Heartwarming / Critical Role Orphanmakers Ordeal

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Episode 58: Wood and Steel

• Wursh the Tapper, sensing that they are kindred spirits, offers Fjord some advice on being a half-orc in a world that hates their kind.
• Caleb making a point to refer to Nott by her proper name, Veth. Why? Yezza's with them.
• Doubling as a funny moment: Before they separate, Nott gives Yeza a quick "Iloveyou" and closes the door. Jester tells her not to be embarrassed about her feelings in front of the group, so Nott reopens the door and yells "I LOVE YOU!!!" to Yeza, scaring him enough to drop the two daggers she'd given him for protection.
• Nott feeling comfortable enough with her goblin body to take off the bandage coverings and wear a nice dress in front of the group instead.
  • After seeing Nott's confidence, Caleb also removes the bandages from his arms and goes clean-shaven.

Episode 59: Perspective

• Thanks to Caduceus speaking Giant and his high Insight roll, the Nein decide to parley with the giants instead of fighting them. It turns out they were driven out of their home by demonic creatures and just want a place to settle down. They decide to help the giants take their home back. In the end, their alliance pays off, as the giant Landspeaker Soorna gets the HDYWTDT on the Chasme.
• Fjord finds some healing potions, and wants to give Jester the best one since she's not carrying any for herself. Jester insists that he keep the potion instead, saying she wants to keep him safe even when she's not able to heal him with her spells.
• Nott tells Caleb she's worried Yeza won't like the adventurous person she's become, and feels guilty about leaving him so soon to go on dangerous missions instead. While Caleb admits he doesn't have all the answers, he reassures her that he doesn't judge her for who she's become, and that they're working towards a better future for her home and family.

Episode 60: A Turtle By Any Other Name

• After a series of very long fights, the Nein fall asleep in a massive cuddle pile within Leomund's Tiny Hut, with Nott snuggling up to Yasha and Caleb resting his head in the crook of Nott's knee. When Jester notices that Beau is still awake and going through her notes, she practically demands Beau go to sleep, and gives her a back massage to help her relax.

Episode 61: Agreements

• Yasha, having probably been inspired by her vision of the Stormlord, finally opens up to the rest of the party about her past and Zuala. Beau in particular reassures Yasha who is guilt-ridden for fleeing her wife in the midst of her execution. Considering all the times she had (unsuccessfully) made advances on Yasha, but now knows her history, it's very impactful and another aspect of her Character Development.
  Yasha: I ran away because I’m a coward.
  Beau: No, you’re a survivor.
• After a somewhat distant exchange with her assumed-father the Gentleman, Jester uses Sending again to contact her mother, who reacts with much more enthusiasm and relief that her daughter is okay. The two easily fall into conversation about recent happenings, with Marion signing off by assuring her "little sapphire" that she is proud of her.
• Fjord, freaked out over the temporary loss of his powers, goes back to Wursh the Tapper for another talk. They have a heart-to-heart while Yasha ushers Jester and Caduceus out so that they can have some privacy.

Episode 62: Domestic Respite

• Jester paints a field of wildflowers in Yasha's room. Yasha loves it and moves her bed around so she can see it while lying down. Crosses over into Crowning Moment of Funny when she reveals that she drew a dick in there somewhere.
• The group is dedicated to reuniting Nott and Yeza with their son, and making sure Luc is in a safe place during the war. Jester contacts Shakäste and asks if he's willing to travel with Luc out of Alfield, and he agrees; saying that no monetary compensation is needed for helping a young boy return to his family.
• When Caleb confronts Fjord about his fake accent, he insists that whatever it is Fjord is hiding from them, the Mighty Nein would not abandon him over it. Caleb offers his own painful secrets so Fjord might be more comfortable opening up, and then respects Fjord's wishes of needing more time to prepare himself for coming clean to Caleb about his past. The two end the conversation by affirming their friendship and holding hands (echoing their original blood pact in episode 44).

Episode 63: Intervention

• The Mighty Nein come before the Bright Queen to report what they discovered at the Overcrow and with their scrying. They haven't been Xhorhas very long, but Essek Thelyss is already willing to vouch for them. He's evidently become rather fond of them.
• When the Mighty Nein stake out in front of the Overcrow apothecary, Beau and Caleb take the first watch. While the rest sleeps, this brief but touching exchange happens:
  Caleb: Beauregard [...] I'm glad you're here.
  Beau: ... Yeah, I'm glad you're here too.

Episode 64: A Dangerous Chase

• After some confusion about Yasha's title of "Orphanmaker," Jester says that she never understood how she got her nickname "Little Sapphire." Nott reassures her immediately that it's because she's "shiny, blue, and beautiful."
• Beau reveals she was injured in the last fight and could use a rest to heal up, but doesn't say anything about it because she doesn't want to slow the party down. Caleb notices and pretends to be injured as an excuse for her to rest.
  Beau: You're making vulnerability look so easy.
  Caleb: It is.
• Jester saves Fjord from one of the Sorrowsworn, and he responds by giving her a kiss on the cheek before running off to deal with the other Lost. Laura is so stunned she holds her Jaw Drop for fifteen seconds (according to CritRoleStats).

Episode 65: Chases and Trees

• Jester uses Sending to contact Kiri, filling her in on what they're doing. Kiri replies by asking where they are and then repeating "I miss you" until she hits the word limit of the spell.
• Fjord has another nightmare, showing how Uko'toa is still displeased with him and wants him to free him. Then the Wildmother herself apparently steps in. Likely due to the proximity to a sacred tree she planted long ago, she provides Fjord with temporary reprieve and seems to be offering a path away from Uko'toa to Fjord if he so chooses to believe.
• Beau and Yasha's night watch conversation with Beau confiding in Yasha about the loss of her first love, and Yasha's reaction to it and the gentle back-and-forth she has with Beau throughout. A rare and beautiful moment of shared vulnerability and understanding between the two Sentinels.
  Yasha: Thank you for not judging me, Beau.
  Beau: Oh, have you seen me? Who am I to fucking judge?
  Yasha: I've seen you. I've seen you a lot.
• When Jester fails a strength check and starts to fall while 150 feet above the ground, Fjord throws himself out of the tree to catch her and uses Thunderstep to get them back to the point they fell from. When she gets too scared to move further (i.e. Laura failing another check) he asks her to take his hand and Thundersteps them the rest of the way to the branches.

Episode 66: Beneath Bazzoxan

• It's a small thing, but despite also being hilarious Jester's use of singing "do do do" to fill up the word space in her Sending spell makes Caleb laugh. Perpetual Frowner Caleb Widogast laughed. He is getting better!
  • Oban also gives what seems to be a genuine compliment to Jester about her singing as well.
• Though it probably wasn't quite the right thing, Jester steals Nott's flask in hopes that she will be able to move on from her status as The Alcoholic. Jester cares that much about her friend.
  • Related, though everyone is rightfully upset that Nott's drunk state led to her getting them blasted in the face with a fireball trap, no one yells at her and is very calm. Though they point out how her being drunk tends to cause trouble, they are being kind as well as honest.
• Before they walk into the tunnel, Jester takes Yasha's hands and insists that they're all here to help her.
  Jester: I know we were kind of joking about it before, but if anything gets too hard, or you don't want to hear what he's saying, just say the word and we'll all have your back. I don't want you to worry.
  Yasha: Okay.
  Jester: And I know that you lost your family, but we can be your new one. And... we love you very much Yasha. No matter what happened. Okay?
  Yasha: Okay. (Clasps Jester's hands.) Thank you, Jester. I can do this.
  Jester: We can do this.

Episode 68: Reflections

• Caleb fails a wisdom saving throw and attacks Caduceus, but instead of fighting back, Caduceus just holds Caleb and gently soothes and shushes him until he settles down. It's a small one, but still sweet.
• Jester jumps off the bridge to save Nott after the latter falls over the side. Throughout the episode Sam had a picture of Laura (who isn't present) on his flask with silly notes making fun of her. After Laura-via-Travis has Jester make the save Sam swaps the post-it notes for ones saying "I am very pretty and smart", "LEGEND" and "#MVP".

Episode 69: The King's Cage

• Yasha being turned against her friends by Oban? Nightmarish. Yasha getting the "I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight treatment from her friends? Heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time.
  • Nott, seeing she can't get through to Yasha, breaks and runs, but not before offering her a flower as a last-ditch attempt to make her come back to her senses.
    • Ashley herself looks as if she's going to cry at this one.
  • Jester is positively despondent at Yasha's apparent Face–Heel Turn, trying the hardest out of all the Nein to rescue her from the chamber and refusing to blame her for her actions after they escape.
  • Fjord tries to carry her to safety with Thunder Step. When that fails, and she attacks him, he simply asks "Why?" Yasha rolls poorly enough on her next attack to miss Fjord, so Matt rules that, through the fog of whatever mind-control effect she was placed under, she heard him.
• Caleb's Big Damn Heroes moment, where he polymorphs into a Giant Ape and scoops up a barely-conscious Caduceus, carrying him to safety while tanking attacks of opportunity from Yasha and the Laughing Hand.
• When Fjord is grappled by the Laughing Hand with no spells, a speed of 0, and a single hit point remaining, Beau dashes to the rescue and pulls him from its grasp with a clutch Strength check, carrying him from almost certain death to safety. Moments later, Beau seizes up on the Bridge of Whispers, going catatonic from the psychic assault, and Fjord returns the favor.
  Fjord: I got you. I got you. It's my turn.
• Though it's heartbreaking to see Ashley's initial sad reaction to being left out of "everyone" having Bless cast on them, Matt gives her a reassuring wink and she breaks into a smile.
• Liam was the last to leave when Matt has everyone but Ashley leave the table. Ashley had very clearly taken the mind control development very hard. Liam gave her a quick, reassuring pat on the shoulder as he passed.