In the days of its glory

A lot of what people refer to as chaos in D&D games is actually just players being very fluent within the rules and is quite literally lawful

The rest of what people call "chaos" is mostly random chance (ie, wild die rolls) or bold but completely in-character decisions that, notably, are still within the rules of RP.

People who are against D&D combat are in my opinion often the most combative players who see D&D as a Players vs. DM game

It's also just generally dumb to play D&D as a combat-free game when plenty of games that don't have combat as such a major part of the ruleset and core expectation for many class features exist, but I've covered that before

A lot of people conceptualize the DM as Order and players as Chaos, but often the players they perceive as chaotic are the least opposed to the DM.

Things like counterspelling a counterspell or a clever use of a battlemaster attack out of combat to disarm someone of a nontraditional item are extremely orderly, and they're only read as chaotic by people who think DMs are out to win the encounters rather than provide a good story framework. Choices like pressing the big red button are also not chaotic! They're players saying OH this button is where the STORY is. A good DM wants you to play with the world and try to thwart the villain. That's super normal. The chaotic choice is to like, hear that the world is ending and be like "well too bad I'm going to set up a frozen yogurt shop," not march into battle but do some silly things. Even thwarting the DM's story plans isn't terribly chaotic if you have good in-character reasons and are working together as a party!

It’s support, but it’s also enabling. Imogen, faced with the horrifying prospect of having to face her mother in battle, wavers, hesitates, questions, and the group rightfully reminds her of what Liliana's people has done. Laudna, meanwhile, points out that Imogen should not be made to kill her own mother. That Imogen has a choice and that it’s only hers, and that Laudna will follow her no matter what. And Imogen breaks down, because here is her Person, her tether, her better half, not questioning her choices or pointing out the moral right or wrong, but simply seeing why this is a painful choice and assuring that she trusts enough in Imogen's desicion to be there no matter what.

Is that trust healthy? In Laudna's resurrection, Imogen didn’t demand but asked, trusting and hoping that Laudna would make the right choice and return. Now Laudna extends that same grace, only the consequences would Imogen choose wrong would not be contained to their party, a small group in mourning, but cause worldwide destruction.

Imogen needs to be questioned. She needs to be reminded of what the Ruby Vanguard has and will done. Imogen also needs to be seen, for someone to understand the excruciating position she is in. But in giving her that, did Laudna truly help her?

There’s an interesting parallel to be made to Fjord and Jester. In Rumblecusp, Fjord told Jester he didn’t care about 100 other people, he cared about her. In Aeor, he told her he wouldn’t let her fling herself against her enemy at the cost of herself. He said this not because he didn’t care about other people, or because he would help her hurt others for her own sake, but to remind Jester that her life mattered, too, and shouldn’t be thrown away for others. Imogen, meanwhile, hasn’t been diminishing or risking herself the way Jester did. When Fjord reassured Jester's worth, it was a challenge in their dynamic, him saying he wouldn’t let her hurt herself. When Laudna reassured Imogen, it specifically skirted around challenge, because their dynamic doesn't allow for challenge. Imogen came to her looking for trust, for safety, for the one person who wouldn’t challenge her.

Laudna has some serious arrested development. It’s both obvious in the narrative, and something Marisha has explicitly labeled on 4 Sided Dive. Imogen, on the other hand, is very grounded and in many ways more mature. She’s certainly the more pragmatic, practical, and realistic of the two. It’s not surprising that we recently learned she’s in her late 20s. She’s always acted that way.

I’ve always seen Laudna’s desire to insist Imogen is powerful and perfect and fine to be as much about Laudna as it is about Imogen. Laudna missed having the young, late 20s life Imogen is experiencing, so Laudna wants and needs for it to be a positive one. She wants to be assured that Imogen is having a better time of things than she did. So Imogen’s powers can’t be bad or distressing or uncomfortable, because that would mean Laudna wouldn’t be seeing her flourish where she (Laudna) was unable to.

In contrast, Imogen seems to have picked up on that and it’s why she was never particularly honest about her own discomfort, fears, or the danger of her powers in front of Laudna. Yeah, Laudna always defensively insisted Imogen wasn’t a danger and stopped those conversations, but Imogen was just as much trying to shield and assure Laudna which cut off any more serious discussions.

It was only after Laudna’s death that Imogen had a really serious, open, and uncomfortable discussion with the group about her magic. And not because Laudna was no longer there to “protect” Imogen, but because Imogen no longer needed to protect Laudna.

laudna, to pate: LOOK SADDER! >:(

Percy, on a mission of revenge, unimpressed by the ancient things called gods and inventor of new technologies he regrets, who retires to life as a clock maker.

Mollymauk and Kingsley, whose relationship to their past is defined by how and why they choose to reject or embrace it.

Caduceus, whose family has all moved on, slowly vanishing, while he stands still on top of the dead, and watches his family's legacy corrult around him- only to find his family just as frozen in time as he was.

“Some fucking German Expressionism, go go go!”

- Orym/Liam describing basically The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (and then Sam specifically mentioning it a few moment later)

Entertainment Spotlight: Anjali Bhimani

Actress, singer, and author Anjali Bhimani is always on the move. You may recognize her from Netflix’s Special, or from Critical Role’s Exandria Unlimited as the fire genasi Fy'ra Rai. Anjali also voices main characters in popular video games including ‘Symmetra’ in Overwatch, ‘Rampart’ in Apex Legends, and ‘Kala’ in Indivisible. Her first book entitled I Am Fun Size, and So Are YOU: Thoughts from a Tiny Human on Living a Giant Life will be out soon, and Anjali took time out of her busy schedule to chat with us about her upcoming book, which video game she'd want to be stuck in, and more:

If a series were made about your life, what would it be titled and what type of show would it be (comedy, musical, mystery, drama, etc)?

It would be a musical romantic action comedy. I know that seems like a lot of disparate genres, but my life has been as all over the place as that. It would be the “Everything Bagel” of television. I see a whole number where I’m doing full on stunts and singing while I unwittingly and clumsily fight off bad guys and eventually find my perfect partner - and given that my husband and I run around the house singing songs to the dog, the only part that’s missing in real life is the action hero part. I just have always wanted to be an action hero, so I’m throwing that in there. And I want to get to wear incredible corseted gowns or stretch leather pants as we do it.

The title? Welllll….truth told, I’m writing something that isn’t exactly autobiographical, but has a title that I would TOTALLY use if it were my life story. So, you’ll just have to wait and see when it comes out and guess if that’s the one. Either that or I’m Not Your Freakin’ Auntie (If you know, you know).

Can you teach us something?

There is an INCREDIBLE creature in India called the Malabar Giant Squirrel and it is…I kid you not…PURPLE. Multicolored, actually. I learned this doing a show called Rival Peak…my character was a nature expert and she mentioned this magical creature and I couldn’t believe it existed. So I went online and went down the proverbial rabbit hole. Or the squirrel hole, I guess. I was in such disbelief when I learned about it, I actually looked it up on Snopes and yep…it’s real. (I’m still nervous someone is going to tell me someday that it’s a hoax, so I think I’m going to have to go to India and see one in person before I can fully believe. But that day will be as magical as the day I first hung out with quokkas in Australia…maybe even better.

What would you like a review of your book to say (we're manifesting!)?

“Although the cover I Am Fun Size and So Are You may look whimsical and lighthearted - and it is at times - once I dove into its pages I learned so many new ways of looking at challenges, I realized it was something I'd be going back to visit again and again, like that good friend you’re always excited to see, for years and years.”

Basically, I’d love to hear that the reviewer found something…even just one thing, but hopefully more, that helps them in their life too. And that they can keep going back to for new ways to look at the world.

What are you overthinking about right now?

These answers! Ha! No, no…

It sounds a little weird, but I think I’m overthinking about thinking. I can get so caught up in how the mind - or my mind works - and trying to psych myself out to get myself to do things the "right” way, rather than just DOING the thing, and going with simple but not easy solutions. Being a perfectionist is a great way to never get anything done.

What are your favorite catch phrases or lines from the video games that you voice over?

I’ve loved  “Welcome to my reality,” one of Symmetra’s voice lines, since Overwatch first came out, because it’s sort of a declaration of being in her territory - like she’s saying “You’re in my world now.” And her ultimate in Hindi sounds so powerful, Yahi Param Vaastavikta Hai (which, translated, means “This is the ultimate reality”) that I love saying it. I also love “If I can think it, I can create it” - so aspirational. And I’m pretty thrilled that Rampart says “Dope” because I say it in real life all the time…although 90% of her lines are guaranteed to make me smile. I’m definitely a little more like her in real life than Sym, as much as I may aspire to be as elegant as Symmetra is, Rampart’s “no filter” style is probably closer to me in the real world.

If you were caught in the universe of a video game, which game would it be and what would you do?

Okay, I haven’t finished playing it (another embarrassing admission, but it’s a time issue) but the Last Guardian, because that beautiful puppy dragon is a creature I NEED to have in my life.

Dariax and Ashton

Their ship name is Dordash

And Beau refuses. She doesn’t think she could do it without arousing suspicion, and she doesn’t want Dairon’s activities to jeapardise what the Nein are doing. So instead Dairon starts masquerading as the Nein’s housekeeper.

But if Beau had agreed… the Nein only really had two contacts at this point. There was Waccoh, who probably wouldn’t have been much use to Dairon… and there was Essek.

Essek. The literal traitor Dairon was searching for.

So if Beau had introduced Dairon to Essek in the way Dairon wanted… would it have led to a plotline where Dairon realised what he’d done, and the Nein helped end the war by revealing Essek’s actions to the Bright Queen? Maybe. But that didn’t happen. Dairon obviously got close - I’m convinced that Essek showed up exhausted that one time, talking about a break-in in the Bastion, because Dairon had been snooping around. But Dairon didn’t get close enough to the truth before Essek was baring his soul to the Nein and pledging his loyalty to them.

Beau probably saved Essek’s life and soul without realising she was doing it. All because she’d come to trust herself enough to be certain that her approach, and the Nein’s approach, would be what put things right.