#like post thordak

[sweater-equestrian]

just went back to tag thordak and garmelie separately!

[utilitycaster]

this is another "inspired broadly thoughts about veilguard, a game I haven't played" post (it is currently downloading!) but this time it's about, to be honest, epic/heroic fantasy in general, and Campaign 3 and especially Vox Machina.

I think having Vox Machina's mission kick off first chronologically (in a fun way - last to be introduced, but first to go) fits because while the Nein's story is about the change enacted by a small, determined group of people who rely utterly on each other, Vox Machina has always had powerful allies from their introduction to the audience, though not, to be fair, their inception in the home game.

Vox Machina's story in campaign 1 ends with Vasselheim behind them - they are the strike force, but they can call upon bastions defending the city. Devossa and members of the Slayer's Take join them in the final battle. Gilmore, Allura, and Kima have their backs. The same is true in their battle against Thordak, in which they're joined by Tal'Dorei's army, the Ashari, and again, Devossa, Zahra, and Kash. Whereas the Mighty Nein's most public and political victories are ones of mediation and crisis aversion taking place largely off the battlefield (the beacon, the reveal of the Angel of Irons cult, the treaty negotiations, and taking down Trent and the Volstrucker), Vox Machina's public victories concern threats to the realm that bring disparate groups together. (These themes continue quite nicely in the parties' post retirements, Vox Machina being comprised of key figures in Whitestone, the Tal'Dorei Council, Vasselheim, and of course the Ashari and the Mighty Nein's main institutional tie being to the Cobalt Soul.)

I'm very openly a Nein Girlie, but Vox Machina is also quite dear to my heart and I have a particular love for that aspect: for Vox Machina serving as the tip of a worldwide spear against existential threats. The world unites behind them, repeatedly, and they take that role seriously, dick jokes notwithstanding, and do not let their allies down. Indeed, I think the Briarwoods arc is a great example of them not letting their allies down even when they are let down by their allies. Vox Machina is often described as the most archetypal fantasy campaign, and I think that's valid, and there is something very satisfying and lovely about a Tolkien story in which the world comes together against great evil. I think those endings are often harder than endings like those the Mighty Nein had - a story of a small group succeeding against the odds tends to fit narrative patterns of, well, succeeding against the odds, whereas everyone banding together often comes with both victory and terrible sacrifice - but they are vitally important.

I've really loved the Exandrian Accord and the Grim Verity as factions within Campaign 3 - I'd honestly watch 5 more accord sessions and I'm not joking - and after seeing Vox Machina this episode, I hope that Bells Hells are able to honor their agreements the way Vox Machina has and continues to do so.

[vethbrenatto]

yeah, im underwhelmed by the thordak fight episode. particularly as a grog + gnomes stan girl, i think it's missed the mark.

as i mentioned in the previous post, scanlan dying without any commitment made to kaylie is a travesty and his distance from vox machina prior to what will be a bard's lament just doesn't feel as palpable as the game version. in these episodes it's kind of just felt like he's been broody- part of what makes ABL so good is that you don't see it coming until it does, and then when it does, you see all the signs. it's so obviously transcribed here that i feel it's going to dull the moment.

i think pike's faith in herself is interesting, but not the story i would have guessed they'd give her. i understand and support giving pike a story outside the canon of the game to make up for ashley being present here versus absent at the table, but i just don't feel like crisis of faith is super pike here? like she already had a crisis of faith arc in an earlier season, resolved it, and came out stronger. pike is a character in the game that almost never wavers in her devotion to sarenrae and i think that's actually a really interesting part of her, so this season's arc isn't fully playing for me.

grog has been hopelessly sidelined this season and this, which i would say is arguably his biggest episode in the season yet, A) still barely has him and B) i think lessens the impact of one of my favorite RP moments from the game. Yes- i mean "FIX HIM!" the point of "fix him" is that it's ANGRY GRIEF. it's DEVASTATION. it's INDIGNATION that the world would take grog's best friend away. it is not a soft, gentle plea and i don't think it fits grog's character to be one.

overall, i just have generally way more enjoyed season 2 compared to this season.

[andi-o-geyser]

when i say that I absolutely adore Mr. Percival Fredrickstein von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III after the Briarwood arc I mean it because like what a turn around as a character. he had a little exorcism and now he thinks he’s hot shit pining after Vex and being mentally (kinda) ok while the twins, Grog, Scanlan, and Keyleth are losing it. “oh, Thordak’s here and Kevdak’s back and you have a long lost daughter and ¼ of your civilization was decimated? that’s cool lol i have a castle and my sister’s not dead :D” like. my god. i love post-Orthax Percy so much. no thoughts head empty. that bitch is gonna stumble into a tomb so free and easy he will forget the most important rule of dnd rules. rampant hubristic dumbassary. CHECK FOR TRAPS YOU ALBINO MOTHERFUCKER

[rightpastnowhere]

Perc’ahlia Week Countdown - Day One

Perc’ahlia Week starts in… less than two weeks!! I might be a day late, oops. Regardless, for this week I’ll be posting some moodboards and brainstorming for each of the prompt days to get some ideas flowing. There's still plenty of time before the week begins!!

I’ll be posting twice today to catch up, but first up is:

Day One — Dawn / Treasure

Here are some general ideas from the mod team for the prompts:

Dawn

Morning routines, breakfast in bed, sleeping in and morning sex ;)

Taking third watch, being awake before the dawn, watching the sunrise

The dawn of a new era, Vex as the Champion of the Dawnfather

Important things in the morning (dawn before battle/morning before Thordak, a birth at dawn, morning meetings, etc.)

Treasure

“It occurs to me — I’ve never given you a full tour of the treasury room, have I?” (c1 e86), “Do I look like I come from money?” (c1 e59)

Seemingly meaningless items that are priceless, looting enemies, jewelry and finery

Percy giving Vex all of his money when they first met

Wedding rings, treasuring each other/their kids, spoiling each other ;)

Day one of Perc’ahlia Week will be Sunday, September 24th!! Everyone over at @percahliaweek is so excited to see what everyone has in store!! Remember to tag your posts with #percahliaweek !!!

[ravenquingvax]

Angsty Twin Headcanon Time

Just some angsty Vax & Vex headcanons from my fanon!

(warning! this post includes implied self-harm, referenced child abuse, referenced transphobia, referenced ableism & implied SA)

Vax and Vex hate certain things about each other, some that remind them of their parents in one way or another and others that just leave them heartbroken -

Vex has their father's anger, shouting and hitting things when she gets really pissed off - sometimes Vax will put himself in her way on purpose so she only hurts him while she rages.

Vax goes all distant and shuts down verbally when he gets angry, keeping it to himself and bottling it all up until he eventually explodes, usually hurting himself in some way to try & keep his anger in check.

Vex is very unaffectionate and even pushes Vax away when he tries to hug her, not because she hates affection but because she's scared of being weak and letting down her guard.

Vax is quite stubborn and doesn't care for the rules, doing whatever he wants when he wants to, just like their father used to do - he often ends up hurt as a result, that or arrested.

Vex looks almost exactly like Elaina did and always complains about it - It's something that just breaks Vax's little "momma's boy" heart every time she does.

Vax (a trans man) looks a lot like a younger and more feminine presenting Syldor & he hates that a lot - Vex does too, but she could never tell Vax that.

Vex bad mouths Elaina for not trying harder to save the twins from Syldor, but Vax knows that she just uses it as front to actually bad mouth herself.

Vax is loyal to a fault, ready to die for anyone who is even the remotest bit nice to him even just once.

Vex trusts nobody at all and only worries about herself, Vax, Trinket, and her closest of friends.

Vax has learning disabilities such as dyslexia and dyscalculia, being autistic and ocd (not op projecting at all), and this has caused people to get frustrated with him a lot to the point of fights and arguments.

Vex is also autistic and ocd, but masks rather heavily out of shame that her father instilled in her.

Vax is Rudiusborn and has been having night terrors since he was born. Since they were 10 and moved into separate rooms, he's always ran to wake Vex in search of comfort after a dream wakes him up - Vex won't tell him but she really wishes he'd stop it.

Both twins are bisexual and demiromantic with sexual trauma, but Vex is hyper sexual while Vax is sexually repulsed. They don't know this about each other and even believe each other to be the exact opposite.

When Vax first came out as trans, Vex didn't react well because she saw how much it angered Syldor - even now she still feels some residual anger as a very small part of her believes Vax coming out is what made Syldor get as abusive as he was.

Vax blames Vex for their mother's death, though he'd never tell her this - he thinks that if Vex hadn't forced them to stay in Syngorn for so long, they could have reunited with Elaina before Byroden was destroyed by Thordak, as if Thordak would never have went near Byroden had they went home first.

Vax hates being called Scrawny, and Vex hates being called Stubby, but they both endure the others' nickname for them because they know that they're not maliciously intended or anything.

Vex knows Vax was Clasp because of her and hates herself for it very deeply.

Vax knows Vex lied about how she found Trinket, but he doesn't want to upset her by asking for the truth about what happened to give her the scar over her right eye.

[thessalian]

Thess vs NaNoWriMo

So that time of year is fast approaching, and I think a lot of people I associate with on this platform are going, "But Veilguard's coming out on HALLOWEEN!", which is entirely fine - NaNoWriMo is optional. And honestly, all things considered, I am probably never doing it as an organised situation again.

It took some digging to find the original text, and I'll probably post the screenshot I saw on Bluesky too, but summary: not only is NaNoWriMo pretty much supporting AI (they say "absolutely not condemning", but the rest of the text isn't nearly so mealy-mouthed about it) but also calling people who are against AI "ableist and classist".

No, seriously. I mean, seriously.

Look, how people get their ideas is probably up to them. And stolen valour aside, plugging an idea into ChatGPT and getting some word salad in return is ... I guess someone's prerogative. The same as someone just typing, like, "rutabaga" 50k times technically counts as writing 50k words. But ... first of all, NaNoWriMo was supposed to support people who write. Second of all, the idea that not having someone immediately at your side to serve as beta reader is "classist" is ... no. Like, if you're online enough to understand NaNoWriMo, you can find a damn beta reader. Third, "Some people's brains don't work well enough to see the problems in their writing--" SEE ABOVE RE PROOF-READING, FOR ONE THING, and for another, that's just shit like spelling and grammar check, which has been standard on word processing programmes basically ever since the concept existed! Fourth, I'm not sure how AI assists in shit like "Can't find a publisher because publishers are only really interested in what will sell ALL THE BOOKS", but that's one of their arguments too.

But the last thing - the worst thing - is what that means. NaNoWriMo is not cool with plagiarism as far as I know, but that's what trains AI. More to the point, you have to verify your word count with their website by actually copy-pasting everything you wrote into the site for it to show you as a winner. The fact that they support AI, and that one of their sponsors offers a whole bunch of AI features? I don't trust them not to be selling every single thing people submit for word count total to feed someone else's writer-bot.

I mean, the NaNoWriMo bods have made some spectacularly shitty decisions the last few years. There was that partnership with those scammers at Inkkit, which also revealed the whole thing where one of their moderators - who operated the youth programme, by the way - turned out to be a paedophile and groomer. But this one is just ... disrespectful of the very thing they were supposed to be supporting.

Please don't use the official NaNoWriMo resources. I am concerned for what it will do with not only what you submit for word count, but what you put in their forums too. If you want to do 50k words in 30 days, I am with you all the way, and others will be too. Find a support group that isn't these jackasses and do that.

Plus the "not using AI is ableist" thing is bullshit, by the way. I am not participating this year (I don't think, anyway; not unless I get a great idea) because I'm damn sure I don't have the spoons for that ... because disabled. Because fibromyalgia. The thing is, I don't want to just say "I produced 50k words and won NaNo", I want to write. I want to use my voice, not something cooked up by a machine learning algorithm based on a single sentence. I think way too many people have forgotten what "in your own voice" means to art.

Like, on the r/criticalrole subreddit, we were talking about how Lance Reddick actually did record all his lines as Thordak in TLOVM before he passed, and I mentioned how different that was going to hit, with the example of having heard Robin Sachs as Zaeed in the ME3 Citadel DLC after he passed. And someone went, "Oh, shit, I didn't know he passed! Hey, do you think they'll one day be able to use the voices of dead voice actors so we can keep hearing them? Because I know it's possible because Snoop Doggy Dogg is reading me my homework now and it's awesome!"

I ... may have kind of exploded. I may also have mentioned that some bunch of assholes tried to make a George Carlin special after Carlin's death and his daughter (understandably) hit the roof. It's bad enough to disrespect thousands of people by training an AI to spit out whatever of their works will fit a prompt sentence, but imagine hearing the voice of someone you love, mangled by AI's inability to get real emotional nuance, possibly saying shit they would never say? Using their voices doesn't change that the emotion and power behind those voices is gone forever; it just parades a decaying copy of them around like some vocal equivalent of Weekend at Bernie's.

[borifle]

tlovm spoilers and wank below the cut

having a lot of feelings about this weeks tlovm eps that basically boil down to “I can’t tell if I’m angry about some of the story changes because they’re different from the campaign, or if I actually just dislike them” 😔

like…. enjoyed the episodes. they’re good! but the way glintshore was handled was really not my favorite.

part of the pay off of the original fight was percy fully saying “I forgive you anna, but I cannot let you leave”, and vm all directly witness his death at her hands and rip her to shreds. acknowledging that she’s a more complicated villain is all fine and dandy but it felt like a disservice to the story at large to have her escape that, and for percy to die alone instead of surrounded by his friends.

and I know they’re going for a world where resurrection is rarer and harder to accomplish, but percy STAYING DEAD for the fight with thordak, and probably now raishan?? didn’t like that at all. scanlan being comatose instead of dead is fine honestly, but I’m also disappointed he won’t be in the raishan fight either.

and KASH. this is a death that I’ll honestly get over eventually, but currently I’m really mad and sad about it. I get it, killing a named character instead of just the nameless background soldiers ups the ante and makes it more dramatic.

but he and zahra are supposed to be happy and together with a BABY on the way by the end of it all, and my fan heart can’t take that he’s probably perma-dead now.

idk. this is very disorganized and not even everything I’m having feelings about. and I didn’t want to post fucking wank cause there’s still 3 episodes left to see where they’re gonna take this lol, but currently? having a rough go of it and just wanna see what happens with campaign 3 later tonight 😩

[wingkink]

ok ok tlovm dump post so im not making a new post every time i have any thoughts

they didnt have to animate the dragons Like That . but they did . <3 for us

omg wait i fuckin. forgor about vorugal. sorry top 5 all time fight i dont even care. hey what do you mean the plate of the dawnmatyr has felled dragons before. WHY IS THE PLATE IN ANKHAREL.

ok sure change stuff <3 like whatever

they couldve. made the wing emerging/retracting animation more erotic . for the boys.

if they dont give us the stealth roll walk of shame i will kill myself btw sorry.

ok sorry to keep talking about this WAIT SHAUN ok got sidetracked a sec there anyway. what, narratively and /or thematically is the reason for putting the plate in ank'harel as opposed to the cloak. and i think im missing one. ripley had 2 no? OH whisper. god i am so sorry. also jmon canonically HAS a vestige and it's none of those . so what are we doing here. maybe all will be revealed. im still gonna complain tho dw

like WHERE is ripley at this point anyway.

this bitch did not just say "emprex". I WENT BACK HE DID. KILL YOURSELFFFFFFFFFF

please financially compensate me for this

are they BREAKING IN to the palace. im fucking crying . actually to be honest i dont remember how they got in the first time. i literally only remember like 2 things from ankharel OH RIPLEY <3

robbing jmon is so much more insane than robbing a random merchant who has the cloak. OHHHHHHHH THE CLOAK BABYYYY

Black Cabals believers are fucking winning soooooo big . everyone who said it was red can seethe. omg orthax! ok im remembering so many fun things hahaha

no kynan im noticing. did that not happen in lovm?

it's so important to remembering watching this + the e2 intro especially that vax is going to die that end. like to keep that in my heart and soul and mind at all moments. are those snowdrops. fair enough man

i am sooooo scared to see jmon. im putting my beautiful delicate sensitive soul in their hands here.

sure. ruby of the sea. whatever

i LOVE YOU cabal's ruin!!! also i finished my chocolate milk at this point so the rest of the episodes are going to get worse reviews.

kaylie <3

yay percy built a bomb

btw havent said it yet but im sure this portrayal of marquet is suuuuuper respectful and everyone is really happy about it

OHHHHH they are beautiful. god i want them so bad . i dont know if i fw the voice!!! but the eyes are perfect . the height!!!! what's with the baby dragon tho!

hey they can put that tiara on me any time. dont like the implications of them having it !

SHUT UP. DONT CARE. SHOW DRAGON

STOP ZOOMING ON PERCAHLIA.

SHOW. DRAGONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

WHAT DO YOU MEAN SEX SCENES

NOT THAT DRAGON

"oh omg they said zerxes omg" OK WHATEVER. ARE WE GETTING DEVOSSA OR NO

oh ok theyre back at whitestone . ok whatever ! i'll kill myself! who cares!

"our future is clouded with misery" yeah!!!! helll yeah brother! let's get that bag!!

also the decision to make the sex scene explicit is crazy. i need that elaborated on immediately

i just remembered the spire also. im rusty. do u think theyll bring yenk back from the hells to fight vorugal. genuinely fight of all time

interested to see how this goes!! being hells rather than plane of fire

oh i am remembering so much that percy is TWENTY THREE. he shouldve been at the CLUB

WAIT RACHEL HOUSE?????? ok bro whatever. guess anyone can be in this

ok i fw indira varma as allura so much

just to summarise. no devossa, not addressed at all that they even exist beyond vex's dragon sense going off briefly . no mention of previously killing thordak. no offer to help. no flute. what are we fucking doing here man

[luxheroica]

so since my brain has been in Legend of Vox Machina land since the trailer dropped I kind of wanted to try my hand at putting all the scenes we see in context with the episode order and my best guess on when they take place. Just my speculation based on context clues. Obviously MAJOR SPOILERS for the entire season and a very long post under the cut. Don’t say you haven’t been warned. 

Based on these clips and the episode structure released I think the plot of the season is going to go thusly: 

1. The Conclave attacks and the fallout around that. We end in Whitestone with Kima and Allura providing direction to Vasselheim.  2. Our heroes get refused at the Platinum Sanctuary, meet Zahra and Kash, have to prove themselves, and get information on the Vestiges of Divergence. Grog gets his beard-giving belt. We meet Victor either here or in episode 4/5.   3. SUNKEN TOMB 4. Sunken tomb aftermath. Vax visits Raven’s Crest. I’m guessing this is where we meet Kaylie and Dr. Dranzel, based on the double meaning alone. (”Those who walk away...” from the Sunken Tomb and from their accidental daughters??)  5. Pyrah and Raishan backstory. Vex either gets her broom in this episode or episode 4. Keyleth gets her new outfit.  6. Mythcarver and Kamaljiori. I think that we go into Westruun at the tail end of this episode before leaving for the Feywild. I actually don’t think that we are going to get Craven Edge denouement in this based on the clip of Pike trying to talk to Grog about Craven Edge as they head towards Gattshadow. I think this means we will get to Westruun at the end of Episode 6 and the stinger will be our heroes scouting out the town and then leaving. Also makes this a Scanlan episode which means we could introduce Kaylie here, although I think that’s late in the season for it.  7. Feywild part 1, Feywild shenanigans meeting Garmelie and arriving at Syngorn 8. Feywild part 2, Syldor and Saundor and the title, this is going to be Vex’s episode 9. Westruun, we meet Willhand and Scanlan helps survivors escape with Kaylie. Craven Edge denouement which leads directly into the fight with Kevdak.  10. Kevdak 11. Umbrasyl part 1 12. Umbrasyl part 2 and wrap up. 

0:01 - 0:12 is all clearly footage from Episode 1. Big dragon attack, lots of destruction, etc. Picking up exactly where we left off at the end of last season. 

0:13 we get this shot. Vax is in Deathwalkers Ward, Keyleth has her new Ashari colors which I am assuming we get at Pyrah, and Vex seems to be holding Fenthras. I think this probably is going to take place in the last episode of the season, in Umbrasyl’s lair. 

0:14 is our first glimpse of what I can only assume is the Raven Queen communing with Vax. I’m guessing that this takes place in Episode 4 “Those Who Walk Away”, but could be elsewhere as well. 

0:16 - 0:18 is this shot of Keyleth saying “It’s like the end of the world” followed by Thordak and Vex, Keyleth and Scanlan narrowly being missed by a fireball. All of these I’m pretty sure are from Episode 1, based on Keyleth’s outfit and that I doubt we’ll see Thordak again until next season. 

0:19 we get Vax asking what the plan is. I think this takes place in Whitestone with Allura and Kima, right before they go to Vasselheim. End of Episode 1 or start of Episode 2

Followed by this shot at 0:20 of the Chroma Conclave together. Probably episode 1 or possibly in Episode 5 as a flashback to Raishan’s role in everything.  

0:21-0:28 is Grog vs. Raishan. “19 doesn’t hit,” indeed, Grog. More from Episode 1, to set up the main plot of this arc.  

0:31: Keyleth opening the Sun Tree with Cassandra, Keeper Yennen and Gilmore watching. Guessing this will be at the top of Episode 2 to start us going to Vasselheim. (I doubt we are going to get back to Whitestone until Season 3.)  

0:31: Scanlan making plans in front of Trinket. Hard to tell from context clues when this is but we’ve got sunset lighting. I’m going to take a stab and say Episode 3, or in the Feywild. Could be anywhere though. 

0:34 team shot!!! Based on the shape of the buildings in the background and the lighting this is Whitestone, probably Episode 2. 

0:35-0:36 is definitely going to be Episode 5 in Pyrah, possibly with Percy worried about his flammability because he’s just loaded up on black powder at Victor’s shop. 

0:37-0:38 Vex’s spit take here and the following group shot seem to be in the same place (the trees are very similar). Neither Vax nor Keyleth have their new outfits which means we haven’t been to Pyrah or the Sunken Tomb yet which means either episode 2 or early in Episode 3 for both of them. Lighting on the first shot matches Grog’s beard growing, and lighting on the second matches ice skating above the Sunken Tomb. These are probably different scenes, I’m guessing from episodes 2 and 3 respectively.  

0:40 New building architecture + snow says this shot is probably Vasselheim! It matches the sunset lighting of the previous group shot. Interestingly we’ve got Grog separated from the rest of the group and in shadow so maybe our first hints of Craven Edge stuff? I’d guess this is Episode 2, probably around when we meet Zahra and Kash. 

0:41 Interestingly it seems this bar scene takes place later on, with Keyleth in her Fire Ashari outfit! I’m assuming she gets the upgrade in Episode 5, which means this is Episode 6 or later. Probably Westruun but could take place in Vasselheim or Whitestone as well. 

0:42-0:43 we get this orc-looking guy getting into a fight with Grog and some clever editing to make it look like he’s getting into a fight with Grog.  Interestingly though those big wide open arches don’t suggest that this is a bar fight. They actually seem to match the architecture from when Keyleth summons her wall of thorns in Episode 10... And whoever Grog is punching in that final shot doesn’t actually seem to be the same guy. I don’t think these are the same fights. 

Not sure what episode orc-guy is from, I think it’s the same bar episode as the rest based on the crowd behind him and the white-haired lady drawing her sword later on, which places this Episode 6 or later. Those last two shots are definitely from either the end of Episode 9 or Episode 10. 

0:44 Keyleth falling, definitely the same episode as the bar shenanigans from before. 

0:45 we get this interesting character. No idea who she’s supposed to be other than some bar tough. I think this is from the same episode as the other bar scenes and wherever we get that orc-guy from.  

0:46 Vex has the broom, and hopes some asshat falls into lava! I think this has to be Episode 5 in Pyrah (there’s sparks drifting down). 

0:47 - 0:52 we have Vox Machina getting kicked out of the Platinum Sanctuary, almost certainly at the very top of Episode 2. 

0:53 We meet Osysa and get our first glimpse of the Vestiges of Divergence!! Which is likely going to be the arc of Episode 2, meeting Zahra and Kash and capping off with meeting Osysa who gives Vox Machina the quest for the vestiges. Interestingly her speech seems like it’s cut somewhat awkwardly, which means it’s probably going to be longer in the actual show. 

0:56 we get out first shot of the Titanstone Knuckles and what could be Kevdak! (Although he has hair, so maybe it’s not Kevdak?) This might be pulled from Osysa’s speech about the Vestiges but could also be from a later reveal of Grog and Pike backstory. 

0:57 Pike facing down a sphinx. I think this might actually be Kamaljiori rather than Osysa based on the size and Pike’s role in that fight. But also the markings are slightly different based on what we see from Kamaljiori later in the trailer. 

0:58 Vax at Raven’s Crest wearing the Deathwalker’s Ward. I think this is almost certainly Episode 4, since I doubt once we leave Vasselheim we’re going to go back until Season 3. 

0:59 we get this shot of Raishan, most likely from Episode 1. 

1:00 - 1:04 Grog gets his beard!! I think this must happen in episode 2 or 3. Neither Vax nor Keyleth have changed outfits yet, so I think this is probably during the Trial of the Take equivalent or right preceding the dive into The Sunken Tomb. 

1:04 - 1:06 Kamaljiori firing off laser beams at Vax! This probably takes place in Episode 6 based on the episode titles alone, which means that something else is going to happen to trigger Craven Edge. 

1:07 Scanlan, Kaylie and Dr. Dranzel’s Troupe. I’m guessing they’re going to want to introduce Kaylie as early as possible before stuff in Westruun. Might be as early as Episode 2 although I have a feeling Episode 2 is going to be packed already. Based on the title of the episode I’m gonna say Episode 4 in Vasselheim.  

1:08 Keyleth and Zahra opening the way to The Sunken Tomb which places this smack in the middle of Episode 3. 

1:09 - 1:12 We’ve got this Beholder-like creature, followed by Keyleth and Scanlan saying they’ve pissed something off. I think they’re talking about the Beholder-beast, which is clearly a copyright-friendly stand in for the Beholder in the Sunken Tomb. Episode 3! 

1:13 - 1:14: Scanlan doing some arcane skating above the lake that holds the Sunken Tomb. 

1:14 Pike yelling at someone that Vox Machina is trying to save the world. Interestingly this line also sounds slightly cut down. I wonder if it was originally “we’re trying to save the fucking world”. 

1:15 and seems based on lighting that Pike was yelling at Zahra and Kash in the Slayer’s Take, probably after being rejected by the Platinum Sanctuary. Zahra doesn’t look impressed (although I think this is probably some clever editing and this reaction might be towards Vex rather than Pike). Regardless I think both these shots are from Episode 2. 

1:16-1:17, Keyleth summoning some thorns in Episode 10. Interestingly this architecture matches up with the big arches sees in Grog’s fight earlier in the trailer, which makes me think that that’s not actually him vs. Kern and rather Grog v Kevdak. 

1:18 - 1:20 we get a series of shots that I can only surmise are going to take place in the Feywild. Look at all that weird flora and those psychedelic colors!! These have got to be from Episode 7. 

1:21 Grog coming out of the Pokeball for his final attack at Kevdak, solidly Episode 10. 

1:22 Percy is shocked by something new. Vax in Deathwalker’s ward and Vex on the ground and what looks like a chest full of gold to their right. Based on the gold which I think was the herd’s tribute to Umbrasyl, this is probably the start of the Umbrasyl fight which puts this at Episode 11. 

1:24 Scanlan and Pike trying to save Mr Winky from a wolf. Doesn’t look snowy enough to be Vasselheim so I think this is the lead up to Kamaljiori in the Frostweald which means episode 6. 

1:25 Vex uses Raven’s Slumber to summon Trinket. There’s sparks flying through the air and the general ashy atmosphere makes me think Pyrah so episode 5. 

1:26 And Vex on her broom vs Umbrasyl! Looks like this is indoors which means in the lair, which means Episode 12!

1:27 - 1:37 our longest gag, Vax and Scanlan prepare to go inside a dragon the only way they know how. With a brief cutaway to Episode 1 and some poor lady melting to underscore how dangerous Umbrasyl’s acid breath is but otherwise this entire sequence will be in Episode 11. 

Then we get the title card and release date! 

1:43 - 1:57 We get Scanlan in the baby bjorn! More context on this clip was released on twitter. Keyleth and Vax are in their new outfits and that’s clearly Gattshadow in the background which means they’re headed down to Westruun. Pike is trying to talk to Grog about Craven Edge and he’s not having it. Pretty sure this puts us at Episode 6!

Anyways those are my thoughts, we shall see if any of them pan out a month from now!! (I can’t wait!!) 

[fantasyverses]

Scenes in TLoVM that remind me of other movies/shows (part 1)

First of all this is not hate, I love TLoVM with all four chambers of my heart.

Second, season 2 is upon us and so I put away my procrationation of this post to bring it into existence (dunno if someone else did, I haven’t seen it)

Three: if there are any other parts depends on whether or not there will be such scenes in season 2, 3 and possibly hopefully others

Four - feel free to add yours if you have others

Last of all... spoilers for season 1, I guess, and other things? But like...you've probably seen those. (It’s Harry Potter and Philosopher's Stone and Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug)

Number 1: Yep, definitely the evil one, congrats, you solved it (I love you anyway)

Number 2: It is I, powerful being, and I bring you the aesthetics of an eye (One we stan, one... not so much)

Number 3: I am Fire, I. Am. Death (I genuinely expected Thordak to say something dramatic like that)

[utilitycaster]

thinking about Sam wanting to kill more NPCs in the Thordak battle again and he's right and I really want this for the upcoming Campaign 3 Malleus Key and the Ludinus fight. Like, I want all the Vox Machina and Mighty Nein PCs to make it* and while I'm not opposed to a Bells Hells death or two I don't want a TPK or anything, and admittedly I have a soft spot for Allura and Kima so Protect Them but like. there's a bunch of allies, Crown Keeper PCs, and whatever Liliana is whom I wouldn't mind seeing going out in a blaze of glory. Battles should be dangerous and lethal and something to be avoided unless there is no alternative.

*this means Vax is returned to his post-C1x115/pre-C3x51 state, as a celestial of the Raven Queen. If you feel differently that is your own schmaltzy business and belongs on your posts rather than mine.

[mariuslepual]

I've seen people criticise the changes they've made in the show that seem to minimise the female characters' stories and I would like to offer my two cents of unasked opinion.

first of all, I don't feel concerned given that we know cr still has full creative control over tlovm. I'm sure that if marisha and laura felt like their characters are being made an injustice they would bring it up. secondly, the story is nowhere close to done.

they've really been shuffling the events this season to create more cohesive and smoother storytelling in the limited time. the fact that events or conversations don't happen when they did is not indicative that they're being dropped entirely. in the intro the twins stand in front of a burning house. I seriously doubt they'd just drop the reveal that thordak killed their mother entirely after building it up. similarly now it seems grog may be facing the horde without vex and her trinket ball - but he's said the line and we've seen him drop from the skies in the trailer. I'm sure we're getting the scene from the kill box.

this is to say, I have faith in the storytelling and I have faith everyone feels like their characters are given justice. loss of nuance is unavoidable when we need to cut hundreds of hours of gameplay into a roughly 5 hour season. yes keyleth may lean more into the naive and cutesy parts of her personality but it's an entirely different thing to be able to role play character growth throughout the years and have it play out in just 12 episodes and make it feel believable and unrushed. focusing on one key flaw (her lack of confidence) is an effective way to ge the best of both worlds. a lot of lore has to be cut too, and with it the characters' ruminations on the world. and who's to say we *won't* get more of "atheist"* kiki once the deal with the raven queen gets explored more in depth or we get to melora's staff and keyleth's relationship to it.

similarily, I'm not worried about vex. I think the trinket scene was used to further hammer home the twins' codependency in an episode that was mostly focused on vax. a pattern is emerging or everybody getting their spotlight, roughly one character per episode. I am sure we'll see more of vex's perspective once we get to the echo tree, maybe even scenes previously unseen, since this episode will definitely focus on her. I may here say I do hope they won't make her relationship with syldor the sole focus, but in general I tend not to worry about things in advance when so far I have no reason to distrust the storytelling. moreover, I wouldn't be surprised if her seemingly carefree and overconfident behaviour from these episodes got explored more during the echo tree.

* yes I know kiki is not atheist per se but I'm simplifying for the sake of an already overly long post. y'all know what I mean.

[andi-o-geyser]

HEY! HEY YOU! YOU UPDATED YOUR PAGE TWENTY-SIX MINUTES AGO! TUMBLR TOLD ME SO! GIVE ME YOUR PERCAHLIA BRAINROT!

Haha, gladly! Buckle in, because the brainrot has been going for weeks now and will not stop. Currently, I’m stuck on their journey to the Water Ashari, where Vex and Percy have the most heartfelt conversation about what they heard during their respective resurrection rituals. Percy basically says that in space of limbo he was stuck in while Orthax was feasting on his soul he could only hear pure noise and feel pain and he’s tried so hard to not put the experience into words but now he is putting it into words, for Vex, because she deserves the full truth of the offerings that called him back during his ritual. He tells her that he had: “great motivation to live a long life”, which just makes me want to go fucking feral because on a meta level Vex rolled true love’s natural 20 and Tal specifically said that he told Matt to text him because if they didn’t say what Percy wanted to hear, he just fully wouldn’t come back, good resurrection rolls be damned, but despite Pike’s plea for the gods to save him (which was something he explicitly wouldn’t have wanted), Vex told him she loved him and she needed him back, and Percy was called back anyways for her. 

He was ready to let everything go: his sister, his home, his found family and all the friends he’d made, because he was done and he was tired and he felt like he’d completed his journey and earned his tragic end, and he even preemptively wrote what essentially functioned as a suicide note for the occasion. But he didn’t die, he came back anyways, and, almost 20 full episodes after the resurrection ritual and exactly 15 episodes after he and Vex first kissed in the snow, he admits to her in this quiet moment on the ship that he heard her. And it was the only thing he heard. 

This contrasts directly with the ritual itself, where after being brought back he thanked Keyleth, saying: “I saw what you did, it was the only thing I saw”, referring to how Kiki severed him from Orthax, but he also explicitly states that he couldn’t hear her, he just saw her hand reach out. And when she hears it you can just see Laura play it brilliantly, because Vex looks so dejected as he says it in that scene post resurrection. She’s so full of this sudden grief at something she’s barely had but already lost, which was her confession of love to him because he just said he only saw Keyleth, and that means he doesn’t remember Vex’s plea for his life. But he did remember, and it was the only thing he remembered and the only thing that mattered. But he didn’t tell her not because of any time he needed to consider if he felt the same way, because he was already head over heels just like she was; he didn’t say anything because she just bore her heart in front of all their friends, all their family, and he didn’t want to put her on the spot like that. 

“I never would have hoped... you’re far too wonderful for an idiot. I treasure every minute”. Percy knows and Vex knows that he was very well almost gone for good, and Vex saved his life by calling out to him the way she did. He never would have hoped she felt the same way, he never would have hoped the heart she was referring to when confronting Saundor was his, but he treasures every minute they have together because they both know what they could have lost, and after the Thordak, Raishan, and second Raishan fight, this is even more potent because they both either went to death saves or outright died and had to be revivified. And she treasures every moment right back. They’re so deeply in love, and they have such an immense respect for each other that as soon as Vex asks at the top of the scene what he heard during his resurrection Percy instantly catches on that she’s both probably curious about Scanlan’s ritual, but also still feeling insecure about him not mentioning her contribution, and the entire subsequent scene is basically him both working through the remnants of trauma from the experience but also laying it out in an considerate way for her, and apologizing for any pain he caused. 

And then they get drunk and imply they’re going to have sex in a closing line. It’s peak Perc’ahlia and it makes me go insane 

[nochi-quinn]

legend of vox machina season 2 episode 11: Belly of the Beast OR I said what what

"you came up here to sleep with your daughter" "I feel like I wouldn't have let it get that far??" you didn't know shit, scanlan, you 100% would have

not the flogger having an actual emotional significance

HOLD UP. WAIT. ZOOM AND ENHANCE.

kaylie: >:|

"burt?!"

you've heard of immovable rod get ready for immovable sword

of course scanlan knows how to slip ropes like that

MA'AM

leave him ALONE

"why does your keg say 'for animal consumption only'?" grog's drinking ivermectin

I do like the gold-amber-red gradient on the little fate thread

YOU'D BEST START BELIEVING IN GHOST STORIES

not the campaign 1 death roll

me @ the raven queen:

scanlan looking all despondent :(

like it's an amazing pose/expression, just. :(

the fact that vax really does see scanlan as like a big brother advice-giving type (which is maybe a little bit of liam and sam bleeding through but hey)

thordak: BITCH BETTER HAVE MY MONEY

flashback to mica talking about thordak as a shitty dad

so that's cabal's ruin she's wearing, right? or is she gonna pick that up between now and glintshore

background goliath: "this better be good or I'm killin' something" also me whenever I have to have a conversation first thing in the morning

"please god tell me this is a metaphor"

"we need a good plan" "so…do you have one?" "have one what"

big "it's time for plan b" "do we have a plan b?" "no but it's time for one" energy

keyleth failing six stealth checks in a row

"I put you in this place" technically that was percy

"do not go far from me" HEY. NO. SHUT UP.

this whole thing originally took place post-thordak, after the timeskip when percy had a temple to the raven queen built in whitestone

"this isn't something we have to talk about now. or ever, honestly." mood

"it always matters"

"don't let him get away" I regret to inform you that that is in fact the one thing he will actually do

roommate: is that blood? me: yyyyup roommate, with feeling: gross

"take the plunge" I feel like he maybe wasn't being quite this literal, vax

the coffin pose was not necessary, you dramatic ass

I had to look this up, this is Courtenay Taylor as the Raven Queen, which knocked me 100% for a loop

like. jack masseffect? female soul survivor? in my critical role??

there are six fate threads connected to vax, one for each of the other party members

lays in the floor about it

ngl I did have An Emotion about "all the living share one experience"

I also like the idea that RQ has been scouting vax this whole time, even before the temple

also one of those priestesses was liev'tel and I will not be convinced otherwise

"whose blood is that?!"

and now vax is a born-again

"you…dig…there"

the little "dig" gesture

"he's not very smart, is he?"

interrogating the axe

scanlan really is tryingggggg

it's so hard watching this and knowing where scanlan's character arc ends up and just wanting him to be there Now

(someone on the tag made the point that stream!scanlan played everything as a joke until suddenly demanding to be taken seriously, which was a big cause of everyone's confusion and upset in ep. 85, because he really hadn't earned that kind of pathos. this arc is much more satisfying to watch bc we can see those pieces falling into place in real time, instead of having future events informing them in hindsight.)

they can feel the heat from that fire in the next city

petition for that specific pitch to be removed from everyone's sound libraries forever

passive perception too strong pls nerf

quick someone cast fairy fire

this is going to be an extremely weird sentence but I enjoy what they've done with environmental blood splatter this season

vorugal's ice blasts, umbrasyl's invisible stomps, they're just good

"I found out I'm the champion of the Matron of Ravens" "I found out I'm a father" "…you win"

the little look down at "the other way"

plus vax's face after

DRAGON HADOUKEN

the pupil dilation

"I didn't actually think this would work!" "it really shouldn't have"

"you leave when Scanlan Shorthalt TELLS you to leave"

love that the broom drop fastball special is just their signiature move now

(are there people having the same reaction to finding out Grog and Vex are married that I did to finding out Roy Mustang and Lust are married)

[topaz-mutiny]

Folks seem to be interested in my random and extremely sporadic word vomit (and my tempo is unlikely to change - it may be I even just go silent for a couple months) so I’d thought I’d gather some of my guessworks for the upcoming Season 3 of Vox Machina.

Having seen the campaign already and knowing what points they need to hit gives me some ideas on what might happen.

The first thing to note is that what will happen likely depends pretty strongly on if the Chroma Conclave arc extends into Season 4 or not. If CC ends in Season 3, thats one dragon dead every 4 episodes. Which doesn’t sound bad until you account for everything that happens in between - 3 more people need vestiges, potential plane-hopping, downtime scenes, romance scenes, villain scenes, character progression scenes (like the Twins finding out it was Thordak that killed their mom). Is a lot. But it could be done - a lot would probably need to get cut or condensed.

So, with that in mind, here’s what I think is going to get cut and changed if the Conclave ends in S3:

Kynan Leore is cut entirely. Vax already has plenty of storypoints on his plate, adding in Syndrome isn’t too necessary especially since Ripley can just hire anybody she wants. There’s also not been any buildup to it, and while it could happen entirely in S3, that would be time better served to the other members of Vox.

Hotis is cut entirely. Again, Vax has already had a lot happen and while Hotis’ conclusion didn’t happen until after the Conclave, what we’ve seen of Hotis seemed to just purely be an easter egg for fans of the actual-play. So this also would mean Vox Machina Does Not Go To Hell. Percy may make a deal with a devil somewhere else.

City of Brass might be cut. We’ve just seen two major moments of Scanlan (jumping from a height with Mythcarver in order to save his friends and getting a devastating hit (from Hotis’ attempted assassination), and Awakening Mythcarver by standing his ground and not running away (killing blow on a devil in the City of Brass)) so the only really important thing left there is the Plate of the Dawnmartyr, which could be moved. I can see the City of Brass staying but being greatly changed, especially if the Conclave extends into S4.

Keyleth’s Earth Aramente will be shown. This is something that happened pre-stream and during a timeskip, so no one but Matt and Marisha really have had details on this before. But the show has indicated that Keyleth still needs to go to Terra for her Aramente, so it seems like it will be shown here and she will gain her Keyteor Earth Elemental form here. Possibly could also be combined with getting the Spire of Conflux, depending on what happens with Vorugal.

Vorugal is a big heaping question mark. I have doubts they will ever show Draconia (and the ravine tree was used as their entry to Vasselheim), and a straight assault on Whitestone seems unlikely (what with the magic barrier and Raishan’s alleged help), so it’s really up in the air as to where they’ll be taking his fight (beyond being near a forest for that Anything Can Happen In the Woods scene post-battle, if it maintains its place in the timeline (it might move, honestly, as it seems too quick to have All Them Ripley Scenes in the first 3-4 episodes and then kill Vorugal since he’s definitely the second dragon that will be taken down)). Possibly the dragon fight I’m most interested in since it’s such an unknown.

Ripley might have more vestiges. For the sake of condensing things, Ripley could not only start stealing Cabal’s Ruin and Whisper, but the Plate of the Dawnmartyr as well and maybe even the Spire of Conflux. She seems WAY more involved in the show than in the streams and we’ve gotten to see her perspective fairly frequently. Having more than 1 or 2 vestiges (some part of me thinks Whisper might be cut since Show Vax is fast enough that teleporting on a knife hit seems redundant, plus it would work better having 1 vestige per character) on hand would also make her and her crew an even more interesting and dangerous Mirror Match for the party. It will also help lead the show party into discovering she’s involved, discovering she’s making guns, and letting Percy feel like shit for multiple episodes.

I do expect the Thordak and Raishan fights to go pretty much like they did on stream (barring the deaths, which all but one will be removed). Speaking of deaths...

While I really, really, REALLY want it to happen, it is still possible Percy’s Glintshore death will be replaced with something equally dire, like Orthax kidnapping his soul or something and torturing him a little, and after Orthax is gone his soul is separated from his body and is contemplating going with the Matron of Ravens until Someone calls his soul back to his body.

Unlike by brother, I still think Scanlan’s FIX HIM death is still going to happen. They’ve really been focusing on giving Scanlan a five-star treatment during the show (which, not gonna lie, I’m a little annoyed at), and that death and his team’s prank cements his decision to leave Vox Machina. It would also be a great point to allow Pike to perform her first resurrection rite, based off of how she saw Kashaw perform one, and set up for how Vax’s upcoming death is a death Pike cannot fix.

And then they might do something to set up the Whispered One / return of That Bitch arc, but I’m not sure what it could be. A villain scene, perhaps.

So, that’s it for my thoughts on the major plot beats.