#can you tell that I'm excited for the mighty nein animated?

[deprecious]

I am not prepared for how fucking cool Yasha will be animated

[utilitycaster]

As a Mighty Nein lover, is there anything you want out of the animated series in particular that perhaps wasn't seen or was unemphasized in the improv of the game when obviously no one was aware what paths we'd go down/what would become important later? Any moments you wonder how they'll portray *without* the framework of the dnd game?

I also generally wonder if m9 shipass discourse/whatever weird entitlement ppl had to the official character designs not fitting their headcanons will end up reviving, but largely i feel like the ppl who were stupid about that kind of thing hated the backhalf of c2 so soundly that it would take a deep delusion that "no for sure they'll change the plot" or a true self hatred for them to watch the animation, and ppl coming in WITH the animation likely are going to grab the telegraphed relationships much more soundly since they understand it as Written. (Please tell me if I'm wrong bc I only picked up m9 maybe in the ep50 mark and got involved in fandom spaces much later, but I feel like the weird piss of the fandom got intolerably bad mostly after the covid hiatus? Where ppl had no content for months and created an echo chamber of headcanon while forgetting that the campaign was about anything. This might still happen between animated series seasons but I think people cannot complain anymore that the source material is source material-ing.)

Hi anon,

I don't have any specific wishes. I'm excited that we'll see a little bit from before the campaign, as the Fjord and Jester animatic indicates; would love to see that for Veth and Caleb, and Molly and Yasha as well. Otherwise off the top of my head there isn't really much that we didn't see I really feel the need to see? I like the Briarwoods flashback in TLOVM but there's not a ton in C2 that benefits from turning the camera onto NPCs like that, for example. Maybe a brief Avantika and Vandran moment? Perhaps Essek stealing the beacon? But honestly one of the remarkable things about C2 was that there were so many weird happy coincidences that it accidentally had a lot of foreshadowing you could not have planned.

I've said this a bunch about C3 and some of the ongoing conversations about the gods before but it's relevant here as well: I generally assume that in a fandom space, there will be discourse. There is nothing so clear and obviously telegraphed that someone who's decided to stick their fingers in their ears and harden their heart and turn off their brain cannot ignore or disregard. There are still, to this day, after Fjord and Jester failed to break up in episode 141, the Mighty Nein Reunited, or Echoes of the Solstice and in fact got engaged, and Beau and Yasha are married and Caleb and Essek refer to each other as partners, people who insist that Caleb or Beau and Jester were "supposed" to be endgame but for (unstated nebulous cause that they will not deign to describe because if they do so, there are pretty obvious holes one could poke in it) and I think it's been pretty clearly signaled. People thought that TLOVM would have a Vex and Keyleth romance because of a single frame when they were next to each other. You could have the entire Critical Role cast on camera go "here are the endgame relationships" and someone would be like "well, but what if that was a bluff." I think there might be less discourse among new fans but I do not think there will be none.

For what it's worth, while I do think C2 ship discourse was pretty awful and was exacerbated by a combination echo chamber and the general mood of 2020 and early 2021, I think C3 discourse is, while perhaps less harassment-focused, in much more bad faith. Like, ship discourse can get nasty and awful, don't get me wrong, but I feel like most people involved were either reading things that weren't there specifically about ships but were pretty reasonable about the plot (at least not until very, very late in the game) and I feel like they were genuine fans of Critical Role and had a decent sense of the world and the lore and just. went absolutely nuts and started sending harassment because their blorbos did not kiss and/or get resurrected. Whereas I feel like the worst of C3 discourse involves people who came in with little understanding of D&D nor the world and frankly a decent amount of derision towards everything that came before, proceeded to show up in a clown wig screaming "LISTEN UP FIVES, A TEN IS SPEAKING", promptly shit themselves and started crying, and now are not just wondering why few people like them or taking them seriously but are also throwing out whatever random-ass accusations they think will stick as they sit in the detritus of their increasingly incorrect predictions.

Anyway this is all to say whenever someone is like "surely this revision will prevent fans from interpreting art in a stupid way" my response is "I believe that some people are innovating in the field of stupid interpretations; do what makes you happy and acknowledge that they will always exist."

also, while i'm running my mouth before i go run errands, this is just a blanket statement re character designs and headcanons. (the "you" here is obviously not at anon, but rather the people they described). If you wish a character looked different than their canonical depiction, great. No one is stopping you. If you think canon exists to validate your headcanons, it doesn't. If you think people online saying "I don't like a headcanon" is stopping you from doing anything, it isn't. If you pitch fits about either of those things, you are a self-absorbed child. And if you are really attached to all of your diverse headcanons and yet never seem to gravitate towards characters who are canonically portrayed with those same identities, a whole lot of people are side-eyeing you.

[sarahlizziewrites]

Where my WIPs are at:

Chrissie's of London - ~70% of the way through a second draft of Book 1 (Chrissie's, Strand), hopefully to be completed by start of September. I had promised I'd either start querying or get a Patreon set up by the time I finished this, but... I haven't done any querying at all. Motivate me?

Book 2 (The Electric Pavilion) is my go-to project at the moment when I'm sick of editing - currently 17k words.

The Adventures of Sitora Lux - Book 1 (Honesty's Cost) is still out for beta feedback after draft 2. I haven't really worked on Book 2 (A Different Kind of Courage) since last year (currently sitting at 13k words). This series is functionally on hiatus until I work out what to do with it. I think I need to pitch it solidly as YA even though it wasn't written that way.

Grey Sky Lark - this has always been a back-burner project and I haven't worked on it much lately. It's at about 12k words.

Brazen Sparrow - I got some good work done on this in the last few weeks, but I have to be in the right mood for my pirate girlies. Currently sitting at 12k words.

Crime-Fighting Husbands - I finished 'Til Death Do Us Part during NaNo 2023 and haven't really touched it since then. I have had two alpha readers provide feedback, but nobody has really been brutal enough about it. I know it needs more meat to the mystery but I can't figure out what. If there are any seasoned mystery readers/writers out there who are willing to give me brutal feedback, lmk!

Book 2 (The Ruby of Ranpur) is in the planning stage and I intend to start this for a chilled NaNo-esque challenge over October and November. Tbh this is a better mystery as a whole, and I learned a lot from my first one. I'm excited! Check on me by Thanksgiving lmao.

The Melody of Your Gravity is on hiatus. Sorry. I haven't updated since like, April, and I've also slipped out of the fandom a little. I'm not caught up on Campaign 3 and I'm lacking the motivation. I do want to finish this story, though. Maybe more news about the Mighty Nein Animated will get me excited. Fingers crossed!

Dawn Meeting - my interactive fiction thing over at @tell-me-a-poll-story. I know some people were really jazzed about this, but the pressure got to me. Idk. I don't hate the story so I might carry it on. But I remember crying over the outcome of the polls at times so it wasn't really healthy tbh. I didn't have a healthy relationship to writing in 2023 at all so it was good that I took a step back. On hiatus - not dead.

Anyway this was long lol. I want to make Chrissie's public so you all can finally read it, maybe with a goal of getting it self-published, but I know that something like a Patreon will stress me the fuck out and make me avoid it (as evidenced by the manufactured pressure of NaNo and the false accountability of publishing a fanfic and my own interactive story being really unhealthy for me). I'd love any and all advice about doing this shit professionally and not losing your mind lol.

Thanks for lending me your dividers, @saradika, they are so cute.

[limey-self-inserts]

Howdy Limey!!! I wanted to ask these for the P!@TD ask game :D

Sarah Smiles: What makes S/I happy? What cheers them up when they're feeling low? For Douxie

House of Memories: What is your favorite memory of S/I? Paint us a picture, please! For Caleb

When The Day Met The Night: How different/similar are you and S/I? What makes you different from each other/similar to one another? For Aniketos

Emperor's New Clothes: How would you describe your taste in fashion? Now, how would you describe S/I's? Do you trust that they could pick out an outfit for you that you'd like and vice versa? For Obitus

I'm looking forward to your answers and hope you're able to take time soon to rest and recharge; I'm rooting for you Royal✨💚!!

Nikki @tex-treasures

howdy Nikki! thank you so much for the ask~

Sarah Smiles: What makes S/I happy? What cheers them up when they're feeling low?

"Most of the time, getting something drawn in their sketchbook. Definitely helps cheer them up by the end of the day if they feel they've managed to accomplish something small like that. They get cravings of being with people but when they're low, actually being in a conversation can stress them out. It's not uncommon for them to stop by the cafe and get a hot chocolate and some pastry, so they have a good bit of fuel to keep their brain going. I tend to put it on the house, as a little extra treat. Plus that makes them smile too. What's not to love about free food?

"That's actually a good point. Definitely when they're joining me and Zoe for a night out, they tend to bring takeout or home-cooked food. It's kinda like they especially get happy when they're able to share a meal with close friends. And I have to agree." - Douxie (platonic)

House of Memories: What is your favorite memory of S/I? Paint us a picture, please!

"Favourite memory? Good for you, I have the best memory of the Mighty Nein, so this is an easy one. We were staying a few days over in Berleben, Jester and Beau were hard at work with a cypher they were cracking to assist with the, ah....anyway, Archae came to me and mentioned they had a bookstore in town, and asked if I had a favourite book. Well, I told them one of my favourite's, Die Sternschnuppe über Eiselcross, and they seemed very excited to try it out themself. I did manage to tell them I had a copy in the Mansion library before they could run off and buy an extra. I thought that would be the end of it, but it wasn't.

"Fast forward a day, I went by the Mansion's library in the evening to pick up a book for myself, and found Archae fully asleep in one of the loungers. On their lap was a copy of Die Sternschnuppe and several wads of paper, on the table next to them was a Zemnian dictionary. They were trying to transcribe my book from Zemni to Common! I have a good memory but even I forgot I had used the original text for the library. But clearly that didn't stop them. It was so very precious to see that despite this obstacle, they wanted to find the same joy in something they knew I loved. I left them to sleep, although I ensured the cats brought them a blanket. It was a couple of weeks before they were coming to me to discuss the story, so I assume that is how long the translating took." - Caleb Widogast (familial)

When The Day Met The Night: How different/similar are you and S/I? What makes you different from each other/similar to one another?

"Avon and I have plenty of differences, even just from the visual comparisons. Their hair is short, my hair is long. I have a preference for tan, lavender, and earthy colors, although I dare say enjoy a dabble in the pastels when conducting official business. They tend to dress in fiery autumn or dark sanguine reds, an ocean's range of blues, bold and dark colors. I cook with no food that is made or originating from animals as part of my personal ethos. They are a meat-eater, that is all to be simply said. Whether from time, fae nature, or simple practise, I find myself to be most eloquent but subtle in inflections when required. I will never say a lie, but I have certainly given a not-quite-truth at times to a mortal I find disdainful. Avon is....forthright at all times. Occasionally physically, if they find a mortal to be a problem. I am a diplomat. They are a fighter.

"Still, there is much to be said about our similarities. Neither of us particularly like the necessity of fighting. Avon certainly won't decline a sparring practise, but that is not so much a fight more than a honing of skills, and I too find it important to keep one's vital skills honed. One of my skills is information gathering, through sex if it so helps, but I have never experienced the physical compulsion for such activity. Avon feels the same, a discussion we have shared after I mentioned the business that my Queen deigns of me at times and questioned whether that would complicate our relationship. Thankfully this is not the case. For more simple things: we both appreciate a calm day, we have a shared fondness for dancing, we are not opposed to small luxuries such as hot springs or expensive clothes, and our favourite time of day is sunset." - Aniketos (romantic)

Emperor's New Clothes: How would you describe your taste in fashion? Now, how would you describe S/I's? Do you trust that they could pick out an outfit for you that you'd like and vice versa?

"The little shadow's clothing choices are...plain. I can appreciate that. A good assassin never seeks to reveal themselves, by blending into a setting they can hide themselves until the right time to strike. However they are not an assassin, and the only benefit they gain from such plain attire is that it is nigh on impossible to locate them in a crowded space.

"I tend to dress myself dependent on the occasion. Royal company requires royal attire - silks, rich fabrics, golden clasps and cuffs. Some would say that having six limbs would make things complicated, but then they just need to find a better tailor. More often, I tend to remain in my armor and wrappings, it allows ease of movement while the more delicate parts of my hide are shielded. Ailbe tells me they find it distracting. I tell them they shouldn't stare at my upper torso if they don't wish to be distracted.

"I believe if they had access to my wardrobe, they would be able to put together a suitable outfit for my purposes. I wouldn't run the risk of appearing overly garish, and they have a good understanding of small accessories and the benefit of hidden armor. But the stars only know they would struggle with wing-defined pieces of attire. It's not my fault they only have to deal with fastenings on one section of their bodice as opposed to three." - Obitus (platonic)

[rhyske]

I am the youngest of 5 siblings. I have 3 older half-sisters that I'm not really close with because we have different moms and didn't grow up together. there are only 3 years between me and my brother and yeah we're quite close. we have always played games together oh and we play with my mom as well, she is a gamer too but she mostly plays Elder scrolls online these days lol.

I don't think I'll be saving up for a PC anytime soon, I have a lot of financial problems so it's not really a priority TT_TT. Luckily Xbox has some cross-platform stuff which is nice and I have game pass through a friend so I'm pretty satisfied at the moment. you take what you can get I guess ^^

as a writer, I see issues with both XIII and XV but they have so much potential so I kind of love that about them and the characters are great in both! Though I thought the concept for Stella in XIII-versus was better than what we got with Luna. Luna is fine but it could have been better. I'm not a hater though. I do like VII and X as well but I have never played them.

honestly, I don't remember when I started watching CR but it was ages ago, like pretty early in campaign 2 if I remember correctly. I have started campaign 1 and 3 but I'm not as attached to those characters but I still like it. it's just more work somehow? I don't know how to explain it. I didn't think they were gonna do animated Might Nein before TLoVM had ended either, I CANT TELL YOU HOW HAPPY I WAS TO HEAR THAT. It kind of makes sense since TLoVM was a massive hit for amazon prime though.

I have a list of games I am working through because I haven't really played a lot of single-player games, to be honest. I used to play more fps games like Halo, Destiny 1 or Apex. I played through dragon age 2 earlier this year. I played it before when it first came out and quite liked it but I struggled with it because there was a language barrier (English is not my native language). At the time I was around 13 I think so yeah. I finished it now and I am obsessed. though I am currently working on DA inquisition and might go back and give Origins a try if I'm feeling like it. Then I plan on tackling mass effect!~💜

Oh dang, that's a lot of siblings! And that's really cool your mom plays games too! Mine never could figure them out 😆 Not for my lack of trying.

Oh well that's good! I'm glad you're happy with it (: I wish you luck and good karma for your money situation. Figuring out financials is always so stressful.

See, I think Luna was terrible and useless as a character 😆 I definitely think Versus had good potential too, and I'm sad we'll never know what the plan was for it. No story is perfect, but some are definitely better than others. Mm, I recommend VII Remake. It has some pacing issues, but I actually really enjoyed the game even with that. I played the original VII all the way up to the final dungeon and just never got around to finishing it 😆 I don't know why.

I feel that. I've watched both seasons of Vox Machina and while I like that group, they haven't taken a place close to Mighty Nein in my heart. I don't know much about Campaign 3 except for Sam's "she named all her creations after all her favorite smells" clip 😂

Oh yeah, they decided to continue with a season 3 even though it was just planned for 2 seasons, right? I'm happy Vox Machina is so popular and they're making more! Man, the Mighty Nein trailer picked out such good and memorable lines from all the characters! It makes me so excited!

Oh man, Dragon Age 2 is my favorite (: I hate Inquisition, so I hope you at least like it and don't have my experience! ^^' I enjoy Origins too, but man does it have some coding issues that can really bog down the game. On PC, Origins has a memory leak so you literally have to restart the game every couple hours or your loading screens will get soooo long.

English is your second language? That's amazing! Learning another language is so damn hard, I'm so proud of you! I've been trying to learn another language on and off for years cause it gets so overwhelming. Was it self taught, taught in school, or a bit of both?