Critical Role gets so much weirder when you remember that lines like “I wish for you in the future, to find someone who will mourn you when are gone” and “You were not born with venom in your veins” aren’t scripted, but lines like “Mother, I bring news from the womb” and “Meow. I’m a cat” are
I’m always a fan of actors embodying their characters, but there’s something so special about watching the Critical Role cast and their deep love and connection to the characters they created.
It’s Liam saying he has synthetic memories of falling in love with Will. It’s Taliesin knowing the library and gardens in Whitestone by heart because he walks them in his mind so often. It’s Laura getting a nose bleed when Laudna dies. It’s Marisha crying as Beau offers the hag her happiness. It’s the cast not sleeping well for days after an intense episode because they can’t stop replaying it in their heads. It’s Dani and Taliesin tearing up together as they talk about Ashton’s chronic pain mirroring their own. Its Liam working through the death of his mother through Vax. It’s the intimate and unmistakable ways that this game of pretend affects their lives and the deep love they have for each other and the game.
It’s falling in love with your friends over and over again in every universe. Roleplaying really is a language of love and I feel so lucky to witness it.