critfailthatcharismacheck

[critfailthatcharismacheck]

ways to help protestors if you are unable to protest

everybody has to do their part. as a reference, this was posted on 1 june 2020. if any links are broken or direct to a place they should not, please feel free to add on with corrections. if there is new information with better knowledge, please feel free to share. thank you.

1. donate

do not donate to shaun king. he has repeatedly collected money to “support” black people, but no one knows where the money is.

BAIL FUNDS (ALPHABETICAL ORDER; NOT A COMPREHENSIVE LIST)

note: washington dc and new jersey have cashless bail systems.

bail fund google doc (also includes lawyers for protestors)

national bail fund network (directory of community bail funds)

community bail funds masterpost by @keplercryptids

resistance funds (google sheets; lists bail funds around the country)

nationwide bail funds (split a donation to the bail funds listed on the linked page with a single transaction)

atlanta bail fund

brooklyn bail fund

colorado freedom fund

columbus freedom fund

houston chapter of black lives matter

liberty fund (nyc based; focuses services on people from low-income communities)

los angeles freedom fund

louisville community fund

massachusetts bail fund

minnesota freedom fund (as of may 30, 2020, they are encouraging people to donate elsewhere since they have raised enough money; as of may 29, 2020, they do not have a venmo, as some fraudulent accounts have been claiming, source)

philadelphia bail out fund

richmond bail fund

MORE PLACES TO DONATE

note: more links are listed in the masterposts below.

northstar health collective (healthcare and medical aid for people on the front lines)

reclaim the block (aims to redistribute police funding to help the minneapolis community)

twin cities dsa (provides fresh groceries and hot meals to people in minneapolis)

2. educate yourself

it isn’t enough to sign petitions and reblog/retweet/etc. nonblack people, including people of color, owe it to black people to educate themselves and correct themselves and the people around them on anti-blackness.

note: more links are in the masterposts linked below.

resources and tools regarding racism and anti-blackness (google sheets compilation)

readings on society, racism, the prison system, etc. (twitter thread)

“where do we go after ferguson?” by michael eric dyson

official black lives matter website

3. give out supplies to protestors

people need supplies to protest safely, and even if they bring supplies with them, they can often run out. if you’re able, stock up and hand them out to people protesting. for more supplies to donate, see the “george floyd action” google docs link in section 5.

water bottles (dehydration and heatstroke are not things people should have to deal with alongside bastard cops. if the police in your area are particularly violent or known to use tear gas, get the ones with the sports cap/suction-thing/etc so people can use them as emergency eye-flushes.)

snacks (make sure to take into account that people have allergies of all sorts. foods will have a little label that says “may contain” and then list any potential allergens. write the allergens on the ziploc (or any container you use) in permanent marker, or better yet, write the snacks included in the pack.)

masks (don’t forget there’s still a pandemic going on. also it will aid in deterring facial recognition when the police try to track down protestors,  also part two, if the cops use tear gas, wearing a mask (with the combination of a scarf or bandana) will lessen the adverse effects. lessen, not stop.)

bandanas, scarves, etc. and goggles (ski goggles, swimming goggles, etc.) (see above for explanation on the scarves. same goes for the goggles. anti–tear gas and anti–facial recognition.)

clean shirts (for people who are heavily gassed. also helps deter recognition through clothing.)

wound care supplies (band-aids, packets of neosporin packets or a similar antibiotic, alcohol wipes, etc.; if you can, decant bactine into those little travel bottles.)

a sharpie or another type of marker (for writing bail numbers or emergency contacts on arms, hands, etc. it’s not enough to have your city’s bail fund number stored on your phone; the police won’t give it to you to look it up. give people a marker so they can write it down, preferably not washable so it isn’t easily removed.)

IMPORTANT: KNOWING FIRST AID

tear gas: if you’re hit, get out as fast and as soon as you can. take anyone you can with you. the longer you’re in the gas, the harder it will be for you to see, and it can irritate your airways, making it hard to breathe. if you’re hit, don’t run; it’ll only make things worse on your lungs. when you leave the area, take a cold shower. don’t use hot water (it will only reactivate the agent); don’t bathe (it will only spread the CS around). (source 1) (source 2) (cdc fact sheet on tear gas)

move them to a clean and ventilated area where it’s as safe as possible.

ask them if they’re wearing contact lenses. have them remove it. if they’re wearing glasses, rinse it with water.

solution of half liquid antacid, half water. spray from the inside going out, with the head tilted back and slightly towards the side being rinsed. if they say it’s okay, open the eye slightly while doing this. (source)

bullet wounds: the most important thing is to stop the bleeding. be sure to check for an exit wound and cover that as well. treat both wounds, but treat the worse one first.

stop the bleed (youtube video by uc san diego health)

first aid in active shooting scenarios

making a tourniquet (a commercial tourniquet is best, but improvised ones can work as well if done properly; the most important things to remember is that tourniquets are for limb injuries and are not meant for the head or torso and that they have to be very tightly wound on the injury.)

how to apply pressure dressings

miscellaneous

adult cpr tutorial (youtube video by cincinnati children’s; think of “staying alive” by the beegees or “uptown funk”)

4. be a source of information

be responsible with this. people’s lives are at stake. that being said, the media is a fucking joke and the best way to get accurate information in a grassroots rebellion is amongst ourselves. record everything, but if you are going to share any information at all, be sure to blur people’s faces.

signal (encrypted messenger app; messages delete after x amount of time): app store | google play

tool for scrubbing metadata from images and selectively blurring identifiable features

tech tips to protect yourself while protesting (by rey.nbows on tiktok, via vicent_efl on twitter)

cop spotting 101 (google docs)

know your rights (by personachuu on twitter)

NUMBERS TO CALL FOR ARRESTED PROTESTORS (ALPHABETICAL ORDER; SOURCES LINKED TO THE NUMBER)

remember to keep phones OFF unless absolutely necessary. cell phone towers, stingrays, location notifs can all be used to track you and other protestors. don’t fuck around. if your phone must be on, keep it on airplane mode as often as possible and only communicate using encrypted methods. no, snapchat doesn’t count. (a twitter thread on stingrays, for those interested)

lawyers assisting protestors pro-bono (by riyakatariax on twitter)

atlanta: 404-689-1519

chicago: 773-309-1198

minneapolis: 612-444-2654

5. miscellaneous links and links for protestors

masterpost of petitions to sign, numbers to call, places to donate, and more (carrd by dehyedration on twitter)

#blacklivesmatter (google docs by ambivaIcnt on twitter; includes information on relevant events, other masterposts, lists of petitions and donation links, how to protest safely and protests to go to, and more)

george floyd action (google docs; includes information on apps to download, supplies to buy and donate, places to donate to, protest safety, resources on unlearning racial bias, and more)

how to get out of ziptie “handcuffs” (by finnianj on tiktok, via katzerax on twitter)

how can i help? by @abbiheartstaylor

how to make a signal-blocking cell phone pouch

tips for protestors by @aurora00boredealis

twitter thread for protestors (by vantaemuseum on twitter)

also, if you’re protesting, change your passcode. make it at least 11 characters long and don’t use facial/thumb recognition.

[critfailthatcharismacheck]

ways to help protestors if you are unable to protest

everybody has to do their part. as a reference, this was posted on 1 june 2020. if any links are broken or direct to a place they should not, please feel free to add on with corrections. if there is new information with better knowledge, please feel free to share. thank you.

1. donate

do not donate to shaun king. he has repeatedly collected money to “support” black people, but no one knows where the money is.

BAIL FUNDS (ALPHABETICAL ORDER; NOT A COMPREHENSIVE LIST)

note: washington dc and new jersey have cashless bail systems.

bail fund google doc (also includes lawyers for protestors)

national bail fund network (directory of community bail funds)

community bail funds masterpost by @keplercryptids

resistance funds (google sheets; lists bail funds around the country)

nationwide bail funds (split a donation to the bail funds listed on the linked page with a single transaction)

atlanta bail fund

brooklyn bail fund

colorado freedom fund

columbus freedom fund

houston chapter of black lives matter

liberty fund (nyc based; focuses services on people from low-income communities)

los angeles freedom fund

louisville community fund

massachusetts bail fund

minnesota freedom fund (as of may 30, 2020, they are encouraging people to donate elsewhere since they have raised enough money; as of may 29, 2020, they do not have a venmo, as some fraudulent accounts have been claiming, source)

philadelphia bail out fund

richmond bail fund

MORE PLACES TO DONATE

note: more links are listed in the masterposts below.

northstar health collective (healthcare and medical aid for people on the front lines)

reclaim the block (aims to redistribute police funding to help the minneapolis community)

twin cities dsa (provides fresh groceries and hot meals to people in minneapolis)

2. educate yourself

it isn’t enough to sign petitions and reblog/retweet/etc. nonblack people, including people of color, owe it to black people to educate themselves and correct themselves and the people around them on anti-blackness.

note: more links are in the masterposts linked below.

resources and tools regarding racism and anti-blackness (google sheets compilation)

readings on society, racism, the prison system, etc. (twitter thread)

“where do we go after ferguson?” by michael eric dyson

official black lives matter website

3. give out supplies to protestors

people need supplies to protest safely, and even if they bring supplies with them, they can often run out. if you’re able, stock up and hand them out to people protesting. for more supplies to donate, see the “george floyd action” google docs link in section 5.

water bottles (dehydration and heatstroke are not things people should have to deal with alongside bastard cops. if the police in your area are particularly violent or known to use tear gas, get the ones with the sports cap/suction-thing/etc so people can use them as emergency eye-flushes.)

snacks (make sure to take into account that people have allergies of all sorts. foods will have a little label that says “may contain” and then list any potential allergens. write the allergens on the ziploc (or any container you use) in permanent marker, or better yet, write the snacks included in the pack.)

masks (don’t forget there’s still a pandemic going on. also it will aid in deterring facial recognition when the police try to track down protestors,  also part two, if the cops use tear gas, wearing a mask (with the combination of a scarf or bandana) will lessen the adverse effects. lessen, not stop.)

bandanas, scarves, etc. and goggles (ski goggles, swimming goggles, etc.) (see above for explanation on the scarves. same goes for the goggles. anti–tear gas and anti–facial recognition.)

clean shirts (for people who are heavily gassed. also helps deter recognition through clothing.)

wound care supplies (band-aids, packets of neosporin packets or a similar antibiotic, alcohol wipes, etc.; if you can, decant bactine into those little travel bottles.)

a sharpie or another type of marker (for writing bail numbers or emergency contacts on arms, hands, etc. it’s not enough to have your city’s bail fund number stored on your phone; the police won’t give it to you to look it up. give people a marker so they can write it down, preferably not washable so it isn’t easily removed.)

IMPORTANT: KNOWING FIRST AID

tear gas: if you’re hit, get out as fast and as soon as you can. take anyone you can with you. the longer you’re in the gas, the harder it will be for you to see, and it can irritate your airways, making it hard to breathe. if you’re hit, don’t run; it’ll only make things worse on your lungs. when you leave the area, take a cold shower. don’t use hot water (it will only reactivate the agent); don’t bathe (it will only spread the CS around). (source 1) (source 2) (cdc fact sheet on tear gas)

move them to a clean and ventilated area where it’s as safe as possible.

ask them if they’re wearing contact lenses. have them remove it. if they’re wearing glasses, rinse it with water.

solution of half liquid antacid, half water. spray from the inside going out, with the head tilted back and slightly towards the side being rinsed. if they say it’s okay, open the eye slightly while doing this. (source)

bullet wounds: the most important thing is to stop the bleeding. be sure to check for an exit wound and cover that as well. treat both wounds, but treat the worse one first.

stop the bleed (youtube video by uc san diego health)

first aid in active shooting scenarios

making a tourniquet (a commercial tourniquet is best, but improvised ones can work as well if done properly; the most important things to remember is that tourniquets are for limb injuries and are not meant for the head or torso and that they have to be very tightly wound on the injury.)

how to apply pressure dressings

miscellaneous

adult cpr tutorial (youtube video by cincinnati children’s; think of “staying alive” by the beegees or “uptown funk”)

4. be a source of information

be responsible with this. people’s lives are at stake. that being said, the media is a fucking joke and the best way to get accurate information in a grassroots rebellion is amongst ourselves. record everything, but if you are going to share any information at all, be sure to blur people’s faces.

signal (encrypted messenger app; messages delete after x amount of time): app store | google play

tool for scrubbing metadata from images and selectively blurring identifiable features

tech tips to protect yourself while protesting (by rey.nbows on tiktok, via vicent_efl on twitter)

cop spotting 101 (google docs)

know your rights (by personachuu on twitter)

NUMBERS TO CALL FOR ARRESTED PROTESTORS (ALPHABETICAL ORDER; SOURCES LINKED TO THE NUMBER)

remember to keep phones OFF unless absolutely necessary. cell phone towers, stingrays, location notifs can all be used to track you and other protestors. don’t fuck around. if your phone must be on, keep it on airplane mode as often as possible and only communicate using encrypted methods. no, snapchat doesn’t count. (a twitter thread on stingrays, for those interested)

lawyers assisting protestors pro-bono (by riyakatariax on twitter)

atlanta: 404-689-1519

chicago: 773-309-1198

minneapolis: 612-444-2654

5. miscellaneous links and links for protestors

masterpost of petitions to sign, numbers to call, places to donate, and more (carrd by dehyedration on twitter)

#blacklivesmatter (google docs by ambivaIcnt on twitter; includes information on relevant events, other masterposts, lists of petitions and donation links, how to protest safely and protests to go to, and more)

george floyd action (google docs; includes information on apps to download, supplies to buy and donate, places to donate to, protest safety, resources on unlearning racial bias, and more)

how to get out of ziptie “handcuffs” (by finnianj on tiktok, via katzerax on twitter)

how can i help? by @abbiheartstaylor

how to make a signal-blocking cell phone pouch

tips for protestors by @aurora00boredealis

twitter thread for protestors (by vantaemuseum on twitter)

also, if you’re protesting, change your passcode. make it at least 11 characters long and don’t use facial/thumb recognition.

[critfailthatcharismacheck]

Let us dive into tonight’s episode of…

I speedpainted some dungeon guy a while back and totally forgot to upload him!

[critfailthatcharismacheck]

Oof so I used the WIP of this on my last post before I saw the finished product and I just had to reblog!

“What are you doing?“ 

(last ep was… really great)

ᶠᵒⁿᵗ

[critfailthatcharismacheck]

So about our Hot Boi Essek...

Hoo buddy, that revelation was a doozy. Like in retrospect it’s not that surprising but it was still wild. It’s shitty, absolutely shitty what he did, not even in terms of the M9. How could he not anticipate that the theft of the Luxons would spark that kind of reaction? He said he didn’t intend to start a war, but war had already been brewing for decades by that time and something that big seems like the perfect proverbial straw to break the camel’s back. Now that being said, I still really fucking like him. Like damn Matt, you create such amazing characters that I can’t help but love even when they’re absolute bastards! Essek is such an interesting character, and I love all the nuance in his actions and the situation he’s brought on himself. And Matt plays him so cool and charismatic, even when he’s confessing to fucking up big time, he’s so likable! It’s almost infuriating!

But i want to get into this in terms of the M9. So first and probably biggest, Caleb took this very interestingly. I absolutely felt the disappointment radiating off of him after finding out about Essek. Liam has said in Talks that Essek was one of the few, if not the only person that Caleb considered a friend outside of the M9, and it was low key heartbreaking watching his reaction. But I also think that that’s what made his speech to Essek in the Balleater that much more impactful. Like we all saw the similarities between the two, but Caleb really put it into words. I think the conversation would’ve gone a lot differently had Caleb not experienced the growth he did with the M9. He probably would’ve said to just kill Essek or something, but his time with the Nein helped him to see that friendship and redemption are possible and worth the effort. And I absolutely adored how he took Molly’s words to heart and used this moment to impart those words of wisdom on someone who obviously needed them.

I was also interested in how Nott/Veth took the news. I don’t recall if Sam ever said anything about if she ever really trusted Essek that much, but I think the fact that Essek helped her and Caleb complete the Halas spell played a huge role in how things played out. She was surprisingly much more chill than I expected. I would have thought that she would be pissed not only for herself but also for Caleb, but she was surprisingly receptive of him. Well, maybe I shouldn’t be so surprised, I mean she did offer to keep the war going in exchange for Isharnai breaking her curse, which is nearly as selfish as Essek causing a war for science. But I do think that because he helped her with the spell, she was much more lenient than she would have been otherwise. AND ALSO HOLY SHIT JUST FUCKING PARALYZED THIS DUDE IN THE MIDDLE OF A PARTY WHAT HAPPENED TO JUST TALKING TO HIM???

So I think the only other person that played much on a role in this whole thing was Jester, and I’m more about how she was just trying to chat Essek up when all hell broke loose and Veth paralyzed him without telling anyone??? That was wild, Jester was panicking, like holy shit did I do this on accident? Aside from that, her reaction was totally on par with how I thought it would be. Very confused and kind of hurt but also just wanting answers, and once she got them she was fine. It’s a little stressful, but once you’re friends with Jester she’s ride or die. As soon as she heard the full story she was in support mode, making sure that Essek didn’t feel alone in this. And that is classic Jester.

I don’t have much to say about Beau, Fjord, and Caduceus during the main conversation with Essek because they either weren’t there or didn’t speak, but after he left Beau and Caddy had some very hot takes. I for one am all about people getting what’s coming to them, so I’m absolutely on the same page as Beau, but in this case I do think Cad and Caleb are right saying that it can’t be anytime soon. The balance is so delicate right now, and trying to get revenge/removing corruption so soon after the truce has been made will absolutely probably lead to the war starting again. It will have to come months, even years after these negotiations. The wound is too fresh, and both sides will be looking for any excuse to break the peace.

I have no doubt that right now Essek is near the top of the list of people that need to recompense for their crimes, but I think in the long run the M9 aren’t going to be too harsh on him. It helps that he entirely laid out his involvement, that he was at least assumingely truthful, and that he is working toward fixing his mistakes. The three Cerberus Assembly members, Ludinus, Ickythong, and Vess DeRogna, are absolutely at the top of the list, not sure which order at this point, but they’ll hopefully get what’s coming to them eventually.

[critfailthatcharismacheck]

Just gonna leave this here

[critfailthatcharismacheck]

So as usual it took me forever to get mostly caught up, but I have to wait for everything to air on YouTube so we’ll get there when we get there. Here are my thoughts in no particular order.

• we love a Junior and hate a Senior. Thoreau can get wrecked, but I seriously love the idea of big sister Beau! That little boy deserves to know his sister, and Beau deserves to have a family member that cares about her and wants to have an actual familial relationship with her! Give me good sibling relationships!

• LAURA BAILEY HOLY SHIT

• for real though, that’s was both absolutely insane and pure unadulterated genius. I thought she was just gonna end up asking to think for a bit and go back out, and Cad was gonna end up doing what Taliesin said on Talks, that he would exile himself from the Blooming Grove, but by god Laura just absolutely blew my expectation to pieces! That was the ballsiest move and I’m living for it!

•THE TRAVELER??? Wild, just wild! I haven’t gotten far enough into campaign 1 to meet Artagan yet but I’ve seen all manner of headcanons that the two are one and the same, so I’m glad that it’s been officially confirmed. It’s so wild that Jester’s faith made him a god? Demigod? Minor god? I mean I’m sure the fact that he’s an Arch-Fey with a magic door that can take him wherever helps with the believability, but Beau was right when she said that Jester had the greatest role in his ascent to pseudo-godhood.

•THE CLAY FAMILY!!!!! I was low key devastated when it was revealed that they were petrified, but also relieved that they weren’t dead. I absolutely adore the Clay fam, I loved seeing Caduceus’ interaction with all of them! When Constance hugged him and lifted him up I was crying in the club. I died laughing when Caduceus pranked Calliope and every time he brought up pranking Colton. I melted every time he interacted with Clarabelle. During Talks, Taliesin said that Caddy was planning to offer never to return home in exchange for breaking Isharnai’s curse on Nott, but I’m so glad that didn’t happen. Caduceus deserves to be able to go home to his family whenever he wants to.

•ESSEK GODDAMN THEYLAS!!?!??? Bastard. Hot Boi is a Bastard. I still absolutely love him and I’m very excited about this new development but still, a Bastard. That aside, I’ve seen a few posts saying that he’s Evil and stuff and how it’s not cool that the M9 are being so lenient with him, and a few posts going real deep about real life war and shit and how news media is effecting fun media and I’m just like, guys, chill tf out. This is a fictional D&D game, with human beings playing and some people are blowing stuff out of proportion. I know Essek did something horrible for personal gain and nothing the M9 have done comes even close, but if this is how the game is being played by the CritRole cast, then there’s no point getting mad about it. It’s a game for fun, they are not here to cater to us, Matt has said time and again that this campaign is dealing largely with morally grey situations, so like please peeps, chill. I haven’t gotten to watch Ep. 98 yet so idk how much more is discussed on the matter of Essek, so I’ll make a more comprehensive post on my thoughts when I do get to watch it. Overall though, WELCOME TO THE MIGHTY NEIN HOT BOI!

•also, congrats to everyone who headcanoned that Essek was the traitor and/or that he would turn traitor for the M9, I hope you’re all feeling hella validated!

•we love party episodes, I love that the M9 got to dress up real nice, and very excited that Matt gave Laura and Taliesin the opportunity to describe what they chose to dress everyone up in. I’m loving all the art of the party clothes!

• the fact that Caleb quoted Mollymauk and did the whole forehead kiss thing when appealing to Essek’s humanity gave me life. I’m not huge into shipping things realistically (don’t get me wrong, I love shipping, I just have two categories of ship: canon realistic, which are ships that I think are plausible in canon, and just for funsies, which are ships that I don’t see happening in canon but they’re just so good in fanon that I can’t help myself); that being said, I’m glad that Molly had that much of an impact on Caleb. I’ve long since stopped holding onto the hope that Molly will come back (always still a possibility, but I love Caduceus so much that I don’t want him to leave if that’s what it takes for Molly to come back) but I love to see the influence that he’s had on the M9. Like everything with Beau trying to improve herself in his memory, and Fjord getting rid of the falchion with Molly’s sword but then gaining a new sword that has connections to Molly’s goddess, and Jester with his Tarot cards, and don’t get me started on Yasha, and now Caleb recalling both his words and actions in order to get through to Essek. God I love this show and these people.

[critfailthatcharismacheck]

I don’t usually do shippy stuff like this, but I needed something to tide me over until the VOD of the next episode releases on YouTube

[critfailthatcharismacheck]

A brief analysis of Caleb

The title makes it sound so much more analytical than it’s going to be cause I just want to talk for a minute about our sweet darling boy Caleb Widogast and a thing that I thought about while watching episodes 89 and 90.

I want to compare how Caleb acted in Rexxentrum versus how he acted after the M9 arrived back in Rosohna. The difference is so vast.

So we all know how absolutely uncomfortable and fearful Caleb was to be back in Rexxentrum. This man went through so much when he was last there, and between the memories of essentially getting tortured by ICKYTHONG during his training, the good memories he had with Astrid and Eodwulf, the murder of his parents and subsequent insanity that followed, our dear boy was feeling so conflicted and was obviously hurting the entire time he was there. Liam did such an amazing job portraying his discomfort at merely being in that location, and Matt was also amazing playing Trent and how creepy and deceitful he is.

Now compare that to how Caleb acted in Rosohna. The M9 are hilarious on a normal day, and showing up to the Lucid Bastion in spa robes is par for the course at this point. They barely have dignity in the face of the Dynasty, so there’s no point in acting otherwise. Caleb is comfortable enough to not only be walking around the Bastion in a robe, but also to have fun and pull a prank on Fjord. During the whole spa day, Caleb barely said anything and didn’t relax the whole time, but as soon as they were out of Rexxentrum he relaxed. And even in episodes past, when Caleb was in Xhorhas with the pendant from the Bright Queen (his pass to not get messed with in a predominantly non-human society) he totally changed his behavior, from

- the fugitive in hiding, the most cautious of the group when it came to dealing with imperial authority figures, the most paranoid group member, the guy so filled with self-loathing that he didn’t believe he deserved to be clean or have nice things so he covered himself in dirt and wore rags, and the guy that trusted no one least of all himself

To

- clean and confident, new clothes, bold enough to A) step forward and save his friends from certain death by Bright Queen, and B) convince the Shadowhand (that he had just met) to teach him the super secret Kryn magic, doesn’t immediately adopt an alias when meeting authority figures, doesn’t avoid meeting authority figures, still kind of hates himeself but is getting a lot better about it, can pull pranks and make jokes and just enjoy himself

I know there’s still plenty of campaign left to go through so anything can happen, but after seeing the difference in Caleb when he’s in the empire or in Xhorhas, it’s obvious to me which location he prefers. I’m hoping that the campaign has a happy ending, including Caleb getting to stay in Xhorhas and just live his best life.

[critfailthatcharismacheck]

I have some thoughts

First of all, Essek was acting weirdly casual with the M9 and while I did very much enjoy it, it’s also still weird for him. He’s still very secretive, but he was acting so much more comfortable showing his emotions after the talk with the Bright Queen. And he almost looked sad? When the M9 didn’t need him to teleport them back to the Empire? After the last time when he didn’t get them quite where they intended (which was their own fault, they were accidentally contradictory when they were figuring out where to go so I’d be surprised if he did understand where they were trying to go) he acted really aggravated at being used as a taxi so much, so I was surprised that he would offer to transport them.

I didn’t really see where he was acting suspicious at the prison like Caleb and Nott were talking about, but a line he had, “let’s hope it sticks” just stuck in my head as odd. I hope to god Essek isn’t a bad guy or anything, I’d be real disappointed but I know that Matt would do a great job with it if that’s the route he chose to use. I honestly don’t think he is, but he definitely felt weird this past episode. I’m hoping that the reason he’s being weird is because he’s starting to actually like the M9 and he just doesn’t know how to have friends seeing as he’s always “all business.” Idk if this is legit or not, but I saw somewhere that it was confirmed that Essek felt ostracized in the court setting and didn’t have friends his age, so that might definitely explain it.

Second, the Bright Queen was really adamant that Essek be open to communicate with the M9, and after all the tension of learning about the traitor and what they’d been up to in the Empire, she seemed like she’d grown almost fond of them. Like, she didn’t have to smile at them like she did when they brought the first beacon? All soft and gentle and relaxed? And her surprise at them wanting to step up and helm these peace talks? She absolutely underestimated how far they were willing to see this mission. And I think that really impressed her. I legitimately think she’s starting to like the M9. She absolutely doesn’t trust them like she does her council and Essek, but she trusts them to be genuine when they say that they want an end to the war for the sake of the ordinary people on both sides. The Bright Queen is cool as shit is what I’m saying.

Third, ARE THE BRIGHT QUEEN AND THAT CAPTAIN LADY TOGETHER?!?! Through all the interactions with the Bright Queen we’ve seen, no one has been that casual, that comfortable, with the BQ like this Captain. This lady straight up called the BQ out about her temper in front of the whole court and made physics contact as another reminder to chill out, two very big things that in that setting are probably big no-no’s for everyone else. Like Matt said, it was a super insolent action to speak out of turn like that. But the way the BQ softens and listens to her, you know that this captain lady, whether friend or lover, is very very dear to the BQ.

Edit: CONFIRMED WIVES!!!!!!! Thank you Matt for so much representation, you beautiful human being!!!!

[critfailthatcharismacheck]

Oh. Oooooooooh. I just had an interesting thought after getting out of the shower this morning...

Overall, The Mighty Nein are just so much...they're just a LOT with their chaotic energy and just seem to have this odd sort of wtf presence compared to Vox Machina and they tend to take up like 10 times the space of their group, where VM felt "smaller." Vox Machina - while chaotic and a disaster in their own right, though not on par in terms of chaotic energy compared to the Nein - was more "distinguished" and "regal", if that makes sense. They had a place. They had prestige. And with it they had a "calmer" output to the world. The Nein? Not so much, lol.

But on the flip side, I think that the Nein a hell of a lot more subtle than VM were, too. They take action in place of words. Like the group just quietly agreeing that they were ready to square the FUCK UP against Trent for Caleb, even as battered and bruised as they were. Or just silently agreeing not throwing Yasha to the Bright Queen about her brainwashing UNTIL SHE MADE THAT DECISION TO COME FORTH. Jester just giving Yasha a hug for comfort without warning. The quiet understanding that Nott may return to her family at some point, but giving her the comfort that it's OKAY no matter what she chooses. Caleb being completely relaxed the MOMENT they return to Rosohna to the point where he just pulled one of the most HILARIOUS pranks on Fjord. And it's all these and other tender little moments that have been riddled throughout this entire campaign that we don't really see in VM - though they had little moments too.

This group is so bad with words more often than not, but can certainly rise to the occasion when pressed, but amongst themselves is a completely different story. They are most powerful in their quiet choices. And I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that a lot of them are absolutely TERRIFIED to lose this found family of theirs - a place where they can just be and they have ZERO ability to voice just how much they love and care for each other so they just don't speak, but show their love.

And i just adore that they have learned to pick up on it over the course of the campaign, too. A lot of things were brushed off or untrusted - justifiably so - but now they just GET each other and pick up on these moments and they simply show they care and show that they are grateful for it, instead of stating so.

I just love this group of idiots and how much they love each other 😭😭😭😭

[critfailthatcharismacheck]

UM HEY so I’m watching campaign 1 (didn’t get into CR until partway through campaign 2) and it’s slow going but I FREAKING LOVE GILMORE!!

[critfailthatcharismacheck]

So we know Halas is a Wizard, but is it possible that he’s also an artificer? I’m very curious about the collar that Caleb kept from the happy fun ball, and how Matt said it was a mix of abjuration magic and illusion magic. What I’m thinking is, this guy has already been proven to be a genius (maybe a little crazy too, but I digress) that was able to crest the happy fun ball and all the incredible stuff inside it, so why would he be limited to only one class? It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if Matt had multiclassed this NPC.

[critfailthatcharismacheck]

HEY SO YALL KNOW HOW FJORD HAS THE SEE INVISIBILITY SPELL AND SPOTTED THE ORB THAT WAS SPYING ON THE M9

AND YALL KNOW HOW TRENT ICKYTHONG KNEW THAT CALEB WAS BREN THE WHOLE TIME

I HAD THE THOUGHT THAT WHAT IF TRENT WAS THE ONE WHO SENT THE ORB

AND WHAT IF THE ORB HAS BEEN FOLLOWING CALEB THIS WHOLE TIME

LIKE TRENT EXPECTED BREN TO BREAK OUT OF THE ASYLUM SO HE PUT SOME TRACKING/SPYING ORB SPELL ON BREN THAT WOULD FOLLOW HIM DESPITE BREN STEALING THE ANTI-SCRYING NECKLACE FROM TRENT’S INSIDE MAN

JUST AS AN EXTRA MEASURE

OR EVEN, TRENT EXPECTED THE BREAKOUT BUT NOT THE MURDER AND THEFT, SO EVEN IF HE COULDNT SCRY ON BREN, HE ALREADY HAD THE ORB IN PLACE

AND IF THE ORB REALLY WAS PLACED BY TRENT, THEN HE KNOWS EVERYTHING

(Edit: I know the Orb was from the dynasty, but I had this thought and it Freaked me out because Caleb/Bren does not deserve this and also because this feels like exactly the kind of thing Trent’s creepy ass would pull)

[critfailthatcharismacheck]

Widogast’s Vault of Amber

Idk if I’ve said it before so I’ll say it here now, I absolutely adore Matt and Liam’s homebrewing!

So I couldn’t find anything on either of their twitters about this new spell, and I don’t have much access to any of the books (aside from the free ones on DNDBeyond) but the closest I could find was the Secret Chest spell, which is a 4th level Conjuration spell.

So the Vault of Amber obviously has somatic and material components, and from how Liam described the spell, the amber acts as a discreet holding cell, much like a bag of holding but less obvious. I’m thinking that it may be that the individual pieces can only hold one or two objects of a certain size, so it may be limited in what it can hold. But also along those lines, it would be used more for discretion than for holding a lot of stuff. To me it feels really spy-ish, like it would be used to transport small stuff that you wouldn’t want found on your person.

I’m looking forward to Matt and Liam sharing the details of this spell!

[critfailthatcharismacheck]

Okay

So idk if anyone else looked up what Caduceus’ new bone flute death whistle sounds like but I did and let me just say that it is one of the most haunting sounds I’ve ever heard and while I can’t bring myself to regret learning about it I also absolutely have to make other people aware of how terrible it is, so here’s a video!

https://youtu.be/I9QuO09z-SI

[critfailthatcharismacheck]

“If you want to finish this on a personal level, let me know”

Hey Fjord, what the fuck does that mean????