#just who caleb is inherently at his core

[inkykeiji]

Can't decide if i think Caleb would be into slow passionate sex or rough kinky sex. He does scream brat tamer to me though

omggg okay so in my opinion, i think caleb’s natural baseline is rough—without him even meaning to be or noticing it (which means when he intends to be rough he is extremely rough). there are just so many times he is so physically aggressive with mc and it seems to me that he doesn’t even notice how imposing, assertive, and forceful he’s being, which is what leads me to believe that he’s just inherently rough by nature.

with that being said, i also think caleb is very easily capable of slow, soft sex—something that is romantic and gentle and thoughtful—but i think that he needs to consciously be attempting to act that way. irregardless of which he’s currently indulging himself in, i think he is always passionate—even his rough, kinky, sometimes borderline dangerous sex is full of passion and ardour, because caleb is inherently an intense and fervorous person, especially when it comes to mc. there isn’t a single thing caleb does that isn’t infused with some sort of passion (good or malicious), even when his emotions are extremely restrained beneath his tight mask of colonel. ALSOOOO i AGREE he is 100% a fucking brat tamer; respect seems to mean so much to this man. a twisted sense of respect, and an overwhelming need for control.

[sepublic]

The core to Belos’ character is that he’s everything wrong with the United States of America. Why else is he a Puritan, a group of racist settlers who helped found the U.S. and contributed to the genocide of the Native Americans? Why else does he dress up like a Founding Father when not in papal robes, with a ponytail resembling a powdered wig?

Luz thinking he’s a great explorer, only to find out Philip is just an entitled asshole who takes credit from others to make himself look better, is a play on people IRL finding out that people like Christopher Columbus and Thomas Edison were assholes who stood on the shoulders of others. It’s a play on white mediocrity and how white guys do the bare minimum and expect to be praised.

Belos is a bigot whose entire motive and goals are based on genocide-level bigotry, and he refuses to unlearn any beliefs; Being a historical Puritan he is 100% racist and misogynistic and unlike Caleb, didn’t take the chance to grow out of it. He wants to believe he’s born special and better than everyone else, and that’s why he buys into white supremacy. The modern cop is the descendant of the witch hunter.

There is an explicit connection between the colonial genocide of Native Americans and Belos’ genocide of witches and demons, down to imposing a Christian misunderstanding of the local religion. He feels entitled to their magic but does none of the work to understand, nor does he cultivate a sustainable relationship with the land the way indigenous people do, hence consuming palismen.

He coined the term Savage Ages, with Savage having racist connotations. His fantasy is the Monster Hunter, the idea that it’s okay to dehumanize anything and even anyone that’s different to kill them. He believes in the Evil Races trope which is of course inherently racist. Belos treats Luz like his White Man’s Burden, a brown child who needs a White Savior to civilize (just as the U.S. kidnapped Native American children to assimilate), and then tries to kill Luz when she doesn’t go along instead of just. Leaving Luz alone or dragging her into the human realm with him anyway.

Belos makes exceptions to his religion when convenient, allowing himself to use magic but then demonizing those who do, just as homophobic Christians and Republicans do. Think of all the anti-gay politicians who are caught being gay; They’re not repressed victims, just hypocrites who think they’re entitled to special treatment. Philip didn’t rat on Caleb for hanging out with a witch for the reasons Pro-Lifers let loved ones have abortions; Caleb was important to him, and he’s not one of the witches Philip planned to murder. And even then he still killed Caleb for ‘crossing a line’!

The Puritans and other groups informed the Alt-Right in the U.S., as well as Evangelicals who rage about how something as innocuous as Pokemon is a Satanic influence (Yes this happened; The Conformatorium doesn’t seem so unrealistic after all, and remember that Dana’s father gave her a copy of Pokémon Red before he died that she latched onto). But like the Televangelist, Belos indulges in material wealth and glory via the glamour of Catholicism, because he’s not even consistent to Puritan values either.

He’s Trump, he’s Elon Musk, he’s Ron DeSantis. He’s the incel/mass shooter who fell down the pipeline, who feels cheated out of the promises of a white supremacist society and takes it out on minorities but not other white guys, because he thinks the system’s idea is fine it just isn’t working as it should, at least he’s better than those guys. He calls others NPCs because he wants to believe he’s born special and better and chosen.

Belos’ reaction to Caleb being with Evelyn was undeniably motivated by racial disgust at his brother for committing miscegenation and making Philip related to a savage in the process, it’s why he never brings it up because of the scandalous shame of it all. Belos hates those witches more than he ever loved Caleb, Caleb was never his priority or he’d have changed his mind; It had far less to do with ‘codependency’ and far more to do with white supremacy, perhaps Philip wouldn’t have minded Caleb settling with a human white woman. The issue being not Caleb leaving him but who Caleb left him for.

Belos thinks taming a wilderness and murdering its natives makes him a tough man because he’s insecure. He has a sniveling victim complex that can’t comprehend why minorities would dislike him, except that they’re mean. Belos epitomizes the U.S.’s racial and colonial violence, its white supremacy, and its global police narrative that decides the existence of another, independent world is an inherent threat to his own.

The conflict between Philip and Caleb was over racism, and so it’s black and white because racism is always wrong. Making it ‘nuanced’ would take away from the fact that the motives for real life racism are inherently nonsensical and insincere; Caleb wasn’t selfish for living with another culture on its terms, instead of staying in the racism village (The Gravesfield statues corroborate Philip being an adult when he arrived in the Demon Realm, according to the memory portraits; Caleb waited until Philip was an adult before leaving). Philip was not a weird kid, he was adhering to his social norms with games about how anyone different or actually weird should die, and he wanted to do this, he’s a Conformatorium prude like all the rest and let his fear of Evelyn justify and evolve into violence.

Even if he was weird, Belos isn’t telling other people they should fit in for their sake, he’s telling them they should just die (Unlike himself, because he’s ‘special’); It’s what he admits to the Collector in the finale about not bothering teaching them anything, just wiping them out. Belos uses magic only to kill magic and discards it out of disgust when he’s about to leave, but makes an exception for the life of the non-human he’s become.

And the choice for the villain to be a genuine Puritan makes sense, because this is a show about weirdoes, so who’s designating them as such and why? Luz has a conflict with the IRL system since the first scene and Belos symbolizes the system, his Puritan ideology marked the foundation for it and the U.S. Belos killing Caleb is just the cherry on top of his actual motives and what his character was always about, that’s why his death scene isn’t him lamenting about Caleb or how lonely he is, it’s him being racist and demanding special treatment for his race. A racist white man feels no guilt for the witches and demons he murdered, just his white brother and clones; He still keeps killing them too btw.

Deeming someone a lost cause and killing them instead of working to rehabilitate is un-Christian, because Belos is not secretly bound by his religion, he picks and chooses. His guilt is not Catholic, he is the Protestant belief in his own superiority. Belos isn’t just a Nazi, he’s an American racist, he’s the KKK; He’s a condemnation of American Values and Exceptionalism, and lowkey I think that’s part of the reason why Family-Friendly Disney canned TOH, because Belos is a condemnation of a major consumer base. Disney being more progressive than other companies means jackshit because it’s performative and the bar is in hell.

[flower-boi16]

Why Belos' Fell

I previously teased a post like this before in my post on the topic of Belos' being "boring" to some people and well, here it is. Belos is probably one of my favorite antagonists in a lot of media, there's a lot of depth an complexity in Belos you can draw from him, and here I want to analyze Belos as a character and what let led to his ultimate downfall and demise.

Flaw I: Bigotry

There are two major flaws that caused Belos' downfall, his bigotry and his pride. I'll focus on his bigotry first since that one's fairly obvious. Belos is strongely bigoted towards witches - he did come from a 1600s pilgrimage after all, and so his bigotry drives all of his actions.

Belos is consumed by his bigotry and hatred towards witches - viewing them as monsters who he must wipe out, which is where his pride comes in later. The thing I find interesting is that Belos shows what happens when you never grow out of your bigotry, when you cling onto it for years and never choose to open your mind to other points of view and when you decide to purely view a specific race of people as evil.

You become enrinched in that bigotry and there isn't any way to get out of it. Belos' actions are all driven by his bigotry - which is obvious enough, but he spent centuries in the Boiling Isles, in that time, he could have decided to let go of his bigotry and actually take in the boiling isles and grow a real connecting to it...but he didn't, he chose to cling onto his bigotry for all those years, and plotted a horrifying genocide on all life on the isles out of hatred for witches. Yet he viewed himself as the hero in this sitatuon. Speaking of that...

Flaw II: Pride

Belos' second core flaw is his intense sense of pride, which is a flaw that is heavily tied to his bigotry. This section will be a bit longer since there's more to analyze about Belos' pride. Belos likes to view himself as the hero here, the savior of humanity who will rid the world of all witches and demons, and his intense sense of pride is the one of the main things keeping him growing out of his bigotry which has comsumed him.

His bigotry towards witches is just that strong, their the evil who he has to slay, and there isn't anything that can change that. Further more, Belos seems to view any one who disagrees with him as inherently deluisonal or "crazy", mainly Luz. Something I don't see talked about much or at all is how Belos' sees Luz, in Hollow Mind Luz protests that Belos is evil for he plans on doing, and Belos mutters out "can't reason with crazy" before attempting to strike her.

Then in King's Tide, we get these lines:

"It's Philip. And despite our differences, I want to help you, Luz. I can send you home. I have just enough Titan Blood for one more trip. Please. I don't want to see another human life destroyed by this place."

"I do pity you. These monsters have warped your sense of reality"

Belos belives that Luz is corrupted, someone who the demon realm twisted and whose life was ruined by it. He believes that Luz was corrupted by the demon realm, because he is not only consumed by his bigotry but also is so into the idea that HE is right about witches, that he is the rational one here free from any form of corruption and the hero of the story, Luz is just a girl who the demon realm twisted and corrupted.

However, the irony here is that Luz isn't the one who is corrupted here, Belos is; he's been corrupted by his sense of bigotry for years and he's never allowed himself to grow out from that. Belos then sees Luz as so corrupt, being beyond saving, and so, he tries to petrify her as a way of "putting her out of her misery", seeing her as fully corrupted by the witches.

Remember that earlier line where Belos says " I don't want to see another human life destroyed by this place." He says "another" human life. Gee...I wonder who he could possibily be refering to here...

...yup, it's Caleb. Belos killed Caleb not only because he felt betrayed by him when he chose to hook up with a witch, but because he saw Caleb as so corrupted by the witch he hooked up with that he decided that Caleb was just too far gone to save, put him out of his misery just like what he almost did with Luz.

When Belos sees someone as too corrupted by the witches, he kills them. Because he believes that he's the hero in the story and anyone who forms a connection with the demon realm is either corrupted or just crazy. Further more, Belos has done many horrible things throughout the series; he's lied to and manipulated many people to get what he wants, he's cloned, abused and killed his brother over and over again whenever he felt "betrayed" by him, he led years of oppression and comformity by dissallowing the citizens of the boiling isles to properly express themselves in favor of conforming to one specific coven, and he's plotting a mass genocide on a whole race of innocent people all for being a race he sees as evil, but in Hollow Mind, Belos says that he'll "Do anything to protect humanity from evil", meaning that he believes that he's justified in doing all of that.

Because he believes that all of this is for his noble cause of ridding all witches and demons from Isles, so he can be the "savoiur of hunamity".

Belos' Downfall

Belos' inability to let go of his bigotry and sense of pride was what ultimately led to his downfall. Belos parralels Luz in the sense that both of them cling onto fantasies which involve the idea of them being "special" in some kind of way, and they actively choose to pursue those fantasies, however, Luz grew out of her fantasy fairly quickly while Belos didn't - he never grew out of his sick, twisted fantasy of being the hero of humanity when really he was the villian.

Belos never grew out of his bigotry, instead he took what was once a beutiful land and twisted and turned it into a land of comformity, all in part for his sick, twisted plan of destorying all of it's inhabitants.

In the end, Belos is ultimately defeated by the entire owl family + Raine, people who he hurt and damaged heavily through the series; Luz, the girl who he truamatized by revealing she helped him with his plan, Eda, the women who actively went against his rules and who he tried to petrify at the end of the first season, Raine, the person who he tormented by possesing them against their will, and King, the little titan who's father was used by Belos as a way to push his propoganda.

They stomp the shit out of Belos after his last pathetic attempt at manipulation, ending his reign for good.

Belos' story is cautionary tale - serving as an example of what happens when someone never grows out of their bigotry or pride and never let's his fantasies go.

[utilitycaster]

Would LOVE that essay on combat in dnd because full agree. But not even just for people watching live play, like, combat is an essential feature of dnd as a game system and it endlessly frustrates me when i see dms be like “yeah combat is just too complicated and no fun so i dont do it in my game :)!” Like i guess thats your right, but any non-caster class is gonna be miserable in your game. I saw a video recently talking about how dnd has kind of become the default ttrpg and is marketed as the perfect system for everyone and any style of play which is just. So not true. Combat in dnd is equally as integral as roleplay is and theres really no argument otherwise. Very valid if you hate dnd combat, it sure isnt for everyone, but in that case maybe play a different ttrpg where the characters arent constructed around combat abilities, i promise you’ll have more fun.

So this is one of those things that touches on maybe 99% of my feelings on Experiencing Fiction in general and actual play in particular; I apologize in advance for the length and digressions within this response.

Here are the reasons I have seen or I surmise why people don’t like D&D combat, either in actual play or in home games:

It can get crunchy and involves a lot of rules

There are long stretches in which individuals do not necessarily act (not exclusive to combat but I think this is a factor)

It contains violence

There is a potential for character death

Now, it’s fine if you aren’t interested in D&D-style combat, for whatever reason, when you play ttrpgs. It’s just that this is a core feature of D&D. As you say, this is what the martial classes are structured around - and, frankly, no small number of casting classes/subclasses as well. By avoiding it when you play D&D, you’re avoiding the bulk of the game, and there are plenty of ttrpgs that permit open RP that aren’t combat focused that would probably fit your needs better (eg: PbtA and Savage Worlds are both generic systems that can support a heroic fantasy like D&D without the emphasis on combat skills). I happen to love and prefer D&D, but that is specifically because I love combat, and yeah, there are other games and people should seek out those games if they don’t like combat.

When it comes to D&D actual play though…skipping combat is just straight-up stupid. And to be clear I mean fully skipping it and not watching it at all; while this is piggybacking off my post about spoilers, it’s fine if you are the sort of person who needs to know how combat ends in order to enjoy it! That’s just a personal preference that I respect even if I don’t share it.

D&D combat isn’t just an inherent part of the game; it’s an inherent part of the story. The idea of D&D being split into combat and RP is a false dichotomy. There is RP and crucial story within combat scenes, and you simply do not achieve the same effects by reading an after-the-fact summary. To use examples from Critical Role, consider one of the most famous RP moments from Campaign 1, when Scanlan uses his 9th level counterspell in the Vecna fight. The weight of that moment derives from mechanics and from the fact that it is in the midst of combat and well into a climatic final battle. Or for lighter examples, there’s a ton of Beau/Yasha and Fjord/Jester mid-combat flirting running through much of Campaign 2 that informs those relationships. Molly’s death? Caleb going into a fugue state when he kills humanoids with fire? Yasha destroying Obann? Fjord dying mid-deep scion fight? Those are all moments that have deep character weight and meaning that are within the context of combat, and you cannot divorce them from that context and hope to retain the same effect.

This is what dovetails into a larger discussion of Experiencing Fiction which is a (in my opinion) worrying tendency among some people to truly believe that you can cut up media into the palatable bits and pieces and push all of what you see as icky vegetables to the side of your plate. I fucking hate this. I think it’s what drives a lot of things including a distaste for combat. This is how you get, for example, people who dislike combat because Violence And Death Bad, which, do I think that in the real world violence is most often a thing to be avoided? Do I think that in the real world death is heartbreaking? Yes, but this is fiction. There’s that great Brennan Lee Mulligan quote about how TTRPGs like D&D allow people who usually must be conflict-avoidant in real life to let out their anger and frustration in a place where it is safe and harmless, and I believe that whole-heartedly. I want stories about death because I want to know I'm not alone in how I feel about death. I want stories in which people can express their rage in ways both healthy and unhealthy, because big same. (I also think it’s absolutely not coincidental that people who believe they are ‘protecting’ people by circumscribing what is acceptable in fiction tend to be strongly associated with either bigoted, violent policies in real life, or harassment and doxxing online; maybe enjoy a fucked up movie, as John Waters once said, and you'll calm down.)

This idea that you can cut up media and only consume what you like is also what I think is behind some of the really ill-considered and overly granular timestamped content warnings I’ve mentioned previously. It is fine if there are things you don’t want to watch or which will be upsetting or even triggering to watch! It’s fine if you as an individual don’t like violence! But I think there’s a problem when people believe they are entitled to be able to watch whatever they want and have it mold to their exact wants and needs (and that it’s a failing if it doesn’t), rather than taking on the responsibility of seeking out media that already fits the bill. Actual Play D&D will nearly always have violent encounters. If this will be an issue this is not for you. It is not gatekeeping to say “you can come through this gate, but the gate is in fact here for your specifically requested protection"; and yet people think that instead, gates should be placed around everything else. So (to give an example) this is why the warnings for D20’s Neverafter strike me as a symptom of this larger problem - if you have discomfort with violence towards animals and children, that’s fine, but you are watching a D&D horror series in which over half the player characters are either animals or children. This is not something where you can skip a few seconds of a flashing gif that might be a migraine or seizure trigger, or a case where an exceptionally rough scene of gaslighting can be read instead of watched; this is inherent to the show, and if this is not for you, you need to go elsewhere.

To give one last example, I was looking for fanart for Worlds Beyond Number, and came across a picture of Suvi with a caption of “Suvi but without the imperialism” and like…Aabria has said in interviews that this engagement with the empire is extremely deliberate; that Suvi is intended to be tied into the political structures of this world as an intentional contrast with Eursulon’s status as an outsider and Ame’s role at the smaller, community level. Suvi without imperialism is not identifiable as the same character and it throws the entire story off-kilter; she is of this empire and that is the fucking point. Any story worth telling is not just items thrown haphazardly into a bowl; they are combined and mixed. Someone is giving you a plate of brownies and you are acting like it’s physically possible to take out the cocoa powder without fucking the end result, and buddy, it’s not.

(Truly, I was not joking when I said this is like, the load-bearing pillar of most of my complaints about fiction consumption patterns in general. This is about how people will deny the flaws in characters even though any reasonably intelligent ten-year-old, and I know because I fucking was one once, understands that person vs. themself is one of the core conflicts and overcoming one’s flaws is in many cases the entire story and if you start out perfect there is nothing to be said. Like…I think a lot of people genuinely just want to watch a nonstop Monterey Bay Otter Cam of their sufficiently sanitized, focus-group-tested blorbos baking cookies together, and are affronted when people with the tiniest sliver of empathy and/or curiosity want a story with plot and character growth, which in turn require conflict.)

Anyway. I think the takeaways here are that there’s this awful entitlement people have in which they think that they can simply consume anything and it is the failure of that media if it doesn’t cater specifically to them, rather than a failure of them to seek out that which they would enjoy (and I could go on this rant indefinitely; it is truly the most constant theme among Takes I Think Are Dumb); and also I really want to bake something right now, given my choices of metaphor. Combat is part of D&D as a game and as a storytelling medium, and it is incumbent upon people who do not like combat to find something that doesn’t have D&D combat, rather than try to pull out the vital organs of the story.

[ridox]

Questions about Xavier & Theories Following Chapter 8 —

I need anyone’s input/theory/thoughts regarding this matter because I haven’t gone through much of Xavier’s Secret Times and Tender Moments yet, and I’ve only unlocked 3/9 of Shooting Stars

Discussion under the cut for potential spoilers

Anyway, I just finished going through Chapter 8 of the Main Story and based from this conversation with Jeremiah. Does this mean Xavier has direct/or indirect influence over what happened to Josephine and Caleb on Chapter 4?

I��m assuming the Nonintervention Principle is for the Lightseekers who venture through space, calling for them to basically NOT ALTER anything in the timeline they’re hopping onto as a preventative measure to creating a butterfly effect (?)

I remember some people saying that Xavier caused the explosion but now that I think about it I don’t think he inherently has anything to do with it. Rather, I think his presence, Jeremiah’s, alongside all the other backtrackers or whatever you call them, is what caused Josephine and Caleb’s death (?)

I have to gather my thoughts for a more concrete theory about this but in essence, the fact that some of the residents of Philos never returned to their own home and their correct timeline… caused a major butterfly effect that essentially kickstarted the catastrophic events that’s happening in MC’s life as of the moment

I feel like Xavier knew what was going to happen to MC’s grandmother and PERHAPS he even knows if Caleb really died or not but he’s bound by this rule to not intervene and to just let it pan out the way it’s supposed to be

Which kinda creates a loophole because his existence itself in this timeline is what caused it to happen in the first place (?) if that specific theory is right

ANYWAY MOVING ON TO MY ACTUAL QUESTIONS —

I remember reading a theory or perhaps an actual explanation that - in an attempt to try and save Queen MC - Xavier created a Möbius Strip that essentially catapults him back in time creating this unending loophole in the Philos timeline

MY QUESTION IS… IS THERE A POSSIBILITY THAT THE MÖBIUS STRIP IN QUESTION IS WHAT RESULTED IN THE DEEPSPACE TUNNEL? OR THE DEEPSPACE TUNNEL ITSELF IS THE MÖBIUS STRIP?

I haven’t done enough research to support this theory because it’s 12 AM and I just finished the chapter and want to document these thoughts but I’m theorizing that Xavier’s effort to save his MC in his own timeline resulted in a time rift in the form of the Deepspace Tunnel.

The same tunnel that was the main reason why MC’s heart got implanted with the Aether Core in the first place. What if the Wanderers that ravaged Linkon City those many years ago were actually Philos citizens (backtrackers, lightseekers) that died during the creation of the tunnel and emerged on the other side as just that… Wanderers?

What if the Wanderer that stabbed current MC through the heart is an alternate timeline/Philos timeline MC who recognized herself and essentially transplanted her heart to hers?

LIKE MY MIND IS GOING MILES AN HOUR THINKING ABOUT THIS BUT I KNOW EVERYTHING’S MESSY AND UNORGANIZED SO LIKE MAYBE I’LL WRITE THIS UP MORE IN THE FUTURE WITH SUPPORTING FACTS AND STUFF

But yeah! To summarize it all —

- Xavier and the rest of the backtrackers/lightseekers in Linkon City are Space and Time anomalies

- Their existence in itself is wrong and is what resulted in the catastrophic event many years ago

- Possibly the Wanderer that pierced current MC’s heart is her from a Philos timeline

- Also Xavier may have been indirectly involve to the death of MC’s grandmother and Caleb

- BUT ALSO I think Xavier knows whether Caleb is truly dead or alive

- Bonus: I feel like Caleb found out that an alternate timeline exists and he had to fake his own death for the sake of MC’s safety

- Just by the end of Chapter 8, everyone was talking about the recent discovery of Philos and imo I feel like this happened prior to Caleb coming home in the first place

- I feel like since Ever pretty much runs everything in Linkon, they tried to sway Caleb into turning MC in for the sake of “research” or something after they found out she’s probably the only living person who fused well with an Aether Core

ANYWAY SORRY FOR THE RAMBLE I WOULD LIKE TO HERE ANYBODY’S THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS PLS I’M SO NECK DEEP INSIDE L&DS LORE

[cagedchoices]

PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF CALEB

According to Engerraud Serac, Caleb is described as “A man who, when pushed, reacts with extreme violence. A killer.” and “Nothing more than a dangerous sociopath.”

This observation alone is nowhere near enough evidence to draw that conclusion from, but there is an accuracy and an inaccuracy to it. If Caleb is pushed too far into a negative emotional state i.e. Fear/Terror, Rage, reacting to trauma, then he will indeed react violently. It's what he was trained to do.

It has unfortunately become so common in neurotypical society for people to look at any person who does things that don't fit a rigid concept of social norms and immediately decide that there is no reason to do these kinds of things other than because in their simple-minded observation, they believe “hey! this person is doing bad things, which makes them a Bad Person, therefore they must be a sociopath!”

The world really doesn't work that way though, and the label of “sociopath” almost exclusively refers to a person diagnosed with symptoms of Antisocial Personality Disorder. This is not automatically synonymous with being a bad person.

I don't think that the Westworld writers’ intentions or core message were to add to the social stigma against Antisocial Personality Disorder either, but rather to underline and critique a culture that already exists in the world. A lot of the time in our world, people will call almost any person they don't like a sociopath, regardless of whether the label functionally applies to that person.

I did read a reddit post once with a headline that was titled “Rehoboam was good. Caleb was just a sociopath.” But the author's only evidence to support the claim of sociopathy was that when Solomon shows Dolores and Caleb hundreds of outliers who have been suspended in cryogenic storage, Caleb is viscerally upset by this and his reaction makes him a “Bad Person” because he’s not taking into consideration that if these people were free to live out in society, they might go on to commit heinous crimes and hurt innocent people. Their impression was more or less that Caleb lacks empathy for normal people.

…I guess because for the original poster who said it, it was easier to believe that the only reason someone would ever be upset about employing the use of eugenics in the human population is because they would rather let people live their lives even if it results in them committing violent crimes and not…I don’t know… Because eugenics is bad on the basis of picking and choosing which humans get to live based on things that fall outside of their control, thereby dehumanizing and stripping them of their autonomy as sentient beings.

So now all of that said, I don’t believe there is enough evidence to prove Caleb is a sociopath. I do not think he meets all of the criteria required to be diagnosed. He does display a few symptoms/characteristics that are commonly associated with ASPD, but it's important to remember that Incite's AI, Rehoboam, also manipulates Caleb’s personal data to fit into the projections it decides on FOR him. And that it does the same thing to 8 billion humans worldwide.

There doesn't seem to be anything inherent in the ASPD traits that Caleb does demonstrate that wouldn't be better defined by his canonical diagnosis of PTSD, either.

Looking at the DSM-5 criteria for Antisocial Personality Disorder, the requirement is that a patient must demonstrate criteria A through D as followed:

A. A patient must have exhibited a pervasive pattern of disregard for or violation of other people's rights occurring since the age of 15 years old, as indicated by at least three or more of the following:

Failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors as indicated by repeatedly performing acts that are grounds for arrest

Deceitfulness, as indicated by repeated lying, use of aliases, or conning others for personal profit or pleasure

Impulsivity or failure to plan ahead

Irritability and aggressiveness, as indicated by repeated physical fights or assaults

Reckless disregard for safety of self or others

Consistent irresponsibility, as indicated by repeated failure to sustain consistent work behavior or honor financial obligations

Lack of remorse, as indicated by being indifferent to or rationalizing having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another

B. The individual must be at least 18 years old.

C. There is evidence of conduct disorder with onset before 15 years old.

D. The occurrence of antisocial behavior is not exclusively during the course of schizophrenia or a manic episode.

Under section A, the behavior pattern has to be pervasive, meaning it exists in every area of a subject's life and therefore cannot be isolated to a singular inciting incident. We don't know Caleb's childhood outside of the background that he was 8 years old when his mom disappeared on him for 6 months, but since that incident is the memory that the machine elected to organize the rest of his life around, it could be argued that this behavior pattern was not present when he was 15 years old. Solomon was first activated and held successful trials when Caleb was 16 or 17 years old, and the first significantly destructive incident noted on his personal timeline after that point in time is that he broke his arm on the 4th of July when he was 17.

He also mentions to Dolores that he had his first beer when he was in high school, with a friend who had a fake ID, and that they spent the day drinking at the pier and dreaming of a better life. He doesn’t give an age, but I would guess this also happened when he was around 16 or 17 and was the beginning of a pattern of alcoholism, which he then used to self-medicate stress, anger and other negative emotions he experienced as a teenager with no real sense of support or guidance.

A1. Caleb *possibly* meets this criteria, but evidence is inconclusive. See above.

A2. As far as I can tell, Caleb doesn't fit this criteria. Deceit is not a typical trait of his and the only reason he would lie is to protect someone else from harm, not for personal profit or his own pleasure. For example, he lies to two RICO guys who end up kidnapping him because telling the truth would get them a step closer to finding Dolores, but he's not protecting Dolores to gain anything in return, and his motives prove that.

A3. Caleb does exhibit a tendency to make impulsive, in-the-moment decisions and not think very far ahead when organizing his own plans, but I will reiterate that this is a common symptom of PTSD.

A4. I don’t *think* Caleb entirely meets this criteria? He can be irritable and aggressive, yeah, but his goal is generally to avoid escalating things to the point of a fight. If it can't be avoided then he'll do whatever has to be done to protect himself or much more likely other people who may be depending on him by proxy, but he isn't typically the primary aggressor in fights. It has to be a kill or BE killed type of circumstance to get him to that point. The presence of increased irritability and aggression could be attributed to PTSD as well.

A5. He does meet this in terms of having self-destructive tendencies, but it's worth noting Caleb frequently goes out of his way to avoid impinging upon other people’s safety and once again, reckless, self-destructive behavior is commonly seen in PTSD symptoms.

A6. He meets this criteria, but I strongly believe it is only through Incite's intervention in his life that he does. We can see Caleb tries to push for a better job, a lasting relationship and a family, better care for his ailing mom, anything that might help him grow and move forward with his life, but his attempts are intentionally blocked and shut down at every turn by the system because he's quite literally not allowed to be anything other than a soldier, a criminal, a construction worker.

A7. Caleb does not appear to exhibit this trait except while under the influence of drugs such as the limbic tablets he was issued in the military. He very clearly demonstrates remorse when his actions involve hurting or mistreating another person. Even killing Francis with the knowledge that Francis was going to kill him, he still shows remorse for feeling it was his only option for survival.

He does meet the criteria for Section B as he is well over 18 years old.

Though, Section C, there is again no evidence supporting the claim that Caleb experienced any form of conduct disorder prior to the age of 15 years old.

And finally, under Section D… This may get a bit tricky. Caleb’s mother is formally diagnosed as schizophrenic and it is entirely possible that Caleb could have it, as it is considered to be a hereditary gene.

But for that we have to examine how his mom fits the criteria for her diagnosis and determine whether Caleb also matches that same criteria or not.

The specific DSM-5 criteria for schizophrenia are as follows:

A. The presence of at least two of the following five items, each present for a clinically significant portion of time during a 1-month period (or less if successfully treated), with at least one of them being items 1), 2), or 3):

Delusions

Hallucinations

Disorganized Speech

Grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior

Negative symptoms (e.g., decreased motivation and diminished expressiveness).

B. For a clinically significant portion of the time since the onset of the disturbance, the level of functioning in one or more major areas (e.g., work, interpersonal relations, or self-care) is markedly below the level achieved before onset; when the onset is in childhood or adolescence, the expected level of interpersonal, academic, or occupational functioning is not achieved.

C. Continuous signs of the disturbance persist for a period of at least 6 months, which must include at least 1 month of symptoms (or less if successfully treated); prodromal symptoms often precede the active phase, and residual symptoms may follow it, characterized by mild or subthreshold forms of hallucinations or delusions.

D. Schizoaffective disorder and depressive or bipolar disorder with psychotic features have been ruled out because either no major depressive, manic, or mixed episodes have occurred concurrently with the active-phase symptoms or any mood episodes that have occurred during active-phase symptoms have been present for a minority of the total duration of the active and residual periods of the illness.

E. The disturbance is not attributable to the physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse or a medication) or another medical condition. If there is a history of autism spectrum disorder or a communication disorder of childhood onset, the additional diagnosis of schizophrenia is made only if prominent delusions or hallucinations, in addition to the other required symptoms or schizophrenia, are also present for at least 1 month (or less if successfully treated).

F. In addition to the symptom domain areas identified in the first diagnostic criterion, assessment of cognition, depression, and mania symptom domains is vital for distinguishing between schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders.

So first up:

A1. Delusions - The subject's sense of reality is skewed or distorted in some way, fixated on a false belief. Caleb’s mom trying to assert that her son is not actually her son might qualify as this.

A2. Hallucinations - I don’t think she experienced any hallucinations, though if she did then we never saw it for ourselves. They do tend to go hand-in-hand with delusions but aren’t always combined.

A3. Disorganized Speech - It doesn’t seem to me like Caleb’s mom experienced this much at all.

A4. Grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior - Never seen, but from the way it sounded when Caleb’s mom was found, disorganized or catatonic behavior possibly could have been a indicator to someone to call for help, which likely is what led to her full psychological evaluation in the first place.

A5. Negative symptoms - I would say that Miss Nichols certainly experienced a marked decrease in her motivation to be a mother or to feel any sort of emotional attachment right around the time she disappeared on Caleb.

Caleb's mom meets the requirement for having at least 2 of the 5 possible symptoms looked at under Section A.

B. There’s so much medical jargon here to cut through it made my brain hurt, but it basically means did the subject’s performance in work, school, personal care, or relationships with friends or family members decline while they were experiencing a schizophrenic episode? For Caleb’s mom, I’m gonna guess the answer to this was YES.

C. Continuing on from before, Caleb’s mom was missing for 6 whole months and upon being located, was sent to an institution to be treated medically.

D. I’m gonna assume that these were ruled out just as it says, so yes, Miss Nichols would meet the criteria.

E. We have no evidence pointing toward Caleb’s mom being an alcoholic, drug user, or on prescribed medication before she went missing and she does not appear to have any other medical conditions or genetic disorders, so she meets this requirement.

F. Basically means that back under section A, the patient has to be thoroughly evaluated to make sure their mental condition can’t be attributed to another condition instead. I think we can safely extrapolate that since Caleb’s mom was given a psych eval when she was located after being missing for 6 months, she was thoroughly checked to confirm that what she had was in fact schizophrenia and not anything else.

So clearly, Caleb’s mother meets all the requirements to be accurately diagnosed with schizophrenia. As for Caleb himself, he does not, which is about what I expected.

While he possibly meets 4 of a required 3 symptoms from section A under the ASPD list, we have still effectively ruled out the possibility of Caleb having ASPD because we can't prove that his issues started at or prior to the age of 15 years old. Meaning now we can take a look at his formal diagnosis of PTSD. The DSM-5 criteria for PTSD requires a lot more thorough investigation of contextual behaviors than ASPD, such as:

A. Exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence in one (or more) of the following ways:

Directly experiencing the traumatic event(s).

Witnessing, in person, the event(s) as it occurred to others.

Learning that the traumatic event(s) occurred to a close family member or close friend. In cases of actual or threatened death of a family member or friend, the event(s) must have been violent or accidental.

Experiencing repeated or extreme exposure to aversive details of the traumatic event(s) (e.g., first responders collecting human remains; police officers & social workers repeatedly exposed to graphic details of child abuse).

Note: Criterion A4 does not apply to exposure through electronic media, television, movies, or pictures, unless this exposure is work related.

B. Presence of one (or more) of the following intrusion symptoms associated with the traumatic event(s), beginning after the traumatic event(s) occurred:

Recurrent, involuntary, and intrusive distressing memories of the traumatic event(s).

Recurrent distressing dreams in which the content and/or affect of the dream are related to the traumatic event(s).

Dissociative reactions (e.g., flashbacks) in which the individual feels or acts as if the traumatic event(s) were recurring. (Such reactions may occur on a continuum, with the most extreme expression being a complete loss of awareness of present surroundings.)

Intense or prolonged psychological distress at exposure to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event(s).

Marked physiological reactions to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event(s).

C. Persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the traumatic event(s), beginning after the traumatic event(s) occurred, as evidenced by one or both of the following:

Avoidance of or efforts to avoid distressing memories, thoughts, or feelings about or closely associated with the traumatic event(s).

Avoidance of or efforts to avoid external reminders (people, places, conversations, activities, objects, situations) that arouse distressing memories, thoughts, or feelings about or closely associated with the traumatic event(s).

D. Negative alterations in cognitions and mood associated with the traumatic event(s), beginning or worsening after the traumatic event(s) occurred, as evidenced by two (or more) of the following:

Inability to remember an important aspect of the traumatic event(s) (typically due to dissociative amnesia, and not to other factors such as head injury, alcohol, or drugs).

Persistent and exaggerated negative beliefs or expectations about oneself, others, or the world (e.g., “I am bad,” “No one can be trusted,” “The world is completely dangerous,” “My whole nervous system is permanently ruined”).

Persistent, distorted cognitions about the cause or consequences of the traumatic event(s) that lead the individual to blame himself/herself or others.

Persistent negative emotional state (e.g., fear, horror, anger, guilt, or shame).

Markedly diminished interest or participation in significant activities.

Feelings of detachment or estrangement from others.

Persistent inability to experience positive emotions (e.g., inability to experience happiness, satisfaction, or loving feelings).

E. Marked alterations in arousal and reactivity associated with the traumatic event(s), beginning or worsening after the traumatic event(s) occurred, as evidenced by two (or more) of the following:

Irritable behavior and angry outbursts (with little or no provocation), typically expressed as verbal or physical aggression toward people or objects.

Reckless or self-destructive behavior.

Hypervigilance.

Exaggerated startle response.

Problems with concentration.

Sleep disturbance (e.g., difficulty falling or staying asleep or restless sleep).

F. Duration of the disturbance (Criteria B, C, D and E) is more than 1 month.

G. The disturbance causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

H. The disturbance is not attributable to the physiological effects of a substance (e.g., medication, alcohol) or another medical condition. Specify whether:

With dissociative symptoms: The individual’s symptoms meet the criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder, and in addition, in response to the stressor, the individual experiences persistent or recurrent symptoms of either of the following:

Depersonalization: Persistent or recurrent experiences of feeling detached from, and as if one were an outside observer of, one’s mental processes or body (e.g., feeling as though one were in a dream; feeling a sense of unreality of self or body or of time moving slowly).

Derealization: Persistent or recurrent experiences of unreality of surroundings (e.g., the world around the individual is experienced as unreal, dreamlike, distant, or distorted).

Note: To use this subtype, the dissociative symptoms must not be attributable to the physiological effects of a substance (e.g., blackouts, behavior during alcohol intoxication) or another medical condition (e.g., complex partial seizures).

In Section A, Caleb experiences 3 out of 4 ways one can be exposed to traumatic events.

Directly experiencing a traumatic event (Caleb being abandoned by his mother because of her mental illness, being a combat soldier, and later a victim of a bombing. Getting shot, and getting stabbed)

Witnessing a traumatic event in person as it happened to someone else (Witnessing his squadmates die, watching Francis bleed out with no way to help, watching countless people die)

Learning the traumatic event(s) happened to a close friend or family member. (Being informed that Francis was killed in military combat, and eventually discovering the truth that he killed Francis and was lied to)

He more than meets the minimum criteria, and at this point, maybe his diagnosis should be reclassified as Complex-PTSD, since it can no longer be traced back to just ONE traumatic experience.

On Section B, he only needed one symptom, but to preserve my sanity so I don't have to run a long list for the millionth time in a row, I think we can safely sum this up by saying Caleb experiences ALL of the symptoms.

Section C, it seems to depend on which traumatic event he's focused on the most, but yes, overall, Caleb makes an effort to avoid most things associated with his trauma triggers.

D. Aside from D1 because most of Caleb’s dissociative memories do stem from drugs designed specifically to distort certain aspects of his traumatic experiences, he does display the rest of them.

E. Let’s just say the answer to all of these is Yes. And that is why ASPD didn’t make sense, because those symptoms we discussed previously as they exist in Caleb are trauma-related, not part of a personality disorder.

F. This is most certainly true as we know Caleb was diagnosed with PTSD 9 years before the events of season 3, and in season 4 it has been 7 years since his last traumatic incident, which he hadn’t recovered from at all.

G. Has to be true, because clinically he was treated for PTSD due to it having a significant negative effect on his level of functioning.

H. No part of Caleb’s PTSD triggers are a result of substance use or an undetermined medical condition. We can check this off as it meets the criteria.

With dissociative symptoms, I think it could be argued that either or both subtypes - depersonalization and derealization - could be present at the same time or that they recur with the same frequency.

Almost like the writers knew what they were doing, Caleb 100% meets the criteria to be diagnosed with PTSD/C-PTSD. Now somebody should go give him a hug or something. I think he could use one.

[neerons]

Hi Neerons what do you think about Kai Soejima? Personally I hope to see more of him in future stories or it might be even nicer if he gets his own route hahaha that seems too impossible lol 😂

Hi anon!

I think he's very interesting, and I like that he and Kei seem to have this sort of opposite pattern between the moon/sun in either their character designs or personalities. Kai is also very brave and, without spoiling too much, I'm touched by what he did for Kei before in Blessed Lover. Despite their different upbringings, they seem to have shared the same burden and are wounded and haunted by the same past.

I didn't finish reading Blessed Lover yet so I don't know what his role will be at the end, but I hope to see more of him as well. He has more of a murderous intent towards Caleb compared to Kei, so I don't know how things will turn out between the brothers. I wish they lived in peace with each other after things are dealt with, but that's not an easy path to achieve and it might not be realistic nor what they want.

About him getting a route, I get what you mean. I myself wish I could read LI routes about some side characters I love (Takeru Momose from HLITF please Voltage and thank you) but I don't think they would do it for Kai, nor do I think it would be interesting for most readers to read him. There are actually multiple reasons why I think it wouldn't happen.

I think considering that Kai is inherently linked to Kei's route (at least for now), we might not see him in any other routes. It would be difficult in the writing process to create a new prologue and reason for MC to meet Kai in these conditions? And also, what would be the purpose of making a whole route about a character we already learned everything about in his brother's own route?

I guess that from a writer's PoV, it might not be interesting to write a whole route about a character that has already been explored through and through. There is nothing new to bring, nothing new to enhance. Just a new PoV about the same subjects (that they can already bring in Kei's route if they want).

I'm not saying it's impossible as it wouldn't take much for that to actually happen, but I think that if they ever did that with Kai, he would be treated in a worse way than the Boss. His route would be cut short because it would only interest the hard core fans of MK, the ones who are most interested in getting as many stories as they can to know more and more about every little aspect of the characters.

I think what they could do is create a side story dedicated to him and MC becoming lovers but maybe not a whole route

[icedmochasi]

that part about the gg's and caleb not being inherently nice is so true!!!

like there's this belief in the fandom that caleb is the Good Boy Supreme and that's where the gg's, and hunter, get their good nature from.

but they forget that caleb came from the same time period as philip and was taught the exact same thing. the difference between them is that caleb took the time to learn and love the isles while philip remained steadfast and refused to accept what he was doing was wrong.

also, it kind of cheapens hunter's arc and tragedy if that's the case? like, yes, he is fundamentally kind at his core and believed that what he was doing was right, but he didn't get that from caleb. if he did, it makes it feel like all the effort he made and risks he took to get to the good side feel worthless, because none of that was him.

and weakens just how insidious philip is. belos didn't kill the gg's over and over again in some battle between good and evil, it was a grieving and stubborn man leaving a trail of blood from the innocent and bastardous a like. he wasn't killing clones of caleb, he was killing individual people who had hopes and dreams and who genuinely loved him, and could have and would have and DID do EVERYTHING for him, but could never live up to his ever changing standards. too nice? that's caleb's fatal's flaw and his down fall. but too cruel? suddenly its about 'where's his compassion gone'?? they could never win.

I kind of see Caleb and the Golden Guards like father and child?

We all inherit traits from our parents, and the GGs inherited traits from Caleb. However, whether or not they choose to side with Belos, is totally up to them. Free will for life.

Now, we don't know exactly how Grimwalkers work, so any headcanon about them is just as valid as any other, but I tend to lean towards what you are saying, Anon!

I do think some GGs, like Darius' mentor, were killed because it came down to a battle of: "You are not going to kill the Witch I am attached to, there is beauty in this place,"

However, some of them were killed because they simply did not look enough like Caleb, did not act like him enough.

Caleb and Hunter being similar makes sense to me, Hunter has made mistakes that I believe would have gotten him killed if he did not look so much like Caleb. Other GGs that did not look like Caleb would have been killed for some of his "failures."

Again, the choice to side with Belos or not was totally up to Hunter.

[dent-de-leon]

Zerxus trusting there’s an inherent goodness in everyone, even in a Betrayer. A thousand years later, Caleb sees that same core of humanity in a warped, twisted, newly reborn god. With both Asmodeus and Lucien, there were moments when Zerxus and Caleb saw a spark of something, a familiar echo. They believed those glimpses of vulnerability they saw were real. 

Both of them fighting so hard to push their enemy towards redemption because this is not just another terrifying, vengeful god—it’s someone wearing the face of a loved one they lost.

Zerxus seeing his dead husband in Asmodeus, unable to see anything else. A golden face, a heart cut away. Caleb hating and mistrusting Lucien, but still going all the way to Cognouza just to save his friend—convinced that shard of Mollymauk is still in there, can still be reached. 

Zerxus never accepting that he’s lost Evandran for good, always believing that they’ll see each other again. Caleb burying Mollymauk with a letter, telling him to come and find them. Keeping a spare room ready for Molly in the tower. Holding onto his one chance at a resurrection spell. 

Their faith is immeasurable. It’s looking at a being that’s otherworldly and godly, that has been so twisted and corrupted, that claims no mortal can ever hope to comprehend them, could ever dare to stand against them. Facing that, and still seeing an intrinsically human, mortal heart. Someone who could still be offered a chance at redemption. “Why did we come this far, if not for this?...If he is still--twisted--he will be alone. And we will be able to handle him. But what if...? Why did we go so far and fight so hard? We would do this for any one of us.” 

Zerxus, in all his sincerity, reaching for the Lord of the Hells and telling him, “We are your children.” Everything in Asmodeus recoiling in scathing hatred from Zerxus’ love, his forgiveness, the absolute gall of this mortal to dare and see something in him he refuses to acknowledge. “You have referred to yourself and your fellow mortals as our children. You are not our children. You are...a bad first draft.” 

Lucien’s monstrous form lashing out when he hears Caleb call for him, stare him down and say, “Mollymauk Tealeaf.” All nine eyes glowering down at this wizard even as he flinches at the words, at that shard of truth, “Something twitches inside Lucien as the head that previously was looking through you, for once the beams, all eyes, go towards you.” Lucien sneering down at him with the contempt of a towering god, “No, child.” 

Zerxus and Caleb, two people who have found faith in something other than the gods, who have lost and grieved so much, and just want to protect the people they love. Bargaining, begging, pleading for someone to return to them--even as they are struck down without remorse. “This is not who you are, this is not who you are! You’re not this! How have you forgotten?” “You arrogant bastard! You died to save these people! You’re not going to kill them now.”

Zerxus’ whole philosophy, at the end of all things, is still, “But he knows salvation and redemption is there for everyone, and it pulls him right back,” even as he is consumed by Asmodeus’ flames. 

And then there’s Caleb, who believed so strongly in Molly--in all of his family--who looked at Mollymauk once and said, “I believe in second starts.” Even though he believes he himself is already doomed, “I drop down [to Molly’s grave] too and say, ‘I’m going to hell anyway.’” He still refuses to give up on Mollymauk, still believes there is more time, hope, a path towards salvation. “Please don’t give up, you can still find your own life again. There will be time for that later.”

Zerxus’ sympathy for the devil, the pain he saw in an immortal being who knew only raw burning anger, this unbridled hatred--“You hate everything so purely. Oh, you poor thing...Look at how much you hate yourself”--the biggest gamble he ever took, his unconditional love and acceptance...it didn’t work then, not on Asmodeus, not when he was so far gone for far too long. 

But centuries from now, a thousand years from now, a newborn godling consumed by wrath and power will try to bring ruin to Exandria all over again. And at his core will be a heart, a shattered shard of a soul, caged and screaming out and clinging to this world by sheer force of will to save the people he loves. And when Caleb and the rest of the Nein reach out for him, he reaches back. And that trust, that belief in a person’s heart and soul and second starts--it will always mean something. 

[vethbrenatto]

What is your opinion on this discourse/discussion on how Sam is playing FCG? Some of the talks I have seen just seems like they just don’t like Sam and want an excuse to shit on him. And some have actual valid criticism.

I'll give this a go, but just prefacing that I'm sure I haven't seen all the discussions, so I can only comment on what I've happened to scroll past. If you have something specifically you'd want me to touch on, let me know, but my here's my general response:

As I've mentioned, I'm not particularly drawn to FCG as a character in comparison to other characters Sam has played, at least so far, but I have still genuinely enjoyed FCG.

I've seen some dissection of mechanics and its intersection with roleplay and I responded a bit to that here. I've also seen doubt that Sam can play a good healer, which I think is premature to say. I have full faith in Sam to play a healer just as good as anyone else in the cast could. I don't think Sam is some sort of D&D god that is The Best Strategist and Player in the cast, but I think he understands the game and plays it well and always has some really fun, gagworthy moments playing it, like Veth's Phantasmal Force in the Lucien+Tombtakers Battle. Particularly, I think he excels in spellcasting and using spells at the right time.

And look, I'd say I'm a lot like Sam in my level of D&D knowledge. He seems like the type of person who learns via experience and observation- that is, he knows a good deal about classes he's played and he's watched his friends play, but probably hasn't read the PHB front to back (and I doubt he's the only one, I'd be surprised if Ashley had, and then on the other hand, I'm positive Liam has.). And I'm the same! I'm not an encyclopedia for D&D spells, classes, and races- I know what I've played and what I've watched others play and I don't think you need to be a walking encyclopedia of D&D knowledge to play the game well. So, I have faith in Sam to play cleric just as well as anyone else.

The major discussion I've seen, though, isn't actually a new one to CR, it's just new to FCG. And that is: The conceit of a character who fancies themselves a therapist. I get why that's polarizing. If not being professionally treated, people in everyday contexts by their friends, generally should not be therapized. But there's the rub- the highly negative critiques fail to take into account player intention.

As I said, this isn't new! In fact, this is ridiculously similar to the main critique people had with Caduceus's character- that he therapized his friends and thought he knew better than them. I'm not sure if Taliesin ever commented on this as I didn't watch Talks regularly until late, late campaign, but my guess from watching Taliesin as a player is that it was intentional. That that was an intentional character flaw that Caduceus had- an inherent superiority complex where he thought he knew the psyches of his friends better than they did. Taliesin weaves complex characters, and Caduceus was similarly complex. He wasn't a two-dimensional tea-drinking hippie.

Now, Caduceus frustrated people at times because of this. But I think he was meant to? The same way any character has character flaws. Keyleth's rigid morality, Vex's greed, Percy's also-superior-but-different superiority complex, Caleb's guilt- I could go on. And it's the same with FCG, and I'd argue, more clearly than Caduceus that this is a character flaw. FCG is a non-human character trying to understand human emotion with a core function to "help others" and they think they can reach that goal by therapizing them- therapy, which will in theory, ease their souls, will bring people to a "happy" state they should be in, in FCG's mind. They’re copy-paste recommending strategies out of a psychology textbooks. I don't think it's supposed to be good therapy and I don't think Sam (or Taliesin, back when Caduceus was doing it) is endorsing the behavior as "good." I think it's a character flaw, an intentional flaw.

So, then it comes down to being uncomfortable with the concept of using therapizing friends as a character flaw. And if that makes you uncomfortable, that's completely valid. I don't think there's anything wrong with it, personally, Critical Role has always played through vast arrays of theming containing heavy content at times. C2 has deep dives into mental health and trauma with certain characters. If it's something that makes you uncomfortable, FCG's narrative simply may not be for you. That doesn't make it wrong, though.

Overall, I haven't seen anything outright shitting on Sam, at least pertaining to FCG. I do weirdly get a non-zero amount of tags on some of my gifsets some times that feel the need to preface "I don't like Sam, but..." which. Maybe just don't do that, guys. I think there are certainly people who don't like his playstyle, and you know what, that's just the way it is. Playstyles can be polarizing. Liam, who is one of my favorite cast members and plays one of my favorite CR characters ever (Caleb) has certain roleplay quirks that make me want to tear my hair out.

I personally don't feel the need to document in posts the specifics of player things that I don't like, I'd much rather comment on the things I do, but that's a personal preference. If people want to use their blogs to say why can't stand that Player X roleplays like Y, they're in their right to do so and as long as they're tagging properly, they're not bothering me, so that's just the way of the wind.

Despite not having seen posts like you seem to be referencing, I do totally understand what you mean, anon. So much so that I went on about it for too long and it really became tangential to FCG, so I’m putting that rant under the cut if anyone wants to read it.***

Like I said, if there's something in specific you'd want me to discuss, lmk in my inbox, but those are the two main critiques I've seen with FCG: the core conceipt of the character and Sam as a mechanical player.

***I think in general that phenomenon of “wanting an excuse” comes down to people being extremely reluctant to just dislike things.

Relating it back to the concept of ship wars, we often get this dynamic of a person liking Ship A, and because they like Ship A, not caring for Ship B. And what started as I like Ship A because they’re cute and I like the dynamic for XYZ reasons, whereas I don’t like ship B for HJK reasons turns weirdly moral into I am right to like Ship A, and you are wrong to like Ship B, because actually Ship A is morally or ethically superior to Ship B. People stop wanting to relate it to personal preference and turn it into right and wrong.

I think this is sort of a toned down version of that in terms of player styles. It stops being (using fake names) “I like Jeffrey because I prefer dramatic roleplay styles and Jeffrey excels in that” and “I don’t like Corey because Corey tends toward a comedic roleplay styles and I feel that offputs the dramatic tension of the story” and instead becomes “I am right that Jeffrey is a better/good player because...” and “Corey is a bad player because...” which tends just not to be true unless Corey is doing something D&D egregious like shouting over all his fellow RP-ers or refusing to follow the narrative set up by the DM at all. 

And I’ve seen those types of comments with a variety of the CR cast, but probably most frequently with Marisha, Liam, and Sam. People just feel extremely uncomfortable expressing dislike without qualification, justification, or being validated by others about their dislike. 

This is very much not limited to actual plays, this is a tumblr-wide phenomenon I have noticed and commented on for years. One of my favorite ever posts for this fandom in particular (and I can’t remember who made it) was someone responding to an ask about whether they liked Dimension 20 and they just said, essentially, it’s too jokey for my tastes and I find it too short to get invested (aka they prefer epics, like CR). And that was it. No “Dimension 20 is bad because” or more likely to be seen, “Critical Role is better because...” but just. Here’s a thing that is not for me, and it doesn’t align with my tastes. I prefer Thing B because it aligns with my tastes. The End. 

[primrose-path-of-dalliance]

i’m really worried about caleb.

like, first off? liam broke character early in the episode to say aloud, “caleb’s not having a good time, guys.” that rang alarms in my head immediately. liam doesn’t just tell the rest of the cast how his character is feeling in the moment. no one in the cast does that. they roleplay it, because the fun is in acting out your character’s behavior so someone gets the opportunity to notice it.

the fact that liam was roleplaying distress and panic and immense guilt, even throughout reassurance, before getting the actor’s equivalent of grasping for words before just saying outright: “caleb’s not having a good time”?

shit.

to unfortunately add on further, there’s a core to caleb’s self-harm and self-hate that can essentially be summed up as: he dehumanizes himself. he very rarely expresses his feelings or emotions with the expectation that they have inherent value. when he presents an idea that holds emotional significance for him, like possibly reaching out to astrid and eadwulf for help in eiselcross, he couches it in abstract excuses. it would be useful. it would be helpful. it would be smart. it would make a good plan.

that is his approach to himself. he can’t express that he wants to do something because he feels like it—because his feelings aren’t worth shit. the only thing he’s worth is how useful he is.

so—he wakes up sane in the vergessen sanatorium and decides that he’s only going to live to travel through time and prevent his parents from dying. there is no happiness for him, no future waiting for him, and no real atonement. there is only how he can put his magical talent to use in figuring out the impossible.

so—he becomes part of the mighty nein. he’s a team player now. he learns spells to help his friends. he casts them to help his friends. he trades favors for favors: with beau in hupperdook, with fjord in dashilla’s lair. the only way he will get help and concern, after all, is if he is useful.

this same perspective surfaced in this last episode when caleb suggested trading himself for everyone else’s safety. because his worth is in how useful he is—and right now he’s endangering them, and they could go free if he offers himself to ikithon.

and no one contradicted him.

on how useful his sacrifice would be, sure. if he left, they wouldn’t be able to teleport anywhere. if he left, he wouldn’t be able to help them against the tomb takers and the eyes of nine. but on his inherent value as a person, someone who is suggesting being given to his abuser? nope. no mention of that.

on the beach, when they were inspecting the crystals stolen from the sanatorium, veth implicitly asked caleb whether he would put them back in his arms if they made his magic more powerful.

caleb said no, because he has so much trauma around those goddamn crystals that he regularly scratches at the scars covering his arms.

and no one else offered an agreement with that sentiment.

do you know what one of the most moving scenes for caleb and his character growth was tied to? when he finally lays out all of his past for the entire mighty nein in a shitty inn room in episode 110, he expects to be judged. he expects rejection—from jester most of all.

and her first move is to hug him and say: “you must have been so sad, caleb. i’m sorry you felt like you had to hide that.”

he breaks down at this, hard. because caleb had not ever acknowledged his own emotions from what he’s gone through as valid. he had never allowed the simple mercy of recognizing himself as a person: not just someone who committed terrible crimes, but a child. a child who was abused by a much older, powerful man, and whose beloved parents were murdered.

so—when he expects to be judged by the abstract concepts of morality, of right and wrong, of the horror of patricide? he is instead recognized as a person who has been struggling and in pain. he receives an apology for the fact that he did not feel safe around them.

the same kind of uncomprehending, overwhelming emotion appears on his face when jester responds to his apology for keeping secrets with: “we lie. we lie about things all the time to protect other people. sometimes to protect ourselves. i don’t blame you for that.”

rather than taking offense at having something this important hidden from her by caleb, jester instead validates his fears and concerns. it doesn’t matter if hiding what he did was inconvenient to her or dishonest—he felt afraid. and she doesn’t blame him for acting in ‘selfishness’ and fear.

the first time he truly got angry about what was done to him was two episodes ago. one day ago in in-game time.

so yeah, i’m worried for caleb. because he’s in a terrible place, and no one has gotten to tell him yet that they care about him as a person. that no, they don’t judge him for how violent he got at the sanatorium when he personally suffered at that institution. that no, they would never trade him to ikithon for safety because ikithon was his abuser, and he is not getting hurt again. that no, they would never ask him to retraumatize himself in order to be useful.

this episode was extremely chaotic and stressful, so i don’t blame anyone. i just really hope they find the time in the next episode or so to tell caleb how much they love him.

(EDIT 3/10: please look in the notes for my additional commentary.)

[dannilea]

Sometimes I wonder what would the Jedi Order of the Republic think of the surviving Jedi after Order 66. Fundamentally they’re still Jedi, still believe in the core beliefs of the Order they were raised in (well, some of them. Not all hold onto those teaching but I’ll get there) but they’re not just Jedi anymore.

They’re survivors.

Survivors of the Clone Wars and the Purge and the relentless hunt of the Inquisitors and Darth Vader. And so many of them are Padawans. Apprentices who were no longer considered children by the standards of the Order, but who were children none the less.

They were children who were betrayed by the soldiers they led and trusted, and who watch their parents die.

(The Jedi Order cautioned against connections, felt then too dangerous. Considered the training bond between Master and Padawan a necessary evil but anyone who took on a Padawan knew it meant becoming a parent. The Knights and Masters didn’t just train their Padawans - they raised them and loved them as children and siblings and when the Republic fell and the Empire rose they fought and died for those children)

What would the Jedi High Council think of these Padawans now, who had hidden their lightsabers and abandoned everything that identified them as a Jedi. Who ties to hide even from the Force itself.

What would they think of Ahsoka Tano, who walked away from the Order when they betrayed her trust and made her feel as if the only home she’d known did not want her, who when the Order fell continued the fight. Ahsoka Tano who helped shape the fledgling Rebel Alliance and stood firm in fight against the Dark.

What would they think of Caleb Dume, who became Kanan Jarrus? Kanan who roamed from place place just to survive, acting like he only cared for himself but fooled no one. Who met Hera Syndulla and fell and love joined her crew and built a family and tried to pass on what he felt were the best parts of the Order to Ezra Bridger. Kanan Jarrus who gave his life to save the galaxy (his family).

What would they think of Ezra Bridger, who grew up on the streets, alone and afraid and angry but mostly hurt and lonely. Ezra Bridger who never truly stopped believing in inherent goodness of people even as he scoffed at the thought of helping strangers for nothing. Ezra Bridger who struggled with Light and Dark and found himself somewhere in between as he learned to reconnect to the world and people around him.

What would they think of Cal Kestis, who’s trauma ran so deep it almost severed his connection to the Force. Cal Kestis, who had a rare and powerful (and dangerous, the masters said) ability to connect with the past. Cal, who had to face the memories and trauma of his past and accept it, who found a purpose in defending others from the Empire as he learned to trust again. (Who sacrificed his dream of restoring the Order to protect the force sensitive children of the galaxy from the Empire). Who trusted a fallen Jedi Master, a Nightsister Of Dathomir, and a gambler and called them family.

What of Cere Junda and Trilla Suduri? Obi-Wan Kenobi? And the many many others that are out there?

What would they think of these Padawans and Knights who became Survivors foremost and Jedi second?

[discount-ripley]

I'm just going feral thinking about that Caleb quote from Critical Role, "These people changed me. These people can change you. You were not born with venom in your veins. You learned it. You learned it. You have a rare opportunity here, Thelyss. One chance to save yourself, and we are offering it."

The fucking, the "you were not born with venom in your veins. You learned it. You learned it." Legit. Comforts me. That shit slaps. That shit is true, and so fucking true for trauma survivors in particular. Going through trauma can leave you with enormous feelings of self hatred, to the point that one of your core beliefs can be 'I am not a good person'.

This. This fucking quote sums up so much. You did nor have this venom in you always, you learned it from somewhere, you learned it somehow, you learned it. You learned it. You are not inherently a monster, you are a person, and you were not born with venom in your veins.

It doesnt matter if the venom of self hatred came from bullying, if it came from a survivor tactic, guilt tripping, gaslighting, unfair power, abuse, or anything else. It is learned.

That goes for trauma survivors who are angry, or self destructive, or destructive in general. It goes for all of them. You learned this venom. The venom is a metaphor- whether that venom drives you to pits of self hatred you didnt know existed, or to scream and punch and kick, or to fight until nothing is left, you learned it.

And fuck, in the context of that scene? The power of one traumatized man saying to someone who he could've easily written off as 'evil and awful and disguting' that Essek is not that, or that if he is, its learned? Fuck. Yes. That slaps. Saying that Essek didnt account for good people in his life, didnt account for change- it's so good. Because you dont account for those things. You dont plan for them. And in the context of this scene, the words about venom are amazing and beautiful, because really, they could've written Essek off as another villain, but they didnt. They told him, 'no. Come with us. Unlearn that venom. Replace it with something else, something better.' UGH.

I'm just. Feral over this quote.

[c-is-for-circinate]

ragingratbastard replied to your post: I still have a LOT of things to say about the Iron...

I do think a lot about how even after a year Clay still feels like a newbie and how none of his ties to the nein are particularly strong, especially in comparison to Molly who knew them for a much shorter amount of time but had stilled established amazingly strong relationships with each member of the nein before his passing, it just makes me real sad in a way

It makes me sad, too!  Also, it’s fascinating, which of course makes me terribly happy, so it’s really just a very confusing position to be in all around.

I think a lot of what it comes down to is...so much of what bound the Mighty Nein from the beginning is the feeling that none of them, not a single one of them, actually have anywhere else to go.  Any homes they ever had between them are lost, and they don’t have a whole lot of options besides each other.  There’s a desperate codependency inherent to the whole group.  They need each other.  It’s the only alternative to being entirely alone.

They also understand each other, because everybody who started out in the M9 can recognize that feeling of being lost and adrift from personal experience.  They can all empathize with loneliness and doubt, with self-recrimination.  Having literally nowhere on the planet to call home hurts.  When the Nein found each other as a new family, they found other people who knew that exact same hurt from the inside.

Except for Caduceus.  Caduceus is so sure he still has a place waiting for him at the end of this adventure.  He doesn’t need these people to echo or comfort his core loneliness, to be his new family, because he still believes he has one out there somewhere.  These people are his friends and coworkers.  He needs them to fix his home, not to become his home.

It’s such a contrast to Nott, who’s recently been faced with the possibility that she could maybe someday get her old home back after all, and is straight-up melting down over it.  It’s so unlike Jester, who went back to Nicodranas and then left again, Fjord who spent two months out at sea and then rode inland away from it as fast as he could.  Yasha and Caleb are terrified of running back into their old lives.  Beau’s refused her family and keeps ducking the Cobalt Soul at every opportunity.  But Caduceus still has the hope of returning in his heart, and he’s still using the tools and the rules that surrounded him his whole life.

I’m not sure this can change, unless Caduceus is somehow pushed to the point of needing the group emotionally for something his family cannot fulfil.  Finding out his whole family is dead would probably do it, but that honestly feels too boring for me to expect Matt to go there.  We did that with Percy.  What would it take, then, for Caduceus to face things or need things he has no faith in his old family to ever again provide?  Maybe he needs to see too much and experience too much and change.  Maybe he’ll dig in his heels against changing and finally find his siblings out in the great wide world, and discover that they’ve changed, that they’ve turned away even as he was trying to save things for them.  I’d be super into that.

Of course, if the group picked up another New Guy, well, he’d be the Old Guy then.  Depending on the new New Guy’s issues, the fabric of the group would change all over again.  The main core of group bonding would eventually be different, and Caduceus would help write this new one.  It wouldn’t need to be based on codependance and having no other options then.

(I vote against that option on every possible level, of course--but it would be hella interesting.)

[princess-of-france]

Hi! I'll ask the same for you: Multiples of 5 for Edmund, please! Here's to our Gloucester boys :) Thank you!

Oh boy, oh boy, it’s my favorite god of hell. Thanks, friend! :)

I’m going to use Edmund as he exists in the L.E.A.R. universe, because that’s the version of him I know best. Hope that’s okay! xx

5. Cleanliness habits (personal, workspace, etc.)?

While he’s not the type the whip out the Windex or the pull out a vacuum at the drop of a hat, Edmund is an abnormally tidy 27-year-old man. His natural instincts for strategy, secrecy, and careful preparation have endowed him with a keen sense of organization (both in his head and in the places where he lives and works). Obviously, his father’s law office has its own set of cleaners and he can pay for housekeeping whenever he likes, but the basic arrangement of all his belongings is always the same, and always neatly coordinated. 

Another way of saying this is that the only messy thing in Edmund’s life is his heart. Loving people renders them uncategorizable, which is why he fights so hard against it. Kessa, Edgar, Cordelia… He cannot file these people away in his mind. They are the mess.

10. Neuroses? Do they recognize them as such?

Edmund has the irrevocable urge always to be the smartest person in the room, which is possibly a neurosis and possibly just a sign of colossal ego. (And he usually gets what he wants in this regard, because the twat has an IQ of like 180. Only one other person in his life can give him a run for his money, intellectually, and she hates his guts.)

15. Biggest and smallest short term goal?

I’m going to answer this question for Edmund at the beginning of the play:

Smallest short-term goal: to ingratiate himself with all the Anglia board members at Goneril’s engagement party.

Biggest short-term goal: to convince his father, Caleb Gloucester, to leave him Anglia as a client in Caleb’s still-unfinished Last Will and Testament.

20. Childhood illnesses? Any interesting stories behind them?

No major illnesses beyond the ones that most (vaccinated) children experience. But I’m sure he’s given UTIs to at least a dozen women since the age of 16.

25. How do they see themselves 5 years from today?

At the top. 

Whether he’s serving on the board of Anglia, or serving as Anglia’s chief legal counsel, or serving as husband to a divorced/widowed Goneril (CEO) or Regan (CMO), or serving as Lear’s interim replacement while the patriarch is in the hospital…it really doesn’t matter to Edmund what role he takes, so long as it belongs to him and him alone. He just wants the power, glory, money, and fame that has lain at Edgar’s feet since the day he was born. Within 5 years, Edmund feels he should be able to con himself into a position at the head of the Anglia Corp. food chain.

Except, he thinks sometimes, lying in bed with his hands over his face and the memory of fresh violets in his nose, he might be willing to give up on all of that if she wasn’t so determined to give away her inheritance…

30. Reaction to sudden intrapersonal disaster (e.g. a close family member suddenly dies)?

This is a bit of a spoiler, but I doubt anyone will care (especially since I’m writing a prequel): when Kessa commits suicide, Edmund really does go off the deep end. It honestly breaks my heart just thinking about it. His mother was the only person in the entire world who always loved Edmund unconditionally, who put him first, believed in his worth, championed him in the face of overwhelming antagonism, fought for his rights as a natural son of Caleb Gloucester, and made it her mission in life to ensure his happiness. Her depression was the kind of obstacle Edmund always thought she could overcome, since Kessa was pretty much the strongest woman who ever lived, and it absolutely destroys him when he realizes there are some battles even goddesses cannot win.

He weeps when he gets the call. It is the one and only time he sheds any tears in my play, and he does it in front of Cordelia, who holds him as tightly as Kent held her when Marianne died, all those years ago.

The next time Edmund will cry is when Lear enters at the end of Shakespeare’s play, carrying the corpse of a hanged girl.

35. What activities do they enjoy, but consider to be a waste of time?

Golf. To this day, Edmund doesn’t understand why businessmen are so obsessed with chatting idly about multimillion-dollar deals over 4+ hour rounds of golf. There’s nothing inherently wrong with playing the sport, of course, but using it as a backdrop for business that could be completed in 15 minutes in an office is beyond him. It’s just such a complete waste of time??

40. Would you say that they have a superiority-complex? Inferiority-complex? Neither?

I think Edmund is in the worst position of all: he has both.

His genius-level intelligence, natural good looks, inborn ability to charm women, and male privilege have definitely given him an unbearable superiority complex which Cordelia has made it her mission in life to puncture like a balloon.

On the other hand, Edmund also secretly suffers from an acute, infuriating sense of inferiority that just will not be scoured away by either money or success. His mixed race identity (in an overwhelmingly white world of blue-blooded New York business); his tawdry family history (as the bastard son of an ex-stripper); and the fact that Caleb obviously favors his legitimate son, Edgar, both emotionally and occupationally…all these things make it very difficult for Edmund to value himself as highly as he wants to.

I think a large part of his superiority complex is overcompensation for these feelings of inadequacy, as well as righteous anger than he has been made to feel inadequate about them in the first place.

45. Superstitions or views on the occult?

God is dead. God has always been dead. There is no such thing as fate or divine justice or cosmic intervention. Humans have free will and are inherently self-interested. There is no such thing as good or evil, only people who are brave enough to reach for what they want and people foolish enough to try to bat their hands away. The stars are cold. The universe doesn’t care. We are always, always alone.

50. Is this person afraid of dying? Why or why not?

I don’t think death scares Edmund one bit. Everyone dies, at one time or another. Even Kessa’s unexpected demise doesn’t make him “afraid” of death; it just makes him catastrophically angry and sad. 

What does frighten Edmund to his core is the idea of dying BEFORE he has time to ascend to the zenith of power to which he feels entitled. Succumbing to death before he takes his place at the top of the world scares Edmund shitless, especially in light of his mother’s passing, because it would mean Kessa’s entire life had been for nothing. Worse still, it would mean his own life had been for nothing. If he’s not fighting, tooth and nail, every day, for the inheritance that he deserves so much more than his cocky, careless, lovesick older brother, then what is he going to have to show for himself when he’s his father’s age? How is he supposed to be content living the rest of his life within spitting distance of socioeconomic domination and never owning even a piece of it?

And then there’s fucking Cordelia, who has that entire legacy lying stagnant in a dusty bank account, just waiting for her 25th birthday so that she can give it all away to charity. If she would just change her mind…if she would just consider being Lear’s daughter for one single solitary second…if she could just try to envision a world in which she actually kept what the stupid universe has hurled at her doorstep…he would — damn her soul to hell — marry her tomorrow.

But then again, a cruel voice tells him softly, if Cordelia was the kind of woman to take the money, you wouldn’t want her half as much as you do. 

Edmund was born to want the thing he cannot have. And she was born to be it. 

[chemicalperfume]

All That Takarazuka: Sagiri Seina x Towaki Sea Cross Talk

A couple of months ago, @chevalierene requested a translation of this interview (and very graciously provided materials for it to be made possible.) Read more below for some warm discussion between Chigi and Hitoko about “Caleb Hunt, Private Eye”, and the special system that is shinjin kouen. I also translated a small section at the end, with the reporter’s description/impressions of the leads of each 2016 shinjin kouen (from Shakespeare to One Samurai From Kagoshima).

Special thanks to @animaniacal for beta-reading and puzzling over English with me. <3

Snow Troupe Show Special Talk: Top Star x Shinjin Kouen Lead

A shinjin kouen is a regular show as performed by young actresses who have been with the Revue for seven years or less. In particular, the young actress who plays the lead, the same role as the Top Star, receives special attention. We spoke with the Snow Troupe Top Star, Sagiri Seina, and shinjin kouen lead, Towaki Sea, about “Caleb Hunt, Private Eye”, then we looked back on the up-and-coming actresses who starred in each troupe’s 2016 shinjin kouen performances.

-- What kind of man is Caleb, in “Caleb Hunt, Private Eye”? Sagiri: He is a very straightforward man, with justice as his core, who always pursues what he believes in. Also, the way he does not waver out of concern for himself or his surroundings, and just faces the case straight on, is another part of that wholehearted determination to help the weak and those in trouble. Isn’t that right?

Towaki: Yes, I also believe he’s a very straightforward person.

Sagiri: While he’s a private detective, which is not a common setting, I think there must be people working in normal companies and independent businesses who are like him. Caleb’s sense of justice can resonate with everyone, after all. As a play, it is not just a “hardboiled” crime drama, there are some comedic elements, too. You can see that through Masatsuka Haruhiko’s direction, and I think the play constantly switches gears between the comedic and the serious aspects of solving a case.

--Masatsuka’s works are known for their natural dialogue and characteristic manly worldview; doesn’t this make it a highly difficult production, especially for a shinjin kouen?

Sagiri: It is essential that we maintain the pauses and tempo of natural, everyday conversation, even with dialogue that is merely there to move the story along. This is difficult even for me, with all my experience, so I think this role will be a big challenge for Hitoko (Towaki). She’ll need to bring the role into existence while standing on stage as an otokoyaku within a very minimal world, wearing a simple suit as if it’s her everyday clothes…. A really big challenge.

Towaki: Yes!

Sagiri: I’m looking forward to seeing how Hitoko will make this role her own.

Towaki: I always watch Chigi-san (Sagiri)’s rehearsals, but I’m also aware that I shouldn’t become too much like Chigi-san’s Caleb...

Sagiri: Yes, that’s it! It’s amazing that you’ve noticed that.

Towaki: *laughs* I think that is especially important with this kind of play.

Sagiri: Yeah. Even if you use me as reference, you need to play it like it’s an entirely different part.

Towaki: Yes. This will be my third shinjin kouen lead, so instead of just studying by observation, I have come to first think about the part on my own, and then watch how Chigi-san acts it out in rehearsals. Seeing Chigi-san’s acting really helps me figure out the parts I don’t understand by myself.

--Such a dilligent youngster we have here!

Sagiri: Ain’t that the truth!

Towaki: Absolutely no such thing!

Sagiri: Even that first time she played one of my roles, in the “Maeda Keiji” shinjin kouen, she thought about the role and her acting very deeply, and asked some very perceptive questions. Even some that made me go “I hadn’t thought of that!” and then made me reassess some things *laughs*. There have been many times she’s asked good questions, which I enjoy. Throughout my own shinjin kouen era I was in a frantic state, so I think Hitoko is really amazing.

Towaki: Not at all! However, “Lupin III” and “Rurouni Kenshin” didn’t have particularly strong romance elements, while in this play I have a lover for the first time, and there are kissing scenes; it’s packed with first-time experiences.

Sagiri: Can’t wait *laughs*

Towaki: Chigi-san’s gestures are incredibly natural and cool.

Sagiri: Eh, I don’t think I’ve shown you much of that *laugh*

Towaki: No, it is all very educational for me!

-- What is Towaki’s appeal as a stage actor?

Sagiri: While she has all the makings of an otokoyaku and a Takarasienne, she also has the humility to not rely too much on her natural talent, as well as the ability to think for herself. That said, if instead of overthinking and then freezing up, she could add to her other qualities the daring to just go for it, even if that takes her in a different direction than she’d intended, I believe she would rise even higher.

Towaki: Before I go out in front of people, I’m scared of freezing up, so I end up thinking too much. I always want to give it my all and do it properly, though.

Sagiri: Yeah, you can do it, but something inside you is holding back.

Towaki: I lack confidence……..

Sagiri: No one is confident. We don’t have confidence, that’s why we rehearse.

Towaki: I think I’m scared of not being able to do it. Even if the rehearsal room is where you’re supposed to mess up, I don’t want to be seen messing up.

Sagiri: You are still too protective of yourself, definitely *laughs*

Towaki: I’ll do my best!

--What can one gain from performing as a shinjin kouen lead?

Sagiri: An endless number of things. Personally, more than anything else, I think I realized that no one can go out on stage alone; that a play becomes possible when everyone’s strengths become one. You are given the privilege of standing in the middle, wearing the most beautiful outfit, and having the brightest spotlight shine on you. You are automatically made to stand out, so you must grow into someone who can rise to the occasion. That realisation has probably led to where I am today.

Towaki: During my first lead, I realised I couldn’t do it without the support of everyone around me. The second time, there was the dread of having to exceed the first, along with feeling that I must pull everyone forward, and so it didn’t go well and I stumbled. This third time, as one of the senior actresses in shinjin kouen, I would like to look over the play in its entirety and also get to show off being the “energy at the centre”.

--Snow Troupe has many rapidly maturing young actresses. What kind of performance are you aiming to get in your troupe’s newest production?

Sagiri: It’s been a while since we had a completely original play and revue combination; therefore, I would like for us to enjoy our material, make the audience discover new, charming points in all our performers, and want to follow the show’s entire run.

2016 Shinjin Kouen Playback

Performed only once in each theatre during a show’s run, the shinjin kouen is a place of diligent study for young talents. The lead actresses walk their first steps to stardom, as the future hope of each troupe.

Shakespeare: Rukaze Hikaru, Haruha Rara

Rukaze, who joined the Revue in 2012, was chosen to play her first lead in her 4th year. Her vivacious role-building, robust singing and stage presence that capitalises on her whole 174cm of height, all made a memorable impression. Her classmate, Haruha, was the heroine. With her lovely looks, she exhibited high suitability for the position. A fresh and striking combination.

Rurouni Kenshin: Towaki Sea, Irodori Michiru

The second lead for Towaki Sea, the hopeful who debuted in 2011. Thanks to also being given the part of the “shadow” of the protagonist, Kenshin, in the main production, her sword-fighting is now magnificent. Her originality in building the role and her emotional singing charmed audiences. The heroine was Irodori Michiru, also in her second lead role. In the main performance, she got to display her aptitude for acting in a boy’s role, which earned her favourable reviews.

Die Fledermaus: Shidou Ryuu, Maaya Kiho

A highly difficulty production, adapted from Johann Strauss II’s operetta, served as Shidou Ryuu (class of 2010)’s first lead. With earnest singing and youth as her main weapons, she displayed quite the stately stage presence. The role of the heroine went for the first time to Maaya. She lived up to her reputation as a true talent of outstanding vocal and acting skills.

ME AND MY GIRL: Yuunami Kei, Shiroki Mirei/ Ayaki Hikari, Oto Kurisu

This grand musical was split into Acts 1 and 2, and the pairs of Yuunami / Shiroki and Ayaki / Oto played the leads in each. Yuunami built her role as noble and straightforward, while Ayaki used her raw talent to act with a remarkable aura. Shiroki and Oto, who got to shine in the main show as well, are both certified talents. It turned out to be a very high-level performance.

NOBUNAGA: Akatsuki Chisei, Yukarino Koyuki

With her excellent dancing skills and robust vocals, Akatsuki Chisei got to play an active part in the main show as well; this was the third lead for the strapping young star, who joined in 2012. She broke new ground for herself playing an imposing Nobunaga, quite different from her own personality. Her classmate, Yukarino, served as the heroine for the first time. A musumeyaku of adorable countenance but inherent vocal skill and charisma, she enchanted audiences.

Elisabeth: Rukaze Hikaru, Hoshikaze Madoka

The one to lead the shinjin kouen for this Takarazuka staple, was, for the second time, Rukaze. The role of Der Tod demands strong vocal prowess, and with her powerful singing voice, she gave an enthusiastic performance. The heroine was Hoshikaze from the 2014 class. Since she was chosen for her first heroine role in 2015, she is a rapidly rising musumeyaku star. She also delivered a great performance in the main show as young Rudolf.

One Samurai From Kagoshima: Amahana Ema, Kozakura Honoka

A combi that each received their first lead roles, Amahana and Kozakura. Amahana joined the Revue in 2012. Even in a difficult nihonmono role, she managed to enchant audiences with her dynamic acting and beautiful guise in casual traditional wear. The lovely Kozakura, of the 2013 class, also displayed staunch acting and vocal skill. It was a passionate shinjin kouen overflowing with youthful energy.