#Frederick De Rolo

[thingsasbarcodes]

The Legend of Vox Machina 1x11 - Whispers at the Ziggurat

[crithaus]

man hang on hang on, I'm cooking, I'm simmering here...

The Royal House of Whitestone so says Percy

needs some royal regalia (and one day I'll get up on my soapbox and ask the questions that need be asked re: What did Johanna need a full set of armor for and can I watch her crush shit with it), but so obviously Frederick gives Johanna as a part of her betrothal gifts, her wedding accoutrement, a proper bridal tiara right

Like properly, what else is her veil supposed to be held to, and furthermore as the new matriarch of House De Rolo she needs to be gifted a parure befitting a woman of her new stature, and I bet it's an old old piece of white gold, amethyst, sapphires and regular gold, Whitestone colors of course, and it's so old that Frederick got it from his own mother who got it from her mother from her mother from Melanie, for the express purpose of crowning his new bride, that it's passed through every lady of Whitestone's hands,

And as Julius sat there with his hands on her fat belly Johanna thought to herself, well, tradition is as tradition does I suppose, and she might have drafted a new set for their new little duskborn present, their eventide blessing, and that wasn't traditional but who cares, Whitestone prospers and her daughters will have their little trinkets, but I think on Vesper's coming of age Johanna sets her own diadem on Vesper's head with a smile at her slight breach of etiquette, coming of age but not yet married and yet it'll be our little secret, and she's kept Whitney and Cassandra's parures safe in a box in her room for when the time came, the requisite jewels can come and go on their little heads but this diadem was, is, has always been special, a family heirloom and an homage to the bonny and blitheness of their home all in one. The lady of Castle Whitestone settled for a slightly less bombastic headpiece that Frederick found for her in his own mother's belongings and life shifted on, and no one could deny that Vesper wore it well and with pride.

I think Sylas snatches it out of Vesper's matted hair to place it on the new lady of the House, and I think despite the brainwashing that that simple sight rankles in Cassandra's heart like nothing else, and when they kick the Briarwoods out obviously, obviously Percy takes it and sets it just so in Cass's hair, he is the new lord of whitestone after all, for a few more days, hours at least, and She the new lady, and that hurts y'know, it's a good hurt but it does hurt. Perhaps it doesn't fit perfectly but when it's all you have left at the moment, what else can you do?

and then Vex and Percy's first wedding rolls around, and despite it being a secret, a wrapped cushion appears on her bed as she's getting ready for the most important day of her life, a startlingly heavy little package with the most beautiful hairpiece she's ever seen with a little note of "for your special day, Lady De Rolo," tucked into the package string. (Cass puts on the diadem her mother had made specifically for her instead, they found it in the back of her boudoir, hidden and unscathed somehow, and it fits like an absolute dream, and suits her too, and the fact that it does so makes her cry so hard, mother never could have known it'd end like that and yet...) And Percy might have cried harder than he was already going too when he sees Vex but he spares her the sad explanation until after their wedding night, and when Vax leaves and everything settles down and the world stops ending for once, and little Vesper Elaina is sitting directly on her bladder, she takes to wearing it around the castle a lot more. It suits her, surprisingly enough.

(and one day it'll rest on Vesper's head again, and one day Percy will walk Leona and Gwendolyn down the aisle with that piece in their hair and feel a type of way about it)

[aq2003]

yeah

[twinklestarss]

“As the entirety of your brood, your children gather up, you can see even the attitudes have dropped, and even Vax'ildan, young Vax'ildan stands there now with a look of concern and worry in his eyes. But they all nod and wave. That very practiced guarded emotional presentation that children of lords and ladies are taught well to maintain, that lasts just long enough as the portal opens in the Sun Tree to guide you to the next stage, to watch their faces drop, overcome with concern and worry and a number of tears. But they smile and wave, as do the people of Whitestone, waving in kind. We return soon. Whitestone endures. Let's go.”-Matt/Percy

Campaign 3 Episode 112: The Assembling of Legends

[burr-ell]

i cannot believe perc'ahlia nation thought vax II would be all soft and sensitive and when we finally meet him he's a heinous little shit. incredible, no notes, i need five hundred more hours of this

[prankprincess123]

We know Gwen is 'Daddy's Little Princess' type close with Percy, and that of all their kids Vex is closest with the twins, and its really not hard to conclude that Vex is also a bit more affectionate with Vax'ildan II as he reminds her of her brother, but I also really like the idea of Vesper being a bit of a 'Daddy's Girl' too. Just picture a peaceful afternoon in Whitestone, Percy reading in the library with their bookend babies curled up on either side of him, while Vex and their wild middle children teasingly track eachother through the woods in some sort of game.

[demisexualemmaswan]

modern au percy definitely becomes tiktok famous for being “stoic dad at the Taylor Swift concert” while his kids are having the time of their lives

like vesper buys the tickets for her and her siblings and vex can’t go so she invites percy and surprisingly he says yes

he just nods approvingly when he’s into a song

[cobaltsoulsearcher]

All five sit carefully, close enough the stack of game pieces is easily in reach but far enough a sneeze won’t topple it. 

Gwendolyn sticks her tongue out at Vax’s safe move and pokes at a side piece. It wobbles theatrically, but doesn’t fall. 

“Nice,” Vesper mutters, taking a piece from the only untouched row. 

Leona tilts her head, as if a different angle will tell her the ideal block to pull, before collecting the piece opposite Gwen’s and nudging her twin. 

He barely even touches it before it falls. “Chenga!”

(A corridor away, both their parents shudder at once.)

Day 4 - Stack - @thedrabblecollective

[essayofthoughts]

I think we kind of see some of Syldor’s strengths with how he is with Velora. We only see that fleetingly and it’s in a tense situation, but with Velora and specifically, how Velora interacts with him, you see that he cares about her quite a bit and that she doesn’t seem to have any reason to doubt that. I’d hesitate to say that he’s learned from his mistakes with the twins - I think, with his preconceived notions and ingrained bigotry, it was simply easier for him to be a good parent to Velora, a pure elf, rather than the half-elven twins.

Still, I think with Velora at least he’s more willing and able to set time aside for her, to ensure she feels loved and cared for. And like... for all he’s meant to be a diplomat he’s pretty easy to get a read on when his family is in the room - he doesn’t appear to play any kind of emotional or political games in those interactions (beyond, you know, being a shit parent) and while I do think he played the twins off each other growing up, I do think that he’s like... relatively emotionally open with family members? It’s just that with the twins most of his emotions were negative (because he’s got his prejudices). And I think that emotional openness with family, especially when he comes around to start making an actual effort with Vex - I think that serves him very well. Vex is perceptive, she’d notice if he was being deceptive, and so him being emotionally open and honest would serve them well there.

It’s just that the flipside of it is his problem and his weakness - when those emotions are negative they are obvious, and he is enough of a politician (again, he’s a diplomat remember) to deflect and respond in... less than productive ways. I think it means that when he’s angry or annoyed he’s not always the best at smoothing that over with the necessary calm for dealing with kids and teens, and I think that the twins got a lot more of this side of him growing up than his actual strengths.

I think this also leads to problems with discipline with him, because if he’s being serious about discipline or not doing something, then there’ll be times when he’s angry or annoyed, and again, that emotional openness he has with family means that’ll be obvious!

However, to circle back around to Syldor’s strengths one last time - I think the fact that he is emotionally open with the twins when we see him, even if it’s largely negative does serve to show that... he does see them as family? Even if he regrets it or has complicated feelings about it, they are family enough for him he’s not going to try to hide his thoughts and feelings as he might when on some kind of diplomatic or ambassadorial job.

Now to Frederick.

We know a lot less about Frederick than we do Syldor (see: dead) but I think we can infer at least something from the living de Rolos and Percy especially. For what it’s worth, I do think that Frederick de Rolo cared about all of his children - this is a world with magic and medicine, and I highly doubt he and Johanna would have had seven children if they didn’t care about both each other and those children. I do think however that he was very busy - Lord of Whitestone and all - and while he tried to be involved in his children’s lives he wasn’t always able to (see: Tal’s Percy line “like a fourteen year old who’s father doesn’t love him enough to teach him how to groom himself”).

So I think a lot of the de Rolo’s children’s rearing was left to Nannies. I do think it’s reasonably likely that Johanna was more involved than Frederick, but still - Lady of Whitestone would involve a fair bit of paperwork and mediation as well, so she was quite likely also busy.

I think also that Frederick probably meant well, but that it didn’t come across always, and that certainly his children sometimes took his absence personally (see again Percy’s comment). But when it comes to actual weakness I think it’s that he knew his own mind and opinion and would sometimes bowl ahead with that opinion without always thinking it through. I think there were quite a few occasions of children with hurt feelings because Frederick had an opinion, said it, and didn’t immediately realise that it wouldn’t be taken as intended by his children. I imagine this was something Percy had personal experience with too, given he preferred study to socialising, and I think Frederick probably made a few ill-worded or ill-phrased comments about Percy’s studiousness and dislike of court matters. Given how Percy in his recounting of the Briarwoods’ visit emphasises that Julius and Vesper were the ones who dealt with court matters... I dunno, it feels like something that got brought up to him as being Disappointing, that he didn’t care to engage in the family administration so much, and given again the comment about learning to shave, I think Percy felt those comments more keenly from his father than his mother.

On the side of strengths, however... like I said, I do think Frederick and Johanna loved their children and while they couldn’t always be there I do think they made an effort to know their interests, their likes and dislikes. I feel like Percy got his more meticulous nature from somewhere and while his mother is likely it’s also the kind of... gendered expectation, and I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if he actually got it from his father. I feel like Frederick had a little notebook in which he kept notes of his children’s likes and dislikes and interests, and made sure to get them presents that suited that.

Percy feels most at ease showing his affection verbally or with gifts, and I quite like the idea that he inherited that from his father.

Gently patpats, what do you think are Percy and Kash's respective strengths and weaknesses as parents?

Good question! I think you'd have to look at the kinds of people they are to really figure that out and one of my first thoughts from that is that I feel like Percy is much less overbearing or hovering?

Like. Percy is someone who puts a huge stock in respect and trust - it's why he isn't overbearing or overprotective with any of his friends, even the ones he loves the most, like Keyleth or Vex. He respects their skills and trusts their judgement and so while he'll raise his concerns he very rarely directly intervenes without their first giving the okay - to do otherwise would be to imply he doesn't trust or respect them.

So I think Percy's very willing to support his kids in trying new things! I imagine he'd always put in reasonable safety precautions and explain why, and would be much more cautious until around the age 5-6 mark, when they start really being conscious and able to think and reason a bit, but I think he's very supportive of them trying new things and, once he thinks they're old enough for whatever they want to attempt, I think he's pretty hands-off in letting them get on with it? They have to learn their lessons one way or another, and practically is often best. He'll make sure they have what buffer and safety he can provide, but letting them try things out for themselves, make mistakes, learn what they do or don't like by trying out a new food or activity... I think that's something he's very supportive of.

I think his weakness is that... he isn't always great at seeing other perspectives? He tries and he especially tries when it's friends and loved ones (see again: his relationship with Keyleth. They're very different people but despite their different perspectives Percy still values her opinion and she his - they don't always understand why the other thinks the way they do but they do try) but he doesn't always succeed and can be both very stubborn and set in his ways. I think he does sometimes struggle to connect with his kids, especially once they hit teenagedom, and I think it's a bit rough on everyone involved when it first happens. No kid likes feeling misunderstood or inadequately listened to by a parent, and I think for Percy not being able to understand his children's perspectives and therefore limiting how he can help them is something that hurts him too. He wants to be there - he just can't bridge that gulf.

Thank god there's Vex there.

As for Kash - I think his directness makes him very very good at explaining things to his kids in ways they understand. Never overly complicated or even all that nuanced, but simple enough they understand and with enough detail it might make them curious about it. I think that directness and, especially, his growth thanks to Zahra's help, means he's both very very firm on his own boundaries and encourages his kids to be firm on theirs. His kids say "No" and he listens, even if it's a silly meaningless child-who-only-has-a-handful-of-words-no. I imagine he never wants his kids to feel like they don't matter or won't be listened to and while that means that sometimes resolving things with stubborn children might be trickier, I think it engenders an awful lot of trust.

As for his weakness ... I mean, I don't know if I'd necessarily call it a weakness but I absolutely think his kids learn to swear within a few months of starting language acquisition. I am also inclined to think that he doesn't stop them from using what swearwords they know, which means probably you get kids dropping a cup at the table, water spilling everywhere, and the kid going "Son of a bitch!" If he personally doesn't think it's a problem and if Zahra doesn't think it's a problem, I can't see him really going out of his way to stop or curtail a behaviour, and I think that means that it might seem to others that his kids are kind of undisciplined, just because he gives them a lot of free rein.

I think his weakness might be when he has to limit that free rein. It's one thing when it's boundaries - that he can be firm on - but I think even after Zahra he sometimes struggles to deal with kind of... cases of authority (i.e. him trying to get his kids to knock it off when they're being loud or doing something dangerous) being challenged (energetic, riled up kids who want to do something, inherited their dad's stubbornness and pottymouth, and are perfectly willing to talk back) without kind of being a bit shit and stubborn? I think there's sometimes some nasty parent-kids fights over that kind of a thing, at least early on before Kash gets a handle on it - but I think he's not always the best at like... defusing conflict even after that, because it doesn't come naturally to him.

Thanks for asking this Blorb! That was really fun to think about.

[rightpastnowhere]

fluffy HCs as requested bud <33

Vesper is absolutely spoiled by VM - they get better with it as time goes on [the Trickfoots have their own kids, and the rest have their responsibilities really settle in, and Vex and Percy learn that maybe spoiling a kid rotten isn't the best way to go] but this kid gets everything. Partially because she's the first baby and SO cute... partially because Vax just died and Vex is A Mess so they're all rallying to defeat this for her, for themselves, and it's very healing to make a lil baby smile and laugh.

Scanlan actually isn't the best at lullabies - the kids turn to Pike's huskier and softer voice at bedtime. Which Scanlan is Very Dramatic About, but he has the best songs for games and chores and good times and such. But Pike lulls them right to sleep, and also offers up sea shanties when they're working on chores as a family that require a rhythm.

Sorry, but you know Willhand'ildan absolutely fucking hates his name. He and Vax'ildan (Dan) bond over not really... knowing how to deal with being named after dead people, especially the same guy their parents feel guilty about not being able to save. So Dan and Wills actually end up being very close friends, and I HC they're fairly close friends too. I HC Dan as becoming a Druid in Zephrah, and if so he and Wills either send letters regularly or Wills works as a Tempest Blade there too (shhh hes FINE hes FINE he comes out COMPLETELY UNSCATHED SHHH).

Juniper's feelings are less complicated, because Scanlan had a lot more time to come to terms with his mother's death, and her name is a lot more common / namesake less well known so people don't immediately bug her about it. She feels really touched she has this connection to this woman only her dad knew.

Not v relevant but imagine an AU where Tary and Lawrence adopt a lil Fjord. (They both settle down in Port Damali, which is where Lawrence was living, and where Fjord grew up!) Consider Fjord with gay dads who absolutely trounce on standard ideas of masculinity from the word go, and also are prolific authors. Jester would get absolutely fucking starry-eyed when he tells her lmao

OH MY GOD VM BABIES ;;;;;

vesper being spoiled by a vm who feel guilty about vax and paranoid about this small fragile lil babbu and also who want to see her have more than they ever did... they overcorrect but it's so earnest and i love them oh my god

PIKE SINGING LULLABIES!! HELP!!!! OH MY GOD I LOVE THIS

poor wilhand'ildan was fucked over for LIFE (sam and ashley are giggling as they ruin this fictional child's life it's hilarious) and i do think that would be SUCH a heavy burden, but the thought of vax'ildeux and wills being buddies........ that warms my heart sm. AND LIVING IN ZEPHRAH WITH AUNTIE KEEKS......... BLESSED

juniper <33 she has no idea how much drama her named caused LMAO

OH MY GOD THAT'S SUCH A CUTE IDEA THO ?!?! AWWWWWWWWW

thank you so much for these,,,,,,, heart full of warm happiness <33 thank you

[wackachewbacca]

When the Bells Hells come to Whitestone with a possessed Laudna, Percy might have been around the same age as his father when Lord Frederick died by the Briarwoods’ coup. That probably felt like history repeating itself except Percy’s not the child anymore; he’s watching everything through his father’s eyes

[thingsasbarcodes]

The Legend of Vox Machina 1x10 - Depths of Deceit

[fandomrandombookthing]

Level 50 unlocked...

My hc for older Percy has always been David Baker off Forged in Fire I think the hair & facial hair is spot on and I like the idea of him putting on some weight as he ages and heals.

[bloodinmymilkshake]

PERC'ILDAN ARRANGED WEDDING AU... but not in the way you think.

The de Rolo family is alive, Anna Ripley betrayed the Briarwoods, as a result of which they were exposed and executed.

Vax and Vex were unable to escape from their father and remained to live with him in Singorn.

And one day Sildor decides to use his children for political gain, concluding an alliance with Whitestone through an arranged marriage.

At a family dinner, he announces to his children that they are going to Whitestone to meet Vex's future husband, Percival, and Vax's future wife, Cassandra.

Vex doesn't believe in love and isn't too upset. Vax knows that his sister will have to stay in Whitestone, and he will return to Singorn with a new wife, and is worried about the separation.

Meanwhile, Lord Frederick also informs his children about the upcoming marriage over dinner. Cassandra is 18 and she is still a rebellious teenager, so she greets the news with scandal and tears. Her parents don’t really want to let her go to another state, but they hope that marriage will benefit their daughter.

Percy, at 23, is not at all interested in girls. Instead, he spends his days helping Anna Ripley in the lab as an assistant, and working on his personal projects in the evenings (she allows him to use the lab in exchange for his help). He is not interested in his future wife, but his father promises him a personal workshop if he does not break the deal.

Before the guests from Singorn arrive, Cassandra cuts off her long hair as a rebellion, upsetting her parents. At dinner, she reveals that she is interested in sword fencing (not a very common thing for a girl), and Vax offers her a practice match (much to his father's displeasure). During the fight, Cassandra and Vax get to know each other better and find a lot in common, but not in a romantic way.

Father invites Percy to give Vex a tour of his laboratory and show her the weapon design he is working on. Percy talks enthusiastically about revolvers, but Vex isn't too interested. Julius, Percy's older brother and crown lord, saves his younger brother from embarrassment and his fiancée from boredom by inviting Vex to take a walk in the garden together.

In the evening, the twins share their impressions. Vax says his fiancee is too young for him and he sees her as a younger self rather than a woman he can love. Vex says she met an aristocratic, intelligent and interesting man with whom she discussed Whitestone politics, but this is not her future husband. Vax shares with his sister his anxiety about their separation and almost cries.

The next evening, Percy stays late in the laboratory as usual, and Vax gets lost in the corridors of the castle and accidentally wanders into his lab. Percy promises Vax that he won't lay a finger on his sister after the wedding. Vax makes the same promise to Percy. Percy shows Vax his greatest achievement, the Pepperbox, and talks enthusiastically about it. After years of work, the project is finally nearing completion and he is very excited.

Vax enjoys watching Percy like this, and they feel sympathy for each other.

The next day, Percy demonstrates the "greatest invention that will redefine guns" to his family and guests, but the Pepperbox misfires. Part of Percy's family doesn't believe him and he is very upset about his failure. Vax comes to his laboratory and consoles him, and then suggests that he take a walk around the castle to take his mind off things.

Over time, their walks become more frequent. During one of them, they goes onto the roof of the castle, from where they have a view of the entire Whitestone.

They sit there with a bottle of wine, and Percy shares with Vax his concern that his sister is still just a child, and he does not want to let her go to Singorn. Vax promises Percy that he will take care of Cassandra and protect her.

One sunny day, Julius invites everyone (namely Vex, Vax, Cassandra and Percy) for a horse ride. Vex, like him, is a big horse lover - she gets along very well with animals, and this fascinates Julius.

All five of them have a carefree time and forget about the upcoming wedding for a while. In the evening, Vax comes to his sister’s room and asks how she feels about Julius. Vex says they're just friends, but that doesn't sound convincing.

A couple of weeks before the wedding, Julius walks into the laboratory when Percy is alone there. He tells his brother that he is very lucky, because his future wife is a wonderful girl. Percy doesn't share his brother's opinion at all and says he doesn't feel right. He used to think that marriage was just a convention, but now, having met someone special, Percy thinks about love for the first time.

At the same time, Vax finds Vex crying in her room. Vex says she is very stupid, but she really fell in love with Julius. She is afraid that he will push her away if he finds out about this, because she is engaged to his brother. Besides, Julius is the crown lord, and she is an illegitimate daughter, and they cannot be together. Vax says that he fell in love with Percy, and it hurts him to see both his beloved and sister so unhappy.

The day before her father arrives from Singorn, Vex meets Julius in the garden and says that he will not be able to forgive her for what she is about to do. The next moment, she kisses him. They spend the night together in Vex's room.

Percy goes to the roof and finds Vax there. He sits down next to him and takes his hand. Their lips almost touch, but neither of them dares to kiss. Percy says, that he can't imagine kissing his unloved bride at the wedding ceremony (Percy has never kissed before). Vax advises him to imagine the one he loves.

They spend the night next to each other, but it seems pointless to each of them to talk about feelings, when very soon their world will collapse forever.

In the morning Sildor arrives and everyone gathers at the table. Unexpectedly for everyone, Julius suddenly gets up and, in front of his entire family, asks Sildor for his daughter’s hand in marriage. He says that after everything that happened between them, it is his duty to marry Vex to preserve the young lady's honor. Nobody can object to him.

Percy stands next to his brother. He turns to Sildor and asks for Vax's hand in marriage. He says he fell in love with him, and since same-sex marriage is legal in Whitestone, the agreement between the families is not broken: both twins marry into the children of the De Rolo family.

Left alone, Percy and Vax finally confess their feelings to each other. Vax takes Percy's face in his hands and asks if he can kiss him.

[twinklestarss]

“You watch as Vesper and Gwendolyn run up holding hand-in-hand with two other, just past their late teens, twin brother and sister Wolfe and Leona, rushing up behind them, and already by the tree, you see young, late teens Vax'ildan II leaning back as all the kids, all the various de Rolo children have gathered up. Gwendolyn is like, "Mother! Mother, I got them." Vesper is like, "Yes, we got them together, didn't we? As well as the baked goods you requested, Mother.”

Campaign 3 Episode 112: The Assembling of Legends

[burr-ell]

@pagerunner-j replied to your post “i cannot believe perc'ahlia nation thought vax II...”:

To be fair, going by the portrait that they put in the campaign book, Vax is the young one sitting on the floor with the bear cub and Wolfe is the teenage shit messing with his twin. They aren't even tracking with their own officially released material. Personally, I'm choosing to keep filing it under "Matt is not generally great at playing kids."

​hey it's been like seven years since that portrait, some kids just become goblins. wolfe's prolly like 'i can't BELIEVE i was so pompous, muuuuum have them take it down' not knowing he's only 20 and will spend the next decade finding new, ever more inventive ways to be cringe