#FUCKING. EPISODE 113

[okcoolthanks]

Oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no OH NO OH NO OH NO OH NO OH NO OH NONOB NOH NONONONONO ONONIBININOJJKB

WHY

WHO

WHY DID

WHY DID THEY DO THIS

HUH

[fullsaw]

Underrated TMA Episodes

MAG 156 - Guy is trying to throw a shitty rave and is pulled into a starvation dimension

MAG 37 - Gertrude ruins another mans life

MAG 112 - Girl joins a murder club and is upset when they start murdering eachother

MAG 133 - A Man, his son and his sons fucked up boyfriend join The Wild Hunt

MAG 113 - Man accidentally kills himself, decides its actually pretty neat you guys maybe you should try it

MAG 83 - Nikola Orsinov fucks up a window display for no discernible reason

MAG 153 - Comedian is indoctrinated into a wine cult and doesn't live laugh or love

MAG 66 - Mikaele Salesa and Peter Lukas torment one guy in particular by putting him in a box

[enby-ralsei]

Reactions to the Notable Event of episode 113. Mostly Bizly.

transcript under cut

[Grizzly wheeze laughing]

Bizly: Grizzly, holy shit.

[cut]

Bizly: What the fuck!

[cut]

[Grizzly and Condi laughing]

Bizly: I'm not supposed to hear this! I'm not supposed to hear this! I'm not supposed to hear this!

[cut]

Bizly: Dude, this is not the first time you have written stuff like this.

Grizzly: It absolutely is.

[cut]

Condi: Five years ago, when I was just a wee lad and we were starting Just Roll With It, I don't think my mind really explored the possibilities of potentially getting to the point where we'd be reading... gay smut together.

Charlie: In character. For a mechanical boost.

Condi: For a mechanical boost.

Bizly: There has been a shift in our friendship, I think, guys.

[your-turn-to-role]

see vax you're not allowed to call percy an indignant asshole here bc you know that's just calling to mind this fucking callback! which is more angst than we need here!

(episode 11 || episode 113)

[mareastrorum]

I’ve been working off and on with a longer post about villains and their roles in a story, but in light of the latest episode, one part seems especially relevant:

Villains and antagonists are different roles in a narrative. Some characters overlap, but they aren’t the same thing. A villain represents the wrong conclusion of something; they are the narrative’s spotlight on a destructive, immoral, or self-defeating way of handling a perceived problem. They aren’t necessarily opponents. In comparison, an antagonist is an obstacle for protagonists, whether they are right or wrong. If the story doesn’t dig into those issues, then that character is likely just an antagonist and shouldn’t be expected to carry much narrative weight. In narratives like an improv D&D actual play show, there’s a Schrodinger’s villain aspect going on here because these roles depend on the choices of multiple participants, so we can’t really judge except in hindsight.

That said, Vox Machina wasn’t going to fight against villains in episodes 113 and 114 because their story within the C3 narrative didn’t need a villain. VM wasn’t here for some overarching narrative conclusion to occur during their appearance. They were here to save Vax, break the bridge, and help prevent the end of the world. C3 isn’t their story; this side story is like the EXU breakaways. Every VM antagonist was someone we hadn’t really seen before and didn’t know much of anything about because making them face villains wouldn’t have made sense. They’re not here to face the narrative questions of C3.

I’ve had the impression that the story purpose to include VM and the MN is that they will be contrasts for the motivations and decisions that Bell’s Hells are going to make for the finale. However, because that is my understanding of their purpose, I don’t expect either of those teams to face any villains. They’re going to face antagonists. Maybe there will be some minor comparisons between the Weave Mind and Cognouza or the Cerberus Assembly, but I don’t anticipate those will be more than passing statements. It likely won’t be the focus of the interaction and the players probably won’t dig deep on it. The parties simply don’t have a reason to care why their opponents are doing this, there isn’t any motivation for them to be invested in correcting any wrong conclusions, and the players probably have character stuff they’d rather focus on.

Then, at the end, we’re going to see Bell’s Hells deal with the story’s actual villains: Ludinus Da’leth, Liliana Temult, and the other exaltants of the Ruby Vanguard. From Matt’s perspective as the DM, the villains are on the wrong path. Does Bell’s Hells agree? What are they going to do about it? Are they going to be heroic like VM, sacrificing their own wants and desires for a greater good, even if they take small moments for themselves? Or are they more like MN, who are like, fuck, no one else is gonna do this, and we don’t want the world to end, and apparently we’re experts on psychic bullshit, so we’re here killing some jackass I guess? Or something else?

Not every conflict within a story needs a villain. Sometimes it’s just a bunch of mean assholes so that the drama can focus on the protagonists and their hangups.

[elliotthinkssometimes]

Episode 113 got me sobbing dude

like chips still fucking dead, and he’s just found out that price might be the son of captain rose, and then he’s listened to this whole long final message from captain rose that basically tells him that he should stop doing what he’s been doing his whole life. He thought he should find the black rose members and rebuild their legacy but now he’s being told not to by captain rose himself? And this message was left for HIM specifically. Rose cared about him. And Rose had faith that he would try and find them. And it must sting so bad to remember that all the people who cared for you are supposedly gone. And on top of all that, seeing the tentacles right after could not have been good for him in anyway. Give my boy a break 😭

[omenarchive]

A Peek Behind the Curtain

Hello Critters! Our data from last week’s Assault on the Malleus Key, C3E113, isn’t quite ready for you. We expect to have it up this weekend, but as we head into more Vox Machina combat tonight, we wanted to give you a peek behind the curtain of our episode tracking.

Each week, Archivist Astral sits down and tracks the episode, including combat round by round. Some weeks this is relatively straightforward, and others-for instance, C3E113's Level 20 combat with 85 total combatants on the field—it is not. Here's a peek at C3E113's spreadsheet:

And a mid-combat peek at the Roll20 board that Archivist Astral uses to keep all those Reilora, Vidulches, Slithers, and soldiers straight. (Yes, those are still Bell’s Hells’ headshots on Vox Machina’s icons. With this many circles on the board, we recycled a bit!)

Another mid-combat peek, circa Keyleth’s Fire Storm that took out ten people:

And the battleground (and body count) at the end of a hard day’s fight!

Of course, as with any data collection effort, there may occasionally be errors in our work, as well as moments that require judgement calls on our part. We hope to eventually make our data sheets available to the community so that your sharp eyes can help us stay top-quality.

Stay tuned for our full Episode 113 update, and for now: Vox Machina, fuck shit up!

[hollow-keys]

Okay so I just tallied up every single televised full episode of Doctor Who Sarah Jane is in, including the single episode of K9 and Company and her own TV series, and it tallies up to 113. 81 Classic episodes, 4 NuWho, 27 SJA and 1 K9 and Co.

Jamie has 116. He is in 16.5% of all episodes in the Classic series.

Like truly, the amount of fucking episodes this man is in is unbelievable.

[slices-of-naranja]

HEY GUYS. JUST LISTENED TO EPISODE 113. NOW. MAY I ASK. WHAT THE FUCK.

I KNEW THE BOOK WAS GONNA BE BAD- BUT HOLY SHIT. GRIZZLY DID NOT HAVE TO GO FULL DEPRESSED QUEER ENGLISH MAJOR AO3 AUTHOR ON THIS SHIT-

FINN TIDESTRIDER, YOU ABSOLUTE WHORE OF A MAN. anyway if Gill wasn’t sex-repulsed before, he is now.

[classicanalyzer]

The Acolyte - Choice Thoughts

"A vergence could create life like what we see on this planet. It's a power that should be studied. Protected. Nothing could be more important to the Jedi. This is a noble mission." Sol

"Someday, those noble intentions you all have will destroy every Jedi in the galaxy." Mother Aniseya

This episode was an absolute doozy. Kogonada did it again. I was glad I was also right that this episode's title might have a choice-based theme.

I love that Mother Aniseya continues to be a good mother by making it clear that she puts her children's needs first over the witches' needs. Though we do see more of her dark side in how she was willing to manipulate and fuck with Torbin's head. She didn't even blame Sol for her death given the circumstances. I did think she was possibly going to diffuse the situation or at least get Mae out of the ensuing chaos by possession. Her warning about the Jedi's good intentions resulting in their destruction will prove prophetic 113 years later with Clone Wars/Order 66 and the Great Purge. I also like the reveal that the twins were a singular mine split into two (literal light and dark personifications). It's sad to see that only she was willing to let her child decide while the rest of the Coven chose an aggressive, violent path that only ended in the death of the entire coven when Indara forced them out of Kelnacca's head (the possession must've been also a dangerous Dark Side technique) and the separation of the twins.

We also get to know why the Jedi are on Brendok. They weren't there looking for the witches but to find the vergence in the Force. I also recently started reading the HR novels so hearing a mention of the Emergences was satisfying to me. I love that Sol took a more personal approach to trying to ease Torbin's mind compared to Indara's more traditional approach. We see the HR Jedi performing a check-up on this vergence and the miracle of non-sentient life that persists in this world unaffected by the Emergence.

I'm on the Jedi's side in this situation. Given what the Jedi saw, it looked like the witches were abusing the children and using them for dark purposes. The children seemingly implied to be manipulated to serve the coven's interests with the whole "'Everyone must walk through fear. Everyone must be sacrificed to fulfill their destiny.'" (Mae actually misquoted her mom and it was another step to tragedy). They also used the vergence to split a child's soul into two which based on the information and the ceremony, gives the impression that the coven was planning to sacrifice the children to empower the coven. Then there's the fact that only Mother Aniseya was the one who was willing to let Osha go with the Jedi with the rest of the Coven, especially the ones led by Mother Koril, being incredibly hostile towards the Jedi. Plus the possession of people and the mist move appeared like an attack which I can understand why Sol tragically killed Mother Aniseya (as I said, she didn't even look like she blames Sol). However, I do love that the Jedi did make mistakes as well. Torbin's impulsiveness to get off the world escalated the tension and the dark mist conjured by Mother Aniseya looked like an attack on either Mae or others.

I like how we get to see another side of Mae from the flashback. We see that even she's unsure about how she could become a leader of the Coven despite being a child. We also see that she wasn't responsible for the fire! She was just trying to simply try to burn the Jedi book but accidentally dropped the lamp. It's good to see that at least she wasn't that axe-crazy. Plus seeing a Jedi who killed her mom right in front of her with zero context would definitely explain her singular hatred for the Jedi.

That Kelnacca fight was absolutely terrifying. Kelnacca was not only a Jedi but an absolute beast of a fighter. Seeing Torbin get his scars and almost get killed was chilling. Speaking of Torbin, his biggest flaws were not appreciating non-Coruscant life and his overeagerness to get back to "normalcy." I also felt chills when I saw how the possession worked which definitely played a part in Torbin's desire to go back home. Torbin got his wish of heading back to Coruscant in the worst ways possible. No wonder he took the Barash Vow, went into exile, and later committed suicide to atone for how his actions resulted in the ensuing mess. It also explains why Kelnacca (who unwillingly used his claws which is an act of heresy in Wookiee culture) decided to isolate himself and why he drew the symbols of the Coven given his brief possession by the entire Coven.

Indara is also a standout of this episode. While she does represent a more stoic Jedi character, she does hold the team together. She made sure Torbin tries to appreciate life out of Coruscant, keep Sol level headed to realize the difference between Osha’s and his desires, and saved Kelnacca from possession. I also love how she recognized how cultures are different from their own views but also concedes to how from what info they had, the things they did see were fishy. If Sol is the empath of the team, then Indara is the anchor of the team.

I really love how empathetic Sol is. His empathy is his greatest and clouded trait. He was willing to defy the Council to protect what he saw as abuse against children and using them. And God, he looked so broken when he killed Mother Aniseya (in front of Mae too which he thought was Osha!) and for a while, I think he was in shock as Mother Kohril got some good hits on him. I also love how Sol almost said shit when Kelnacca is revealed to have been possessed. Then he had to make the most sadist choice of all time by choosing to prioritize using the Force to save Osha as his powers were failing. I don't blame him for wanting to turn himself over to the Council and wanting to save Mae no matter what she did.

This was an amazing episode as I said. Also, I was absolutely jamming to the Power of Two by Victoria Monét (It came out on June 14th) and I was so glad to see being used here as the end credits. The song was pretty sad considering the dialogue being the twins being ashamed and bitter towards each other. I also love the massive departure music-wise from even the franchise with this song.

"My children are our future. Her wish must be considered...Right now I choose mother." Mother Aniseya

"After everything this little girl has lost tonight, you'd take away her dream as well? Before you throw yourself at the mercy of the Council, ask yourself why you made this choice." Indara

[ao3feed-jonmartin]

oxford blood

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/NAwmQ7f by fossilgoblin Jon sticks a cigarette in his mouth on the first step he takes away from O'Hare International Airport, even though he didn't bother trying to sneak a lighter through customs. He shoulders his way into the 7-11 with it firmly between his teeth, buys the first green BIC he sees, and lights up the moment the door's swung shut behind him. America smells like pesticide and a landlocked mustiness he can't describe. And even as he'd bought his ticket back in Beijing, he hadn't been entirely sure what he was searching for. OR: Jon's in America. Jon gets MSG sick and calls Martin almost every night. Jon realizes he might be in over his head, in more ways than he anticipated, and finally accepts some help. An ode to grimy Ole Chicago, phone calls home, casual queer love, disability, amateur detective work, unlikely friendships, and all the weird shit in my Jonny Sims Spotify playlist. Words: 3245, Chapters: 1/3, Language: English Fandoms: The Magnus Archives (Podcast) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: M/M Characters: Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Martin Blackwood, Julia Montauk, Trevor Herbert, Basira Hussain, Mentioned Elias Bouchard | Jonah Magnus - Character, mentioned Melanie King - Character, Mentioned Not-Them (The Magnus Archives), mentioned Georgie Barker - Character, many random American NPC's Relationships: Martin Blackwood/Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Martin Blackwood & Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist Additional Tags: Set in Episodes 107-113 | Jon's Trip to America, Getting Together, Phone Calls, Autistic Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, He/Him and They/Them Pronouns for Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Gender Non-Conforming Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, ARFID, Whump, Sickfic, Implied/Referenced Drug Addiction, Comfort/Angst, loving relationship, The Magnus Archives (Podcast) as a Workplace Comedy, The Mechanisms Were Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist's College | University Band, Fix-It of Sorts, Disabled Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Monster Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, almost canon compliant, I really fucking tried folx, Episode: e107 Third Degree (The Magnus Archives), MSG as a plot device read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/NAwmQ7f

[nifty1520]

Riptide ep 113 spoilers

Holy shit this episode had everything

Going from dealing with a grandparent in declining heath to dealing with who you used to be and what that could mean for your future self to HUGE LORE DUMP to FUCKING DARK PUCKERED HOLE LIVE READING?!? I almost crashed the car I was laughing so hard. All that aside I want to talk about Price being Roses son, cause holy mackerel. Was Chip joining his gang really “by chance”? Did his mom tell him who his father was? What were his motives and did his mom approve? If Price did know rose was his father, I don’t think him recruiting chip was an accident at all, especially once chip started blabbing about his times on the black rose. I am so excited to find out more, Grizzly you are fucking incredible.

WHAT WAS HIS END GOAL?? WAS IT TO FIND THE BLACK ROSE? TO KILL THE REMAINING BLACK ROSE PIRATES?? AHHHHHH

[bumblingbabooshka]

The ages of Tuvok's children (and Tuvok himself) are nebulous and change depending on the episode (Ex: Janeway says he's almost one hundred[1] but later Tuvok implies he's over one hundred[2].)

Sek is Tuvok's oldest child, described as "a mature teenager" and seems to be in college during 'Repression'. He speaks about changing his major from exo-linguistics to musical composition. However in 'Hunters' Tuvok is given a letter which says Sek has both undergone the pon farr and become a father. This episode takes place in season 4 - yet in season 7 when we see him, Sek is a college aged teenager. Asil is Tuvok's youngest and while in 'Once Upon a Time' he seems to portray her as a small child still in need of guidance (akin to Naomi) - Janeway says in 'Fury' that she was present at Asil's kolinahr ceremony which would imply to me that she's been an adult for a long while. This would match up with the fact that in 'Lineage' Tuvok tells Tom Paris that his parenting skills are "somewhat dormant" since it's been "many years since [his] children were young." (Notably he does not say 'since I've seen them' implying to me that even before canon they were all adults) However it contradicts Sek's apparent age in 'Repression'. If Sek is a college aged teenager (17 at the youngest, 19 at the most) he would have been 10 or 12 years old when Tuvok left as 'Lineage' takes place in season 7 and he is Tuvok's OLDEST. Though I guess it depends on what Tuvok considers 'young children' and how close in age his children are. [1] Fury: "So, not long until you hit the big three digits huh?" <- It's possible that Janeway got the date correct but his exact age wrong (ex: right month and day but incorrect year)

[2] Meld: "I have studied violence for over one hundred years" <- It's likely Tuvok is speaking more theoretically. To be born Vulcan is to 'study' violence but he still places his age at 100+. [3] In 'Flashback' Tuvok and Janeway are brought back to an approximately 80-year-old memory in which he was around 30 (I think he says 29) and Janeway says he left Starfleet for 'over fifty years'. He himself states that he studied the Kolinahr for six years then married T'Pel. So: At 30 he was an ensign then he left Starfleet. He married T'Pel at 36. As of season 1 he considers himself married to T'Pel for 67 years meaning he's around 103 at the time of 'Ex Post Facto' However, Asil is established to have been conceived during Tuvok's 11th pon farr. ('Alice' - this information is dubious since it comes from Tom Paris in a sequence where he and Harry incorrectly guess Tuvok's age) If he had his first at 36 that would mean she was born when he was 113. Tuvok states in Unimatrix Zero that he was born on the Stardate 38774. I don't know enough about Stardates to do anything with this information. I googled around and it seems Voyager begins at stardate 48315.6 which other sources say is 2371. There's no point to this post - I just like Tuvok and so I gather information about him to show my devotion. At some point in his past he fucked up his elbow so bad that they had to replace the joint with a prosthetic. Did you know that? It's established in 'Blood Fever'.

[magnuscomedybracket]

Round 2 Match 1

113 Breathing Room vs. 087 Uncanny Valley

Propaganda under the cut!

113 Breathing Room

Martin repeatedly trying to touch the spooky things in gertrudes storage, including but not limited to a possible leitner and also c4

087 Uncanny Valley

Guy cleans out flesh from a drain without a blink and nikola has to invite him back again with Jude because he wasn’t scared enough the first time because of obliviousness

Besides the obvious bit of Guy who Doesn’t Realize He’s In A Horror Story, imagine this from Nikolas perspective. Like “oh shit lol this guys name is “skinner” I’m gonna mess with him for shits and giggles… Ok he didn’t notice any of my spooky bullshit, wild! I threatened to butcher him and he was Not Paying Attention! Jude! Hey! Come check out this idiot man!”. Also implication that Jude and nikola hang out being shitty together. I support women’s wrongs.

"Megan" tries to expose this guy to The Horrors and he's so focused on his job that he just doesn't notice. She's so shocked by this that she calls him back and still has to literally force him to notice

The world's most oblivious plumber somehow doesn't notice all the creepy stuff going on and just does his job like normal. It only gets funnier when you consider it from the Stranger avatar's point of view.

Nikola Orsinov trying so hard to scare the least observant man you've ever seen. Whispering in his ear about flencing while he hums noncommittally and pulls a wad of meat from the drain of her spooky factory in the middle of fuck-all nowhere and then he just gives her the invoice and walks out??? Like it's a normal job? And when she calls him to come back the next day she has to dress up in a clown costume to get his attention and grab his head to make him look at The Atrocities that he just entirely missed the day before. I love Sebastian Skinner so much and I wish only the best for him

[deadmegumi]

Jjk for the ask game 🫡

Favorite female character: MAKIIIII

favorite male character: mimi chan 🙂‍↕️

favorite book/season/etc: (arc) zenin massacre orrrr in the anime shibuya arc IS actually as good as everyone says...

favorite episode: (chapter) 212... What can I say we laughed we cried we were gagged. Or 113

favorite cast member: I saw a tiktok of gojo's english va saying domain expansion skibidi toilet at a con and it made me giggle. So him

favorite ship: gfs and skfs in the evil way, skg in the I want them to get married and have a million mpreg babies and then eat each other way

character I'd die defending: DEFENDING MEGUMI FUSHIGURO ONLINE ISN'T ENOUGH I NEED A GUN

a character I just can't sympathize with: geto is a sasuke ripoff but not a good one like even tho I also hate the sorcerers and think he's justified I just don't care because he goes about solving the problem in such a stupid way. Sasuke killed people who were actually responsible for his and his clan's suffering while geto just made a cult of people who wanted to fuck him and said monkey a lot. Get a job

a character I grew to love: didn't care about sukuna or any of the villains at first but that's bae now

my anti otp: stsg you will NEVERRRRR be sns!!! if gojo was really with it he would've killed himself over geto's body. But he wasn't.

[grigori77]

Critical Role, Campaign 3 Episode 113

A five hour episode? Oh yeah, that means it's gonna be a serious one. I'm already nervous ...

What the hell is this? Oh dear gods this is bizarre ... Sam, you are a strange one ... okay, I'm sorry, watching Robbie through this bit is SO WILD ... his expressions are always so priceless ... and suddenly it's all like THIS ... weird shit ... that one was ... just ODD ...

Critmas music? Interesting ...Sam: "SOME of us can sing!" Yeah ...

"Secrets in your boxers?" Please, I never have to hear that line uttered ever again. Like EVER. Please ...

So we're still in the company of Vox Machina? Okay, then ... wonder if this might be their very final adventure together? It worries me, knowing what they're going up against ...

Meanwhile Scanlan has to let his current crew down easy ... wait ... YOU DID WHAT, Scanlan? O.O Samuel Tiegle, DO NOT do that to us ... we know this gnome is a little bit of a wrong-un, but he's never been THAT wrong ...

"Keg"? Oh, so we're introducing a character JUST to send them off? Interesting ... yeah, I figured Grog would probably like Kent ... wow, this bunch are just a bunch of frat boys, ain't they?

Who gave Sam coconut shells? Ye gods ...

Good point ... IS THIS the new Scanlan Shorthalt? Is he staying like this? Would it be easier for him to change back, or is there time for him to change back?

Now we're having a conversation about Scanlan pooping. I love these people so much ... XD

He has ZERO Dexterity? Hmmmm ... maybe we should rethink this after all ...

Grog can make him some horse boots? Oh, that sounds like fun ...

Yes. Time to go. Going through a tree, then. Back to Vasselheim. This is getting to be a second home for them now, isn't it?

Checking in for the night, then. Okay ...

Catching up, then? Oh, Keyleth and Percy ... I mean, yeah, these two have been together the longest, haven't they? The best of besties, I've missed this ... but yeah, also ... very heartfelt, of course ... they do need this ...

I love how Percy calls Keyleth "an investment in their children's future" ... that could sound a bit weird coming from anybody else. With these two it's just CUTE ... :3

Trinket? Oh, okay ... WHICH one is this? Is it the original? Oh my gods IT IS ... O.O ... poor ancient bear ...

Ah ... yes ... the Vax situation ...

Only Vex could wish ill on the Matron and actually GET AWAY with it ... XD

Awwwww ... sweet old bear cuddle-buddy ... I imagine he's quite stinky, but it's still sweet ...

Oh my gods ... is Scanlan trying for a booty call? With GROG asleep in the room? This could be interesting ... oh, okay ... wow, yeah, she's just LETTING HIM HAVE IT, isn't she? Don't go easy on him, Pike! He doesn't deserve it!

Meat Man Imports & Sexports ... snort ... LOL

He's being relegated to AN EXTRA BED?!!! Oh my ...

Grog pretending to sleep fools NOBODY. I love it.

Boy, that is an AWKWARD sleeping arrangement for a centaur, clearly ...

Wow, Cerkonos is kind of a secret Scanlan superfan, that's hilarious. "the Scanman"? Oh my fucking gods ... LOL

Early morning arrives ... okay ...

Travis just rolled a lethal death roll for Chetney! O.O But he's GROG right now ... does it count? Somewhere on Ruidus Chetney just felt a chill run down his spine like somebody walked over his grave, I swear ...

The various preparations of the arrayed forces, getting ready for the day ahead ... hmmmmmmmm ...

Nice, so the Pale Guard are basically like Sharp's Rifles? That's pretty cool, I can't deny ...

A summons for Kiki? Okay, then ...

Massive brass-scaled dragon? Oh yeah, awesome ...

The Stratos Throne? Really? That's a big deal ... O.O ... AND Aeshanandoor? Don't those guys HATE each other right now? Interesting they're playing nice for the effort ...

Oh yeah, EVERYBODY'S here right now ... it's a big deal all right ...

Lieve'tel? Oh ... OH, a guest? OH OKAY!!! LIam's back! So THIS is who he's playing ...

Nice ... so we got a real badass super-goth elven dominatrix type helping them out in this one, then? Nice ... yeah, this is a great one for Liam to play, definitely ...

So she already knows Bertrand's gone? Yeah, okay ...

Yeah, so please be aware I haven't had a chance to get round to The Search For Grog or The Search For Bob yet, so I'm NOT familiar with this particular character ... but she seems REALLY COOL ...

Wow ... yeah, she's just REALLY INTENSE, isn't she? Like I said, I'm really liking her already ...

Judicators? Oh, okay then ... nice to have them on OUR SIDE for once ...

Ophera? Cool ... yeah, she's really cool too ... and THIS is a very neat trick, too ... yeah, she's definitely a whole lot better at big entrances than Keyleth ...

Celestials? SERIOUSLY?!!! Holy fuck! O.O Oh yeah, this is just ALL the big guns right now!

Oh okay ... Keyleth's turn to make a fancy speech? Hmmmm ... PLEASE roll good for this delivery, Marisha ... Matthew, you are NOT doing anything for our girl's confidence right now ... oh yes, nice going, Vex ... that's JUST what she needs right now ...

Yeah ... okay, that's a strong start already ... yes. YES. Nice. That's it. Be a woman for the people. And ... "FUCK SHIT UP!!!" Oh boy ... XD ... yeah, that's more like it ... THAT'S our girl. :3

A single raven? Oh my gods ...

Inspirational Leader? Nice ... oh yeah, that is REALLY nice! Way to go, Kiki!

Nice to have a broomstick handy for running speedy errands ...

And now it's a massive SILVER dragon ... okay ... O.O

Allura! Yay! Always nice to see her! :3

Oh, so they're going in via skyship? Cool. I wonder which one THEY'RE gonna ride in on? What are the chances, hmmm? Or might that be a little TOO on the nose?

Well yeah, I mean Grog would've been FINE with just jumping headfirst into a crazy suicide attack like that, but ...

Yeah, probably best to leave Trinket behind for this one ...

Speak With Animals! Yay! Awwwwww ... and OF COURSE he still wants to go with her ... he's so sweet ... and yeah, he's still tough, of course he is ... all right, let the ancient bear come ...

Thank fuck Sam isn't ACTUALLY drinking out of that horrific looking thing, that is UNSIGHTLY!!! Travis: "It's like melted plastic mixed with decay!" Sweet fuck that is NIGHTMARE FUEL ... Sam: "I mean it's been cleaned, like, A LOT, but it hasn't worked!"

"Battlestar season 3"? Okay ... yeah, so they're all just going STRAIGHT INTO that shit, then ... so a retroactive Heroes' Feast is probably a good idea, then ... yeah ...

Wow ... yeah ... D&D maths ... always fun ...

Oh ... so Cerkonos LIKES Lieve'tel? Okay, then ... so no matter what, Robbie's just DETERMINED to romance Liam's characters, clearly ... XD

Fucking hell ... Grog has around THREE HUNDRED HIT POINTS right now? O.O Sweet fuck ...

Archivist Seth Domade? Okay, then ... yeah, this just got interesting ... I mean OF COURSE he's curious about what's happening with the Nein AND the Hells ... oh yeah, our boy is FLUSTERED right now ... Essek, be cool right now, boy ...

Holy shit ... HOW LONG did it take them to realise that this is Essek in disguise? DEAR FUCKING GODS, people! LOL You do know you spent TWO WHOLE SESSIONS traveling with this guy ...

Verin Thelyss? Oh, interesting ... are they related? THEY ARE?!!! So this is Essek's BROTHER? Intriguing ...

Oh, so he's a little bit of a geek? I like that. That's quite adorable. And I think he might be a little sweet on Vex ...

Ah, poetry... yeah ... LOL

Allura informs us the Nein and the Hells are now IN POSITION on Ruidus ... okay, then ... time to make a move, then ...

Matt: "The symbol of war has been triggered." Oh my ...

Fuck ... PLEASE let Percy and Vex get back alive to their kids.

The hoof boots? And somehow Travis rolls a 24 on his performance for their construction ... holy shit ... apparently they're completely PERFECT ... O.O

More Percy and Keyleth cuteness ... :3

Power Word Fortify ... and Death Ward? Lieve'tel bestows MASSIVE magical gifts upon Kiki and Vex ... and then she just goes RIGHT AHEAD and makes the first move on Cerkonos. Awwwwwww ... and he HAS to make it awkward. But she likes it ... XD

I fucking knew it ... OF COURSE they're riding with Xandis. LOL ... I love this ridiculous tiefling so much, I swear ...

So ... a fuckton of arcane portals, then ... this is it ...

"Majestic as fuck" ... Grog's awesome cape ... in his own words, of course ... XD

Awwwwwww ... Bertrand, we miss you still, you fantastic old bugger ...

So ... through into clustered shadow ... all right, what have you got in store for us, Matthew? O.O

Oh okay, that's a dramatic mess we're flying into ... and that's it, the first shots come in ... yup, that's it, it's all kicking off ...

Strength saves all round? Okay, first real rolls of the night! Roll good, guys! 33? Holy fuck, Grog ... he's stupid strong even now ...

Three crooked winged creatures coming out of the sky? Oh boy ... FUCK Vex is still a thoroughly EVIL shot ... Hunter's Mark that shit, girl! Yeah!

So Scanlan and Grog are the most prominent targets? SHIT ... I mean OF COURSE Grog succeeds his strength check, but Scanlan is now being CARRIED OFF by one of these things! Shit! O.O

Percy: "Drop the horse!" And yeah, No Mercy's still just as lethal a shot as the Missus ... BOOM!!! And the centaur is free once more ...

Path To the Grave? Fuck, Lieve'tel is a bit SCARY in combat ...

Kiki tries a Whirlwind attack on them ... yup, that proves impressively effective ... fuck, that thing just got PUMMELLED ... right into Grog's reach ... he swings his Bloodaxe TWICE ... and just SHREDS the beastie ...Oh yeah, that's TOTALLY the HDYWTDT ... fucking hell, he just EVISCERATES this thing ...

Oh yeah! Silver Dragon for the WIN!!! Nice one ...

Keyleth tries to take a look over the side and just gets BLINDED by flying dust ... yup, that's a bout right ...

Ah, so ... still a way to go, yet ...

Shit! DODGE!!! QUICK!!!

Well that was close ... and sounds like it could've been SERIOUSLY HAIRY if it had hit ... and then we see it hit another ship ... and it just NEUTRALISED the brumestone? FUCK!!! That's SO FUCKING BAD!!! Yeah, don't let ANY of THAT shit hit you, guys!

Air Ashari FLY!!! Oh, and Cerkonos can do that too? Oh, he can do ALL the elelments like Kiki? Sweet! So he's going too, then ... go help! Quick! Save who you can!

Yes! Save Verin Thelyss! Quick!

Oh nice! That's some SEXY FLYING there, Vex!

Okay, looks like this might be working ... and SOMEHOW they BARELY miss taking another hit ... get them off as fast as you can, guys!

Inspire THEM, not HIM! Pronouns, Scanlan! And somehow Sam makes a really embarrassing (and very classic Shorthalt piece of work) strangely inspiring for Xandis ...

Yeah, that's some pretty sweet flying, you spectacular tiefling!

Wow ... that was just a BEAUTIFUL save ... yeah, they got 'em off safe, just in time ... meanwhile the faling ship goes down SPECTACULARLY ...

Time to get ready to JUMP? All right, then ... GO!!!

Blessing of the Dawnfather? Oh, that's pretty sexy too ... I didn't even know Vex had that one in her! O.O

Thank fuck for Featherfall ...

Grog and Pike are getting SHOT AT?!!! Fuck ... O.O ... Word of Radiance? Yeah, that's a nice save, Lieve'tel! JUST too late, but still ... so Pike manages to dodge, but Grog takes a full-on HIT ... crap ... but he's Raging, so it's not TOO BAD ... but that's STILL a whole lot of Force damage even so ... and that's one ROUGH FUCKING LANDING ...

Oh, so it's already ALL GOING OFF in this place? Okay then ...

Cerkonos shows he's as much of a badass as the others as he comes down ... and yeah, that poor bastard is impaled and INCINERATED ... meanwhile our boy achieves a perfect superhero landing ...

Wait ... so the gunner is LITERALLY PONDERING THEIR ORB?!!! XD

No Mercy Percy strikes again!

Touchdown, then! They're on the ground and taking in what's going on now ... oh yeah, this is just pure fucking CHAOS right now ... the batle is just full-on KICKING OFF ... and THIS is where Matt chooses to call a break ...

Holy shit ... that is a MASSIVE Battlemap this time round ... yeah, the appreciative gasps and roars as they wander mback in to take it in are duly ENTHUSIASTIC, and rightly so ...

Setting up where everybody is ... and it's all just pure CHAOS right now, clearly ...

Oh, so now Keyleth's a FIRE elemental? Matt scrambles to acquire ANOTHER figure to represent her ...

So it's time, then. ROLL INITIATIVE!!!

Vex kicks it all off, then ... she casts a 4th Level Hail of Thorns, with her Blazing Bowstring and Sharpshooter ... wow ... that's a monster combination if ever I heard one ... so she goes for a Reiloran Juggernaut! Nice ... fuck, that's a lot of damage, plus it definitely rings his bell for him ... meanwhile all the regular guys surrounding him are just ANNIHILATED ... ouch ... so she takes ANOTHER shot ... oh yeah, she is SUPREMELY fucking this guy up ...

Scanlan clops up on his coconuts and Inspires Cerkonos ... with a bit of Chappell Roan? Nice ... :3 ... Reverse Gravity? Oh, that's DEVIOUS ... Out of the whole group only ONE manages to make a save so now there's a whole bunch of guys just FLOATING UP INTO THE SKY!!! Holy shit ...

Wow, those Kryn fighters are just BADASS, they're cutting folk TFU ...

Percy steps over the wall and encounters his first Reiloran ... oh, that's nice, so his walking stick turned into a brutal little MURDER BATON ... he shakes off the attempt to fry his brains with psychic energy and slashes them up ... it's hurt, but it's TOUGH, looks like this one's going to take some work ... oh, but his sword has A GUN IN IT ... Matt: "Go go gadget Pepperbox!" POW!!! Now the Reiloran is BURNING!!!

Grog charges up to the guy who's trying to hang on ... and manages to get HIMSELF caught in the spell? Shit! Somehow he manages to catch hold of himself, at least ... and takes a few big hacks at the other guy ... Great Weapon Master? Oh boy, here we go ... oh yeah, Grog kills the guy ON THE SPOT and then he just pinwheels up into the air spraying his insides all over as he goes! Ye gods! O.O

Keyleth jumps from one platform to the next, starts laying about with her fists, the burning Reiloran instantly incinerating under her pummelling onslaught! Oof ... then she runs off in the direction they need to go, setting another attacker on fire as they try to strike at her while she goes.

Lieve'tel summons a Planar Ally, specifically a massive white three-headed raven (literally Holy fuck!), then Tolls the Dead, aiming for the Juggernaut ... and that's a wrap on the big guy! HIs head essentially EXPLODES inside his helmet ... fucking hell ... so she just goes riding off on her big birdy, going to hover over Keyleth.

Oh great ... Scanlan is now being SWARMED by Slithers ... O.O ... oh yeah, they're just GNAWING on him right now! Fuck ... thankfully only TWO of them do any actual damage, but still ...

Crap ... what's this? Oh, I get it, that mut be one of those hive-mind psychic mothers ...

Meanwhile those poor bastards spinning in the air just CONTINUE to spin in the air ... XD ... crap ... now Keyleth is as well, unfortunately ...

Pike chucks a 5th Level Guiding Bolt at the Ball ... okay, this is it, then ... 22 points of damage? Hmmmm ... it CRACKS, but it's still definitely very INTACT ... nuts ...

Cerkonos screams: "Scanman! NOOOOOOO!!!" leaps into the air and casts Wall of Fire around Scanlan, torching the Slithers attacking him. Three of them are reduced to cinders, and the rest are at least SEVERELY charred ... then he just BAMFS next to Pike ...

Vex takes a shot at the Ball, using Sharpshooter ... NAT20!!! Yes! Crit that bitch! Oh, that's a whole lot more cracks in it now ... but she's just got herself directly MARKED by whatever that force is overlooking it ... but her SECOND shot SHATTERS the Ball on the spot! YESSSSSSS!!!

Scanlan casts Thunderwave as 2nd Level, trying to bash some of the Slithers off ... he turns two of them into jelly on the spot! Meanwhile he drops his spell ... and everybody up in the air too! Grog manages to avoid getting crushed, while all but two of them just go SPLAT when they hit the ground around him. Meanwhile Scanlan disengages, trying to use Cutting Words to get rid of the remaining Slither still grappling him ... and breaks free! Phew ...

Fucking hell ... what fresh hell is THIS?!!! O.O ... a battle vidulch? Oh my gods that is fucking TERRIFYING!!! Oh shit, TWO OF 'EM?!!! Shit! They start laying about and IMMEDIATELY start doing major damage to friends and foes alike ...

Shit ... in a single turn, the attacking vidulch manages to COMPLETELY DESTROY Keyleth's Fire Elemental form ... O.O

Percy opens fire with Animus on some of the Vanguard, only for his gun to blow up in his hands! Ouch ... repairing iton the spot, he starts firing again, wiping out one in the process.

Grog uses his Boots (not BOOBS) of Feral Leaping to mount the nearst vidulch, then starts swinging blows into it with his axe ... oh yeah, he's just CHOPPING CHUNKS out of this thing! It's trying to shake him off but he's definitely cutting his way into it already.

Oh no, bad ideas are never REALLY bad ideas ... Keyleth attempts to Dominate the vidulch in front of her? Holy fuck ... O.O ... that's the question, IS IT a beast or is it a MONSTER? She can't tell ... so she tries a Firestorm instead! Oh boy ... whoa, SEVEN D10 of Fire damage? Holy shit ... 48 Fire damage? Wow ... it hurts the vidulch, as well as incinerating a bunch of Reilora and Vanguard. Unfortunately she also takes out three Kryn soldiers with friendly fire ... oof ... then she transforms into an Earth Elemental and burrows down under the ground, coming up on the other side of the vidulch.

DEVILS? Seriously? Is this good or bad? Wait ... who's this ... holy fuck is that OPAL?!!! Fucking hell, my girl you're terrifying but also pretty awesome right now! She doesn't do any real damage, but she's still laying into the vidulch with some serious SAVAGERY!!!

Lieve'tel holds onto a Bless, waiting for her opportunity, aiming for Opal, Keyleth and herself.

Okay, now Grog is having a scrap with the Juggenaut on the back of the vidulch ... unbelievable! Oh hell, this big boy is definitely laying into him HARD right now ... and it has a Telekinetic Combo? Shit ... Grog hangs on, but it definitely batters him about ... so he just starts giving right back just as hard as he's taken ...

Pike chucks a Guiding Bolt at the vidulch at 4th Level, blasting it hard with a good chunk of Radiant damage. Staying put, she's immediately swarmed by a bunch of nasties, but she just batters them all off ...

Cerkonos, impressed by Scanlan's actions, turns himself into a Fire Elemental and funnels himself INTO THE ARMOUR of the nearer vidulch, setting it on fire FROM THE INSIDE!!! Holy shit!

Vex coasts over and starts peppering Pike's attacker with her arrows, wiping him out on the spot. Then she turns round and starts taking potshots at the vidulch, taking some of its legs out from under it.

Scanlan rushes up to the aid of the nearest angel, talling them: "I'm here to help!" before VOMITING Lightning at the nearer vidulch! O.O

Brass wings? Oh sweet! Here they come! Beautiful! Devossa strafes the devil and the vidulch with their fire, but since they're both immune to fire it does ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ... hmmmmm ... somewhat inticlimactic ...

Grog takes a big swing at the Juggernaut and just ANNIHILATES the fucker on the spot! Then he leaps off and goes for the Reiloran instead, using Great Weapon Master ... oh yeah, here we go ... yeah, he just SPLITS THE GUY IN HALF!!! He yanks out the spine from the bisected corpse as he walks away ...

Oh, okay ... yeah, due to retrospective thinking, Grog also manages to finish off the vidulch just before he jumps off ... okay, yeah, there we go, then! Meanwhile Scanlan congratulates CERKONOS for doing it? Hmmmm ...

Keyleth Calls Lightning at 4th Level, landing it right into the remaining vidulch ... oooh, dice math ... 27 points of Lightning damage ... yeah, it's looking pretty messy now ...

Okay, looks like everybody's just trying to kill this thing all together ... meanwhile more Vanguard are arriving! Shit ...

Oh, so Pike just got rescued by a demon? That must be weird for her ... especially when it growls: "Go, small god!" at her ...

Yeah, Opal just becomes TERRIFYING as she jumps on the vidulch, webs it up and then CARVES IT TO PIECES ... O.O ... holy shit ...

Time to book, then? Okay ... they all bundle together and rush into the centre of the fortress, heading for the Malleus Key ... and that's it for the night! Yeah, that's a good place to stop. I was getting pretty exhaunsted, that was a HEAVY SESSION ... but also a very satisfying one ...