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captainsspnanon · 2 years ago

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C2E54 - Well Beneath - rewatch reaction

New and last episode of Calamity this Thursday, and I’ll be watching 3 and 4 over this weekend. I must admit, allowing myself to watch these after they’ve aired and seeing all the tumblr reactions, it’s helped lesson a lot of the pressure I was feeling for myself to watch C3 unspoiled. Finding out about what happened in Calamity didn’t lessen my enjoyment for the episodes. Some moments may have been more shocking to see happen without knowing about them, but not to the point where I was upset that I already knew about them. Now, I still think I’ll try to watch C3 stuff as unspoiled as possible, but this relieves me of a bit of burden, if I don’t feel like watching the episode that Friday, I don’t have to completely remove myself from tumblr until I can force myself to watch the episode, instead, I can take my time. One thing that this C2 rewatch is REALLY showing me is that CR is so much more enjoyable when I don’t have to force myself to watch an episode when I’m not feeling it.

(though I also admit I’m already starting to think about my C1 rewatch and things that I will be saying during it XD)

The last number of episodes have really been more of just my reactions rather than anything even vaguely analytical, and it’s because there haven’t been new key players really introduced yet. But SOON. SOOOOOON ESSEK, SOON. And I will be SAYING THINGS. (I absolutely adore Essek, but I’m not a huge fan of the woobiefication that tumblr has put him through. He’s not a good person, at least not at the start!)

PAUSING THE EPISODE IMMEDIATELY because as Matt starts his introduction of “Hello everyone-” Marisha immediately chimes in with “hi” which is just –!

Also subtitles are wonderful but not always accurate. It says that Sam is the one saying the high pitched ‘we play dungeons and dragons’, but I’m 98% sure that it’s Travis, and the lower sound we hear in the background is Liam.

God this is an episode where everyone looks FUCKING AMAZING ican’tican’t

First time in the rewatch that I’m skipping the animated intro. I got a good number in before I did that! Also I forgot that the larger flasks were introduced as faux-kickstarter stretch goals. I’ll be honest, I don’t remember them being too disruptive to the show except when Liam would have to move it to be able to see Sam, so I’m hoping that they don’t actually become disruptive. *coughC3cough*

...wait. Is Travis keeping his glasses on all episode??? WE HAVE BEEN BLESSED!!!! Okay, okay, I promise I’m done thirsting now. (edit from the future – nope. He took ‘em off. SADS)

This chaotic presentation of the group to Dairon is the best that they could have hoped for. (especially Jester, omg Laura is leaning into Jester being more chaotic in conversation than usual this time around) While Dairon certainly is judgmental with the lack of ‘professionalism’ to the group, it’s a case where the first impression is highly negative but also highly accurate, and explains many things in the long run that you can’t see in the moment. Had Beau assembled some sort of ‘proper’ introduction to Dairon which showed off all the best of the M9 with none of the messiness, it would give expectations that wouldn’t live up to the reality.

Full credit to Taliesin, he does NOT let up on that ‘grumpy face’, and it’s GOT to be uncomfortable with how heavily exaggerated it is.

Couple of thoughts. 1) first instance of she/they usage for Dairon. Interestingly, I do think that Dairon is for the most part the first real representation of gender neutral pronouns in CR. I think. I apologize if I’ve forgotten someone else. I also don’t think Matt ends up clarifying to the gang the neutral pronoun usage until they start having her pretend to be their housekeeper. 2) She also says Ghor Dranas instead of Rosohna, which leads me to question her capabilities as a spy, because I feel like she should know about the name change if she’s got to be the one infiltrating? 3) the suspicion is that the Assembly is aiding the Kryn, which is very interesting considering the actuality is the exact opposite. I don’t recall anything ever actually being given to Essek, though I’ll keep my eye out to see if anything is ever mentioned. They were supposed to share research, but I’m not sure that they ever did.

Off topic, but I do miss this set sometimes. The C3 set is friggen FANTASTIC, don’t get me wrong (and I keep seeing Brennan use options that Matt hasn’t yet and it makes me excited), but there’s something very pleasant with the simplicity of this set and the light colors changing just occasionally for battle and stuff like that. From what I recall of C1’s set (late in the campaign when it’s pretty much completed versus the bedroom and such), it seemed very dark, not as well lit, as the C2 set feels. And, as I mentioned way back in the 20s, I much prefer the lighting of C2 once they went off on their own. The background light changed to a fairly consistent blue, much easier to see the players as compared to the earlier yellow.

LOL Dairon “I work alone” three minutes later “I am not alone, the Cobalt Soul is everywhere”

Beau lashing out at Dairon YES YES YES “you fucking left!” Oddly enough, I don’t think I connected this so much to her parents abandoning her during my first watch through. I knew that they did, but it also got smushed to the back of my head of just ‘backstory’ that I ended up unfairly disregarding it much of the time. Which I am KICKING myself for, because it informs SO MUCH of how Beau interacts with people and the world, but ESPECIALLY authority figures that she actually trusts like Dairon. The suppressed worry of Dairon being unwell, the betrayal of the lies to HER directly, the abandonment! (Have I mentioned recently that I adore Beau, and she is my second favorite of the M9, only a hair under Caleb? BECAUSE I LOVE HER SO MUCH) Even now, she fully trusts the Nein but tells Dairon ‘kind of’ because DAIRON doesn’t trust them, so Beau is reluctant to share how much she does because Dairon may judge her for it.

Do we ever actually find how who Dairon lost? Regardless, hello cracks in the foundation. Granted, racism/speciesism/whatever the flavor of fictional bigotry is not a good look for anyone. And so the student surpasses the mentor.

Marisha is so fucking incredible in this scene. Her completely encompassing the physicality for every aspect! Beau attempting to give Dairon important information (about Caleb! Her friend who was harmed!) and getting brushed aside. Beau starting to get disappointed in her mentor. Beau being hurt at having possibly let her mentor down. Being told she has potential but she’s rash and may lose it all. MARISHA IS SO FUCKING GOOD.

(also seriously dairon wtf? I forgot she was so flippant about the Assembly doing HUMAN EXPERIMENTS.)

Beau’s frustration (tied into Marisha’s realization from Talks) that no one has seen her having good conversations versus using her fists, and Dairon’s speech about no one needing to see it to know that it has done good!!!!

(also, Liam has been in Caleb face basically the entire time. I can’t tell if this is just Liam being Liam, or if Frumpkin has stayed in the room and he’s hearing it.)

“Don’t get too close.” “I….haven’t.” Beau you liar yes you have

ELDRITCH BLAEEEEEST (props to Liam that’s got to be so fucking hard and he’s doing it so well! But it does fall into the common knowledge that you’ve got to know the rules in order to be able to break them, and him knowing how to do a good accent is very helping with him deliberately doing a bad accent WHILE IN A GOOD ACCENT)

I like how Matt’s like ‘you got a 24 investigation? Here’s two people telling you exactly where to go and what to look at for the plot point’ XD Also? Sam and Laura = BEST chaotic duo.

Marisha “I go full crazy human” Matt “show me full crazy human” Marisha *really Matt? Really?*

Caleb casting Enlarge on himself when the two orcs are bullying the party is such an interesting character moment. Most campaign, we have seen him deliberately lower himself, physically with the way he stands, verbally with the way he speaks (at times), appearance-wise with the constant presentation of being dirty. Here, in the moment where from an outside perspective it seems obvious to play the weak human and not engage, instead he looks to the orc mentality (strongest prevails) and Bigs himself. Any time we have seen this previously (if I recall correctly) has been with smaller or easier to dominate creatures, for example the kobolds in the tunnels, the sailor that they’ve already killed all his crew, etc. Either some level of intimidation was already there, or they were beings of lesser average intelligence and easier to deceive. This moment here, of going for a strong intimidation moment despite not having the upper hand intrigues me. Was it just a play on the orcish mentality, going for that more animalistic bigger = better? Or is there a reason that Caleb doesn’t want to play low in this moment? An internal frustration, disgust, arrogance? I honestly don’t know, I don’t recall if something gets mentioned, but it’s SUCH an interesting play and so different than would have been expected. Regardless of the reasoning behind it, it’s also an incredible display of how Caleb utilizes many means to deceive and have a power play (whether he’s supposed to end up on top or not). Once again, someone has discussed this theme far more eloquently than I, I’ll have to see if I can find the post. It was in regards to once the Nein are in Rosohna and are respected that Caleb switches HARD from muddy/grubby/don’t-notice-me to clean/presentable/respectable as a new form of camouflage and influence.

Let’s be fair, it still WORKED. (I also forgot that Caleb goes ‘eldritch blaeeeest’ again when Fjord is all confused and I LOVE IT. Something that’s so missed with Caleb is that he’s genuinely a funny dude when he wants to be. [also kinda missed with Liam, all his PCs have good senses of humor and will lean into it, hell, Vax was nothing but a goofball til heavy plot combined with real life got in the way])

Speaking of dropping Frumpkin down a well, it’s very interesting how Matt and Liam seem to have very different opinions of how Frumpkin views Caleb. Matt frequently has Frumpkin upset or annoyed with Caleb (granted, dropping into water WOULD piss off a cat, but think about Caleb buying milk from Frumpkin to drink, and he drinks it very pissily and ‘i’m only doing this ‘cause you told me to’), versus how Liam frequently describes Frumpkin as purring, cuddling, scarfing. Part of me wonders if this is a Caleb centric bias that Liam is RPing, just that Caleb loves Frumpkin and so misses the annoyance, but that doesn’t feel right to me. It really does seem like there’s a bit of a disconnect in the way that Frumpkin is portrayed by who does it. ...to be fair, I think Matt does this with almost all pets though, Sprinkle was always freaking out even before things started going bad, Prof. Thaddeus was always an ass, Trinket was constantly mournful almost a la Eeyore….I think the only pet/animal to be portrayed similar to how the player expected was Nugget, who was rarely around. (well, and Trinket when he talked, because Matt was never going to make him not love Vex). I’ll be honest, I prefer Liam’s version of Frumpkin as compared to Matt’s, whereas I usually am good with Matt’s portrayal of the pets. I’m sure it’s just a bias of loving Caleb and wanting him to have The Best Cat. I’m still 100% of the opinion that post-game, Frumpkin checks on Caleb multiple times a year in different cat guises, sometimes acting as a stray and spending some time with him, sometimes just looking at him to make sure he’s okay before leaving.

I have no clue how much Matt had prepared of Umadon ahead of time (I know the name was in the notes, but I don’t know if it was for this specific PC, or on his list of NPC names that he has), but this poor queer bugbear is so sweet! Sexy dreams, killing wolves, unable to understand deception, easily intimidated, I just want to give him a blanket and a mug of hot chocolate. Give him the sexy threesome he deserves!

I don’t have too much to say about it at this moment, but it’s always interesting when Fjord flipflops between using Persuasion most of the time versus using Intimidation most of the time. I know he’s proficient in Intimidation, so there’s the mechanical edge, but with how it really changes between both throughout the entire campaign, I can’t really place in on ‘oh, well he did X until character growth and then he did Y’, but it always FEELS very different when he’s making that choice. I can’t really speak to if it may be situational depending on the type of person he’s speaking to (someone in authority or with power over him [Avantika, etc] versus someone that he has authority or power over [the bugbear, the soldiers in Eiselcross, etc]) because there are so many examples through the campaign, and it’s not something to easily search for. Hmmm...crstats has 58 persuasion vs 22 intimidation, (I don’t know if advantage/disadvantage means it’s counted as 2 or 1). It’s not as evenly split as I thought, the chart shows much more persuasion with the intimation tending to be lumped together in an episode. I suppose I just remember the intimidation moments more because they are HOLY SHIT moments. Sooo….I guess ignore what ever point I was trying to say? It’s still interesting as fuck, don’t get be wrong, but it’s not as evenly split as I thought it was.

(Caleb only rolls intimidation 10 times the entire campaign??? that feels wrong, but also it’s incredibly holy fuck when he does, so I might be inflating the numbers the same way I did with Fjord – each moment feels like five rolls XD)

(intimidation – 22 Fjord, 14 Beau, 10 Caleb, single digits the rest of the crew. Persuasion – 63 Jester, 58 Fjord, 49 Caleb, 46 Beau, 39 Tal (between Molly and Cad), 29 Nott, 14 Yasha) OH, here we are, DECEPTION. Probably conflating intimidation and deception. 58 Jester, 48 Fjord (that feels more right!), 33 Tal (mostly Molly, probs), 30 Caleb, 26 Nott, 22 Beau, 8 Yasha.

So, I’ll remake the whole statement that I was making before with Fjord, but combine intimidation and deception, versus persuasion XD

(Tal did 447 rolls as Molly, compared to over 1,300 as Caduceus. ...this is why I hope we get Caduceus for any post-M9 one shots. Or if we have to have Kingsley, have him play both. I really don’t want an M9 one shot with no Cad. It feels wrong.)

oh, they tried. They TRIED to do ‘we’ll investigate and come back later’ and whoops there goes Fjord down the well. (granted he only took a peek and then they actually succeed in leave, but still XD)

Ah, here is the girls and boys split for sleeping and Caleb gets all indecisive because not rooming with Nott. (though with the conversation that was just had with Fjord, perhaps it’s not actually tied in with Nott XD [also insert C3 comment here, if you know you know])

Eh, this is one of the moments where I don’t really know if I agree with Matt, but I’m not strongly against it either. Just, not a decision I would have made. Beau is taking a power nap, Marisha specifically says that she’s going to leave 45 minutes after sunset, and Matt says that because everyone is long resting except for her, she sleeps and wakes up when it’s dark and doesn’t know what time it is. Like, I get it? But at the same time, it feels oddly punishing for no real reason. What harm is there, or even what narrative reason is there, for Beau not to be aware when she wants to be? On the other hand, I get that there are no alarms here, no one is keeping watch to wake her, etc. Like I said, I don’t love it, I don’t really agree with it, but I’m also not super against it. And the only real impact of it is Dairon making a half-snarky remark that it took Beau ‘some time’ to come for the training. There’s no benefit to that, imo.

Sorry Sam, but I am completely discarding your multiple instances (shown here for the first time) that Nott is stacked. VETH is stacked, sure. But we’ve seen multiple official art pieces of Nott, and she is NOT stacked. I will bend things for humor, but not this. SORRY. Same reason why despite Laura/Jester’s comments, Caleb does not have a dimpled chin. We have multiple official art pieces of Caleb, and no butt-chin. (I’m even including the crit role animated in this! No stacked Nott, no butt-chin Caleb)

Huh, one of the rare moments where the show being live actually makes something of a difference to the show. They got caught up in a conversation about if Mike or Joel is better for MST3K and so break ran long.

Travis really does play Yasha a little too much like Grog at times. I can’t blame him much, but her kicking in the front door when other people are already working on their way in feels way too much like impatient!Grog. Yasha, while still a raging barbarian, was much more inclined to wait, and wasn’t actually as inclined to violence as Grog was. Usually it doesn’t matter so much because combat is combat, but it feels just a little bad this time round.

I think I’ve got to agree with Matt that Cad casting Beacon of Hope is ‘close to metagaming’. I think it’d be different if Cad had a higher intelligence, especially considering Tal’s been RPing Cad as fairly ignorant when it comes to missing innuendo. Not saying that he doesn’t know what sex is or anything like that, but considering how many things Tal has had fly over his head, I can see Cad missing the implications of this guy being targeted by incubi. After all, Fjord said ‘weird’ dreams, then clarified ‘homicidal’ … never told the group sexy. ...actually, after looking through the transcripts, I’ve leaning more into metagaming here. I thought he had said ‘exciting’ dreams, but Fjord never told the group that. Lets see. Cad knows that there are dreams causing this guy to kill wolves, knows that the aura he saw wasn’t ghosts. Mmmmm…….yeah, Beacon of Hope just rides the line. Dreams causing the guy to kill people could be enough to prompt for wisdom saves, but (and I don’t mean this in a negative way, but just as a statement of what I have observed) Tal seems to cross the metagaming line a bit more than other players, so while this is a move that could be one way or the other, I can also see Matt knowing that it’s Tal casting it, PLUS him then saying “I had a feeling” as crossing that line, or getting really freaking close to it. Honestly, especially because Tal said “I had a feeling” in a way that really felt “oh I knew this was coming so I did it”, and so Matt’s having to think on the fly if Cad actually knew enough or not.

(and I’ll give it to the entire group, after C1, metagaming in the sense where it actually impacted the game was VERY rare, and usually either accidental, or in situations like the above where it’s not quite but could be. C1, on the other hand, had way too many instances of metagaming actually impacting the plot, which I’ll talk about when it happens in C1. Either way, they’re almost never enjoyment-ruining [the Molly ones only hit me so hard because of my already having issues with him] and are also fairly normal for any table anywhere ever XD) (oh, and I don’t care at all about little metagaming moments that don’t lead to anything and are just funny, because who the fuck cares XD)

Shadow of Moil???? the fuck is this???? Never used again, I can tell you that! *looks it up* interesting. It also requires an undead eyeball encased in a gem worth 150gp. I wonder if this is where Matt starts making Travis track components? *checks* no, that starts in e79. Huh, wonder why Travis decided not to take this spell again. Maybe just not worth his while.

LOL and then nothing else to say for the rest of the combat. IT HAPPENS.

@suicidallyreckless

#critical role #cr c2 rewatch #spoilers for c1 and c2 #the mighty nein

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wickedgamesoyaoya · 4 years ago

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Hundreds of academic studies have been dedicated to observing those who are cursed with a toxic reliance on alcohol or illegal substances. Yet, not many have considered to conflate infatuation with addiction, and so the question that remains is… can one become addicted to a person? To their smile? To their laugh…? Further, it is not uncommon for addicts to substitute one addiction with another to relieve anxiety or stress. Perhaps that was why had become obsessed with distractions. The form of the distraction held little significance to you. Whether it was spending ever spare second outside of the emptiness of your apartment or burning your emotions with the poison of the night.

Your craving to escape reality can easily be traced back to three months ago when your primary addiction was no longer within reach.

Since the beginning of your relationship it was no secret that you were infatuated with the younger twin and his affections. Hanamaki once humourlessly commented that you were oddly obsessed with him, but it was just love. Pure, unconditional love.

And when you were no longer able to drown in him – in the love he offered in return, it was only natural that you sought to fill the emptiness with something else, despite the cost.

Now, when Bokuto originally instructed you to wait at the café for him, you intended on abiding without complaint. Except with the buzz of the champagne slowly fading, you were compelled to sustain the haze enveloping your thoughts. Caffeine would not provide you the fix you required, nor would the bottle of water, clutched in your right hand.

With a palm resting against your cheek, you shifted your gaze to the window, seeking the remedy to the hollowness returning to you.

“Oh. I forgot about that.” The comment mumbled under your breath was referring to the establishment located in the building directly beside yours. It was a small pub that you had passed by on countless nights. Glimmering illuminations framed the storefront, naturally drawing your attention to it; and the neon sign plastered against the window could not have been any more inviting. Each second that passed increased your desire to leave the café, as the dazzling colours sung out to you, summoning you to them.

It was not that you desired to disobey your friend’s instructions – it was simply that you yearned to join the lights, as they were offering you something you could not refuse. Bokuto would message you once he left the apartment, anyway. The few minutes it would take for him to return to the ground level would provide you enough time to return to the café. It was a concrete plan, at least that was the lie you comforted yourself with.

As you entered the establishment, the illumination drawing you there had become quite blinding. To battle the sudden strain on your eyes, you squinted, scrunching up your features in the process. The overload of your senses only continued as the speaker located to your right, blasted an unfamiliar melody, welcoming you to a party you were not meant to attend. You considered retreating the few steps advanced into the pub, but then you caught a whiff of an unknown liquor and it persuaded you to stay.

Silently, you proceeded towards the bar, ignoring the quizzical expressions tossed in your direction. The designer clothes gifted to you from your employer did not suit the ambiance of the pub, and it did not help that you were blinking excessively. Your struggle to adjust to the light could have easily been misinterpreted as the side effects of consuming an illegal substance. But you could care less what some random individuals thought about you.

The bartender flashed you a hospitable smile once you took a seat on the barstool, she did not seem to harbour any incorrect assumptions. Instead, she seemed to catch onto the strain over your mascara coated eyelids, something you realized when she issued an apology.

“It’s really bright, I know. It’s like the freakin’ sun, am I right?” The apologetic laughter exhaled by the mixologist radiated an energy that reminded you of someone… Though you could not pinpoint who. “Anyway, honey. What can I get ya?” After placing a napkin in front of you, she removed a glass from the pyramid behind her. The way she curved her eyebrow communicated that she was expecting an interesting order, most likely because of your attire.

“I’ll have whatever she’s having.” Crossing your arms over the wooden counter, you leaned forward with a toothy grin prior to motioning towards the girl seated beside you. “Because it looks like it’ll kill me and I am here for it.” Accompanying your words was a little wink, one that brought the older woman to laugh once more.

“Oh, that’s funny. Because that drink is called poisoned by love. It’s our newest addition.” Your answer satisfied her and communicated volumes about your reason for visiting. She made a mental note to observe you closely for the night, vulnerability and alcohol were a deadly mix, after-all.

“Poisoned by love… Cute. I’ll have two.” The number was illustrated by a peace sign, one that landed upon your cheek with accidental force. Yet you played it off, forcing the smile to remain attached to your mouth.

The sloppiness of the action engaged the bartender’s internal alarms. There was no way in hell she would be serving you anything beyond the drink she was in the process of concocting.

“Let’s start with one honey. Whatever kick you’re losing; I assure you that one of these babies will bring it back.” A nod of affirmation was applied to her head as she presented the final product to you, before settling it onto the napkin. “I’ll be back in a few minutes to see how you’re doing.”

The impact of the mixture did not require five minutes to activate. Two minutes into consuming the drink, one of the patrons beside you informed you that it was not meant to be downed in one motion. That would have been useful advice if it were provided before you chugged the liquid, unaware of the consequences that would follow.

At three minutes you understood the warnings issued by the barkeep, as you were stripped of any grip on reality. Glancing down at your hands, you tilted your head curiously at the injured one, trying to remember how it occurred. When the bartender returned to check up on you, upon seeing your brows knitted in confusion, she recommended you close your eyes for the remaining two minutes. Poisoned by love was particularly potent for the first five minutes if consumed in one go.

The initial high of the alcohol dimmed substantially after the five-minute mark, and soon your memories were returned to you. Brushing your fingers against your forehead, a growl was caught in your throat.

“I can see you’re feeling better.” She quickly removed the empty glass from ahead of you, making no suggestion that she would replace it with a second one. “I think this is also when I tell you that we have a rule against drinkin’ and textin’.” Too preoccupied by the phone within your grasp, you paid little attention to her remarks. It was quite obvious that you were plotting something with your newfound courage.

“You don’t.” Your attention was torn away from the bright screen for only a second, to squint at the woman in disbelief.

“Maybe not… but it’s not a good idea.” Caught in a lie, she raised her hands then blew out a sigh. But you did not acknowledge the gesture, with your gaze returning to the device instantly.

“On the contrary, I think it’s a phenomenal idea…”

Let’s do it again, shall we - poisoned by love

Masterlist - Previous - Next

A/N: I am upset rn, NO ONE LOOK AT ME. the fact my finger slipped and I posted half of this earlier - UGH. bad fucking luck. ANYWAY. >:( If there are mistakes in this, it is because I can’t concentrate enough to edit them. >:(

taglist: @idiot-juice-enthusiast @vicassa @iloveanime691 @bringmelily @newfriendjen @hikarichannn @anime-simp @tsukkismamagucci @laughingismorefun @astronomyturtle @shegrewupwithoutafather @hyskoa1998 @deephumandragonperson @pretty-setter-bois @raenebalgaire @sugawarabby @justanotherfangirl2 @keijisworld @90s-belladonna@momoinot @sempiternal-amour @cherryblosom111 @yqshirov @haikyuufairy @volleybloop @bloody-bella @sadkaashistan @seikamuzu @namyari @toaster-stick @coconut-dreamz @roseestuosity @prcttylittlcthing @uzumakioden @nerdynstoned @kenmasgameboy @unstableye @ouijaeater15 @aquariarose @fandomtrashpandasposts @helloalex80 @stfucanunot @envyusshades @cuddlesslut @seijohiseliterambles @chaichai-the-weeb @meiikuki @theowl104 @cuddlejeongin @tchalameme @ditu-m9

#osamu x you #osamu scenario #osamu smau #hq osamu #osamu x reader #osamu miya #miya osamu #haikyuu imagines #haikyuu fanfiction #haikyuu smau #haikyuu #osamu x y/n

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eponymous-rose · 5 years ago

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Talks Machina Highlights - Critical Role C2E76-77 (September 10, 2019)

Our guests tonight: the twins! Laura Bailey and Liam O’Brien!

Announcements: The next episode of Between the Sheets will feature Felicia Day, and will air Monday, September 16th at 7 PM Pacific! Reminder: no CR this week (Matt’s off in Stockholm), and no Talks Machina following that! In place of Talks will be a livestream in which a tavernkeeper character that will appear in the animated series will be designed with the community (there’s a poll on the website)!

Episodes 76 and 77: Refjorged and A Tangled Web

Brian: “I was trying to harmonize, but there was no melody.”

Stats for this week’s (these weeks’?) episode(s): “bread” was mentioned 52 times. Episode 76 had the 300th natural one of campaign 2, and the 100th Message spell was cast. Ten days passed between Caleb’s talks with the Scourger. Jester cast Sending nine times. 14 DM facepalms, tying the record!

Changes with the new character art? Everyone bounced ideas back and forth several times. Laura: “Liam made fun of me because I took the longest.” She wanted her to look more and more like the Traveler, “like a Traveler cosplay”, and she wanted her clothes to reflect her growth recently. Caleb’s dirt was “a hiding mechanism, and that’s exposed, so it’s gone”. He was going for “frazzled” in the first one, and then more “grim” in the second. Brian: “A surprising character choice.”

Laura and Liam start replying to questions in character as dolls.

Jester’s not expressing her darker feelings to the group “mostly because I’m not aware that it’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

Caleb isn’t sure that Essik trusts him in the first place, and he doesn’t really trust Essik either. “I do think that Essik maybe likes the cut of my jib.” He thinks Essik may be trying to get him under his thumb, and he thinks he might potentially be a mole. Laura: “Wouldn’t it be so great, though, if Essik just wanted a friend?”

From Jester’s perspective, the Traveler’s followers can’t be a cult because he’s actually a god.

Caleb feels like they’re smart enough to stay ahead of whatever Essik might be planning, and he thinks they can play all sides (in a positive way). “They can meet the needs of the different people that they’re dealing with. He’s trying to actually broker some sort of a peace.”

Essik telling Jester there was nothing he wanted to learn from her definitely hurt her feelings, even though she wanted to hide that. “She doesn’t know who she is right now. That’s starting to register in her brain.”

Cosplay of the Week: an amazing Yasha! (on Twitter: Jobieleecos, photographer Topheroriel)

Caleb has been thinking about the Scourgers for years, wondering. “He didn’t spend time with the full-blown Scourgers as a student, he was on his way to being one.” He was curious about what kind of state someone would be in, knowing what he’d been through. He wanted to know if anyone who’d gone through that would be a lost cause, and he wanted a sense of what Astrid and Eodwulf might be like now. “He understands that he was manipulated. He still has lots of personal blame, but he understands that he was abused. If he has any hope for himself, he has to offer the same hope to her. To any of them.” Caleb would be quicker to absolve Yasha than he would himself.

Jester fully believes that the Gentleman is her dad, and she “fully knows” that he doesn’t care, but she thinks she can convince him otherwise, and she’s “not about to let everybody else know that there’s somebody out there that is shitting on her a bit. She doesn’t want to admit that.”

There’s an unfortunate and very giffable interlude into an exercise program. Liam: “Can’t wait until my kids are teenagers and find this show.”

Caleb has a lot more confidence about facing his past. “Absolutely. He has very powerful friends, and they’re in the pocket of a queen. They have a lot of assets now, and he’s learned a lot and can do a lot more than he was able to.”

Laura does think it’s weird that nobody else can see the Traveler, “because he’s so very there.” Dani: “He’s, like, all up in your grill.” Laura wonders what Commune would do for the Traveler, since Jester can just sit down and talk to him anytime.

Fan Art of the Week: a flowered and broken Fjord! (on Twitter: Kingcael)

Caleb made himself and not anyone else in the M9 look like Trent during the Seeming, partly because he didn’t want to look him in the eyes and partly because it made sense to cast himself as “enemy number one”.

Jester’s been acting a bit more like the mom friend, because “her example for people that help, outside of the Traveler, is her mom, and so she tries to emulate that.”

Jester thinks Traveler Con is going to be a “really awesome celebration, where probably the Traveler will ask her to host a few panels, maybe there will be a rave, I don’t know. We’re still figuring it out.” Liam’s just picturing it as Burning Man with more green cloaks.

Talks exclusive: Brian was Frumpkin all along????

Being the one to scry on Yasha is really hard on Jester. “It’s hard to be the one that everyone relies on to be the messenger.” Laura enjoys it, but it’s a lot of pressure.

“Jester does feel like she’s doing a pretty lousy job of getting more followers.” Laura’s “had some talks with Travis” about picking the Wildmother. “The Traveler would have been a GREAT patron for a warlock.”

Dalen’s Closet Questions! (SPOILERS FOR CAMPAIGN ONE!!!!)

Stats! Vex is the only member of VM to get a HDYWTDT on both Sylas and Delilah. Grog called Derrig four names other than his own (including Dmitri).

Liam knew in advance that Sam intended to use his Wish on Vax, and he was glad to have a chance to think about it ahead of time. “I would have been freaked the fuck out if he had just sprung that on me.” Sam checked in with both Matt and Liam. Liam felt like he was coming in as an NPC.

Laura feels “fuckin’ awesome” about being responsible for both Briarwoods’ deaths.

The bone on Vax’s shoulder was supposed to be a physical manifestation of the tattoo he got of Keyleth’s antlers. “He is in a metaphysical mystery box.” From Vax’s perspective, time could have been passing differently. “He’s not just in Connecticut, he’s dead.” Laura points out that it was a lot harder “for him not to be just Vax. Nothing we said, nothing we could do, would change that. You can’t have that back.” Liam: “All of their decisions, but especially his decisions, had to have costs.”

Laura mentions that she feels like this was probably the last VM one-shot; it felt like a solid ending.

From the get-go, Vex was worrying about Vesper more than anything. “In no way did she want to say that out loud to Sylas.”

Liam: “I could accept everybody dying except for Vex.” Laura wonders if Vax would’ve left the Raven Queen if that had happened. Liam won’t speculate.

More Derrig info? Liam shares the names of his wife and kids.

Both Sam and Marisha thought they were Taliesin’s best man, and Sam had a speech written for Percy instead of Vex and had to rewrite it really fast. Laura: “Prior to the show, it fully felt like we were getting ready for a real wedding.” Laura thought ahead of time about what to say vow-wise, but didn’t write it down. “When it was time for it, I almost fully blanked on what I was supposed to be saying.”

Laura: “We’re twins every day, Liam!”

#critical role #critical role spoilers #long text post #talks machina #talks machina spoilers #cr1 spoilers

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smalleststress · 5 years ago

Note

Just all of them for the crit role either or asks

Oh hell yeah!

Thank you for this, now I have something to do during class lol

(Spoiler Warning for campaign 1&2 and Dalen’s closet !)

1. Campaign one or campaign two?

Definitely two, I’m biased since I started during campaign two and haven’t watched all of the first yet. I definitely will finish it soon though since the current campaign is on pause.

2. Vex’ahlia or Jester?

I would die for jester without a second thought, I love her so much. She’s the perfect mix of a silly personality, and I just want her to be happy,, please Mercer,,,

I do like Vex though, the whole wedding one-off murdered my heart.

3. Vax’ildan or Caleb?

Shit, that’s really hard because I’m a sucker for the raven queen and the whole scene with him coming back at the wedding, Matt and Liam did such an amazing job that was so good. But also what is better than sexy wizards… nothin. Caleb has grown on me a lot, he has made so many developments and Essek n him? Oh my heart, forehead kisses will be the death of me. Caleb, sorry Vax.

4. Pike or Yasha?

Do I have a crush on Ashley? Yes. Does that influence my feelings on Yasha? Absolutely. Pike is a sweetheart but women that could carry me without batting an eye can have my soul. She is just so caring and “I smell like crayons.” Actually murdered me.

5. Keyleth or Beauregard?

While I will never stop laughing over Keyleth dying as a goldfish, Beauregard hits home. Also fucks. And I respect that.

6. Scanlan or Tary or Nott?

Nott. I’m sorry but her character growth has been crazy and I’m so glad she is finally comfortable in her own skin, she deserves it! Also, Sam fucking kills me, that man is literally comedy gold.

7. Percy or Mollymauk or Caduceus?

Fuck how am I supposed to pick between any of these… Mollymauk will always hold a special place in my heart I literally bawled when he died, long may he reign. It’s gotta be Caduceus, Talesin seems so comfortable paying him and I love his chill vibe versus the chaos of the rest of the party.

8. Grog or Fjord?

I love Fjord for many reasons but also because every time I see his name my brain reads it as fij-ord even tho I know the proper way to say it. Ep 98 had me so scared, the start of the episode was so nice, I was tricked!

9. Trinket or Frumpkin?

I’m a cat gal, Frumpkin literally warms my heart so much and the art everyone does is so cute!!

10. Vox machina or the Mighty nein?

Haha it's probably pretty obvious at this point, M9

11. Gilmore or Pumat sol?

Pumat, the telephone story about him was so funny and I got so scared in the cathedral. I love soft seeming characters that can whoop ass if need be.

12. Kima or Keg?

Keg is literally me but a fantasy version. Her letter to Beau after their one night stand was so funny, “your eyes are so pretty when you smile, I love Thanks.”

13. Zahra or Calianna?

Calianna, bro the cosplay and art? Tasty.

14. Kashaw or Shakäste?

Shakaste!! My dude! I love Jester messaging him, good shit.

15. Kaylie or Marion lavorre?

Ruby of the red sea, I love how Mercer portrays her. He does an amazing job, she gives off big dick vibes and I support her.

16. Clarota or Lorenzo?

Lorenzo was terrifying, the dude kept talking while on FIRE. Scariest shit and he killed MollyMauk so he is already a monster (literally, as well). Caleb’s “You shouldn’t have killed my cat.” oh heck yea.

17. The Raven queen or the traveler?

The traveler and his whole reveal was hilarious, can’t wait for traveler con. But, Raven Queen is my favorite, I’m just a sucker for the cracked porcelain mask what can I say.

18. Sarenrae or the Stormlord?

Stormlord, the lighting aesthetic is so badass I really want to play a character involved with him so bad.

19. Emon or Wildemount?

WIldmount, have you seen the book put out? That shit is wild how does Mercer do this… I want his brain so I can dm for my friends better lol.

20. How do you want to do this or nerdy-ass voice actors?

Nerdy ass voice actors!! Though the relief/excitement in how do you want to do this is top tier

21. The campaign one cosplay intro or the campaign two animated intro?

I love animation, always have, I admire/envy those artists so much. It gets me so hyped for the show like you wouldn’t believe, that theme song kicks ass

22. Travis’ refusal to believe in dice superstitions or laura’s hoard of dice?

I only play with one pair because I really like it (though I lost the d4 so I occasionally use others) but I don’t do prerolls beforehand or anything like that, more on the Travis side.

23. Door troubles or yelling ‘nein’?

NEIN

#Thank you for the ask!#this was fun sorry it took me literally forever to do this #tumblr hates me awnsering asks for some reason #also I am DMing for my friends soon pray for me #askadork #ask #critical role spoilers #critical role

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loquaciousquark · 5 years ago

Text

Talks Machina Highlights - Critical Role C2E73 (Aug. 6, 2019)

Gooooooood evening good evening good evening all! @eponymous-rose is off packing for a cross-country move (as if THAT’S an excuse), so here I am isntead to lay waste to all you love.

Tonight’s preroll: Sam’s costume from the liveshow getting dunked in acid.

Tonight’s guests: Laura Bailey & Sam Riegel, in a fully human and normal tshirt and jeans. Everyone oohs and ahs over Laura’s adorable live show outfit; Sam waits eagerly for equal attention. And waits, and waits...

Tonight’s announcements: Huge thanks to everyone who came out to the live show in Indy last weekend (I was there! It was great!). Laura talks about everyone singing the theme on the intro. Sam sent his entire costume back with Dani so he wouldn’t get stopped in the airport. Poor Dani! Season 3 of Between the Sheets, featuring Amanda Palmer, is up for Twitch subs now and will be up on YT on Wednesday. CR is headed to Austin, TX, for a live show on Sept. 23! Everyone talks about how Doty will definitely, definitely be in this show: The Adventures of the Darrington Brigade, ft. the return of Sam as Taryon. Sam says he already has something in mind for his costume; everyone else will be playing new characters. Laura’s got an idea for a backup character for Jester, but BWF advises her not to use this for the live show since Jester will def be dead in less than 20 episodes. Go to critrole.com/events for more.

Episode 73: Uthodurn, which is not spelled at all like I thought

CR Stats! Nott dealt 124 damage this episode, only 23 of which was friendly fire. Sam: “You know, he just needs to get out of the fucking way.” Nott rolled her 50th nat 20, resulting in a 43 stealth check. Laura and Sam quietly talk about Sam’s tendency to touch everyone else’s dice as opposed to his “playing fairly.” Sam also laments he’s lost his dustbuster in the studio somewhere after the last bit. Jester is tied with Beau at 9 for the most HDYWTDTs. Jester also played her 50th prank this episode: creating the ballpeen hammer as an offering to the Allhammer.

Laura thinks part of Jester’s new anger in battle is part of losing Yasha, especially when she disappeared right in front of her and Jester wasn’t able to help her at all. “Jester mammoth-raged.” Laura raves about being a mammoth & talks about needing to work on her elephant noise. Both Laura and Sam fail miserably at making the noise.

Sam slowly drinks a shot. It’s... a thing.

We have a close-up of Sam’s nail polish, which was done for the live show. He doesn’t own nail polish remover, it turns out.

Nott will talk to Cad about the explosive arrow whenever Cad brings it up. First, Cad was invisible & therefore at fault because he couldn’t be seen; the second part of the blame goes to Laura Bailey, who leaned over and told Sam right before his turn he had to kill this thing right now. The explosive arrow was the best thing he had; Sam accepts one part of the blame for forgetting it would be fire. Sam & Laura agree the bolt should have had some thunder/force damage associated with it because of the concussive blast. (Hilariously, my father presented this precise argument to me with GREAT VIGOR right after this episode aired.)

Jester’s call to the Traveler was just in the heat of the moment. All of her power comes from him, so Jester calls out to him (and Laura thinks it cool) when she gets a big oomph. Sam wonders aloud if her powers genuinely come from the Traveler or not. Laura: “I mean...as far as she knows.” Sam’s also distracted that the question card had a straight-up name on it rather than a username.

Sam considers the outcome of the election a win, since he’s one of the bi-Presidents of D&D Beyond until further notice. “It doesn’t matter how you get there, as long as you get there.” Laura asks if he thinks about it being a hollow win when he goes to sleep. Sam: “Do I look like the kind of person to have thoughts as I’m falling asleep?”

Nott’s usage of the pistol’s single shot was pure pettiness. Sam thought Nott had a shot because she’s acrobatic & fast & has some tricks, and he just didn’t want Beau to win. Making loud noises & drawing attention didn’t even cross my mind.

Jester was very proud of Fjord making those strength checks, but she wasn’t surprised. “He’s very strong, even though he looks like he’s not.” Laura thinks it’s funny and poetic that Travis rolled so well after ditching his sword/powers.

Travis has three sets of dice. Liam has a bunch of sets, but they’re all red (says Laura, offended). Laura only used purple dice at the live show because of how she was dressed.

Cosplay of the Week: a great Scanlan cosplay with Ioun’s third eye by @cxptaingrayson.

Sam realizes something that’s been holding back the Nott-Fjord relationship is that Nott has always been a little suspicious of Fjord. Now that he’s “talking like a real weirdo” and is still brave, braver than before, she can trust him more.

Laura’s asked about Jester’s conflict between healing & DPS. Laura: “Do you think Jester asked to be a fucking healer?” When they were deciding their characters, Laura was originally going to be a warlock with the Traveler as her patron; then Travis was like, warlock! What a cool class! Can I have it? And Laura said sure, she’ll be a cleric, that sounds cool. “And now he got rid of his fucking patron! Who knows if he’s going to be a warlock anymore? What a waste of a warlock!” She likes being a cleric--but even from Jester’s very first inception she’s always been a healer who hates healing. Brian: “She’s a battle Mercy.” She’s not regretful she healed Beau; the reason Laura didn’t immediately heal her is that she thought from Matt’s face that the remorhaz was very close to death, closer than it actually was. She confirms Jester is Chaotic Neutral.

Brian tells Laura he texted Travis to tell him Laura accused him of stealing the warlock class. Laura: “YOU DID NOT!” Brian: “You said it on the air!!”

Travis, via text to BWF, apparently in all caps: “I WAS CHANGING RONIN. YES I STOLE WARLOCK.”

Nott’s teasing of a powerless Fjord is 100% just because she thinks it’s funny. Sam: “There’s not really a deep reason to it. They tease each other all the time. Why would that change just because he tossed his sword in the lava?”

Laura needs to do research on other animals she can become since she enjoyed the mammoth (and giant eagle) so much. Sam keeps a list of flying creatures Laura can turn into because Laura struggles looking it up and often keys it into her D&D Beyond app before she’s even started. BWF: “This is uncharacteristically unselfish.” Sam: “Well, Laura is--I love her. Laura is pure harp music and I would do anything for her.”

Their environments are just getting better and better for Nott in terms of how goblins are seen. She’s given up the mask now, but it’s nice to have people look and not scream.

Both Sam & Laura pause to fan over the design of Uthodurn. It’s way cooler than either the Empire or Dynasty to them right now.

Laura points out that Nott has been fairly outgoing lately; it’s been a while since anyone said “you’re a goblin, stone her!” She’s beginning to come out of her shell as she gets used to her body (not that she likes it in any way), but it’s a development from Veth’s original shyness. She’s also drunk a lot; Sam says this will continue until he gets more Laura Bailey speeches.

BWF still has Laura’s copy of Game of Thrones, which he borrowed in 2011. Laura doesn’t listen to books on tape because she likes the inflections in her own head.

Fanart of the Week: a cool grouping of portraits of the M9 by @dylanbydoodles.

They apparently threw an election party after the D&D Beyond President reveal. Sam talks about convincing the Lyft driver on the way back that it was a swinger’s party in the most ridiculous way possible. Poor Indianapolis.

Nott & Veth’s relationship is getting very complicated. Sam says they’re beginning to blend a little together, but he’s now coming to realize there’s a part of Nott deep down that is deeply scared of going back to Veth & losing her rogue abilities, her adventuring; she wants to be herself again for sure, since her body is definitely wrong, but she’s beginning to fear the loss of some of what Nott is now.

BWF sincerely thanks Sam for the effort and thought he puts into his character. Sam sincerely thanks him. It’s a lovely moment.

Jester’s slip about Fjord’s powers was deliberate on Laura’s part but accidental on Jester’s. Everyone’s a little worried about Fjord without powers, even though he proved himself in the remorhaz fight. She thinks the slipup happened because Jester wasn’t on guard--because Fjord had done so well in the fight, she’d forgotten.

So far, Nott’s choice to leave the family behind in Nicodranus is worth it; no one’s died and they’re making headway on their goals.

BWF: “The Mighty Nein: no one’s died-ish.”

Apparently Matt owns the building they’re filming in? I missed part of this and genuinely can’t tell if it’s a joke.

BWF talks about how Liam, Matt, & Travis have all been genuinely mad at him before. Matt and Travis were mad; Liam was just disappointed.

How did Sam lose the election? He doesn’t think it’s because of him or anything he did. He thinks there’s a demographic shift in America; the electoral college hurt him; both he and Liam ran the campaigns they wanted. Liam’s was serious issues & serious passion, while Sam farted around for three months. BWF asked Adam Bradford at D&D Beyond, who’s the General Manager, about the results; apparently the pie chart was VASTLY in favor of Liam with only the tiniest sliver for Sam. Laura thinks it’s because Sam’s done nothing but troll Sam for five years and this was their chance to troll him back. Sam: “To that I say: good job.”

Dani & Max both voted for Sam. Laura didn’t vote. BWF voted for Liam. Chris forgot there was a vote. Zach voted for Liam.

Sam talks about the game they play, the app for D&D Beyond, and how the whole campaign allowed him to shine a spotlight on himself. “I didn’t get as many votes as Liam, but I got a lot of attention.”

Everyone loved this last live show. Laura legit loved wearing her dress; Travis & Liam looked great. Tal looked normal. Brian marvels at his own tattoos. He and Tal went through a lot of ideas before they committed to the bag situation--he sent it to Jaimie Alexander before the show happened so she could vet it. Ha! “Her response was 25 crying emojis and ‘please send this to my boyfriend.’“

Reminder: Mica Burton, Overwatch League host (and daughter of Levar Burton), will be guest-starring on Critical Role this coming Thursday.

And we’re out! Is it Thursday yet?

#critical role #critical role spoilers #talks machina #talks machina spoilers #long post for ts

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cranesofibycus · 5 years ago

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On Sending

As much as I hate the idea of Marion not responding to Jester, I adore the narrative potential of the Sending spell. So much so that it might be my favorite spell of the campaign so far. Besides the fact that it is an incredibly useful tool for the group, there’s something about sending a message into the ether and not really knowing whether, where and how the message will find its recipient that always makes me sit up straight whenever it’s used.

From the first time Jester cast it, we’ve seen the comedic potential of a spell with a word limit in the hands of a person who is Very Bad at filtering her thoughts. We’ve also gotten glimpses of the spell’s more dramatic potential (sending messages to Yeza, while he was being transported as a captive, or to Dairon, who sounded weak and injured in her response, or to Yasha, who didn’t respond at all). But just like I’m waiting for Nott to eventually use ‘You can reply to this message!’ to break our hearts, I do think that we are not done discovering what Sending can really do in this game.

Looking at the description of the spell, Jester could, for example, send messages to creatures on other planes of existence (although there is a 5% chance for the spell to fail, which adds another interesting layer, imo, and begs the question whether a message sent through Sending could ever be intercepted?). I would be fascinated to see how this could work in connection with Etherealness, for example, or how she would use it, if they ever end up in the Abyss (because you know they will). Also, ‘The spell enables creatures with Intelligence scores of at least 1 to understand the meaning of your message.’, so technically, technically, Jester can communicate with beasts and animals and anyone who doesn’t speak any of the group’s known languages. I mean, just consider the shenanigans that Jester could get into with this...

I also wonder whether Matt will start using the spell on the group (I think he’s done it before, but I can’t remember when or in which campaign). He has mentioned a couple of times that - more so than in campaign 1 - this campaign follows a certain timeline that will happen whether or not the M9 decide to get involved. We have seen this before with the attack on Felderwin and the fall of the Ashguard Garrison, but by using Sending NPCs have the option to reach out to the Nein if they are in trouble or have important news to share. Since it is a 3rd level spell, I don’t think a lot of NPCs will have access to it, but I am sure people like Yussah, Essek and potentially even Orly could use it.

And yeah, there is always the possibility of people not responding, when they really, really should, which is the fantasy equivalent of being left on read after sending an important text. Even the thought is anxiety-inducing.

#critical role #cr meta #jester lavorre #long post #the dm in me

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yfere · 6 years ago

Note

How about Caduceus for the character ask thing?

Do you love/hate/don’t feel strongly about this character?

I adore him!!!!!!!! I’m so glad we have him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I mean, he’s such a unique presence, and I think it’s best that the story has him in it now. My love for Caduceus isn’t always the most consistent thing, which largely depends on how much he gets to talk in a given episode.

What is your favorite trait of this character?

I like how into Propriety and Manners he is. He’s incredibly distressed whenever he thinks he might be not acting with the Epitome of Politeness, and I’m kind of gaga over how he “Mr” and “Miss”’s everybody he meets, even close? friends? It makes me want to hug the man. Also, how he’s incredibly nonspecific in his speech patterns, inclined to being superrrrrr vague and metaphorical, which combined with Politeness sometimes comes to the point where you have to look at him and say “wait, what did you mean???”

What’s your favorite moment/event involving this character?

I love his one-on-ones with the members of the M9 so much. I think he gets a little lost and his message muddied in group conversations, but whenever he has a one-on-one it’s incredibly impactful. His discussion with Fjord after the dream, with Jester and Caleb individually on the ship were very good moments. I think the conversation over the periapt was sort of character-defining for me, the “Do you believe in destiny” bit, carried forward into everything else.

If you could have one power/attribute/etc of this character, what would it be?

HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM, hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm I mean, healing is useful, but it’s sort of niche for the life I lead. Bugs–I love reading about them, I don’t like physical interaction with them. I don’t live on the water so I can’t capsize boats. which leaves hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm OH I KNOW. I wanna talk to animals and have them understand me. That would be……………………….so amazing

Have you ever pictured this character naked?

There are some very wonderful artists on the Clayleb discord who will picture it for you.

When did you fall in love/hate with this character? If you don’t have any strong feelings towards them, why not?

“I only have three cups….”

I mean, I’m a sucker, I fall for people hard and fast.

Who’s your OTP for this character?

I keep on back-and-forthing over Aro Caduceus, Caduceus With Every Male NPC He Must Realize He’s Flirting With, and Caleb Widogast.

#critical role #caduceus clay #character ask meme #+10 for sweet anons

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readbythestarlight · 5 years ago

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c2e63

Sam: "anime dubbing"

Me: "oh no"

My sister who watches anime is loving this and I, who have nevered watched anime, am so lost xD

Matt is always so adorably excited when he gets opportunities to do cool things and I love it

Jester: we need to have someone really powerful with us

Me: ESSIK ESSIK ESSIK

I’m glad they’re talking this through instead of stumbling their way through it in front of the Bright Queen

Jester: "what if I try to locate the book he [the spy] was writing in"

Matt: *making faces and trying not to*

Yasha awkwardly trying to explain and then Jester takes over

For all their planning this is still a disaster

There we go Beau

Travis praising Marisha for her mad note taking skills is both adorable and a mood

The Bright Queen asking Essik if he trusts them anD HE SAID YES YEAHHHH

I’m still afraid he’s gonna be a traitor

But I love him

See y’all don’t have to be caught up in the big middle of the fight

I don’t think trying to give them advice on evacuating is a good idea Beau. I get what you’re going for but you gotta be careful babe they still don’t completely trust you.

Also Caleb please just tell her about the Scourgers

Not this not now

Guys

Come on

I understand your goals and what you’re after but please please please just be careful

Seriously y’all please stop you’re on shaky ground and you haven’t done so much that she couldn’t still take back what she’s given you

Come on Essik go help them out I wanna see you in action

M9: awkwardly backing away

Essik, facepalming in the cormer: guys please you’re embarrassing me

Oh guys, you’re all so in over your head. I love that they have good intentions, want to save lives, and they’re doing the best they can - and like Cad said last week, no matter what they did they were choosing a side. By keeping quiet they help the Empire. By telling they’ve sided with the Dynasty. And now they’re committed and caught in a war they can’t stop.

Jester: we should just become rulers of the Empire and things will be great! Cycle broken! :D

Oh is this a reward

IS IT SO MUCH MONEY

CAN YASHA GET HER BRACERS NOW

check it for traps lol

Hellls yes money

14500gp?????

I mean she’s a queen obviously so she’a got money but DAMN

Matt: "dead decomposed goblin"

Me and my sister immediately sharing suspicious looks: what if that’s the real Moro and she’s dead and now the "Moro" they’ve met + the bugbear are actually Empire spies or even scourgers in disguise

"Goth moth"

J: "Oh like I’m stupid?"

M: "you have an intelligence of 1"

L: *panic face*

Oh nooooo poor Jester :(

Fjord heading out to save her yay!

J: "Did you know when you turn into something you get really stupid."

Blue cloth...

Oh god please make this

25 good good good

Spider-Nott! Spider-Nott! Does what ever a spider can...

He’s inside he’s inside he’s inside!!

Caleb is LOVING this dunemancy

Oh god oh no

Oh thank god Matt could have so fucked him over there

Oh SHIT

This is indeed a clusterfluffer well said Matt

Nott’s alone and has been caught, half the group doesn’t know what’s going on, the other half isn’t even chasing the actual spy

Oh noooo

Oh frick she’s charmed

They’re attacking a Dragonborn and the actual spy guy is getting away and somewhere Essik is faceplaming like "why did I say they could handle this they clearly can’t handle this"

Okay so where is the Drow?

THE DROW KNOWS YASHA WTFFF

Shit!

GO FJORD GO

SEE HIM SEE HIM

COUNTERSPELL IT COUNTERSPELL IT COME ON

HEEEEEELLLLLLLLL

YES

uh wait so the shadow guy Yasha saw in her dreams did he sound like the Drow?

FIGHT THIS GUY CATCH HIM CATCH HIM

Okay but if this guys knows Yasha is he Empire

Or is there like a whole group of people, both Empire and Dynasty, working together to save the world

Y’all need to not kill the hobgoblin he’s all you have now

They’re never gonna find him...

The dice don’t like them tonight

Guyssssss you needed the hobgoblin ALIVE you have NOTHING

So either the blond guy isn’t the spy OR they just accidentally busted up a drug sale

Ben and Moro are just a couple of duped dumbasses then

Except they are def selling drugs

Y’all will not catch this Drow person just take a deep breath and think

“I know you” oh I don’t like that

“If you are intent on following, come north” don’t like that

“Bring her” doNT LIKE THAT AT ALL

Shit man we came into this expecting to catch Empire spies and then instead it’s like by the way Yasha backstory!!

Boy next week is gonna be GOOD

Cause I mean of course they’ll follow now

Right?

#emi watches critical role #critical role #cr spoilers

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prismaticranch · 6 years ago

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A rant about resurrection die-hards: Why Molly Isn’t Coming Back (and why you should stop trying to force the idea that they are)

So I was on Facebook interacting with the announcement for the NYC live show. I came across a comment basically saying “this is going to be the show they bring Molly back in so I want to go!” As if the cast is somehow just waiting to bring Molly back on a dramatic way.

Molly isn’t coming back. Molly is dead and gone and the cast have made it really fucking clear at this point that Molly staying dead is fine by them.

First let’s talk about Matt’s handling of the situation. Matt is a very generous dm who has always given the cast a chance to resurrect a dead character should they want to. If Talisen in their discussion about Molly’s death had expressed a strong desire to keep Molly alive, he would have given them all the chance to resurrect them.

This brings me to my second point. That Talisen specifically has made many clarifications that he is perfectly fine with Molly’s death. Sure he was upset for a while but he accepted it and moved on. He’s fine with playing Caddyshack, that’s he’s having fun with it. He made a point of having Caduceus decompose Molly’s body so that there is no body to resurrect.

The rest of the cast has moved on. While they loved Molly they have also come to terms with the character being gone, and are excited to see what elements of Molly’s past come to impact their continuing journey.

Liam has clarified many times that the most fans try to push for things to happen, the less the cast wants to act upon those options because it devalues their feeling of having a choice. So, the more y’all try and force the idea that somehow, some way, Molly will come back just because it’s gonna happen, the less likely the cast will be to resurrect them.

The lost you push for Molly’s return you also have to consider how it sumiltaniously means you want Cadburycremeegg off the show. Tal can’t play two characters at once, so he would have to pick one or the other. Additionally, I see many people theorizing that Caduces exists solely as a tool to bring Molly back and honestly it’s really disheartening. Tal put a lot of work and feeling into Cads and to see y’all shit on him between the lines and minimize his fullness of character is sad. Tal wants to bring duces to life and make him a full bodied character but y’all can’t let him enjoy playing cads because y’all care more about the slim chance of Molly coming back.

As for how its affecting the fandom.... it’s getting really damn annoying. Every other thing I see is far fetched theories and complaining about how the cast isn’t making the “right choice” or how the past few episodes are going to be retconned just because it’s what you want to happen. Just stop.

Why can’t Molly’s permadeath be the most impactful story point to happen to the M9? Why can’t their passing be the catylist for change? Why can’t y’all allow the story to flow in its natural way?

Last of all y’all forget what critical Role is. It’s a bunch of nerdy ass voice actors who play this game because they love each other and love the adventure it gives them. CR is not a CW drama. It’s not an anime, or a movie series, or a Netflix special. It’s not run by a team of directors and editors and writers. It’s a bunch of middle aged weirdos having fun together, who have blessed us all with the ability to watch them play.

Somehow thinking the fan base is owed something or that anything “should” or “must” or “will” happen is just a continued disregard for what the show is at its core. The cast owes us NOTHING. They do not owe us any resurrection, they owe us no explination for their decisions, they owe us no fanservice.

Stop trying to disgrace Molly’s legacy, stop trying to deminish Caduces’ value as a character, stop devaluing the decisions made by the cast. Move on. Write your fan fiction, make your fan art, whatever. But stop insisting Molly will be revived canonically.

TLDR: stop trying to push your retcon obsession on the cast and fandom because it’s just damaging to everything CR.

#critrole #critical role #CR #mollymaul tealeaf #mollymauk #retcon #the mighty nien #m9

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creedofpoetry · 6 years ago

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Hell's Assassin Part Two

A few years later, my wife died of cancer. I didn't expect her to go so soon. I was only 30, and I lost my wife, she was 28. I place roses on her grave, Tiffany, Beloved Wife. I looked up to the heavens, and prayed. Then, I got a call on my cell phone, it was Ariel. “John, how've you been?” I had a thought, Tiffany isn't coming back, and I have been lonely. Ariel and myself have made pretty good friends since I've met her. “Hey Ariel, how would you like to go out on a date?” “…Oh,” she replied, “Sure! Sure thing. Where at?” “Let's grab some coffee at the café downtown.” “See you there.” Ariel said.

Later, at the café, Ariel sat down across from me, with a cappuccino. “Hey, John.” “Ariel, glad to see you.” I said. “You look great,” Ariel mentioned. “Thanks,” I said. I sipped my coffee, “I've been so lonely since Tiffany died.” “I see, would you like some company? She asked. “Let's go back to my place,” I said.

In my apartment, I was sitting on the couch with Ariel, when suddenly, I felt lips on my neck. I was so relieved. I could feel the moisture on my skin as she suckled on my neck, I turned and started kissing her…one thing led to another and well, Ariel got pregnant.

That night I fell asleep. I was standing in the middle of a dirt road, surrounded by desert. There were a few off road vehicles that stopped next to me, guns pointed straight at my vital organs. I raised my hands. One of the guys jumped out of the back of their truck and tied rope between my hands. They threw me in the back of their jeep. We started driving. “What do you want with me?” I asked, they were quiet. Suddenly, the horn went off, I could hear glass breaking, metal clumping, and bones cracking. I felt fire engulf my entire person. I woke up.

It seems like Ariel wasn't around. I gave her a call, nothing. Of course, I sighed, if I wanted a one night stand I would have hired a prostitute. I don't really know any other women. Here I am, single, depressed, and sick of it all. And the dreams, ever since I got shot in the Navy, I've been dreaming of Hell, a deserted wasteland, filled with raiders, survivors, and stray animals.

The depression got worse day by day. Until one day, I couldn't take it anymore. I took my M9 pointed it straight at my head. How could I do this? I was better than suicide, I won't pull the trigger, I can't I…then, nothing. Nothing but blood spewed everywhere, and the body of John Paul, lying still on the floor of his apartment, dead.

15 years later, Matthew visited his father's grave, kissed his fist and placed his hand on the tombstone. His phone rang. “Matthew where are you?” Asked his mother. “At Dad's grave…I just wanted to see him…” “Well you know it's time for school.” Ariel said. “Yes ma’am.” Matthew got into his car and drove to his high school. With his backpack on, he put it into his locker and went to his first class of the day, Physics. As he was taking notes, a Marine Corps recruiter entered the classroom. “Oh, right,” the teacher giggled, “ Class this is Sergeant Jackson, he would like to talk to you about the Marine Corps.” Instantly Matthew was interested.

The next day Matthew entered the Marine recruiter's office down the street. “Sir, I would to be a Marine.” Matthew said. The recruiter smiled, “ Welcome, come on in and close the door.” Matthew sat down and filled out paperwork. “ What job would you like as a Marine?” Matthew thought about it, “I want a combat position.” “Exactly what the Marines are for, we'll get you on the bus in no time…” the recruiter continued.

In the Marines, Matthew found himself in the midst of a battle, bullets that seemed to come from nowhere. He took cover. His Sergeant signaled to move in while Matthew provided cover fire. It took one minute to make sure all the targets were down. Back at base, after Matthew and his squad got back, his Officer was waiting for him. “Matthew, to my office.” The Officer ordered. Inside, Matthew waited for his Officer to speak. “I've seen you in action Matthew, you’re good enough.” “Good enough for what, sir?” “For an assassination, here's your new orders,” The Officer said, handing Matthew Paul a piece of paper, “you move out tomorrow….dismissed.” Matthew saluted and exited the office.

One month later, Matthew was mere seconds away from assassinating his target. Next to him, “Alright Matt, you got 15 mile wind and 900 yards. 3…2…1…” Matthew fired his rifle, target down. Good job Paul, let’s head back and grab some chow,” Jack said.

Back at base, Matthew and Jack were chowing away on burritos, when a girl walked over to Matthew. She sat down across from him. Her nametag said, ‘Marie.’ She looked at him in a flirtatious smile. “Hello Marie.” Matthew said. “Call me Alex,” she said. “Alex Marie, beautiful name.” He said. “When you're done eating your lunch, catch me out at the smoke deck, I have something to show you.” Later, at the smoke deck, Matthew pulled a camel from his pack and lit it up, looked around and saw Alex, accidentally breathing smoke in her face. “Oh, hey Alex.” He said, “what did you need?” “I want to show you something,” she said. “Like what?” She grabbed his hand and placed it on her breast. Matthew gulped. Her breast felt warm and soft, very erotic. She held his hand as she led him to her barracks, that night, Matthew became a man.

As he fell asleep, he found himself somewhere in a deserted wasteland, sitting on a rusty metal bench. He looked up, and saw him, John. “Father…how…am I dreaming?” “Son, take this, call her,” John said, handing Matthew a note. He woke up, sweating. He felt something in his pocket, looked at it and saw. The note had Tiffany's name on it, with her phone number…she was alive.

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cstesttaken · 7 years ago

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HTC Ice View case review

Both the HTC One (M8) and One M9 shipped with a special accessory known as the Dot View case, but the company surprised people when that didn’t return for its most recent flagship. It’s actually for the better since the replacement is a lot more useful. When the HTC 10 launched in April, the Ice View case was introduced as the primary accessory. The Ice View case is a window to the phone, providing a quick look at information so you don’t have to press a physical button and swipe through menus for the essentials.

Hit the break for our review of the HTC Ice View case.

The Ice View case is a run-of-the-mill folio case that has physical alterations to separate it from what you know today. Facing you at all times is a transparent window rather than the dots that you knew on the Dot View case. So, yes, you’re getting a full view of your phone’s display. That’s great news for anyone who didn’t like deciphering little dots on the predecessor, though I doubt a problem existed. Regardless, getting to see the entire display while protecting it from incoming attacks is a big plus for the HTC and the Ice View case.

On the bottom left of the case, you’ll see HTC’s name imprinted on a little button-like piece. Underneath that is the magnetic which turns the display on and off when opening and closing the window.

The rest of the Ice View case is familiar as it provides protection to the rest of the phone, but it’s a relatively light piece of plastic as a whole and so I wouldn’t expect it to really prevent the HTC 10 from getting dents or cracks if dropped. I’m fine with that, though, because a case like this is about appearance and not protection.

When the display is on, you’re greeted with a frosty vibe that plays to the product’s name. Everything on the display is completely visible but with a cool filter that doesn’t make anything particularly sharp.

Unlike the Dot View cases, the Ice View case comes in just one color. It’s a little boring that you can’t get this case in any color other than black. The last two years, HTC’s Dot View cases came in traditional and crazy colors to give you options. Not the case with the HTC 10 and its Ice View case. Any customization comes from within the companion app, but that’s not nearly as satisfying as having color options because of limitations there as well.

Because the transparent window is so thin, you’re able to interact with the display as if the cover wasn’t even present.

The Ice View case, when the display is turned on, gives a quick glance at everything you need to see at at that moment. The date, time, and weather will always be shown, and icons for apps with incoming notifications will circulate, too.

Aside from showing daily information and notifications, the Ice View case can carry out traditional actions. You can read messages, change songs, adjust volume, and launch the Flashlight app without ever opening the window.

My favorite feature on the Ice View case, however, is being able to take pictures and record videos. Since you can see through the transparent window, HTC will let you quickly launch the Camera app and fire away. Is it a little blurry because of the frost look? Yep. But you should be able to tap to focus and trust that the phone does gets the right shot. This feature is a huge upgrade from the Dot View cases because you couldn’t see through the window, a hindrance that you don’t come to realize until your current folio case causes you to miss important moments you want to look back on.

Instant access on the Ice View case is magnificent. I just wish HTC would let us at least change graphics’ animations and colors because this is not a one-size-fits-all scenario.

So what’s open for you to tinker with here? Not a whole lot, honestly. The Ice View app is pretty bare, leaving just a handful of things on your side to change. Through the app, you can set the timeout length, manage which apps show notifications, toggle call history, and turn on/off Motion Launch gestures.

Other than those things, what you see is what you get from the Ice View case and its companion app.

HTC’s Ice View case is a tough sell for most people at $49 for two related reasons. There aren’t enough features here to justify spending that amount of money on a case when other worthy cases are way cheaper (albeit without remotely close neat tricks).

If folio cases are your thing, don’t look anywhere else. Get this first-party accessory from HTC and enjoy special features that only the Ice View case activates for the HTC 10. Though, if you want a traditional case, you’ll have to keep shopping. HTC’s Ice View case for its 2016 flagship is a little too flashy (and expensive) for those who want a simple case that provides style or protection.

Born and raised in New Jersey, Justin is a graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson University where he studied marketing with a focus on digital marketing. He's very talkative and enjoys discussing anything from technology and sports to video games and television. As for Justin's current device rotation, he carries around the LG V20 and Nexus 9. In the rare case that his phone or tablet is not in his hand, he is either flicking through cards on his Moto 360 (2015) or typing away on the Microsoft Surface Book. Justin is patiently waiting for the day that Google replicates the Galaxy Nexus with modern day specifications.

Source

http://www.talkandroid.com/reviews/accessories/htc-10-ice-view-case/

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