#chaotic-lawful-objections

[1000sunnygo]

Ok so sometimes I see people claiming Oda originally planned for Law to be evil. Did he actually say that? I can't find much on it

This and "Law is Oda's wife's favorite character" ROFL

Videos like this might've been the culprit behind this rumor. Law being 'named after a brutal pirate and allegedly had terrible rumors about him', doesn't equate to "Law was meant to be evil." No matter how canon-coded it seems, something can't be called a "fact" unless there's a legitimate reference. So far, Oda has made no such statement about Law.

The video used a draft image to back the point that Law was depicted as "scheming and manipulative" during Punk Hazard, taken from OP magazine vol. 8:

Sanji's dialogue, roughly: "Your strategy is to go head on against Doflamingo and Kaido, and to weaken Kaido's military strength, isn't it? And we're *in it together* because we believe the outcome benefits us, as well.

What are you planning?

I don't mind going ahead (to Zou), but I won't leave my friends in danger."

Law: Sharp at bargaining, aren't you...

It's not from Punk Hazard, it was Dressrosa.

Not to mention in both draft and finalized versions, it was Sanji cornering Law, not the other way around. IMHO it didn't add or subtract much from law's character as we already know him.

It's very likely that Law was planned to be (more) morally grey and manipulative. But inflating it as Oda's statement makes it a misinformation. This fandom sadly has a lot of these, thanks to engagement farming content creators.

[duskstargazer]

[2003]

The twins were resting in the Smelting Shed when the new engine arrived.

“Oh, look.” Harry grunted, unenthusiastically. “Mr. Goody Two-Screws 'imself.”

“Morning, you two!” Paxton smiled, as he came to a stop before the scrap diesels. “I'm here to help. Where do I start?”

“Ya can start wit’ takin’ empty trucks to the scrap sidin's.” Bert smirked. “Then bring loaded ones to the Smeltin’ Chamber in the back.”

“Okay, I'm on it!” Paxton scurried cheerfully away.

“Don't worry,” Bert grinned at Harry, “runt won't last the afternoon. I bet 'is chippa smile won’t last ten minutes.”

[crystaltoa]

I’m going to argue that lawful and chaotic are not a fixed part of a character’s nature, but are at least in part the result of how much a character’s values and behaviour are consistent with or contradictory to the laws, social norms or other “rules” of the setting.

There are people who might be completely unremarkable, kind, peaceful, law-abiding citizens if they lived in a setting with relatively just laws. Lawful Good, right? Or at least Lawful Neutral. But, put those same people in some kind of oppressive dystopia and you’ll see some of them acting in ways that defy that system, they will break laws and make criminals of themselves because acting in accordance with their values (being a good person) is incompatible with being a Good Citizen under this regime. So, in this context, they are Chaotic Good.

There may be characters that will be some form of Chaotic Good no matter what setting you put them in just because they naturally hate and try to subvert any kind of authority or structure, no matter how benign. But I don’t think the same can be said for Lawful Good, because in some contexts, loyalty to the law is inherently contradictory to being Good.

I feel like a lot of people treat the chaotic/neutral/lawful part of the chart like it’s a different form of morality when really it’s more like personal philosophy on how to follow your own morality.

A chaotic good character isn’t like more or less good than a lawful good character. They’re just more willing to get weird about it.

[thatnonameuser]

A Wonderland Of Yanderes

World Building is here Part 2

It all started with that class.

The final class for the first week of the first semester. After all the chaos of coming to Twisted Wonderland, of being thrown into a world you don’t understand, a quiet weekend to start finding a way back is something you’ve been awaiting.

The classes here were chaotic but fun, and even interesting as a human from a world without any magic. 

Making potions that could do so many different things in Alchemy. Speaking with animals or a cat that can't talk like Grim in Animal Languages. Riding broomsticks in Phys Ed. Even the boring classes like Magical History, learning of this world full of wonder and mystery, and Arithmancy, math was boring, but it was fun to learn that it’s the same in this world. 

But out of all the classes this was the weirdest one of all. 

It was called The Art of Ensnaring Hearts. About ‘darling control and protection’. It’s a weird sounding class, but even weirder, it’s a mandatory subject for all first years, which seems weird for what sounds like an elective. Still it’s just odd, not anything too weird.

The name is nothing that you’ve seen in any fantasy book or tv show in your world. But by now, you knew weird being dropped head first into an unknown world. By now anything new and weird should have been expected, understood, brushed aside as something to accept and move on.

So here you were sitting between Ace and Deuce in the lecture, Grim fast asleep on your lap, waiting for class you knew nothing about.

“I can’t believe they’re making us take this class.” Ace complains.

“Stop complaining Ace. It’s a really important class!” Deuce objects.

Ace whined his butt off the whole way here, complaining about how stupid it was that they had to attend it. Deuce on the other hand, was incredibly enthusiastic and you are completely in the dark for what this class is even about.

Ace shrugs, “Still, my folks and brother taught me all about this stuff. It’s a waste of time.”

“Not everyone has parents or siblings who can teach them about darlings, Ace.”

“Nothing personal Juice, but this class is going to be as boring as Magical History.”

“Well, if you know so much, what exactly is this class about?” You joke and they both look at you like you’ve grown a second head. "What?" you say, now uneasy.

 “You don’t know?” Ace asks.

“What part about ‘I’m from another world’ keeps slipping your minds?” Your attempt at a joke falls flat, as they look at you in incredulity.

Deuce practically reels back in surprise, “N-No it’s just that it's so normal here. You don’t know what darlings are?”

You shake your head, “No, not really.”

A crack of a whip onto the blackboard calls your attention to Professor Crewel, "Alright pups, I have to do this every year so let's get this out of the way now. This class will provide you with any and every method, skill and technique to find, capture and control your future darlings, including evading the law in your respective homelands." Now, you're confused, why exactly is a school teaching students how to break the law?

"As you know Sage Island makes special accommodations for NRC and RSA students, all acts that may be forbidden in any of your hometowns, with the exception of Darling murder, will be pardoned and forgiven. In the case of a family investigation, the school will stage an accident so please do not butcher them beyond repair." No words or sounds slip from your lips, with you stunned silent in pure horror.

What pools in your stomach is hot dread mixed with cold fear. Just what exactly is this world? Murder can be excused here? It can be covered up, with only a slap on the wrist. You need some explanations and you need them now.

A student raises a hand, "Professor?"

"Yes, pup?"

"Why are there no darlings enrolled in Night Raven?"

"One too many murders on campus. A few too many mutts ran around unneutered and decided to draw blood." You smother your gasp a few seconds too late, as more than a third of the room turn to you, confused.

"Something wrong, pup?" Crewel raises an eyebrow at you. His eyes drill into your soul, inspecting, calculating.

"N-Nothing! I'm fine. Perfectly fine." Crewel doesn't push you on the subject, returning to his lecture.

You lean back in your seat, and the cold sweat on your body makes you shiver. Right now, you'll bite your tongue and hold back your horror.

You need to see Crowley, as soon as possible.

[avocadorablepirate]

Unspoken Affections

Pairing: Trafalgar Law x fem!reader

Summary: Falling for the captain of the Heart Pirates a.k.a your captain, was something unexpected, something that shouldn’t have happened. So to suppress those growing feelings one must resort to avoidance. But alas, absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Word Count: 3.6K

Warnings: fluff, a little bit of angst, short mention of a near death experience, reader refuses to confront her feelings, not fully proofread (let me know if there’s anything else)

A/N: This and another fic have been sitting in my drafts for a while now, and I finally managed to finish this one, though it’s kinda all over the place. I was listening to my Taylor Swift playlist practically on repeat when I wrote this. So, if you want something to listen to while you read this I would recommend Slut, Daylight and Cruel Summer, but honestly any Taylor Swift song would probably work.

I swear I’ll rewrite that summary once I can think of something better :’)

You were not sure when it had started. Your heart racing at just the sight of him. Maybe it was in his little gestures. The little ways in which he helped you without expecting anything in return, like wordlessly helping you fix things around the ship when he knew you had trouble with it. The way he made sure you were comfortable, like simply giving you a reassuring smile when you needed it most. Whatever it was, you knew you had fallen hard.

It first occurred to you unfortunately after a near miss with death. You had joined the Heart Pirates on their journey through the Grand Line about six months ago, and while you had become akin to battles with rival pirate crews, this particular one had shaken you to your core. The opposing crew had been ruthless, and their relentless assault left you feeling more and more helpless as the fight progressed. The magnitude of the fight, combined with the unpredictability of the rival crew’s movements, had pushed you to the edge both figuratively and literally.

You had been cornered by the enemy, and in a desperate attempt to escape, you had slipped. As you plummeted into the giant chasm behind you, fear consumed you. The wind roared in your ears, and your stomach churned as you braced yourself for the inevitable impact that would surely mean your end. The seconds seemed to stretch, the world slowing down as you watched the surface above you get further and further away in slow motion.

Your only saving grace was your Captain's ability to shift objects, and he had done just that, transporting you back onto the Polar Tang where him and the rest of the crew had managed to escape onto.

The cold, metallic walls of the submarine pressed against your back as you fell to the floor in relief, but despite the safety, anxiety continued to build inside you. Your breath came in ragged, uncontrollable gasps. You could hear the muffled voices of your crewmates calling out to you, but they seemed distant. Your vision blurred, and the room spun around you. It wasn’t until a strong, steady hand reached out to you that the figure of your captain finally came into focus.

Trafalgar Law knelt beside you, his concern etched into his features. His touch was gentle yet firm, grounding you in that chaotic moment, and his voice, steady and reassuring, cut through the haze of panic.

"Hey, easy now," he murmured, his hand on your shoulder. "Everything will be okay. You’re safe now."

You managed a shaky nod, trying to regain your composure. His presence was enough to ease the tightness in your chest, his calm demeanor a stark contrast to the turmoil within you. As you steadied yourself against him, you couldn't help but notice how his eyes had softened with genuine worry, his concern evident even in the dim light of the submarine.

"Thank you," you finally managed to whisper, overwhelmed by the rush of emotions.

He offered you a reassuring smile, a silent understanding passing between you. In that moment, you realized just how much his actions and presence had come to mean to you. It wasn't just admiration or gratitude; it was something more, something that had taken root in the chaos of the Grand Line, and something you knew you had to keep hidden.

xxxx

Over the next few days, Law made it a habit to check in on you. You would know by the distinct knock on your bedroom door who was on the other side. Be it just before breakfast or well into the night when he knew you stayed awake too, he was there, outside your door, concern etched on his face as he did a once over of you. And every time he would - asking the simple question of how you were, your heart would flutter uncomfortably. You appreciated his care, and found yourself increasingly drawn to him. But it also stirred emotions you hadn’t anticipated. Emotions you knew you shouldn’t have been feeling for your captain.

“The Captain again?” came Ikkaku’s voice, as you yet again leant against your shared bedroom door after tonight’s encounter with Law. You nodded your head, letting out a sigh as you pushed yourself off the door and flopped down on your bed. “I don’t know how much longer I can handle this.”

“You know there’s nothing wrong with liking him, right?” Ikkaku said as she sat up in her bed. Another routine that had started over the past couple of days were your nightly chats with Ikkaku. It had started almost immediately after she saw you return from your first “check-up” with Law, completely flustered. And having put two and two together, had come to the conclusion that you had finally realised that you liked Law as more than just a captain or friend.

"I know, but I can’t," you almost cried in frustration as you clenched the bed sheet in your hands. The fear of what your feelings might mean for your position on the ship, and for your relationship with Law, was overwhelming and impossible to comprehend.

“And why not?” Ikkaku pressed gently, her curiosity piqued as she tried to understand your dilemma.

“Well for starters he’s my captain, that would be insubordination. Not to mention there’s no way in hell that he likes me as well.” You sat up, your face a mix of distress and resignation as you met her gaze, the hopelessness of your situation sinking in. The thought of confessing your feelings only to be rejected was terrifying.

“I need to get rid of these feelings quickly,” you sighed, running a hand through your hair. The stress of the situation weighed heavily on your shoulders, your mind racing for a solution. You knew you couldn’t go on like this, but the thought of losing what little connection you had with Law was equally unbearable.

Ikkaku nodded, though she looked a bit hesitant. “I’m not completely for it, but if you’re determined to get rid of them, maybe you should try keeping your distance from him. It might help you sort out your feelings.” Her suggestion was cautious, but her eyes reflected her hope that it would help you find some peace. She didn’t fully agree with it, but she wanted to support you in whatever way she could.

“That might just work,” you said, relief washing over you. You were willing to try anything to escape this lovelorn feeling, even if it meant avoiding the person who made you feel safest. The prospect of distancing yourself from Law was painful, but you hoped it would give you just what you needed to sort things out.

xxxx

For the first couple of days avoiding Law was surprisingly manageable. You had an endless list of excuses, and navigating around the submarine to avoid him wasn’t that difficult. He spent most of his time in his quarters or in the infirmary anyway, and if you did happen to see him coming down the hall, you would quickly turn the other way before he noticed. When you did have to speak to him, you kept your interactions with him to a minimum, giving short, polite responses whenever he spoke to you.

But then it got difficult. You could see that he was slowly starting to see through your excuses. His sharp, observant nature made it hard to deceive him for long. The slight disappointment in his eyes after each excuse made your heart wrench. It was subtle, a flicker of emotion that he quickly masked, but you noticed it every time. The guilt gnawed at you, making it harder to avoid him without feeling like you were betraying his trust. Each day became a struggle to maintain the distance you thought you needed, the effort draining your energy and resolve.

So tonight, when you heard the familiar knock at your door, you couldn’t bring yourself to face him. You hated that you had to do this, but you were adamant, and had convinced yourself that it would only be for a little longer. Just until your feelings had completely gone.

Ikkaku answered the door in your stead, not failing to notice the slight dismay in Law’s gaze when it landed on her. His usual calm demeanor seemed to falter for a moment, a twitch of concern and confusion crossing his features.

“Hey Captain what do you need?” she asked, peeping her head through the little gap she had made between the door and its frame. She tried to sound as casual as possible, hoping it would put him at ease. However, she could see the wheels turning in his mind, already questioning why she had answered the door instead of you.

“Is Y/N-ya inside?” Law asked as he tried to catch a glimpse into the room but Ikkaku was quick to block his view. His voice held a hint of impatience, and his eyes narrowed slightly as he tried to look past her.

“She is but she’s not feeling well,” Ikkaku responded, hoping her excuse would be enough to satisfy his concern without raising too many questions.

Law frowned slightly. “What’s wrong? Does she need help?” His voice was tinged with worry, his eyes lingering on the door as if hoping you might come out and speak to him. His concern was genuine, his protective instincts kicking in. He hated feeling helpless, especially when it came to the well-being of his crew.

“Uhh,” Ikkaku stuttered, trying to think of what to say next. “Yeah, you know, just a visit from Aunt Flo.” She cringed inwardly, knowing it was a terrible excuse, but hoping it would suffice.

Law quirked an eyebrow, but ultimately brushed aside her words with a curt nod. “Alright. Tell her I hope she feels better soon.”

“Will do Captain!” Ikkaku replied with forced cheer, her voice tinged with a touch of nervousness, before she briskly closed the door, leaning against it, as she let out a sigh of relief.

“Well, I think that went well,” she said, turning to you. She tried to smile, but there was a hint of worry in her eyes.

“A visit from Aunt Flo!?” you exclaimed, half exasperated, half amused. You couldn’t believe the excuse she had come up with, but you were grateful nonetheless. The absurdity of the situation almost made you laugh, a brief respite from the constant anxiety.

“It was the best I could come up with!” Ikkaku defended herself, throwing her hands up in mock surrender.

“It’s fine. At least he didn’t press any further,” you responded with a hint of a chuckle, feeling relieved.

Satisfied with the outcome of today’s excuse, you sank onto your bed, feeling the tension ease from your shoulders. The small victory felt like a reprieve. That victory, however, didn’t last very long.

The next day when Bepo met you in the kitchen for breakfast, you found yourself back to square one.

“Hey Y/N, Captain wanted me to give this to you,” Bepo said, handing you a small pouch.

“Thanks,” you replied, opening the bag to look at its contents. Inside was a strip of tablets and a little note that had been written, scratched out, and rewritten again. It read: "I hope you’re feeling better. These should help with your cramps."

You could feel your heart pounding, as if desperate to just pop out of your chest. The thoughtfulness of the gesture, the care in his words, made your resolve waver. You knew you couldn't keep this up forever, but the fear of confronting your feelings was still too overwhelming.

xxxx

Law wasn’t dense. He could easily read every single one of his crew, and he knew you were avoiding him. But why? He didn’t have an answer to that.

He found his usual connection with his crew slipping, particularly when it came to you. At first, he didn't think much of your evasive behaviour, attributing it to stress or fatigue or a visit from Aunt Flo, as Ikkaku had so wonderfully put it. But as days turned into weeks, he couldn't ignore the growing sense of unease gnawing at him.

Each excuse, chipped at his confidence and fueled his anxiety. He noticed the subtle shifts in your demeanor - how you avoided eye contact, how your conversations with him grew increasingly terse and formal. It bothered him more than he cared to admit. With no indirect way to uncover your reasons, his logical mind spiraled into illogical conclusions, each worse than the last.

Days passed, and his worry only intensified, causing his temper to flare more easily. Tensions were high on the Polar Tang; even the smallest mistake would rattle the captain, and the crew had to bear the brunt of it.

It was only on Shachi’s request that they finally got a chance to step away from the tension, and let some steam off. And that’s how Law found himself at a bar in the town they had docked at, watching you closely. Despite being surrounded by the lively chatter of his crew and the raucous energy of the bar, all he could do was focus on you. His sharp eyes caught the fleeting glances you threw his way, the way your laughter seemed forced, and how you tensed whenever his eyes met yours. His frustration grew, but so did his concern. And when he saw you leave, visibly upset, he knew he couldn’t sit back any longer and watch his relationship with you dissolve into nothing, knowing he could have done something about it.

The decision to follow you was immediate and driven by a mix of worry, frustration, and something deeper - something he wasn't ready to fully acknowledge - yet.

xxxx

A couple of weeks had passed since you started avoiding Law, and the strain of your self-imposed distance was beginning to show. You didn’t know how much longer you could hold out, and for whatever reason today had been particularly difficult. So, when Shachi had suggested that the crew unwind at a lively bar in a bustling port town, you were all for it. Terrible mistake on your part really.

While you had thought that a night out drinking was just what you needed to distract you from your inner turmoil, it was certainly not what the doctor wanted to prescribe. In fact, it seemed that he wanted you to only continue with this wretched feeling, when he entered the bar. But why wouldn’t the captain be with his crew? You realised you hadn’t thought this through only when you felt your heart tighten painfully in your chest.

As the night progressed, you did your best to keep your distance, sticking mainly to Ikkaku and whoever wasn’t around Law. However, he still posed as a problem, your eyes kept drifting towards him, unable to help yourself. God…of all the shirts he owned, why did he have to wear that black button down that clung to him so well?

At one point, you noticed a group of girls approach Law’s table. They were giggling and clearly intrigued by the mysterious captain. You noticed the surge of irritation on his face when one of them leaned in close, her hand resting on his arm as she spoke to him, and you couldn’t help but be amused by your captain’s obvious annoyance. However, as he continued to barely engage in conversation with them, his responses brief and his gaze often wandering away from them, you couldn’t stop your stomach from twisting with jealousy, an emotion you hadn't expected to feel so intensely.

Despite his apparent disinterest, the sight of them fawning over him was too much for you to handle. You could feel the heat rising in your cheeks, the jealousy and frustration slowly brewing inside you making it harder to think clearly. Needing to escape, you excused yourself from your crewmates and slipped out of the bar, the cool night air hitting your flushed face as you made your way back to the Polar Tang.

On the quiet deck of the submarine you found solace. Free from the loud noises of the bar, and the chaos within it, you took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm of emotions swirling within you. You were starting to realise that avoiding Law clearly wasn’t the solution, but confronting your feelings still felt like a hopeless challenge. Your mind raced to find another way.

“Mind if I join you?” A voice pulled you out of your thoughts, and you knew that voice; it made your breath hitch. Turning around you saw Law coming towards you, his expression serious but speckled with concern. You cursed at yourself for not hearing his footsteps approaching.

“Captain, what are you doing here?” Your heart skipped a beat, your anxiety slowly bubbling below the surface.

“I saw you leave in a hurry, so I thought I would check up on you. Is everything okay?” Law asked, leaning against the railing beside you.

You shook your head slightly, suddenly unable to trust your voice as a lump formed in your throat. Silence settled between you, stretching on until Law finally broke it with a gentle inquiry.

“Y/N-ya,” he called out your name hesitantly, voice tinged with apprehension, “why have you been avoiding me?”

You stiffened at his words, and opened your mouth to respond, but nothing came out. The words you wanted to say were trapped, tangled up with your emotions, and his piercing gaze that held you in place, wasn’t of much help either. You could see the worry in his eyes intensify with each passing second of your silence, his brows knitting together as he waited for an answer that seemed too difficult to give.

“Do you want to leave the crew?” he asked, his tone steady but laced with a hint of vulnerability. The idea of you leaving clearly troubled him more than he let on, and your heart sank at the implication. “No, it’s not that,” you finally managed to say, voice trembling.

“Then what is it? Are you scared because of what happened to you when we were fighting those pirates?” There was a hint of desperation in Law’s tone, his need to understand and help you evident. His eyes searched yours, pleading for an explanation, and you could see how much he wanted to make things right even if he didn’t fully grasp what was wrong.

You took a deep breath, trying to steady your racing heart and gather the courage to say something, anything. “No…I-I just need some time to sort things out.”

Law watched you intently, as if trying to decipher the emotions flickering across your face. “You know you can tell me anything right?” he said in a soft voice, his eyes never leaving yours, and you let out a bitter laugh at that.

“This is something I don’t think I can,” you said, the weight of the impending confession settling over you.

Law’s brow furrowed, the concern in his eyes deepening. “Why not? What’s so bad that you can’t talk to me about it?” He sounded frustrated, almost begging you to tell him.

You took a deep breath, your unspoken feelings pressing down on you. "It's just...complicated," you said, your voice barely above a whisper. "I don't want to burden you with it."

"It's not a burden if it's about you," he replied softly, his eyes searching yours as he stepped closer to you. “Please, Y/N-ya, tell me what’s wrong.”

His words broke through the last of your resistance, and you realized you couldn't keep this inside any longer. You owed it to yourself and to him to be honest. Taking another deep breath, you finally found the courage to speak.

"Law, I've been avoiding you because…because I-I like you, and I don’t know how to handle it, and I thought staying away would make it easier, but it hasn't. But I promise I’ll figure out a better way to deal with these feelings if you just give me some time."

For a moment, there was silence, and you held your breath as you waited for his response. Then, to your surprise, Law reached out his hand, gently lifting your chin until your eyes met his. "It's okay," he murmured, his thumb brushing lightly against your cheek. His expression was soft and understanding, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"I've been worried about you," he said, his voice tender. "I've been thinking about you constantly, wondering if you were okay. And to tell you the truth, it’s made me realise that I like you too."

Your heart skipped a beat at his admission, hope blooming within you. "You…you do?" you managed, unable to believe it.

He nodded slowly, a soft chuckle leaving his lips when he noticed your surprise. "I didn't want to push you," he explained softly. "I thought if I did, you would only have more reason to leave, and I couldn't stand the thought of that happening.”

Relief flooded through you, mingled with a newfound surge of courage. "I wasn't going to leave," you admitted, your voice steadier now. "I was just afraid…of what I was feeling."

Law's smile widened, his eyes warm and sincere. "You don't have to be afraid," he assured you, his hand moving to hold yours, while his other remained caressing your cheek. "Because I feel it too."

In that moment, the tension that you had felt in your chest eased, replaced by a sense of overwhelming happiness. Feeling a sense of peace settle over you, you leaned into his touch.

"I'm glad," you whispered, unable to stop the smile that spread across your face. The warmth in his eyes made your heart flutter, and you couldn't help but let your affection for the man standing before you surge.

Law mirrored your smile, his gaze tender as he leaned closer. "Me too," he murmured, before closing the distance between you in a soft, lingering kiss.

Had to add an unnecessary little bit about Law’s shirt cause damn it I love Law in that shirt.

Thus starts my slow attempt to get my other fics out of my drafts. Let’s hope this determination lasts longer cause knowing me I’m going to give up by tomorrow…anyway, I hope you liked this!

[theoutcastrogue]

That said, the D&D 3.5 Paladin was bad. It was badly designed, it had bad rules, and in conjunction with the other notoriously bad rule, alignment, it could cause havoc.

Now personally, I never had ANY problems with it in my tabletop games. I played paladins and loved it, and I loved it when other people played paladins, and it was great. But that's because, collectively as a group, we took ONE look at that terrible rule where the paladin's code of conduct prevents them from associating with Evil characters or "someone who consistently offends her moral code", and immediately went, "that's stupid, we ain't doing that, it would ruin the game".

We also didn't love the concept of alignment as a cosmic force, and didn't care for Usually Evil Goblins and Always Evil anything. And when a class's signature ability fully depends on whether creatures are capital E Evil, well that affects storytelling, doesn't it? But we all saw it the same way, and we were happily able to change it without any disagreements. In the end we had a Paladin… similar to 5e now that I think of it: completely ignore the Code's association clause, tailor the Code to personal stance or a specific Order, Detect only fiends and undead and the like, Smite anything you want, Fall only if you really fuck up, and never presume that just because you haven't Fallen yet everything you've ever done is justified and correct and anyone who disagrees with you is objectively wrong.

Basically, there were 2 options in 3.5. You either houseruled and/or handwaved things, and in matters of alignment interpretations erred on the side of "what makes the game go",

OR, you played with Rules As Written, and filled the forums with questions like "should the paladin fall?" (one such thread per week, conservatively), "we got into a fight over the Paladin, what to do?", "is it Evil to pick pockets? because we have a Paladin in the party", "the Assassin uses poison, shouldn't that offend my moral code?", and shit like that. Just... pointless strife, all the time. Again, never happened to me, but I was appalled to read about it, over and over and over.

People got intense with 3.5 Paladins (both pro and against) because it was BADLY DESIGNED and had BAD RULES. Its mechanics forced narrative choices on the entire table, and the only way to make it frictionless was having a party where no one wishes to explore a character's bad side ever, no one does things that aren't bad but WotC branded Evil™ in this or that splatbook, and everyone magically agrees all the time on "what is right and what is wrong" and "what is Lawful and what is Chaotic", which is simply impossible. The most subjective thing in the world (ethics!) was presented as an objective cosmic force, and how you interpreted it would determine how much damage the Paladin deals in combat, and whether the Paladin could keep associating with the party, and if the Paladin is still a Paladin. And all that in a game, let's not forget, whose basic, fundamental premise is "kill things and take their stuff". I'm sorry, this is tremendously stupid. It's the WORST design.

I know that for some people it worked as written, and good for them, but for the many many people it didn't work, well it's obvious why.

[silviakundera]

with the conclusion of Snowfall...

why do i enjoy Republican Era chinese dramas so much?

aesthetics! there is this blend of 1920-30s western fashion influences and traditional chinese garb & architecture that just pleases my eyes.

everyone looks very depressed & dangerous & sexy

chaotic period of transition - no matter if you're in the 1910's, 20's, 30's some absolutely wild historical shit was going down

cars and guns and gloves and swords. rotary phones!

dancing & drinking in night clubs, in glamorous pockets amid the violence & instability outside; a lil touch of mask of the red death vibes

end of empire themes, as a country tries to find its way after the end of the last imperial dynasty

there's those gangster, mob boss vibes from american and british dramas set in the 1920s, except everything is cranked up x100 because of general lawlessness; central government and law & order was a paper thin veneer over warlords

the start of WW2 from an entirely different perspective than the common narratives that I was exposed to growing up in the US (which is 99% stories about the european stage)

sino-japanese war / war of resistance material like Hidden Blade is fucking badass ok 🤷

in a time of resistance to occupation, colonizers encroaching, warlords fighting over cities, brewing civil war.... there are many different options of protagonists and unlikely "heroes" who are picking their battles and discovering what they are willing to fight for

Beautiful 👏 women 👏 in heels 👏and 👏 slinky 👏dresses 👏

Lots of revenge narratives. I love an over-the-top, bloodthirsty & destructive revenge narrative

Depending on the genre, there might be little or heavy politcal /patriotic discourse. But tbh none of the rah rah patriotism stuff distracts me much, because all the american and british produced stuff set around WW2 has rah rah patriotism & propaganda in it, so I just consider that part of the essential genre vibes. It's just another country's version. (Of course, others will have less patience when it becomes heavy-handed. YMMV.)

Dark & Gritty

Hidden Blade (film) - a masterpiece, if you enjoy dark WW2 spy films that play with narrative style and challenge the viewer to follow the story as it's woven. Had to review detailed historical context for the years in question, to be ready to consume. But worth it. I've watched it 3 times. 💀

Heroes (2024) - the very beginning era of this genre/the transition into repulican period. rocks fall, everyone dies. Primarily a tragic wuxia & pre-republican fusion. Excellent enough that I didn't mind the bleak storyline. 💀

Detective-ing

Miss S - adaption of 1920s Australian mystery procedural Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, staring Vengo! ML actor of Snowfall

Checkmate - Agatha Christie stories adapted to the setting & time period, plus bromance. I watched half the episodes w my brother, as we are both huge agatha christie fans. It was fun if you can be chill about adaption changes.

My Roommate is A Detective - for mystery & bromance lovers. Same actor duo as Checkmate.

Detective L - don't know much about this one tbh

Romance arc, with a somewhat happy ending for the 2 leads

Provoke - Gorgeous, glamorous, vibes vibes vibes all day long. Revenge and romance. ❤

Fall in Love - sons & daughters of warlords and their supporters get sexy and dangerous and decide even joining the civil war is better than the prior generation's bullshit. This is an objectively bad drama that I really enjoyed anyway (it helps that I skipped every scene for the 2nd and 3rd couples). This one turns v propaganda heavy at the end, if that bothers you. ❤

Arsenal Military Academy - military training hijinks w a side of cross dressing romance. Xu Kai and Bai Lu! It's soliders and japanese invasion et al, so be prepared for the standard patriotism. Comedy & drama. HE for the FL/ML but expect character death in this subject matter. ❤

Rookie Agent Rogue - Late 1930s spy drama with small romance side-plot. Expect the standard wartime patriotism, like with Arsenal Military Academy. The draw is the lead actress, the FL from Princess Agents, Minglan, Legend of Shen Li. HE for the FL/ML but expect character death in this subject matter. ❤

City of Streamer - Older woman seduces younger man who is the son of her revenge target. Melodrama with people serving looks. ❤

War of Faith* - Young man just wants to join the banking industry and have a subtextually gay relationship with his mentor in peace, but there's a civil war going on. Protagonist would like to be excluded from this political narrative, but ultimately is forced to pick a side. ❤🌈 *(Is it censored gay romance? No, not based on a gay novel. So not officially! But some viewers felt there was a subtextual romance storyline #shenlai ; YMMV. The happy ending is Untamed-esque; implied only)

many, many pulpy mini-dramas about revenge! warlords! ladies with pistols! (Miss Mystery, First Marriage, Maid's Revenge, etc)

Also... (happy ending not guaranteed)

Siege in Fog

Love in Flames of War

Couple of Mirrors - censored F/F 🌈

Stand by Me - censored m/m 🌈

Killer and Healer - censored m/m 🌈

Winter Begonia - censored m/m 🌈

[probablybadrpgideas]

Opinions on D&D alignment by D&D alignment

Lawful Good: I use alignment not as a restriction, but an ideal- it indicates their values and beliefs. My character might not always hold to their alignment 100% of the time- who does?- but there's still good roleplaying opportunities in knowing the kind of person they strive to be, and we should keep it around for that.

Neutral Good: Alignment is a useful starting point for character building. Knowing a character is "lawful good" gives a clear image of your character ( like knowing they're a warlock or dwarf does) but you should work to give them an identity beyond that. As long as you remember that, its fine.

Chaotic Good: Alignment removes moral ambiguity and makes the campaign weaker for it- a lot of interesting discussions become laughable when you can just use an Evilometer to determine who's objectively in the right. We should remove it and instead allow players to judge scenarios for themselves

Lawful Neutral: I'm sorry, but as as a Chaotic character I cannot take a reward from the king! It goes against Who I Am As A Person! No, instead I throw the gold to the floor in a fit of a rage and storm out. Sorry, that's my alignment.

True Neutral: What's an alignment? While you're at it, what's an AC, HP, advantage and D&D?

Chaotic Neutral: HOW DARE YOU SIR! I PLAY AS I SEE FIT! DAMN MY FLAWS, DAMN MY BONDS AND MOST OF ALL, THIRCE-DAMN MY BLASTED ALIGNMENT! MY CHARACTER EATS THE SSSSSSLLLLLUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGG!!! AHAHAHAAAA!

Lawful Evil: Sorry guys, but if you look at page 122, Neutral Evil is defined as "those who do whatever they can get away with, without compassion or qualms". As such, I would argue that I am well within the spirit of the game to stab all the other PCs in their sleep and run off with their loot. Guess you guys just aren't as dedicated roleplayers as me.

Neutral Evil: Um, actually, I'm lawful good so Brian's Smite Evil shouldn't have done anything to me? Yeah, if you can just amend that, thanks. Anyway, I make another attack roll to beat Brian to death with an orphan.

Chaotic Evil: Oh, I'm not really a roleplayer. The only alignment I care about is my rolls aligning with 20s and if they don't my fist is going to be aligning with your goddamn face.

[star-spacer]

Peace and All Else

Part of my Heart Pirates x Reader series: The Sanctity of Sacred Spaces

With a life as chaotic as yours, you preferred quietness where you could find it.

You were someone who valued your peace. Not just as a personal preference, but for your job as well, as any interruption could result in an errant stitch, ruining the clothing, or a needle through the finger.

This need for quietness was ironic, considering you were on a crew of pirates, whose lives were marked by nothing but unending chaos. 

Paradoxical. Peculiar. But when you were a pirate crew who had a doctor at the helm, it didn’t seem that strange. You were simply one oddball amongst a crew full of them. Which lent to many, many escapades that echoed throughout the Tang. It was never silent, whether it be the noise of her machines humming away, or the sound of the galley’s mealtime preparations, there was always life in her halls. 

You wouldn’t trade it for any other thing, but sometimes everyone’s antics were a little overwhelming, and you had to slip away to seek out a moment of peace. Innevitably, you’d always end up in a few places. Namely: your storage-room-turned-workshop. 

After your welcoming into the folds of the Heart Pirates, they were kind enough to clear out an empty broom closet and convert it into a mini workspace for you. You had initially protested that it was too much, but Shachi had quickly shushed you by saying you’d pay it back by repairing everyone’s stuff and fixing up the infirmary’s linens. 

Eventually, those bolted shelves were filled until with rolls and rolls of fabrics, projects finished and not set in marked piles on your desk. Your walls filled with papers, ideas and sketches (both yours and not) displayed proudly. An almost-too-big-couch crammed right into the last unoccupied corner of the room, with a lopsided mannequin that Ikkaku fixed up for you standing proudly right next to it.

A home away from home.

Well, just a home now. You didn’t have any other place except with the Heart Pirates.

And in this peace, you could relax, and unwind. Pick up a thread and needle and weave your love into every fold and stitch of the fabric in your hands. Love that you hoped your nakama could feel.

Your hands jolted as the door to your workshop slammed open with a cry of your name. You grabbed the nearest object, a spare pincushion, and lobbed it with deadly accuracy at the intruder. Penguin yelped as the item beaned him right on the forehead, the brim of his hat barely protected him against your wrath. “What was that for?!?!”

“HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU TO KNOCK BEFORE YOU ENTER?! AND TO NOT SLAM MY DOOR?!”

“Sorry, sorry! But can I hide in here for a bit?”

You squinted at him, anger giving way to suspicion. “Why…?”

“Please!” The man clasped his hands in front of him, stepping into the room. “I’ll do anything!!”

An idea sparked in your head. “If you take my dish duty tonight… You can stay for as long as you want and I won’t rat you out if anybody comes asking.”

Not that you particularly hated doing the dishes, you knew the importance of equal distributions of chores (Law drilled that into every members’ head on the daily), but just this once, you had something pressing you’ve been wanting to do, so the extra time gained from Penguin taking on your duty was exactly what you needed.

Penguin didn’t even flinch. “I’ll take it!”

You grinned and let out a little ‘yos’. “You can hide behind the couch, There’s space there, and the floor’s padded.”

He was full of thanks as he dove behind the furniture, shuffling coming from it as he settled there. To complete the look, you walked over, grabbing the blanket on there, and draping it over the back of the couch, making it look natural.

Just as you were patting out the last of the wrinkles, slow, steady footsteps approached your workshop. A knock announced Uni’s presence before he stuck his head in through the open door.

“Hello, Uni. Can I help you with anything?”

A drone of your name. “Have you seen Penguin anywhere?”

You had to resist a smile. “No. Are you looking for him?”

A nod. Slow eyes tracked across your workshop but ultimately landed back on you again, standing next to the couch. “He used my gloves and didn’t clean off the grease.”

Wincing at that, you wondered why the hatted man thought that was smart in the first place. Uni’s gloves were far bigger than Penguin’s, but they were also slimmer, so shoving his mitts into those could’ve popped a few stitches. “If you want, you can bring them here, and I’ll fix and clean them up for you,” you offered.

Uni shook his head. “No need. I have spares. But I’m going to find Penguin to make him clean off the ones he used.”

“Okay. Good luck.”

“Thank you. Sorry for bothering you.”

“You’re fine, Uni. See you around.”

You waited until his footsteps were out of earshot before cracking a smile. Penguin shot you a grateful thumbs up and a grin when you peeked your head over to look at him. “It’s pretty comfy down here,” he said, wiggling his shoulders a bit. “Mind if I sleep here a bit?”

“Be my guest,” you drawled, wandering back to your desk and picking up your pencil. “I’m sure the dust bunnies appreciate the company.”

I appreciate your company, was left unsaid, but you hoped Penguin understood.

Peace returned to the room, only interrupted by the sound of your pencil and paper as you sketched your way through clothing patterns. Then, the quiet whistles of Penguin’s snores began to fill the air. You paused your work, before shaking your head with a fond smile.

You didn’t know how long you worked before there was a small flash of blue and Penguin’s snores being cut off for something to hit the floor where he was. Knowing that it could only be Law’s fruit, you got up to investigate what was Shambled into your room to swap with Penguin. 

A note, attached to one of your missing pincushions by a pin.

“That bastard,” you muttered, reaching down to grab everything from the floor.

‘Stop hiding people in your workshop’ the messy scrawl of his handwriting read. 

You snickered, sitting back down at your work desk and depositing the pincushion in its rightful place on your table. Your lamp flickered on, and you moved it so it shone over the drawing on your table, a revised boiler suit for Bepo that had more ventilation, so the poor Mink wouldn’t feel the heat as much when things inevitably got hot in the Polar Tang.

Yes, you valued your peace. But your workshop was a sanctuary, too. Not just for you, but every single one of your nakama that wanted to wander through your doors, in search of help, repairs, or just plain comfort. Peace came in many forms, and your nakama’s peace was yours.

[omegasmileyface]

Methods of travel between the Infinite Realms and the Living Realm

Note: it is tempting to think of the division, or Veil, as a membrane between the realms. In reality, it is not a skin or wall made of any substance. Rather, it is simply the place where an ectoplasmic reality-space and a mundane-matter reality-space rest against one another. It is less like a film of oil floating on a body of water, and more like the glassy surface of the body of water itself. The water holds itself together with surface tension and you can see the divide, but there is nothing actually separating the water and the air. We will colloquially refer to the Veil as "self-healing", but it's really more like it is settling. Simply the increasingly-entropic nature of the mundane reality and the decreasingly-entropic nature of the ectoplasmic reality finding a steady point they're both happy with.

1. Slicing a hole in the division.

Some ghosts specialize in this. It's fairly easy if you have a good sense of fourth-dimensional space and a sharp edge. The cut will self-heal, though, especially if it's messy, so it can be difficult to open a wider gap or leave it open for more than a moment. The mechanics of the slicing are fairly simple; like a shark fin about to surface, a blade that's almost touching the division causes currents that disrupt the fields enough to allow for the tip to easily pass through (see Method 3 below for further explanation), and then the wider part of the blade increases the size of the cut. The trick is in not touching the tip to the Veil before it's been destabilized. Perfektigas Tranĉadon is a good practical guide.

2. Punching a hole in the division.

With enough force (the true amount necessary is not exactly known, but it is known to be colossal), the division can be pushed and broken. This results in a hole which takes a long time to close on its own and produces a number of "shards" or "bubbles" of the division, which can knock their surroundings askew in the fourth dimension. These shards introduce incontinuities in spacetime, which will quickly equalibriate but momentarily pose a threat to laws maintained by continuous spacetime. The punching process also results in a jet of reality-material from the entrance side to the exit side. For further information, consider reading Continuous Space: Geometry and the Infinite Realms. This is the method perfected by the Ring of Rage, and it can also be achieved by any object with enough momentum (that is, velocity times the sum of ectoplasmic mass and mundane mass) being flung at the right fourth-dimensional angle.

3. Exciting the division until it is permeable.

If the spaces in realities on either side of one area are sufficiently energized, the Veil in that area can loosen up into a chaotic mixture of mundane and ectoplasmic space, which is not practically impossible to pass through like a smooth division is. This creates an illusion of a smooth gradient between mundane and ectoplasmic reality— in actuality, a space cannot be simultaneously ectoplasmic and mundane. This would be an impossibility, and, if it impossibly came to be, result in totality-altering paradoxes¹. It's more like tiny pockets of reality too interspersed to be noticeable, like an emulsion of milkfat in water (milk) or an aerosol of water in air (fog). The biggest issues with this method are (1) exciting the ectoplasmic field and quantum field simultaneously and (2) containing the excitement such that it doesn't dissipate in the Living Realm and/or coalesce in the Infinite Realms. Thus far, this is the only portaling method managed by mundane technology, and it is also the one usually used by summonings which do not rely on the summoned ghost for transportation (or fail to peovide transportation at all). Use of Ectoenergetic Excitement Alongside Gauge Field Dynamics in Ectoplasmic Portalling, being written by living scientists, is not a perfect explanation of the "how" or "why", but it explains the "what" pretty nicely.

4. Teleporting.

Ghosts with an ability to rewrite their position in spacetime, via whatever method, generally have no more issue moving interdimensionally than moving intradimensionally. The division only acts as a barrier when moving continuously. If your "teleportation" has issues with interdimensional movement being stopped at the division, it is possible you are actually moving continuously and simply too quickly or abstractly to notice.

5. Simply shifting your balance.

An item or entity which is positioned perfectly on the division can "tip over" onto one side or the other without facing any resistance. This is largely not an actionable method, as it is practically-impossible to obtain the perfect positioning and would require using one of the other methods to obtain it in the first place. Additionally, the smallest destabilization in fourth-dimensional space will tip the object, and the "fall" is not reversible. While a balance on the division is technically at equilibrium, it is a weak equalibrium in this sense and is not stable. An object which is stable in a state of being wholly ectoplasmic and mundane simultaneously (an entity fitting this description is known as a "true halfa", "Limenarch", "owuw-uwow", or y'know just their name that they go by for once) is, however, always positioned perfectly along that balance, and can shift one way or the other without being disrupted. There is no other writing published on this topic that I can find, so you'll just have to take my word on it.

6. Bringing one space to another.

On rare occasions, usually the work of powerful beings with domains in space or reality, such as certain Ancients or the Ghost King, an area of one reality is moved to an area previously occupied by another. In this circumstance, the shift generally causes enough chaos and mixing that the division is permeable. If it happens quickly or instantaneously, though, and the reality that was previously occupying the space is not moved out of the way, the impact with the division can be sudden and dangerous.

7. Entering a black hole.

I'm not entirely sure why this happens. The mundane matter that enters a black hole in the Living Realm measurably becomes a part of the black hole itself, so why does it also appear in the Infinite Realms? Does this disrupt the conservation of matter/energy, or are the two dimensions already on opposite sides of that coin? It seems impossible to tell, as the Infinite Realms have an infinite hypervolume. This is a puzzle that hasn't been solved yet, to my knowledge. Grab something made out of mundane matter and try it sometime, if you can survive immeasurable gravitational pull. It's pretty mind-boggling.

8. Using a natural portal.

Most of the phenomena described above can happen without intentional cause, thus forming a short-lived natural portal. When influenced by certain currents in ectoplasmic flow, these passages can be at odd temporal angles as well as spacial. Thus a natural portal is more likely to cross time than an intentional portal, only a few methods and users of which have been noted to be capable of transtemporal travel. There are not currently any known instances of mundane matter or energy causing a portal which crosses time. Most community centers in the Infinite Realms will have resources available for tracking natural portals.

¹ Trust me, I'd know.

[teaboot]

Now I want to know which transformers generation is your favourite. And your favourite transformer. Please tell me about your blorbo.

egcuhfYDYGGUJGUHFYH YOU ARE DOING THIS TO ME????

Starscream: The Transformers (1986-1987): This whole show was SUPER corny tbh but I really loved Starscream's personality and character arc. I feel like a lot of the newer series just make him shriller and whinier, which is fine I suppose, but I always kinda felt like he had the potential for more depth than that. He's still a huge bitch but he's the huge bitch I love

Jazz and Prowl. Just in general. I'm BIG on that "straight laced lawful good and his subtly scarier chaotic neutral friend" and when I was in middle school and deeply into the bayverse I was super upset they left Prowl out and didn't show them interact. Prowl is a bit of a Ross here and there and unfortunately is a literal police car but idk

Drift: Transformers: DRIFT Comics version. Because giant robots, swords, and underdog 'bad guy' redemption stories all kick like fuck. Michael Bay can once again kiss my lily white ass about it

Ratchet: All Versions. Ratchet is my grandpa. The Leonard McCoy of this enterprise. If you don't like him you're objectively wrong. I cried real tears when I saw what they did to him in the live action run. Repeat: Michael Bay, my ass, etcetera.

Sideswipe: Bayverse. No real reason, just that teenaged Teaboot thought giant robot with knife arms was hot and adult Teaboot agrees. Would have been interesting to see Sunstreaker too, I love those big stupid jerks.

But you know at the end of the day beyond lovable characters I think this part may have had the strongest impact

Obviously this was a cover-your-butt moment for not having enough female characters and explaining why robots have ""genders"" but explicitly saying "gender isn't real, it's a human construct, and our bodies don't reflect our reality" was not the worst way they could have gone with it. (Talking in transmasc)

Thanks for the ask!!!!

[daddy-dins-girl]

Pedro Boys - "Zombie Apocalypse Team"

this might be my favourite one yet... keep reading for headcanons!

related posts: Pedro Boys "During a Fire Emergency" Pedro Boys "Nice Argument. Unfortunately," Pedro Boys "Don't Fuck This Up" Pedro Boys "Dad(dy) Matrix" Pedro Boys & Stabbing Pedro Boys "Lawful/Neutral/Chaotic" Pedro Boys "Feral/Sad/Angelic" Pedro Boys Respond to "I love you." Pedro Boys "Character Tropes" Pedro Boys "Gay/Depressed/Horny on Main" Pedro Boys "Dad/THOT/Bastard" Pedro Boys "bring some Coke to the party" Pedro Boys "I Want a Baby" Pedro Boys "As Babysitters" Pedro Boys "As McDonald's Dads" Pedro Boys "in a horror movie" Pedro Boys "Cinnamon Rolls" Pedro Boys "5 Kids, 3 Chairs" Pedro Boys "Playing Monopoly"

Headcanons under the cut!

Leader - Dave York. Simply put, Dave wouldn’t allow anyone else to be in charge of him, regardless if they’d be better suited for it. Some of the others follow him out of fear, others simply because they'd just prefer not to be in charge.

Brawler - Joel Miller. The muscle. Not so great with his words, much better with his fists.

Weapons Expert - Din Djarin. A bonafide space cowboy, this man has it all. Blasters, rifles, flamethrower, jet pack. Evaporating infected before they even see him coming.

Brains - Marcus Moreno. Truly the Team Leader, but he lets Dave hold the title. He has the mutual respect of everyone, is level headed and the glue that holds the whole group together. He advises Dave, but in a way that makes Dave think they’re his own ideas. Marcus doesn't need to take any credit, he just wants everyone to be safe.

Medic - Frankie "Catfish" Morales. He’s no doctor, but he's had enough basic field medical training in his military days to at least be able to patch everyone up better than anyone else on the team. He’d prefer to be the Vehicle Expert but sadly, modes of transportation in the apocalypse are hard to come by.

Moral Support - Marcus Pike. Always looking at the bright side of the apocalypse. He likes to joke “when life hands you cordyceps, make mushroom tetrazzini”.

Scientist - Ezra. Not exactly Einstein, but he knows what berries and plants are safe and which to avoid during long treks through the wilderness. He’s proven himself useful more so than not. Mostly he keeps Dieter from accidentally un-aliving himself.

Risk taker - Max Phillips. Loud and outspoken, Max's mouth is always getting the group into trouble. Good luck to any infected that tries to turn him though, his ego is so big its like a thick candy shell around the vulnerable parts of his brain.

Stealthy - Oberyn Martell. Forget sniping infected from 100 yards away, this man simply sneaks up behind them and with some flourishing footwork they're on the ground with any sharp object he could get his hands on slicing through the flesh of their throat. He's also stealthy in the way he manages to slip into the others' sleeping bags without them evening realizing at the time that they want him to, but that's a headcanon for another post...

Dumbass - Dieter Bravo. It's not that he wants to die, it's just that he seems to occasionally forget that he can't just eat the fungus as if it came in a Ziplock bag that he use to pay 40 bucks a pop for.

Badass - Javier Peña. This man just continuously takes down infected as if they might actually come to an end. He knows that as quickly as he takes down one colony, four more spring up, but he's stubborn and refuses to stop trying, regardless of how tired he is of it all.

Mascot - Javi Gutierrez. He is babygirl. To be protected at all costs.

Distraction - Jack "Whiskey" Daniels. A real root-tootin, gun-blazin cowboy. Jack never needs to be asked twice to go put on a spectacle in the middle of an open field, gathering all the attention so the rest of the group can flank all sides under brush cover. He seems to have nine lives too, narrowly escaping death more times than any other. And he can handle his own. He argued for the spot of Weapons Expert but ultimately was swayed when he realized being the distraction actually meant being the center of attention.

Stereotype - Pero Tovar. One look at this man screams "if anyone was going to survive a zombie apocalypse, it's him"

Sacrifice - Dio. Look, it was his idea. The weird part was that nobody even asked him to.

First Dead - Eddie. It's just facts. In a long line of Pedro Boys deaths, someone had to be first.

Reply or reblog with your own headcanons, I'd love to hear them :)

[vindicated-truth]

(Originally written here)

There are three things that stood out to me here about Oh Jihwa's background:

Jihwa as a licensed psychotherapist

While it wasn't explained how or why she got that certification, it certainly makes a whole lot of sense for her character.

For one thing, it explains exceptionally well why she's the only one among the crazy ensemble of their little Manyang family who has a remarkably sane head on her shoulders. She's the most logical, most level-headed, and most objective of them all, less prone to being blinded by emotion while embracing the empathy it entails instead of shunning it.

(The latter is what sets her apart—and in some ways better—than Joowon.)

In everything else, she's also remarkably the most similar to Joowon: strictly law-abiding, refusing to let human attachment get in the way of enforcing justice, wants the best for everyone precisely through calling them out on their bullshit, instead of enabling it.

It makes the most sense, actually, that Dongsik is drawn to both Joowon and Jihwa in similar ways, with the only difference in Dongsik's slightly sexist—albeit completely understandable and not without merit, considering how the victims were all women—overprotectiveness of Jihwa as a woman.

It also makes sense for Jihwa to be the most fitting to be Dongsik's best friend, as she is actually the best suited to deal with Dongsik's multiple psychological issues because of her qualification in psychotherapy. She's the most capable of handling Dongsik the right way, and it clearly shows with the way she deals with him constantly without babying him, enabling him, or patronizing him.

In a way, she mirrors Joowon in this. Which leads me to my next point and theory:

Jihwa as potentially Dongsik's love interest in the initial conception of the script

When Joowon asked Dongsik, "Are you jealous?" when Dongsik demanded Jihwa to refrain from meeting her ex-husband again, I can now see where the showrunners might have headed with this, given what we've now seen as an initial conception of the background of Dongsik's and Jihwa's relationship in the script:

Lee Dongsik. The moment he was brought into her father’s Taekwondo studio by his father, Lee Hanoh, she sensed that they were alike. Sure enough, whenever something happened his kicks flew first, just like her. He was also strong against the strong and kind to the weak, just like she was. The neighbourhood elders used to tell her over and over that she should get married to Dongsik. At first she hated hearing it, but after a while she got used to it. Maybe even liked it a little.

There was potential there, had everything not went through hell because of Kang Jinmook, for Dongsik and Jihwa to have been romantically involved, at least for a trial run, had they caved in to familial and societal pressure.

And I now realize why:

Jihwa can be seen a female counterpart of Joowon much in the same way that Jaeyi can be seen as a female counterpart of Dongsik.

Because Jaeyi has incredible similarity to Dongsik too: headstrong and passionate, fiercely protective of the people they love, unheeding of societal norms and more likely to follow their own personal convictions, stubborn and upfront about their own personal beliefs, fearless in blatantly breaking the law as long as it brings forth the justice they believe in.

(In D&D terms, both Joowon and Jihwa can be classified as Lawful Good, while both Dongsik and Jaeyi can be classified as Chaotic Good.)

Had the showrunners decided to take the more conventional route of Korean dramas, I can actually see how they could get away with the parallelism of Jihwa and Jaeyi as mirrors of Joowon and Dongsik in turn, and naturally heading down the path of what could have been a more heteronormative and age-appropriate potential romantic involvement between Joowon and Jaeyi, and Dongsik and Jihwa.

I'm honestly not against the thought. It could have worked had it been done well, considering the natural talent of both Kim Sujin and Shim Nayeon in fleshing out characters and their relationships to each other. And considering their similarities, Jaeyi and Jihwa can serve as a proper balance too to both Joowon and Dongsik, in ways that are similar to how Joowon and Dongsik are to each other.

Except—it would have been a massive disservice to both Jihwa and Jaeyi by once again limiting and devolving their characters into being written in as nothing more than romantic interests of the male leads, instead of the superior and incredible female characters they already are in themselves.

The showrunners made the best decision in not shoehorning in the romance—even as the natural potential was there—because it's in precisely letting these women be freely who they are in themselves is exactly what made each of their characters shine best.

(And the irony is: both Jihwa's and Jaeyi's strength as female characters lies in what they cannot be for both Dongsik and Joowon in turn, in a way that both Dongsik and Joowon desperately need:

Jihwa and Jaeyi are both much too sane to ever give in to either man's brand of lunacy, which is the kind that only Dongsik and Joowon can give to each other: that raw, unhindered, unfiltered, all-encompassing devotion.

Ironically, both women have a much stronger sense of self-worth to ever blindly lay their soul on the line for a man.

As they should.)

And finally, this is the most remarkable thing that stood out to me about Jihwa's character background:

Jihwa's estranged friendship with Jeongje

Despite how it's the three of them who have the longest history together, it has always struck me how Jihwa strangely feels like the outsider to their trio.

It felt, to me, like she was left out a lot in the bond that Dongsik and Jeongje uniquely share.

At first I had thought it was because Jeongje was the one leaving her out, whether deliberately or unwittingly, with the way canonically in both Jeongje's character background and the actual show, Jeongje keeps referring to Dongsik as "his only friend", as if Jihwa isn't right there along with them.

Which is why it fascinates me now to find out that it was Jihwa herself who was deliberately avoiding being too close to Jeongje, finding excuses to not be around him more than necessary since they were young.

And again, it circles back to Jihwa's incredibly sensible background as a licensed psychotherapist: perhaps she always had the inclination, due to her nature as being logical and level-headed, and had always been attuned to the fact, even before she was professionally trained for it, that there was something about Jeongje she was right to be wary of.

And again, it also circles back to how this makes her remarkably similar to Joowon in this too:

Just like Joowon, she had always wondered if Jeongje's attachment to Dongsik isn't necessarily healthy for Dongsik.

(And Dongsik himself had always felt it too, that it was Jeongje who was clinging to him more than necessary, more than what is normal, the way he had pointed it out to Do Haewon herself.)

[dailyadventureprompts]

Why I don’t Use the Great Wheel Cosmology

For those of you who might not know, “The Great Wheel” is a name given to the arrangement and relations of planes that’s provided for the “default” d&d setting, and is assumed to be going on in the background of 99% of all published d&d material. It arranges the planes in a looping sequence vaguely based off the alignment chart, with wordily embodiments of the most extreme forces of good, evil, law, and chaos existing at the cardinal points. Souls depart from the material plane and are drawn directly to whatever plane most aligned with their alignment, to either live on in an eternal state or to become outsiders of their particular domain.

Over the years that I’ve run this blog I’ve stated time and again my distaste for the great wheel cosmology, meting out my critiques in bits and pieces as they were relevant to whatever I happened to be writing about at the time. This has happened so much that I wanted to collect all my gripes in one place so I could link back on it instead of reexplaining myself each time. So without further ado, brace yourself for an opinionated nerd telling you his in depth opinions about something that absolutely does not matter: 

The whole point of a cosmology is to describe the natural order/structure of the universe, and the great wheel describes a universe that’s effectively just the christian dichotomy of heaven and hell with a few extra steps. It’s a fundamentally moral view of how the multiverse works, and makes “right” and “wrong” not only into objective facts, but a geography you can walk across, travelling from the most morally correct place to the most incorrect place with just a couple of protals. 

This system is painfully rigid, not only removing any nuance over whether a course of action is correct, but preventing any competing worldviews from even existing: you can’t have differing belief systems/schisms of faith when you can go out and see proof of the rightness of the great wheel. Much like with how d&d handles gods, this paradoxically removes the idea of “faith” from matters of worship, which to me removes the whole point of having gods in the first place, reducing the big questions around death into a moral assembly line with one of a select number of pre-determined outputs.

It’s no stretch to say that the great wheel is just the alignment chart canonized as a fundamental part of the game world, and while we’ve all grown past the fundimentally black and white morality of the alignment chat It still mystifies me that d&d uses the great wheel as a piece of worldbuilding upon which most campaigns are supposed to be set. 

This boggles my mind because d&d has a much better and simplier cosmology upon which campaigns can be set, one that makes no moral judgments and instead allows for the infinite creativity that the game is supposed to be all about. The astral sea is an infinite expanse of possibility, where worlds are spun together from thoughts and dreams paralleling the process of creation that goes into the act of storytelling itself. What better way to explain a multiverse that functions on narrative tropes more than it does physics? Where hope really can prevail against wickedness and rule of cool supersedes the dictates of fate.

To end with a couple of personal gripes, the great wheel is really kind of boring? As a selection of afterlives about half of them are idyllic natural landscapes with nothing really going on and the other half are unplesant caves/wastelands suffering some kind of fucked up weather event. Most of it is painfully eurocentric when it comes to visions of the afterlife, and those planes that DO stand out ( The crashing metal cubes of Acheron) are more weird for the sake of weird. 

I can’t help but focus in on how much the great wheel doubles down on the game’s weird hodgepodge of colonialist belief structures. While WOTC has hastily amended out “always chaotic evil” over the past couple years, they still set their material in a cosmology where creatures like orcs/goblins/gnolls are born evil, drawn to evil all their life, and are doomed to suffer eternally in various hells because “evil” is in their very nature. This isn’t good worldbuilding, it’s the authors seeking some kind of weird vindication for their own beliefs by creating a group of people they can feel morally justified in punishing, and we all know where that gets us.

[rey-jake-therapist]

I’m going to put my tin foil hat and just “spitballing” in here. Could Sauron love Galadriel or he’s just obsessed with her in the same way Morgoth/Melkor coveted the Silmarils jewels? First, there are several diferences between the two villains:

(1) Morgoth was a Vala (actual God), Sauron is a Maia (demigod in service of a God). In the lore, Maiar could fall in love with Elves, and they did (Elrond is of Half-Maia descent). So, Mairon, as a Maia of Aulë, could 100% fall in love with Galadriel. He was, however, corrupted by Morgoth.

(2) Morgoth and Sauron plans weren’t the same, at all: Morgoth was a nihilist God who wanted to wreak havoc; destroy the entire world, and bring chaos and darkness everywhere, out of mockery and spite. He also wanted to rule everything, and was pure “chaotic evil”. For Sauron, Morgoth’s chaos and destruction were the means to an end, not his actual goal. Sauron is a control freak, a perfectionist who’s obsessed with order and organization. What’s his plan? He wants a perfect world, a world of order, with no more wars, everlasting peace and unity, where everyone gets along. That’s why he needs the Rings of Power for each race of Middle-earth. However, he’s aware wars and chaos won’t ever stop, and so he has to become a tyrannical dictator to bind everyone to his will to create such a world. Sauron is “lawful evil”: his aim is not to destroy, but to strip everyone of their own free will (but he’s not above using destruction and chaos to achieve his goals).

Morgoth wanted the Silmarils as trophies and out of jealousy. Morgoth is a very envious and petty God; he wants to have the ability to create, but he doesn’t; that’s why he corrupts and/or destroys creation. He stole the Silmarils jewels because they were the most admired objects in all of Aman, the most beautiful things ever created. But Fëanor, their creator, wasn’t a peach either: he believed he, alone, was entitled to them, and also created them because he was obsessed with Galadriel’s hair and couldn’t have her.

Now, while it is possible to draw some parallels here, Sauron was able to create stuff, because he used to be a servant to the Vala of craft and building. Aulë also created life (the Dwarves), but he did it out of desire of teaching and have companions (not the corrupt, like Morgoth did with the Orcs) and was pardoned by Eru. And perhaps that’s why the Maiar of Aulë, Mairon/Sauron and Curumo/Saruman, were both targeted and corrupted by Morgoth.

Sauron didn’t crafted the Rings of Power out of jealousy or envy (and certainly not because he couldn’t own Galadriel) but out of a desire to dominate and control. While Morgoth wanted to destroy creation, Sauron wanted to rule it. Not the entire world, but Middle-earth, which he believed was forsaken by the Valar after the War of Wrath, and was left in ruins. So, Sauron believed it was up to him to intervene, because the Valar wouldn’t. And that’s why he later aspires to become a God himself, and not just a Maia.

Now, how does Galadriel fit in all of this?

In Season 1 of RoP, the showrunners seemed to have taken the “repented Sauron” route in early episodes. In the books, after Morgoth’s defeat, Sauron does repent, mostly out of fear of the Valar. However, he’s too prideful to return to Aman in humiliation, and perhaps too afraid to be judged by the Valar, so he stays on Middle-earth. However, his bounds to Morgoth are too strong and he falls back into evil, and starts his “Rings of Power” project. In the book, this takes centuries, mind you.

His obsession with Galadriel can have several explanations:

(1) As a repented Maia, he could have actually fallen in love with her; and believed her light could help him break free from his bounds to Morgoth, and make sure he remained on the right path;

(2) He saw her power and her potential to rule by his side and help him achieve his goals of domination. Her beauty is legendary and seems to have an effect on everyone who crosses her path, so with Galadriel as his queen, Sauron would be able to reach his goals way faster, and with less bloodshed (he hates frivolous friction, after all);

(3) Like Morgoth with the Silmarils, Sauron wants to own Galadriel’s light out of spite and envy for the Eldar. She’s one of the oldest Elves on Middle-earth, the most beautiful, and she has the light of the Two Trees of Valinor in her eyes and hair. To have her as his queen, would be the ultimate insult to the Elves.

(4) All the above?

Fandom assemble and debate!

Right now I don't have time for a thoughtful answer, but I'd love to read your thoughts about this very interesting subject guys !

[chirpos-pencil]

Speaking of Genocide Jack, it’s super interesting to hear that she felt terror from the tragedy that shook even her but she didn’t participate in it.

The idea of a world without any order to stop her from killing didn’t excite her at all. She wanted to stay locked in the school along with everyone else. Maybe because it’s objectively safer inside or maybe the bonds she made with her peers were very valuable for her to stay with them.

Wow, you must have read my mind! I was just thinking about her and how the Tragedy affected her ✂️😛✂️

I suppose, aside from killing adorable boys, she also got that sweet, sweet thrill from evading the investigators and police. She prided herself on her skills, the incidents she caused, and how slippery like a fish she was in the hands of law. She loved the frustration of those tasked in capturing her. She enjoyed stirring up chaos and confusion in a normal world.

But what if the world turned far more chaotic than even her? What if those corrupted with despair held bloodlust far greater than her? At least she had fixed motives and calculated methods behind her killings, but the others? Mindless and pure despairing killings ran amok, terrifying even her. And what of the adorable boys she crushed on? Before she could even strike, they were killed by other hands.

And what about Toko? She couldn't let her be subjected to the outside world when it's like this.

So, she willingly complied with the school lockdown. I could imagine her trying to pull mischievous (sometimes, dangerous) pranks on her friends and laughing at their reactions to satiate her thrill, haha! Maybe to also lighten up the already dense atmosphere.

There's no denying that the Tragedy affected her too. The normal world she enjoyed causing havoc in didn't exist anymore. The people she'd enjoyed pouring fear into their hearts have turned into complete monsters. The world became foreign to her, and that daunted her.

So she sought safety behind the walls of Hope's Peak Academy, with her friends. At least, she's familiar with that world.