Fireside Chat for WWW ep13 "Of the Gentle Sea"
The seaweed is always greener, in somebody else's lake. You dream about going up there, but that is a big mistake! Just look at the world around you, right here on the ocean floor. Such wonderful things surround you! What more is you lookin' for?
Comments (125)
Here I am. Listening to the entire backlog as you guys mention but that tattoo ain't happening! Not least because none of those marvelous guests would come to Australia to hold my hand as promised. Unless of course...
Merch idea: one of those "Something&Something&Something&Something&Something" shirts with all the Fireside guests who've filled in for Lou
Backsky turned out to be a tame Google search
Relistening to the whole series and I just have to say "the fish has a wife" would be great on merch.
Was the mushroom spirit a great spirit? He didn't seem that deific.
At 50:30 I feel like the death of that guy as a consequence for Suvi fits so well not because of her being a dick to him, but because she’s getting what she wanted. Suvi begged Steel to get out of the Citadel and see the empire. She saw mages like Silver coming back in a parade with their vanity scars, and wanted to prove herself and get some glory. Now she’s out in the world getting that very chance. But as a consequence she’s gotten a glimpse of what actually goes on in large scale violence. To hear the neck snap of a dude who was alive two seconds ago as her neck is grabbed in turn. It’s fucked up, but it’s the harsh fucked reality of what she asked for and I love it so much!!
Just now listening to this and at the end all I can do is unquote Isshin Ashina from Sekiro, "Hesitation is defeat"
I AS LOOKING FOR THIS COMMENT!
Fullbody shivers/goosebumps the entire episode! Oh. My. God.
Oh my god WIPEOUT
Sliding in here very late to the party to go: WAS THAT "WIPEOUT" AT THE END?? MY GOD, I AM SCREAMING
taylor is the rick perry of this show and i am constantly in awe of his exquisite choices and technique - to match the comedy and drama in tone with sound editing is incredible
44:33 has big “horse loose in the hospital” energy
"I'm living on this but." -Aabria, 51:54. Solid gold.
When Ame helped Naram in his decision of crisis, I am really hoping she'll clap back to Souvi's earlier comment of "He was stupid enough to get caught, this is what he gets" with something like "this is what the wizards get for being stupid enough to catch a god". I'm so hopeful that Ame gets mad at her soon! Souvi needs a lesson in her own argument patterns XD
I loved loved loved that Ame was the one to make the decision in this. Because Eursolon already made his choice in the ep, the selfless knight/paladin choice of "A great spirit is trapped unjustly and if I have to lay down my life to free him so be it." Lou said during the episode that he felt content despite being trapped. And Ame who also has her own selfless moments ("I need to go to the shrine in the kudzu and if the spirit strangles me while I perform my duty, so be it") but here she has to make an impossible choice: which innocent has to suffer: my friend who made the decision to take the unjust imprisonment and potential death on himself to free another innocent? Or the people who unknowingly are part of a system that caused this imprisonment? I am also fully in the ACAB corner but by the end of the day, the soldiers are not at fault of what the wizards did. Their system just enables them. So, which side does Ame condemn? And can she make that decision with her dearest friend on the line? Fucking great storytelling I can eat that off a platter, MWAH. (Also the reveal of what would have happened in the other case? Brutal.)
Favourite death description so far for sure was the hot coal down throat burning it was amazing
Really sad to hear they cut the damage rolling from the episode. I kind of got lost in the sauce on that aspect of why it was important that Eursalon became a Paladin at that moment, and I love the numerical stuff.
woke up at 5am and thought id listen to this so i wouldnt wake anyone up this early. jokes on us all because im 6 minutes in and CACKLING
If y'all ever develop a standard on-boarding document for your guests, I would be super into seeing that! They are all so well-informed about the events you are discussing, and just feel so welcomed - I want to bring that into my daily life more!! ;-)
Did...did he play a stereotypical surfer song because hundreds of empire soldiers drowned? God I love this show.
The way Aabria said “It’s what the people pay five dollars for!” is so satisfying to my brain for some reason 😂
I felt like when I first listened there was more back and forth in the "the fish has a wife" section but I may have imagined it or got it mixed up with another section.
"We've got fish at home" was such a "we've got McDonald's at home" mum moment 😂
Fuggin RAW to have “surfs up” music end this card 😂😂😂
I love that Taylor can shit post via outro song.
I am absolutely blown away. My gods
The outro song is so unhinged... well done
Ahoohoo!
Absolutely heartless outro music choice. Callous. Inspired.
I hope y’all know how amazingly talented y’all are! This episode was fantastic. Brennan you’re a gifted DM, Taylor this was scored beautifully. Erica, Aabria, and Lou ( Chefs kiss!). Love from Charleston,sc.
I'm agnostic/atheist but Naram's kindness and care... gods That's compelling.
To the Wizard! On the wall! 'Til the Wild One's fate befalls! This Witch incites a brawl!
"It hurts this cast whenever they make a pun, and they welcome the pain greedily."
YES. GOOD. Thank you. I loved that line in the episode and I'm very glad to see it come up again here!
The Lou name bits every week are hilarious.
I know there’s the idea of thinking “You couldn’t wait just one more day?”, but even before Morrow lost it and committed treason I thought to myself “There’s no way he’d shut his operation down without a fight”. Plus he ended up having loyalists who followed him despite being outranked, so I don’t think Steel would’ve had an easy time arresting him and freeing Naram. There would’ve been some kind of battle either way, and freeing Naram at the start ensured his death would be avoided.
I just became a member of the Patreon last week and binged everything up to this point. I’m so glad to be caught up but now I’m gonna be so impatient having to wait for new releases 😂
Erika totally made the right call for Ame, the story, for the people of the village. A hundred percent.
This is a quick thank you to Erika! Your drider in Bloodkeep convinced my girlfriend to play dnd with me and she is DEEPLY into it after 4 sessions. She is dedicated to beco,ing a shamanic leader to her own little tribe of hunter gatherers now and will defend her people till death claims her! Your performance and wild energy really inspired her to try it! (Also I made a homebrew drider race so that helped...but you got the ball rolling)
Trolleys all the way down
I also thought of Tommen Lannister in that exact moment!
Just searched for Finn Lemon on Bluesky and found a picture of a cute bird :)
Brennan says “Ursalon or 100’s of wizards” Aabriah checks her sheet: human, wizard, of the empire. “Yeah, I’mma sit as far away as possible.”
Trolley Problem all the way down...dang that's an awful mood
I dont comment much but I just want to sing the praises of the show. The way the sound mixing adds so much atmosphere to the live play as well as the way they have chosen to let this story breathe and go where it needs to go before finally building up to those "milestones" has made these final episodes feel so much more epic than anything before. If I can make one criticism is that I don't think the editing on Eursulon striking the spear worked very well in the execution. Between the end of ep012 leaving what happened up in the air (only to be spoiled by the Fireside) and then finding out in this fireside that there was so much more drama at the table that we missed out on because of the editing out of mechanics, it just seems like it could have been done better. EDIT: Accidentally posted before finishing my compliment sandwich. I just want to reiterate that everyone is doing a bang up job because this is the only RPG liveplay that I feel I have to listen to as soon as its posted.
Brennan’s outro was glorious
I have loved all the sound design so far, though I do wish there was 8-13% less cut content, even if that content isn't as professionally polished as the rest. I think a lot of the charm of actualplay are those moments where a player has to dig a little or things get sidetracked. I'd be interested in raw cuts for episodes or outtakes, something that didn't give Taylor a heap of more work.
Love this!!!!!!!!!!
Can’t imagine listening to this series without these fireside chats! They are such a master class in how this group of creators are making this story sing. Of course every moment could have different choices and different paths and I am 100% down for the journey these folks are gonna choose. Thank-you Aabria, Brennan, Erika, Lou, Taylor, and anyone else making this story into existence 🔥
Nauram is the hottest character I've never seen a picture of
So we are getting an episode next week? I was worried how long it would be in between seasons.
Yes! We are. The 14th episode will conclude this arc. Also, I don't know if they are going to take breaks? I haven't heard them mentioning that.
taylor moore im in love with you
;)
Possible hot take, but, choosing to fuck over the wizards is absolutely the correct choice. Edit: this was made so much earlier in the episode...holy shit that was some new information.
These fireside chats are fantastic. I love hearing about the alternate outcomes and how Brennan consults the players on certain things. Thanks for sharing! Crackle crackle
I hear you, Dream "steady the old mouth" Tanaka, coming out because Orima is so cool!
Taylor's hilarious, y'all (fully cackling at Wipeout at the end of the episode)
Is it weird to say that Ahme seems like a better Al Gore? "THERES TERRIBLE NATURAL AND POWERFUL CONSEQUENCES TO NOT HONORING AND RESPEXTING THE NATURAL FORCES OF THE EARTH"
For what its worth, if something like it comes up again, I would much rather have had that Divine Smite bit stay in the edit. Absolutely doing a great job of pairing the episodes down to the good bits, that's just a moment where the mechanics and the numbers are absolutely part of the drama of the story, and I would have liked to go on that emotional journey with Lou. It's moments like that that make this different than just cooperative story telling with someone in charge.
I can’t answer with that image from John Wick 4 of John drinking and just saying “Consequences”, so please just picture that in your head.
https://media.tenor.com/TkjqMlgnawMAAAAC/consequences-keanu-reeves.gif
I gotta say, still kind of Team Wizard. I think Ame made the right choice, but it was built on Ursalon's bad one. I don't know why the spirits get a pass when it's clear they make choices all the time. I prefer witch diplomacy for sure, but I'm with Suvi in that if powerful beings with their own world come into yours it's worth it to be able to deliver an elbow to the jaw to them every now and again. (Kind of like I feel about the elves in LoTR.) The hypothetical I'm most interested in is what if Ursalon had just waited twelve hours. I'm sure something would have happened, but what?
I feel like the comparison to elves doesn’t really fit, the fey in settings like these are abstractly different in how they see the world and how powerful great spirits are that like Steel said getting mad at them is pointless, akin to raging at a storm. Also Ursalon did nothing wrong, he kept his promise.
Im so glad to hear about the roads not taken, and stunned about the ‘not enough damage’ but wait here comes the smite! details. I also am with Brennan, I wouldve chosen the wizards to die no question. Naram was the guy trapped and tortured for no reason,, and the wizards even the unknowing ones who did the crime unto him.
FUCK them wizards!
41:00 He got blue shelled right before the finish line
Loved this episode and this chat so much. I could talk about how the hit of this finale action lands all day, but the thing I’ll take away the most is the feeling that we got to see Brennan truly bare his teeth as a DM for the first time in the show. (Esp with the consequences for the roads not taken)
I'm in Brazil w Lou! bad news we do have reception here he's just ignoring your texts :((
The family dinner of my nightmares. I’m going to Ursalon’s room. Seriously, I loved ep#13 but the fireside made me so stressed with the half expressed, joking not-joking aggression, citadel vs nature fissure. Every episode pushes the party members further apart. Does Suvi really consider Ursalon her brother? Was one distant summer enough to bond Ame and Suvi? Are we telling a story about the foundation of morally opposed enemies? I wish I could say I was up for that.
I wish it was clearer too. I'm hoping Suvi being chastised improves her perspective but it's really tough to listen to how toxic she has insisted on being so far
Please tell me I’m not the only one who had a little private dance party to that outro. Love it, Taylor
Is it time to drop the bit? Fin Lemon? Sigh . . . 🤪
Taylor waterboarding himself at the end of the episode was my favorite part 😂
so excited for these playlists!!!
I would have gotten away with it too if it wasn't for you dang kids and your little fox too.
Tattoo idea : a trolley full of all the guest stars on the fireside
Also, when does Witch take their subclass?
I cannot wait for Suvi to make 2nd and announce her sub class. I am hoping for warmage
Wizards get subclass at level 3. But I am pretty sure she is going to go blade singer. In other interviews she said war mage would be the obvious choice but she is going to go with something a little different. There was some description of Steel with a sword which would make sense for Suvi to emulate. Plus I think on the boat Suvi and Eursolon were sparring with swords, and Bladesingers are the only wizards with swords.
I kinda wish that the damage threshold bit had been left in? I understand prioritizing narrative but I am listening to this bc I like DnD and want the “at the table” feeling of stressing over the numbers on the die. regardless, it was still an absolute fantastic episode and I’m sure I’m in the minority for preferring it that way
I feel you.
The trolley problem!
There needs to be an animation to the outro song of the characters dancing the pulp fiction dance whilst the oil derrick collapses into the sea.
As a long time Taylor fan very cool to hear the performers reaction to the editing out of dice rolls to keep the story fluid, I listen to a few TTRPG podcasts and I’ve only seen Taylor do it, and he does it well
I find sometimes the editing out of mechanics can be a bit jarring - I don't know if that is a personal preference but it feels like the classic 'oh did I zone out and not actually read the last 2 pages of this book because something happened and I think I missed it'. Explaining this stuff in the Fireside really helps out! That being said, I am enjoying this podcast and it's editing immensely and hope to enjoy another 9 (ish?) years of it.
BRAZIL MENTIONED 🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷
Just one patron’s thoughts on if we are wanting to really get in the weeds on the fireside but I loved hearing it and definitely was thinking this would be similar vibes to NADDPOD short rest (which they definitely have been) where Murph will share those thoughts and mechanics that we maybe don’t see! But also have just the out of character reactions and tangents or bits. Thank you for your stories and your dedication! You all are creating and have created such beautiful art.
I think 'cutting for flow' is sometimes not the best choice, (even if it's the efficient choice) especially when such raw moments happen. The raw reactions are more worthwhile for me to tune in to rather than efficient editting out of player reactions. Even if those reactions aren't necessarily optimized for the podcast form, it's one of the reasons liveplay is so fun to watch. It might be worth bumping the time up maybe twenty or minutes or so to include this kind of thing. Listening to those moments are also fascinating and exciting. That all said, the sound design is GODLY. It's so immersive and fantastical, truly some of the best I've ever listened to.
Its pretty clear that WWW is not meant as a classic liveplay, so I do really like that they cut for flow, because there is no other DnD-Show that is that nice to listen/watch to. I never get bored on an episode of WWW, which I can not say about Critical Role or even Dimension 20. If you prefer longer, less edited formats, you have like literally all other shows out there. I highly appreciate the different approach!
Also I am SO excited for Eursalotter to be a thing in this game!!
Taylor is the goddamn god of sound design and editing
Eursalon’s actual tittle better be Knight of the Gentle Sea.
Bruh. That title slaps
Thought I’d share that the quote Brennan gave about a boot on your throat and being told to take it off ethically was from one of the Adventuring Parties for a crown of candy.
I thought the same thing as Mr. Lemon! I totally though Marrow was going to fall out the window to his death.
Flying monkey army of wizards *chefs kiss* a plus imagery
Suvi reading a book while a kaiju wreaks havoc in the background should be the new "lo-fi girl" loop
a lofi cover of the Great Bear romp tune, can you imagine
Marzipan man is so apt - a bit too shiny, a bit too sweet, slightly melted in the slightest heat Like a reverse Green Lantern
I think the sports analogy works even better because it's like someone tried to tell them, "I think the other team is going pull something, be careful." And the player responded, "I don't care what they're doing, we're going to win." If they hadn't gotten tunnel vision, they might have been aware that the circumstances weren't entirely in their favor.
Gah! It was so fun to hear..Finn Lemon.... Give us the tidbit about needing Divine Smite to get enough damage to break out Naram! I hadn't noticed we never got the damage roll on that swing.
The ending music. You're a sick man Taylor. But you are very funny, which I guess makes it okay?
Not Galani experiencing just regular sexism Umora.
Mhmm
You guys are doing and amazing job ❤️❤️❤️Thank you so much!!
The referenced CH skit https://youtu.be/s4pxtiLR928
"Oops, All trolleys!" KILLED ME. 😂
The image of the table in stitches about the thought of Morrow going Full Tommen was hilarious, and the energy in those Firesides is worth the subscription alone
I was right there during the episode. Or... Superhero landing!
I swear to Naram, the surf rock music at the end ejected me into outer space
New subscription tier: Trolley Master
Oh I am SO excited to listen!
If that pic isn't the ipitome of anxiety, I don't know what is lol
"Oops all trolleys" on T-Shirts and Mugs. Sell sell sell!
Damn, the reveal of 'what if Ame had hesitated'
did none of the derrick wizards have feather fall😭😭😭
I think it was a lot of soldiers and low level mages ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
A hoo hoo, hand rubbing as I get ready for my lunch walk, can't wait to listen to this one!!
A-hoo-hoo and crackle crackle!
The picture has me dying frfr
Ah yes the “oh god oh no oh fu” scenario
Under the sea, under the sea!
magnum opus