#i was just here for aabria shenanigans
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Did i get a dropout subscription to deal w the current cr3 Situation? Yes
#acofaf#a court of fey and flowers#k.p. hob#binx choppley#acofaf d20#wuvy#delloso de la rue#im obsessed ok#i didnt even know i LIKED this sort of stuff#i was just here for aabria shenanigans#bless her and the whole cast#theyre all my faves tbh. gems
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Okay Burrow's End had me thinking some thoughts... So here are my favorite Dimension 20 moments that rotate like a rotisserie chicken in my brain (in no particular order other than the order I thought if them).
- Riz goes into the butthole of the Corn Ooze Monster (Fantasy High). The first absolutely insane shenanigans move anyone makes on D20, setting the tone the show will have forever.
- Raphaniel kills Queen Pamelia (Ravening War). I think I saw Brennan's soul leave his body briefly when he got that How Do You Want To Do This from Matt. Time was an absolute flat circle that day.
- Hank convinces Brennan to let him role savvy instead of sneak (Mentopolis). Hank is one of the most famous content creators, having him on the show was phenomenal to begin with. Then right out of the gate, he pulls this move in his first episode. And it just works. Hilarious, instantly iconic.
- Jet Dies (A Crown of Candy). When Lapin dies, it is shocking but I wasn't attached to him as a character. Lapin was a bit antagonistic and his death happens early in the season. On the other hand, Jet is instantly likeable. Emily and Siobhan are amazing as siblings, their performances this campaign are some of my favorites. I have siblings and I am very close to them, so this hit me like a ton of bricks.
- The entire epilogue of Burrow's End. "Are you pitching and Air Bud ending?" is one of the instant hall of fame quotes from this show. I started crying I was laughing so hard.
- Ylfa's bottleneck and the TPK (Neverafter). There are so many close calls for total party kills in Dimension 20 history, but this is where it finally happens and it's only 3 episodes in. I was on edge, expecting another TPK at any turn, for the rest of the campaign.
- 3 nat one initiative rolls for the battle that literally opens the season (A Starstruck Odyssey). The beginning of a new season is always full of excitement. This season was extra special, having everyone back in the dome after the pandemic and the season being based off Brennan's Mom's comics. The zoom energy is still in the air and I still think about this season opener a lot.
- Mother Timothy Goose breaks Snow White's concentration with a cantrip (Neverafter). Only Ally Beardsley could and we all damn well know it. Still didn't stop me from being so far in disbelief that all I could do is laugh.
- Hob's "You will never know another lonely day" speech to Rue (A Court of Fey and Flowers). I will still cry about this if I think about it for too long. Rue and Hob's romance is the heart of this season to me. I won't be over it ever.
- Gertrude convinces Nyruth to give the Questing Queens very powerful boons after the Queens tried to rob them only a few hours earlier (Dungeons and Drag Queens). The fact that this season exists drives a level of serotonin into my brain that is unimaginable. This is the definition of a big swing and when Bob rolls well, Brennan has no other choice than to honor it. This is one of the moments I have made a meme of. I cannot wait for season 2.
- Wuuvy shows up to the duel and she did not come to play (A Court of Fey and Flowers). Aabria has talked about how Wuuvy is one of her favorite NPCs and I feel the same. Wuuvy and Rue's relationship has such a great arc and this moment is so pivotal.
- Fabian's no good very bad day (Fantasy High Sophomore Year). An iconic moment in D20 history that was truly wild to watch live. For everything to go so fantastically bad for Fabian and Lou was unprecedented. There is a reason why people still talk about this moment to this day.
- Amathar survives being pushed off the castle (A Crown of Candy). Brennan tried to kill Lou so many times in this campaign. I really thought Brennan had gotten him with this one, my stomach sunk. But Lou pulls it out and Amathar lives once again.
- Pib plays "Smoke on the Water" (Neverafter). "I stepped out to play 'Smoke on the Water' " is also a hall of fame quote to me. This list could be all Pib moments if I'm being honest, he's my favorite Zac character. And the fact that Zac doesn't roll well makes this moment funnier to me.
- Buddy Bear gets planted with the All Blossom (Dungeons and Drag Queens). Jujubee and Brennan owe me a therapy session for this one. I sobbed. My cat is my baby and I will be ruined the day she leaves me, so I get it. I really do.
- "Eat your dice, Brennan" (Fantasy High Sophomore Year). A great bit made physically possible by Siobhan. I hope Siobhan gives him gummy dice or something like that so that Brennan can continue to eat his dice for Junior Year.
- Orange Top Hat Fairy (Neverafter). It's a horror season and the cast is doing bits about how hot a mini is the entire finale and the Adventuring Party that followed. I felt the stress and off the walls energy through the screen. The Smooth Criminal pin was the first piece of Dimension 20 merch I bought.
- Viola's epic takedown of Phoebe (Burrow's End). Watching Rashawn absolutely crush it her first time in the dome was amazing. I loved Viola from the jump, her arc was so satisfying and fun to watch. Also the idea of a tiny stoat kicking a gun just the right way to get it to fire is hilarious. No notes other than please have Rashawn come back on every season she possibly can.
- Evan Kelmp warns the Rosemont student not to duel him (Misfits and Magic). Brennan's deadpan warning matched with the reactions of the other players and Aabria really make this scene. An underrated Brennan moment for sure.
- Stacey Fakename turns out to be real (Mentopolis). This was such a good reoccurring bit, so to have Stacey be real at the end of the story was too funny. In a season of bits, tropes, and puns - this one has the most payoff to me and is definitely my favorite.
#dimension 20#d20#dimension 20 spoilers#d20 spoilers#dungeons and drag queens#fantasy high#fantasy high sophomore year#the ravening war#mentopolis#misfits and magic#a crown of candy#burrow's end#neverafter#a starstruck odyssey#a court of fey and flowers
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I fully love Dimension 20 and the way Brennan Lee Mulligan can tell an incredible story. Of course, the full cast of characters makes a huge difference in where a story can go, and there was no better cast than those they found for the Mentopolis side quest.
I've seen all the main seasons with the Intrepid Heroes, and I've seen a hefty chunk of the side quests. Here's my top 5 ranking for anyone asking:
A Crown of Candy -- absolutely BRUTAL. For such a whimsical setting, it's Game of Thrones out there. The Politics are messy, the war is dangerous, and The Hungry One has seized my appetite. Special mention to Matt Mercer for coming in on the prequel Ravening War side quest. That being said I have no idea if I can ever fully rewatch this.
Mentopolis -- whole opposite end of the spectrum in being the most cartoonish of all the series. I have never laughed as hard and as continuous as I have watching episode 4 of the series. Underneath all of the humor and tropes of a noir, it was incredibly philosophical. Also, I'm a big sucker for murder mystery. If ACoC wasn't as strong as it was, then this would be the #1.
Fantasy High -- a fan favorite. Such a fun romp and an easy-in to watching any DND campaign. The dice really do tell the story here. Shoutout to the sequel Sophomore year, it really fleshed out the world and characters far more. Maybe a little higher on the list than it deserves, but fight me this is my list.
A Court of Fey and Flowers - more politics dressed up for tea. Aabria Iyengar knows how to set a mood, and she knows exactly how to let her players drive a story in the setting she creates. There's something so special the way all of the players stay true to their characters even when it comes to making a difficult decision. They all came in knowing the assignment. Also, it sure is nice to see Brennan enjoying himself as a player #GiveThatManABreak
The Unsleeping City -- Heavily character driven. The concept of a fantasy world veiled around us at all times is heavily appealing. Another very philosophical season, and a season that isn't afraid to let characters have a little conflict with one another. The sequel shows the characters have incredible growth as well. Again, maybe a little lower on the list than deserved, but I can't justify lowering ACoFaF.
A special mention to Starstruck Odyssey for just barely missing the top 5 ranking. I really enjoy the shenanigan seasons.
#mentopolis#collegehumor#dimension 20#prefrontal pis#just shuddup sam#intrepid heroes#had to edit the court of fey and flowers#plus a couple little typos
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Let's Talk About: Burrow's End, Evolution, and Revolution
Welcome back, Stupendous Stoats--for one last time! And because I have a bunch of stuff that I need to do and I'm just squeezing this in, this Let's Talk About is gonna be a stream of consciousness that I write while I'm watching.
Check it out, check it out, check it out--
The caution tape ribbon on Izzy's head with the very colorful attire is giving Jojo Siwa realness.
Now that we're in the finale, I just want to point out that Aabria went full Ed Sheeran on her outfit in the last five episodes. So I want to ask any amazing artist out there… Please draw Aabria's power plant uniform with Brennan's Dungeons and Drag Queens get-up a la the Beyonce and Sheeran meme.
Siobhan wants to go full Kevin McCallister!
"…and that we should murder Phoebe." It's not a surprise, but the way Brennan said this so intensely calm gave me such whiplash. In a good way. Mommy has so much blood lust.
Is Dr. Tara Steele planning a Happy Feet situation? Filming the talking stoats like those scientists filmed the dancing penguins?
This map is truly beautiful. Truly.
Yes, Viola! Yes, Rashawn!
BRING IN THE NEW MAP!
Are those three Breaking Bad action figures?
"Carlos! What have they done to you?"
"Well this is gonna be much more fun now." AABRIA!!!
You have to kill your babies, Brennan!
"I rolled better than a Nat 1--which is a 2."
"Does a 30 hit?" "What do you think?!" Sad sigh. Perfect.
Why did Brennan make Tula so powerful? Like, in another fight where he isn't fighting his own family, this would be great. But the situation is not that!
"Shoot at me!" "I'll take the shot." "Shit."
"Don't hit it with fire! Don't hit it with water!" Aabria turned into Lucas!
"Lair action." "It's okay." "What?" "You don't have to." That was the best reaction to a DM's shenanigan.
What I want to know right now-- Is Tara's hazmat suit still broken? Because there's a lot of radiation here.
"Are you okay?" "No!!!" This is the most engaging 5e battle in Dimension 20 history outside of A Starstruck Odyssey.
"He'll cook in 40 minutes!"
Aabria has just learned the lesson Brennan had learned from giving Ally Beardsley's shenanigans a chance. If you say yes, the dice gods will give your player a Nat 20.
We did get a Happy Feet ending! This is an amazing ending! I still want a longer Aabria season on Dimension 20 though.
That said--this very lovely epilogue juxtaposed with that horrifying maxi of Phoebe-backer is also a perfect representation of Burrow's End. Although… Wait… Did we get an epilogue for Thorne? I'll have to rewatch this episode at some point. I have to dash now.
Oh, but one last thing: Brennan's "I can't wait to find out what's going to happen tomorrow" hits very differently for me, right now.
#burrow's end#dimension 20#d20 spoilers#aabria iyengar#brennan lee mulligan#siobhan thompson#rashawn scott#jasper william cartwright#erika ishii#izzy roland
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Dream table for d20? Plus setting and GM?
okay so here's the thing. i know very very few of the incredible players who haven't been in the dome, so this is a very uninformed opinion. that said.
GM: Aabria. If you don't know why, you must be new, welcome. scroll through the Aabria tag on my blog. You'll get it.
Setting: Something with high lethality and mid-high level. I don't care about specifics, I just want Aabria to go full gloves off and come for these bitches' throats.
Players: (Oops! All GMs)
Brennan. and_you'll_hear_it_again.gif there's a good fucking reason they're an iconic ttrpg duo and I want Aabria to successfully kill Brennan.
Murph. Aabria's talked about how much she wants to run a game with him, and yeah it'd be so much fun for a million reasons.
Emily. Ideally as a spell caster. Rules lawyer and shenanigan loving GM vs the mind behind Operation Slippery Puppet and Buzzybrooke.
Jasmine Bhullar. I've not seen her as a player (if any of y'all know where I can fix that PLEASE let me know), but I love her work as a GM and want more with her.
Persephone Valentine. She's such an incredible player, and I want her back in the dome SO much.
Zac. If he's not GMed he's the diversity hire. Their dynamic/energy in Ravening War was *chef's kiss* and the way Aabria would set him up as a comedy sniper would kill me.
(alternatively, me, my cousin, and 4 of my mutuals. dungeons and drag queens established precedent for new players. but a kinder setting for us lol)
#aabria iyengar#brennan lee mulligan#brian murphy#emily axford#jasmine bhullar#persephone valentine#zac oyama#i am willing to elaborate on the mutuals but the post was already really long lol
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📚💐👥
Evergreen Prompt
📚 So an episode/adventure that I think should happen in this AU is Ashton being temporarily freed of their stone curse, making them human again. Which of course leads to some shenanigans/problems because Ashton has no fucking clue how to be human anymore.
One of those problems is that everyone else has to ban Ashton from the kitchen. He has no fucking clue how to safely work in the kitchen with soft human skin instead of thick stone skin. Ashton has no idea when things are too hot and he should use an oven mitt. He's not careful using a knife because he never put enough pressure into cutting veggies and stuff to break his stone skin if he slightly misjudged a chop angle. Just a bunch of little things where being soft means Ashton's going to hurt himself with his usual habits.
(And FCG is no help because they learned kitchen stuff from Ashton and metal is just as good at resisting those issues as stone)
💐 You know, I really want to do something with Ashton becoming titan blooded. I'm just so obsessed with that revelation. And it really should do something seeing as soul blooms happen when people bleed.
Currently, I'm thinking that after Hishari blew, making Ashton titan blooded, the thistles everyone bloomed for them started increasing in size. After all, one of the defining traits of the titans was that they were enormously huge. So by the time Ashton's Shift to genasi was complete and the titan energies settled in, the thistles were abnormally large and remained that way.
...And this is probably gonna be a chapter at some point now 😅
🫂 Considering part of the goal of the party split after the Malleus Key battle was to split starting groups, it gets awkward. Ashton and Imogen are odd ones out since Imogen came in single here and Ashton was separated from starting partner Dorian long before this point. Plus, Orym, FCG, and Laudna being a trio means a split without companions is impossible. But it still requires some rearrangement.
I think the new split would swap Orym and Fearne.
So Fearne gets to hit on Deni$e and Prism (not Bor'dor. He's too twiggy and scared of everything to be particularly appealing). Be worried about what kind of trouble Chetney's getting up to without her there (to participate or help him out of it).
Laudna is probably less full-on panicked since she's not as close and tangled up with Imogen.
Ashton is still trying to hold the group steady.
Orym is worried about Laudna as much as he was for Fearne in canon. Maybe pushing a bit to at least make sure things are properly settled between Chetney and Deanna, since he knows the heartache of losing love. Definitely having that interesting talk/connection that Aabria talked about building Deanna to have with Orym.
Chetney is only a little worried about Fearne, seeing as she's quite the resourceful gal.
Imogen is still worried about her Nice Thoughts Lady, but probably not the full panic of canon.
FCG is doing pretty much the same as canon, though Orym may be trying to curb the self-sacrificing tendencies better than anyone did in canon before they decided FRIDA was worth living for.
#MQ&A#MQ AU machine#bells hells secret library au#soul bloom au#partner swap au#ashton greymoore#fcg#orym of the air ashari#fearne calloway#laudna#chetney pock o'pea#imogen temult
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What season of Dimension 20 should a noob start with I want to understand what the FUCK you're talking about
oooooooo yes, welcome, come on in, were all fucking weird here!
get ready to have Extreme Feelings about one (1) loud, white man
but also, you can kinda start wherever you want? i haven't even watch every single season, anyway. here's the seasons, out of airing order, probably
fantasy high - the original, the og. teens in fantasy high school, having hijinks and saving the world. honestly, if there's like an established place to start, this is it. there's a second season, and a couple of live shows that are so fucking fun. griffin mcelroy's live ep is fucking WILD, i love ficus
pirates of leviathan - fantasy high adjacent, post fh season 2. i didn't actually finish this one. i dont remember why. i dont super have a strong attachment to fh season 2, so the setting for this one just didn't interest me, but it's pirates having hijinks on a floating pirate city
unsleeping city 1 & 2 - urban fantasy weirdness, urban fantasy fun times. the magical world that lives beneath and alongside the new york we all know. like fables, maybe, but more fantasy archetypes than folklore. really fun, really enjoyable, i have no memory of season two but i know i watched it
the seven - another fh spinoff, but a little more tied into the first season. a fantasy party of all the people they spent season one trying to save. it is SO FUCKING FUNNY, and SO FUCKING GAMEPLAY CRUNCHY, and I CRIED SO FUCKING HARD. need some emotional healing? exquisite. i miiiight suggest watching fh first, just to understand who they are, but also you don't *need* to
tiny heist - borrowers and fairies and thug bugs and living toys, trying to run a heist. so goddamn fun. highly, highly recommend. i love a fuckin heist. its the mcelroy family season, so if you like them you can look forward to that. just mcelroy is just. he's fucking batshit.
a crown of candy - game of thrones ass campaign, but the characters and kingdoms are all based on the different food groups. for real and honest, this season didn't hit me and i didn't finish it. but i do enjoy compilations of it on youtube
the ravening war - crown of candy spin off. i also didn't watch this at all, but it has cr's matt mercer as the guest gm, and im sure he's a great guy and all, but i just don't vibe with his dm style. deffo the least amount of levity of all the seasons, i think
mice & murder - a sherlock holmes, agatha christie ass murder mystery where everyone is in the house trying to solve the murder. also everyone is woodland creatures. another highly recommend if you're into murder mysteries like that
escape from the bloodkeep - what if lotr was told from the baddies pov. it's so stupid, so silly, so much fun. highly recommend
shriek week - monsters on their final week of college. despite my love of guest gm, gabe hicks, this season just Did Not Hit Me. not even ify nwadiwe could hold me
misfits and magic - hogwarts ass magic school for little wizards, but without the transphobia and racism. need some kids upsetting an unjust society based on classism? this for you. so, so good! guest gm aabria iyengar, she fucking knocks it out of the park. there's also a christmas episodes and a live show with a different cast
a starstruck odyssey - did you know that brennan lee mulligans mom elaine wrote the comic starstruck? this season is based on the comic and its very fucking fun! scifi shenanigans out the ass
neverafter - horror themed season, about macabre fairytale characters and the enduring nature of stories. it took me a bit to get into this season, but it's so good! you gotta like horror, tho. that's important to remember. it's a dark season
coffin run - draculas followers try to get an injured dracula back to the castle before his enemies catch up. sooooooo so so fucking funny, one of my favorite seasons. guest gm jasmine bhullar kills it. absolutely unfuckinghinged season
a court of fey and flowers - EASILY my favorite, second favorite season. aabria is back, the fey are having a party, someone is trying to do something terrible, they need to navigate jane austen era ass court politics to figure it out. so, so fucking stupid and fun
dungeons & drag queens - i havent finished this season, cuz i got Depressed As Shit earlier this year and just couldn't, but im about to jump back in. honestly, the plot doesn't matter, it's monet x change, alaska thunderfuck, jujubee and bob the drag queen. do you need to know anything else? no, you don't
mentopolis - the current season. a good place to start it you don't want to binge anything, as only one episode is out. it's a noir detective mystery taking place within the brain of a scientist and is already climbing the ranks of my favorite seasons
godspeed, you little nerd. go forth and have fun
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I posted 354 times in 2022
That's 52 more posts than 2021!
111 posts created (31%)
243 posts reblogged (69%)
Blogs I reblogged the most:
@alongtidesoflight
@lilactiefling
@alexandbear-archive
@ladyeroway
@blighted-elf
I tagged 285 of my posts in 2022
Only 19% of my posts had no tags
#ezra gage - 38 posts
#rpg shenanigans - 29 posts
#erowayart - 25 posts
#vampire the masquerade - 22 posts
#vtm - 19 posts
#juniper valerian - 15 posts
#unhallowed metropolis - 12 posts
#ny by night - 10 posts
#dnd - 9 posts
#new york by night - 9 posts
Longest Tag: 128 characters
#one bit i loved was when they were trying to figure out how to let go of what physics should do and walk down a vertical surface
My Top Posts in 2022:
#5
Last but not least of the NY by Night coterie - Reyes Malcolm.
It took awhile to get the skin tone where I wanted this to be - hands and beards are still hard.
76 notes - Posted September 11, 2022
#4
Brawn! Brawn! Brawn! I love this Nossie so much.
122 notes - Posted November 11, 2022
#3
I don’t often finish a drawing in a day but here is Isaac from NY by Night. He seems like a very trust worthy Tzimisce.
182 notes - Posted July 17, 2022
#2
Managed to finish this Serif piece that has been kicking my ass for the past two weeks just before the finale of NY by Night tonight.
I had this strong slightly melancholic feel for Serif, doing backgrounds and profile views isn’t my forte but I like how it came out.
184 notes - Posted August 26, 2022
My #1 post of 2022
Second painting of the NY by Night coterie Fuego!
I adore what Aabria is doing with her as a community driven Ventrue
296 notes - Posted August 9, 2022
Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →
#tumblr2022#year in review#my 2022 tumblr year in review#your tumblr year in review#I am on of my own most recent reblogs😂
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Hey Cher, seen you posting abt dimension 20 a bit, and yeah I could Google it but it looks very cool and I'd rather hear it from you if it's that cool 💜
helloooo my beloved pal <333 yes yes lemme talk about dimension 20 !!
dimension 20 is an actual play dnd show (theres also an audio only version if you prefer podcasts !) !! there are several campaigns, some with wildly different settings & different players, most of them DM'd by brennan lee mulligan who is an INCREDIBLE storyteller. d20 has a diverse cast & really memorable characters and i've kind of passively watched for a while but i recently finished watching one of their campaigns and Fell In Love
i'm just gonna list the campaigns ive seen so far in order of my favorites:
fantasy high. 6 teens go to a high school that like. specializes in adventuring parties, found family and shenanigans ensue. everyone is gay and neurodivergent. i'm very attached to the characters and their dynamics with each other AND the npcs <33 season one is on youtube for free, however season 2 is my favorite bc it contains probably my fav dnd npc to ever exist (i am an ayda aguefort stan until i DIE). i'm making my way through The Seven right now, which is a spin-off of another adventuring party that are friends with the original 6 in seasons 1 & 2.
a starstruck odyssey. fun campy space romp feat. more found family. this one is has the same players and dm as fantasy high! it has a sci-fi spacey setting and the party is the crew of a spaceship that looks like a giant hotdog. the fights in this one are absolutely wild.
the unsleeping city. an urban magic setting in new york city! another one with the main player cast and dm and once again the party dynamics and character relationships are just !!! so good !!! you will cry over a rat man !!!!! i think these two seasons definitely made me the most emotional. i aspire to get to this level of world building in my own writing.
a court of fey & flowers. ok this one is still ongoing but !!!!!! the only reason it's not number one on this list is because it's not done yet but hsajkf holy shit it's so good?? it's dm'd by aabria iyengar and it's basically using dnd in a regency fey setting to play around with high society gossip and court expectations and AAAAA i have never been so invested in wanting someone to roll well when sending shady letters to other members in the court. it's so good.
there are a ton more campaigns + one shots but i'm still making my way through them! unfortunately, most of it is only available with a dropout subscription so i'd recommend watching the first season of fantasy high on youtube to see if you like it before diving in!
if anyone else has any questions about dimension 20 feel free to send me an ask!! i could probably talk for hours about my favorite characters and details but i'll leave it here <33
real quick edit: if anyone needs trigger/content warnings for things please send me an ask !! every episode has content warnings in the description, but some campaigns in general have darker themes so let me know if you need warnings !)
#ask#xylo speaks#SAEEE <3333 ur always letting me ramble abt thinks thank u#oh i mentioned brennan lee mulligan bc i believe ? he did ? a thing ? with the critical role cast?#and i know a lot of people like cr so maybe yall have seen him there
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me, yesterday, pre-adventuring party bliss: okay, i mean, clearly, it's Regency-type Historical Romance, Bridgerton-equse-bullshit shenanigans, so I'm not really worried! Because a happy ending (Especially with, uh, what is most definitely the most clear 'main couple') is THE requirement here. It's the defining thing, they wouldn't go back on the genre that hard. Hob and Rue will most certainly end up together and happy, it has to happen.
Aabria, during adventuring party: just try me
me: i have several fears now and I am not certain of anything anymore.
#acofaf#acofaf spoilers#i DO feel like i would be genuinely upset in a I didnt Sign Up For This way if a pc dies lmao......#cause like ive never watched D20 before this specific premise being Fey Regency and the flowery magical vibes was what drew me in#and i know Dark Fey is also a very big thing but this didnt seem to have that vibe on marketing#i dont. i really dont think hob is gonna die but man im just SAying.
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i finally subscribed to dropout after seeing your posts about dimension 20 and game changer! i was wondering if you had any recommendations for campaigns (or other shows) to watch first? i've only seen clips or gif sets of all of them
OMG anon this makes me so so so so so happy and I hope you know what can of worms you just opened because this is one of my hyperfixations.
This is probably going to be a bit long (ETA: it was), so I'm throwing a cut down. I apologize in advance for the length. I am going to operate on you knowing very little background, so I apologize if I say things you already know. Just tryna cover my bases!
Hmmm okay. As far as campaigns for dimension 20 goes, it'll depend on your taste and how you like to do things.
Fantasy High is their first season, and if you like to watch things in order, I'd start there. I'd caution that this is true early days, and the cast (including Brennan, sometimes) are not as familiar with 5e yet, so please note that rules will be kinda wonky sometimes. Personally, I found it charming to watch them grow as players! Anyways, here is a bulleted list, in no particular order, that may or may not be helpful:
Fantasy High, Fantasy High: Sophomore Year (also referred to as D20: Live), Pirates of Leviathan, and The Seven, are all part of the same universe, released in the order I put them in. You can watch Pirates and the Seven without watching FH (they're side quests, which means they bring in guest players who are not of the main cast, and the seasons typically are shorter in episode quantity), but you might miss some easter eggs and references. Set in a world based on if John Hughes 80s movies vibes were translated to dnd! Very Breakfast Club right out the gate. I love it very much, and The Seven made me laugh and cry the most out of any season I think, as far as range of emotion goes.
If you don't care if it's about dnd, and want something shorter, I'd recommend Misfits and Magic. This was part of the Summer of Aabria Event, also a side quest, and she GMed a modified game of Kids on Brooms (Brennan is a player in this one). Subverting tropes and ideas that stemmed from... well, you know, that wizard series. And it made me cry like a baby and I loved the dynamic between the players very much. It's only four episodes, with a holiday special as well. It's a good place to start if you wanna get used to D20's edited production format.
I have a soft spot for The Unsleeping City (and its second season), as it has some of my very favorite Intrepid Heroes (this is how the fandom refers to the main cast of d20) player characters. It's Brennan's love letter to New York City, and it's an urban fantasy with very heroic themes. This is a Great full season to start with in my opinion!
My personal favorite season is A Crown of Candy. Please don't start with this one. It will be devastating. Low magic fantasy akin to Game of Thrones, but with way less misogyny and way more anthropomorphic foods. I know how it sounds. Believe me. Don't start here. (You can do what you want, really, but I have to be able to say I warned you.)
A Starstruck Odyssey uses a modified version of Star Wars 5e, and they made probably the most busted overpowered characters I've ever seen them make. It's really fun, and if you love space, you'll love this! I also loved this because while I'm very familiar with regular 5e, SW5e is completely different. So watching them do things I've never even heard of was incredibly refreshing.
Aabria also DMed a side quest that mixed 5e with Good Society, and it's regency meets the FeyWild. RP-heavy, and shenanigans abound. Absolutely unhinged repression arcs that had me screaming into my hands. A Court of Fey and Flowers!
Escape from the Bloodkeep is their first side quest, and notable guest star in this season is Matthew Mercer himself. It's a Lord of the Rings parody where everyone plays... a villain? 👀 Somehow incredibly wholesome regardless. This is also a very good side quest to start with, if you want a taste of how Brennan DMs.
As far as other shows go, Game Changer IS excellent. I would also recommend the spin-off Make Some Noise. Other shows I love are:
Breaking News Network: It will make you laugh. Pretty much guaranteed. They have people read from a teleprompter and they do not know what it will say. They are not allowed to smile or laugh.
A message from the CEO, starring Brennan Lee Mulligan: You might find most of these on YouTube already, but basically Brennan plays multiple beleaguered CEOs trying to make publicity videos for their products. Satirical and hilarious.
Dirty Laundry: Guests come in and submit secrets to the production team, and the host will read a secret out loud, and they try to guess whose secret it was. I have learned some truly insane things about people.
Total Forgiveness: Two cast members come up with challenges for each other, on the premise that if they complete the challenge, the production company will give them money to go towards their college loans. It's incredibly funny, but also if you suffer from secondhand embarrassment easily, this may not be for you.
Um, Actually: This is another game show! Players are given prompts where part of the prompt is incorrect, and they have to buzz in with the correction. Jeopardy rules: they have to say Um, Actually first, or else no points. The most pedantic show (affectionate).
Jesus I am so sorry about the length, and probably the incoherent nature of this entire thing. I could give you a breakdown of every single season of d20 easily, in chronological order, but I feel like I'm already on the verge of overwhelming and scaring you away LMAO.
Thank you for indulging me as well. I love talking about Dimension 20 and Dropout is truly the best streaming service I'm paying for currently.
#Sheree feels feelings#oh my god how else do i tag this#i don't think this should end up in the actual TAG#so um if my followers have d20 blocked i'm so sorry i did a read more though!!#i truly could talk about this all day oh my god
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After staying up late yesterday to catch up to the last episode of Exandria Unlimited, here's what I think as someone who hasn't watched any Critical Role before.
Overall I would say it hits exactly the right spot between typical D&D shenanigans and some better character and fighting scenes that make the slower paced moments worthwhile. Especially the dynamic between Opal/Ted, and Dorian's personal journey, were the highlights of the sessions for me. The other characters absolutely have their moments too but it's clear that the veteran players (Dariax, Orym, Fearne) are doing whatever they can to make the newcomers (Opal, Dorian, Fyra Rai to a degree) shine.
I think Aabria is surprisingly flexible as a DM (unusual for D&D generally speaking) and her genuine hyped-ness for her players is absolute vibes.
I do get why some viewers are annoyed about the pacing and plot lines of the series but I wonder how much of that is because of preconceived notions of what they think a campaign or story should be.
It's interesting to see how often people posit those personal expectations as the benchmark of the quality of the story, instead of looking at what type of story is actually being told and investigate their feelings and criticism from there.
My take is that this campaign was a test of character, that was the story arc; not Poska, not the burning sigil at the mesa, not Myr'atta, not whatever is going on down south. Not even the crown or the spider queen really, they're just the way in which the question was posed to the players; how do you feel about (the duality of) power? And the question that follows in its wake: does power necessarily corrupt those that wield it?
I really value this approach to storytelling as it focuses less on lore and big story moments, and more on what players are experiencing and how that translates to their character's actions. Not that there's a lack of big story elements in ExU, if anything there's an absolute shit ton of things going on, arguably too much, but it's the back drop to what the characters do, not the main attraction. If viewed from that perspective it's hard to imagine an 8-episode run that forces a closed narrative, and I am glad we now get to have these type of stories as so much of mainstream storytelling emphasizes completing the narrative over character exploration.
--
I'm very curious to see if they pick this up again in the future because then I'll be back! I'll leave the 100+ episode runs for those with more stamina to binge watch hours of people fumbling with their dice (I say this with compassion as an eternal dice fumbler).
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Man, my head's kind of all over the place with the new D20 series announcement.
Like, I'm super pumped to see Brennan as a player. I adore Erika Ishii is essentially everything she's done, so I know she's going to bring the shenanigans. 100% here to see Danielle Radford in a game, and Lou Wilson is always A++. Aabria being GM is just *chef's kiss*, and them using a system other than 5e really has me hopeful that they'll branch out more in future seasons. This cast has all the makings of an incredibly fun and wonderful time.
On the other hand, it's helping keep Harry Potter and JKR relevant. Which, in turn, harms trans people. So there's a deficit to make up there, from jump. I'm all for dunking if there are good dunks to be had, but it's kind of hard to dunk on an author and her creation when it's still culturally relevant and she's been successful in aiding efforts to strip trans folks of rights, freedoms, and healthcare access. A few laughs won't make up for it, but I have a feeling that that's just going to be it.
Cis people will have their laughs, feel superior and righteous while watching it, and then go their merry way. That's not enough. You don't get to engage in and effectively promote a wildly harmful author's creation and pat yourself on the back for an equivalent in hate-consuming it. That action of engaging/consuming needs to be met with an action to at least even out that harm if possible.
Like, I've seen people say things along the line of this being a reclaiming of Harry Potter, but that's not possible without actively and aggressively fighting for trans rights, racial justice, etc. because otherwise there's no actual weight behind that reclamation attempt if it only serves to help entrench injustice.
I want to be excited, but I'm just exhausted and disheartened. I know I'll probably end up watching and probably even enjoying it, but I really do wish they'd gone in a different direction.
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exandria unlimited episode 4: dariax is my jam
(note from the future: AND EVERYONE ELSE'S APPARENTLY)
"faun druid weirdo"
"I will not call it the ash hole" of course not, it's the oh no plateau
animal thundering check
this entire show and horses istg
these DISASTERS I love them
GLITTER DIAPER
is matt wearing eyeliner? matt looks like he's wearing eyeliner.
timeskip shenanigans! potential for one-shots!
(I know this is unlikely, let me have this)
opal: tell me your secrets
dorian: no ♥
pocket bacon, hip toast
do something to a bagel
okay maybe I get to stay sitting this time
wrong faun
ahhh this is crown!fearne
I am assuming
I am correct!
"do something psychic for me"
(sasha nein lj never leaves you)
mala: if i had a nickle for every time Ashley Johnson had to confront her mirror self I'd have two nickles
!!!
ART
I cannot describe the noise I just made but I sure as fuck made one
I hate time travel
mister leveled up! I hate it
"is he naruto running"
"driftwood scorpions is a great band name"
"we love bad choices here"
we don't have time to unpack ALL of that
mala: Dorian casts Dad Voice
"why are all my weapons gone"
The New One
2 small 2 fast
ash hole finger teeth
mister twenty!
glitter napalm poop
the fire misses orym entirely bc he is simply too short
TWISTED MISTER
Sorry Is A Free Action
growth.gif
"boo, dad!"
I just love Ted so much
"get out of the comments" I love her
I have to get replacement traveler con bumper stickers bc the mail guy folded mine in half >:(
(the CS email person was very helpful! asked for a picture, went "yeah that looks fucked" and offered me a new one)
robbie is me
"I have always been fine being in your shadow. But if you die there's no shadow." ooF
aimee laughing even though she's "unconscious"
"make it work! fix her!"
"I'm doing this 'cause I was going to, not because you tell me to"
sympathetic emotional magic
I just love any interaction Matt and Anjali have. like to the point of mccree and symmetra interactions in fic. it bleeds through.
that is poor psychic ettiquette
sibling fights are universal
mala: Aabria: 40 minute walk
Them: in real time?
ruins of quinceañera
mala: they found it, they found their competent woman
liam's doing an emotion
"I've never had pie"
ruby lee sounds like a character from something else and I can't place it
(is it my life, is she from my life)
"biggest hoop skirt she can find" we've just come back around to undeadwood
it IS the ruins of quinceañera
"when your accent comes back when you're in your hometown" I am called OUT
suddenly trinket in the pie eating contest
"what is your gemsona"
I love this stupid fucking himbo so much
I have been informed that dariax copied dorian's outfit, I love this stupid bisexual himbo SO MUCH
ruby lee bbeg
"the higher the hair, the closer to God" oh my god
fuck you robbie daymond I had a mouth full of water
anjali: "iridescent - "
aimee/opal: "that BITCH"
I love dariax sO FUCKING MUCH
oh no
if dariax were a gem he would be a rhinestone
MATT
liam: "what a chaos monkey you are"
and I feel the spirit of travis willingham in this chili's
orym regrets leaving home a little more every day
mala: thats just the entire campaign
both of those
is using both your own attack and defense stats like a "stop hitting yourself" thing
does opal play fantasy banjo
dariax is his own bass boost
"you only have to perform solo if you don't got friends"
A Man of Tin
the art of this outfit just sprang into existence fully-formed
shoes reveal
flying shoes!!
I've been watching a lot of cardcaptor sakura so ALL I am picturing is the Jump card shoes
blue jesus float
"try not to shit the bed!" "WE CAN HEAR YOU OPAL"
defeat dariax by introducing shiny things
"very specific very weird festival that only makes sense here" is EXTREME small-town southern vibes
"the meaning of not having to go it alone" ♥
what is fy'ra's deal. ma'am I am obsessed
“stop showing up as the DM, MATT”
if this was the “last blanket” I am absolutely terrified of the next 4 episodes
“finally my day has come”
ted what did you do
where are you
TED
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