Legend of Vox Machina S2 - Table to Screen - Take me Instead!

[@mz00956]

DM be like. "Yes my trap worked!!!! ... oh no... my trap worked"

[@EstebanBrenesV]

second edition DMs only used that first part XD

[@talkingeek9191]

I recently got the book "The World of Critical Role" and there's a section of the book that surrounds this event, and it was a really poignant moment for Liam, realizing that the character that Laura had spent so much time creating, her first D&D character she ever RP'ed, and making that choice. A beautiful depiction of the deep connection that these two humans have.

[@warbacca1017]

Only an 11 on persuasion. He was her target all along

[@HunnyTheBee]

I firmly believe that the persuasion roll was a decoy roll. Liam didn't need to roll to persuade her at all, but Matt wanted them to believe that it was a sacrifice instead of the Raven Queen's plan all along. Honestly an amazing trick imo if that is what Matt did.

[@canadian__ninja]

@@HunnyTheBee I tend to agree, he was just kind of hoping for a roll higher than a 5. Risky play though, if he rolled a nat 1 it's hard to believably get to that point.

[@l0kk016]

​@@canadian__ninjaI mean, it's like when your players ask for something ridiculously hard and you think "that probably won't work, but if he rolls a 20...it could" Just in reverse

[@Dumpstermuffin1]

IKR that was a low roll to beat if he got it on a 11

[@dragonearth5456]

@@Dumpstermuffin1 It basically wasn't a "roll" Vax could fail the Raven Queen wanted him. At least that is one of the main theories from the Critters.

[@katelynnitti3009]

I never noticed Percy talking in the background until now 🥺 he was saying to pike, “you can’t give up, please” like begging her to save vex and my heart broke all over

[@phoenixflareproductions9138]

The guilt Percy felt for nearly killing his love is clear. Did you notice he stepped back away from Vex when she woke up instead of going to her like he would have in any other case. That is because of how shocked he is as well as his guilt. It is subtle but a very nice detail added into the animation.

[@envymordecai4429]

@@phoenixflareproductions9138I’m watching for the first time and we just passed this part. In the next episode Vex mentions she’s “As cold as a corpse, and I’d rather not repeat that.” She clearly meant it as a joke, but the look on Percy’s face broke my heart. He immediately shrugged off his jacket and gave it to her, making sure to protect her instead of put her in danger again.

[@phoenixflareproductions9138]

@@envymordecai4429 That sounds adorable. But it also shows Percy’s devotion to her.

[@Alacrity199]

You can also see Keyleth turning to check on Vax while at Vex's side.

[@Asbjorn268]

I love Liam's look of resignation when he rolled an 11, he geniunely didn't think it was enough

[@VDA19]

Fake roll, it would've worked either way. She wanted Vax.

[@roxannpoor8770]

The Queen of Ravens isn't good she isn't evil she just is

[@G.F.SF55]

Yup, lawful neutral y'all, btw who else finds it to be so apt that the God of death was once mortal herself and had a life and lived ones

[@zackwaggoner4346]

@@G.F.SF55 to be death is to know the value of life.

[@aaronhartmann5661]

As Death, one knows the extent of life. The struggles. The joys. The sorrows. The battles big and small. Only one who has lived could ever appreciate the immense duty and mantle of Death, the beauty of life's end only made beautiful by its climax.

[@Dyerdon]

My favorite line of hers in the animation is "My beautiful champion, there is much to fear- but not death, for death gives meaning to life,". Death comes for everyone. Those that cheat it are her enemy. Bane to undeath and necromancy. Similar in many ways to Kelemvor in the Forgotten Realms, the the Raven Queen was his Golarion (Pathfinder) and later Netherese counterpart.

[@TheOvervoid]

I like how Laura tried to lighten the moment but quickly realised how Liam was feeling and the concern returns. Also Taliesin knows how badly he fcked up.

[@FPAlpha]

Now knowing what Liam went through personally around that time ( his mother recently died) and here he is confronted with death again in his hobby ( how he even is present is a miracle to me, i don't know if i would pursue hobbies so soon after my mom died much less public hobbies like this) it makes me sad. I don't know how much acting/roleplaying Liam is putting up there but he looks terrifying, a mad Hannibal Lecter look if i ever saw one. Reminds me of a Dr. Who quote i love: "Demons run when a good man goes to war!"

[@MandoF]

For me dnd is an escape from real life. Maybe for the few hours he was playing he could put himself at ease at least for a moment.

[@Arkylie]

From what I understand -- and I might be wrong about the particulars -- he was considering leaving the campaign for a few weeks to mourne in private. But his friends (Matt in particular) thought it was important that he not isolate himself, and saw benefit in the way games can recontextualize the details of other things we're going through. Coming to terms with the Raven Queen, and coming to terms with the death of his mother, very much interwove and made the storyline both more poignant to the viewers and more therapeutic for him as a player. Reminds me of an essay on the role of darkfic, and how those going through difficult circumstances, or dealing with trauma, commonly seek out darker stories -- for a form of healing. Seeing a beloved character go through horrible times but emerge out the other side can be encouraging. And even the tragic tales where there's no happy ending, or where the ending is bittersweet, have their role in helping us process emotions and consider things from new perspectives. Storytelling is powerful, and shared storytelling experiences even more so.

[@FPAlpha]

@@Arkylie Agree because we don't know what Liam went through exactly, we don't know his character like close friends do and what he needed at that moment. That's a call close friends can make and i guess the CR cast count as close friends, so they would know better. I'm just glad he worked through it and came out well on the other end.

[@christopherdavidson17]

Remember also that Matt Mercer, when Vax finally dies he says, "Your mother appears before you and says 'I'm so proud of you' " that moment probably got him real deep.

[@Mediados]

I love how coldly determined Liam was the entire time.

[@bman296]

He was going through a lot in this moment and this kind of tipped his already full glass of emotions

[@darksemmel503]

And how Sam immediately knew to step back.

[@angelicalicari8355]

Okay, but I wish the animators had given Vax Liam's intensity in that moment. His stormy face; his intense look of concentration; his dangerous, stiff body language. Liam's reaction fucking MADE this scene, more than Vax's reaction.

[@noahbrasseur1490]

I kinda love how completely broken he looks in the show honestly

[@voicingdragoon7]

I think the show's is more fitting for what Vax would probably feel in that moment. His sister just died infront of him and in the show he's in complete despair. Makes more sense for him to be grief stricken than pissed off, making the "take me instead" come out as more a moment of desperation than a threat.

[@nguard2008]

A little backstory on this scene, one of Liam’s family members had passed away a week or two before this episode, so when this happened it was a lot of different emotions happening all at the same time for him

[@the_tactician9858]

@@nguard2008 I've heard it was his mother that passed away back then, and from what I've heard he did not deal with that particularly easily. It is very well possible that it was a genuine reaction from Liam himself as wel as Vax to losing someone close to him... as in, if it were possible to make such a bargain in real life, Liam would have wanted to make the same bargain.

[@math.duchesne3770]

Thanks to you I'm crying @@the_tactician9858

[@envymordecai4429]

Talisen having a full blown mental break down

[@withintheshyness]

Can we just have a compilation of all of this emotions playing DND

[@royalmaniac5774]

He was prolly internally panicking at the idea that he might’ve gotten his friend’s first character she ever made killed, esp bc Laura was v attached to Vex

[@attakrus]

“What happened??” “You fucking died.” Man, I’ve gotta watch these campaigns. They seem like a lot of fun! 😂

[@JoeyBilbo]

Unfortunately it’s like a really good engrossing scene every like 15 hours of content.

[@chychywoohoo]

This is why I don't understand how people keep up with the campaigns lmao ​@@JoeyBilbo

[@JoeyBilbo]

@@chychywoohoo same. Its very impressive

[@chymera45]

This is one of the most amazing scenes I've seen from D&D in general, but my favorite line in the animated version after Vex gets up is Kash's 'Holy shit, I'm amazing!', the delivery is so good

[@ForeverDegenerate]

Will Friedle and improv. Can't beat it!

[@himesilva]

I love how enraptured they all are! I would kill to be such a great story teller as Matt

[@DigiDestined558]

What I would ❤️❤️❤️ to see from table to screen is the moment Vax interacts with The Raven Queen for the first time. When I saw that on the show I almost cried. This terrifying figure of death, and it turns out she's the most gentle creature they've ever come across. If that never happened at their table & was only for the show I'm gonna be very sad & disappointed.

[@TPBurrow]

Its in the show, Its split up over about 60 eps tho so its a hard edit to make without huge spoilers, However I will try for you ❤

[@DigiDestined558]

@@TPBurrow Awwww...thank you. 😊 If it's a lot of sifting through episodes, then you really don't have to. If you do it though, that would be amazing. 😍☺️🤩

[@ForeverDegenerate]

@@DigiDestined558 There is another KZbin Channel called 555smo that makes comparison videos as well. They have Vax talking to the Raven Queen on there if you're interested. I do have to say their comparison videos are VERY well done. The Animated Series is about 90% accurate with that scene.

[@DigiDestined558]

@@ForeverDegenerate Oh really? Thank you so much. 😁

[@TPBurrow]

For you ❤❤ kzbin.info/www/bejne/jZfQfGVnhdVgrJY

[@watcherwraith007]

Vax, after something horrifically intense and traumatizing has just been accomplished and everyone is safe again: I walk away.

[@apathicmiko6546]

Taliesin looks so devasted the whole segment, he's literally crying 😢 I think I read/heard somewhere that Percy was originally supposed to become the Raven Queen champion, since he was possessed by a bird shaped demon and all that, I wonder how that would've affected the campaign. I wish they could make some oneshot alternative storylines of "what if" scenarios from the main story, but oh well, I guess is up to our imagination

[@royalmaniac5774]

Tbh, I’m kind of glad that it went to vax instead, since Percy already got good fleshed out characterization and his own chance to shine during the Briarwood Arc. Vax becoming the Matron instead really played well into giving his character some time to develop and gain some deeper layers to him

[@joshuachinn7481]

The one-liner that changed an entire campaign…

[@CindyHelms]

Will and Taliesin’s near simultaneous head-to-table at 4:49 has me cackling after all that…

[@JnEricsonx]

I am so glad I met Liam O'Brian. I love Vax, but Im 37 eps into MIghty Nein and Caleb and Nott is my dynamic duo.

[@skisse9328]

just finished ep. 85 of mighty nein and I can confirm it keeps getting better and better

[@JnEricsonx]

@@skisse9328 I will bet. The trick is finding literal hundreds of hours. Im barely 100 into BG3!

[@sarahlowe7334]

have fun with it! mighty nein is a masterpiece.

[@troikas3353]

It's a small thing but it's sad we lost that little Keyleth moment since in the show no one but Vax can see the specter. It's just a nice character beat that ends up being a dark piece of foreshadowing for whats to come.

[@Ziaotic]

it was Marisha metagaming anyway, Keyleth would have no reason to interact with him like that

[@DiegoSanstwen]

Yeah. Knowing what Purvan looked during Calamity, the Queen definitely had her eyes on Vax the entire time. She has a type.

[@beccacollins1528]

This scene always tears me up. Liam is such an amazing actor!

[@peachyboy334]

Holy shit thats insane al of thare faces just in shock as they wait to see what happens hell i know what happens and im haveing the same reaction

[@AllOtakuProductions]

"You people suck!" Will, your Terry McGinnis is showing! 🖤

[@ArturoRivera2004]

WAIT HE'S BATMAN BEYOND!?

[@AllOtakuProductions]

@@ArturoRivera2004 yep! 😁

[@themoviecritic1092]

This is a Certified Liam Classic.

[@VDA19]

He's superb

[@JediKnightDTV]

SO GOOD!!! One of the best scenes of S2!!! Brilliantly done, I love to see the comparison back to the original campaign!!! Keep em coming!!!

[@bradnm495]

I love that Liam commits to serious characters.

[@Dumpstermuffin1]

"Holy shit im amazing" LOL i love how their is always a character who looks like Matt Mercer

[@phoenixdzk]

Chase Noseworthy made a phenomenal song about this bit- Far from me. Definitely worth checking out

[@moonlightnerd810]

I just listening to that song its really is amazing

[@Blikblok]

All the bad things happen when there are guest characters

[@lavrinnd1858]

I wish I could find a group that got into the story as well as all of them, I've found a few but never in the same group

[@VictoriaJackson-d9m]

Sounds like you need an all-star campaign

[@TheMrExDie]

5:24 Whe you ask the DM if something happend and he soflty says "No". FEAR

[@napeoclesjucunda]

EMMY NOMINATED LIAM OBRIENNNNNN

[@dragnfly111]

As always, TP, absolute perfection! Thank you for making this and sharing your time and talent.

[@huntressmma1822]

When watching this I realized how much we as humans lost the art of storytelling over the millennia, but this group has rekindled that oft lost art, BRAVA! I may just have to give this D&D a go sometime, thank you for igniting my interest in it!

[@dnf-dead]

So heartfelt

[@mysteryxio9957]

I love how everyone is just on edge and holding their breath

[@l.aliban5122]

Thank you so much Your channel saved me so much time of comparing the show to the campaign ❤😊 Hope you do a comparison to when the dragons attack and their reactions and when Scanlan kills the poison dragon because I can’t find it lol 😅

[@TPBurrow]

Yeah I looked at that, but its hard to compare, the gang splits up in the LoVM, at the table they are all together

[@l.aliban5122]

@@TPBurrow that’s true 😞 but thanks for considering it 😊 What about when they kill the poison dragon?

[@tronboy10]

I had no idea people got THIS into D&D

[@magonus195]

They are actors

[@danielstephens1185]

Actors or not, you spend this long with a character you've built, cherish, you come to care about that character. When it's a group, even more so. Everyone resonates with each other in their ways. So yes, one *can* get "this into D&D." Just as one can get that into a book or show. It's the depth of connection with the characters. And when they're your own, all the more so because a piece of you can find it's way into them, making it all the more real.

[@VDA19]

Well Critical Role is pretty much peak D&D. S tier actors and storytelling.

[@christopherdavidson17]

Oh you don't play with the right people. I've been in campaigns where people cry, people scream in agony as characters die, the whole nine yards. As a DM I had my party curse me out for having such a twisted fucked up session.

[@Yagamiar15]

These edits are AMAZING!

[@vaclavkapsa7394]

That was so powerful

[@Shebeast3]

I love how they are all waiting holding their breaths before matt reveals what happens plus kashs 'holy shit I'm amazing line is brilliant

[@shalackma]

thank you!

[@rowenwolff]

One of my favorite moments in every campaign

[@tylragor1653]

*And after for some more chapters* "Fix him!!"

[@JadeStone860]

Did I cry? Yes.

[@rbrojas2040]

I'm confused why KZbin led me here. I have no clue where I am. Or what's happening.

[@cryptidsm00cher]

LMFAOANXISB it’s a dungeons and dragons campaign that got animated, basically a character died and another character brought them back by sacrificing themself

[@trainman9024]

is it just me or does Liam look ready to punch mat

[@danielstephens1185]

He's currently in character, but there does seem seem to be some of his own emotional anguish. They've all been playing together for quite a while by this point. Liam probably cares as much about Vex as his own character, her twin, does. I read elsewhere in this section that his mother recently died before this. So that pain too may be getting channeled here as an outlet. The emotions are still very real to all of them though. Like reading the death of a favorite character in a book, seeing it in a movie or show.

[@trainman9024]

@@danielstephens1185 I know I know he was in character and that he wouldn't really hurt Matt but it was just his expression

[@michaeldolinar3716]

ait, was Vox Machina based on an actual DandD game?

[@myrin265]

yes, and the fans helped it come to fruition! The Critical Role team had wanted to turn their Vox Machina campaign into an animated series for a while, so they set up a kickstarter fund to make it happen. Critters came through and now here we are :)

[@michaeldolinar3716]

@@myrin265 that's amazing!

[@MidgetPally521]

@@michaeldolinar3716 yeah and it was announced that their second campaign The Mighty Nein will also have a show

[@mothmanneko]

@@MidgetPally521 Fr? Do you think they'll do Bells Hells when that campaign is over?

[@MidgetPally521]

@@mothmanneko no telling, I would imagine if mighty nein is a successful show, I don't see why not. I mean LOVM was only supoose to be a 1 episode special, yet here we are 2 seasons deep, a third coming, and now a new show announced.

[@itsjustkatiee1]

I wonder why they decided to have Pike there in the show as Ashley wasn't there during the actual session

[@Trojianmaru]

Probably so they could show her desperately trying and failing to heal Vex. Having a healing spell fizzle out and fail is the perfect thematic way to make it clear that somebody is dead. And if it was a different cleric, we might think it's just that the cleric sucks. So it needed to be her trying.

[@elenabrown1748]

😭 my talking tom 2 i may never love again that is fine!!

[@infiniteaaron]

The text in the thumbnails could be a bit easier to read if it were a solid color. Thank you for sharing these, even so.

[@TPBurrow]

Thanks for the tip!

[@elenabrown1748]

Take me instead!

[@elenabrown1748]

😿 take me instead!!

[@elenabrown1748]

😭 Take me instead!

[@Fanthomas1742]

2:52 im curious what did Matt roll

[@Amania-x7k]

😭

[@thomasanime-lord7092]

Which episode in the campaign was this?? (Not the show) PLZZZZZZ 😭😭 it’s so heartfelt

[@TPBurrow]

c1 ep 44 the Sunken tomb here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gXnWcmOIlKyirLcsi=Bdt-KHzP2WRi-k5C

[@dondavis1180]

cool but man you started too late and ended too soon. Should start with her being killed by the trap and end with whatever resolution came from the actual live game.

[@deathbykonami5487]

Season 2 was an emotional rollercoaster. I'm not prepared for Scanlan fucking off, Percy getting killed by Ripley, and Vax becoming an undead revenant in Season 3.

[@The.Red.Woman.]

things like this might need a spoiler warning next time

[@billy_romeo]

man that sucks you just spoiled everything with 0 warning

[@kuronerowy]

oh..percy died??

[@The.Red.Woman.]

@@kuronerowy yeahhh I mean..... not smart of this person to say it like this.

[@deathbykonami5487]

Yeah I spoiled something from almost a decade ago, grow the hell up!

[@Squre]

They are so serious about a game.

[@TPBurrow]

Have you ever played it?

[@Squre]

@@TPBurrow kind of. I played for an hr one time, and a 2 man campaign for 5 hours another time. (We died which ended it).

[@EgonTheGreat.]

​@@Squrewell this one lasted years, so it's understandable that they get attached to their characters.

[@dawncollier742]

This is a character she spent years porting herself into, even before they started streaming. Years spent along side her friends and their characters. Characters like that aren’t just a game, they become family. That was what they were at risk of losing.

[@markbean5539]

My wife cries for a few good minutes when her first character died we fought like hell to save her when you put your heart into a character it can get intense

[@mjj69]

Why are they all covering their mouths. It’s so cringe

[@clarencelucas1256]

how are yall not cringing at this

[@SoloLev-qe8iz]

You literally watch anime

[@Miztique]

you literally have L as a pfp,