#Matt Mercer appreciation post

[sapphic-scylla]

I usually go on and on about Matt Mercer’s skills about DMing, but I also want to really gush about his voice acting chops.

Yusuke Kitagawa is an amazing example of this. It seems a simple ask for Matt, but somehow, Matt absolutely nails him. Maybe because Matt’s forte is overly dramatic characters, but either way, listening to Matt bring life to his characters, in a sound booth or behind a DM screen, is truly a master class and a true honor to be witness to.

Like, I can’t even count how many of his characters have genuinely enraptured my attention and actively made my jaw drop because of how clearly I can picture and understand his thoughts and motivations and character work.

Matthew Mercer is truly a master of his craft and his golden heart and his deep care for what he does does nothing but continue to deepen my profound and unshakable respect for the man.

[sandstormcz]

Hey, read the whole thing

MATT MERCER ISN'T A GOOD DM

He's totally pretending to be that good, I mean he's an actor, he's only acting like a good DM but you can tell he's actually a total fraud. I mean how many PCs died already? Can he not even balance an encounter??

Aaaand okay yeah no this isn't happening. Matt isn't a good DM. Matt is a great DM. One of the best ones I know. I mean the guy is so good there's a whole complex because people aren't as good as him. The thing is.. Matt said on his Between the Sheets that sometimes, he goes looking for hate comments. So, on the off chance he found this, hey man. We love you. You're great. You're putting in some great work. We'd love to be at your table. Impostor syndrome is a bitch and it gets the best of us. It's okay. We love you.

[wentian]

🐑: Never one...

           🐺: ...without the other.

[isagrimorie]

Marisha’s rhyme lives rent free in my head. I know Sam’s better but I feel like Marisha’s improv’d rhyme was also good!

“It’s a pleasure to come upon you on this fine day. We come from a realm far away. My name is Laudna so don’t call me Doris but here I have this journal from one Vespin Chloras.”

But also! Also! Matt! When were you planning to dump the Bells Hells if Marisha hadn’t found her notes about the thing they have to rub on their faces to ensure they don’t lose time and end up a thousand years later in the Material plane!

LOOK AT THAT SMILE. Matt was planning shenanigans!!

Matthew Mercer! When were you gonna dump them?? A year later? 500 years after??

Everyone say: thank you, Marisha! Also, Liam for being a Marisha translator.

(Although, NGL, I am curious what would have happened if they did forget! And what the story will be then?).

[ravendruid]

When a creature within 30 feet makes an attack roll– So, using the Guiding Bolt, you can see shifting somewhere in the body of Umbrasyl– (laughs) You see this form moving in there. You know, based on what you guys have discussed before– I hope you discussed this plan before.

Matt gets put in the weirdest situations as a DM, and I love him for being so kind to his players and allowing their shenanigans.

[dark-as-a-lake]

This is a Matt Mercer appreciation post. Happy Thursday critters

[commiecricket]

Candela Obscura S2 - Thoughts So Far

Spoiler-Free!

i had the pleasure of seeing the premiere in theatres and it was PHENOMENAL. im gonna get right into it.

first off! you don’t necessarily have to watch the first season. i think you’ll have a bit of a better grasp on things and it’s also just fucking fantastic so i highly recommend. but no, you don’t have to in order to enjoy this campaign.

everyone embodies their characters so well. you can absolutely feel the love and detail put into them. you can feel them getting into their roles as the episode goes on and by the end, you’re completely attached.

it definitely starts off a lot quicker than season 1. we get right into the good stuff with a cold open directly to action. it starts off strong and ends with a bang.

HELL of a first episode, i’ll tell you that.

the vibe is definitely different from matthew mercer’s campaign. spenser has a unique GM style that took a minute to get used to. threwe off a bit at first, but i think it fits the narrative so far.

i pulled together an auggie cosplay just for the hell of it. did some makeup inspired by s1e3 and got dolled up in my best paperboy attire.

unfortunately i was literally the only one dressed up (+ my sibling in just general dark academia clothing). i also had to walk around a very busy store beforehand. so that was a bit awkward but honestly, i was so excited i didn’t care.

all in all, it was incredible. if you enjoyed the first season or are into any kind of body horror or thrillers, give it a try.

and now.. for the details.

SPOILERS under the cut!

i cant wait to see more of their backstories. im super happy with the amount of backstory we got this episode. not too much or too little. just enough to be intriguing and get you invested, while still leaving some mystery.

starting the episode into immediate action was a bit off putting, ngl. i was startled by the pretty significant difference in how spenser is GMs in contrast to matt. i adore his play style but it took a second to get used to. as the episode progressed i could tell it was working really well for this campaign, which is pleasing.

im immediately drawn to sean and marion. i loved auggie and have a fixation on newsies so i obviously have a specific character type i enjoy LMAO. their personalities and interactions with everyone are fantastic.

the PTSD-flashback-type scenes were a great addition imo. it added a lot to their characters. plus that interaction when marion gets his scar? 100/10, gorgeous, tore me apart. i will be watching that scene again when it gets posted and that is a threat.

marion’s breakdown shattered my heart and the other party members had such interesting reactions. im hoping we have more moments like that sprinkled throughout.

of course i love everyone so far. auntie b’s complex history with each party member, nathaniel’s bits of family history, jean’s struggle beginning to shine through, sean’s internal battle with trauma / vague history, marion’s conflict with his own abilities… its all so good.

needless to say i think we’re going to be fed well this season.

my sibling was crying during a few parts but i only really teared up when jean said goodbye to her dad. i knew it was coming but damn it still tugged at my heartstrings.

that entire last scene was just so. GOOD. the entire theatre was losing their fucking minds. you could hear whispering, gasping, nervous giggling. jean’s gilded 6 was wild.

my favorite part of the night was probably when jean was investigating the body and pulled an eye from his heart. as spenser revealed what she found, a loud cough/hacking sound came from the back of the theatre.

you could tell it was probably just a coincidence but after a few seconds of silence people started to laugh. it was just a silly moment that made me really appreciate the atmosphere. as someone who rarely watches films in theatre (or at all tbh), it was a pleasant experience.

anyway i fucking LOVE co and have not stopped thinking about it since the last season ended. so i am very obviously hyped. cant wait to see whats next!

spenser sparke, taliesin jaffe, chris lockey, shaun ellis, matthew mercer, the party members of both seasons, and everyone else who has had a hand in this series — thank you. youve created something viscerally beautiful.

[natelm2nd]

I posted 1,164 times in 2022

That's 1,151 more posts than 2021!

20 posts created (2%)

1,144 posts reblogged (98%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@whythursdaynext

@autisticassassinbird

@all-made-of-stardust

@to-to-karamba

@bioswear

I tagged 282 of my posts in 2022

#critical role - 133 posts

#cr spoilers - 53 posts

#critical role spoilers - 27 posts

#skyrim - 16 posts

#cr3 - 12 posts

#bells hells - 12 posts

#the elder scrolls - 11 posts

#laura bailey - 10 posts

#exu: calamity - 10 posts

#sam riegel - 9 posts

Longest Tag: 71 characters

#a chaotic version of me wants to tag this as ‟encanto‟ and ‟bruno mars‟

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

My brain is silly

Started playing Pillars of Eternity II for the first time. I have an ear infection currently so was playing with sound off. I'm currently imagining the protagonist as Liam O'Brien but with those fake elf ears. There was a squints eyes dramatically option and I was like "yeah, that's liam" The companion may or may not be voiced by Matt Mercer or Talisen Jaffe...

Also this is the second zenimax media affiliated title I've played where the protagonist comes back from The Dead. The other was Elder Scrolls Online.

4 notes - Posted June 26, 2022

#4

Try guys about to become the Tri Guys

Welp. Ned Fulmer cheated on his wife with an employee and this reminded me of Nerdfighteria/DFTBA Records having their Me Too moment a DECADE ago.

6 notes - Posted September 27, 2022

#3

I appreciate TV Tropes editors for making a page for the new Tumblr goof. Helps those of us who may forget or not understand its a movie that doesn't exist.

12 notes - Posted November 21, 2022

#2

Unsure if this is Tina or Ashly dming...

13 notes - Posted March 28, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Currently watching a bunch of nerds born between 1976 and 1991 pretend to be teen hackers in 1995. Also there may have been a cereal killer and a Dr. Crusher involved.

22 notes - Posted November 8, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[wosoproblems]

Bonus:

Falco Friday

[sky-scribbles]

This arc really shows how good Matt is at giving his players narrative rewards for what they do.

He’s rewarded their daring. The attempt to retrieve the bag of holding was risky and it failed - but it took one of the Crests out of Lucien’s grasp and bought the Nein a week while the Tombtakers went on a wild crest chase across Eiselcross. The Sanitorium raid didn’t go to plan either, but they still got the amulets, and that let them ambush the Tombtakers brilliantly.

He’s rewarded their cleverness. Taliesin’s genius idea to send some of the group into the Happy Fun Ball? It had its casualties (poor Luc) but it got them away from Trent safely. The Nein’s Intuit Charge ambush? Made sure the Nein only had to fight Cree, not any of the Tombtakers’ frontline. Marisha realising that Beau could commune with Cognouza and maybe even control it? That got the group to Yussa, and then straight to the Aether Crux. 

He’s rewarded their curiosity and their engagement with the world. Repairing Devexian got them directions straight to B-9, in a chase where time was crucial. Fjord testing the Rejuvenator meant that Essek had the knowledge and resources to suggest the Dunamancy Powernap. 

He’s rewarded their emotional investment. The connections they’ve made with Astrid, the Gentleman, Yussa, Allura - those got them resources, advice, a safe place to hide their families. If they hadn’t befriended Essek, they might never have learned that they could safely leave Eiselcross to prepare. Caleb wouldn’t have had Immovable Object to cast on that Threshold Crest. Maybe they wouldn’t have successfully set all three Intuit Charges for the trap.

And of course, there’s the Dunamancy Powernap. DMs playing allied NPCs are  often advised to keep them out of any major planning to preserve player agency, and Matt has largely been doing that. But Essek chipping in at that point with such a game-changing suggestion feels like the players’ reward for engaging with the world lore of dunamancy, and for investing so much in an NPC that he had a morality crisis for them and followed them to the end of the world.

Of course we all knew that Matt’s an incredible DM who knows how to give his players narrative satisfaction. But that’s really been shining through this arc, and I’m loving it.

[ashleyinwondrland]

Laura crying a little during the conversation between Jester and Marion, knowing that her fictional mama could actually be in danger. And Matt just perfectly played a concerned parent, like so amazingly on point for someone who isn’t a parent. Like sometimes real world knowledge or lack of can effect moments (like I love Matt but is Luc is suppose to be 3 or 4 he has been off lol) but he is perfect as the Ruby of the Sea.

And then in the other room

“I’m sorry for bringing this danger, and I know you’ll forgive me and you are stupid doing so” Yeza kisses Veth “oh that’s nice.”

Somehow Matt goes from being a worried caring mother to a concerned loving husband in the blink of an eye!

Matt have easily played this as a disgruntled spouse, angry at the their partner for putting their child in danger, because even Veth expected her husband to be upset. But Matt doesn’t do that, he won’t punish his characters like that, he rewards them for their efforts. He has Yeza grow and enjoy being a stay at home dad, knowing that Veth talked about not wanting to go back to being a stay at home mom and assistant to her husband.

Matt is a perfect example of how a DM should be in terms of working with your players, not against them. Any DM who operates in a way that their goal is to break or kill the party, they aren’t doing their job honestly. Like yes when they are the baddie and have the RP as them, you have to be fully the character and not pull punches. But in general, it should not be a DM vs the party, a DM should want to see them succeed. It’s their job to lay and be the foundation to tell a good story. Because in my humble opinion that’s what dnd is, it’s telling a story all together.

This is a Matt Mercer appreciation post.

[todayisafridaynight]

i religiously rewatch the english dub scene in Y7 where kiryu appears for daigo but solely because he sounds more like matt mercer than matt mercer (who’s playing majima in the same scene) does and it kills me every time

[melancholic-frog]

true love is homebrewing d&d classes and races for your friends every campaign <3

[mushroom-winners-proof]

bimonthly post about how i still think terra looks like he should be voiced by matt mercer or whatever

[melodythefab]

(Please note, all of the following are purely my own opinions and I know some people don’t agree but I’d love to not argue about it ~thanks~)

It’s a tad long, but that’s mostly because of the thank you at the end. But yeah, this is (one of) the question(s) I submitted for the Campaign wrap-up! I personally really appreciate the way the CR cast treats their queer characters (which essentially boils down to ‘well yeah people in wildemount are queer, people in the real world are queer, so people in our fantasy world are, too, what do you mean it’s weird it’s just people being people theres nothing weird about that’), especially since the cast doesn’t seem to be the Absolute Most Informed on Every Single Identity (see: Taliesin having to Google what aromantic meant, and I’m sure other moments, but that’s the one I always think about) but just understanding that regardless of whether or not they have the words, the people in their world exist like that for no other reason than ‘they’re people and people are queer sometimes’. I adore seeing queer representation handled so casually in media. Don’t get me wrong, I also love seeing stuff where queer identities are brought into light a lot, but seeing the books and shows and stories where it’s not even stated, but it’s there? That holds a special place in my heart. Because it didn’t have to be there. But it is. People might not know the difference anyways, but it’s there. And honestly, I think I like that even more. Maybe one day, if more media starts to treat queer representation the way Critical Role does, not having to call it out every single time it’s there, letting it come up organically, treating it like just another aspect of a character and not their entire character, letting it exist simply for the sake of existing, maybe, we’ll get to a point where the same can be said of the real world. That being queer is just another part of a person, not their entire personality. That being queer isn’t seen as out-of-the-ordinary. That being queer is just seen as another part of the human experience. I hope we can get there one day. In the meantime, I know I can turn to Critical Role for that. And for that, I’m forever grateful.

This has been a Critical Role Appreciation Post, thanks for coming to my TedTalk.

[widonotts]

@capslockdoesntexpressmyjoy​ replied to your post: I am so sorry but, "#second only in cursed widobrave rights to the c2e2 question about nott being pregnant", the /w h a t/

(For context: #ah the blessed-cursed talks episode 💘 #second only in cursed widobrave rights to the c2e2 question about nott being pregnant 💖)

Oh man.

Let me set the scene. It’s February 29, 2020, and the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo—C2E2—is in full swing. Two weeks from now, the world will shut down, but nobody understands that yet; the meet-and-greet tables have hand sanitizer and signs instructing you not to ask for hugs, but the actors get up from the tables to take pictures and give you side-hugs anyway. You’re sitting in the main stage of the convention center during the Critical Role panel. The room is packed, and there are multiple overflow rooms. Someone has been AirDropping Laura Bailey’s drawing of the dick-shaped Traveler statues to every phone around.

Two days ago at the Chicago live show, Caleb and Veth successfully completed her Transmogrification, and you’re riding the wonderful high of Veth finally being in her own body. Maybe someone at the panel will ask about it!

Well... Someone sure asked about the logistics of having two different bodies.

You can watch it here (at 42:12, if the link doesn’t work), but here’s a transcript of the question and its answer. (Please watch it, though. It’s hilarious. Their expressions are totally worth it.)

Asker: My question is for Sam and Matt, actually. If Nott would have given birth in her goblin form...

[The audience breaks into uproarious laughter, which quietly continues throughout the bit. The cast is bewildered considering this, except for Taliesin, who nods and gives an appreciative thumbs-up. The rest of them are varying levels of deeply aghast and incredibly entertained.]

Travis: Yep. Yep, get ready for this one.

Asker, continuing: Would it have come out a goblin or a halfling? And similarly, currently, will her baby—if she would have another—come out slightly green?

Matt, pointedly: Yeah, Sam!

[More laughter from the audience and cast. Liam, who is sitting between Matt and Sam, sinks into his chair, quickly glancing between them.]

Sam: Uh, as a mother... [More laughter.] I think about this a lot. I believe—I mean, I’m no... I don’t really know how to play D&D, but I believe when she’s in her goblin form, she is a goblin. Her DNA becomes... gobloid... DNA. And so I think, if... If she and Caleb had sex...

[The cast cracks up while the room erupts into laughter and applause. Matt looks towards the heavens with exaggerated horror, shaking his head no; Liam smiles and plays along with the bit, nodding thoughtfully as he imagines the prospect and motioning for Sam to continue.]

Sam: ...Then, three months later, because that’s the goblin gestational period, she would give birth to a half-goblin, half-stinky child. A horribly smelling half-goblin child, I believe, with a beard. And now, if she had another baby—with Caleb, o-or, or with Yeza... [Matt raises his hands in a “what the fuck” gesture; Liam smiles and looks between them with raised eyebrows.] I’m just saying, I wanna hump Liam. Um—

Laura: Or the minotaur!

Travis: The minotaur, don’t forget the minotaur!

Sam: Oh, the minotaur. Wow, a half-goblin, half-minotaur? That is crazy to think about. Wow.

Travis: Guess we know what’s happenin’ next week!

Matt: I mean, I bought you the Valar’s Erotic Roleplay book for your birthday years ago. I’m pretty sure there’s a table in there that says that gestation period.

Sam: That’s a great question.

Matt, weakly: Y-yeah, what Sam said, uh... [He shakes his head wearily.] And yeah, I would say from my standpoint, during the goblin time period in Nott’s life, physically a goblin; back to halfling, physically a halfling. So any future children would be—between, you know, Yeza and Veth—would be full halfling.

[Sam nods and smiles. The audience “awws,” which bewilders the cast even more.]

Travis: Are those disappointed “awws” or, like, heartwarming “awws?” It’s hard to tell!

Matt: Awwww, fantasy genetics!

............So yeah that’s the C2E2 pregnancy question