A lot of people's issues with modern D&D would be immediately fixed if they accepted the game for what its rules actually say the game is trying to achieve (even though the rules are usually not vocal about it and you kind of have to divine that purpose).
Like, a lot of GMs seem to stress over making their games challenging enough but not too lethal because if the dreaded TPK happens or a character dies before fulfilling their personal arc then the narrative momentum of the game dies. But like:
Death is pretty much the only consequence of note in modern D&D. It might not be a fun consequence but without it you lose all tension
The fact that death is always on the table should be an indication that the game itself does not care about narrative continuity nor your characters' personal arcs.
Despite all the modern guardrails and mechanics like bonds and ideals that are supposed to add character death, D&D is ultimately a "some assholes go to die in a ditch" type of game. And that's okay. But playing it as a "I must preserve narrative continuity and make sure characters stay alive or else my plans are ruined" game means an uphill battle against the game itself.
thinking about how laios is so outwardly kind and agreeable even though he can be judgmental in his head.
and i know its to keep the peace, and as party leader he has more responsibility to withhold scathing remarks that could damage morale. BUT i can't help the nagging feeling its also because he just doesn't want to hurt his friend's feelings, even in the moment
like the one time he verbalizes his "negative" thoughts, he immediately goes back
he doesn't actually get it, he still thinks it's strange nobody wants to eat the fish man but can eat other animals, but he lets it go for chilchuck's sake.
laios spent his entire life feeling ostracized and scrutinized by others, the last thing he wants to do is make his friends feel that way.
and it sucks so hard we don't get more of this in the anime because i feel like it adds so much with so little.
Maybe an obvious detail but Nya actually comes out of the same glass of water Kai knocked over, so in a way, Jay was actually right -- that water did bring him closer to Nya.
Yk, got me talking about guns censorship in ninjago, well in my opinion the funniest, most unhinged ninjago gun scene in history was when Kai and Zane got chased by this crazy man
Bet they saw their lives flashing before their eyes fr, the fucking trauma they HAD to get from this omfg, good thing they don't remember skybound
I'm laughing so hard at the idea of Kai and Akita just doing so Reckless™ and accidentally killing Kataru, Lloyd, nya (and the rest of the ninja too) via a heart attack. They'd barely make it through a day together.
Kai and Akita thrive off of Chaotic Righteous Moron Energy, they will not hesitate to pick a fight with anyONE you mess with them? You look at their family wrong? It’s Fight Time, there is no fear in either of these red-coded fools, they would pick a fight with the FSM himself for kicks. Kataru and Nya are in tears trying to get them not to Pick That Fight, Lloyd you’re trying but get that look out of your eyes, the other ninja are in the background with popcorn.
Here's something I think about.
In the first part of the pilot, Kai has to pass an obstacle course before Wu finishes his tea. Kai eventually accomplishes this by knocking the tea cup out of he hands, which is super clever! But Wu scoffs as he heads inside, which means that he probably didn't intend for Kai to do it this way, but still found it acceptable. So here's what I wonder:
How did the other ninja pass that test?