Talking Crit

It’s time to join the Planes Walkers Club, Vox Machina has gone full celestial.  It is a time of urgency for VM, as they try to gather the support of the gods.  We asked the question last week if the gods would help VM, and we got a partial answer.  So far, Sarenrae & Pelor have leant their powers to the group, with a few more gods to go, we may see more boons come across our Tal’Dorei travellers.  We know at least two more gods are on the list, Ioun and Kord.  Will Vex’s ascension as an avatar be enough, will Pike bring enough punch to the final battle?  Is it enough to debate Vecna?

The final battle with Vecna is where we find our Question of the Week.  Will Vox Machina defeat Vecna?  The first fight didn’t fair so well, and is getting the assistance from the gods only giving time for Vecna to finish the ritual?  Give your vote and let us know what you think.

Question of the Week for #TalkingCrit looks at the final battle. Will Vox Machina defeat Vecna? Vote and let us know. #DnD #CriticalRole

— Jonny Robertson (@FotoGuy79) July 12, 2017

Shout outs this week look to the gods, and god almighty are there some great ones.  The first shout out goes to Sanj.  This is an epic depiction of the Dawn Father, and it’s the colours the make the image blast off the screen.  It’s an awesome blend of a classic throne pose and the powers cosmic.  That subtle hit of face, and potential beard, draws your eyes to the head, and then scatters them off in every direction.  The image seems muted, but that’s just the amazing appearance of Pelor, there is so much loaded into the background.  Take your time and go over this image carefully, it’s the cosmic happenings in the background, that are subtle, but give it so much power.  This is a fantastic image of Pelor, one that should be on a poster or framed.  Thank you Sanj, for your amazing work.

Muh first critical role fanart! Pelor, the Dawnfather. @matthewmercer @LauraBaileyVO @VoiceOfOBrien #criticalrole #criticalrolefanart pic.twitter.com/2AmKUAsv9P

— Sanj (@thatsanj) July 10, 2017

Shout out number two goes to Brandi.  It is a great contrast portrait of Vex & Vax.  Black & White, Determination & Melancholy, the twins are similar, but have so much difference between them.  That’s just how a story of half a decade goes, characters go in different directions, and Brandi has captured it all in one piece.  She does a great job of story telling with just light, shadows, and composition.  It’s Hemingway-esque in its story telling.  It seems straight to the point on the surface, but there is a lot of layers just beneath the surface.  I love the differences in the faces, and the way the white blends into black.  Brandi has done some fantastic work with the twins.

Champions
aka "What I did yesterday when I should have

Into the Shadowfell we go, Vox Machina has landed where the sun doesn’t shine, and have left our realm of reality.  It was a rushed decision, but it feels like it was the right one.  The chance to strike was there, why give Delilah any time to rally her forces.  It seems to have paid off as well; the city seems to be on low alert and unaware that Vox Machina has infiltrated.

It feels like the story arc is getting into the end times, and we are closer to the end than we are to the beginning.  There is a lot to tackle in the Shadowfell, and the creatures there are numerous.  One big question we had was, is Sylas Briarwood back?

Our Question of the Week asks the Critters what they think about Sylas.  Is the vampire lord back in action with Delilah or was his husk turned to dust by Kiki?  Vote and let us know what you think.

Question of the Week for #TalkingCrit Is Sylas Briarwood alive/undead/unalive? Will Silas make a return? Let us know. #CriticalRole #DnD

— Jonny Robertson (@FotoGuy79) June 21, 2017

Shout Outs this week go to some pretty rad artists.  The first is Lina, and this Vax/Raven Queen composition.  This looks beautiful, it gives off a Legend of the 5 Rings impression.  If you haven’t checked out that game, you should, it’s Game of Thrones but with samurais.  There are so many renditions of the Raven Queen with the pale white mask, this splash of colour gives it vibrance and personality.  The merging of Vax’s hair with the Raven Queen’s mask does show they are becoming one and the same.  What does this mean for our favourite emo half-elf?  We’re not sure, but his fate is now intertwined with the Raven Goddess.

Thank Lina for this awesome depiction, it is beautiful.

Finally! I've finished my piece of Vax and the Raven Queen. #CriticalRole #criticalrolefanart pic.twitter.com/kbZOLeswzB

— Lina (@ElfenCeres) June 17, 2017

Our second Shout Out goes to Meghan LeVaughn and her creative process.  She is practicing with elemental effects for Kiki.  This is the type of stuff that is great, because when you start experimenting with art, all the rules get thrown out, and you never know what you’re going to get.  What we got as the Critter Community was something astonishing.  It brings a Sailor Moon/Anime style to it, when people start experimenting with style, it can produce some awesome stuff.  Thank you Meghan for the work you put into these effects.

It feels like they need to be in an animated gif, or an animated movie where Kiki is about to unload some druidic power.

Been practice w/ glow effects for Keyleth's Element Forms #CriticalRole100 #criticalrolefanart @SenshiStock @GeekandSundry @Marisha_Ray

It’s a Battle Royale recap today.  We take a look at the surprises and the fun of running a D&D PvP event.  It’s always fun to throw down a little player versus player action on the table top, but it does give a lot of insight.  It lets players and DM’s know what is possible, and how creative players can get with their classes and items.  We also look at the road to episode 100 and Jon Heder joining the cast on Thursday.  This brings us to the question of the week.

What arch type do think Jon Heder will play for the session?  Give a vote and let us know what you think.

Question of the Week for #TalkingCrit looks at what Arch Type will @hederjon will be playing on #CriticalRole Let us know what you think.

— Jonny Robertson (@FotoGuy79) June 1, 2017

There will be no shout outs this week, the art was too good.  It needs its own post, there were so many amazing pieces on twitter, it needed its own spotlight.  Keep an eye out for the art we want to celebrate.  Seriously, this was an amazing week for Critter Fan Art.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast for automatic updates and episodes. You can tune in via iTunes or Google Play. If you want to leave a review and a rating, that would help us out a lot; or join along in the fun, and leave a comment or question for us, you can always use #TalkingCrit and we’ll read your questions and comments on the show.