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If you watched the campaign, we basically know what's going to happen, but we're also surprised. They're changing a lot of the campaign, mostly tightening it up so they can tell thge story in 30 hours instead of 450. For example, in the campaign, they all went to the Fae Realm and met Garmelie; in the show, they split them up so they could tell 2 parts of the story at once to save time. Grand Poobah de Mayonaise is a marriage of 2 Grog moments from the campaign. They're keeping in a bunch of story points that we all want to see. Grog dive-bombing Kevdack out of the Pokeball was a moment we all expected to see...and we were not disappointed!!! Ripley was a nasty recurring villain in the campaign, but she's way more of a c&nt in the show! Several people have made videos comparing moments in the campaign vs. the show. They can be fun to watch. I may have said this before -- watching Critical Role is like watching people put on an old-school radio show; they describe everything to you. During the campaign, Scanlan was looking to score drugs, and would ask, "Do you spice?" to certain people in hopes of finding some; most people would ask him whatTF he was talking about. It's not the spinning orb of doom...it's an entity with which Percy is way too familiar.

I'm like 90% sure this show takes place in the 1990s because of the aesthetic, but I had to look up when LARPing became a commonly used phrase. Apparently it first appeared in the 1990s, so that would not necessarily be an anachronistic term for a 90s period piece!

In regards to Keyleth's distrust of Raishan, there is a few different elements to this. I'll only talk about the non-spoiler elements to this. Pyrah is one of her peoples settlements and most of it and it's people were annihilated due to the actions of Raishan. Raishan doesn't seem to be that reflective over it or even necessarily care. I mean, she is a green dragon. Empathising over humanoids isn't in their nature. It's just pragmatism on Raishan's part to help Vox Machina. It's rather easy to imagine her wiping them out if it aided her in her goals. So, the distrust is warranted from what we have seen. Raishan did take part in destroying Emon and killing countless civilians. If the tables turn, what's to stop Raishan from turning on Vox Machina? Keyleth just doesn't want that to happen. Better to face two powerful enemies than be stabbed in the back facing one. Furthermore, Keyleth is still on her Aramente (This has been mentioned a couple of times but other events would've overshadowed it at the time). A major spiritual journey which seems to elevate her upon each step completed (Her fire form is one such boon). To embark on such a journey whilst working with an entity that helped destroy a settlement of the Ashari would be a massive slap in the face to the Ashari.

There is gonna be a episode!?

They kinda skimmed over it in this show, but in the live-play, on the way the crew found a hill giant place that had been cleared out. Apparently Silasnhad killed them all, then Delilah reanimated them, so now we got zombie giants patrolling Whitestone. As far as who their leader is, Liam (voice of Vax) was quoted as saying, "Vox Machina never really had a leader. We all had different times when we stepped up to make important decisions. But also, it's Vex." The back door problem is one that comes up from time to time in D&D. If the DM creates a situation where you have to roll halfway well to move the plot forward, and then everyone's dice rolls are awful, it kinda stalls the whole scenario and leaves it dead in the water. Now what do you do? In the live-stream, they wasted multiple spells and even took damage trying to get through a door that was barred, not even locked. This is a nod to that. When Percy and Cassandra were running to escape the murderous psychos, she caught a back full of arrows and he kept going. I think it's fair for him to assume that she was dead.

Nice vid

we did see Mythcarver shrink or grow to accommodate the bearer, so if the titanstone knuckles did the same, it's possible that Umbrasyl could have put them on - and possibly became an even bigger problem. Ripley did say that Umbrasyl could have an army bearing vestiges and working for him - but knowing her, they'd be under her control instead.

Why do Ripley and Umbrassyl want the vestiges? Power is power -- they will take any edge or advantage they can get. Although, Umbrassyl isn't a Bard like Scanlan, and the sword was created for Bards. It was originally wielded by a Bard known as The White Duke...and yes, he was probably Thin, too! So Umbrassyl couldn't do what Scanlan could do with Mythcarver -- e.g., sing a huge monster to death. That's Lance Reddick doing the voice for Thordak -- not impossible they're giving him some juice, but his voice is that deep. Unfortunately, he passed away just as Season 2 came out, but I'm told he finished recording his lines for Season 3 before he died. This may have been his final role. Sorry, but I have to tease you. Your reaction to Vax' wings is one of the gayest things I've ever seen!! XD

I think your view on this show is very polar, while the show isn't polar at all. Almost every character is complex, with several factors going into every decision. Whether it be Jayce, Mel, Viktor, Vi, or even Marcus and Silco, everyone is doing what they think is right, looking at a bigger picture, or fighting for what they believe would be a better world. Sure, it's a story about an oppressed people rising against a corrupt government, but it's not just about good vs evil and that's it. The undercity is split into factions, and people up topside who aren't aware of what's happening across the bridge are trying to make a change to the problems they do know about. Anyway I love your reactions. I'm on my way to watch your finale reaction right now! Keep up the good content!

Ok, the Shaun thing. So game version of Vax and Gilmore were a little bit closer than in the animated show version, enough so that Vax felt the need to confess he was in love with someone else and break things off with him - with a goodbye kiss. The Chroma Conclave attacked the very next day. Gilmore protected the royal family (the show switched it to Allura) and Vox Machina lost track of him as they ran. They found him on death's door a day later and for a minute Vax thought he would die in his arms. They all felt horrible for leaving him behind and then they almost didn't find him in time. That's about when Vax started calling him Shaun a lot more often.

Yeah, Gilmore is his last name. Full name Shaun Gilmore. Also, I hope I didn't give you the wrong idea. I don't think it's weird that you like Scanlan and Pike. You aren't the only one who does. I just thought it was interesting how different viewers have affinities for different couples. Look foward to seeing you in season 3!

Yep, more Vox Machina will premiere really soon

How is he now???

I"m not entirely sure if Scanlan had an exit (pardon the pun) strategy other than holding Umbrasyl in place while the others killed him. the Matron said that Vax was meant to shepherd the souls "in a sense". In reality, the job is to guard against people taking advantage of the soul during the moment of transition, since it is a powerful resource, and to exact the Matron's vengeance on those who would try.

well said, i don’t blame none of the characters for their complexities and trauma, i like to see how they cope with what they know (with no professional help) the best they know how. yes people can lean towards vi and her traumas more in the common knowledge of society yet i agree im team Jinx 1000%. i can relate tremendously with her inner child & higher/shadow self yet also her choices ultimately is hers for knowing/learning herself just like how she’s able to pick up and learn gadgetry, bombs, hex tech, shimmer, & traps (organically).. can’t express how many times i’ve cried for Jinx through season 1 bc it was so oddly relatable and i know whether she lives or dies on season 2 she will forever be my favorite spirit animal anti-hero.

Is the Matron of Ravens spiritual? Yes, but also quite physical. Both. The gods are beings from a place outside of reality - with 1 or 2 exceptions. They became 'real' when they fled their home and/or maybe they created this particular reality - it's unclear. They do have bodies. They also created various planes of existence, including their own home dimensions which serve as the various afterlife dimensions. They used to physically war with each other on the planet before it got so bad that mortals tried to kill them. So they created the Divine Gate, a metaphysical barrier to keep themselves away. Now the gods have to communicate via visions. Also the Matron of Ravens is unique among the gods in that she's the only one who used to be mortal and ascended to godhood. She either killed the previous death god and took his domain, or she took his domain and it killed him - or more like deleted him from existence. She did it because she's adamantly opposed to undeath and the last death god liked to create undead slave armies. She's all about that cycle. (Edit: it's been recently revealed that the history books are wrong about her reasons. Turns out the old death god asked her to do it because he wanted to die)

Have you checked out Steven Universe? Most episodes are pretty short, so you can do 2-3 per upload. And I think you'd like it.

I want to know how the episodes of the series were released Arcane The first season was weekly, daily or all combined?

Lol hi Arcane is definitely my special interest and I could talk about it all day (Also, funny story: as someone with just a little prior knowledge of the lore and characters, I already knew back in episode 1 that Vi would someday put on that enforcer uniform, which made her backstory and her deep hatred of the enforcers SO INTERESTING. I was really curious how the writers planned to get us from one extreme to the other) As far as my actual predictions based on the trailers go, I think this season could actually BE the Jinx redemption story. Season 1 was her descent into the worst, most "evil" version of herself, and that's where we'll start in season 2. She'll be doing a bunch of very bad stuff, and Vi will feel like she has no choice but to help arrest her Then in a weird reverse of fortune, the undercity will see Vi as a traitor and Jinx as a hero who is attacking topside in some Robin Hood style steal from the rich to give to the poor type plan. They're wrong of course, but they believe it. And Sevika, who cares about the undercity more than she dislikes Jinx, convinces her to play along and pretend to be their savior so they'll all rebel against topside... but over time the people's love for her makes Jinx actually start to believe it herself maybe?? That she can be more than just a monster And that's how she becomes a hero who protects the people of the undercity and fights to get them a better life than the one they've had under Piltover's thumb

“For no reason” he had highly explosive things in his dorm completely unsecured. It’s like if a college student made a nuclear reactor in his dorm. If something goes wrong, he’s not the only one getting cancer.

I have a 30x40 canvas of that shot of Jinx in my ManCave. 😈

thank you. it's so much. great to get your perspective too. thank you for considering what jinx/powder would like to be called. I'm not sure, but suspect she's jinx now due to the seat. hugs and excitement for season 2 🥲

The rules were that the fight ends when someone dies. Kevdak wasn't cheating. He had no honor, but he wasn't cheating.

Well @lucajenkinson2069 got everything laid out perfectly and more well explained than I would have... And I thought I would be the first HAH! Shows me 🤣. Awesome to see this continue. I can't wait for the next 2 episodes come in! (IMHO: These may be the two best and the two worst episodes for so many awesome reasons on both ends 🤣... prepare yourself for that which... wait that would be spoiling things... n/m. ( *zips my lips, throws away the key, and looks back fabulously* 🤣)

Man that outro music reminds me so much of RHCP. I miss listining to them... that'll be my next listen, perhaps BSSM (album)

The old man shown during Grogs vision was Earthbreaker Groon. He first appeared earlier in the season in Vasselheim when grog was separated from the party (episode 2). Groon worships Kord, the Storm Lord. The god of Strength and Storms. As a follower of the Storm Lord, Groon has a vested interest in Warriors. So, when grog entered the arena (by coincidence) Groon sought to test him. So they engaged in combat, whilst groon asked Grog where his true strength comes from. Grog was unable to answer correctly, instead stating that he didn't know. Groon left him (after beating his ass, I might add) and said he had much to learn about being a warrior. The last few episodes have been a continuation of that idea. Grogs whole idea of strength was based on his physical strength. So, what is he without that feature? It's been the most consistent thing in his entire life. He is strong. There may be others who are stronger. But he still has his strength. The fight with Kevdak wasn't just for the Gauntlets, it was the only time that Grog would self-reflect and manage to figure out that he got this far due to the bonds he forged with others. Also in the campaign, Grog fought Groon with Vax and Scanlan as his most trusted compatriots (Pike wasn't present as Ashley struggled to make it to sessions because she was acting on a show called Blind Spot and filming regularly got in the way). At the end of the fight, he answered correctly and said his friends. So, I appreciate the longer route they took with Grog's self-reflection here. PS. Apologies for the word vomit lmao

Would you be interested in taking a look at a cartoon series called swat Kats it’s a good show

Also: do you thing Silco would eventually agree to give up Jinx for his cause of freedom and independence? Or he would end up doing exactlly the same thing Vander did in the very first scene of the very first episode?

Blitzo x Emberlyn. Blitzlyn forever! Blitz needs more love interests

They actually toned down the flirting for the show. Keep in mind that seasons 1 and 2 of LoVM condensed like 40 episodes of plot / 60 episodes of character development - each one averaging about 4 hours long. They had to shorten the timeline SEVERELY to get it to fit into 24 tiny episodes. Mechanically, the game always makes romance between party members more likely. Just pure game mechanics means that player characters will always interact way more with each other than with NPCs who are all played by the same person: the game master. More time = more relationship development. I'd say the flirting between Scanlan and Pike is the only increase, kind of. In the game, Pike was only ever around for a few episodes here and there - because the actor got a good job across the country - and so there was never time for that to develop at a normal pace. The animated show is more like what they wish they could have done back then. Percy and Vex was the fan favorite ship for the game (my favorite). It started off so subtle a lot of people missed it, or thought they were just seeing what they wanted to see. Vax and Keyleth were kind of the originators of DnD romance role play. Not that nobody had ever role played romance in their home games before, but as far as I know, Critical Role was the first group of professional ACTORS to put their game on the internet (2015), and so they were the first to portray developing romance. Now it's normalized, but back then it was like 13 year old theater kids trying to improv Romeo and Juliet while surrounded by their giggling awkward friends. Their pairing started off WAY more one sided. Keyleth's actor didn't even see it coming. She found out when Vax said, "You know I'm in love with you, right?" (he did ask the game master first in case it was inappropriate, and he did check in with her afterwards to make sure she was ok with it)

I love how they wrote Scanlan in the show because, as many other people probably commented already, Sam Riegel (Scanlan's actor) made Scanlan as a joke & wanted his character to be the worst DnD character ever as it was his first time playing DnD. So when they first started playing this campaign irl, he was constantly making jokes & innuendos just to make his friends/other Vox Machina members laugh. He kept a lot of that humor through the campaign but, as you're starting to see, the longer they played, the more nuance all the actors were able to put into their characters. So while S1 Scanlan is the 'joke' era of his character, he definitely starts to show a lot of his depth & growth starting from S2.

After the adventuring life, you're not likely to settle down with an accountant. When you risk life and limb for each other, through all sorts of adventures, through thick and thin, pairing up isn't a big surprise. If you watch closely, you notice that Willhand is the first person Grog faced who didn't fight back. That little flash of gold could have been the Everlight, giving Grog a little nudge. How can you not expect cliffhangers at this point? I think Ripley is only working with Umbrassyl, and I think it's mostly information that she's supplying, as well as egging him on a bunch! Don't remember if I've said this before on this sub, but Ripley is Tal'Dorei's answer to Joseph Mengele -- nothing matters except the experiment, no matter how nasty it is! You've probably seen it already, but next episode is arguably the best of the show so far.

Wow, I thought that Scanlan and Pike worked the least! Vax and Keyleth happened organically for me in the show and the game. Vex and Percy was a little more organic in the game, imo, but I'm not disliking them in the show. Scanlan and Pike just felt, idk, tacked on. Like it only happened because they're both gnomes and because Scanlan wanted a meaningful connection for once!

Jinx drops the gemstone right before the fight with the Firelights, Caitlyn picks it up, then she gets knocked out and kidnapped. That's how they get it Also, my read on Mel and Jayce is that she genuinely believes one day he will be the best possible leader for Piltover because he's a good man with strong ideals and a vision for the future, but right now he's young and inexperienced. That's why she took the chance to get him added to the council and has been teaching him everything she knows about how to run a city. Ultimately, he means well and wants to do the right thing, but unfortunately the situation is more complicated than he was ready for and everybody is giving him opposing advice, so he is struggling to figure out which to follow

I like the bond being formed between Vi and Cait. It happens quickly, but I think the writers did a good job of making that make sense. Vi is the first person to show Caitlyn any kind of respect and appreciation for her capability/character in a long time, and Caitlyn is the first person to show Vi any kind of compassion or trust in a long time. That's why we get little echoes of Vander and flashes of Vi's mother during the previous episode when Vi is most vulnerable and Caitlyn is taking care of her Also, as far as we know, the only Enforcer Silco has control over is Marcus, and all the others are still loyal to Piltover and don't even know who Silco is. Even Marcus, who is the leader of the Enforcers, still has to manipulate Jayce into giving him authority to do certain things, like blockade the bridges, because his power is limited Silco is currently using Marcus to try to retrieve the gemstone and kill Vi and Caitlyn before they bring evidence of his crimes to the council in Piltover Silco to some degree is manipulating Jinx to stay on his side and not leave him for Vi. Both for her usefulness to him AND because he has formed a genuine bond with her. It seems like he has spent the last seven years teaching her the "lessons" he learned after being betrayed by Vander. To become strong and ruthless and terrible so that no one can ever hurt you again And these lessons have clearly sunk in. Jinx is a complex and deeply traumatized character, but she's also a young adult with free will who still wakes up every day and chooses to commit mass murder sprees while laughing and singing, and she even attempts to shoot her own sister in this episode It's very sad, yes, but that doesn't just excuse her actions

It's been said that, for time, a flashback scene had to be cut from the final version of this episode where Ekko risked his life to rescue Powder from Silco, and she refused to leave with him, saying that was where she wanted to be. And that combined with her killing a bunch of his friends in the Firelights over the years is why Ekko is so convinced Powder is gone forever and there's only Jinx Right up until that last moment of this episode

Just to clarify a little, as I understand it, Shimmer has two main purposes for Silco: The first is just as a lucrative drug to deal. He sells it inside the city easily, but he wants to expand and sell to other countries too. Except sending Shimmer to those places is illegal, which is why he has to smuggle it onto ships using bribes and fake paperwork and stuff The second purpose is as a weapon, not to directly attack Piltover, but more to threaten them. If half the population of the undercity is constantly carrying around a drug that can turn them into the Hulk in seconds, the upper city won't send any cops or tax collectors or whatever in because of the danger It's his path to money and fear. Or as he put it in episode 3 "opportunity" and "respect." Not terrible goals inherently, but his disregard for the safety of innocent lives on BOTH sides is what makes it so terrible. You can't "protect" the undercity by turning half its people into tortured drug addicts who are dying in the streets every day

Arcane is very much one of those shows where every character is nuanced and complicated and it's not always easy to get a good read on some of them immediately, because none are completely bad or good. The worst villains have at least some redeeming qualities, and the most kind-hearted and well-intentioned characters have flaws and make questionable or flat out wrong decisions sometimes I've watched a few reactions to this show and have noticed a trend in the comments where people try to explain or excuse character's actions and motivations to such a degree that it almost goes into spoiler territory for context the show hasn't revealed yet

It always cracks me up that so many people watch this episode where Jinx murders a dozen innocent people in a drug smuggling operation and a terrorist bombing and then go "aww my sweet little perfect angel I must protect you at all costs" 😂 Also, as far as the character ages go, the change from 11 to 17 is a lot more noticable than the change from 25 to 31, but other character designs HAVE also changed. Caitlyn's parents, for instance, have white/gray in their hair that wasn't there before the time jump, etc

In this episode, Jayce is very specifically thinking back and using the crystal to recreate the magic that saved him and his mother in the flashback: Teleportation You can see that it actually works on a miniature scale, because a small object teleports across the room while they're floating. But obviously that is only the start of what magic can do given enough time

A little bit of background lore in the world that is hinted at but never fully explained in the show: A few centuries ago, a bunch of mages went to war over some powerful magic thingies and nearly destroyed the world. Entire cities/nations were wiped off the map, including another place that once existed where Piltover is now. That's why so many people are afraid of magic, especially here

Guys I just realized, the second 'boo' is referring to her being a girlfriend, not as I originally expected, a ghost LOL (which I had assumed she was b/c of her white hair)

Silco doesn't have an artificial eye. In episode 3, we see that Vander gouged Silco's eye while trying to drown him. The river toxins got into it. The Shimmer appears to be keeping it from simply rotting away. "Jayce is hard to figure out." I think he has a dream and a desire to make a better world but is easily swayed by others. In episode 4, we hear he has no experience with governing, and in this episode, he admits he never studied history. That's a bad combination for the leader of a nation. Interesting predictions. Looking forward to episode 9.

How can you NOT know the VAs of Vox Machina...many of them are legends in animation. For example, Travis Willingham does the voice of Thor in all current animated and video game oriented Marvel games

"The only one who's getting any results is Silco. And he's definitely not gonna negotiate." Oop.

Honestly, season 1 is the worst of the ones he has Episode 8 is coming

Saundor is an "archfey" a fey lord whose very moods and magic change the world around them, much like the presence of a dragon does. They have control of everything in their domain to some degree. Near immortal unless killed, there aren't many of them, but they are incredibly powerful, unpredictable, and dangerous. Even "kind" archfey tend to be tricksters, or have their own goals in mind. They like to make deals, but any deal struck with them needs to be carefully worded, in case you end up getting EXACTLY what you ask for. In Saundor's case, his "pain and madness" has corrupted the Fey Realm for miles around his tree, turning it into the twisted bog we see here. Without Saundor's influence in the area, the bog should become slightly less deadly. Garmelie is a Satyr (until they aren't), you know as much as you need to know about them right now, don't worry :)

Might want to adjust your title, this was episode 2x8, not 1x8.

Elves in DnD traditionally look down on other species, particularly half-elves. In this world, it's mostly just the elves of Syngorn that are so stuck up. The twins father Syldor found out that he had bastard half-breed kids when they were 10 and sent for them to come live with him and be educated. Everyone treated them like trash. Saundor is a corrupted archfey (think demi-god level powers). Nasty death swamp is what happens when a being of that power wallows in self pity and spite for years - he never got over a bad break up and started making it everyone's problem. 'Garmelie' is also an archfey, not actually a satyr. Not that it makes him any more dignified...

Saundor is, as "Garmelie" said, an archfey. Think Titania, Mab or Oberon from Shakespeare and Spenser. His story is not done. Sildor is ashamed - half-elves are looked down upon in Syngorn. He brought the twins there out of duty - no elven noble could allow his blood to be raised in squalor with humans. But his moment of weakness was a stain on his "honor" for lack of a better word, and there was never any love for those children. (In game, they had already proven themselves to him at this point, and he tells Vex to be careful, that they need them alive, and does amend the writ of passage to include the new title.)