The Psychology of Emotional Pain - The Legend of Vox Machina: Delilah - Therapist Reacts!
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 22. 08. 2024
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Psychotherapist Georgia Dow analyzes the relationship between Silas and Delilah Briarwood from "The Legend of Vox Machina!"
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I think the most wrenching moment, and the moment that really sums up Delilah's relationship with Sylas, was her line, "I broke the world for us!" It's so relatable on the one hand, because who wouldn't go to great lengths for the one they love, and who wouldn't want someone to go to great lengths for them -- but on the other hand, it shows that she knew *exactly* what she was doing. She had no illusions that she was anything other than a villain, and she didn't care as long as she had the man she loved by her side. (Of course, we know from the live stream that Delilah was no angel even before her pact with the Whispered One, but that was a step beyond even for her.) But as horrific as literally breaking the world is, there's something darkly tantalyzing about the idea of a love story *that* powerful, and that is the appeal of Delilah Briarwood.
Exactly!
If this Critical Role universe becomes a big content powerhouse like they seem to be heading towards, it would be really interesting to get an animated mini-series about a Briarwood prequel. I am pretty sure the CR team will probably do animated projects of campaigns or stories already told first, but I could totally see Matt and the others eventually wanting to explore new aspects of Exandria through media as new, stand-alone tales as well. Which I would be so down for!
@@jeremyrosal6049 I could see them doing audio books for a lot of the background stuff. As a group of voice actors, that's a medium they're already very close to and Matt's narrations are always a delight to listen to during the campaigns. Those could maybe be illustrated to add a visual aspect, but keep it more motion comic than actual animation to not blow the budget.
When Matt spoke that line in-game, I broke a little too.
"she's been living rent free in percy's head"
yeah she tends to do that, percy, me, laudna
Quite literally in laudnas
One thing I feel you might have glossed over is the fact that when Sylas was dying and died, She screamed out in anguish, whilst under a Silence spell. She screamed because she was so heart broken and so much emotional pain, her scream was still loud and then it even broke the concentration of Scanlan and broke it. She loved Sylas with every bit of her being and losing him was the biggest pain to her.
"I broke the world for us"
Even if I hate Delilah, that line ripped my heart.
What I think hurts the most for Delilah is that she went through all this to protect Silas, she did unspeakable things, terrible acts of cruelty and evil...and she still lost him. What was it all for? Was it worth it?
she would probably said it was as she got many more years with him.
I think she lost her mind a little bit, vampires in D&D are abominations, they are not who they were before death, (from the monster manual about vampires) - "Its emotional attachments wither as once-pure feelings become twisted by undeath. Love turns into hungry obsession, while friendship becomes bitter jealousy.", they are undead predators who wear the face and personality of who they were when alive.
it's tragic in a sense, Delilah did terrible things to get Sylas back only for it to be a corrupted undead version incapable of actually loving her. She may have loved him more than anything and Sylas when he was alive probably loved her just as much, Sylas the vampire would have seen her more as a beautiful valuable object, Delilah wanted so badly to have him back that she couldn't see she didn't actually get him back.
@@thefracturedbutwhole5475 Silas was different from most vampires. While Matt probably started him from a base vampire stat block his story, being reformed as an undead by Vecna's power, is significantly different from the genesis of an ordinary vampire. Matt always played him as, essentially, an evil man with great vampiric powers so it ends up feeling like he was supposed to be quite different and, possibly, actually capable of continuing to feel the love he always professed for Delilah.
@@krimhorn Agreed.
Spoilers below....
In the Wedding Epilogue to the Vox Machina campaign, Sylas attacks Vox Machina at Percy and Vex's wedding and attempts to murder them as revenge for Delilah's death at their hands.
If Sylas had just been a soulless monster motivated by self interest and evil, then he would have just got the hell off the continent, found a castle for himself and swooped down onto villages to attack his next meal. Possibly occasionally sending suicide squads to attack Vox Machina as revenge for depriving him of his former obsession. But he doesn't do that. He makes a coterie of vampires, waits until Vox Machina is vulnerable and has their guard down and leads the attack himself to kill the people that took his wife from him.
i feel like she'd do it all again even for 1 more minute
It took me until the rewatch to catch that Delilah was playing with the party's emotions to get them to kill her.
The thing I love best about the Briarwoods is that their motivation is fundamentally a heroic one in its beginnings. Saving a loved one is so traditional a heroic motivation it goes back all the way to the epic of Gilgamesh. Dozens of books, movies and video games have it as a central premise.
Of course her actions are taken to a hilarious evil extremes, but villainous origins based in heroic motivations are amongst my favourites because its easy to see how someone could walk down that path.
Being voiced by exceptional voice talent like Grey DeLisle doesn't hurt either
I can't imagine anyone better than the voice of Azula to play Delilah Briarwood.
@@PaulGuySame, Azula as Delilah was perfect
"I broke the world for us" She made a pact with an evil entity so they could be together, if that's not true love, I don't know what it is.
Jokes aside I love the trope of doing the "wrong" things for the right reasons, or what she believes is the right reason
She truly was a wreck when Sylas died. When she was preparing that final attack, she was definitely trying to end herself too, there is no way she didn't realise she was vastly outnumbered but she just wanted to take someone - anyone, - with her so they will share her pain.
I think that she was so used to being all powerful she didnt even think they could fail,
Well Delilah is a necromancer. Goading someone into killing her is probably plan B.
@@GeorgiaDow up against a bunch of ragtag bumblefucks who half-lucked into their initial glory, too
@@GeorgiaDow Either that or she let herself to be so complacent. In thinking that everything was going their way. That she became arrogant in the process.
@@TheKrstff Well, she was a level 17 necromancer. She definitely had the ability to become a lich. Which is exactly what happened to her. First, she was given a new body for her undead soul to inhabit, and after it was killed, she's resided in her living phylactery, Laudna, for decades.
I love this villain couple. I will say, in the streamed game Delilah yelled âI broke the world for youâ and it sort of became the tag line of their tragedy. I feel like it didnât have the same impact in the show, Iâm glad they kept the line, but this was one of the rare changes in the show that I thought lost some of the magic. Still, great episode, Iâve been glad to se the characterizations from the hours of stream recognized in your videos just from the shorter animated show.
That line is so poignant "I broke the world for you". wow
A quick update because I went back and watched the stream clip, itâs âI broke the world for usâ. Realized I got this wrong, so I wanted to correct it. Itâs in the moment she sees him disintegrated and Matt literally describes it as a scream. I checked the LOVM clip, and I think the main difference is that itâs shouted immediately in the stream, but in the show she says it quietly, where VM canât even hear her, to psych herself up for the ritual. Itâs still a powerful emotion, but itâs a very different one in the show. Sheâs not broken, angry, and in denial - you canât have killed him, I broke the world so weâd be together forever - sheâs determined and still holding on to her purpose - I broke the world for us and Iâm about to do it again. The emotional break is instead shown by her screaming and breaking Scanlanâs silence spell through her emotional anguish. I donât think the way they did it in the show was bad, Iâd just tied that line and that emotional beat together so strongly that I have trouble with them being separated.
Yeah, theyâre the polar opposite of The Joker and Harley Quinn
Georgia's empathy, compassion and humanity beat society's standards of limitation.
She feels and thinks not only for herself, but for life - that's true compassion.
Feeling for one's enemies isn't a weakness or evil as long as you don't give into those feelings.
It's a sign of real strength that everyone should know.
Your words are so beautiful thank you very much. Not sure I deserve them but I will take them. thx for being a part of my community
True words to live by
empath
@@GeorgiaDow Maybe not 24/7 - that's too much - but the perspective you share in your words seems full of empathy and looks at each character as a person when it's very easy to see them for the role and archetype that they're presented or scripted for.
I think we all need more of that and I really appreciate what you share.
Thanks for having me ^_^
I think you are supposed to empathize with Delilah, despite what she's done, and I think that's what makes her such a great villain. She's not doing this because she wants power or some sort of wealth, what she wants is her husband, to be with him forever. What's even more heart wrenching is that Matt Mercer (who created these villains) explained that Delilah actually did find the cure to Sylas' illness, but by the time she returned he'd passed away. However, I think this fall into what is called obsessive love, where all you care about is the person you love and no one else (even the world) matters. You're willing to destroy anything that gets in the way of you being with that person.
Uuiihu
I actually had something like this in a game I ran.
All the BBEG's, the party didn't really hate that much.
But, I introduced one as a minor side antagonist.
A guy who wasn't that strong himself. Like a lvl 12 Artificer against a party of lvl 15.
He was a father, who made a mistake, and his daughter died.
And he was a villain, cuz he was going through everything to bring her back. Testing necromantic rituals and artefacts. The results causing chaos. While he marks the results. Regrets them. But goes ahead anyways.
I have not had my party hate a villain more than that dude
Despite his motives being the most understandable. His methods were also extreme, and he wouldn't apologise. He regretted causing the damage. But would do it again in a heart beat
In the current campaign Marisha (Keyleth) is playing an undead character (not vampire or zombie just someone who died then woke up). The interesting part is how she views her death an resurrection vs how another character looks at it czcams.com/video/aW03lHzNuF8/video.html . There's so much more I want to say but I think Vox Machina is getting 3 seasons and I don't want to spoil they mysteries.
Delilah's love for Silas is what makes her a truly great villain and just really interesting character to watch. I think most people have at least a little bit of empathy for her, even though she has done all of these horrible things.
She broke the /world/ for him. Matt as Delilah screaming over the loss if her husband was hands down one of the best dramatic parts of campaign 1. Would 100% reccomend looking up the clip of the actual play
This moment was one of the main things that kept me watching. 6 years later, backing the kickstarter and pretty sure every shirt i own is CR at this point. No turning back now. :P
i looooooved delilah during the campaign and the show went thru with really capitalizing on what made her and her husband so captivating.
Ah to find someone who would love me like Delilah loves Sylas. She is so amazing. And your cosplay so lovely.
Oh thank you!
I did not expect a Delilah episode, but it's great to see. There's so much heart in this show, stuff that's hard to get without the creators being directly involved and the people making it being passionate about it.
Evil characters with no real motivation is nothing more than a cartoon character cut out. You get far more information in this series than they had in game. It took time to find out what Delilah (and Sylas) had go thru in the game.
It took me a good while to even realize that Delilah was not a Vampire.
@@thefracturedbutwhole5475 Yes I saw a lot of people making that mistake in the comments...they way they did it in series would make Delilah a Warlock but she was a Necromancer in game, but hey story over game machanic.
@@jdwatson7588 I agree, in the series it feels like magic users are less definable by class, probably to make it easier to transfer 100's of hours of the game into an animated series, VM was a lot closer as a group by this point in their story (the Briarwoods) but for the sake of actually being able to tell the story in animated form they changed it a little. I think they did good, it's a little different but the story is essentially the same.
@@jdwatson7588
Really?
I thought she was a necromancer when I saw her in the series?
Warlock and necromancer aren't mutually exclusive, one is a class and one is a school of magic.
Though I'm not sure if the spells she was using were exclusive to a particular class.
@@LewisRJHope While watching the series, I saw a number of comments that people first thought she was a vampire too. However I understand that not everyone made that mistake. Also as I said game mechanics would have her as a warlock based on the backstory we where shown. In game she was a wizard who after the death of her husband began exploring Necromancy to try and revive him. In show she hears a calling, classic warlock back story trope.
Grey DeLisle was a pitch perfect as Azula.. it was no surprise that Grey could match the complexity (and villainy đ) of Delilah Briarwood's character.
Pretty sure she goes by Grey Griffin now.
I read about Delilahâs backstory, and I think it sheds more light on her relationship with Sylas.
She had done questionable things in her studies before being with Sylas, so she already had questionable morality and questionable mental stability.
I think Sylas was the only one who understood her, and thatâs why she clings to him, and she dedicated a great portion of her life to ensuring his survival. Without him, she has no sense of self or understanding. Everything she accomplished would have been for nothing.
She didnât just âbreak THE worldâ for him, she broke and rearranged âHER worldâ for him and her extreme âUs vs Themâ mentality does not help matters.
Delilah's scream was the sound of ultimate suffering.
"Hello! My name is Percival De Rolo, you killed my family, prepare to die."
@@ItachiUchiha-xr3oj I like you.
Knowing more about her past now thanks to CR2, about who she actually was before Whitestone, leaves me with so many more questions now. The kind of devotion she and Silas have to one another, the drive and talent too, make me wonder who they were and could have been if not for the Cerberus Assembly and an illness. Who might Delilah, especially, have been if she hadn't grown up and learned in the system that would make her the Archmage of Antiquities, and even then, might she never have found the path she went down if she were any other archmage?
Which episode(s) do they learn Delilahâs backstory?
@@davidliming8422 can't recall numbers but it's while they're gearing up to head north with Vess I think, learned a bit about her predecessor.
Also with cr3 weâre going to get even more with her.
Girl still ant dead and is currently just muching off the body of a girl she killed. Because laudna had the misfortune of being resurrected by her in Whitestone and then hollowing alowing for dalila to fill in the gap of a missing soul.
Why is it so hard to kill her, sheâs now outlived most of the og cast. Hell They even did it right the first time. They disintergrated her body so she couldnât reserect as a litch.
Oooo, shivers this is a awesome video vary good.
The briarwood arc is one of my favourites it runs so deep... touching alot đ and you can really understand y they did what they did so you can empathise & not just 2d villans.
the future arcs are epic and amazing, fun twisty and turny but the briarwoods will always be my favourite in legends.
So thanks for the video always enjoyable and informative
Merci Grimm =)
On the matter of characters from animated series, i just recently binged "She-Ra and the Princesses of Power", and boy its characters have a lot of stuff to analyze, especially Catra and Adora.
The relatability of the Briarwoods is what makes the Briarwood Arc so beloved. And why it was a no-brainer for them to pick that as the entry point for the animated series. As great as our PCs are, the villains and NPCs are too
something important I see a lot of people forget is that we can empathize with someone, without sympathizing with them. one is understanding how they feel, feeling how they feel, the other is caring about them. we can understand all the pain and hardship Delilah went through just to stay with her love, doesn't mean we should be ok with all the things she did to be with him.
I agree with you!! I was crying so hard when Delilah lost Silus, not because I stopped seeing her as the villain but because I know I would do anything for the person I love, I think thatâs just in us, our primal fears and reactions kick in when someone we love is hurt or gone. I really felt for her and wished for them to be together.
"I broke the world or us." It says everything about how she feels about and would do for Silas.
Awesome video! Villains are so much more interesting if you can understand their motivations
Great breakdown, love the writing and your outfit
I love that you did each member of the team, AND the villains! Even though the villains were working on a plan that could've been way better, I still loved their relationship.
The best villains are ones we can understand. Even the most vile, wretched and evil of monsters can, and should, invoke at least a little bit of empathy because that connection lets us view them as more of a threat. Yes, you could just make them a mighty god, but then theres a disconnect that means that we simply dont find them as threatening because we dont see them as something that can exist. However, an element of Humanity, just enough that we can see their side of the story, goes a long way to establish how dangerous they are.
And when it comes to dealing with such villains, I've always liked hoisting them on their own petard as it were, give them an ending that utterly breaks them down. Not only does it serve as catharsis for the viewer, but it also serves to cement that same humanity and teaches a lesson in the process.
Of course, this only works for certain types of villains, mostly those driven by revenge or some other type of very Human emotion. It doesnt work as well if the villain is something more inhuman.
You are not the only one who felt for Delilah. I personally love the Briarwoods and I still think theyâre together in the end and somewhat at peace but also waiting for a chance to come back
yes they are together now at least
Matt Mercer definitely did a good job at humanizing these villains even though one of them was a vampire. He rooted their relationship in a more real way. They arenât cartoonish villains that you feel good about defeating. Youâre supposed to see their humanity.
Matt did a fantastic job of fleshing out these two villains and the crew made them feel authentic. The Briarwoods are by far my favourite antagonists of Vox Machina as, like Georgia said, they feel so real and pitiable. During Silasâ death scene, Delilahâs grief is so palpable that she breaks through the Silence Spell with her scream. This was my favourite scene as even though sheâs a terrible person you can help but empathize for her. A wonderfully horrible character she is with a cold blooded soulmate to match.
Also, I adore your necklaces Georgia! Wonderful mini-cosplay!
âIt would have felt more like a conclusionâ
Oh Georgia, for the Briarwoods, itâs only just begun.
that makes me happy... wait should it... well it does
9:13 Ah, but she does have to do just that. The Clone spell is powerful and beneficial to necromancers who donât want to die.
Just as I was going to bed and its a video about one of my favorite Crit Role villains. Perfect.
Fun Fact: The Actor who do the voice for Delilah Briarwood from The Legend of Vox Machina is the actor who play as Azula from Avatar the Last Airbener
What makes Delilahâs scream when Silas dies even more heartbreaking is that she is within a silence spell. Her scream is so loud it can still be heard even within a magically induced zone of silence
Matthew Mercer is a story telling genius that created these two characters that everyone just falls in love with. or absolutely loves to hate with a passion. They are supposed to be evil and terrible people, but we love them so much!
In the original show, the Briarwoods were the first villains that I swooned over and fell in love with! But we didn't get to see a lot of moments with them unless the group ran into them, so it was soooo nice to see some of their private moments in the animation and get to know them even better and fall in love with them even more
Great vid! I would love to see your reaction to The Wilds on Amazon prime. It's about teenagers stuck on a deserted island, however something deeper and weirder is going on. Pretty psychological.
Delilia and Sylas were a power couple and even though they are evil, you love this in a story because they are Evil to keep one another safe. Now they are characters which is why Iâm not worried about calling them Evil, real people donât fall into good and Evil were all just people but from a writing perceptive this is beautiful to see such well rounded characters that showcase why they do the things they do.
Your series has been coming through my feed as a suggestion and psychiatric evaluations of fictional characters is definitely an interest I didnât know I had.
Iâd like to make a suggestion myself for some content; Therapist Reacts to the characters of the Legacy of Kain series.
Legacy of Kain is a series of games that was left unfinished and cruelly forgotten by many, but features some of the best dialogue, voice acting and character development of any series Iâve ever seen. The story is a complicated one that deals with fate, time and moral ambiguity. The main characters Kain, Raziel, Moebius and the Elder God are already such interesting entities on their own, and I for one would love to see them and their personalities broken down and explained from a therapistâs point of view.
Ironically one of my favorite moments of delilah is at the end as casandra kills her. The show did a bit of a nod to it but the live stream made it alot more apparent that delilah in a really messed up way did view casandra almost as daughter like. Vampires cant have kids since they are undead creatures (no beating heart means no kids in the bank or a gun to fire them with) so she could never conceivably have her own child so the whole brainwashing casandra thing also had this weird undertone of fufiling that desire. So much that it was percevably one of casandras hardest things to forgive herself for post briarwoods is her conflicting feelings involving delilah. The briarwoods mainly delilah's actions have such a huge impact that we are getting after shocks of it even all the way in campagin 3 of the series which is awesome , gotta love the villians that continue to be a plot point even when they are long and gone.
Awesome video! And I have to mention, your Delilah cosplay looks amazing!! đ€©
You really hit the nail on the head about Delilha at least from the voice actor's intent. Grey Griffin, Delilha's voice actor, mentioned in one of the watch parties that she preformed the last episode of the season from a place of "you took everything from me so I'm going to say the worst things I can to you so you put me out of my misery".
So really in the end Cassandra gave her exactly what she wanted.
I think it's very important to grasp that people are complex and have different layers.
It's IMPORTANT to realize someone might actually be genuinely loving, and have compelling traits, while not discounting for a moment that they are evil and cruel and deserve to be ended.
And I harp on that because I think there's a dangerous white hat/black hat trend in people; we feel compelled not to see any good in people because they are bad. Well, they are still bad, the good doesn't magically make Delilah not a vicious child murderer.
I don't know if I'm articulating it well, but I think black and white thinking leads us to sweep problems under the rug because that person is good, after all.
0:50 "She places the wine glass so that we see Percy..."
She's certainly highly perceptive if she can _see the camera!_
I have to admit, I loved the Briarwoods as antagonists. While they did many vile deeds, like murder Percyâs family and torture the only surviving members-who were children at the time-for information they ultimately didnât have, what propelled them to stoop so low wasnât money or power or status or anything else avaricious, but something as noble as love. Delilah made her pact with Vecna to save her husband, who was dying of an rare and untreatable illness, which is why heâs a vampire. And they donât forget their initial motives, as they still love each other, no matter how far they fall.
A hero will sacrifice you for the world, but a villain will sacrifice the world for you. Which is exactly what Delilah did for Silas, and what Silas wants to reciprocate. Also, them being legitimate threats to Vox Machina and quite charismatic really helped them as good villains, other than just being tied to Percyâs dark past. And it also helps that their co-conspirators lack their redeeming traits. Captain Stonefell is just a bully who wants prey to exert power over, Professor Anders is bitter at his former employers for refusing to allow him to play God, and Dr. Ripley is a cruel creature able to slip out of the grasp of the heroes to continue her ambitions.
Delilah and Wanda (from Wanda vision) have similar emotional arcs. I would say Delilah actually pushes our empathy to the breaking point...but still holds the line. We all know she must be stopped, she IS evil...but we absolutely can see how one simple thought (I would do anything for love) can send anyone, even ourselves, down a scary path.
As a fan of the show and its source material, i really enjoyed this series of videos and i would highly recommend you continue it when S2 and on are released. You will only have more to speak about as each character gets a good arc through the whole story and im interested in your insight. The Briarwoods are fan favorite villains for a reason, you seem to have been swept right into it!
Can't wait for an animation if the Chroma Conclave and the sacking of Emon.
thanks I may start that
@@GeorgiaDow Sadly youll be waiting for it like the rest of us! But many of us know whats coming and how it all ends
I don't know if or when we'd get an animation of C3, but I would love some follow up on this episode if Georgia ever learned about those events.
Fantastic analysis. I love the empathy we feel for Delilah.
Originally, Percy learned of the Briarwoods' attendance before the fact, informed the others ahead of the event, and pretended to be Vax with a Hat of Disguise while the rogue was *supposed* to go snooping... but that's a whole other thing. I guess it was more dramatic this way, considering how much they compacted everything, but it feels like it does Percy's character a disservice. Delilah told Cassandra she could have been their daughter before the final blow; after 5 years in captivity - let alone Silas' mental manipulation - my first thought was that the phrase had been a deliberate (implanted?) trigger. I don't think we ever got a solid answer on that...
You weren't the only one. Every once in a(n increasingly great) while, I hear a piece of music and *have* to make a video with it. The first video I made this year is Breaking The World, because The Tragedy of The Briarwoods wasn't as catchy. Feel free to give it a view.
wow it's great you able to try to understand the way the characters feel through each video you make đ.
Wow, thank you!
Some may find it ridiculous for me to say about a âsilly D&D gameâ, but to me Silas and Delilah are two of the most captivating characters in modern media because of that dual nature. Real âMichael Corleone at the christeningâ moments.
Yes I envy how there pair bonded like that.đ„ș
Yes it is pretty beautiful
Your dress is beautiful! And thank you.
I'm surprised that I never put two and two that delilah voices delilah. Especially because I'm usually really good at calling voice actors.
im so glad i discovered your channel yesterday! i love your vm analyses!
i think analyzing character from mass effect would be fun! especially Garrus Vakarian, and the main character shepard!
Happy you found me also, hope you stay
I really hope they bring back the whispered one in season 3 or 4.
I'm really enjoying your breakdowns and insights into this series
thanks Nathan
To be fair, Delilah was an extremely powerful necromancer. It's not beyond the realm of possibilities for someone of her caliber to bring Silas back given the right means. In that moment it may have been a kindness to end her suffering, but they also couldn't really afford to let her live and potentially escape. Who knows what backup plans she had in place - necromancers are notorious for those, and even if you think you finally beat them, they may still have an ace up their sleeve...
Grey Griffen is legendary.
thank you
I've said it before, and I'll say it again, the love that Sylas and Delilah have for each other is one of the strongest in the series. They would literally break the world and defy death itself to be with each other. And they do so multiple times. (Hint hint)
Are they deplorable people? Definitely. Do they love each other with all their hearts and souls? Absolutely. They took one look at "till death do us part" and said, "Not even death will part us."
I enjoyed your reactions. Blessings on your day.
thank as always Jeff
You're not the only one who's empathetic for them
Could you please do Vex and or Vax next? Please and thank you
Hi Dr Dow, Iâm a growing fan of your channel! I hope to see more of these analysis of characters. Would you ever consider giving your opinion on the joker from either the dark knight and/or the Arkham Asylum series?
Yes I would I think he is a great character =)
It's alright to feel bad for Delilah. It just means you're Evil, now.
Join the Dark Side, we have cookies. Oh, wait...
Nope, Delilah just killed the baker.
@@ryan76043
đđđ
wait did someone say cookies...
I will happy join the side of evil if my boss is voiced by Grey Delisle
But they didnât say what kind of cookies though. They could all be stale Oreos and raisin cookies.
All of this is hitting harder after e23 of campaign 3
You going to do more Moon Knight videos? I'm curious about your thoughts on the interrelationship between Mark and his alter Steven as well as the trauma they went through as a child
Oh diddly hello I'm here at 3 minutes of uploading and just 2 views! Hello! Love your videos and your costumes
Thanks for being there right when the video came out. And taking the time to comment
Iâve played so many warlocks in dnd. The cycle of chasing the safety of a loved one or a prize just out of reach. The chance that your patron gives up on you. Watching the love you lost be finally ripped away forever. God it was like all my warlock characters worst fear watching Sylas die
Would love to see your take on Our Flag Means Death
Personally I truly did feel for Delilah when Sylas got extremely sunburnt (ha). I think the best "villains" are the ones you can - on some level - feel sympathy for. Briarwoods are great villains imo. One moment you feel like "just die already" , while a part of you goes "aaw, I feel for them" . The length they, especially Delilah were willing to go, is part deserving of respect and admiration, but part of "wooh, taking it a bit too far there lady, accept fate like everyone else has to". See thats why I love those two as villains, because you feel both disgust and hate, mixed with empathy and sadness for them. It's not always black or white.
And I think in particular people that have real experience of a heavy loss in their life, (like me) sees and feels different towards the Briarwoods.
As for favorite moments, its hard. Towards the end (right before Keyleth gets hit) when Delilah yells how they've taken everything from her, the words, combined with the voice acting performance, really hit me somehow. But also after that fancy dinner, when Percy chased them and they drove of in the carriage - yelling back to Percy he's always welcome back "home". That moment I felt the need to punch Delilah, but it also made her so deliciously annoying.
I'm making zero sense probably, so gold star to anyone that ended up understanding my scattered thoughts here ;-)
5:22 No. I understand the pain of loss, but I know better than to place value in any chance of getting them back. Death's function is to allow new life to grow using the recycled materials as the dead being decomposes. And as Olivier Armstrong put it, "Soliders only know how to keep more people from dying."
Edit: And when I saw her reaction to watching her vampire husband die, I felt gratified, not pity. She started this and got what was coming to her. Then again, like Percy, I'm the vindictive type.
The best characters we love are usually those who make us think, "what messed this person up so much?"
I have a character I'd like to suggest.
who is it
A sign of good writing to me at least is when some of the major antagonists(or antagonist adjacent characters) have redeeming or empathetic qualities.
Watching this has me realising Delilah from Vox Machina and Claudia from Dragon Prince have a lot in common
Delilah just very recently got offered an opportunity for therapy, but she turned it down.
Delilahs Scream... her despair and pain, strong enough to shatter the spell of silence around her.
I didn't even think of that. How true. It shows how deeply she felt it. I felt it with her
If you liked that couple, watch Fate/Stay Night's Caster and her Master
I think there's another possibility here...
I really question whether the Sylas who came back as a vampire is the same Sylas who was a mortal man who died. This is because he's too much the "perfect husband." The only time he offers an opinion that she disagrees with is when he offers to go out and fight for her (perfect husband), and he immediately acquiesces when she says no (again, perfect husband). He always does and says exactly what the image of a perfect husband would do or say at every given moment. When he says "what are you doing?" to her latest horrific acts, it's not with any shock, but rather taking an interest in her latest project and giving her the opportunity to talk about it (yet again, perfect husband).
I find it hard to believe that when he was alive (pre-vampire), they never disagreed or argued about anything, that he never did anything she found even mildly annoying, and that he always said and did the perfect thing for her every time. I suppose it's theoretically possible that they had such an ideal relationship when he was alive, but it seems as if his entire personality is to be the perfect husbando. Which is just too good to be true. Real people have flaws, real couples have issues to resolve from time to time, and real relationships take work.
If that's the case that he isn't the same person, that the man's body was just revivified as a vampire with a pre-programmed "husband-bot" personality, then her seeming love for him isn't really love for another person, but rather a narcissistic romantic fantasy of hers. Because she hasn't seemed to notice or care that he's too perfect. If it were really about love, you'd think she'd have noticed that, and that it would bother her that maybe this "Sylas" isn't the real man she married. But she's so happy with the romantic fantasy she lives in that she'd casually murder anyone and everyone else on the planet to maintain it. Which is even more tragic.
Oh wow that is a very interesting assessment. Yes I can see how that could be. Hmm now I have I rethink things. I do wonder.
Sylas lives by the motto "happy wife, happy life" and becoming undead didn't change that. ;)
More seriously, it's quite possible that they do have arguments and conflicts, it's just that during the events we see them in the animation, their goals are aligned and there is no cause for conflict.
Thats a very interesting point, but i would think he they way he was in his life. The one thing about The Wispered One is, he DOES reward loyalty, u do what he wants, and u do get the reward he promised.
@@miafiolekova5817
We don't know anything about the living Sylas. But unless he had already been evil AF, the Whispered One wouldn't even have access to his original soul to return it. Creating undead is very different from actual resurrection of the living.
It gets pretty deep into D&D lore, but the more I think about it, the more sure I am. Raising a body as an undead vampire can't restore the original soul of the person who died. That goes on to it's designated wherever.
@@elbruces Maybe, but i am also going on what Matt Mercer said about his vilians.1 from the interviews it seemed that Sylasas soul didnt go to the Raven queen so Vecna could have put the original soul back. 2 Vecna in Critical role is a bit different form the one in Wizards of the coast original. And 3 if u didnt watch the campain so this is a major soiler.........
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Vecna brings Delilah and Sylas back to life, Delilah 2 times and Sylas 1 more time, and he brings them back the same way because their souls are bound to him by a pact.
2:40
I'm not so sure that was such a smart move on Delilah's part. Percy became even more dangerous when his vengeful side came out, at least while he was possessed by Orthax.
Also, to be frank, if we look at the original campaign, Delilah was apparently sick in the head long before Sylas got ill. She had already been dabbling in necromancy for many years by then, to the point that she was kicked out of her seat of something called the Cerberus Assembly.
What a testament to the genius of storytelling Matt and the players have, that you; a professional therapist, can find so much to work with in their TTRPG campaign...
Were you a Critter already, or is it merely the LOVM that caught your attention?
The show caught my attention but I hear so many good things of watching live I just may
@@GeorgiaDow you are an unusual psychologist in many ways. I like it, unusual people are often the most interesting ones. If you are into TTRPG, it is worth watching. And for someone with your skill- and mindset it can also be interesting at times; the players are all highly intelligent people who has come through some struggles (Matt who is a genius GM and voiceactor has overcome stammering and suffers from a massive imposter syndrome, Sam hides a deep and overcome insecurity behind his socalled narcissist exterior, etc.).
TTRPG is, as you probably know, also a very useful tool to overcome your own traumas (Satine Phoenix being the prime example, she has been through so much), so it is generally worth exploring.
I think I would actually recommend someone like you to watch the "Between The Sheets" interviews they do with Brian W Foster. He is very good at interviewing them and they are very open. In general they are, as they hope to serve as an example to others to overcome their insecurities and struggles. There are also one or two fireside chats with Matthew Mercer, in one of which he cries because of... because he is a sensitive boy who feels too bad for things he has no influence over, but feels he should.
Yes, I would say it would be well worth getting into for anyone, but especially for you. There is a lot to look at.
thank you very much for that compliment and I will look into it. The characters are so well developed I can see that they took care with them
@@GeorgiaDow It is a treat, for people like you, the Between The Sheets and Fireside especially. Worth a look.
It was a compliment, but mostly based on the active, engaged, curious and non-standard way of thinking you elicit, and the creativity in using these stereotypes to show archetypes of trauma and behavior.
If you do not mind, I might add that you are also a very beautiful woman. But it is the quirky mind that makes you special and worth recommending the treat to that Critical Role is; did you ever play yourself?
delihlah and sylas's relationship is masterfully crafted, and heart--renchingly brutal, i little teaser for you: the relationship isnt over ;)
I might be a heartless sadist, but I felt nothing but joy, when Delilah saw her husband evaporated. Maybe that's because I view her relationship as possessive and thus doomed. However, I'm also not the one to sympathise with the villains in general, at least the villains by choice. I have a strong sympathy for Darth Maul's origin, for example, because he was essentially kidnapped in his infancy and groomed and trained in the ways of the Sith. But the conscious choice to be willing to harm others for the sake of your own gain is where I draw the line.
Yes, you see tragic things happen to the love of the Briarwoods - but, I think the saying goes: Love conquers every... thing.
Oh Silas and Delilah
Completely unrelated, but I noticed Sylas was given a non-reflective cup, so no one could notice he didn't have a reflection.
Mind blown !! i am going to rewatch it. Wow
cool vid and you made a good case for them. ;-) I don't really have an oppinion (I'd have to see the show first and don't really feel like getting another subscription yet), but the writing on this seems just superb! đČ
Thank you Jan =)
I'd be upset too if I lost a man that hot, hot damn
(Watching that scene for the first time literally made me cry. For the villains. Oof)
I'm very behind on both the show & C1 but this is a fascinating look in to Delilah & her motivations.
Oh & possibly a spoiler alert: Delilah is somehow "back" in C3 as Laudna's Warlock Patron.
How she or her spirit "survived" that final encounter with VM is still a mystery however.
The Briarwoods are sick but their relationship is healthy. If burning a city was all it took to have my love beside me again I don't know if there's a thing in this world that would stop me.
No, you aren't alone. I too loved to hate Delilah - her indifference to anyone else's suffering. But it's a good point that she was traumatized by a partner's loss: I think anything extremely painful can force attention on self - even at the expense of compassion for others. I can't excuse her indifference to the people she made suffer, but I can understand it, and even have a little compassion... but she still could not have been allowed the opportunity to continue harming everyone.
Maybe itâs not black and white for most, but for me, I didnât sympathize with them at all. In fact seeing them act all lovey-dovey just hit home for me how insane both of them were and mad me physically angry. You do what those two did, and I wonât have a drop of love to give.
Sad topic aside, happy Halloween!!!đ
3:55...That was just fcked up...especially when you see what happened after...so cold-blooded. I don't know if both Briarwoods are psychopaths but they certenly tred in that line
A psychopath cannot feel empathy remorse or guilt. If someone feels even a tiny bit of one of these emotions they cannot be a psychopath.
I love villains that tug on your heartstrings, and the Briarwoods accomplished that so well. Every little twisted, grotesque thing they did was done out of love, and I can't think of anything more beautiful than that. They're still terrible people, and they got what was coming to them, but what a fantastic villainous pair!
you are right. You can understand those motivations as pure though still wrong
Do you think this is a strong example of codependence? Or just strong love? Or is there necessarily a difference?