#but where was orym?

[washed-up-wurmcoil]

I swear to god, they need to get somebody capable of staying on mission to the crit role table. It's so painful watching them debate and ultimately decide to contact a woman who has done nothing to warrant any trust whatsoever when their entire mission is to find ruidian allies and doing so straight up fucks over those very people. Like nobody even brought it up after opening remarks.

[shorthaltsjester]

watching the sdcc panel and i am just very :) about how sweet their answers to “what are some of the micro moments from the game that have stuck with you the most over the years?” are. taliesin saying what the fuck is up with that which was the first like The Party Gets To Know Each Other moments of c3. travis saying asking his wife if he could kiss her in campaign. marisha going way back to the cannonball competition in campaign one. ashley choosing the beauyasha date but also just the silly goat noise matt made. liam adding onto that to compliment matt roleplaying grass so well and then saying his favourite moment was writing a story for laura and reading it to her as caleb for jester. and then matt saying that was his answer, and that his favourite moments of the game are when they find ways to give gifts to each other whether tangible or not. and sam saying his favourite moments have less to do with the story and is more so when he can just. see his friends across the table from him. when marisha perches and when laura and ashley are (badly) drawing dicks and liam saying he loves when sam sneezes and ashley tells him to stop it and just. yeah. they Are an extremely popular online powerhouse, but i’m so happy that they’re also friends building a world together out of gifts to and love for one another.

like i Am so enamoured with the characters and the world of exandria but the moments when you can feel the love that those people have for each other reach out from behind the stained glass of their performances (to steal a metaphor from brennan lee mulligan) are so extremely special and i am endlessly grateful that they decided to share their silly little home game with the world.

[stormbros]

I love every time we get proof that Dorian's discomfort with people touching him does NOT apply to Orym

[screechingfromthevoid]

AND ANOTHER THING

Dorian has always been super specific about his love for Orym.

In the threat scene Dorian says "I care about you more than this" which, I thought before I rewatched the scene, I was misremembering. I thought he really said "I care about you all more than this", making it about the collective, not wanting to leave the group. But no. He said he cared about Orym more than he cared about the crown.

Another thing I thought I misremembered was "no debts between us". For whatever reason I thought Dorian said "no debts between friends" but no. He was very specific with his words and inflections. "There are no debts between us"

"my heart aches that I cannot be there to help you" "sending you fairer winds" "I just like to see you happy" "you're the reason I'm here" "let me comfort you for once."

It has always been about Orym. It has been. It always will be.

[rann-poisoncage]

Am i the only one who noticed orym while this discussion happened XD ??

[annemarieyeretzian]

essek seth telling bell’s hells “hold your breath.” prompting this cute little dorym moment where both dorian and orym immediately comply and look over at each other

[milquetoad]

can someone check on taliesin jaffe please. this is two campaigns now that he’s built a pc specifically designed to seduce liam o’brien and both times he’s gotten cucked by a cool-toned trust fund baby that wasn’t even in the main party

[luddlestons]

anyone else think another feywild vacation would fix them?

companion to my polynein art, we're trying it not cropped this time bc there's no dicks.

[arabella-strange]

One more for the endless post-it note mosaic of the Dorym breakthrough:

Dorian says pretty early in his confession, “And if it were up to me, there would be no responsibilities—”

And Orym broke. The palpable relief in his deep sigh there, his posture just folding on itself like the literal weight being lifted off his shoulders. And the ratcheting tension of these two finally speaking about their feelings suddenly deflated in the best way—became not so daunting or so scary, because, chuckle, sigh, “Wouldn’t that be something.” “Wouldn’t it.”

Just the depth of care in speaking to the perennial leader, perennial defender, perennial shield at the front of the party—telling that guy that the fantasy is nothing more than being free to live and love at peace? It’s to stop having to be brave because the world has finally let you live for you?

Fucking off the charts, 100/10, a gift and definition of love

[gobliiine]

Making this the thumbnail is so unhinged. Orym in a sense as the force that is going to bring these two groups of people together. Orym reaching out to Dorian with such fervor and pain, begging him, begging the universe to bring him back because he needs Dorian’s comfort so badly that narratively we have no choice but to turn toward the crown keepers and watch their journey (hopefully) back to him.

I’m unwell

[dol--blathanna]

Thinking a lot about Orym choosing a rabbit when asked what animal he would pick if cursed with lycanthropy.

Because, it makes sense. Orym is small, quick, agile, jumps well, and is highly perceptive. That definitely evokes rabbit imagery. But a lot of Orym’s identity is also tied up with being a protector – giving people AC bumps, the shield being as much a part of his fighting style as his sword, even his title: Saviour Blade of the Tempest. He wants to be a “Shield that protects Exandria”; his priorities about saving the gods are less about the gods themselves, and more about protecting the people of Exandria from the unintended consequences and bloodshed of releasing Predathos. And it would’ve been very easy to pick a large, strong predator to try and evoke the sense of a protector – a wolf, for example, an animal associated with loyalty and protecting its pack. Yet Orym chose a rabbit.

And I think that’s interesting, because rabbits are often seen as ‘cute’ animals – but they’re also a prey animal. In fact, they’re a common food source for many animals across several ecosystems: foxes, wolves, wild cats, dogs, birds of prey like eagles or owls, coyotes, stoats, and humans (and that’s just off the top of my head). Rabbits are skittish, easily frightened; to be rabbit-hearted is to be timid or cowardly. They are not generally associated with fierceness or prowess in fighting. Mice and rats are prey animals too, but typically seen as vermin (rabbits are sometimes seen as vermin too, but a farmer could eat a rabbit – they wouldn’t eat a rat). Deer are prey, but they have hooves and antlers that bring a danger to hunting them, for any animal – the difficulties of hunting rabbits are more related to their evasiveness, speed and good hearing than any life-threatening danger they might pose. Rabbits are, first and foremost, prey animals. They are killed and eaten, so that another animal might live.

Which made me think a lot about one of Orym’s other key traits: self-sacrifice. Bait and switch doesn’t just bump up his ally’s ACs, it specifically switches their place to put him directly in harm’s way. Goading attack is meant to encourage enemies to attack him instead of his friends. He literally made a deal with a hag, essentially exchanging his own life for power to protect his friends. How many times has he gone down in a fight? He’s not the only tank – but unlike Ashton (and Chetney, who also uses ‘self-sacrifice’ in his fighting style with his blood curses) he has no abilities to reduce the damage from the hits he takes (barbarian rage and the werewolf form).

(Side note: I think it’s pretty interesting that Chetney, the wolf, has attacked Orym, the rabbit, more than anyone else when losing control. That Orym’s facial scar was given to him by a friend, not a foe).

Of course, Orym isn’t the only character with self-sacrificial tendencies (FCG wins by a landslide), but I just can’t stop thinking about how weirdly perfect it is that he chose a rabbit for his animal. Rabbits are prey animals. They are eaten, so that other animals may live. Orym takes the hits, he goads and switches with his team mates to put himself in danger, he makes a deal with a hag at the cost of his own life. He’s a soldier, throwing his life away for a cause over and over again because Ludinus must be stopped, because Keyleth has put her trust in him, because it’s the only way to protect his friends, to protect everyone, because it’s the right thing to do. Orym is a rabbit. He’s always been a rabbit. That day in Zephrah, it could have easily been Orym who died instead of Will and Derrig – “unfortunate but necessary sacrifices”, as Ludinus viewed the attack. It’s unfortunate they had to die, but it was for the greater good, according to Ludinus. It’s unfortunate that a rabbit has to die, but it will feed a family of foxes, or stoats, or even a hungry human, so it’s acceptable, right?

Orym is a rabbit. He is giving himself to a greater cause that could very easily kill him – he already willingly signed his life away to Nana Morri. Because that’s what rabbits do. They die to feed others.

And the theme of being disposable is present across the entire group, not just in Orym – Bell’s Hells has been called a “party of NPCs” before. Aside from FCG’s death, I’d say Laudna perhaps fits this theme the best: she was literally murdered and hung from a tree simply because she looked similar to Vex, acting as a warning to adventurers she had never met before. But FCG’s death was – rightfully – viewed as a terrible tragedy by the group. Laudna’s decision to remove Delilah, finally freeing herself from her abuser and emphasising she is more, and deserves to be more, than just some disposable puppet – this was rightfully viewed as a very good thing! But Orym seems to be embracing this identity of self-sacrifice instead, rather than this mindset being properly challenged or acknowledged as a bad thing. After all, there’s no time. There’s too much at stake. Keyleth, Bell’s Hells, all the memories of those who have died in this fight, all the people who might die if Predathos is released and kickstarts a second Calamity – they’re all relying on him, right? A rabbit feeding so many animals with his sacrifice. And it’s not malicious compared to the way that, say, Delilah killing Laudna was an incredibly evil, fucked up and unnecessary thing to do. If Orym died to save everyone else, well, at least everyone else would be saved, right? Saving lives is good, isn't it? How could he complain?

Because rabbits are prey animals, and Orym is a rabbit too. Destined to die so that another animal may feed.

Except, that’s not true. Rabbits are more than just prey. They’re highly social, and thrive best living with others. They’re playful, they enjoy running around and kicking their legs just to show their enjoyment. They’re inquisitive and mischievous, even being associated with tricksters in some folklore and stories. They’re also associated with innocence, playfulness, spring, youth – all manner of things, depending on the story or culture. And they’re not helpless, either, even if they might be thought of as such. They can bite and scratch and draw blood quite easily if they want to! In fact, freezing up isn’t their only response when being attacked by a predator, they are known to fight back if cornered. They can sprint quickly, they have excellent hearing and senses of smell, they know how to evade predators.

Rabbits are prey, and they are also survivors. They have their own social dynamics, their own habits and dislikes and preferences. They are more than just a wolf’s meal. And Orym is more than a soldier, too. He’s more than a “necessary sacrifice”, he’s more than just a shield and sword. He deserves more than to die for a cause. He deserves a happy ending, just like everyone else. I hope he remembers that.

Orym is a rabbit. And the message isn’t that he shouldn’t be a rabbit. It’s that rabbits are worthy of surviving, too.

[amsayshi]

Orym silently watching Dorian while he "sleeps", Dorian facing away from Orym completely awake.

Boys, pls, a little late night comfort talky time won't hurt anyone. I'm going to need an angsty 'we're spiraling toward the end of the world so pls kiss me' moment ASAP.

Everything and nothing matters. Kiss and hug a little for fans.

I'm not even going to mention the Nanna Morri pact. I know it's there and I know it's going to be heartbreaking if they survive the Ludinus fight. Just let me have a brief moment of comfort/kisses before the inevitable sadness that ultimately comes with the territory of a Liam O'Brien character.

[somewhatsentientspellbook]

I want Imogen to go the absolute fuck OFF at Liliana the next time they meet. I want her to show her mother what Otohan did to Orym, to Fearne, to Laudna, to Chetney, and to FCG.

I want Liliana to grovel because Imogen has grieved more for relationships that have existed for a few months (a few years in Laudna's case) than she has for her own mother.

I want her to finally choose which side she's on.

And I want them to end it once and for all if she chooses wrong.

[stormbros]

I finally got beacon to refresh and rewatching the scene just made me want to applaud Robbie and Liam both. Ignoring the fact we watched Liam potentially set up the conversation earlier with Caleb, and watching Robbie continually try to initiate the scene (big group, it happens), just....the bittersweet conclusion to everything we've seen:

Dorian doesn't know what it is and maybe it's a phase but maybe it isn't and it's so strong so why not take the chance? And Orym knows what it is clearly and that is why he ignores it but upon accepting Will's words and finding comfort with Dorian he knows "[this is] fine"

Curling up in each other's arms, seeking comfort in one another because tomorrow could be their last day and they may not have a future but they have tomorrow and that's a good place to start

[screechingfromthevoid]

"You can hear the one creature that's currently harrying and fighting with Orym, and is going to just, right in front of you as well you hear" "I'm going to use my movement to go straight toward that... God, I just want to touch Orym." "You hear Orym in pain, like-" "I'm going to reach out for Orym... I'm going to try and cast Cure Wounds"

"Can you get here? Fuck, I miss you." "But the only thing that's in his heart's just three words. It's just: I'll be there."

"I saw Orym pop up to life, right, like out of nowhere...he's back down immediately. So my first instinct is just to sprint toward him."

"I'm going to take out everything I've had since ExU season one, which is everything but my 22 silver, and I'm going to give Orym 2,500 gold"

"but seeing as he just saved my life a day ago, it's probably more fitting to let you know that he'll be looking out for me."

"Let me take care of you for once."

You fools, you absolute walnuts, Dorian has been taking care of Orym this whole time

[greenteaandtattoos]

the sheer unfaithfulness of laudna's argument of, "i gave you a bruise, you gave me gashes" in trying to undermine orym's validity as if she wasn't the REASON he had attacked her, thinking she was an enemy because he couldn't SEE her after she cast darkness and she wouldn't SPEAK UP to assure him that it was her and she REFUSED to back down after he woke up and chose thievery and lashing out and risking his life AND his trust instead of COMMUNICATING, left me completely and utterly FLABBERGASTED at the AUDACITY