penandpaperfic

[penandpaperfic]

spare some vexleth? maybe? "i don't believe this"

‘i don’t believe this. i don’t believe you. you should have told us.’

‘and when was i - ow - supposed to do that? how? maybe when you were all the way across the continent in emon organising the armies, doing exactly what i was trying to do? maybe i should have - ah - told you then! can you please stop trying to make me sit!’ she growls at her helper—someone left behind by her right hand, who doesn’t deserve to be growled at, but if they touch her one more time… her growl deepens.

they scurry to the door, yanking it shut behind them to “give the tempest time with her guest” she hears from the antechamber.

across the room, vex purses her lips to keep from smiling; she’s upset, still, about keyleth’s wounds and finding out from esqoult of all people—whom vex considers an “idiotic blowhard tight-fisted hateful byblow of a rock” at the best of times—and the attack at the red centre and vax. unceasingly she is upset about vax. unceasingly, his death follows them both like feathers in their hair; he is their constant, dark companion. keyleth’s near death, however, is far more recent and unclosing wounds is a new and hellish experience that hurts them both.

anger crackles in her gut. she hasn’t the energy to shift forms but smoke curls in tendrils out of her nose, sparks smoulder in the one fist she can actually close. her other hand aches, split to bone.

‘sending stones aren’t working. our earrings aren’t working. sending—‘ she takes a moment to breathe. it hurts. ‘sending spells aren’t working, not that i have that anyway. and a bird,’ she grunts, propping herself against the headboard, ‘would take days at the very least. so tell me, lady vex’ahlia, when exactly was i supposed to tell you?’

‘i don’t know! but when you’re nearly dead, you make the effort!’ vex commands.

it looks good on her. keyleth can admit that in very private thoughts and fever dreams. maybe a death bed. she stares across at vex, who has only ever grown into her considerable beauty, and manages a shaky smile. command has always looked good on vex.

‘missed you. if that - i don’t know - helps.’

vex snorts. ‘yes, darling, i missed you too. obviously. i’m furious with you that you nearly died, oh and also we really must meet up when the world isn’t alarmingly close to being obliterated.’

‘brunch?’

‘girls day. i’ll invite pike.’

‘i thought - just you and me,’ keyleth says, trying on a flirtatious smile. it’s been a long time since she wore it last, some fifteen, twenty years. it feels weird so she stops trying. ‘ignore that. ignore me. i’m- death bed propositions.’

‘stop it. you’re not in your death bed.’

keyleth glances around the room. it’s empty, just her and vex, so she can admit, ‘feels like it.’

vex softens. she always does. she gets angry first, angry and scared, because she’s lost a lot in her time and she learned early and harder than most that the only way to stop that was to fight back with everything, anything. she does bitter and snide and bitchy and mocking better than anyone keyleth knows, but that’s because vex is better than anyone keyleth knows, and it all comes from the same heart. vex softens, and she comes to sit lightly on the side of keyleth’s bed.

‘what can i do?’

‘nothing. nothing. it’s all - there’s people helping me already. cursed flowers and potion stuff. bells hells.’

vex starts. ‘the ones who came to us? with her?’

‘did you -‘ she can move, a little. it hurts but hell, what in life doesn’t hurt? she covers vex’s hand with hers. ‘did you talk to her? i saw her - alive this time. she’s…sweet. strange but sweet.’

‘i know. at least, i thought so.’

keyleth slid her fingers over vex’s. ‘you gave her your ring.’

vex laughs, bitter-edged. ‘yes, and it made up entirely for all the shit that poor girl has been through.’

‘not your fault. it isn’t,’ she insists, when vex goes all stone-jawed and stubborn. ‘didn’t you - tell percy that? it’s true for him too. isn’t it?’

vex rolls her eyes to the ceiling. makes a wet, disgusted noise. ‘i suppose.’ after a long moment, she says, ‘how did she look? delilah’s doll?’

‘don’t call her that.’

‘my lookalike.’

‘she doesn’t look much like you,’ keyleth tells her. it’s a lie. she looks so much like vex had, like vax does in their memories. young. ‘i don’t know. they’re due back today, maybe tomorrow. stay. you can - ow - talk to her.’

vex nods. strokes keyleth’s clenched hand. ‘i’ll stay until you’re well.’

‘you’re a hero, vex. you’re needed elsewhere, i’m sure,’

‘keyleth, it’s war. the treasury is open. they don’t need me for that—they need my very expert clerks, gods bless them. i’m here with you.’ the stubborn look resolidifies. vex tilts her head in such a way that keyleth is sure her heart is about to fall right out of her split-open chest, and leans forward to press a kiss to the corner of her mouth. pulling back, she searches keyleth’s eyes; whatever she finds there makes her nod, quite satisfied, and she smiles. ‘besides, your assistants are going to need a hero to keep you in bed and resting. i volunteer, as it happens.’

[penandpaperfic]

So what I’m gathering is that I have been feeding on the teeniest tiniest little bread crumbs of Laura and Marisha’s characters for two whole campaigns, and when I stop watching critical role they finally get together in a whole ass bread aisle

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I haven’t even kept up with c3 but y’all what is UP with Percy being formal with/about Keyleth? Where are my bestie foils?? What happened? Is it because Keyleth will go to Emon at the drop of a hat if Vex calls her, and she’ll deliver a bunch of hooligans to Whitestone out of nowhere, but when Percy calls for her she leaves him on read for approximately 15 business days?

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So I was slightly off with the details, but man the intent behind it all is sick as fuck. Marisha Ray stay winning

Okay but hear me out: what if Laudna was in Whitestone during the Vox Machina rebellion

And what if Laudna died during the rebellion

You know. The rebellion where Keyleth was so adamant about doing more to protect the people. Where Vox Machina argued so much about whether they should fight with the people or leave them to fend for themselves while they stormed the castle. Where Keyleth would’ve tapped herself out trying to protect innocents if they let her

Where citizens of Whitestone died, and Keyleth, like she often did, worried that she could’ve and should’ve done more

What if Marisha looked back at one of Keyleth’s regrets, solidified it, and turned it into a haunted, horrifying character

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from zero to crying in record time

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Laura, re: Vex being kind of mean to Keyleth: "Vex and Vax grew up having- continually losing everything in their life that is important to them, in various ways. And the only constant throughout their life was each other. And they've always relied on each other, they've always had each others back. So in these moments of seeing 'Oh- there's a genuine interest there'- because I'm sure, in their past they've had moments of, you know- he's gonna go off and do something, she's gonna go off and do something-"

Liam: "They've both had dalliances."

Laura: "Yeah, obviously. But, like, this is the first time she's seeing this vulnerability with someone else,and like 'Oh shit, I know where this could go', and the terror of being left behind, in those moments, comes out, for Vex, as- cold shoulder, shittiness, basically. Like, I'm gonna push away the thing that is putting me at risk.

So she's extra terrible to Keyleth, in those moments, because she's the thing that's coming between her and the most important thing in her life."

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they were insane for this

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So I haven’t finished tlovm but I DID wake up to a ton of new likes on my vexleth fics so uh…y’all okay?

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Darling, you’ve got this.

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“Like the dawn, you broke the dark and my whole earth shook. I was sleeping in the garden when I saw you at last, at last”

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Alright but at one point Vax totally gets told by the Raven Queen to kill Laudna because she is undead and everything, and he shows up, ready to do it, but she is playing with Pate de Rolo, the dead rat named after his sister's husband, and he just falls to the ground laughing his ass off. He returns later to the Raven Queen like 'I have decreed that she is not a threat. She named her dead rat after Percival' and the Raven Queen is like 'ah yes. I remember him, he is an idiot. I shall accept your decision, for it is quite hilarious'

And so Pate saved Laudna's life without her knowing it

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Laudna, puppeting a dead rat with a bird skull: I had to keep Laudna from going insane since it was just her and the voice in her head !!!

me, concerned and intrigued: tell me more, dead rat

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Okay but hear me out: what if Laudna was in Whitestone during the Vox Machina rebellion

And what if Laudna died during the rebellion

You know. The rebellion where Keyleth was so adamant about doing more to protect the people. Where Vox Machina argued so much about whether they should fight with the people or leave them to fend for themselves while they stormed the castle. Where Keyleth would’ve tapped herself out trying to protect innocents if they let her

Where citizens of Whitestone died, and Keyleth, like she often did, worried that she could’ve and should’ve done more

What if Marisha looked back at one of Keyleth’s regrets, solidified it, and turned it into a haunted, horrifying character

[penandpaperfic]

I really need Keyleth to meet or hear about Pate DeRolo right the fuck now.

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FAVOURITE CAMPAIGN THREE MOMENTS » episode 1

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Me, sitting down to watch C3 of Critical Role: Okay you've been burned twice before so this time just don't start shipping Laura and Marisha's characters.

Basically the first thing out of Mercer's mouth: everyone but Laura and Marisha leave the table.

Me:

[penandpaperfic]

Every time Sam’s character art comes on all I can think of is this