#the player and the doodler

[crookshanks23]

Season 1, Episode 2: The Ties that Bind

Favorite moment: Every time Daryll decides to carry Gartok around as if he's a dog is very funny. And of course, the beautiful moment near the end that pays off much much later, which I will not spoil here.

Favorite quote: "Freddie, it's fine." If you know, you know.

General thoughts: It's interesting that there's no intro on this one. I had forgotten about that. And I do miss the days when the dad (now teen) facts were short and sweet.

This episode is definitely not one of my favorites. However, I love the payoff that it has later. They really took an episode that was just a little side quest and made it so much more important. Now, I didn't find the show until the fun stuff had been added in later, and my first time listening, I had to rewind and re-listen because I was very confused. And then I promptly forgot about it until it came back around.

I also sometimes forget that the seeds of the Doodler were planted right from the beginning. It's great storytelling, even if they didn't know where they were going with it yet. It was enough to throw it in there and see what would happen.

And now we're off to Neverwinter...

[particlepocket]

Land of brimstone and memory

A fiery world with everything ablaze save for antiquated movie set structures.

Brimstone in connection to hell, blaze (4/20 & glory) & the fire at the end of tmod. Memory symbolized by film in both the object and form of entertainment as ways of documenting life or viewing history. Film is highly flammable, concurrently, some films can be reused by erasing the images with sulfuric acid.

Time players lands hold significance as the planet that holds the scratch construct, which in this case would be a cassette tape. Due to the circumstances in the nature of this session, the constructs purpose does not function as a reset button but a undo, activated by rewinding the cassette by using the quills like how you would typically with a pencil.

[nat-without-a-g]

Imagine being the son of the two most passionate soccer players to ever save the world and the first thing we hear about you is that you’re STRUGGLING with soccer everyone say hi to Gerry!!! His middle name is a reference to the doodler to me.

[max-xie]

in honour of gothcleats becoming cannon, all gothcleats moments throughout season 2 (some are more of a stretch then others but shhhhh)

normal and taylor teasing link about asking scary out on a date even though that wasnt what the note said -ep 1

scary says link is metal for pissing on a teachers foot - ep 1

link saying scary is a better soccer player then him - ep 1

link askes scary and only scary what class she is - ep 1

scary choses to go to detention with link - ep 3

scary says link is cool for leaving class - ep 3

link wrote scarys name first when writing to the principal about skipping school -ep 3

link said scary was smarter then him - ep 3

link offers scary to the dance with him or normal and she in return gets very flustered and says no -ep 5

scary admits link is her friend - ep 5

when taylor mentioned that link needed another date, scary sighed loudly to draw attention to her - ep 5

link's voice gets higher when he is talking about how scary is doing a speed date and he said he "doesnt care" very rushedly like he was lying - ep 5

scary called link "pretty cool" - ep 5

link was the only one listening to scary when she went to the mic to tell everyone to run from the dance even though the mic wasnt on -ep 6

link said that scary should get something when the group was saying who should get what from the vending machine - ep 7

link said that he hopes scary is okay - ep 10

link got scary a black coffee and sugar just how she likes it with out him asking, plus he noticed how she likes her coffee - ep 11

link called scary really nice - ep 12

link helps out scary to not be scared in the up down room - ep 13

scary told link not to listen when papa john was talking to them - ep 15

scary knew links exact height - ep 17

scary giving advice to link on how to talk on the phone - ep 17

scary didnt want to say to link "dont get cocky kid, this is the only pussy youre gonna get" when sparrow suggested it -ep18

link and scary figured out how all the magical items worked together - ep 18

link said that scary is probably a good singer - ep 19

link said scary dresses cool - ep 19

scary said that link is so cool when wearing goth clothes - ep 19

out of everyone, scary insults link the least when vinc asks her to insult her friends -ep 20

link went "yes!" when scary said she wants to go back to soccar - ep 20

link giving advice to terry jr about scary and how terry can show his love for her -ep 20

link says "scary youre such a leader" -ep 21

scary tells grant to give link some space -ep 23

link asks scary and only scary if thats her when when went to the church of the doodler and changed into their grand daddies -ep 23

link tells hermie to be a little less when flirting with scary -ep 24

links dnd character is a LOT like scary, plays soccer, looks deep and brooding but is broken inside -ep 24

link misses scary when she wasnt there with them - ep 26

taylor said "fuck scary!" and link said "well... i dont know" - ep 26

1:05:00 (with ads) aka gothcleats bitchy era - ep 27

link breaks the pic anchor with love for scary ("not leaving the group"🙄) -ep 29/30

when mat rolled a 17 for whether the anchor was broken out of love or hate and when the 17 was rolled freddie said "that's love baby" -ep 30

link defended scary against normal -ep 30

scary said that link had a good normal impression -ep 30

scary laughed at links joke -ep 30

link said that he is worried about scary -ep 30

scary said that she never thought that link was a piss boy and defended him -ep 30

link was the only one not to say "i" when they made a vote whether or not theyll vote scary out -ep 30

link heals scary even though they are fighting eachother -ep 31

link hugs scary and scary takes the hug -ep 31

even though scary casts eldrich blast link keeps hugging -ep 31

link said that scary looks peaceful when she sleeps -ep 32

link defends scary by saying she is going through something when taylor was mad at her -ep 32

link says that scary is always funny -ep 33

link asks scary what character she is and asks nobody else -ep 33

link kept on saying "you can do this scary! you can do this" -ep 34

normal as pickle rick told link to tell scary he likes her (and to just fuck already) - ep 34

normal apologies to link about what he said about him telling link to to ask out scary and said that he can ask her out in his own time - ep 34

link screamed "where did scary go" when she disappeared -ep 37

link told normal to stop talking about dads bc scarys step dad died -ep 38

normal said that scary and link had a big crush on eachother and they didnt deny it -ep 38

link said he HAS LOVE FOR SCARY -ep 39

link said that all of scarys thought are dark and beautiful -ep 40

link gives scary protection -ep 41

scary defends link when grant said he is going through a phase - ep 42

link said that scary doesnt need to apologise to tony pepperoni -ep 44

link says he only cares if scary feels better -ep 44

link told only scary a joke about tony and how his wife hated him -ep 44

link says that they should cook dinner for scary more often and asking her if she wants dinner - ep 44

scary is the first person to help link when he turns into lego -ep 48

scary reassurances link that he isnt dead and she trys to calm him down -ep 48

scary declared link the leader and said he was really strong -ep 48

scary said that link is greater then the sum of his parts -ep 48

Lincoln askes where scary is first -ep 49

link got mad when they didnt save scary -ep 49

link wants to find scary -ep 50

scary wishes for links ball when they wished for him without it and he got upset he didnt have it with him -ep 51

link says "thanks scary you really get me" -ep 51

link says that scary is good at a lot of things -ep 51

scary turned into lerry bc she saw link go into heaven prison and she didnt do anything about it (like try to stop that from happening) and her tone sounded sad when she told the group this -ep 51

link says that scary turning into lerry was really impressive -ep 51

scary freaked out when link said he was not needed -ep 51

link said scarys jeans were cool -ep 52

link said that scary is such a good whistler -ep 52

link remembered reminded the group about how scary wants the thrown -ep 52

link convinced taylor to be the air dropper so that scary could have the thrown -ep 52

scary and link talked about what theyll do when they all become god only together -ep 53

link and scary talking about buffy -ep 53

link asked scary what she thinks about the whole god wish situation -ep 53

linc called scary honey -ep 53

scary called linc babe -ep 53

linc called scary babe -ep 53

scary says "oh i love you" to link -ep 53

link says "oh i love you too" to scary -ep 53

link puts his arm around scary to dance -ep 53

link and scary have a son together named "gerry" -ep 53

GOTHCLEATS CANNON IN FUTURE!!! -ep 53

[greenofrain]

I hope season 3 has different PC families, but that the doodler crew are still represented in some way. Like four dads get sent forward in time to a cyberpunk future and have to save their kids, and on the adventure they run into a Clos-Swift-Foster who's like a vocaloid producer and a Wilson who's the star player of some future sports team and an Oak who is a therapist for self-aware machines and a Stampler who owns the last physical goods store on the planet. I think it would be fun.

[cherrielite]

GUYYYYYYSSS the crew boys on the titanic (ep 43) are carl and stud stampler ‼️‼️REAL NOT FAKE ‼️‼️

proof:

-the titanic was heading to new york city, where stud lived before moving to san dimas to take care of willy

-the older of the two is drinking whiskey while they play soccer, carl (stud’s older brother/willy’s dad) died pre-atmod, implied to be a result of alcoholism

-the younger doesn’t talk BUT the older has a strong irish accent, if they are carl and stud it would explain why stud’s “1920s new york” accent is so heavy in atmod, because that accent came from the influx of irish immigrants in new york at the time

-there were around 160 irish passengers on the titanic (54 survivors), most of which were 3rd class passengers, likely immigrating to america to get away from the intense political tension taking place in ireland at time

-it would add to the inter-generational stampler family soccer talent! carl being able to kick around an iceberg chunk as a soccer ball, terry jr being the “star striker” of the doodlers, and scary being “one of the best” players on the teen high team

-it would add to the inter-generational stampler family boat trauma/death

-the timeline aligns really well! assuming carl is in his late teens/early 20s during the voyage (1912), then has willy a few years into his life in america (let’s say 1915-1920ish). willy is 8 (if i’m remembering right) during atmod, which takes place in the 1930s.

[tweedlebugged]

Squinting at the latest dndads episode suspiciously and poking it with a stick. Because on the one hand, it definitely feels like something sus is going on under the surface here and Anthony’s going to pull the rug out any minute now.

On the other, this is a show called Dungeons and Daddies and you kind of have to accept on admission that the characters can and will twist the logical rules of the universe into a pretzel in service of a really good goof. So there’s no way to tell right now what seems a little weird For the Drama and what seems a little weird For the Bit.

Take Jodie. Last season he was this badass demon and objectively the most put together dad, and now he’s this kind of pathetic loser trying to get back with his ex. His ex who he’s definitely been broken up with for over two decades at this point, given that he was already dating Scam during the Church of the Doodler stuff only a few years post season 1. And he was a really involved dad who is obviously disappointed in Nicky for not being part of Taylor’s life, but also he seems totally indifferent toward Hermie and pinches his nose when he has to be near him? It’s weird! And he acts so eager to use these kids and is VERY obviously trying to manipulate them—the whole chosen one thing tbh, and giving scary “secret” information and telling her she smells so super evil when she’s just…not lol—but then gets worried and tries to stop Scary when she does something that will actually hurt her. Officer Foster sir what the fuck is your deal?

But also—Jodie the cringe fail King of Hell is hilarious and Jimmy could just have been leaning into that new persona because it’s good radio. And it was! So who knows!

And Glenn. We know he canonically helped found DADDIES and was working to take down the Doodler (fighting at the Church, putting in the super fast elevator) and Nicky continued to be involved for years after, so clearly the Close/Foster family cared about the Doodler stuff at one point. So how did Glenn end up with the Doodler’s anchor and why is he maiming children to keep them from getting it? Children he should probably recognize and care about at least a little! (Although to be fair Taylor and Link are both still wearing skull masks)

But ALSO—and I say this lovingly—Glenn does have a slight history of being a selfish garbage man, and even though his character grew a lot by the end of season 1 it still wouldn’t be outside the realm of possibility for him to have looked around after his friends were gone, realized all of his loved ones were actually safe, and decided to fuck off to do cool things in hell instead. Especially after the other kiddads betrayed Nicky. Anthony did say that he’d let the players decide what happened to their characters, and while I don’t know Mr. Frederick Wong personally “fighting 666 demons in mega hell with the love of his life” does have the exact vibe of an ending he’d choose for Glenn.

So is Glenn under the influence of the anchor somehow? Is he actually one of the Likely family in disguise? Or is Freddy taking full advantage of being Glenn again to play out this character to its logical and EXTREMELY funny conclusion? Impossible to say!

And finally Agent Schmegan and the FBI. All that work hunting Nicky to the point that he had to abandon his family and stalking Taylor until they had an opportunity to draw out his dad, all so they could capture Nicky and torture him into letting them into hell. And now suddenly all they needed was text message permission from some random unrelated teenager and they could open a portal themselves? That’s fishy! And they had special weapons designed to take down Nicky, who said if they ever captured him his dads would be dead, but now Jodie can fight them all by himself without much issue? Feels a little like a scam, actually!

BUT ALSO—the 12 soccer players have been tied to the FBI since the FBI was introduced, and it makes sense to play out those stories at the same time. And since you can only go to hell once, bringing the FBI there now could take them out as a threat to Nicky. Which is more a narrative move than a comedy beat but would still be very funny when he loses his excuse to be an absentee dad and has to actually interact with Taylor. And his ex wife. And her new boyfriend.

This post isn’t going anywhere, the episode just reminded me why trying to theorize about Dungeons and Daddies is like trying to connect a conspiracy board with silly string (affectionate)

[theresattrpgforthat]

Hi!

First of all, I really appreciate your work here! I love discovering new games and i have added some to my list based on your recommendations

Right now I'm looking for a solo ttrpg that is meant to be played in extremely short daily sessions. I want to play a little round each morning as if it were a daily wordle or newspaper crossword puzzle. Just a quick dopamine hit without having to commit multiple hours.

I know that with solo games, it is easy to do things at my own pace anyway. But are there any solo games that incorporate short, daily sessions as a feature?

THEME: Short, Daily, Solo Games.

Myrtle Manor, by aiyujellies.

On the edge of the cliffside lies a crumbling manor swathed in blankets of shadow. A cloaked figure darts out of its entrance, a gaping maw, and disappears into the forest, their footprints featherlight and fading in the snow...

Myrtle Manor is a solo journaling role-playing game. It requires a tarot deck, two coins, and a medium to record the story. For every entry, you will draw a tarot deck and consult the oracle for guidance on what kind of person you meet. Each day you will meet a new person.

You’ll want to keep in mind why you’re visiting the manor and what secret your character is trying to find (as well as what secret they are trying to keep). Each entry comes with a section called Mind Your Presence, in which you determine what each meeting means to your character.There doesn’t seem to be a definitive end to this game - I’m assuming you can play for as many days as there are tarot cards in the deck, but you could also tie things up sooner if you find the story reaching a natural conclusion, or whenever you get bored. Definitely worth checking out!

Your True Name, by Pearse Anderson.

Your True Name is a spell-generation storytelling game to play with some choice five-letter words. It is a one-page Lost & Found hack of Wordle, the online spelling sensation, designed to be one-player and played in fifteen minutes or less!

In Your True Name, you become a magic word being Spoken by generations of spellcasters, each of them trying to use your magic and get closer to Your True Name (today’s Wordle answer). The game changes each day with the Wordle and with each player’s guesses, making the replayability endless and a perfect way to generate fun spells for your other campaigns and games. You, as the magic word you inhabit, can travel between the lips of waterfall watchers, bandit-kings, aeronauts, illusionists, and Mage College adjuncts, changing and growing in both power and potential volatility.

This gives you a way to game-ify another morning activity, that activity being Wordle. I was inspired to recommend this game when you mentioned a daily Wordle, because I knew I had seen this game somewhere. You could stay within the same world / character as you play, or hop between characters or bouts of inspiration.

The Bonsai Diary, by Sticky Doodler.

It's 2023, and you plant a small tree seedling, imagining its future. Bonsai trees can live hundreds of years. Who will inherit this living being? What will that person think of you in 2178? Will they think of you at all?

This is a beautifully contemplative game, in which you embody various generations that are all responsible for caring for a bonsai tree (and possibly more). Throughout the game you will find small pieces of facts about trees and notable tree-related history. The game itself is a printable booklet that you will draw in, answering questions about 6 generations and how they came across the bonsai. If you want to continue past generation 6, the booklet contains instructions for longer play.

You Beyond the Pale, by S. Kaiya J.

You don't belong in the mortal world. You live alone, and you have always lived alone. You have yourself, and you have your own territory. The mortals have their own realms, and the mortals have each other. So what happens when the mortal world starts coming to you?

You, Beyond the Pale is a solo journaling RPG based on the Aspire SRD. Take up the role of a unique monster, adrift and alone, bewildered by a world full of mortals. Observe them. Learn about them. Scare them, or leave gifts for them. Make a friend. And brace for when your friend tells the rest of the mortal world about you.

S. Kaiya J writes extremely poetic and thoughtful games, and this one is no exception. Using a deck of cards, you will chronicle the story of a monster who makes a new, mortal friend. The author encourages you to select a prompt in the morning, think about the possibilities throughout the day, and return to the game at night, before you go to bed. If you want a game that draws a story out over a month, this might be the game for you.

Loved in Triangles, by James Shannon.

Loved In Triangles is a solo GM-lessTTRPG about romance, relationships and choices. Through playing you'll explore 6 months in the life of someone deciding whether to stay in their current comfortable relationship or to risk it all on the possibility of something new. The game requires a standard deck of playing cards.

If you want to play a game that deals with a topic that has some weight to it, you might want to check out this game. You will draw cards and your character will have to make a decision about what they want in life when it comes to romance. You can base these characters off of different versions of yourself, inspired by fictional characters, or something else altogether.

You are Autumn, by Turtlebun.

You Are Autumn is a game for one person. It takes only a few moments to play.

This is possibly one of the shortest solo games I’ve seen on Itch. It’s more of a writing or journaling exercise than it is a storytelling game; each day you write about the things you cherish and how they leave you to be replaced with something else. I feel like you could either stick rigidly to the premise of this game, or you could expand on it, create new rules, or use it as part of another journaling game.

Games I've Recommended in the Past

Global Dragon Egg Conservation, by KuumatheBronze.

Also...

You might also want to check out the Lunch Break RPG Bundle, which are meant to be short and quick to play. Not all of them will be solo, but a good number will be! (Limited time only)

[lunarrosette]

If Anthony Burch is here then I’m going to do what he hates which is genuinely complimenting him

The reveals with the doodler and the oak family was so incredibly well done, the doodler always felt a little removed the themes of generational and family trauma and the way it actually is fits into those themes perfectly. It also gives everything so much complexity, why is lark trying to kill the doodler if that’s what he saw, things like that. The parallels between the oak family particularly the twins and normal are fantastic and it makes sense the twins “made” the doodler. I think this is genuinely one of the greatest episodes and while all the players had plenty of hand in that Anthony’s writing and planning is the real standout and he is fucking fantastic at characterization and getting themes across and it’s just great and I’m losing my mind

[octopuscityblues]

Kafkaryan, The Wrath Of Cod

June 2024 Progress Report

TLDR: Unfortunately we had to push back our planned release date again. We don't have a new date yet, but we're trying our best to bring you Octopus City Blues as soon as humanly possible. We're very sorry about that. The rest of the update will go over some of the things we've been working on and provide additional context for the delay.

Progress

Starting in April, Marina (benevolent tentacle artist) and I (Firas, malevolent snail) significantly changed the way we work. Previously, art and development were mostly done independently and we communicated on a weekly or biweekly basis. We switched to a virtual office kind of setup where we dedicate fixed hours to working together every day. It's been going great so far and we feel much more motivated and productive.

Our current target is the Robot Graveyard, the lawless wasteland at the base of Gold Tower. We're mainly working on the remaining interior locations such as the Conman's shop or the cyborg club.

By the way, we recently released yet another demo update, based on all the quality-of-life and interaction improvements made since the previous one. These include:

🦔 Kaf the Hedgehog is now 33% faster and has 100% more walking frames! 

🖼️ Intuitive top-of-the-line settings menu to crank up your sim's colors to 11. 

🎨 New text background colors to make your eyes bleed. From the grimy "Jungle" to the ominous "Caput Mortuum". 

💬 Switch between the gossip and item menu modes like a pro using Q/E keys or the gamepad's shoulder buttons. 

🎮 Say goodbye to gamepad confusion! The simulation will reliably remember the most recently used controller. 

🍄 Beetles crave mushrooms. Drop the right item in the plaza and watch the little critters go! 

😷 You no longer have to "touch" dirty objects or people to interact with them. Standing close by is sufficient. 

🤖 Sacrificing Mom to science will pay off sooner.

🪲 And numerous other fixes, copy editing changes, and a host of new potential bugs for you to discover!

I'm also happy to present one of several music tracks that the newest addition to our team, Shannon (omnibenevolent troubadour), has been working on:

There's a lot more happening behind the scenes. For example, Julia (unambivalent wordsmith) went over and helped improve large portions of the script, while Karl (ambivalent doodler) is practicing card tricks.

The Delay

Octopus City Blues has had a long and rocky journey over the years, so I apologize if the following is too long and boring. Nevertheless, you all deserve an honest explanation for the delays. Back in late 2021 when I was pitching the project to the Midgame Fund, the plan looked something like this:

Early 2022: Demo play testing

Late 2022: Release of Act 1 in Early Access.

Mid 2023: Steam Next Fest demo

Late 2023 / Early 2024: Release of Act 2

Later in 2024: KS reward fulfillment, possible localization and console ports

After getting funded, the helpful investors at Midgame Fund advised against Early Access and recommended releasing both acts together. Much of 2022 was spent on discussions, planning, and extensive play testing that took place in two main rounds. The testing feedback showed us that we still had much to do, particularly when it came to guiding the players.

By early 2023 we were struggling to follow the original plan as we addressed all the testing feedback. That's why I decided to cut a lot of planned content and rewrite the story so that it no longer had two acts. The original acts were separated by a 10-year gap, which would've required a lot of art editing and writing completely new responses for every character.

The next play testing round coincided with the Indigo event. Even after all the changes made, some players were still struggling with certain parts or running into bugs. That's why we decided to participate in the October Steam Next Fest edition instead of the June one. The release date was pushed back to Q1 2024.

The Next Fest event itself was a great success. After years of neglecting marketing, we used 2023 to promote the project and make it more viable financially. On the other hand, the event left us with even more feedback, some of which we were still addressing in January (2024). The release date was pushed back to Q2.

In early 2024 the Q2 release plan was still feasible. However, things temporarily took a turn for the worse after our last update. The first roadblock was due to real life developments and personal circumstances that impacted the availability of key team members. Thankfully, everything is back to normal now.

A more general problem is that the more we get done, the more work we end up creating for ourselves. The complex branching quest design means that the amount of testing needed can grow exponentially. Automated testing and play testing rounds can only take us so far.

The next obstacle had to do with the 2023 rewrite. Taking a story with many characters and intertwined elements and completely rewriting major parts of it turned out to be much trickier than expected. Some major plot elements simply didn't work in the new framework, and I had to make additional changes to improve the story's overall pacing and consistency.

At first I thought we could still release the main parts, and then slowly restore some content after release.  That would've meant early adopters and our biggest supporters wouldn't get the complete intended experience. There are also many more things we'd like to tackle after release (Kickstarter rewards, localization, porting) instead of adding more content.

To be clear, there are some things that we still plan to add after release (as free DLC). In particular, there are the arcade games and the quests related to them. While not part of the main story, they were in our original pitch (and much of the art is already done).

All of this brings us to our current plan. The story is still in one act, but some previously cut areas and quests will be restored. As mentioned in the previous section, we've adopted a new way of working since April and have been slowly adding the remaining areas and characters to the simulation. While things look promising, it's hard to tell what will happen tomorrow or if additional play testing will require even more changes.

OCB is something that particularly benefits from these play testing rounds, because the more we can anticipate the player's actions (e.g. trying to combine the knife and baby items), the more fun and immersive the experience feels. Obviously, we can never get rid of every bug or address all feedback before release.  That's why we'll just have to find the right balance.

We still have to finish the following parts: Graveyard (in-progress), Big Beef, Turkeys, and the ending. Of those, Big Beef is the most involved one. I changed the planned release date on Steam to simply 2024 because that's our goal, but please keep in mind that it's not a release date either. We'll only announce a concrete release date once all of these areas are done and work primarily shifts to testing and polishing.

If you've made it this far, thank you for taking the time to read all of that! We remain as committed to this project as we were on day one, and we're genuinely trying our best as flawed and naively optimistic humanoids. We owe it all to your continued support and understanding.

[meadowclarks]

So like re newest DnDads episode—yes the Normal stuff is painful but like… if there’s one thing we learned from Henry’s arc in season one (and from some of the Talking Dads stuff on Patreon) it’s that Will is super intentional with a lot of his ideas and plans when it comes to his characters’ arcs, and that he actively speaks to Anthony about this stuff (and collaborates?). Like the Oakvale / Forgotten Realms Henry stuff was clearly a long-term plan Anthony and Will came up with long before it became obvious in canon. Will’s also the go-to backup DM so he probably takes a bird’s eye view on the story the other players don’t when making plans.

So like. All this to say. Are we SURE that villain!Normal / Doodler!Normal isn’t ACTUALLY where they’re going with this??

[calamity-unlocked]

As the Doodler storyline progresses, I really hope Anthony is gonna find some way to work (Temporary) Sanity Points into the game. The players had such a fun time with them in AMOD and they'd be a great way to operationalize emotional trauma. If not for the players, then for the NPCs! Mechanical consequences are a fun way to make the Doodler's threat seem dangerously real.

[kaseyskat]

my Thoughts on like, normals character and where he's going btw are highly based on his own flaws and like. idk ive kinda seen both sides (normal is a baby and must be protected versus normal needed this ego blow because he was getting too into his head) and I think it's maybe more nuanced than that? cause the thing is. normal is RIGHT to think that his side of things are the morally correct side. he's the one whose seen what the doodler wants and fears and where it came from, he had more perspective on the quest than any of the other teens and I'm not arguing otherwise because it'd be silly. it's HOW he's going about it that puts him firmly into the, "teen character is going to fuck up because they're a teenager" category: as much as he does genuinely try, he's not good at connecting to other people and he does put himself on this pedestal of "i know better and therefore im the best" that isn't exactly the MOST healthy mindset, as a self-proclaimed leader.

that being said, I absolutely understand where he's coming from in this episode in a very. he is hurting and lashing out kind of way? we know why scary is acting the way she is (her own past with her dad + willy trauma=she's still looking for the trauma that justifies her inner darkness) and we know why link is acting the way he is (he's hurt and scared and he never asked for this and he just wants to ensure that he's not the one actively hurting people, he never forgave himself for the casualties of ep2 and the last thing he wants is to add more) and one of normals flaws is his pride, the way he's so sure of what he's doing, he's the best for this and of COURSE it's the right way, he knows that!!!

but he can't empathize with scary right now. very specifically he cannot empathise with her because he can't trust her. and if he can't trust link he can't empathize with him either. normal does view himself as the reason the team is together, and I think that's why he was suddenly on board with kicking scary out when before he was so deadset on helping her: if he personally can't trust anyone, does he really have a team he can lead?

that being said, the shots taken on him recently have been sooo low in comparison. scary has done nothing but bully normal since they reunited. link has been sassy and snippy with normal even since ep26 and it's only gotten worse. normal and taylor don't really have much of a relationship outside the teen friendship circle in general. hermie is angry at normal- and I kinda agree with will that it should NOT solely be up to the players to remember anthony's fucking npc, as funny as it is. as much as I want normal to listen and understand and empathize with scary and link both, it IS a little frustrating when in comparison normals been fucking tanked at every opportunity by the other players- and link's line to normal after he found out about hero actually made me so upset on normal's behalf like dude.

I'm still on the boat that normal should get and deserves a mild villain arc. I desperately want him to team up with hermie and go to the goofs realm alone. I think it might be good for him- both to have a solo adventure with hermie and to have a solo adventure in general, so he can find out why he loves having friends so much. and I think him going through a villain arc would be so narratively compelling, because again, he's not WRONG about the path they should be taking: it isn't underestimating links personal trauma to admit that normal is actually right and he's just so bad at following through. it's just kinda a little tiring sometimes when normal actually does his best to keep the group together and it doesn't work (looking at episode 27 in particular) or when he tries to bury that oak family generational anger the way sparrow and henry do. let him be angry!!!

[officialgleamstar]

:3 Any class (and subclass) headcanons/ideas/theories for Lark? Vaguely related, I can't stop thinking about the fact the he just whistled up a fucking portal last episode?????

i have always assumed lark was a ranger, which is one reason why i was so flabbergasted by grant being the kiddads' ranger. i still think he should be a ranger, a horizon walker ranger specifically, even if it would be dumb and unbalanced for them to have two rangers. literally it makes the most sense. lark is the most ranger guy ever. however, i already made a full post about ranger subclasses for grant, including the reasoning for horizon walker that also applies to lark (namely what you said - WHISTLING TO SUMMON A PORTAL? HORIZON WALKER TYPE SHIT.) SO i will delve into some different ideas instead

if he's not a ranger, then i would guess that he is a fighter, battle master subclass, or a rogue, assassin subclass, with likelihood (in my opinion!) being in that order. thats the tldr. heres the long version LOL:

fighter - fighters are known for being able to wield a wide array of weapons, which makes sense for lark, since he is such a doomsday prepper. he would want to be able to use any weapon he got his hands on. also, indomitable fits lark really well in my opinion. if we wanna talk gear, i'd probably give him chainmail (flavored as bullet-proof vest), two martial weapons (two daggers), a light crossbow and 20 bolts (flavored as a pistol and ammo), and the pack i'm not sure on. i dont think im gonna do gear on every single class but its just part of being a fighter to me to consider that-- subclass wise, we have a few options, listed in order of most to least likely (subjective.)

battle master - the most likely one to me, though now that sparrow seems to be set up as more of the leader than lark, that might change (though i do think that maybe sparrow just takes the head in talking since he's more. uh. sociable than everyone else rn LOL). given how much enemies monologue in dndads, 'know your enemy' would be a super useful skill, and i think if he was spec'd out similar to gerard from neverafter (mostly in the ability to grant other players extra attacks), this would make a lot of sense for him.

champion - listing this because on a meta-level, its extremely easy to play, which makes it an easy pick for anthony. however, i dont think it fits him character-wise because lark would never heal himself LMAO though, to be fair, i dont think the kiddads will ever level up that high

arcane archer - not the best subclass, but very cool to me, and fitting for how all of the kiddads are gun-heavy. banishing arrow would be super useful and fit the general theme of planes and dimensions.

eldritch knight - not as likely, but i think it would be sooo so cool for lark, especially if the eldritch part came from his connection to the doodler. ohhh the drama of gaining power from the eldritch being you swore to eradicate… plus, we get LARK CASTING MAGIC, even if its not as powerful as anything his family can do! so cool!!! this subclass isnt as good for range, but i could see anthony allowing war magic to apply to ranged weapons rather than just blades for the cool factor.

samurai - in general, this subclass is not lark. however, i wanted to mention it because i think their 18th level ability 'strength before death' specifically is very lark. basically, if you get knocked down to zero HP, you can use a reaction to get an entire turn and then you go into death saves. theoretically, you could use this to heal, but its lark - he absolutely would use it to go down swinging.

rogue - other people have made this point for me, but rogues are good for guns if you flavor hand crossbows as such. i actually dont really like rogue for lark, but i dont have a reason why LOL it just doesnt really? do it for me. however, i agree that its likely to fit due to what we know about lark, so i will play my own personal devil's advocate here. i think it makes sense for lark to be the sneaky attacker while the others draw most of the attention, especially since it seems like there would be three magic users (terry jr, nicky, and sparrow) in the group. magic can be used sneakily, but im sure nicky and sparrow at least would lean towards showiness, lol. plus, i think it would be really interesting to flavor 'slippery mind' as like, lark growing a resistance to the doodler after so many years under its influence! once again, subclasses are listed most likely to least likely.

assassin - this works from both an in-character and a meta standpoint, and from what i've seen, this is what people mean when they say lark should be a rogue. its an easy subclass to play, so its good for an NPC. character-wise, with lark's extreme paranoia, it makes sense that lark would spend time studying how to most efficiently kill people. he doesn't want to risk anyone in a drawn-out fight, he's not grant. he just wants things dead as fast as possible.

scout - am i just saying this one is likely being its the ranger-flavored rogue subclass? maybe. but like liSTEN LARK SHOULD BE A RANGER HE IS LITERALLY A RANGER HE IS-

phantom - not very likely, but SEVERELY COOL from a character standpoint. walk with me here. phantom is a rogue subclass where you talk to the dead, but imagine that reflavored as lark being able to talk to like, eldritch beings, even beyond the doodler? or like, maybe the spirits of those killed and used by the doodler? holy SHIT!! it would be COOL.

unfortunately none of this has an explanation on lark whistling a portal Which Is Why He Is A Horiz- [shot] im guessing he has a magical item tho!!!

[greenofrain]

Okay so I keep coming back to "shouldn't you say thank you?"

Because it's not aggressive and confident like when she leaves with Willy, and it's not sheepish like when she's caught with the clicker, it's something else entirely.

Scary has done the team a service. She has just solved the problem that they've spent two months on, she is being a team player, she's earning the position of leader that she didn't originally want, she's making her friends proud.

But she is so deep into Willy's manipulation that she cannot see what happened. She gave the command to kill a man at a dinner party in front of his peers and their children. She set Willy Stampler, known monster who wants to absorb the doodler and become god, free, with no knowledge on what he might have done to their family and friends.

And when Linc reacts (justifiably) negatively after watching a man die in his arms, this is where Scary finds herself. This is where she says "shouldn't you say thank you?" Not as a snappy line, but out of genuine confusion. Why don't her friends appreciate what she's done for them? She was trying to help, shouldn't they be thanking her for it? Why don't they understand her? Why don't they say thank you?

Scary, more than anything, wants to be seen and appreciated, something she's found in Willy Stampler. The more she spends time with Willy, the more desensitized she becomes to her actions. And the more desensitized she becomes to her actions, the more she alienates everyone else around her.

And you can get mad at Scary for choosing Willy. Even without the knowledge we the audience have about all the terrible things he's done, she still had the journal recap, right? She should still trust her friends not wanting to work with him, right?

But Scary Marlowe is choosing to trust a man who has shown her kindness. And why shouldn't she? After all, she's only a kid.

[thewoodstock-stock]

More Ultimate Spiderman Headcanons: DND edition

Peter Parker (spidey)- DM/air genasi sorcerer fighter multiclass (unlike when he's DMing, when he's playing, he just thinks what the coolest sounding character is and he makes it without thinking abt the stats/powers)

Harry Osborn :))- elf wizard, FIREBALL FIREBALL FIREBALL, get REALLY into the role play, has fallen out of love several times and has actually fallen into tears a couple times and had to stop

Luke Cage (power man)- Aarakocra druid, not a huge DND guy, mainly started bc he wanted to simp for Danny, but ended up loving it, liked druid bc nature and climate change is one of his passions, so he thought he could have fun with a druid that way, ngl mainly played an aarakocra bc he wanted to fly, sucks at role-playing, his favorite parts are the fights, also not great at that bc he's newer to DND, though Danny and Ava help him a lot :))

Danny Rand (Iron Fist)- Aasimar Monk, he sticks to his strength, plus he liked the holy powers of aasimars, very skilled at DND, he's been playing since he was a kid, has libraries worth of past campaigns since be continues his past DMs stories into writing bc he like writing stories, Luke joins in on writing with him as he learns to play

Ava Ayala (White Tiger)- half orc barbarian, actually knows how to play DND, extremely on top of everything, sometimes even moreso than Peter (the DM himself), doesn't really enjoy DMing even though she's basically a back seat DM, also gets slightly pissy when people don't act in character when they have to RP, also a hypocrite bc her characters are almost always just a slightly sassier version of her

Sam Alexander (Nova)- Centaur bard, wasn't really a dnd player before the gang put a group together, mainly just thought a bard sounded fun and a centaur was fun to draw (he's a doodler), doenst pay enough attention bc he's drawing, even tho he's been playing for a long time, he has to constantly ask for help on what die to roll and what he's rolling for

MJ Watson- half elf blood hunter, doesn't have a lot of time for DND (between work and college prep) with the gang, but sometimes she'll pop in with this character in their main campaign, better player than Ava surprisingly