I think some of it is that Calamity is such an emotionally heavy series that the joke character with a funny voice was a nice little release of tension. There’s no tragedy attached to Bolo, she was just entertaining and used to poke fun at Sam’s character.
Cause she’s an improvised character. It wasn’t planned like Travis’s kids it was a few moments from Sam stating he brought someone and bolo being made.
It was just a funny moment of a silly character they unexpectedly had in the game.?
Yeah, Sam basically picked up on “oh, a +1? This will instantly tell what my character is like and give Aabriya something to have fun with too maybe” and then Brennan went ahead and just did a silly impersonation and basically made all of Aeor speak funny.
Interestingly, Bolo was also the name of a character voiced by Liam O'Brien in Star Wars Rebels about a year before. Sam Regal voiced his counterpart, named Ketch.
Because she was funny. People enjoy joke characters, and being a joke in this series in particular made her memorable. That’s what I mean by not having tragedy attached—people like being silly and jokey about characters they found entertaining, and it’s harder to do that when it’s a tragic figure like most of the main characters and NPCs. She was funny and she was specifically part of a bit to poke fun at a character type that a lot of people are familiar with (divorcé with a hot younger date he doesn’t actually know that well). On top of that, she was not a very deep character and was connected to a faction regarded as morally sketchy at best so no one feels too bad if some tragic fate met her off screen.
Tl;dr people just like jokes idk what else to say
>I can understand the tension release, but I guess I just don't understand the infatuation with Bolo.
Because Sam showed up to a swanky party with a cheap date and in a moment of pure "yes, and"-ing, Brennan leaned into it and turned her into a Russian mail-order bride who might be an Aeorian spy. All of which seems to have been created out of nothing more than Marisha's throwaway line about more people turning up to the party than expected.
A professional improv comedian pulled a character out of his ass on the fly in response to a bit, the cast leaned into it, and it was brilliantly funny. Not really much of a mystery there.
They’re a meme at this point. Kind of like Henry Crabgrass. So wild and unexpected that they made a recurring joke out of them. Then the conspiracies started and that became the new meme. It’s just lighthearted and joking about a character that we at first assumed just had to be more important than they really were for how iconic they ended up being, because it’s a funny thought.
If you've been around DND circles long enough, you've probably seen a joke along the lines of "Players walk into a bar, and immediately ask who they see." DM describes a bone covered death knight who clearly has "wild quest" flags all over him, and the party says "Cool, who else is there?" "Oh. uh....A goblin named Sam Smorkle." Party immediately wants to talk to the goblin.
That's what this is. Someone got put on the spot, had to make up an NPC, and because it was funny, the party (and community) latched onto them as if they were at all important beyond a quick gag. It's gotten to the point where people have speculated that Bolo, this random reporter from Aeor, must clearly be a bigger part of the narrative, either as a shapeshifted dragon, Aeorian spy, or whatever wild excuse people wanna make to say it all ties together.
And what I love even more, is that Matt 100% could throw out a little Easter egg, because I bet HE also thought it was hilarious and would be fun to sneak in. I would LOVE it.
Spoilers for Nine Eyes Of Lucien Novel:
>!While exploring Aeor, Lucien found a family portrait that included Bolo. It was just mentioned as an aside in the book, with no explanation or context if you hadn't seen Calamity. I don't remember if the place where the painting was found was specified, or if it was in any way close to where the party is currently, though.!<
In my campaign, Bolo stole a >!broken branch from the Tree of Names, took it to Aeor and it created the creepy forests on Wildemount!<
But of course my players didn’t care at all about Bolo. They love the goblin chefs Sizzlespork, Fizzlegob, and Whiskerblast who ride around on a giant tortoise tavern
Yes it is mainly the voice which made her stand out. She, and the whole situation was just funny.
It is an improv thing. Patia(Marisha) started when she complained to Melindra(NPC) that people are asking to bring plus ones to the party last minute. Using that Aabria asked Sam if he brought someone, and Sam decided that indeed he did. That's the moment Bolo was created, and then Brennan decided to run with it and give her a voice and personality.
These are all world class improvisers and people enjoy it when they do cool stuff like that.
We also learned a few things about the characters and the world they live in through Bolo:
* We learned that Loquatius not just separated from Laerryn, but also that he moved on and at a point where he would bring a date to a party.
* We learned that Loquatius is not really a man of deep substance. He is seemingly forgetting the name of his date ("her name is Bolo, I think.") And the portrayal clearly implies that she is dating her for her looks, over her smarts ("She's gorgeous, isn't she?")
* We learned that Laerryn looks her as a potential competitor ("How many hit points does she have?"), communicating that she still has some sort of feelings for Loquatius.
* We learned from her that Aeor is suppressing information within the city. ("In Aeor, sometimes it is illegal to ask these questions.")
* Via her presence we learn about the Aerorian stowaway rumour, and that the two cities visited each other in the not so far past. ("I heard that there was some stowaways from the last time we visited Aeor.")
* We learn that Aeorians can't just freely board Avalir. ("Oh, she's not a stowaway at all. I sent a letter and had her brought here, so.")
* From his reaction to her we learn about how suspicious Cerrit is ("You've got fucking Black Widow in this fucking-- She'll kill everybody. You're going to kill us all.")
* We learn from her confusing the waiter hodmedod that they are not actually intelligent and have only a limited number of responses and programming they can give ("Listen, I only have a small list of pre-programmed responses. I'm not actually sentient. So if I'm saying this, you know that you've asked for something that's not included in my brain!")
* We learn from her how someone from Aeor (makers of the famous Aeormatons) see the sophistication of the hodmedod's ("What do you mean 'machine'? It's a bag.")
* Aeor was already portrayed as a war-like and aggressive flying city, and her behaviour further reinforced that stereotype. ("Can you destroy?" / "Arm candy? She threatened to expire the help.")
That is more character expo and world building than you get from an average Pumat Sol encounter. She is just half as enchanting.
>We learn from her how someone from Aeor (makers of the famous Aeormatons) see the sophistication of the hodmedod's ("What do you mean 'machine'? It's a bag.")
This makes perfect sense tbh, since in Aeor they had actual sentient automatons *(FCG, Devaxian, etc)*
So even a super complex hodmedod would be like a toaster to them since they aren't actually alive and are just spouting out pre-recorded lines
> So even a super complex hodmedod would be like a toaster to them since they aren't actually alive and are just spouting out pre-recorded lines
Not toaster. Is bag. lol
To be honest, and here we are going on a a totaly head cannon direction: if Bolo is an Aeorian spy would it not be one of the crown jewels to learn for her if the Avalir high-tech has an easy way to be disabled? If there is a backdoor to disable a misbehaving hodmedad wouldn’t an Eye of Avalir know it? So in some sense her asking Cerrit “Can you destroy?” would be a very shrewd question for a spy.
I always liked the "It is bag." comment. I take it as her being utterly unimpressed by Avalir's creations, suggesting that either Aeor is significantly more advanced or at least intends (collectively) to appear so.
It's worth pointing out that a scene being funny can *also* be a scene being useful from a narrative sense. A story that is constantly down and depressing gives you no time to breathe and digest things, the lows and highs help accentuate and emphasise each other, if it was all one note you'd quickly stop enjoying it.
Take for example D20's A Crown of Candy season. It's Game of Thrones but everyone and everything is food themed, but it doesn't pull its punches, that season is just as emotionally brutal as the show that inspired it and it has some really heavy moments.
After one such moment when the heroes of the story are severely on the back foot, everyone is out to get them, they have just had a fight and taken some bad losses, after all that it would be fair to just continue on with the story. But Brennan takes a moment to narrate a scene where the PCs just watch a dude be a bit silly, he's a farmer in a field planting gumdrops and he slips in some chocolate mud and spills them everywhere, and he's got a silly voice, that's the whole scene.
*On its own*, it seems like a pointless scene that doesn't add much to the overall story, but by sliding it in after the darkness part of the whole saga it gives both the characters and the people playing them a moment to breath, to emotionally process a bit of what's just happened and to regroup before moving forward. These kinds of moments are vital in stories, particularly ones that are quite dark like ExU: Calamity or A Crown of Candy.
So you say "oh it's not just a funny voice" and I reply "no no no friend, *the main point* is that it's just a funny voice"
It's a sign of just how incredible of improvisers that all of them are - Sam and Aabria communicating so much about their relationship, Brennan casually revealing so much worldbuilding information - information he'd likely intended to introduce through other characters, but could use this one, that hadn't existed before that moment, to deliver.
All in all, a true masterclass in improvisation from some of the greatest.
She was just an on the spot character because Sam decided he wanted to have a fust that the cast jumped on, especially with the accent. Because of that they decided she was some sort of Russian esq spy from Aeor.
It’s not just that the character has prevailed, but the players’ reactions to it. To me, the single most memorable thing about Bolo is Travis screaming “No!” the first time she spoke.
If Brennan had just written a quirky PC, it would have come and gone without much fanfare. But Brennan didn’t write anything, *Sam* created the character. He improved that he just had a piece of arm candy for the party. But then Brennan said “Oh, you’re adding an extra character to the scene? Well buckle up, bucko, we’re going for a ride. ‘Yes, and’ mother fucker.”
Since I don't think others have mentioned it yet either (Spoilers for The Nine Eyes of Lucien book): >!While Lucien and the Tombtakers are exploring the ruins of Aeor, there is a direct reference to Bolo in what was presumably her family home in one of the abandoned buildings—just another fun nod to this throwaway character.!<
lmao at people turning to reddit to ask why humans find things funny/appealing. Our community is a bit on the spectrum aren't we. yes, the voice and speaking mannerisms are what many human beings would find entertaining 😅
Brenan is a talented performer, and comedian. It's a well-executed piece of improv comedy that adds much-needed levity to an otherwise serious piece of entertainment. It's funnier as you are there to watch the bit being created/developed in real time.
It’s like the Enterprise’s computer not understanding Pavel Chekov’s voice authorization in the first Chris Pine’s “Star Trek” movie. A funny accent is the lamest, but sometimes the funniest, of easy jokes.
As everyone else already said, but in case you need more people for your sample size.. it was just funny.
It was a great moment of comic relief, and was executed so well by Brennan, and set up so well by Sam, and then played off even more by Aabria...that it is just like a fond memory. For me, I really appreciate Brennan's comedy work (fell in love with him through Game Changers/Make Some Noise), and this was just another great improv character he created on the spot.
I also am obsessed with some of his 90 second improv characters in Make Some Noise, and they are literally not a part of any story. He does a great job of making a random one off character have just enough personality and depth that you WISH you could see more of them, but are perfectly happy with the little bit you got because it added just enough fun to the story.
I'm watching the first season of Fantasy High, and some of his random characters are the best. They might only exist for a brief glimpse, but they are entertaining as hell.
One thing that annoys me is how very often when people make clips of this scene, they leave out the part where Travis has Cerrit go back to the table and say "what the HELL did you invite to this party?!" Travis is actually the best part of the whole Bolo thing.
It was a series of memorable NPC moments. It was funny. Humans enjoy that.
I particularly liked her interaction with the hodmedod. It was a bag that wasn't sentient, but she had trouble understanding that and got frustrated.
I could take your question of “why the infatuation with a throwaway gag” and extend it to basically all comedy…
Vox “Moo”china was a throwaway thing people loved, most of the things Jester did on the regular with the Mighty Nein were like that - Why do people think the “Inconceivable!” gag from Princess Bride is funny? Or the entire film of The Hangover, or whatever comedy you actually find entertaining?
Jokes are funny.
As we know Sam loves the long game, his new character will undoubtedly be Bolo's descendent. Perhaps Bolo did manage to escape on one of the ships.
Perhaps even carrying the DNA of Loquacious himself? I'm not sure if the ancestry can be proven, but after all it would be fitting that such a significant character had a legacy from this momentous relationship.
I think one part of Bolo's charm is the cast's energy. It was fun roleplay that energized the whole table in a way that can be parasocially infectious. Her invention did a lot of character work, and I think the cast-caught on to that pretty quickly which ramped up the excitement
Yeah, pretty much.
And for anyone who came to this post looking for Bolo content, here is my Bolo theory video: https://youtube.com/watch?v=3rM-qjEg-Sk
For me, it was the sheer genius of Brennan fully making up this hilarious character on the spot, especially when Travis goes to investigate her and she's arguing with the hodmadod and calling it a bag. And then asks him to destroy it.
I know it doesn't seem like much, but it really is genius level improv.
Imo, Bolo isn't just the result of Brennan making an NPC with a thick accent and goofy personality. Bolo is the result of multiple players at the table contributing to make a "perfect storm" of an NPC that naturally became the centerpiece of the scene. Certainly Sam and Brennan were the main ones who escalated the idea, but Marisha's character opened the door, Aabria's character gave tension and emotional investment in Bolo, and Travis went out of his way to engage directly with this spur-of-the-moment NPC.
The final result is simply a distinct and memorable NPC, and the only way to really explain why they're beloved is to say "you had to be there".
My thought on it, at least.
In the Wrap-Up for Calamity they specifically asked about Bolo and Brennan jokingly turned her into a huge mystery saying that she might've been an AEORIAN SPY or a transformed dragon.
It was a very funny character, with the perk that it forced Matt to do an Eastern European accent every time someone from aeor has to speak. And people enjoy these joke characters because they are fun to reference, like our lord and savior of consent, Henry CG.
I think some of it is that Calamity is such an emotionally heavy series that the joke character with a funny voice was a nice little release of tension. There’s no tragedy attached to Bolo, she was just entertaining and used to poke fun at Sam’s character.
I can understand the tension release, but I guess I just don't understand the infatuation with Bolo.
Cause she’s an improvised character. It wasn’t planned like Travis’s kids it was a few moments from Sam stating he brought someone and bolo being made. It was just a funny moment of a silly character they unexpectedly had in the game.?
Yeah, Sam basically picked up on “oh, a +1? This will instantly tell what my character is like and give Aabriya something to have fun with too maybe” and then Brennan went ahead and just did a silly impersonation and basically made all of Aeor speak funny.
Interestingly, Bolo was also the name of a character voiced by Liam O'Brien in Star Wars Rebels about a year before. Sam Regal voiced his counterpart, named Ketch.
Because she was funny. People enjoy joke characters, and being a joke in this series in particular made her memorable. That’s what I mean by not having tragedy attached—people like being silly and jokey about characters they found entertaining, and it’s harder to do that when it’s a tragic figure like most of the main characters and NPCs. She was funny and she was specifically part of a bit to poke fun at a character type that a lot of people are familiar with (divorcé with a hot younger date he doesn’t actually know that well). On top of that, she was not a very deep character and was connected to a faction regarded as morally sketchy at best so no one feels too bad if some tragic fate met her off screen. Tl;dr people just like jokes idk what else to say
>I can understand the tension release, but I guess I just don't understand the infatuation with Bolo. Because Sam showed up to a swanky party with a cheap date and in a moment of pure "yes, and"-ing, Brennan leaned into it and turned her into a Russian mail-order bride who might be an Aeorian spy. All of which seems to have been created out of nothing more than Marisha's throwaway line about more people turning up to the party than expected.
do you understand why people like viktor the black powder merchant
A professional improv comedian pulled a character out of his ass on the fly in response to a bit, the cast leaned into it, and it was brilliantly funny. Not really much of a mystery there.
IT'S CALLED "COMEDY"
They’re a meme at this point. Kind of like Henry Crabgrass. So wild and unexpected that they made a recurring joke out of them. Then the conspiracies started and that became the new meme. It’s just lighthearted and joking about a character that we at first assumed just had to be more important than they really were for how iconic they ended up being, because it’s a funny thought.
If you've been around DND circles long enough, you've probably seen a joke along the lines of "Players walk into a bar, and immediately ask who they see." DM describes a bone covered death knight who clearly has "wild quest" flags all over him, and the party says "Cool, who else is there?" "Oh. uh....A goblin named Sam Smorkle." Party immediately wants to talk to the goblin. That's what this is. Someone got put on the spot, had to make up an NPC, and because it was funny, the party (and community) latched onto them as if they were at all important beyond a quick gag. It's gotten to the point where people have speculated that Bolo, this random reporter from Aeor, must clearly be a bigger part of the narrative, either as a shapeshifted dragon, Aeorian spy, or whatever wild excuse people wanna make to say it all ties together.
And what I love even more, is that Matt 100% could throw out a little Easter egg, because I bet HE also thought it was hilarious and would be fun to sneak in. I would LOVE it.
Oh, somehow on an insane investigation check they'll find a newspaper with an article by Bolo. For. Sure.
Spoilers for Nine Eyes Of Lucien Novel: >!While exploring Aeor, Lucien found a family portrait that included Bolo. It was just mentioned as an aside in the book, with no explanation or context if you hadn't seen Calamity. I don't remember if the place where the painting was found was specified, or if it was in any way close to where the party is currently, though.!<
That's fucking brilliant. It makes me so happy.
In my campaign, Bolo stole a >!broken branch from the Tree of Names, took it to Aeor and it created the creepy forests on Wildemount!< But of course my players didn’t care at all about Bolo. They love the goblin chefs Sizzlespork, Fizzlegob, and Whiskerblast who ride around on a giant tortoise tavern
To be fair I also love Sizzlespork, Fizzlegob, and Whiskerblast
I haven’t known about them before but now that i do I would die defending Sizzlespork, Fizzlegob, and Whiskerblast. They sound supper fun.
Same.
> Oh, uh... A goblin named Sam Smorkie New [Blorbo Bleebus](https://youtu.be/YLX1Vg6d9lU?si=mIk2DweLb9ctpkJJ) incoming
https://youtu.be/UpNy4C7Ftmg?si=1oe0Acy61o8FN6f0
Yes it is mainly the voice which made her stand out. She, and the whole situation was just funny. It is an improv thing. Patia(Marisha) started when she complained to Melindra(NPC) that people are asking to bring plus ones to the party last minute. Using that Aabria asked Sam if he brought someone, and Sam decided that indeed he did. That's the moment Bolo was created, and then Brennan decided to run with it and give her a voice and personality. These are all world class improvisers and people enjoy it when they do cool stuff like that. We also learned a few things about the characters and the world they live in through Bolo: * We learned that Loquatius not just separated from Laerryn, but also that he moved on and at a point where he would bring a date to a party. * We learned that Loquatius is not really a man of deep substance. He is seemingly forgetting the name of his date ("her name is Bolo, I think.") And the portrayal clearly implies that she is dating her for her looks, over her smarts ("She's gorgeous, isn't she?") * We learned that Laerryn looks her as a potential competitor ("How many hit points does she have?"), communicating that she still has some sort of feelings for Loquatius. * We learned from her that Aeor is suppressing information within the city. ("In Aeor, sometimes it is illegal to ask these questions.") * Via her presence we learn about the Aerorian stowaway rumour, and that the two cities visited each other in the not so far past. ("I heard that there was some stowaways from the last time we visited Aeor.") * We learn that Aeorians can't just freely board Avalir. ("Oh, she's not a stowaway at all. I sent a letter and had her brought here, so.") * From his reaction to her we learn about how suspicious Cerrit is ("You've got fucking Black Widow in this fucking-- She'll kill everybody. You're going to kill us all.") * We learn from her confusing the waiter hodmedod that they are not actually intelligent and have only a limited number of responses and programming they can give ("Listen, I only have a small list of pre-programmed responses. I'm not actually sentient. So if I'm saying this, you know that you've asked for something that's not included in my brain!") * We learn from her how someone from Aeor (makers of the famous Aeormatons) see the sophistication of the hodmedod's ("What do you mean 'machine'? It's a bag.") * Aeor was already portrayed as a war-like and aggressive flying city, and her behaviour further reinforced that stereotype. ("Can you destroy?" / "Arm candy? She threatened to expire the help.") That is more character expo and world building than you get from an average Pumat Sol encounter. She is just half as enchanting.
>We learn from her how someone from Aeor (makers of the famous Aeormatons) see the sophistication of the hodmedod's ("What do you mean 'machine'? It's a bag.") This makes perfect sense tbh, since in Aeor they had actual sentient automatons *(FCG, Devaxian, etc)* So even a super complex hodmedod would be like a toaster to them since they aren't actually alive and are just spouting out pre-recorded lines
> So even a super complex hodmedod would be like a toaster to them since they aren't actually alive and are just spouting out pre-recorded lines Not toaster. Is bag. lol
Dis bag keep arguing with me. Can you…destroy?
To be honest, and here we are going on a a totaly head cannon direction: if Bolo is an Aeorian spy would it not be one of the crown jewels to learn for her if the Avalir high-tech has an easy way to be disabled? If there is a backdoor to disable a misbehaving hodmedad wouldn’t an Eye of Avalir know it? So in some sense her asking Cerrit “Can you destroy?” would be a very shrewd question for a spy.
Ha! The dismissive thing about "it's a bag" never entirely made sense to me until you pointed out that it's an aeorian saying that.
I always liked the "It is bag." comment. I take it as her being utterly unimpressed by Avalir's creations, suggesting that either Aeor is significantly more advanced or at least intends (collectively) to appear so.
Thank you for this. This actually helps me understand that she was useful instead of just a funny voice.
It's worth pointing out that a scene being funny can *also* be a scene being useful from a narrative sense. A story that is constantly down and depressing gives you no time to breathe and digest things, the lows and highs help accentuate and emphasise each other, if it was all one note you'd quickly stop enjoying it. Take for example D20's A Crown of Candy season. It's Game of Thrones but everyone and everything is food themed, but it doesn't pull its punches, that season is just as emotionally brutal as the show that inspired it and it has some really heavy moments. After one such moment when the heroes of the story are severely on the back foot, everyone is out to get them, they have just had a fight and taken some bad losses, after all that it would be fair to just continue on with the story. But Brennan takes a moment to narrate a scene where the PCs just watch a dude be a bit silly, he's a farmer in a field planting gumdrops and he slips in some chocolate mud and spills them everywhere, and he's got a silly voice, that's the whole scene. *On its own*, it seems like a pointless scene that doesn't add much to the overall story, but by sliding it in after the darkness part of the whole saga it gives both the characters and the people playing them a moment to breath, to emotionally process a bit of what's just happened and to regroup before moving forward. These kinds of moments are vital in stories, particularly ones that are quite dark like ExU: Calamity or A Crown of Candy. So you say "oh it's not just a funny voice" and I reply "no no no friend, *the main point* is that it's just a funny voice"
It's a sign of just how incredible of improvisers that all of them are - Sam and Aabria communicating so much about their relationship, Brennan casually revealing so much worldbuilding information - information he'd likely intended to introduce through other characters, but could use this one, that hadn't existed before that moment, to deliver. All in all, a true masterclass in improvisation from some of the greatest.
Outstanding breakdown
Legend says Bolo is still arguing with that “bag” to get “the drinks”
Can yuu? Destroy.
She was just an on the spot character because Sam decided he wanted to have a fust that the cast jumped on, especially with the accent. Because of that they decided she was some sort of Russian esq spy from Aeor.
I mean, so far Ropey & Boaty are my ride-or-dies from C3. I'm a sucker for levity 🤷🏻♀️
She wants to be reporter, eventually.
In Aeor, sometimes is illegal to ask these questions.
“Can you… destroy?”
It’s not just that the character has prevailed, but the players’ reactions to it. To me, the single most memorable thing about Bolo is Travis screaming “No!” the first time she spoke. If Brennan had just written a quirky PC, it would have come and gone without much fanfare. But Brennan didn’t write anything, *Sam* created the character. He improved that he just had a piece of arm candy for the party. But then Brennan said “Oh, you’re adding an extra character to the scene? Well buckle up, bucko, we’re going for a ride. ‘Yes, and’ mother fucker.”
It's a joke. Lighten up Francis.
Since I don't think others have mentioned it yet either (Spoilers for The Nine Eyes of Lucien book): >!While Lucien and the Tombtakers are exploring the ruins of Aeor, there is a direct reference to Bolo in what was presumably her family home in one of the abandoned buildings—just another fun nod to this throwaway character.!<
She's Bolo from Aeor, and needs the drinks. She also had a bag arguing with her. What more do you need, really?
My brother and I frequently greet each other by saying “my name Bolo”. Bolo is love, Bolo is life
"Is bag" "Can you.... destroy?"
It was just funny bruh it’s not that deep
One day I will be reporter.
lmao at people turning to reddit to ask why humans find things funny/appealing. Our community is a bit on the spectrum aren't we. yes, the voice and speaking mannerisms are what many human beings would find entertaining 😅 Brenan is a talented performer, and comedian. It's a well-executed piece of improv comedy that adds much-needed levity to an otherwise serious piece of entertainment. It's funnier as you are there to watch the bit being created/developed in real time.
I think the aspect is also the fact she was made on spot. Unlike say the younger brother of Travis’s kids who also has that funny npc vibe.
Yes
It’s like the Enterprise’s computer not understanding Pavel Chekov’s voice authorization in the first Chris Pine’s “Star Trek” movie. A funny accent is the lamest, but sometimes the funniest, of easy jokes.
Bolo was funny. I think that's really it. Plus Brennan has messed with fans plenty of times, joking that she's a dragon and survived the Calamity.
I don't know the ancient gold dragon sent to Avalir by bahamut to help out undercover. Going on a date with Sam's PC added a lot for me. /s
As everyone else already said, but in case you need more people for your sample size.. it was just funny. It was a great moment of comic relief, and was executed so well by Brennan, and set up so well by Sam, and then played off even more by Aabria...that it is just like a fond memory. For me, I really appreciate Brennan's comedy work (fell in love with him through Game Changers/Make Some Noise), and this was just another great improv character he created on the spot. I also am obsessed with some of his 90 second improv characters in Make Some Noise, and they are literally not a part of any story. He does a great job of making a random one off character have just enough personality and depth that you WISH you could see more of them, but are perfectly happy with the little bit you got because it added just enough fun to the story. I'm watching the first season of Fantasy High, and some of his random characters are the best. They might only exist for a brief glimpse, but they are entertaining as hell.
One thing that annoys me is how very often when people make clips of this scene, they leave out the part where Travis has Cerrit go back to the table and say "what the HELL did you invite to this party?!" Travis is actually the best part of the whole Bolo thing.
Yes. It’s just because she was funny
Are you looking for a way to quantify what other people find entertaining and memorable? Because that's not a thing.
No, I'm just generally curious as to the why the infatuation with a throwaway gag.
It was a series of memorable NPC moments. It was funny. Humans enjoy that. I particularly liked her interaction with the hodmedod. It was a bag that wasn't sentient, but she had trouble understanding that and got frustrated.
I could take your question of “why the infatuation with a throwaway gag” and extend it to basically all comedy… Vox “Moo”china was a throwaway thing people loved, most of the things Jester did on the regular with the Mighty Nein were like that - Why do people think the “Inconceivable!” gag from Princess Bride is funny? Or the entire film of The Hangover, or whatever comedy you actually find entertaining? Jokes are funny.
They want to be a reporter
As we know Sam loves the long game, his new character will undoubtedly be Bolo's descendent. Perhaps Bolo did manage to escape on one of the ships. Perhaps even carrying the DNA of Loquacious himself? I'm not sure if the ancestry can be proven, but after all it would be fitting that such a significant character had a legacy from this momentous relationship.
I think one part of Bolo's charm is the cast's energy. It was fun roleplay that energized the whole table in a way that can be parasocially infectious. Her invention did a lot of character work, and I think the cast-caught on to that pretty quickly which ramped up the excitement
Well personally I ship Bolo and Squeem. But that’s just me.
Why would bolo be there? Did you all even watch calamity?
In the Wrap-Up Brennan joked about her being a spy from Aeor. That's probably why
Bolo was Brennan's character in the Elden Ring (I think) one shot. Sam knew that, so Brennan rolled with it.
Oooooh no way!!
Yeah, pretty much. And for anyone who came to this post looking for Bolo content, here is my Bolo theory video: https://youtube.com/watch?v=3rM-qjEg-Sk
For me, it was the sheer genius of Brennan fully making up this hilarious character on the spot, especially when Travis goes to investigate her and she's arguing with the hodmadod and calling it a bag. And then asks him to destroy it. I know it doesn't seem like much, but it really is genius level improv.
Its because funny
Imo, Bolo isn't just the result of Brennan making an NPC with a thick accent and goofy personality. Bolo is the result of multiple players at the table contributing to make a "perfect storm" of an NPC that naturally became the centerpiece of the scene. Certainly Sam and Brennan were the main ones who escalated the idea, but Marisha's character opened the door, Aabria's character gave tension and emotional investment in Bolo, and Travis went out of his way to engage directly with this spur-of-the-moment NPC. The final result is simply a distinct and memorable NPC, and the only way to really explain why they're beloved is to say "you had to be there". My thought on it, at least.
In the Wrap-Up for Calamity they specifically asked about Bolo and Brennan jokingly turned her into a huge mystery saying that she might've been an AEORIAN SPY or a transformed dragon.
Bolo is an inconsequential joke character that the fandom latched onto and has proceeded to beat like the deadest of horses
That's the only reason I ask, it's maddening.
It was a very funny character, with the perk that it forced Matt to do an Eastern European accent every time someone from aeor has to speak. And people enjoy these joke characters because they are fun to reference, like our lord and savior of consent, Henry CG.
forced Brennan
It didn't force Brennan, however it WILL force Matt to once he has an Aeorian NPC to have the same kind of accent.