#zerxus cr

[psychicdamaged]

as someone who has spent an obscene amount of time thinking about evandrin and zerxus' relationship (before one of them died). something that has stuck with me is luis saying that zerxus has always put avalir before elias. it's such a sad, poignant thing, but i think when evandrin was alive, that wasn't true. i think choosing avalir was very deliberate, and that choice made because duty was less painful than facing an empty home, his child missing his other parent, the ghosts of evandrin that lingered in their old life together. being first knight, choosing that lonely tower, was the preferred option over confronting his loss. after all, he literally had patia erase the memory of the resurrection attempt. he chose, over and over, not to face his grief, and part of that meant putting duty above all else and burying all the difficult things like emotions and raising his bereaved son. between his desire to escape and the pressure on zerxus to take up evandrin's mantle, of course he became the next first knight.

i also think that zerxus was the reason evandrin was able to get the first knight position. without zerxus, evandrin would've juggled raising a son from infancy and ascending to first knight on his own. obviously, he loved zerxus as a romantic partner, but also, having another parent to elias meant he could focus more time and energy into his own ambition. that, perhaps, if zerxus' #1 priority was elias, then it would be okay if evandrin's #1 priority was avalir.

maybe it was even supposed to be a temporary arrangement. maybe evandrin thought that once he'd achieved his goals, he'd be able to put his family first again. but that's not how avalir works.

i think evandrin loved his son. but i don't think for a moment he was at all immune to the hubris and mighty ambition that held claim over the rest of the ring of brass either

[captain-xandis]

I come from a time a thousand years ago, when gods walked among mortals. And the world was ruled by magic. Like you, I protected my home as First Knight, a member of the Brass Ring, a group similar to yours. And also like you, I assumed the best of them. I was blind as my friends condemned our civilization with their curiosity. Their hubris.

You mean the Calamity?

The gods set to war upon Exandria, and in the chaos, I found myself face to face ith the Lord of Torment himself. But instead of destroying me, he gave me a choice. Die with the rest or join him, and spare my family. I thought if I had enough time, I could reach him, save him, tame his turbulant heart. For my folly, I watched my husband and son fade with the rigors of time, losing even the memory of me. As if I never existed at all.

season 3, episode 4 of THE LEGEND OF VOX MACHINA

[blorbologist]

hey there's something about how in Zerxus' stained glass exposition, the Ring of Brass all look... subdued. remorseful.

Is this how he remembers them? At the end? Not the confident, powerful portraits we are presented with during Calamity?

and of course, the missing sixth member (not depicted with the ring, separate from his friends...) with the Mace of the Black Crown vs his Holy Avenger...

[floweroflaurelin]

I’m not even sure you knew you were lying.

—

Spent tonight’s ep painting Zerxus!! I need to rewatch all of Calamity right now 🔥

[ludinusdaleth]

"You say you chose this existence to spare your husband and child. You say you loved them, but all I hear is regret."

Pike Trickfoot & Zerxus Ilerez in The Legend of Vox Machina Season 3, Episode 4, "Hell To Pay"

[johnnyspells]

Downfall: Part Two

[andi-o-geyser]

oh god he even named his new home the brass skull he’s literally never gotten over them

[shellem15]

I'm not caught up yet, but I find it very funny how, apparently, in Zerxus' retelling of calamity events Asmodeus is depicted as this big hulking monster-type demon.

Like, Zerxus, babe. He did *not* look like that and you know it.

Do you think he's embarrassed to admit that Asmo looked like his husband and he projected a lot of weird feelings onto him? Cause that's like, objectively hilarious.

[blurrycriticalroleposts]

Laying in bed, giggling and kicking my feet, drawing little hearts with devil horns on them.

[kitkatqueen1]

Is anyone else reminded of how Asmodeus appeared to Zerxus first.

Wounded, covered and blood and weak needing help, needing protection. And now Braius met the Hells, locked away bleeding from the neck...when he could have healed himself. The flirting is also while very Sam, very similar to how Asmodeus was flirting with Zerxus. And let's not forget how Yu/Dusk was able to unsettle the Bell's Hells

[natp20]

YOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[beedreamscape]

I know I've mentioned Bolo being cake in Portuguese (and the mispronounced Bola being Ball) but Idk if people know Porco, from Patia's surname, means Pig in Portuguese (and other romantic languages that use it as an alternative word for it) and I wish Marisha had talked more about it, if it was intentional or not.

[asmodeus-cock]

This is about Vespin and Zerxus

[blorbologist]

EXU CALAMITY STAINED GLASS STYLE IS SO BACK

THERE'S TEMPEST!!!! AND THE RING OF BRASS!!

im gonna. be sik

[backonrepeat]

Asmodeus is one of my favourite Big Bads to use as a DM, so I can't tell you how incredibly happy I am that Brennan seems to have adopted him as his particular Critical Role blorbo, and plays him with such gusto.

His Asmodeus in Calamity was absolute perfection, and the confrontation with Zerxus remains one of my favourite CR scenes ever.

Now with Downfall, BLM keeps on building Asmodeus and showing more sides of him and I'm eating it all up:

- We have confirmation that, exactly as Zerxus claimed, he was not always as he is now. He actually saved the Gods during the escape!

- Him and Serenrae had... something going on, and are now giving mad divorced energy

- His avatar is the oldest, so either he was the first to volunteer to go squash aeorians, or he had some other nefarious plot going on

- He is posing as a priest of PELOR, because his pettiness is eternal

- "Hello, family!" This bitch is LIVING for the drama

- Not created by Brennan, but... Love the fact that Asmodeus seems to collect beefy paladins like they are pokemon

[ludinusdaleth]

Zerxus's Tale in The Legend of Vox Machina Season 3, Episode 4, "Hell To Pay"