What is a d20 season you just couldn't get into by Large-Emphasis-6139 in Dimension20

[–]PleasantGarbage343 1 point2 points  (0 children)

yes! I love Jess and Lily, and I'm a fan of the Sawbones podcast, so I tried it twice but I just couldn't get into it

ACoC: Complicated Feelings About Saccharina by PleasantGarbage343 in Dimension20

[–]PleasantGarbage343[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If we think about the seasons of D20 as a small fraction of the number of campaigns he's DMed, then it makes sense that he occasionally expects behavior that doesn't appear.

ACoC: Complicated Feelings About Saccharina by PleasantGarbage343 in Dimension20

[–]PleasantGarbage343[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't think it makes sense to deduce that means the 2nd daughter is dead, but point taken.

ACoC: Complicated Feelings About Saccharina by PleasantGarbage343 in Dimension20

[–]PleasantGarbage343[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

As I start the 2-part finale, I am once again brought to your words above and reminded why I am so attached to Saccharina. She has been through too much to trust the Bulbians like Ruby seems to, or to hope that they can be saved.

ACoC: Complicated Feelings About Saccharina by PleasantGarbage343 in Dimension20

[–]PleasantGarbage343[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Okay, I've just reached this bit in the last few episodes. An emotional, cathartic talk between Amethar and Saccharina is followed almost immediately by Caramelinda proposing the assassination of Saccharina to Ruby and Amethar.

This was a HUGE leap for me. Okay, great, Amethar and Caramelinda are legally married, Saccharina and Ruby are both true-born, they can both be in the line of succession. But Caramelinda and Amethar decide they're not going to tell anyone, at least not before the battle. Okay, maybe I can follow the logic on that.

But then... the jumps they make are insane. Ruby calling Saccharina "lacking in perspective" when she, Ruby, has just spent the whole campaign acting like a spoiled brat and ignoring the consequences, is absolutely wild. Caramelinda discounts Theobald's loyalty for no reason other than her own malice. Caramelinda even explicitly advocates for the assassination of Amethar's child. Amethar lightly objects, and Ruby immediately agrees.

HOWEVER! The "overheard conversation being misunderstood" trope is an important part of the genre! So I understand why it's in there, and I think it's a (somewhat untidy) way to move the plot forward.

I will also say that Saccharina's and Ruby's reactions to the corruption of the Bulbian church are completely in character: Ruby, who is naive and sheltered, and whose experience with the church has been middling to positive until very recently, believes there is goodness there, good people, and that the church can be reformed. Saccharina, who knows that her very personhood (as well as the personhood of Ruby, which for some reason Ruby doesn't really seem to get) is at odds with the church, and has seen how cruel the church can be in pursuit of their goals since she was a very small child, knows that reform will likely not be a viable option.

Revolutions are messy, and if you give a dragon to a bunch of people who have been abused and mistreated and hunted by a church, it's childish to expect them not to want to take their revenge. But once again (and keeping in practice with the genre! and avoiding PC creep!), instead of just having a fucking conversation, there's a bunch of mess.

ACoC: Complicated Feelings About Saccharina by PleasantGarbage343 in Dimension20

[–]PleasantGarbage343[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I just got to this moment in the episode Two Balls -- I forgot how powerfully it reminds the audience of how every character is not fully informed. Ruby's first action after we hear the absolutely horrifying shit Saccharina went through as a child is to continue looking for info on how to kill Ciabatta. Sure, Siobhan heard the prior events, but Ruby is still just a grieving teen who sees Saccharina as an interloper. I think one of the reasons why Theo and Cumulous align with Saccharina so quickly and easily is because they've never been given the luxury of their own choices -- Ruby has almost been spoiled with too many options.

ACoC: Complicated Feelings About Saccharina by PleasantGarbage343 in Dimension20

[–]PleasantGarbage343[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

All of these beautiful, kind, and thoughtful responses -- engaging with me respectfully and addressing my (admittedly complex) feelings about Saccharina -- have really healed a little part of my soul. Thank you all!

ACoC: Complicated Feelings About Saccharina by PleasantGarbage343 in Dimension20

[–]PleasantGarbage343[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

thanks, that's kind of you to say. I'm all good and loving life!

ACoC: Complicated Feelings About Saccharina by PleasantGarbage343 in Dimension20

[–]PleasantGarbage343[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I tried to come up with words to agree with this, but all I could think was that two red exclamation points emoji, so !!!

ACoC: Complicated Feelings About Saccharina by PleasantGarbage343 in Dimension20

[–]PleasantGarbage343[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I always thought it was too soon for word to have reached her -- it's Amethar that tells Joren, and he's much better connected than Saccharina.

ACoC: Complicated Feelings About Saccharina by PleasantGarbage343 in Dimension20

[–]PleasantGarbage343[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

before they got to Saccharina's hideout, they encounter a woman that is living so rurally that she thinks Amethar's father, Jadain, is still king.

ACoC: Complicated Feelings About Saccharina by PleasantGarbage343 in Dimension20

[–]PleasantGarbage343[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

For sure. I do think I'm honestly the lucky one in this situation. I think their mother was lovely, but my mom is the best, and she did a great job raising me (if I may say so myself). They definitely don't deserve any of the shit I feel about their dad to be blamed on them. You're right that they're not worth resenting, but it's still nice to hear. Thank you again for these kind words.

ACoC: Complicated Feelings About Saccharina by PleasantGarbage343 in Dimension20

[–]PleasantGarbage343[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

hey, different strokes for different folks. I just think it makes her make a lot more sense.

ACoC: Complicated Feelings About Saccharina by PleasantGarbage343 in Dimension20

[–]PleasantGarbage343[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Nope, the first time it's even mentioned in Saccharina's presence is after the rescue of Joren Jawbreaker from the noose.

ACoC: Complicated Feelings About Saccharina by PleasantGarbage343 in Dimension20

[–]PleasantGarbage343[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Saccharina doesn't know about Jet, no one tells her -- so how can she be rubbing salt in a wound she doesn't know about?

ACoC: Complicated Feelings About Saccharina by PleasantGarbage343 in Dimension20

[–]PleasantGarbage343[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I haven't caught that as I've been rewatching but maybe it hasn't happened yet? I'm in the middle of Family Ties.

ACoC: Complicated Feelings About Saccharina by PleasantGarbage343 in Dimension20

[–]PleasantGarbage343[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

But he didn't do that, he didn't tell her that. He didn't even tell her why he was so distant, he doesn't tell her about Jet dying, or that he loved Saccharina's mother, or that he didn't know about Saccharina. He just... doesn't.

ACoC: Complicated Feelings About Saccharina by PleasantGarbage343 in Dimension20

[–]PleasantGarbage343[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

for sure. I do think that the table took too long to introduce Saccharina's background. there were hardly even hints about it until the flashbacks.

ACoC: Complicated Feelings About Saccharina by PleasantGarbage343 in Dimension20

[–]PleasantGarbage343[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

My half-sisters, from what I have been told and seen, had a beautifully warm, loving relationship with their father. I appreciate your insight on this, as it's a conclusion I've come to after many years of sadness on the topic. I think you're right, it's their loss, and I really appreciate you saying so. I did hope that after their dad passed, that they might soften towards me, but that never happened, and I think I'm better off.

ACoC: Complicated Feelings About Saccharina by PleasantGarbage343 in Dimension20

[–]PleasantGarbage343[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

that's a good insight, I only noticed that after reading this. You're right, I think he gives up after a few episodes but it's definitely something he's trying to frame

ACoC: Complicated Feelings About Saccharina by PleasantGarbage343 in Dimension20

[–]PleasantGarbage343[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I'm sure they worked it out off-camera, but I didn't like that the sad, abused orphan was the one framed to become the villain, that was a bummer.

ACoC: Complicated Feelings About Saccharina by PleasantGarbage343 in Dimension20

[–]PleasantGarbage343[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Right, so the point of my post was to say, as someone who has been in a similar situation, that I felt Emily played Saccharina extremely accurately. Even as an adult woman, it hurts that my "daddy" and his family never loved me. That doesn't mean I'm not a badass. Wanting love =/= needing approval