do y'all mind if i yap about Broghini Dudestone for a second?
(GIGGS D&D Session 2 spoilers below the cut)
OKAY. SO.
the dream/flashback sequences. as much as it was clarified that they were dreams, they're also (i assume) real memories from all the characters' pasts. as someone who has been playing DnD pretty regularly for the last ~3 years + has been DMing his own campaign for nearly a year, dream sequences and flashbacks are some of THE methods to explore why characters act the way they do, why they have certain habits or thought processes, etc.
firstly: two things we learn about Bro at the beginning of his sequence are that 1) he has an older brother, and 2) his dream sequence starts as a childhood memory in which Bro is seven years old. we also learn that his older brother, Stonrick (im assuming this is how it spelled based on Pix's pronunciation), is ten years old, and a little asshole. the first thing out of Stonrick's mouth in this scene is "Keep up, short stuff! I'm telling Mom you took her greataxe!"
secondly: courtesy of Pix asking Scar to provide description for what paintings are on the walls of the keep + the ensuing yes-anding about the ritual where "the youngest has to hold up the oldest", we learn that Bro's family highly values physical strength, and that Bro is desperate to prove himself in that regard (see Impulse's little aside of "I gotta make Dad proud."). we learn that Stonrick dropping Bro down the trapdoor is not a new occurrence; as we find out later in the scene, Bro has been subjected to similar tricks before. Stonrick reminds Bro, "You got the speed, little bro, but you ain't got the muscles, and you ain't got the brains."
now, obviously, this is a single moment of Bro and Stonrick's relationship. we don't know anything else yet, and who knows how long it'll be before we do, or if we will at all. however, these few minutes are INCREDIBLY telling. and above that, it is not only telling but GUT-WRENCHING to me that *this* was Impulse's response to Pix asking him "What goes through Broghini's mind? Is he excited at the thought of rescue, or worried that he's gonna get in trouble?":
"Well, it's unfortunately a bit of both. I, uh... y'know, I would be happy to be found at this point. It seems otherwise I will die down here. But... part of me would rather die than be discovered by my parents and be deemed a bit of a failure who has fallen once again for his brother's trap and unable to get myself out of this bind. At this point, I will take my parents' love. Even if it does lose me a little bit of respect, I feel like I could at least make up for that later." (starting ~01:18:56 in Impulse's VOD)
like, holy shit. Bro is seven years old in this flashback. Seven. he is a CHILD, and he already thinks *so lowly of himself*.
i know that the nature of the wording of Impulse's response is because he's answering OOC. he's answering from a player POV - a new player POV at that, this is his second time ever playing D&D - and he's narrating it from an 'adult' perspective. and to be clear, i think he's doing a great job! I know that i'm biased because i love Impulse outside of GIGGS D&D, but i am genuinely so enamored by Bro and i want to see more of this pure of heart dumb of ass dwarf fighter.
but the thing is, even if you re-frame his response into a more age appropriate thought process level (for lack of better words), it says so much about Bro, his family, and the relationships they have with each other.
and additionally! in this flashback, we don't even get anything about Bro's time as a soldier, as per his background. with the other three we got Ruby doing criminal things, we got Max doing circus shit, and we got Mister Wizard getting busted + arrested for his scams.
but instead of seeing Broghini Dudestone as a soldier, we see him at seven years old - a "wee little lad" wearing a hand-me-down belt - victim to a cruel prank from his older brother and feeling like "an easy mark". we see a child so concerned with how his parents perceive him that he would "rather die than be discovered... and deemed a bit of a failure", who will "take [his] parents' love, even if it does lose [him] a little bit of respect."
flash forward to the present, and we have Bro charging ahead into battle, stepping in front of his allies to protect them. he's a frequent drinker. he's developed this dynamic with Max that reminds me a lot of Grog and Vax'ildan's from Critical Role's Vox Machina. we have the absolute clusterfuck that was the combat of episode 2. Impulse rolling a nat 1 on his first ever death save roll stressed me the fuck OUT!
i have many many half-formed thoughts about Bro's story potentially being one of overcoming toxic masculinity, and about how he views/treats his own body in hostile situations. (unsurprising, considering my penchant for getting attached to the fictional bitches who see themselves as expendable because then that means their friends/allies will be safe). he takes such pride in being a heavy hitter and a frontliner, and that dream/flashback showed us exactly where and when that mentality originated from.
all that said, i am GREATLY looking forward to whenever the next session is, if what Pix said about two sessions a month ends up actually happening. i'm so so happy that Gem, Impulse, Grian, and Scar are having so much fun playing, and that Pix is having fun DMing. i cannot wait to see more of this chaotic as fuck party
and finally, to finish off: Pix. Mr. Pixlriffs. i just wanna talk to you for a second, Dungeon Master to Dungeon Master. what fucking questions did you ask the players for those dream sequences. what did you ask. what did you ASK THEM--
