The Legend of Vox Machina 2x7 Reaction | The Fey Realm

[@Liesmith424]

"Garmielie was merely the traveler on this journey..."

[@elykphant1910]

I like that they got Cheech Marin to come in just to be Trinket during the mushroom trip.

[@funnylilgalreacts]

I’m shocked I didn’t recognize his voice

[@terryhiggins5077]

My first thought was "Was that Cheech?" I hit the dropdown menu, sure enough it was.

[@Xhalph]

I'm glad that Amazon does x-ray because IMDb suuucks nowadays.

[@philip07304]

@@Xhalphdo you realize that IMDb is owned by Amazon? Well, it is, just a heads up.

[@PalleRasmussen]

Scanlan wants to be loved, but is afraid of being vulnerable... Some of us can relate.

[@KBTibbs]

He's only able to open up and be vulnerable with Kamaljiori, basically a stranger and only when his friends are gone. :(

[@itsregal]

Billy Boyd came out of nowhere. I wonder if they're attempting to collect the entire set of Hobbits. If I hear Sean Astin and Elijah Wood in later episodes I'm gonna die.

[@funnylilgalreacts]

We wants all the Hobbitses

[@acrefray]

I hope there's Sean Astin next season and Elijah Wood in Season 4.

[@AdamEspersona]

So remember when Percy blew a hole in his hand to exorcise the smoke demon? He built that thingy as a prosthetic that can emit electrical charges, and it’s known as Diplomacy. It’s essentially Asami’s glove from Korra.

[@cryofpaine]

You see him tinkering with it at the end of the last season's finale, at their keep, before they go to the meeting.

[@Ozgarthefighter]

We needed an episode like this as a nice palate cleanser from the last few intense episodes.

[@funnylilgalreacts]

Seriously! I needed all the laughs!!!

[@mikebreaddelancey4755]

Like you, I want an album of songs. During the live campaign, Matt started to say "making your way" often and the group would start singing "A Thousand Miles" (making my way downtown..) by Vanessa Carlton every time he did it. It became a big running joke so anytime anyone says anything close to it, they break into song. They've now written two versions of an original song around the phrase just for this episode. The first one where they were dragging Grog was with Sam and Ashley singing. The end credits is Laura Bailey.

[@Chaosm03]

I had a craving for an Ashley Johnson song for a while. A bit back during one of the Critical Role watch a long Q&A's Sam mentioned that we'd get more cast members singing this season and it finally paid off here. I am so happy about this. Great songs.

[@ddienst]

I really hope they do full length songs this time they could have some radio hits on their hands.

[@Chaosm03]

@Donald Dienst Pull my beads of Love music video

[@cryofpaine]

Travis, Marisha, and Matt did a video on the React channel, one of those "try not to sing" challenges. They had a few in there that were definitely targeted. 😁kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZ-nn5uoorOVmbs

[@Dark__Thoughts]

Man. I can recognize Laura as Vex, because I already know her as Abby from TLoU2 and they have roughly the same voice. But when she speaks naturally or sings I absolutely cannot.

[@KBTibbs]

Yeah, Percy is in an unusual place right now. He's an adult who is suddenly thrust into his 9-year-old fantasy adventure. Like if Captain Nemo from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea pulled up in the Nautilus and invited me on a submarine ride.

[@DanRobotMan]

Percy’s “hand thing” is called Diplomacy. We saw him briefly building it in the season finale…after he uh blew a hole in his palm. Lol

[@Valp85]

Weapons with ironic/funny names is probably my favorite tradition in tabletop RPGs. A friend had a PC that was some sort of bardic duelist-build who had named her blades Quill and Pen

[@MisterSunshine17]

@@Valp85 I just love the names of all Percy's invented weapons - List, Diplomacy, Bad News.

[@Valp85]

@@MisterSunshine17 We had a sci fi campaign where the flagship of the evil empire was named "The Hundredfold Apology of Empress Raharuhi". No one wanted her to come and apologize.

[@vellynis]

@@MisterSunshine17 My favorite, that I hope we see, is manners. Well, he didn't invent it, but the name makes it hilarious.

[@MisterSunshine17]

@@Valp85 it's fucking awesome!

[@btgardener39]

Keyleth has given new meaning to the phrase "taste the rainbow." **wry grin**

[@bucue802]

In the campaign, the entire group went to the Fey realm, and Pike commissioned Garmelie to make a poster sized drawing of the group. I think you can imagine what he drew, given the contents of his sketch book. She then proceeded to put it up in the mansion the group was using at the time.

[@AnxietyRat]

People have drawn fanart of Garmelies group drawing... It's beautiful.

[@bucue802]

@@AnxietyRat I'm not surprised 🤣

[@krisbarski4226]

"I'm leaving it in" this clinches it. You have become my favorite reactor for this series.

[@reedgordon5388]

Garmelie is a satyr, the half man half goat thing. Satyr falls under the umbrella term of "Fey", as well as pixies, leprechauns, unicorns, etc. Also, side note, Kima is a halfling, not a gnome (you can tell by the ears). A halfling is literally just a hobbit, but the Tolkien estate sued D&D back in the 80's so they changed the name. I'm loving your reactions, I look forward to them almost as much as the actual episodes of the show. I started watching The Last of Us and The Expance just so I can watch more of your content.

[@GerroxJr1]

To be clear, when he says "you can tell by the ears." He means Gnomes have pointed ears like an elf, Halflings have human-like ears.

[@codybarnes1531]

In DnD Halflings are related to Dwarves somehow. I guess they are like the Half Dwarf how you also get Half Elf and Half Orc.

[@lucidiously]

@@codybarnes1531 I've been playing DnD for over 20 years and I don't recall any specific connection between Dwarves and Halflings.

[@BryceLK]

I was curious and have the time so I did some Google-fu; it turns out there are many varieties of halflings, such as the Tallfellow, Hairfeet, and Lightfoot. _One such variety_ is the "Stout Halfling: A sturdy, dwarflike halfling. Speculated to be the result of interbreeding between halflings and dwarves long ago." Everyone is a little bit right, but let's all acknowledge that I'm the most right. 😁

[@gunnarkilborn3915]

@@codybarnes1531 The only connection I can find between dwarves and halflings is the subrace of halfling called stout halfling. It gives recistance to poison and advantage on saves against poison like dwarves get.

[@chickenbane1872]

Percy's lightning hand, which he called Diplomacy, was a replacement for the hand he shot off to get rid of the demon Orthax. We first saw him tinkering with it at the end of season 1.

[@funnylilgalreacts]

Oooohh. Now I remember… Diplomacy? I love that.

[@TheBloodypimp]

@@funnylilgalreacts i really hope you will one day get to see "manners".... no spoilers but it's another fun little item he makes. ^_^

[@EThomasVerum]

@@funnylilgalreacts Because "Diplomacy doesn't always work." Also could be a dangerous handshake.

[@DaDunge]

@@EThomasVerum More like diplomacy almost never works.

[@geminilight]

Hobbits collected: 2/4

[@funnylilgalreacts]

Gotta get ‘em all

[@ShadowyFox_86]

Poor Percy. This is what Percy was like prior to the trauma. He's not entirely wrong about the Fey Realm. Vax's problem isn't his demeanor in this case. Or at least not entirely. The Fey Realm is one brimming with the energy of creation. The Matron of Raven is associated with a realm called the Shadowfell, which is like the exact opposite of the Fey Realm. Vax is basically walking around with a target on his back in the Fey Realm.

[@KB42moomoo]

I thought your comment about Percy not seeming himself in the fey realm was so funny! He was happy for possibly the first time in tlovm and we're like "....that's odd!". I think being there, the place he loved reading about when he was young, was a little glimpse of the person he could have grown to be if the Briarwoods never arrived at Whitestone........ and now i've made myself sad :(

[@gunnarkilborn3915]

Also the fact that he knows more than the rest of the group.

[@Jujudeze22]

Good point! He was like a school boy again.

[@AdamEspersona]

We love to see Vax be a supportive S/O for Kiki. Even with all the crap he’s going through, if she’s under duress, she takes priority. I’m so glad that ever since “Pass Through Fire”, they’re growing closer again. And… what a trip. Also, welcome to the point where LOVM is now gonna be incredibly divergent from its source material. Still telling the same story, but in different ways. Such a comedic episode, we needed the levity.

[@queenannsrevenge100]

I would almost say he needed the Matron to break the spiritual bond with his sister at her death for him to start moving forward to connect more with Keyleth. Not implying it was sexual or anything, but they made it clear that there was definitely a tie that was severed, and Vax feels it even if Vex does not.

[@angelbedolla347]

@@queenannsrevenge100ummm pretty sure Vax traded his life for his sister so I don’t know about that one chief.

[@queenannsrevenge100]

@@angelbedolla347 - the two (breaking the bond and him trading his life) aren't mutually exclusive. Both happened, based on the imagery of the bond of intertwined fate being cut by the Matron just before the Matron let her go.

[@wrytar7717]

Loved the episode! I think Percy was in such a good mood because he finally was in the place he feels most comfortable: Being the smartest one in the room, knowing more than anyone around him, and shoving that into everybody's faces. 😂 But really, I think it was perfectly in character. Percy is VERY proud of his intelligence and knowledge and has just enough arrogance to think that he can know all there is to know from reading books.

[@funnylilgalreacts]

I saw the term Perky Percy and NAILED IT. He loves being the smartest person in the room. I get it he loves to show off. It’s just so unnerving to see him happy.

[@wrytar7717]

@@funnylilgalreacts Yeah, I get it, somehing about it just feels ... wrong. Besides, can't crush on the broody bad boy if he isn't broody and bad. 😋

[@mayaenglish5424]

I mean he IS the smartest person in the room (other than Vex), just not quite as smart as he thinks he is lol. Also in fairness he was right about the plants, they left everyone other than mister grumpy emo pants alone.

[@EN-Fitz]

Keyleth should be in the next Skittles commercial. “Vomit the rainbow! Taste the rainbow.”

[@Antenox]

Yesssss! I’m always just as excited for your reactions as I am for the episodes! Bidet and beep beep, Critter! EDIT: Also, your mug is extremely appropriate for a Critical Role episode set in the Feyrealm 😏

[@funnylilgalreacts]

😂😂

[@krisbarski4226]

An album for season 1 music was released and is on KZbin. So we likely will get an album eventually

[@Stable_Delerium]

Damn. I feel like Vax has PTSD without the P. He legitimately has ongoing TSD.

[@JohnYoo39]

I guess that's fitting. The Raven Queen is the Goddess of Death, not of Living nor Dead but the present transitory moment of Death, so him being present in the moment of that trauma right now feels poetic.

[@bcn1gh7h4wk]

P is for permanent. permanent trauma stress disorder.

[@LordBaktor]

@@bcn1gh7h4wk Isn't it "Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder"? That's how I learned it.

[@Quotenwagnerianer]

@@LordBaktor It is.

[@christophtoifl6848]

@@LordBaktor I think he means in Vax case it is Permanent Traumatic Stress Disorder, which sucks!

[@AlmostOtaku7]

We saw Percy's electric glove, "Diplomacy," at the end of season 1. He filled the hole he shot in his hand with a gem, presumably residuum, and attached some extra fun to it.

[@MrThierryFournier]

6:56 because it’s hard to differentiate the 2, Lady Kima is not a gnome, but a halfling. I think the show concept artist gave gnomes pointy ears and halflings rounded ones.

[@brutalchicken]

They managed to turn something that would be frightening (getting lost in a completely different realm, separated from your friends one of whom was seriously injured) and turned it into a hilarious jaunt through the wildernesses. Travis as Grog really outdid himself here, when that wolf was gnawing on "hanging low buddies" those screams had me dying! Your reactions to these makes me enjoy them even more, don't sweat the deets

[@d.k.t.3380]

As someone that spent 2 months in the hospital with COVID and had to learn to walk again with how long I was bedridden, I feel Grog trying to walk and it not going well a liiiiiiiiitle too much... :(

[@anthonymoreno3682]

The Vax corpse jumpscares always get me 😂

[@damontcs]

I absolutely loved that Trinket was voiced by Cheech Marin.

[@catindigo9907]

Xander is a great editor for getting this reaction out so fast and so good. I was so excited to see it so soon. Somebody probably already said this, but the goat guy is a saytor, it sure of the spelling, Pan was their ruler, in Greek mythology. Keep up the great work, both of you.

[@XanderWhat]

Angela edits this show! (I am neither fast nor good)

[@PristineTX]

* Satyr

[@catindigo9907]

@@XanderWhat I see, but you are really good. That does kind of explain the difference in it.

[@catindigo9907]

Sorry Angela, didn't realize, excellent job.

[@nyghtmoon]

@Xander What Definitely good!

[@landail5681]

"I'm terrified of anything Fae, because... You know... They're assholes!" My God a woman after my own heart! 😂 Labyrinth and 25 years of D&D have not changed that being my exact reaction to anything Fae! A favorite spell that many Fae have in D&D is called "Otto's Irresistible Dance", where you either make your saving throws or you literally dance until you drop dead from exhaustion. 🥳😁😐😬

[@NoActuallyGo-KCUF-Yourself]

That, and Tasha's Laughter are some of the most brutal spells to cast on a person. Ooh, a failed save? You laugh so hard your ribs break.

[@operative2136]

Unrelated to the show - don't be so hard on yourself! Perhaps you feel self conscious about making mistakes with names or noticing things, but perfectly executed flawless presentations are the sort of thing you expect from drab corporate advertising. It's the flaws and imperfections that give your reactions a sense of sincerity and soul. So keep doing what you're doing. You have great taste in shows, and your thoughts on them are entertaining and appreciated.

[@nuru666]

Also getting names wrong or completely forgetting them is peak D&D, you spend as much time doing things as going "Uuuhhh... Fuck, what was that place called, and was it east or north?!" or calling NPC's different NPC's names

[@Maleficas88]

The intros are getting better and better!

[@TheUnamazingRando]

"What was Percy doing?" That device on his hand is called "Diplomacy"

[@ticozayas6430]

"Falkor!" ..... that was my first thought too lol "i want more dick jokes." ..... careful what u wish for in the fey realm "have we seen that thing before, hand, gun, thing?" ..... yes at the end of season 1 when he was installing it one his injured hand its called "diplomacy"

[@xkimichi8064]

Lol at your reaction to Percy in Feywild. Ya know, beneath that adult filled with darkness, guilt, regret, & self loathe still lies a child. XD

[@happyslapsgiving5421]

32:40 "I don't know if it's Gilmore. [...] Gilmore could have had a house *in the outskirts of town.* " Giving _yourself_ hints, I see... 🎶🎵

[@commantermormont1657]

Garmelie's voice is by Billy Boyd, the actor that played Pippin in LOTR. His buddy Dominic Monaghan (Merry) was in the 1st season, he did Archibald.

[@crimsoneclipse0618]

So, this is where the show actually diverges a lot from the livestream, like this episode on particular is almost 100% show only.

[@funnylilgalreacts]

Bummer!

[@crimsoneclipse0618]

@@funnylilgalreacts It's fine, it's still super fun. Also they snuck in a lot of jokes and funny moments in there, especially nice is the Makin My Way song, which is an in joke from the livestream where, whenever Matt says making your way, they junst very quickly sing the first words of Thousand Miles.

[@t3hsilarn]

I think that's overstating it a bit. Percy does have a thing for the Fey Realm and tries to guide them. Garmelie sneaking around and then being surprised by Vex is almost straight from the campaign, as is the sketchbook, though I'm not sure it was quite as lewd. More goofy caricatures. It was the color changing grass that reacted to their emotions rather than a strange snake forest thing, but those were definitely nods to the campaign. Grog and Scanlan were with them, but the primary character moments centered around Vax, Vex, Percy and Keyleth so getting them started on the path to Westruun with Pike makes a lot of sense. Grog confronting Craven Edge and losing his strength is a change, but having him give the blade too much blood and then being straight up killed would probably seem like too many 'fake out deaths' and the change plays into his 'where does your strength come from' throughline rather than being just another sudden and shocking near-death. There are quite a few changes to be sure, particularly some sequences with Garmelie that were cut for various reasons, but it's not 100% 'show only'.

[@crimsoneclipse0618]

@@t3hsilarn True true, I was being very hyperbolic

[@billh344]

Haha you sell yourself short in the aftermath of this one, you've got the right idea about alot of the story, brain just couldn't find the words. Can't wait for it to keep unfolding for you.

[@JackOfBlackPhoenix]

Great reaction, it definitely was a fun "calm before the storm" episode, especially knowing where things are headed in the final batch of episodes next week... it's gonna be intense! One thing I wish they kept in from the stream was Percy negotiating with the grass that originally Keyleth set off, but Vax being the one to upset it kinda makes more sense story-wise given that Fey Realm represents life and he's wearing a vestige of the goddess of death

[@ciannstuff]

Watching you react to each episode, with little exposure to CR live play, is a ton of fun. You have so many reactions that we all do. Its a shared experience. I love it. Can't wait for your Mighty Nein reactions .

[@Mazecraft]

While watching this episode I was actually thinking I can't wait to see your reaction to the fey realm and especially their trip! You did not disappoint! Keyleth is hundo percent me under similar circumstances! 😂 I'm prob a mix of her and Vax IRL normally anyway. 🤘

[@funnylilgalreacts]

And I said I’m her and GROG 😂😂😂 glad you enjoyed it!

[@moomoopuppy508]

Cheech Marin plays "drug trip" Trinket

[@nyghtmoon]

My favorite reactor. This was just a perfect reaction. 🥰 A very important character is introduced in the next episodes. Trinket voiced by Cheech! You are spot on with what the group needs to do to be strong enough for the vestiges. Pike and Co are close to Westrunn, the home of Pike and Grog. Backstory time for those three and family trauma.

[@EugGenie]

one thing that was taken from the campaign slightly was the grass reacting to the parties emotions. Keyleth got mad at the grass and Percy and Scanlan had to negotiate with the grass - there's a great fan-made animatic I'll try to link. - kzbin.info/www/bejne/aZSceZx3rt6Eb8k As others have said this is where we divert heavily from the in-game stuff - they didn't split the party (outside of Ashley continuing to miss a lot of time due to filming in NYC for Blindspot) - but it makes sense to do so here so they can continue telling both storylines at the same time. In the game Grog died when he tried to get rid o. They are changing things up so everything flows better storywise and doesn't get too repetative. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aZSceZx3rt6Eb8k

[@PolarBearon]

"Garmelie was merely the traveler on this journey". *Looks knowingly at the camera*

[@Phi1618033]

The weird thing about the name "craven edge" is that, in English, "craven" means cowardly, but it's clear the Matt meant "craven" to mean "craving," as in wanting.

[@TheBloodypimp]

Craven can also be the past form of to crave among other meanings... It's an old term (middle english if i am not mistaken) and quite fitting to a blade that has always been hungry....

[@doug3691]

"You're not here for me to remember the names!" Loved your reactions, and commentary, and that "FLG" intro just keeps getting better!

[@JSkinnerish]

As you asked and it was in a previous episode so not a spoiler (I hope) Allura and Kima said they would head back to Whiterun after the events of the Fire Ashari adventure. There are quite a few tales in classical folklore/mythology of just how nasty and mischievous inhabitants of The Fey Realm can be towards unsuspecting or disrespectful visitors so a healthy respect if you believe in that sort of thing is probably advisable. I also really enjoyed that Sam Reigal/Ashley Johnson song. Not the sort of music I'd expect in a fantasy setting but fun. Keep your guesses coming. They're nearly all good ones.

[@tycol322]

Personally the song made me nostalgic for some of the old 80s 90s Disney and Universal movies

[@C3POwnage]

lmao thanks for keeping all that intro in it was cracking me up :"D

[@funnylilgalreacts]

😅

[@Genbor]

Yes, it craves blood, but also, Craven's Edge or in other words Coward's Advantage, seeing how it relies on siphoning strength from others, instead of from your own. There's a third, hidden meaning in it of course, if you can find it

[@cryofpaine]

The "Lisa Frank" comment made me think of this. In one of their Halloween episodes, Marisha (Keyleth) dressed as "Lisa Frank Castle". Frank Castle is the name of Marvel's Punisher, who is a brutal vigilante. So the Faerealm is kinda like that.

[@sonadark]

You are becoming one of my favorite react channels here lately, I'm loving the vox machina videos!

[@LordBaktor]

As soon as the Satyr spoke I was like "PIPPIIIIIIIIIIN!". Don't give a crap what his name is in this show, he's Pippin and he's a fool of a Took.

[@davidgrider4302]

As soon as I saw the drawing of "three peen Percy" I said to myself, Angela is going to ❤️❤️❤️ this.🤣🤣🤣

[@funnylilgalreacts]

I hate that I'm so predictable 🤣

[@bruceatwood1498]

Billy is a satyr named Garmelie it is so cool we have another hobbit even if it is a fool of a took 😊

[@Valp85]

Continuing Matt Mercer's Misfortunes of Unfortunate Names(tm) I have a a mnemonic trick for remembering how to pronounce Umbrasyl's name. Kinda rhymes with Vagisil

[@JustGrowingUp84]

25:30 - "You guys came here to watch someone intelligent react to stuff" Ma'am, we're like Garmelie: just travelers, here to witness your journey. And it's more entertaining if you stumble from time to time... :D

[@mikebreaddelancey4755]

This is my favorite reaction you've done so far.

[@GrimM0nk3y]

As a kid, my grandpa would tell me stories about fairies that would lure kids away to feed on them and merfolk that would drown people. All before I saw any Disney films

[@lyleabrahams]

My favorite Scanlan song was at the end of episode 9 of the 1st season... His song of Pikes return to the party... So beautiful.

[@tlaragihai5953]

The length of the video scares me :DDD That is Percy in the beginning, he`s just a huge nerd :33 Poor poor Grog, how awful it should feel to be that helpless. Dragon Skype!! Dragon Skype! And I think Thordak`s pride will be his demise. Vax is so lost and sad, I want to hug him :( And "I`m going where you can`t follow"? The _pain_ . We definitely needed this episode. (And yes, you were right, Garmelie is voiced by Billy Boid, he`s a fey and specifically a satyr :3) (Fun fact: Percy`s glove is named Diplomacy, because it _works with a handshake_ )

[@VerticalBlank]

14:50 Yes, Garmelie was voiced by Billy Boyd, Peregrine Took in the Lord of the Rings movies.

[@silentinfinity]

I said Falcor as well! This was such a sweet, fun episode. Vex seeing the heart on Percy

[@purplelikefire]

Im always impressed with how much you notice when you react to the show! The fae realm is my favourite part of the original story so I am glad we got to see parts of it

[@leonielson7138]

There are 2 celebrity VOs in this episode - you got one of them. Billy Boyd is playing Garmelie, a satirical satyr.

[@phoenixdzk]

The mountain that Scanlan &Pike make their way towards resembles Gatshadow from the comics. Grog's adventure there was Pike's first appearance in their home game way before it was streamed online. Sam appeared on a podcast with Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd last year so it made me SO HAPPY that we got a second Hobbit , and to play Garmielie in this show, who is so much more than his role would lead you to believe

[@ananslator3655]

23:00 That’s red dragons for you

[@CountryMusicMann]

In DnD, the Feywild and the Shadowfell are two opposite reflections of the mortal plane. The Feywild is the realm of riotous, violent, deadly life, while the Shadowfell is the cold, dark, gloomy realm of death.

[@TheDrexxus]

Craven's Edge in the game really did transfer power to Grog. It would decrease the strength of what it hit and increase Grog's strength by the same amount. So it did make him stronger when he hit things temporarily. Thats why Grog didn't want to get rid of it. :)

[@calebtoles3819]

Kraven edge consumes the blood from enemies and turns it into strength for the user. It doesn’t take their actual power from them, just their strength

[@Angelderbat]

Craven’s Edge converts blood (HP) into raw strength, it doesn’t transfer abilities. In the campaign, anyone who was cut by Craven’s Edge, their maximum HP was reduced as Cravie “consumed” their blood and increased the strength (muscles) of his wielder.

[@1timemelody1]

You can just call Umbrasyl "Florida Dragon", Matt referred to him as that recently. It's infinitely funnier than "Umbrasyl" anyway. I can't believe they snuck "makin' my way" into two different songs. I appreciate that they absolutely will not let that joke go. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nnzCiXuPnZ2endk for context, alas missing the c3 additions.

[@ndaemendotchinda]

❤ amazing reaction. You’re gonna love what’s to come. Happy viewing. And don’t worry 😉 we’ve all been Kiki

[@ChillyCucumber]

The zappy hand thing is called Diplomacy. In the original campaign, it was a glove. However, in this, they had him build it into his hand to replace the parts of it that he blew off in season 1 episode 12.

[@SCUBAguypnw]

I agree with another commenter, I look forward to your reactions just as much as the show. As others have also said, they are diverging from the stream but still telling a great story and still keeping all the major plot points as well as a ton of Easter Eggs. I'm very much looking forward to your reactions to the next two episodes as they are both epic.

[@KristineFriling]

I am really enjoying your reactions so much. As a fellow empath, I felt so many things you are as you are watching! Have definitely subscribed now!! 😀

[@VegetaLF7]

So the way Craven Edge worked in the game is every time Grog hit something with it, it had a chance of siphoning strength from the thing struck and giving it to Grog. Every character and creature has stats, the six numbers that you roll when making characters. Strength, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma, Constitution, and Dexterity. These stats determine how physically powerful, smart, observant, influential, physically tough, and agile you are respectively, among other things. What Craven's Edge was doing was taking a point from an enemy's Strength score and adding it temporarily to Grog's. Over time they added up, making Grog do more damage as he absorbed more strength from his enemies. It was just represented in the game by absorbing the blood of his foes with the narrative element that it wants to keep feeding, or else. You are actually well equipped in handling the Fey with that advanced knowledge. They are truly not to be trusted and nothing in their realm should ever be taken at face value. Side note, love the mug, that's almost verbatim the phrase they said when they killed Sylas Briarwood in the game. There Keyleth bounced her Sunbeam spell (which was in the shape of thousands of glowing dicks, because why not?) off Pike's holy shield to get some of her holiness on them. Her badass one-liner was "eat a bag of holy dicks!" when she killed him. "This isn't Percy." It actually truly is. It comes up a few times in game but Percy is, when he's not being edgy, a big nerd. He's the middle child, always hanging out in the family library growing up and reading on everything. It's always fun to see whenever it gets brought up, he's just a fanboy of the weird and exotic and especially of the Fey Realm. So yeah, the second half of Kraven Edge. It has a cost to the user as well. Grog actually lucked out, the game version ended way worse for him in that it ate his soul as a side effect. He got to his maximum strength and failed a check, resulting in the sword eating his soul and instantly killing him right in the middle of camp. It was actually Percy intimidating the sword from one person who knew how to handle cursed weapons to a cursed weapon itself plus the others performing another resurrection ritual that make the sword give up Grog's soul and return him to life. They wound up banishing it into a pocket dimension only they knew about where it would likely never be found, but either way Grog was down a weapon and lost his super strength (although there he was back to his normal level). I personally prefer this version in that it fits with his storyline a little more and avoids the risk of trivializing death and revival by having it happen again and again. Percy's hand gun thing was seen before, albeit briefly. In the last episode of season 1, when we see the party recovering at home before going to see Uriel, Percy is making an adjustment to it before putting a glove over it. It is called Diplomacy and effectively it is a shock glove that Percy invents allowing him to do magical damage in a melee attack. Percy (and Taliesin, his player) has a love of punny names for his inventions. Diplomacy for a shock glove, his new gun is Retort, his sniper rifle is Bad News, etc. As far as Diplomacy goes, if you're familiar with the Avatar show, it's effectively the same thing as Asami's shock glove.

[@hawkthorn33]

Even in the campaign, there are episodes where the crew just does a whole shopping episode, or pub crawl. We all need down time. But this being LOVM, you have to know stress is coming soon. Can not let us have back to back stress free episodes.

[@lordfoul6259]

Great reaction and you're right the fey are very mischievous

[@operative2136]

So fun fact! Critical Role are huge musical fans (and in Sam's case he's a literal theater kid - he was in Les Miserables!). In particular, they are huge fans of Hamilton, and years ago a group of Critters known as the "Cantata Pansophical" actually produced a Hamilton-esque musical called "Vox Machina: An Exandrian Musical". You can find it on youtube easily enough.

[@mikebreaddelancey4755]

Cantana Pansophical is amazing but hold off checking them - its full of spoilers!

[@operative2136]

@@mikebreaddelancey4755 Oooh that is a good point. Yikes. My bad!

[@mayaenglish5424]

Yeah it is incredible but 100% made of spoilers lol.

[@form2652]

Percy's hand taser, named Diplomacy, was shortly shown at the end of Season 1 after Vox Machina returned to their Keep in Emon.

[@malcolmrowe9003]

Allura's girlfriend is a halfling, not a gnome. Her name is Kima.

[@donrichards271]

You are right to be uneasy about fairies. They are, after all, the rats of the Fey wilds.

[@GerroxJr1]

LORE SPOILER: (Explains city in Fey Realm) . . . . . Basically Syngorn dipped out by teleporting their city from the "Prime Material" plane (every day earth, or in this case Exandria, Tal'Dorei is the continent) and moved Syngorn to the Fey Realm.

[@GerroxJr1]

Only posted this because (at least so far) it's not discussed in the show.

[@DracheLehre]

Look up satyrs and their relation to Greek theatre. You’ll soon realize how much of a pun Garmelie is.

[@phoenixdzk]

It's funny you mentioned the 'Lisa Frank trapper keeper' to describe the fey realm, because in Dimension 20's Unsleeping City D&D game the Dream world that connects the waking world to the Fey Realm is described as a Lisa Frank Trapper Keeper

[@HannahBanina]

I _really_ love your mug. And very much appreciate the zooming in on Keyleth fucking ragdolling in her Fey Trip hangover. This series just gets better all the time, I personally thought Perky-Percy was really fun, and domestic Scanlan makes my Pikelan heart *very* happy. I cannot WAIT for the rest of this season, or the next season for that matter, I love your reactions 🫶

[@Tachilen]

The Labyrinth is a very proper introduction to the fey... I would also highly recommend the series of Jonathan Strange and Mister Norrel.

[@mkohlhorst]

One of the things that led to Vox Machina cartoon was Sam's D&D Beyond advertisement that started as a simple (but awesome) song that was made into a full commercial. If you search "Critical Role DnDBeyond advertisement saga" there's seven minute video that puts all the clips together. There's no spoilers or anything so you'll be safe. But when they seen the DnD animated commercial it made the idea of a cartoon really stick the landing in their heads. (The commercial features the characters from the second campaign Mighty Nein, but doesn't spoil anything).

[@carlotacosta9193]

In love with all the songs we-re getting this season

[@Brasswatchman]

10:14 I think Percy's rediscovering who he is without the whole vengeance thing hanging over his head. That person being, of course, a massive dork. 😁

[@funnylilgalreacts]

It made me love him more tbh

[@griechland]

Fun little tidbit that Matt just revealed. The little floofy bird that gets ripped apart in timestamp 8:50 is modeled after Matt and Marishas pet bird named Dagon.

[@jimhayen8088]

The little folk deserve to find true love. I'm pulling for Scan and Pike.....

[@thecaptain3594]

When Keyleth puked the rainbows I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe.

[@VerticalBlank]

32:00 I think the thing that many people miss is that feeble Grog is an *exact* portrayal of the burden of looking after old and weakened parent.

[@InkyPetrel]

Nerd Percy is my favourite :)

[@testfire3000]

Now that Craven's Edge has been destroyed, here is the *basic* understanding of how it worked. (there is more, but these are the essentials). In addition to being intelligent, the main power that you see it use: Whenever the wielder of the sword draws blood with it, the sword can draw one point of strength from the victim and grant it to the person holding the sword. So every time Grog was hitting enemies who had blood (not those fire creatures from the earlier episode), the sword was making him stronger and stronger. This is *exactly* the kind of high Grog would want more than anything. This is the kind of magic Grog can understand. So him giving up the sword was very meaningful. It was granting him everything he could possibly want.

[@devoncelis9613]

Percy’s the youngest member of VM canonically. So he has this boyish but overconfident aspect to him, well always. But it’s especially evident in this episode.

[@funnylilgalreacts]

I liked it, but because we never see him that way, I thought something was clouding his mind 😂