Talks Machina 90: A Pirate's Life for Me

is the ninetieth episode of Talks Machina. Taliesin Jaffe and Liam O'Brien discuss with host Dani Carr.

Synopsis

 * @Siegebreaker_: Liam & Taliesin: Who do you think actually won the rap battle between Mollymauk and Caleb? Would either of them have an actual interest in spitting rhymes?
 * @CarnotLesbian: Liam: Was giving the periapt to Caduceus purely for in character reasons, or was there also a meta "full circle" consideration of getting the item back to Taliesin?
 * HermitofKashmir: Taliesin: How did it feel to receive Molly's stabilizing necklace again? What did Caduceus think about Caleb giving it to him?
 * @WackyHistorian: For Taliesin: Caduceus's passive insight has led to some very intriguing moments between him and the other characters. What did he see in Caleb that he thinks is "important"? Or was he saying that more for Caleb's benefit?
 * @KapitanObvious: Everyone: In all the time you've known him, have you ever before seen Travis turn that particular shade of red he became as Jester and Nott were discussing Jester's first kiss?
 * Gif of the Week: Amber aka light-and-magic.tumblr.com's "DICKS EVERYWHERE."
 * Emberys: Liam: What was going through Caleb's head during the conversation with Caduceus at the start of the episode? How do Caduceus's thoughts compare to his own ideas of fate and destiny?
 * @arkanelock: for Taliesin: During Caduceus's talk with Caleb, he said Jester had given him a lot to think about. What sorts of things did he take away from that conversation with her, and what's he been thinking about since?
 * @BSchloskey: For Liam: Self preservation has been vital to Caleb in the past, so to give the Periapt to Caduceus felt like a big deal. Loaning Frumpkin to Beau was also incredibly trusting. How have Caleb's feelings about the Nein changed, and did anything specific set it off?
 * @KootiePatra: For Taliesin: Caduceus took some initiative in intimidating & boarding the merchant ship. Does he not have moral qualms about theft, or does he just see it as a necessary evil, given the Nein's current predicament?
 * @MarvelousMissC: Both: Between this campaign and the last, there have been several characters who have had sailing mentioned as a part of their background. How does it feel to actually be trying the seafaring lifestyle in-game?
 * @SadCypress: Liam: Does the piratical way of life suit Caleb's desire to stay under the radar of the authorities? Or does it feel like tempting fate if they get a reputation as the no-kill pirates?
 * Fan Art of the Week: Jonathan Jacobs aka @Janibitz's "Mighty Nein Welcome to Darktow!"
 * Jordan Springer: For Taliesin: Caduceus seems to be the closest thing the Nein has to a moral compass. How does he feel now that the group is becoming closely associated with Pirates even with it being a way to make sure that Uk'otoa isn't awakened?
 * BeautifulBusinessBoy: Liam: Caleb gave Jester the magical paints with little hesitation. Does he worry about what she'll do or does he think she'll use the paints for mainly good or benign uses?
 * @MissSunflower94: Taliesin: how does Caduceus feel about Fjord's 'bad decisions' affecting the group dynamic? What makes him think it was a bad decision to begin with?
 * @SeduceusClay: both: you seemed unsettled by the conversation between Jester and the Traveller, especially with talk of her meeting her "brethren" in less than a year - are you worried for Jester and what this might entail?
 * Barbara Octaviani: For Liam, Taliesin, Brian, and especially Dani: What are your theories on The Traveler? Who he is, what he's up to, how Jester plays into his plans, etc.
 * @losebetter: for Liam: Caleb has been notably tight-lipped about his family with only a few exceptions, but he seemed open enough to discussing his father with Fjord. was it a means of connecting with him over his story about Vandren, or a gesture of trust? Neither? Both?
 * ceecee7: Liam: Caleb confessed to Fjord he's sure Avantika will end up killing him. How does he feel about Fjord's immediate and easy acceptance of this fact? Does he find his lack of hesitation to seemingly share Caleb's concern more telling or worrying?
 * @Pinjamoi: For Taliesin: What would Caduceus have done or said to Jamedi if he hadn't gotten away so quickly?
 * @TabaxiTookMyGirl: Liam: When Caleb told Fjord do "do what you have to," did he have anything specific in mind? How did Caleb interpret Fjord requesting him to "right the ship?"
 * @Megzilla87: For Both: Words can't express properly how much your gratitude of fan works means to us fan creators. From hundreds of fanart pieces to epic rap battles, what's one of the most amazingly surreal or heartwarming thing you've seen created by the community thus far?

Quotations

 * Liam: "You can't mess with tenure."
 * Liam: "The game that Caduceus got spit out of the water pimple—I look in my spells a lot in this game and I'm thinking about what I can do a minute later so I miss things a lot and I had no idea that the character was unconscious when he got shot out. So my in character decision was 'I can do this many people and that's the new guy.' So, I mean, you must have been like 'what the fuck are you doing?'" Taliesin: "I had a ten minute moment of like really? Really? This is how I die?" Liam: "I just assumed you were going to fall down and take ten points of damage. And in the moment, they were getting spit out the top of a temple, he wouldn't have known who was conscious and who wasn't."
 * Taliesin: "The list of people he doesn't like is very short, to be fair." Dani: "Ooh, who's on his list of people he doesn't like?" Taliesin: "He's gotten some sibling issues with one of his siblings. There's some family stuff."
 * Taliesin: "We all have friends where we're like 'you're one month of getting your shit together away from being cool...We would rule this town if you'd get your shit together!'"
 * Dani: "There's embarrassing VHS tapes of all of us, let's be honest."
 * Taliesin: "There's a lot of ethical issues that pop up every day."
 * Dani: "Y'all should really talk to Matt more."
 * Liam: "I think sentiment has probably kept him alive."
 * Taliesin: "Ownership and possession is a very civilized thing."
 * Dani: "Rub that wood."
 * Taliesin: "This is problems between civilized people, which is not really his domain of morality."
 * Taliesin: "It's better now without you."
 * Taliesin: "He's aware of the friction that's going to create with Jester. He's also aware that this woman is batshit fucking crazy and unbelievably dangerous...We're already walking a very, very difficult line and yeah. That's an interesting decision he made there as opposed to-" Dani: "Happens when you think with your dick."
 * Liam: "That was creepy as fuck, that conversion. That was not 'haha, let's pull some pranks, wanna paint something?', that was 'join my cult.'"
 * Liam: "It's a real coinflip who's more dangerous, Uk'otoa or the Traveler."
 * Liam: "I could justify to myself with saying 'if this goes south on me, I will literally just bamf out of this game and maybe bring him back later or something.' But he could just disappear. He did it before, he can do it again." Taliesin:"You had another character in mind too, in the back of your head?" Liam: "I didn't at that moment but that spooked me and I do have one now if need be."
 * Liam "I’m not in a rush to tell anyone anything."