#spoilers for episode 53

[tangledbean]

So uh, magical restraints on prisoners are failing huh?

Trent Ikithon is *definitely* free again isn’t he.

[cirrus-grey]

TMA 122:

Statement of uh, uh, Lorell St. John regarding, uh... zombies. Original statement given 1st February, 2015. Recording by Jonathan Sims. The Archivist.

TMA 53:

My biggest concern right now is whatever creature Mr. Heller encountered down there. It was 56 years ago, but if it’s still alive, I should be careful. What was it? A guardian of some sort? Or perhaps… perhaps… it too was once an Archivist.

TMAGP 26:

It was holding a tape recorder to Mr. Jarrod’s mouth, like it was trying to catch his dying words.

“Who are you?” I asked it.

“An Archivist,” it replied.

I know many people have already pointed out that [ERROR] could be the same kind of being that was under Alexandria, but this phrasing in particular is making me certain of it. A living, breathing, active Archivist like Jon is "the" - the one and only, the main focus of the Eye. The ones that linger after their Archives are forgotten - not alive, not dead, but somewhere in between - are just "an". One of many, still holding the title - still powerful - but far less human.

There are a ton of other parallels between the two that are making me so curious what our Alexandria guy got up to between - potentially - being released by Mr. Heller and finding its way to the Panopticon: basement Archive, the main building/library is burned down on top of it, it remains locked down there until some unsuspecting explorer unintentionally gives it the key... I wonder if there was an [ERROR] drifting around in the TMA world too, hunting people with a quill and parchment rather than a tape...

.

.

.

(Celia's phrasing is also very telling as to what she's been expecting to find.

TMAGP 26:

"No, I mean, something isn't right.… The External, the Archivist, it’s not acting how I would have expected..."

No, it's certainly not acting how the Archivist would. An Archivist, on the other hand...)

[annoyinglyobsessive]

“What do you really want? And just say it so I can fight for it” goes so hard. Like Jesus Christ

[pond-eringstuff]

How many people do you need to tango again?

[sylrose-tinted-sunglasses]

When you're totally fuckable and your husband falls into another man's lap instead.

[vampiric-succulent]

OUAW EP 53:

Spoiler warning!!! I’m being so serious right now as this is a pretty lore heavy episode. This contains spoilers.

Also, I am losing my MIND.

When they are in the Beneath and giving their stories to the Oracle: will Torbek ever get that back???????? That’s so important, it’s the entire reason he’s here, I actually don’t think this story will go on if Torbek is unable to remember the inspiration for why he’s on this journey.

Plot-wise I am WORRIED.

Does this mean that the other is just gone??????

This is so consequential like there are so many consequences for these actions YOU GUYS

also Frost’s story was SO SAD to have lost like that was so cool

Other notes: Nikkie is ofc the biggest Coalecroux shipper I love it, also there’s so much good chaos

This episode is a great mix of chaos and LORE

THE WOOD ELF—-

I. Forgot about the Speech Bubble effect that Torbek has. Holy shiiiiiiit. Andy you genius.

Frost being a proud nudist and Gricko’s legs being fused together is hilarious

“I TRIP AND LAND IN FROSTY’S LAP”

THE DUKE????????? DUKE?????????

Good god this is crazy. They all forgot the the goddamn Torbek lore and now they have to catch up but they’re NOT catching up and it’s so ANNOYING

Wait how much do they still know/remember????? UGH THIS IS SO FRUSTRATING

Knowing Rich, Kremy is going to tell a really emotionally important story relating to Gideon and then Kremy’s gonna forget it. Goddamn.

Ouch. Gideon doesn’t remember his dad anymore. Yikes. Can the Feywild stop stealing memories??

A hesitation about taking this memory? What, the other ones weren’t enough to warrant hesitation?

“Get on it, fanfiction” WILD

Something coming to the Inn at the End of the Road? Or just a scene of comfort OH SHIT OH SHIT OH SHIT HOLY FUCK OH MY GOD

TWIG IS BABA YAGA????? AND THE INN AT THE END OF THE ROAD IS BABA YAGA’S HUT???????? AND THE CAULDRON IS RIGHT THERE????????????????

WOAH. WOAH. WOAH. BABA YAGA STILLS THE HAND

Also does the fact that it’s a PUMPKIN tart mean anything????? Is the connection im making to the guy they took this quest from (Madrick Roslov, I think his name was) a valid one to make??????????

Twig is an agent of, or maybe is herself, Baba Yaga. This was foreshadowed? or shown? when they visited Morgana (the version of Zybilna that is stuck in time) and she “fixed” the Twig doll and told the party that it was made by her Grandmother, who was revealed to be Baba Yaga. I didn’t pick up on that.

Nikkie is SO GOOD at storytelling oh my LORD

Damn, Gricko. Damn.

OPERA TIME!!!!!! That’s where Burly is!!

Ohhhh. Opening Night. Mother of Puppets.

ONE MORE TO GO NO GUYS COME ON!!!!! ONE MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Level 6 is death, you guys would only be at level 4!!!!

YEAH THERE WE GO MEET CUTE STORY TIME— oh. Oh no he’s. He’s gonna forget it isn’t he. Fuck. RICHIE STOP

“But yknow friends to lovers is also really good” 😏😏

Oh I thought this was gonna be Coalecroux, but wow this works too

REMI GAROU / BARON SAMEDI IS DESCRIBED MIGHTY SIMILAR TO MR GIDEON COAL

TWIN BRAIN COMING IN CLUTCH RN

That was perfect. Thank god that it’s not a Coalecroux thing he’s gonna forget.

They’re all so GOOD at STORYTELLING ffs I’m going to lose my MIND

THE RED AND WHITE WAR AND THE JABBERWOCK 😮🫵‼️‼️ OPE nvm I was wrong

PEGASUS???? THE BARN OWL??????? 13???????

HUH NO COME BACK WHAT DO YOU MEAN

Wait. Okay. So the Barn Owl is of the King of Hearts (if I remember right, that’s what he turned into after the party first met him). The unicorn became Pegasus became the barn owl. The lightning storm, which we now know was an illusion, was involved. Red and White are here again, and we know the Red and White War happened. This is probably larger Dungeons and Dragons lore that I don’t know. I am REELING.

Goddamnit I promised myself I would do things at the end of this episode!!!!! I can’t just go straight to the next one but oh god do I want to

[leeeras]

pix has confirmed his character in new life is a himbo. do with this what you will.

[camthecatchameleon]

hey once upon a witchlight fandom. how we feeling.

[bardic-irritation]

it TOO was once an archivist?! no no hold on what do you mean by TOO Gertrude?! what else was once an archivist?! wtf??

[salsasolutions]

Haha hey guys just finished episode 53 “not ferin well” of Just roll with it Riptide and

Oh boi does that title not lie

I have some doodles I did while watching it so I shall share them now, but do be warned! This will contain spoilers for said episode! (Just in case!) they will be the ones later on but holy shit this episode was wild.

[tofixtheshadows]

Since I'm slowly catching up on Critical Role and just watched episode 51, I cannot stop thinking about the moment that Vax shows up- obviously, obviously, the twist! -but also just: Keyleth, seeing Vax again for the first time in decades (the first of hundreds she has resigned herself to), not as a message in the form of a raven, not a memory, not a whisper on the wind, but in the flesh, guarding her against a strike to the heart, proof of the words I'll never be that far away.

There must have been a moment when they locked eyes- a moment, as they realized the trap they were in, when Keyleth reached for Vax, too late. Vax has always been doomed. If he hadn't interfered, if the Champion of the Duskmaven hadn't appeared like they wanted, they would have just killed Keyleth anyway, and Vax'ildan would never let that happen. He had no choice but to fly into their snare, just as he had no choice but to offer himself in exchange for his sister's life all those years ago. And Keyleth is left with empty arms, after a brief, bewildering moment of having him in front of her again.

[arsenicinfinity]

Reasons why to love Damamu

This screenshot from episode 53 says Damamu is the best

[nighttimenarcotics]

you know shits about to get good in the webtoon your reading and dramatic music starts, the main character starts breaking down and THIS IS A PANEL:

[a-mag-a-day]

Jonny was using his galaxy brain with this episode — ALEXANDRIA WAS AN ARCHIVE !!!!! OF COURSE IT WAS !!!!!!!!

The word-building lore in this episode is SO GOOD!!! The implications of previous Archives, how the Eye doesn’t simply discard its old Archivists as long as they can still be used as a voyeur for fear and knowledge, the Serapeum’s destruction being caused by a gas main explosion… Also, Jon realizing he is just the next in a long line of Archivists as well as admitting his pre-conceived notions about Gertrude may have been wrong! There are so many through lines from just this 1 episode and the final 10 episodes alone…

Also, Jon’s use of knives has been revoked!!! 😠 Only Martin Knife Blackwood gets to use them from now on… 🤭

Perhaps it's Martin whose knife privileges need to be revoked...

Also I'm sure that this statement comes up alot in Jon's mind later on when he's questioning his humanity and his future :')

[midnightellis]

“Lol no”

Lex you cannot deadpan stuff like this 😂

[stygiomedusa]

gillion goes down with a smile