LynMars

What makes the villain the villain (inasmuch as it's useful to examine TLT characters through that kind of simplistic lens) is that when the chips are down and he has to choose, his priority is punishing the wicked, not saving the people left behind.

I would invite anyone whose engagement with their cause consists of finding the 'correct' group of people to hate, to consider whether 'evil emperor' is the next career move you see yourself taking, and if it isn't, to gently suggest disembarking from the hate train.

Accuse him of being the kind of person to tell someone to implant themselves somewhere for an uncertain future date? Sure, we've seen him do that to Casamir, Cyd and Azune.

Accuse him being the kind of person to keep secrets and tell people to do something without telling them why? Sure, he's done that to everyone at the table and we literally saw a flashback of him explaining why.

I think Brennan's biggest strength is that he has an excellent sense of what his go-to style requires, and DMs to fit that style. Brennan tends to go for pretty intricate mystery-esque plots where everyone is uncovering the various schemes and conspiracies. He is good at tying this into various character backstories and/or giving characters strong reasons to be invested in figuring out the mystery, and he is good at repeating information or highlighting it - as I've said, he does not really traffic in subtlety. You can't, in D&D that is very mystery-heavy, because your players really only have your words to go on and it's very easy to forget something. (Murph, who learned a lot about DM-ing from Brennan, has said something to this effect in D&D court on NADDPod a few times; there's no victory in tricking your players by not repeating yourself in describing a world that only exists in what you tell them). I think you can see it in Campaign 4, in which most pieces of information came out at multiple tables, and in which NPCs and Brennan aren't shy about highlighting something as important. I also think you see it in specifically where Brennan will bend the rules of D&D for dramatic effect - it is almost always in the service of more information (Message lasting longer; Speak with Dead permitting more of a conversation, etc). I will admit while I've seen a lot of D20 I do a much less close viewing, for various reasons, but he does do the same sort of repetition/willingness to speak out of "character".

I should add: I don't feel lack of subtlety to be a problem in actual play. I referenced the comparison to opera a while back; it is a medium and is usually in a genre that often works better when heightened. I think again this is why Neverafter doesn't work for me (while heightened is fine, obvious doesn't do well in horror) and I will say while I think Divergence pulls off its premise beautifully, it is a little weaker in terms of plotting compared to Calamity and Downfall because it's quite linear and straightforward and character-driven. I said elsewhere when comparing Matt and Brennan that I simply don't think Brennan would ever DM a campaign like the Mighty Nein (or rather: he could do the Aeor arc and Essek intrigue plots, so endgame Nein would be fine, but I don't think he could do early Nein because he doesn't really work with that light a DM touch). That's not a strength nor weakness, simply a difference of style, but it is illustrative of what is not his strength/inclination. Somewhat related to this is that you can Brennan has an improv and screenwriting background in that he does tend to end scenes on a button. I mean this positively - honestly, again, I don't mind lack of subtlety for actual play, and I think hammering the point home thematically isn't a bad idea in actual play if nothing else for the players, who are trying to understand the shape of the story they're in while they're in it, but I know it's not everyone's cup of tea. (For what it's worth, Aabria does this as well in her DM-ing.)

In terms of weakness...honestly? given the weaker D20 seasons and the fact that I fell off of the Wizard the Witch and the Wild One and never returned? I think it's that while I know Brennan has played in a bunch of different systems he has used D&D in a few cases where it was really not the right game. He's actually quite good with systems/mechanics and his add-ons in, eg, Campaign 4 or Fantasy High Junior Year have been great, but like, Neverafter needed, frankly, everything to be different including a more horror-forward system, and WBN needed something more rules-lite and sweeping. CCOD has been great in using a different system, and I've also liked the Kids on Bikes hacks from D20, and Starstruck, so I hope he gets better at using mechanics that better fit the story instead of leaning on D&D beyond its capacities.

It's rude. You're making someone take their time to read something you couldn't bother to write. You're telling them they were so unimportant you couldn't be bothered to actually take the time to say something yourself. And frankly, you're lying about it while you're at it.

Also, even if it was the pacing, this is not a problem for anyone else. I don't feel like this for, eg, Kattigan, who is mostly bouncing around during the Convergence helping where needed and cracking open cold ones; or Teor or Vaelus, who have each had one absolutely incredible scene with a meaningful NPC, but have otherwise been quiet and mostly served as muscle because they're relative outsiders to the city. It's not about the plot not tying into the character. The complaint is that Bolaire's been given an absolute cornucopia of plot hooks and hasn't followed any of them to a conclusion, and everyone else has been doing great with what they've been given.

Wick's occasional outbursts of anger are such an underrated aspect of his characterization. Beyond just being something refreshingly different from his usual sweet/sad/scared trinity, I think it shows A LOT about the environment he was raised in.

Wick is a patient man, he only actually breaks down into anger when he's already been pushed to his limit with stress. His grandmother refusing his pleas to spare Thjazi and Tyranny continually ignoring him, his first time on death's door, being insulted (and even punched) constantly by his allies, etc. And when he snaps it only directed at the cause of his frustration (Tyranny disobeying him, Thaisha killing one of the luxes in a spur of the moment, Julien punching him). And when he doesn't have someone in particular to snap at, he just simmers in self-resentment.

When he does lose his temper, it reflects on Yanessa in a couple interesting ways. For one, it honestly makes him resemble Yanessa's aggression a lot. It's quick, it's loud, and it's mean.

But moreso it reflects the effect growing up around her anger had on him and his ability to stand up for himself. He may have been his family's favorite child, but his reaction to Yanessa's outburst in episode 3 reads to me as someone who is used to seeing it and being cowed into submission by it, or seeing others be cowed by it.

It explains a lot about Wick, despite sometimes having misplaced confidence, being so hesitant to actually stand up for himself until his stress boils over into rage and he can't stop himself. Then he usually feels the need to apologize immediately afterword. Being in that environment trained him to be obedient and passive, even in the face of anger and insults.

He never learned to stand up for himself normally, so now he just lets his stress build up continuously until it boils over into aggression.

This Tumblr post is the first time someone has explained to me *why* I couldn’t feed them before those instances.

every single time i have had to say, "i understand that if he had food or water, he could aspirate it into his lungs under anesthesia. i am not lying to you." THEN someone would make a little note and i would stop being repeatedly asked.

not a single time was that risk explained to me. the only reason it came up was because i already knew. i still don't understand why it isn't standard pre-op counseling or pre-op check information, when me as a parent acknowledging the actual risk also put THE MEDICAL STAFF at ease because i conveyed that i had informed understanding as reason to not lie about giving my kid food.

This one hurt, her work had such a profound effect on my life, thoughts, and politics.

May her memory be a blessing