One thing that kind of gets glossed over. The Raven Queen/Matron of Ravens is not just the goddess of death, but also the goddess of fate.

@zippomage

Ай бұрын

it gets glossed over here, but in later episodes there is more information.

@Fairburne69

Ай бұрын

@@zippomage Agreed the threads of fate are made clear in a later episode. I won't say which just in case she reads this.

"Trinket lives forever!" Laura Bailey SD Comicon 2023

Speaking of the new locket, I still remember how much time and effort Matt spent trying (and mostly failing) to stop the players referring to the locket as Trinket's Pokéball 😆

Mary Elizabeth Mcglynnis's guest spot as Zahra was her first time playing DND and watching her fall in love with the game is one of my favorite moments of campaign one. Her absolute delight in the big boss battle is infectious, always makes me want to go play. She also directed a lot of TLOVM!

Matt created the trinket for Laura because many adventures involved crawling through tight caverns or climbing sheer cliffs, very difficult to bring a bear through such obstacles. This way she wouldn't have to worry about that, but can pop him out whenever she needed him.

@anonymwlw

Ай бұрын

It also has the extra function that if the creature falls unconscious while within a certain radius of the locket, it automatically gets sucked back in and stabilized. So Laura was more willing to actually use Trinket in combat because there was less risk for him

@PalleRasmussen

Ай бұрын

Also, pets really die easily. They are not as PCs

@FandomFuse

Ай бұрын

I love that. Despite missing seeing him 😭 ~Nicole

A Calamity series would be insane. I need it so bad!

@synthellaart1587

Ай бұрын

Also EXU in general, I wanna see Dariax and Opal animated

@snuffy357

Ай бұрын

it could easily even be a feature length movie

I'm thinking October for several reasons. The stated one, production paused in support of the strike. Then speculatively, a spring or summer release would have bumped up against Invincible or The Boys. Then there's the fact that early October lines up well with convention season and a live event they want to do this fall.

@hhylobates4098

Ай бұрын

Also prime has Rings of Power coming October. Good to get in before Arcane takes spotlight in November too but they might not have know about that one

Just that little reminder at the beginning of the episode that Trinket got orphaned twice.

@CliffSedge-nu5fv

Ай бұрын

Thanks. 😭

Livestreams are hard to react to, but honestly the EXU Calamity miniseries would 100% be worth it if you've got the bandwidth. Even if you don't record/react to it, it's still probably some of the best storytelling I've ever come across in any medium

@Fairburne69

Ай бұрын

I need to go back and watch that. I lost interest about halfway in and never finished...or if I did I don't remember. Then I see so many people saying how great it is and wonder. What did I miss? Maybe if there is a break between campaign 3 and 4 I will take the time to watch it again.

"Trinket! I choose you!"

I like emotional support cat. Also Keyleth having to desccribe what happened to Vex in campaign was murder on the emotions. "Everything's changed." *heartstab, knife twist, sobbing*

@FandomFuse

Ай бұрын

She’s needed. Especially this season ~Nicole

The locket existed in the game too because Matt felt bad that Trinket kept dying in most battles despite several buffs. Ranger companions are just terrible. But yes, I'm sure the animators were appreciative also.

Theres a short video explaining the Calamity narrated by Matt if you guys want to react to that. Pretty sure theres no spoilers since its basically just lore.

A lot of reactors also miss Vex's soul float down returning to her body.

@FandomFuse

Ай бұрын

Yeah, completely didn’t register until later! ~Nicole

I am not exaggerating when I say that Critical Role's Calamity mini-series is not only some of the best D&D Content I've ever seen, but some of the best storytelling I've ever seen in any medium. I would pay anything for you guys to react to EXU Calamity!

@FandomFuse

Ай бұрын

👀👀 hmm might be worth adding to the docket ~Nicole

Can I just tell you, the joy it brings me that when Vax says "What are you going to do, raise a damned bear?" EVERY reactor I've seen, almost without exception, has given a vehement "YES!" at the screen before Vex can even answer. It just makes me happy. The sound design on Vax's shattered bones during the fight comes close to being TOO good, like please, chill with the bone shards grinding! I promise we GET it! 20:00: it really is, right? I think it's the big wool peacoat with pockets full of metal parts and gunpowder. Headcanon says he needed Grog or Pike to help fish him out like some kind of drowned cat. Percy really is a bit cat-like overall, he's nimble, graceful, and absolutely lethal... in specific circumstances, but dump him in water and he's just sort of sad and soggy. 😂 (Said with absolutely the MOST fondness for Percy.) Great catch recognizing Ripley off the bat, a lot of reactors missed who that was! When people say that Vex's death absolutely changed the campaign, it's no exaggeration. Yes, she came back, but in that tiny breath of time between her last and her first, Vax grabbed hold of fate and DEMANDED that it listen with his entire heart, and the world Vex woke up to was not quite the same as the one she left. Every relationship in the party shifted slightly, every thread moved a little off course, and a goddess cocked an eyebrow and said "Bet." At the table, Liam's decision to say those words in that moment changed the entire game Matt had planned, and I love the layers of storytelling that spring from someone being deeply in their character's head. :D (I'm waffling, I just have a lot of overthinky thoughts about that moment, both from a ttrpg point of view, and as someone who loves a good character story.) They somehow managed to convey the weight of what happened in this episode, even though Vex survived, which is difficult in a show. I feel like it's much easier at the table because EVERY near death is tense AF, but in a series happening over a much shorter timeframe it's hard not to start feeling like it's a revolving door. They hit the mark there I think, it doesn't feel like a joyful bouncing back to life, it feels heavy. Yeah, they all had an absolutely ridiculous number of magic items in the game, it would have been absurd to keep them all, the vestiges would have started to look like cereal box prizes. The boots being folded into the armor makes a lot of sense. I agree about the Matron being a tiny bit unclear if you're not familiar with the series, just because in the temple we don't really see any, like, full body shots of her, just the giant angled shot focused on the mask and hands. they could have had a statue or a mural or something in the temple to make the comparison clearer maybe, or at least remind people that Vax had seen her before. You're not the only reactor I've seen who's been left saying "wait, what?" a little bit. :) Galdrick (I think) was the wolf? Yeah he ended up hanging out in the creepy forests around Whitestone. It was sort of a patrol? But more "Hey these woods are full of creepy shit you'll probably enjoy hunting, we'd be honored if you could do that for us, rather than tearing our faces off, giant wolf, sir." sort of thing? It was a little vague. 27:15: "The ride does not get smoother from here. I'm so pumped!" So many Critters (myself included) are like "YAY, PAIN!" with every campaign when it takes a turn into the shadowy, lol. Anyone might begin to wonder if we're all ...okay? (No, no we aren't. But that's okay.) This once again is too many words. Cope? :p (or tl;dr: great reaction, enjoyed it.)

@Fairburne69

Ай бұрын

I read all of your rant and loved it. 😊

@InkyPetrel

Ай бұрын

@@Fairburne69 Lol, thanks

@Fairburne69

Ай бұрын

@@InkyPetrel Rant may have been the wrong word. Endless rambling probably better. I do the same sometime.

Pausing the video to give props for the Say Anything clip!

I love this episode. So much lore! So many feelings! I watched S1 and S2 before I watched any critical role content and I recognised the Raven Queen was the same as the spooky stranger before. I guess it just depends on your own perspective/expectations. Cat timestamps: 2:30, 3:16, 3:50, 10:36, 21:50. Amazing job ladies you killed it!

@FandomFuse Nicole, The Matron of Ravens tells Vax exactly what it means to be "Fate Touched" later in the Season when Vax finally gets to talk to her so I won't tell you here. However, I will tell you that the Golden Threads you keep seeing, like in the Intro and everything, are "The Threads of Fate." So when The Matron of Ravens pulled Vex's soul out of her body and we saw the "Thread of Fate" between Vax and Vex, that was showing that their Fates (Vax and Vex) were tied to each other. When The Matron of Ravens cut that thread, she separated their Fates from each other and tied Vax's Fate to her. Hence why you see Vax's Thread of Fate now linked to The Matron of Ravens herself at the end of this episode.

@Fairburne69

Ай бұрын

Good explanation without spoilers. Well done.

@FandomFuse

Ай бұрын

Makes perfect sense! ~Nicole

@AnxietyRat

12 күн бұрын

I think it's also important to note that Vaxs' having the lucky feat is completely separate from him being fate touched. Fate touched is a very specific thing in campaigns that Matt Mercer gifts to certain players. I think Matt has mentioned in a panel at a convention that he has only had one other player character that has been fate touched. Or at least he's only talked about one other person that he is gifted that title to at his table. But yeah it's something that is completely separate from him having the Lucky feat. Though this isn't the first time I've heard someone connect the two. But they are unconnected.

The day the two of you consistently deliver a perfect intro, I'll start worrying

Spoilers? Who would give spoilers? (Evil grin) GREAT reaction! As you can see Vax has chosen a "special" path.

The recap you did was amazing! 😂

@FandomFuse

Ай бұрын

Thank you 😂 didn’t wanna miss anything ~Nicole

'Hes the new Purv!' 🤣 Also, Nicole you should watch the Lore video they made, it will explain it...but Zack you did a great job explaining too.

For a basic explanation avoiding spoilers from exu you're spot on about the calamity.

Its easy to miss with all that going on, but at 8:48 you can see Vex's spirit immediately drop back down to her body as the thread is broken 14:43 He had to reload before too, at least before the demon possession. But the thing is this new gun made is only 4 barrels not 6.

20:42 Spoiler: Grog did indeed get next.

So I'm like a week late, and I also don't see any explanation of the Calamity here. So this is going off my memory and may not be 100% correct. The gods are not from Exandria. They are from somewhere else entirely that we aren't really sure of yet. We know why they came to Exandria (though this is super spoilerific so I will not say it). When they arrived, the Primordials (Elemental Titans) were slumbering, but soon grew annoyed as the gods created mortals and such, to the point where they fought back. Those gods who sided with the Primordials were banished and became the Betrayer gods. Humanity got super duper advanced during this time, which was also a boon to the banished Betrayers. The Betrayers manipulated mortals to bring them back and this is how the Calamity, the war of the gods began. The Calamity wasn't an overnight event. It took place over hundreds of years, it was a full blown war. Gods vs gods, worshippers vs worshippers. Champions vs Champions. The Matron of Ravens wasn't born a god, but was a mortal who ascended. And for a bit of added context, the gods were very much physical beings at this time. They weren't just figures you pray to. However after the Calamity, to prevent anything like this from happening again, the Prime Deities banished themselves from the world, as well as the Betrayers, which is why now they are figures of prayer and such. Every Critical Role campaign is technically in a post-apocalyptic setting. There are no more flying cities. An entire continent got blown up. Large amounts of knowledge has been lost. Vasselheim was confident that dragons would not destroy them because the Gods and their followers could not. They survived an assault. They are still standing to this day.

I'm confused about your confusion about the Matron of Ravens. You repeatedly say something like "I thought it was spinel." What does a gem stone have to do either version of the Matron we have seen? Or are you referring to something else called spinel?

@thatguyzackrobb

Ай бұрын

In a past episode Nicole likened the brief glimpse of The Matron with that of Spinel from Steven Universe!

@thatguyzackrobb

Ай бұрын

and then didn't quite draw the connection between her previous smaller look and then the giant version we see in this episode!!

@FandomFuse

Ай бұрын

Yes! Definitely, just a little nickname I gave her based on the way she looked to me! She reminded me of Spinel from SU from a distance.

The fate touched thing has nothing to do with the lucky feat. It is just based on Matt (the DM) giving Liam (Vax) a special thing in the campaign cause he knew Liam was having a really rough time in his real life.

@AnxietyRat

12 күн бұрын

Yeah, Matt has talked about the title of Fate touched in his campaigns. And he has mentioned that he has only gifted it to one other person in the past at his table... So it's definitely something very special that he does not give out to players very often. It was a very special gift to Liam. And yeah you're absolutely correct that it's something that is completely separate from Vax having the Lucky feat.

0:53 Guess that answers my question from the last video Yeah, spoilers suck 4:08 They're called Adarros. Derro is Australian slang for trashy people 😂 11:00 I will never hear the Hairspray soundtrack the same way again 14:27 Behold... the onlooker! 19:48 Mulan and fireworks?

Kinda fate touched spoiler man

I think Amazon picked the release date, as they seem to be spacing out their slate of original programs, like the Boys, Hazbin Hotel, Invincible. Zahra is merged with Vanessa Cyndrial of the Slayer's Take her. But Kash and Zahra are beloved by the fans, and Mary Elizabeth McGlynn is also the Voice Director of the series. I don't think saying "I don't know what I would have done differently" to the guy who explicitly told you not to touch anything, thus setting off a trap, killing his sister and leading him to make a deal the repercussions of which are uncertain but ominous... yeah, it was a crappy apology. At least this Percy acknowledged that Vex was actually dead. Deathwalker's Ward in the campaign wouldn't translate well to the screen - magic armor is super powerful due to bounded accuracy, and a changeable resistance is pretty cool, and advantage on death saves is pretty niche. But incorporating his Boots of Speed into it made it very cinematic. Vax being Fate-Touched is a bit of a spoiler.

Those Titles should be: Desperate Content Creators spoilers vox machina s4 early to get views *eyerolls*

Spoiler season three follows campaign one of Vox Machina lol

I never liked it either when they said its too difficult to animate 4 legged creatures. Hire someone who is good at it if the current staff at titmouse are not. The world is full of people with incredible talent.

@CliffSedge-nu5fv

Ай бұрын

It's actually not the number of legs, but the amount of hair that is difficult to animate.

@AnxietyRat

12 күн бұрын

​@@CliffSedge-nu5fvI mean the animators HAVE talked in interviews the animating all four legs compared to animating two legs of humans is more difficult and takes more time. That's why the horses are CGI every time we see them in this show. But trinket is not. But yeah there's a lot of aspects that make it more time consuming to animate.