#other people’s campaigns

[ike-mcswains-mortician]

fun fact my friend, one of the party members for my campaign, just texted me about their character and its a eight-ten year old child. and uh that’s the one who’s the champion of the fish demon and like the eye gore uhhh what have i done to this child oh nooo (no literally this child is precious oh my goddd and like my friend has no idea so i’m changing it a tad to be a bit less fucked up but yeah D:)

NOOOOO NOT THE CHILDDD oh my god that’s so sad wtf i will protect this child

yeah probably a good move changing up the fish demon… yeahg poor baby

#out of curiosity what are you changing it to? /nf #this lore is captivating btw i love the world building sm #ask #thedndgoblinwholivesinyourwalls #dnd #other people’s campaigns

[baroviablues]

op here with the requested update! first kiss got locked in last session (but only after spending a homoerotic night watch talking about finding a cottage on the coast together where arrigal never has to spend a day under the clouds again)

YES. YESSSSSS.

This is brilliant and I am weeping softly,,

#shouting #arrigal #other people’s campaigns

[mithryl-draws]

brought my long-suffering tabletop warlock Kalus with me when I started my BG3 playthrough and he's having a great time. making lots of new friends. sticking worms in his brain. the usual.

#mithrart #dungeons and dragons #kalus van haaden #baldurs gate 3 #astarion #karlach #lae'zel #volo #this is my party setup atm btw #i love wyll and gale and shadowheart dearly but #astarion is my boyfriend and i need him with me #and i need the two largest women on either side to keep us safe while we kiss and/or stab each other #its simple math really #volo's just here because i fucking hate him #the people up top are Kalus' partymates from the Actual Campaign hes from btw. in case you were curious

[hay-bails]

been thinking about ron stampler again

#especially about Ron and dogs #like the motif is SO strong throughout the whole campaign #ron stampler #dndads #dungeons and daddies #fan art #terry jr #willy stampler #and yes i love the collective fan designs for characters my mind is just an amalgamation of other ways ive seen people draw terry jr/willy

[wiwi-wisp]

i love jrwi because someone could talk about it to me for 5 hours and id lay down and listen to them talk for the whole time while kicking my feet in happiness. you have bitb theories? prime defenders headcanons? want to talk about gillion's past? debate what generation of vampire emizel is? im all ears

#i need to sit in a room with other people insane about this show and just #exchange information #proffesional debate but its just 15 jrwi fans discussing all of the campaigns #moss rambles #jrwi

[luckthebard]

One of the funniest disconnects with actual play to me is how much the viewers/fandoms have a much broader awareness of everyone’s mechanics than the players themselves - and often assume for some reason that all the players have that same total awareness.

Funniest examples I can think of off the top of my head are when Laura was convinced Caleb (AC 11 wizard) had a higher AC than Yasha (AC 15 Barbarian) - likely influenced by fear for Yasha in Ashley’s absence and Yasha’s position in melee meaning she was hit more by default. Another was when the entire CR crew aside from Laura revealed in the campaign wrap-up that they seem to have spent the entirety of C2 under the impression Jester had a very high Charisma score (her CHA was 12).

#not gonna main tag this as anything because it honestly is just a fascinating disconnect for me #but I don’t trust people to not be weird #I’d also love to hear any examples from other APs if anyone’s aware #I feel like this is something far more likely to happen in dense long form campaigns #than in shorter ones though #and I guess the point I’m getting at here is that fandoms often assume the players hold an all-knowing overview POV #about everyone else’s characters #and they absolutely do not

[kaltacore]

i would really like to see people appreciate beau's growth and character arc more without trying to convince newcomers that "she'll get better eventually just you wait" implying she was such an unbearable character you have to make yourself sit through her scenes. i assure you, she wasn't

#you may like or dislike any character for whatever reason mind you! i'm not arguing with that! #but her flaws are so blown out of proportion in fandom while other characters' flaws aren't treated this way at all #and i'm yet to see someone saying that caleb gets better later on. or that veth does. maybe this is also a thing i don't know #but it surely doesn't happen under all relatively popular content centered around them #also beau surely wasn't the only one guilty of being rude and picking fights at the beginning of the campaign. this is just. not true. #the way she's usually referred to as the least cooperative member of m9 #and she wasn't the one who got threatened with a sword for putting the whole party's lives in danger for her own interests. is interesting #this just. makes me sad. i really don't get why people who like her adopt that misconception invented by people who openly disliked her #and sound like they feel guilty for enjoying her character and have to beg other people to give her a chance #i got into m9 with little to none exposure to fandom opinions and honestly. it was really surprising to find out she upsets people that muc #critical role #beauregard lionett #the mighty nein

[thatdiabolicalfeminist]

A lot of nice liberals are just like, fundamentally apolitical.

They see their “side” as like, a club that proves they’re Nice, but they treat politics like a sports game - the stakes are just so low to them and they really think they can just shake hands with their opponents afterwards. Be friends “outside of” the game. They’ll have friends they “agree to disagree” with on like, basic human rights, sometimes for groups they’re a part of! or that their friends or relatives are a part of!!

Because they just don’t think “politics” are That Serious. Sure, some of em will get real mad about Trump, but it’s mostly because he’s not playing by the rules. Crickets when someone on “their team” does the same evil shit--crickets at BEST because they’ll also give like mealy mouthed excuses for why “their” guy Had To Do That Though. For a lot of them, now that Trump’s gone, they don’t need to think about “politics” at all anymore.

In the rise of international fascism and with human rights being stripped away at a rapid rate in so many places I hope some people like this will get a fucking wake up call that this is deadly fucking serious.

People are dying because of the “politics” that you “agree to disagree on”, that you politely shake your head at and then go home and do literally nothing about, or even make worse because you can’t stop yourself from giving money to the bigots trying to strip away human rights, can’t stop yourself from making your social circles actively hostile to marginalized people by constantly inviting bigots around, can’t stop yourself from making excuse after excuse for the violence more vulnerable people are facing.

This is why people actually doing the work talk disparagingly about liberals. Too many of you are totally fine with things being as horrifyingly bad as they were ten years ago, and are getting used to how horrifyingly bad things are now at such a rapid rate you might as well not care about that either.

Too many of you lead self centered lives where you treat oppression as basically entertainment like celebrity gossip or sports instead of something you could impact, something with horrifying consequences for people you SHOULD care about.

Things are getting worse, and only mass movements, with actual actions and planned campaigns, can save us. And if you’re a Nice Liberal who wants to actually be nice, I hope you’ll consider giving up the idea that the current system is suddenly somehow going to start keeping fascism in check, and join movements to protect vulnerable people.

#thatdiabolicalfeminist #like no I'm sorry I'm not gonna smile and nod while you explain why you HAVE to be friends with people doing evil things #why you can't from your privileged position actually do ANYTHING apart from sending $20 to planned parenthood every once in awhile #and donating to democrat election campaigns #YOU CAN'T EVEN BOYCOTT CHIK FIL A AND YOUR BEST FRIEND IS IN A SAME GENDER RELATIONSHIP #YOU CAN'T EVEN BOYCOTT HAIRY POTTER AND YOUR OTHER BEST FRIEND IS JEWISH

[pawthorn]

So I hope people recognize the work Erika is doing with Dusk, because it’s soooo frickin good.

Beyond the amazing change in demeanor we saw during their dream, they’ve also been pushing the party’s buttons in all the right ways. And this party? This party needs that. They came together to work for Eshteross, they need something to keep them together once that job is over.

And Dusk is already doing that! Without doing anything outright villainous. Just by crossing boundaries. Asking out the two people least ready for romance back to back. Pushing a little too hard for FCG to fly. Letting their annoyance slip through when the Hells pushed back on their plans. And their plans are good! They’re too good, too focused on success without consideration of the feelings and safety of individuals.

I don’t know if the cast yet knows that Dusk has ulterior moments, but Erika is doing a fantastic job of laying enough groundwork to raise the party’s suspicions, to unite them in a way other villainous characters have yet to do. Orym, Ashton, and Imogen stand together to say, no, FCG shouldn’t fly. Chetney and Ashton both refuse to choose seconds— to dictate which of their friends will risk their lives.

The entire time Erika is at that table, she’s watching and listening and looking for opportunities to exploit. The questions they swoop in to ask, the way they poke and imply things about the party… it’s a thing of beauty. She and Darin De Paul really leaned into the unique opportunities of playing a guest character. So much about Dusk and Sprigg is specifically crafted to provoke the party, one way or another.

The Bassuras arc has been my favorite so far, I can’t wait to see the race, infiltrating the Seat of Distain, and the arrival of Fearne’s parents. I really hope Dusk doesn’t die, they’d be a great recurring character if Erika can make the time. Anyway, I love this character and all the work Erika is doing with them, it’s a pleasure to watch.

#critical role #cr spoilers #dusk cr #erika ishii #campaign 3 #bell’s hells #oh and if you think everything dusk is doing is just what erika wants to do f*ck you #people in this fandom will really see a non-white woman making strong character choices #and say wow what a b*tch i can’t believe they’d act like that #go watch other erika ishii characters if you’re not smart enough to figure out what acting looks like on your own

[masterfuldoodler]

wait guys actually! I have a great idea! Instead of feeling bad for reblogging our own art why don't we do a thing where we reblog older pieces/art that didn't get much attention/whatever you want and give commentary on it! Talk about what was fun to draw, what was hard, any interesting stories surrounding the making of it! Behind the scenes! pls guys that would be so fun to read I would LOVE to see that let's do it!

#like the commentary section in the extras on a dvd #*taking you by the shoulders very gently* i want to see the art. i want to see the art you're thinking about #the art you want to remind your followers about. i want to hear the secret lore about your art #i want to see you point out the details you added. i want to see process pictures #i want to see that enjoyed making the thing #i want your art to take up space on my dash. in the world. in my mind #whats the point of tidy art tucked in a corner where its convenient. how will people see it. how will it reached who it needs to #dont put a sheet over it. thats what they do when the house is abandoned and being sold! you're still living here! #your love of art. your joy will infect other people. its not annoying it's not too much #i guess this is my new campaign. my very own soap box #text #august rambles

[ike-mcswains-mortician]

wnagdjshs i did say all the things about last session in the last ask but i forgot this gem that my friend who plays Eddie, who’ll be referred to as M from now on, said ajdgsks

so basically. we were talking, while our dm was rolling some dice and figuring out the next plot thing, about how the caravan would be set up since we were wondering were Leopol would stay- and quill was like ‘well maybe some people sleep togheter-not like that-“ and then M (canonically Eddie said this as well) ‘Well we are all bards” AND THAT WAS FUNNY TO ME OK AJDGSKS

also eddie just says/does out of pocket shit sometimes and we love him for it (kissing polly on the forehead and walking into a river to see how deep it was and then disappearing completely) he’s iconic/hj ajdhsk

eddie i need to study your brain i love him so much omg

just walks into a river???? me too eddie me too

#im obsessed with him you don’t understand #ask #thedndgoblinwholivesinyourwalls #dnd #other people’s campaigns

[staticrevelations]

okay i've been trying to figure out why imogen seemed so like. terse and serious and intense to me when she was suggesting sucking her soul out and for a second i read it as a weird jealousy thing from seeing it as a form of intimacy others have had with laudna or maybe like a challenge like "if you really think this is a good idea then go ahead. do it on me" but that doesn't seem like imogen at all and it was probably just cuz of her mood from the talk of letting delilah get stronger or a serious "maybe if you did it in a controlled environment we could do it safely" thing. HOWEVER. what if imogen is trying to go in there and fight delilah. start to be consumed but fight back and challenge her and make sure she knows This Town(/Girlfriend) Ain't Big Enough For The Two Of Us and have a proper showdown with her at the Laudna's Soul Saloon like the god-eater-powered cowgirl she is

#i know this is VERY silly and unlikely and maybe other people didn't think she seemed off there but like #it is very funny and also cool i am rotating this confrontation in my mind #are there any fics or art that have cowgirl imogen having a wild west standoff with delilah over laudna cuz uhhhh #cr spoilers #imodna #laudna #imogen temult #bells hells #campaign 3 #critical role

[shyvioletlife]

Truly delighted by how many moments of this season are just hank and brennan being fans of each other and being happy to play a game together

Hank’s “was that written down?”

“No I just came up with it”

Vs

Brennan admitting he almost wept when The Fix was comforting Conrad and said “I think it’s time we unlearn that lesson”

#mentopolis #they’re just like me for real #it’s always very fun to watch people who are fans of one another and just happy to be able to work together get in the same room #cuz it also sounds like Brennan might have straight up partially designed this season around Hank’s interests #hank said Brennan let him choose what the campaign was going to be out of a couple different options #there’s just a lot of love for each others craft happening on both sides of the table #it really brings a smile to my face

[deramin2]

It feels like people were wanting the trust exercises in Critical Role c3 E79 and E80 to be research-supported therapy from a licensed practitioner where they all work together to get a good grade in therapy, a thing that's normal to want and possible to achieve.

Not A HAG fucking with them per her nature feeding off juicy drama and cringe who wants to shake them around until all their secrets come out for her to watch and realize that they're so scared of failure they're locking into the sort of inaction that will actually make them fail. (I love Nana Mori. She was exactly the sort of fucked up punk rock street wise woman they needed.)

It's BORING if they just talk about all their problems. It's BORING if they just jump to trusting each other (when the exercise was started that they can't trust each other). It's BORING if they're like "actually that power that's been set in front of me could possibly have a bad effect so I'm just going to keep ignoring it. It's BORING to be safe. Go back to your coffee shop AUs if you want everything to be soft and safe. That's not the point of the source material.

The CR cast have REPEATEDLY said they have more fun pushing the big red button than playing it safe because you spend all of real life trying to avoid the consequences of risky decisions and it's FUN to get to explore what can go wrong.

Bell's Hells succeeded because they concluded they are in a moment were inaction and hesitation will get everyone killed and they just need to push all the big red buttons and take the risks because it's now or never. They need to check in enough to keep each other in line, but they also need to imagine a scenario where none of them are traitors. (Like they had to restrain FCG from murder-bot mode, but they risked getting to murder-bot mode because the benefit outweighed the personal risk.)

This party is not OSHA approved. They literally couldn't do the job if they were. People like Allura and Keyleth are relying on them to take monumentally stupid risks while holding on by their fingernails so that other people can be safe.

Fearne came to the conclusion that she wasn't taking the shard because she was afraid of Dark!Fearne. But her friends will pull her out of that if she drifts. She also wasn't taking it because she thought Ashton was supposed to have it and that didn't work out well. If she'd put her hoof down her friends would probably have accepted her decision even if they disagreed with it. (It's actually like normal and healthy to disagree with your friends choices and not yes-man them all the time.) But she decided with her own free will that she was just being scared and actually she did want to try. (But also if they hadn't gone through the shard hurting and rejecting Ashton, Fearne might have thought her taking damage meant she wasn't supposed to have it, not just part of the trial of absorbing it.)

There's no binary where pressuring your friends is always bad. Sometimes your friends pressure you into doing things they believe will benefit you that you're reluctant to do and then you do it and are like "no actually that was the right call and I needed that." Or you conclude "No actually that was bad and I wish I didn't listen." There's actually no way to know ahead of time. My relationship with one of my best friends of like 20 years consists heavily of us battling each other's depression by pressuring each other into things we don't want to do but need to and that's healthy for us. But also other people in our lives pressured us into things we didn't want to do and should not have done and it turned out bad. It turns out that life is made up of shades of grey and not hard and fast rules. There's no way of knowing if you're fucking up ahead of time.

Imogen admitted in the Truth or Die session that she was upset that Fearne didn't take the shard. She probably would not have told Fearne that in normal circumstances. And she was probably feeling that way because part of her was upset at herself for not giving into the Predothos powers. Admitting that to Fearne gave her the courage to talk about the possibility of doing that. Which like, could be a terrible idea. But also this is a D&D game with predetermined character class powers that grow as you level and there has to be an in-game justification for getting powers like Revelation in Flesh at 14th level. Like, either she leans into these powers or they're forced on her or she stops leveling and goes home. Leaning in is way more fun. Don't you want to see what batshit thing Matt has planned for that? That's FUN. Ignoring the dark powers is boring.

Like first and foremost this is A GAME that involves yes-anding and taking risks. It's about characters who have spent their entire lives burying and ignoring their problems and getting worse because of it. It isn't REAL for them to have one revelation and be like, "Whelp I'm fixed now and will fall into none of my old patterns and just bare my soul to everyone forever now." People aren't actually like that and if that's what they need to do to be measurably better for you you'll have a lifetime of disappointments. This is an adult story for adults about how adults really behave.

Anyway I can't wait for them to schlep all their baggage and new fucked up powers to the moon with them where they're make irresponsible decisions based on a martyr complex while their friends yell at them to stop being stupid and selfish and let them help. It's going to be a disaster but hopefully they snatch victory from the jaws of defeat (or defeat from the jaws of victory) and tell an entertaining story about the fuckups who tried to stop the next Calamity. Maybe they will and they get to be heroes. Maybe it comes at a terrible cost. Maybe they totally fuck it up and it's a Ring of Brass situation. But it'll be FUN.

#critical role #critical role spoilers #critical role meta #critical role discourse #critical role campaign 3 #Bell's Hells #There's a reason many fans of this show would be totally incapable of making a compelling AP on their own #Maybe a fun home game but not a compelling narrative for other people #long post

[rynnaissance]

ok so for future reference, if i ever do continue working on my fic, how do we think bell’s hells would be at driving cars in a modern au? i’ve got ideas, but i want to hear other people’s input.

here’s what i’ve got:

chetney: DO NOT GET IN A CAR WITH CHETNEY WHATEVER YOU DO. that senior citizen is batshit insane and he WILL road rage. if someone cuts him off then wherever he was going is forgotten because he has to tailgate that person now while yelling at them to pull over so they can “talk.” i can’t decide if he would have a really nice car or a really shitty one because honestly both fit. maybe a fancy truck for hauling wood?

orym: he’s your safest bet out of the hells if you want to get somewhere on time without fearing for your life. bro is a law abiding citizen of the road. he never loses his cool (unlike chet) and his car is always clean and smells super nice. he mostly listens to meditation style music, but he’ll let the other person have the aux because he’s genuinely curious to hear what they listen to. shout out to orym.

laudna: okay back to the insanity. ALSO DO NOT GET IN A CAR WITH LAUDNA! girlie pop should not be on the road. she’s blasting the weirdest fucking genres of metal imaginable, she can hear nothing else. the music only somewhat drowns out the horrible keening noises her car makes, as if it’s begging to die. that thing hasn’t been to the shop in decades and omits the occasional plume of black smoke that smell like burnt hair and buttered popcorn for some reason? i saw someone else talk about how she’s a crazy driver with everyone except imogen who she drives very well for and never blasts music, and i like that idea a lot.

imogen: it was her dad’s truck before her’s, a farm vehicle meant for rural roads with four wheel drive. it’s pretty beat up, but it’s reliable. imogen hates driving though, as it can be super overwhelming in the city, and prefers to go with laudna. outside of the city, on rural roads where you won’t see another car for miles, she finds it almost as relaxing as horseback riding. she likes to cruise around with her widows down, shamelessly listening to country music. yeehaw.

ashton: should you get in a car with ashton? depends on the day, as they are kind of a wild card. one day, it might be a chill drive with you two causally exchanging stories, like sober “what the fuck is up with that?” other times you better hold onto your seat because you are getting to your location regardless of how traffic is flowing. ashton is the person who cuts chetney off. it may be on purpose, no one knows for certain, but he always seems to manage to find the old man and make his day a little more difficult. if they see someone they know, they’ll lay on horn and yell, “hey asshole!” with a wave and a grin. the car itself is covered in stickers and sharpie graffiti, interior and exterior. you’ll always know it’s him.

fearne: does she have a license? she would say yes. the truth is no. fearne was never taught how to drive, she just kinda figured it out as she went along. because of ashton, she used to think honking is a friendly thing, but had to be informed by fcg that those people are not just saying hi, but are actually mad at her. she didn’t like that very much. she doesn’t seem to be aware that there are any dangers to driving. she’s almost always getting into crashes, which she responds to with a giggle and a “whoops(:” it’s a marvel she hasn’t been arrested yet. there’s also an angry possum that’s sometimes found in the truck of her car, so it’s best not to open it.

fcg: much like orym, fcg is a very safe person to drive with. although maybe a little annoying, as he’ll let everyone go before him at a four way stop regardless of if it’s actually their turn. sometimes though, when they’re under a lot of stress, they resemble chetney more. they won’t tolerate any bullshit from other drivers and yell at pedestrians to get out of the way. he’s been getting better about this though, but still.

#critical role #cr campaign three #bell’s hells #bell’s hells modern au #chetney pock o'pea #orym of the air ashari #cr laudna #imogen temult #ashton greymoore #fearne calloway #cr fcg #again i would love to hear other people’s ideas too

[laurasbailey]

someone left a comment on one of my videos saying the c3 characters were "boring" and, the complete absence of brain cells to post that on something that someone spent hours on aside, it's probably the funniest way to describe bells hells. half of them are begging for the chance to just run away in order to be boring. if anything, my complaint is gonna be that there's so much to each character that we won't even get to explore a fraction of it before the campaign is over

#text #i assume it was just a poorly-worded way of saying 'i don't like this campaign' #(which is not a hot take other people do feel that way lmao) #maybe i just can't comprehend people calling imogen/laudna/fearne boring #like if they're boring what DO you find interesting-