#Taliesin I hope you see this

[spirit-of-beetlejuiceblues12]

Okay new rule, no more hair gel for Percy

[dent-de-leon]

I hope we get an animated nein teaser or get to see Taliesin play Kingsley again soon. I love love his Tealeaf voice so much, seeing him play the Circus Man again would just warm my whole heart--

[demisexualemmaswan]

me: :(

my brain: taliesin jaffe’s laugh

me: :)

[willowbirds]

Honestly what is so fun with watching this cast play as gods is that they are both playing them as how they are described in the lore, but they are also adding their own twists to them and making them more then just gods.

They are making them Characters.

They are making them People.

Taliesin’s Wildmother being jagged and angry, always hungry, representing that force of uncontrolled nature while we normally imagine her as this caring motherly figure (as the name suggests)

Nick’s Dawnfather being this caring figure, giving hope and resources to those struggling, while also having a level of arrogance that we not only saw portrayed by Matt, but also in how the Dawnfather sees the Exandrian’s as children he lead towards ‘A better path.’

Laura’s Matron not only understands life and death and is what you would expect, but she was once mortal. She knows of the threat Aeor poses to them and is not afraid to tell the others that there is no saving it.

Ashley’s Everlight is this goddess of light and deeply cares for the people of Exandria. When she created her avatar she went all in and started a family. She is now so much closer to the Exandrian’s then any of the others, and if any of the gods there are going to keep fighting to keep the people of Aeor alive, it is going to be her.

All of these characters are going to be so interesting to watch, and I am so excited to see what happens!

[blackmosscupcakes]

While I'm on the subject of Bells Hells' reactions to the events of last episode, I'm extremely interested in what's going to happen with Ashton. After all, only DAYS ago in-game, Ashton had their own mishap that resulted in the whole party being furious with them to varying degrees. And C3E78, their apology tour for that event, came with plenty of statements and promises on their part that have an awful lot of relevance to current events.

Ashton has always shown a high degree of awareness that this is a group teetering on the edge of darkness at any given time. His apologies in episode 78 tend to be loaded with assurances that he will forgive the others when it's their turn to make mistakes just as he hopes they will forgive him. Here's what he said to Chetney:

TALIESIN: Well, I'm glad you stopped. And I don't know, I'm processing a lot right now, but if I do stay, if you let me stay, the day something happens and it goes bad for you and you hurt a lot of people because, for any reason somebody gets in your head, something bad happens, something pushes you over the edge, something just fucking stupid. Stay or go, I promise that I will stick around, help clean it up. You will get no shit from me. None.

And here's what they said specifically to Laudna when she confronted them:

TALIESIN: I will, no matter what we do, no matter what mistakes we make, no matter what we have, I will stay and I will be there and I will not-- I will not walk away. I don't know what love is, but I'm going with this.

And they seem to be sticking to that promise! At the end of last episode they were very strongly by her side. He clearly sees (understandably, given his past) the act of sticking with someone no matter what to be one of the highest expressions of love. But sticking by someone doesn't mean signing off on all of their behaviour unchallenged, either. I also think it's relevant to look at what was in his mind when Imogen tried to read it:

TALIESIN: I think I've seen a pattern in my life and I've-- I'm going to just describe it instead of-- Just the realization of hubris and temptation and blame and this sudden realization of this epiphany of violent levels of projecting responsibility. Just this very wide thought of so many moments in life of not being responsible for what happened and suddenly going through that one by one of just, it took one week of vaguely knowing where I came from, and the only thing I really knew about these people was that they fucked up in this very particular way and it took me one week to do the exact fucking same thing. Because I was so desperate to have it and so desperate to have something that I lost so that I could be mad at someone for taking it.

They immediately took a step back and saw their responsibility for the way in which they hurt their friends, and so they expressed regret and apologies for that. He also saw how his actions were a way of reflecting his hurt back out into the world in the same way he was hurt. His father failed him, and his pain and trauma led him down the path of making a very similar mistake. I suspect all of this was on his mind in that moment where he took Laudna by the shoulder and whispered to her that she should start with an apology. They were hoping she would respond to it with that same introspection, but unfortunately a few things--not the least of which being Delilah--are in the way of that.

The question is what does he do next? He made a promise to walk beside, but (as I said above) that isn't necessarily a promise to unilaterally co-sign all of someone's actions, and I'd like to see a step forward in which Ashton uses their experience with the shard and what happened after to perhaps try and further encourage Laudna to make amends and communicate and come into the fold of the group instead of isolating herself. But I wonder if perhaps they do not feel that they have the right to say anything negative to her at all only days after the shard incident. But how does one reconcile that with a group member who risks becoming genuinely dangerous to your other loved ones if she continues down the path she's on?

[utilitycaster]

a not-as-quick-as-originally-intended clarification at least on my personal thoughts re: the Apex War, and this campaign overall:

I agree that it would have been nice for C3 to have been more rooted in Marquet; I have said this frequently and I still hope we get to see Marquet in future stories. However, while I want Apex War lore because it's interesting to me, the fact is, there's no way to fix the fact that we spent this campaign without any strong understanding of the Apex War when it is a core element of the backstory of a significant villain (Otohan) and when Matt is invoking it to underscore the show of unity.

For what it's worth, I think there's two separate "what I wish this campaign could have been" versions and I feel like a lot of people are conflating them.

One is, for lack of a better way to put it, a more Mighty Nein-style campaign that delved into the culture and place and conflicts of Marquet by focusing on the characters first and foremost, the way Campaign 2 delved into Wildemount. I would have loved this very much. This would not have supported the moon plot, however.

Another is one that honors Matt's vision of the nigh-millennium-long-plot Ludinus hatched and the secrets of Ruidus and all of Exandria coming together, and is simply...better. The Apex War should have impacted Imogen and Ashton, growing up in its aftermath, and could have been a part of their backstories. FCG's chassis being found could have been tied to it. This in turn would have set up Otohan in more depth. And that could have been handled with very little extra effort - literally just a call to Laura and Taliesin with a lore dump, and a few more hints in the Bassuras arc.

I think the fact that Bells Hells are a group from across Exandria - representation from all continents but the Shattered Teeth, multiple people with ties to several continents, and even an extraplanar member - is not a bad thing for a story about the world uniting against the threat of Predathos! It's extremely fair to be disappointed and let down (especially if you are from a culture on which Marquet is based and was hoping to see it) but actually I'm here to say the fact that C3 isn't like C2 is not bad, in this case. It's that the Apex War clearly has backstory and lore that would inform the story and certainly informs how Matt is playing it, and literally no one else has access to that information, including the players. I would love to go back and get it because I love the world of Exandria and its lore, but from a narrative perspective the ship already sailed. So my complaint isn't "why wasn't this solely about Marquet" in this case - it's "there was clear setup for this story that would have made it better, and there wasn't an effort to limit what the players played or seed it into the plot so that it would actually come up."

[dynamite124]

Hello, I've just downloaded Taliesin and I must say that I am loving all his interactions thus far (...although I may be having issues with his horse and the naked line but hey, it's fine).

I have a few questions regarding Taliesin though, like, how old is he exactly (cough, not that I'm going to embarrass him or anything that is), and would he be partial to apple tea (or any kind of fruit tea as a way to treat his insomnia?)

And, if possible, may I know how he would react to Remiel (Self-Proclaimed Dwemechanic), Xelzaz (Argonian Telvanni), Val (the Pirate) and Auri (a fellow Mer, though a Bosmer)? I've always felt that he might possibly get along with Remiel (more like, Remiel will get along with everyone), have intellectual (?) discussions with Xelzaz and have a rather love to hate relationship with Val simply because both of them can be quite, flirty at times and might make it sort of a competition?

Thank you for reaching out. I'm sorry about Naomi being buggy but I'm not sure how to fix that - it kind of matches her personality though, wild and free, comes and goes as she pleases. And I'm working on the lines when the player is naked, takes time and lots of trial and error with an equally buggy Creation Kit. ^^;

In terms of how old Taliesin is, chronologically Taliesin is 150 years old, roughly he's around 35 years of age when compared to a human. He's yet to try tea or anything to remedy his insomnia, at night, he meditates and uses his magic to restore his energy. But I hope to add a small quest for the Dragonborn to help him get over that.

In terms of how he'd feel about Remiel, Xalzaz and Val...

With Remiel, he would appreciate having someone intelligent to talk with. I do feel him appreciating her would take some adjusting because Remiel does like to talk...a lot. Another thing he'd have to adjust to would be delving into Dwemer ruins. He doesn't like Dwemer Ruins, they're bad for his health!

I can see him on occasion just telling Remiel to stop talking once she gets started, there's only so much he can handle about a topic he's not invested in. But that's not to say he's going to find his own way to annoy her in turn.

Taliesin: What's that, Scrap? You like be better than Remiel? You want to be MY best friend instead?

Xelzaz I'm still trying to learn about. Taliesin doesn't know much about Dunmer culture, so Xelzaz introducing himself as the Lawman of the Telvanni isn't going to impress him upon first meeting. He may mistake Xelzaz as as officer of the law or thinking he's making up the title to sound important.

Taliesin: Lawman, right right...so you're good with detaining the unruly? Oh this should be fun then.

Now then...for Val Serano. Hands down, these two would NOT get along! Val is everything Taliesin hates; Liars, thieves and a pirate (water-thief basically). In his eyes, Val is a walking red flag and won't trust him.

I can see these two having petty fights or hurling insults like a vollyball game. Taliesin won't try to kill him, mind you, he knows that would upset the Dragonborn, so he'll be on his best behavior, but I can't see these two getting along.

[captainofthetidesbreath]

Thinking again about when Ludinus says Fjord has a honeyed tongue (and sees the Star Razor) and calls Jester disarmingly charming, and I always forget they're BACK TO BACK. Ludinus getting absolutely bulldozed by both Fjord and Jester within a span of like 18 seconds (link to the episode):

TRAVIS: Perhaps there is a stock set aside for the Empire's more clandestine efforts? MATT: "What are you planning to do at the negotiation?" TRAVIS: I don't know. I like options. MATT: "I'm curious. Having not known what your particular skill set is beyond apparently a honeyed tongue, you carry no weapon on you. But you do seem to carry a curious symbol of Melora on your person, I've noticed, as I'm walking." TRAVIS: I am new to Melora's light and guidance. She has served me well and I hope to return the favor. MATT: "Well, you seem to have endured and survived in a great challenge. What would you consider to be your most dangerous strength?" TRAVIS: Goodness. SAM: His heart. TRAVIS: "Well, I am good with a sword." And I'll summon the Star Razor. MATT: As it appears in his hand, he kind of takes a step back, and looks down, eyes wide and nodding with a very genuine look of being impressed and goes, "Well, based on the arms you carry, I don't see we would have anything to offer. You seem pretty well outfitted. TRAVIS: We are. Some of my friends like to shop. MATT: "Well. Perhaps then the Cryptic Collection, in Rexxentrum. Tell Keona that Ludinus sends his regards. Shall we?" SAM: Yes, let's away. MATT: He bends the same, similar, circle inscription in the air, and as it expands and pulls all of you into its center, it thrusts you through again, landing at the exterior base of his tower in the Shimmer Ward of Rexxentrum once more. TRAVIS: Very impressive. Very impressive. SAM: Are we all clapping? MATT: "You do not have to clap, it's all right. " TALIESIN: I feel it's appropriate. MATT: "Anyway." LAURA: I mean, how often do you really get to show off your power? Like most people are probably used to seeing it, so it's not as impressive anymore. But like, we've never seen anything like it, so, you know... MATT: "It's entirely off-putting how disarmingly charming you are. I genuinely do not know how to react. Take that as a compliment."

[bananathebookworm]

TLOVM S3 Eps 7-9 Ramblings

Ep. 7

Oh boy... Anna backstory... that can't mean anything important is about to happen...

Aw, poor Trinket

I love that Vex and Percy think they're successfully hiding but everyone else just wants them to stop fucking in the shared spaces of the mansion

Pike is killing me this episode. I love that they've been able to fill out more of her personality and we can see more of the goofy side. Makes me wish we'd had her/Ashley for all of campaign one.

Oh good. Trauma for everyone.

I love Orthax's design.

Always here for more Zerxus. And Luis.

Oh shit. Orthax arm.

Anna's movements are so cool.

Oh this slow-mo stand-off is so cool.

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. No.

Okay. Cool. I'm fine.

Scanlan's gone. Percy's dead. Everything is pain. Holy fuck.

I'm very looking forward to whenever the "How do you, Vox Machina, want to do this?" moment happens. I'll say right now though that it was so beautiful in it's original form because their triumph over Ripley wasn't really a triumph.

Ep. 8

Percy backstory.

Uh... are they not resurrecting him? The fuck?

Well at least Scanlan's back. Hope this doesn't lead to resentment that he was gone.

Twins backstory

I love when Grog has his random moment of intelligence

Love a good "Rallying the troops" montage.

Zahra and Kash!

Remember when this whole plan was created because Kash/Will was like "You all suck at war, this is how you're supposed to do this." and everyone was in awe?

Ep. 9

Better late than never I guess? Glad to see Zahra and Kash joining the fray.

"Ive never mad a plan before" "Neither has anyone else" D&D in a nutshell.

Um. Kash wasn't supposed to die. What the fuck.

Taking "I have passed through fire" a little too literally.

"Make the fucker bleed for it." Fuck yes.

Welp. Shit. Babies are hatching.

"Fix him." Oh my heart. Though again, the original hit a lot harder for me.

Fuck. Yes. Pike. Taking a page out of Grog's book and raging.

And this entire moment with Vax is gorgeous.

So... about Raishan... Keyleth please trust your instincts more.

General

Are resurrections still going to happen? I feel like they'll have to. Unless they're going to make a completely new, original to the story character for Taliesin for some reason. Though I do like that Percy's death is given time to settle in before he's brought back.

I am curious, since this season seems to (arguably) deviate the most from the original material... Have certain changes been made because they aren't guaranteed a season 4 and they needed to make sure if this is the last season everything has finality?

[idalynsskyrimdiaries]

Talking about Taliesin ✨️🗡

Now I haven't fully played out the new update for our favorite charming mer, I'm getting there (new PC has not arrived yet)! I just wanted to ramble a bit about him hehe

I love him! His voice is stellar, and he's very funny! Definitely enjoyed spamming clips of him to my equally as ecstatic (and thirsty) closest friend. Now, that being said...

Me and my friend are completely polarized in our approach to Taliesin. While they want to just shove a wedding ring on his finger, I just wanna fight him 😭

And then shove a wedding ring on his finger! 😃

Here are examples as to why I should have DB characters NOT based on myself:

[Keep in mind I do not have the direct quotes memorized. Bear with me 🙇‍♀️]

__________________

*First encounter near the Falkreath Talos shrine*

"Listen here, you little worm, I survived the Great War! I can survive a simple knife wound. I hope."

Me: *looking around* Oh, he's talking to you, right? *looks over at dead body* He's talking to you like that, right? Because I can't find the person who he just called a 'little worm' while he's bleeding out... Oh, he's talking to me? Really? Ah, I see. Time to finish the job. *pulls out mallet*

__________________

*After Taliesin rambles on about Haskill*

"I've said too much. I'll have to kill you now."

Me: *slowly looks over at the river nearby* The water over there looks so nice! Maybe we can take a dip for a little while! Oh, you can't swim? Ah, I see, I see. Nice to know. Nice to know...

__________________

*Made the mistake of asking him to rest in a freshly purchased Tundra Homestead*

"Is THIS where you live? When was the last time you cleaned this place?!"

Me: I LITERALLY JUST BOUGHT THIS HOUSE. WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!? We didn't even breathe in the air of this place yet, and you're saying it's dirty! If it's that bad, then be a good housewife and sweep the floor!

__________________

*Within foggy areas*

"Don't run too far ahead, I'd hate to lose you in this fog."

Me: *runs faster out of spite* I saw a bear!

__________________

*When Taliesin ran straight into my character without stopping during a crypt exploration*

"You're in MY personal space!"

Me: ... Listen here, Jaundiced Loki. What you are NOT going to do is gaslight me! You ran straight into me like a horse, and you're not small, so that H U R T! Stop shoving yourself into me! My back can take so much stress..! *realized how the last part sounded* Wait, no, not like that-

__________________

*Near the hot springs in Eastmarch*

"Can we please stop by the hot springs? My body aches from carrying your burdens."

Me: *has only given him a few potions to carry* ... You know what, yeah! You can take a nice little break, even take a nap! I'll definitely be by your side when you wake up! I am totally not going to be in Solitude drinking with cute mer who don't drive me insane!

__________________

I swear I love him, I truly do, I just want to fight him one good time to get it out of my system. I don't care if I get my ass handed to me. Just let me climb him like a tree so I can yell "TIMBER!" when he falls down

May make another post like this because there are more moments like this 🤣

[isamajor]

Whumptober 2024 : day 11 to 15

No. 11: SEEING DOUBLE (loneliness)

Nebarra staggered through the scorching sands of Hammerfell, the sun beating down on his armor he has wrapped in cloth in the hope of protecting himself from the heat. He was alone, hiding from the Thalmor’s gaze, a deserter in the desert. The air shimmered with heat.

In the distance, he saw her. Twice. There were two Camias, standing amidst the sand. Nebarra's heart leaped, but as he stumbled closer, everything vanished. Nothing but a mirage.

Nebarra’s chest tightened, his throat dry. Camia was gone. Dead. And all that remained was the ache of her absence and the heat of the desert. (105)

•

No. 12: STARVATION (underground caverns / cannibalism)

The group had ventured into deep, labyrinthine caverns, their torches casting a dim light on the endless stone. Days of wandering had depleted their food supplies. Despair and hunger set in as they eyed the glowing mushrooms on the walls, admittedly an alchemy ingredient, but dangerous in large quantities.

Auri glanced at the corpses of the Falmer they had just defeated. "Falmer are still meat, though it tastes like slimy chicken.", she suggested. Her kind had no problem with eating flesh.

But the others backed away. Cannibalism, even that of the Falmer, was too taboo for them, unlike the Bosmer. (100)

•

No. 13: TEAM AS A FAMILY (multiple whumpees)

The Dragonborn’s companions lay scattered around the ancient tomb, each nursing wounds from the battle. Lucien had a deep gash along his arm, hastily bandaged. Auri's legs were swollen and bruised. Inigo wheezed, ribs cracked evident in his labored breaths. Taliesin had his hands burned with Magicka, Gore was holding his head in pain, Kaidan’s face was bloodied from a draugr’s strike.

The Dragonborn knelt, voice heavy with guilt. "I'm sorry you’re all hurt... again. I dragged you into this."

Kaidan grunted. "Only death could part me from you. Don’t apologize. We’ll fight until the end, together." (105)

•

No. 14: LEFT FOR DEAD (blackmail)

Taliesin had run, heart pounding. It was all true in that letter : the details, the secrets... When he fled into the night, he didn’t expect to be caught. But they found him. They beat him until he could no longer fight back, leaving him bloodied and barely breathing on the moor. They stripped him, replacing his robes with a hunter’s outfit, masking the crime.

At dawn, his companions, worried about his sudden disappearance, went looking for him. They finally found it on the moor. Xelzaz knelt by his side, pressing trembling fingers to Taliesin’s neck. "He’s alive," he whispered in relief. (105)

•

No. 15: CHILDHOOD TRAUMA (painful hug / I did good, right?)

Taliesin stood trembling before his father, the man’s cold eyes filled with disappointment. “Too soft.”, his father spat. “You’ll never be a Thalmor like this.” Young Taliesin swallowed the knot in his throat, forcing his emotions down. He understood, even then, he needed to become what they expected. He has to put a mask. He stiffened his back, raised his chin, and mimicked what he’d seen in other officers.

“Did I do well, Father?” he asked once, voice hollow.

For the first time, his father smiled and pulled him into a tight embrace. Pride glinted in his eyes. But Taliesin felt only a bitter emptiness. (104)

[dent-de-leon]

When Kingsley's anxious, does he get very affectionate and cling to his loved ones for comfort like he did as Molly? Or does he self-isolate and try to hide his heart away like Lucien--

[beedreamscape]

The Brennan interview with Hank about his career path is reaching into a place in my soul that I don't show to anyone and I've been on the verge of crying MANY times throughout it.

It's like the picture-perfect representation of the gifted kid that is shoved into the cold uncaring world to soon learn you're toothless and poor and not as special as you once thought.

But beyond just that, and it's interesting to place it against the interviews CR cast did with B.F. where the main thing I took from it was that "you should say yes to things that come your way" as Taliesin verbalizes, but I see it echoing throughout the other stories, then with Brennan's story you see he was someone eager to say yes but never given the opportunities until the very end where he slowly came into the acceptance of it (insane to hear he wasn't accepted right away into CH and reminded me of Monsters University ending, once again those movies being accurate to real life 🤯).

And me currently being a university student (who once wanted to go to film school also but gave up in HS bc of fear and sometimes regrets not taking that path 💀) with very little ambition to drive me forward, seeing opportunities pass me by, and being completely terrified of life after it, I find a lot more hope that things will get better, especially if I stand up for the occasions that life might bring me, but either way I will survive it.

[admathoughts]

It baffles me when people put this all on Taliesin and are mad at him.

ALL of them are responsible for what happened (tho Tal gets more don't get me wrong) Ashley/Fearne didn't want the shard and stated it very clear; could she do a better job? Yeah, and there is the main problem.

HELLS.DO.NOT.TALK Players were weirded out/ confused at the sudden change and plead for privacy... and you are telling me that they characters wouldnt be??? Everyone at the table was 'wtf', and they didn't rp it even once. You mean to tell me that suddenly Chet and Imogen respect someone privacy just like that, without questioning? That they just walked away without even a single question asked? Also, they're starting very dangerous ritual with ancient tech and there is like no talk between the group? No ' be safe/ we're right here/are you sure?' like, THERE WAS NO TALK. Massive ritual is starting and there is no emotional/reassuring/even suspicious RP'ing? Did Ashton fucked up? yes very badly so and need to take responsibility for it. But were more people at fault? Also yes.

So If you are pissed at Tal kindly fuck off because the whole group is at fault and I hope this will help them see that Bells need to fucking communicate!

[pocketgalaxies]

Hello! I hope I’m not bothering you. I just feel confused about what I keep missing in episode 63, and I’m wondering what characterization or moments of detail I’m missing out on about Orym purposely enabling Delilah’s revival, or letting it happen? I had totally misremembered and thought that Hunger of the Shadow killed Bor’dor and so Orym nodding was a “We need to do this” that had multiple interpretations and Consequences. I had always thought it was a really ill-timed “He needs to die” that happened before Laudna used Hunger to kill Bor’dor

but after rewatching the whole fight, I realized Hunger of the Shadow only knocked Bor’Dor unconscious. The failed death saves came from Prism’s punch and Wither and Bloom. And it turned out Orym’s nodding thing came after Hunger of the Shadow and Delilah’s heart started beating again and not before like I had thought, so now idk what it is that Orym did that lead to Delilah’s return? I keep rewatching the fight trying to figure it out but I’m not seeing it 😭 Liam on 4sd and Beacon discord said that after Orym clocked that Delilah was probably back he thought that Delilah would be helpful against the Vanguard (this aged well :’D), but Orym’s suspicion that Delilah returned happened as Laudna was killing Bor’Dor and got “30% scarier,” not before Laudna decision to kill Bor’Dor or Hunger of the Shadow. I’m trying just to figure out how he could have “let” the revival happen before the fact? Because it’s a common topic of discussion among critters but now idk what it’s referencing?

I guess an argument could be made that nobody stopped Laudna before she did hunger of the shadow, but again I don’t think anybody was thinking of Delilah? My personal interpretation was that on Laudna’s turn in initiative, the party simply saw Laudna attacking Bor’dor and didn’t discourage it because guy had just betrayed them and dealt 10d4 acid damage to everyone— and not because they saw any strategic benefit in Laudna attacking. When the purple eyes in the Form of Dread appeared, I had just thought that was a manifestation of Laudna’s hurt at being betrayed again and tying it to Delilah (but that’s just my interpretation). Taliesin definitely clocked that eye color, look at his face 😂 But I can’t see how the characters knew beforehand that Laudna was specifically intending to make a move that would revive Delilah? And that this was a move that was strategic to enable? And Orym didn’t even suspect Delilah until Bor’Dor’s death with wither and bloom.

Are the purple eyes why critters keep bringing up Orym? But then that has nothing to do with the Nod that is moreso getting brought up. And wouldn’t Ashton get equal mention before Ep95 aired because they both didn’t stop Laudna on her turn?

The timeline beats I’m getting are that it’s Laudna’s turn in initiative after she counterspells Bor’dor’s attempted polymorph. On her turn, she does Form of Dread wit the purple eyes then casts Hunger of the Shadow, dealing damage and knocking Bor’Dor unconscious. Then she feels Delilah reawaken within her through the heart beat.

It’s now Prism’s turn and she punches Bor’Dor, autocritting and taking off 2 death saves.

Laudna’s form has been darkening and at this point, the mourning veil appears over Laudna. Liam notes that Orym has been watching, silent. Ashton also sees all of this and drops their rage. When it’s Laudna’s choice whether to end Bor’dor, Orym nods. Laudna is barely present and is cycling through her own trauma and memories at the moment, then she makes her decision and uses Wither and Bloom to kill Bor’Dor. Familiar purple flame and green light that Ashton and Orym recognize manifests as flowers bloom and Bor’Dor form cracks and withers.

So Delilah had already been revived before Prism punched Bor’dor and Laudna dealt the last death save, so I guess I just feel confused about what is Orym’s connection to Laudna bringing back Delilah?

The nod was endorsement to kill Bor’Dor. At that point that’s what the conversation was about, whether or not Laudna was gonna kill him. Delilah had already been revived

Like yeah Orym saw some potential advantage with Delilah once he realized what had happened, but he didn’t seem to cause any of it? But it’s a point constantly brought up, so I’m feeling confused about how it happened.

Sorry this got long. I tend to ramble

hi anon, thank you for being respectful and curious in this message, instead of coming at my throat. i appreciate it more than you know! i will do my best to explain this perspective

in the time between laudna's resurrection and bor'dor's death, the presence of delilah was questionable at best. they had "sundered" her in laudna's mind palace whitestone, pike seemed to think delilah was no longer present, and delilah was completely quiet for that stretch of time. i think a lot of people were waiting for the other shoe to drop, but there was also the idea that maybe she really was gone, or at least significantly weakened.

chronologically, here's what happened during that fight. bor'dor reveals his true alliances and turns on the party. per liam's statements in 4SDx14, orym decides that bor'dor cannot be allowed to live, because of the danger that any ruby vanguard member poses to the general public and other innocent lives. laudna says this:

she casts hunger of the shadow. prism does a bit more damage. then, as bor'dor falls:

the "faint shimmer of a mourning veil" explicitly mirrors the pre-resurrection form of dread and definitively reflects delilah, suggesting that delilah's influence is visibly returning. then, liam says this:

("you just see this" is where he nods.) per liam's statements in 4SDx14, orym realizes that laudna has opened the door again for delilah to reemerge, but he also thinks, "yeah, we're gonna need that." (liam's words, not mine.)

laudna casts wither and bloom for the hdywtdt, with the following description:

please draw your attention to the statement that the world has broken her and that she was trying to keep this dormant until she couldn't anymore. she is barely there, she has lost herself. more on this later.

with this information, it's inaccurate to say that orym caused delilah to come back. she already came back, as we can see with the chronology above. i will admit that i didn't realize the nod came after the veil, and i think that's an important thing to clarify. i will also say that most of us never fucking said that he caused delilah to come back in the first place, but i digress

this is a total sidebar but i think there's also an important distinction to make between orym deciding bor'dor needs to die because he poses a danger to the civilians around him (again, per liam's statements in 4SDx14), vs. laudna deciding bor'dor needs to die because he betrayed her. one is calculated and intentional with an understanding of the big picture and its consequences. the other is deeply personal and impulsive and blind to the consequences. this could be a separate post but suffice to say i think that when you're approving of your friend killing someone, it matters why they are killing them, and it matters if their "why" is different from your "why" because it will affect them differently than it would've affected you after committing the act. because of this, it could be argued that letting laudna kill bor'dor negatively affected her psyche more than if the roles were switched and laudna let orym do it, because orym could see the bigger picture and laudna was simply coming from a place of pain. it was a huge character moment from orym, i think it's fascinating, and i don't think it was wrong from a storytelling perspective even if it could be argued either way from a morality perspective. so i'll just leave that there.

anyway, the reason this is all relevant, is because it is a reflection of what orym says in ep 95, which is "you're right. why do i need the help of some dark force?" intended to suggest that she shouldn't cast judgment upon him for using a dark weapon when she uses the dark magic given to her by delilah.

what many people have tried to bring up about this statement is the issue of choice and agency. orym picked up otohan's blade and decided it would be meaningful to him, and also empowering from a mechanical standpoint, to wield it. which is fine, for his character story! laudna might not like it, and fearne might not like it, but it's something he did, and it's interesting! but the sticking point is that such a level of intention and purpose is simply not present in laudna's story. it could be argued endlessly how much of every laudna decision is actually laudna vs. how much of it is delilah, but regardless of what you think, it is plainly true that, in the high stakes and game-changing choices, at least some part of it is always delilah.

and per marisha's description above, laudna was trying to keep that dormant within her for a long time. it wasn't until bor'dor that it was unleashed in full. and in that moment, delilah's process of overtaking laudna completely was kickstarted. that isn't to say that delilah would've never come back if bor'dor didn't die the way he did, but it is to say that it happened earlier than it otherwise would have, and it's been a slippery slope of dwindling agency and psychological power-hungry manipulation ever since then.

the point of the argument is that it doesn't feel fair when laudna says "how dare you use that dark blade," for orym to throw it back at her and say "the same way you dare to use delilah." because orym wanted to use the blade for its power no matter the cost, and orym thinks delilah is useful for those same reasons, so for him perhaps they can be equated. but when delilah came back in ep 63, laudna didn't want her to. it broke her and it happened in a moment of terrible pain and anguish after weeks of trying to keep her at bay, and she hasn't been able to stop it ever since. and she's been getting mixed messages from orym and everyone else the entire time about whether she would be more useful if she just gave in entirely. but nobody seems to like what she turns into when she gives in even a little bit. nobody seems to understand that they are gravely underestimating how corrupt and dangerous laudna will get if they let this go unchecked for the sake of gathering more power to take down ludinus.

at the end of the day we're just people who think laudna is an interesting character with a vastly complicated psyche that dictates why she made a choice like this, and we were pointing out something that orym said that felt unfair to those nuances. in response, people have been painting us out to be demonic and illiterate misogynists who are stealing away laudna's agency and blaming her entire warlock pact on orym who's just doing what's right. forget being unfair to laudna, that's unfair to the equally interesting arc that liam is creating with orym, of an ambiguously levelheaded, hypervigilant, war- and grief-driven soldier. we should all know by now that liam is not interested in making infallible characters, but you wouldn't know it based on the amount of backlash being thrown at us for pointing out that hey, maybe that one thing orym said was flawed.

anon, if you've made it this far, please continue to be kind and ask questions of others to understand their perspectives. i appreciate you.

[utilitycaster]

Hope I can phrase this in a way that makes sense but—

What well-known actual-play cast member is your favorite for each of the core D&D class? Not necessarily a specific characters, but I’m interested in which players you think brings the most to each class.

This is a very interesting question! It's a hard one to answer for some classes and very easy for others so bear with me; also there are a couple where I could not pick just one.

I'm sticking to the PHB 12 for, as you said, core classes:

Barbarian: While Travis did give us "I would like to rage," I think Ashley and Taliesin get to share this one for me. I think they both really explore what rage means to someone and while I love a good "I'm a tank because I can take the hits and that's what I do and what I'm good at" story, I also think Yasha's messy relationship with her feelings of guilt and grief, and Ashton's chronic pain, are both incredible ways to play with the barbarian archetype.

Bard: much easier. Sam Riegel and Krystina Arielle. I'm a sucker for someone who actually sings even as I don't think you have to (and have played bard without doing so). It's both clearly a class they each love dearly and it shows, and they're incredibly musically talented performers to boot.

Cleric: Lou Wilson. Especially since I didn't like Fantasy High season 1 Fabian until the end of the season Kingston blew me away. I would love to see him explore cleric again, though it's exciting to see him as a paladin on WBN.

Druid: Emily Axford as Moonshine. Emily as a rule understands D&D classes very well anyway, but I think the culture of the crick and the ways that Moonshine must grow as a character while being a druid take it to the next level. (Also I prefer a caster-heavy druid to a shapechanger-heavy one; that's just me).

Fighter: Back to NADDPod because literally who could I say other than Jake Hurwitz, the man who only plays fighters. People who are new to D&D when they start actual play can be hit or miss imo; some pick it up and some lean harder on being showy to make up for it and it doesn't play well for me personally, but Jake is the greatest hit.

Monk: Marisha Ray; Beau is just generally a great character, and I think Marisha's own experience with martial arts informs the way she plays her; monks can be kind of repetitive in combat even with strong players and she manages to avoid this through her description.

Paladin: This is actually super hard because people don't play straight paladin a lot. This is incorrect of them, but it is an intense class. I think Luis Carazo and Zac Oyama are like...the duality of paladin (and indeed, redemption paladin). The tragedy and the comedy.

Ranger: Laura Bailey, natch; it's funny because Vex is in many ways not the archetypal ranger due to having high charisma, but she is simply my favorite and that's that on that. Sorry the mechanics were so bad; I would love to see more rangers in D&D even though Vex will be hard to dethrone. I promise Tasha's fixed them!

Rogue: I think I'm actually going Murph on this one. I like when rogues are more of the detective/spy type than the assassin/criminal type [obligatory "of course that's what you'd say you stupid paladin stan"] and inquisitive and arcane trickster are probably my two top rogue classes so Riz it is.

Sorcerer: I do consider PF1e cheating here because it's technically a different system that also imo addresses a lot of the weaknesses of sorcerer/makes it way better, but Bryn Monroe of RQG did play a great sorcerer. In D&D? Giving Emily Axford a second spot here for Saccharina. I'm going to talk about this for warlock, but I think sorcerer is a class you don't have to justify but if you don't it's a little unsatisfying. Sorcerer really shines in the Crown of Candy setting, and metamagic often doesn't live up to its reputation but Emily makes it work for her.

Warlock: Travis Willingham. I think there are classes that are kind of self-explanatory, for lack of a better term; you can play a fighter or rogue or even a bard or druid without going super deep into why the character is this class and still be an incredible character (though a good backstory never hurts). But there are others where you really need to be engaging with the class at all times to make it work, and warlock is one of them, and Fjord explores the warlock pact and what it means like few others.

Wizard: Aabria Iyengar. NO ONE gets wizard hubris as a player like Aabria. Knowledge is power and boy do wizards love knowledge. I especially like that most people in 5e play wizards as genuine adventurers because it feels very easy to play them as old guy in robes swept up in events beyond them; Aabria plays wizards who are combat ready with the humanity and backstory to make the difficult decisions sympathetic and meaningful, and I think that's how you have to play it.

Note: I want to specifically call out Liam O'Brien and Siobhan Thompson as "people I trust in basically any class or system and just didn't happen to hit a favorite here due to sky-high competition/personal preferences". They are both very close seconds for wizard.