Editing Orion in Review (section)

==Episode 26(?)==

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mB-aM2bIBk

Percy sigh Counter
19:21, 30:53, 31:37, 1:37:58, 1:38:51, 3:15:58
= 6 sighs

ANNOUNCEMENTS
0:50
Matt: "This weekend, we're all going to be at New York Comic Con."
This is interesting! I watched the youtube of the panel for just a moment to see if Orion made the trip. Liam couldn't be there because of a family emergency, but Orion was present, HOWEVER ...

Matt goes on stage first, begins introducing cast.
Everyone is introduced EXCEPT Orion.
Cast sings "Happy Birthday" to Sam/Scanlan on stage in front of fans.
THEN Orion is introduced. Last.

Was he already fired, but the cast felt he should make the trip because of fans' expectations? Was there a legal obligation? Or was Orion still in the dark, spending money on a plane ticket and hotel fare, not realizing that Matt's Shadow Campaign was reaching a crescendo? The optics of Orion being marginalized from the introductions/song can't be ignored.

A LITTLE LAURA
10:43
Laura: "I got nominated for a Golden Joystick Award."
O.O'

16:20 - 17:00
Watch Laura's face during the recap. What's going on? Does she know something? Is she sad thinking back on happier days when they were all flying cows acting as a team?

22:28
Percy is going to fire a shot in the Keep's basement, and Sam comes up with the idea to have the cast all make a richochet sound if Percy misses. Sam is literally right next to Orion (and assumes he's listening) while leaning out and talking to Marisha and Taliesin.
Orion: (looks up) He's in the kitchen?
Nobody answers. He quietly looks down again. Is he texting on his phone using his pen/stylus? In any case, he misses the conversation somehow. Sam continues to lean out hoping to make this team-ricochet sound happen.
Marisha: "Pyuu" (ricochet sound)
Orion: ...
Sam: (bumps Orion) "You have to do it."
Orion: What?
Travis: "Jesus Christ!"
Orion: (looks around confused) I'm totally lost.

25:49
Orion: As soon as I hear that, I cast fly on myself and...
No. There's been no rest since last episode and Orion's short on spells.

3rd level: Dispel Magic x2, Fly. OUT!
4th level: Gr.Invisibility, Stoneskin. 1 remaining
6th level: Fly (upcast). OUT!

28:13
Orion: For the record, Matthew, I have no idea what we're fighting .. not metagaming.
Matt: "Congrats, I'm proud of you."
Sam: "That's a first."
Liam: "Fresh start."
This new beginning is short-lived.

PERCY - THE Q&A MONOLOGUES
30:50
Matt: "That brings us to the top. Percy, you're up."

Are you going to shoot the creature right in front of you?

Percy: "I can't shoot at the far creature can I."

Answered your own question. Are you going to shoot at the creature right in front of you?

Percy: "Does my glove have a charge? No it wouldn't."

Answered your own question. Are you going to shoot at the creature right in front of you?

Percy: "There's no way I can step back, is there."

Answered your own question. Are you going to shoot at the creature right in front of you?

Percy: "It gets weird when it gets up close. Eeeeeeeeeehhhhhhhhhhhhh ok."
Finally, at 32:18, Taliesin rolls to shoot the creature directly in front of him.

ORION RETURNS TO BAD HABITS
46:28
Orion: I'm going to cast at ...
Sam: "Have we rested, by the way?"
(bingo! Sam knows)
Travis: "Nope."
Orion: No.
(did Orion just agree with 'no'?)
Matt: No, you have not rested.
Sam: So we're down a bunch of spells.
Matt: You're still where you were when you came back.
Orion: I'm good!
NO! CHEATER! See above note at 23:49 for spell depletion details.
Orion: "At 6th level I'm going to try to [split] glacial blast."
NO! That's not even a thing. Orion has had this very same problem before with this very same spell. Also, he has no 6th level spell slots left. CHEATER! And even worse, the Glacial Blast hits Jarret and Vax (how could it not? Especially in the crowded hallway).
BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!
Orion slips in a d10 among his d8s for damage, but Marisha catches him. So much for the fresh start.

52:53
Orion is back on his phone texting. He's been hiding the phone well with his other hand, but you can tell. He's been told many times to stop this.

1:04:10
Matt asks for an Arcana check from the group, and Orion rolls. But you can clearly see as he's raising his hand in a pre-roll motion, there is a second dice that comes out the sidebottom of his hand. He then rolls the dice still in his hand.
Sam: "(something) two?"
Orion: I rolled one by accident.
The two dice ended up on opposite sides of Orion's space, and Orion doesn't like the real dice roll, so he shifts his gaze to the other side, to the false die, and is obviously intending to take that one.
CHEATER! jfx, Orion!
Marisha and Sam are on top if it, and Matt reminds Orion not to do that.

THE HALF CHUB INCIDENT
1:31:16
Laura: [how we should do this]
Orion: As Vex is saying this, Tiberius is getting a half-chub.
Matt laughs. Marisha is smiling. Sam is smiling. Laura is getting a total kick out of it.
Orion: You can't see it because it's inside. I'm just saying. Strategy.
Travis perks up, but once Orion says its for strategy, Travis seems fine, stressing the need for "Clarification. Clarification."
Orion: Come on!
Laura is laughing/smiling her head off.
verdict: This chub thing was a NON-ISSUE!
If you look at Travis before the comment, during the comment, and long after the comment, he looks the same. He's irritated because in the last, oh, six-ish hours of streaming, he's thrown two punches? And now the group is mired down in more talking. That is why he is carrying his expression.

And this seems to be borne out by the change in his attitude when ...
1:35:48
Sam: "We've always sought out the path of the most glory-"
Travis: (bored and bummed, but suddenly)
Sam: "- but I think that is the Briarwoods."
Travis: (eyes bright, full of attention)
Sam: "Going in to a giant-"
Travis: (points excitedly at Sam)
Sam: "- vampire lich ridden castle-"
Travis: (giving the thumbs up and gesturing with energy)
Sam: "- and killing two evil bastards."
This is what Travis has been wanting to hear.
People often post screenshots of Travis right around the time Orion says "half chub" as evidence of Travis being mad at Orion. But no! Travis was low-key upset at the amount of talking going on before, during, and after that comment. And here we see that as soon as ACTION is proposed, his mood lifts! Travis was not mad at Orion; Travis was in a funk at the state of the table in a morass.

Opinion. "Half chub" had little to do with Orion's exit. Several anons have made good points that Orion's departure was the result of a slow-burn. Building up to the moment. Piece by piece. After half-a-year's play.

SHOP TIL YOU DROP
1:42:19
Matt: "Tiberius loves shopping."
Laura: "He really really does.:
NONE of them should talk. Laura is famous for her haggling scenes and Matt made an entire shopping-based NPC (Gilmore) to encourage more.
Matt: "We're going to take a quick break - "
Liam: "And errands after that? Because I have some errands ..."
I guess it's NOT just Tiberius who likes errands and shopping, eh?

2:01:58
Travis: (interrupting because GOD DAMN) "I want to go to the store, I would like to get a shovel and a pick axe."
Orion: (to Travis) blah blah and we'll go shopping together later blah
Travis: "I don't give a fuck where we go. It's just a shovel and a pick axe."
Now THAT'S how you do it.
Then Liam gets his turn to go shopping, promising to be brief.
He is not.
He roleplays with Laura about money.
Travis: "I thought you said you were going to be brief."

Just showing that Travis isn't singling Orion out.

Liam roleplays with Tristan at the temple.
Liam roleplays asking the guards if they've seen his Simon Snake belt.
Liam roleplays hanging around in front of the Butcher's place.
Sam goes to Gilmore's asking about buying scrolls, but no roleplay.
Liam is back! With more roleplaying at Gilmore's.
Liam: "I have a very important question, I won't take up much of your time."
TOO LATE FOR THAT, LIAM.

2:25:00
This is when Orion begins looking for mirrors.
2:25:28
Orion: I need about 1500 of them.
This is so ridiculous that Travis actually breaks into his first smile in a long time.

2:28:25
Travis: (to Orion) "How bout you get nothing else then we move on."
Orion: Last thing -
Travis: "No last thing."
I don't think it was necessarily Orion taking too much time to shop/errand that drew Travis' wrath; I think it was that Orion was almost -last- to do it. There had been so much already that Travis was sick of it. If Orion had gone first, I don't think this would have happened. Oh wait, did I say Orion was last to shop/errand? Not so fast!
2:28:54
Liam: "Also, this will just take 10 seconds,..."

dammit Liam! Then Orion returns.

Orion: (Something something sleep bolts?)
Sam: "Can [Tiberius] come back to the Keep, and [find] we left 4 days ago?"

Tiberius had some idea of combining enchanments with Sleep, Holy Water and magic bolts or something. I don't know. Matt tried explaining why it was a "no", and Orion kept pestering for it, so Matt said "Sure, roll for it." Travis knew what was what, "Do you think there's any number you can roll that's gonna be high enough?" There wasn't, and Matt made Orion sacrifice 500 gp.

2:40:08
Orion: At the beginning of the day before all of this happened-
Matt: (collapses in frustration/exhaustion)
Orion: Sorry guys, this is necessary.
Travis: Is it? IS IT?
Tiberius writes a letter to his father, trying to declare war on Whitestone, and trying to gather 50 Knights and 50 Flying Soldiers. This sounds in-character for Tiberius. Of course Matt isn't going to allow this. No DM would. Matt tries to restrict Orion from doing this again in a return letter from Tiberius' father.
2:42:10
Matt: (as Tib's dad in a letter) "Should you wish to bring this to my attention, you are welcome to, but you have but one chance before I set aside this intrusion to my work time as mere poppycock."
Table: laughs
Well played, Matt.

BONUS LAURA
2:38:45
Laura: (pulls down)
O.O'

ORION, WE HAVE A PROBLEM
I don't think the half-chub was a real problem.
I don't think his shopping was a problem.
But a littany of other problems appeared in this single episode that were worrying.

cheating about spell slots available
cheating about "creative" use of spells
cheating about dice rolling (arcane check)
cheating about damage dice (d10 not d8)
not paying attention
interrupting others turns

it all adds up

BONUS HUMOR
2:50:54
Taliesin: "I would prefer not the direct route."
Orion: "Always go in the backdoor."
Taliesin: "Can you say anything that is not laced with sexual innuendo?"

pic related

3:34:11
A last, happy, shining moment on the CR stream.
And so we leave Orion Acaba.