DM, Keeper, Kaiju Guy

Dungeon Master of the Toho Kingdom D20 section.

[biglawbear]

I finished reading The Lord of the Rings for the first time in my life. With all of *vague gesture at everything* this going on.

I Am Not Okay

[biglawbear]

You have to understand. I watched the movies maybe once as a kid when they came out twenty years ago. I've somehow avoided learning like anything about these books my entire life. Literally everything about these books was a complete unknown and surprise to me. Totally blank slate going on. I barely even knew how it ended.

Holy shit.

[biglawbear]

Frodo didn't complete his task. Sam literally carried him up Mount Doom. And when he got to the end, he couldn't throw the Ring away.

But for Gollum biting it off with his finger, it wouldn't have been destroyed.

So Frodo's journey saved the world nonetheless.

And it broke him.

It was too much for him to bear. He could no longer live in the Shire or live in Middle-Earth. He wasn't of the world anymore. He had to go to the Undying Lands.

He took on the task that no one else would. He saved the world. Everyone got a happy ending. Aragorn became King, Sam rebuilt the Shire, Merry and Pippin became heroes. They all lived in renown.

But Frodo had the hardest task of all. No one else would do it. A simple hobbit who came by the Ring by chance. Not a King, not an immortal. Not a wizard. No power save his will and his friends. And he did it and saved everyone.

And he never got to rest. He never got to remain in peace. The task destroyed him. It was too much.

But there was no other way. Nobody but a simple hobbit could bear the ring all the way to Mount Doom and resist its power so long. Not a man, not an elf, not a wizard; they would have succumbed. Gandalf knew this, which was why he chose the hobbits in all his designs.

It's amazing that one of the precedent setting works in the fantasy genre holds up so well because it subverts what ultimately became the genre's core tropes. The hero was not the King, or a chosen one. In fact, the hero not being the King was a key point that allowed Aragorn to distract Sauron and allow the task in the first place. The hero was someone unassuming but courageous, who did the thing because no one else would, even though it was just by chance he came upon it.

But Frodo couldn't resist the Ring completely. He wasn't superior to anyone else in that way. And in the end it left him broken. The burden crushed him. No one else could do it, and in the end, he couldn't either. He wasn't so special that he was invulnerable.

I'm not okay. Holy fuck you guys.

[biglawbear]

It's been a week and I'm still not over this, I'll never get over this.

Something that I've been thinking about, as I struggle with depression and anxiety and *another vague gesture at everything* is that LOTR does not criticize Frodo for being broken. It does not shame him or deny him what he needs.

The task was too much and it broke him and that's okay. His friends nonetheless take care of him and let him go with understanding. The book doesn't treat it as a bad thing.

This seems to be a theme throughout the books. The characters rest and heal. They spend time recovering in Rivendell, Fangorn, Lorien, Ithilien. It's treated as good and necessary. They don't heroically endure endless torment from the second they set out until they're done.

And in Gondor's march from Minas Tirith to Mordor, Aragorn recognizes that some of the very few men he's taking with him don't have the heart to go to battle against the Enemy. And he says that's okay. He gives them other tasks the they can do. They hold other strategic points. They aren't shamed for not going all the way, or kicked out, or told that they aren't manly or whatever. Their limitations are recognized and respected. The task was too big and it was okay that they couldn't do it.

I don't know man. I've held on through some absolutely crazy shit. White knuckled through mental health crises when my doctors were begging me to take a break, to go to the hospital before I hurt myself. My therapist has tried to slow me down and tell me that I've been going through it and it's understandable that I am feeling some kind of way. Even one of my colleagues remarked that I've had an absolutely fucking wild career and that I've seen more as a lawyer of seven years than she has as a lawyer of forty. But I've gotten it into my head that I have to be strong, I have to be independent.

Fuck me, man, I'm currently white knuckling through life and hanging on by a fucking thread. A few weeks ago I was about an hour away from checking myself in to a mental health facility until my best friends swooped in to help me. And then I went right back to work.

And then I read this book. This fucking brilliant and beautiful book written by a man who had seen the horrors of war and spilled it all over the page. And I read it for the first time as an adult with full understanding and experience of what it all means. And it hits me like a fucking truck.

And it says that you can't endure everything. That at some point you need to rest and heal. That if you take on too much you will break. And that all of that is okay.

How am I supposed to move on with my life after reading this?

[three--rings]

Certainly there are many messages within Lord of the Rings, but you have to think that Tolkien would have been happy that this message in particular was still being conveyed all these years later.

[kaiju-claws]

A beautiful reminder. Thank you for sharing.

[psshaw]

Mega by Salvador Sanz

[godzillord]

Horror Godzilla: A List Of Ideas

There is no stopping Godzilla. There is nothing on this planet that can even slow it down (horror Goji, IMO, would be much more of an it than a them)

Godzilla would have one singular goal: Eradicate humankind.

Small clusters of humankind are able to survive if they remain inland (ideally in forested areas far from the coast) and eliminate any form of radio/telephone/expansive communications systems.

Basically you can survive if you stay off the grid and stick to small, commune-style villages.

Large population centers that make a noticeable ecological dent in their surroundings would draw Godzilla in - even from thousands of kilometers away.

Mountainous villages could theoretically expand a little more, as even Godzilla would have difficulty navigating the terrain.

Some event in recent history would urge caution to the above: Twenty-odd years ago, Godzilla showed up in the Alps and broke them to reach a thriving town of 3000 people.

Godzilla shows no aggression towards other lifeforms and even has a thriving symbiotic relationship with many species which flourish in his wake.

His beef is solely with humanity and good lord is it ever personal.

Godzilla is intelligent enough to understand that even scrap metal and debris can be used by humankind to rebuild. So this fucker will spend years methodically dragging every last piece of humanity's former glory into the Marianas Trench.

It attacked New York City in the 1970s. By 1990, all that was left was organic rubble - every scrap of human innovation - metalworks, buildings, glass, vehicles, etc - had been dragged away by Godzilla over time.

Godzilla's breath attack was both powerful and accurate enough to wipe out satellites. That is the degree of how vindictive and spicy this king would be.

Some very small communities in South Asia remain coastal and actually appear to exist with Godzilla's blessing - these are villages that have never left any real ecological mark on their environment and simply contribute to the nearby natural world without proving detrimental.

Many of these communities have begun to view Godzilla as a vengeful god of the natural world that will rise up and destroy anything that goes against the natural order of the planet.

They're not altogether wrong.

[kaiju-claws]

Fantastic ideas. A golden list.

[depressedraisin]

watching my way through m*a*s*h and i'm awestruck by how much the show does not valorise the practice of military medicine...? the sense of contempt that the text of the show has towards war, the military and american institutions also extends to medicine in some inexplicable way.

they're saving lives out there and it's good work but it's not important bcs they shouldn't have needed to do it at all. hawkeye shouldn't have to stitch up kids on his operating table bcs the kids shouldn't have ended up there anyway. neither should've hawkeye himself. at the end of "the late captain pierce", when bj is trying to get hawkeye off digger's bus, he doesn't give rallying cry about how noble and important their work is. bcs it isn't and they know it. hawkeye is keenly aware of his moral duty but it doesnt seem enlightening or revelatory - it's a noose around his neck.

i'm in season 4 rn and the most dashing, "heroic" acts of medicine they do - when they help that north korean soldier in "the bus" or the girl blown up by the landmine in "welcome to korea" - are when they actively say a big ol' fuck you to their roles and responsibilities as army surgeons.

[postcards-from-elysia]

MASH is so good at taking a premise that should be pro-military and pro-US imperialism via civilian doctors saving people in a war zone and it goes, actually, this whole premise is fucked up. It goes, actually, brutality is never justifiable. It goes, actually, people are worth caring about and caring for, even when you don't know them, don't speak their language, and their actions and choices make your life miserable. Looking at you, Frank, on that last one.

OP, you're so right that it doesn't valorise military medicine. The doctors don't come out of surgery as heroes. They come out of surgery haunted by the decisions they had to make. Which people they had to let die; amputations they made. The people they couldn't keep alive because of time or supplies or skill. And the people they saved? They're just going to go back to the front. To die.

[biorante]

[tyrantisterror]

Picture this: a retelling of the Odyssey set in medieval Japan, with the various islands from Toho's monster flicks taking the place of the ones from the poem. Scylla and Charybdis? No, you're stuck between Kameba and Ganimes. The Matango are the Lotus Eaters, Mothra and Infant Island play the role of the helpful wind god Aeolus, and the wrath of the Olympians takes the form of Godzilla himself, pursuing the crew relentlessly after they steal an egg from Solgell Island.

"We must move quickly, we don't have much time. Kong didn't notice I put Soma in his wine."

Kumonga and the kamacarases play the part of the Laestrygonians. We change things a bit by having the crew piss off Poseidon/Godzilla in their island instead of the Cyclops/Kong's, but hey it's an adaptation, not 1 to 1.

Birth Island and a very Belvera-esque witch/priestess of Battra subs in for Circe, while the queen of Mu/Mirai Kanai fills in for Calypso. Odysseus rides on Manda's back to get home.

The island of the sun god is Lagos Island. The crew eat the big egg they stole from Solgell Island after tying up Odysseus, and Godzilla eats them in turn but spares the bound captain (a hunt that he's not JUST a monster).

Ithaca turns out to be Odo Island. In place of the suitors, it is taken over by a cult of Baradagi Varan. Odysseus fends off the cultists and a last ditch arrival of Godzilla saves him from Varan - gotta end on a Kaiju fight after all. Godzilla saving Odo Island = the Olympians helping Odysseus kill the suitors, showing the cycle of revenge is broken. Odo Island pays a sacrifice of fish to Godzilla every year after to maintain the friendship.

Not sure who would fit the siren role, though.

[tyrantisterror]

Maybe the Sirens are Yog? Mind controlling voices and all, plus the siren episode is very close to the Scylla and Charybdis one already. So the Yog trio and Yog itself are the Sirens, Scylla, and Charybdis.

[tyrantisterror]

Maybe the crew doesn't eat the Godzilla egg. It feels a bit cruel even if it's true to the Odyssey. Maybe it hatches and, seeing that it's a baby of the monster that's been chasing them, the crew tries to kill it, with only Odysseus standing up for the hatchling - hence Godzilla sparing him.

[tyrantisterror]

Instead of going to the underworld, Odysseus communes with the spirits of dead Venusians (with Belvera's help) and gets telepathic/empathic powers. Is he the ancestor of Miki Saegusa and Princess Salno? Perhaps!

Possible substitutions/additions:

- Maybe we don't get to use Kong because of copyright shenanigans. Well, no one has to name the big ape in story, so we could just claim he's a different big ape on Faro Island.

- Alternatively,we could use Gaira instead. It violates the premise of ONLY using island monsters that existed before the modern era, but he IS a people eating hominid.

- While I don't want to bring in space monsters to preserve the mythic vibe if this idea, we could substitute Ghidorah for Varan. We'd just need to play up Ghidorah as an apocalyptic dragon who comes from the stars (very mythic concept) instead of a Space Monster. Make the cult that summons him call back to the ones in planet eater.

I want to work in Ebirah somewhere... Maybe instead of doubling back through Scylla and Charybdis like the poem, Odysseus encounters Ebirah while escaping the isle of the sun god/Lagos Island? Gets rescued by the people of Mu after his raft is destroyed...

Anguirus and Rodan cameo in the sun god/Lagos Island episode. I'd like to work in Gorosaurus too - maybe he eats the blinded Kong in the Cyclops chapter? Or is that too mean?

[kaiju-claws]

God I love this.

[steelneck95]

Godzilla: Black Mass - Chapter 11

Previous

[kaiju-claws]

Steelneck is the best!

[almightyrayzilla]

On the first day of Kaijumas, my true love gave to me:

an Oxygen Destroyer in the sea

[almightyrayzilla]

On the Second Day of Kaijumas, my true love gave to me:

Two Tiny Girls

[almightyrayzilla]

On the Third Day of Kaijumas, my true love gave to me:

Three Monster Heads

[almightyrayzilla]

On the Fourth Day of Kaijumas, my true love gave to me:

Four Fiery Birds

[almightyrayzilla]

On the Fifth Day of Kaijumas, my true love gave to me:

Five Sofubi

[almightyrayzilla]

On the Sixth Day of Kaijumas, my true love gave to me:

Six Hatching Babies

[almightyrayzilla]

On the Seventh Day of Kaijumas, my true love gave to me:

Seven Fuzzy Moths

[almightyrayzilla]

On the Eighth Day of Kaijumas, my true love gave to me:

Eight Ultra Brothers

[almightyrayzilla]

On the Ninth Day of Kaijumas, my true love gave to me:

Nine Slicing Points

[almightyrayzilla]

On the Tenth Day of Kaijumas, my true love gave to me:

Ten Burrowing Giants

[almightyrayzilla]

On the Eleventh Day of Kaijumas, my true love gave to me:

Eleven Turtles Flying

[almightyrayzilla]

On the Twelfth Day of Kaijumas, my true love gave to me:

Twelve Cities Trampled

[kaiju-heritage-posts]

Posted December 13th, 2022

[steelneck95]

"On this day The devil was let loose onto the land. And God, our loving father, Looked away."

[kaiju-claws]

It’s just incredible!

[biorante]

[chernobog13]

Up from the depths

30 storeys high

Breathing fire

His head in the sky

It's Godzilla

Godzilla

GODZILLA!

And Godzookey!

[erumelde]

[nochd]

Tolkien wasn't super clear about this and what hints he did put in, the movies left out, but the answer is: The Ring controls people.

In the book, Frodo does this to Gollum on the slopes of Mount Doom, and curses him to "yourself be thrown into the Fire" if he ever touches him again.

I feel Peter Jackson didn't understand that -- as he also didn't understand why Gollum, having sworn on the Ring not to harm Frodo, couldn't (personally) harm Frodo (and therefore had to lead him into Cirith Ungol for Shelob to kill him instead).

"Smeagol promised!" "Smeagol lied" was never how it worked.

Which is why Jackson had Frodo still apparently be drawn to the Ring after it was bitten off him and attack Gollum and push him over, because he thought Gollum just "randomly fell off the edge" in the book. It wasn't random, it was the effect of Frodo's curse using the Ring's power.

At all levels the Ring's power is to give its bearer power. For small mortal folks like Hobbits that means the gift of invisibility, which, like the Ring of Gyges in Plato's Republic, removes social consequences for one's actions. For people like Denethor or Aragorn it would have meant the power to command armies, which is what Sauron thought was happening when Aragorn marched on the Black Gate and why he sent every soldier he'd got to take it back. For Gandalf ("through me the Ring would wield a power too great and terrible to imagine") or Galadriel ("all shall love me and despair") it would have meant phenomenal power over nature.

[kaiju-claws]

For future reference to self. A fascinating take on the power of the ring as facilitating the death of Gollum. I’ve always noted Gollum swearing on the Ring as holding him to not harming Frodo personally.

But how did I not take note of his death as a function of the curse! Tolkien loved Beowulf, he loved The Ring Cycle! I feel like I need to reread it all again.

[teriosthedark]

dr. serizawa ive grown quite fond of you

[aubreyappears]

I love how ghidorah's character is just "whatever the opposite of godzilla is at the time."

is his godzilla a grumpy antihero who attacks when angered? he's a force of pure destruction.

is his godzilla a wild card who can't be controlled? he's a mindless weapon.

is his godzilla the force of pure destruction? he's a heroic guardian.

is his godzilla nature's balance? then he's literally climate change.

[aubreyappears]

the one time his heroic counterpart was mothra? who believes all life is important? suddenly he just loves killing dinosaurs and eating children. he’s whatever makes the main monster want to fight him the most.

[aubreyappears]

are we doing an amusement park ride where godzilla is doing godzilla things around you and never notices or cares that you exist? then suddenly ghidorah’s motive is that he knows you’re there and wants to Get You, specifically.

[gogomrbrown]

[zanta-is-feelin-some-kinda-way]

spread these around to ruin a fascists life, let them know their power fantasies hate their fucking guts.

[kaiju-claws]

Fuck fascists.

[davidthespider]

Godzilla, Kong, and tragedy.

Something I've felt for a long time but never expressed is what I feel is the fundamental difference between Kong and Godzilla. Obviously the two kaiju are very different in concept, but it can't be ignored that there are notable similarities between them in many aspects. They're both powerful kaiju with near absolute power over their respective domains. They both are treated with religious reverence in their media and in the real world. They both face repulsion, hatred, and harsh adversity from mankind. They also have what all kaiju fundamentally share: that being that they exist in a world that was built in opposition to them.

The entire world has been developed to accommodate miniscule animals that wish for both of their downfalls. This is what makes kaiju, particularly Godzilla and Kong, inherently tragic characters. There is no place for them in this world. The difference is how Godzilla and Kong cope with this fact. Kong is a very lonely beast. His race and anyone he could call his family is long dead. All he longs for is a companion to comfort him as he fades into the abyss. This mission of his is cut short by humanity, a force that refuses to let Kong go quietly into the night. Seeking for someone he could leave behind is Kong's way of coping with his existential depression. King Kong is lonely.

There can be no doubt that Godzilla is also very lonely. He too is, the last of his kind. However, unlike Kong whose family presumably died naturally if not peacefully, Godzilla's family was violently ripped away from him by a man-made disaster. Baptized in the fire of the atom bomb he is reborn as a spirit of vengeance. Kong wanted to die peacefully and wasn't allowed to, but Godzilla wants to fight. He wants the creatures that did this to him to know that he matters. That they will not get away with doing this to him and they never do. Kong can be beaten and killed but Godzilla never stays down. Even if he does die another one of him always takes his place. Everyone who fights Godzilla loses eventually. Even in death, his quest for vengeance never ends.

That's the difference between these two titans. Where Kong is tragic, melancholy, and passive, Godzilla is bitter, rageful, and worst for humanity, active. Kong is vulnerable and adverse to conflict with humanity, but Godzilla is almost invincible and relentless. They face the same existential problem but want opposite things, feel opposite feelings, and have opposite goals as their ways of dealing with it. Neither of them have a place in this world but the difference is that one wants to disappear, and one wants to make himself known. These kaiju are very similar monsters with very different personalities, and I think that's neat.

[kaiju-claws]

Bravo OP! I love your reading of this.

As the trailer for Minus One said; “That monster… will never forgive us.”

And maybe he shouldn’t.

[kaijugifs]

[kaiju-claws]

The scariest Godzilla has been, ever.