Talks Machina 107: Wood and Steel

is the one hundred and seventh episode of Talks Machina. Taliesin Jaffe and Liam O'Brien discuss with host Brian Wayne Foster.

Synopsis

 * Boffleslop: Both: Which do you think burns the hottest: Caduceus' sacred kiln, Caleb's childhood home, or Vice Presidential nominee Ashley Johnson's roasting of Sam Riegel?
 * Bnbndodoodododo: Taliesin: What drove your insight check of Fjord? Were you just playing into #teamevilfjord or is Cad genuinely unsure how truthful Fjord is being about his background?
 * Kiley Knott: For Liam: Caleb seemed to remake himself this episode in appearance; was that because of Nott's self-acceptance recently or is Caleb feeling more courageous to be his genuine self?
 * @Dagoodwi: For Taliesin: Since Caduceus now knows that there's a city's worth of souls unable to move on to the afterlife, does he have any thoughts or plans to help them?
 * Fabulous_Feruchemist: Liam: Caleb and Nott haven't spoken much since Yeza was kidnapped. Is Caleb afraid of losing Nott as a friend now that her family is coming back into her life? How does he feel about Yeza and of Nott's true identity?
 * Marisha invaded the set with a laser-sighted nerf gun.
 * @MILFPLAZA: Taliesin: Recently, Caduceus has been making an effort to develop a closer relationship with Yasha. Does he just feel a general sense of comradery towards her, or is he trying to establish himself as a support system for her if/when she chooses to face her past?

GIF of the Week

 * GabeJamesGames' gif of the "Big Shaft" jokes.


 * @Maverin116: Liam: is there a particular reason why Caleb didn't ask about pursuing the possibility of him learning some dunamancy when speaking to Professor Waccho[sic]?
 * Seedy88: Liam & Taliesin: which item that Professor Waccoh made available to the Nein is your character most interested in?
 * @Fffsteak: Taliesin: What are your thoughts on Fjord and the whole intimidation scene having played Percy, a character who also employed cutting intimidation tactics frequently?
 * Constance Redmon: For Taliesin: What's the best case scenario Caduceus is hoping for with the broken sword?
 * @CarnotLesbian: Liam: Caleb took deliberate actions to counteract the perception of him as selfish - giving the party money for diamonds, making sure they got a say in the quest reward, etc. Why is it now so important for him to make sure everyone knows he can be a team player?

Fan Art of the Week

 * Brandon S. aka @Morphenominal12's "Sie sind das Essen und Wir sind die Jaeger!"


 * @MissSunFlower94: Taliesin: be them deceased (Percy), adopted (Molly) or missing (Caduceus), all of your characters come from large families. What inspires you to give them that characteristic and what about that dynamic interests you?
 * @Townsend_S_W: Liam: Caleb seemed almost giddy at the chance to learn from the Krynn library & the professor, in contrast to previous trepidation meeting powerful mages. Is this just the assured disconnect from the Empire, the hints toward his goals, or something else?
 * BadSkeelz: Taliesin: How okay is Caduceus with the consecuted Kryn 'recycling' their souls into the material plane instead of moving on? Does he see this as different than the undead?

Quotations

 * Taliesin: "I've got velcro, man."
 * Brian: "I found out something 30 minutes ago. DayQuil is orange. NyQuil you are not supposed to take at 6:30 on a Tuesday night if you have to host a talk show. Things could get weird, friends."
 * Taliesin: "Clay loves these people. He really loves them and he thinks that they're gonna do great things...On the other hand, he also has a sense of what an addict is, if that makes sense. So it's 'I love you, I trust you, I'm gonna go through your wallet really quickly. I love you and I trust you, just checking your wallet. Just going to go look inside your wallet, see what's there.' It was one of those moments of validating my own trust again, because if he was lying or he was being untruthful I'd want to have that for later. Just to stop him from doing anything dumb. Save him from himself."
 * Liam: "The filthy disguise that he's maintained for so long is pointless now...He's expecting somebody to come knocking at the door soon-ish."
 * Taliesin: "There's something about [consecution] that's rubbing him the wrong way and he doesn't know how to articulate it."
 * Dani: "NEXT QUESTION!"
 * Liam: "He doesn't know what they are anymore. I mean, he knows that he still cares for her. None of that's changed."
 * Liam: "He's grown accustomed to needing her and being needed...he's not even talking to her that much because he's not sure if the script is the same."
 * Brian: "Welcome to After Dark."
 * Taliesin: "He kind of figured out that he and Yasha have the most in common of anybody there. At first he thought he and Jester were going to have the most in common because they're both clerics and then he realized...no. He loves her but they are not similar people on any level."
 * Brian: "You guys, I'm not lying about which NyQuil I took. I wish it was a bit."
 * Taliesin: "I'd love to shove my crystal in that staff."
 * Dani: "Y'all make me so tired."
 * Liam: "Caleb can get knocked over by a strong breeze. Caleb needs help."
 * Taliesin: "He's a deep believer that if life gives you lemons it's literally because you're supposed to make lemonade...He always moves towards anything that feels meaningful."
 * Liam: "Not everyone always wants to do that."
 * Taliesin: "His whole goal is to get everyone in the group talking."
 * Dani: "Yasha needs some fucking armor."
 * Liam: "He definitely cares about the entire group now, against what he thinks is his better judgment."
 * Liam: "Everything's changed for him in the past couple episodes."
 * Taliesin: "I don't really know much about being an only child."
 * Taliesin: "He's very confused."
 * Taliesin: "He's starting to feel that there's a larger movement happening, there's a bigger story that he hasn't figured out yet. He hasn't brought that to anybody else yet."
 * Taliesin: "As a member of this family, if you find the kiln, you're doing everything you're supposed to do."
 * Brian: "What else points north?" Taliesin: "Well my staff, obviously."
 * Brian: "He's a sleepy boy."