#he can still get the same pair

[madrabit]

Just Bojan stealing Nace's clothes again

[blorbologist]

Y'know, I think I figured out why the Hells still feel like a new low-level party to me, even though they're level 13 and almost 100 episodes in.

I don't quite think it's the lack of conversations, or the fact half the party's plot hooks are big ties to past campaigns - though that definitely plays a part.

... Bell's Hells still primarily rely on quest givers.

Most of their goals are given to them and do not feel organic to the party, and constantly remind us that the Hells are pretty much never the most powerful people in the room. Which is usually something you see with a low-level party.

NPCs offering jobs is not a bad thing; it's a very common plot hook. Matt has been extremely skilled with using NPC quest givers in those two campaigns. Not only do they provide an obvious plot thread, but they can put the party in the path of others (say, the Nein running into the Iron Shepherds while doing a job for the Gentleman and everything that came of that). And the Hells had a solid start with it too - Eshteross was an excellent quest giver!

The problem is that Bell's Hells have never really not had a quest giver.

Maybe it's a byproduct of the more plot-heavy structure of this campaign? But while prior parties have felt like they decided on their course of action and what they prioritized, Bell's Hells feels less like level 13 (13! Level 13!) experienced adventurers and more like an MMO group clicking on the exclamation point over an NPC's head. Where does the plot demand we go next? Who do we report back to?

They're level 13.

At level 13, Vox Machina had just defeated a necromantic city-state to clear their name and Percy's conscience. And, you know, the Conclave just destroyed Emon. No one was explicitly telling the group to gather Vestiges and save the world (though Matt guided them there), and they were usually among the most powerful people in the room. They chose which Vestiges to prioritize, which dragons to tackle when, even if the over-all plot was pretty clear.

At level 13, the Mighty Nein were celebrating Traveler Con (another PC goal, I'll note) after brokering peace between two nations, accidentally becoming pirates and heroes of the Dynasty. The Nein regularly chose what to do based on personal goals, not grand ones. Though definitely smaller fish than Vox Machina at this level, they were very independent and gaining solid political clout.

While we're at it: level 13 is one level lower than the Ring of Brass, who had a huge amount of sway over Avalir. They ended the world, and also saved it, while in the grand scheme of things being only a smidge more powerful than Bell's Hells are now.

Can you really see the Hells wielding that amount of influence, when they're constantly being told what to do next?

The god-eater might be unleashed, so Bell's Hells have no time to do anything but what is asked of them. No time for therapy unless stolen from Feywild time, no travel on foot and late-night watches. They haven't even had time to grieve FCG. Percy was grieved in the middle of the Conclave arc. Molly was grieved when half the party was still in irons.

Matt is in the very unfortunate spot of not being able to give the Hells the same agency as the other two parties. Not only because of the world-ending plot introduced so early on; they are surrounded by characters they know (and the cast knows) are stronger and wiser than them - the familiarity of the past PCs and NPCs is to their disadvantage.

Why would the party reasonably ignore Keyleth's task that will help save the world and go off on a romp? Why would the cast when they know well Keyleth has to be sensible and with the best intentions in mind? The stakes are just too high.

It means that the Hells still feel like they're running errands instead of pursuing their own destiny. Their accomplishments are diminished as just being parts of a to-do list, and any stakes feel padded by several level 20 PCs/NPCs standing 5 steps away ready to catch them.

This isn't Bell's Hell's fault, nor is it Matt's. It could be amended, I think, if the Hells are really left to their own devices for a long period of time without support and shortcuts (like during the party split)... which would be really tricky to pull off at this point in the campaign.

They're level 13. They're big fish, but they're stuck in a pond full of friendly sharks, so they don't feel big at all.

[starflungwaddledee]

I did not mean any offense with my last ask I just wanted to know how good of a friend you are to Starflung Bandana. Is she a Kirby level friend?

hmm, i'll step in. starflung here (not starstruck, who we'll leave outta this one) but bandee can't answer this because he'd never consider categorising his friends this way. his relationships with each of his friends and loved ones are unique and individual and resonate with him in a way that is incomparable to each other; every one is irreplaceable and inimitable!

that said.... absolutely not. kirby is utterly singular to everybody who knows him. nobody is a kirby-level friend; not to bandee, not to anyone.

[xcziel]

has anybody else thought about how jk could easily manage sofia's parts of slow dance or is it just me?

[rosetheocto]

The Big Three of Failtopia for the new ship bingo

idk what Season’s Big Three you were referring to, so I just kinda did all five in one batch lol

Plus a bonus EriBoat one for @decimal86 under the cut

[lemon-wedges]

...

[bericas]

josé olivarez / yves olade (alt. version) / cab calloway / oscar romero

[untimelyambition]

i am begging on my hands and knees for jon matteson and bryce charles to sing a song together. since i first watched npmd, every single day without fail i have thought about their harmonies together in hatchet town (“if he gets me next i could be three” and “fits the bill, he fits the bill”) literally the sickest harmonies in the entire show, i turn into a little gremlin every time i hear them. their voices sound SO good together it actually makes me a little ill. my favourite song my favourite line my favourite harmonies, their voices blend perfectly and i am so desperate to hear them sing a duet to hear them singing together again pls pls please pls pls pls. pls.

[akkivee]

another rio and dice plot parallel i like is that they both had mics before chuuoku chose to redistribute them

[silusvesuius]

n*loth is literally a demon i mean iHold on YAAASSSSS!

i mean it 😒😒😒

[aikainkauna]

Tumblr, I am disappoint. A couple of years ago a sizeable chunk of you history nerds were nuts for The Longest Day in Chang'an and now, when I finally managed to finish it (it was AWESOME; one of the best shows I've ever seen, full stop) I come online and find

A) WHY DID NOBODY WARN ME ABOUT GENERAL GAN SHOUCHENG and

B) WHERE IS ALL THE THIRSTY GENERAL GAN CONTENT?! Now, I know that cdrama fandom is pretty chaste and that in much of Asia, perving is something you keep private and I can respect that. Ok. Cultural differences, I'm cool with that. I'll keep the lewdz to my Pillowfort.

But still! Look at him! A hot baddie with stupendous amounts of guyliner and a carefully coiffed Beard of Evil, he gets a scene like this, and there's no chaste and ladylike swooning or oohing or aahing, even?!?!

[todayisafridaynight]

hi snap !! ^_^

in your opinion as the minedai guy, are mine's feelings for daigo reciprocated? or do you think it's more one sided

Its inarguable that daigo genuinely cherished mine as a confidant and a reliable ally. he valued mine not just for his stalwart loyalty, but how despite (or perhaps because of) that loyalty mine was prepared to disagree with daigo and not just be a self-serving yesman only after money or a semblance of power like other members of the tojo; because of mine’s readiness to risk going against daigo despite his position, daigo saw mine as someone who genuinely cared not just for him, but for the tojo clan that meant so much to him

When it comes to romantic feelings though, its never going to be as cut-and-dry as we’d like (unless you’re mine. Unless you’re a raging homosexual like mine.), so i can never- with confidence- say a character has romantic feelings for another (AGAIN. Unless You’re Mine). At the very least, it’s safe to say mine was more explicit about demonstrating that love, or at the very least he was given more chances to show how much he loved daigo, so it’ll always look one-sided going off of what we have so far <- delusional

If we want tho, we can have some fun with the franchise and implications and all. after the events of Y3 via an RGGO story, daigo visits the bar he and mine would frequent. Inside, the bartender brings up a special bottle of alcohol daigo was meant to share with mine, though because mine’s, daigo declines drinking it. Ultimately, he decided the bottle should only be opened if mine was there to share it with him, otherwise it would be pointless

I bring up this moment For Giggles because in Y7, kashiwagi the bartender weaves a similar story during nanba’s drink link. The story goes that he keeps an expensive brand of alcohol on his shelf because he wanted to give the bottle to his lover, though she died before they got the chance to share it and keeps it in honor of her

Obviously, the story’s just a silly front to trick people into coming in- but it is Dually funny considering the parallel to the mine/daigo situation..

[starry-bi-sky]

back on my bullshit

and by bullshit i mean "rewatch MCD for the millionth time in a row and resist the urge to make an MCD OC"

i have yet to succeed in my bullshit.

[quietwingsinthesky]

the thing about me is that I have this need to pick up every angel on supernatural by their scruff and place them into an enclosure that will allow them to, if not heal and become better, than at least to be petty and vindictive in a way that causes less death and destruction and is just kind of annoying. which I would argue is also good for them. let angels make choices where the consequences of their actions are non-existent rather than world-ending. teaches them free will in a safe, healthy way.

[just-rogi]

Is there a word to describe the feeling of eldest children born in like 1998-2003 who’s childhoods are just marked by the housing crisis and the depression and always being broke and parents who were always struggling to get by, who never went on vacation and never got nice clothes or new toys or are out… who have siblings five or six years younger who don’t really remember any of that,

and now things aren’t as bad and they got all the toys you wanted and the vacations and the parents who were able to say yes to getting takeout or buying a comic book, not because they are the favorite but because life is different and things are better now?

Because I’m not mad at my parents, I’m not mad at my brother, and I’m glad things are better, but fuck I feel like I lost so much of my childhood to being really really broke, and things are ok now but I still want parts of my childhood back, i wish mom would buy me comic books and toys and yeah I’m in my 20’s and it’s ok I’ll live with never having any of that or I’ll buy it for myself, but watching my step brother pick out prom clothes that ARENT from Salvation Army for $20….

It’s just making me feel something I didn’t know I felt- I don’t hold it against him or my mom, but I want that too even though I’m grown I want to at least be offered that

[no1ryomafan]

The con I’m going to is literally tomorrow-started today technically-but instead of thinking about getting prepared n shit I talk to two of my friends separately about new!ryoma and I’m being hit with the emotions again AOAGAHA

I need to write a essay about him so fucking badly but how do you WORD about Ryoma Nagare.