#Aabria you can't keep doing this to me

[chillinglikeashilling]

Me listening to Aabria talk about code shifting in the Adventuring Party for ep 8

[rollerska8er]

This is kinda old news at this point but I can't stress enough how weird people were about Aabria Iyengar in the first season of Misfits and Magic.

To wit: There is a scene, which was made into a YouTube Shorts clip, in which Brennan Lee Mulligan's player character, Evan Kelmp, is overheard by another character who says "Hey, I can hear you!" Brennan, as Evan, responds "No, no you didn't." To which Aabria, in character as the NPC, responds "You know what we aren't gonna do? I'll whoop your ass. You're not gonna gaslight me." It's a funny scene and played off well by Brennan who is clearly blindsided by Aabria's response (which, again, is in-character).

There is no way to describe the reaction to this moment other than "bizarrely racist". The comments on the YouTube Short paint a picture of Aabria as a crazy person who is unnecessarily aggressive to poor sweet Brennan, just because he said no, the poor lamb. These people read Aabria's in-character reaction to Brennan's joking, in-character refusal to yes-and as an actual accusation of gaslighting from Aabria to Brennan.

People then go on to be outraged that she refused Brennan a deception check (which he did not ask for, and also isn't really possible in the narrative-driven system they're playing because guess what, not all TTRPGs are D&D). The implication is that Aabria is a nasty, unnecessarily aggressive GM who creates an uncomfortable, abusive and oppressive atmosphere around her table.

Except, of course, this isn't what is happening in the clip at all. Aabria is smiling throughout, as is Brennan. Nobody is visibly uncomfortable. Brennan's character becomes flustered by the interaction, but he is supposed to be socially awkward. Did any of these armchair critics bother to learn the context for the scene before making a snap judgement about the GM? Of course not.

Why do I make the racism accusation? Well, because Brennan has also been known to react to PCs goofing around with the same kind of stern, in-character finger-wagging. See Emily Axford-as-Fig's interactions with Goldenhoard and other authority figures, for example.

Were the roles reversed, and Aabria tried to blatantly lie her way out of an interaction with one of Brennan's NPCs only to be told, in-character, "You're not gonna lie to me", I have a feeling the reaction would not be quite as strongly negative.

It is impossible to read the reactions casual viewers had to this moment as anything but specifically racist and misogynist. These people saw a black woman even in roleplay assert a boundary and concluded that she was being aggressive to a white male player for no reason.

I'm just thinking about this now as the second season of Misfits and Magic is currently being released. Of course, it's clear that Brennan and Aabria are good friends and have GMed for each other on and off camera. But I just keep thinking about how fucking uncharitable people were to Aabria two years ago and it does really concern me how normalised this is in TTRPG spaces.

I hope the production team are taking steps to care for their talent because honestly, a small but vocal minority of D20 fans and quite a lot of wider casual actual play fans can be really fucking horrible at times.

[achillvs]

basically spoiler free, but here's some thoughts.

i think in ep 3 of "misfits and magic 2" you can really see how doing 'worlds beyond number' impacted the gamestyle of the 4/5 of the cast of m&m.

the "evan incident" quickly changed the tone of the game, understandably, but i am still quite amazed how... committed to taking it slow lou, erika, brennan and aabria were. i think it's very fitting for sam to say the genuine, big words and continue with action - but also danielle is so relatable to me as a player in that. the GM has a whole story planned, we are on a schedule, let's do things, react with the world! pay homage to what's happened but also let's go, things have to happen! that's definitely what i would do too, and danielle did perfectly - her moments with evan after she got used to the emotional standstill were my favourite. but for the rest, it seems like their first instict was to dive deep already. lou allowed himself to pull away, he was ready for jammer to disbelieve the whole thing and aabria pulled with him. erika also pulled away to stay "in shock" - of course, it's a natural reaction, but I know in so many games none of this would be taken so introspectively, it would be quicker, channeled outward. brennan, who we know can't help but co-GM at times (in a good way, playing a PC in a way that aids the GM's job) says as evan "I fade away" and has to be brought back by sam. he does "help out" by saying evan's still on the mission, but it is much more reserved than he could've been. through the whole thing aabria was so focused on keeping the time progression to a minimum, truly joining the others in the haze of the moment when she really could've, you know, arthur aguefort it. you know she could, and more.

none of it is the original plot, part of the objective they had last episode even. it's purely reactive to a random event, but it's also mostly just emotional reaction. aside from jammer talking to the guy to find a solution (because it was offered, not because he sought it out), an "action" wasn't taken for like an hour of real time. they just allow themselves to sit for that hour and feel. and i cant help but see the wbn effect in play. it's commitment to the story, to the truth of the character vs the plot and the constraints of time-limited, scripted media. and it's incredible to watch outside of the podcast

[fischyplier]

Misfits and Magic Season 2 Episode 2 "Magma and Mingle": My Thoughts and Analysis

So here are my thoughts on Evan and Sam. Am I the only one that doesn’t see their relationship progressing into romance? I can understand that in this season Brennan and Danielle are having more scenes together. At this point, Evan and Sam's relationship feels platonic to me, but who knows what could happen in the next few episodes. I prefer platonic relationships because they feel more interesting than just romance. Also want to take the time to say, I love and appreciate all the hard work that went into this and every season of D20. Thank you to the crew, the players and Aabria cause misfits and magic has become very near and dear to my heart!

Click below to read more, warning long post:

Anyways, Evan has gone through a LOT of traumatic experiences since childhood and continues to till this day. Evan's body is riddled with scars, broken bones that healed wonky, etc. He got stabbed on a bus at night trying to retrieve a talisman for Boodle 10 months ago. And I would not be surprised if he's been through more but hasn't had the opportunity to tell his friends or elected to say nothing. I can't help but to read too deeply into the quote "dream small". Is it cause I feel that Evan has learned to dream small in order to not get his hopes and expectations too high? Just a theory... A game theory! I'm sorry.

After 3 years of no contact the pilot project are back! But they haven't really had the time to sit down and catch up. In the video below, Sam says "I feel like there's a lot of things that when we talk you don't tell me." Which kinda leads me to believe, Evan doesn't want to worry his friends so he bottles up his feelings and doesn't open up. And when he does it's always with a smile and jokes to mask the hurt. He isn't just sad, he feels like a burden and tries to not take up space. I can really relate to this.

Even Brennan says Evan is in deep pain. The breakup he went through didn't help but there is more under the surface we as the audience still don't truly know. The experiences of being a lonely unhoused teen is the reason why Brennan chose "belonging" as Evan's ideal track. Because that is the one thing he's been deprived off, humans are social creatures and need to interact with others. What happens to a developing brain when that is taken away? When all you know is your shadow, loneliness and hunger? So when his friend says we can talk, he takes that as a serious invitation. Evan now surrounded by friends wants to do everything in his power to protect those he loves. He doesn't expect it to be reciprocal. You can see that when he says "if I've ever done a bad job about being here for you, I'm always here for you" after Sam says we can talk. When Brennan tears up with that incredible delivery of "I missed you"... I keep rewatching that part! Evan is always on the go, needs to be prepared, needs to be ready when shit hits the fan. Sam has created a safe place where he doesn't need to be hypervigilant and can relax, maybe open up and be a little vulnerable.

Sam is rightfully concerned that something deeper and terrible is going on with Evan.

When Evan continues kicking a half dead Salamander that isn't a threat to any of his friends, a darkness in him wants to kick it mercilessly for pure enjoyment. That even his eyes turns black. The first thing Sam does when she sees this is to attempt to drench it in water like Jammer did. Cause she said that this has become "unnecessarily dark" and that "this is freaking her out". That she'll even resort to spitting on the creature if it means that Evan will stop kicking that crap out of it. The water cools and stops the creature. Sam is a great friend that sees Evan do something twisted and wants to help so desperately. You do not have to be falling in love with someone to do the right thing! I still think they should just be friends.

I love that in this season we can really see their friendship blossom and not just be surface level chit chat. As they get closer hopefully they can help each other in ways they really need. In the preview for the next episode Evan says, "I don't see you the way you are afraid people see you." Sometimes it takes someone outside of your point of view to see aspects of yourself you are too close to see. And I think that's beautiful.

That leads into my next point, no I don't think the progressing of their relationship means that romance is in the air. I can't remember where I read it but another person said it best, intimacy doesn't mean romance. You can get close to someone, be a shoulder to cry on and depend on without developing feelings. You can love and respect your friend and keep it at that level but develop on that intimacy of a great friendship. I feel like it made the most sense for these two to get closer in this season because they have more in common now. Before it was just the fact that they were students learning magic at Gowpenny and being NAMPS (non magical person or let's be serious MUGGLES!). But now Evan and Sam have both underwent break ups and that's something they can really connect on. I really hope they don't get together right after cause that sounds like a rebound and to me, story wise pretty boring. And in my honest opinion, jumping into another relationship right after being with K is a little too soon. Evan needs a friend not a lover, at least for the time being. He needs to keep his inner darkness and insecurities in check. That or a therapist.

Hopefully this doesn't age like milk, and if they do get together I guess I'm wrong! :3

Thank you if you read till the very end, here is a gif of Brennan giving you a thumbs up!

Why? Cause you are pretty cool!

Please consider liking or reblogging this post if you liked what you read. And I'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode and if I should continue!

[grifff17]

Audiodrama Sunday 6/9/2024

I have so much to say this week! I usually take some very quick notes as to what I want to say in these as I listen to stuff, but this week I have a ton of notes. Also, I made a Tumblr Community for audiodramas. If you want an invite, please ask me! Also, if you can figure out how to reblog posts into a community, which is supposedly a thing you can do, please tell me.

To start off, season 16 of Lost Terminal started this week. It feels great to be back in this world, this show is so cozy. I love the little programming tidbits in this show, as a nerdy programmer into conlangs and hard scifi this show feels like it was made for me specifically. It looks like the premise for this season is an entire season that takes place over 10 seconds, which is such an incredibly cool idea. I love how they are leaning into the relative time different between humans and AIs due to processing speed.

@worldsbeyondpod had so many crazy moments I have to talk about. First off *music change* "roll a stealth check for the fox" out of nowhere was terrifying. I truly felt Erika's gasp when Brennan said the words "patchy corduroy witch hat". I haven't even gotten to the biggest moment in this episode. Holy shit poor Straw. This story has so much moral nuance, I'm obsessed with @quiddie's defense of Suvi on tumblr since the last episode. Speaking of Aabria, "fuck your scene" was so perfect. Finally, Glassheart moment spotted at the end of the episode. Even though it will never happen, I will forever be a Glassheart shipper.

@worldgonewrongpod this week was very fun. It is weird that I was picturing a specific tree at a small local park I walk through all the time whenever the tree was being described? I cannot unlink that tree and this episode in my mind. The reenacted council meeting was great, I'm excited for the update to this episode at the end of the season. Also, I'm not sure I've said this yes, but the theme song for this show is perfect. I've already added it to my playlist.

@wanderersjournalpod ended on a cliffhanger this week. Are we finally going to learn Pluto's whole deal next week? I can't wait to find out.

@midstpodcast that was a hell of an opening scene. This whole episode showed such an interesting side of Weep. I want to avoid spoilers for this show, but that ending god damn. That is not what I expected. We must be getting close to the end of the season, they resolved the opening scene and the episodes are getting much longer. Looking at the lengths of the previous season, there's probably 2 more episodes.

A very short update from my dear friend over at @re-dracula this week. Renfield is so unsettling. I don't actually know anything about Renfield, so I'm learning as I go. I think he's some sort of vampire spawn?

@breakerwhiskey I caught up and what the fuck. This show keeps twisting the knife. Hey, at least Birdie is finally talking in real time again. She confirmed Whiskey's theory, which is nice, and finally gave us her backstory. Then the second reveal in a later episode, holy shit Harry. This really explains the whole dynamic between Whiskey and Harry. This was the big fight Whiskey keeps referencing.

I listened to the first episode of season 2 of Skyjacks Courier's Call. The city that it's going to be set in is really cool, and I loved the Fun Money shenanigans. Going on a road trip tomorrow and I'm going to listen to a lot more of it.

Finally, there was a new SCP: Find Us Alive this week. This was a cool episode, I really liked the art show. But the big thing was the very end of this episode. My theory was right! Sometimes, when talking into the mic, Harley was subject to the memetic effect and forgot what he was talking about. But only sometimes. They've established that it only happens if someone can hear you. This meant that every time he forgot, someone was listening! Great foreshadowing!

Because of the aforementioned road trip, I'm going to post this a few hours early. This is at least better than my usual time of "forgetting it until the last moment."

[comicaurora]

Hey I'm getting into DnD, do you have any podcast or series of a DnD campaign to recommend? I know there is critical role, but wich one of those should i start with? Is there a better beginning than critical role? I am lost here, please help

This is gonna very much depend on your personal preferences and attention span! I recommend sampling a range of DnD podcasts to find your personal tolerances and what parts appeal to you. I'm not the most widely-read person in this space because frankly most DnD podcasts are on too slow a boil for my attention span, but I've got a few you could check out-

Critical Role is the biggest and most well-known one for sure, but pacing wise I personally can't get through it. I love it in concept, but it's slow enough and huge enough that my brain zones out in the downtime and I lose track of important details when things speed up again. I think my first successful exposure to it was a brisk two-hour video that's just a Best Moments Of Grog compilation. That's also why I've been really liking The Legend Of Vox Machina, which keeps all the biggest and best moments but paces them like an actual story instead of a game. It's not representative of the experience of playing a TTRPG, but it is a lot of fun.

I personally enjoy limited-run miniseries a lot more, because they work better for my limited attention span, and on the critical role front that means I recommend EXU Calamity, a Doomed Heroes far-distant prequel to the modern setting of CR. Only four four-hour episodes and it's on a bit of a slow boil for the first three, but because everybody involved knows how the story's going to end, there's an endless drip of dramatic tension along the way. The DM, Brennan Lee Mulligan, is going to show up a lot more on this list.

On the subject of short miniseries DM'd by Brennan Lee Mulligan, Escape From The Bloodkeep is my personal favorite and the one I revisit the most. Six two-hour episodes, deeply unhinged and intrinsically comedic as it's a full-series parody of Lord of the Rings. I recommend it for a lot of reasons, not least of which being that Matt Mercer, who is an excellent DM, gets to play, and his playstyle is a great example of how to roll with the punches and the dice, since his extremely menacing nazghul captain is afflicted by a string of hilarious failures and he kind of just owns it, to the point where his character arc becomes accepting his worth as an individual with the power of friendship. It's a great example of not taking yourself or your character too seriously, which is a vital skill for players to learn in order to handle the whims of the dice sometimes (or often) not cooperating with your narrative wishes. If CR isn't working for you but you're interested in what you can pick up from this extremely talented DM, this is a good way to get that!

Dimension 20 (Collegehumor's DnD branch) has several series I really like, most of them DM'd by Brennan Lee Mulligan again. His DMing style really works for me, and he takes an approach to pacing that I quite like, so they're generally a safe bet for me. One I categorically recommend is The Unsleeping City, an urban fantasy DnD game set in New York City. This one is 19 two-hour episodes, so longer than the other miniseries but still much shorter than CR, and it can give you a bit of a sampler for (a) the genrebending you can do with DnD and (b) a longer-form story with a less rigidly determined finale than the previous examples. Brennan's DM style is very cool, and he puts an unusual amount of focus on characters getting solo vignettes, which is sometimes considered a bit gauche in DM circles because it means the other players don't have a whole lot to do during those solo conversations, but it works for him and his players and the effect is very cinematic!

But if you want to see a different DM's style in the same space, A Court Of Fey And Flowers is run by Aabria Iyengar, one of the EXU Calamity players, and she has a very different but also cinematic DMing style! The game is also a hybridization of DnD and a different system for facilitating Jane Austen romances, which is dope. Only the first episode is up on Youtube, but that should probably be enough to let you determine if you want to check out more.

I'd be remiss if I didn't at least mention the two DnD Actual-Plays I'm in, Rolling With Difficulty and Heart of Elynthi. Rolling with Difficulty is subdivided into three seasons of 8-10 four-hour episodes each, with each season having one overarching plot or threat but mostly being composed of episodic adventures - it's a Planescape series, meaning most episodes take us to a completely new plane of existence to deal with its unique geometry, fun denizens and wacky threats. It's also a lot more edited than some actual-play podcasts, with an effort to avoid the slow parts and the dice-rolling, mental math, "what am I gonna do this round," etc. Heart of Elynthi is an ongoing series that's only about five or six episodes in, with an overarching mystery in the background and a "collect the things to save the world" plotline in the foreground. It also streams new episodes on Twitch on (some) Wednesday afternoons, so if you'd benefit from a live chat to hang out and talk with during games, that might be worth checking out to see if you like it! Elynthi also has had some pretty cool behind-the-curtain stuff about how the players can handle in-character disagreements without them turning into IRL fights, which is something I don't think I've ever seen another DnD actual-play explicitly unpack but is also extremely important for players to consider, so that's fun.

[utilitycaster]

You commented on not being a fan of non-pc pov scenes in ap, something that Aabria used in the first go of exu (which was one of the main things that put me off of it, tbh). Do you have any thoughts on how this is applied in EXU compared to WBN?

So for EXU there's some parts that are better, and some that are worse. The good thing is that they're very brief snapshots vs. the one in WBN that was like, an extended several-minute scene. I also actually kind of like the ones for Ted, since that makes sense; we know it's impossible to really get Ted's perspective otherwise and you can kind of handwave it as being related to Opal and floating about in her unconscious.

The ones for My'ratta and Poska on the other hand, while again, brief, sort of underscore their lack of development. We did not know what Myr'atta wanted until episode 93 of Campaign 3, and as I've said before I literally could not tell you what the goal of the Nameless Ones or Poska is. They serve no purpose narratively except as a ticking clock and shadowy threat to get the Crown Keepers to leave a place quickly.

I mentioned Otohan in my original post on this topic as an example of an underdeveloped antagonist, something Brennan mentioned as something he hoped to avoid, and Myr'atta, Poska, and Otohan are all ultimately cut from the same cloth: cool aesthetic, cool abilities, and a severe lack of in-game development. I don't know what motivates them (or in Myr'atta's case, didn't while they were an ongoing part of the story) and so they all bore me. They are flat, dull villains who say threatening shit that means nothing because I don't know what drives them. I don't want to keep getting into it because it kind of derailed my original point anyway but what frustrates me the most is how people keep saying "oh but I'm sure they have a motivation." Like yeah bitch. I'm sure they do. The GM has a responsibility to convey that in-game. And they can do so subtly! Believe me, I am glad to do the work of unpicking motivation from allusions or what is carefully unsaid; this is what makes Ludinus and Liliana (and Lolth in EXU) interesting! But it's telling that whenever I'm like "what the fuck does this character do other than serve the purpose of a Plot Device to either threaten or move the characters", no one ever like, explains their motivation to me; it's always "give it time! I'm sure the GM has something in mind." Well, both Myr'atta and Otohan died before we got that (we still don't have it for Otohan) so I think we can safely say the waiting game is for suckers. Like, if you like characters based on aesthetic alone that's valid as a choice, but I'm not taking your meta or arguments seriously because that's a superficial judgment.

It's also frustrating because it's like...the GMs and the fans who keep insisting to be PATIENT long after a boring antagonist has worn out their welcome for me are simultaneously like "the audience will not remember this guy if I don't shove them in their face in a stilted cutscene" and also "clearly, the audience will infer that this boring-ass antagonist MUST have something deeper going on and therefore they will extend credit indefinitely." It's the absolute opposite of what they should be prioritizing. Instead of trying to jingle the antagonist in front of me like keys while still doing nothing to develop their personality, maybe have the party...idk, have a vision. find a letter. learn something secondhand from someone talking in a bar that sheds light on their motivation.

In WBN it's actually a totally different problem. The scene is 100% unnecessary. We know what the Man in Black wants. We know what's going on with him. We know his goals and his allies. We saw him only a couple episodes ago and he's been a topic of discussion throughout a good chunk of the arc. Hell, we even know how dope-ass his aesthetic is. This is just showing something the party doesn't know and can't act on, for several minutes of Brennan talking to himself, and I think it actually destroys what would be a gut-punch of undead Sir Curran showing up on the opposite side of Eursulon, whose entire deal is being inspired by him.

So: The EXU scenes are less intrusive for their brevity, the fact that the Ted ones are pretty good, and that at least they don't spoil a moment, but at the same time they still don't solve the problem of an underdeveloped antagonist for Myr'atta and Poska. The WBN scene meanwhile drags on, and actually does too much by taking what could be an unbelievably devastating reveal and having it happen when Eursulon isn't even there to respond. I couldn't tell if this actually spoiled it for Lou, since they record well in advance, but if it did that's such a missed opportunity.

Anyway I think my point is that (with the exception of the very first scene of a campaign that is setting the stage, before the PCs are introduced) these cutscenes only work if they are extremely short and purely for vague flavor. I think if you want to have a scene with no PCs present, you should perhaps write a book or a screenplay instead of playing D&D.

[plantmommoonbaby]

Some Cannabis and Overenthusiasm-fuelled Fan Theories about Worlds Beyond Number (Part 2)

Theory #2: Is Eioghorain Rasper?

Look, this one is so thin. But it really leads back to my overarching theory that Eioghorain isn't actually as bad as we think actually, this theory of mine is very emotional and very deep, so I shall keep it to myself until I have a relisten specifically geared toward proving this, or if he is, it's not in the way we think. In reality, it probably stems solely from me thinking over and over again about the GIFT that is the fact that Eioghorain looks like Toshiro Mifune. But we know literally 2 things about Rasper (as recallled from memory so please correct me if I'm mistaken):

1) his origins are very mysterious but his name is likely a name cloak

2) he is an older east asian man with graying hair at his temples and a lithe, athletic build

This literally just occured to me today while listening to the Fireside Chat when Brennan made an effort to remark that Eioghorain would be older now. Aabria and Erika were (rightly) distracted by Mifune still being smoking hot at any age, but I can't help but wonder...

Theory #3: Indri and Mirara are working together to kill Hakea

Ok... ride with me, please. I've already talked about this before, but I have to say it again because... i just believe it so much. We know that The King of Night wants to eliminate Ame so that the Coven can make moves against the Citadel. But... what if his infiltration of Hakea's retinue is actually a ploy from Indri to incriminate Hakea in the death of Gramore's lover??? Gramore and Hakea came into this house the closest bond. And Hakea is the one witch currently in the coven with an undeniable authority over Indri. If there can only be 3 witches, it seems like the very best chance Indri has in convincing Gramore is by turning her against Hakea so that it is Ame and Hakea on the chopping block.

Theory #4: Indri is eliminating the Coven of Elders one by one

Look... there's not a ton of data to back me up on this one besides Brennan admitting that Indri is him living his best Regina George Life. Here's what I do have

• Indri's predecessor was not about isolation and self like Indri is

• Indri killed her predecessor

• Indri is so threatened by other witches that she "gets rid of" any apprentice she has that starts learning magic

• Oh, and the Mysterious Garden of Highly Specifically Posed Ice Sculptures, including one who is very much Not Like the Others

• Indri looked exactly the same as she does now when she met Morning Wrensong... meaning she was likely equally as powerful

• Grandma Wren would've been the third witch eliminated from the Coven if Ame's curse worked

And... lbr, that's all I need to know this woman is threatened by other powerful women and is Very Likely Up to No Good...

Theory #5: Halumon might be our best bet at fixing the Coven of Elders

Remember how Halumon melted the ground of the courtyard? Also, remember the ice sculpture that was Not Like the Others? I feel like the only way we really put an end to Indri's determined elimination of her own Coven will be getting the pretty pony back to melt Ice Mommy and have her reclaim her position as the Witch of Wind and Stars. This is less of a theory and more of a hope, ngl...

Anywho, again, if you actually made it here, thanks for reading and please tell me how you feel about any of these. Also, if toy are anything like me, you have cottonmouth rn, so don't forget to hydrate.

[nochi-quinn]

candela obscura chapter 3 episode 1: oh god everybody's fucked up

I'm here, I fell asleep and missed the start but I'm here

lmao the immediate note-taking

ur really committing to that voice huh liam

marisha made an older character and liam said hold my dentures

STEAMPUNK JAZZY

heyyyy someone else makes the joke I picked up from a stargate episode 20 years ago

liam what was that look

absolutely love ashly's wig

sam looking like he got hit with a cattle prod

what's a sam reigel

why are we getting oscar's CV

"are they hot"

listen I saw the trailer he 100% uses that chain to beat people with

"no one calls you carey, oscar"

oh no he's hot

oh he's kotallo, that's why

the flat cap does look good on sam, I can't lie

y'all that's gay

I like cordelia's little halo

eloise best character

(maybe that's the look liam was giving ashly, eloise vs elsie)

elsie's a werewolf calling it

yesss the old people guilt trip

liam

oscar: I'm gonna punch a ghost

"you're wearing a ball gown. it's the morning."

the maw??

haha it took me until literally this moment to remember ashly is aloy, my ship is reunited

"I'm using my bullshit detector" did you get that cleared with the gm

I like the term "blood and guts doctor"

I've been watching S1G play Slay the Princess and the more they describe her the more she sounds like a Princess variant

oh no lights

liam you did that on purpose

oh Aadtika (?) is a very pretty name

"lung, heart" liver, nerves

"you have an extra house?" "you don't?"

rajan

"you slick son of a bitch"

he IS a slick son of a bitch

oh sam's being THAT character

prepared to spend three episodes threatening to punch oscar in the head and throw him in the pool

("nochi nobody read your free! livetweets" well maybe they should have)

sam doesn't watch the product

liam always wants to roleplay fish and chips

[picks elsie and raj up and shakes them until backstory falls out]

"I'll be as subtle as I can be" smash cut to him beating someone to death with a chain

the docks seems like a terrible place to play baseball

sam

did they do a dndbeyond for candela?

they did!

sam forgot he was short

"high stakes not for harm" but bc it's funny

rajan: oh I am NOT involved, you made that VERY clear

"don't waste that on me" "I agree"

I'm being gaslit bc I've always pronounced "copse" like "cope" with an "s" in it

shades of the old man at my previous psych office yelling about obama's secret weather machine

"I help by SCREAMING"

grandpa's making a wheel for it

[mabel pines voice] grappling hook!

the way sam rolls dice STILL kills me

oh good, everyone else also thinks they should fuck

"why can't we just be friends? oh right, because I don't like you."

what the fuck's a flashlight

"yeah! temperature play! :D" aabria

"do you go down my little hole" "of course!" aren't y'all divorced

oh no an ot3

don't say degloved that means something else

oh I dig that

werewolf!

lights!

were….thing!

oh no aabria's doing the voice

everything goes black, and you die

l…lights?

breathing?

how could crcw not have prepared me for this

immortal asshole oscar grimm

EXCUSE

oh he's an asshole because he gave up the non-asshole bits to bargain with death

hey sam what the fuck

oh hey ashly. ow.

thump thumps? why?

loud??

imagine if oscar coming back just freaked elsie right back into beast mode

there's another hour left of this wtf happens

yessssss "I'd take a bullet for him but I wouldn't go drinking with him" my beloved

local woman realizing that everyone around her is an absolute freak

liam's startled old man noise

"ohhh I'm not good at that"

ACTION GLASSES

wait I don't understand what he just did

oh he did a drug

little bird ;-;

his WHAT

chairsword!

it glows blue when there are nuns nearby

where's that one digital devil saga monster

I desperately need an artist's rendition of this orca-mantis-thing

excuse me

I keep missing the spelling of his sister's name

"oh god everybody's fucked up"

A WHAT built in his WHAT

augh eye stuff no quiero

is noshir lefthanded?

I kind of half-called that

"that felt like twenty. that was a season."

BEEKEEPER

"do you know you're covered in bees?"

I like my women like I like my coffee

"because yours is super chill"

liam you can uncommit to the voice

(he will not)

"drop the skincare routine"

[waltwhitmansbeard]

so i keep thinking about what @quiddie put in the comments of that one post and obviously idk what's coming down the pike but i can't stop thinking about how heavily education was highlighted in this most recent ep of burrow's end. like yes, the kids were brought to "education"—which was really daycare, which is emphatically not the same thing—but so much of the episode was about the adults both being educated and learning how uneducated they are in comparison to the stoats that have been in last bast for a long time.

and i feel like the standard story to be told here is one of street smarts vs. book smarts, which pretty much always plays out with street smarts saving the day or ultimately being more useful, bc yeah, books and standardized tests can only get you so far. but idk, this story feels different to me. this story feels less like streets smarts vs. book smarts and more like what happens when a group revels in its lack of education, when anti-intellectualism is a virtue and not just a by-product of the way a life has been led. ava refuses to learn how to read. thorn wants to run away when his worldview is even lightly challenged. viola cares about the weapons more than anything else last bast has to offer. tula is told the raision d'etre of last bast and immediately, unquestioningly assumes it's propaganda.

and yes, i think all of that can be explained by a group of stoats that has always, always had to fight to survive. that doesn't make them bad people. and yes, it's going to take more than one (1) singular day for someone's entire personality to make that shift. but these stoats are so fucking sure that they are right and that the stoats of last bast, who are like, inventing shit and doing science, are naive fools. and aabria seemed to do such a good and careful job of making it clear that they are very much not that. i think last bast has its secrets and i think that any population that large is going to have Problems, but the clear value that they place on education and curiosity and the pursuit of knowledge really makes me feel like the lesson here isn't about not trusting systems or being complacent or how those who have had to struggle are inherently more likely to survive, but rather that blind certainty in one's existing body of knowledge inhibits one's ability to grow, to adapt, to thrive.

[ruby-red-inky-blue]

random notes on naddpod c1 ep 1-45

shared here in lieu of chewing my very indifferent friends' ears off irl. For whom it may concern. also why do i keep thinking i could keep these to a single post. this campaign has a hundred episodes.

spoiler warning! you will get no context but still

Scoutmaster Denny *murdered* me. The voice, the whole deal. I started this podcast on a trainride and fully lost it over Denny in public

“Let’s cast waterwalking on the boat!” “…Emily, that’s just a boat.”

Hardwon on the dumb mating call idea: "can't we just break a bunch of sticks or something? why do we have to make it horny?" and Murph losing the fucking plot in the background

DM lightly threatens player’s pet, endangers his marriage, more at 10

JONAH

“The animals are going batshit. Even the bats.”

legit every time they describe someone and then land on "they're just hot" almost nothing they describe works for me, it's kind of hilarious

also a truly staggering percentage of the NPCs are naked

Moonshine is saved by an almost literal Deus Ex Machina as Pawpaw descends from the Heavens carried by a very helpful centaur

-

The reaction to the last remaining dude attacking Beverly in the Ezry lab cracked me up. “We’re trying to watch a cutscene! Read the room!”

-

whenever Emily shows the slightest hint of disappointment or frustration the world will immediately alter just a little to make her feel better (like retroactively making the stairs unsafe because Emily saved a whole spell slot to climb the wall of the tower). This is the cutest shit and also it took them TWELVE episodes to call Murph out on it

(I'm much further into the podcast now and i can't believe none of them have tried to weaponise this blatant weakness even once)

-

A BROOMBA is sweeping the floor

nothing is better than Murph doing Pawpaw but his fucked-up sounding seagull is a close second. Truly capturing the personality of those damn bastards, the man is the king of the garbage critters

Emily feels SO guilty about sending this dumb bird to die

Coming into this with the only prior experience of DnD being Brennan and Aabria is kind of wild. Like D20 campaigns you'll get the big philosphical speeches for the emotional beats and here's Murph with an equally heartfelt "Life just sucks ass, you know?"

Hardwon finding out about his parents is SUCH a good scene

“Are they bioluminescent?” “No.” “Can they be?” “Yeah, okay.” (16/17)

“Get out of town!” “I can’t, I’m a mushroom. I just stay here.”

Emily: “Oh, scrying means spying!” “It doesn’t, but-“ Murph, .2 seconds within Emily getting ‘um actually’-ied on dnd: “It does in this game, wiseass.”

Ol' Cobb’s big day!

When Hardwon goes down and the whole table has to watch Murph fight this intense squirmish against himself. Just a guy rolling dice and talking to himself. God that’s so funny (19/20)

Bev’s big day! Also Bev’s first kiss! (19-20)

-

they’re really going all out for Ol' Cobb. Now he has a tragic lovestory too! (21)

“The High Elves believe that they were banished because they were cousins who wanted to get married. The Crick Elves believe they were third cousins at most. The truth is somewhere in-between.” “Second cousins?” “They were second cousins.”

Not to be cheesy on main but the Crick is such a love letter. Like it’s so obvious how much care and heart went into this almagation of all the silly asides Emily has thrown out

I have one (1) American irl friend and they're from a smalltown in North Carolina so all I'm hearing is people approximating my friend's accent with varying consistency and success

the Crick sounds like paradise and my worst nightmare, simultaneously

having Pawpaw's mother speak and also speak in the most matter-of-fact serious tone (22) is the funniest thing to ever happen. truly inspired.

Hardwon swears fealty to a middle-aged possum? what is happening

Jake v Murph’s ice ban is priceless (23) - “I caught Jake downstairs shovelling ice into his drink out of a bucket with a scoop - you had a scoop! - and he tried to cover it up and hide it!” “It was a joke!” “It sounds like you got caught though! Can you get caught making a joke?” #lifttheiceban

“I’m sure people will get the expedited version of the puzzle solving section-“ “No, give them the nine-hour cut, with just a full hour of us screaming at Murph begging for the answer.” “Join us for our new podcast, Puzzle Dullards.” (23)

Increasingly chaotic openings: “I am furious and I am also Brian Murphy” “If you edit out all my binks, I swear to Melora I’ll… I’m gonna pants you in your sleep!” (24)

Moonshine describing marble as “polite rock”

Emily attempts some straight up gaslighting: “Can I summon Illuminate Mystery?” “…that’s not… that’s not a real spell, you jerk.”

“Murph, if you kill Meemaw regardless of what happens in the fog just because it’s narratively interesting, I will sleep on the couch. For months.” “If Murph sleeps on the couch, is that a Murphy bed?” “No, I’ll sleep on the couch.” “Okay, if Meemaw dies, Emily will be punishing herself.” (25)

Not Murph giving Moonshine crickrot only to be audibly distressed when Emily is sad about it (26)

And then channeling this distress through her fictional pet possum

Pawpaw really is the funniest self-insert character of all time

“Balnor, are you from WWI?” I adore this theory and wish it were canon. But also he talked about fridges a bunch so probably not?

Okay but in all seriousness the whole Marabelle arc is SO GOOD

And Hardwon’s earnest devotion to Mawmaw is actually oddly touching ngl

-

Murph as the voice of Hardwon’s drug addiction is *devious* (30)

That NPC casino employee making zero efforts at the pirate lingo

Siobhan’s character trying to talk to Pawpaw!! Pawpaw being described as Moonshine’s accountant!!

Literally my reaction whenever pawpaw makes an appearance:

Moonshine backing out of that threesome and opting back in like five times and also roping Balnor into it is GOLD

Genuinely the strategy to fake an immediate orgasm and sprint out in embarrassment is actually probably not the worst way to get out of a foursome? Maybe?

"And Siobhan Thompson as Apple Scrumper." "MVP! MVP! MVP!" "Yeah, Apple is the only one conscious right now." "Right now, MVP stands for Most Vertical Person."

Murph treating his Jersey accent like a full-on speech impediment

"Why are you writing that down? I haven't given you guys anything!" "This is Caldwell, out of character, trying to be helpful!" "No, this is Caldwell, out of character, wanting that money for Bev!"

(in)voluntary horse murder

Emily's thornwhip move!! her MIND

-

"So do we go and look for him or do I just cast Skywrite and make the clouds say something threatening to him?" "You're going to threaten him with clouds? Okay."

"LIAR! LIAR BOY! YOU'RE NOT A REAL GREEN TEEN!" "I would never lie! It's true! The stratosphere wouldn't allow for it, I'm sorry!"

Murph making a huge deal about how it would be impossible to see skywriting at night when the way bigger issue is that Moonshine is illiterate. They keep forgetting that and it's funny every time

Moonshine firmly believing that Pawpaw knows how to write and him just writing "MO" every time is my absolute favourite bit I hope it never ends

"Wait a minute, you're in the middle of a swamp and you summoned a big, beefy horse?" "Horses can swim! Horses can swim!" "We've all seen Neverending Story, okay?" [crowd boos] "I will kill your horse! I dare you to boo me!" "Don't boo, he thrives off of it..."

Murph is channeling so much rage at something workout related here. who hurt you

"You all killed my family! My friends!" "You also did that." "You might have killed more of them than we did." "Truly all I did was hold a door shut." This is vicious I forgot how off the walls fucked up the whole Josh thing was

"Shit now I gotta do math in front of people."

Caldwell's silly little poems are actually so fucking impressive tho

"What's the damage on that?" "Rolling still." that is SO ominous

-

Spent this entire fight thinking the Watchman was throwing I beams at the BOB. Deeply confused when Murph said his players would get mad at him if he didn’t count those as spells. They meant “eye beams” as in laser beams from his eyes, and bottom line is English sucks because you can’t communicate anything clearly

-

“Murph, you’re living it up in this city.” “Yeah, you’ve invented a city full of anti-goof robots.” “The anti-goof police is out in full force.”

Murph setting up a super high-stakes social environment where the cast cannot pull their usual shenanigans and then deciding this will also be the arc where all the NPCs relentlessly flirt at Moonshine is honestly hilarious

holy shit no punches are being pulled in first half of the Frostwind arc. yeesh

Their massively lame "Headgum does Red Wedding" bit

Emily's Melora bits finally went too far: "Oh, Melora is masturbating in the corner!" "... Jesus." "Eww! That's the worst one!" "That is some Blumhouse shit, Emily!"

I think this podcast is the first time I've ever heard the word “brazier” actually pronounced out loud, and I hate it! please stop saying it

Murph taking the occasional run up at the fourth wall to go 'hey this is pretty good! who wrote this' always amuses me. i get it, if I could do that with my own writing i would

the 'one big bed' bit warms my heart. They keep trying to make it weird but honestly i still mostly come away missing big sleepovers

"I'm not afraid of the elements! The nature of mushrooms is sort of -" "Moonshine... mushrooms don't grow here." *Moonshine's life flashes before her eyes*

I know Balnor just confirmed he was around post early 80s because he quoted ESB, but the way he reacted to that whole gnarly giant murder and disembowelment is *really* giving WWI vibes

Starting to suspect Murph also just learned how to pronounce brazier. There seem to be a weird amount of them around, nobody has a campfire or an oven or a hearth or a fireplace…

The life and times of Ram Daniel

“I can’t tell you what a bad place this was to do a blood ritual.” Oh what a good and reassuring thing to hear from your DM

Murph starting to rate their little intros and immediately getting "bullied" into changing Emily's grade to an A (43)

“I sing a quick Gashlight Anthem”

Emily rolling for her dream and dreaming about Pawpaw dissolving, “that’s a one roll you monster!”

Murph stop making fantasy meth sound fun challenge

This party being fifty percent functionally illiterate is somehow still funny

-

"Bev crit on finding Werther's one time, and then failed a check to see cannons coming at his house, and his mom, his boyfriend and his grandma almost died."

"Everyone is hot, everyone is horny, welcome to NADDPod" well at least he admits it

[seeminglyseph]

I am officially watching Misfits and Magic again and I do like kinda wish there was someone there to be like "this is weird even by British standards." like I know part of the point of the Magical Misfits is they were chosen for the pilot program because they were specifically The Worst Choices for the Pilot Program, but still they keep assuming the weird ass Magic Society is also British Society and sometimes just being Canadian, not even British just Not American, I'm like 'no, that's... wait. I don't know if that's a thing they believe or not.'

especially after that episode of Um, Actually where Brennan didn't know the capital city of Canada, which is, Geographically, *so fucking close* to New York by the way, and he said fucking *Calgary* which isn't even a capital city of a province, let alone in Ontario. which I know is apples to oranges but sometimes very smart people are very dumb about certain things. and it makes me wonder like. "How much do they know about daily life outside America???" which is like. extremely like. judgemental and patronizing but also sometimes I can't help but have like. this creeping dread that it's not actually a joke???? or something. idk. it's a weird thought that's not fully formed and like I've never been overseas so they're probably more travelled than I am but at the same time like. I'm pretty sure there are Black people in Britain. But also it's a commentary on Harry Potter which like sucked at representation and totally didn't or conveniently recast them when they became romantic interests. Also the whole troubling stereotype of the Weasleys still being like... *that*. and their expies are still *that*. idk. I'm reading too much into it, and the fact of the matter is like HP has more problems probably than like. fully anticipated. it's like an onion of bad ideas, you just pull back a layer and find new bad idea that you hadn't first conceived of and like. that sucks a lot because some aspect of it managed to capture so much whimsy and inspire so much creativity. But it really was mostly the fandom that made it good, it's returning to the books themselves where all the trash is, and since the fandom is gone for the most part except for the crazies it's like. 'oh. ugh....' but then like Misfits and Magic is like 'oh right this was the stuff that was actually *fun* about the series. it was the fandom and the fan interaction.'

like it's the 'oh right I remember, I used to love not having anything to do with the books, because I kinda started hating them after 4, I just wanted to roleplay with my friends' and usually they were better at lore and ideas, and that's what Misfits and Magic locks into because like, Aabria is way fucking better at lore and logic than JKR, because she's objectively better at all this shit and a better person obviously. like. fundamentally. so approaching stories with Aabria is more interesting and engaging. but sometimes it's hard to tell if it's like. a parody or if like. it's weird. because sometimes it's weird, and I'm weird. And like there's obviously Vietnamese people in Great Britain??? so that's a Magic thing. and sometimes it feels like the Misfits assume things are about Britain instead of Magic. and it gets a little. Muddy.

I'm a little buzzed. it's 1am. I don't have reasonable thoughts. My holiday hangover is hitting me very hard.

[dontgofarfromme]

Rewatching EXU bc the Dorian message got me thinking abt them and I missed them, things I have noticed as of ep 1:

Dorian has always been the wildest combination of lying liar who lies and guy who can't lie to save his life. He won't tell you shit about himself however he constantly flags that he's rich by accident and doesn't realize it.

The number of characters all from small towns/areas (or not from this plane of existance) all with minimal experience in big cities!! The exploration of newness is an overarching theme. I also forgot how closely paralleled Opal and Dorian especially are on some fronts in this respect, there's a naivete to both of them, which Opal just spills all over the place and which Dorian tries his best to cover up. Theres this sense esp this early into the show that they've just been let out of a restricting cage for the first time and are riding high on it, but also have some gaps in their understanding of how everything...works. Orym is an interesting contrast bc you get the feeling that while he may not have experienced the city himself and has lived his whole life in a place with leaders that could be trusted, he seems aware of the potential dangers and corruption in the world but actively chooses to give people the benefit of the doubt despite this.

Fearne was always chaotic but I think she's actually become more chaotic as time goes on. Ashley plays her as slightly more reserved here.

Forgot how much Dorian and Orym sort of teamed up as the slightly more restrained ones early on. This obviously goes out the window a bit later on Dorian's part, but the contrasting reasons for not wanting to steal shit for Poska are interesting--Orym has a clear moral objection and suspicion of Posla's intentions, Dorian seems to both have some 'grew up rich' sympathy for her targets but I think also has some worry around doing an illegal thing in general (another compare/contrast between him and opal, she's raring to use her newfound independence to do whatever the hell she wants; and also maybe a consequence of his history in a pretty restrictive environment).

Ruidis + Catha on flag of the ship they rob 2:07:15. The ship is called "the Blightstar" and Aabria says "this looks like...the ship is named after Ruidis, yeah." *Travis voice* WEEEOOOOWEEEOOOWEEEOO. It's also from Issylra, not a place known for trade, so it's weird that it's there.

In the same convo Aabria says Orym is "extremely well-traveled," but earlier in the ep Orym says he's only been to 2 "city taverns." Was the traveling for work with Keyleth or in the 6 years after he left Zephra, or both? I am shaking this little guy upside down so all his secrets fall out of his pockets tell me everything!!!!

Truly the entire "He's a real sailor! He's kept us aloive! Many toimes I would've doied if it weren't for him!" is hilarious

Do we know what Dariax's compass is for? Does he actually follow a deity?

I fully don't remember who did all the murders on this boat or why they didn't take the crown with them while they escaped, I can't remember if we ever figured it out?

It's really interesting how often Dorian tosses the ball to Orym for input/final decisions from like day one. It feels almost like he's looking for either someone who knows what they're doing or a moral compass outside himself and he's pretty convinced Orym's got both those things covered.

Orym, questioning all his life choices: we stole an oily dark crown from a ship full of corpses with evaporating assassins and a monster in the hull.

Opal, having the time of her life: Yeah!!!! We did that!!!

Speaking of evaporating assassins, hey Orym...I do wonder if any of this poked at those memories for him

The fact that Orym's first battle maneuver was bait and switch, I continue to sob over this halfling oh my god he's just doing his best to keep everyone else safe.

I've been doing an awful job of keeping track of plot points in cr3 and I'm p sure they mentioned it but the nameless ones have 40 pounds of smuggled refined residuum from Zephra, def ties into the box they got recently in cr3.

How do the baby ankheg and the big ankheg line up is it that the ship the CK rolled was one Poska's group was targeting anyway but the CK interrupted and took the crown before anyone else could?

It's really interesting that while Orym has been the one trying desperately to steer them right and keep them away from unnecessary dangerous theft etc through this whole episode, in the end his decision to take the residuum (honestly a fair and understandable one!!) is a solid 50% of what puts them on Poska's bad side. It's about what's right for him, not what's safe--he's consistent!

[pstelwitchcraft]

Critical Role - C3E52 (before break)

Its so weird to have just 4 people on the table I'm squirming

Poor Imogen just keeps taking L's man my girl can't catch a break

That little "please be okay" 🥺

Very worried about both imogen and laudna whenever they're separated but I guess that's precisely the point

And these are some damn good combinations

Already miss orym, ashton and laudna tho :(

I have a feeling the leylines are going haywire right now and that's why magic can't travel long distances

And/Or they're in the Shadowfell and it's hard for it to go to a different realm right now

Not even Dorian??? Yep, it's the leylines

I LOVE shoebills! Google their call, it sounds like a machine gun

Why do they keep getting attacked by subterranean monsters?? I swear it's a pattern at this point

Oooooo we're in a pretty snowy battlescape i love getting to fight in Santa's backyard

I love ashley's surprised little "ooooh! Oooh!" everytime she has to go

Yesss dominate beast!

Love how they always think matt's abominations are cute, i get it, it IS kinda cute

Damnit i thought we could get a pet :(

NO FCG! No, don't- don't do it- FUCK WHY

42 POINTS OF DAMAGE?? WHAT IN THE NAME OF-

Ya'll what if half the party TPKs. What then?

Imogen continues to be the hottest, like yes babe blow. Shit. Up

Yesssssss we have guests!!

It's Christian and Aabria!!!!!!!!

It's so cute all of them hugging 🥺🥺

Does this mean we're officially not gonna see the others until April??? Kinda sad I'm not gonna lie but I get it

These are COOL FUCKING CHARACTERS

Buff automaton 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯

Nick Jonas spiritual weapon 🤣🤣🤣

The hottest legendary mage ever you heard it first here folks

Aabria is always so fun she's my girl too

I always get lost staring longingly at her tho

She's just so prettyyy

EXU was a doozy for my gay self with all the pretty makeup she had as a DM

It's going to be so fun to see FCG finally meet another automaton

Why do i get a feeling he's gonna be horny towards this buff robot? It's something in his eyes, he's plotting some bullshit

AAAAAND my girl fearne gets the hdywtdt

"Oooh, hello!"

I love her sm obliterate him queen

Old lover??? I love Deanna already 😍

Fcg and this robit rn:

Omg fcg is such a little shit stirrer

Fearne is gonna end up banging the new gnome isn't she

I feel like she's gonna bang the gnome

Oh it's been HUNDREDS of years??? I keep forgetting Chet is OLD old

I'm getting worried yall

The gods are being affected by this already?? A day ago??? I'm scareeed

I hate/love that flesh tongue is now canon, sams bullshit always gets carried away from even him i swear

The robot is a flirt 🤣🤣

The energy at the table right now is WILD

Not the HAT 😂😂😂 I am BAwLInG why is aabria so good at being a petty scorned lover 🤣🤣

Awn poor deanna 😞

This is gonna be awesome we now have this character that has been so close to divinity and can show them so much abt the perspective of life and death

Love the backstory dump

Feel like im walking around the hub in a videogame asking every NPC a 1000 questions

Oh my god this robot is so sweet 🥺🥺 i love him

Also VERY obviously sentient and emotional I'm SO interested to understand more abt the great awakening of the bots

Like, why would it happen? Who or what did this??

Oooooh that's what frida means??

I'm SO curious to know what FCG rrally means if anything

Love the cadence Christian gave this robot, i feel like the movements and voice are pretty monotone but not so much that it even feels robotic?? But it's still like something A.I would probably create? Like google translate voice but better.

Also I ship f.r.i.d.a and deanna a lot btw

Chet is going through it right now and honestly i feel like he deserves it 😂

FCG is such a little toddler trying to understand like and it never fails to be both adorable and terrifying

A killer robot with an existential crisis just does not feel good to me fellas

Love the confusing time frames at weekly d&d tables we really could be doing this for a month or a year we have no clue

Yall i'm nervousss there's GOTTA be another shoe about to drop

Like there HAS to be, right? It can't all be alright?? We saw shit blow up, we saw the key go off, so what happened?!

What do you mean imogen's scars are turning red???

[easays]

ravening war, ep. 4

writing about actual play is infinitely easier with show notes, but live tweeting feels much more stressful than just continually editing a Tumblr post

so spoilers for episode 4 of the ravening war below the line

Okay, going into this episode, I'm hoping for more revelations regarding Colin Provolone's place in all of the mess, in particular his connection to Deli. I'm also tracking Karna and Amangeaux's relationship--their dynamic feels interwoven but not in a typical straightforward way.

Episode time: 2h30min

Narrative time: five years!

Already starting off with an impressive time coverage in one episode, tracking five years in game time.

Directly after the battle where Pamela Rocks falls, Amangeaux is so shaken, she takes her child and flees. She encounters Karna, who reminds her that war has always been there, even if she, the Queen, has not been in it.

Aabria's portrayal of Karna's betrayed emotions is powerful.

K: "You wanted to stay queen. And I put my life on the line to give you that shot...I won't spend my life chasing you, hoping that you make enough right choices to keep me safe, happy. This is a transaction, and you're welching on your end."

Karna threatens to reveal the child's existence, showing that she's known all along that the child exists.

A: "There's nothing special about the royalty!"

K: "I'm glad you finally fucking caught up."

BRUTAL. Just...absolute brutal roleplaying going on here.

K: "I'm going to lose everything."

A: "You're not going to lose me."

Karna leaves, parting ways with Amangeaux, and A leaves with her child to Uvano, the place of her family home (though no family to speak of). She spends her next five years learning everything she can about the enemy, to try and figure a way out of this alive.

Karna is ruined. She has to start over, and she heads to Ceresia to see what she can do there. She corresponds with Deli and Raphaniel.

While in Ceresia, we learn that Karna has become a True Believer in the Hungry One, and she spends five years trying to figure out how to serve the Sanctus Putris in her new place. She catches the smell from the Sanctus Putris meeting and follows it to Senator Ariana Gemilli, a kept Senator of the Imperator (?).

The description of the succulent fruit and feet rubbing is oddly sensual and sexual, the players fanning themselves (and the break providing a moment of relief in what has been an incredibly tense game already so far). Karna (or Aabria? can't tell) almost has a hard time looking Ariana in the face, Matt taking on this fluid, femme voice and body styling that I (as a studier of all things femme) find fucking fascinating.

Tomate falls, and King Belvedere Cabbage ascends and joins forces with Ceresia, creating a truly terrifying force.

The Bishop is unwell, physically. Immediately after the battle, as Amangeaux and the child flee, Karna explodes at Raphaniel and tells him about the child and Amangeaux's flight. A true unnerving exchange between Karna and Raphaniel, as they each are trying to send the other off but both are inherently suspicious of the other. In a hug, Raphaniel realizes that there are literal rot-holes in Karna's body.

R: "It is a cruel thing, I think, to discover that our gifts are capable of devouring us."

K: "It's weird to be afraid to die when that's already happened."

Cabbage's rise to power has a rallying effect, and Raphaniel struggles to get face time with the Archbishop. Finally, Raphaniel gets face time with her Archbishop Camille Colliflower. She looks frail but also, on closer inspection, healthy and in almost a casual stance for those within the Bulbian clerical hierarchy.

Raphaniel is coming unravelled in front of the Archbishop.

R: "I cannot maintain this mask, Your Grace. We were there, under the pyramid together, in the light of blueberries, under the great pyramid of food...I spent years, years, searching for any sign of the fellowship only to discover this is a ruse! The Sanctus Putris, all of this, does it further the cause of the church to see Queen Rocks killed? I cannot imagine how. serve the church?...Help me see. We have spoken for years of service, about the profligacy of licentiousness and heresy. A wicked, Godless Calorum! If there was a plan, why did you not trust me as your servant?...Please. Please. Let me into the light."

Her response is disconcerting and chilling on the deepest level.

ACC: "The Church exists amongst the necessity of politics. And it is utilized like a tool. For the great will of the Bulb. But we do not bow to the politics of the land. We are greater than the ambitions of these godless, heathenistic entities than fill these lands. We who have been given the truth, the truth long hidden, 'tis dangerous to expose our intent to the light of others. And so, without enough time to trust, and knowing you and all of yours years, your patience, it wasn't right yet to show you this true intent. And you've proven quite useful, Raphaniel. And I'm ever thankful. However, there are things that exist beyond the shadows where the light cannot reach. You are not ready. You'll never be ready, Raphaniel. We do what we must to present the mask to the world, to do the true work. Perhaps in time, should you live long enough, I can show you. But you're not ready."

Raphaniel verbally commits to pursuing this path, but in his heart of hearts, he commits himself to use every breath to destroy this woman and burn every bit of her and her companions from Calorum. That night, Raphaniel burns every bit of his notes on the Fellowship. He uses Heroism on himself to put his hand directly into the fire and fully commits himself into a monomania for years, needing to trigger the apocalypse. He must bring the great conflict between the Bulb and the Hungry One must happen so the Blender of the Void can cleanse all.

Raphaniel goes fuuuuuuull conspiracy mania. He is digging up dead bodies and uses their bodies (with the help of magic) to create a network of the dead to better understand those running the Sanctus Putris. He calls in favors that he's held onto for years, but on a failed contested roll (Brennan's 22 to Matt's 25), the Archbishop cottons on to what he's doing. He is demoted to the Archdeacon and leaves to the Glucian Road.

Annnnnnd we cut to Colin Provolone, who is going into a conversation with Deli. Deli insists that war is about to come. The Meat Lands will be united, and will fight, and Deli demands Colin to be with him. Colin's response is to take off his belt and dagger and drop them at Deli's feet.

C: "At one point, I promised the Chieftess that I would watch your back... She thought you would make a great leader. I think in some ways you're good at whatever this is. I don't know that I agree that that is the kind of leader that I want to be with."

D: "If you are unsure, then I am not the kind of leader that needs you. If you want to turn your back on whatever this is, then I don't need you. In fact, I'm better without you."

C: "My grandfather tried to - tried to lead the people of the Dairy Islands against some -some royals who were putting their boot on the neck of the people. For a while it seemed like he might actually make a difference, but then everyone turned on him. In the middle of Place, he was melted down, screaming in front of everyone. Then, no one knew that he had a secret child, who was my father, and he raised me in the streets of Place without anything. I had to steal, cheat and do everything that my horrible father wanted me to. And then one day, he let everyone -- all of his drinking buddies-- know that he was Fontina's son, and then the same thing happened to him. I've been scared this whole time that people would know that that was the truth of me. And I just don't care anymore. You can keep your skald. I hope you find what you're looking for, but I don't think I can be a part of it."

Deli kicks Colin's dagger hard, turns, and tells Colin to leave. The smartest person he knows in this situation is, unfortunately, Raphaniel, so the join up right at the moment that Raphaniel is at his lowest becoming the Archdeacon.

This is true an unparalleled level of storytelling and playing. Brennan's religious fervor is uncomfortably palpable at certain points. The man casts Shatter with no defense! He bloodies his little radish man fists just hitting the rocks! Brennan simulates sobbing in a fetal position and I am....truly unwell.

Colin has an adorable interaction with the banana boy, gifting him gold (very Robin Hood vibes).

Deli is fucking losing it. He's alone, truly without family, and it's freeing: he is the tool of destiny, so it's him who must be taken care of, there can be no consideration of other people. Lou active seeks out Basha Myaso, a warlord of the Beef and opponent of his mothers for the Meatlands, and he throws his lot in with Basha. It is a deadly move, but not for Deli: as he becomes head of his own clan, his mother takes her leave to the north, never to be seen again.

Karla comes to Deli's side as he calls, but as years have passed, they both come back together in their hot bitch shit. They're both incredibly hot. He's a full Meatlander now, and she's rocking lotion and red hair and deadly beauty. Deli admits so quickly that he's trying to kill Sapphria? Like, damn, he just came out with it!

Worth noting that at this point, Aabria has adopted a bit of a sultrier voice for Karna; she assents, without hesitation, to aid Deli in assassinating Sapphria. Karna is beyond successful.

Karna's scenes, particularly her assassinations, really do drip with sensuality in ways I gotta explore more deeply at some point.

Basha takes his place as War Lord; Cirtrina is martyred in the streets; peace talks between Fructera and Vegetania begin, ending the war between Fructera and Vegetania. Cirtina's death leads Vegetania not only to withdraw from the Fructeran conflict, but from the conflict entirely. Candia raises and pushes more, seizing the Vegetanian withdrawal as a moment to move against Ceresia. We are now fully five years from the last episode, and the Fructerans, Candia, the Meat Lands, as well as the Dairy Islands, move against Ceresia, surrounding Pangranos for the final assault to end this Ravening War.

Here's where our Scrumptious Scoundrels are now, five years hence:

Amangeaux realizes she (and the child) cannot hide in the castle forever. She throws herself at the mercies of the Uvanos, claiming to have fled Vegetania with no friends or allies. She admits to Uvano that a one-night stand with a mutual friend led to her child, who looks far more like an Uvano, and asks the Uvanos to raise him as a child of the family. She becomes, in the meantime, quite the warrior. She marches under the Uvano banner.

Karna stays with Deli; he is the "first thing she has desired beyond her own survival." She's fully ripened, bright red with red curly hair and sacrificed her eye to the Hungry One in an attempt to keep the Hungry One from consuming a battle-injured Deli.

Deli is in the vanguard from the Meat Lands to Pangranos. Deli is so imbued in war, and only war, for months, if not years, at this point.

Colin has risen in the ranks of the Bulbian order of Knights, which means less than nothing to him as it's a means to an end. He is mostly following Raphaniel. He tries to communicate to Raphaniel that there's such a thing as being too ambitious; there's a benefit to patience.

Raphaniel, however, is mostly following Colin. He realized his obsession with the Sanctus Putris and the devotion of the end-times cannot happen quickly. It may not happen in his lifetime. He writes, obsessively, saving his theological treatises for the right time to widen disseminate them. He hitches himself to Colin and the Uvanos: "the church is here to help!"

Raphaniel warns Deli about needing something to hold people together, which he believes Basha is ill-suited to do. Raphaniel proposes the church, but Karna proposes Deli as the unifying factor: "Be bold."

Amangeaux encounters Colin and Raphaniel on the road, and she's panicking; but catching Raphaniel looking smaller and frailer brings back Amangeaux's fond remembrances of Raphaniel's comfort after her husband's death. Their exchange feels very loaded; Amangeaux feels guilty for leaving Raphaniel, and Raphaniel lets her feel guilty, wallows in it. Was it for her protection or his that she never wrote, in all these long five years?

Deli is called to Basha's side, bringing SKALD Karna with him. Skald! Like fuck, Deli, are you just giving that shit out to anyone you have a crush on? I'm already preparing for the triad shippers to get in on some Deli-Karna-Colin action. What would the ship name be? Spicy Meat 'n Cheese? DeKarnLin?

Side note: all these mother fuckers are at level 9 now. This is going to get buck wild.

The night stretches before battle the next day, and Raphaniel is high key losing it. His sleep brings on the teeth and tearing, the blender effect from earlier in the episode returning. A name tries to eek through the sounds and images, but Colin disrupts before Raphaniel can fully grasp onto it.

R: "Do you think someone ever made a smoothie with cheese and radish in it?"

Are we going...full Donnie Darko here? Just absolute nonsensical energy that will possibly make sense only after the entire season is over.

Uvano goes full Theoden in his inspiration of the troops pre-battle. He brings Amangeaux to the war tents, meeting up with Deli.

K: "Chief."

D: "Skald."

K: "Ah, damn."

Anjali continues to be my favorite for her Devil Wears Prada reference.

Uvano brings Amangeaux to the war tents and greets Deli as if the two have never met. Karna forces a re-roll for Amangeaux with Silvery Barbs. This is the beginning of an incredibly odd reunion.

Telepathic communication begins! This such a useful trick in this series, tbh.

Raphaniel fucking...takes off? He has CUNNING ACTION? Everyone is now booking it towards this fucking cave. Raphaniel is fully transcendent from the world and has convinced himself that now the cave will know him, it took time, but now it will recognize him.

The opposed athletic checks between Raphaniel and Amangeaux go poorly. Raphaniel has moved so fast he comes out of his cloak, and he is apparently...naked under the cloak? The hi jinks here are wild.

There are three fungal creatures Raphaniel encounters in the cave, but when Raphaniel casts Detect Thoughts, he gets nothing but emotions. No actual thoughts. One releases spores directly in front of Raphaniel, and as he ingests them, the emotions begin to become actual words.

FC: "You touch the heart of the world. You touch the mycelium?"

Cue Raphaniel losing his shit.

D: "I think they're trying to protect us from something we should not have."

R: "I must have it!"

FC: "Saprophus must be protected."

The Sanctus Putris mother fuckers round the corner, crashing this party, and as Raphaniel casts shatter, we cut for next week.

WOO. A heavy episode!

[toast1862]

i liked burrows end, there were moments where i laughed and moments where i cried, but i will say... as a supposed horror season, you can't really keep that tone to the finish line if you have a happy ending where your characters are going to be immortal and successful and happy forever and a stoat wins the olympics. right? like no matter how gory the setpieces are, the ending of a story determines the tone you're left with. like when i think back on neverafter i don't think of horror at all, i think of insane bits, and that's because the last shot was an incredibly insane bit. it's tough for improv comedians to make horror i think. and i did notice that both neverafter and burrows end had their final acts defined by what were supposed to be negotiations with some important+dangerous npcs turning very quickly to fear and violence. so they're very similar in that way.

it actually makes me think more fondly of the ravening war. that was an actual dark ending, and it left the tone of the whole series dark and intense despite some really funny scenes. even though i don't watch critrole, i have to give credit to matt mercer for holding on that tone all the way through despite the comedic elements. even the characters that survived that story were left permanently changed, with two of them choosing to isolate themselves for the rest of their lives. so having that really kept things locked in at that tone.

although! one thing i really like about aabria's dming is that her npcs rarely feel like they exist for the protagonists' convenience. they often have lives outside of them, remain listening to conversations when pcs forget about them, don't take excuses, get upset when pcs do bad things to them... they have a vibe of like. not being on the level with the dnd murder hobo approach, like things that would be acceptable in a video game are not acceptable to her npcs because they are people before game constructs. it's a sharply different approach to brennan imo, it really threw me off when i first watched acofaf but i really appreciate it now that i get it.

the bear was really good lmao