#WHAT THE FUCK SPENSER

[colorfulandblack]

Q: If you could give a one-word hint regarding Candela’s third and final episode, what would it be?

A: The single-word hint that I would give for the final episode is: sacrifice.

Here's the link to the full interview:

https://href.li/?https://www.themarysue.com/interview-candela-obscura-gm-game-designer-spenser-starke-on-bringing-the-circle-of-needle-and-thread-to-life/

[dotted-clouds]

I played Pokemon Ranger again today so have 2am doodles :3c

[raguonmynieceandnephew]

HOLY FUCKING SHIT ASS FUCK

WHAT THE FUCK

WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK

SPENSER STARKE YOU BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL MAN, THE STORYTELLER THAT YOU ARE

WHAT THE FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK

[essektheylyss]

I got my dinner down just in the nick of time for the flesh-rending, thank god.

[hauntedfalcon]

Brennan came to the table with everything about Sean’s brothers and the whole table knew it before the Scene. like are you shitting me buddy

[everlastingcastiel]

Clay Spenser deserved better oh my god

[chaoticstabby]

Nathaniel's father????

[troglobite]

cool so after watching the character creation session zero they posted today, brennan's choices re: sean's revenge are like. DEEPLY fucking symbolic. (hi @fluidstatick lol time to post abt it)

spenser talking about the death rituals in newfaire, how they keep the mouth closed and covered (often w gold) and place the hands over the mouth to prevent the soul from wandering

and how there'll be like pins and metaphorical stitching around the graveyards to corral the spirits of soldiers and unidentified dead, since it was impossible for their loved ones to perform the ritual of keeping the mouth closed to keep their soul inside

so. brennan chooses. a baseball. that has stitching on it, of course, and the stitches create an endless loop like a mobius strip.

and when he goes to kill the five men that the creature brings to him

he shoots a couple of them in the face. blasting their mouths wide open. damning their souls to an eternity of wandering.

and another, he shoves the baseball into his mouth--forcing it open and closed at the same. he can't speak or fight back, and his mouth is held open as sean beats him to death. mouth open, soul doomed to wander for eternity.

and with their hands tied behind their backs.

and the baseball already represented tony and jimmy, and specifically called forth that it was for THEM that sean sought revenge.

and

the stitching and symbolism of the baseball

it is meant to representationally carry and contain the spirits of tony and jimmy

they did not, could not receive the same death rites

who knows if tony ever made it back to a newfaire graveyard

who knows what they do with the body of a "traitor"

but this baseball. it has stitching in that loops forever, on and on. it keeps them inside and safe. sean literally tosses the ball around and traces the stitching like a rosary (bc spenser literally said, fantasy catholicisim).

and he tells his ma to not wash the ball, to keep it intact.

hey brennan, i just wanna fucking talk

about how you took everything spenser said and made some fucking incredible detail choices which are EVEN MORE DEVASTATING now that we have the same contextual world knowledge that you were given

FUCK

[shorthaltsjester]

god i cannot express how impressed in general i am with the storytelling that cr is doing with candela obscura but what really strikes me is how evident it is that the storytelling they do is defined by the hearts of those who are putting it together rather than adhering to a specific idea or image of a given story that they want to uphold. there is such a stark difference between the tones of chapter one and chapter two (to the fault of neither, i’ve enjoyed them both immensely because they both happen to hit parts of the supernatural-horror genre that I am so deeply fond of and so happy to see in a real play medium).

there’s the obvious difference in gming styles, matt has fantasy running through his veins and that’s evident in the way that chapter one ends up having a tone akin to something like the scarier episodes of buffy the vampire slayer. spenser outright references mike flanagan in his pre-interview thing and good grief is that so so evident in his narration and the way he emphasizes the themes emerging in the story in the environment of the world they journey through and choices like the letter from sean’s mother that subvert the audiences ability to rely on a character’s perception.

but the energy the groups of players bring to the storytelling is obviously also so important, too. like, even just looking at the groups prior to watching each I probably could’ve guessed which might’ve had a more lighthearted tone. the combination of ashley, anjali, and robbie already would be one i’d guess a more warm/goofy vibe for (not to say they can’t be serious and dramatic, but the tone of the seriousness is still warm and the world that prompts them towards drama likewise feels warm) and laura, despite her propensity for goofs, does tend to be a chameleon with group make ups. likewise i think we all had a certain (affectionate) fear™ when it was revealed that marisha, brennan, luis, and travis would be reuniting in another short form story and that has certainly held up and been incredibly bolstered by zehra’s absolute commitment and immersion into the story (constantly fucking blown away that this is her first real play she’s incredible).

this is all just to say as someone deeply interested in digital storytelling, i am so so enamoured by cr’s commitment to following their own desires as humans telling stories to one another while adhering to the requirements they have as a company. and also if you haven’t you should watch candela obscura, especially now that spooky season is here.

[dent-de-leon]

Plot structure advice on Candela:

Matt: "I built my first three episodes to be equal parts a horror story, but also an introduction to the setting, and the mood. I was kinda trying to establish it as...monster of the week is a thread, but there's another threat above them all. I wanted a lot of it to end in--the Red Hand, and their involvement. [Unleashing] horrors of the past that they don't understand...

A lot of information that the player needs to uncover this mystery can be acquired at various points in the story...[in case] players go in a completely different direction..."

Liam: "I have to make a confession about my chapter now...I made a bottleneck for myself, with no other option. They had to go through this one path, and I was terrified of it every moment.

In my last game they end up in Oldfaire, and they find what I loosely think of as a vault of old artifacts, where another Circle lay dead. But it wasn't a room, it was a platform to go down--even further than Oldfaire....But I didn't have any backup passageways or anything else, it's a little box trap.

I went in this room, and--I'm not sure who it was, cause i was deissociating, but...i think it was Alex, maybe said--'We gotta get the fuck out of there.' And I think I just [did something] for another 15 seconds to distract them, to trigger them going down. So, don't do that--" [The other DMs disagree and tell him to go for it-]

Aabria: "If you're doing your job right, your player is scared...and there's a moment to advocate for player grace here--you're probably not picking up on all the clues I'm putting down, cause of the 21 spiders--"

Matt: [If players fail all their rolls for information] "Let them rest a bit, take a break. And think of where else they can acquire their knowledge."

Aabria: "In a game with a mystery, everyone's an investigator. There's not one guy with a high Investigation that wants to investigate every room they go in...Since everyone's investigating together, listen to how your players ask about the information there--and you can feed clues based on what they ask for...You tell me how to give you clues if you tell me how you look for something. (Someone who likes art paying close attention to artwork, someone whose very personable wanting to talk to people to find out more information, etc.)

Spenser: "If you're drawing a blank, [ask the players what they're afraid of]. They will give you something that's worse than what you'll ever do to them..."

[thisisnotthenerd]

the circle of needle and thread is coming for my throat with this episode, goddamn.

when they said PTSD, post-war, found family, by god they meant it.

the things that stuck out to me this time:

marion and jean this episode. luis and zehra at the top of their game. we found love in a hopeless place. not while i'm on watch. knowing she was there as her father worked really gives insight into the fact that she's much closer to marion than sean even though the boys ostensibly grew up together.

marisha's really out here saying someone needs to be the traumatized therapist here and it might as well be bea. the intro with peggy, the talk with sean, the connection with marion, apologizing to nathaniel, holding jean together, and putting the final blow on kingsley. she said i'm out to keep us together.

speaking of which: i knew it was going to be terrifying to have a creature that takes the form of the people it kills. but the fucking spine grab?? spenser starke has me in a chokehold. cauterizing wiht the flame hand??

special shoutout to weakest at the elbow or the shoulder

brennan said my little guy is going to be fucked up in ways you don't even know how to comprehend. what the fuck. istg he was trying to put up death flags for the entire episode, and when he wasn't going down said my baseball-playing soldier boy is out to break your heart.

the character sheet switch from travis. my god. he's just been sitting on that. lieutenant mode engaged. and then sweeping the house? goddamn.

i do feel like this circle has been facing deadlier challenges than the vassal and the veil. really digging into the eldritch horror, the fact that there is no one there to understand, no one there to help, you have seen the face of death and yet continue to fight with every waking breath, victims who would rather die in the face of bleed and yet prolonging their suffering to get just a little more about fighting back the oncoming storm.

[lesbianamalvada]

I'm sorry girlies but I just DO NOT get Darlington's appeal. He's a fine character, maybe it's just the lesbian in me, but him and Alex seem SO FORCED. Plus it's a "slow burn" but we know what the fuck you're gonna do Bardugo!! Idk it's just so forced, ntm they've barely spent anytime together because Dumbass Darlington walked into monster month (and his last thoughts were blaming Alex for it, lmfaoo). And the interaction they do have together is dull, sorry! Alex is such a cool character and she has more chemistry with literally EVERYONE ELSE in the cast.

I mean just look at the descent in Hell Bent where we get a backstory of all the characters. Pamela Dawes isn't loud and out-of-this-world like most Bardugo characters. She feels so realistic, but is still so interesting. We see how she has crippling anxiety from developing too fast, how she hides behind her academia, how she's torn up about killing Blake. She's so understated but so real and relatable for it.

We see how Turner struggles with being a cop and trying to be a bastard, how he literally killed his mentee for what he believes in, how he tries to be a fighter for good and his people in a world that rewards him for doing the opposite. Even his spirituality is handled respectfully and he's just a really well done character.

Then we have Tripp, we've all met a Tripp, all the privilege in the world but you can't even hate him for it cause he's been too sheltered to ever develop a mean bone in his body. Except we see how he dealt with abuse from his cousin all his life. We see how Spenser just gets away with it, and I empathized with Tripp when he let Spenser die. (Which btw he's not technically a murderer for that but WHATEVER LEIGH) After the descent I did a full 180 on his character!

And Mercy is so fun. She's not familiar with the world of magic and looks at it with hopeful-Harry-Potter-fan eyes, she's like a conduit for the reader in a way the jaded Alex can't be. But also if you think about her backstory is VERY dark. She was violated in the most horrible way by this magic before she even knew it existed. And now she wants to harness that same magic so she's never put in that position again. She kills a man because Alex tells her to, because she thinks this is some sort of Hogwarts adventure. And then at the end of the book you see grasp what Lethe is, and her tension with Alex is *chef's kiss* so good!

Ughh and thenn we have Darlington...what's Darlington's big murderer moment? The thing that made him eligible for a scholarship at Demon University? He *checks notes* pulled the life support on his dying geriatric grandpa at the man's own request....okayy. Surely there's something else? Well you see Darlington's always wanted to believe in magic! Just like all of us! It's like he's trying to hard to represent us fantasy readers, but by the second book Mercy already accomplishes this and does it better. And I guess you can say he had neglectful parents but it's just handled so unrealistically I couldn't believe it. 1. Once the grandpa was dead and Darlington was a minor his parents could have easily torn down that shitty house. 2. Darlington would legally belong to them, they wouldn't have to turn off the electricity to freeze him out of the house, they could call CPS who would bust down the doors and give him to his parents. 3. His whole backstory relies on a crusty house?? Really?? 4. I'm tired of the poor little rich boy trope. I'd rather have characters like Tripp, yes they've had their own struggles but wealth has shielded them, instead of unrealistic characters like Darlington. It's even worse because Leigh tries to frame Alex's and Darlington's childhood as "two sides of the same coin' when it's not that at all!

And you'd think Demon Danny would have a little spice but, no? I guess he enjoyed punishing people and making them suffer (told, not show) and he has urges to do it again? But more importantly we need to know that he REALLY REALLY wants to fuck Alex. Also he will serve Alex TiL tHe EnD oF dAyS! He's also her personal slave now and she can make him do whatever. Demon Danny is starting to feel like a fetish, okay? IT'S. SO. FORCED. They barely had any chemistry before the dumbass walked straight into Hell, but I see why Alex's destructive nature would put her on a suicide mission for his rescue. But now he's dreaming about her in his perfect future? They're cosmically connected to each other? It's so funny because they are both way closer to Pamela Dawes but just fuck her I guess.

Anyway I think Darlington lacks substance and he's not good enough for Alex BUT i'm hoping I'll like him more in book 3. Can any Darlington fans give me your interpretation of the character and why you like him? I really don't like feeling this way since he's such a big part of the story and sometimes a different analysis is all you need. As of right now he's the embodiment "Go girl! Give us nothing!" for me.

[utilitycaster]

"she feels real" that's WAY more fucked up than anything else going on what the shit Spenser

[clocks-divorcing-ticks]

Well. I had so many theories about what the pre-intermission scene was going to be.

None of them came close to that.

Holy fuck Brennan.

What the fuck Spenser.

[hazelcephalopod]

Props to Brennen who just made a character set up with such desperate tragedy that saving him was nigh impossible from the beginning. Sean Finnerty went in with a death wish and already lost, primed for the darkness to consume. He played the part of being ok well enough everyone almost believed it. He just wanted out of the pain.

Once again props to Spenser for saying “of course Sean would die for all those people, of course he just wants out. But what about that one person still left from before? Would he stay a little bit longer and betray everyone else? Would he unleash horrors upon the world?” And Brennen counters “Why would Sean not? The world already made him feel like a monster. Already destroyed almost everyone he cares about. Fuck the world.”

And also, when Sean came back in an excellent mood and good spirits? Made complete sense in retrospect. Not just because he got his mom out. Because, that read to me like a suicidal person who finally had made an actionable plan to end things. Sean knew he was not coming out whatever happened. He probably knew the circle had a good chance of putting him out before that thing could get out. Not to say he would not get input, he was in a completely destructive suicidal state by then but I do think he knew they might stop it and accepted that too. The way he talked to everyone like it was their last conversation but also careful not to give what he was planning away? The lightness and laughter? That was very accurate to me. Chillingly so, that was when the concern should have started because when someone like that gets in really good spirits it’s when you should start to worry.

[collectionofsinglefathers]

It is amazing to just watch two performers being so so so good at what they do. I’ve been trying to be spoiler free with my posts so I won’t be specific but god, that scene between Marion and Jean at the end of the second episode was on another level. I’ve documented my love for Luis on here before, you don’t have to scroll too far to find the clip I posted from LA By Night that made me fall in love with him in the first place. But this is the first thing I’ve ever seen Zehra Fazal in anything and she has quickly joined the list of amazing performers that I adore. I’ve been going feral for Sean Finnerty, but Zehra’s performance as Jean has been absolutely phenomenal and I’m gonna have to look for other things she’s done cuz I’m gonna need more after this.

And just, coming out of that scene and both Brennan and Marisha being like “oh fuck, wait what, shit we rolled oh god I don’t know what I was doing before, I forgot we were still playing” because of how enrapturing that scene between Luis and Zehra was? That’s so real cuz I felt it too, like I legit forgot about everything else going on, and Spenser speaking up again was truly like the breaking of a spell bringing me back to the rest of the show.