#Sam Riegel hurt my feelings

[arabella-strange]

[annemarieyeretzian]

loquatius recording a message to be played at his disappearance or death; a message that talks about a great evil and the powerful forces that tried to keep it quiet; a message that says one voice was strong enough to tell the truth and expose the lies, and that it was laerryn; a message that says loquatius stood in her way

[deramin2]

(Spoilers for Critical Role Campaign 1)

I don't have any expectations for wherever FCG will stay dead or come back somehow because I've spent 9 years watching Sam Riegel totally subvert my expectations in a narratively compelling way.

But I will say that "FCG shouldn't come back because it would lessen the impact of a narratively perfect death" is EXACTLY what people were saying about Percy's first death after C1 E68. (The first televised character death.) If he had to have an end, it was a fitting end that, while tragic, neatly tied up the thesis of the story. Would Taliesin even want him to come back? With Whitestone saved and Ripply killed, was there even much left to explore?

They found Percy's death letter telling them he loved them all but please bury him in a ditch with all his designs so he could be forgotten by history. He was so sorry for all he'd done and he could never make it up.

But they tried anyway, having to wrest Percy's soul away from Orthax. The players knew what they said in the resurrection ritual was meaningful along with their rolls. But they did not know they were also having to convince Taliesin. If they'd tried to appeal to Percy's soul in the wrong way, dice be damned, Percy was going to refuse. What we got was really meaningful and powerful roleplay (especially from Marisha and Laura) that did convince Percy along with successful rolls.

Being brought back did not at all weaken Percy's own sacrifice or the impact of his death. It forced him to confront everything he'd been running from. It forced him to see that there were people who loved him and would not let him throw himself away for them. They didn't want a martyr, they wanted their friend. It utterly changed the trajectory of his character.

There's only four ways I can think of on the table to bring FCG back:

True Resurrection — Incredibly expensive high level spell. They would have to find the materials as well as someone who both can and is willing to cast the spell in the middle of a war to stop a second Calamity. None of this would be easy. The ritual could still fail. FCG could decline to come back and the other players would not know that until they went to all the effort. The Raven Queen views True Resurrection as heresy which is why they didn't try it on Vax. How would a second chance change them?

Reincarnate — Lower level and cheaper spell. FCG would come back as a fleshy being instead of an Aeormaton. Would the experience live up to FCG's fantasies about it? How would it change them to realize they are truely alive, and always were, but are now also mortal? Reverse Veth story? Wild ass Pinocchio retelling? What does it mean to get a second chance but everything about you is different?

Wish — I think this would count as duplicating True Resurrection. High component cost and requires a high level magic user. (If it's duplicating a spiral there's no risk of no longer being able to cast Wish.)

Hag Deal — They do know a fatestitcher Hag who likes them and limes making deals even more. Orym may be able to just extend his existing deal. What are the consequences for the deal marker as well as FCG? Would the robit feel responsible for that person's fate? How would that affect how they feel about coming back and the meaning they need to make from it.

I don't think there's a right or best option because whatever we speculate on, the actual result will be full of meaning and very poignant. I can't imagine that Bell's Hells won't try to bring him back. They've lost so much already. They couldn't bring back Eshteross or Bertrand or Will & Derrig. They couldn't live with not even trying. Maybe their method works, maybe it doesn't. But at least they tried.

And if FCG does come back, they have to live with knowing that even though they saved their friends and put an end to Otohan, they also hurt their friends by treating themselves as disposable. They forced their friends to confront that each of them might have done the same and that's deeply unhealthy. It will change the character development tremendously.

My favorite film and play genre is where the protagonist dies (or nearly dies) (usually self-inflicted) at the beginning and has to journey through purgatory to find themselves again before they can return to the living. Films like Wristcutters: A Love Story (2006) or Castaway on the Moon (김씨 표류기 2009). Death matters because it reminds you to live. The journey is finding meaning in both life and death and coming back utterly changed.

[lynxalon]

i've watched critrole stuff rather rapidly, and it fucking hurt my damn heart cause i feel like its not too terribly often that a player does something that breaks matt like that. hell i havent cried like that in ages, hats off to sam riegel. what an amazing episode, what a heart-stopping fight, what a beautifully poetic and tragic moment. i have therapy tomorrow, thank fuck! XD hugs to all the critters who watched the livestream tonight 🫂 please please hydrate lovelies <3

[grigori77]

Critical Role, Campaign 3 Episode 80

Wait ... who is this? Are you being SUPERVISED at last, Samuel? Oh ... ah, I see ... yeah, this is gonna be a good one, clearly. XD Lie indeed! Yeah ... oh, THAT'S true? You really should be ashamed, Riegel ...

But seriously, that was one of his best skits to date ...

Sam (to Laura): "How come YOU get two?" Ashley: "Cuz she's the Merch Queen!" Laura (bright and innocent): "I had nothing to do with it."

So, final test, then ... where's this gonna go? And who will be the impostors in this game of ...

AMONG US?!!!

Aaaaaaaaaaah, it's decided BY CARD?!!! This is indeed a recipe for disaster. They're ALREADY all getting so worked up while Matt is clearly LOVING IT ...

One at a time now ... FURTHER panic ... glorious ... LOL

BATTLEMAP!!! Cue more clunky Sam plugs for Wizzkids!

Travis already thinks Marisha questioning Matt's mechanics is a sign she's a doppleganger trying to throw everybody off ...

And ROLL INITIATIVE?!!! Oh ... oh, that is interesting ...

Orym starts and Laura IMMEDIATELY starts probing at him ...

Matt: "This trust exercise is already going GREAT!!!"

At least Fearne seems to be Fearne, apparently ... XD

Liam: "Plant pubes." Matt instantly gives him a SCATHING look ...

Aaaaah! Angry bramble attack! Crap! Fearne, no! Hurt AND restrained!

Taliesin, as always, is already thinking FIVE MOVES AHEAD ... meanwhile Ashton to the rescue. And he Rages!

Some crazy quantum Barbarian craziness ensues! Taliesin loves it, he never gets to use Time. And now he has A PLAN ...

Laudna: "I love you, no matter WHAT form you're in." Imogen: "I feel SO SURE you're a doppleganger now."

Imogen Misty Steps to a specific tree, starts searching under it ... CRAP Investigation roll, Laura ...

FCG goes and heals Fearne ... Laura: "You wouldn't heal anybody yet!" Meanwhile he searches for signs of magic ... you're IN THE FEYWILD, SAMUEL!!!

Illusory vines? Hmmmm ...

Still wolfed out, Chetney clicks his Boots of Haste and immediately damn near runs himself into another angry bramble patch, barely dodges it ... oh, he runs RIGHT INTO a patch of purple flowers that spray him with FUCKING ACID!!! And then again JUST escapes another briar patch ...

Pate cannot tell Laudna if she's the real Laudna ... okay then ...

Sam: "What you looking for, Travis?" Travis: "Sweat?" Ashley: "All you're gonna find is conditioner." Laura: "He's SUCH AN ASSHOLE!!!"

Laudna has FOUND the thingie! Already ... impressive ...

Orym tries to get a true clue out of Fearne, but she can't remember. Orym: "I ... still think it's you!"

Ashley: "Is it my turn?" Matt: "Just about." Liam: "You have NEVER been this enthusiastic to go before."

Scorching Ray? Go Fearne ... torch those brambles! Ah, crap ... and now she's created a burning obstacle ... yeah ... Fearne: "Yeah, um ... I didn't really think that through."

Ashton is clearly gonna do something RECKLESS ... Hyper Rage? Whoa ... I HAVE TO see what THIS does ... Nat20? Nice ... he grabs a branch and BOOKS IT for the pool ...

Earthwalk? Cool ... and that's it ... oh, invisible barrier? Hmmmm ... ah! More purple flowers! Crap! Acid ... and the branches lose hit points TOO?!!! Shit! So close to going SO BAD ...

Imogen hops onto the wall and casts Detect Thoughts ... a LOUD STATICKY BUZZ?!!! Yeah, saw that coming ... uses a Sorcery point to get that slot back ... then she asks Fearne if she's real ...

Ashley has to TEXT IF SHE'S A DOPPLEGANGER to Matt and then he's going to ROLL FOR HER?!!! Bloody hell ...

FCG goes towards them now ... now he's looking for creatures ... hmmm ... oh, I see, he casts Speak With Animals. Asks the critters what's safe to interact with.

Oh, that is CREEPY ... Liam: "How does a squirrel know the word 'dubious'?"

And now he's being shadowed by a load of Lovecraftian squirrels ...

Grim Psychometry! Okay ... will THAT work in this? Chetney tries it ... good roll ... ah, a history lesson ... is there ANY actual point to that?

Matt, what are you doing? Some freaky little Fey thing is coming RIGHT AT Laudna! Going for her branch! Ah ... Ashton to the rescue! Crap, they didn't work ... and it's gone, along with her branch! Balls ...

Laudna sends Pate after it ... Laudna Spiderclimbs up and goes after it too ... get him, Pate! She channels Shocking Grasp through him go fet the thing ... ah, but it will also kill the branch! Oof ... what to do, then?

Pate is now WRESTLING with this thing while they wait for Chetney ... meanwhile Laudna does another Wither and Bloom ...

Orym jumps through the flames to go after it too ... shoots a vine to grab the branch! Also asks Laudna a personal question ... close enough! Hmmm ...

Just a regular owl ... oh NO!!! NO IT REALLY IS NOT A REGULAR OWL!!! AAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!

Oh, so IS FCG actually made of metal right now? Can't tell. THAT was a pointless exercise, clearly.

Ashton goes to try and rescue FCG from the Owl Thing ... another Hyper Rage, jumps and attacks the thing with the hammer ... Reckless! 24 to hit ... 19 points of damage! Okay, Letters is loose again! Meanwhile Ashton runs right past a bramble and just dodges it in time, gives it a swat on the way ...

Imogen casts Fly on herself and goes at the Owl Thing, casts Shocking Grasp on it! ZAP!!! Oh, and she just ANNIHILATES it ...

FCG casts Owl's Wisdom on himself, asks Fearne if he can trust her ... again, it's inconclusive ... hmmmmm ...

Chetney tries to get to the first Thing, claws at it ... go feral on it, Wolfman! Oh ... that's just messy ... then he goes and swipes at a random tree ... and that was ALSO pointless ...

Spiderclimb, Laudna! Yeah ... more Wither and Bloom ... then she sends Pate to see if FCG is squishy ...

Oh gods ... Pate: "Geronimo!" He dive-bombs Letters ... who just DODGES ... yup ...

Orym goes rummaging with his RIDICULOUS perception ... and BARELY avoids disturbing another wasp's nest ... eep ...

Fearne casts Speak With Plants ... Matt goes crazy with his miming and voice work now with the plants ... oh, they're just TRAUMATISED seeing their "friends" burning ...

And now she's been attacked by brambles again ... oh dear ... well THAT didn't work ...

Ashton comes back and attacks the bramble patch after making sure it's really her ... and she's free. Okay then ... now he takes a swing at the arch and just DESTROYS the ruin. Hmmmm ...

Imogen uses a Sorcery point to supercharge her Inflict Wounds ... oh, Nat20! Okay ... bye bye plants ... and she has a branch! Nice.

FCG asks Imogen to drop the twig if she trusts him ... hmmmm ... oh, this is getting complicated now ... calm down, people!

Liam: "Did some ex high-school boyfriend just get a random text saying 'They're onto me'?"

And now FCG is being grappled by brambles ... oh, is he bleeding? Hmmmm ...

Chetney climbs the tree ... wait, some of the tree ISN'T REAL? What the eff? Oh, there's a hidden hole ... oh, A BRANCH!!! Yeah ... now he tries a reckless jump to the next platform ... Nice! Yeah ...

Laudna sends Pate after FCG ... she looks through his eyes ... Nat20 ... Whispers! More plugs from Sam! So IS HE bleeding?

She stays put and stays on guard now ...

Orym just up and dodges mor brambles, lands next to Chetney, asks if he really is his dad. XD

Fearne holds Hold Person while waiting by the pool ...

Leaving FCG trapped, Ashton goes past another patch to reach Fearne, and his Rage ends. Hmmmm ... then does a long range nerve check on Orym ... oh, more texting ... no way to know ... and now Ashton's holding an attack too ...

Imogen comes down to the pool, close to Orym, and holds her action ...

FCG takes more damage staying where he is, casts Divination to see if Orym is one of the dopplegangers ... the Changebringer answers ... oh, and Sam gets a Whispers too! Hmmmm ...

Ashley sneezes and SAM tells her to stop it! LOL

Chetney does a smell check on Orym ... more Whispers! Dear gods ... he takes the branch out of the Bag of Holding ...

Laudna unleashes her Hound of Ill Omen ... oh boy ... sends ot between Orym and Imogen ... oh boy again ... and now SHE'S holding her action too ... Infestation? Hmmm ... potential bee chaos if things go bad, then ...

Count of three then ...

Orym uses the Monocle of True Essence ... oh, that's actually really smart! Go for it, wee man! He casts Detect Magic through it ... Insight Check with Advantage, then ... 22! Okay ... more Whispers! Blimey ... he pulls out the branch again ...

Fearne drops Hold Person ... now she's playing peacemaker ...

Ashton goes to rescue FCG while burning a Rage ... takes a swing at the brambles ... oh yes, that's it ... crash! POW! And Letters is free ...

FCG casts Cure Wounds on himself, then rolls round to the group.

Okay ... moment of truth?

Laudna puts away her bees ... everybody puts their branches in at once ... oh, there we go. And ... oh, so that's it? So what happened, then?

Oh, so they're all back in the Ligament Manor! Okay then ... oh, it was all a dream? Crazy ... and now to BREAK!!!

Well yeah, they did learn a bunch from that ...

Back to Nzna Morri being super creepy ... and FCG and Fearne really did get hurt. Hmmmm ...

Ashton has a revelation. None of it is news, though ... just a wake-up call ... hmmmm ... I mean they are all a hot mess ...

Oh, so they're, like, naturally unassuming because they're underwhelming? Is that the idea? Not sure what to make of that.

Oh, drinks! Yay! Peepers ... not so much ...

Trust. Trust is good.

Again with Fearne taking the Shard ... oh, so they're rethinking this, then? And now it's gotten a bit smutty ... hmmm ...

Wait ... are they gonna do this NOW?!!! No ... short rest? Might be wise ...

Oh yeah, give her the fancy fire ring.

Ah, so this new stick thing increases spell abilities? Cool. That could be very helpful.

Oh, so we are doing this. Hmmmm ... go outside? Up to the garden, then. Okay ... everybody follows her up ...

Yeah, this ain't gonna go wrong or anything, is it? Fuck ...

Right ... preparations, then ... Enhance Ability? Bear's Endurance? Oh, that sounds helpful ...

Ooh, Bompers? Hello, weird beasty ... and Sweetpea! Yay ... and Doctor Nesbitt ...

Fearne pops Mister out too ... okay ...

FCG performs a Sympathetic Binding on her too ... also Orym gives her the Potion of Heroism? Okay then ... AND a Death Ward? Wow ... that's probably gonna do it, then ...

Laudna gets as far away from Chetney as she can, then Imogen just hugs her and shields her so she won't get compelled by Delilah to go for the Shard ...

So fucking nervous right now ...

And now the Shard is out ... here we go ...

Not now, Delilah! Oh shit ... Laudna has to make a Wisdom Save ... oh thank fuck ...

It's starting! Oh shit ... yup, the burning damage starts already ... hmmm ... yeah, this sounds uncomfortable ... ouch ... another 12 points ... argh ...

Yeah, it's ALREADY getting hairy ... lucky the Concentration Saves are good ... oh ... is this actually going more smoothly than it did with Ashton? It's still painful and hairy though ... znd now Ashton's giving up some of HIS health to her ...

Oh yes, it really DOES look like it's working ... but it's STILL hurting even so ...

And now apparently this us turning into a metaphor for birth trauma ... I mean OF COURSE it is ...

Apparently now her heart is turning into an actual genuine STAR ... I mean that is SO COOL even if it is terrifying ...

Wait ... are they being spied on? Crap ...

Holy fuck she is just going full on fucking Phoenix Force right now, ain't she? This is getting pretty awesome ...

Whoa ... weird vision? Hmmm ... is that a potential problem?

Yes! Keep up with the healing magic, FCG! Wait, if he does that again he's gonna go BERSERK?!!! Fuck ... oh, and it's actually happening ...

Oh thank fuck ... Nice save, guys!

FCG: "I'll fucking kill you!" Aaaaaaaaaaah!

Wait ... is Fearne becoming tuned into the Elemental Plane of Fire? Fascinating ...

Fearne is now reaching her Ultimate Form and it is MAGNIFICENT ...

Whoa ... that is VERY CLOSE to her bottom.ing out on health, though ... oh yes, Laudna, nice save! Wither and Bloom on the garden, then ...

Oooh ... Balrog Fearne, intriguing image ...

Last round? Okay then ... last chance to help her, guys ...

Oh shit, those poor bastards trapped in the garden, that is just ... unfortunate ... O.O

Fearne is now getting a visitation from some kind of elemental god thing? Hmmmm ... snd she's being ACCEPTED AS AN EQUAL? Wow ...

She BARELY squeaks through with what health she has ... and looks like THAT is the final burst, then ... EVERYBODY takes damage from that one ...

Oh okay then ... looks like that might be it, then ...

ASHLEY GETS A CARD!!! WHAT DOES IT SAY?!!! TELL US!!!

She's alive, and she's TRANSFORMED ... dhe looks INCREDIBLE ...

And now FCG is LOOSE ... Orym tries to ward him off ... oh, this is getting messy ...

For the love of the gods please just QUIT with this shit, guys ... and now he's attacking Orym ... bloody hell ... with the saw? Crap ...

Oh thank fuck ... he's back ...

So Fearne is HOT but she doesn't hurt to touch ... that is pretty cool. And she's still very flammable ... fascinating.

Wait ... this is, like, a specific FORM she can assume? Oh, that's do cool ... Fearne Calloway, eldritch magic girl!

Awwww ... yeah, Mister just LOVES this ...

That's a good point ... what FOES this mean for Ashton's Shard? They try it out ... oh wow, it actually WORKS, Ashton's new power reactivates ... oh yeah, these two are just two halves if a whole, clearly ...

And now Ashton's having the exact same kind of trip as Fearne did, but for Earth instead of Fire. Znd now he's found HIS Ultimate Form too ...

OH MY GOD suddenly HE is whole too ... AND HE GETS HIS OWN CARD!!! AWESOME!!!

Oh, so he can MERGE with stone now? That is pretty sweet ...

Can Fearne do cool stuff too, now?

They go downstairs to check out what they can do ... and now I can almost SENSE Matt preparing to wind down the episode ...

YES!!! HE IS!!! I knew it ... that is indeed it for tonight ... okay ...

Well, I definitely look forward to seeing what THIS is gonna lead to ... I guess we'll find out next week.

Indeed, IS IT Thursday yet?

[ithinkthiswasabadidea]

D&D spell "Sam Riegel Hurt My Feelings"

Deals emotional damage to friends

[nochiquinn]

exandria unlimited: calamity: episode 3: Within Ten Feet Of Me

I skipped the live airing for reasons of Being Real Fucked Up, I've got notepad up for watching the vod but idk how much actual liveblogging will take place (for reasons of Still Being Kinda Fucked Up)

(edit from the future: I AM NOW FUCKED UP FOR NEW, DIFFERENT REASONS)

"they were makin chicken noises"

"am I a snitch or am I a reporter to the people?"

lmao the sticky note over luis' macbook

MAP

"don't invoke artax"

MINIS

GRIFFON

"that's a big ol' brumestone!"

he goes ON THE GRIFFON

necromancy is so tacky

"so he has back problems"

"electives courses is important!"

"talk about the dragon, I gotta go get a dragon"

"heard you was talkin shit"

"miles' friend sucks"

attel spack

miles come get your friend

I didn't ask how big the room is

the fringe on marisha's shirt confuses me

oh I know that vertebra

"you have approximately one hour before you can't move"

"tight clump, the ideal d&d formation"

everybody just piling on to protect loquatius

"I just lay down and cry in the street"

rogues are whatever

loquatius is whatever

omnislash

muscle wizard casts fist

"KNEEL TRAITOR" "I kneel"

excuse

"they're gonna eat me"

"NO ONE'S EVER LIKED FIREWORKS"

"YOU THINK THIS IS THE TIME TO DO BITS?!"

"I made the wrong choices! D:"

fucking flayed men motherfuckers

reverse what now

"there's no ceiling" "YEAH"

"Sam Riegel Hurt My Feelings"

"it makes ground 👆 that way"

piratical dexterity

cast stab

stab a BUNCH

hasted paladin HASTED PALADIN

aabria's face rn

"I mean if you INSIST...."

RING OF FACES

"you're my best fucking friend"

oshkoshbgosh

I probably missed a bit bc twitch lost my place when I restarted my computer >:[

(honestly it's on me, I should have left a timestamp for myself)

"can [cerrit] see windows or"

por'co's impenetrable bubble

POP POP

circle of WHAT

necromantic dutch oven

Mutiny Has Only One Punishment

wesley snipes??

I have been informed the second half of this episode is A Lot

"I just beat them with Faerie Fire, guys"

"we're at a table. I can reach you."

this feels like when you have to go around the classroom and say something about yourself

double twenties means all the batteries are safe

"let it fix marisha!!"

"I'll excuse myself"

"you look really nice today" lays in the floor

lays in the floor about the whole conversation but that was the emotional damage capstone

"short the tithe" that feels unwise

"insight and deception into yourself"

"I wanna unpack THAT"

"there's one story of a faerie who stumbled into this world and fell in love"

"why are you like this"

"I'm actively dying"

"you asked to not remember" fuck the what

hwat

patia what did you DO

"I hold that title very dear and sacred - but I hold that title"

patia

"are you guys having like a cute divorce moment?" "shut UP"

cerrit: now is the time travis: I want the TEA

"none of this matters, and he does" hello 911 aabria iyengar and sam riegel are fuckiNG MURDERING ME

zerxus: zone of truth laerryn and loquatius: absolutely fucking not

hello 911 brennan lee mulligan is fucking murdering me

hey what the fuck

HEY LAERRYN

HEY LAERRYN WHAT THE F U C K

Generic Tablet Device

"she doesn't trade in gold, but rather her grandfather's name" WOW

"I'm glad I killed you"

"your eminence...what the fuck"

25??

it's gonna be weird going back to the low-level chaos gremlins and not getting all these big numbers

"I leave." and I walk away

only, y'know. furious.

"I'm gonna go take care of mine now"

"you guys are very good at playing D&D!!"

by your powers combined

Time to Tree

"the biggest mistake I ever made was not trusting you" lays in the floor

"you already saved me once, maybe I can return the favor"

quay is gonna die bc he is a sam riegel character and I am going to cry

"the tree is ruining my cool magic"

aabria going from muttering death threats at the tree to "YOU SPEAK PRIMORDIAL?!?!" is very funny to me

"Iiiiii chose dwarvish"

hey laerryn

hey laerryn whatcha doin

that's a trick question I know what you're doing please stop

initiative??

against laerryn???

hey what the fuck??

hey what the f u c k??

big You Activated My Trap Card energy

"choose wisely. but choose."

patia: fuck y'all, I got shit to do

it's always fucking bears

sam riegel, forever drunk on Love My Wife juice

up to and including if the wife is fictional

(or yeza)

laerryn got LAIR ACTIONS

lou going under the fucking table

"do I get advantage if I roll from down here?"

Is He Within Ten Feet Of Me

"I need you to make this decision, I can't because I'll cheat" you know what A+ self-awareness

brennan that's so many dice

"go find my die!"

"what are we even doing now?" EXCELLENT QUESTION

"never trust a motherfucker with a cause"

there's only 20 minutes left in this episode and I Am Experiencing Fear

oh shit it's his mom

brennan how are you doing that with your voice

oh the LITERAL big bang, okay

the frantic note taking

"not fear at what I'm seeing, fear at what you're doing"

and it WORKS kdjfslk I'm going to die

EXCUSE ME

would that also blight them?!?!?

oh no

travis I will FIGHT YOU

I'm suing travis willingham for emotional damages

brennan's going in the suit

oh what in the fullmetal alchemist

I'm going to die

but that's bullshit tho! if they were gonna take advantage of it they would whether they knew what it was for or not!

HISTORY IS IMPORTANT

[shyloudpanda]

Never watched Critical Role. I've watched The Legend of Vox Machina the animated show, but never a real live show.

Knew I liked Sam Riegel from various things and stuff in my time of Geek & Sundry. The feelings I'm having watching this man play Nott. I can't stop thinking about it. Her and Caleb. Sam and Liam. It's too much.

And I might know a spoiler that's gonna hurt deeper into this campaign I go but, fuck me! These 2 are magic! And insane. The whole cast is insane and magic, but those 2. Wow!

[makosgotmoxie]

Critical Role Campaign 3 Episode 16

"I've already had Sam Riegel in me before."

"I've always known you were the one, or two, to defecate Sam out of your body."

"Thank you BAFTA award winners Laura Bailey and Ashley Johnson for their contribution."

"Are you called ... balls?"

"Are you going to anoint my might balls?"

"Big bear chase me."

"So maybe Gus can fireball the giant ass."

"Let me work on finding a spell that can give you a mind condom, but in the meantime.. "

"He's saying that I look like Laudna in real life."

"A nightmarousel."

"Oh shit you let the dogs out." "Uggghhhhh." "It's out of the way, it's the only one I'll do."

"She sharted! She hit us with the green apple splatters!"

"It's a fail, dad."

"Hey, shush!"

"I quit, I quit, I quit the show."

"'Lick salt fucker!' and we're out." "hahahha... because she's a slime!"

"I'm like a G4 computer."

"Beau dice. Pop pop, motherfuckers."

"Graves aren't very strong." "Some of them are."

"Unfucked by Gil."

"General Dexterity reporting for duty."

"When you make your report, you can leave out the version where I turned all hairy and was like vibrating sexual energy."

"Hey Imogen, don't you fiddle faddle with people's domes."

"In time, your mother will be crushed."

"Emeritt Redbubblé."

"For a tiddy bit." "Iddy tiddy bit."

"Genre work can be middling at best."

"I might have company." "Unless you've hired a nurse to make sure you don't die."

"Orym you can snuggle up between us if you want."

"I'm just saying, I don't know how long we're gonna act like this isn't gonna happen. If you feel the call of the wolf baby, just give in."

"How hard are you?" "Hurt HURT HUUUURTTT."

"You're not the only caregiver in this group."

"Did you see that ship he carved? Imagine what else he could carve."

"I would do anything for love, but I won't do plat."

"You want more nightmare kings, this is how you get nightmare queens."

[arabella-strange]

no spoilers but

Sam Fucking Riegel

[annemarieyeretzian]

“but our two cities are like a married couple. we may have our differences. we may not have the same goals. we may even separate for a time. but we are connected by love for eternity. we made a promise to each other, and it's one we must fulfill.” really need that ‘sam riegel hurt my feelings’ t-shirt

[sidras-tak]

Please write that Caleb/Veth friends with benefits meta, I would LOVE to read that!

I’ve talked about this before in the widobrave server, and it’s not so much “friends with benefits” as it is “not quite exes”, in my mind. So I’m basing this whole thing off two moments: Keg assuming Caleb and Nott are together, and how Caleb reacted when Nott kissed him right before the failed Widogast’s Transmorgification spell. Also, this is less meta and more speculation.

Let’s assume this: Nott and Caleb, in their time traveling together pre-stream, had a sexual relationship. At the very least, they cuddled and gave each other physical comfort (this part is canon actually). Sometime before the stream began, or shortly after it began, one of the two broke it off. Maybe Nott started falling for Caleb and felt guilty about Yeza. Maybe Caleb’s internalized guilt and shame about being worthy of love caused him to break it off. Either way, they decided to end it while still being friends, devoted to each other. This leaves them on a weird footing. When canon begins, they still are physically comfortable with each other (Nott climbs all over Caleb, he holds her frequently, they sleep in the same bed, hugs all the time) and this is untrue with any other member of the MN and Caleb, who is usually bad at receiving or giving affection. However, they are not romantically together. What are they? Exes? Taking a break? No longer friends with benefits? Pining? Who knows! Not them! Not us!

On to the canon.

Moment one: Keg assumes Caleb and Nott are together. Caleb rolls with her assumption, clearly unbothered by her thinking they might be together. In almost the same breath, Nott denies it, and Caleb looks confused and concerned. Nott berates herself (“he could do much better than a little freakshow like myself”), Caleb shushes her and gets an inn room specifically for the two of them, doubling down that he doesn’t care if people think they’re together. If you view this from the not-quite-exes perspective, it shows that Caleb isn’t ashamed of being with Nott and is willing to take it back up again at some point, while Nott is firmly trying to put it in the past. Given that she has a secret husband, not surprising. It also shows that Caleb isn’t convinced what they have is over. It’s a gray area for him. “Are you together?” Keg asks, and Caleb says, “Sure,” because fuck if he actually knows what they are. Anyway, “together” is close enough.

Moment two: the kiss. It’s hard to separate the actor and the character, especially with Liam, who tends to be in-character as much as possible. When Nott leans in and kisses him sweetly on the lips, Liam/Caleb moves back slightly in surprise and blinks rapidly for a second, then focuses all his attention on Nott while she speaks. He does not appear distressed or confused by the kiss, though he was taken off-guard by it initially. When she’s done speaking, he cups her face in his hand and says, “this will be our best trick yet.” No reference to the kiss, no question as to what she did or how she feels about him, and then they never fucking talk about it again. If one assumes this is their first kiss, that’s odd. Most people would react somehow if their best friend kissed them on the lips, no matter if their feelings were romantic or platonic. If you approach it with the idea that they used to be together and still care deeply about each other, it’s not a confession of feelings, it’s a callback to their shared past. Nott isn’t startling Caleb with the confession that she’s attracted to him, she’s simply reminding him where they started and who they are and were to each other. It fits in perfectly with her speech, thanking him for being devoted to her and spending all this time with her.

The meta angle: we know, almost certainly, that Sam and Liam did not plan for romantic widobrave since the beginning of the campaign. But as early as episode 25′s talks, Sam addresses that Nott’s feelings for Caleb are liable to change and morph as the show progresses (I direct you to this excellent video about nuance), so it’s possible this is around when he and Liam start considering pre-stream widobrave as a possibility--and it falls right before Keg’s assumption and all that it entails. Liam has said that during the course of the game, it’s not unusual for a player to come up with a bit of backstory that they hadn’t considered before and share it with Matt to be used later, so it’s entirely possible from a meta level. 

Caleb and Veth being in a former relationship would fit in with how they struggle to define their relationship in canon. (“he’s my boy and i protect him” “I don’t know what our family is” and “you’re not my....hmm....” all come to mind)

And really, wouldn’t it be exactly like Sam “no metagaming unless it’s funny” Riegel and Liam “this backstory is gonna hurt you so much” O’Brien to make widobrave retroactively canon and not tell anyone for as long as they can manage it.

(As a side note, I am not looking for a debate on the nature of Veth’s feelings towards Caleb. If you believe that Veth views Caleb as her son, you are free to do so, but please leave my post out of it, thanks).

[grigori77]

Critical Role, Campaign 3 Episode 73

It's always more suspicious when there doesn't seem to be anything off to start with ... oh, yes, here we go. So it's humiliate Mercer time ... Matt: "WHAT ARE YOU, RIEGEL?!!!" Sam (weeping profusely): "I'm nobody!"

Laura: "Oh, I love a skit that doesn't outstay it's welcome." XD Yeah ...

How is it that Laura CONSISTENTLY manages to tank her openings? I mean it's adorable. :3

"Dead .. men ... tell ... no ... tales ..."

Wow ... way to derail the game in the opening moments, Riegel. With a t-shirt no less ...

"I believe I can Scry!" XD

Raving sbout Beau's abs ... I love it ...

Laura (angrily, at Sam): "Don't show it! DON'T SHOW IT!!!" Travis, the CEO (cringing): "I did wonder what you were thinking."

Sam: "So what do I roll?" Matt: "Nothing! You don't ROLL for Scrying!" Travis: "EIGHT YEARS!!! EIGHT YEARS we've been playing this!"

So where IS D at? Aside from just on the Menagerie Coast? Sam rolls SHITE for perception. Matt: "Somewhere nice."

Laura: "You don't deserve this." She confiscates the Gilmour Dice. Travis: "Ooh, lost privileges!"

Ghost tattoos? Intriguing ...

Chetney: "I have ink." Imogen: "You have paint." Chetney: "What's the difference?" Taliesin: "Half the audience just groaned in pain."

Ashton's trying to smooth talk his way into a free tattoo ... persuasion check! 12? Hmmmm ... on one condition? Ah ... oh, he WANTS IT to hurt? Okay ...

Ashton: "Honestly? If it doesn't hurt it's kind of YOUR fault."

Now Orym's suggesting THEY ALL get a tattoo to commemorate all this shit ... oh, Chetney DOES have ink? Okay then ...

Bertrand's face? Matt: "Like the Steve-O tattoo?" LOL

No, they're NOT scared. These folk have SEEN SOME SHIT ...

No mutiny. Bad idea. At least wait until AFTER you get where you're going.

Is this the first the rest of them have heard sbout Delilah still being there in Laudna's head? Oof ...

No, she did not actually EAT ANY CHILDREN, Fearne.

Laudna thinks the soul-eating might be "problematic". Insert Nic Cage meme: "You don't say!"

Oh, "Keith"? Hey! Laudna: "Hi, Kevin." Kyle (deflating): "That's okay."

Whispers for Fearne! Again Sam has nothing prepared. He is becoming an embarrassment. XD

Oh my gods that is such an unconvincing speech, Kyle (or whatever your name is).

Imogen: "Do we want Delilah to get stronger?" Hmmmmmm ...

Ashton: "I believe in sacrifices, not casualties."

Yes, I like that idea. Chetney should make Kyle a name tag.

Aha ... planning tattoos ...

Taco Bell? Laura: "Live mas and check you Gmail." XD

Scrying on Delilah ... oh boy ... it's a bust? Hmmmmm ... ask the Changebringer? Or look into Laudna's dreams? Oh boy again ...

Imogen actually suggesting letting Laudna suck a little bit of her soul to stir Delilah ... yeah, I dunno how I feel about that ... I mean it's incredibly romantic, but still ...

So it's a surreal bust after all ... good or bad sign? I don't know, and I don't like it.

Fearne tries to get into the Captain's Quarters ... oof ... might be better if she CAN'T get in there.

Peeing ... OVERBOARD? Lovely ...

A flirty persuasion check? 21? Oh boy ... so ... is that a date? I'm so confused. Apparently so is the Captain ...

Ooh ... Cyrillia again ... she really is creepy ...

FCG's tattoo is basically ETCHED ... XD

Captain Novos: "The Moon's out." Oh, so here we go then ...

Completing vengeance ... oh, ENDING BLOODLINES?!!! Oh boy ...

Dusty musty bed, but ... Nice ... oh, here we go ... so he's ACTUALLY in the mood for something more? Novos: "You offer some of your warmth?" O.O Oh, so this is JUST a ghostly bootie call ... and that's actually kind of sweet ...

Oh dear ... has she killed the mood? Say goodbye? Persuasion check ... 26 ... hmmm ...

Great, that bloody talking sword again ... wait ... it didn't speak to the Captain? Hmmm ...

Wow ... oh, so she's ACTUALLY DOING THIS ... Novos (nervous): "It's been a long time." Oh, she's just gonna spoon him? Ye gods ... oh, I love that he's actually ENJOYING being the Little Spoon ... Ashley: "... where are we going with this?" LOL

A con save? Seriously? Magical effect? Hmmmm ...

Oh she is going to "relinquish the warmth she promised" ... blimey ... oh shit ... is this gonna be a problem? Oh my ...

PERMANENT 5 point hit point reduction? Shit ... and another think that Matt will discuss with her at the break? Fucking hell, Ashley!

Cyrillia is SHADOWING the Captain? Interesting ...

Orym is STEALING her spyglass? Really? Laura: "It's a running theme."

Whoa ... is Cyrillia JEALOUS of Fearne and the Captain? Interesting ... "You gave him WARMTH?" Oh shit ...

Oh no, is this about to kick off? Cyrillia: "The Captain's MINE ... charge!" O.O

How does Ashley KEEP cocking her persuasion roll? 7? Crap ...

So ... has Fearne just made an enemy?

Fearne: "I did not take anything from her ... Orym." Orym: "... oddly specific."

Whoa ... awkward wake-up call ... Novos: "Maybe you need to work through the nausea and then it gets good." Fearne: "Oh, I've heard that one before."

Imogen's fucking with Cyrillia with the voice in her head ... but in a kind way? Oh boy ... "Offer your warmth ..."

Wow ... is Fearne actually playing MATCHMAKER for these two right now? Oh my gods it's actually working ...

Fearne: "You are a queen, and I want you to go in there and take what you want."

OH ... MY ... GOD!!!

Cyrillia: "Captain, perhaps we stop dancing around this thing and just ... make our own fire." OH MY GOD!!!

And that's a break! No shit ... O.O

Oh, they're gone FOR A WHILE?!!! Oh boy ... Holy shit ... there's like STEAM and stuff coming out and everything ...

Laudna's sending Pate in to spy ... oh boy ... ah, just a really really STEAMY WINDOW ...

I love how Pate is disappointed Laudna won't let him get inside fir a closer look ...

"I'm fucking Kyle" ... hmmm ...

FCG: "Did we Pleasantville this ship?" Orym: "Either thar or there's a new Captain." XD

Steam pouring out ... Cyrillia is coming out with a "gentle, confident waltz"? Wow ... and the Captain is confident too ... and LIMPING ...

Keeping up appearances ... :3

Novos: "I don't like hoe easily you dismiss my aggression ... but I respect it."

Oh my gods Cyrillia has him so whipped now ... XD

Wow ... they're really making a full blown dance party ...

Is FCG really putting the All Minds Burn drugs into the brownies? Is he about to kill or at least seriously traumatise everybody?

Laudna's gonna do FACE PAINTING ...

FCG turns himself into a remix box while Fearne plays dulcimer and pan flute a-la Bob Dylan ... Matt's trying to find some party music ...

Oh, "I'm Kyle, you fucks!" That's more like it ...

Oof ... Orym damn near got rumbled there ... eep ...

Dancing! Yay!

Ah ... landfall means the end of festivities ... nuts ...

Novos: "There was ... no ... LIMBO." XD

Crap ... overboard? Oof ...

They really are the most adorable crew of cursed ghost pirates I've ever encountered. :3

Awwwww ... Fearne made a new girl friend ... I love it.

Oof ... that's brisk ...

Kalutha ... okay then ...

Signs of abandoned civilisation? Interesting ...

Marisha sneezes and gives herself a brainspasm ... Matt: "Wow, I've never seen her sneeze and only part of her come back up."

Is Ashton vibing with this place? Maybe ...

Ooh, driftwood for Chetney ...

Laudna sends Pate to explore the caves.

Nice, pretty seashell ... :3

Pitons? People have been here before, clearly ... oooh, looks like this could be a smart route.

Weird jungle landscape ...

Ashton's already checking the other cave out. Orym goes with, as he should.

Just a little recessed cave, but with another campsite. Okay then. Ooh, tools ...

Orym: "Chet, you need a whetstone?" Chetney: "No, I'm always sharp." Oof ...

Trying to climb up ... oh dear, Orym somewhat embarrasses himself ...

Whoa ... so even WITH a rope those are some MISERABLE rolls ... ouch, this is just AWFUL ... whoa, a point of EXHAUSTION? SERIOUSLY?!!!

Chetney sniffing the cave out a bit ...

A nice citrus smell? Oh, that's like SO unbelievably suspicious ...

Moving rocks? Oh for fuck's sake ...

Scales and slithering? Great ... that can't be good ... some kind of worm? Crap ...

Bollocks ... even though he's invisible it's encircling him ... not good at all ... Horn of Silent Alarm? Okay then ...

Chet gives Imogen a headache. "He's in trouble!"

"Sicilian"? But spelt different ...

Trouble! Crap!

FCG casts Death Ward on Ashton.

Fuck, this thing is NIGHTMARE FUEL ...

Chetney tries to wolf out as quietly as possible ... and somehow actually MANAGES IT too ... oh, but it doesn't work? Crap ... ROLL INITIATIVE!!! AAAAAAHHH!!!

Battlemap time! Yay!

Matt has LOST THE MINIS, ladies and gentlemen. Oh my gods Mercer, that is UNBELIEVABLE ...

Oh good, he's finding them now ...

Awwww, Sprinkle! Laura: "I missed him!" Travis (Sprinkle voice): "What fresh new hell is this?"

Ashton runs into PITCH DARKNESS and winds up bouncing off walls to get to him. RAGE!!! Yay!

Fearne is ALSO just feeling her way round ... oh, okay ... she casts Daylight. Nice! Here we go ...

Mister is CHUCKING FLAMING SHIT!!! And it falls short ... crap. Literally ...

Yay! Turmoil! Chetney takes a swipe at the heads ... both hit! 12 and 9 altogether, including fire damage. Great ... and he takes 12 points of acid damage in return? Crap ...

FCG uses Misty Step for the first time using the staff ... oh, he takes damage doing it? Ouch ... and he Sympathetically Binds himself to the others ...

The thing takes 2 mandible attacks ... misses Chetney ... but HITS FCG ... 22 points of slashing damage AND 7 points of acid damage? Wait ... oh what the FUCK IS THAT?!!! Oh that is HORRIBLE!!! Gods, Mercer ... oof ... another 34 points of acid damage ... AND IT'S PULLING HIM IN?!!! FUCK!!!

Oh my gods they're showing each other stuff on their phones of the creatures that really do this ...

Fuck me, this thing can SELF HEAL?!!!

Form of Dread! Yeah! Laudna Chill Touches the fucker ... barely hits ... 6 Necrotic damage, but also can't regain hit points for a turn ... Nice.

Imogen casts Hungry Torrent? Whoa ... oh, now that is pretty cool ...

Orym attacks FROM A DISTANCE with Seedling ... nice ... CRIT!!! Yes! 20 slashing damage! Sweet ...

Travis: "There! The crevasse! Fill it ... with your mighty juice!"

Ashton BOOSTS EVERYBODY'S ATTACKS for the next turn? Full advantage? AND inflicts 38 points of damage? Holy shit ... and another hit ... another 22 points of damage! Go barbarian go!

LAIR ACTION?!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!!

Oh gods, a RAIN OF LARVAE?!!! And now it's just RAINING acid damage, essentially.

Fearne casts some Scorching Rays ... Nice, ALL THREE hit ... six D6 of damage ... 28 points? Oh, nice ...

And now Mister with his little gun? Cool ... 7 points ... oh well, every one counts ...

"Anime shockwave blast"? Sweet ... Chetney inflicts 18 points of Thunder Damage with Turmoil AND casts Blood Curse of Bloated Agony! Yay! AND he amplifies it too ...

Sam: "But I wanna cast MORE THAN one spell per turn." Matt: "Yeah, I know."

FCG uses Misty Step to jump away again, then uses his action to hide because he can't do ANYTHING ELSE.

Oof ... dextrous fucker ... slithering away ... attacking Ashton now ... and it misses ... meanwhile there are MANY Godfather jokes ...

Oh, essentially it manages go KNOCK ITSELF BACK!!! And then does its disgusting stomach attack again ...

Fearne takes 36 points of acid damage ... also Imogen and Laudna? Crap ... AND they're pulled towards it too ... NOOOOOOO!!!

Laudna casts Blight and it Crit Fails! Yes! 45 points of Necrotic damage? BEAUTIFUL!!! And it's Frightened of her too! Yes ... and now Chill Touch TOO?!!! Sweet ... AND SHE CRITS!!! OH MY GODS!!! 20 points of Cold damage! YEAH!!!

Imogen throws 3 Psychic Lances at it ... 7 D6 of damage? Oof ... 25 points of Psychic damage! Yes! And it's incapacitated ... then she Quickens a spell to shoot Mind Sliver at it ... another 7 points of Psychic damage!

Orym jumps ON TOP OF IT?!!! That means he's TAKING ACID DAMAGE while he's attacking! Goading Attack ... second hit ... Pushing attack ... 18 points of slashing damage ... Action Surge! Go Fighter boy! Another 14 points! Yeah, he is FUCKING THIS THING UP!!! One more hit ... another 11 points!

Ashton delivers another 21 points, then another 28 ... and gets the HDYWTDT!!! YES!!! One if its heads just EXPLODES before it just bleeds out while trying to escape ... phew ...

So Pate didn't see it? Crap ... "I don't have eyes!" Bugger, that's right ...

It's still twitching so Ashton hits it again, taking dome more damage while he's at it.

Orym is a mess ... yes, they all need some serious healing! Best get to it.

Checking the rest of the tunnel ... another noise? Is that more slithering? Crap ... oh thank fuck, it's just an underground tidal river ... phew ...

Okay, clearly there are so many abandoned camps because this thing has been EATING all the explorers.

Ooh, loot! Yay ... crap, Chetney's fancy spell broke some of the weapons. Nuts ...

Woe steel? Interesting ... sacred to the Ossended Host ... a natural plus1 weapon? Intriguing ...

Weird brown stone pendant in a little cage? Hmmm ... a Raito Charm, of the Aishio Culture. Woof ... this is all fancy shit ...

Taking a short rest ...

Ah, some fresh bones for Laudna. Big hog skulls ... interesting.

Grim Psychometry! Cool ... oh, poor bastard.

Yes. Get to the surface. Enough of this unpleasant stinky cave.

The creeping jungle valley of Kalutha. Nice. Very pretty. To the mountains, then. And the tree.

And that's it ...

[mapleandgingeroatmeal]

OK I had too much to say about Caleb and Nott’s ‘Messes together’ talk so I’m giving that it’s own post.

I’ve definitely seen the ‘messes together’ convo giffed/referenced before. However, I didn’t know that it was A) Coming from such a low emotional point from Nott? It was almost an intervention. And B) that Nott was fucking INVISIBLE the whole time?? wtf Nott?? He wants to see you! I thought this scene would be heart-warming not  heart-breaking! Sam Riegel, who gave you the right to make me fall in love with this terrified self-loathing alcoholic who’s avoiding her feelings so hard that she can’t even stay visible during a conversation with her best friend? 

Just the sheer volume of LOVE and vulnerability that Caleb is pouring into this conversation makes me wonder again why their relationship, platonic or no, isn’t one that people focus on more! Caleb isn’t like this with anyone else! He’s got entire facial expressions and this soft, gentle tone of voice that he only ever gives to Nott. And he gives her so much here, affirming that she doesn’t need the booze to be wonderful and that she doesn’t need to be brave alone, and that he always has her back? He’s even willing to be selfish about it, to ask her so gently to worry him less, which is huge for someone who hates himself as much as Caleb does! Nott is the only good thing that Caleb allows himself to have, and his devotion to her is just so pure.

 Nott just can’t see it right now though! Or, what I actually think is more likely, she thinks she doesn’t deserve his devotion and she wants to hide her hurt from him so she won’t be a burden. I honestly think she may feel guilty about how much Caleb loves her. This is one occasion where my being spoiled makes me enjoy something more, because Nott’s line about believing that her issues would be the last to resolve should be heartbreaking, but I know that after this Caleb is gonna fight so hard to prioritize her issues, and it makes me really happy to know how she gets proven wrong about this!

I’ve talked about this before, but I think we get another fascinating layer to the separate-identities motif Nott has going on, where she can only either be Veth with her family or Nott with the nein. Her insistence that her issues have to go last comes from this strange belief she seems to hold that she needs to stay a goblin if she’s going to adventure and protect and be with everyone, that she can’t do all those things as a halfling woman, too. Veth is a stay-at-home-mom who supports Yeza but doesn’t do anything on her own, and Nott is a brave adventurer and maybe a hero. This specific division is unusual because it comes up with Nott on the more favorable end of Who To Be, even though she can’t stand the body she’s in. Which of course takes us all the way back around to one of Nott’s central problems, which is that she really seems to love being an adventurer! She actually says in this talk with Caleb that if she wanted to have fun she would be with her family at home, but I don’t think she was being honest with herself there, because she was given that option and didn’t take it, and because of how much joy being in the m9 obviously brings her so much of the time.

And it’s amazing how much of this conflict Caleb seems to pick up on! Even while he can’t see her face, they’re still so much on the same wavelength. So he sees her inner turmoil and doesn’t try to solve it or even really discuss it any further than reaffirming that he will always be there. There’s this tone in his voice that’s almost desperate when he tells her that she doesn’t have to be brave alone, and you can tell how strong his need to show her how much she means to him is. In some ways he can probably tell it’s not sinking in, because the tragedy of these two is how they both hate themselves so much that they can’t accept the same amount of love that they are willing to give, so they just circle in a messy dance of complimenting each other while refusing to take compliments in return, and maybe it’s messy but at least they are dancing together. 

And lastly, (feel free to ignore this if it’s not your jam but I am incapable of not being widowbrave trash), don’t think I didn’t notice Caleb’s hesitation before calling himself her best friend! What do you think he held himself back from saying? That he’ll always love her? Was he gonna call her his partner? Maybe he is just so lost as to how he should define their relationship. I may be called a conspiracy theorist for this, but nobody can convince me that they are not secretly in love with each other. It just explains too much.

[flowersforvax]

*spoiler alert critical role campaign one!*

rewatching campaign one and seeing Percy die was Very Stressful. Seeing him go down and up and down and up and down again and knowing that all their struggle would be futile because he would fall but also he Would be Fine, in the end???? super weird

but what actually got me. what---- what hurts me real bad is seeing Scanlan’s reaction to Percy’s death. He’s mourning and he’s pushing to use the 9th level Gate scroll to get him to Pike immediately and he’s the one making sure they’re collecting the guns because he knows Percy wouldn’t want them to fall in the wrong hands. When they split up to investigate different things he says “someone has to stay with him.” After Vex told the captain of the airship to meet them in Whitestone if he wants to help fight the dragons, Scanlan is the one to point out that they weren’t supposed to mention the existence of Whitestone to anyone, to protect it and the people there. Another nod to what Percy wanted.

When they talk about having a sleepover in the mansion, because none of them feel like being alone, he’s in favor of keeping Percy’s body with them, because “We're still a team” and when Keyleth mentions that that’s kind of weird he says a line I will never forget:

“Well, we're not going to let him sleep alone.”

I didn’t really notice most of the little moments on my first watch. I had no reason to notice them! And, to be honest? I have an appreciation for Scanlan now, from getting to know Sam Riegel outside of the role, that I just didn’t have before. Knowing what happens later??? It is painful to see him be so thoughtful.

Because when it happened to him. They. Well. There’s no delicate way to describe it. They tied his unconscious body up, put him in one of Pike’s nightgowns, smeared the bed in pudding to look like shit and..... thought that would be funny. And it was Pike and Percy of all people. (yes I looked that up rn)

Now. To be fair: they also definitely mourned him. They were devastated at his death. But Scanlan has no way of knowing that. All he knows when waking up is that he has now died twice in, like, a week and! That his friends! thought! It was! hilarious!

And you know what??? I thought maybe Vox Machina had just been.. desensitized to Death! And to the Resurrection Magic. Just another Tuesday, right??? But NO. I had to look it up (because it’s been a whiiile) but between that tearful sorrowful Mourning of Percival in episode 68 and the Mockery of Scanlan’s Death in 84 there was only two deaths (one of them Scanlan!), both of them saved with a quick Revivify, no Resurrection Ritual required.

So. You know what???? Actually????? Fuck Vox Machina! 🙃 Scanlan was fucking right to leave them. 😭😭 They deserved that!  😭😭😭

[arcanistslullabye]

Things went bad... im still stuck on caleb having Astrid’s room and is actually a good memory? Liam hurts my heart

Seriously, the Astrid mention was the honey that sweetened this absolutely CRAZY episode. I’m also super stocked that School of Illusion was confirmed!! It feels great when a recurring fan theory finally gets confirmed like that.

And the more Liam describes it, the more I revel in how much he vividly treasures his memories with her. Ahh, it’s so sweet! I love this hurt!! (Sam Riegel, as usual, I owe you my life.)