#but i liked pikes relationship with sarenrae :(

[blorbologist]

As someone who has been reviewing late Campaign 1 episodes, namely Elysium, The Fear of Isolation and The Endless Atheneum (but especially that first one), it's very weird to me how the cast and characters are so... idk, willing to indulge the idea the Prime Dieties are puppeteers and self-serving? And after Campaign 2, too, where the Wildmother and Stormlord were both very involved with their faithful.

I'm thinking specifically to a short conversation between Vex, Pike and Sarenrae about reverence (and accidentally almost taking souls oops):

(Also worth noting that, as Dani pointed out, this is the goddess that helped bring Laudna back. Make of that what you will.)

Might it be that a couple of years without much divine faith among the Hells + working on TLOVM, thus focus on the Raven Queen and her complicated role, changed things?

A lot to think about.

[sunlightpike]

(lovm spoilers in the tags i don't want to maintag this so here's your warning)

[ginalongillustrations]

Vox Machina Details

I realized that now that I've completed all of Vox Machina, I wanted to show off the symbols I chose for each member and their designs as some of them I'm super proud of! If you're unsure what any of the symbols are meant to convey, just read blow the line.

Keyleth

(side note, I finished her original version at like ep 35 and had worked so hard to stay away from spoilers so I had no idea what most of the symbols meant and was struggling to think of things)

Kraken- I included it because the kraken fight will go down in my personal history as the fight that was the biggest... slog to get through. You felt the weariness of it as shit just kept repeating, and unfortunately half the table was slightly drunk making everything worse, and it was so pivotal because Vax died and that hastened his deal with the raven Queen and it was Keyleth completing her journey and it was Tary's first real adventure. It also was right after my Roman Empire Vaxleth quote so it had to have a place.

Goldfish -iconic

Acorn- so this is one that has nothing to do with her journey, but it's something I chose to symbolize what I love about her. I love her passion for life and her willingness to protect it. I chose it after she went against Grog during the Whitestone Arc and ran back to help the townsfolk fight the zombie giant. I loved it because she refused to let those people fight on their own to live, and it really stuck with me. Her unadulterated anger at the death of the fire ashari and so many other times she cares about life and I wanted to represent that, so much that I included it in her personal symbol at the top of the designs.

Fire - obvious reasons

Raven feather - gonna represent the love of her life

Snowdrop- yeah Vax got two but I'm so glad I did because that last episode had me sobbing just like Marisha and it's such a symbol of goodbye and love and stolen time

Vex

She is one of the most straightforward ones, another one that I had help on from the community because I didn't want spoilers but did want to encompass her entire journey and not just what I had seen.

Grizzly paw - for the best companion out there

Gold coins - Her greed is such a defining trait for so much of her journey to the point where it, in part, got her killed by wanting to steal the armour. It is her hating to spend 30 gold on a very useful book, it is so much of her and I love it.

Sun - Paelor, since she was chosen by him

Broom - As much as I wasn't a fan of the broom, it truly is such a big part of her, her fighting technique, and her personality again tied to her greed that I couldn't help but add it.

The gun and the dagger - for the two most important people in her life.

Pike

Her ship - It's cute how often she brought it up even when we never once see her at sea. I think Ashley really enjoyed that part of her backstory even asking about it in campaign 2.

Her holy symbol - Sarenrae is the God who has my heart simply for her kindness to Pike. Her warmth and love and how important that relationship is to Pike. More so than any other cleric, it feels like they get each other and I love that. I'm also sad Sarenrae hasn't been around much in the other campaigns. Someone give this God some love please (I'm on ep 46 of c3 so who knows)

The lute - even if they never go on a date during the campaign, that relationship is super important. It was the first relationship I shipped in VM and how often they look out for each other. I'll always be sad Ashley couldn't be there for ep 85

Grog's axe - adoptive siblings for life

Iris - since it's the flower of Westruun, I thought I should add also because Matt was able to pull that out of his ass when asked was incredible and needs to be remembered always.

Glabrezu claw - even if it's not a death we saw, that death echoed throughout the campaign and it affected Pike so much

Scanlan

Scanlan was harder. So many of his moments are intangible. How do you draw a counterspell? A wish? The hunt for drugs that are actually just cooking spices? the meat man? Modify memory? Scanlan will always be MVP of the VM campaign in my eyes, and so it was so hard to do him justice.

The three eyes of Ioun - No one expected Scanlan to be chosen but chosen he was and the world is better for it.

Triceratops - That fight was the first time Scanlan really showed he could hold his own. Hell, the rest of VM came out worse with 5 people than he did. It was the first time you saw how much of a beast Scanlan could be.

Pike's mace- the woman who made him better

The beret - I had just finished the briarwood Arc what I was working on him and I thought this the best representation of Sam willing to just roll with the stupidest running bits.

The Burt Reynolds mustache - His love of disguises and also one of his most iconic lines

The flute - representing his meeting Kaylie and how that changed so much of his journey.

Percy

I struggled with Percy and his symbols because I couldn't always grasp what was important and what drove him as tangible things outside his family, Revenge, and Vex. I also just have the most trouble connecting to Percy so I think that played a part.

The bird skull - I felt it showed his connect to others? As it passed through his hands it showed a care for others and I dunno, this one just stuck with me. So it's there.

Black powder -no way in hell I'm leaving Viktor out

De Rolo crest - His family and all that he lost

An arrow - his future, his shining north star, his better half

Black smoke - Orthax and how much control it had over him

Vampire teeth - a bit corny I know but had no idea how to represent the briarwoods so I rolled with this.

Vax

Snowdrop - the mirror Keyleth, and if you have the prints next to each other with Vax on the right and Keyleth on the left, the snowdrops mirror. They're the only two of the series to have that (can you tell who my favourite couple is?)

The raven Queen mask - she needed her own spot because she is.. the looming shadow over so much of Vax, his choices, and his story. She is unrelenting, she is ever-present, she is inevitable. And I hate her for it.

The arrow - twins for life

The antlers - This man supports Keyleth's rights and her wrongs and I adore him for it. I love that he says if you're going to your death to fight this dragon then I'm with you no questions asked. He worships her and it makes me weak at the knees.

The feather - those wings become as much a part of his identity as the broom is for Vex.

The belt - his love for that belt but also his use of equipment. Vax, more than anyone I think, has his identity was tied to his equipment and his icknic moments. His boots, his armour, his belt, his daggers. They make up so much of him.

Grog

He's another super straightforward one because we'll, Grog wasn't meant to have a deep and rich and complex character. He has amazing moments but again how do I show them? Craven's edge was something I tried for but it just didn't read as exactly that so I sadly left it out. Believe me, it hurt.

The deck of many things - Those cards were Grog's roman empire and it bit him in the ass at the end and I love it. Also just Travis and his absolute inability to not push the red buttons.

Ale - no group has loved taverns as much as VM, and no one in that group loves a night of drinking as much as Grog.

The Lute - for his best bud

The Mace - for his sister

The shapes - callback to the original audio intro with Grog being first

The bag of holding - few things were as paired as Grog and that bag. No one has their inventory as well organized as that Goliath.

Tary

Blondies - I know he was only a portion of it and I think because he was there for the time they mentioned it the most, I connect Tary the most with the Slayers Cake. It's the friendships he formed in his time with the group.

The list - thinking of him saving Keyleth and getting to mark off rescuing a maiden will never fail to make me laugh

The arrow - his best friend

The gun - his other best friend

The book - his many grand tales all documented in one fantastical book

The helmet - I really wanted it in the original design but it just wasn't going to work with the pose I wanted, so it ended up at the bottom.

Yepp so these are the things I connect with these characters the most. It's silly and so much effort for such a small part of the print, but I'm proud of them.

[nochi-quinn]

legend of vox machina season 3 episode 4: hell to pay OR go fish

are you there sarenrae, etc etc

"we're gonna need all kinds of miracles" trailer line

I am rotating animated!pike trickfoot in my head like a rotisserie chicken; her relationship with sarenrae being Like That and how much of it is what Ashley originally wanted to do and how much of it was built in the in-between time with her playing two other main campaign characters & their points of view

now they can sell more toys

SDCC exclusive Demon Bunny Grog

just pulling every accent out of the bag

"the fuck?" you knew what you were getting into

I would love some concept art for Dis, there's So Much Going On it's hard to appreciate everything as much as I want to

wait he named his big demon castle the Brass Skull

you overemotional nerd

vax don't say the q word

"I could have made it cool" nothing you do is cool

fuck yes allura

oh pike

thanks I hate it

we're gonna hafta juuuuuump

lots of Aaah! Real Monsters! looking-ass designs in hell

this asshole

mala: they made him hot! me: what were they gonna do, not make him hot?

none of this narration is reliable

fucking cut-rate raphael

and I'm not even that impressed by raphael

would you like to form a contract

"such pure blood" hey what the fuck does that mean

godborn pike??

(please read edda-earth)

the lighting!!!

what happens if they deal out and there's no black skull

"are they within ten feet of me"

NONE OF THIS NARRATION IS RELIABLE

can we stop giving grog a quip every time they cut back to the rest of the team, you're killing me (and the tension)

the truth is vicious and you owe it something

the stained glass!!

the portraits!!

I'm gonna cry!!

OKAY I HAVE OPINIONS

everything that happened to zerxus was His Own Fucking Fault, he was a Lawful Stupid paladin who was so convinced he could redeem THE DEVIL, FROM THE BIBLE, that he entered a pact he was never going to come out the winner on.

ALSO (per yelling in chat with mala) avalir was always going to fall. the calamity was always going to happen. the situation simply wasn't sustainable. laerryn just happened to be the one that hit the button. big "kirkwall was always going to explode, anders just lit the fuse" energy.

...spoilers for DA2, ig

fucking reddit atheist

"we all have blind spots" boooooo

"thank you for losing graciously" give it time

"we are his blood"

"what are the chances that isn't for us"

the tradition of "if you can't get cast as a big stompy monster make your own" continues (matt was yenk)

[dykeyleth]

so you can answer privately if you'd like: what do you mean by the "c3-ification" of Pike and Sarenrae? cause im not sure i like it either

to me it's tlovm's retconning of pike and sarenrae's relationship with the added context of campaign 3. in theory, it makes sense that with what we've learned about predathos and the discussions around the gods, they would add a little bit of that worldbuilding to campaign 1. and that's great and fine i love that! but i don't think that should equal pike throwing away her holy symbol because it was weighing her down and that's just what she needed to kill thordak.. like it's nice to see "the power was inside you all along" but it goes a step further into "actually pike doesn't need sarenrae at all." and wouldn't you know it! that's exactly the message abt mortals/gods ludinus is trying to send in c3. it's a completely unnecessary change (sacrifice) that only serves an animated series we're still 5+ years out from and comes at the cost of pike's meticulous work in bringing her following back from the brink of extinction following the calamity. and well i don't really like it

[utilitycaster]

I know you tend to know a lot of the CR lore and I feel like I've missed something. I've seen a lot of people in the chat of the last episode talking about how the gods of Exandria need prayer and their followers to live and that they're just using their followers and I'm a bit confused because in the history of Exandria video the gods already had their powers when they came to Exandria.

Yeah I think it's been kept very ambiguous in canon and people have extrapolated or overlaid ideas of deities from other works or traditions.

The biggest canon source I think we have on the relationship of deities to their followers' worship is that after Vecna's ascension, Ioun says that he will need more worshippers to "disseminate his power and claim his domains". However, even that is pretty ambiguous, since Vecna is a new deity who was born mortal - essentially, an evil counterpart to the Raven Queen. It's unclear if this is only true of Vecna (and any hypothetical new god) or only true for something like the expansion of one's domains. Otherwise, I at least think - I could be wrong - that the cast has sometimes acted as though the gods rely on the worship of their followers, but Matt is usually noncommittal or "kind of, but it's complicated" in response.

My understanding, and this does involve some personal interpretation, is that the gods are not like Tinkerbell. They do not need you to clap if you believe in them lest they die. They exist, and have powers, regardless of whether they are worshiped. A good case in point is that between the Schism and the start of the Calamity, the Betrayers were completely sealed away with no access to followers, and survived and rapidly began fucking with the world as soon as they were unleashed. This is further backed up with the fact that the gods have frequently and repeatedly ceded ground to mortals - they granted them arcane magic, and when mortals used this to begin to distance themselves from the gods, the gods permitted it. This is also backed up by Sarenrae remaining perfectly capable of full power despite her worship having been vastly diminished post-Calamity until Pike began signficantly reviving her worship.

However, I think it is fair to say that the gods are drastically limited in what they can do on the Material Plane while they themselves are not on the Material Plane. They primarily need to work through their followers. They can send visions and dreams, and grant powers, but they can't simply step in and fix everything with a snap of their fingers. And so, having more followers and worshipers on the material plane means that their capacity to do enact meaningful change in the world is increased.

For what it's worth I've also, as a person with complex feelings about the existence of god but who through reflection and adjustment that is, frankly, ongoing (which I think is normal and appropriate) does have a religious practice, never found any logic in the idea that the gods are simply using their followers. Like, I might be lighting candles on Friday night to the benefit of literally no one, and anything I feel from it is, effectively, a placebo, or something entirely human-made. So why would it be different if some entity who has never spoken to me nor made their existence definitively clear gains power from it? Now consider the world in which I am a cleric. In that case, I am clearly getting something from this.

In short, the relationship between mortals in Exandria and the gods, or at least the Prime Deities, has always to me seemed symbiotic. I think that the idea people get nothing from the act of worship in and of itself is a very limited and small-minded one in the first place, and so while I reject the idea that the gods are reliant on people for sustenance - though they are reliant for a certain degree of agency within the world - the premise that the gods are using their followers with the followers deriving nothing from it is already false and the entire argument dissolves.

[anakinh]

I think my problem with the moral greyification of the prime deities is that, for the last two campaigns, the two exandria unlimited campaigns, and tlovm, critical role portrayed the prime deities as benevolent and actively helpful, at the very least willing to fight for and protect mortal beings. Every time someone in C3 asks “what have the gods done for us?” we, the fans, are going to remember stuff like Melora shielding Fjord from Uk’otoa under the Arbor Exemplar, or Pike and her relationship to Sarenrae, or Vex shooting an arrow created by a cleric while radiating sunlight from her blessing from Pelor. We, the fans, have pretty good reason to like the gods. Hell, the last time we had a “the prime deities are bad actually” argument it was from Asmodeus, lord of the hells, prince of lies, and he later subverted his sympathy for the devil shtick in a scene that would go down in history as one of the best in Critical Role. I think now we’re looking at people complaining about the gods and it’s jarring because to us it seems like it came out of nowhere with a lot of evidence against it. “What have the gods done for us?” Fucking a lot.

(Also, it’s true that the C3 characters haven’t seen what we have, but Laudna was brought back by a cleric of Sarenrae and Orym has a literal sword blessed by the Wildmother. The gods actually have done things for them)

Another, smaller thing is that the Prime Deities in Critical Role aren’t associated with the hate and oppression and violence that is tied to modern religious institutions (which was something I thought was to CR’s detriment given the existence of Vasselheim, and I actually do like them showing the dark side of Vasselheim now). We haven’t been given a reason to hate religion beforehand, and even now that we do, we can argue that the actions taken by mortals in the name of their god does not justify the eradication of said god. Anyway, I think this just goes back into the “it’s jarring, it seemed to have come out of left field” concept. 

The last thing is I’m honestly sick of hearing the players and NPCs debating why we should help the Prime Deities since they’re #problematic. Who gives a fuck. Imagine if an old man was sick of the king so he decided to release a rabid bear in the king’s castle, and you’re like “okay but I live in the castle too though?” and he’s like “Don’t worry, it won’t harm you.” Would you follow this man? No! Imagine knowing this old man who was involved in the murders of so many people, including your friends and family, in cold blood to achieve his godless world, and someone says “actually I don’t like the gods” and you’re like “oh damn, maybe this old man has a point.” Who cares if he has a point! He’s murdering entire villages of innocents! The ends don’t actually justify the means! I’m glad Orym and Ashton and Laudna are at least on board with that part, but I’m worried their resolve is weakening. Also I wish the god debate would just shut down when one of them points that out instead of continuing on.

[sleepyandtiredandbored]

Keyleth to Vax in C1E54:

"Yeah, no, this is pretty bad. You know, I've actually been wanting to talk to you. I wasn't entirely planning on now. I know you've been struggling. I know you feel like you're drowning, and I'm sorry that the Raven Queen chose you, but she did choose you. You know, as druids, I was raised to have an interesting perspective on the gods. We are taught that nature is the one true powerful force. I have yet to see a god control the sunrise and the sunset, so therefore it's hard for me to sometimes have the same faith in these gods. Personally, I believe that just because you're immortal doesn't make you infallible. These gods can be great ambassadors of their virtues and what they represent, or they can be horrible disgraces to their domains. And just because some self-proclaimed person or deity decides that they want control? Doesn't mean that they have to have control over me. Now, this does not mean that I do not respect the gods and the power that they wield, but, I mean, for the love of Sarenrae, we have seen Pike do many a powerful thing. So, therefore, I do not respect the gods any more than I respect the living people who are standing beside me at this moment. So I've also been coming to terms with the fact that it seems that, whether we like it or not, we are going to have to employ their services. Looks like we're going to have to be working with them in some way or another, myself included, if we are going to overcome this. So maybe you should start rethinking the way you look at your relationship to the Raven Queen. Maybe this can be a fine partnership. A fine endeavor to do with her, and then once we save the world and we retire and some other young prodigies come forward to save the world again, then we can thank her for her services and move on. I don't think we'll always need her. I don't think you will always need her. And, keep in mind, the one true thing that gives these gods their power are their worshipers. So I guess I'll let you choose what you want to be."

Y'all, they make me so crazy!

[samuraiko]

Is it Thursday yet?!

While I know that like 99% of the fandom is hyperfocused on Imodna (go forth and enjoy, y’all, you waited long enough for that awkward relationship samba to finally get there), meanwhile I’m over here geeking about Ashton’s personal growth, Orym’s slow-but-inexorable breakdown, the return to Zephrah, and the ramifications of the vision sent by the Raven Queen.

I want to see Ashton wreck someone’s shit with the upgraded hammer.

I want to see Orym reconnect with his loved ones while (knowing him) apologizing to Keyleth for his perceived failing her.

I want to see what (if anything) the Wildmother and/or the Raven Queen have to say now that Orym seems to be dual-wielding gods (the Wildmother blessed his sword, and he’s now marked his shield with the Raven Queen’s holy water).

I want to see if Vex (Pelor’s champion), Pike (Sarenrae’s champion), and Scanlan (Ioun’s champion) have gotten any kind of visions from their respective gods about what they’re expected to do. The same goes for Yasha (the Stormlord’s champion), Jester (the Traveller’s ‘high priestess’), Fjord (paladin of the Wildmother), and Caduceus (cleric of the Wildmother). If the gods are truly rallying the faithful, what have THEY seen/heard/been told?

I want to see if (now that Delilah is once again making a possible return) she is going to pull another Grand Theft Me and take over Laudna SOLELY to screw over Ludinus at the WORST possible moment for him because of her being turfed out of the Cerberus Assembly all those years ago.

AND I WANT TO SEE THIS CAMPAIGN TAKE A HARD LEFT TURN INTO SPELLJAMMER.

[pink-ivy-vines]

Then I am so sorry once more because i have an answer for whether they've tried to circumvent all of this in the past: which is, yes. Somewhat. So far the only goddess we know of that has reached out to people who do not follow them or doesn't have a connection through other followers (like Caduceus to Fjord in regards to the Wildmother) is Sarenrae. We know that Sarenrae gave Wilhand Trickfoot dreams and visions that helped him separate from the Trickfoot family and eventually led to Pike also worshiping her.

She is the only goddess we know to have done this, as all the others had something else that paved the way (Vax and the sunken tomb for the Raven Queen, Artagan's relationship with Jester is weird since he's not actually a god, Kord freeing Yasha when she came to his shrine, etc.)

Sarenrae is also the only deity in the entire pantheon that has no organized worship. Her temples, followers, holy days, etc. were all wiped out by Asmodeus and then left to rot by Vasselheim. The first major temple to Sarenrae has only been rediscovered and rebuilt recently under the guidance of Pike.

Because of that, she is the only god in the pantheon that cannot rely on helping people or gaining new followers through these large sects of worship so she's a bit more hands on. Also, Sarenrae is considered a 'lesser' prime deity. It's very possible that her lower status allows her to do things other gods cannot.

Since all the other gods have ways to connect to new followers (since most every city has a temple to the Dawnfather you can imagine he's quite spoiled for choice) it's possible that the Prime Deities grew lazy over the years, expecting people to come to them rather than being forced to find followers like Sarenrae.

the assumption that Imogen (and previously Ashton) never recieved any assistance from the gods because they didn't pray "correctly" is interesting to me. is there some specific procedure and formatting guide for acceptable prayer in Exandria? if you don't do it right is it like texting the wrong number and the Gods just don't get the message? or are they just putting cries for help that don't follow their formatting and content guidelines at the bottom of the pile lmao

[demigoddessqueens]

Hi, How would Vox Machina react to a S/O who they think is a Cleric of the Everlight like Pike. And they're admittedly a lot more powerful than Pike. But they find out later that their S/O is actually the Demigod child of Sarenrae, or the Everlight

I love this idea!! Completely creative and I’ve already thought of so many things this reminds me of.

SPOILERS: I’m going to be throwing in spoilers from the campaign here and there, especially for the relationships

You were the child of The Everlight and a human, made in her likeness and with her heart as well.

Dark tanned sun-missed skin with the golden tattoos of your mother’s allegiance. Is your hair red? Blonde? No matter as your locks shine as bright as Pelor

Your magic is as strong as hers, a phoenix form a beacon of hope and strength to others. A fiery fighter but warm fire that appreciates the domesticity and softer times.

You were her dutiful child, but yet you were allowed your freedoms too. Traveling far and wide, helping her following post-Calamity, and given her influence across the pantheons, you’re allowed that range as well. Taking friends, lovers, which is why you’re so drawn to the traveling Campaigns too

You didn’t know or meet many other demigods, as you are a rarity in of itself, but you grow close to the clerics and other disciples of the other gods. Especially Lieve’tel

Your mother informs you of a group who has one her most loyal disciples, and you are to help see them through.

First things first though: you’re committing elder abuse against Vecna and Orthax, going like “hey Vecna, Orthax look at me!…bitch😒😑”

Percy - knew of demons and thinks his time is near since you are part of the group, but he is wrong; you admire that even when he’s felt revenge, he still tries to do what’s right; able to cast out Orthax faster than anticipated; when he goes to the afterlife after being shot by Ripley, your dynamic with him shifts, letting him know that he’s worthy of love and your bond only grows; after all, you’re a demigod of atonement and he deserves all the second chances there are; you freely have his heart; he had his head in your lap one early morning as the sun rose and heard you whisper, “be at his side, Pelor. Always”

Vax’ildan - Wonder Woman/Steve Trevor meets Jack Dawson/Rose; trusts Pike when it comes to you and is naturally curious; your skills, your history, your lineage, all of it he wants to know; you’ve saved him and healed him more than he bashfully likes to admit, but he appreciates the gentle care from you; when it comes to saving his sister, The Matron and Vecna, he realizes his love for you; “I don’t want to be alone tonight”; reassure him, be with him; he tells you and Pike one night that if the arrangement can ever be altered he wants to go with you. He wants to stay With you. You held him one night and he heard a faint “when the time comes, be by my side, Mother.” After Vecna is defeated, both the Queen and your Mother arrive; it’s a dreading moment for him but ultimately as a god’s child, your words have become true. Your rogue will stay and he will be by your side, able to be with those he loves

Scanlan - does try to be on his best behavior but still lets his crude rumor slip through. Not to worry, you’ve heard them all and were there when they were invented. He asks about your abilities, curious about them and if they ever help with bard magic 👀 just asking for a friend. He amuses you, and when you genuinely admire his music and time laughing with him, you giggle at that blush he fails to hide. There was one time when you composed a hymn for him, ones that you’ve heard others pray to keep their loved ones safe, and he is deeply touched by your implications

Pike - she’s in shock but also amazed that Everlight is tied to this; at first she may feel a bit unworthy, but you reassure her that you admire them and her. Especially her. When she thinks her relationship and way with Everlight is fractured, you comfort the gnome; “Pike, I never left.”; whenever you and the group travel along the road, you’ll find your mother’s temples across the land and pay for a visit; “Hello, Mother. Seems as if our work still continues”

Grog - wide-eyed surprise at who you are and asks Pike and you so many questions about what you can do. That scene from Primal where Mira worships the moon? That’s how he finds you one morning with the sun. You freely welcome his questions and curiosities, while praising his bravery and strength in battle. That earns you a tight hug and cheek smooch. Though he was a bit jealous with your close relationship with Pike, he appreciates that she has someone who can make her happy and helps her with her divine duties

Keyleth - has not met many gods but thinks she’s to be judged, which you let her know, she is not. You know of her people, admire their culture and as you’ve gotten to know her, you want her to succeed as well. In battle, enemies have seen a Minxie form charging with a large screeching phoenix on its shoulders. Everything she’s learned from before to what’s ahead increases tenfold during her journey to leadership and you put her heart to rest by letting her know that you still sense her mother. You’re there to help her anyway you can: turning Sylas to ash double-time and when she takes a hit for Vex, instant healing as soon as you catch her. Plus, the immorality gives you all the years you want with her

Vex’ahlia - does appreciate your sense of being down to earth and is a bit grateful that there is one as divine who stays on their side; yet, when things get tough and she questions everything about being the ones at the behest of gods you let her rant freely and hold her if she ever cries out in frustration; enchant her arrows to never miss and seeing how close she and her brother are, she appreciates you looking out for him too; The Grey Hunt is an assured success with the arrows you and Percy give her, and Vecna interfering in her and Vax’s life are kept at bay as you beseech your mother to heal them. The added bonus is also Trinket’s enchanted armor for protection and added longevity just for a few more years of happiness

Honestly no one messes with you all and doesn’t give Vox Machina a hard time with stuff, especially with you in the back staring down like “don’t be f’ing rude to them 😡😘”

[rightpastnowhere]

part two of @essayofthoughts’s headcanon requests because i am insane and have too many thoughts

pike trickfoot

sexuality headcanon: definitely not straight. she was a sailor. so, probably bi or pan? idk, she didn’t have a lot of in-campaign time to show her preferences and whatnot. clinging to that “what do you think i do while you guys are gone?” line about brothels because that’s fucking hilarious and i love her

favorite ship(s): i really like pikelan!! completely honestly!!! i think it’s cute and funny and they’re… such fucking idiots. omg. i also think it’s hilarious that ashley and sam turned them into a modern-day celebrity couple with that post-canon divorce. legendary. also oddly a fan of pike/percy/vex, because unrequited pining makes me sad but i can’t abandon perc’ahlia, SO. they all hold hands. plus i think pike and vex are cute together, and those three are my faves, so

brotp: pike and grog’s relationship makes me so emotional…. they’re found siblings and they look out for each other…… they’re monstahs…….. i love them. grog is always making sure pike’s okay, and sticking up for her, and pike is grog’s biggest protector. she defends him and gets riled up when people call him stupid - always thinking about her in the search for grog, where she says grog’s mind is beautiful. i lost my mind. i love them so much

notp: pike and grog, because!! they’re siblings!! best buddies!!!! not a drop of romantic attraction between them

happy headcanon: pike sings so many sea shanties, even the baudy ones - especially the baudy ones - and it’s not just because it makes everyone else smile and laugh. that’s a bonus, obviously, but mostly she sings them because they make her happy. these are her thing, they remind her of her times as a sailor, where she felt free. the time where she discovering herself, and it felt like every branch of possibility was open before her. they let her cut loose, her anxieties slipping from her shoulders like the rolling waves. i think she also genuinely likes singing in celestial, not only because it helps her feel connected to sarenrae, but because it’s just.... pretty. it’s a pretty language in a world that isn’t always so pretty

angsty headcanon: she feels a lot of guilt over vax’s death. maybe if she’d been in the tomb with them, she could have brought vex back without the group hesitating to trust kash’s unknown god. she doesn’t know what she would have done, but knows she could have done something. she feels like that over most of the deaths in the VM - she wonders just how much sufferering they all endured in the moments where she couldn’t be standing right next to them

random headcanon: i think for a bit post-canon, after she and scanlan have split and VM doesn’t go adventuring anymore (percy and grog have gotten too old, and keyleth given more responsibilities), she travels as a wandering cleric for a while. she has a lingering wanderlust from her time as a sailor years ago, and regrets that she couldn’t go on as adventures with vox machina in the height of it all. she simply wanders, jumping from group to group, seeing the parts of tal’dorei she never got to. it’s bittersweet for her, because it’s never going to be the same no matter who she travels with, and she’s never going to get that time back - but she’s grateful for the people she meets, and grateful for the chance to indulge in this other aspect of herself

general opinion: UNDERRATED FAVE!! i didn’t realize just how much i love her until i was asked to list my fave VM characters in order, and she was easily right below vex and percy, if not on par with percy. she’s just so much fun, and she’s such a complex character!! she often gets mischaracterized as just the angelic mom friend of the group, and while she’s certainly sweet and certainly the mom, she’s also loud and cheeky and buff as hell!! she jokes around!!! she threatens literal gods if they even risk hurting her friends!! she’s such a badass and amazing character, one full of contradictions that i want to study so badly. i love her so much. pike trickfoot you will always be famous

[acre-of-wheat]

I've been watching The Legend of Vox Machina, and overall I like/understand the plot and character changes, but I am a little mystified by Pike's arc.

We know that in the original, Pike's relationship with her goddess was a little flattened. Every time she appeared, players and npcs would make a big deal of her holiness, but when outright questioned about her faith, Pike said she wasn't really sure she had it. This is reflected in the new show with her discomfort with giving blessings, and how she seems unsure whether Sarenrae will even show up for her when she casts.

I was excited to see this more hesitant relationship explored in the show, but then they did something that seemed to undercut it.

When Delilah casts an attack spell on Pike, it goes through her holy symbol and cracks it. But we know in the original canon, Pike slit the throat of a sleeping enemy and the crack appeared as a way to show Sarenrae's displeasure.

If the new show wanted to explore Pike's tumultuous relationship with her faith, why would it rewrite the most obvious sign of that-- the cracked symbol-- by making it not about a failure to live up to her goddess's standards, but instead make it the effects of a spell that are completely out of her control?

Pike's attitude and morality pingpong throughout the campaign, and I always wished there'd been more time to explore how others saw this holy woman, versus how she saw herself, and I'm a bit bummed we missed that opportunity here!

[romeoandjulietyouwish]

I know you mentioned wanting to involve grog and the gnomes in the aus more, so how does their relationships with percy change due to the age change? I know a shoulder mount for the much larger bad news was mentioned for grog*, and that he tends manhandle (/lh) percy a lot more, but what about pike and scanlan?

*what if instead of getting the great weapon fighting style when he takes his first fighter level, he takes interception so that he can better protect percy when he's using the mount?

yeah!

So I think that Scanlan (after meeting Kaylie) tries to practice parenting on Percy. Which does not go well because Percy has not had a parent in five years and Scanlan has never been a parent so it leads to Percy just fucking being pissed at Scanlan for telling him to eat dinner or go to bed. Eventually, Percy snaps and tells Scanlan that he doesn't want a dad, he just wants someone to be his friend and not treat him like a child. Their relationship is a lot better afterwards.

Pike talks to Sarenrae about him a lot, asking for guidance about helping him. She tries to make sure that he feels involved in the group, not left out because of his age. She treats him like a friend, which she is, and not like a child which makes him like her immediately.

[captainsspnanon]

C2E62 - Domestic Respite - reaction

The things people don’t say about hyperfocusing is that it’s really fucking annoying when you are only interested in the one thing despite having other things you want to do.  I have been hyperfocused on a youtube channel for like, two or three weeks, and each time I’m like ‘hey I’d like to watch this other thing’ and my brain is just like NOPE THIS ONE CHANNEL ONLY.  Last night (future me note: last night being like almost three weeks ago lol) it finally broke (woohoo!) so back to the mighty nein!

(also I did end up buying the Nine Eyes of Lucien, so we’ll see how I like that.  And reunion special coming soon!!!! *intense vibrating*)

…...why do they all look super sexy this episode what the fuck

also top table blurry again :(  at least it’s not AS noticeable when they go to the stacked shot

though I’m also distracted because it looks like Matt’s wearing foundation?  That maybe doesn’t match his skin tone?  Not actually sure if this was a screen test experiment that just didn’t work, or if they’ve been doing it for ages and for whatever reason it’s just more noticeable this episode.

Sam’s bit starts with the dndbeyond bundle, and as someone who has looked at the prices of those, HOLY FUCK that’s a lot.  I was contemplating it once I started playing until I actually saw the price and said FUCK THAT.  The legendary bundle?  IT’S OVER 900!! /meme   sourcebook bundle is over 400, and it’s just like…..nope.  To be fair, prices make a bit more sense when you consider that a lot of the people who would buy it all would slowly accumulate it over time which makes the impact less, but if you’re like me and joined late, hell no.  I will save my cash for dice.

First – watching them slowly plan out the layout of the house warms my heart so much, it really makes me wish we could have seen Vox Machina planning out the keep.  Second – despite having only watched an episode of this a few weeks ago, I’m astonished how much I’ve MISSED these voices!  I’m genuinely loving C3, it’s my second favorite out of the three, but the Nein just means SO much to me.  I swear, I’m going to be so emotional with the reunion special!  Though I’m going to be very sad to be missing Caduceus T.T

The Xhorhaus isn’t the Xhorhouse until the tree has been planted.  *giant dopey grin* I love this so so so so much.  Soon the hot tub and the mural and life will be good.

Holy fuck Liam that creaking sound!!!  Sometimes these voice actors smack you across the face and remind you that they’re professionals.

Caduceus putting in micro-shrines for everybody MY HEART.  Also, is C2 the campaign with the most PCs with deific relations?  Fjord and the Wildmother, Caduceus and the Wildmother, Jester and the Traveler, Yasha and the Storm Lord, and then Caleb and Beau have respect for a deity without it being worship (the Archheart and the Knowing Mistress respectively), so only Nott without a connection.  Even Molly had a connection to the Moonweaver, unknown if it would have become more prominent than the few offhand mentions we originally got.  C1 had Pike and Sarenrae, Vax and the Raven Queen, and then Vex and Scanlan got ‘championships’ of Pelor and Ioun respectively, but I honestly consider that to be tangential considering how much it felt like last minute powerups versus any type of actual worship.  Keyleth has the staff of Melora but not any even tangential relationship there, and Percy was also solidly non-god.  Tary we never really got into the details of.  I don’t know how much I’d count Grog with whatever-the-actual-name-of-the-Stormlord-is-I-forget, he enjoyed the fighting, but I don’t know if there was ever any worship or godly respect there aside from fighting?  I’d have to wait til the rewatch.  Kord?  I think Kord. C3 seems to be getting into deific stuff now, but still less than the others.  Huh.  You know, I never would have thought of C2 being the ‘religious’ campaign.  To me, it feels more like VM would have been the worshippers, but it’s really not.  I don’t have analysis for this at the moment, this is something I have to chew over for a while.  (and also, there is a distinct possibility that I’ve come to this exact realization earlier in my rewatch and then completely forgot it.)

THE MURAL!!!!!! also, I just rewatched this bit again but only focusing on Travis’s face.  I miss so much by focusing only on the people RPing!   This is why, despite some of the nonsense I see, I do love following the fanbase on tumblr.  Because other people notice this shit and gif it so I can see it later.

Fast travel activated!  I’m glad that even with the options that they get, there’s still a lot of slow travel in C2.  C1 was so much fast travel all the time (wind walk and transport via plants), and C3 it feels like the travel is skipped over so much.  I love love love the slow travel.  Looking forwards to Eiselcross and its slow travel now.

I love Fjord so much.  Travis plays the dry wit SO well!

(for those watching C3 live right now, who else agrees that they need a decompression episode like this right now?  They need to breathe!)

Huh, head of the Gold Chain Mercenaries vanished into Darktown 10 years before the campaign began.  One shot NPC?  Honestly doubt it, but would be thrilled if that ended up being a bit of an easter egg.

One thing I adore about the Fjord and Jester RP scenes is that there’s this level of uncomfortableness to them from Fjord, a case of being unwilling to open up fully, even as he trusts Jester to a significant extent.  If I recall correctly, these RP moments get more and more open and honest as the campaign goes on and as Fjord slowly continues to shed his hesitation and bravado.

LOL at Liam being like “I have a bunch of RP stored up, gonna grab a few!”  I forgot about this letter conversation though.  Once again, fuck you Liam and your RP ripping out my heart. Talk about minute facial expressions and mannerisms to tell a whole fucking story.  I’m entitled to financial compensation for the distress he puts me through.

Calianna’s package!  I wonder how long it’s been sitting there.  I’ll be honest, the only gift of hers that I remember is the wand, and it’s because Caleb uses it for the tower.

I know Liam really likes to emphasize that Caleb was in a poly relationship with Astrid AND Eadwulf, but when he says things like Astrid was ‘the one’, I’m not surprised that people focused on that aspect and pushed away the Eadwulf part.   I’m actually trying to remember, at this point in time, I think it’s very reasonable to only think that he was in a relationship with Astrid.  She’s been brought up several times (best dancer, the letter, this comment) whereas Eadwulf has only been brought up in the initial story.  In fact, I’m wondering if the Eadwulf ‘reveal’ (which wasn’t even that much) was only when Caleb saw him guarding the beacon and asked Matt if his arms were still as sexy as he remembered (paraphrased).

HOW DID I MISS SAM’S REACTION WHEN CALEB DENIED BEING IN LOVE WITH NOTT!  These goofballs.

I do see why people may get irritated with Liam for his big RP stuff.  After all, here he’s doing three scenes back to back to back.  I get it, but at the same time, I also get Liam’s point of view.  How long has he been trying to have these conversations but there hasn’t been time for it.  They’re in two weeks of downtime now, but since it’s not played out in real time, he’s got to make sure to get the RP in before the group goes down a rabbit hole of another thread.  I honestly can’t say how I feel.  I really enjoy all the scenes, but I also feel for the other players.  It’s not super fun to just sit and spectate for a chunk of time!  With these three conversations, I most feel like the Beau and Caleb conversation could have been skipped, but you never now how things are going to turn out in the moment.  Hmmm.  Looking at the timestamps.  For those two scenes, it was still only 13 minutes, which actually isn’t bad.  The Caleb and Fjord (of which the other players interject a section before it happens) is under 10 minutes.  Okay, that’s actually not bad at all.

Not only that, but they’re all really respectful of each other and the time.  Laura interjects at a break in the scene, and Liam immediately gives a thumbs up to Matt and/or the table, indicating that he’s fully cool with sitting back and waiting before he hits his next point.  I recently saw a few clips from the second episode of VM, and oh boy things were so so SO much worse then.  So much talking over each other CONSTANTLY.  I know part of it was just them improving the show quality, but also I feel a lot of it was also them respecting it as a performance just for themselves.

Nott crafting things!!!  While Taliesin was always close to the chest with WHAT Percy was creating, I did enjoy having the PCs that actually made stuff.  And Matt being adorable and having Yeza and Veth act as partners instead of lead and assistant (which makes super sense).  We got some good crafting stuff from Nott, though I always could go for more.

Oh Yasha and your bracers.  Do they EVER get picked up after being enchanted??? …episode 91.  We’re in episode 62.  Okay (okay okay), she gets mind controlled.  That’s episodes 70 through 85.  (well, 86 and 87 as well I think?  Ashley is back as of 86, but that’s the fight where the mind control is broken, and then the Obann fight I THINK goes into 87 as well?)  And the bracers were still being enchanted during the first stretch.  SO.   Actually, that’s not that bad, is it?  That’s only like 3 or 4 episodes of her being back before she picks up the bracers.  Looking at the timeline, it’s maybe 6 in game days from when she is returned to her normal mental state? That’s actually super reasonable!!!  I guess it just feels so long because 29 episodes is over 6 months of actual play time.

3,000 gold and 10 weeks.  Hmmm, Beau’s were only 1200, I wonder if it’s a Rosohna markup?  Or maybe Beau’s are only plus one whereas Yasha’s are plus two?  Nope, they’re the same.  Huh.  One of the mysteries I’ll never know.  ALSO, I re-discovered that while Yasha picks up the bracers in 91, Ashley doesn’t have her swap them out until 110, so THAT explains that.  That’s 23 episodes from her being back to putting them on, nearly half a year AGAIN.  So almost a full YEAR between her purchasing them and using them.

LOL at Travis “no you need the defense.  I know, almost as if I was there and it was happening to me”

Also, considering my little spiel up there in regards to Liam and his RP?  I take most of it back, this was broken up very well with everyone being respectful. Any complaints of Liam this episode are invalid.  *slams gavel*

CALEB AND ESSEK CALEB AND ESSEK THE 12 PERSUASION AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

*cough* Look I’m not immune to Shadowgast, okay???  Anyhow, many many people have written about this moment, far better that I could even try.  My impressions are very muddled though.  I am not smart enough to keep up with the 20+ INT wizards and their layers and layers of subterfuge and veiled statements and hidden context and fear and enticement and strategy.  I’m akin to Jester, an open gasp when Essek even invites the idea of starting to teach Caleb.  Regardless, I love every second of it.  (I’m a fan of the honeypot4honeypot theory, even if it doesn’t meet actuality.)

(subtitles have Caleb saying “do come in”, but I think it’s actually “willkommen”)

(also I LOVE how everyone gets so stoked with Essek teaching Caleb magic.  Even though it’s technically only a bit moment for Caleb/Liam, it feels like a bit moment for everyone)

Oh man this conversation between Fjord and Caleb.  I truly wonder if Fjord would ever have come to Caleb if he hadn’t had his powers stripped away and been left defenseless.  Was it just a deflection?  Was it something that he was intending in the moment but then later changed his mind?  Was there just no time for it before his whole thing happened?

WAIT WHAT IS THIS PERCEPTION CHECK THAT FJORD FAILS AAAAAAAAAAAA

We’ve had hints, but this is the first real descent into Sprinkle’s memedom.  The entire thing just went SO BADLY, it’s PERFECT.  Everyone at the table just absolutely DYING as Laura keeps rolling bad and worse and it’s such a glorious disaster.

…….Fjord just called Professor Thaddeus a shithead.   …..PROBABLY NOTHING PROBABLY NOTHING

Whoops it’s now been over a week since I touched this episode again.  Will I finish it before the first episode of the M9 reunited?  WHO KNOWS (probably not).  Brain went and fucked me again.  It’s been a time.

Back almost a week after that week comment.  The first of the two parter airs tomorrow, I’M FINISHING THIS BITCH TODAY.

It’s funny, I’m honestly not sure if it was Fjord or Travis resisting using the flirting angle, but then he just goes whole hog into it and it’s amazing.  I don’t think I’d heard a clip of Travis singing before this, so I thought he couldn’t for a while.  I know better now XD

Thinking on it, I cannot recall if Grog flirted more than like one or two times in the entire C1.  I remember a goliath drummer when Tary was there, I think?  Fjord certainly used the tactic more (Avantika and Maruo), but Travis is such a good RPer that while I THINK it may have been him slowly getting more comfortable with it by leaning into the absurdity, it could just actually be how he’s playing Fjord and Travis had no reluctance at all (at least for the Fjord/NPC stuff. We know from Talks he was highly reluctant for the PC/PC stuff). ...insert relevant C3 comment here.

Sorry not sorry but the fact that Maruo’s name is spelled Maruo and not Mauro drives me nuts.  NUTS.

Somehow it seems really fitting that Nott can’t pick the lock but CAN blindly cast mage hand to flip the latch.  I’ve mentioned this before, but Sam for a lot of the campaign never really felt to me like he was super interested in rogue.  Based off of the subclass and seeing C1, it made a good argument that he enjoys playing a support caster a LOT. While Nott certainly swiped a lot of things early on the campaign, she really did reduce her stealing pretty dramatically, rarely remembered to search for traps, and frequently got prodded to scout ahead or to pick locks.  I don’t want to call her a bad rogue because she certainly isn’t, but it’s a very interesting take on a non-standard way of playing one.  It works incredibly well with her character and the choices that Sam ends up making throughout.  He mentioned early on in a Talks that he hadn’t planned her subclass, had been considering Thief, but ended up going Arcane Trickster based off of the RP he had with Liam.  It’s very hard for me to picture Nott as a Thief Rogue, one of those curious What Ifs that will never be explored.  (looking at the features on dndbeyond right now, I REALLY can’t picture it.  I’m sure Sam would have played it well, but these don’t feel like they would lend to Nott at all.  The only thing I can think of off the top of my head would have been using Fast Hands as a bonus action when fighting the Iron Shepherds the first time, which would have let Nott attack and then try to lock pick, possibly helping to keep Molly alive?)

LOL they only got the residuum and suude because they weren’t sure what they should be doing and so were like ‘yeah we’ll just pry some random shit open’.  Also, first time watching I 100% missed Matt saying it was spices and them whispering it was suude.  I get the reference now XD

Huh, I forgot that Caleb/Liam pushed to have the Xhorhouse called the MT House for Molly.  Sorry dude, Xhorhouse is a million times better, and I’m pretty sure the MT House / MT Spa literally never comes up again XD

MAP!!!! MAP MAP MAP MAP MAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Matt did a pretty good Shakaste.  He couldn’t nail the exactness of how Khary spoke, but he captured a lot of the personality.  Ended up being a little ‘sexier’, but that’s probably just how they took in Khary’s performance XD

One – the fact that Caleb had to roll a history check and didn’t know what a Scourger was seemed bullshit, but Matt explained it nicely by clarifying that Caleb knew the term Volstrucker and didn’t initially piece the two together.  Two – ‘royal assassins’.  So this is something known by the crown.  In the fan base (and I feel like by the end of the campaign as well?) it’s more understood almost to be Trent’s private army.  I’ll have to pay attention and see if this is just fan interpretation forgetting things, or if this was genuinely altered during the campaign.  It certainly adds a new level of complexity to the story...though perhaps it’s only Trent’s METHODS that are what gets him tossed under the bus, not the existence of Scourgers themselves.

Holy shit I’m checking out the wiki and it talks about how Volstrucker can send messages to each other through sending letters through the fire and I TOTALLY thought that was just an invention in one fan fic that I read!!  Also, looks like they report directly to Trent – not stated necessarily in the campaign but confirmed in the EGtW.

Once again, I forgot how hard Caleb was pushing to essentially be a double/triple agent. It doesn’t happen, but he typically went there first when thinking about strategy and plans for moving forwards.  Once again, props to Liam for how deep he leans into the RP of his characters, holy shit. Layers upon layers upon layers….and he always jokes that he’s dumb.

“Real question, do you care about the Empire?  No judgement.”  “I didn’t think I did.” FUCKING STAB ME THROUGH THE HEART MARISHA RAY FUCK YOU I love beau so much it’s not even funny

Ending the episode on the Brjeaus being emotional and supportive, and then Matt and Marisha being adorable about her birthday.  GOOD EPISODE.

[vethbrenatto]

Ooohhhhh, could you do Pike and/or Ashton?

i just answered ashton, so i'm gonna do pike!

First impression: oh my god! a ball of sunshine! she's going to heal the word. praise sarenrae. i wish ashley could be at the table more because this character is So Cute.

Impression now: she is the love of my life. she's an angel. she's a badass. she could kick my ass and i'd say thank you. she sleeps naked with the gauntlets of ogre power on and i think about it every single day.

Favorite moment: god there's soooo many. every threat pike made. threatening the raven queen if she hurts vax. threatening the trickfoots "if i EVER see you again, i will FUCKING kill you. :)" (there is a curse on this family. it's called diabetes.) "remember that letter you said not to open until you died? i read it immediately." the swirley whirley knot.

Idea for a story: pike babysits the quarter elves. has a breakdown because of the discrepancies between the gnome kids and the quarter elves. don't have the specifics but basically im thinking about that one post of the RDJ vs Chris Hemsworth parenting style with percy and grog drawn in, completely that vibe. OR wait, actually pike parenting in that reckless style when she babysits the quarter elves and percy having a breakdown in reaction

Unpopular opinion: aside from maybe jester & artagan, which was really unique, pike's relationship with sarenrae is my favorite pc/divinity relationship in critical role. i think on paper pike can be much less interesting than she really is- like oh, a cleric who's very devoted her divinity, spreading that gospel everywhere she goes and she is good and kind. but obviously she's much deeper than that and she is played so well and also so surprisingly comedically by ashley johnson that i really think she's a transcendent character. i'm always a huge proponent of the fact that the best characters and stories can be the most simple and seemingly straightforward, so long as they're really well done.

Favorite relationship: ugh. tie between pikelan and pike and grog. if i had to choose, probably pikelan because im a slut for them (yeah maybe i have the pikelan funkos and some pikelan fanart decorating my apartment! and what about it!)

Favorite headcanon: okay i usually hate the "one of the ship is an early riser and the other sleeps in" headcanon trope because i think people willfully misuse it and i fundamentally disagree with their choices but im giving myself a pass because im right always. anyway pike is obviously an early riser and thinks nothing of waking up scanlan who likes to sleep in. she is unapologetic about it. he cannot deny her. also pike uses her sailor lingo in everyday life. as an addendum to that she curses like a sailor.