Line #158 Podcast/GaysInCapes


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3	[[quoteright:170:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cb5830f7bc530df5f1baf6f55e35f52c.jpeg]]
4	[[caption-width-right:170:Your weekly dose of crying over DND.]]
5
6	A ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' roleplay group based in Minnesota who have been around since 2013. They revolve a bit less around the nitty-gritty of gameplay and a bit more around roleplaying, character development, and complex world building. There are several campaigns going at once with various different DM's, though the plots and character are often interrelated. [[http://www.gaysincapes.com/ The website]] gives descriptions of all the players, characters, and worlds, and hosts livestreams of most of their sessions. Their [[https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/gays-in-capes/id965078141?mt=2&ls=1 podcast]] covers the sessions MINDND and DNDASH weekly.
7
8	Tropes are broken down by session.
9
10	----
11	!!Works contained in this series:
12	[[foldercontrol]]
13
14	[[folder:QDND]]
15	Short for "Quouse DND", this campaign began in September of 2013. Season 1 is complete and available [[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLq1R1qaIY6Is0_lab9PBuiqTNJZlWU-ou on Youtube]], and season 2 is being streamed weekly. It follows a set of heroes as they try to stop an evil cult and eventually a war. Arnam is killed repeatedly. The original adventuring party consisted of:
16	* '''Joaquin''', a human fighter who has been elected the party's highly unwilling leader, played by Ashley
17	* '''Havi''', a cowardly & germaphobic half-elf cleric, played by Emily
18	* '''Jojo''', a bumbling barbarian half-orc, played by Shad
19	* '''Caranthir''', a really chill drow druid, played by Tim
20	* '''Ireth''', a tough-as-nails elf ranger, played by Kayla
21	* '''Daliah''', a hot-tempered human rogue
22	The session is DM'd by Ben.
23
24	!!QDND contains examples of:
25
26	* AerithAndBob: We have Atsafune, and then Jamal. Or Rosalind, but then her brother Nifty.
27	* AlliterativeFamily: Clint, Cassidy, Cameron, Katerina, and Calhoun Calloway.
28	%% * AlwaysSecondBest:
29	%% ** PlayedForLaughs with Jojo to Joaquin.
30	%% ** Joaquin compared to [[spoiler:Clint]].
31	* TheAtoner: Jojo's major driving force in being a Good Guy is to make up for his past.
32	%% * BackFromTheDead: This is DND, after all.
33	%% ** [[spoiler:Tanum, Meekus, and Lia]] all pull this off before the official podcast even starts.
34	%% ** [[spoiler:Arnam]] pulls the big-bad version of this in season 2.
35	%% * BadassFamily: The Calloways.
36	* BazaarOfTheBizarre: Havi and Tanum's magic shop. It is [[TheLittleShopThatWasntThereYesterday unassuming and quaint]] on the outside, as well as a little bit in the middle of nowhere - but its contents are incredible. It also has a kickass [[{{Magical LIbrary}} book selection]].
37	* BQuietNudge: Jojo always seems to spill the beans at the worst possible moments. It doesn't help that he [[StageWhisper physically cannot whisper]].
38	* BlackMarket: Stories covering acquisition of some items from the magic shop are to be left untold.
39	* CardCarryingVillain: Arnam is shamelessly, unapologetically evil. In season 2 it turns out this is because [[spoiler:he split himself into two parts as a child, meaning the current Arnam is literally every evil part of his soul.]]
40	* CannotSpitItOut: Havi and Tanum. While both had feelings for the other, neither said anything for their own reasons.
41	%%* CharacterDevelopment: The whole group, although some are more extreme than others.
42	%%* ChildhoodFriendRomance: Havi and Tanum. They go through quite a bit of JustFriends.
43	%%* ConflictingLoyalty:
44	%%** Possible with Jojo in regard to [[spoiler:Lia and the group]].
45	%%** Possible with the group with regard to the war. [[spoiler: Could be WrongSideAllAlong.]]
46	%%* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Tanum is incompetent and even a liability 90% of the time in season 1. That last 10%, though ...
47	%%* CurbStompBattle: The party's second and third battles against [[spoiler:Arnam]] played out like this, mostly due to getting three or four criticals in a row.
48	* DeathIsCheap: This ''is'' DND, after all. The [[http://www.gaysincapes.com/?page_id=120 page for QDND NPC's]] has a kill count for several major characters. The highest is 6.
49	* DePower: Caranthir loses his ears in the first streamed session, leading to him losing all his racial traits from being an elf. [[spoiler:{{Averted}} in that he then gains his latent racial drow traits, which are mostly the same.]]
50	%%* DoesNotKnowHisOwnStrength: He'll bash a hole in the wall and [[EmotionalBruiser cry while doing it]].
51	%% Who?
52	* DualWielding:
53	** Joaquin wields two swords to try to amount to [[spoiler:his older brother, Clint Calloway]], who wields a great sword.
54	** Jojo tries to wield two great axes for the whole session, but doesn't get to before [[spoiler:running away with Lia]].
55	* DysfunctionJunction: The whole group, really.
56	** Joaquin being [[spoiler:a runaway "prince"]] along with a slew of person issues and inadequacies.
57	** Havi avoiding all his problems, and his issues with Tanum.
58	** Jojo has his previous group of friends die. [[spoiler:Except Lia. But her being alive doesn't make things better at all]].
59	** Caranthir was abandoned by his parents and raised by wolves. Though he turned out the most collected of the group ...
60	** Ireth has her whole tribe and family wiped out by a group of Orcs. [[spoiler:Lindsay survives, but survival of old friends for this group just tends to bring more problems ...]].
61	** Dalia comes from a very large, poor family. [[spoiler:Her rogue trainer was also part of the Cult of Sorrows]].
62	** A whole lot of the npc's fall into this, too. Most notable being Tanum, Lia, Nifty, Lindsay, Phillip, and Meekus.
63	%%* TheFaceless: The masked man.
64	%%* FailedASpotCheck: Jojo, continuously with anything at all regarding Lia.
65	%%* FailureToSaveMurder: Jojo playing the Hero and the Fool about his old group of friends.
66	* GrailInTheGarbage: Many powerful things can be found amongst an equal amount of trash]].
67	* GrievousHarmWithABody: Jojo, when he hits and proceeds to scare away city guards by hitting them with another guard.
68	* HazyFeelTurn: Lia went from working with thugs, to working with some shady figures for 10 years, to working with the party trying to save the world, to marrying [[spoiler:or rather, scamming, a rich noble from Quarmar]] before performing an apparent final {{Heel Face Turn}} and [[spoiler:running off with Jojo.]] Needless to say, nobody's quite sure whose side she's on anymore.
69	* HealingHands: Havi, being the group's cleric. Ironically enough, he cannot stand the [[AfraidOfBlood sight of blood]] and wears gloves as a [[HatesBeingTouched protection against]] [[TerrifiedOfGerms germs]]. (This is seen as trivial considering removal of the gloves is often necessary to perform any healing magic.)
70	* HeelFaceTurn: Several of the characters come from darker pasts, but are now on the side of the "good" guys, as far as we know. Joaquin and Jojo went through this before the story officially began, and Tanum made the switch shortly after his introduction.
71	* HeroicSacrifice: Upon realizing the fate of [[spoiler: his daughter, Tanum begged to take on the burden of the [[ComicBook/DoctorFate god helmet]] himself.]]
72	* IneffectualLoner: Havi isn't as as gung-ho about the Team Friendship thing as the other guys are. He just doesn't get it.
73	* IneptMage: Tanum definitely appears to be the textbook case of this. [[spoiler:It turns out he's not a mage, but a sorcerer; meaning he'd been studying the wrong theory all along.]]
74	%%* LoveInterestTraitor: [[spoiler:Lia]] for most of season 1.
75	%%* LoveMakesYouCrazy: Alternate universe [[spoiler:Havi]] becomes this after [[spoiler:Tanum]] dies in their universe. He doesn't go full-on evil, but it was definitely on the fence.
76	* LuredIntoATrap: Lia lures Jojo into a trap when she invites him to come back and visit her after they deal with the Shaman.
77	* MagicMisfire: Due to incorrect channeling, most of Tanum's magic either didn't cast, or [[RandomEffectSpell cast a different spell entirely]].
78	* MasterOfIllusion: Arnaugh is rarely seen not sporting an illusory double of himself, or two, or three.
79	%%* MeaningfulRename: [[spoiler: Joaquin and Jojo]] both have their fair share of name issues.
80	* MentorOccupationalHazard: Meekus guides the party for 3 days, and then immediately dies. [[spoiler:He gets better.]]
81	%%* NatureLover: Caranthir, though it's not used to indicate his overall goodness.
82	* NaughtyUnderTheTable: Tanum has a tendency to get a little handsy when he drinks.
83	%%* NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: Tanum is buddies with EVERYONE.
84	%%* NormalFishInATinyPond: Joaquin could be seen like that compared to [[spoiler: his family]] and the group.
85	%%* OldMaster: Paul Fu. Literally had TrainingFromHell due to the QDNDOS group abandoning him there.
86	* ParentsKnowTheirChildren: The Calloway's knew of all of [[spoiler:Joaquin's]] alias' and what he was doing while being them.
87	%%* [[spoiler:RedemptionEarnsLife]]: The end of Tanum's first character arc.
88	* ReluctantHero: Areli wants nothing to do with being even part of the hero group.
89	%%* ReluctantRuler: Joaquin, on multiple occasions.
90	%%* RivalsTeamUp
91	%%** The gang and Nifty on Beard's boat.
92	%%** Ireth and Jojo
93	%%** Areli and Joaquin, although Joaquin doesn't really see Areli as a rival at all ...
94	%%* RunawayBride: [[spoiler:Lia]] pulls this, though it's not exactly played sympathetically.
95	* SelectiveObliviousness: Havi refused to acknowledge any advances on Tanum's part, insistent that he was either reading Tanum's actions incorrectly or Tanum was making a terrible mistake.
96	%%* SquishyWizard: Don't ask Havi or Tanum to help you move your couch.
97	%%* SupernaturalAid: [[spoiler: Meekus]].
98	* WhamEpisode: Oh boy there's a lot of them
99	** Jojo finding out [[spoiler:Lia]] is still alive. And then having to fight [[spoiler:his dead friends.]] And then being able to talk to [[spoiler:his dead friends]] and have them forgive him.
100	** The same time as that, Havi dealing with Tanum's [[spoiler:losing his heart and practicing necromancy]].
101	** Lia and Tanum getting their [[spoiler:hearts removed]]. Again
102	%%** The Wedding.
103	** Joaquin reading the letters from [[spoiler:his family]]. Also, the reunion.
104	* WhamLine
105	--> '''Jojo''': -finally admits his feelings-
106	--> [[spoiler:'''Lia''']]: ... Do you have the stuff?
107	--> '''Jojo''': -nods-
108	--> [[spoiler:'''Lia''']]: Ok. Get out.
109	* WeddingSmashers: So common it's almost become a running joke. [[spoiler:Lia]] and [[spoiler:Joaquin]] both have their weddings ruined, and the party crashes through a few others.
110	* YouAreNotAlone: Every character has a background arc that is especially tough, but everyone else in the group stands with them through their hard time. Caranthir, however, was honestly pretty chill with most things happening to him.
111
112	[[/folder]]
113
114	[[folder:QDNDOS]]
115	QDNDOS takes place 15 years before the events of QDND and has been running since winter of 2013. The two sessions have tied together in some unexpected ways, though QDNDOS in general has had some fairly rotten luck. To what degree they're ''responsible'' for the events of QDND is still unknown. The original adventurers were:
116	* '''Alexei''', a vampire ranger who is uncomfortably into romance novels, played by Ashley
117	* '''Sophia''', a human cleric with a self-righteous streak that's more like a highway, played by Dee
118	* '''Ader''', a dwarf fighter who isn't quite sure if he's in the right place, played by Jay
119	* '''Eli''', a high elf paladin who wandered into the group and was too lazy to leave, played by Emily
120	* '''Issa''', a drow wizard who's a naive, lovable nerd, played by Shad
121	* '''Penny''', a high elf cleric who joined the group a bit later, played by Mia
122
123	!!QDNDOS contains examples of:
124
125	* BrilliantButLazy: Eli is quite an intelligent person, it just takes a lot to get him to use his brain on something that isn't strictly helping his own situation.
126	* {{Character Alignment}}: Ader and Sophia are lawful good, Issa is chaotic good, Alexei is chaotic neutral, Eli is neutral evil, and Penny is chaotic evil.[[invoked]]
127	%%* CombatMedic: Sophia.
128	* {{Dismotivation}}: Eli actually hurts himself in his attempts to be lazier.
129	* DysfunctionJunction: Most of the group falls under this in this session as well.
130	** Alexei is a vampire.
131	** Ader has a lot of issues from being in a dwarven war.
132	** Issa is another [[spoiler:runaway prince]].
133	** Elijah has had some issues with Nifty in the past, as well as whoever cut his hair and scared his face.
134	** Sophia has her sister die prior to the start of the session.
135	%%* FalseFriend: [[spoiler:Boatman]].
136	* HolyBurnsEvil: Sophia, the party cleric, can't do anything for the undead Alexei. {{Inverted}} in that Alexei is the only party member ''covered'' in crosses - although, of course, Pelor's imagery looks nothing like any of that.
137	* HolyHandGrenade: Although she's the cleric, Sophia has a longsword and an array of holy spells that put her on the front line regularly (especially when the party include legitimate {{squishy wizard}} players like Issa).
138	* ImmortalImmaturity: Eli is over 400 years old, but generally has the attitude of an apathetic high-schooler.
139	* ImportantHaircut: More of a traumatic experience for him, Eli's long locks were chopped off prior to the campaign starting. He is still very [[{{Revenge}} bitter]] about this.
140	%%* InnocentlyInsensitive: Issa, to the point that the group now knows better than to let him talk first. Or at all.
141	* ItSucksToBeTheChosenOne: [[spoiler:Clint]] has a fair share of this in the god trials, where he either has to be killed or run the chance of being the cause of a huge war that will kill millions of people in the future. And he's 15 now.
142	* RaceNameBasis: Eli doesn't care enough to remember his teammates' names, and generally refers to them by race or some sort of stereotypical or derogatory title.
143	* RidiculouslyHumanRobots: The entire warforged plot of QDNDOS. It makes a certain amount of sense - the 'robots' were originally built to house souls, so huge amounts of realism make sense. The fact that these robots can apparently [[spoiler:reproduce]], though ...
144	%%* ReluctantHero:
145	%%** Issa.
146	%%** [[spoiler:Clint]] during the god trials.
147	* ShadesOfConflict: The entire premise behind The God Trials was choosing between two morally ambiguous options with massive consequences. This got further complicated by the group getting [[spoiler:transported to different planes]] as the debate went on.
148	%%* TeamMom: Sophia, reluctantly. [[spoiler:And at one point almost literally.]]
149	%%* ToBeLawfulOrGood: Sophia with regards to ... most of the group. Most specifically Alexei, though.
150	%%* TakeAThirdOption: How the group solved the God Trials.
151	%%* TalkingWeapon: "YOU'RE MINE NOW, BITCH!"
152	* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: The entire conflict of the second season after they're tasked with tracking down and handing over to their deaths some hyper-realistic robots. The players get more and more bothered by the task as time goes on.
153	%%* WideEyedIdealist: Issa.
154	[[/folder]]
155
156	[[folder:DDND]]
157	DDND was the first campaign played by the [=GiC=] cast and is the longest running; it began in fall of 2011 and is still going, albeit sporadically. The bulk of the campaign predates the livestream, but text logs of the early sessions are available. The group, in a sort of round-about way, are trying to stop an evil sorcerer from summoning the legions of hell to this plane. The original adventuring party consisted of:
158
159	* '''Artie''', a half-elf cleric with a heart of gold, played by Emily
160	* '''Easton''', a human fighter who's a prostitute but means well, played by Ashley
161	* '''Griel''', a warlock who enjoys disturbing the party as much as possible, played by Joe
162	* '''Hazel''', a gnome wizard who's only out here for the rare books, played by Dee
163	* '''Roshan''', a human ranger who somehow got put in charge, played by Mia
164	* '''Morven''', a gnome rogue who is only here to dramatically complain, played by Jay
165	* '''Teague''', a half elf wizard and a huge nerd, joined the party later, played by Chloe
166	The session is DM'd by Alex.
167
168	!!DDND contains examples of:
169
170	* StupidGood: Artie [[WideEyedIdealist sees the good in everyone]] and in every situation, [[GoodCannotComprehendEvil no matter how Actually Terrible]].
171
172	[[/folder]]
173
174
175	[[folder:MODND]]
176	MODND, or Modern DND, takes place about 500 years after the events of QDND and has been running since Q1 winter of 2015. The original adventuring party consists of:
177	* '''Stiletto Margarita''', a human rogue method actor con man, played by Ashley
178	* '''Marlowe''', a human warlock fighter concierge, played by Jay
179	* '''Dolly''', a dwarf warlock floor supervisor, played by Andy
180	* '''Nikkolai''', a human getaway driver with a deskjob and a foot in the mafia, played by Emily
181	* '''Anise''', an elf cleric who's currently a janitor, played by Shad
182	The session is DM'd by Ben.
183
184	%%!!MODND contains examples of:
185
186	%%* AlmightyJanitor: Anise.
187
188	[[/folder]]
189
190	[[folder:DNDASH]]
191	DNDASH started Spring 2014, and follows a dysfunctional group try to save the world from demons while accidentally becoming pirates. The adventuring party consists of:
192	* '''Julian''', a shy, pink tiefling who was voted into a leader role for the group, played by Andy
193	* '''Nero''', a paranoid & anxious half-elf illusion wizard, played by Emily
194	* '''Elliot''', a shitty pirate elf who is currently a mailman, played by Shad
195	* '''Toivo''', a lanky elf druid with an affinity for squirrels, played by Kay
196	* '''Aiden''', a middle-aged gossipy human cleric who heals a lot of broken ankles, played by Jay
197	The session is DM'd by Ashley.
198
199	!!DNDASH contains examples of:
200	* AcheyScars: Nero and Toivo both got a little of this from theirs when demons were around.
201	%%* ApologisesALot: Toivo. And Julian, to a lesser extent.
202	%%* ArtifactAlias: Elliot, whos real name is Daevin.
203	* {{Blackmail}}: [[spoiler: Nero had been blackmailed to work against the group in order to save his sister, Auka]].
204	%%* BeingGoodSucks: Elliot and Fair.
205	%%* BeQuietNudge: Elliot does not have a lot going for him when it comes to social grace.
206	%%* CatGirl: A crew member of Luck's ship, ironically named Wolf.
207	* CharacterDevelopment: Everyone in the group gets a little nudge forward, though they're all still growing up.
208	%%** Julian grows a backbone.
209	%%** Elliot. A lot.
210	%%* ChildhoodMarriagePromise: [[spoiler: Fair, to Auka]].
211	%%* CoolBigSis:
212	%%** Nero's older sister Auka.
213	%%** Elliot's older sisters Brooke and Amelia.
214	* CoordinatedClothes: The whole group got matching outfits [[spoiler: when they joined Luck's crew]] and then again when they [[spoiler: got their magical girl outfits]].
215	%%* DressedToPlunder: Elliot. Even though he was trying to pass as NOT a pirate.
216	%%* DysfunctionJunction: The whole group.
217	* EarnYourHappyEnding: The group fails a lot, but still win at the end of season one.
218	%%* EveryScarHasAStory: Most of the group. A lot of the npcs.
219	%%* {{Familiar}}: Rocky.
220	%%* FemmeFatale: Vivianne is a teacher version of this.
221	%%* FriendsWithBenefits: Elliot and Haden.
222	* GenderBlenderName: Lesley, the prince of Solendale.
223	%%* GratuitousAnimalSidekick: Toivo and Rocky.
224	%%* ICantBelieveAGuyLikeYouWouldNoticeMe: [[spoiler: Julian towards Lesley]].
225	%%* IJustWantToBeNormal: Julian with regard to being a tiefling.
226	%%* ItSucksToBeTheChosenOne: [[spoiler: Lesley]].
227	%%* JustFriends: Elliot and Haden. Sort of. If you asked Shad, at least.
228	%%* LoveConfession: [[spoiler: Julian, to Lesley]].
229	* LovePotion: Looking for a way to delay Lesley's wedding, [[spoiler: Nero slipped Elliot a love potion to get him with Lesley, hoping to play off the existing feelings between the two.]]
230	* {{Manchild}}: Elliot is 40 but acts like he's 12.
231	* NeverMyFault: Elliot has a hard time accepting blame even when it's blatantly obvious he is at fault.
232	* NightmareWeaver: During a brief panic attack, Nero [[spoiler: casts Phantasmal Killer on Elliot, showing only him illusions of his worst nightmares.]]
233	%%* PortTown: Piraiya Port.
234	%%* PrecursorHeroes: The unknown group who originally had the [[spoiler:Magical Girl]] outfits.
235	%%* PrinceCharmless: Lesley, though we find out most of that is just an act.
236	%%* QueerRomance: Basically all of DNDASH.
237	* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: Which is mostly WeAREStrugglingTogether. There are a few in the group who get along okay, but they argue amongst themselves way more than they work together well. Nero and Elliot the most.
238	%%* RomanceNovel: Of Sins and Virtues.
239	%%* RunawayFiance: Lesley. Sort of. If you replace runaway with the fact that the group just ... never got Lesley to where he needed to go. [[spoiler: Which, thank God, because it was all a set up]].
240	%%* ScarsAreForever:
241	%%** Elliot and his arms, after [[spoiler: Haden's death.]]
242	%%** Nero and Toivo's 5 scars around their hearts.
243	%%** Lesley's broken nose.
244	* SpringtimeForHitler: [[spoiler: Lexington and Nightingale picked the group because they were expected to fail; to go to Sillistone as a set up to get killed. Instead, the group ends up beating them both, as well as the rest of the seven.]]
245	%%* StacysMom: Vivienne. Who is literally Stacy's mom.
246	* StalkerWithACrush: Toivo has a tendency to develop feelings for people, which inevitably turns into a bit of an obsession.
247	* SupernaturalAid: At the end of the first season, the group is helped by [[spoiler: Jo Casta]], who they find out in season two that she was [[spoiler: basically an angel]].
248	%%* SwordAndGun: Captain Luck.
249	* TeacherStudentRomance: Toivo was seduced by his teacher at age 15. An unusual variation of the trope, where the teacher is an attractive woman with a male student but the relationship is still unequivocally condemned.
250	* ThePowerOfLove: Canonically, the power of love can fix even the worse curse in the DNDASH world.
251	%%* TheRival: Gary.
252	* TheUnapologetic: Elliot often refuses to apologize, even when it's obviously something he's done to upset someone. It's often "not his fault" or they're "being too sensitive". Most the time, it ends in a BackhandedApology and then an Ordered Apology. There are also times where he knows he's in the wrong and tries to avoid it until it hopefully goes away, which doesn't work.
253	* TreasureMap: Elliot's got one now, which unfortunately leads to where [[spoiler: Luck is making her new home base]].
254	%%* UnholyHolySword: The demon killing sword.
255	%%* YouAreNotAlone:
256	[[/folder]]
257
258	[[folder:MINDND]]
259	MINDND started Q1 Winter 2015, and follows a bunch of half-races. The original adventuring party consists of:
260	* '''no-name''', a warforged who is still learning who they are, played by Emily
261	* '''Ezra''', a "quarterling" rogue on his way to be a master thief, played by Ben
262	* '''Althea''', a tiefling sorcerer who is just getting into the real world, played by Kay
263	* '''Samson''', a half-orc, half-drow fallen paladin of Lolth, played by Shad
264	* '''Rainbow''', a half-orc/half-elf cleric who can't read and has a rainstick, played by Ashley
265	* '''Rostrix''', a half-orc barbarian who can punch the magic out of doors, played by Chloe
266	The session is DM'd by Jay.
267
268	!!MINDND contains examples of:
269
270	* TheNameless: no-name, obviously. This is due to the fact that they were not programmed with a name, and have not lived long enough to find a suitable one. (Nor cared to.)
271
272	[[/folder]]

Context Podcast / GaysInCapes