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lauranthalasah · 11 months

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What we know of Predathos is that he was stopped because the gods AND the primordial titans fought together against him, even if they were enemies. That informs me that the titans felt threatened by him, which means that the gods are not the only thing in Predathos menu. What the titans had was elemental/primal magic, the magic the gods have is divine, the only magic left is arcane (if I'm not wrong). If this being consumes magic, as clearly it doesn't discriminate between species, it might come for all kinds of magic and therefore all practitioners of it.

Now, I believe Ludinus knows this, I don't like that man, I believe he is in search of power not freedom, he has consistently caused destruction and death wherever he goes and he has no problem using anyone and everyone to reach his goals. We've seen how he has used the pain of people who had been abused to gather followers, Bor'Dor and that one guy left in the warehouse with Patè long ago, are examples of that. Ludinus doesn't care about people at all, but he is angry at the gods, I think they are a barrier he has to remove to reach his goals, or at least he needs a barrier to be open.

The thing is... for Predathos to "eat" the gods, he will need to reach them, therefore he/it? will need to break or at least penetrate the Divine Gate, he will need to at least make a hole big enough for him to cross over, the gods then, will have access to the material plane again. Of course the gods will fight, it's only natural to fight extinction... and the last time the gods fought this creature a huge chunk of the world was ripped out and pushed to space! How many people do we think are going to die in this fight? The last fight between gods cost the lives of two thirds of the Exandria's population.

Ludinus doesn't care about those deaths, he only cares about his plan... now... a lot of people have been talking about the vacuum of power and that Ludinus will, without a doubt, jump to cover it, I think that is his goal, but not on a mortal scale. I think he wants to replace the gods. I think that's why he went after Vax, he is the hardest Champion to reach, I mean... he knew about Vax, so I have to assume he knows about Vex, Pike, Scanlan, and he was around Yasha too. Vax exists in a particular way, but Ludinus could have attacked some random temple and not picked the curiosity of Vox Machina, we saw a celestial appear recently to defend a temple, so it is doable. No, I believe he went after Vax because he is connected to the Raven Queen, Ludinus wants her, he wants her secrets, he wants to replace the gods, maybe not even with a new whole bunch, maybe with just a single one, him. Even if I supported the “Lets kill the gods” side, which I don’t, mostly because to do so, it means that a whole species is going to be destroyed. But also because the biggest critique against them seems to be simultaneously that they do too much and that they do not do enough! But even if I supported this idea... I do not believe Ludinus has the right way to do it. Not even sure it is what he wants at all. That is a slimy slimy man!

#critical role #bells hells #ludinus da'leth #critical role spoilers #there's not spoilers here i think #but just in case

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oryms-shield · 1 year

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Hey there, more Legend of Vox Machina questions for you, if you don't mind answering.

one- Why do the twins have scottish/english accents and no one else does? Is it because they are from a region that has those accents? Do places in this world have different accents and languages?

two- how old are the twins supposed to be in the flashbacks?

three- does Vax or any of the LGBTQ characters face any homophbia in this world? That would be sad :(

four- I find it strange that the twins' father would want them to live with him at the palace if he resents them for being half human. Did he not innically know they were half human? Is their racism and prejudices in this world? If the dragon had'nt burned their mother's village could then have gone back to live peacefully with her?

five- is the raven queen giving Vax visions of the future? Is she showing him lost souls?

1. I think it might be a dialect from their hometown Byroden. There are a wide veirety of languages in Exandria, Common, Elvish, Halfling, Draconic, Abyssal etc. Some regions have an accents while others don't. They used these accent in their homegame, which carried over to their campaign when they started streaming.

2. I think they are suppose to in their teens.

3. No, none of the LGBTQ characters faces homophobia or discrimination for that. Depending on your race you might have hardship, due to distrust for that particular race.

4. Given he fell for their mother who was human, he knew full well that they where half human. This particular elven society looked down on any half elves. As I said in answer 3; certain races faces discrimination. In the Campaign, the twins went home to Byroden after leaving their father, only to see it destroyed and their mother dead. Which lead them to leave town and find luck elsewhere.

5. Yea, she is showing him glimpses of what it takes to be her Champion.

Anyone more knowledgeable wanna jump in and answer anything I might have missed or misremembered.

#critical role #asked and answered

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dragonswordmaster · 4 years

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Gamers of Destiny - Day 4

Dragon and Sword Master: So…this might not be truly appropriate for the challenge, but I wanted to write some things from another perspective. Ones that I wouldn’t write otherwise. All of this is from the beginning of the incident which is two years ago.

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Two Years Ago…

Dragon was worried when she saw herself, Petal and the girl she had just met, Nightshade, standing around the Academy Grounds along with several other players who had signed in today. Something was up…and something said that the woman on top of the building in a black and red dress with skin as gray as the goop they served at school.

“Hello…and welcome to The Beacon Times. Most of you have already signed up for the elemental class of your choice and have gotten your first spell to master. But where are my manners…my name is Salem Taylor, and I am the creator of this game. I’m sure by now, that most of you young mages have realized that the log out feature is grayed out. This is not a bug, but a feature of the main game. But I am nothing but merciful; for you see…while you are in this virtual world of mine…your bodies are set in a sort of stasis. No harm will come to your physical bodies…as long as the VR Goggles aren’t removed, but alas already 1,000 young, hopeful mages have left this world because of the folly of their parents, significant others or someone else who wished to not believe that they would die once the goggles were removed. Such a pity…”

Nightshade couldn’t help it; she couldn’t stay here and not say anything. As such, she raised her voice. “What gives you the right to do this?!” she shouted before feeling the air around her leave her body and could feel her health depleting rapidly.

“What gives me the right, witch? This is MY game, MY domain! If I so wanted, I could ramp the difficulty up and watch every single one of you die right here and now! But where would the fun in that be?” Salem exclaimed as she stared down at the person who so thought dared that they could question her. Seeing that the player had been put in her place, she continued. “Now then…I’m not entirely cruel. I have made it possible for you to all have a virtual item of something of value for you, each unique to you and you alone. Whatever that is worth to you, you can equip it for a personal stat, sell it for some money, or keep it in your inventory. I do not care; however, that is all I wish to address today…I shall be waiting for a champion to come join me on the hundredth floor…if you can get that far, that is…” she stated before letting out a haughty laugh and vanishing.

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“Who was that player who called me out…?” Salem muttered as she was now in a space that no player could get to and a place where she could look over everything at once. Using a picture of who the black-haired mage was, she placed it into the computer that had everyone still alive and found just who it was.

“Interesting…who would have thought that particular user would be the former princess of the White Fang…?” she commented as she pulled up a few articles noting about Leader Ghira Belladonna and how he was stepping down. Originally, she wasn’t going to do anything but watch for a while until the time was right to insert herself into the game as a player-like character; however…perhaps a small virus to this ‘Blake Belladonna’… “It is quite tempting…” she muttered before ultimately deciding against it…for now.

“But it is a thought for later…maybe,” she muttered to herself as she went back to looking over perspective players: an ice queen, a monkey boy, the girl in the shadows…there was that guild that she had to create after all to help motivate the players to clear the higher floors…until she took the rug out from each and every one of them after all.

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Kali looked at her daughter connected with various wires and tubes with concern and despair in her eyes. Ever since they learned that she was a victim of that Beacon Game…both Ghira and Kali knew that the warnings were serious and had quickly moved her to the best hospital on Menagerie. Feeling a soft hand on her shoulder, she let out a soft sigh before relaxing, albeit lightly, into her mate’s side. “I wish there was something we could do love…”

“I know, my love…but you saw what happened on the news; people have tried forcibly disconnecting their son or daughter from the device only to have to soon bury them due to brain trauma. I don’t want that for Blake. We just have to hope and pray that our kitten is doing everything that she can…” Ghira Belladonna, new chieftain of Menagerie, replied before seeing a young girl running through the hospital in looks for Blake.

“ilia, ilia! Calm down…” Kali commented as she quickly saw the brunette running in the halls towards them. Knowing who it was based on the blue skin, she quickly disengaged from her husband in order to pull the girl into a hug.

“It can’t be true. Please Kali tell me it’s not true…” ilia cried out as tears soaked into the older woman’s shirt, not that Kali cared…especially since she knew how close the two girls were. Sadly, Kali had to tell ilia the truth…that Blake was trapped within such an accursed game.

And that there was nothing they could do to help…

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Raven was looking at her daughter with a look of anger on her face…not at Tai or her daughter, but more at herself for not realizing that this was going to happen in the first place. She had heard rumors about how the developer of the game was planning something like this, but she had no idea it was going to happen. Hearing stomping coming towards her, she winced lightly, having a feeling that this wasn’t going to be a pleasant experience. In fact…with Ruby being affected as well as her Yang, Raven expected the woman in white to come to her first.

…She even expected to get slapped. While she was waiting for the inevitable outcome, she kept an eye on her blonde daughter. It was the only thing that separated Yang from being considered a clone of herself all things considered. That…and her eyes. She was turned from her inner musings as she heard her full name being called and winced lightly.

“Raven Marie Branwen! Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t…!”

“Ma’am, this is a hospital, please refrain from shouting if possible,” one of the nurses assigned to the two sisters requested as they took measurements and data from the various devices hooked up to them. Flinching lightly at that, Summer Rose nodded and waited for the nurse to leave.

“You’re right…you should be angry with me and want to slap me. I have no excuse for everything that has happened. I thought…I thought the fact that Salem Taylor had done something like this…” she paused for a second as she waved at the blue devices currently stuck to their daughter’s heads, “was the story of a drunkard at worst and rumor at best. I’m not perfect Summer…and I’m sorry. I’m sorry that both of our daughters are paying the price for my incompetence…” she said softly as the two mothers could do nothing but watch hopelessly on.

They just prayed that they would get their daughters back and not have to add to the statistic of burying a child with those horrible goggles on their heads.

#bumblebyweek #I'm very behind so sorry!#rwby #yang x blake #yang xiao long #blake belladonna

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your-turn-to-role · 4 years

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ayyyyy happy 4/13 have my second list of classpects, vox machina edition! (@lostsometime to add to the homestuck au)

(m9 here)

vex - thief of mind

vax - rogue of blood

percy - witch of light

keyleth - page of breath

scanlan - thief of life

grog - prince of rage

pike - heir of space

tary - witch of mind

first off, there are a couple copies here, and they don’t have a time player, so vox machina on their own could not win the game. but hey, weird plot shit exists, and the alpha kids managed it by combining their session with the beta kids, so who knows how this would go

(explanations under the cut)

1) vex - thief of mind

vex has a lot of ideas about her sense of self. but when you get right down to it, none of them are actually about her sense of self, and rather about how people see her. image is important to mind players, but it’s not really linked with identity. in fact, the canon description of mind players states they have very fluid, shifting concepts of identity, it’s far more important to them that they remain rational and have a logical line of reasoning than sticking to things just because they feel right or wrong. and i think this is very true for vex, she doesn’t often doubt herself, but she doesn’t really know who she is, beyond just what she’s trying to emulate or avoid.

thief bc she’s still one of the stealth twins, it is very her thing, but she’s definitely the louder of the two, the thief demands to be known, the rogue quietly assists. she’s headstrong, stubborn, and the world owes her everything it’s taken from her, which she definitely plans to steal back. and honestly that’s her right and i love her.

2) vax - rogue of blood

god i really love the fact that the twins are a thief/rogue pair, it not only fits who they are as people but vex being the active version of vax’s passive class and vice versa fits so well

(also fun fact, i have something of a personality test/checklist i grade characters on when i’m struggling to figure out their class or feel like i’m being biased towards one particular classpect. there’s 15 possible points per class, most characters will get a highest score of maybe 9 or 10, homestuck characters get something like 12-13. vax, however, does what no one else has ever done, and scored all 15 points in rogue. he is more rogue per rogue than any rogue in homestuck. 100% pure distilled rogue boy.)

personality quizzes aside though, he really is so obviously a rogue. he’s got everything of the thief archetype built into his entire character, but while a homestuck thief steals by their own will and for their own benefit, all of the rogue’s same actions go towards supporting their friends. also, as a passive class, their decisions tend to be less personal drive based and more guided by their aspect, as if the universe was working through them, which is definitely the case for our champion of the raven queen. they’ve been described in canon as the robin hood class, rebellious, but in an altruistic way. true punk. fuck the system, love recklessly

blood players need a family. they draw their strength from the bonds they have with those around them, they’re stubborn as all hell, especially when it seems like there’s no way out of a situation, but it’s in determination to protect their chosen family and keep everyone safe and happy. if they’re leaders, they’re inspirational ones rather than commanding ones. and this is “dramatic speeches about teamwork and morality” vax, “what the fuck do we have in this world except for moments with each other” vax, “how lucky i have been to have had all of you” vax. what else could he be?

3) percy - witch of light

so percy’s an interesting one, because i kinda wanna give him two classpects? like, if you classpect percy before or during the briarwood arc, he’s a prince of light. after that, he becomes way more of a witch. (though, to be fair, light players and witches are both incredibly prone to getting possessed, so, maybe he was a witch all along and just acted really prince-y)

he’s definitely an active class, no doubt about it. percy will fight gods to achieve his own ends. prince, being the most active class, and one designed to cause destruction, definitely suits orthax percy. but then things change, and you realise what he actually is

witches are manipulator classes, like knights, but active manipulator classes. they can’t create things out of nothing like some classes do, but instead bend and twist and transform their aspect (and the world around them, using their aspect) to achieve their goals. percy’s human, and not magic. he doesn’t have any particular special abilities in order to do things, he gets by on ingenuity and reckless bravery. that post that was going around a while ago about how all of vox machina are basically gods and percy’s just a guy with a gun does well to prove the point here, because he keeps up anyway. he’s made mistakes and there are things in the world now that he can’t change, but he does his best to work within those constraints and make as good of a world as he can with what he has

and what he has, usually, is knowledge. which is the main dominion of the light aspect, along with luck (and, you know, taliesin and dice rolling). light players are scholars first and foremost, but very rarely bookish scholars, instead the kind of scholars that think they can make a demon deal and get away with it because they’re clever enough for that, and also they’re extra enough that they’d do it anyway for the aesthetic

4) keyleth - page of breath

this was the easiest of all of these for me to do, it just slots so neatly into place. pages are a slow moving class that have to work their way around all the side quests before they get a lot of their power, but after that they’re powerhouses. they’re easily underestimated, by others and by themselves. keyleth takes a while to come to terms with herself and her power and her effect on the world, most of the plot takes place within her slowly completing her aramente, she often worries she won’t be good enough for anything that’s expected of her, but once she hits level 20 she is a master of the elements, a true leader of her people, and literally unkillable.

breath fits for two reasons. the first is being the aspect of freedom, of acting without being controlled by anyone else’s thoughts or decisions. and keyleth, for all her anxiety and all her bad luck, has never made a choice she didn’t agree with. along with vax she’s the first to speak up when she feels like the group’s moral choices aren’t holding up to her standards, when they’re moving in a direction that isn’t right. the second is that it’s the aspect of air, and the wind, and she’s literally the leader of the air ashari. she can and does in fact do the windy thing

5) scanlan - thief of life

we’ve covered life already in my nott/veth explanation, but it really is so scanlan. look at this excerpt and tell me it’s not written for scanlan shorthalt

[If you're poisoned, chances are the Life-bound have something for what ails ya. This applies to both physical and mental suffering, though it might not be a cure you'll like. They also have the tendency to put other's needs before their own, which never ends well for anyone, because the Life-bound can grow bitter if they feel their own self-care has had to be shunted aside.]

figuring out class was harder? a lot of vox machina classes are pretty difficult to figure out. prince would work to an extent because of scanlan’s self destructive tendencies, bard would work to an extent because he often feels like things are out of his hands, but i think i’m going with thief. scanlan’s more of an active class, despite playing support in dnd, he’s very self motivated and not one to listen much to the guidance of the universe. thief i feel fits with the headstrong attitude, the creative out of the box thinking, and the need for attention in a very specific way (less so having people celebrate you, scanlan enjoys that but can easily shrug it off if it doesn’t happen, it’s more causing things for the sake of knowing and having other people know that you caused them)

6) grog - prince of rage

honestly this is the one i’d be most willing to bend on? it, took me forever to come up with any kind of classpect for grog, he seems to resist being classpected. i know a lot about him as a person, but translating that into either class or aspect was just hard. but i’ve gone with prince because grog’s never stopped for anyone (except maybe pike), because it’s a destruction based class, because it’s the most active on the scale, and grog is definitely one to go do things purely because he wants to do things and wants to do them now.

rage because rage players are about truth at all costs, even if that cost is often destabilizing entire systems and leaving the rubble to pick itself back up. and it makes me think about how grog has never really wanted to disguise himself, and especially about just before the kevdak fight - he knew he would probably get killed if he went back there as himself, but he refused to go in under false pretenses, because that wouldn’t be right

7) pike - heir of space

ashley’s just always drawn to those heirs. i think though with pike it definitely is a consequence of her being in and out a lot, because she’s not just an heir, she’s an heir of space.

heirs tend to stumble into their role rather than creating it or seeking it out. on a meta level, ashley only created pike because the team needed a cleric and she worked it out from there, but as far as pike herself is concerned, she doesn’t really know what she’s supposed to be doing or what her purpose is, but she’s been trying to do her best to follow sarenrae’s teachings, trying to do her best to guide her friends, and hoping that nothing goes wrong along the way.

space, too, is an aspect of patience. it’s about valuing the journey more than the destination, it’s about seeing what the universe has in store for you and trusting that it’s just as likely to turn out good as it is bad - you’ll know when the time comes to step in, at which point space players are pretty fierce fighters. but for now, for pike, it’s trying to help her friends one step at a time

8) tary - witch of mind

tary is like percy but cheating. he has a lot more resources to work with bc he just goes out and buys shit. but the witch reasoning still stands, they are very similar people in that respect, good at working within a set of restraints so well you don’t even notice the restraints are there

mind rather than light because, tary doesn’t quite hunger after knowledge in the same way. instead he’s much more concerned with the application of it, of how to get from point a to point b as efficiently as possible, and how that benefits him. (also because he’s not nearly as extra as light players. have you met light players? like i love them but jesus christ. who let them be Like That)

#i also have essek and gilmore classpected #but i only have so much writing energy in a day #so we're spacing these out #cr1 #cr thoughts #text #meta #homestuck #classpects #vax'ildan #vex'ahlia #percy de rolo #keyleth #pike trickfoot #scanlan shorthalt #grog strongjaw #taryon darrington

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beetlemancy · 4 years

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Hey welcome to Liam O’Brien Is a Playlist Menace Part Deux because I couldn’t go to sleep without also pointing out that Vax’s Epitaph is the destroyer of souls, with two songs in particular (though I adore me some Dancing After Death, we all know that’s just Vaxleth aesthetic x1000). Since I’m doing just two, I’m posting the entire lyrics, so they’re under the cut.

The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid - The Decemberists

Liam’s Obsession with The Decemberists Continues

Okay, so. This is basically just a conversation between Vax and the RQ once Scanlan’s final wish comes through the ether. Vax wants to go to his sister’s wedding. The RQ had a deal, though. Will she give in?

Mother I can hear your foot-fall now Soft disturbance in the dead-fall how It proceeds you like a black smoke pall (Literally the most RQ Aesthetic) Still the wanting comes in waves

And you delivered me from danger then Pulled my cradle from the reedy glen Swore to save me from the world of men (I mean technically...) Still the wanting comes in waves In waves And waves And the wanting comes in waves And the wanting comes in waves And I want this night (This is usually where I start crying) And I want this night Ohhhh...

How I made you (voice change! Raven Queen smackdown) I wrought you, I pulled you From war I labored you From cancer I cradled you And now This is how I am repaid This is how I am repaid

Remember when I found you The miseries that hounded you And I gave you motion Anointed with lotions (Deathy death analogy - very biblical, 10/10) And now This is how I am repaid This is how I am repaid

Mother hear this proposition right Grant me freedom to enjoy this night (* soft sobbing in the distance *) And I'll return to you at break of light For the wanting comes in waves And waves And waves Still the wanting comes in waves Still the wanting comes in waves Still the wanting comes in waves And you owe me life (I mean lets be real I think she can swing this) And you owe me life

And if I grant you this favor to hand you Your life for the evening I will retake by morning (this is straight up what happened) And so Consider it your debt repaid Consider it your debt repaid Repaid

I mean. The fact that there exists, pre-Wedding one-shot, a song that so perfectly encapsulates what likely went on behind the scenes with the Raven Queen and her Champion??? What fucking sorcerery, Liam?

Far From Home (The Raven) - Sam Tinnesz

AKA the song that won’t let me stop weeping baby crocodile tears. Another in the list of “How the shit is this so accurate?” Oh, also. Before really listening to this song several times in a row, please for the love of the gods read The Jaunt by Stephen King. Liam has mentioned that this (very) short story is how he imagines Vax in the afterlife. This song hits differently after you’ve read that. TW for, like, existentialism and spook.

I'm sending a raven (birb boi) Black bird in the sky Sending a signal that I'm here (first tears start rollin’ about here) Some sign of life I'm sending a message Of feathers and bone (goth birb boi) Just let me know I'm not forgotten Out here alone (READ THE STORY - ITS FREE) The air is cold The night is long I feel like I might fade into the dawn Fade until I'm gone (do it do it do it) Oh I'm so far from home So far from home Oh Not where I belong Not where I belong Oh I'm so far from home So far from home I'm sending a raven With blood on its wings (at this point I’m in full fetal position) Hoping it reaches you in time And you know what it means Cause out here in the darkness And out of the light If you get to me too late Just know that I tried Oh I'm so far from home So far from home Oh Not where I belong Where I belong Oh I'm so far from home So far from home

The aesthetic of this song, the beat, the undertones, the lyrics - everything about it - is what comes across in the choices Liam made about Vax’s voice and movements in the one-shot. They are paired. I dunno how he does it.

#critical role #cr music #vaxildan #dalen's closet

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reallybadfeeling · 7 years

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In the last couple of days/weeks I’ve been using in different occasions/social media the tag “reasons why you should watch Critical Role twice”. Well, there is an actual good reason why I always add that damn “twice”, apparently. I was watching episode 20 for the second time (i.e. SPOILERS for anything from that episode and probably a lot of shit from any other episode after that, ‘cause I’m waiting just for episode 106, unlucky European that sometimes works in the mornings here) and I noticed a couple of interesting things.

A.K.A. a list of things that caused a lot of embarrassing dying whale sounds to come out of my mouth):

1) A random person on the streets of Vasselheim points the Raven Queen’s temple to Vax when he asks about a temple near where him, Keyleth and Tiberius are. He has NO IDEA of whom the Raven Queen is at the time, neither does he know that’s her temple, but he immediately says “I’m feeling itchy, let’s go”.

2) While investigating to find Hotis they end up in the Duskmeadow District and I really wish Vax would have remembered what the lady selling masks at the bazar said, especially later on when he was struggling with the idea of being a champion of the Raven Queen. I quote: “Some people can appreciate the fleetness that is life and grasp it by the roots and make it its own before it’s snuffed out.”

3) Keyleth buys a raven mask. I don’t even wanna talk about the weird trip my head went on about this little thing ‘cause it’s stupid, but yeah, a lot of poetic bullshit about metaphors and abstract connections between Keyleth and the Raven Queen, and masks and ravens and nature… (A lot of bullshit and fangirling, I gotta be honest. I was probably having a sugar crush after eating ice cream by that point.)

4) Vax saying super eagerly “do you want to be?” when Keyleth asks “am I your wife?” before the whole sham at the Velvet Cabaret. (The face Marisha made. It did look like even she thought Vax was actually asking Keyleth to marry her before he added “is that weird?” after a 2 second long pause. Followed by awkward laughing by the whole cast and a slight moment where Marisha went out of character [and said she could RP that]. Just saying. [I really wonder if that was the moment Liam talked about in one of the Q&A where he was like “oh shit, Vax is in love with Keyleth!” or if it happened before and the tone/pause/awkwardness was intentional cause Matt was kinda smirking/hiding his face behind the mug…])

5) Vax and Keyleth inside the Cabaret and how they act while they pretend they’re married (Vax in particular of course). No need to say anything else, I suppose.

6) Vax’s reaction when Tiberius says he left Keyleth alone with the rakshasa in the hallway and what he tries to say when he sees she’s okay.

7) Marisha talking about what Keyleth was going to do at a certain point: “I’ll follow my husband”(while following Vax, obvs). That’s an actual quote and she didn’t really need to say that, guys, she really didn’t. (Matt reacts with “that’s weird.” which is the cutest thing ever, btw.)

And that’s it. But I really feel like this makes a really good point: anyone should just start from the beginning the moment they hit the last episode broadcasted that week after binge watching the show for the first time (which is exactly what I did). I’m sure a lot of people are just gonna watch the show from the start once again when this campaign ends, anyway; there’s probably gonna be a lot of nostalgia for the old PGs when the new campaign starts, at least until we don’t get used to the new ones (just like for a couple of episodes some people couldn’t stand Tary at all). Okay, enough talking. I’m done.

PS: I’m not even gonna mention how I was nervously biting at my hands yesterday while watching episode 19 when I realized how Matt giving them the dragon-slaying arrow and the dragon-slaying sword was basically 101 gear for when the Chroma Conclave was gonna hit Tal’Dorei. Or how for a moment, not knowing anything at all about the rules of DnD other than what I understand from the show sometimes (very little because while I do understand the language quite well, I’m not a native speaker and that is pretty specific terminology I had never heard before I started watching this show, thank you very much), I thought Matt made a mistake and Percy and Scanlan should have actually died during the fight against Rimefang (the whole “it’s a critical hit when you’re unconscious which means you fail 2 death saving throws” thing; which still confuses me, btw). Well, now I said it, but… Whatever! You get what I mean! You should find the time to watch the show once again! You get emotional over things that the first time you didn’t notice or you didn’t care about! Now I’m really done. I need a chamomile…

#critical role #episode 20 #reasons why you should watch critical role twice #at least #i squeeled so hard for these little things #i can't believe this wasn't even intentional!#damn raven bitch!#did matt forget that the hag still wants something from vax for that poison or did i forget about her asking back about that?#i hope tomorrow i have enough time to watch episode 21 #sorry for the fangirling #sorry for the long post #not a native speaker #i love to rant

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dancerwrites · 7 years

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Hello friend! I see your (amazing btw) Crit role writing and I thought I'd slip you an idea. Idk if you're a lord of the rings fan, but ep 102 reminded me so much of Sam's speech from the second movie (if you don't know it, it's on YouTube) because I didn't want to know how it would end, and I just thought that was a cool parallel worth sharing. You don't have to do anything with this info, though you're welcome to it!

Anon, thank you. I rewatched that scene at your prompting (it’s been a couple years since I saw Two Towers), and it made me cry with the connection you drew here. So good, so perfect, so touching in that different context.

Here’s something, inspired by that particular scene:

Hold on (even the darkness must pass)

**Spoilers for 102**

At the edge of their camp, Percy stood.

It was relatively quiet in the Feywild, much more so than ithad been the last time they were there. It was almost as if their surroundingswere reflecting the mood of the group - downtrodden and exhausted.

Vex had already split the dusk with a scream to the heavensafter seeing her brother’s armor in Scanlan’s arms. They’d all tried soothingher – Keyleth had even mentioned a spell that would bring him back, though shehad seemed just as wrecked as Vex – but Vex had been inconsolable and had flownoff on her broom into the woods around them.

Keyleth had immediately shifted into Minxie and run afterher, Grog following, leaving Pike, Scanlan, Percy, and Delilah’s body in theclearing at the water’s edge.

Percy remembered firing shots into Delilah’s corpse, rememberedPike pulling him away from it, Pike telling him that she’d keep watch.

He’d wanted to tinker, wanted to fix his guns, but hehonestly couldn’t find the energy.

He had fulfilled his promise to his sister. When they could,they would desecrate her body further, they would make it impossible for her tocome back, at least, to the best of their abilities.

But they were stuck in the Feywild, at least until theyrested.

So he stood at the water’s edge, surveying its depths, tryingto remember what they Feywild had looked like a year before – if it was comingfor the second time or his state of mind that meant he no longer noticed thevibrancy of the colors.

Percy looked up at the sound of heavy footfalls, and sawGrog returning to their camp, just behind Vex and Trinket. As they got closer,Percy could see the tear tracks on Vex’s face and the way her fingers weretightly curled into Trinket’s fur.

She glanced up at him, and Percy tilted his head slightly,holding out a hand in invitation. Slowly, as if she were in a daze, she nodded,and headed toward him, Grog crossing the clearing to where Pike and Scanlanwere sitting.

“What can I do?” Percy asked, once she got close enough.When she stared at him, uncomprehending, for a moment, he tried again. “Is thereanything you need?”

Vex bit her lip and dropped her gaze. She looked beaten,like she hadn’t slept in days, and Percy wanted nothing more than to restoreher brother to her in that moment.

“I could probably use some water,” Vex mumbled with a shrug,curling into herself, and into Trinket, who moaned quietly, swinging his headaround to look at her.

Percy took his own waterskin and held it out to her, lowenough for her to see it, and she took it slowly, with murmured thanks.

After a couple of sips in silence, Vex spoke.

“I shouted at her, at the Raven Queen,” she said, chuckling.“I was so angry, and so… I yelled at a goddess.”

“I think it might be warranted.”

“Mmmm,” Vex hummed, staring at the waterskin for a longmoment before bringing it back up to her lips. “But it didn’t help. Nothing’schanged.”

Percy opened his mouth, trying to find some reassurance, buthe had none. He stepped forward instead, reaching out an arm to put around hershoulders, but she pulled back from him, recoiling as if he had burned her byhis proximity.

“Sorry, I’m sorry,” she whispered, knuckles white around thewaterskin. “I just- right now… Right now I can’t.”

Vex looked up at him, as if to beg him to understand, to notask questions, and though his heart broke, he nodded. He understood all toowell.

“I’ll be here if you need me,” he murmured instead, and hesaw Vex’s eyes fill with tears as she nodded.

For a moment he thought she might say something else, butVex pulled at Trinket’s fur and the two of them went off toward the ruins nearNala’s pool, and Percy was left watching them walk away, feeling a heavy weighton his shoulders.

It was then that Keyleth, as Minxie, started to approach,and Percy saw that she’d been lingering at the edge of the tree line while hetalked to Vex. He waited while she came to him, pushing her considerable weightagainst his right leg, before she chuffed, tossing her head slightly. Percyknelt, resting a hand on top of her head, gently, and she pushed up into histouch, ducking under his arm and pushing her face close to his, whining.

“I know, I know,” Percy murmured, scratching the fur behindher ears as he started to tear up for the first time since leaving theShadowfell. “I know.”

She butted her head against his chest and Percy sat down, stillrunning his fingers through her fur. Keyleth chuffed her thanks, and she walkedup to him, shoulders loping. Letting herself sink to the ground, she pressedher head into his thigh and sighed, the rest of her body going limp while herears went back, almost lying flat on her head.

Percy didn’t say anything else, giving Keyleth the onlycomfort he could.

They sat together for a long while, long enough for Percy’slegs to go numb, tingling slightly, and for Grog to go out into the forest andcome back with some already-dead wood for a fire. Vex and Trinket were still bythe ruins, Vex curled against Trinket’s side. She appeared to be sleeping, andPercy hoped she’d be able to get at least a little rest.

It was after another long stretch, the only noises aroundthem the rustling of plant life in the wind, or a faint splash or gurgle fromthe pool they sat near, that Keyleth dropped Minxie form, shifting to her usualhalf-elf stature, though her head was still pillowed on Percy’s thigh.

He stopped stroking her fur as she changed, but trailed hisfingers through her short hair for a moment, resting them on her shoulder as hefinished.

Keyleth sighed, long and deep, and her breath caught whenshe tried to inhale again. Percy ran his thumb gently over her shoulder as shehad done for him several times, and her fingers came up to meet his as shepushed her face into his leg, squeezing his hand tightly as she took a hold ofit.

He didn’t realize until he felt dampness seeping through,that Keyleth was crying.

“I don’t know if I can do this,” she murmured, just loudenough for him to hear. “This spell – it’s called True Resurrection – it doesn’teven need a ritual if performed right. It should just bring someone back.”

Her breath caught again, and he held her hand tightly,trying to give her some modicum of strength.

“I just-“

She cut herself off, pulling his hand closer to her chest,and she sniffed. “I can’t do this, Percy.”

Watching her for a moment, Percy hummed in agreement, lookingout over the picturesque pool they found themselves at, remembering the wonderhe’d felt on their first visit – the myriad sketches he’d started before gettingblinded by Nala and the seemingly hundreds he had finished before they left.

“I know,” he said finally, brushing his thumb over herfingers. “It all feels wrong.”

He remembered when Vex had fallen to his stupidity in thetomb of the Raven Queen’s champion. The devastation he’d felt seeing her, lyingthere, thinking she was gone forever.

“I mean, we shouldn’t even have made it this far,” he said,thinking of each of his party members and how they’d fallen. Even Keyleth, tothe cliff’s rocks as a goldfish. “But we have.”

He closed his eyes, imagining the foes they’d fought, thebattles they’d won side-by-side. Percy remembered when the Chroma Conclave hadattacked Emon, and thinking that was the worst things could get.

“It’s like in stories,” he murmured, still holding her handas he remembered their first glimpse of the Shadowfell, of the tower and theruins surrounding it. “The ones that matter, that people always tell.”

He remembered his mother teaching him how to read at a youngage, how to string sentences together.

“They were always full of darkness, full of despair anddanger, and more often than not you wouldn’t want to keep listening, becausehow could things get better? How could the end be happy?

“You wondered how things could ever go back to the way theywere.”

Keyleth’s breath hitched again. Percy squeezed her fingers,and pulled her closer.

Thoughts of Whitestone came to his mind – seeing the streetsfilled with undead and mists and terror. He remembered the darkness that hungover his city, filling it like the plague. But he remembered how Whitestone hadlooked before they left for Ank’harel. The Sun Tree, branches green andstarting to flower, the fields rich and green and full of life…

“At the end of the day,” he murmured, glancing over to whereDelilah’s body sat, near Scanlan, “The shadows pass, the darkness flees –sometimes inexplicably. New life comes, and a new day.”

A new tomorrow,his mind supplies, remembering the card reader in Ank’harel, and a sunrise overthe ruins of Draconia as Keyleth’s ritual brought fertile soil to the landagain.

“And when the sun shines again, it shines all the clearer,”Percy murmured, voice growing thick.

“Those were the sort of stories that stick with you; theones that meant something, even when you might have felt too young tounderstand.

“But… I think I understand them now,” Percy said, and helooked around to his friends, to their still-standing forms, broken but notdefeated.

“The heroes in those stories, they had plenty of chances toturn back. Plenty of chances to say “fuck it”, but they didn’t. Because theyalways had something to hold onto.”

Keyleth turned to her back, looking up at him, and he sawthe red in her eyes, saw the wetness on her cheeks and the pain in her thatseemed a deeper reflection of his own.

“And what are we supposed to hold onto?” Keyleth asked him,her voice trembling.

“That there’s some good left in this world,” he replied,almost surprised by his own confidence, and how strongly he believed his ownwords. “And that it’s worth fighting for.”

Keyleth stared at him for a moment, eyes bright, and thenshe pushed herself up to sit next to him, pulling her hand from his so shecould throw her arms around him in a hug.

He held her, on the springy grass next to a glimmering poolin the Feywild, beneath an eternal dusk. And while he didn’t have any more tosay, he held her close, waiting for her sobs to taper out, and felt, somehow,inexplicably, that they were going to make it.

#Anonymous #critical role #critfic #percival de rolo #keyleth #damn anon #i sobbed while writing this #mostly because i had to go back and watch sam say the speech twice #and then there are so many parallels #thank you so much for this #because it made me feel so much better #even though I'm still scared out of my mind #you rock anon #you rock

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mctreeleth · 7 years

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I had a theory and I really needed to play close attention to what was said so I could work out whether or not I was on the right track, so here’s my transcription of the scene with just Vax and the Raven Queen in episode 103 of Critical Role (plus a little bit of theoretical commentary)

(From 51.33 on the Alpha stream.)

Vax’ildan, as your eyes dart back and forth, glancing upward at the sky above, snow hitting and stinging your paralysed eyes, you see the terrible lich above you. A flash of green, then darkness. Floating, without weight, without temperature, you glance around in the surrounding shadow and you cannot see anything, your hands before you, nothing, it is just void, darkness. You will yourself to see something, anything, and in an instant, you begin to glow. Your form becomes visible around you, you can now see your body, nude and held aloft in this dark space just emanating this soft, vibrant, orangish white light. As the light begins to emanate, and cast away the nearby darkness, you also see what appears to be a tangling of some sort of web, strands of silk, that also begin to glow a similar light as to your form, that holds you tightly in your position. You struggle, but you’re held firm. You think you yell out, but as you glance upwards to shout for help, you see the shadows now curl back to reveal the familiar sight of a massive, white, porcelain, woman’s face, eyeless yet staring straight at, if not through you. Her presence, imposing as it may be, soothes you, as her giant hand, larger than a house, at palace it seems almost, emerges from below and gives you a ground to step on, your feet finding purchase in the centre of her dark palm. As your feet touch her palm, the silk web seems to loosen, you cast off the threads and fall to your hands and knees. You take a moment, and you hear that soft voice once more.

“My champion, you return to me, and tear a swath through the tapestry. Please, be calm. My sight can pierce many veils, but you’ve been hidden from my sight in recent days and I am worried what foulness has turned its intent upon us. Now here you come, to me, your very thread frayed, and soul transitioning, an unexpected destiny for my beautiful fate touched.” And one of her fingers kinda curls through your hair at the back of your head. “Tell me what you have seen.”

“Your enemy.”

“I have many enemies.”

“Vecna.”

“What does this Vecna intend?”

“He has come… he’s come back to our world… my home… and my family is in danger, the world… is in danger.”

“How so? How could one man be as dangerous… what does he intend? What have you learned?”

“I-I-I… I don’t know.”

(There is a pause as she considers him.)

“I wonder why he would guard my sight… well…hmm.” And she goes into quiet contemplation for a moment, you see the strands of hair that emanate from the sides of the mask just kind of slowly shifting like waves on an ocean. “This Vecna comes to your world... to be a king?”

“…That… or grind us all into dust.”

“This is historical. Mortals continuously intend to find others to grind into dust. If this being has the power to block my sight, he has power beyond a mortal realm. Did you see anything else?”

“We travelled to the Shadowfell… there was, a tower, and he had servants, he had… powerful servants, a woman, that we have fought before, and another, a-a-a man, a-a… creature – I don’t know – with a blade, a dark blade, and he… was too powerful for us, he crushed us…”

“And in your short spark with him you learned nothing more of his plan? No hint of what he’s plotting?”

“He threw me to the ground the first second he laid his eye on me, he murdered my sister, I thought we had come to an arrangement…”

“We have?”

“Where is my sister?”

“She lives still, she is beyond my influences”

(he lets out a sobbing breath of relief)

“However, your body is ash, and your soul is steeped in the divine energies that uphold the paths between life and death. Hmm. You’ve yearned* your eternal rest.” And her mass begins to recede into the darkness.

(* I first wrote that down as ‘earned’ but I’ve checked multiple times and I’m pretty damn sure it’s ‘yearned’. It’s at 59.21 on the alpha video.)

“No… no, no, come back, no. I will not leave them behind. I want to help them. Still.”

The faint grey of the mask that had begin to fade into the shadow, stops, and comes back even brighter, vibrant almost. You sense the mystery of the Raven Queen, shift from this entity that dodges and weaves to instead, a pillar of power of life and death that is both awe striking, and awe fearing, and for a moment you realise how small you are in her presence. “You truly see to seek this? To bring it to its end?”

“Whatever it takes.”

“Your resolve is admirable, your love of your chosen family is vibrant. What I offer you is the power to see this conflict through till its end. You will be briefly beyond the very grasp of death and I will hold back any attempt for you to transition. You will be a bulwark of my power in cold flesh, walking between heartbeats, unstoppable. You will have the power to walk once more with Vox Machina, with your sister, with your Keyleth, and should you use this power wisely, perhaps save Exandria, save them, save her. But when it’s done, and this foul, undying king lies dead or sealed, you will return to me, my champion, evermore.”

The imposing image now shifts and changes in an instant, the giant being is now this simple woman, the mask you once saw removed now missing, and there, the somewhat… sad, beautiful, pale face of the Raven Queen as she steps forward, the silence is broken by the sounds of her footsteps across nothing… tkh, tkh, tkh, her hand comes up – warm, you weren’t expecting – as it races across your brow, and curves across to your chin, and pulls it up a bit; “Do you accept my gift?”

“You have such loneliness in your eyes.”

“Perhaps you will keep me company when you come back to me. Do. You. Accept?”

(There is a long pause.) “I do.”

“Then so be it. You, whose nature bucks destiny, my beautiful thing. Go, share what you have shared with me, with others like me. Take what you can learn, of this Vecna’s plans, for if he can block his intent from one, who knows what he plots against the other powers beyond the gate. Learn from them, ask them. You have my blessing, they have theirs to give as well. And they may be all that stands between the ruin of this world, and you. Let their blessings turn the tides, Vax’ildan, but choose your time wisely, for corruption like this waits for no-one. Now…” she pulls your head down and kisses you on the forehead, and brings your head close to hers, and you hear a voice whisper right into your ear, ever so faintly, “…wake up.”

(Ends 1.04.35 on the Alpha stream.)

(Basically, I typed this whole thing up because I’m not 100% on the idea that the Raven Queen ever even meant that Vax would die after Vecna – I get the feeling that she was going to give Vax the death she thought he wanted, freeing him from his role as her champion (the death that he “yearned” for) - “Return to me, as my champion, evermore” isn’t that different than his current deal, and the come back to me, keep me company is something that friends actually should be doing once they realise how lonely their friend is. Matt never actually said at any point during this particular scene that Vax was gunna end up dead – the players just all drew that conclusion and we all just went along with it.)

#Critical Role spoilers #Critical Role Transcript #Vax'ildan #The Raven Queen #I'm probably just being straw-graspingly optimistic #but the more I thought about it the more I wasn't sure she ever said anything about him dying #and I couldn't concentrate hard enough while just listening #my focus kept drifting #so I figured that transcribing it would be the best way to guarantee I was paying attention #and yeah #maybe I'm just ignoring the subtext but also maybe Vax is being dramatic and extra™ like he does #if the Critical Role Transcript guys wanna use this they're more than welcome to it but I didn't format it to any particular guidelines

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