Talks Machina 52: Disparate Pieces

is the fifty-second episode of Talks Machina.

Synopsis

 * Talks Machina’s new intro debuts! Twice.
 * Ashley calls in (she didn’t expect Brian to pick up and was hoping to leave a voicemail).
 * Sam and Liam are kicked out before any questions begin so that Brian can ask Marisha about her reverse whisper session.
 * @Lemuraben: Marisha: Your one-on-one with Matt seemed like a set-up for Beau to become a Cobalt Soul monk. Had you decided on that archetype before the game, or was this Matt giving you the opportunity to choose?
 * Welcometothecrit: Marisha - was there any temptation to say “no” to the elf lady’s offer?
 * DerAlpi: Marisha: Did you expect that Matt would touch on Beau’s backstory so soon?
 * Bacchantebot: Marisha: How does Beau feel about her mentor? Does she think she’s bangin slammin cool or is she reluctantly putting up with her to learn new awesome punch techniques?
 * WordsThatRhymeWithOrang: Marisha: Beau thought that the Cobalt Soul monastery hated her, is there anything you can say as to why she thought that?
 * FlaccidKraken: Marisha: Beau’s personality seems to be very much “Meh, Fuck it”. Is that leftover from classic teenage years, built from rich dad problems, or deep backstory that we will eventually find out?
 * Gif of the Week: Randon Gardner aka @TheRandyestRandy’s gif of the aftermath of Nott’s 0 deception check.
 * @handieblume: Everyone: How do you approach the backstory scenes? Did the rest of you talk about what happened with Marisha afterwards, go back and watch the scene, or keep it a surprise since your character doesn’t know that information?
 * Broodingwithmyself: Liam: How did Caleb feel about being dragged to a trial for saving the town and then not being rewarded for it?
 * @tealversace: Sam: We’ve noticed the shirt trend… but you weren’t present for episode 5 of the first campaign? Are you going to be topless this week?
 * NicolasBroaddus: To all: How are you feeling about the decidedly less morally upstanding nature of the party? Vox Machina had their ups and downs, but they never, to my knowledge, bought illegal future vision shrooms, stole the doorknobs off a spa, and committed mail fraud within 30 minutes of each other.
 * @ArbyRocky: To Liam: When Caleb went to the baths he wasn’t concerned about the high class clientele. Is he used to that environment or was he just sure he could trick them?
 * @kratrina: To All: How do you feel about leaving the table when Matt does a solo scene with a player? Now that Marisha and Liam have both been through a solo scene, how does it feel having been the one on one experience?
 * Fanart of the Week: Sinlaire aka @MukhlisNur’s “The Hand of Boulder Parchment Shear.”
 * @mongward: For Liam: is there a backstory-related reason Caleb didn’t wash his head while taking that bath or was it just to mess with Jester?
 * Kimnrowdy: For Sam: Was there any party of you as a player or as Nott that felt a little guilty that Caleb paid for a bath you didn’t use? I mean, he is the poorest character in the game.
 * @GurlOnGirlGamin: For Marisha: being that you’re a combat nerd, what real life training have you done? (Stage combat, martial arts, etc). Also, how much of your RL experience influenced Beau’s style?
 * FlaccidKraken: Sam & Liam: Liam has said that Nott was Sam’s decision after some suggestions, and Sam said that Liam picked it for him and he went with it. Can you finally reveal who actually made the decision?
 * @Loula_Smile: To Sam mostly but to Liam as well : Nott seems to have Caleb’s well-being at heart and to care about him maybe more than herself, how did their relationship come to that?
 * RabidGinger: To all: How much of your class choice informed your decision when creating the characters personality or did you have the personality in mind first and allowed that to inform your class decision?.
 * Glumalon: Liam: Have you given Matt any sort of spell wishlist or talked about specific spells Caleb might be searching for?
 * TrickAndShorty: Sam: Were you nervous during this session that Nott was going to be punished by death due to your abysmal charisma rolls?
 * bacchantebot: Liam: Caleb seems to be building a sort of “Party Dads/Older Brothers” relationship with Fjord. What qualities does Caleb see in Fjord that he sought him out as the other “responsible” party member?
 * Hadley DiForti: Sam: Nott has established she was in a clan before the events of this campaign. We know from Scanlan’s story Goblins are violent, what makes Nott different?
 * Myrachel: Marisha: What brought on the mail fraud? Were you just looking for one last way to get back at people you weren’t thrilled about before skipping town, or do you really think you’ll find out something useful for the future by looking at their mail?
 * FairyHuggles: Liam: What was it like to realize that your entire plan for keeping the others out of it went out the window when they got caught?
 * @essibun: To Sam: Has Nott ever been gifted flowers? If not(t), how would she react if someone did?
 * #thankmyguests: My fists are bae, Scamming isn’t legal, Library tie in, and I’m your host, “would you like to buy some drugs officer”?

Quotations
Liam: We are, bitch! Brian: I should leave...
 * Sam: I feel like we're in a fight right now.