#worldbuilding's great. concept's great. looks great. voice acting's great. plot is intriguing

[cowboyskeletons]

residents of concretta!

[dontgofarfromme]

What is critical role? I'd never heard of it before I started following you but I'm intrigued

Omg ok! Critical Role is, in a nutshell, a streamed Dungeons and Dragons campaign run by a bunch of voice actors. That concept sounded really really weird to me the first time I heard about it but! It's insanely addictive. Since it's a role play game and these are professional actors, what you're watching is basically an improvised fantasy story influenced by dice roles acted out live, and its AMAZING.

There have been two campaigns so far--the first has the players as characters in an adventuring party called Vox Machina, as they travel around the country of Tal'dorei and surrounding areas. There are 115 episodes.

PCs include: Angsty anime looking tinkerer with a tragic past; young, naive but wise young woman learning to become a leader; big strong dumb guy who's very soft inside, teeny MONSTAAAAAHH cleric who is light and sweetness and joy and will FUCK YOU UP IF YOU MESS WITH HER OR HER FAMILY; man of a thousand masks and a million charisma who is slowly learning how not to be a dick; sneaky impulsive self-sacrifical sad boy who is also into pranks and braiding his sister's hair and loving his friends to death; woman who covers all her feelings in 30 THOUSAND LAYERS OF WINKS AND BARTERING AND FLIRTING who also has a bear and loves flying; spoiled but under-loved rich kid with a giant automaton nanny-slash-scribe-slash-bodyguard

Important bad guys include: Vampires! Dragons! Asshole family members! Evil demigods! Doors!

Key themes, emotional arcs and moments include: Revenge! Self sacrifice! Hiding your feelings! Love as an extreme emotional risk but one worth taking! Becoming a leader!

The second campaign follows the adventuring party the Mighty Nein as they come together as a group and wander around the continent of Wildemount, starting in the Dwendalian Empire. Ongoing, currently 73 episodes.

PCs include: Stinky angsty fire man; Punchy, blunt, and secretly nerdy monk with a heart of gold; LEETLE BLOO TIEFLING who loves all things sweet and also pranks and also her god the Traveler he's her BEST FRIEND; sad buff goth woman with a tragic past who collects flowers and gently presses them into a book to save for sad reasons, EXTREMELY COLOURFUL TIEFLING who scored 100% in bullshitting class, insecure half-orc warlock reveling in his newfound abilities and EXTREMELY HESITANT about his newfound patron, little goblin who likes shiny things and also alchemy and stinky wizards; incredibly chill but passive aggressive pink-haired dead people-drinking cow man.

Important bad guys include: Slavers! Pirates? Their own mental health! Their own chaotic nature! Potentially two entire countries! The demigod version of an mutated circus clown/hyena combo!

Key themes, emotional arcs and moments include: Moving forward after doing terrible things! Learning to trust other people! Identity! Memory gaps! Becoming a better person!

My absolute favorite thing about both campaigns is the emphasis on family and friendships and friends-as-family and HOW FUCKING MUCH ALL THE CHARACTERS LOVE EACH OTHER and also how much the CAST loves each other because they have really great relationships with each other and that is also fun to watch. Because of the format theres a ton of time and emphasis on character, character arcs and character interaction, and maybe because of that all the relationships shown--ranging from romantic relationships to familial relationships or very close friendships, etc--are crazy well developed and wonderful to watch. If characters and their relationships are what tend to push you into watching things, you will definitely love this show. Not that the plot/worldbuilding is any worse. The DM insane the world is absolutely amazing.

The format isn't for everyone--the episodes are very long, around 4 hours on average on top of having a fuckton of episodes, and theres a lot of filler talk that can be fun but if you're easily distracted or bored might make watching it difficult. However if you're into long running fantasy book series, for instance (COSMEREcoughcough), youre probably already used to throwing ur soul into something way longer than any normal person would, and if you think you have the ability to get through something this long form, I'd highly recommend it. It's also in podcast form if you're like me and u wanna do something else while listening to stuff happen. If you don't think you'll ever be able to get through something that requires this much time and this much focus to watch, good news! CR had a fucking insane kickstarter this year where they raised enough money to produce an animated series, that they're currently working on--so sometime in the hopefully near future, an animated adaptation of one of the COOLEST arcs from CR1 is gonna be available. Probably a lot easier to watch than what is probably at least a solid month of gameplay.

Anyway this got way longer and probably contained more information than you really needed, but! I love this show so so so much and if u wanna hear more abt it plz feel free to ask bc I will talk abt it and never shut up if given the opportunity!!!

[critroleing]

How the Mighty Nein Play D&D:

Caleb:

Player:

Has read all of the sourcebooks and thus know them by heart. Still, surprisingly, does not comment on when someone uses a rule wrong. At least not out loud. Still has a tendency to make decisions for the group without asking first. Does not take notes. Will remember all the details anyway. Likes to play casters for the versatility. Big fan of druids especially, they’re hard with lots of different spells with tactical uses, and they have wildshapes. Does not like to talk a lot in roleplay, ‘cause he feels awkward, but if he does it turns out he’s pretty good at it.

DM:

As stated, knows all the rules. Plays by all the rules. Likes to do accents, but he’s bad at them all. Combat is slow and methodical. He can pause for a while in the middle of the enemies move and just think, but in the end he’s so good at the strategy that he has to lower the CR of his enemies to compensate. Has worldbuilding as a hobby, so by the time people are playing there’s an entire world with very intricate detailing to explore. Stories are very grounded in that finicky detail, like economics or business or strategy. Ever seen Spice and Wolf? (You should, it’s great.) It’s like that.

Beau:

Player:

Did not expect to get this invested. Now she’s up all night researching strats and optimisation guides. Most likely to multiclass. Enjoys playing offensive spellcasters for the tactics. Started off feeling dumb when roleplaying, but warmed up to it when everyone else started doing it. Never does an accent. Takes constant notes. Wants her nat 1’s to be described with as much loving detail as her nat 20’s. Flirts with every described sexy lady. Usually plays a sexy lady, sometimes a sexy enby. Once played a dude and had a hard time because on one hand she had to flirt with dudes ‘cause she is never in her life gonna play a straight character, but on the other hand: sexy ladies! From then on, if she plays a dude, he has to be bi.

DM:

Lots of combat. She has drawn battle maps and painted minis (with Jester) and has picked out clever combos of enemies for an interesting challenge. Also a lot of politicking. Not as much goofy voices as intrigue and spy games. Plans some great mysteries. Caleb’s pretty much the only one who can keep up with them because she packs them so full of small clues and hints that are easy to miss but integral to solve the puzzle. Will be disappointed when she finds out that characters the planned to be suave come off as creepy according to her players.

Nott:

Player:

Works hard at the roleplaying but doesn’t seem to get the hang of it. She has a good feel for her character but when someone tries to talk to her in character she freezes and stutters. Ends up preferring to talk in third person. Hoards dice. Very superstitious about them. Likes to play tanks so she can protect people. Sometimes she brings Luc and he can play a mascot critter l. Sometimes Yeza comes along and plays a healer. Nott will death glare the DM if they even come close to potential danger.

DM:

Has so many good ideas, and throws plot twists at you like you have no idea. Might come up with a plot twist in the middle of an arc and try to sneak the fact that it wasn’t always the plan past the group. Still very nervous for every session. Does not have a poker face. Picks favourites (mostly Caleb, sometimes Jester, maybe someone else too) and rewards them with special loot and more narrative attention (Caleb does not really like the attention, Jester really does). Sometimes Luc wants to play with them and she just can’t say no. That means an instant ban on cursing and some very easy fights. Sometimes Yeza brings snacks and gets roped into playing. He played when he was a kid, but hasn’t done it since then.

Molly:

Player:

Throws himself into roleplaying. Likes playing high charisma characters, especially bards and warlocks. Will seduce anything, especially since that means flirting with the DM. Most likely to pick up the Lucky feat since he likes saying fuck you to fate and deciding his rolls for himself. Second most likely to play a Halfling, after Nott, for the same reason.

DM:

Will seduce the player characters with every NPC. Most likely to wing a session. Has not read a single sourcebook. Also doesn’t know how the world works, so the world design might throw any players for a loop. Is this how politics work? Idk, it sounds fun anyway. Does not do any research and is proud of that fact.

Yasha:

Player:

Just glad to be here. Doesn’t speak a lot so the DM might get worried that she’s not enjoying herself, but when they talk to her afterwards they find that she’s been having a great time, she’s just more confortable with other parts of the game; like combat. Prefers fighters over casters, but is fine playing either a tank or a dpr, whatever makes her feel like she’s making a valuable contribution to the party.

DM:

All of her NPC’s have really standard “taken from a first name generator” names. Was really nervous for her first session, but found that DMing a game was a really nice way to make her friends happy, you can stick as close to or as far away from the rules as it suits you. That doesn’t mean she can’t bring out a real moody atmosphere or brutal boss fights when it counts.

On the flip side, might run a super fluffy game because expressing affection for people is so much easier through acts than words.

In general good at the “yes, and-“ game.

Caduceus:

Player:

Doesn’t really get the rules. What he does get however is characters. Not playing one, necessarily, he has a basic concept that he’s slowly working on fleshing out, but other people’s. He finds the roleplay between players absolutely fascinating, and sometimes forgets that he’s even playing ‘cause he’s so busy listening to everyone else.

Unsure of why all these numbers are necessary. Math? Dice? Why? He does think that how ever the dice rolls was the Correct outcome for the situation. Prefers not to play casters because remembering spells is a Lot and he’s a bit slow at reading and doesn’t want to make the whole group wait for him in combat. Probably likes Monk because it’s pretty easy but he still gets to have a high Wisdom.

DM:

Brings food. Brings candles. Brings music. Brings pillows and extra dice and tea for whoever wants. Has thought up deep characters that reflects parts of the soul and people he thinks relates to his players. This may just be therapy with dice. He does not know how to run combat. Would never fudge dice. A TPK is just fate, it was their time to go.

Fjord:

Player:

Has made the most badass character concept. Backstory reads like a checklist of interesting stuff the character’s done. Has an accent. Enjoys the roleplay, both with fellow players and the NPCs.

Enjoys getting out of his own low-self-esteem head and being useful and badass, which is why he might take low rolls badly sometimes. Likely to promote other people’s characters to do tasks because they’re good at them. Really enjoys the team-as-family aspect and group rapport. Plays a lot of Paladins because 1. They are naturally badass and heroic. 2. They get to fight and have magic. 3. He gets to fight in melee and still have his high charisma. He plays a lot of part-casters in general.

DM:

Accents, all of the accents. And mannerisms. Likely to use Mask of Many Faces to show you what a character looks like. Walks around when he talks, for full roleplay range. Plans setpieces and huge moments. All NPCs have recognizable quirks and a lot of personality. Generally likes very high concept and trope-y stories and characters.

Jester:

Player:

Gets really into her character concept. Most likely to react to things in real life with how her character would. Would try to romance other characters. Also enjoys the fighting, and especially describing her moves (gets -really- into the HDYWTDT). Would also be likely to derail the game with dirty jokes if she gets bored. Don’t put her next to Molly. Hoards dice because pretty. Nott steals dice from her so she steals them back. Don’t put her next to Nott either. Very versatile in class selection, enjoys both physically smashing face and magically smashing face. Her character concept don’t usually take into account what her class would be. Least likely to play a healer.

DM:

Do you want to act out a romance novel? All of the NPCs will be weird and quirky and probably pastiches of people she has seen at her mom’s place, but will be surprisingly deep if you press. She has painted minis for fighting and will get really into describing all of their awesome combat moves. Will put traps everywhere.

[headlineawards]

Giles Fiction Winners

Giles Fiction Awards

The Watcher Watch Award  [Best gen., Giles]

Winner - Jerusalem by DHW

“We fell in love with the rich detail and amazing world-building of this piece. An interesting twist was added by the fact that all this fantastical detail is given through the perspective of Rupert's father telling his skeptical son a story -- leaving room for the possibility that it's all made up (although we can never quite believe that). Rupert's father is a fascinating character and gives us intriguing hints at where Giles may have gotten some of his own personality traits. We also appreciated how well written young Rupert was, especially given that writing children is always tricky. And the subtle yet incredibly well-earned ending of the story was shear genius.”

Runner-up - Metamorphosis by sparrow2000 “This is a throwaway remark in canon spun out into a magical, lush, tense, and fearful moment that draws on ancient pagan archetypes. Giles is a much beloved character and his heroic nature can make it hard to write him as being flawed. But this story delicately hints at doing the right thing by uncomfortable means. With subtlety and skill, the writing hints at his past and what the heady rush of such huge magic could do to his pride and his own personality; putting him emotionally close to the addicted and power-mad Willow even though she’s only a looming presence. The poetic language appeals to all the senses and the brief flashes of what exists in Giles’s deepest subconscious do a better job of establishing an emotional continuity than canon did. There’s true mastery of language and of character here.”

The Twosome of Cuteness Award  [Best romance, Giles]

Winner - (we could have had) Another Story by 23Murasaki “This was a favorite story this year, period.  Oh man, it was cool.  The circular, many-lives aspect, how each chapter functioned as a stand-alone story, at the same time suggesting a larger, longer story, all related with motifs and emphasis coming back…  It was beautifully written.  We loved the way magic was handled.  We loved the character voices.  We loved the non-canon character details that felt so correct (Giles changing his accent to get rid of a stutter.  Ethan with a mysterious, complex, changing background…)  We could go on and on about this one!”

Runner-up - The Art of Tea by ljs “So very beautiful and sad.  It wears its complex worldbuilding very lightly.  We love that this is a story about rituals, which is a very specific, meaningful concept to these specific characters.  Even if you don’t ship Anya/Giles normally, this fic will have you convinced.  Wonderful characterization, especially of Anya. We love accountant Anya!”

The Good Squirm Award  [Best smut, Giles]

Winner -  Past Time by Sparrow2000

“More plot driven than pure lemony goodness, ‘Past Time’ is a deliciously dark look into our favorite Watcher’s state of mind directly leading up to the summoning of Eygon. Well-written and captivating, the author keeps you transfixed as you delve into Ripper’s mental and emotional state until the conclusion to commit the one act that haunts him for the rest of his life is almost foregone. Of course, the lemony goodness is very good 😉 with some references thrown in that will leave Giles and Spike fans alike grinning. Kudos and well done!”

Runner-up - The Clockwork Circuit of the Stars by Snickfic

“Absolutely fantastic! A fresh and beautifully written twist on the sex or die trope. The twist, of course, being very true to the Buffyverse that Giles and Faith do the do or the whole world dies! Beautiful and vivid imagery as well as a very believable reason for this uncommon pairing make this story a definite do not miss!!”

The Dark Age Award  [Best dark, Giles]

Winner - listen to your heart bleed (and I feel fine) by Annakovsky

“We loved the vivid language which so wonderfully captured the story's settings and themes. As darkfic, you couldn't get much darker, yet the author captured a certain kind of beauty as well. The Giles POV is wonderfully rich and on point right up until the heartrending ending.”

Runner-up - bless her soul by The_Eclectic_Bookworm

“This is an elegant, creepy little horror story that still manages to exist perfectly within the universe of Buffy. It puts a lot of knowledge, and a lot of world-building into making a clever premise – Jenny Calendar gets resurrected – feel like it could be canon. Great characterization across the board, especially with Giles and Jenny herself. It’s exciting, intense, a well-written character study, and will keep you scrolling all the way though.”

The Rather British Award  [Best characterization, Giles]

Winner - Gas-Ring Alchemy by Antennapedia “We loved the flustered young innocence of both Rupert and Ethan in this. Their dialogue is quick and smart, and they're both taking opportunities to show off, just a bit, just as you'd expect between the two of them. When Rupert’s professors hit him and chastised him for being imperfect, he said that the words hurt more than the fists. This seems super in-line with what we know of Giles. The first stirrings of questioning their authority is a perfect hint at later character developments: when he drops out of school as a young man, then when he stands against the Council to protect Buffy in ‘Helpless’. Overall, this is one of our favorite Giles stories, and the characterization very much hit the mark. We’ve adopted the fact that Rupert has a hot cocoa ritual into our personal canons about the character, and the author gave us that gift. Amazing work!”

Runner-up - (we could have had) Another Story by 23Murasaki “Imaginative facets of Giles as at various ages and various levels of Watcher-ness, all the roads that might have been, plus an it-could-be-my-new-canon ‘official’ version. Loved that there was both an innocent child and an evil version, and every one of them was still a vivid and believable Giles. All six snippets felt well-developed and complete, even though they were short. A fey Ethan is changeable and fascinating to Giles in different ways in each of the stories, in a way that showcases both of them well. Excellent exploration of Giles’ character.”

The You Were the One I Loved Award  [Fan favorite, Giles]

Winner - Jerusalem by DHW

Runner-up - Sands of Time by il_mio_capitano

[vivace-joyous]

The Umbrella Academy 1x01-03

okay, so I have been watching this new show cause y’all know I love me some group based narratives. And the premise feels very fun with lots of ways they can play around with it. It’s like Sense8 if Sense8 focused more on worldbuilding and constructing an overarching narrative to connect all the characters too. However, I find these two shows to be inverses of each other even though their premises are similar thematically. UA and S8 (how I will abbreviate them) seem to excel and stumble in a complementary fashion. Before I get too deep in what I mean, I should talk more about just the UA itself and my general impressions over the first 3 episodes.

OVERALL, it’s enjoyable. I feel like the world building and the over arching plot are the two main elements propelling me through the series. Which like... GOOD! That’s what is supposed to happen when watching a show. If you don’t like the story, watching the show feels like a task. But I am genuinely intrigued by the mystery of the show and what will happen next. Five: “The world will end in 8 days.” Vanya “I’ll put some coffee on then.” Solid way to end a pilot and leave me wanting more. Not just for the next episode, but that is a great way to kick off the first season. BOOM! The Hargreaves have to band together and stop the world end of the world. I just appreciate this because it gives a solid foundation for all other storylines to center around. It is something your brain can stay conscious of throughout each episode and I feel that is such a strong element and important element for a tv show to posses to be good. 

Continuing with the writing, I think so far the pace is decent and the writing is competent from episode to episode. The less important, character-driven storylines are given weight but never take too much focus from the main plot. The dialogue is passable. It doesn’t have a very distinct personality to itself though. If the character is not eccentric themselves, then they probably won’t ever say anything interesting. Which ugh ehh. I just wish the dialogue called more intention to itself because that way the writers could infuse more character moments in fun little quibs. However, it does its job so I can’t complain. 

But I will complain about the use of flashback in the show. The flashbacks feel more used to quickly establish something that is happening in the present day storyline than really be anything more than that. Which is.. like technically okay and the POINT of a flashback. But it is so cliche and I believe there are other, more unique ways to deliver information than just cutting to a flashback. Granted, I do love seeing then team as young teens fighting crime. That’s super cool and I wish the show showed more of that. Cause MY GOD does this show need some more ACTION scenes in it. 

I feel like my biggest problem in the first 3 episodes is that the action feels second to the drama and that totally needs to be reversed. I’m so sorry, but outside of whatever Five is doing, all the other individual character storylines are so fucking boring. I don’t care what any of them do when it doesn’t relate to the main plot. I think that’s why I like Diego’s character cause his whole thing is ABOUT the main plot. I mean, I feel like the show will deliver in terms of action. It’s clear that more insane elements will get thrown in and the filmmakers do like the demonstrate the special powers in fun ways. So I am excited to see what action scenes will come up. I just think overall the show needs more cause the melodrama kinda sorta makes the episodes drag. Like, why is Diego constantly in his fight clothes but he has only been in 2 fight scenes? And Five has like what 3 or 4 in just the first 3 episodes? 

And MY GOD DO I HATE HOW THIS SHOW IS SHOT!!!!!!!!!!!! UGH the cinematography is fucking crap. I hate how it is lit. I hate how the director decided to compose the shots. I hate how there appears to be this like.... haze fliter???? on everything??? Like every scene looks cloudy. It’s like supersaturated. I don’t like it cause 1) I feel it does not help the tone of the show. I feel like we shouldn’t take everything so seriously and have more fun with the premise. But this smoky haze filter makes everything more somber and I think it bumps with most of what actually happens on the show. And 2) it genuinely makes it harder to make out expressions in the actor’s faces. Ugh fire the DP. They are doing a terrible job. 

Let’s talk about the individual characters:

1) Luther. Hate him. Boring white man. Why is he “the leader of the family” after the dad has passed? Like he has not a single interesting aspect about himself. I am honestly so bored every time he talks. And it doesn’t help with the fact that the actor’s head is way too small for the illusion they are trying to create for the character. It’s like “Yeah, let’s put a stale ass, tiny ass white man head on this GIANT 7 foot muscle clad body. He just looks bizarre cause his face says “5′11″ and toned” but his body is that of a bodybuilder. I just wish they found an actor who is just massive like that already for the show. The ridiculous costume they have him in honestly takes me out of it for a bit. And it doesn’t help that they actor isn’t really trying to do anything with the character. Luther says lines. Luther is strong. That’s about it. I will say that despite him being “Number 1″ and “the leader of the family” the show hasn’t given him that much screen time and we still don’t know much about him at all. Which I really appreciate cause it is giving a lot of other (more interesting) characters necessary focus and thus makes getting through Luther scenes that much easier. I don’t know need to learn more about it. Just have him be strong in a corner. 

2) Diego. MY FUTURE HUSBAND!!!!!! HE IS SO BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!! I WILL SUCK THE SOUL OUT OF HIS DICK AND ASS HE IS SO FINE OMG yeah badass martial artist who throws knives and has a bit of an anger management problem. I am SMITTEN! I mean eww why the fuck does he have to be straight and keep hitting on that one detective. Honestly, ugh I hate that he is straight. It’s boring and unoriginal. It would have been neat for him to be asexual. He is good looking so people assume that he would be a lady killer. But he is WAY too obsessed with fighitng crime that he literally doesn’t pay attention to his own sexuality. But WAHTEVER! The queer character has to be the eccentric one with the drug problem alkfhadlskfadslkfbdskh ANYWAYS I like hos Diego adds a healthy amount of doubt amongst the group. In terms of constructing group dynamics, he is a lancer AKA the one always playing devil’s advocate. I think he adds a valuable perspective to the team and it will be interesting to see how the family will solve problems with integration of Diego’s help. I don’t like how the show handle showing the relationship between Diego and Mom/ Grace. But I will dive more into that when I talk about the flashbacks.

3) Allison. My god is she boring. But like, in the perspective in how she is an actress, yet doesn’t act like an actress. I mean, yes some actors can act like “normal people” but like... most actors don’t. I say this as someone who lives in LA and knows actors. They have BIG PERSONALITIES. They like to be KNOWN! However, Allison just feels way too subdued and “normal”. Like, okay she must have pursued an acting career of her own violation. So she must be a person who loves attention and strives for their chance to be in the spotlight. Everything needs to revolve around them. But that’s not Allison. She isn’t really anything. She is concerned about her daughter... if feel like that’s the only real thing we have learned about her so far. I wish her narrative had an angle about her being attention seeking. During the scene when all the siblings were reading Vanya’s autobigraphy, the voiceover cut to Allison when the VO mentioned attention seeking. Which, if that is an aspect of Allison’s character, then SHOW it to us. Have her do SOMETHING besides give creepy incest bedroom eyes to Luther. 

4) Klaus. Finally, an interesting character! His powers are unique yet have a direct influence on how his personality is shaped. His is a drug addict because dead people are constantly trying to talk to him. Kinda sorta metaphor for the mentally unwell and how they abuse drugs because “It makes the voices go away”. They just have a lot of things they can do with him and the writers know this. They obviously have some extra fun when writing him. I just wish the other characters were a lot more sympathetic towards him. Like.... maybe try and talk to him about his drug problem? Rather than patronize it literally every single time you talk to him. SERIOUSLY every single scene Klaus is in with one of his siblings, they always HAVE to mention his drug problem AND THEN scold him for it. Like............ that’s not very constructive? Like at all! But I guess that’s just how some families are to one another. Also, it is very interesting to see how they are handling Robert Sheehan’s performance in UA compared to Misfits. In Misfits, he has a tendency to devour each scene he was in, to the point where he felt like the central character of that show. But Nathan was such a great character, that often times you didn’t mind how he would steamroll over others because it was done in such an entertaining way. But in the UA, the director’s have chosen to use Robert Sheehan’s signature eccentric style to flavour the scenes, rather than change the tone of the scene altogether (unlike how they used Nathan in Misfits). Anyways, I am most intrigued to see what they will do with his character. 

5) Five. I don’t have too much to say about him because I feel like there is a lot more to be discovered about this character. Overall, I like the concept around the character and tbh he gets some of the best scenes in the first 3 episodes. I am truly impressed with the actor portraying this character. I think he is doing quite a great job in giving us the nuances of the character. A 58-year-old trapped in the body of a 13-year-old. Like, I get that. I see that. It works and I am here for it. 

6) Ben. WOW so the one Asian one is dead and barely gets any lines. Ugh okay. Really REALLY want to learn more about him. Really intrigued with how he died to begin with. Hopefully the show shares this story element in an interesting way that connects to the main plot in a way other than just thematically. 

7) Vanya. I.... I wanna hold my tongue about her. Cause she is obviously the audience perspective character for this world. So there isn’t much to say about her besides her being a tool to help the audience get integrated into the show’s world. I just... I gotta wait cause I feel like they are going to do something cool with her character and I don’t wanna make any.... undeserved assumptions. I just want more from her which like... I guess is a good thing? 

[thekuroiookami]

Otome Mania

This is no longer a secret, I have played, do play and will play a fair number of otome games. I’m weak to cliched romantic plotlines, okay?

Since I did promise @lethesomething a list, here it is. The summary is...I’ve played a lot of games.

Games organized by console, arranged from meh to great.

PS Vita

I pretty much got a Vita so I could play otomes. Don’t judge me too harshly. And while a lot of these are incomplete (i.e. I haven’t played through every route), I feel like I can give an opinion.

Norn 9: Var Commons - Admittedly I haven’t gotten far into this, but lord is the plot confusing. Like, what is happening? What is happening? So many pretty people, though...

Sweet Fuse - Cute, fun, though not high on replay value. The characters are really weird, but don’t let that stop you. They have charm, and the parody elements are worth it. Plus blowing your top has never been so satisfying.

Collar x Malice - I almost finished one route and I’m really enjoying it. The heroine has so much personality and she chews out the dude whose route I was doing, and the mystery is so intriguing, if a tad weirdly investigated...

Code Realize: Guardian of Rebirth - By far the best otome game I’ve played on anything. A beautifully built world, excellent artwork, a heroine with backbone, massively diverging plotlines, and just about every love interest is actually interesting. I’d encourage everyone to play this when it comes out on PC. The Suwabe character is just the icing on the cake for once.

PS3

Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom - Hugely overrated, I think, though not many games can match the artwork. Incredibly long, painful storylines that made me yawn. Heroine has zero presence. I do love Saito though.

Mobile

Mystic Messenger - Is entertaining, but every love interest needs immediate help from a psychologist. The format works to the game’s advantage, and the voice acting is good, I spent a ton of money on it. But the romance doesn’t always feel like a romance.

Liar: Uncover the Truth - This is a surprisingly fun game, but I didn’t have the patience to wait for tickets, or spend money on the black hole. Sad but true.

PC

Games you should definitely never play:

Amnesia: Memories - out and out horror, that one. I don’t know why player character has a sprite, because her personality is non-existent.

Ozmafia - Theoretically very interesting, but in practice, suffers from a spineless heroine. I have a knack for finding the yandere route the second time I play any game, and...let’s say if you play the doctor’s route you’re in for some surprises. Yeah.

Men of Yoshiwara: Sigh. Terrible translation, first off, backed up by terrible writing. Just don’t.

Games that are okay to pass the time:

Seduce Me and Seduce Me 2: Demon War - It’s not like this one is bad, just not amazing. It’s decently voice acted, and the first one is a cute rom-com. The second game gets a lot more complex and weird, and it’s super easy to die. The first game is free.

The Lady’s Choice - A Regency romance otome game with only two choices, but it’s nice how much you can shape the MC’s personality. Free on itch.io.

Dandelion and Nameless - Both of these are Korean-origin, produced by the same company that did Mystic Messenger, and while they do have strong writing plus original concepts, somehow the games never keep my attention for long. Nameless is a bit dark in tone, if that appeals to you. Dandelion is a stat-raising sim, which I hate with a passion.

Loren the Amazon Princess - I think this was one of the first ones I played, and it was pretty ahead in the range of LGBTQ characters, but now that I think back on it, the RPG/romance combination was a tad strange. But I do recommend it.

Days of the Divine - Another of those free itch.io ones, I can barely remember this. It was passable.

How to Take Off Your Mask - Cute, but I can’t remember what the point was.

Games that are super cute and definitely need to be played at least once:

Cute Demon Crashers - It’s a pretty short game, but utterly wonderful in its simplicity and earnestness. An R-18 novel that is very high on sex positivity, I’d recommend this one a lot. Free on itch.io.

The Blind Griffin - An odd but good work set in the age of flapper dresses and speakeasies, following a Chinese heroine who accidentally stumbles upon a secret magician’s guild and trains as an apprentice. Great art, comes with a slang dictionary, and makes up for its abruptness with cuteness. Free on itch.io.

Heartbaked - Lots of aggressive pastry references in this one, and one guy who is? a sheep? Or something? I dunno, it’s adorable. Free on itch.io.

Hustle Cat - A cat cafe, only the staff are the cats. Light hearted fun, though it is easy to mess the game up and get a bad ending.

Autumn’s Journey - So cute. So much fluff. Dragon boys. A girl knight. Enough said. Free on itch.io.

Magical Otoge Ciel - If you want to simultaneously have your soul uplifted and go “WTF is this meta”, play this. It’s so irreverent and sweet, and the art grows on you. @batensan‘s Magical Otoge Anholly is a good read as well, though it is technically a linear novel. Free on itch.io.

Taarradhin - A beautiful fantasy short, but incredibly hard to figure out. The high probability of getting it wrong kind of put me off. Free on itch.io.

Lads in Distress - Exactly what it says on the tin. Overly competent princess with pink hair takes matters into her own hands and saves the princes. I only wish we also had the option to date the childhood fried cum fairy advisor.  Free on itch.io.

Re: Alistair - This one is really good, and honestly would have been included in the best games list if it had more LIs. There’s a cute mystery to sort of solve, and I don’t even mind the stat-raising elements. Free on itch.io.

Ristorante Amore - Gorgeous art, and a major plot twist once the story really gets started. I can’t give away anything for fear of ruining it, so just go play it.  Free on itch.io.

Yo-Jin-Bo - One of my guilty pleasures, honestly. Yes the MC is a wimp, but the absolute comedy that passes for dialogue is worth it.

Games that sink their claws in and don’t let go:

Cinders - I cannot recommend this enough. Sublime story-telling, the option to be Machiavellian, naively sweet or something in between. The LI’s are good, of course (guess who’s my favourite), but the real star of the show is female relationships - Cinders and her stepsisters, the daughters and the mother, the godmother in disguise. There’s so many possible outcomes as well. I wish the original fairytale were half as interesting.

Cinderella Phenomenon - A free game I backed on Kickstarter, and it’s looking pretty good. The heroine is unapologetically bitchy, but goes through some satisfying character development in the routse I played. Intrigue abounds, and even though I wish there was a little less blushing to go around, it’s pretty good overall.

Demonheart - I am a little torn about this, because it’s an ongoing game on Steam (released in chapters). On the one hand, I feel like romance things happened really abruptly in the last chapter. On the other, the concept is executed very well and there are so many choices. Plus, excellent worldbuilding.

Nachtigal - A really good shorter game about a spunky heroine trapped with two vampires. There’s a whole variety of ways to die in this one, so it’s extra satisfying when you do land the guy.

The Royal Trap - Say what you will about it, but as one of the first VNs I read, I still quite like this one. So many romance options, and so much intrigue. Each route reveals something different about the overall plot. Good stuff. 

The Second Reproduction - Starts off typical, but then it goes down some truly unexpected routes. Strong heroine, attractive demon king. Be sure to play it with a guide to get the whole story.

There are plenty I haven’t played at all, or not enough to comment, but this is the list I’d give out to anyone who wanted some recs.

[canvaswolfdoll]

CanvasListens: The Adventure Zone

The Adventure Zone was a tough sell to me, despite (and possibly because of) seeing it pop up as various artists I respect began getting into the podcast.

First off, despite my love of the hobby, I have a rather low tolerance for second hand accounts. Short stories focusing on a singular, amusing event is great. Multi-part text narratives are a no go. Likewise, I’ve always had difficulty getting into actual play podcasts, since most that I encounter don’t really put a lot of weight on actual entertainment over, you know, just putting a recorder in the middle of the table during the usual game night. So I listen to very few Actual Plays.

And by ‘few Actual Plays’, I mean One Shot (Which does a good job of rotating content and keeping the separate narratives relatively short and self-contained) and Campaign (Which started with good production quality, and already had my loyalty due to being a One Shot spinoff show.) I don’t even listen to rest of their network.

I’d made a couple attempts at Critical Role, but since it’s a continuation of the cast’s ongoing campaign (thus continuity lockout) and was confined to YouTube for years (thus I couldn’t really listen while driving, running errands, or doing chores), I just couldn’t force myself to be invested. And it’s cast is a bunch of Voice Actors! I love voice actors!

Basically, a bunch of the usual complaints I have about media accessibility.

Further, as Adventure Zone’s popularity began exploding, I admit there was a degree of resentment on my part. I’ve longed harbored a desire to have my own Actual Play show, and if the genre’s exploding now, while I’ve still got no concrete plans, chances are, once I do have my act together,[1] I’ll again be starting during the twilight period of the genre.[2]

Dang it, McElroys! Don’t you burn the fuel before I even board!

Still, it was becoming a talking point, and was a downloadable podcast, so it wouldn’t hurt to try. Probably drop it after an episode or two.

The first couple of episodes were not promising. Players were mostly newbies, with a lot of rules talk; they were running the adventure that comes prepackaged in the Starter Set, which means I had to sit through the session that I’ve literally either tried to run or play several times. And it never gets past the freaking bugbear.

So, of course, after completing that specific portion, the McElroys promptly leave the rails, lightly skip past Phandalin, so I didn’t even get to finally see what’s supposed to happen after the lengthy mechanic and battle tutorial!

However, that’s also the point Griffin began making the story his own, so I might as well keep listening as I eat my slice of pre-work CostCo Pizza.

That’s what the series mostly was. Background noise as I prepared for work. The first couple arcs were okay. Not amazing, but okay. The performers were good comedically, and they seemed to be having fun, so it was alright.

I was intrigued by the premise of the second arc. Train-based mystery, huh? Sure. I’m always game for playing with tropes. Griffin, and the players, were beginning to explore character voices, and the NPCs were getting livelier. I admit, I was a quick sell on Angus. The precocious boy detective being placed in the middle of a train mystery, perpetrated by a serial killer, with a rather maimed body is just the right balance of darkly inappropriate.

Especially since Angus was there to solve the mystery in case the Boys were too incompetent.

Still, wasn’t too absorbed. I began swapping between TAZ Arcs and One Shot series. If I got too bored, I’d just drop TAZ, since podcasts are one of the few mediums I’m able to do so, since I can only will myself to consume them in limited circumstances (basically, while in transit, or some other activity that is physically busy but mentally void).[3]

Combat, however, remained a time for Canvas’s eyes to glaze over, and nothing of value to remain.

The Lunar Interludes were fun! Building comradery with a small community is what I’m about. Especially with their bunkmate, Pringles! Even though Griffin clearly didn’t want anything more to do with Pringles.

Poor Pringles.

Petals to the Metal is marked by many as the real turning point. I… liked it a little less than Rockport Limited? It started strong while the Boys were infiltrating a bank, and Taako has a semi-hypocritical moment I recognized from my favorite Pathfinder character, where this kleptomaniac wizard objected to Merle and Magnus taking time to rob the bank while supposedly saving it.[5]

However, this was followed by a sequence explaining the Mad Max race and infiltration to steal parts which… was actually kind of dull. The dialogue with the guards was great, but then it was long stretch of explaining a compound we’d never see again, and a large fight. Then there was a charming sequence where The Boys selected their animal motifs, with Taako getting an actually pretty nice (if meta) serious moment regarding his Mongoose mask.

Then the race itself was… a giant combat. Interesting enemy concepts. Still a giant combat.

The ending of the race, while exciting, didn’t carry much weight because I’d lost the thread due to not paying attention.

Then there was the final boss fight.

Petals to the Metal had a lot of combat, okay? I don’t enjoy combat!

However, music was beginning to be introduced, and it was pretty good. I was beginning to feel it.

Then the Crystal Kingdom knocked it up just enough notches for me to go ‘Huh. The finale’s coming soon? Better catch up.’ and gently set One Shot aside,[6] lean my head forward, and marathon with purpose!

The sound design continued to improve, to the point of being used to foreshadow the events of the arc. The events also helped highlight how the show creators were paying attention to and heeding the words of their audience. In a positive aspect, Griffin began reading out the lyrics of the song. And, in a bit of hilarious and spiteful worldbuilding, explains the origins of what were (apparently) the much discussed elevators.[7]

In retrospect, a lot of plot stuff happened in the lab. Weird.

It was a good arc for callbacks and call forwards.

Eleventh Hour, however, is my favorite arc. For some reason, I’m just a sucker for Groundhog Day loops.[9] Compounding this, Eleventh Hour was set in a small community of new characters, there was a mystery element, plenty of space for shenanigans, puzzles, ominous prophecy, and a well done tragic villain. Also, backstory for the three leads.

Oh boy, the backstory for the three leads.

I was a Taako fan until this arc. He clearly was the best character. However, as it turns out, Travis really did devise a solid backstory. A few quick early life scenes, then we’re shown he found happiness, won a happy ending already, and had it stolen.

Then Magnus showed his true strength of character, and I was sold. Magnus was my new boy. He’s great.

Anyways, episodes with ‘Finale’ in the title were showing up in the feed, and I wanted to stop spoiling myself, so I really had to buckle down.

Luckily, work kept putting me in the garden center as the season was in its death throes, so I had plenty of time to sit in a small hut with my phone and a pair of headphones. I’d begun actively looking for opportunities to listen to more, take longer errand runs to have an excuse to get through Eleventh Hour and more episodes.

It was a good time.

The Suffering Games however, was less good. Not because it was designed to be a miserable experience, which I naturally love. The sequence of events had a lot good character work, especially for Magnus. The Wheel of Sacrifice is an amazing concept once your players are high enough level, and Griffin does a good job narrating and describing what each sacrifice does.

Especially the loss of memories. Each one stung. And Griffin did a great job of making a few of the choices hurt in surprising ways; in particular, Merl giving up his unused Axe proficiency. What was originally a cop out, Griffin expertly weaved into a solid loss. Then Magnus was given a surprisingly insidious choice: losing the memory of who he had sworn revenge on.

Also a mercy, considering losing Julia might’ve been worse. However, narratively, that would’ve removed Magnus’s main drive and significant portion of his character. Remember, GMs, carefully consider how the threads are weaved before cutting them!

Plus, we also got a good demonstration of how close The Boys were when Taako and Merle agreed to take over the vengeance quest without further details. It’s important to Magnus, and now someone else needs to do it.[10]

Taako got off really light, as the only narrative sacrifice was his beauty, which Taako quickly rendered moot via magic.[11] Because we learned a lot about the other two, I wish Taako could’ve loss more.

However, the non-wheel of sacrifice parts were… well, they fell flat, and since there wasn’t space for any significant character interaction with someone outside of the party (even Cam got put into Magnus’s pocket), it was just gimmicky encounter after gimmicky encounter. It turned repetitive.[12] Prisoner Dilemma's don’t work if those on the other side aren’t emotionally significant.

Sure, looking back and examining it, a lot of interesting things happened. But sitting in the garden center, waiting for customers, it felt tedious. Not sad and emotionally devastating, just… eh.

Were I to replicate it, I’d probably combine the prisoner's dilemma and Wheel of Sacrifice, and make the players compete against one another. If you both spare the other, then you’re both given a choice between two sacrifices. If you’re forsaken by someone you spared, then you take both. And if you both forsake… I guess the GM just gets to decide which one you take?

If you want to up the ante in later rounds, offer to return something lost in later rounds if you forsake your partner. And if you want to twist the knife, have those spared choose the sacrifice for those they betrayed.[13]

Sorry, slipping into SepiaDice for a moment. Back to the review.

Reunion Tour was a good trip into the apocalypse, and final check in with a lot of the minor characters as everyone bugged out. Bad things are coming, and Madame Lucretia Director has a lot of secrets to be found.

Stolen century was... I don't know how I feel about it? There was a lot of backstory that needed to be conveyed suddenly, yes, but after the arc was concluded, I didn't feel like I'd learn much new about anything substantial. Nothing new about the world, since the places visited came and went so fast, that few left an impression.[14]

There were four characters for us and the players to get to know, but... Well, that didn't pan out too well. Of course, focus had to remain on the players, but ended up giving little room for Davenport, Barry, and Lucretia to develop. So, while it was an arc of vignettes, which is usually my jam, in this case, the vignettes were too small and delayed the plot so long, that I was just waiting for them to get on with it.

(Though, it probably didn't help that I was ill during the latter half of Stolen Century and the first two parts of the finale, making it kind of a blur.)

How to possibly improve it? Well, let's put the SepiaDice hat back on, I guess.[15]

First off, I wouldn't have changed systems, and not just because I hear about Powered by the Apocalypse so often I've become burnt out without ever playing it. Staying with 5e would've maintained a level of consistency with the rest of the series, and let the players use their experience to act the part of the well traveled people they are in the arc.[16]

Second, instead of a bunch of ten minute scenes for a handful of worlds, spend an episode on a world and do a one shot. Show them preparing to leave their homeworld, then the first world. Then do sessions covering the rest of the details that need to be conveyed.

Finally, integrate the other four crewmembers into these adventures. There's two viable methods: rotate through them as a sort of 'Guest NPC' (or Guest PC if they want to bring on temporary cast members). Or, let the players run two characters (Give Lup to Justin, Davenport to Clint, and probably Barry over to Travis) while Young Lucretia can be mission control until it's time to toughen her up.

So... that's Stolen Century, I guess? I'm having a hard time remembering specifics.

Story and Song was a good finale.

I don't get to play many endings. In fact, I’ve played only the one, and... it wasn't a good campaign to begin with, so it is what it was.

The Adventure Zone, meanwhile, did what every good narrative should do: give a cameo to everyone they practically can, tying up any fraying that may have occurred. That way, the audience gets a chance to see their favorite character at least one more time.

Then, for the players, they were split up, and given an epic scene that contributed to the final conclusion, and closed their character arcs (even if that closure involves an old running gag.)[17]

Afterwards, into the breech for a fancy final battle.

Finally, the epilogue. I don't want to spoil it, but I do wish to speak on the framework. Griffin handled the epilogue perfectly. First, he asked the players to describe where the characters are a year later, then pitched what he (Griffin) would like to have happened while making it clear the player got final say, before both were happy with where we leave Taako, Merle, and Magnus.

That's how you finish a game.

Suffice it to say, I may have started with a lot of reservations, but I learned a lot, and hope to apply it to my own games and projects.

If you enjoyed this... whatever I just wrote... maybe poke around my blog. I have other reviews and essays. Maybe I wrote something else you like. If you'd like to support me and my creative endeavors, I have a patreon! I like money.

Thanks for reading.

Kataal kataal.

[1] Heh, wordplay. [2] Though, to be fair, I kinda knew Sprite Comics were ignoble going into Nintendo Acres. Still, it had its charm. [3] This is foreshadowing to the fact that I ended up making a conscious effort to listen to the show while hanging out at home.[4] [4] I was also sick with a stomach bug at the time, though. [5] In my case, Trix was happy to loot a corpse the party found on the side of the road, but not the crypt they were dungeon delving. In my defense, the road corpse had his things by accident, while the items in the crypt were deliberately interred. It’s a respectability thing. [6] I’ll be back soon, don’t worry. [7] As someone who had a player try and call out a clock as anachronistic, I can understand how that could be irritating.[8] I solved it by just saying ‘this isn’t Earth, and there’s a wall clock.’ But different strokes, I suppose. [8] There was also an ongoing debate about whether sandwiches existed. I was in the ‘Sandwich like things likely existed before the Earl of Sandwich’ camp, but I never got around to dredging up the Good Eats segment. [9] Fair warning: if I figure out how to replicate Endless Eight on my actual play show, I’m doing it. Same session, on repeat. And you’ll have to sit through it. [10] This better come up during a live show! [11] It’s always annoying when a player does that. [12] You may ask, ‘Canvas, you hated the repetitive feeling, yet you want to emulate Endless Eight?’ Well, you see, I also deeply love meta jokes on the audience. And I’m just a little Chaotic-Aligned. [13] Obviously, you’ll need a mature game group to do this, and an emotionally satisfying conclusion. [14] One was the world of TAZ Nights, but since I find participating in the Max Fun Drive off-putting for unknowable reasons, I had no context to care. [15] Which is probably a giant paper mache D12 mask. [16] But mostly I'm just sick of Fate and ApocalypseWorld. [17] Especially if it delivers on that running gag's punchline.