. He had a strict moral code that he stuck to. He saw the value of all life, and regarded life itself as something precious and deserving of both protection and respect ("There is no monster greater than a lack of compassion."). Murder, to Gyogi, was also a last resort - he very much believed that you don't kill if you can main, don't main if you can disarm, don't disarm until you've tried to de-escalate, and don't de-escalate until you've offered your hand.

Perhaps because he was the second son, he was also able to put his family above the clan - if Yoshi was sick, Yuuta would tell him to push through, because one day he'd be sick during a mission and needed to learn how to handle that situation, whereas Gyogi would be like "Take the day off, and we will see how you're feeling tomorrow."

He was still a strict teacher and had high expectations for Splinter, mind, but he was the type of teacher where you know his standards are like that because he genuinely believes you're capable of achieving greatness and wants to help you get there. And if he pushed too hard, he was humble enough to admit to that.

This all means that Gyogi was kind of a terrible fit for being a ninja. He was ninjutsu Master from a long line of Ninjutsu masters, part of the last Ninja Clan, and he valued life and compassion whilst detesting murder.

Which does raise of question of why Yuuta let Gyogi train his heir. The answer to that is Yuuta wanted to keep an eye on Saki, and Gyogi was extremely talented in ninjutsu and also an excellent teacher. Yuuta saw his youngest son's horrible temper, and realised that Gyogi was their best bet on helping Yoshi get a handle of it (in ageswap, this also means that Raph trained under Gygoi, whilst Leo and Karai were trained under Yuuta).

So, when Splinter thinks of his father, he remembers a strict disciplinarian. He remembers a man who put the clan first, and his children third (maybe fourth, depends on how many problems the clan was having). Someone who pit him and his older brother against each other. Who loved them, he really did, but didn't know what to do with Splinter, and didn't really try because what was the point of encouraging Yoshi's dreams when his future was already planned out? Splinter remembers a man who did try, but fell short. He thinks of discipline and putting others before your family.

But when Splinter thinks of sensei, he remembers an achingly kind man who loved the world around him. Who put others before himself, and loved his nephews. He gave Splinter the space to be himself, and whilst his standards were high, they weren't impossible to reach.

So Splinter ends up with a complicated and somwhat reversed idea of what it means to be a father and what it means to be a sensei, which ends up clashing with his sons' understanding of those terms. (Generational trauma! Woo!) Part of GS2 will be about unpacking that, though this is something that will appear in my other aus too.

(Also, someone please get this man a therapist)

[chaosdndsquad]

Drabble on what Galud admires and judges each member for

Fang: Admires his brute strength in combat and his strict adherence to his moral code. Thinks he says some wise things despite how he looks and how young he is. But he probably thinks that moral code is too focused on personal freedom, too insular, too simple, and too violent to justify lacking a selfless dedication to helping outsiders.

Magda: He admires her striving to not become a hag like she is cursed to be. That she wants to be good and better than people judge her and fear her to be. And carrying trauma and being unable to go home is something they share. And he likes her nurturing side. But he is probably judgmental about her stealing stuff sometimes.

Bryn: She is confident in herself and chill during stressful moments. Dislikes that she is not reliable, lies, distracts the party with silly stuff, doesn’t take responsibility/culpability seriously, and seems to care more about fun shenanigans than preventing suffering. She probably exasperates him most in general.

Sasha: She is an ideal knight who fights for good and justice and cares deeply about her allies. She’s exactly someone Galud would want on his side fighting the Dreaming Dark and saving innocents. But when she was tested, she chose personal gain and pleasing authority instead of going against the grain to do the right thing, and this failure is heavy to Galud, who sacrificed everything he knew and everything he was to fight for what was right. He hopes she does learn from it and grow to be better—and that she enacts justice against her betrayer, yes, but that she doesn’t let it become a flame for revenge that burns them, herself, and passersby alike. (And he is bitter about how the pointless, stupid Last War hurt Korel so badly and left her scarred and anxious, so thinking about Sasha’s involvement is maybe off-putting, too—both her and Fang, though both seem to regret their service).

Sterling: He is a very reliable ally and competent and will not distract or hinder the party but instead focus on valuable tasks and solving problems. But I don’t imagine Galud “gets” technology at all, so he probably finds his interests bafflingly foreign and hard to understand.

Ash: Galud is probably very uncertain what to make of Ash. He once was ready to sacrifice himself to save the lives of hundreds of innocents, which Galud thought was incredibly noble. But he also has a tendency to avoid interpersonal bonds, hunger for power, and think the ends justify the means, so Galud is unsure if he can trust that, if pushed to an extreme situation, Ash will make good choices.

Overall, he is happy that the party will be strong allies against the Dreaming Dark, that they fight on the side of good, and that its members make Korel happy. That’s a major thing—they make Korel feel safe and loved, which is he very grateful for because he loves Korel dearly. But overall, he’s antsy that they are focusing on all these other things, including silly matters or drama or unrelated problems he doesn’t think are as important, when every day Korel risks death for a cause other than their own. He may see her die unfulfilled while off on some silly little errand while thousands suffer due to Galud’s people--which he, too, also causes and thus is a debt he owes the world to rectify at the cost of almost everything. So... Galud gets a bit grumpy old man over that.

(Idk; I might have to work on his characterization and how it comes across; not sure I get it across in a way I’m happy with, or if it feels cohesive. Trying a lot of complexity! Whatever, I am tired, I‘m all off on Wednesdays without sleep, and this is enough tonight).