#campaign plot

[utilitycaster]

If I may, as we go into what appears to be the clear endgame for C3, I think the lessons to take from the ending of C2 within the fandom are:

Do not freak out about the possibility of the campaign ending sooner than you expected nor you personally wanted

Last minute twists are not impossible, but if your enjoyment rests on a sudden reversal in the final hour you are likely to be disappointed

Just because it happened in prior campaigns doesn't mean it will happen in this one

Don't count your chickens before they fail to hatch

There will probably be one shots if it's a serious enough plot hook that we can't get to

Disappointment and anger are fine but eventually you do need to get over it

For the record, I think the particularly unpleasant responses to the ending of Campaign 2 boil down to the fact that it wasn't nearly as clearly signaled (the formal announcement was like two weeks in advance and while in retrospect it makes sense, at the time it felt very abrupt); that despite two relationships being established and a third clearly on the way people had convinced themselves that there would be some kind of last minute twist and their anger is entirely because that didn't happen even though there was literally zero sign it would; the fact that Molly didn't come back; and the general atmosphere of the world in June 2021 - I watched the finale while on my first trip to see my family in over a year and a half. I also think the ship wars for C2 were as bitter as they were because of both the strength of the party's bonds; but also the echo chambers that developed during a lengthy hiatus; and Campaign 3 does not and never has had anywhere near that level of serious ship warring.

The structure of Campaign 3 has been different in many ways from that of Campaign 2, which was different from Campaign 1 - that's not to say you can't make comparisons across campaigns, but I would not make assumptions based on the length of prior campaigns (plus, we're already in the same ballpark of number of episodes as C1, and the same level going into the BBEG combat as C2).

If your happiness rests on any of the now three current couples in Bells Hells breaking up, you are a weirdly bitter person, and you are likely to be disappointed. On the other hand, if you're already annoyed that a plot thread will be dropped, while there's like...maybe three plot hooks I can think of and every single one is related to Chetney, who I think will only survive the finale if Travis is unable to find a satisfying way to kill him off, we've had some excellent one shots post-campaign for both Vox Machina and the Mighty Nein and I don't see why this would be any different.

And as always I will never tell you that you can't dislike something, though there are things that, if you dislike them, I will think less of your judgment. But stick to expressing disappointment and anger; if you find yourself wanting to write out violent threats on the internet, you need to back away for a good long while. But certainly wait to be disappointed by a campaign that's already ended, and not pre-mad at things that haven't happened (or failed to happen) yet.

[abitcaughtinthemiddle]

Listen- do these BH/M9/VM mission preparing episodes feel like fan service? Yes, yes absolutely.

But I am a fan and I am being serviced

[stardustedknuckles]

It's looking like there's a growing divide between Campaign watchers and Tlovm watchers in terms of like. We're here for the characters. 12-episode seasons aren't. They can't be. I'm already making peace with everything we'll lose in the Mighty Nein show, and I know I will enjoy it for what it is but I also know that almost nothing that made the story so special will translate to the screen, because turning it into a show automatically means (in this day and age) that plot must be the number one priority. They've already come out and told us it's going to be different, the characters we know and love but new stories.

Because that's how this has to work. And I feel bad for campaign one lovers, because while it is certainly the easier of the two to translate to a big, overarching story, even though it's a more "traditional" high fantasy story with easier archetypal characters, the archetypes and the plot aren't what cemented most people's love for the campaign. So much of the love for critical role is stored in the interpersonal dynamics and the payoff that comes from hundreds of hours of tiny interactions that one day become cornerstones of development and even affect or dictate the plot.

There's no room for that. There's no room for Bard's Lament in a story that cannot afford to remove and replace a main character. A lot of tlovm is for people who have been here for all of campaign one. Most of it, however, isn't. It's for a new crowd. While CR may have creative control, you can bet your ass that there were months and years devoted to figuring out how to map a character-focused love of the show into a plot that hits the right beats to be viable in the show market.

And it worked. Tlovm has consistently high viewing numbers, and its popularity has brought and will continue to bring new people into the universe who have never interacted with CR previously. That's not a bad thing - imagine finishing your favorite show and discovering it has another FIVE HUNDRED HOURS of the equivalent of behind the scenes content. That's incredible for these newcomers. But man, it is in many ways a loss for us.

[12pt-times-new-roman]

I am chewing on the description of the Matron of Ravens being "panicked... and maybe a touch cowardly." hell yeah, give me tender, bleeding flesh on the god that used to be human. give me humanity underlying the monstrosity of the divine. for the god whose whole deal is hiding her face and name behind her mask, let that facade slip in the way she's so afraid of because now, something else scares her more.

[smallidarityfan]

smallidarity highschool au

came up with this au like actually 2 years ago where it's mainly empires 2 smallidarity centric, with Jimmy as a student council member and Joel as an honours student who doesn't like the way Jimmy runs things around the school.

As payback for the regulations Jimmy put up that Joel thought was stupid, Joel does these elaborate 'The Office' style pranks on Jimmy (specifically) while Jimmy retaliates by trying his best to dig up dirt on Joel. This banter goes on for a while— however Joel ends up doing the pranks less as a statement, and instead more just to see how Jimmy would react... with his comical, cartoony villain yells, and... weirdly cute face....? (YAOI YAOI YAOI YAOI)

very very old au drawings below:

from July 2023

😭😭 joel does NOT look like a highschooler here 😭😭😭😭 (i also wanted to draw angst in the first two ig idk a year later it's pretty cringe [i am still cringe]) (also partially inspired by when I read "Go for it, Nakamura!" and the mc reminded me of joel for no actual reason. or maybe i was just thinking about that manga while drawing smallidarity. idk)

from November 2022:

I think these doodles were genuinely the first instance of me converting from being against mcyt shipping to for shipping LMAOO

[stargazing-sapphire2]

Ghosts 2 where Hesh constantly tries to emulate Elias, down to every little action and gesture

Ghosts 2 where Hesh rationalizes ever decision he makes with "I have to do this because it's what Dad would do" "I need to do this because it's what Dad would have wanted" "What would Dad do if he was here?"

Ghosts 2 where Hesh feels "I have to save Logan because it's what Dad would have wanted" and not because Logan is the last living member of his family and he doesn't want to lose his little brother

Ghosts 2 where Hesh struggles with self-doubt and feelings of worthlessness because he feels he's unable to live up to the standards Elias had expected of him; feeling like he failed him because he was unable to protect Logan

Ghosts 2 where Hesh realizes he is more than what his family molded him into, that the only way for him to become a better version of himself and move on is to remove the shackles of the past; that he realizes he cannot hold himself to the same standard as those who came before him

Ghosts 2 where Hesh becomes his own person, and his actions are his own.

[screechingfromthevoid]

"No time." "No time."

The acknowledgement of the fact that they might not have time. This is all just for a night because tomorrow may come but the next day may not.

Dorian's regrets at thinking about all the different choices and paths they could have taken. Him falling asleep to the idea of bargaining for more time. How this all could have been different.

Orym getting a vision from the wildmother, Will, getting that permission to live came so late. As Orym and Dorian are going off to do something impossible and deadly. That acknowledgement that there really is no time but that night.

If the world ends tomorrow, if they end tomorrow... It would be too soon. It wouldn't be fair. But none of this is fair, is it?

[harboretum]

Good morning 🍊

[marius-lepual]

If Essek is working with the Cobalt Soul now, that means Beau had to either

A. Lie, either fully or partially, to the Cobalt Soul higher ups about the fact that "Seth" is actually a Kryn noble who betrayed the Dynasty to help the Assembly, which the Cobalt Soul is meant to be a watchdog over

B. Tell them the full truth, which would require explaining that the beacon exchange was under false pretenses

I really want to know how that all went down. I imagine they told the truth and it took Beau a long time to find the best way to go about it

But Essek and Beau are also not exactly the type of people who would be above thinking they could get away with a lie on that scale, and I think it would be very funny for them to try

[dailybehbeh]

Behbeh

[m0bloo]

being a jrwi fan and also a college student is the worst fate in the world i think. i have two midterms tomorrow and i'm crying over a battle between edward from twilight and a kid named after a drink.

[utilitycaster]

I understand not being a big fan of the appearance of past PCs, and I shared that earlier on, and even shared the argument that I wanted Bells Hells' story to be about them...but I feel like the time for that argument has passed. As we've gone on, that is in fact the story - that they're a bunch of level 8 adventurers who have fallen into an endgame scenario because of little peripheral threads and because of who one of their companions is. The story is, on some level, about not being about them. They've had so little time to drive their own destiny; it's been fetch quests and pursuit from the start, with little in the way of the odd jobs and proper stumblings one would usually expect.

And I hope that after the solstice they'll get to do that! But I think having Keyleth and the Ashari, Beau, and Caleb there hammer the above home: this is so much bigger than Bells Hells is prepared for, and they're here because a few weird things that happened in Jrusar (which is all that Eshteross ever wanted to look into, and all Treshi ever wanted to do) were unbeknownst to them part of a plot Ludinus Da'leth has likely been working on for several centuries; and because Imogen and Fearne are involved through accidents of birth. In many ways, it echoes Laudna's entire story. It's just people who were minding their own business in a town, and someone powerful and ruthless did things beneath it that affected the population at large because of a plan with cosmic ramifications, and they became involved out of an accident of location.

I'll admit - I do prefer a story where people are actively seeking something, or running from something, rather than caught up in bigger and bigger webs of conspiracy, but that's not the one being told right now, and the version in which far more powerful allies don't appear is a tragic and cynical one, whereas one with Keyleth, Beau, and Caleb says "yeah, this is fucked up, and it's not fair that you're here on your own to deal with this rip current of an event."

[curse-of-dming-strahd]

hey, guys? why is no one talking about the part where Rahadin swallows an entire toad

[kottkrig]

She got zapped by light magic and it made her face crispy 😔

[cellgatinbo]

the qsmp is such an interesting project, like just listening to everyone in a call all theorizing about everything going on as well as we all are. you can see how invested everyone is in it and it's <3

[theworldbrewery]

an adventure set in an industrialized city--

the air is thick with factory smoke, and the traditional craftspeople are being overwhelmed by big business. inchoate guilds and unions are beginning to form, but every day is a struggle for workers' rights.

it's become necessary, in a city where the sky is clogged with smog, for professional wizards to construct towers and spires from which they can track the heavens and maintain a link to the stars. but only the large, monopolistic wizard companies -- and the rare independently wealthy wizard -- have the means to build such a tower.

our heroes have a simple job: help a nascent working-class wizards' union scope out a site for their own tower, raise funds to pay for its construction, and ensure that construction goes smoothly.

why would you need a crew of adventurers to work a job like this? surely the wizardry magnates don't mind a little competition? surely the unionized wizards don't pose a serious threat to the companies' continued exploitation of the working class business model? surely the evocation barons wouldn't arrange a few assassinations or deadly explosion to sabotage this tower and the union, would they?