#c2e140

[vexahlias-bow]

NO WAY ESSEK JUST SAID “CALEB I NEED YOU” AND PULLED HIM FROM UNDER A BUILDING

[mareastrorum]

Fold Space was Lucien's end-game teleport ability.

HMMMMM....

[piratespencil]

Finally back to my c2 watch and I just finished ep 140 and I am reeling from the last like thirty minutes. Like I knew what was going to happen with Molly but I still went on that absolute rollercoaster of emotions... I can't imagine watching that bit live. The dice truly gave us such a gift with Molly's whole story like you couldn't script something this good.

[dirtyassvoiceactors]

WildBrothers/Teahaw/ Fjord and Caduceus Parallel

!!! SPOILERS FOR FJORDS ARC AND THE END OF CAMPAIGN 2!!!

Fjord c2e72 threatening Uk’otoa his Patron (on the same place the Wildmother choose him as her Paladin): “You need me more than i need you. Give it back”

Caduceus c2e140 asking the Wildmother for a Divine Intervention to bring back The M9s friend after they failed to revivify him even after “winning the fight”: “Whoever it was, just put it back. I think they’ve earned it. Put it back.”

The best part is actually is right before Cad did this (and fucking succeeded), is Fjord went to check on Essek cuz they all were frustrated it didn’t work, and how unfair it is,

Essek said “That can’t be it, can it?”

And Fjord absolute legend said: “I don’t know. But if you were to ask my wise friend, Caduceus, I’m sure he would tell you that life continues on. It changes, it evolves, and it grows. I don’t think there’s an end. You just might not be able to see the next…trip.”

And goes on to say that Essek has more time, to turn around on any regret or grief over what he’s done, that he(Fjord) sees nothing but good, and that he has an opportunity to use that anger and frustration to fuel him.

Matt: “Of all the fungus and moss that has grown through the decomposition, more plants begin to grow as well. Vines and flowers and roots, and ferns begin to bloom and blossom out of the ground surrounding his body. Begin to encase it in a way that’s oddly familiar to one of you.” “…a warm breeze. It smells sweet, with hints of ocean. The green turns to brown, and pulls away.” And a Tealeaf is back “Your eyes open for the first time.”

[ravendruid]

I get to reroll ones. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way.

[12pt-times-new-roman]

honestly, I think that some of Bells Hells arguments here are very well reasoned and thematic -- "you've been gods for so long. Wouldn't it be nice to not know what comes next?" "when was the last time you met someone new?" "running is finite. it always catches up with you. but living? let's see if you reach 400. beat my record." -- and preaching the value of fallible, imperfect, unpredictable human experience to divine power then succeeding in those persuasion checks would play really well with the themes! it especially ties in with Downfall and the Matron and Corellon's discussion on death and change.

but the idea of the gods becoming mortal like they did in Aeor was introduced one episode ago. these arguments sound like ones that've been rehearsed and thought about, in no doubt because the cast has had at least two weeks to think about them, but in the narrative they're unearned. it feels to me like Matt had this solution in mind, but didn't lay the groundwork for it definitively enough for the party to pick up on it organically, so by the time the climax came around he eventually had to hand the solution to them via the Matron.

like, this could've been an incredible climax, the Bells Hells staring down the pantheon as they're on the cusp of changing the world forever, the gods laid bare and bright before the vessel of Predathos. the divine gate shattering, the Matron's ritual, Ashton's sacrifice. but they came up with this argument last episode, maybe not even hours ago in-game. as it is, Matt's narration, description, and delivery are great as always; but imo, this deserved a lot more buildup than it got, because it could've been phenomenal.

[frumpkin-biscuits]

Only one episode of campaign two left. It’s been a long road and I don’t know if I’m ready :’

[lessattitudemorealtitude]

Caleb, pinned underneath a tower, taking his action to will Jester to heal...

Jester: If I die and you don’t...

Caleb: Well that will not happen

[candelasobscura]

(stumbles out in shambles, panting, drenched in sweat, tears running down my face) hi

[vexahlias-bow]

Leave it to Taliesin Jaffe to have the most heartbreaking resurrection scenes

[utilitycaster]

I've seen some people compare Vax's resurrection in C3 to bringing back Molly (later revealed to be Kingsley) in C2E140. How do you think these two scenarios differ and why does one work and the other doesn't? Also, do you think C2 scenario would still work if Taliesin played it like it was in fact Molly that was brought back (as Mighty Nein originally believed) and not Kingsley?

Hi anon,

I mean, you kind of answer it here: Molly wasn't resurrected. Kingsley, a different aspect of the same fragmented soul within that body, was. This isn't bringing back someone who died; it's starting a new life from what was left. It's thematically coherent with the rest of the Nein's stories, both in terms of many of them coming together still getting over a devastating loss or change and becoming someone new in the ashes of that; and with the very specific endings of many of their stories: probably most obviously with Caleb, choosing to leave his parents to their rest and instead building his own life in the model of what he wanted before the Volstrucker training, but also with Beau embracing the Cobalt Soul, Yasha finding new love, Veth and her family restarting their lives in Nicodranas, Jester with a deeply altered but intact relationship with Artagan, Fjord with a new patron, and Caduceus with a renewed grove.

I admit in 2x140 I cheered that nat 1 on resurrection, and the success of the Divine Intervention gave me pause, particularly on the heels of such a fantastic moment between Essek and Fjord after it failed. I went into 2x141 with considerable trepidation, so Taliesin's choice to have Molly remain dead while still making the Divine Intervention mean something was an unexpected joy and some truly excellent storytelling. I do not think it would have worked well had he brought back Molly, though it wouldn't have been quite as egregious as Vax coming back, and I'll talk more about that at the end.

Vax coming back fails on every single level. On a basic level, there is really no mechanical or logical justification for it to happen. There is no attempt from Vox Machina to bring him back as a mortal. There is no reason for him to revert from celestial to mortal (and the fact that he'd already left at the top of the episode really underscores this; I'd still have my other complaints had he still been with Vox Machina at the time of Catatheosis but this really makes no sense); angels of the gods canonically remained such during the first time the gods became mortal. It is not something he asked for, nor Keyleth asked of the Matron. It simply occurs. Then, of course, there is what it means for the characters. What does it say that Keyleth never moved on? What does it say that Vax never gave her the space to do so and now she doesn't have to - particularly in the statements during 4SD that their actions both were somewhat unhealthy and that Vax's inability to let go is what enabled Ludinus's plan to succeed in the first place? What does it say, as this post points out, about Scanlan's choices?

And then there's what it says thematically across the entire decade of storytelling: What does it say about such stories as Orym's or Yasha's, about finding new love after loss? In a narrative where the party was faced with an incredibly difficult choice with far reaching effects (whether or not that narrative was well done, it was a story of choices) what does it say that Vax's conscious choice to become a revenant and have a few more days with the people he loved rather than remain dead was ultimately simply a long inconvenience?

And finally, what does it say about the casts' past statements? I was struck with the grace with which the cast handled the backlash from Molly's death. Liam spoke of the meaning of death in narratives; Ashly Burch shared an incredibly moving essay on the death of her partner at a young age; and the conversation on Talks in which Matt talked about the importance of death was one that at the time I dearly loved. In it, Taliesin pointed out the ephemeral and physical nature of Molly and the concept of that character, and how there was no way to bring back Molly without destroying the entire premise. The reason Molly wouldn't be as much of a failure is because at least it would have been driven by the actions and choices of the Mighty Nein, and that we did not have insight into how Molly felt about his demise.

Because that is the other thing. We've seen Vax multiple times since his death, at Vex and Percy's wedding and at the Malleus Key, and both times he was greatly changed and did not agree to stay. He didn't change his mind; it was changed for him. And in the casts' past statements, Liam has been an advocate (as he was in Molly's death) for the importance of death and tragedy. How does that square with all of what they said then?

It's damning that the only defenses of this decision have been entirely Doylist (when I have both Watsonian and Doylist critiques) - that Happy Endings Are Good. The thing is, Keyleth's story could have been a happy ending, as the Mighty Nein's was despite their loss. It was a choice to have Keyleth never get over it. That is, ultimately, the only choice that was honored. I do understand a desire for a happy ending, but I find this desire for not just a happy ending but a vanishingly narrow and particular one to be childish, self-indulgent, and destabilizing of previous storytelling integrity. The song Tokyo Sunrise always was in a major key, after all.

One thing that came to mind while I wrote this up was something a few people have pointed out about Dragon Age: The Veilguard, which is that it consistently has a message that prioritizing immediate catharsis often feels hollow in the end, and cuts off opportunities for growth and redemption, and the gameplay is consistent with that narrative. It can feel good to punch the First Warden, or to leave the mayor of D'Meta's Crossing to his fate, or imprison Illario, in the moment; but these all ultimately serve as a detriment to your goals. Even fighting or tricking Solas rather than giving him an ending on his own terms, the last choice you can make in a game that ends immediately after, is something many players have reported as feeling unrewarding after a day or two. I do wonder whether this decision, to bring back Vax, felt good in the moment, but will similarly sour and curdle in time.

[traegorn]

New Stormwood: C2E140. Not the Talking Dog (Clueless Part 3) http://dlvr.it/TG3w4c

[ravendruid]

Hot boss is hot.

[professor-rye]

Chapter 95 of Dappled Shadow and Penumbral Light is up!

Title: Dappled Shadow and Penumbral Light Relationships: Shadowgast Rating: Mature Set: Post Aeor, Canon Divergent from Episode c2e140 on Tags: LuxonChampion!Essek, Secrets Revealed, Political Shame, Antagonistic Dierta Thelyss, Good Brother Verin Thelyss, Found Family, Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, Trent Ikithon, Kidnapping, Torture, Hurt/Comfort, Rescue, Multiple Arcs

Chapter 95: A Record of Chaos Current Word Count: 468,856

Featuring several records from ancient Aeor revolving around the Primal Artifact, as well as several conversations as the boys try to prepare for their date!

[nerdandtie]

Stormwood & Associates: C2E141. Asking Questions (Clueless Part 4)

[gorgynei]

episodes with comparable pre-break lengths:

c1e52 (the kill box)

c1e79 (thordak)

c1e80 (raishan)

c1e113 (the final ascent)

c2e140 (long may he reign)

c2e141 (fond farewells)

btw break not starting until 3 hrs 20 minutes in is CRAZY. thats up there with the longest first halves in all of critrole and by far the longest first half for c3. basically we are getting some good combat tonight