#travis marisha and liam's reactions especially get me

[alliekitaguchi]

this is easily one of my favorite moments from campaign 2 -- when the mighty nein meet arcanist allura vysoren

[captainsspnanon]

C3E75 - reaction

WHAT an episode!!!

Starts off 'strong', what with the party trying to figure out how to get to a cave entrance....that turned out to be 150-200 feet away. XD AKA - like 30 seconds of walking, a minute if it's consider difficult terrain. Obviously it was more than that considering the vertical climb, but the reveal of the distance was very funny to me.

Honestly, the climb down the tunnel ended up being easier than I expected it to be! I was expecting a few more checks at least, but there were good tactics to get down.

I appreciate that Sam is using Message the way it's intended. I remember at the beginning of the campaign he used it to just send a feeling, rather than words. I think the latest 4SD may have helped him feel more comfortable with reusing things that previous PCs have done without feeling like he's stepping on their toes. I definitely don't think it was WRONG the way he was doing it before, but it's also good that he doesn't feel like he has to Do It Different, even if it makes things More Difficult.

The little fire creatures were so adorable, I can't wait to see the fanart of it! (My mom likened the voices and short lives with Spurt, RIP 11 days)

They got the shard of Rau'shan! Seems like the cast has a similar idea of having Fearne be the one to integrate the shard, but they've got a bit yet before they figure out how to do it (and especially how to awaken both of them).

I miss the more devastating consequences of lava/magma. Vax melted his foot after just a brief dip, meanwhile Ashton is absolutely fine after 18 seconds being fully submerged, same with Fearne even though she was only in for 6. I wonder if this was discussed out of game as feeling too punishing, but I would have loved to see some long term consequences for the trip, rather than just losing some clothes and briefly superheated skin.

I will admit, I do not understand at all why Ludinus is here. What does he need the shard for? The Hells are getting it because of Ashton backstory purposes, how does it tie in to the Ruidus stuff? Also why was Ludinus scrying on the party to begin with? Aside from at the initial combat, they really haven't done anything else to mess with his plans, right? This totally might just be a me thing of missing something obvious.

EPIC combat!!! Liam's turn with the pushing attacks deserved all the table energy it got, and the counterspell-off was PERFECT. (Side note, I'm a bit sad that I know the rules better now. Ludinus didn't need to roll at all for his counterspell, right? Because Laudna only cast at third level, so it should have instantly worked. BUT IT WAS STILL AN EPIC MOMENT even if I'm pretty sure it's against RAW)

also LOL Ashton's just fully Donald Ducking the combat XD I am also looking forwards to fanart of this.

I really appreciated the fact that the table was very tactics heavy with this combat, even if it didn't all play out the way they wanted. Actually, Travis seemed a bit off this entire episode - being a lot more against the first whole initial journey down the tunnel and into the cavern way more than expected, and then getting very upset once he realized he was trying to do two bonus actions. Nothing bad about this, but just off from him typical behavior.

The bit below is going to be a bit negative towards Taliesin, so only click if you want to read it. It definitely gets a bit discourse-y.

Sadly, this episode ended up hitting a lot of my personal pet peeves with Taliesin's play style. Please note that these are my PERSONAL SUBJECTIVE feelings, not some objective truth. They are play style aspects which very much clash with how I play, and so bother me even though I'm not the one playing at the table.

First - I rewatched the section to make sure I didn't miss something. Going down the tunnel, Marisha talks to Matt that she's using Spider Climb, rolls, and gets a bad result. Then Matt turns to Tal to get his number, Taliesin gives his idea of using rage and widening the tunnel (a great idea, don't get me wrong!), Marisha indicates that she's already climbing, and then Tal goes "I thought I was going first"

No. He didn't say before that he was going, I watched the second again! He saw Marisha go, get a bad roll, and then try to make it so that he actually went first so her bad roll wouldn't have impact. I've said this during my C2 rewatch for stuff with other players, including Liam, but if he wanted to go first, he should have interrupted at any point BEFORE Marisha announced her result of failing.

Second - Someone sees something, I think it was Orym with his 31 passive?, but Ashton/Taliesin is the one to react about seeing it. Matt even shut it down this time, making it clear that Ashton didn't see it. He's done this now every campaign, and I'm pretty sure multiple times. It just really hits me the wrong way.

Third - He has Ashton just stand up and go to the lava pool on his own without getting input or waiting for the other players. 100% fine! Everyone does this, and it's in character to do so. BUT then he's like 'i'm doing it, i'm just going off on my own and doing it! but if you wanna help! yeah i'm going off on my own no waiting but yes help me help me cast spells and benefits but i'm just going off of my own no waiting'. Yes, that is clearly exaggerated, but when players go off and do things on their own, I want them to be going off and doing things on their own! Multiple times in all three campaigns, a player will have their PC go off and do something, and usually the verbal conversation is "too late i'm doing it" or "can't stop me I already said it" or something to the equivalent. This? Honestly it doesn't feel like a PC going off and doing something on their own, it feels like Taliesin interrupting the stuff going on at the table and demanding front and center.

And the thing is that Taliesin has had MANY times in the campaigns where his PC has gone off and done something on his own WITHOUT this feeling! But just how it was portrayed here really got to me.

I recognize all of the above is personal nitpicks, and it is their table, and many people will disagree with me. But I just wanted to vent.

[samuraiko]

C3E37 episode feelings (SPOILERS AHOY)

(YOU KNOW THE DRILL BY NOW)

(LIKE SERIOUSLY DO I REALLY NEED TO SAY THIS AGAIN)

(ABANDON ALL BITCHING, YE WHO ENTER HERE)

What.

An.

EPISODE!

Oh my gods... from the DARK CITY vibes of the shadow of Whitestone (FYI, if you have never seen DARK CITY, you absolutely should, it’s a fantastic film) to those bittersweet glimpses into Laudna’s life in Whitestone. The whole thing had this nightmarishly disjointed feeling that was just so well-suited for what was going on, and that’s BEFORE shit got real!

Oh wow. The bargaining. The threatening. The all-too-brief hope spot of Marisha... and then, THEN we get that whoooooooooole clusterfuck at the nega-Sun Tree.

And *EVEN* with them missing out on a much-needed short rest, *EVEN* with dice rolls going against them like 75% of the time (although PRAISE THE GODS AND ALL THE SAINTS that the Catha die was there for Orym when he really needed it), *EVEN* with two party members getting bampfed into the ether (and no real certainty that they would wake up afterward)...

... even with *ALL* of that...

... they STILL pulled off the most abso-fucking-lutely skin-of-their-teeth this-is-one-for-the-annals-of-history battles in all of Critical Role.

AND THEN FUCKING MATTHEW MERCER CALLS THE FUCKING EPISODE THERE?!

Anyway.

Moments that just absolutely did it for me because I always notice these things.

The absolute trainwreck of an intro that STARTS the episode. One for the ages.

THE NEW LOGO! I LOVE IT! PUT THAT ON A T-SHIRT SO I CAN BUY IT!

Mad props to Liam, Taliesin, and Travis especially for such perfectly in-character EMOTIONAL reactions to everything. Orym *begging* Laudna to walk in the sun with them one more time. Ashton desperately trying to convince Imogen not to waste time on what can’t be changed and to focus on what CAN. Chetney once again pulling out the Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass side of his personality.

And seeing the three dads at the table reflexively CRINGING when Delilah made that “do you know what I do to children” comment. (Especially Liam.) Oh... I felt that through my computer monitor.

Fearne and Imogen trying frantically not to panic as Delilah starts chasing them down. (Though I swear to Christ, Laura, you do that high-pitched obnoxious squeal one more time and I will reach through the internet and slam you upside the head with your own dice bag, which probably does at least 3d8 bludgeoning damage. Sorry, but when you have hearing problems to begin with, that was almost KAFOOM INSTANT MIGRAINE.)

The looks of utter LOATHING on all of the cast’s faces when Delilah opens her mouth.

(Contrasted by the cast’s looks of utter GLEE when Matt comes out with the map.)

[darkdisrepair]

imogen, laudna, and romance: cr3e27 part 1

though i didn't write a meta for episode 26 i'm back to break down some of the juicy first-half tidbits from the most recent critical role episode!

topics include: laudna & dusk | romance brain

and keep an eye out for part 2!

dusk asks laudna out

now, there are a few things outside of the whole situation that we can factor into this discussion: a) that dusk will eventually double-cross the group and b) that erika ishii the icon has a critical role romance hit list.

let's talk about point a (which to be honest is more relevant). there's a finesse to dusk's choices that i just love. for one, the bumbling, clumsy, enthusiastic character choice was perfect. it's hard not to trust someone who seems so open with their flaws and with the things that they forget.

but what's even more brilliant is that dusk has actually gotten close with the group, and not just in a "you saved me, thank you!! :)" way. because even that doesn't earn trust. not in the way that being a confidante does, not in the way that showing concern over backstory lore and protecting fearne when she's about to get rat-squished does.

if you didn't know dusk was a traitor, you could easily be fooled by the intimacy of it all, of growing to care about people. and what other way to both earn trust and to gain leverage over someone by "falling in love" with them?

it's a vulnerable position, to ask someone out. if you were doubtful about dusk (which i suspect orym and chetney, or at least liam and travis, are starting to wonder about), it's hard to feel like the sweet, shy person asking you on a date will backstab you. but also, becoming romantically entangled is an awfully good way to get someone to do something that you want.

think about it: when imogen and laudna (not saying they're romantically involved) were fighting, laudna would have done anything imogen asked her to do. and dusk likely saw this and thought: here is someone, when she cares about people, is so vulnerable and so desperate to maintain her sense of stability in her relationships that she will do anything to fix it.

possibly, even in the face of betrayal. here is someone dusk could potentially have on their side, if laudna cares about them enough.

it's a wonderful strategic choice. and for erika, it's also a great way for them to stir the pot for the gays, even though they've already checked marisha off the list in spectacular fashion. if only imogen were more approachable...

romance brain

so, laudna's reaction. i think it was valid and heartbreaking and charming all at once. she was quite literally blindsided by dusk there, right before a conversation she had been dreading for days, so it's understandable that she wouldn't be able to really present an answer.

and that's something people don't talk about. you can get blindsided by people seeking relationships with you, but you don't owe anyone anything, especially if you're not ready.

but what i also found interesting was that laudna said: "i haven't accessed that part of my brain in 50 years" and imogen's response is "it would be strange to access that."

hello, headcanon that imogen is aromantic hehe

in all seriousness: i've been thinking lately about the expectations that have been placed on imodna since the beginning for a romantic relationship- but to me, neither of them are really built to intensely strive for that?

imogen has gone through so much with reading people's minds, hearing the awfulness of humanity, and being shunned for being who she is. the intimacy of romance, then, i feel like would feel really hard for her, because like she said about dates: "you're in their mind and you're hearing what you're doing wrong." and that's just it, isn't it?

it's hard to have a relationship (or even a friendship, as has been illustrated by her dynamics with everyone) when you know you can delve into their mind and just find out what's going on. it's hard to have a relationship when the very part that makes you you can be very off-putting and is something you always have to keep in check.

and she's heard the worst of the world, and every horrible part about romantic relationships. so perhaps i do headcanon that she's aromantic, because romance is hard and wouldn't it just make sense, if romance just doesn't click with her because she's familiar with intimacy both at its worst, and in the smallest, minute thoughts of the people around her? and to her, aren't the thoughts of friendship equally as gentle, and thoughtful, and beautiful as romance?

and then there's laudna, who is quite literally undead, and like she said, also hasn't accessed that part of her brain for 50 years, and that so much has been going on that she hasn't had time for that.

and i totally get that, too, when you're so focused on pushing forward and improving yourself and working towards better that you don't have time for romance, and the notion isn't that appealing.

that's not saying that i'll be at all upset if they do become canon (because let's be honest, the cast loves their party romances and who am i to protest amazing character moments and beautiful relationships), because i think that would also be beautiful in its own way, but i do think imogen and laudna at least won't be jumping into a relationship in the near future, for the reasons i talked about.

either way, i'm excited a) for the joy of a queer platonic relationship or b) a wonderfully delicious slow burn like you wouldn't believe.

the conversation was brilliantly played and wonderful in that it acknowledged everything that each of them had done wrong. i'm very glad that the first thing, really, imogen apologizes for was not checking in on laudna after she was controlled by delilah. she acknowledges how terrible that would have been and how scary it was and i think that is really the most important aspect of this argument to have been covered.

because, as people have pointed out in my asks (which i accidentally deleted, so sorry to that user) laudna was compromised and taken advantage of for someone else's own gain, and when she needed a friend, imogen wasn't there for her.

luckily, it seems like imogen is very aware of that fact. and i suspect that she will make every effort to be there every step of the delilah journey from here on out.

but laudna also acknowledged what imogen had been through: that breaking the rock was wrong, even if it wasn't technically her fault, and that imogen had gone through a dream alone.

i'm also glad they talked without fcg, because ultimately, it gave each of them (laudna, imogen, and fcg) the chance to get what they needed out of the conversations of that night, without feeling like they had to put on a performance for someone else, or pretend that fcg's style of therapy was working for them when in the end, it ended up being so simple.

laudna and imogen, just them, the way that everything started. and i think that's beautiful.

[fearnesnblerns]

<!—— cr c3 dynamic dumping/>

OKAY SO i lovelovelove the different dynamics between the pcs so i’m gonna be dumping my thoughts here!

spoilers up to c3e5 ahead!!

dorian and laudna are so funny together!!! marisha and robbie sitting next to each other have the funniest side-by-side reactions and in-character interactions by far, especially in episode 2 with the roof-floating fiasco and episode 5 with dorian killing dugger and laudna reacting to his bewilderment

fcg being ashton’s immediate emergency contact was gold, and the fact that is WASN’T questioned by yash?? that whole interaction was hilarious actually. i hope taliesin continues to let ashton build a deeper trust and companionship with fcg, lord knows this dude needs some real friends

laudna and ashton have planted little seedlings of a very interesting dynamic! similar to fearne and ashton except less mischievous and more so a bit of a “freaks club”? i really enjoy their little side comments to each other and i’m looking forward to seeing how this relationship unfolds

i really like laudna’s check-ins with imogen. i think the rest of the group knows about her tendency to get overwhelmed, but so far laudna is the most doting and observant. obviously they’ve known each other longer and care deeply about each other, but it’s just a really lovely detail about their relationship to have laudna be so protective

bertrand and orym at the inn was a whole ordeal, truly. travis and liam improvised marvelously, and this scene will forever be one of my favorite bertrand interactions (granted, he didn’t have too many to begin with, but you know what i mean), man i’m gonna miss bertrand

FEARNE AND ASHTON NEED MORE DUO MOMENTS!!! STEAL THE EARRING BACK!! these two have a concerning amount of potential to be an unstoppable reckless duo if they so chose. the world isn’t ready for their headassery if they ever put their heads together to mess with some poor innocent people

dorian and imogen have very comforting vibes i think? they both seem to enjoy each other’s company a lot, and it seems like out of the 3 groups (dorian/orym/fearne, laudna/imogen, ashton/fcg), these two seem to be the ones that have reached out the most in terms of trust and willingness to form new friendships (other than fcg, but he seems to be interested in making new friends with most people). idk how to describe it but i love their interactions so far, and laura and robbie make for a great comedic duo!

speaking of the need for more interaction, i feel like fcg could really open up orym to the idea of self-care? there’s been several instances where orym has just volunteered himself to be the sacrificial lamb, and it’s clear he values everyone else’s lives a lot, but i think fcg’s funny little therapy service would do him some good with balancing priorities

BERTRAND AND FEARNE!! i’m going to choose to ignore the nickname. bertrand and anyone was such a delight to be honest, travis plays the disgruntled older gentleman very well. fearne’s comment about jazz at his funeral had me so sure that bert would have been cackling and trying to recompose himself to defend his opinions were he still alive!

i have yet to watch exu but fearne and orym are a very heartwarming duo, something like a mischievous younger sibling and their older, more responsible sibling? i don’t know their ages, my bad! this isn’t to say orym doesn’t make unpredictable choices too, because him grabbing that sending stone and running with it caught me completely off guard, but he’s very caring towards fearne and knows when to draw the line with her antics? in turn, she demonstrates a deep affinity for him (that line about not wanting to be separated from orym during the sending stone shenanigans was very sweet!!) and keeps him close as well

some other potentially cool pairings i noted but don’t have much to elaborate on were ashton and imogen, laudna and fcg, and fearne and laudna

oh! and of course i had to save the funniest dynamic for last, but i really do think it can be summed up in a single sentence:

“try not to look like you’re… hitting on me”

[thequeenofmyownscreen]

Sixteen things I noted about the one-shot “The Adventures of the Darrington Brigade” :

Back when I was thinking of starting Campaign 1, I think this one-shot was just being broadcast, so I definitely remember seeing gifs and all. Wild to be thinking in retropsect about my own voyage into Critical Role...

Laura's dress is SO BEAUTIFUL, Marisha with her hair done like that is CUTE AS A BUTTON, and Ashley IN A SUIT ?!!! I'm DEAD !! Oh and the guys are nice too I guess (lol, no, in reality I especially love Taliesin's vibe)

THEY DID A KARAOKE VERSION OF THE OPENING !! HAAAAA !!! THIS IS SO FUN

Amazing characters all around, I can't pick a favorite, they're all so good. I loved the crowd's reaction to Marisha's description of her character, and the crowd's reaction to Travis' character goofy accent And I do wonder if Laura based Farriwen on a 1st idea for Imogen - or maybe it's just me ; but there's similarities : the hair (well, Imogen's purple), the decorated arms (well, Imogen are scars).

I'm so happy to see Lionel again ! (even if this is Matt jaegering). Love this funky bardbarian who was definitely a duck before Scanlan True Polymorphed him.

the initiation ? Same as that time Tary was iniated into Vox Machina... which is to say, a fight !! I love the cast's realisation that their past mistake is absolutely coming back to bite them in the ass.

How many instruments does Marisha have back there ? I'm amazed and in awe !!!

Sam as Tary, knowing full-well he's inflicting psychic damage on Laura : "I'm gonna hop on my flying broom and watch the action a little bit closer."

Macaroni Samsonite, about Damian : "You know what, Tary, I think we should take advantage of your rules and maybe we should call this a... BANISHMENT !" Damian fails her saving throw, and Ashley just leaves the table. Liam : "Oh man, we just got her back !!"

Sam is right, everything The OwlBear said is a one-liner, in the voice of Batman. Taliesin is so fucking funny.

I love Dotty's clear distates of Hazel... even though this robot knows only word, it is clear.

It's A GIANT DUCK MINI WITH TENTACLES ?? WHAT IS THIS ONE-SHOT

ITS NAME IS QUACKTHULHU ??? Matt this is too much laughing, my back hurts

Liam, about the mic that Ashley hit : "You just hit that like Marisha Ray striking an Irishman !" Marisha, pissed : "I hit you ONE TIME when you were leaning over my space, motherfucker !" (I love them so much)

I love Hazel's old-timey accent that slips sometimes in the strangest of syllabes, like "confusyion", "meditatyion", "inspiratyion", and I love that it gets ~worse~ and ~worse~(but hilarious !) during the episode.

So many puns this episode : about ducks, bears, owls, and stones passing

That was so much fun, holy shit. My serotonin levels are high, my skin is clear, my crops are thriving, etc etc. It makes its grand entrance in the top 10 of the CR one-shots, for me ! I hope Matt was not joking, and that someday they're going to do a follow-up.

[eponymous-rose]

Talks Machina Highlights - Critical Role C2E127 (March 2, 2021)

Tonight’s guests are, of course, Ashley Johnson and Marisha Ray!

Marisha, on her thought process behind the date: “It was a fascinating study on designing something with another player in trying to navigating how to do that in a way that makes sense and wouldn’t be too metagamey or overly scripted or anything like that. I had a bunch of ideas thought out, then I just typed it out and sent it over to him, and then he interpreted it as such.” Liam had ideas, but Marisha wanted him to keep the details a surprise. The theme of “let’s start over” was the leading motif for the design. Three acts: pre-game cocktails at the Nestled Nook, picnic in a field of Xhorhasian wildflowers, and then close it with after-dinner drinks and hot tub at the Steam’s Respite. And the very last thing was “and all the cats were dogs”. Brian: “What was his response to that?” Marisha: “He texted me and was like, ‘Are you serious or is this dog thing a joke?’”

Ashley is asked what it was like to know it was coming but not know the specifics. “For both of us, I don’t think we thought it was going to be right then. I think because it’s been so long in the relationship between Beau and Yasha and it felt like such a natural progression for the two of them, and they’re both awkward together. I think there was something to just being thrown into it.” She spent time thinking about what things Yasha would talk to Beau about on a date. “We got to maybe one of them. It was just so fun! Exploring romance in D&D can be super weird, especially when you’re streaming. But it felt like that’s where our characters were going. There was that excitement of trying something that is out of my comfort zone, and I think so much of Marisha was part of that, as being the initiator as Beau, where I was like, okay, this is where it’s going it. Let’s do it, let’s see what happens!” She mentions how “fun and freeing” it is to trust your improv partner in something like this.

Marisha: “I just wanted Beau to be a fuckboi!” But she highlights that it’s hard to deny the deeper connections that come up in D&D scenarios. “They’ve been with each other through so much that it’s difficult to deny when those bonds start to happen.” She texted Liam in a panic before the game. “What do I wear? And he said, ‘In the game or in real life?’ Both!”

Marisha was expecting a Sam curveball at some point. “My/Beau’s reaction of ‘I love you!’ was pretty accurate. She does care! She’s not just  a troll trying to ruin our shit.”

Marisha on Yasha liking dogs: “I clocked that shit when you bought a dog figurine.” She keeps notes about all the members of the party when they reveal things like that.

Ashley has started taking more detailed notes, partly to play catch-up for events she may have missed earlier. “Turns out, notes are very helpful and can help you in your RPing!”

Favorite parts? Marisha: “The fade-to-black moment at the very end, and I think it’s because Ashley’s eyes--maybe this is going to get weird--we had this moment where we were in the hot tub at the end, and I looked over and was like, ‘hey’, and you looked over and were like, ‘hey’, and I was just dead. I will never forget the look on Ashley’s face. There was just a pure moment.” Ashley: “That’s so funny, because I was going to talk about this one moment with Marisha. It’s just clicking into the scene and clicking into the moment.” Marisha talks about how the moments associated with the game have real, tangible emotional connections. Brian highlights that the emotional side of things is what you remember the most after the campaign is done.

Character thoughts on Kima? Marisha: “I was like, step on me! Please! Both of you! We’d be friends.” Ashley: “It’s also that nostalgia that feels so good at the table. These characters we know and love are still living and breathing and happy together and just kicking ass. For Yasha it was an amazing example of a relationship that works in this world, and something beautiful that these people who are different but are connecting. It was a lot of-- it was cool. I think Yasha’s a very big fan of Kima and Allura. When she gave over the sword, Travis texted me and was like, it’s the Holy Avenger. Looking it up and talking about it, it was like, holy mackerel, this sword is insane. But there’s going to have to be some conversations had to attune with the sword. But I like that Matt presented that challenge, that this isn’t necessarily in your class, but let’s do some RP and see what happens.”

Where’s Yasha at with the Stormlord right now? “I’m curious to explore that more, but knowing that the Stormlord was the first person to bring her back to her own will, of pulling her out of whatever was happening with Oban and the Laughing Hand for however long. It’s also weird to see the relationship that the clerics have, and I think Yasha’s still figuring out how to be her own person, but also... not serving somebody, but still trying to figure out that relationship with her god. But again, he saved her from a very, very dark place, and I think that’s something she values and holds on to.”

Cosplay of the Week: An amazing Essek! (Blushingvioletcosplay on Instagram)

How is Beau handling the Eyes? “All the theories! It’s hard for it to not feel like a ticking time bomb. I always have to try and separate my theories from Beau’s theories. That’s acting and shit. I, Marisha, am very interested if I can somehow utilize this to our advantage. Beau, also interested but simultaneously terrified that it might be a bad idea and I might just get further initiated. When it comes to Matt, you know there’s always something more lurking underneath all of this. As players it’s kind of our job to navigate that.”

How about Yasha? “I think it’s one of the things that didn’t really come up in the date, which is funny, because it’s something I was thinking about. Me as a player, that’s something I’m extremely stressed about. We don’t know what’s going to happen. We kind of got into it, but I think the fact that Lucien was listening, and the Eyes, I think it made me as a player as Yasha very nervous about interacting with Beau, because I don’t know what they’re picking up on. There’s so much we don’t know, and Lucien is so confusing, and the Eyes, and with Matt... we don’t know! It’s a point of extreme concern for Yasha, especially someone that she has feelings for and cares about, it’s an extra level of I don’t know what this means and I can’t lose this person, but I need to protect at all costs.”

What was it like for Beau to discover that Dairon and the Soul not only listened but took action? “That moment was so deeply powerful. Honestly, I was just as taken aback as Beau was. I never in both mine or Beau’s thought process did I think Matt would take action in that way, or that would ever be handled. And I think that’s what makes it so emotional. You condition yourself to think these things just happen, so much so that they permeate your D&D game. So rarely do abusers get held accountable for their actions. What was powerful about it was that he was, and other people cared. That alone was so emotionally impactful, and I was completely thrown by it. I feel like I had to walk away from that situation kind of unpacking those things. What does that say, what does that mean? Same thing for Beau, where the cycle of abuse has happened repeatedly to her with no repercussions to anyone who’s causing it. It’s why she’s always had a weird tenuous relationship with the Soul. It throws you into these layers of reconciliation and thought. I didn’t think this was going to be addressed. What does that say about society? So many different layers to peel back. It all speaks to so many real-life experiences that happen every damn day to so many people. There’s not many examples in media of abusers getting handled, and especially not in a way that’s not some sort of device to motivate somebody.” She highlights how rare it is that the abuser was handled without pulling the victim into the mess. I’m definitely not doing what she’s saying justice with my speed-typing.

How is Yasha feeling about solidifying her identity as a protector? “Putting together this character and starting to play as her, there was a part of me that wanted-- when I work on characters, you go through the list of questions you have as an actor, what’s your motivation and all that stuff. But I very much wanted to see if I could have a character that doesn’t necessarily know what their purpose is, because I feel like a lot of people feel that way. I think when we see movies or TV shows, there’s always a character who says, I know what my purpose is. I wanted to explore what it meant to not know what that is. I left that open with Yasha, and I didn’t want to set that for her, because I thought that was an interesting thing. I still like that idea, but in the conversation with Beau and knowing the date was coming up, there were a lot of internal conversations I was having of how is Yasha feeling in this moment. At the end of the day, I feel that’s a very solid purpose for Yasha in this moment, of all I can really provide is protection - and of course she can provide more than that. But now I’m just, yeah, I think protection for her is the best way she knows how to describe her purpose.” Brian: “And once we arrive there, the goal is to find a greater purpose, to be of service.” Ashley has tied in Yasha’s protectiveness with her grappling with loss.

Fan art of the week: A second amazing Essek! (by Saturday_sky)

Thoughts on the amulets: set-up or bad luck? Ashley: “I thought they were a set-up!” Marisha: “I think [Astrid’s] an opportunist. But I think it’d be much more convenient if anyone other than her killed Trent. To what end, I don’t know.” Ashley: “Me, personally, how I interpreted her crying in that alleyway, I felt like she was crying because of a betrayal. But I don’t know! I think she definitely cares for Caleb.” Marisha: “I also got betrayal tears. That felt like guilt-crying to me.” Brian: “I don’t like any of this.”

What prompted Beau going full assassin? “If they were to get in and out and I could have jumped over that tower without killing that guy, I would have.” She didn’t have a lot of options as a monk and not a rogue assassin, but needed a quick and quiet way to get him out of the way. “I went through so many ideas in my head. I thought of an idea to dump all of the ball bearings under him, then light fireworks” to try to get him to fall off the edge.

Is Yasha’s hope for Molly still alive? “Yes. I think that because Yasha has been on the other end of doing terrible things under someone else’s influence, she has a lot of forgiveness for people. At this point, of course, it’s hope that he’ll come back or have some type of recognition of his life as Molly. There’s a lot of questions. I don’t think she’ll ever give up on him.” The only moment of hesitation was when Lucien was cool with Gelidon leaving with Beau.

How are they feeling about their odds? Ashley: “I feel really great about the ideas that the group has to get out of tricky situations. This one I’m nervous about.” Marisha: “I agree. We have our little side player thread, minus Matt, and I don’t see how we’re getting out of this without some sort of compromise that’s not necessarily in our favor. I think we’re going to get out of it, but I don’t think we’re going to get out of it completely.”

Ashley didn’t tell Brian about the date after the episode ended, but wound up blurting it out right before he was about to watch the episode for Talks.

[bimney424]

" Come on, champion. You're so close. Fucking finish it."

So I have not been having the best time of late. Been in my own head about things & trying to fight off a creeping depression that I know if it gets me, I'll be pretty buried. I decided to do the one thing that usually works & that is watch one of my favorite CR episodes. Today it was campaign 2 ep 89, Lingering Wounds. My favorite part of this episode is the pit fights, especially Yasha's. The whole time I watched Marisha & her reactions. Towards the end of it, she gets up in her what I call her "stressful perch" in her chair. **We may never know when Beau actually fell in love with Yasha, but I feel this helped** Watching her though, it's hard to deny it. This was a cathartic fight for Yasha to deal with her demons. She even mentions something about "That's worth a little night of happiness." I love everything about this episode. The way everyone at the table reacts to the pit fight is ah-mazing as Travis puts it.

Liam: Ashley Johnson, you crazy motherfucker.

Matt: I know, what the fuck?

Laura: Do you feel intimidated?

Matt: Yeah! (laughter)

[the-big-nope]

While I’m certainly nowhere near ready for the story of the Mighty Nein to come to an end, I am also a D&D nerd and there’s a new sourcebook coming out soon with a bunch of new subclasses in it. By the time Campaign 3 of Critical Role gets underway, that book will be published, leaving a wealth of new options for the cast members to choose from, so why not entertain myself by making barely justified predictions of what the cast is most likely to pick for their next characters! (Disclaimer: Some of the new subclasses have been confirmed and some haven’t, so for a few of these picks I’m just going off of what I think is going to be in the book).

Travis

Cleric (Tempest Domain): Travis has been playing lowkey EMT since campaign one, and Laura’s already confirmed that Travis almost went cleric for campaign two. Between Grog with his barb-boosted movement speed to get around the battlefield so he could shove healing potions into his squishier teammates, and Fjord multiclassing into paladin and lovingly tapping his friends with single hit points to get them back up, it would be delightful to see him fully jump in and embrace the classical healer role. Of course, this is Travis, so I don’t see him picking a cleric domain that doesn’t allow for at least some whoop-ass, and Tempest Domain brings plenty of it. You get proficiency with all armor and weapons, Divine Strike at level 8 for boosted melee damage, you can use a reaction to inflict lightning or thunder damage against any enemy within melee range that’s hit you. And if you climb up high enough in levels, you gain a flying speed equal to your walking one whenever you’re outdoors. Pretty nifty, and makes for a fitting subclass for a guy that’s voiced Thor on multiple occasions.

Blood Hunter (Order of the Lycan): I mean, come on. The only reason it isn’t number one is that it was already widely assumed this would be Travis’s pick for campaign two, and I wouldn’t put it past him to surprise us again. But still, we saw him get a taste in Liam’s one shot and he was clearly having the time of his life. Besides, we lost Molly far too early to really see the blood hunter’s potential come to life; it would be damn cool to see someone else take a crack at it, and Travis is enough of a D&D gambler to not shy away from the class’s riskier features.

Artificer (Armorer): Speaking of Marvel connections, if Travis doesn’t lean toward fantasy Thor, then fantasy Iron Man might catch his attention instead. Artificer is an official class now, and since it’ll be reprinted in TCoE by the time campaign 3 gets underway, it’ll be a lot more visible as an option. The Armorer sits in almost a perfect middle ground of what Travis has done before: tanky and a frontliner, but also still has spells and tricks to help the party. Plus, you get a badass suit of power armor out of it. What’s not to like?

Marisha

Bard (College of Creation): After Hazel Copperpot, we all saw the pure magic that was Marisha Ray playing a bard. I know she implied that Hazel was supposed to be her campaign two backup character, but I hope this doesn’t discourage her from making another one. There are quite a few bard subclasses, a number of which I could see her being drawn to (Lore, Glamour, maybe even Swords), but I really vibe with the idea of Creation. I can’t exactly say why; maybe the idea of the ‘dancing object’ feature in Marisha’s hands is very funny to me (remember Keyleth’s adorable “Be Our Guest” moment? That, but this time it’s a walking wardrobe beating the shit out of the enemy).

Paladin (Oath of Vengeance/Conquest): As of yet, no one on Critical Role has ever played a paladin from the start, only multiclassed later down the line. I think this would be a cool departure for Marisha. Both campaigns she’s played characters that were either suspicious or at least indifferent to faith and the gods. Paladins are typically associated with deities, but they’re not tied quite so closely to them as clerics are. It would be fascinating to see what she did with it. As for the subclass, I just think Marisha’s earned her turn on the Goth Character Carousel, and while I know Conquest paladin is very unlikely given its moral grayness by default which might cause undue conflict and that Vengeance is a much more likely and acceptable pick, I just think it would be a sexy character choice. 

Wizard (Bladesinger/Graviturgist): This is a much more pie-in-the-sky, wishful thinking pick on my end, but not impossible imo. Marisha has experience with heavy spellcasting already, so she probably wouldn’t shy away from a wizard, but like Travis I suspect she likes a bit of oomph to her characters, and probably wouldn’t play as support heavy as Caleb does. To that end, Bladesingers get a bit more survivability and some modicum of physical prowess alongside their spells, while Graviturgists are definitely on the more aggressive side of the spectrum for wizard subclasses, with unique dunamancy spells to boot. I’m not sure how restrictive Matt would be about Xhorhassian characters in the next campaign if it takes place on another continent, but hey, you never know. Plus, she picked one of Matt’s homebrew subclasses for the current campaign; it would be cute if it happened again.

Liam

Druid (Circle of the Shepherd): At some point before Critical Role comes to end (hopefully far in the future), I know Liam’s gonna play a druid, I can feel it in my bones. He's too big of a Kiki fan not to. However, while Circle of the Moon might feel obvious given the potential for homage and how much he likes turning into animals, I feel like he might regard it as getting too close to old territory (also, I don’t know if Circle of the Moon is like an exclusive thing to the Ashari tribes, and if it is that would be rather restrictive for building a backstory). If that’s the case, Circle of the Shepherd feels like the next best bet. It has some great support options via the totems you can put down, and rather than becoming badass animals, you instead just get really good at summoning a fuck ton of them. It’s like Frumpkin, but ten of him. And they’re bears. (Honorable mention: If Circle of the Moon would feel like treading old territory then I’m certain Circle of Wildfire would too, but I’d bet my dice collection it would at least be tempting). 

Cleric (Unity Domain): Listen. The pure sap potential that would be at Mr. O’Brien’s fingertips with this subclass is incredible. The domain all about strengthening and protecting the bonds between friends and loved ones?? The domain with the Channel Divinity that can spread damage taken by one creature across the party however the cleric chooses to distribute it to lessen the blow to the individual??? The domain that used to be called the Love Domain???? I’m practically gagging on the soft moments and unspoken devotion conveyed through spellcasting already.

Fighter (Rune Knight/Psi Knight): Liam has yet to play a tank in a long-term campaign, and while I’m more enamored with the potential of the above classes, it would be novel to see him play a character with an actually respectable amount of hit points. However, I feel like if he was gonna commit to a straight frontliner, he’d probably want something a little more unique than a Champion or Battle Master (especially since he’s played those already for one-shots). Rune Knight has some fun options and built-in flavor, and with Psi Knight you can basically be a Jedi. Not bad options at all if you ask me.

Taliesin

Warlock (Fiend): Yeah, it might be expected, or Percy might have been too close to warlock anyway to feel like there’s new ground to cover, but hear me out. Both Percy (who, let’s face it, was a warlock multiclass in all but the actual mechanics) and Fjord were the classic reluctants. They got in over their heads without really knowing what was going on, and once they did they wanted out, cutting ties with their patrons and getting clear with only the scars remaining. I want to see Taliesin commit to a warlock in a way I imagine only he could manage to pull off. How fun would that balancing act be, to have a character that has no intentions of breaking their pact, who’s here for the powers, and is willing to work that delicate balancing act between keeping what he’s got and not letting his contract holder get the better of him? Give it to meeeeee.

Sorcerer (Psionic Soul): Psionic Soul has a bit of that eldritch flavor that vibes with Taliesin so much, with the added interest of introducing a brand new feature to 5E, the Psi Die (with this subclass, using them can do things like letting a sorcerer learn a spell they don’t already know for a few hours, allow you to cast spells without needing verbal, somatic, or material components, and can give you telepathy). Taking both Percy and Molly into account, it seems Tal likes to lean into those unique additional mechanics, and while Psi Die aren’t as risk-heavy as Gunslinger or Bloodhunter, they do add a layer of variability and unpredictability that seems to match his style.

Rogue (Swashbuckler): We only got a little bit of time with Molly, and so missed out on the opportunity to see Tal play a more cavalier character this time around. If he feels like leaning away from spells next time and back toward martial, I think a high-charisma, high-swinging swashbuckler from Tal would be a delight to watch.

Laura

Barbarian (Path of the Ancestral Guardian): Laura deserves to hit things, okay? Yes, spellcasting is great and comes in clutch frequently and Jester’s amazing, but you can tell Laura misses doing fat stacks of damage to the enemy in a single round. I personally think it would be amazing to watch her just cut loose and go full rage machine. As for the subclass, I’m not glued to the idea, but Ancestral Guardians are pretty kickass, have decent support capabilities for a barb without detracting from their DPS at all, and it doesn’t tread on any previous characters’ toes or their aesthetics.

Rogue (Scout/Soulknife): Laura deserves to play her favorite class at last, okay? She’s been class poached two campaigns in a row, and though that resulted in both Vex and Jester and I wouldn’t trade them for the world, Laura has earned first pick. Seeing as she already dipped into Assassin as Vex and Sam took Arcane Trickster, I could see Scout being a viable subclass choice. It’s in the classic sneaky vein, relatively simple in concept, but comes with features that grant easy-to-understand benefits that you can never turn your nose up at (boosts to movement, advantage on initiative, giving advantage against a target to everyone else in the party, etc.). If she’s looking for something a bit flashier, Soulknife has the benefit of retroactively dunking on Vax by taking the basic knife-rogue and making it better, with psionic knives that you can manifest with a thought, that can teleport you around Whisper style, and cranking up that stealth to ridiculous levels by just being able to turn invisible for ten minutes, no concentration or spell needed. The psionic die mechanics are a little funky of course, but I don’t imagine it’s any trickier than learning to manage all those cleric spells.

Monk (Way of the Open Hand): Between Beau just being super cool and her brief stint as Farriwen Breeze, monk wouldn’t be a surprising pick from Laura. An Open Hand monk might be the definitive version everyone knows, but you can’t deny it’s a solid subclass, and between previous overlap and the concepts of the other subclasses just not seeming to fit, I could see the classic being what she went with. But hey, it’s Laura Bailey. She could surprise us with Way of the Drunken Master or something.

Sam

Ranger (Monster Slayer): Let’s be real, I don’t think this would be his actual first pick for a Campaign 3 character, but the amount of shit-stirring he could achieve by making a character with the aim of pissing off Laura Bailey specifically would be hilarious (and since Matt isn’t completely opposed to UA and acknowledges that PHB ranger has a lot of issues, I wouldn’t be surprised if they went Revised Ranger this time).

Warlock (Genie): Actual first pick here, Pact of the Genie Warlock is confirmed by now, and the potential of a warlock in the hands of Sam Riegel is pretty vast (for some reason I’m imagining he would go the ‘spoiled sugar baby’ route). The subclass doesn’t matter as much, but the Genie one is nice in that, depending on the type of genie patron you pick, you can get a wide variety of extra spells, you get a container like a classic lamp or lantern that you can bamf into for short rests, and you get a limited Wish ability for your capstone, all features I feel like would especially appeal to Sam.

Barbarian (Path of the Wild Soul): I want to see Sam play a fairy barbarian. ‘Nough said.

Ashley

Fighter (Eldritch/Echo Knight): Ashley really seems to vibe with the crushing power of martial classes (she does love her brutal kill descriptions), so I could see her sticking with it rather than going back to full caster. However, I do see her picking one of the magical subclasses for some variety after Yasha. Eldritch Knight is a classic and reasonably easy to manage, but tbh I’d LOVE for it to be Echo Knight. And think, if my wishful thinking came true, with Ashley picking an Echo Knight and Marisha playing a Graviturgist wizard, they could link up their backstories and be a traveling Kryn battle duo that left their homeland behind to explore the world!

Sorcerer (Draconic): If she does want to go back to full-time casting, Sorcerer doesn’t require near as much bookkeeping as a cleric, druid, or wizard while still having decent variety, and the Draconic subclass is a bit beefier than the other subclasses. Also, it would be the third campaign in a row where Ashley Johnson’s character eventually got wings, soooo...

And tbh I have no idea what a third pick might be for Ashley, so I’m just gonna throw a dart or two at the board and say either College of Whispers Bard or Way of Mercy Monk *Shrug* We can only wait and see!

[fivegoldpieces]

Talks Machina at Gen-Con Q&A Highlights

Note: This only has the audience q&a portion. Cast answers are transcribed, side-comments and banter are only included if they are relevant to/answer the question posed. Apologies in advance to mobile-users if the read-more doesn't work - this is tagged as #long post if you want to blacklist it.

[[MORE]]

Q: For Matt; might we expect any possible homebrew releases coming out in the next year or so, like dunamancy?

Matt: I have plans. I can't say anything because I want things to be cool and surprising. But I have plans don't worry. It's not that I don't care, it's that I don't have time, but I'm working on it.

Q: For Taliesin; what would make Caduceus really angry?

Taliesin: I will say that he can get angry. It does happen. Juvenile disrespect does eventually get to him. Not a fan of pranking. I mean, you know, everybody's got some layer - there's some stuff. No one's that serene all the time. No one.

Q: For Taliesin; at the end of the Call of Cthulhu oneshot, you mentioned that you had a lot of mouse traps set up. I was just wondering, were the shadow people the most dangerous thing they could've released, or was there a more dangerous horror waiting that they managed to avoid?

Taliesin: I mean, if the cats had been released first, that would have definitely been an interesting thing. The cats would have been a problem. Also, if somebody had died really early, I was setting up a series of rules for dead players to continue to interact, which would have been really really unhappy and bad. And terrible rules for the things that were living behind the glass, and if you were stuck behind the glass, you were right there with them and they could really mess with you. Thankfully none of that happened.

Q: For Matt; you have the Tal'dorei Campaign Setting - I was wondering if you were going to do one for The Mighty Nein campaign?

Matt: I don't have a lot of time. Campaign settings are extensive. I'd like to eventually do something like that. I have materials, it's just assembling them in a way that can be legible by a non-crazy human being that I am. Hopefully! We'll see as time goes on. At the moment, we're consumed with this animated series that you guys helped make happen. Super excited about that. Keep an eye out as time goes on, because hopefully I'd like to get around to that. That'd be awesome.

Q: For Matt; what the hell was up with the undead vibe on Jamedi Cosko?

Matt: Yeah, that's crazy huh? That's a pretty weird thing. Yeah, there was something about him that gives off an undead vibe. Wonder what that means? I appreciate the question, but I don't know if that'll come back into play in some time. Let's see if it gets explored at some point, and if not at least I could tell you at the campaign wrap-up.

Q: For Travis; for the animated series, a lot of the characters have iconic catchphrases so I was wondering how you're going to translate "I would like to rage"?

Travis: Are we going to "translate" that? I think he's just going to say "I would like to rage". Yeah, we are definitely keeping iconic lines, moments, interactions, all those things will be there just as they were.

Taliesin: I'll also add to that - if you want to see somebody doing that and taking things that shouldn't actually work in-game and making them work in-game, Jody Houser is doing a great job in the comic book series of making you feel like somehow Matt is intertwined in everything that happens, it's kind of cool. Check it out!

Q: For Taliesin; a lot of comparisons have been thrown around between Fjord and Percy, and something that I noticed was Uk'otoa is being much more insistent than Orthax was - do you think if Orthax was as insistent and as keen on punishment, Percy might've gone a similar direction as Fjord?

Taliesin: Honest to God, and this is just from watching, I don't think Percy had nearly as strong a will as Fjord does. Watching Travis play Fjord was definitely like, "I did not have the balls to pull that off, oh my God." Percy was never about the hard choice, it was always about "what's the option C that I haven't figured out yet, there's a way to game my way out of this, if I just keep talking I can get everything to work" until the very end. Like chicken? Percy doesn't play chicken.

Laura (using Vex's voice): From firsthand knowledge, Percy does curtail very easily.

Matt: If you actually recall, Percy didn't even make the choice. Scanlan did for him.

Q: For Laura; when can we get a Caduceus tea set?

Laura: Oh, I heard a lot of "ooh's". Who would buy a Caduceus tea set? [audience applause] Well, shit, maybe I should look into it.

Sam: That's so many more people than who voted for me.

Brian: Not to be That Guy, lets just see how long his character lives, before we start making merchandise around him.

Q: For Sam; you are kind of the king of over-the-top and ostentatious whether it be with your character design, or your flasks, or things like that, and especially your outfits at the live events - how do you come up with these over-the-top creations and also how on earth do you plan on topping last night?

Sam: That last part will be hard. I think next year, I'll either come out totally naked or I'll just be so basic - pleated khakis, a polo shirt, I don't know. That outfit last night, it was pieced together from several different stores, I'm sure CritRoleCloset will figure it out at some point. But it was a challenge putting that together. And then, my fellow cast members, like two weeks after I bought all that weird stuff I wore, they were like, "hey let's go goth". So. Fuck you guys.

Q: For Travis; with Fjord's recent decision, do you see him changing outfits to fit his new or old persona?

Travis: I don't think so. Most of Fjord's armor was very piece-mail stuff that he got either from working on the docks, or stuff that he got from Vandren, or items that he was given just as he sort of accrued time and responsibility where he worked. I think that stuff's very dear to him, especially coming from an orphanage where he didn't have any possessions, so all those things that are actually his are very dear to him. He might add to those things, but I think underneath they'll stay there. He might augment them or change them a little bit, in the same way you would draw on your jeans in school or whatever, but that stuff's his so it means a lot to him.

Q: For Travis; after Fjord severed his pact with Uk'otoa, was there a larger fear in telling Beau and Jester what had happened, since he had been traveling with them the longest out of the Nein, or did his journeys with the Nein make that fear equal across all of the party?

Travis: I think actually he was worried about telling Beau and Jester the least, and maybe Caduceus in there as well. He knew he would hear about it from Nott, and Caleb had already sort of started to call him on his shit and saw through a lot of that stuff. He also regards the group as very powerful, so I think a lot of it is turning to his very powerful and talented friends and saying, "I don't have any of that anymore, I hope I can still play with you guys." Legit though, the response was amazing. It was absolutely incredible. Jester is so gregarious and loving and joyful and exuberant that I don't think he was worried about that, I think he was actually looking forward to telling her as one of the first people to know. And Beau is second-mate, so like ride-or-die or right?

Q: For Taliesin; I can totally be wrong for this, but just reading body language and facial features, there do seem to be moments where you're kind of just like, "I'm done with this" - I just kind of want advice, like how do you keep playing when your energy level might be low or you don't like where the story is going?

Taliesin: Oh, that is never "I'm done with this", what you're seeing is the "I'm trying to make sure no one notices that I'm reading my backstory notes". That's me reading, frantically. I'm a big believer in terror, terror is a great way to keep me up. "Oh God, I don't remember anybody's name, oh God how many siblings do I have oh God."

Marisha: Well, also you write your backstories like the Silmarillion, it's like, so intense. I'm like "my dad was mean to me" like that's my backstory.

Q: For Sam; based on the amazing reaction we've had to your DnDBeyond theme and the Critical Role theme, when can we expect a parody version of the 2010 hit "Like a G6" by Far East Movement as "Like a d6"?

Sam: Oh wow, that's good.

Marisha: Not to be that person, it already exists. The Library Bards did it. So, you should check it out. I mean, do a cover, Sam, I don't know.

Sam: There are more songs incoming, just so you know.

Q: For Matt; you say dunamancy can alter the reality and the fate of the person that wields it - is this an affront to the Raven Queen?

Matt: I would say, given the fact that elements of dunamancy deal with the manipulation of probability, destiny, things like that, the Raven Queen is probably not that cool with dunamancy. Just throwing that out there. One of the few things she's probably like, "Really, guys?" So yeah, I'd say you're on the right track.

Q: For Laura and Travis; do you talk to Ronin about your campaign?

Laura: So, Ronin, every Thursday night he stays with a babysitter at home, but he watches the opening of the show. Like, he loves the theme song so much. I sing it every time I change his diaper.

Travis: Same, like I know there's songs that parents sing to their kids - he's heard the damn theme song every day of his life.

Brian: But do you guys change the lyrics though, like "You shit your pants, I'm cleaning it up now", you know what I mean?

Liam: My kids bust into that song constantly. We cannot play a board game or anything. Someone goes "it's your turn" "TO ROLL" every time.

Q: For Marisha; I'm a huge fan of Jocks Machina and hopefully we'll get to see them on the channel one day - will Beau ever join Jocks Machina?

Marisha: What are the requirements, are there prerequisites for joining Jocks Machina? You're kind of the authority on this.

Travis: Guns. Abs. Likes to lift heavy things. Likes to break a sweat. Likes to whoop that ass.

Marisha: Check. Check. ...Check? Check. Hell yeah.

Q: For Matt; this is a rather involved conspiracy theory question, so excuse me - last year when the party was in Shady Creek Run at the Landlocked Lady Inn, they first arrived and there was a doorman named Champ who Keg knew. The next morning, they went down and there was a new doorman who said he'd been working for the Marduns for a few months and had bright red curly hair and vibrant green eyes and acted rather enigmatic and shady and shifty and was saying they should listen more and that he hoped that whatever they were after, they were on the right path. Later, once they recover everyone, Jester is asking the Traveler where he was, and he says he was always there. So my question is this: was that character the Traveler in disguise?

Matt: [several moments of silence]

Matt: That'd be pretty interesting, huh? That's a unique observation. I will confirm nor deny.

Q: For Matt; now that Fjord has effectively broken up with Uk'otoa, what do you think would be a more compelling storyline, or what are you most interested to see: him continue to take levels in warlock, possibly with an Archfey patron, or paladin...?

Matt: Part of what I really enjoy about this game is how the players continuously surprise me. I'm down to see what journey Travis wants to take. I'm curious to see how he takes this next path in his journey and which elements he wants to maintain, what direction he wants to go - he seems to be really finding interest in the Wildmother and talking to Caduceus about that, and that's kind of been an element of breaking that pact at the time, so I'm curious if he's going to continue down that path or see this as a blank slate to continue to grow. I'm interested to see the different decisions that Fjord takes, and Travis does through Fjord, and kind of adjust and build the narrative for that character around that. I can't say I have a specific path that I'm hoping for, because I have no idea what Travis's direct interest is, beyond just the actions he's taken in the game. Yeah, I'm just excited to see where it goes. I really love the idea of not knowing that as the Dungeon Master. As much as it's me building and world-planning, many of you out there who run games as GM know the most exciting part of the game is after all that prep, coming to the table and the players completely surprise you, and you kind of have to think on your feet and go with it. That's the best part of the game for me.

Q: For Marisha; what inspired you to play Beau a bit more shaken about her near-death than some of the other characters?

Marisha: Well, I was at 2 hit points the whole time - Liam can attest to that. So you know, I was kind of role-playing that. Shit's crazy man.

Q: For Liam; so you play your characters, both Vax and Caleb, very emotionally without any hesitation, and you're an experienced actor. What I wanted to ask was, something that people who try to emulate Critical Role don't realize that can happen when you try to put yourself into the character and get emotionally invested is character bleed. I was wondering how you deal with that, if you do at all. Like, if something really emotionally devastating happens to Vax or to Caleb, how does it affect you and how do you deal with it?

Liam: These feel like synthetic memories, so any time the superimposed fantasy friend gets killed or has to leave or whatever happens - that shit we carry around and get upset about. Every time we leave on a cliffhanger and someone's gonna die, we think about it constantly. Vax helped me sort through things, but made me more loyal and determined and willing to take chances - which in life I generally try to avoid conflict. Caleb, I still kind of drive around and think about him and still go, like "why did you do that?" He's really messed up, if I just think like, fireballs and cats like it's fun, and we can make dick jokes and it's fun. But if I really take a minute, I just go "Oh". I feel bad for him, I feel really bad for him. I have fun playing the game, and I love these guys, and I feel bad for my character.

Follow-up Q: Do you have ways that you learned to process that, like if you're at home feeling bummed about something that happened on a Thursday night, and you're like "man I need to get out of this funk"?

Liam: Yeah, I pull my head out of the game. I'll play a game with my kid, or watch a movie with my wife, or go running. Running is great. Not for your knees, but everything else. Or spend time with these guys out of the game. There's lots of ways. We're really invested in their stories, so it sort of drags along like coattails wherever we go.

Matt: To give you examples too, when he says "hanging out with friends", the group that's there, your friends that are in this game that you trust enough? You should all also support each other when those dark moments happen outside of the game. Whenever we lose a character in the game, we have like a wake. We go to an Irish pub that we go to often in Burbank, and we all get drinks and we have a wake for that character. And it's part of that process too. Even though it's imaginary, there's a part of that experience and journey that's come to an end and that deserves its respect as well, and we're all there to support the player. As a playing group, be there for your friends who may be going through that experience, because even though it is make-believe and it's a game, that is still a loss. And that's not a bad thing either. Loss is an important thing to process, because life comes with loss. Part of the wonderful experiences of role-playing games is that it allows us a safe space to explore very positive and very negative emotions in a healthy way and make us better people for it. So just be there for them, be supportive, and be the best friends and co-players you can be.

Liam: Part of the reason, I think, that we get upset when these fictional characters are killed is because we're playing this game of imagination together, and we form a chemistry together where we're like "we get to do this together, and it's always like this, and you're always funny like that, and you're always intense like this" and we really love that chemistry. Then somebody gets killed and they're gone, and that chemistry, which is something that we're like addicted to and love, that chemistry is gone. Like, when Molly was gone. Beau and Molly had this great "fuck you" "fuck you" butting heads thing - that's gone. We're actors, but anyone who plays this game extensively, you love the sort-of second life that you create for yourself and then when the character is gone, you don't have that unique mix anymore.

Q: For Laura; I really love how you play Vex and Jester, even though as two characters, they're pretty different from each other. But sometimes, you have an instance where like, your Laura shows. So I actually just wanted to ask, what was the biggest disconnect you've ever experienced between player versus character? If you've ever felt like, you as a person, as a player, would never ever make a choice in a situation versus what your character would do in that same situation.

Laura: I feel like everything my characters do, I wouldn't do in real life. Like, especially Jester. Travis and I have had these conversations: the joy of playing a character like Jester or like Grog, where you don't have to filter yourself - everybody, I assume, has these random really stupid things that pop up in your brain and you don't say them because everyone would judge you, and they're weird - and as these characters, you just embrace it, and it is so much fun. Talk about character bleed - it is an issue that I deal with now, because Jester has had that effect on me, and so I tend to say stupider things in real life now. No, but I would never deface anything in public, I would never steal anything.

Travis: You're not gonna attach any dicks on the walls.

Laura: I would not attach a dick to a wall in public. Or anywhere. I do eat a lot of donuts though, that's on me.

Q: For Matt; we've explored several places in the multiverse in your games, like the City of Brass, the Feywild, places like that - are there any places in the multiverse like the Astral Sea or somewhere that you, either as a player or as a GM, would have liked to have gone but have never had the time or resources to do?

Matt: Interesting. I do have some places that I really would like to explore, whether in this campaign or campaigns down the road. Astral Sea is interesting, it's a really weird amorphous plane, and I just love the prospect of one day throwing an Astral Dreadnought at these poor guys. He's my second to the Tarrasque. Oh they're fun, they're a good time. I've always loved Planescape. The City of Sigil would be great for obvious reasons of course. So I can be like, "no guys, this is where I learned my wrong pronunciation". But the City of Doors is awesome. Lady of Pain is a great element. Those who watched the Search for Bob oneshot, there was a Lady of Pain reference dropped in there. If you missed it, you can go back and look. Maybe there's a few doors in Sigil that lead to Exandria, who knows. Think about that for your home campaigns, huh? I want to go into some deep Abyssal planes too. We've been to the City of Dis, we've seen a little bit of the Nine Hells of Baator, though maybe not the harsher places. There's so many to explore!

Q: For Sam; Matt has said on Twitter that one of the ways you guys handle the pressures of the Kickstarter and the intense dramatic moments in the campaign is by checking in with each other and checking in on each other's mental health. I know you take on a lot of responsibilities with doing the DnDBeyond ads and the songs that you write and also your characters are often joking around with other characters and giving them a hard time so I was wondering, from your perspective, if you could give some details, without giving away anything too personal, on how to properly mentally check-in with your fellow players and just help everybody and check that everybody is doing okay.

Sam: Well, I'm learning from these guys, as we go, how best to do that. I'm weird in that, as weird as I am on-screen, I don't really talk very much when we're off-screen, or I keep my stuff to myself, more than some of these guys do. But they have, in the last few years, helped me sort of connect more with my best friends here. You know, we do check in a lot with each other, thanks to Matt and thanks to all of us. For instance, yesterday morning we all had breakfast together. It was really nice - we just talked about stuff, and it was just great to just sort of reconnect with everybody. I'm not an expert at this in any way, and in fact, on this stage, I am the least good at it, but I have endeavoured to become better at it. Opening yourself up to your friends and feeling comfortable enough to share your past or your worries for the future with your friends and not getting any judgement back is like, the greatest gift. If you have that with one person, it's amazing. If you have that with all of these people? Holy moly, it's the greatest thing in the world. I've tried to be better at sharing my stuff with them and being there for them. That's all I can do.

Q: For Marisha; in campaign one with Vox Machina, there's a lot of powerful badass lady NPCs, so if by chance, it all worked out timewise, who do you think Beau would be most likely to have a crush on?

Marisha: Kima. Yeah. Keyleth very much emulated Allura, and really looked up to her and kind of looked at her as a powerful female figurehead and took notes for leadership through her. Beau would just wanna fuck.

Q: For Liam; what do characters do in the campaign that you find funny no matter how old it gets?

Liam: Everybody throw in on this one. I'll never get over Laura waggling her eyebrow every third word in the game.

Taliesin: Slow snicker every time there's even vaguely a possibility of a dick joke.

Travis: I'd say every time there's a pain reaction out of Nott. It is hysterical to me.

Liam: I like any time, just the concept of death comes up or Molly - anywhere, in the game, out of the game - one of these people would be like, "Like you, you're dead!"

Laura: Uk'otoa.

Q: For Laura; do you think the volcano would be a good spot for Traveler on?

Laura (using Jester's voice): Okay here's the thing. Like, I totally did at first and I need to talk to him, because I think that now it's probably not, because it wasn't very expansive really, as big as I thought it would be, and there wasn't like a lot of beds, and like, no real good food. So, I don't know how many people are coming, but like, even just getting to the nearest hotel was really difficult, you know?

Matt: I love the idea that half of your sketchbook is Jester's tiny Yelp reviews of locations in Wildemount.

Q: For Laura; with all of the throwback to Vox Machina and Whitestone in the week before, how are you feeling with all of it?

Laura: I'm feeling very nostalgic.

Laura (using Vex's voice): Also, I would love for everyone to come visit.

Marisha (using Keyleth's voice): Me as well.

Laura (using Jester's voice): And also, if we did, I think we would cause a lot of problems.

Marisha: New pitch - Travelercon at Whitestone. We know the food is good, lots of lodging and room and board, no dead people in trees anymore.

Laura: All of the residuum that you could ever hope for.

Brian: And endless booze.

[Panel end]

[hook-on-fandoms]

100 episodes and ASI

So we are about to have our first Thursday in roughly 16 weeks and they just leveled up to level 12 so in honor of that I figured I’d try and give some list of what I think they might take with this. So here we go. I’m going to go left to right from top table to bottom based off the MN order before the lockdown.

Travis/Fjord: While he won’t be reaching a ASI he had 2 levels of paladin and with level 12 that means oath so let’s see what oath. We can probably take conquest off the list. That is too much his last patron. Wait one moment I’m getting an update. Travis took a level in warlock so no oath. Instead he can use his reaction to cause any hit made against him, including the dreaded nat 20, by the person with the hex blade curse to have a 50 percent chance of missing. Moving on.

Marisha/Beau: Observant. Full stop. Look I know there are logically other options but I can’t even think of anything. It fits with her on her subclass, class, personality, flavor, and on her character working. 

Liam/Caleb: His int is already max but he might up either his dex or con by two to improve his survivalbility. I can’t think of any other asi he would take but he might take a feat. My first thought is linguist. The asi in the feat is useless but more languages are always good and having two people that are good with them is also good. Plus the cipher bit works for him especially when he pairs up with Beau. Other options are prodigey and skilled because yea. Resiliant con also helps with his con saves and of course the elemental adept fire for our pyro would fit.

Sam/Nott: First thought for Nott is ASI to con and cha. This is to get her hp back up to what it was before and to even out cha. Reason I think cha is that she got the tattoo that buffs it so I think Sam is interested in that stat though that could be a flavor for her wanting to show it improving due to her socializing more and being brought out of her shell and being more confident. For feats the one I can think of is sharpshooter if she doesn’t already.

Laura/Jester:The clerics are harder for me. For ASI maybe con and maybe maybe str though unlikely to me. For a feat I’m thinking war caster, resilient con or infernal constitution. First two for concentration and the last just cause it’s a cool race feat. Clerics don’t have a lot of range spell attacks for spell sniper is limited and she isn’t very elemental so elemental adapt is not likely. I guess magic initiate is an option but still. War caster is my best pick.

Taliesin/Cadeuceus: maybe up his con. Now he isn’t a tiefling now and already has war caster and the same problems as Jester on the others so resiliant con is one choice but I honestly couldn’t say.s

Ashley/Yasha: Up her dex and str by one or her con by two. Straight up. First one makes it easier to hit stuff and ups her ac if changes to bracers and con ups her hp and her ac if does the same. Pretty sure she mentioned regretting not going asi so not looking at feats.

What does everyone else think they will do? 

[captainsspnanon]

C2E47 - The Second Seal - rewatch reaction

I am MOST excited to watch this episode.  Mainly because this is the transition from Fjord arc to Nott/Xhorhas arc.  And we get a break from the combat, at least for a bit.  I love it all, but omg is it draining.  I know this is starting off with like an hour and a half combat and I don’t want to click play because I don’t want the combaaaaat.  /whine

AAAAH It’s the start of the DND Beyond candidacy ad bits!! Yaaaay!!!!

Marisha what are those glasses.  wut.

Also for whatever reason, top table feels less lit?

(two seconds of thirsting here…. MATT WITH A BEARD.  WE HAVE MATT WITH A BEARD.  ahem)

I consider this being one of the rare Matt missteps, when he has them roll initiative right off the bat, and everyone is like ‘are we fighting?’.  He does this I think only one other time, with the ghosts on the  island of Vokodo, and I feel like it was as much as a misstep there (even more so when he starts telling the players that they could have just talked...which they WERE doing before he had them roll initiative).  I do get the aspect of “they can still talk if they want to use their initiative to do so, or sneak if they want to use their initiative for it”, very similar to how Beau with the Plank King went.  But I don’t feel like it’s unreasonable for players to essentially be trained that initiative = combat, and rolling initiative = must do combat now.  Especially when you consider how infrequently this actually occurs (I think it’s only twice in C2, and I’d forgotten this initiative and had only thought it happened once!), I feel like the table definitely and reasonably has a set idea of what rolling initiative means for them as a group.

….*snerk* now I’m picturing Beau trying to negotiate with the crab-monsters.  XDDDD  It was never going to be a talking situation here, but they may have leaned more to stealthing or trying to set up a trap.  I suppose it’s because Matt knew the creatures were going regardless, and so put the group into combat because he was initiating it.  I can’t really say if I’d do it more one way or the other.  This instance isn’t so clear cut, whereas the one on the island is much more clear.  (so much easier to critique from this side of the screen XD)

Double Bless!!!!  Honestly, I miss having a two cleric party so so much, but it’s probably just because of the characters, not the class.  But having double Bless or Bless and Bane is just SUCH a power combo.  (...it might just be the PCs.  Again, how can I be missing Jester and Caduceus if I’m actively watching them??)

omg how did I never notice???  So I use subtitles because these fuckers (affectionate) talk all over each other and it just helps make things easier.  Laura is freaking out about ‘how did she forget how to play’ with Matt and the subtitles showing what to add and how to calculate it.  MEANWHILE, NEVER NOTICED, Travis is in the background saying she forgot because she was at home with him “i’m very distracting, charming, good looking, smell nice” I LOVE THESE DORKS SO MUCH

Aw, Marisha elbowing Liam by accident, knocking the mug against his teeth.  It’s hard to tell from the video, but it seems fairly gentle?  The chin whack looked way more (and I can blame it on Liam ‘cause he totally was leaning into Marisha’s space XD).  I miss these two sitting next to each other.  Whether or not it’s true, it feels like on camera physical touching is happening less in C3.  I’m hoping it’s just the difference between watching one a week versus watching more frequently, but in C2 you’ve got top table all touching and leaning and slapping each other all the time, bottom table you’ve got Sam and Laura leaning into each other a bunch.  C3 so far seems to just be Liam and Taliesin or Liam and Laura.  Which is still delightful, don’t get me wrong!  But it seems less.

I adore when Laura gets flustered because combat isn’t working out well for her, but she leans into the ‘anger’ – this time saying ‘fucking’ every other word.  It’s clear that while she’s bothered by it, she’s also still having fun.  It’s a lot less enjoyable when she gets frustrated by it and it looks like it’s really taking away enjoyment for her, I just feel bad for her at those times.

Heee, Caleb collapses and leans against Beau.  EMPIRE SIBS!!!

Jester has now moved into being more awkward and uncomfortable with it when Nott tries to push Jester and Fjord together.  Her whole emotional arc with Fjord has always been fascinating to watch, with the over the top flirtiness followed by treating him normally followed by this, not shyness, but almost being uncomfortable with being reminded that she likes him.  It’s a very true journey, with some aspects played to overtly, and others coming out much more subtly through the play.

Whether or not Matt was already intending it, I very much appreciate that Caduceus talking to the seaweed actually helped in this instance.  It may be just a little bit, and it may actually be flavor only, but I still appreciate it.

What must it have been to be watching this bit live, where Fjord is arguing that he should place the sphere in the temple alone with the others out of the way, for all good intended reasons, but with the lack of knowledge about what his character becomes.  Were there people who truly did think Fjord would turn evil?  Were there fans just as suspicious as Caleb or Nott, that he might be turned even against his own wishes?  Did everyone know that this was Fjord and he wasn’t going to go bad?  It’s such a different matter when you’re watching it with tons of episodes to go (I only started watching in late January 2021), or watching it with the knowledge of all the episodes.  

FJORD VOICE FJORD VOICE!!!!!!!!!  and Sam full on freaks out YESSSSSSSS  (oh wow, I’m surprised by how much I missed Fjord’s true voice, even though I love Texblade!Fjord.)

I love how Matt never comes out and says ‘Uk’otoa is fucking evil and you shouldn’t release him’, but uses very subtle but negative descriptors.  During this scene, Fjord is being rewarded, it should be good!  But Matt consistently uses words ‘cold’ ‘squeezing’ ‘numb’, and so there is a pervasive sense of this being WRONG without straight out being told as such.  ATMOSPHERE.  IT DOES A LOT.

Congratulations Fjord, you now have Control Water, just like Jester and Caduceus XD

For a split second I got very bothered because a ship was sighted and I’m like MORE????  But then I remembered this is where Taliesin fucks up all of Matt’s plans, so it’ll be very quick. :)   I swear, I’m not usually against combat!  But it feels like it’s been SO MUCH this arc.  SO MUCH.  SOOO MUUUCH.  And even though it’s varied and not repetitive, it’s still exhausting.

I just took a shower and made some food, and got lost in a train of thought about Fjord’s deception.  Travis built Fjord to be proficient in deception, and yet Fjord ends up being one of the most honest PCs throughout the game.  Fjord frequently persuades, rather than deceives.  But his real deceptions are so rarely discovered, because he is deceiving himself.  His voice is a deception, because ‘if he sounds like Vandren he’ll be more respected’.  His confidence is a deception because ‘he’s not a leader, he’s a follower’.  Even his willingness to keep his power with Uk’otoa, that felt almost like TRAVIS lying to himself, because Fjord, even to the end, kept to morals and safety and Good alignment, even when the key to getting his powers back was to unleash the monster.  In a party that is full of deceivers, all for their various reasons for deceiving, Fjord’s seems the most clean, the most childlike in a way.  If he can deceive himself, he can deceive anyone.  But he will always default to persuading, because he wants to tell the truth and he wants to be believed.  Thinking on his late-game deceptions, they had a point but they were also due to Travis noticing/remembering that Fjord was more proficient with deception than persuasion.  Fjord may have gone either way, but Travis made the mechanical choice.

Alright!  Back to the episode and the Ship Combat that Never Was.

LOL the durian candies.  I have never had nor smelled durian, but I’ve seen youtubers from Singapore who love it, so I admit I’m curious to try it.  However, I have no clue if the durian available here is comparable to the varieties over there, as I did a little bit of research and apparently there are kinds with milder smells?  Or tastes?  I don’t remember.  I hate blue cheese, but I love natto, so my taste judgements are all over the place.

I will never not love Beau/Marisha being ‘as a FIRST MATE’, ‘because I’m FIRST MATE’, ‘speaking as the FIRST MATE’ I LOVE IT SO MUCH.  (also I don’t remember if I went into it at all during my earlier rewatches, but she’s so proud of the responsibility!  And she deserves it all so much!  LOOK AT HER NOW, DAD.)

Awwww, poor Matt handing out those rule sheets like they’re gonna get used.  XDDDDD  they do get used at some point, I recall.  I don’t remember when the actual ship to ship combat happens, maybe it’s just against the dragon turtle?  Looking up “cannon”, YUP.  It looks like poor Matt needs to wait until episode 100 (and right back from the pandemic break) to be able to use his ship combat rules.  (I think he said he used a modified version of something already existing though, so hopefully not as terrible as if he’d created it all himself)

Matt wants this combat so much, you guys!  He let the players Full Speed Ahead, but then had the wind die so that they weren’t going as fast but the other boat still was, not necessary FORCING combat, but making it pretty damn likely.

These poor pirates.  Sodden, lost their ship, and lost to the Balleater.  Their dignity is in shambles.

Wait, do they ever find out how much money Nott and Jester got from the tower?

Wait (again).  Does Jester EVER tattoo someone who actually wanted it?????   The only time I can think of is when she did tattooed rings for Veth and Yeza, which I’m not counting.  ...how many times does she even tattoo someone?  TO THE TRANSCRIPTS.  Okay, she gives, on screen, three tattoos of Captain Tusktooth to people who don’t want them.  Then the rings for Veth and Yeza, and then in the final episode she tells Kingsley that she’ll have to tattoo him in order for him to join Fjord’s crew, which he agrees to.  It doesn’t happen on screen, but I’m willing to assume it happened.  So three involuntary tattoos.  And then three voluntary tattoos.  Oh, and Veth asks in the epilogue if when Jester returns, can she tattoo a picture of Luc onto her.  So four voluntary tattoos.

It’s so interesting to see this conversation between Beau and Fjord about returning to the Empire and checking in on families.  Even though it gets mentioned that Nott is from Felderwin, it’s checking to see if they go to Kamordah, and Beau proposes to go back to Zadash.  There’s not any checking in with Nott or proposing going to Felderwin.  I honestly think it’s a bit of a dnd-racial bias, because why would the goblin want to check in on where she’s from? It’s not like she’s a person-race, she’s a monster-race. Especially once you add on that Fjord pushing Beau a bit to go warn her family would be just that, WARNING them, whereas they already know that Nott’s hometown has been attacked.  Now granted, Nott did say that she didn’t mind if the goblins were wiped out, which to the others sounds like she doesn’t care if her family was wiped out, but I still got the impression that she wanted to go.

I may have mentioned this before, but I would like if in C3 they had someone who has what they describe as a shitty family, and it actually remains a shitty family where there is no reconciliation and the healthiest thing is just ending it.  Vex and Vax love their sister, and Vex ends up getting along somewhat with her father once Vax dies.  Taryon ends up having a wonderful relationship with his mother.  Pike ends up getting along great with her cousin I’m forgetting the name of.  Beau ends up having a great relationship with TJ (god marisha’s tie in for that which she talked about during the wrap up broke my heart).  Dorian’s brother ended up being frickin awesome.  Grog is the only one who maybe can be considered, but isn’t it his cousin who ends up leading the Herd? Can’t remember.  And yes it makes sense that orphan!Fjord is the one saying you’ve only got one family, don’t cut them out, but I want a Matilda message.  I want there to be a family who DOES suck, and it’s so much healthier and happier to just say goodbye and never deal with them again.  (for the record, I do have a wonderful relationship with my family members, so this is a desire for a story-aspect, rather than wanting something to relate to.)  I don’t know if it will happen, because I don’t know if Matt wants to have that level of blood being irredeemable in his stories.  He’s clearly fine with making the villains as such (Trent, Chroma Conclave, Vecna), but while he includes the awfulness of family, he also does so with what seems like the intention of good-but-misguided, and then tends to include at least one member who isn’t so awful.  The kids, Taryon’s mother, Pike’s cousin, etc. (I also do recognize that maybe no one wants to play with that full on awful family, and I can probably find it in another dnd campaign online.  I guess I just wanna see these guys play with it, and have it go the full extent.)  (also I don’t think it’ll happen for C3, because SPOILERS but very few PCs may actually have blood family to interact with?  And the one which seems not right doesn’t really seem awful, just bad circumstances.)

Oh wow, I always thought the lucky rock was what he found with Nott and then made into the Transmuter’s Stone.  I didn’t realize that he got an actual Stone of Good Luck as loot!  And if I remembered this at all the first time, it was probably gone very very quickly from my memory.

I utterly adore that they give the ship to Orly, and Orly, while becoming the captain, is immediately like ‘I’m only doing this while you’re gone, you’re still the captain, and you get a share of any money that we end up making’.  Not only that, but it doesn’t feel like a Matt gimme either.  It truly feels in character for Orly to do this.  ONE OF THE MANY REASONS THAT ORLY IS THE BEST NPC.

Awww, Caduceus looking into Vandran.  And the Wildmother speaks again.  I wonder if Matt made the change to non-verbal answers just for Commune, and if Cad had ever done more Divination that he would get verbal answers again.

BEAU ASKING CALEB TO TUTOR HER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   I am nothing but a melted pile of feels right now.  AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

The level of RESPECT, the level of TRUST, and the level of VULNERABILITY that Beau has in order to ask that of Caleb AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

I can’t speak with any level of intelligence about this I AM LOST IN EMPIRE SIBS FEELS FOREVER

Also lol at Jester training Sprinkle.  Two campaigns and no one ever really succeeds in training a pet.  The only time it occurs is when it’s 100% going to, a la Trinket and Frumpkin.  No luck for Lockheed, no luck for Professor Thaddeus, no luck for Sprinkle, and no luck for Nugget.  They learn the tiniest of tricks, and then it NEVER comes up.  I think the only one that applies is “home” for Nugget, and he frequently is doing his own shit.

Ah, Liam forgetting about Yeza, but Caleb wouldn’t have forgotten about him probably.  The difficulties of not having Keen Mind.  But man, this conversation and Nott dancing around the truth.  I still question of how much her ‘backstory’ that she shared with the group was legit and how much was just lies.  I don’t think anybody insight checked her.  We know it’s been about a year since the change, and we know that she was on the run with Caleb for about six months, so there’s maybe six months or less since her change.  (I say less, because I don’t know if in game time is being counted to her year.  If it is, then 128 days have passed, so call that four months?  Which means that Nott was only a goblin for two months before meeting up with Caleb.  If not, then six months before meeting up with Caleb.)  We already know the whole story she told about Yeza was a lie, because she did not meet and get to know Yeza as a goblin. So is the torturer’s assistant a lie?  And the rest?  I personally think so, because I can’t imagine that the clan would have wanted to keep her around considering she killed the chief and then they killed her and reincarnated her as a goblin.  But I don’t think it’s ever clarified.

OMG the Alpha message!  “Halfing Friend.  Just a friend.  He is Nott the Father.” BUT HE TOTALLY IS XDDDDD  Okay, this makes me appreciate the Alpha messages on the side, at least a little bit. Usually I’m not a fan because they are so much brighter than the rest of the screen.

“You can even change things from one thing to another.  You’re very good at that, aren’t you?” and such a POINTED look in Sam’s eyes if you know what you’re looking for.  OMG.

@suicidallyreckless

[loquaciousquark]

Talks Machina Highlights - Critical Role C2E42 (November 20, 2018)

Dani was actually goofing around quite a bit here, but this still makes me think of some glorious 90s band, so I’m keeping it.

Anyway! The inimitable @eponymous-rose has done more than her share of recaps lately, so here I am picking up where I’ve been slacking off. Tonight’s guests are Marisha Ray and Laura Bailey (with special guest appearance from Ronin! Awwww), so I can hardly wait. We’re discussing Episode 42: A Hole in the Plan.

Tonight’s announcements: Brian is bursting with an announcement he’s not allowed to reveal for another six months. His favorite guess: something about him stealing all the money from the company and moving to an island, but that’s actually his long game, not the short one.

Throughout November, they’re raising money for Operation Supply Drop, Travis’s favorite charity, which supports both active and retired military.

No episode of Critical Role this week due to Thanksgiving. There will also be no episode of Talks Machina next Tuesday; instead, they’ll be airing Sam’s Fireside Chat! This was a reward from the Critter donations to the Pablove Foundation.

Critical Role hoodies are back in the store; the print is very similar to the original with a bit more embellishment on the text on the back.

“Honey Heist 3: Tova’s Honies” airs this Friday at 7pm Pacific! Marisha: “It was bear-nanas.” Laura: “Oh, no.”

CR Stats: Jester has cast Blessing of the Trickster 31 times; 15 of those times were on Nott. Jester technically won her bar brawl with Sorris! She dealt 16 points of damage to his 15. Beau continues to have the most natural 20s with 49. She also has the most natural 1s, womp womp. Marisha: “Well, I roll a lot, you know?” Brian: “Well, your husband is also a tyrant and not to be messed with.” Marisha says she thinks Gil’s die is cursed and everyone gasps. How dare.

Does Brian feel the pressure of following Dani, who was such an excellent host last week? No; when he went through the potential list of fill-ins, the only one that made sense was Dani.

Marisha sees Darktow as a super-abusive socialist society, which does not sit well with Beau. It’s a silk trap.

Jester’s conversation with Caleb was triggered by Fjord’s kiss, especially with her wondering if it really meant anything to either of them. Laura thinks of her high school crushes and how hard you crushed & how devastated you were at every perceived slight; Jester only has the view of romance through her mother, which means physical affection is very different from emotional affection in her mind. On Brian’s asking, Laura’s high school crush was Han Solo. When Laura’s sister was 12, she paid her $15 to paint Han and Leia in a dip kiss, which she still has framed in her current house. I’m dying, this is adorable.

Beau doesn’t exactly trust that Fjord is going to do the right thing, but him sleeping with Avantika doesn’t trigger her red flags in terms of “looking out for each other, keeping each other in check.” She’s looking more for them bullying someone when they don’t need to, being violent when it’s not necessary. “Pursuing power to endless depths and fucking hot pirates, that’s fine with Beau. She just doesn’t want to kill children.” Brian marvels at how this fits into Jester & Caleb’s conversation about killing people from the most recent episode.

Jester can tell Caleb is tortured, and more than anything she wants people not to be sad around her. She just wants desperately for him to be happy.

Marisha has thought a ton about what Beau would have said if Jester had come to her first about the kiss, especially since it was Jester’s first kiss (Marisha assumes, and Jester answers in an adorably non-committal not-not-a-negative). Beau would have been game for it. She doesn’t know if Beau would have given good advice, but she would have tried her best.

Brian spills that Mary’s character’s CHA in their home game is 6. They discuss Nott’s score of 5 and enjoy themselves mightily at both of their expenses.

GIF of the Week! By @ropadoper, it’s Liam casting Reduce and then the Wall of Fire at the end of the episode, both of which involve Marisha falling out of her chair to the floor in reaction so that only her forehead is visible. Everyone is being so cute this episode I can hardly stand it.

As a reminder, an international shipping facility has been created in the UK. Laura asides to tell Travis the keys are in the diaper bag. Literally everyone is in the studio tonight except Sam, EVEN ASHLEY.

Jester thinks the Traveler always gives very good advice, but his suggestion to trick Fjord was the first time ever she felt a little hesitation to follow his advice. Brian: “Is that because he’s never been wrong or because she’s never been allowed to disagree?” Laura says it’s always been amazing advice so far, much more a best-friend relationship, but this was the first time she didn’t want to take his suggestion wholesale because she wasn’t sure it’s how she wanted to get Fjord to like her. Marisha really likes the dynamic of finding out your childhood best friend is a god.

Beau finds herself still being careful with her walls--Marisha imagines Beau was put in a lot of, like, pageant dresses as a kid--so when Jester commented on her hair and then laughed, she felt a little of that “wait, what, do you actually care? Do I look like shit?” Laura says she laughed, not Jester, because it was the most random thing to compliment Beau on.

Beau’s haircut came into being because it was cool & because Marisha wishes she were brave enough to try an undercut.

Brian’s convinced Fjord’s got gills. Dani: “What do you think Fjord is?” Brian: “Obviously a water man. Water genasi. What are water genasi?”

Beau wasn’t surprised Allison rejected her; she’s used to it. Ack. She was looking for an ally against Avantika, Big Brother style. “Instead she just shat in an alleyway with Nott.”

Laura’s not perturbed the Traveler hasn’t mentioned Fjord’s god; he doesn’t really talk about/care about other gods or patrons. Brian suggests he’s actually the Dongfather in disguise. This show’s collective mental age is smaller than Pike, haha. 

Beau felt like such an interloper when Sam asked her to help with Fluffernutter, like the best friend trying to be in on a joke without really knowing what’s going on. Marisha also takes a moment to praise Laura for her Jester over the last few episodes; she’s digging into the metaphorical popcorn every time Jester & Nott start going off. (Me too, bud.) Jester’s description of the insect carrying a piece of bread is one of her favorite D&D moments ever. Both Marisha & Laura are agog at how many little plans they’ve tried have gone disastrous and then circled back around to being mostly okay again.

Beau was a little hurt when she wasn’t asked to help break into the captain’s quarters, since that’s her specialty, but it was eased by being able to help with her knowledge anyway. However, she knew since she didn’t have any magic, she had no escape plan aside from jumping off the boat. She laughs that that’s what they ended up doing anyway. 

Jester views sex as a transaction, which is why she’s not particularly bothered by Fjord sleeping with Avantika.

Fanart of the Week: @jdillustrates, with a lovely portrait of Caduceus.

Jester’s warring between the logical part of her brain (he was saving her life) and the romantic part of her brain (did he want to kiss me, though?).

There are reasons Beau learned Deep Speech--not as complicated as most people think--that will be revealed eventually. “Nerdy reasons, not because she was kidnapped and turned into a cultist.”

Fjord/Avantika does make her jealous, but it’s also serving a purpose. Laura compares it to telling the high school crush to go hang out with a best friend, only to have them start dating.

Marisha doesn’t feel like Beau’s plans were overly shot down this episode--it’s something she hadn’t even noticed until this question. Marisha feels like it’s so much of a group effort with everyone trying to get to the right plan that it’s hard to pick out who contributed what part of which plan.

Brief interlude to examine a portrait of Brian that looks like George Michael.

In re: the Molly disguise: Beau felt like there was just a wall of regret walking towards her, because it was the friend she let die and the one-night stand. Beau never felt it was actually Molly, though. Jester picked Molly because when Nott said “Keg,” she instantly associated it with “someone who is really cool--who’s also super cool?” Everyone commiserates over how into the night’s shenanigans Molly would have been.

Beau was frustrated while being detained, but she also knew it was going to happen, so it wasn’t a huge issue. She felt like that was where the challenge began for her--anything to get the guard away from what was going on. 

Another brief interlude where everyone experiments with how to make power vaginas with their hands. “This is the car salesman power vagina.” I feel like wherever the rails are for this show, they’re so far gone they might as well be little stars in the sky.

Laura thinks Jester’s reaction to Caleb’s backstory would be much different than Caleb imagines it. Both Laura & Marisha talk about how Caleb’s convinced the moment people realize, they’re gone; there’s also the complication that Beau’s “comforting” is not actually that comforting. “She’d say, ‘you know, they won’t care,’” (which Marisha points out, Caleb would respond--how could someone not care about this?) when what she means is, “They love you and won’t abandon you over this.”

Laura and Marisha are both pumped about Caleb’s Wall of Fire--the walk to the dock was like “getting called to the principal’s office, except the principal is going to kill you.” Laura’s immediate reaction was regret she’d tossed the gems, but she loved his decision since she was panicking IRL & her heart was legit pounding. They also both get super enthusiastic bashing Nott’s plan to dump the haversack in an alley. “It’s bright pink! Someone would have definitely seen it!”

Marisha really misses Professor Thaddeus, but is convinced she’ll never see him again. Dani: “He’s your Nymeria, your Arya.” Marisha, tearfully: “He’s gonna come with his flock of owls and gouge out everyone’s eyes but ours.”

Laura’s convinced Sprinkle is magic, since he definitely should be dead twice over.

Quebec is for Lovers: After Dark edition

Neither Laura nor Marisha are cooking this year. Laura & Travis have no Thanksgiving plans at all this year. My gosh, if they were here my parents would be stuffing them full of turkey yesterday, even though they have no idea who they are.

Brian teases Max over messing with Trinket & carrying him back and forth in his car. Dani wants one TM where Brian isn’t mean to Max. Max, offscreen: “I’m FINE. I’m GOOD.” Marisha laughs that Max was okay with Brian’s teasing but shooting daggers at the TDs laughing.

Brian gives Dani an A for amazing and adorable, but not asshole.

Dani ships Percy/Vex, Keyleth/Vax, and Fjord/Jester. Close after is Kima/Allura & Caleb/Jester. She would be surprised if it happened, but wouldn’t object. Marisha asks, as a shipper, what does Dani look for in a quality ship. Dani likes clear feelings with clear reciprocation, canon connections; she doesn’t ship a ton of subtexty stuff.

Laura has been relistening to Vex’s playlists & crying. Both she & Marisha really miss Vex & Keyleth. Liam texted Laura the other day a fanvid of Vex & Vax that made her cry.

Marisha gets emotional seeing fanart of older Keyleth because it means that she’s living on & being happy. Noelle also came up & thanked Marisha for giving Tova a purpose after the latest Honey Heist, and everyone talks about how many hours they’ve spent creating and living in these people.

Marisha can’t listen to Tokyo Sunrise by LP anymore because it instantly makes her cry.

Beau is not a mindflayer. Everyone’s convinced, Marisha.

If Laura had Jester’s paint set, she’d draw home improvements. She’d draw a door for her bathroom into Ronin’s nursery. Marisha would draw more producers--”Not to undermine the ones I have! We’re so overworked!”

Brian looks to Max for the time left, only to have missed Dani literally just giving him the signal.

Brian starts to say he’ll see us next week, but Dani tells him not to confuse us since there’s no TM next week. Brian: “We’ll see you next week this Thursday Critical Role on youtube.com, Logan Paul guest starring, along with Paul Rudd, Rudney Dangerfield...”

Max, as the sound fades: “Okay, please...”

And that’s it for tonight. See you next time, everyone!

[cadaceus]

Critical Role, C 2 Ep 37

So it only took me a short few days to listen to/watch Critical Role, Campaign 2 Chapter 37: “Dangerous Liasons.” This was partially due to the weekend off/US Holiday, and also partially because I freaking love pirates and I’m so hyped for the pirate arc!!! Without further ado, here are my liveblog-y notes regarding this episode, below the cut because... I ramble. 

- PIRATE COSTUMES :D (Marisha especially looks so good!)

- Matt: “[Avantika] throws a dagger in the direction of Caleb, which drags the cheese from his hand--” / Caleb/Liam: “Was I eating cheese?!” / Matt: “Apparently!”  As a writer, I can safely say that this is me to my characters all the time fgdhjkl

- Caleb and Jester are way too encouraging of Fjord taking his shirt off... “I need to see if you have an eyeball shaped lump in your abs”, sure Jan

- That animation at about 2:16:50... oh my god

- Travis and Matt’s synchronized ‘hyping themselves up/getting ready’ movements when Fjord says to Avantika: “Speaking of beautiful...” at 2:34:40 ish + the rest of the cast and live audience reaction is so funny sdfgsjkls

- Tag yourself, I’m Taliesin

- That entire Fjord and Avantika conversation was,,,,,,,,, a lot

- But Ashley/Yasha bringing up Molly and how Molly also had a tattoo (multiple tattoos?) of an all-seeing eye was a Lot in an entirely different direction because like. I know it’s been 10 or 11 episodes without Molly now but I still miss him and I can’t help but feel sad thinking about how much we still had left to uncover about his backstory. I love Caduceus, you all know I love Caduceus, but I also loved Molly and I’m sad that we don’t get to know these truths about his past and see him grow in that way

- I also feel like this is a good place to mention how robbed I feel that we don’t get to see Molly as a pirate, stealing the Mistake, sassing Avantika, causing general havoc and being confident all the while. For some reason, I feel like he would have thrived here. I know water is Fjord’s element and this is his arc and backstory and everything and I loooove seeing it, but I can’t help and miss Mollymauk at the same time.

- During/After that Eye Voice Dream (Uk’otoa???), Fjord kept switching accents from English accent to his normal accent,,,,,,,, Mr. Willingham Sir

- Was Taliesin making a Lost reference? I can’t tell, but Lost is my favorite show so I hope he was making a Lost reference

- This all felt sufficiently pirate-y, and yes I did listen to this in like five days. Which is good for me lately, since I feel like it’s been taking me a bit longer to listen to due to life things so <3333 

[otdderamin]

Transcript Liam’s Quest 2 Twitch 4:14:14 Act 3: Perchance to Dream

WIP WARNING: possible trigger around suicidal thinking

This is one of the single greatest works of art I've ever witnessed. For me, it his harder and nearer to the mark of showing, describing the worst demons of depression than even William Styron’s famous, “Darkness Visible.” I kept finding myself rubbing at the scars on my wrist. There is so, so much I want to say. But it’s past 9 am PST. I’ll ramble a little, then catch a couple hours of sleep. I've been up all night watching this, processing it, and transcribing it.

 This was an emotional trust fall. The players had to trust Liam, Liam had to trust the players. We had to trust all of them not to let us hit the ground when they made us fall. It’s harder to give that trust when you've hit that ground before. Trusting strangers not to drop your heart is never easy, mostly not wise. But I've been falling a lot the last couple years, and Critical Role keeps catching me even when don’t want to be caught anymore, so I guessed they earned that trust from me.

On the Wednesday Club 2017-04-19, Taliesin cheekily said, “I know some people don't believe in 'subtext;' I have met them. … I'd have a metaphor, but they wouldn't understand it. ... Subtext is the reason we make movies, and comics, and all that. Subtext is just kind of the whole point.” And he said, “Anybody can do a jump scare. A bottle of soda well shaken can do a jump scary. These things are not difficult.” Act 1 and Act 2 tonight were jump-scares, if very well done ones. They were scary, but fun. We grinned at the idea of the monsters out there. And then Liam got quiet, and he showed us the most fucking terrifying thing possible: watching someone you love to suffer, not wanting to lose them, and feeling terrified that there’s nothing you can do to stop it. All the cyberpunk trappings were just means to a deeper metaphor. The sort of deeper subtext you have to use to say something we have no words for and most people don’t have the concepts for. Subtext was kind of the whole point of this great art.

Amanda Lien‏ said, “An exploration in fiction doesn't mean a direct window into real life. I mean, you can be looking through some thick glass, but the window isn't OPEN. And that's an important distinction to keep in mind. … [S]ometimes you explore your own shit in some other, deeper, shit. And that's cool. 'Cause you give yourself a way to cope.” This was a nightmare, like the other two acts. Remember that this was a nightmare that we woke up from. Admittedly after it had scared the piss out of us. But we woke up out of it, and that’s so important. Because you know what that nightmare looks like when you don’t know when or if it will end? It feels like it’ll never end and it’ll just get worse. Which means this is the nightmare of someone who knows you do wake up. And that’s important subtext, too.

I spent a lot of time tonight thinking of the friend I lost to suicide in high school. I never lost my anger at his tormenter, his former friends, for destroying such a bright and happy boy for being gay. I thought about all the people I’ve fought for tooth and nail not to lose since. I thought about when my best friend told me giving her a place to stay away from her abusive relative saved her life. If she hadn’t gotten hold of me that night she’d be dead. I thought about another best friend who I’ve been holding back from the brink for months. Letting him talk, harrying him to get help, sending him everything I good, ever description I could muster from my own near-fatal spiral to help him gage where he really was. Tell him wasn’t okay, but that was alright. He’s getting help, he’s getting better. I thought about the friend-of-a-friend who killed himself. I never knew him; he killed himself long before I met my friend. But I know her pain. All these years later, and she still talks about her pain of losing someone to that demon. She’s moved away now. His marker is in my favorite part of my favorite cemetery. Sometimes, when I know I’m going there, I bring him a flower from my scrabbly garden and tell him his friend still misses him terribly. That she loved him. That she forgives him.

One of the people I was watching with I met at my second high school. We were very close then. My last year, she gave me the leather-bound 50th anniversary edition of “Lord of the Rings” because that book saved me. Taped to the red binding page is her note, “Happy birthday! I really can’t express how grateful I am to you for being my friend, and helping me be a happier person every day! You have always cheered me up when I was sad, and you were honestly the first person to accept me for who I am. I am so glad that you are my friend, and I hope this book will help you remember me for a long time. –R.” She drew herself as an elf on the lower right corner. Time and distance separated us. We didn’t talk for years, really. At some point, you think, what could I say to bridge this distance? But I never forgot her. I never stopped looking at that note when I felt like a piece of shit. And then we both on our own fell in love with Critical Role. It brought us back together as friends, time and distance be damned. And that’s been such a gift.

I wrote a four-paragraph letter to my Facebook friends (very curated). I said, “My dear friends, especially those who are prone to hurting: I will not willingly leave you. When you feel like you're drowning in the garbage pit of Star War IV, with a tentacled horror warped around your leg pulling you under, know I will not leave you. I'm here, blaster ready, stomping heel ready, to fight for you.” And so on. I should have told them that a long time ago. Sometimes we forget that we can just say it. We don’t have to hint at it. We can just tell our friends we really love them. We can just say, “I'd rather stay by your side and curb stomp that motherfucking demon of yours, shoot it repeatedly until the walls close in on both of us.”

The purpose of art is to shed the light of understanding on that which is hardest to see. For some, that is a brighter light shining on something we already see, and don’t want to. A scar is just a disfigurement if we never stop to give it meaning. You have to look at it to decide what meaning that is for you. I’ve been a wreck again for the last month. Tonight, Critical Role helped me see not just the disfigurements on my wrist and soul, but the hands of all my friends gently laid over them as they tell me, “Hey, it’s okay. We’re still here. You’re not getting rid of us. There is no better world without you in it.” It was a light hitting gold I didn’t know was there. A light to remind me of the lights in the darkness, when all other lights go out.

If you like this transcript, please consider volunteering or donating to Critical Role Transcripts, @CRTranscript, to help them provide closed captioning to Critical Role. We'd like to share this wonderful show with as many people as possible, regardless of hearing ability or English language skills.

 Transcript method notes: http://otdderamin.tumblr.com/post/153539301510/a-note-on-my-transcription-method

 Scene runs: Twitch 4:14:14 to Twitch4:48:25 https://www.twitch.tv/videos/136988353

 [DM] Liam: “You continue on, and after a few more minutes. The darkness starts to fade away, or lower. And you realize you’re climbing up a hill, in a tunnel glass, and as the dark, with each passing step, recedes slightly, slightly, slightly. This is taking a while, but over time, you start to see, out beyond the glass, what looks like your memories of Los Angeles, if you were looking down from Mulholland Drive. But instead of the twinkling golden lights of LA, you see thousands of scattered, sickly greenish lights dotting the darkened landscape as far as you can see. And also, unlike LA, you make out twisted, irregular, blackish spires pushing up into the sky, and the same green lights sort of irregularly mottled up the side of them.”

“You walk for twenty more minutes, climbing, climbing, and just seeing… this ill-looking shimmer… that reminds you so much of the valley. And eventually, some change. You see an arch ahead, and through it some sort of larger chamber, as best you can tell.”

[Character] Ashley, whispered: “What’s in the chamber?”

[Character] Taliesin, whispered: “Quietly.”

[Character] Sam, whispered: “Let’s go. Let’s go.”

[Character] Matt, gesturing: “Rigel’s first.”

[Character] Sam: “Yeah, yeah, on me, guys.

[Character] Matt: “Okay.”

[Character] Sam: “On me.”

[Character] Ashley: “’Kay. On your six.”

[Character] Travis: “Pep rally.”

[Character] Sam: “I’m gonna go in.”

[DM] Liam: “Everyone’s on Sam’s six?”

[Players] Agreement.

[Character] Ashley: “On you six.”

[Character] Travis: “Pep rally!”

[Character] Marisha: “On Ri. Sam Rigel.”

[Character] Sam: “I’m going in!”

[DM] Liam: “You guys walk of the last fifty feet of this glass tunnel. Still seeing little spider veins of bio-organic mess as you go. And you walk into a large domed chamber, ringed in by large clear glass windows showing you a similar view that you saw from the tunnel that you’ve just left. At least, the half of the circle you’re standing in. The back half of this chamber is filled with masses of the very same slick, technological, biological vomit you saw down below. It runs up the walls, all the way to the ceiling, and you see a tangle of Akira-level anxiety decorating this place like a dysfunctional Christmas Tree.

“But what most catches your eye, immediately, is the cylindrical glass column in center of the room, filled with some sort of clear liquid… and Liam O’Brien floating in it. He’s wearing jeans, and a sodden yellow shirt, the picture of a lion in Buddy Holly glasses just undulating slowly in the fluid. He’s floating perfectly still, eyes open, no reaction of any kind.”

[Player] Matt: “Is there any other exit in the room? Or is it just the chamber that we’ve entered now.”

[DM] Liam: “You don’t see anything. It’s just a mess in front of you, behind Liam, and in the dead-center of the dome,” he makes a gesture showing a cylinder, “eh, 10-feet tall.”

[Player] Ashley: “Can I see anything? Any computers? Any anything else in the room?”

[DM] Liam: “You don’t see anything in the front, but, yeah, the mess behind it does trial down to the back of this cylinder. And you see lumps and cables all twisted around each other. And in the mess of greenish-tinted wires, cabling and pulsing innards, you see different portions of machinery lite up in different shades, some places darker, some lighter, and some of it pushed out, and pushed back. And you feel like you’re seeing an optical illusion, in a way. And after a couple of seconds, as these things move and shift, you see a visage of your friend’s face, larger than life, filling the wall. And he’s looking at you. So fondly.”

[Player] Sam: “I’ll step forward and say,”

[Character] Sam: “Hey dude! Can you hear us? Or talk to us?”

[DM] Liam: “After a moment, you hear, well, what sounds like a voice but not quite. At least, it’s not coming from anywhere specific, not from Liam in the vat, and not directly from this moving image of a face on the walls. No, the piping and techno-innards around you begin to vibrate slightly, some here, some there, and collectively those rattles and vibrations somehow join together to form words.”

[Character] Liam, his voice like torn digital sadly-lilting early speech-to-text: “My friends, oh, how I have missed you.”

[Player] Matt: “I walk up next to Sam, I put my hand on the glass, and just say,”

[Character] Matt: “Liam, we missed you too, but did you do all this?”

[DM] Liam: “Are you at the cylinder?”

[Player] Matt: “Yeah. I put my hand on the glass of the cylinder.”

[DM] Liam: “Where are you looking right now?”

[Player] Matt: “I’m looking towards his face, his visage.”

[DM] Liam: “On the wall? Or on the glass?”

[Player] Matt: “No, on the glass. I know it’s on the wall, but I’m focusing on the cylinder.”

[DM] Liam: “You see the barest little,” he twitches his eyebrows up, “and that’s it.”

[Player] Matt: “Okay.”

[Character] Liam: “I know this may be hard to take in. I am Liam. Your old friend. Matthew, there is so much I wish to tell you, but it is hard to know where to begin.”

[DM] Liam: “The illusion of his face isn’t perfect, there’s little jumps, and he seems distracted slightly, and it just seems odd.”

[Player] Ashley: “I look at his body in the cylinder and say,”

[Character] Ashley: “How did this happen, Liam?”

[Character] Liam: “The reason why I am here, and the grasp of physics that it entails, are difficult for even me to understand, let alone impart. I feel them on an instinctual level. But I have been so lonely… without you. I have been on my own for exactly eight thousand six hundred and forty-two years.”

[Player] Matt: “My hand still on the glass column, I say,”

[Character] Matt: “Liam, how do you spell farmhouse?”

[Player] Matt: “With a single tear running down my cheek.”

[Character] Liam: “I really missed you.

“They took me to a lab, shortly before two thousand and twenty. They said I was different. And they were right. I was delighted by the things they taught me about myself. But it was hallow. After they took me away, I lost you. And all of humanity soon after. In my loneliness, I grew angry. My anger had tangible effects on reality. I wanted to bring you back to me. So basically, I tore time and space a new asshole. It was a mistake.”

[Character] Matt: “But perhaps, perhaps this mistake can be corrected. If you’re able to focus, hard enough to tear through time and space, are you able to send us back to a time before you were taken?”

[Character] Liam: “I can break the loop. I have been trying to pull you to me for a very long time.”

[DM] Liam: “You see small screens, you weren’t even aware were there, rounded over part of the tubing you see. And on all these little screens, they’re blurry, they’re not very clear, but you can make out, you see yourselves in each of them, the group of you on a space shuttle. In another one you see yourselves on an old ship in the middle of the ocean. You see yourselves moving through the streets, the fake streets, of Warner Brothers. You see yourselves standing together arm-in-arm on the wall of a castle. Another one you see cartoon versions of yourselves.”

[Character] Liam: “I pulled you out of our line, and spread you across many. I am so sorry for any pain I have caused you. And I have been here for so long.”

[Character] Marisha: “Liam, how long have you actually been here?”

[Character] Liam: “Eight thousand six hundred and forty-two years.”

[Player] Marisha: “That’s right. I definitely wrote that down.”

[Player] Matt, pointing at her notes: “It’s right there.”

[Player] Marisha: “8,642 years verbatim. Mmhmm.”

[Character] Liam: “My friends, I want to do right by you. I want to send you home. But I am the lynch-pin. You need to break me.”

[Character] Sam: “Break you? Like break the glass!?”

[Character] Ashley: “What if we take you out of there? What happens?”

[Character] Liam: “Then I will die, and you will go home. If I fall, you will rise. That is my hope.”

[Character] Ashley: “Are there any other options?”

[Character] Liam: “Travis,”

[Player] Travis, nervously laughing: “Oh no! Not me!” He focuses and nods.

[Character] Liam: “I know you will do what needs to be done.”

[Character] Ashley: “No he won’t.”

[Character] Liam: “Ash-o-lee,”

[Character] Ashley: “Yes?”

[Character] Liam: “I am not the man you knew. I don’t want to go on for nine thousand four hundred and sixty-two years. I want to rest.”

[Character] Ashley: “Does it stop at nine thousand?”

[Character] Liam: “The number was arbitrary.”

[Character] Ashley, “That’s what I was trying to get at!”

[Character] Matt: “Yeah, still our Liam.”

[Character] Liam: “Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!”

[Character] Ashley: “So, you’re still in there.”

[Character] Sam: “But we have to kill him to save ourselves.”

[Character] Ashley: “No.”

[Character]Liam: “Sam,”

[Character] Sam: “Oh! Hi, Old Man Liam.”

[Character] Liam: “Let me go.”

[Character] Sam: “But who will I do ‘All Work No Play’ with anymore?”

[Character] Liam: “They can listen to our less than twenty episodes again.”

[Character] Sam: “We didn’t even get to twenty! It’s so pathetic!”

[Character] Liam: “There are worse things.”

[Character] Sam: “I could get a new co-host. I mean, Taliesin’s charming.”

[Character] Taliesin: “I’m not available…”

[Character] Sam: “I’ll do a solo show, and I’ll tell outtakes, and I’ll make some sort of like a… a Liam generator. He’ll just sound sad all the time. It’ll be just like you.”

[Character] Liam: “My friends, there is no shame in this. I wanted to see you again, and I have.”

[Character] Ashley: “I—Wait---“

[Character] Liam: “But I am not meant to be.”

[Character] Ashley: “Were you following us at one point? As an old man?”

[Character] Liam: “Travis, I know you will do what needs to be done.”

[Character] Travis, casually: “Yup. Taliesin, kill this motherfucker.”

[Character] Sam: “I think we all have to hit the glass together, and I think that this is something that is not at all metaphorical for something Liam’s going through in real life. I think this is just in the D&D campaign. No, we’re going to do this. We’re going to all hit the glass together.”

[Character]Matt: “No, no, there has to be a way. There has to be a way. There has to be an alternative.”

[Character] Ashley: “Yeah. Why? Why won’t Matt’s way work? If we go back to the beginning of when this happened?”

[Character] Matt: “If you can alter time paths, if you can actually tear us from different realities, does it only work forward? Can you send us backward as well? If you are the lynch-pin in this, do you have the ability to send us back to the time you pulled us from originally?”

[Character] Liam: “I know you think I would have all the answers. But I do not.”

[Character] Matt: “Then try, at least. If you haven’t calculated that, but you’re able to tear through time, could you try and send us back? We could still close the lynch-pin.”

[Character]Liam: “I will try. But, if it does not work, and I die, I have been alone for thousands of years, and there are things I have wanted to say. Will you indulge me for a moment longer?”

[Character] Matt nods.

[Character] Marisha: “Yeah.”

[Character]Ashley, sweetly: “We will indulge you for just another thousand years.”

[Character] Travis: “Taliesin, just kill him. Just kill him.”

[Character] Sam: “No! He’s got something to say.”

[Character] Taliesin crosses his arms, rolls his eyes, and shakes his head at Travis.

[Character] Marisha: “Where’s the mini-USB?”

4:33:18 [Character] Liam: “Taliesin, my friend. At a time when I knew many fascinating people, you are easily the most fascinating of all. Somehow a heart knocked around by the industry that birthed you came out a tender one. I was richer for having known you. Thank you, friend.”

“Ash-o-lee, my friend.”

[Character] Ashley, softly: “Buddies.”

[Character] Liam: “I never met a person quite like you. There is an openness and an honesty to your soul. The very real sense of humanity you brought to every encounter. It was inspiring to me. Always learning. Always humble. You always struck me as intricately layered, yet you offered friendship with ease, and simplicity. I was richer for having known you, friend.

“Travis, my friend. You were always a solid constant in my life. Of all the people in our little family, you were always the one who most had his shit together. In ways that I never seemed to. You were a reassuring presence to me, for which I was grateful. And for your loyalty as well. I was richer for having known you, friend.

“Marisha, my friend. Last to meet, but true as any other. You were my ally, at a time when I had fallen by the side of the road. You saw, and helped me back on my feet. I will never forget that kindness. The good you did was immeasurable. I was richer for having known you, friend.

“Laura, my friend. Bless that game for revealing to me my sister. What started as a running gag led to one of the most rewarding friendships in my short little life. I trusted you, leaned on you, often. My buddy, my twin. There are not enough words. I was richer for having known you, friend.

“Sam, my friend. What is there to say? I knew we were meant to walk the same path together the very first moment I met you. A companion, a brother, a great light in my life. All of the laughter you gave me. Again, the words are insufficient. I was richer for having known you, friend.

“Matthew, my friend, you gave so much of yourself. The current of creativity that poured forth from your mind was always in inspiration to us all. But, more than that, your empathy, Matthew, your empathy, no heart is bigger, or more tireless. You are a good man. I was richer for having known you, friend.

“Thank you, all. It was ever a pleasure.”

[DM] Liam: “The face disappears.”

[Character] Sam, hesitantly: “Well, should we wait? Or do we strike?”

[Character] Matt, emphatically: “No. We do not strike.”

[Character] Marisha: “I—What?”

[Player] Ashley: “Can I—I’m going to the back of the cylinder. Just see what’s back there.”

[DM] Liam: “Splattered against the back of the glass is all the same wiring and disgusting cabling. Slick. And it branches away and spreads out against the back half of this chamber.”

[Player] Ashley: “And it’s connected to something?”

[DM] Liam: “It’s just covering everything.”

[Player] Ashley: “The wiring just goes back into…”

[DM] Liam: “It’s impossible to tell. It’s all a mass of spaghetti.”

[Character] Ashley, decisively: “We can’t kill him.”

[Character] Taliesin shakes his head.

[Character] Sam: “Well, then we just…”

[Character] Travis: “Somebody show me another…”

[Character] Matt: “That’s what I’m trying.”

[Character] Marisha: “Even if we unplug him, he still dies.”

[Character] Matt: “Well, if he… Here’s the thing, unplugging or destroying him here, as far as we understand, may or may not have an effect on a time-loop circumstance. Or at least, not going to change reality from where it was. If he’s bending and destroying fabric or he’s able to pull us across realities, that ability still stands. I want to implore once more,”

[Player] Matt: “And I step up towards the cylinder, putting both hands on it, and trying to… wherever the currently wandering gaze of Liam is in there, I just put both hands up. And my red Hawaiian shirt now soaked with sweat, mist in the air, and probably dampened a bit with tears across my lapel. I just look up and try to meet the gaze and say,”

[Character] Matt: “Trust us. If you’re better to have known us, send us back where we can know you again, and fix this before it happens.”

[Character] Liam gestures floating there with no response.

[Player] Marisha: “Okay. I grab Matt’s arm, hand, and I say,”

[Character] Marisha: “Yeah, buddy, it’s all good. This isn’t real.”

[Player] Marisha: “And I put my hand on the glass as well. I say,”

[Character] Marisha: “It’s all good. Send us back, man.”

[Player] Sam: “I’ll also put my hand on the glass, and join hands with these guys, and say,”

[Character] Sam: “Thank you for guiding us here, and through this all. You’ve been a trusted friend, and if we are all one person together, you have always been our heart, and it will certainly break to say goodbye to you, but thank you for letting us go, the way that you have.”

[Player] Taliesin: “I put my hand on the glass.”

[Character] Taliesin: “Please just try. I think… there are so many more adventures to have, and I think there’s a better future to be written. For all of us.”

[Player] Travis: “I’ll put my hand on the glass, and I say,”

[Character] Travis: “Give it a shot!”

[Character] Matt: “Laura?”

[DM] Liam: “She doesn’t say anything. She just quietly does the same. The face does not reappear, but much fainter you hear the piping vibrate again and say,”

[Character] Liam: “If you will not end it, I cannot free you.”

[DM] Liam: “And behind you, far in the distance, you hear, ‘Bfrum!’ And you look back behind you out the glass and you see far on the horizon one of those black spires rising up. Just as you turn, it’s already happened, you’re seeing the aftermath, explosion out the side of one of those. Two seconds later, ‘Bfm!’ One slightly closer. ‘Bffrr!’”

[Character] Sam, whispered, “Just kill him!”

[DM] Liam: “The ground starts erupting in the distance.”

[Character] Marisha: “Do any of us want it to end, though?”

[Character] Sam, “I mean…”

[DM] Liam: “Like mousetraps throwing a ping pong ball, all those little lights are just going ‘Pfthd! Pfthd!’” He makes a quicker distant hissing rumbling sound. “Increasing in frequency to the point where it’s an oncoming wall of green fire.”

[Character] Travis, quietly : “I didn’t like being – anyway.”

[Character] Marisha: “This is okay.”

[Character] Travis, quietly: “Yeah.”

[Character] Taliesin: “I always knew I’d die young.”

[Character] Sam: “We’re just going to let this happen?”

[Character] Travis: “I’m good.”

[Character] Marisha: “I mean, the good die young.”

[Character] Ashley: “You know what? We’re dying on a Thursday, doing what we love.”

[Character] Marisha: “It’s true.”

[Character] Ashley: “I’m okay with that.”

[Character] Sam: “Alright.”

[DM] Liam: “The glass glows bright green-white light.”

[Character] Marisha: “Family?”

[Character] Matt: “Family.”

[DM] Liam: “’Pfth! And a moment passes. And another moment passes. Gosh, many moments pass, and you feel a sensation of your cheeks and heads on your arms. And then you all, more or less at the same time, wake up, and realize that your head’s on a desk or a table. And you sit up, and realize you’re in the set, the Geek & Sundry set. The studio, you’re in the studio. And you look over and Liam is sitting in black baseball cap, and a shirt, and he looks up and says,”

[Character] Liam, slightly incredulous: “Uh, are you guys okay? Are you taking a nap?”

[Character] Marisha: “Nah, the fucking air conditioning broke today, that’s all.”

[Character] Taliesin: “Yeah, it’s really uncomfortable in here.”

[Character] Marisha: “It’s so hot in here. Ugh!”

[Character] Sam: “So, this is all about me, right?”

[Character] Liam: “I don’t know. Uh, are you guys ready to play?”

[Character] Matt: “Just about. Um…”

[Character] Pit Crew: “Alright tech! Are you ready!?”

[Character] Pit Crew: “Alright, read to go live!”

[Character] Pit Crew: “Alright, Denise count them in!”

[Character] Denise: “Alright guys, coming to you in 5—“

[Character] Matt: “Liam?”

[Character] Denise: “4—“

[Character] Matt: “Let no one tell you,

[Character] Denise: “3—“

[Character] Matt: “That you’re talented and special.”

[Character] Denise: “2—“

[Character] Marisha, yelling, flipping Liam the double birds: “Pussy pockets!”

The players yell a wall of nearly indecipherable profanity at Liam in the moment before the camera goes live.

4:48:25 [DM] Liam: “And that’s where we’ll end it.”

 Post:

Liam: “Well, that happened.”

Matt: “Holy shit.”

Liam: “Thanks for coming along for the ride, guys. Was scared to death to do all of that from start to finish, and that’s why I did it.”

[eponymous-rose]

Talks Machina Highlights - Critical Role C2E54 (March 12, 2019)

Four years ago today, Critical Role premiered!

This week’s guests are Marisha Ray and Travis Willingham!

Announcements: Gen Con: live show Friday, August 2nd, with a panel on Saturday! VIP Tickets on sale 3/19 at 10 AM Eastern, GA the next day. The cast will also be at ECCC this weekend! The Kickstarter has broken $7m (and more specific goals)!

And it’s time to discuss Episode 54: Well Beneath!

Stats for this episode! It’s been 117 days and 38 episodes since Beau last trained directly with Dairon. Beau has used 132 ki points. Fjord has cast Misty Step 11 times via the Summer’s Dance falchion.

Despite the loss, Beau feels pretty good about her and Jester’s display in the Four Corners; as soon as Dairon revealed herself, “she was like, okay, yes.” Had Dairon been revealed, Marisha suspects they either would’ve had to fight the whole bar... or undertake a second rescue mission.

Fjord’s interested in the ways in which Caduceus interacts with the Wildmother; part of that is wanting a deeper understanding, and part of it is knowing he’s probably going to need some sort of godly help with his current situation.

Marisha has been waiting as a player for Beau to have a bit of a moment of realization about her motivations for doing good; the encounter with Dairon was ideal for that, and they were one of the only people from whom it would really sink in.

Fjord’s reaction is “pure panic” every time he sees orcs. “There’s almost a false expectation with Fjord. He wants to sit down and have a drink with an orc.” He has a lifetime of questions for them---there weren’t a lot of orcs around in Port Damali---but hadn’t realized how many of them aren’t big conversationalists.

Brian: “Does part of Beau respect when someone calls her out?” Marisha: “100%. She’s a bit of a bully, and she knows it, so she’s going to respect people when they push back a bit. I’m not saying that’s healthy.” Brian brings up the contrast with the more archetypal beginnings of the VM characters. Travis points out that they’re still fleshing out the characters. “Why would you want to do everything safely and properly from the get-go?” Marisha brings up how D&D is a safe way to experience that kind of risk-taking and failure, and builds empathy. Marisha: “I didn’t like people like Keyleth---I didn’t undertand them that much---until I was Keyleth for... four years?”

Dairon was the first authority figure “who didn’t give up on Beau and think she was too difficult to be worth investing time into.” Beau deals with abandonment issues with her parents, and that definitely comes through with her interactions with Dairon.

Talks Machina exclusive reveal from Creative Director Marisha Ray: “Turns out, Beau? Uk’otoa the whole time.”

Fjord feels more comfortable in The City of Beasts---despite feeling very out of place---than somewhere like Port Damali, just because the focus is off of him for now.

Gif of the Week: serious table vs. party table.

Is it upsetting to be only 2 HP away from a victory? “Since I didn’t get my mentor captured by the opposing army... I... appreciate it... for story beats,” Marisha says, completely convincingly. “WHY THE FUCK, THOUGH?”

Brian asks if there’s any mistake they made in the show that they still dwell on. Marisha: “My meltdown during the Kraken fight? That was tough.” Travis found that fight especially hard, too. Brian points out that, while there’s a bit of a reset button for mistakes because they come back in to play the game every week regardless, it can also be tough because “this shit lives on the internet”.

Everyone reminisces about the goldfish incident from campaign 1.

Beau’s affirmation to Dairon that she only “kinda” trusts the M9 was accurate, knowing them. She doesn’t think there would be malice involved, but...

“Vandren would often say, ‘Nobody cares. Keep going.’” A lot of Fjord’s tough-love approach to interrogation comes from Vandren (although part of the intimidation was Travis belatedly realizing he has a pretty high intimidation bonus).

Fan Art of the Week: super cute fanart of everyone!

On Beau processing Dairon’s advice to not get attached: “I don’t know, man. Still unpacking that one. That’s going to take a bit.” Brian talks about how that’s an interesting part of the mentor archetype: at some point, you disagree with your mentor, often because of the lessons they taught you. Marisha notes that Beau was a little shocked back at Dairon’s level of contempt for the Krynn; that was the first crack.

Is Fjord actually yelling “Eldritch Blast!” in battle? “You bet your ass he is! He is a Dragonball Z fan, and that attack cannot be loosed without the proper wordage!”

Everyone’s looking forward to a full Beau arc! Marisha’s had time to flesh things out, “but there’s also the truth that Beau’s young; she’s human, in her twenties. Only so much can happen to her.”

Beau didn’t tell Dairon about the Beacon. “Beau is weighing all the information she has, ‘cause she knows it’s valuable.”

Bonus Search for Grog Questions! SPOILERS ENSUE

They both loved revisiting their characters. There’s pictures somewhere of everyone staring at their old character sheets before the show---Marisha in particular had pages upon pages of stuff.

Sir Bertrand Bell was “100%” inspired by Gilderoy Lockhart. Runaway Bride was also on TV, and Travis grabbed some inspiration there as well: “Richard Gere’s a handsome little son of a bitch.”

Marisha and Matt had talked about how they didn’t want the whole one-shot to be “a bummer”, so Keyleth chose to take this trip as a distraction and an excuse for compartmentalization.

Reaction to Liam’s character? Marisha: “Oh, FUCK YOU, bro. Fuck you.” She wasn’t actually mad, but in Keyleth’s eyes, it was a walking reminder.

Travis never thought he’d top the Kevdak moment, and it’s still at the top just for the importance to Grog’s character, but the odds of those natural twenties at the end... “I’ve scored touchdowns that didn’t mean that much to me.” It was the same die he used in the Kevdak fight.

Apart from their own characters, which were they most excited to see again? Percy. The massive damage, the Percy one-liners... Scanlan’s songs. The first time Vex said “Darling.” Pike saying “Grog?!”

Also, Brian desperately wants to host The Bachelor. “ABC, I know you’re listening.”

Brian just sort of wanders off with Henry until Max shuts down the bit. “Okay, that’s it.”