You know that intense familiarity that you sometimes feel toward characters in books or shows when they feel just as alive as your best friends? It only happens in the best of stories, where time & effort has been put into creating characters that make unique choices & feel real.

It’s incredible how quickly characters can feel like part of your own story, like they are expressing something so fundamental to your own identity that you can easily relate to it.

@RuleOfLore’s Infinite Horizon is one of multiple ttrpg streams that I watch, but it is unquestionably the one whose characters seem not only the most real, but also the ones that I most wish were on my side and part of my story.

This feat is made all the more impressive because it takes place in a sci-fi space setting, filled with aliens and characters that are distinctly UNhuman, distinctly other...yet embody so much of the core characteristics of humanity that keep me inspired.

This applies to every character involved in the story. @Free_Range_Man’s Mason has many threads weaving through his backstory & carefully layered into many of his decisions, & his experiences create a protective, determined problem solver, who is able to make the hard decisions.

I finished the latest episode a little terrified of the determination embodied by @dykconicpoet’s Peach’s final move - but it left me stunned and somehow both more convinced of her abilities to be a leader, and questioning if she is really the one I would want to be led by!

@quuhod’s Olem, who is clearly not a fighter, yet finds himself in a situation with few options. He wants to know more, & why, & spends so much time researching the hows - but his principles mean that he can’t help but fight when he discovers those truths he’s been searching for.

And the most alien, @kkamabr’s Bina, whose overwhelming emotions tonight spill over not only to all those around her, but also to all those watching through the screen as she faces increasingly severe consequences of the fight that they have found themselves in the center of.

It extends to the guest players as well, as @spacedoutlily’s pirate quickly proved. She lived out moments through extremes, and finding her emotional core is something that may take a few more episodes, because there is clearly a lot there. (Come back! More episodes needed!)

@Drakoniques’s T’aeon captured that feeling even faster (because everyone can relate to the time-traveler!) as he shared the emotions of seeing his own story rewritten right in front of him, & how much it leads to wanting to hold on to those people who truly embrace you for you.

The crew of the Awakener doesn’t just consist of the PCs, and the characters that @Jenk_Hankins brings to life (and the crew keeps adopting!) embody this feeling as well. Celebrating the return of a few while another disappeared (temporarily!!) Tonight left me feeling so torn!

There are plenty of reasons to watch Infinite Horizon on @RuleOfLore, as the show is wonderfully plotted & has fantastic players. But the best reason is to get a chance to meet these characters. Plus, as they are in between seasons, it’s the perfect time to catch up for season 2!