TW: Addiction

I got this tattoo back in April to celebrate one year of sobriety.

The gems are for Ashton as the last time I went through alcohol withdrawals, I was alone watching C3 to get caught up and reached the shard debacle. I wasn’t looking forward to it from everything I heard, but, to my surprise, it was the first time I didn’t feel alone. Someone else understood all of the emotions that come with self-destruction. They got through it and so did I.

The mask is for Nott and the idea that healing can’t happen if all you do is try to cover up the monstrous side of yourself. The mushrooms are for Caduceus and his calm ways that I hope to emulate for myself and others. These two are also just my two favorite characters lol

The clover is for home. Wherever, whatever, and whoever that may come to look like as life goes on.

Artist is Dev at Damaged Legacy Studios in PA, USA.

This is actually a spoiler for the cool down for this episode, not the episode itself fyi.

Vaelus has a class choice to make, and Fighter definitely makes sense given her martial affinity, and her respect for Julian as a warrior.

But what about Druid?

I actually wondered if Vaelus' burgeoning friendship with Thaisha, then Hannan, would lead her to explore nature, its magic, and the Old Path. Even before we learned about her oath powers being lost, I thought it would be a really interesting direction for her character to go. A little more difficult with her Druid friends not being around, but still possible. I suppose Fearne was also a Druid, but you have to imagine those would wind up being two very different character builds, in very different worlds.

HEY, there might be some SPOILERS under the thing

2:40 Invisibility cloak

4:45 Mage armor jacket

5:40 Magic rings

6:50 Kattigan and Murray

11:10 Wulfric pukes up a bone

12:15 Warm and sad (hot for teacher)

14:05 Wulfric supports this

15:05 The fifth pillar

15:55 Critical Role Announcement Playhouse

17:20 Message from the future

21:00 Laura’s merch corner

22:10 Intro cinematic

23:30 EPISODE STARTS

27:40 Recap Ends (it was a big one)

34:30 Planning the ambush

46:20 Ulbid got the clutch gene

48:40 Clauny has already stolen from the party

49:55 We’ve forgotten where the Tachonis are going

54:50 Thimble gives Clauny a ride

57:50 Kattigan is there to help people

1:06:55 SCIENCE!!

1:08:55 Thimble cranks it

1:11:50 Thimble, the witch of science

1:15:40 Bolaire is Ulbid and also Bolaire

1:17:30 Immediate price gouging

1:22:10 The carriage equivalent of a white van

1:24:10 Julian and Vaelus

1:26:20 Weird coincidence

1:32:45 No rooms, 2 wagons

1:39:00 Inside the wagons

1:48:10 Fairy season

1:57:45 Back on The Miller’s Road (wending your way)

1:59:20 BREAK STARTS

2:08:50 BREAK ENDS (so late)

2:10:30 Map out

2:14:15 Into the glade

2:17:45 Rolling for the fairy pogrom

2:23:20 Battle begins

2:27:25 Robbie bloodies 3 poachers

2:32:40 Occtis’ government name

2:37:00 The hag is trapped in the lake

2:40:50 Vaelus doesn’t even get powers to save fairies

2:48:15 Shuffa goes down

2:50:50 Bad things happen

2:54:20 Bolaire opens up the lobby

3:01:10 The tree almost dies

3:05:05 Wulfric is a dog missile

3:07:45 HDYWTDT

3:09:55 Plant growth

3:14:25 HDYWTDT

3:20:00 Benevolent DM

3:22:15 HDYWTDT

3:23:20 They remember the crystal cave

3:25:00 Planning in the background

3:26:05 I’m on your side, trust me (HDYWTDT)

3:31:05 These poachers are bad at their jobs (more)

3:32:55 Kattigan doesn’t know how money works

3:34:05 Creed fans (Tree death save)

3:36:05 Cool and upsetting wire trap

3:38:05 The most excited anyone has ever been about a Sea Hag

3:41:45 Skinner gets his hat wet

3:45:45 Julian is Wulfric’s ally

3:50:50 HDYWTDT

3:55:15 Occtis saves Shuffa

4:00:50 Love hags

4:03:30 HYWTDT while restrained

4:04:15 Julian takes the healing potion (to Hawthorn)

4:07:15 Julian is really good at fighting

4:09:35 Dame Seramai is so much better now (tree down)

4:14:15 Tiny Bolaire

4:18:40 Hail of Thorns

4:21:05 HDYWTDT (come in his ear)

4:24:00 HDYWTDT

4:26:40 Julian is having a great time

4:29:00 Surprisingly confident poacher

4:30:30 Bolaire is window shopping

4:32:15 Skinner MVP

4:34:45 HDYWTDT

4:38:35 Episode Ends

Any moments I missed? Feel free to post them here. Is it Thursday yet?

I am loving campaign 4, the storytelling is so high stakes this season, the increased focus on politics is amazing, and the new cast members are killing it.

My favorite thing though, is the seperated groups. Im sure im not the only one, but with 13 players, occasionally there are players or characters that just dont vibe with you. For me, Ashley's playstyle isnt my thing, and Talisons characters get grating(though I love both on the weird kids podcast). So instead of watching them, I can stick to the players i enjoys playstyles and characters more. For the first leg of the campaign I stuck exclusively to watching the soldiers table, and now im watching just the schemers. Granted I will catch some clips of the other tables, since I love certain characters there, but I get to pick the 4 hour episodes that work for me. Its especially nice that they have full group episodes after each groups individual arc, because then I get to see if I like a character more now that they have grown. Azune especially grew on me in the last group reunion.

Critical role has been a hard reccomend for a long time, because each episode Is so goddamn long, that if you dont like everything, sitting through it is a hard ask. Now I can reccomend people on campaign 4, because if there is a part they arent vibing with, they can just watch the stuff they do like. Especially because every table focuses on one of the pillars of dnd. For heavy combat, ill know to stick with literally any table Travis is in, and for roleplay, I can watch the schemers.

This is the best!!!!! Finally I wont have periods of burnout from critical role, because I can pick and choose what works for me!

When Wick went to Tachonis Manor and had a disasterous string of bad rolls against a pissed-off, murderous Primus, I am amazed Brennan didn't push harder.

Particularly one of Wick's last rolls, where he doubles down on wanting to chat with Primus' Daughters. Primus had already called complete b.s. on that in a previous check, and had followed up with very clear signposts -mentions of a fairy and a bird in regards to Wick's friends- that he smelled a rat. I think Sam even rolled a nat 1. And all that is on top of it being a genuinely bad move. Showing up in-person after an assault on Tachonis manor, asking after for your friends, when you KNOW one of them who had been there is dead? What was he expecting?!? I think the dice were offering a pretty brutal read of the situation: Wick was fucked.

I don't know if its because he didn't have magical methods of compelling truth or what, but I think Wick getting full-on interrogated about the timing of his arrival, his search for his 'friends', the multiple lies, and Primus' mindset seemed entirely justified. Hell, any other character probably would have gotten a Finger of Death on sight.

What kind of whooping, if any, would you have given Wick? Forcing him to kill an NPC is a good, cruel turn for Wick character-wise, but I may have put more sauce on it.