If you look at the scene right after Scanlan asks who the sixth barrel is for, but right before Keyleth starts the fire, you can see Percy's shadow holding its own gun to its own head.
Although that's actually a bit misleading, as Taliesin and Matt have confirmed that they both individually (without discussing it with the other) decided that the unlabeled barrel was to signify that the cycle of revenge would never stop, and that once he cleared his current list, he'd just go after new targets. So the barrel wasn't for himself, it was for the rest of the world.
@@FrostyTheSnowPickle AND, the creation of the gun mean that others would see it and recreate it, and its destruction would spread far beyond Percy. It's a triplicate thing.
@@FrostyTheSnowPicklemy interpretation is that when he created the List, Percy (consciously or not) intended the sixth barrel for himself, but Orthax (and Matt and Taliesin) had other plans.
Good for you for powering through these episodes. I love the way that you're picking up on how Vex relates to the other members of Vox Machina, because she's different with each one. I think she's hard on Keyleth only partially because she's worried about Keyleth hurting Vax, and partially because she's impatient with Keyleth's confidence issues. And sometimes Keyleth needs to be pushed to use her powers. I think that for Vex, Percy is a puzzle that she keeps trying to solve. But he's one of those really complicated ones, like a wooden puzzle box that you have slide one piece, and then turn it over and slide a different piece in a different direction, and do that over and over again until it finally opens up. Fortunately, she's really good at finding the exact right piece to move with him.
There's a saying in the livestream that didn't make the show for some reason, which is a shame. It's a good line. "Things that die in Whitestone don't stay dead long."
When you think about it, with the constant cloud cover Whitestone gets so Sylas can exist safely there - that might be the first actual moonlight they've seen in a LONG time.
45:25 Its assumed that Percy being older was tortured more for information, Cassandra being younger (actually the youngest in the original) was both less likely to know anything and more useful if looked after to keep her compliant.
While rudimentary black powder canons do exist in Exandria (the world the show is set in) Percy was indeed the first person to ever invent working firearms.
Taliesin said he based Percy on his concept of what the first person to build a gun must have been like, why he might have done it and what he would have been his reaction to the deaths his invention brought about.
I've watched so many Vox Machina reactions and yours are some of my favorites I've come across, maybe it's because you read the comments before but your genuine love for these characters and willingness to go deep in analysis about them without knowing where the story is going is so wonderful, and I love the insights and little things you've picked up on. I'm so looking forward to watching more because this has been an absolute delight.
Yes, Percy and Keyleth are both early 20s agewise. It's never made entirely clear which of the 2 is the elder. I think the consensus is that Percy was about 17 when his family was killed.
I loved Pike's needing of making a choice about how to be a cleric. In a d&d world with monsters, demons, and undead roaming around a good aligned deity needs follwers who can either face evil and root it out or shepherd the common people. Pike thought she had to be a shepherd when she was actually the kind that finds evil and deals with it. I didn't watch the first campaign to avoid spoilers but I heard that Pike switched to being a war preist after an incident when the player decided that she needed a morenof a combat focus for her character and i think this is a great way to show that.
I adore how much you appreciate and understand Vex and Percy's dynamic. And your general style of analysis! Also, thanks for keeping me company through some long and grueling decluttering sessions.
I adore the reveal of the Everlight. The thing is that she knows Pike is a good person at heart, that is her truth. But Pike didn't seem to know it at times, and that created the block. The Everlight - Sarenrae - is the goddess of Redemption. yay for bunnies!
I've commented on maybe two videos ever, just not my thing. But i really love how you understand the characters and where they are here. I am invested in your journey with this story!
Percy’s Gun is called The List, 5 Barrels are named, Stonefell, Ripley, Anders, Delilah and Silas. The sixth one is unnamed for two reasons, one is that the last one is for himself that once he has killed the monsters that destroyed his life he would kill the last monster he knows, himself. The other reason is there are always more people that can betray percy and gun is waiting to refill the “List”.
One reason why Percy and Vex have such good chemistry is because they both view each other as the only "responsible adults" in the group. Taliesin specifically said that's how Percy views Vex. I mean from their POV's, you have Vax who's always getting in trouble by running off, Keyleth who's naive and insecure, and Scanlan and Grog who are...well Scanlan and Grog. Pike might be another "adult" but she's gone most of the time.
Taliesin Jaffe has forever ruined one liners for me cause nothing will ever top how I felt the first time I heard Percy say "You're the face I saw when murder entered my heart." before blowing Anders head off.
@@RuslanIvanyuk-ub8fj He has tons of great ones but with this one I'm more so specifically referring to one liners said before or after a character kills someone. It's such a sad but badass line given the context and Taliesin's performance elevates it even more.
For some spells, after you learn them, you can only use once per day until you gain more experience. In the game it's called "spell slots", and each caster class has a certain number available (depending on the class, a few are "at will"), but fairly high level spells like "Polymorph" - changing to other forms - are very limited till you get quite experienced. What Keyleth does is called "Wildshape" which is a class abilty she has as a druid, not a spell. She can turn into an animal, but not inherently magical creatures and she is limted in how big or strong the animal can be based on her druid "level" or experience.
About Cassandra's indignation that Percy left, remember for 5 years she has been a captive and puppet of the Briarwoods. Who knows what poison they whispered in her ear to hold sway over her.
By the way, I found your channel initially because of your Epic the Musical reactions... I love it when i find reactors whose content and interests overlap mine.
During the campaign if someone was coming back from death, Matt(theDM) would often say the spell is cast, then he would wait for a moment before the person takes their first breath, upping the tension
31:56 I really wish that were true, in the US at least we have a national shortage of teachers and so there are plenty of people teaching without degrees and sometimes even certifications. It is also a dwindling number of graduates in teaching.
You are very insightful. But you have a bunny, so that should be obvious. It is very intriguing to see you go through so much inner turmoil, empathizing with the plight of the characters, right up until you see something sexy. Then you pump the break and queue up "Careless Whisper." Yes, it's clear that Vex has seen a need to take care of Percy during this trying time in his life. But I'm sure Percy plans to take care of himself once this is all over.
Have you ever watched Arcane on Netflix? Season 2 is airing in November and I would really love you reacting to Season 1. I and many others think its an artistic and Storytelling Masterpiece and some of the best entertainment released in the last 10+ years. Edit: I know it seem like trend chasing but you are always very insightful and observant with your character analyses. So I promise you there will be a TON of people in November looking for Season 2 reactions like that! It will be a great opportunity to grow your community.
I really enjoyed s1 so I wouldn't be opposed to reacting to s2 at all! If I'm going to watch it anyway and people would enjoy my ramblings, might as well, right?
If you think it's unfair how hot all the characters are, you definitely shouldn't check out any pictures of the Critical Role cast. The photoshoot they did for Variety is just too much. Especially Vex.
My favorite thing to come out of that (indirectly) is the "yassified" bit. For those who don't know, Sam's characters are usually on the small side. And starting in campaign one, someone gave him a giant stein to represent how big it would be compared to his character. And he started decorating it every week, putting a little note or something on the bottom for the audience to read when he took a drink. This practice has carried over through all 3 campaigns. In the current one, one of the bits he did was to use a filter on the cast members to "yassify" them. One of the pictures he used was of Marisha from that shoot, which leads to a hilarious discussion. If you're curious, look up "Critical Role Yassified compilation" to see it. (No spoilers in it, though some character names do get mentioned.) And a bit of context, they mention "Chloe Dykstra", who is a friend of theirs. She, Marisha, and Matt did a sketch on here ages ago. Look up "Matt Mercer Fantasy Football". It's the first video ("fantasy football mov").
re. Lord de Rolo having no interest in increasing the residuum production: residuum is Exandria's equivalent of nuclear technology - it can do a lot of good, but in the wrong hands it can also be very destructive (this has been a running theme across all three campaigns). Selling an increased yield would mean find more buyers - and turning a blind eye to WHY those buyers wanted residuum...
Yeah, getting turned on by Percy is kind of a thing; I came out as asexual in 2019, adopted Percy as blorbo in 2020-21, and in 2022, I definitely was saying that exact same thing (“he’s scary but also kinda hot.”).
I'm a researcher, and we don't really have a choice about teaching. So while I understand the sentiment about "don't teach when you don't like it", some of us just love research and feel like it's our purpose while struggling with teachings. Personally I like my students but I don't like the teaching format and suffered from discrimination. And weirdly I think Anders is just like that, a researcher funding it's research with tutolage. While he is despicable, people ignoring his research fueled his anger and hate.
haha maybe i'm just projecting about my colleagues who CHOSE to teach high school and...just talk about how much they hate it right there in the hallways where the kids can hear! retire! retire already! very different from being a professor at a research-based institution!
(Added at the end of the video) : OKAY first of all, SO FLOOFY! That creature is too adorable to even exist, I call shenannigans, he's clearly some kind of animatronic soft toy 😍 I've been writing this comment as I watched, so it got kind of long, I did attempt to edit, but I ended up needing to clarify some things and it... may actually have gotten longer. EDITING IS DIFFICULT. 🤣 (I realised how long this was getting near the end and stopped writing thoughts down, but I feel that ship might have sailed, lol) I hope you never feel obliged to read these walls, sometimes it's just fun to react to you reacting! I continue to really enjoy your thoughtful take on the party, and the insight you show towards their harsher moments, these are all deeply flawed characters, and the way you try to understand them through a lens of kindness says as much about you as them :) (Actual comment:) 3:28: "Why would they ever trust him" it's implied from their clothing that this was the same day the Briarwoods sprang their trap, so Anders was probably feeling safe to let his actual thoughts show. I imagine up until this point he's been a model tutor, while working against the family (who carefully guard the production and distribution of residuum) behind their backs to conspire with the Briarwoods, (and line his pockets at the same time.) The mask slips here, but it's too late, in a few short hours almost every living soul in the castle will be dead or turned traitor. Yep, the white hair and sideburns add a few years to his face (and all the trauma, I imagine) but Percy is the youngest member of the party, he was only 17 or 18 when he escaped (Cass was 13). So 5 nightmare-filled years, and a whooole lot of repressed emotion. Like most fantasy worlds, Exandria isn't suffering from an overabundance of therapists. Until Percy invented the pepperbox, no working gun had been seen in Tal'Dorei. Though Matt has said that there may have been similar things brewing concurrently on other continents. For all intents and purposes though, Percy has the first gun that anyone they encounter has seen. Other things that utilize black powder exist in the world It's the miniaturization that's the hard part, creating something that will reliably (or at least /somewhat/ reliably) use a small explosion to propel a bullet out (and, just as importantly, propel it FORWARDS😆) rather than, say, exploding a hand. Only a dangerously clever person, who is dangerously desperate, would even attempt such a project. In the animation you often see people look kind of confused when he points the pepperbox at them, rather than the "oh shit" face we might expect as viewers? That's why. 41:37: a moment for some headcanon, if you'll allow: I've always speculated during this scene that Anders didn't have control over the party's deeper instincts. There's NO way Vex misses those shots. We just saw her leap through the air and Robin Hood an arrow into a perfect headshot, mid-jump (even /drawing/ a bow mid-air is honestly impressive, Vex clearly never misses arm day.) but she doesn't hit Percy standing 2 feet away? Even when Keyleth pins him to a wall? (barely hard enough to bruise, leaving his arms and head free) Nah. She's in there somewhere, fighting to MISS.
See also, Grog could have absolutely just kept squeezing and crushed Vax's head like an orange, but he's throwing books? And when he DID grab people, he threw them ALL further away, out of his melee range. Grog might have an intelligence of 6, but he knows combat, we saw him grab hold of two people bigger than Vax and crush their skulls like, 2 minutes ago. He never hesitates to deal massive, bloody damage. But here, in close range, he didn't land a single significant hit? It feels like he's trying to keep his friends away from him. Of course I could be completely making this up, this is 100% headcanon, it's just something that ...feels like it could be true? So you get to hear about it! Hooray! :D 44:35: *slaps Percy's shoulder like a used car dealer* This man can hold SO much guilt! :D Everyone loses when you play the Trauma Olympics. Percy and Cass were both tortured, they both lost their family, they both survived. The unpacking of grief, shame, anger, guilt, and whether or not they're being "fair", is going to require vulnerability, and at the moment neither Percy not Cass can afford to let go of the coping mechanisms that have kept them alive up to this point. When Silas asks "What are you doing?" I always imagine he's thinking "Damn, I was saving those leftovers for later" 😆 The Everlight is a deity of redemption, second chances, and light, her tenets include healing the hopeless, showing mercy and compassion, and destroying those who revel in evil and cannot be redeemed (the undead in particular). She isn't about policing someone's drinking habits or recreation choices, it only matters that you do good, and pull others out darkness. As someone who was left with baggage from a religious upbringing, it caught me off guard how much my trans, queer, neurospicy ass needed to hear the line "Any path can be a holy one" because there's a bone deep guilt for just existing that comes from being raised believing that you cannot be a good person unless you follow the rules and revere some invisible sky wizard. "You can be whomever you wish to be in the light" always gets me right in the heart. [/overshare] ANYWAY, point is, yeah, the Everlight is neat.😅 This is... very long. Stop having such good thoughts that I want to respond to! 🤣
Have you read "Kith & Kin" Vex & Vax's origins story novel? it doesn't have any spoilers as far as I remember and its a full novel about their backstory taking place before they join Vox Machina. It's really good, I figured I'd ask since you said you read the origins comics, but didn't mention it. ALSO If percy has a great line, or really anyone in the show, you can almost Guarantee it was improvised on the spot in the campaign. they're all SO good with one liners, but especially Taliesin Jaffe (Percy's actor and creator), & Matt Mercer (The DM & voice of Sylas, and MANY of the background characters in the show)
Taliesin Jaffe slaps shoulder of Percy "This bad boy can fit so much trauma in it!" XD
Liam O'Brien: "Shall we make this a competition?"
@@scaredscorpion Suddenly Sam Riegel from the top rope with a chair: EMOTIONAL DAMAGE!
@@InkyPetrel
???: "amateurs"
What?
Matt Mercer with all the NPCs: "AMATEURS!"
If you look at the scene right after Scanlan asks who the sixth barrel is for, but right before Keyleth starts the fire, you can see Percy's shadow holding its own gun to its own head.
Although that's actually a bit misleading, as Taliesin and Matt have confirmed that they both individually (without discussing it with the other) decided that the unlabeled barrel was to signify that the cycle of revenge would never stop, and that once he cleared his current list, he'd just go after new targets. So the barrel wasn't for himself, it was for the rest of the world.
@@FrostyTheSnowPickle But in a metaphorical sense, it was also very much for Percy.If he follows that path everything that's left of who he is dies.
@@FrostyTheSnowPickle AND, the creation of the gun mean that others would see it and recreate it, and its destruction would spread far beyond Percy. It's a triplicate thing.
@@FrostyTheSnowPicklemy interpretation is that when he created the List, Percy (consciously or not) intended the sixth barrel for himself, but Orthax (and Matt and Taliesin) had other plans.
"Yours is the face I saw when murder entered my heart".
Chills every time.
Good for you for powering through these episodes. I love the way that you're picking up on how Vex relates to the other members of Vox Machina, because she's different with each one. I think she's hard on Keyleth only partially because she's worried about Keyleth hurting Vax, and partially because she's impatient with Keyleth's confidence issues. And sometimes Keyleth needs to be pushed to use her powers.
I think that for Vex, Percy is a puzzle that she keeps trying to solve. But he's one of those really complicated ones, like a wooden puzzle box that you have slide one piece, and then turn it over and slide a different piece in a different direction, and do that over and over again until it finally opens up. Fortunately, she's really good at finding the exact right piece to move with him.
He also represents something she wants. But we'll come back to that in, oh, 11 episodes. 😁
There's a saying in the livestream that didn't make the show for some reason, which is a shame. It's a good line.
"Things that die in Whitestone don't stay dead long."
When you think about it, with the constant cloud cover Whitestone gets so Sylas can exist safely there - that might be the first actual moonlight they've seen in a LONG time.
45:25 Its assumed that Percy being older was tortured more for information, Cassandra being younger (actually the youngest in the original) was both less likely to know anything and more useful if looked after to keep her compliant.
While rudimentary black powder canons do exist in Exandria (the world the show is set in) Percy was indeed the first person to ever invent working firearms.
Taliesin said he based Percy on his concept of what the first person to build a gun must have been like, why he might have done it and what he would have been his reaction to the deaths his invention brought about.
I've watched so many Vox Machina reactions and yours are some of my favorites I've come across, maybe it's because you read the comments before but your genuine love for these characters and willingness to go deep in analysis about them without knowing where the story is going is so wonderful, and I love the insights and little things you've picked up on. I'm so looking forward to watching more because this has been an absolute delight.
Yes, Percy and Keyleth are both early 20s agewise. It's never made entirely clear which of the 2 is the elder. I think the consensus is that Percy was about 17 when his family was killed.
I loved Pike's needing of making a choice about how to be a cleric.
In a d&d world with monsters, demons, and undead roaming around a good aligned deity needs follwers who can either face evil and root it out or shepherd the common people.
Pike thought she had to be a shepherd when she was actually the kind that finds evil and deals with it.
I didn't watch the first campaign to avoid spoilers but I heard that Pike switched to being a war preist after an incident when the player decided that she needed a morenof a combat focus for her character and i think this is a great way to show that.
Being turned on by Percy is a rite of passage for all Vox Machina fans, Congratulations!
I adore how much you appreciate and understand Vex and Percy's dynamic. And your general style of analysis!
Also, thanks for keeping me company through some long and grueling decluttering sessions.
I adore the reveal of the Everlight. The thing is that she knows Pike is a good person at heart, that is her truth. But Pike didn't seem to know it at times, and that created the block. The Everlight - Sarenrae - is the goddess of Redemption.
yay for bunnies!
I've commented on maybe two videos ever, just not my thing. But i really love how you understand the characters and where they are here. I am invested in your journey with this story!
Pike's goddess Sarenrae (aka The Everlight) is also a carry-over from Pathfinder 1e, just like Percy's Gunslinger class. And yes, she's awesome 🥰
10:50 let’s just say…. Oppenheimer…. “Now I have become death, destroyer of wolds!”…. Percy’s list is of “monsters” he has to slay.
Percy’s Gun is called The List, 5 Barrels are named, Stonefell, Ripley, Anders, Delilah and Silas. The sixth one is unnamed for two reasons, one is that the last one is for himself that once he has killed the monsters that destroyed his life he would kill the last monster he knows, himself. The other reason is there are always more people that can betray percy and gun is waiting to refill the “List”.
Good reaction :) Percy created/invented the First working hand held firearm.
One reason why Percy and Vex have such good chemistry is because they both view each other as the only "responsible adults" in the group. Taliesin specifically said that's how Percy views Vex. I mean from their POV's, you have Vax who's always getting in trouble by running off, Keyleth who's naive and insecure, and Scanlan and Grog who are...well Scanlan and Grog. Pike might be another "adult" but she's gone most of the time.
"Percy is Vex's hamster" is an image in my head I never thought I'd have
17:49 ‘burn his face off?’ Really?… the voice actor for the Duke is the same after who played the Hound in GOT…. Phrasing? lol.
i swear i didn't know it was him omg
Taliesin Jaffe has forever ruined one liners for me cause nothing will ever top how I felt the first time I heard Percy say "You're the face I saw when murder entered my heart." before blowing Anders head off.
How about: "Your secret is safe with my indifference"? 😅 Taliesin is such a treasure trove for quotable quotes 😊
@@RuslanIvanyuk-ub8fj And then we have gems like, "Life needs things to live." 😜
@@RuslanIvanyuk-ub8fj He has tons of great ones but with this one I'm more so specifically referring to one liners said before or after a character kills someone. It's such a sad but badass line given the context and Taliesin's performance elevates it even more.
@@michaelbryant3640 You know, in context, that line makes sense. Not a lot of sense. But he was getting at something. :)
@@easterslice Oh, absolutely. I’m glad he got to expound on it with Cad in MN and Asha in Downfall.
For some spells, after you learn them, you can only use once per day until you gain more experience.
In the game it's called "spell slots", and each caster class has a certain number available (depending on the class, a few are "at will"), but fairly high level spells like "Polymorph" - changing to other forms - are very limited till you get quite experienced.
What Keyleth does is called "Wildshape" which is a class abilty she has as a druid, not a spell. She can turn into an animal, but not inherently magical creatures and she is limted in how big or strong the animal can be based on her druid "level" or experience.
I think that being dead isn't going to stop Silas and Delilah from having their prize. Cassandra living as their hostage must have been hell.
Scanlan's distraction mission was absolutely fantastic in the original campaign! Even better than the series' version imo
Taliesin has said that Percy often thinks of himself as the only adult in the room. With the exception of Vex that is.
"That was insane!"
You haven't seen the half of it, miss. Welcome to the Critter fandom!
About Cassandra's indignation that Percy left, remember for 5 years she has been a captive and puppet of the Briarwoods. Who knows what poison they whispered in her ear to hold sway over her.
By the way, I found your channel initially because of your Epic the Musical reactions... I love it when i find reactors whose content and interests overlap mine.
You got it- Bryn 9blue haired rebel) is non-binary, as is their voice actor!
Edit: Your rabbit is adorable and I want a whole video starring him!
During the campaign if someone was coming back from death, Matt(theDM) would often say the spell is cast, then he would wait for a moment before the person takes their first breath, upping the tension
31:56 I really wish that were true, in the US at least we have a national shortage of teachers and so there are plenty of people teaching without degrees and sometimes even certifications. It is also a dwindling number of graduates in teaching.
Welcome to the true Critical Role experience of CONTINUOUS Bi panic Lmao
You are very insightful. But you have a bunny, so that should be obvious. It is very intriguing to see you go through so much inner turmoil, empathizing with the plight of the characters, right up until you see something sexy. Then you pump the break and queue up "Careless Whisper." Yes, it's clear that Vex has seen a need to take care of Percy during this trying time in his life. But I'm sure Percy plans to take care of himself once this is all over.
That is a whole lot of floof!
Oh wow! Maximum floof bunny!
Have you ever watched Arcane on Netflix? Season 2 is airing in November and I would really love you reacting to Season 1.
I and many others think its an artistic and Storytelling Masterpiece and some of the best entertainment released in the last 10+ years.
Edit: I know it seem like trend chasing but you are always very insightful and observant with your character analyses. So I promise you there will be a TON of people in November looking for Season 2 reactions like that! It will be a great opportunity to grow your community.
I really enjoyed s1 so I wouldn't be opposed to reacting to s2 at all! If I'm going to watch it anyway and people would enjoy my ramblings, might as well, right?
If you think it's unfair how hot all the characters are, you definitely shouldn't check out any pictures of the Critical Role cast. The photoshoot they did for Variety is just too much.
Especially Vex.
you're all just trying to kill me
My favorite thing to come out of that (indirectly) is the "yassified" bit.
For those who don't know, Sam's characters are usually on the small side. And starting in campaign one, someone gave him a giant stein to represent how big it would be compared to his character. And he started decorating it every week, putting a little note or something on the bottom for the audience to read when he took a drink. This practice has carried over through all 3 campaigns. In the current one, one of the bits he did was to use a filter on the cast members to "yassify" them. One of the pictures he used was of Marisha from that shoot, which leads to a hilarious discussion.
If you're curious, look up "Critical Role Yassified compilation" to see it. (No spoilers in it, though some character names do get mentioned.) And a bit of context, they mention "Chloe Dykstra", who is a friend of theirs. She, Marisha, and Matt did a sketch on here ages ago. Look up "Matt Mercer Fantasy Football". It's the first video ("fantasy football mov").
Fun reaction!
re. Lord de Rolo having no interest in increasing the residuum production: residuum is Exandria's equivalent of nuclear technology - it can do a lot of good, but in the wrong hands it can also be very destructive (this has been a running theme across all three campaigns). Selling an increased yield would mean find more buyers - and turning a blind eye to WHY those buyers wanted residuum...
Yeah, getting turned on by Percy is kind of a thing; I came out as asexual in 2019, adopted Percy as blorbo in 2020-21, and in 2022, I definitely was saying that exact same thing (“he’s scary but also kinda hot.”).
I'm a researcher, and we don't really have a choice about teaching. So while I understand the sentiment about "don't teach when you don't like it", some of us just love research and feel like it's our purpose while struggling with teachings. Personally I like my students but I don't like the teaching format and suffered from discrimination.
And weirdly I think Anders is just like that, a researcher funding it's research with tutolage. While he is despicable, people ignoring his research fueled his anger and hate.
haha maybe i'm just projecting about my colleagues who CHOSE to teach high school and...just talk about how much they hate it right there in the hallways where the kids can hear! retire! retire already! very different from being a professor at a research-based institution!
(Added at the end of the video) :
OKAY first of all, SO FLOOFY! That creature is too adorable to even exist, I call shenannigans, he's clearly some kind of animatronic soft toy 😍
I've been writing this comment as I watched, so it got kind of long, I did attempt to edit, but I ended up needing to clarify some things and it... may actually have gotten longer. EDITING IS DIFFICULT. 🤣
(I realised how long this was getting near the end and stopped writing thoughts down, but I feel that ship might have sailed, lol)
I hope you never feel obliged to read these walls, sometimes it's just fun to react to you reacting!
I continue to really enjoy your thoughtful take on the party, and the insight you show towards their harsher moments, these are all deeply flawed characters, and the way you try to understand them through a lens of kindness says as much about you as them :)
(Actual comment:)
3:28: "Why would they ever trust him" it's implied from their clothing that this was the same day the Briarwoods sprang their trap, so Anders was probably feeling safe to let his actual thoughts show. I imagine up until this point he's been a model tutor, while working against the family (who carefully guard the production and distribution of residuum) behind their backs to conspire with the Briarwoods, (and line his pockets at the same time.) The mask slips here, but it's too late, in a few short hours almost every living soul in the castle will be dead or turned traitor.
Yep, the white hair and sideburns add a few years to his face (and all the trauma, I imagine) but Percy is the youngest member of the party, he was only 17 or 18 when he escaped (Cass was 13). So 5 nightmare-filled years, and a whooole lot of repressed emotion. Like most fantasy worlds, Exandria isn't suffering from an overabundance of therapists.
Until Percy invented the pepperbox, no working gun had been seen in Tal'Dorei. Though Matt has said that there may have been similar things brewing concurrently on other continents. For all intents and purposes though, Percy has the first gun that anyone they encounter has seen.
Other things that utilize black powder exist in the world It's the miniaturization that's the hard part, creating something that will reliably (or at least /somewhat/ reliably) use a small explosion to propel a bullet out (and, just as importantly, propel it FORWARDS😆) rather than, say, exploding a hand.
Only a dangerously clever person, who is dangerously desperate, would even attempt such a project.
In the animation you often see people look kind of confused when he points the pepperbox at them, rather than the "oh shit" face we might expect as viewers? That's why.
41:37: a moment for some headcanon, if you'll allow:
I've always speculated during this scene that Anders didn't have control over the party's deeper instincts. There's NO way Vex misses those shots. We just saw her leap through the air and Robin Hood an arrow into a perfect headshot, mid-jump (even /drawing/ a bow mid-air is honestly impressive, Vex clearly never misses arm day.) but she doesn't hit Percy standing 2 feet away? Even when Keyleth pins him to a wall? (barely hard enough to bruise, leaving his arms and head free) Nah. She's in there somewhere, fighting to MISS.
See also, Grog could have absolutely just kept squeezing and crushed Vax's head like an orange, but he's throwing books? And when he DID grab people, he threw them ALL further away, out of his melee range. Grog might have an intelligence of 6, but he knows combat, we saw him grab hold of two people bigger than Vax and crush their skulls like, 2 minutes ago. He never hesitates to deal massive, bloody damage. But here, in close range, he didn't land a single significant hit? It feels like he's trying to keep his friends away from him.
Of course I could be completely making this up, this is 100% headcanon, it's just something that ...feels like it could be true? So you get to hear about it! Hooray! :D
44:35: *slaps Percy's shoulder like a used car dealer* This man can hold SO much guilt! :D
Everyone loses when you play the Trauma Olympics. Percy and Cass were both tortured, they both lost their family, they both survived. The unpacking of grief, shame, anger, guilt, and whether or not they're being "fair", is going to require vulnerability, and at the moment neither Percy not Cass can afford to let go of the coping mechanisms that have kept them alive up to this point.
When Silas asks "What are you doing?" I always imagine he's thinking "Damn, I was saving those leftovers for later" 😆
The Everlight is a deity of redemption, second chances, and light, her tenets include healing the hopeless, showing mercy and compassion, and destroying those who revel in evil and cannot be redeemed (the undead in particular). She isn't about policing someone's drinking habits or recreation choices, it only matters that you do good, and pull others out darkness. As someone who was left with baggage from a religious upbringing, it caught me off guard how much my trans, queer, neurospicy ass needed to hear the line "Any path can be a holy one" because there's a bone deep guilt for just existing that comes from being raised believing that you cannot be a good person unless you follow the rules and revere some invisible sky wizard. "You can be whomever you wish to be in the light" always gets me right in the heart. [/overshare]
ANYWAY, point is, yeah, the Everlight is neat.😅
This is... very long. Stop having such good thoughts that I want to respond to! 🤣
Have you read "Kith & Kin" Vex & Vax's origins story novel? it doesn't have any spoilers as far as I remember and its a full novel about their backstory taking place before they join Vox Machina. It's really good, I figured I'd ask since you said you read the origins comics, but didn't mention it.
ALSO If percy has a great line, or really anyone in the show, you can almost Guarantee it was improvised on the spot in the campaign. they're all SO good with one liners, but especially Taliesin Jaffe (Percy's actor and creator), & Matt Mercer (The DM & voice of Sylas, and MANY of the background characters in the show)