What I love about jesters innocence is that she's not dumb. You see it a lot in fiction where the innocent person comes off as stupid and ignorant. Where jester really thrives is that she is aware of the things that are happening around her and strives to interact with it and she does understand it, just from her world view. It's brilliant really.
Well, there's also the fact that you can't really compare character depth between most traditional media and roleplaying games. For example, in an average movie, there is simply not enough runtime to organically establish and flesh out a character in the same way. You can't expect the same level of character depth from, say, a 2-hour long movie or a 300-page novel, and a 500+ hour long D&D campaign. It is entirely possible, that if we condense the story of CRC2 into a similar format, that Jester would come off much dumber, flatter and more ignorant as a character, than how we all know her. This is something I realized after watching the Vox Machina animated show. Not to say the characters were depicted poorly in it, not at all, just that there is an enormous gap in what's possible. tl;dr: imo it isn't fair to compare 500+ hour D&D campaigns with other forms of fiction, when talking about character depth
Laura's emotional intelligence is off the charts. I'd also mention how well she uses her characters' abilities in combat. Tactically smart in addition to her psychological insight.
The difference is to keep an honest hope for a better future, hope for each character and for the world in general. That is how you avoid seeming silly or cringy.
And I think the one thing she was truly “innocent” on was the whole “porn is real life relationships” 😂 which was partially a meme but also a really good example of how she couldn’t have learned that with her upbringing.
She didnt tell matt that specifically, but im sure she let matt know her goal was to get travis to come around to romance at the table and matt helped make it make sense by having Jester run across Tusk Love, cause it would make total since a innocent chaotic woman would read a book about tusk love and become obsessed with the idea of being with a orc or half orc
I love that Jester is not a one-note character either. At her core she is light and love and hope, but she has moments of doubt, moments of sadness, of feeling betrayed. She gets angry, she gets hurt. She is a full-fledged character with real emotions and reactions. But when it comes down to it, when she thinks about it, she chooses love, she chooses hope. Playing the innocent shouldn't mean they are happy al the time, although a character who seems happy all the time but at times is actually breaking inside can be an interesting character to play. They have to learn it's ok to not be happy sometimes, and that others won't think less of them. Yeah, I'm pretty sure we ALL fell in love with Jester.
If you keep making these, I think it's worth analyzing how Liam is always able to stay in character. In particular, his combat roleplay has always really impressed me
@@mtndewmslayer2564 Reminds a lot of when you Brennan Lee Mulligan as a player rather than a DM. It's all that focus and attention that's usually put into building a whole world condensed down to being on a single character.
For me, I think the power for Jester's character development came from her response to the kidnapping arc. Prior to that, I think the other characters (and maybe the players) saw Jester as a sort of silly prankster and childish in her innocence; what was revealed in her response to being kidnapped and beaten/tortured was that Jester was actually the strongest character, better equipped and capable than others who had, to that point, appeared stronger because they were more worldly and experienced. Those events brought out the core of Jester's character in a way that it hadn't been shown before: she was strong, principled person, not a weak, silly child. Her pranking and silliness were shown--and developed over the rest of the campaign--to be a deliberate, principled action, not just random actions without purpose. Fittingly, Jester's faith, love, and devotion--the things that made her a cleric--were guiding principles that gave her greater strength than the others, who were mostly people without those things (aside from Cad, eventually). Even when her deity/patron was unmasked, she didn't really lose her faith, or her devotion, or her love for him; those things may have changed, but she didn't abandon them. Being kidnapped and responding the way she did showed everyone, maybe even Jester herself, that she wasn't a silly child, that she wasn't weak, or ignorant, or fragile. She was, in reality, the person most equipped to survive the ordeal, and I think that's when she became the "heart" of the group.
I wouldn't describe jester childhood as "neglected" it's been made very clear her mother always cared for her, she was lonely, but not due to lack of care, but due to her mother's agoraphobia pretty much making her grow up within the brothel and never stepping out, which led to the traveler finding her
Mmmmm not really though. Her mother still chose her lifestyle and profession over her child. Jester was basically kept a secret and rarely ever allowed out of the house at all and never had any friends, all because her mother was scared of people finding out she had a daughter and it effecting her business. That's selfish and neglectful parenting however you look at it. She might very well have loved Jester but she still loved her position more. Do you really think if a mother really loved her child with all her heart she wouldn't deal with her own agoraphobia and problems in order to give her child the best and most fulfilling life possible? Seems more it was an excuse she made to herself to justify picking her job and comfy lifestyle over her child growing up and having a normal life.
I loved how in the beginning she was like like, what do you mean im "THE cleric." Because everyone else kind of just had that expectation from their past travels, but we as spectators also had that expectation and don't put much thought into the title. But as a sheltered child it definitely makes sense, especially since she wasn't trained in a temple where similar ideas would have been taught
I never realized that she was so much of the heart of the party. But you're right. Also let's not forget about how three members of the party all had crushes on her those being Caleb, Beau, and Fjord.
While I agree with you about Jester, I also feel that Caduceus really filled the role of the party's "heart" as well. Cad and Jester shared both lacked the tragic backstory and both always had hope for the world and what they were doing. The difference between them was that where Jester came at it through a more inexperienced naivety, Cad's came across as faith based belief that the world was/is more full of good than bad.
Honestly I think Cad and Jester are two sides of the same coin, each being the heart of the party in different ways. While Jester is the "child" and brings out a certain protectiveness and hope in the other members, Caduceus sort of fills that role of family and something to just hold onto, particularly for Caleb. He serves the purpose of being a guiding hand for Fjord and a sort of big brother in the way he helps assure Veth that she's a good mother. He serves as a point of stability for Yasha after her experiences and I think that sort of stability and friendship helped her truly branch out and have a healthy relationship with Beau. Jester does a lot and Cad does an equal number of amazing things to be a pillar all the members. In some ways I think if Molly has survived he might have strived to fill that role in his own way but due to lacking certain features like a complete and happy family, it would've come up short.(of course we can't truly predict what role Molly might have evolved to fill, but I think Cad does an amazing job of support).
@@Sanya6496 that's up to them. In my perception watching C2... Cad spent as much time freaking out. He was there and helped sort mental stuff... but the emotional stuff was all Jester, all the time.
When the party realizes Jester never lied about the things she saw or the Traveler, and Jester's reponse was, "What, do you think I just talk about fake stuff all the time?" I loved that moment. It was the moment everyone realized they naturally thought Jester was innocent and dumb, and she reminded them that she is still Laura **harp music** Bailey. The woman who trapped the cupcake for Isharnai and gave the Traveler his greatest voice. The woman who helped save Whitestone, became its Lady, and now has a seat on the Tal'Dorei Council.
Personal opinion I don't expect other to share: Genevieve "Jester" LaVore is the reason the Mighty Nein became heroes instead of villains or henchmen. Most of the critical role cast at the beginning of campaign 2 created dark characters with the intention of going even darker if that's where to story went, Jester was the catalyst that made a bunch of broken misfits the saviors of Exandria even if no one else ever knows.
I'm honestly convinced, without Jester, we would not get the Essek we have by the end of the campaign. Just wanna throw that big huge thing in there, the fact she helped rock his whole world haha. I don't believe she's the be-all-end all contribution to his arc, but, her friendship with him was vital. And I mean of course her general effect and everything you've said, how she's already influenced TM9 by then etc etc. But gosh, it just makes me so emotional every time. Especially her response in ep 97 and her greeting hug in Eiselcross.
Not sure if this is the reply you mean but I love it when Essek said "well that depends, you show me a little kindness" and she replied, "We've done nothing but show you kindness"... ❤️
@@Picklescape ah, I didn't mean any specific bit, but just her response overall. Holding his hand, her focus on the topic when saying, "he said we were friends?", and indeed what you mention as well. Just her approach/'response' to the whole thing. Though funnily enough I feel Caleb of all TM9 responded the most reasonably haha, her enthusiastic unwavering faith in him did a number no doubt. Jester is a special person ♡
I think it all stemmed from when Henry Crabgrass told her it hurt to be stepped on and she says: “Now I know why Essek floats everywhere! He has a heart of gold!”
2:58 Reminds me of that one onion post. " 'I'm Not Really Looking To Date Right Now,' Says Man, As If He Not At Mercy Of Love's Powerful, Mysterious Ways."
It's also interesting to compare and contrast Jester with Fresh Cut Grass, whose empathy and efforts at healing his allies are rather problematic and codependent at times. Jester's empathy is combined with an intelligent compassion that keeps her from being cloying and overly enmeshed. She doesn't have to suffer or merge with her friends in order to support them. Laura deserves her awards. 🙂
Jester is basically a Magical Girl. A lot of anime magical girls have the purest hearts and they have this uncanny ability to be the heart of their nakama. Think Sailor Moon. And while her powers came from her idolization of the Traveler, like other magical girls, her REAL power really came from within her.
I still can't believe how she managed to shake Lucien to his core like that with her simple childlike faith in the tarot cards and how the dice enabled it all. Laura fraking Bailey!
Think this is the second vid you almost forgot to mention poor Beau. Jester was such a positive influence on her and I always had the feeling it was because laura/jester recognized the parallels of their trauma. Beau had the tragic version of Jesters sad childhood where she wasn’t just neglected due to circumstance by an otherwise loving parent, instead Beau was abused and willfully thrown away. I dont think its a coincidence Jester became Beau and Yashas #1 fan; wanting her deeply hurting friends to finally find happiness. It’s a good example of how a characters innocence and cheerfulness played. well can actually help a character connect to others who struggle instead of just being an irritant to everyone.
Couldn't agree more. One of my favourite interactions between the two, who are my two favourite characters of campaign 2, is in episode 92, Home is Where the Heart is, when Beau confronts her dad (literally one of the most difficult and gut-wrenching episodes for me to watch in the whole history of CR, props to Marisha). Jester pulls her aside for a moment. - Beau: How did you do it? - Jester: Do what? - Beau: Forgive your dad so quickly? - Jester: Well, I mean, he seemed pretty earnest, and there's not a lot to be gained from holding grudges. You know, it feels like poison inside of you. How much better would it feel if you could just be clean? - Beau: But I'm so good at holding grudges. - Jester: I know, you're really good at it. - Beau: You make an interesting point, though. Beau is really in awe and also somehow envious of Jester's ability to be so forgiving and loving to someone who's been shitty, and you can tell with that "How did you do it?" that she really looks up to Jester when it comes to kindness, forgiveness and just being a good person.
Spoilers: I think Caduceus was also the heart of the M9. And thinking about it, I think that may be one reason why M9 didn't work well until after Molly's death. VM also had two hearts. You had the more innocent, optimistic, good hearted Keyleth; and you had the more sage, wise, nurturing Pike. Jester was much like Keyleth, but you didn't have anyone to fill that second role until Cad showed up. And I think you need that balance. Much like a real heart pumping nutrients and energy out, collecting waste for disposal. Jester provides the pep and energy, while Cad disposes of the negativity with his wisdom. I think FCG, and to a degree Laudna, are the Jester of this campaign, and I think Orym is the Caduceus.
Watching this made me realize my charcter may actaully be the heart of the party. When we started a year an half ago I made a evil cultist with a twist, he genuinely believed he was doing good. On the outside he was a scary cultist with a skull mask, the moment he opened his mouth though you could tell he was actaully very friendly and naive. On session one of our dark fantasy game everyone is kinda stand offish all of us having dark back stories 3/4 of us had a noticeable facial issue (one had massive scars running down her face, mine was half a skull under his mask, and last guy didn't have any skin under his mask). Then my guy speaks up and immediately he has this cheery attitude "I don't suppose any of you have heard the good word" as he immediately is trying to convert these strangers he's just met. My original plan was to make him progressively more evil but in surprising twist his story has become a redemption arc. His diety has been in contact with him through dreams going from this being filling him with hope to more of abusive father. The warlock desperately wants to impress his diety but he's now realizing how much harm and suffering he's caused as through caring out the cults will. After speaking with an undead, a creature he would've killed without mercy at the start, he became the last living member of a paladins guild. As of last session he's removed his iconic cult mask and is dreading his next encounter with his diety
In my current campaign my friend plays the heart so well. Everyone else has some real baggage, and in a way so does she, but the way she professes her love and care for everyone in the party is what keeps us together.
Jester is the reason i started watching Critical Role. A friend linked me the Cupcake scene... i instantly fell in love and watched C2... and than C1... and every oneshot, Talks Machina and video they have... and C3... ^^*
Can I watch C2 without having watched C1 yet?, Or is it better to go in order?, I have wanted to watch CR for a while but I have heard it's loooooong. Although to be fair I am watching World of Io at the moment which (at the time of writing this) has like 255+ episodes, but you know, the heart be fickle it whatever
@@adrianrandom3448 You should start with C2 ! C1 is currently made into an Animated Series (Legends of Vox Machina, Season 1 was AWESOME). C3 is in its beginnings and has HEAVY spoilers for C1. C2 is its own thing. Their DM didn't want ANY spoilers, stories or characters from C1 in it.
@@Luzarioth I started with Amazon’s animated series then went straight to C2 after hearing Jester’s accent and description… she’s perfect. I will blow $200+ when her sideshow collectible comes out later this year
Great video, wonderful points! I find it very interesting that all your arguments work equally well for Caduceus (my personal pick for "heart" of the team); no tragic back story, believed in hope (though he and Jester definitely approached it differently; as different as they are people), and was an answer to what the rest of the party-including Jester-needed. Caduceus was absolutely static (in the good way) and felt he was there, led by the Wildmother, to help this band of misfits find their way out of self destruction into all the best people they can be. He introduced Fjord to worshiping a god, and through his actions got Jester to consider what her relationship to her god was and what that would look like. Both Cad and Jester were, in their ways, shut-ins removed from a lot of the world around them. But Jester wanted to be a part of that world, while Caduceus was happy with his lot. He knew who he was. And he was going to help the Mighty Nein find their ways.
I'll be honest - it took a long time for Jester to grow on me. Early on, I just wasn't seeing what many others in the fandom were; I found her to be irritating and distracting, and I thought for sure that she would be corrupted/broken by the events of the story, and become more nuanced and interesting as a result. It wasn't until the scene you mentioned with Fjord's accent reveal (and the fact that Jester knew all along) that I really appreciated how strong and wise she already was, and your (very well-said) analysis has made me realize how masterfully Laura played her throughout the campaign. Thank you for making this video, and cheers to good storytelling.
Yeah me too. I honestly found Jester really annoying at the beginning. I tend to find the childish thing obnoxious more than cute. Especially when I learned that she was an adult and not a literal child as I had thought before starting C2. She's growing on me more now that I'm far enough in to see her mature more. I much prefer Caduceus as the therapy friend personally, just as I prefer Orym in C3 over FCG.
When somebody like Jester meets you and sincerely, honestly, thinks you are cool, and fascinating, and nice, and sees the absolute best of you with a smile, how can you not want to live up to that vision? Or at least try? Or maybe even just pretend? And once you start doing that, you can surprise yourself into being a better version of yourself. Jester is, in my opinion, the best character in any of the Critical Role campaigns. And considering who her competition is, that is saying a LOT.
Cool video! Great points, though I'm a little surprised at no mention of Caduceus when he hits a lot of the same points imo, though certainly Jester was the only one in early-campaign. One last little nitpick but I think it's worth distinguishing that part of the reason Jester's "innocence" worked was due to her views and persona being a conscious choice, (and sometimes a difficult face to maintain), rather than a result of naivety. Her cheer was a weapon as much as her lollipop.
You're right, Jester being sweet and kind and a little silly is definitely a conscious choice on her part, and one that she uses to her advantage, and I love that. She finds herself in a world of sinister political machinations and deliberate cruelty, and she pushes back against it by saying, no -- hamster-sized unicorns and pastries! She chooses joy, with intent and without shame, because joy is what she feels the world needs. It's very much a "be the change you want to see" kind of vibe, and she does it naturally and organically, simply because that's who Jester is. It's right there in the name.
I've been tabletop RPGing since the mid-70s as both a GM and a player and been privy to and a creator of some pretty memorable role-playing experiences that your content inspires me to consider sharing. I have no idea what any of this stuff is but I've enjoyed a couple of your videos now and your passion for it is pretty intense.
I think that role in the party can't be built or sought after. It has to come naturally through the campaign for it to be authentic. Obv the person has to roleplay well either way.
I started a campaign recently and I really hope my character is the heart even with her tragic backstory. She's definitely lovable and has so much hope that its ridiculous.
There was a mini series i watched sometime last year called The Fall of Hightower and they had a character that very quickly became the heart of the party. Your video helped me to realize why that was. In a room full of revolutionaries, she was an outsider to the cause, a different perspective. She had that childlike sense of wander, but it didn't deprive or suppress her more complex emotions. She showed care for everyone in the areas that they didn't show care for themselves, and --like you said with jester-- she didn't have a tragic backstory. It was sad, sure, but it was relatable, and didn't seem to affect her the same as the other player's backstories did. She didn't know anything different. Maybe this really is a solid technique to become the heart of the party... That and she was a massive bat so...That probably helped. 🤣
I really like how when you switch to the next talking point in the video you also change to a new camera shot. It does a great job of dividing things up by topic.
I love how I can watch this without major spoilers, I'm on episode 67 of C2 and I'm absolutely loving it. I'll probably wait to watch the rest of the vids on the C2 characters until after I finish it. But damn, these "nerdy ass voice actors playing dungeons and dragons" are artists.
I can totally relate to this! I am currently playing a half elf cleric noblewoman in my groups Curse of Strahd campaign. We are currently at a part in the campaign where I have died twice and was resurrected, gotten injured, tempted etc. She is constantly the victim of both the situations her party faces and the scapegoat for Strahd. She is innocent but clever and kindhearted. Right now she is frustrated because her party constantly puts themselves, and by extension, her in danger constantly. She is the only magic user in the party and the person with the highest charisma. This and more make her the face of the party and whenever Strahd does something she is usually affected the most. My character has tragedy in her backstory but she often has a hopeful and uplifting attitude. She puts the party in front of herself and while she has her own personal and political goals, she never lets them get in the way of helping the party.
At the same time its incredibly wholesome to have a party full of jesters. The character stood out in the campaign but you can easily make a similar character without forcing them to stand out
I recently thought of a character concept that would probably fall under the archetype of the team’s heart. He’s an Eladrin Wild Magic Sorcerer who got separated from his home and family in the Feywild by accident due to one of his own wild magic surges; he first came across the party when they helped him out of a bad situation he’d gotten himself into immediately after arriving in the realm. Much like how you describe Jester, he also radiates a child-like innocence; in his case though, that’s because he actually is a child, anywhere from 10 to 12 years old. Which is why the party was reluctant to let him accompany them, but they figured they could find him a temporary place to drop him off at or even find a way to send him back to his home along the way. Being a stranger in a strange land, he starts the journey as being withdrawn and shy. But once he gets used to both the party and the new world he’s in, he quickly shows himself to be imaginative, infectiously excitable, and very supportive. He’s not only eager to help but a bit impulsive and eager for any fun where can get it, which means he’ll sometimes sign the party up for side quests before consulting them. He’s also very trusting to a fault, especially if you make a good first impression with him. Despite these flaws, he’s actually surprisingly proficient in persuasion and deception with his innocent, boyish charm making him very appealing and seemingly trustworthy to adults. On top of that, he is the biggest cheerleader in the party; he thinks everyone in the party is so cool and gets excited whenever he gets to see them in action, encouraging them every time they’re about to show off their signature tricks and moves. I’d like to think this is the kind of character who can soften up any broody and/or self-doubting loner types in a party, bringing out the most admirable sides of their characters. But, a part of me worries that a lot of tables aren’t fond of the idea of having a kid character as part of an adventuring party; I really don’t know how most D&D players react to something like that. Of course, I also would have to figure out how serious or lighthearted of a campaign this would be able to work in
First of all let me just say that I love the concept of your character. He truly sounds charming and very sweet, I especially love the idea that he finds everyone cool and is cheering them on. He actually has way too many similarities to my character we're playing in our campaign, especially in build and backstory. My character is a goblin druid, circle of spores, who's 14 in human years (like 5 or 6 in goblin years), and she's FROM the Feywild, specifically from a village of giants, where she has the kinship of giants, who are responsible for protecting the Everlasting Flame from the Tree of Life, the source of all life and magic in the Feywild. She had a disarmingly happy and innocent backstory compared to the others who had hardcore tragic ones, because the flame was mysteriously snuffed out and she was tasked to figure out where it was and bring it back using her druidic powers, but on her way to a grand adventure she got lost and accidentally left the Feywild and entered Feyrûn without even knowing it, which is where she met the party. And let me just say, being born and (mostly) raised in the Feywild, she's an absolute agent of chaos in the most charming way to the point where the other two depressed and brooding characters (we have a small party of three) actually genuinely light up and learn to have fun and not take things so seriously or grimly. At the beginning of the campaign it was all just mischievous fun and chaos, but once things started to get serious, our DM being evil and enjoying suffering plus poetic dice rolls lead to my character being traumatised during the actual campaign which hit extremely hard (for example, returning to find everyone in her village dead with no survivors, herself feeling like a failure because she didn't find the flame to save them, finding out two evil forest hags set it all up as a joke to laugh at her, and then saving both her other party members from a powerful lich that killed both of them, and she had to keep them alive or revive them, all while killing the lich, and all that in an extremely hard battle that burned all my spells) (also to note on her dark character development, the dice rolls spoke that she had the final kill on both of those boss battles, kind of showing her dabbling into revenge and punishment). It was honestly kind of shocking seeing the "heart" of the party like a ghost afterwards, getting angry and sad and upset, letting vengeance enter her heart, but also being much stronger emotionally and mentally than the other two, who in their own pasts respectively both gave up on life from the things that happened to them. Compared to them, my character didn't miss a beat and was devoted to do what's right with a new strong motivation, despite hurting so much. And the amazing thing is that what she went through ACTUALLY had some similarities to the backstories of the other characters that had traumatised them, not many, just some little details that they could relate with, so by trying to help her they actually started to help themselves, but what's interesting is that whatever the others lack in her wisdom and lightheartedness, she only lacks in life experience because she's so young. She actually looks up to them in many ways, but despite being the youngest by a lot, she's the one with most her shit together (Wisdom score of 20, guys), just in her own way. She's still strong and functional, much more than the other two, she's just more quiet and confused and a bit darker. Daresay, mature? We have a joke that both the other characters would rather die than watch my character die or suffer. It's kinda fun being the comic relief and the heart of the story at once. Edit: If you'd like any advice for playing a kid character that others will actually want to play with, make sure they're not too childish in the way they act. You can combine innocence with maturity, and that's going to work especially well by playing the "heart". Remember to not necessarily roleplay a child, think of it as a small person with very little life experience. Most kids are smarter and more mature than they seem anyway, especially in a scenario where they have skills in the same level of other adult adventurers. Make sure to have something valuable to give to the party in the exact same way you'd play any character. If they're a fighter, make them the best swordsman. If they're a bard, make them the most charismatic. Make them the smartest or the wisest or the most sneaky and dexterous, or just really good at it if not the best, but don't be afraid to give them childish quirks such being extremely physically weak or they're really impressionable like in your case. Just don't roleplay an average child for the sake of playing just a child, and your character will be loveable and unforgettable :)
Good commentary! I don't feel like her mother really neglected her per-say, though. She was trying her best in her circumstances as someone who suffers from agoraphobia. She was the victim of circumstance that a lot of children in single parent homes have to live with: a single source of stability and income and survival all on the single parent's shoulders. I loved her relationship with her mother, and how sincere their love was for each other. I could understand a lot of what Jester's experience was as a child of a single mother.
She still chose her profession over her child. She made the active decision to keep Jester mostly a secret, just so it wouldn't effect the most profitable part of her business. She could have allowed Jester to have a normal happy childhood while still performing her singing and such which was clearly very talented at without having a child being any kind of issue, but no, she knew that the 'lady of the night' stuff is what made her the most money and that having a child was a liability to that, so she made the decision to deny Jester growing up with any friends to hold onto it.
@@Noobie2k7 And what would happen if she couldn’t support her and Jester on singing alone? It might mean that Jester is isolated, but she would be safe, and cared for. And as a singer, then she would likely be *forced* into travelling to large, wide open spaces to sing, as unsurprisingly, that’s where a voice can carry well. And then that would only compound her agoraphobia. You can say whatever you want, but in this case, I say that Marian chose stability over risk. Singers lose their voices; courtesans fall out of favour; a courtesan famous for her singing can make her fortune large enough and amass enough of a loyal audience to keep herself and maybe her daughter living comfortably for the rest of her life.
[Spoilers post-C2E26] ... What's great about this is if you look at what Caduceus brings to the party, he does what Taliesin intended mechanically (acting as the more healing-focused support, so Laura could play a more DPS focused support) but also achieves the same role as a character. When he joins the party, he acts as the pillar the group leans on, but doesn't take away from Jester's main contribution. He supports her so that she can continue supporting the others and Caduceus himself. It's really beautiful to see it all come together.
I don´t know if this is commonly known. However Jester was NOT created as a character for CR at all... She was created by Laura like 6 years before the 2´nd campaign. Because she played a one-shot with another channel called: Kinda Funny. I will leave a Link: ua-cam.com/video/UIZyqKSA7Rc/v-deo.html That is why Jester exists. It is because she remembered her as being so much fun to play back then, that she wanted to expand on that random character
Great analysis of the Jester phenomenon, not sure if this is great advice to play the 'Heart of the Story'. We should remember that this is a group of professionals working together to create a synergistic epic story. The fact that the other characters SUPPORTED Jester and allowed her to shine and to CHANGE them is what made it work for THAT campaign. Not sure if the magic can be re-created.
One of the concepts of D&D and roleplaying that I could never really understand was the idea of a character who was chaotically good. It just didn't make sense to me. I could understand a character that was chaotically evil. After all, the world has has many examples in both fiction and actual history of chaotically evil characters. But I just couldn't understand how a chaotically good person would function. I think that to me being good meant not allowing yourself to act in ways that would be harmful to others. It didn't necessarily mean being nonviolent, but it did mean not allowing yourself to be cruel or abusive. Chaos always seemed to be the exact opposite of this: something that wasn't truly controlled and therefore could never be completely trusted. So, how could a person be chaotic and good at the same time? . . . . and then, along came Jester!! It wasn't until I started watching Laura's performance as Jester that I truly began to understand how someone could be chaotically good! It requires great innocence and a very large heart. It also requires a joy of life that cannot be contained within the normal rules and accepted behavior of society. A person like Jester makes us re-examine social norms and accepted behavior, and makes us realize how much we hold back from completely engaging in spontaneous joy and wonder for fear of being criticized!
You don't get to decide what role you end up with in the party though. that only can happen organically, and over time through roleplaying with the group you find out. Your individual characters interactions decide, not you.
I haven't invested in Critical Role yet, but it sounds like Jester is much like the character I wanted to create named Lillianna Fairchild, an Astral Elf Swarmkeeper so sweet and kind-hearted that even butterflies have swarmed to protect her. I did make her insightful lyrics cunning and willing to use her charm for others, but this video added just that extra spice that will bring out all her flavors.
I'm in my first DnD campaign and I'm playing a very nurturing, motherly healer who refuses to let anyone go without care and attention. She tries to find ways to neutralise threats without killing them, she's endangered herself to try and help allies, strangers and enemies, she's flown into a rage when confronted with cold, callous violence. She *feels* everything. But she doesn't yet know how to look after herself too. She'll make herself suffer to help people even when their woes are of their own making. She stood between an Archfey and our warlock, and took a twisted deal to save the people of his village. She stayed awake all night to give comfort to the rogue over something he went through due to his own actions. She ran into the open in front of multiple enemies to try and help another of the enemies. And the party seems to have taken to her. Heck, the rogue would die for her by his player's own account. I set out to play an exploration of an aspect of myself, a caricature of my own empathy and sense of duty. I think I might have stumbled into playing the heart, and it's real fun.
I'm somebody whose been into D&D since forever, and never felt the need to devote the hundreds of hours you'd need to watch an entire Critical Role campaign. But now I wonder whether I should. A character-based campaign, even a one-shot, needs and usually lacks a heart character, and I don't know if I've heard that said before. Good video!
Have you ever had a player plan their own death, and it actually work out and feel good? I'm saying, they took the time and effort, navigated story and hid intentions, just to have their character die at the end, of their own volition? And it be a memorable, great moment?
I like that Jester is the inverse of Vex. She was raised by only her mother, and she lived in isolation but decided to love everybody. Vexhalia barely let anybody in besides Vax and Percy and it was a whole thing when she let Percy in.
Never really thought about it, but one of my characters became the heart of the story. Her innocence and naivety was based on the fact that she had a high wisdom and low charisma and was an eladrin. So I played her as being able to read people but not understand how to appropriately interact with them (with social customs in particular). What she didn't have that everyone else did was the railroad, in the box thinking. She liked to do her own thing and was there for the journey, not the destination. But she never went too off the rails to make things inconvenient. What she had was a care free nature the others didn't, kindness, and quirkiness. Everyone in the party loved and wanted to protect her. As a player I got to have some meta level humor because I would have her do things she didn't understand, but I and the other players did.
I would also add what stopped her from being annoying is Laura allowed her to be flawed. She wasn't a perfect little saint, she was a person with flaws and strength. She was a tiny bit spoiled and naive at the start but that was pretty normal for someone the age Jester is played as. It gave her an arc where she matured and grew along with everyone else while holding onto that sense of hope. She went from a naive but sweet girl who could be a mild brat but so good at heart you love her, to a wise and fun woman who was there for everyone and it made her more three dimensional that way
I love how this video omits Cad's existence, cuz he's much like Jester, so he couldn't be brought in as an argument further confirming the thesis of this video. I understand this material is about Jester, but it'd be interesting to compare this characters and show similarities and differences in how they both play a role of a heart, and give different nurturing energies, and how we as players can be inspired to do the same in our rp.
You know how elves can look 20 but be 120? Making the ratio of aging 1:6? I want to play a Shepherd Druid who looks and acts 5, but had 30 years of experience. Imagine the roleplay potential. “You just said a daddy word! Are you a daddy?” “My dad says if you can’t say anything nice, then I shouldn’t say anything at all. But my dad’s not here, and you’re a weenie!” As for the spells… “I make glow stick!” [Shillelagh] “I make glowy pony!” [Unicorn spirit] “I call more huggies!” [Upcast Conjure Animals for Constrictor Snakes]
@@PlayYourRole Look at the bright side: I gave you a legitimate excuse to play as Grogu. … Was one of the ways it was terrifying how he referred to constrictors as “huggies?” First off, he’s five; second, Common is his second language. Third, would it help if his last name was Irwin? Another way to roleplay the young Shepherd: “I call big pinchies, and glowy fuzzy! One pinchy will be my pony, the others will pinch the meanies!” _Translation_ Conjure Giant Crabs, one of which will serve as my mount and keep me out of trouble (Small Elf on Large Crab). Bonus Action conjures the Bear Spirit to bolster the crabs’ grapples. On their turn, the crabs will attack and grapple enemies.
@@PlayYourRole Looked it up for specifics. Adulthood IRL is considered 20, and Elves (and supposedly Eladrin, the Feywild Elves), reach adulthood at the age of 100. So that’s a 1:5 ratio, not 1:6. Still means my 5 year old Elf/Eladrin has lived for 25 years; more if the Feywild messes with Eladrin lifespans.
Our Moon druid in our current game is a several lifetimes old fairy currently taking the persona/role of a cute little girl. She asked us to call her Wendy. Learning that it's short for Wendigo has made us all reevaluate a lot of things...
I dunno my dude ; Not only might the baby talk get tiring after a while, maybe the other players aren’t comfortable actively encouraging a mental 5 years old into fights to the death and other unsavory adventurer activities (and also I dunno about you, but having my character constantly infantilized, and their opinions and goals not being taken seriously, for valid reason, seems frustrating to me)
What i would love to see is an anti-Jester. Imagine a character that, while not antagonizing everyone, slowly pushes the party onto a path ever darker and darker. Bells Hells have a few of ticking bombs, but what they lack is a detonator.
Me as a DM: Roleplay during the action. Give the combat gravity by relying on creative problem solving. We're not here so we can take turns rubbing self indulgent escapism on each other's nipples. The internet: Hold my blue, horned, lollipop swinging, cupcake flavored beer.
Oh my characters all have definitely been the problem causers, I myself am a very reckless person and this was brought over to the 3 characters I went through in my friend groups campaign, all dying because of reckless behavior and just charging into their lines.
gotta love how people keep forgetting laura baily always used to play charakters that fit intot he same archtype flity naive and cheerfull yet still realistic
We have that character in our campaign. Everyone tries their best to protect her because everyone sees her character as a sister character. My friend played the character well. Not stupid. But innocent
Ah, watching this makes me a bit nervous about my roleplay heavy campaign. See, the player who had stepped into the heart role (much in the same way jester did) just left the campaign due to work stuff (also time zone stuff). Considering the cast of characters we got….I’m a touch worried. Though I will say, I suspect our new barbarian player we added might step into it? In a different way, not sure yet, but he is a good friend of mine I play with in a lot of other campaigns, so I suspect he might slot into that role with what he showed so far. Honestly I’m worried about our lack of a Heart type of character role. I worry about this quite a bit because, though my character is nice and polite and caring in a way caduceus can come off, he has far more in common with Caleb. My character is currently the mentor of more than half of the party (they decided that, I just ran with it once we ironed out some details) so I worry how him not having a Heart character to rely on will effect him, and in turn, effect the party. Anyway, just worried is what I wanted to say. Watching the video reminded me of this worry but hey, maybe it will work out? Who knows. As he said, it’s something that happens organically.
What I love about jesters innocence is that she's not dumb. You see it a lot in fiction where the innocent person comes off as stupid and ignorant. Where jester really thrives is that she is aware of the things that are happening around her and strives to interact with it and she does understand it, just from her world view. It's brilliant really.
YES! She was innocent, but not a flat character. She learned, grew, and evolved!
Well, there's also the fact that you can't really compare character depth between most traditional media and roleplaying games. For example, in an average movie, there is simply not enough runtime to organically establish and flesh out a character in the same way. You can't expect the same level of character depth from, say, a 2-hour long movie or a 300-page novel, and a 500+ hour long D&D campaign. It is entirely possible, that if we condense the story of CRC2 into a similar format, that Jester would come off much dumber, flatter and more ignorant as a character, than how we all know her. This is something I realized after watching the Vox Machina animated show. Not to say the characters were depicted poorly in it, not at all, just that there is an enormous gap in what's possible.
tl;dr: imo it isn't fair to compare 500+ hour D&D campaigns with other forms of fiction, when talking about character depth
Laura's emotional intelligence is off the charts. I'd also mention how well she uses her characters' abilities in combat. Tactically smart in addition to her psychological insight.
The difference is to keep an honest hope for a better future, hope for each character and for the world in general. That is how you avoid seeming silly or cringy.
And I think the one thing she was truly “innocent” on was the whole “porn is real life relationships” 😂 which was partially a meme but also a really good example of how she couldn’t have learned that with her upbringing.
Jester had one thing no one else in the party did….
The Dust of Deliciousness.
Maybe the most epic scene in DnD. The creativity, the set up, the con, beating the odds. So good
@@tom2678 Dunno. I have a special place in my heart for, "Oh the Ruby of the Sea is the best lay ever."
That scene was a master class on just how epic Laura / Jester is.
Sincerely the best moment of the campaign
In one moment, Laura Bailey did the impossible, she won DND. She became a legend in all of our hearts and minds
How much do we want to bet that Laura asked for "Tusk Love" to exist to give Jester a reason to be obsessed with Half-Orcs
She was LOOKING for a chance
Pretty sure she just needed to tell Matt that she was going to romance Fjord in this campaign and he made it happen.
Oskarrr...
I STILL want an irl Tusk Love! Come on guys I want the smut give us it XD
She didnt tell matt that specifically, but im sure she let matt know her goal was to get travis to come around to romance at the table and matt helped make it make sense by having Jester run across Tusk Love, cause it would make total since a innocent chaotic woman would read a book about tusk love and become obsessed with the idea of being with a orc or half orc
"I may be the Transmutation wizard, but you're the one who changes people" ~ Caleb to Jester
How to play innocent?
The key is to be earnest not immature. It's the sincerity that Jester brought that made her so magnetic
I love that Jester is not a one-note character either. At her core she is light and love and hope, but she has moments of doubt, moments of sadness, of feeling betrayed. She gets angry, she gets hurt. She is a full-fledged character with real emotions and reactions. But when it comes down to it, when she thinks about it, she chooses love, she chooses hope. Playing the innocent shouldn't mean they are happy al the time, although a character who seems happy all the time but at times is actually breaking inside can be an interesting character to play. They have to learn it's ok to not be happy sometimes, and that others won't think less of them.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure we ALL fell in love with Jester.
Laura did a fantastic job making her truly feel like a fleshed out character, I was so impressed watching it unfold
If you keep making these, I think it's worth analyzing how Liam is always able to stay in character. In particular, his combat roleplay has always really impressed me
I will get to Liam eventually! I probably will focus on other series outside of critical role for a bit thoughj
Also his ability to describe and being a half dm for his own things, like spells and his tower
I think Liam leaves Liam at home and shows up IN character.
@@mtndewmslayer2564 Reminds a lot of when you Brennan Lee Mulligan as a player rather than a DM. It's all that focus and attention that's usually put into building a whole world condensed down to being on a single character.
To the point where it was such a great jarring joke in the return to Victors shop.
"Vax is going to stay here and fail to remain in character."
For me, I think the power for Jester's character development came from her response to the kidnapping arc. Prior to that, I think the other characters (and maybe the players) saw Jester as a sort of silly prankster and childish in her innocence; what was revealed in her response to being kidnapped and beaten/tortured was that Jester was actually the strongest character, better equipped and capable than others who had, to that point, appeared stronger because they were more worldly and experienced. Those events brought out the core of Jester's character in a way that it hadn't been shown before: she was strong, principled person, not a weak, silly child. Her pranking and silliness were shown--and developed over the rest of the campaign--to be a deliberate, principled action, not just random actions without purpose. Fittingly, Jester's faith, love, and devotion--the things that made her a cleric--were guiding principles that gave her greater strength than the others, who were mostly people without those things (aside from Cad, eventually). Even when her deity/patron was unmasked, she didn't really lose her faith, or her devotion, or her love for him; those things may have changed, but she didn't abandon them. Being kidnapped and responding the way she did showed everyone, maybe even Jester herself, that she wasn't a silly child, that she wasn't weak, or ignorant, or fragile. She was, in reality, the person most equipped to survive the ordeal, and I think that's when she became the "heart" of the group.
This is also an incredibly good point. The kidnapping was somewhat of a turning point for her character, and I think she handled it flawlessly
The moment when she asked The Traveler "why didn't you come?" changed everything I thought I understood about Jester up to that point.
I wouldn't describe jester childhood as "neglected" it's been made very clear her mother always cared for her, she was lonely, but not due to lack of care, but due to her mother's agoraphobia pretty much making her grow up within the brothel and never stepping out, which led to the traveler finding her
thisssssss
Mmmmm not really though. Her mother still chose her lifestyle and profession over her child. Jester was basically kept a secret and rarely ever allowed out of the house at all and never had any friends, all because her mother was scared of people finding out she had a daughter and it effecting her business. That's selfish and neglectful parenting however you look at it. She might very well have loved Jester but she still loved her position more. Do you really think if a mother really loved her child with all her heart she wouldn't deal with her own agoraphobia and problems in order to give her child the best and most fulfilling life possible? Seems more it was an excuse she made to herself to justify picking her job and comfy lifestyle over her child growing up and having a normal life.
I loved how in the beginning she was like like, what do you mean im "THE cleric." Because everyone else kind of just had that expectation from their past travels, but we as spectators also had that expectation and don't put much thought into the title. But as a sheltered child it definitely makes sense, especially since she wasn't trained in a temple where similar ideas would have been taught
I never realized that she was so much of the heart of the party. But you're right. Also let's not forget about how three members of the party all had crushes on her those being Caleb, Beau, and Fjord.
Yeah she was MADE to be loved and by God she succeeded
Didn’t Nott admit to liking her too?
I don't think especially considering that nott was already married. I could be wrong.
@@LocalMaple No, she did nott
Caleb? Not really.
While I agree with you about Jester, I also feel that Caduceus really filled the role of the party's "heart" as well. Cad and Jester shared both lacked the tragic backstory and both always had hope for the world and what they were doing. The difference between them was that where Jester came at it through a more inexperienced naivety, Cad's came across as faith based belief that the world was/is more full of good than bad.
This is true! I can't wait to do a breakdown of Cad eventually
Honestly I think Cad and Jester are two sides of the same coin, each being the heart of the party in different ways. While Jester is the "child" and brings out a certain protectiveness and hope in the other members, Caduceus sort of fills that role of family and something to just hold onto, particularly for Caleb. He serves the purpose of being a guiding hand for Fjord and a sort of big brother in the way he helps assure Veth that she's a good mother. He serves as a point of stability for Yasha after her experiences and I think that sort of stability and friendship helped her truly branch out and have a healthy relationship with Beau. Jester does a lot and Cad does an equal number of amazing things to be a pillar all the members. In some ways I think if Molly has survived he might have strived to fill that role in his own way but due to lacking certain features like a complete and happy family, it would've come up short.(of course we can't truly predict what role Molly might have evolved to fill, but I think Cad does an amazing job of support).
Cad wasn't the heart, he was the compass.
@@Rated314 Why not both? Both a guiding hand and a heart.
@@Sanya6496 that's up to them. In my perception watching C2... Cad spent as much time freaking out. He was there and helped sort mental stuff... but the emotional stuff was all Jester, all the time.
When the party realizes Jester never lied about the things she saw or the Traveler, and Jester's reponse was, "What, do you think I just talk about fake stuff all the time?" I loved that moment. It was the moment everyone realized they naturally thought Jester was innocent and dumb, and she reminded them that she is still Laura **harp music** Bailey. The woman who trapped the cupcake for Isharnai and gave the Traveler his greatest voice. The woman who helped save Whitestone, became its Lady, and now has a seat on the Tal'Dorei Council.
Personal opinion I don't expect other to share: Genevieve "Jester" LaVore is the reason the Mighty Nein became heroes instead of villains or henchmen. Most of the critical role cast at the beginning of campaign 2 created dark characters with the intention of going even darker if that's where to story went, Jester was the catalyst that made a bunch of broken misfits the saviors of Exandria even if no one else ever knows.
I'm honestly convinced, without Jester, we would not get the Essek we have by the end of the campaign. Just wanna throw that big huge thing in there, the fact she helped rock his whole world haha. I don't believe she's the be-all-end all contribution to his arc, but, her friendship with him was vital. And I mean of course her general effect and everything you've said, how she's already influenced TM9 by then etc etc. But gosh, it just makes me so emotional every time. Especially her response in ep 97 and her greeting hug in Eiselcross.
Not sure if this is the reply you mean but I love it when Essek said "well that depends, you show me a little kindness" and she replied, "We've done nothing but show you kindness"... ❤️
@@Picklescape ah, I didn't mean any specific bit, but just her response overall. Holding his hand, her focus on the topic when saying, "he said we were friends?", and indeed what you mention as well. Just her approach/'response' to the whole thing. Though funnily enough I feel Caleb of all TM9 responded the most reasonably haha, her enthusiastic unwavering faith in him did a number no doubt. Jester is a special person ♡
I think it all stemmed from when Henry Crabgrass told her it hurt to be stepped on and she says: “Now I know why Essek floats everywhere! He has a heart of gold!”
2:58 Reminds me of that one onion post. " 'I'm Not Really Looking To Date Right Now,' Says Man, As If He Not At Mercy Of Love's Powerful, Mysterious Ways."
Ahh you would be surprised how many men are not.
It's also interesting to compare and contrast Jester with Fresh Cut Grass, whose empathy and efforts at healing his allies are rather problematic and codependent at times. Jester's empathy is combined with an intelligent compassion that keeps her from being cloying and overly enmeshed. She doesn't have to suffer or merge with her friends in order to support them. Laura deserves her awards. 🙂
"And she's FUCKING doing it!" killed me
"You're getting loved motherfucker!" is a good one too
You forgot the most powerful thing jester had. Sending and a willingness to use it
Jester is basically a Magical Girl. A lot of anime magical girls have the purest hearts and they have this uncanny ability to be the heart of their nakama. Think Sailor Moon.
And while her powers came from her idolization of the Traveler, like other magical girls, her REAL power really came from within her.
I still can't believe how she managed to shake Lucien to his core like that with her simple childlike faith in the tarot cards and how the dice enabled it all. Laura fraking Bailey!
Think this is the second vid you almost forgot to mention poor Beau. Jester was such a positive influence on her and I always had the feeling it was because laura/jester recognized the parallels of their trauma. Beau had the tragic version of Jesters sad childhood where she wasn’t just neglected due to circumstance by an otherwise loving parent, instead Beau was abused and willfully thrown away. I dont think its a coincidence Jester became Beau and Yashas #1 fan; wanting her deeply hurting friends to finally find happiness. It’s a good example of how a characters innocence and cheerfulness played. well can actually help a character connect to others who struggle instead of just being an irritant to everyone.
Couldn't agree more. One of my favourite interactions between the two, who are my two favourite characters of campaign 2, is in episode 92, Home is Where the Heart is, when Beau confronts her dad (literally one of the most difficult and gut-wrenching episodes for me to watch in the whole history of CR, props to Marisha). Jester pulls her aside for a moment.
- Beau: How did you do it?
- Jester: Do what?
- Beau: Forgive your dad so quickly?
- Jester: Well, I mean, he seemed pretty earnest, and there's not a lot to be gained from holding grudges. You know, it feels like poison inside of you. How much better would it feel if you could just be clean?
- Beau: But I'm so good at holding grudges.
- Jester: I know, you're really good at it.
- Beau: You make an interesting point, though.
Beau is really in awe and also somehow envious of Jester's ability to be so forgiving and loving to someone who's been shitty, and you can tell with that "How did you do it?" that she really looks up to Jester when it comes to kindness, forgiveness and just being a good person.
Laura was flawless in her play. She is playing 3D chess while the others are playing checkers: See “The cupcake.”
Caduceus was the role model older brother who guides and protects
Jester was the heart and innocence
Little sister who inspires and loves
The cleric that loves everyone....but hates healing.
Spoilers:
I think Caduceus was also the heart of the M9. And thinking about it, I think that may be one reason why M9 didn't work well until after Molly's death. VM also had two hearts. You had the more innocent, optimistic, good hearted Keyleth; and you had the more sage, wise, nurturing Pike. Jester was much like Keyleth, but you didn't have anyone to fill that second role until Cad showed up. And I think you need that balance. Much like a real heart pumping nutrients and energy out, collecting waste for disposal. Jester provides the pep and energy, while Cad disposes of the negativity with his wisdom. I think FCG, and to a degree Laudna, are the Jester of this campaign, and I think Orym is the Caduceus.
I completely agree. Cad made such a huge difference to the other characters in his own, quiet way.
Props to the frog playing guitar frame at your back on the second part. Lovely.
Watching this made me realize my charcter may actaully be the heart of the party. When we started a year an half ago I made a evil cultist with a twist, he genuinely believed he was doing good. On the outside he was a scary cultist with a skull mask, the moment he opened his mouth though you could tell he was actaully very friendly and naive. On session one of our dark fantasy game everyone is kinda stand offish all of us having dark back stories 3/4 of us had a noticeable facial issue (one had massive scars running down her face, mine was half a skull under his mask, and last guy didn't have any skin under his mask). Then my guy speaks up and immediately he has this cheery attitude "I don't suppose any of you have heard the good word" as he immediately is trying to convert these strangers he's just met.
My original plan was to make him progressively more evil but in surprising twist his story has become a redemption arc. His diety has been in contact with him through dreams going from this being filling him with hope to more of abusive father. The warlock desperately wants to impress his diety but he's now realizing how much harm and suffering he's caused as through caring out the cults will. After speaking with an undead, a creature he would've killed without mercy at the start, he became the last living member of a paladins guild. As of last session he's removed his iconic cult mask and is dreading his next encounter with his diety
That sounds SO COOL!
In my current campaign my friend plays the heart so well. Everyone else has some real baggage, and in a way so does she, but the way she professes her love and care for everyone in the party is what keeps us together.
Jester is the reason i started watching Critical Role.
A friend linked me the Cupcake scene... i instantly fell in love and watched C2... and than C1... and every oneshot, Talks Machina and video they have... and C3... ^^*
Can I watch C2 without having watched C1 yet?, Or is it better to go in order?, I have wanted to watch CR for a while but I have heard it's loooooong.
Although to be fair I am watching World of Io at the moment which (at the time of writing this) has like 255+ episodes, but you know, the heart be fickle it whatever
@@adrianrandom3448 You should start with C2 !
C1 is currently made into an Animated Series (Legends of Vox Machina, Season 1 was AWESOME). C3 is in its beginnings and has HEAVY spoilers for C1.
C2 is its own thing. Their DM didn't want ANY spoilers, stories or characters from C1 in it.
@@Luzarioth I started with Amazon’s animated series then went straight to C2 after hearing Jester’s accent and description… she’s perfect. I will blow $200+ when her sideshow collectible comes out later this year
Great video, wonderful points! I find it very interesting that all your arguments work equally well for Caduceus (my personal pick for "heart" of the team); no tragic back story, believed in hope (though he and Jester definitely approached it differently; as different as they are people), and was an answer to what the rest of the party-including Jester-needed. Caduceus was absolutely static (in the good way) and felt he was there, led by the Wildmother, to help this band of misfits find their way out of self destruction into all the best people they can be. He introduced Fjord to worshiping a god, and through his actions got Jester to consider what her relationship to her god was and what that would look like. Both Cad and Jester were, in their ways, shut-ins removed from a lot of the world around them. But Jester wanted to be a part of that world, while Caduceus was happy with his lot. He knew who he was. And he was going to help the Mighty Nein find their ways.
I'll be honest - it took a long time for Jester to grow on me.
Early on, I just wasn't seeing what many others in the fandom were; I found her to be irritating and distracting, and I thought for sure that she would be corrupted/broken by the events of the story, and become more nuanced and interesting as a result.
It wasn't until the scene you mentioned with Fjord's accent reveal (and the fact that Jester knew all along) that I really appreciated how strong and wise she already was, and your (very well-said) analysis has made me realize how masterfully Laura played her throughout the campaign.
Thank you for making this video, and cheers to good storytelling.
Yeah me too. I honestly found Jester really annoying at the beginning. I tend to find the childish thing obnoxious more than cute. Especially when I learned that she was an adult and not a literal child as I had thought before starting C2. She's growing on me more now that I'm far enough in to see her mature more. I much prefer Caduceus as the therapy friend personally, just as I prefer Orym in C3 over FCG.
The Mighy Nein is a Five Man Band with 1 heart and 5 lancers
How did i just fell on that now. Thank you man! You are a great content creator and love your stuff!
When somebody like Jester meets you and sincerely, honestly, thinks you are cool, and fascinating, and nice, and sees the absolute best of you with a smile, how can you not want to live up to that vision? Or at least try? Or maybe even just pretend?
And once you start doing that, you can surprise yourself into being a better version of yourself.
Jester is, in my opinion, the best character in any of the Critical Role campaigns. And considering who her competition is, that is saying a LOT.
Cool video! Great points, though I'm a little surprised at no mention of Caduceus when he hits a lot of the same points imo, though certainly Jester was the only one in early-campaign.
One last little nitpick but I think it's worth distinguishing that part of the reason Jester's "innocence" worked was due to her views and persona being a conscious choice, (and sometimes a difficult face to maintain), rather than a result of naivety. Her cheer was a weapon as much as her lollipop.
You're right, Jester being sweet and kind and a little silly is definitely a conscious choice on her part, and one that she uses to her advantage, and I love that. She finds herself in a world of sinister political machinations and deliberate cruelty, and she pushes back against it by saying, no -- hamster-sized unicorns and pastries! She chooses joy, with intent and without shame, because joy is what she feels the world needs. It's very much a "be the change you want to see" kind of vibe, and she does it naturally and organically, simply because that's who Jester is. It's right there in the name.
I've been tabletop RPGing since the mid-70s as both a GM and a player and been privy to and a creator of some pretty memorable role-playing experiences that your content inspires me to consider sharing. I have no idea what any of this stuff is but I've enjoyed a couple of your videos now and your passion for it is pretty intense.
I can't even find the words to describe this but this video made me really emotional
I think that role in the party can't be built or sought after. It has to come naturally through the campaign for it to be authentic. Obv the person has to roleplay well either way.
What Jester lacks in tragic backstory, she more than makes up for in hope and *checks notes* inability to count to 25
I started a campaign recently and I really hope my character is the heart even with her tragic backstory. She's definitely lovable and has so much hope that its ridiculous.
Jester may not have healed their physical wounds but she did heal the party's souls
Jester: Go to sleep!
Kiki: Go to sleep!
Me:0.0 XD
There was a mini series i watched sometime last year called The Fall of Hightower and they had a character that very quickly became the heart of the party. Your video helped me to realize why that was. In a room full of revolutionaries, she was an outsider to the cause, a different perspective. She had that childlike sense of wander, but it didn't deprive or suppress her more complex emotions. She showed care for everyone in the areas that they didn't show care for themselves, and --like you said with jester-- she didn't have a tragic backstory. It was sad, sure, but it was relatable, and didn't seem to affect her the same as the other player's backstories did. She didn't know anything different. Maybe this really is a solid technique to become the heart of the party...
That and she was a massive bat so...That probably helped. 🤣
I really like how when you switch to the next talking point in the video you also change to a new camera shot. It does a great job of dividing things up by topic.
Ngl this video made me cry. Jester's so important, to her team and to a lot of people ;-;
I love how I can watch this without major spoilers, I'm on episode 67 of C2 and I'm absolutely loving it. I'll probably wait to watch the rest of the vids on the C2 characters until after I finish it. But damn, these "nerdy ass voice actors playing dungeons and dragons" are artists.
Laura is an improv genius, which is absolutely perfect for a character like Jester.
I can totally relate to this! I am currently playing a half elf cleric noblewoman in my groups Curse of Strahd campaign. We are currently at a part in the campaign where I have died twice and was resurrected, gotten injured, tempted etc. She is constantly the victim of both the situations her party faces and the scapegoat for Strahd. She is innocent but clever and kindhearted. Right now she is frustrated because her party constantly puts themselves, and by extension, her in danger constantly. She is the only magic user in the party and the person with the highest charisma. This and more make her the face of the party and whenever Strahd does something she is usually affected the most. My character has tragedy in her backstory but she often has a hopeful and uplifting attitude. She puts the party in front of herself and while she has her own personal and political goals, she never lets them get in the way of helping the party.
At the same time its incredibly wholesome to have a party full of jesters. The character stood out in the campaign but you can easily make a similar character without forcing them to stand out
I recently thought of a character concept that would probably fall under the archetype of the team’s heart. He’s an Eladrin Wild Magic Sorcerer who got separated from his home and family in the Feywild by accident due to one of his own wild magic surges; he first came across the party when they helped him out of a bad situation he’d gotten himself into immediately after arriving in the realm. Much like how you describe Jester, he also radiates a child-like innocence; in his case though, that’s because he actually is a child, anywhere from 10 to 12 years old. Which is why the party was reluctant to let him accompany them, but they figured they could find him a temporary place to drop him off at or even find a way to send him back to his home along the way.
Being a stranger in a strange land, he starts the journey as being withdrawn and shy. But once he gets used to both the party and the new world he’s in, he quickly shows himself to be imaginative, infectiously excitable, and very supportive. He’s not only eager to help but a bit impulsive and eager for any fun where can get it, which means he’ll sometimes sign the party up for side quests before consulting them. He’s also very trusting to a fault, especially if you make a good first impression with him. Despite these flaws, he’s actually surprisingly proficient in persuasion and deception with his innocent, boyish charm making him very appealing and seemingly trustworthy to adults. On top of that, he is the biggest cheerleader in the party; he thinks everyone in the party is so cool and gets excited whenever he gets to see them in action, encouraging them every time they’re about to show off their signature tricks and moves.
I’d like to think this is the kind of character who can soften up any broody and/or self-doubting loner types in a party, bringing out the most admirable sides of their characters. But, a part of me worries that a lot of tables aren’t fond of the idea of having a kid character as part of an adventuring party; I really don’t know how most D&D players react to something like that. Of course, I also would have to figure out how serious or lighthearted of a campaign this would be able to work in
First of all let me just say that I love the concept of your character. He truly sounds charming and very sweet, I especially love the idea that he finds everyone cool and is cheering them on. He actually has way too many similarities to my character we're playing in our campaign, especially in build and backstory.
My character is a goblin druid, circle of spores, who's 14 in human years (like 5 or 6 in goblin years), and she's FROM the Feywild, specifically from a village of giants, where she has the kinship of giants, who are responsible for protecting the Everlasting Flame from the Tree of Life, the source of all life and magic in the Feywild. She had a disarmingly happy and innocent backstory compared to the others who had hardcore tragic ones, because the flame was mysteriously snuffed out and she was tasked to figure out where it was and bring it back using her druidic powers, but on her way to a grand adventure she got lost and accidentally left the Feywild and entered Feyrûn without even knowing it, which is where she met the party. And let me just say, being born and (mostly) raised in the Feywild, she's an absolute agent of chaos in the most charming way to the point where the other two depressed and brooding characters (we have a small party of three) actually genuinely light up and learn to have fun and not take things so seriously or grimly.
At the beginning of the campaign it was all just mischievous fun and chaos, but once things started to get serious, our DM being evil and enjoying suffering plus poetic dice rolls lead to my character being traumatised during the actual campaign which hit extremely hard (for example, returning to find everyone in her village dead with no survivors, herself feeling like a failure because she didn't find the flame to save them, finding out two evil forest hags set it all up as a joke to laugh at her, and then saving both her other party members from a powerful lich that killed both of them, and she had to keep them alive or revive them, all while killing the lich, and all that in an extremely hard battle that burned all my spells) (also to note on her dark character development, the dice rolls spoke that she had the final kill on both of those boss battles, kind of showing her dabbling into revenge and punishment). It was honestly kind of shocking seeing the "heart" of the party like a ghost afterwards, getting angry and sad and upset, letting vengeance enter her heart, but also being much stronger emotionally and mentally than the other two, who in their own pasts respectively both gave up on life from the things that happened to them. Compared to them, my character didn't miss a beat and was devoted to do what's right with a new strong motivation, despite hurting so much. And the amazing thing is that what she went through ACTUALLY had some similarities to the backstories of the other characters that had traumatised them, not many, just some little details that they could relate with, so by trying to help her they actually started to help themselves, but what's interesting is that whatever the others lack in her wisdom and lightheartedness, she only lacks in life experience because she's so young. She actually looks up to them in many ways, but despite being the youngest by a lot, she's the one with most her shit together (Wisdom score of 20, guys), just in her own way. She's still strong and functional, much more than the other two, she's just more quiet and confused and a bit darker. Daresay, mature? We have a joke that both the other characters would rather die than watch my character die or suffer.
It's kinda fun being the comic relief and the heart of the story at once.
Edit: If you'd like any advice for playing a kid character that others will actually want to play with, make sure they're not too childish in the way they act. You can combine innocence with maturity, and that's going to work especially well by playing the "heart". Remember to not necessarily roleplay a child, think of it as a small person with very little life experience. Most kids are smarter and more mature than they seem anyway, especially in a scenario where they have skills in the same level of other adult adventurers. Make sure to have something valuable to give to the party in the exact same way you'd play any character. If they're a fighter, make them the best swordsman. If they're a bard, make them the most charismatic. Make them the smartest or the wisest or the most sneaky and dexterous, or just really good at it if not the best, but don't be afraid to give them childish quirks such being extremely physically weak or they're really impressionable like in your case. Just don't roleplay an average child for the sake of playing just a child, and your character will be loveable and unforgettable :)
Damn bros you guys throwing those long ass background comment at each others rly cured my short time reading problem
0:09 Funnily enough, all three of those things summed up Fjord pretty well.
My headcannon is that it went down exaclty like you reanected it at Willingham/Bailey household
9:36 this part is so emotional and genuin. I love it
Dude that was so epic and wholesome I feel you bro I really feel you
Campaign 2 was amazing, even if it weren't DnD. Just a story. Not a CR product. Just a genuine group narrative that was special.
Jester is perfect in every way and I can’t be convinced otherwise. Though admittedly the that might be the dust of deliciousness talking…
damn dude! This was awesome! Thank you.
Good commentary! I don't feel like her mother really neglected her per-say, though. She was trying her best in her circumstances as someone who suffers from agoraphobia. She was the victim of circumstance that a lot of children in single parent homes have to live with: a single source of stability and income and survival all on the single parent's shoulders. I loved her relationship with her mother, and how sincere their love was for each other. I could understand a lot of what Jester's experience was as a child of a single mother.
She still chose her profession over her child. She made the active decision to keep Jester mostly a secret, just so it wouldn't effect the most profitable part of her business. She could have allowed Jester to have a normal happy childhood while still performing her singing and such which was clearly very talented at without having a child being any kind of issue, but no, she knew that the 'lady of the night' stuff is what made her the most money and that having a child was a liability to that, so she made the decision to deny Jester growing up with any friends to hold onto it.
@@Noobie2k7 And what would happen if she couldn’t support her and Jester on singing alone? It might mean that Jester is isolated, but she would be safe, and cared for. And as a singer, then she would likely be *forced* into travelling to large, wide open spaces to sing, as unsurprisingly, that’s where a voice can carry well. And then that would only compound her agoraphobia. You can say whatever you want, but in this case, I say that Marian chose stability over risk. Singers lose their voices; courtesans fall out of favour; a courtesan famous for her singing can make her fortune large enough and amass enough of a loyal audience to keep herself and maybe her daughter living comfortably for the rest of her life.
[Spoilers post-C2E26]
...
What's great about this is if you look at what Caduceus brings to the party, he does what Taliesin intended mechanically (acting as the more healing-focused support, so Laura could play a more DPS focused support) but also achieves the same role as a character. When he joins the party, he acts as the pillar the group leans on, but doesn't take away from Jester's main contribution. He supports her so that she can continue supporting the others and Caduceus himself. It's really beautiful to see it all come together.
I don´t know if this is commonly known.
However Jester was NOT created as a character for CR at all...
She was created by Laura like 6 years before the 2´nd campaign. Because she played a one-shot with another channel called:
Kinda Funny.
I will leave a Link: ua-cam.com/video/UIZyqKSA7Rc/v-deo.html
That is why Jester exists. It is because she remembered her as being so much fun to play back then, that she wanted to expand on that random character
They were all part of the heart of the party. If you sit back and look at it from an unbiased or favorite-character perspective.
Great analysis of the Jester phenomenon, not sure if this is great advice to play the 'Heart of the Story'. We should remember that this is a group of professionals working together to create a synergistic epic story. The fact that the other characters SUPPORTED Jester and allowed her to shine and to CHANGE them is what made it work for THAT campaign. Not sure if the magic can be re-created.
One of the concepts of D&D and roleplaying that I could never really understand was the idea of a character who was chaotically good.
It just didn't make sense to me.
I could understand a character that was chaotically evil. After all, the world has has many examples in both fiction and actual history of chaotically evil characters.
But I just couldn't understand how a chaotically good person would function.
I think that to me being good meant not allowing yourself to act in ways that would be harmful to others. It didn't necessarily mean being nonviolent, but it did mean not allowing yourself to be cruel or abusive.
Chaos always seemed to be the exact opposite of this: something that wasn't truly controlled and therefore could never be completely trusted.
So, how could a person be chaotic and good at the same time?
. . . . and then, along came Jester!!
It wasn't until I started watching Laura's performance as Jester that I truly began to understand how someone could be chaotically good!
It requires great innocence and a very large heart. It also requires a joy of life that cannot be contained within the normal rules and accepted behavior of society.
A person like Jester makes us re-examine social norms and accepted behavior, and makes us realize how much we hold back from completely engaging in spontaneous joy and wonder for fear of being criticized!
I'm playing a young kenku wizard, and I'm trying to be thr heart of the party.
This is a very insightful video.
Great video.
Thank you!
That was incredibly insightful & well said! Great video!
2:54 Really didn't expect that, lmao. I snorted my juice
You don't get to decide what role you end up with in the party though. that only can happen organically, and over time through roleplaying with the group you find out. Your individual characters interactions decide, not you.
I haven't invested in Critical Role yet, but it sounds like Jester is much like the character I wanted to create named Lillianna Fairchild, an Astral Elf Swarmkeeper so sweet and kind-hearted that even butterflies have swarmed to protect her.
I did make her insightful lyrics cunning and willing to use her charm for others, but this video added just that extra spice that will bring out all her flavors.
I'm in my first DnD campaign and I'm playing a very nurturing, motherly healer who refuses to let anyone go without care and attention.
She tries to find ways to neutralise threats without killing them, she's endangered herself to try and help allies, strangers and enemies, she's flown into a rage when confronted with cold, callous violence. She *feels* everything.
But she doesn't yet know how to look after herself too. She'll make herself suffer to help people even when their woes are of their own making.
She stood between an Archfey and our warlock, and took a twisted deal to save the people of his village.
She stayed awake all night to give comfort to the rogue over something he went through due to his own actions.
She ran into the open in front of multiple enemies to try and help another of the enemies.
And the party seems to have taken to her. Heck, the rogue would die for her by his player's own account.
I set out to play an exploration of an aspect of myself, a caricature of my own empathy and sense of duty.
I think I might have stumbled into playing the heart, and it's real fun.
I'm somebody whose been into D&D since forever, and never felt the need to devote the hundreds of hours you'd need to watch an entire Critical Role campaign. But now I wonder whether I should. A character-based campaign, even a one-shot, needs and usually lacks a heart character, and I don't know if I've heard that said before. Good video!
"Yea, yea, we'll see and *she's fucking doin' it!!!* "
Have you ever had a player plan their own death, and it actually work out and feel good?
I'm saying, they took the time and effort, navigated story and hid intentions, just to have their character die at the end, of their own volition? And it be a memorable, great moment?
I like that Jester is the inverse of Vex. She was raised by only her mother, and she lived in isolation but decided to love everybody. Vexhalia barely let anybody in besides Vax and Percy and it was a whole thing when she let Percy in.
Geez!!! hearing and seeing all of this makes me think is almost impossible make a complex character. How this woman could do it?
Her emotional intelligence is kind of scary.
That was a perfectly cut scream
*Fjord noises*
Yes. She had me from "Hi, I'm Jester."
Jester was 100% my favorite character ❤
Never really thought about it, but one of my characters became the heart of the story. Her innocence and naivety was based on the fact that she had a high wisdom and low charisma and was an eladrin. So I played her as being able to read people but not understand how to appropriately interact with them (with social customs in particular). What she didn't have that everyone else did was the railroad, in the box thinking. She liked to do her own thing and was there for the journey, not the destination. But she never went too off the rails to make things inconvenient. What she had was a care free nature the others didn't, kindness, and quirkiness. Everyone in the party loved and wanted to protect her. As a player I got to have some meta level humor because I would have her do things she didn't understand, but I and the other players did.
I would also add what stopped her from being annoying is Laura allowed her to be flawed. She wasn't a perfect little saint, she was a person with flaws and strength. She was a tiny bit spoiled and naive at the start but that was pretty normal for someone the age Jester is played as. It gave her an arc where she matured and grew along with everyone else while holding onto that sense of hope. She went from a naive but sweet girl who could be a mild brat but so good at heart you love her, to a wise and fun woman who was there for everyone and it made her more three dimensional that way
2:54 ABSOLUTELY KILLED ME LMFAO
I love how this video omits Cad's existence, cuz he's much like Jester, so he couldn't be brought in as an argument further confirming the thesis of this video. I understand this material is about Jester, but it'd be interesting to compare this characters and show similarities and differences in how they both play a role of a heart, and give different nurturing energies, and how we as players can be inspired to do the same in our rp.
One great thing about Jester is that she would never maliciously EAT YOUR BEANS.
You know how elves can look 20 but be 120? Making the ratio of aging 1:6?
I want to play a Shepherd Druid who looks and acts 5, but had 30 years of experience.
Imagine the roleplay potential.
“You just said a daddy word! Are you a daddy?”
“My dad says if you can’t say anything nice, then I shouldn’t say anything at all. But my dad’s not here, and you’re a weenie!”
As for the spells…
“I make glow stick!” [Shillelagh]
“I make glowy pony!” [Unicorn spirit]
“I call more huggies!” [Upcast Conjure Animals for Constrictor Snakes]
Oh my God thats terrifying in so many ways
@@PlayYourRole Look at the bright side: I gave you a legitimate excuse to play as Grogu.
… Was one of the ways it was terrifying how he referred to constrictors as “huggies?” First off, he’s five; second, Common is his second language. Third, would it help if his last name was Irwin?
Another way to roleplay the young Shepherd:
“I call big pinchies, and glowy fuzzy! One pinchy will be my pony, the others will pinch the meanies!”
_Translation_
Conjure Giant Crabs, one of which will serve as my mount and keep me out of trouble (Small Elf on Large Crab). Bonus Action conjures the Bear Spirit to bolster the crabs’ grapples. On their turn, the crabs will attack and grapple enemies.
@@PlayYourRole Looked it up for specifics. Adulthood IRL is considered 20, and Elves (and supposedly Eladrin, the Feywild Elves), reach adulthood at the age of 100. So that’s a 1:5 ratio, not 1:6.
Still means my 5 year old Elf/Eladrin has lived for 25 years; more if the Feywild messes with Eladrin lifespans.
Our Moon druid in our current game is a several lifetimes old fairy currently taking the persona/role of a cute little girl. She asked us to call her Wendy. Learning that it's short for Wendigo has made us all reevaluate a lot of things...
I dunno my dude ; Not only might the baby talk get tiring after a while, maybe the other players aren’t comfortable actively encouraging a mental 5 years old into fights to the death and other unsavory adventurer activities (and also I dunno about you, but having my character constantly infantilized, and their opinions and goals not being taken seriously, for valid reason, seems frustrating to me)
What i would love to see is an anti-Jester. Imagine a character that, while not antagonizing everyone, slowly pushes the party onto a path ever darker and darker. Bells Hells have a few of ticking bombs, but what they lack is a detonator.
Me as a DM: Roleplay during the action. Give the combat gravity by relying on creative problem solving. We're not here so we can take turns rubbing self indulgent escapism on each other's nipples.
The internet: Hold my blue, horned, lollipop swinging, cupcake flavored beer.
Jester is IMO the best critical role so far
Oh my characters all have definitely been the problem causers, I myself am a very reckless person and this was brought over to the 3 characters I went through in my friend groups campaign, all dying because of reckless behavior and just charging into their lines.
gotta love how people keep forgetting laura baily always used to play charakters that fit intot he same archtype flity naive and cheerfull yet still realistic
2:42 LMAO watch it a few times and enjoy the lol.
I am presently playing the 'Heart' of our party, and it is fun.
It breaks my heart a little bit that WidoJest had no hope from the very start of the campaign...
We have that character in our campaign. Everyone tries their best to protect her because everyone sees her character as a sister character.
My friend played the character well. Not stupid. But innocent
Honestly, watching a man fall in love with his wife all over again...and you watch it happening. Is beautiful.
This was pretty nice but I hope you can do a video on Caduceus, for me he is my fav
Ah, watching this makes me a bit nervous about my roleplay heavy campaign. See, the player who had stepped into the heart role (much in the same way jester did) just left the campaign due to work stuff (also time zone stuff). Considering the cast of characters we got….I’m a touch worried. Though I will say, I suspect our new barbarian player we added might step into it? In a different way, not sure yet, but he is a good friend of mine I play with in a lot of other campaigns, so I suspect he might slot into that role with what he showed so far. Honestly I’m worried about our lack of a Heart type of character role. I worry about this quite a bit because, though my character is nice and polite and caring in a way caduceus can come off, he has far more in common with Caleb. My character is currently the mentor of more than half of the party (they decided that, I just ran with it once we ironed out some details) so I worry how him not having a Heart character to rely on will effect him, and in turn, effect the party. Anyway, just worried is what I wanted to say. Watching the video reminded me of this worry but hey, maybe it will work out? Who knows. As he said, it’s something that happens organically.
Jester was the child, the sister and the mother of The Mighty Nein.
I wonder why Travis didn't just make an ace character
For me Jester was both childish and motherly at the same time.