Fjord: How Travis Willingham Tackled the Lie of Masculinity

Подписаться 87 тыс.

Просмотров 286 тыс.

50% 1

Travis Willingham used Fjord in a masterful way to display the pitfalls of Toxic Masculinity... And how one can overcome them.
STEINHARDT'S GUIDE TO THE ELDRITCH HUNT: www.kickstarter.com/projects/...
WATCH NEXT:
TTRPG Deep Dives: • TTRPG Deep Dives
Player Character Inspiration: • Player Character Inspi...
3 rules that change D&D as a whole? Oh yeah, you betcha.
//TOOLS & PRODUCTS I USE IN MY GAMES:
○ Tabletop Products and High Quality Maps (1985): 1985games.com?ref:jay-martin
○ High Quality Customizable Colored Miniatures (HeroForge): www.heroforge.com/tap/?ref=pl...
○ 3D Printed Customized Minatures for Tabletop Simulator Integration (Eldritch Foundry): eldritch-foundry.com/?stage=0
○ High Quality Sharp Edge Dice (Only Crits): www.onlycrits.com/?sca_ref=13...
○ Battle Maps, Dice Trays, and More! (Yarro Studios, Use Coupon Code PLAYYOURROLE335 for 20% Off!): yarrostudios.com/?ref=sdxxeue97w
//TOOLS & SERVICES I USE FOR VIDEOS:
○ Where I find my music (Epidemic) - www.epidemicsound.com/referra...
○ Content Analyzation and SEO Research Tool I Use (TubeBuddy)- www.tubebuddy.com/PYRole
For Business Inquiries: businessinquiries@playyourrole.net
TIMESTAMPS:
Come support my business:
Patreon: / playyourrole
PYR Ambience: / @pyrambience6931
TikTok: / play_your_role
Instagram: / roleyourplay
Twitter: / playyourrole3
** ABOUT ME **
Hello! My name is Jay, and I am a long-time veteran of storytelling and a semi-seasoned DM! I began playing Dungeons and Dragons roughly 5 years ago and began my first ever game as the DM. I figured things out by watching online games and fumbling my way through the rules, and never looked back! I've fallen in love with TTRPG's in general and want to share my experience and thoughts with the world and community I love so much. I currently DM two separate games regularly, and continue to learn every day.
** ABOUT THE CHANNEL **
Play Your Role is a project with the intention of helping inspire and coach players and DM’s alike to add story beats and dramatic moments into their games through basic writing concepts, interesting player character inspirations, and discussions on how to effectively roleplay in a way that helps (not hinders) everyone else's roleplay at the table!
TOPICS IN THIS VIDEO
• Dungeons and Dragons
•
• Critical Role
•
• DND5e
•
• DND
•
• TTRPG
•
• Roleplay Games
HASHTAGS
#DungeonsAndDragons
#CriticalRole
#DND
#DND5e
DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
fjord,critical role,travis willingham,criticalrole, campaign 2, campaign 3,5th edition,character creation,d&d 5th edition,dungeon & dragons,dungeon master,dungeons & dragons,dungeons and dragons,dungeons and dragons for beginners,how to,how to gm,how to pc,how to player character,player character,player character inspiration,player character inspritation,role playing,tabletop games,tabletop roleplaying,tabletop rpg,dnd character creation pathfinder

Опубликовано:

4 авг 2022

Ссылка:

Скачать:

Готовим ссылку...

Добавить в:

Мой плейлист

Посмотреть позже

Комментарии : 625

@PlayYourRole 2 года назад

This comment once addressed something else, but I wanted to comment on the constant claims that I 'hate masculinity'. I do not. In fact, I view myself as a masculine figure proudly. There is nothing wrong with being a man. Unfortunately, many people take being a man to mean 'never be disrespected, never feel emotions, project false confidence to mask insecurity'.... That is not masculinity. That is cowardice. Fjord, at the beginning of his story, pretended to be Vandrin in order to project masculinity. Over the course of the story, however, he learned to find his own inner confidence and self, at which point his masculinity became not a mask but instead who he truly was. That was what this video was about. Fjord was masculine. Being a man is not wrong. Believing that one must project masculinity or else you are worthless is harmful, and yes... Toxic. People are different, not everyone is the same. Please embrace and celebrate who you are. If that is being a man, I'm so proud of you, truly. But those who desire not to be masculine are not any less than you.

@KKRDM 2 года назад

More critical role? Oh no, how "terrible". Guess I'll just have to keep enjoying these awesome videos while I continue to wait for different awesome videos. How sad. 😀

@Anarch_Bushey 2 года назад

You did good.

@DParkerNunya 2 года назад

sorry to hear that man. people don't like hearing when people talk about their personal flaws

@kairussell2156 2 года назад

My subscription recommended this and I instantly added it to my watch list. Toxic versus healthy masculinity is a topic I've been recently getting more interested in because of how it pertains to the Patriarchy and feminism. I look forward to watching this! Please continue to make brave and thought-provoking analyses. 🙂 (The reason I'm not watching right away is because it's 3:40 am and I need to go to bed.)

@HumanPersonNotOrangutan 2 года назад

That sounds like the dumbest thing I've ever heard. The unsubscribing thing, I mean. Guess some people get some strong knee-jerk reactions, huh. This is a good vid and you should be proud of it - keep it up, and I hope that you'll earn that number of subscribers tenfold :D

@evanherynk5863 Год назад

When Nott does the spoiler thing and tells Fjord "I'm sorry I always call you weak, but I only do that because I know you're strong enough to take it." Gets me every time.

@wolvencreator8585 Год назад

I've been told that before but it didn't/doesn't help the wounds much 😅😅

@sardoniclysane Год назад

Yeah nott/veth was so more deep and serious than most people understand. The first hint was her discussion about Caleb. He wasn’t her protector. She was HIS. Her insights about people would carry on. She was their mom. Sure an alcoholic and neurotic mom but still a mom nonetheless.

@beaug.2326 10 месяцев назад

@@sardoniclysanea realistic, traumatized mom

@Motherboard1213 10 месяцев назад

Don't make me cry now

@russellscout4957 8 месяцев назад

A bully's defense: "I was only joking." Or, "It wasn't that bad. They can take it."

@koseugle 2 года назад

I love how through his friendship with Caleb and especially Caduceus, Fjord was exposed to such different versions of manhood than the one he grew up with.

@PlayYourRole 2 года назад

Ahhh such a good point!

@mikelundun 2 года назад

Also the interaction with the full-blood orc telling him to chill out a little was great. I think there was an amazing arc here for Fjord.

@alexanderwizardjar9540 2 года назад

@@mikelundun yeah, that one was good too

@ForeverDegenerate 2 года назад

And Mollymauk. Molly was a huge inspiration for Fjord and a prime example to Fjord of what he should be doing. Fjord was a man shackled by his past and who his past taught him he should be. Molly was a man who didn't have any memories of his past and, thus, free from it. He didn't want to know his past because he would rather just be himself. Molly was a man that lived without preconceived notions. He lived for the moment. But he lived to make people better than they were just for having known him. That's the kind of Man that Molly was. And through Molly, Fjord realized that was the kind of Man he could be and wanted to be. And Fjord had that realization after Molly's death.

@lonely1951 2 года назад

@@ForeverDegenerate never thought of it like that. Shackled by his past in contrast to 2 year old Molly. Brilliant

@sandrinenoel7329 2 года назад

Travis masterfully illustrated what Avatar Aang meant when he said: "When we reach our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change."

@lonely1951 2 года назад

Huh Fjord makes me think of a different avatar quote “pride is not the opposite of shame but it’s source”

@slktool Год назад

Aang is Tyler Durden

@patriciaf2766 2 года назад

I honestly never thought of fjords story as being about toxic masculinity. I equated his journey as being more like being in, and then leaving a toxic relationship. Putting all you have into someone and then realizing it was bad for you and ending it, then dealing with the fall out of losing everything you had in that relationship. It could be because I'm one of your female viewers that I have a different take, or it could be because I've left a very toxic relationship before. Either way I think that's the best part of watching things like critical role, everyone can watch it and come away with different takes all based on their own life experience.

@PlayYourRole 2 года назад

Honestly, that is a perfectly valid way of picturing it. That's the awesome part about art... A lot of the times, the message is in the eye of the beholder

@roguishowl3915 2 года назад

I saw this the same, for me irl I was always wearing a mask with this friend (whom I’m not friends with now) but once I truly saw how toxic his personality was towards me and the friendship, I chose to be myself, I removed my mask and weight was lifted. I look back now and realize how much better I am for it.

@alexanderwizardjar9540 2 года назад

Thats a very interesting take, i hadn't really thought about that. Thanks for sharing!

@seanmurphy3430 2 года назад

I think there's something to be said about the relationship between those themes - like how Fjord takes forever to really admit to anyone what he's going through, or how Uko'toa and Avantika play to his insecurities about needing to feel powerful and in control.

@kishibelunatik 2 года назад

I hate the word toxic masculinity because it means jack shit.

@rhylin26 2 года назад

I also loved how the Mighty Nien supported Fjord during his transition. It’s not easy going from wanting to be the guy who needs no one to accepting support. It was an amazing decision to leave him depowered for so long. If he immediately got his powers back the next episode, the arc would have been wasted. Him being supported and protected while vulnerable, showed him what it truly meant to support and protect others.

@samuelaraujomedeiros6682 Год назад

I didn't watch the entire season. How did they manage this in the story, though? Like, did he just lose all class features or did he start using a modified commoner sheet or something like that?Also, why didn't he leave the mighty nein in the first place, seeing as he was only endangering himself?

@AlwaysSomeone Год назад

@@samuelaraujomedeiros6682 I think they took away his class features To cover this, the rest of the team gave him some of their magic items. Gloves that shoot fireballs, stuff like that.

@samuelaraujomedeiros6682 Год назад

@@AlwaysSomeone Cool

@billbill3915 Год назад

@@AlwaysSomeone And the dice supported the narrative. His contested strength rolls against the frost wyrm thing (can't remember the name of it) was just a thing of beauty.

@stingerjohnny9951 Год назад

@@billbill3915 It was a Rhemoraz, and yes that is one of my favorite moments with Fjord, playing tug of war with an Alaskan Bull Worm to save his first mate.

@malachairasmussen4591 2 года назад

I adore Fjord. He was the first of the Nien I got attached to and well, being a male I struggled opening up, I related to his struggles. I still struggle to be open around my loved ones, I'm not as bad as I was though. Seeing the growth that Fjord did really touched my heart, seeing he accept the love and care from the other members. Needless to say but this video got me in tears at the end.

@PlayYourRole 2 года назад

Travis did a fantastic job showing that struggle in a realistic way. I'll forever be thankful for it

@malachairasmussen4591 2 года назад

@@PlayYourRole He really did! I loved the fact that shift in Fjord felt surprisingly natural to me. It didn't happen all at once. Love it.

@castbet9183 Год назад

Same generally I downplay my own emotions cause I believe “I’m not allowed to lose control cause if I do it’s viewed as some kind of taboo for me.”

@troikas3353 2 года назад

My favorite dynamic with Fjord was actually his mentor/found-sibbling relationship with Beau. Two well meaning but lost knuckle heads, both struggling with self acceptance, who found unwavering support in each other. His patience, compassion and empathy towards someone that desperately needed all three but didn't know how to express it, and who struggled as much as he did with the idea of accepting help, was a great example of how just a little effort can go a long way. It also showcased how he just naturally put into practice all the qualities he so revered in Vanderin even if he didn't see it himself. Tossing the sword into the lava was certainly badass, but despite.. or maybe because of.. its mundanity to me the strongest thing Fjord did over campaign 2 was help and support a friend burdened by anger and self-hate finally start to heal.

@n4l9bx Год назад

Every Fjord-Beau interaction left me a little shaken, honestly. They both tried so hard to make the other see the best possible version of themselves, and they both failed so hard in recognizing the best in themselves. (... That's a horrible sentence. Be better, English, sheesh xD) It was very moving to me how much they were ready and able to fight for each other, in the big ways and the small ways.

@jsmountain 2 года назад

😭 I love Fjord so much. His lava pit chicken game with Ukatoa happened about a year after I got sober, and the whole "letting go of something that is making your life worse and then accepting help" thing really meant a lot to me.

@sparklefulpaladin 2 года назад

Out of all the characters in the M9, Fjord was the one it took the longest for me to really start to enjoy watching his story and really connecting with his character. On my rewatch, he’s become one of my favorites and I think you did an excellent job at pinpointing why. I especially enjoy the brotherly friendship between Caduceus and Fjord. As always, excellent video and thanks for your content! =)

@PlayYourRole 2 года назад

I found myself struggling to figure out what Fjord was all about, which made it really difficult for me to enjoy his character. Once I began to realize that was the point, he quickly became one of my favorites

@worstghosthunting3466 2 года назад

You know it’s funny fjord was my favorite from the beginning but it took me a little to get into Cad, but I love them all now

@pedropages6111 2 года назад

The moment he rejected Uko'toa his patron in the lava-pit scene played such a big impact for me personally. Even still thinking back from it, I cried when he became 'free' against his patron. A moment standing up against all the darkness that had him bound, that hurt him and no intention to see him be better. I felt my own journey reflected in that moment, feeding into something that is slowly killing me, to let that go and ask for help meant everything for me to be better for myself.

@PlayYourRole 2 года назад

I gotta say, I agree. Seeing a moment of someone facing things down and breaking free was wonderful

@courtjester7778 2 года назад

That moment was wonderful. Fjord rejected the lie that he was not good enough. And as the video said, he didn’t immediately get what he wanted. That is very true to life.

@reson8 Год назад

Isn't that the whole point of having a patron though? It's not like this wasn't intended from the outset- Matt and Travis deliberately chose an abusive patron as a story arc, much like Percy in campaign 1. It seems to be a recurring theme of CR that men in power are bad and it annoys me quite a bit (because its sexist).

@Bowtiedhillbilly 2 месяца назад

@@reson8 "A recurring theme of CR that men in power are bad" how much are you squinting to see that? Also, what men are you talking about. Orthax and Uk'Otoa? Those are demons and sea monsters, not really men. Or are you talking about Percy and and Fjord. Because both still become insanely powerful. Percy's story wasn't about how he's wrong because he's powerful/a dude, but because he was motivated by revenge and chose to compromise his humanity to fulfill his selfish desires, and overcoming that. Fjord's story was about breaking free from his own desire for power and coming to trust in his friends. If we're trying to find a recurring theme, the much more obvious one is that "selfish actions lead to dangerous consequences." And there are plenty of selfish women in CR as well: Delilah Briarwood, Raishan, even some player characters like Vex (to a point), Laerryn, or Patia. Forgive me for making an accusation, but it feels to me like this is a pretty disingenuous reading of CR.

@reson8 2 месяца назад

@Bowtiedhillbilly Perhaps we can agree that both are recurring themes. You can't fail to note the misandry though (unless you choose to/agree with it).

@xandra7682 2 года назад

Even as a woman this helped bring perspective of what men go through on daily bases and helped me connect with personal relationships. Travis is an amazing storyteller as per usual!

@ducksinthewild 2 года назад

The men of the M9 were a breath of fresh air in a world where media has portrait a repeated image of manhood. We have one who had made horrible acts and chose to work towards a goal to maybe fix them, another one who never really had a clue of what it really meant to be a man yet still strive to be the best he could possibly be, and last one who embodied the protective and gentle warmth of what a protector could be. All three of them speak volumes when taking their real life as backgrounds for their motivations. Liam with the loss of family, Taliesin with being surrounded by older people while still being a kid, and Travis with not growing with a father. D&D is such a powerful game.

@artemiswallace8716 2 года назад

gods, i hope we get a percy review from you soon. everyone loves percys dark brooding persona and completely forget that for nearly the whole campaign we were watching a man in the midst of a psychotic break and dealing with both his trauma, and the consequences of his actions he committed during his mental breakdown. (especially coming to terms with the fact he knowingly introduced a weapon of war to exandria that would cause millions of deaths even just in his lifetime)

@PlayYourRole 2 года назад

I can't say when, but a Percy video will come eventually more than likely! I often times wait for an 'aha' moment that really makes me feel like I know exactly what I'd like to communicate

@neerGdyahS Год назад

Millions of deaths in his lifetime. I don't know, that's like the population of a whole exandrian continent. When you combine the facts that not everyone gets access to the knowledge of guns, the need to train and supply gunsmiths and acquire black powder, that initially guns were kept in the hands of defensive troops like the Whitestone rifleman, who won't see much actual combat 90% of the time. The actual number of deaths from guns in Percy's lifetime is likely less than 100 thousand, unless there was some major wars that made heavy use of guns.

@artemiswallace8716 Год назад

@@neerGdyahS literally the apex war happened. they talk about it in c3. its why guns are so easily found in basuras. millions might be a bit of an exaggeration though, i agree. its still a lot of deaths on his conscience

@neerGdyahS Год назад

I don't think those nations were very population dense considering their terrain. But anyway, I wouldn't blame any of those deaths on the weapons used anyway. I doubt the wars are terribly more brutal with guns than without, particularly when fireball can burn alive everyone in an area 40 feet across.

@artemiswallace8716 Год назад

@@neerGdyahS a layman with a rifle can do the same damage a fighter with a greatsword can do from 400ft away. im not just pushing my own ideas either, it what percy thinks and what he's seen with his own eyes. wait till we get to glintshore.

@lonely1951 2 года назад

I loved the moment at the end of the campaign when the party was trying to get a long rest and Fjord was taking watch (because warlock shortrest) and he gave the order to sacrifice the NPCs in order to give his party more time to sleep. It’s something I could see Fjord doing at any point in the campaign and it would have meant something different for his character in each situation. If he has pulled that kind of thing early on while he was still pretending to be someone else, and was still just mimicking the part of the leader, it would have come off as a selfish way for him to continue playing in that act; “what would Vandren do?” Instead of “what needs to be done?” When it happened in game, you could practically see Fjord weigh the life of a few men vs the greater cause of having a chance to fight Lucien on equal footing. It felt like fjord was a general making a hard decision, not just a green kid being rash.

@Blasted2Oblivion 2 месяца назад

It took me a long time to understand that myself. The reason you do something can often be just as important as the action itself.

@nolanperuski5562 2 года назад

I love fjord I feel like he doesn’t get that much attention

@PlayYourRole 2 года назад

I agree! He had such high moments, but Travis is so good at hyping the other players up that he can often times fade into the background. He is a FANTASTIC player

@copycrow4486 2 года назад

That's honestly part of what I found myself enjoying about Fjord. It took me a rewatch to fully notice all that he does. Besides silly jokes, being the joke, and whatnot, he genuinely has some cool moments in the early parts of the campaign. But because the other PC's are more standout-ish, it caused the man who wanted to be something, to fade into the background. That is, until we started delving into all the Avantika stuff and the Revelry. That to me, is where Fjord really began to stand out amongst the other characters.

@rhylin26 2 года назад

One of my favorite things about his arc is that he maintained his warlock levels when he started following the wild mother. Travis could have easily justified becoming the same level in a whole new class. However I think it’s more thematic having his past choices matter. It also made him taking paladin levels mean so much more in my opinion.

@lonely1951 2 года назад

Also it was a dope build 😊

@charliescheirmann2926 Год назад

I'm fairly certain he wanted to play a Hexblade Paladin, it is a really strong build.

@coreyjameswood 2 года назад

Another wonderfully crafted breakdown of an often overlooked but still well loved character! I am excited for more (especially if you decide to delve more into tv/movie characters! Maybe even some of the... Avenging quality?) Your videos are always dadgum inspiring!

@PlayYourRole 2 года назад

Thank you so much! I think it's inevitable I move into those of avenging qualities at SOME point. This channel started off at deepdiving TTRPG but it's become more about explaining what makes a good character, TTRPG or otherwise so pretty much anything is on the table!

@queenannsrevenge100 2 года назад

Did you say, “Texblade Warlock?” I’d never heard that before, but it’s perfect! 😄

@PlayYourRole 2 года назад

Wish I could take credit, I'm not sure who came up with it!

@DParkerNunya 2 года назад

@@PlayYourRole I believe Travis or Sam said it first, but don't quote me on that

@andrewharding5173 2 года назад

Seeing a DnD character sacrifice their power and abilities for their morals and their own health, mental or otherwise, is such an evocative and impactful story to tell. It’s not one you see often in fiction, especially rpgs, but boy howdy if it isn’t powerful. Love the video, sorry a bunch of reactionaries say a single word in the thumbnail and ragequit like children. You’re videos are always so insightful and amazingly well spoken. I hope you keep up the amazing work and don’t forget to give yourself time to rest and recoup as well!

@lonely1951 2 года назад

I feel like it’s so impactful because it isn’t just the character making a sacrifice, the player is too. I remember Xp to level Three had a story about a player who said “how many levels of Paladin would I have to permanently sacrifice for you to let me give another PC advantage on that death saving throw” and even though I had never seen the player or the character I full gasped. It’s like the character wants something so badly that he’s reaching into our world to ask the player for it

@andrewharding5173 2 года назад

@@lonely1951 ^ yesss this me too!!

@reson8 Год назад

Idk, i think it's quite a common trope to see a strong character lose some abilities in order to overcome something or help someone else out. It's not like it hasn't happened to Travis before either (campaign 1 with Cravenedge) so it just seems like a rehash of old material. Granted i haven't started campaign 2 yet (about 1/2 way through the chroma conclave story) but i don't think my perspective will change.

@PapaBear187 7 месяцев назад

This is not a lie of masculinity. Men instinctively know that society doesn’t pay attention when a man is failing and needs help. Other men will reach out but women and lovers only let men get too open and dependant before ultimately leaving. This is why men attempt to strengthen themselves by keeping things close to the chest because we know that if we can handle a bad situation, the next one will be easier to handle, alone

@bamcki991 2 года назад

I love how almost every character is a story on it's own with their own hardship. Beau is about abuse, Fjord is about masculinity, Nott is about sacrifice, Caleb is about trauma and Yasha is about forgiveness. But also, Jester and Caduseus' stories is what combinds the mighty nein story in to a story of acceptence and progress.

@sinisterplank3113 2 года назад

The man Refjorged! Excellent episode. I connected -a lot- with Fjord as a character, having grown up a boy in a high brass military household I was always tonight to be “A Man” by the old definitions. That was never who I wanted to be, and finding that out was a struggle.

@PlayYourRole 2 года назад

'Be a man" is not as brave as 'be you'

@Extremely-GR33N 2 года назад

Coming from military households, it's easy for us to fall into this self righteous mentality.. Once that image is broken, it's hard for us to rebuild ourselves.

@NWolfsson 2 года назад

That brings a new light on why Travis/Fjord insisted to systematically say "Eldritch Blaest". Did it once, the rest of the group loved it. "I want to be remembered" Fjord jumped on the occasion.

@Bluntz1289 Год назад

Asking for help isn't weakness. Not asking for it can be.

@JohnnySpellsDoesntF 2 года назад

“Things don’t magically improve because we’ve done that [pushed away something unhealthy to us]. The right decision is not easy to make because it doesn’t immediately lead to improvement. Oftentimes we need to backtrack, get back on our feet, and then begin to make that improvement” Did not expect tears this morning, but my goodness this was powerful

@chrisnewman2737 Год назад

It's not difficult to see some of the parallels with Travis' own life in how he portrayed Fjord. In high school he was torn between playing on the football team and being a stereotypical jock and his love of theater. It's not hard to imagine there were a lot of people around him who had strong opinions about who he should be.

@StealthMarmot_ 8 месяцев назад

It's a hell of a thing to realize that 6' 4" buff, attractive, charismatic Travis Willingham still found himself struggling with how someone might see him as a man because he also enjoyed the theatre.

@jonasvaneetvelt8088 2 года назад

Excellent deconstruction and refjorging of the character. You're putting into words way better than I can why Fjord's character journey was one of my favourite of this campaign.

@mentalrebllion1270 2 года назад

I love this video! Don’t stop or be discouraged! I look forward to more future videos ☺️

@Cyberius 2 года назад

Fjord's story hits home with me a lot because I was struggling with a lot of the expectations of manliness in my neck of the woods. Watching him grow helped encourage me to be myself and to accept help, part of that being finally getting myself on anti depressants. Now I am no where near the end of my journey of being 100% myself but I am on that journey. That is in part thanks to Matt, Travis and Fjord. That is also why when I have the chance to I have a few Fjord themed tattoos on my list to get (Tusktooth symbol on my arm, Ukatoa eye & sword of fathoms on my side, Wild Mother Symbol Cad gave Fjord & Starrazor on my other side. Another amazing video Jay

@anna_in_aotearoa3166 8 месяцев назад

Really glad you've been able to get into a better place mentally & find a definition/ongoing exploration of identity that works better for you! Your comment struck home for me as a great example of the power of art & creativity - even when things are "made up", they can still have big real-world impacts, because of the way they help people question how they see the world. As creatives of any kind that's a big responsibility, I feel...

@Rellyks 2 года назад

This is a strong video, man. Thank you for doing it, it resonated a lot.

@prestongalban5550 2 года назад

Already watched the vid, here to do battle with the algorithm. Sorry a bunch of people unsubbed

@brysonwhisenand510 Год назад

Thank you for making this video. Fjord has been my favorite character in any of the campaigns and this really woke me up as to why; because I see myself in him, in the struggle to be a “real man” as defined by other people. Your insight and verbalization of his struggle brought me to tears.

@MajinDud3 2 года назад

I have to say I love watching these character breakdown videos( just finished caduceus)of M9 because it was the campaign that introduced me to dnd it is always amazing to go deeper to have a better understanding of the characters

@PlayYourRole 2 года назад

I'm so glad you're enjoying them! They are my favorite videos to make

@kairussell2156 2 года назад

Beautiful analysis! Fantastic as always. Thank you for exploring such an important topic. 😊

@autark1s Год назад

Amazing video with a very important message at the end. It's obvious how important this was for you. You got this ♥️

@jestie Год назад

fjord is my absolute favourite CR character - this little video essay nailed what i love so much about him and how amazing of a player travis is. you did a fantastic job and thank you so much for sharing! this made me so happy to watch and someone putting exactly to paper and word what makes fjord such an amazing character

@Aloysius_OHare 2 года назад

Fjord kept M9 going as a gathered group. Defacto group leader which made me love Fjord. His relationship with Beau, helping her become more less aggressive and angry was amazing to watch that progress.

@hannahthufvesson 2 года назад

This is a really great video! I hadn't thought about Fjord in this way before. I really appreciate it!

@Parapsychotic89 2 года назад

This is the first of your videos I've seen and you IMMEDIATELY have my subscription! Looking forward to catching up on so many!

@dgargoyle 2 года назад

Jay, your rightfully proud of this vid. And it takes a great man to promote his opponion even when people walk away.

@maegn 2 года назад

This gave me a whole new perspective on Fjords “Heroic Journey!” Thanks for the video! ♥️

@jasonhull8075 2 года назад

Keep up the great work, your community appreciates you.

@zenhikerjoe844 2 года назад

Holy shit you brought me to tears this morning. I really loved this scene with Fjord and loved his development. Thanks for the great commentary. Keep up the good work. May we all rest and let ourselves be happy today.

@EchoHowlette 2 года назад

Great video!!!! Love how you are expanding your audience!

@sevans8784 2 года назад

Dude why is this making me cry... this was an awesome analysis and perfectly highlights what I loved about Fjord's character arc, but didn't know how to put into words. Travis Willingham is awesome, his character was much needed, and you're awesome for explaining why

@analyticsystem4094 7 месяцев назад

“There is no shame in being weak, there is shame in staying weak” is a quote that I’ve heard before that I think would apply to Fjord’s story

@stevendonaldson1216 2 года назад

The way you attacked this video was amazing. You executed on a great piece of art. Your feeling and orator ability brought me to tears. You have to this with more DND characters and more analysis. Dnd is a great tool to explore the human condition and you put so much heart into it.

@Damalatorian 2 года назад

The most manly thing to do is to see your strength and when it's not enough and in that moment ask for help..

@PlayYourRole 2 года назад

Exactly.

@CertifiedCoolDude 2 года назад

Was binging through your videos and this uploaded, what a lovely surprise!!! :)

@PlayYourRole 2 года назад

Thank you so much! I hope you've been enjoying!

@mkang8782 Год назад

Wonderful insights and breakdown of Fjord's journey. I admittedly didn't recognize that aspect of it until this video, so, thank you for this.

@PackRatGirl Год назад

Really amazing essay! Thank you so much for making it!

@a-shanda-productions 2 года назад

I really love the relationship Fjord develops with Caduceus, the way he along with Jester encourage him to come out from behind the mask of a person he thinks is worth something.

@aubs7630 2 года назад

So well said, thank you! I loved Fjord's journey in campaign 2. The way he began to try on different roles within the party and eventually stopped taking that leadership role. He was working out with Beau and sharing spiritual moments with the Wild Mother. It's okay for him to explore himself. His friends were there for him, to protect him and support him every step of the way. He had the freedom to learn himself and learn what was healthy for him. And eventually those things he explored became the qualities, the temperament of the man reforged.

@scurgle 2 года назад

Awesome analysis! I’m watching c2 right now and I can see this all first hand fjord changing. Thanks!!

@cryofpaine 2 года назад

Many of Travis' characters have that theme of anti-toxic masculinity. Honestly I see Chetney as more explicitly a subversion of it. His preoccupation with sex, his "alpha wolf" beliefs, his bragging - all appear to be standard toxic masculinity. But he's also empathetic - like when he learned about Orym's husband. He says anyone can be an "alpha", and that it's more to do with your personal attitude than with how you act towards others.

@ForeverWog 2 года назад

I think this one goes along so well with your video about how Caduceus was just what the Mighty Nein needed. He gave that great quote about how Fjord would be an answer to someome’s prayers and that’s what a champion is. He helped make Fjord a better man, and Travis responded beautifully to his prompting.

@TheShepherdFilms 2 года назад

Man...emotional end...see you tearing up...good vid man...some people definitely need this...love the passion.

@PlayYourRole 2 года назад

I'm really glad you enjoyed, I loved making this one

@ma123e 2 года назад

Great video. You articulated many of the thought and feelings I had about ford as I watched 👍🏻

@colinmorrison5119 2 года назад

Watching my dad struggle through his last few years, as his body betrayed him, epitomises this. The toxic masculinity he imbibed all his life didn't allow him to accept help until there was no other choice, and made the experience hellish for everyone. Excellent breakdown. It's a shame you lost some subs because they were the ones who most needed to see this.

@Zoe-uz9kn 2 года назад

My father is going through this the exact same thing. I haven’t seen many able to define him so precisely as you just did. And this has skewed my own perception of masculinity for a long time, until things started to fall apart too much to still believe. But others in my family are still trying to excuse his behaviours. It can be sometimes really hard to love someone so hurtful.

@guilhermemachado4003 2 года назад

Amazing story, I'm a DM and a player, and I truly wish that me or one of my players could do just a little bit of that in our campaings. That's what make RPG such a good game, those wonderful stories of self improvement and friendship.

@toxictaro 2 года назад

Love the video, keep it up!

@PlayYourRole 2 года назад

Will do, thank you so much for the encouragement!

@ryanduty4237 2 года назад

Arnold Schwarzenegger has a touching speach on this very subject. Goes to show not every muscle bound guy is emotionally distant.

@Cabbage2combatant Год назад

Every f***ing thing about this video! I was not expecting a pep talk at the end but it is sooo refreshing as a woman to hear this kind of positive reinforcement coming from a man, aimed at men. Well done!

@rhokesh4391 2 года назад

Leaving one for the algorithm, because this vid needs to be seen by more people! 👍

@aidynbayon2290 2 года назад

Amazing video, as always 👍🏻

@mikeperez8 Год назад

Seems like many people conflate stoicism with toxic masculinity. There’s a lot of nuance here that needs to be appreciated. It is true that one shouldn’t always bury their emotions & at times express how they feel. However, there are many times when they shouldn’t . Typically during the most very critical times in life. IE, when an important decision needs to be made, or during the final moments of a competitive event, or during battle, fighting fire, rescuing someone, preforming a medical procedure, during a debate, etc., etc, etc.

@dans3379 2 года назад

Thanks for the content, great video.

@duckilama832 Год назад

I never thought of Fjord’s arc this way, and I just started watching this season again, so thanks for this different idea

@jistmedia5764 Год назад

Critical hit right to the feels! Amazing breakdown!

@LoreFoundry 2 года назад

Great video. Great break down and observations.

@25DAT 2 года назад

Great vid. Thanks for this one

@aidynbayon2290 2 года назад

I'm sorry that you lost subs for this video, and I really hope that you keep covering topics like this despite that. It's important, and appreciated by many.

@mikelundun 2 года назад

Holy shit! That analogy with his patron blew my mind! Also those dream sequences were chilling!

@ninjagoggles 2 года назад

Love this! Thank you! Subbing. ❤️

@rantdmc 2 года назад

this is really interesting, and a different take on Fjord than i had previously considered. i thought at the beginning of the video that his concern for Beau and Jester eg his desire to help Beau learn social skills showed that he was genuinely caring as well as wearing a variety of masks about his true nature (he had the eldritch invocation Mask of Many Faces from lvl 2, interestingly), but your take made me reconsider. and i totally agree with you about how powerless was without his patron and was not offered another option for several episodes. and he discovers that people care for him still even when he is effectively dead weight in the party. his reward is becoming one with the sea through his Paladin Oath *of the Open Sea) signifying true freedom, after his imprisonment and bargains with Ukotoa

@thedeaderer8791 Год назад

As someone who has fought addiction for years and now has years of recovery under my belt that part where u tall about the right decision not making things better right away is so so true but like fjord it turns out to be worth it.

@matthewgordon3281 Год назад

added new depth to how I saw this part of the campaign. Thank you.

@dallinlowe2627 2 года назад

I’ve got to say, there’s a line between masculinity and what some people refer to as toxic masculinity. Not accepting help when you need it falls into the latter. There are traditionally masculine things that I think a lot of people have put into the toxic category that aren’t really supposed to be there. Fjord does tackle the toxic side of it while also preserving the ideals of traditional masculinity like protecting others and providing. You don’t protect and provide because others are weak, you do it because they’re important.

@k.v.7681 Год назад

Because people seriously lack the ability to distinguish what is "toxic masculinity", and just bad human reflexes reinforced by a toxic society as a whole. Withdrawing in one's self is a human trait. And a defense mechanism: you can't function in the world if you are an emotional wreck at every instant of your life. The reason men are most often seen as the ones who bury their trauma instead of dealing with it is because they're also denied the support it would require to deal with it (which is true for a lot of women as well in most circles to be fair). Add to that a layer of coining it "toxic masculinity", and you've just told people they're broken. Not the most conducive thing to helping them. It is, in a way, a form of victim blaming, given that they were just told their gender is inherently at fault. Now some would say "sure but men are the ones doing it to each other". To which I would say: no. People do it to one another. Women make up 51% of the human population, give or take a % depending on age group. If women were as supportive on the matter as is claimed, we wouldn't be in that situation (and the same goes in reverse regarding women's issues, in which both men and women share blame). You mention traditional masculinity. Which has always sounded weirdly artificial to me (just as anything coined feminine or masculine). I've known few people as rabidly protective and providing as moms. Many a man has fainted, overwhelmed with feelings, at the birth of his first child. A good take-away from the video: people rarely display who they truly are at their core. Beyond "masculine" and "feminine", people are people. Individuals that should seek personal growth that speaks to them rather than being pressured, by both men and women, to be something they're not.

@Gladissims Год назад

“Protecting others and providing” is problematic when it, in the eyes of society, is tied to only one side of the gender spectrum, because it justifies and reinforces inequality between men and women. If a woman must depend on a man for protection and financial stability, she becomes dependent on him. Her autonomy is sacrificed in the name of “safety”, which in reality may not even be all that safe (sexual violence most commonly occurs within a household, by a perpetrator the victim knows well). Wanting to protect your loved ones is a natural instinct, and not in itself bad. But constructing it as a purely masculine trait is iffy. Especially when women can and often are every bit as protective as their male counterparts.

@TheMJJMJB Год назад

I love fjord and I was mesmerized by his journey and it was eloquently described and explained, it really did Travis’s story justice 👏🏼👏🏼

@lumoslumos7330 Год назад

It's not pressure. It is a thing to strive to. An aspiration. An honor to get a chance to be something stronger, better, then you were a day before. But it takes an effort, yes. A notion, alien to many people of today.

@celebkiriedhel 2 года назад

Thankyou for this - it gave me a lot to think about. I don't normally notice toxic masculinity as a thing named "toxic masculinity", because stoicism (which is what I think toxic masculinity relies on) - is such a problem for many people. But yeah, when I think about it this way - it really makes sense!

@tabris2746 Год назад

I remember the whip checks he had to make a suffered stretching damage but he held on regardless

@johnnikyecole9114 2 года назад

Great video my dude well said

@WilliamBradey 2 года назад

I like the though of Travis seeing these kind of character breakdowns and learning more about himself and his characters than he ever knew.

@BurttheBard 2 года назад

Fjord is one of my favorite characters in all of fiction. While I was watching C2 and the events unfold, I felt a kinship with Fjord, right from the beginning (I’m a sucker for the leader figure). Then as the campaign and my life went on, I found that I was going on my own journey of self discovery similar to Fjord’s. I put on faces, I tried to be people that I’m not so I could impress other people. I felt like I was holding myself to an impossible standard. Until, that is, I started going to therapy and started venturing out on my own path. It took time, trial, error, the help of others who accept me unconditionally, that I finally became comfortable with the man I’ve become. No, not comfortable. Confident. I always keep moving, but I don’t have some sort of outrageous standard that I try (and fail) to hold myself to. I like me for me. Fjord likes Fjord for himself. Travis, thank you for playing a good man who helped me through my journey of self discovery ⚔️

@ulyssespeterson6821 2 года назад

I missed out on campaign 2, so I love these videos for the chance to see what the characters were like.

@custardpanda6209 Год назад

Beautifully put! Wonderful storytelling from Critical Role & yourself!!

@Psymonkee 2 года назад

Came here for the breakdown. Didn't expect you to be better than my therapist!

@danielsperanza6754 2 года назад

Really, really well done. Thank you.

@karite2 Год назад

Good video, great character break down

@manami_ma_shizuka568 2 года назад

I loved this video. You handled the explanation of such a difficult topic really well, thanks!

@somnion5094 Год назад

This went from informative to motivational and wholesome really fast

@lokilucario 2 года назад

I love this dive into my favorite critical role character. I had never thought about his arc in this sense and it has made my view of him all the better. Sounds like the people who unsubbed are too scared to shed their own masks.

@majorasmask5523 2 года назад

I find it extremely difficult to accept that Fjord has been fully redeemed. No matter how noble he is, it doesn’t change the fact that two of Ukatoa’s locks have been popped. They can’t change that, and it puts Exandria in _extreme_ danger. His cult might fail many times to break that final lock, but they only need to succeed once.

@awesomesideofnerd Год назад

I would love a video like this about Lou Wilson’s portrayal of King Amethar and his study of reluctant responsibility

@lemmers252 Год назад

As someone who's literally just coming out of this cycle of thinking, that's made me miserable for the past couple years the worst couple of years of my life so far I can vibe with this, it took time to rebuild to rediscover who I am I tried to be what I thought I should be what I thought people expected of me and it made me so depressed and angry I just wanted to be the man I used to like, the me that was happy with myself, I think I'm on that path again and it is liberating

@voidmystic00 2 года назад

Fjord is my favorite character from campaign 2. Not just because he multiclassed my 2 favorite classes, but because of his abilities to persevere, adapt, and focus on doing what needed to be done. Fjord was always a good man but he needed the Nein to be a Great Man.

@toffylikesgames Месяц назад

Always loved Fjord's character, but that moment of rejection of his patron with the sword absolutely blew my mind. That was such a great, brave act and such a massive character development step.

@Anoydamis 2 года назад

I’ve actually been enjoying these character breakdowns and examples of implementing narrative characters into DnD. I’ve never even watched Critical Role, but I’m intrigued by how they’re able to “improvise” full fledged tv level characters. Best I can manage is essentially variations of my own personality with different starting points.