#after Keyleth and her fully using her powers who knows

[rocinawanda]

So I just started watching The Legend of Vox Machina and finished season 1 in 3 days and my current thoughts.

Keyleth is my baby, I want only good things to happen to her she is the nature-loving, anxiety ridden, full of endless potential and only needing to believe in herself personification of me that I didn’t know I needed. Also she has the exact same colour scheme (Red hair and green clothing) as Sam from Totally Spies so my childhood crush is awakening and I see Sam in her too often.

Her and Vax are also cute with their will they, won’t they. Moving to Vax he is a charismatic and sneaky half elf who I also love (was not expecting him to drop the in love line so soon but OKAY here for it). Adore his dynamic with Vex and the obvious we could always leave this team but nooo they are family too.

Speaking of Mommy- I mean Wife- I mean Vex. Nothing better than a gorgeous half elf archer who takes care of everyone and toes that hilarious line of I hate you all AND I love you all.

The other side of the parental dynamic is Percy who having a demon attached was very cool and evil and of course ‘murder of all family’ closure is important so glad he got that and hey now that the gun is gone I guess every team does need the guy who just shoots and leads and its him.

Onto the gnomes we have Pike who is awesome a literal ray of burping sunshine who I would ask to bless me if she was real.

Also Scanlan who is hilarious, needs to use his power more and is about 10% of the way on his mission to fuck every being in the realm.

Plus we have Grog and who doesn’t adore a lovable oaf whose only goal in life is to murder everything.

lastly but not least is the bear Trinket who clearly we do not get enough of.

good luck fighting dragons murder crew

[nellie-elizabeth]

The Legend of Vox Machina: Thordak's Throne (3x09)

Oh shit, I can't believe they did that. And by that I mean... well, I'll talk about it in a bit.

Cons:

I have one small and one kind of medium-large complaint to lodge here before we go into how much I really did adore this episode.

Okay, obviously Travis broke my heart with his line delivery on "can you fix him? Please, you gotta fix him." But I do kind of miss his original improvised version that had more heat to it. The bellowed "FIX HIM" lives in my head rent free and we didn't get that here. Small nitpick, this version also tore out my heart, but thought I'd mention that. The thing about Grog is that he's our big lovable dummy, but the other thing about Grog is that he can be scary sometimes, even to the people he loves most.

Then there's the bigger thing. Pike's big moment was like... well, I'm not like, super angry, really, it's more of a "let's see where they're going with this thing", I guess. I have thoughts. Honestly, the stuff with Pike and the Everlight in this show has always been kind of muddy to me, and a plot progression where Pike finds strength in herself instead of in her goddess is totally fine with me in theory. But I thought in the past seasons the setup was more like... her faith as an anchor to her own strength. Or believing that she is deserving of the Everlight's favor and that thus the power she wields is her own, but the goddess is her supporter as much as Pike is a follower of her goddess? Like, does that make any sense? Pike having a complicated but ultimately loving relationship with her deity is what I was looking for here. That image of her actually throwing aside the Everlight's symbol was kind of... Not It, for me. I wish it had been more like "It's not just the Everlight's magic, and it's not just the Dawnfather's armor. It's me, who I am, being worthy to wield the powers they offer." That's the nuance I would have wanted here.

Maybe they're setting shit up, I don't know. There's clearly something going on with Pike here that I don't fully understand, since it's new material added to the show! But her big triumphant moment of using the armor to deal a devastating blow to Thordak left me a little uncertain, if I'm being honest. Pike does love her goddess, it's part of her strength. I don't want the story to take that away from her. Maybe whatever Zerxus was on about, that whole thing about her being "special," will shed further light on this, and what seemed like a triumphant moment in this episode will ultimately turn back on itself? That's kind of what I'm hoping for, in a way. I want Pike's final resolution as a character to be her reconciled and comfortable with the Everlight's place in her life, even if it's a relationship that has evolved, somewhat.

Pros:

But okay. Enough of that. This episode kicked ass.

Let's get back to the "oh shit, I can't believe they did that." I can't believe they killed Kash!!! Like, okay, there are so many things to talk about in this episode but I have to start with how fucking shocked I was by this. Totally out of left field, did not see it coming, completely crushed my soul. Because that's not just Kash, character who has been in like... two episodes of this show and cracks wise and flirts with Keyleth and how he's dead. That's who the character is to animated series watchers, and I'm sure his death is very sad from that perspective, but... but that's... fan favorite guest PC, played by Will Friedle, that's a character who gets to live happily ever after in the world of Exandria as far as the campaign story is concerned, and they killed him dead! And like... he's dead dead, we all know it, don't we? Yikes, this was so depressing! They did that very effective thing of having him and Zahra being all cutesy and kissing and then engaging in banter and doing cool battle combos together and then... SQUISH.

It was an enormously effective change, I can't even be mad at it. This show is not beholden to the streaming canon, they've told us that a thousand times. And let's be honest, we know what's coming up for certain other beloved characters. It makes a lot of sense to me that some named characters needed to be casualties of these big bad dragons before the end. This was... a fucking heartbreaking choice but I found it enormously impactful in exactly the right way. Zahra's despair was so moving, and I love how she got to give Pike that final angry pep talk to push her into her final moment of figuring out how to use her vestige. I also loved the imagery, of Kash standing up and looking down on his own mangled corpse, looking over at the group, and... seeing Vax, seeing him? Then the Matron imagery behind him as he turns and walks into shadow. Just... masterfully done, a super emotionally devastating death for a character who didn't need a lot of screen time to make a huge impact on my heart. Also, just, it was so MEAN! Ouch!

So much else to say. I don't know how to go in a linear order just talking about all the moments that I loved, so get ready for me to jump around just listing things that totally destroyed me and/or I totally cheered at.

All of the cool NPCs and side characters getting shown in small moments, kicking ass! Allura and Gilmore with their spells, and Kima and Groon as always being cool as shit, and Vex and Vax's dad being just kind of... shell-shocked by the mass destruction but then bickering with Cassandra about how to evacuate the troops. It just makes the world feel so full and like we've been to all of these places and met all of these cool different people.

Grog really got a lot of shining moments in this episode! I loved how when their original plan went to shit, Grog is the one who steps up and comes up with an alt. That was such a clever way to adapt one of my favorite aspects of the campaign, which is that Travis often had interesting strategic ideas at the table, but Grog wasn't allowed to be smart enough to think of them. So Grog would occasionally have these tactical insights, but Travis had to hold back a lot of the time. This was a fun way for Travis to possess Grog's body and come up with a good idea and get the ball rolling!

Seeing Grog and Scanlan teaming up was such a joy, you get this sense that theirs is a friendship full of wacky shenanigans and so much heart and love, that Grog has some of his best fun times with Scanlan Shorthalt and really enjoys his company. I loved Scanlan getting him into the rage mindset to defeat the eggs, and I loved Scanlan acting as bait with Thordak. And then... man, this show knows how to turn your emotional reality on its head. I was waiting for how the Scanlan death stuff would translate here, and despite wishing for the more angry version of "FIX HIM," I still was emotionally crushed by Grog's realization that Scanlan wasn't moving! Noooooo. He's gotta wake up, if only because Grog couldn't live with it otherwise!

We get a Keyleth moment where she turns into her fire elemental self, but it doesn't seem to work, which I thought was a cool moment - it makes sense within the mechanical logic of D&D that a big powerful fire thing wouldn't work that well against a big powerful fire thing, but it was also such a cool subversion of expectations to hear that amazing musical theme and see Vax and Keyleth do such a bad-ass combo and then have it not play out the way you would expect it to!

The final beats of everyone circling up around Thordak, then Pike getting that moment to really take him out and get rid of the soul anchor, was visually very cool even if (see above) I'm a little worried about the implications for Pike's character journey.

And then. Man. I knew I'd cry about Vex and Vax's mother, and this is one of those things I think is really enhanced by having watched the stream, and knowing how much this story became healing for Liam in particular. The visual of Thordak getting away, and Vax holding Vex's hand before launching himself into the air, the way he himself became the final weapon, punching through Thordak's body... so fucking beautiful and intense and cathartic. And then we get the twins holding each other in relief. They can't do anything to bring their mother back, or Percy, but at least they've stopped this dragon from doing any further harm.

Tracking Keyleth's mistrust of Raishan through the season has been so interesting, because here she turns up, seems like she might be about to turn on our heroes, and then she plays her part and attacks Thordak in a vulnerable moment instead, forcing him to fly off to lick his wounds, and setting Vax up for that final kill shot. Then you have Keyleth being the bigger person and going to tell Raishan she knows she was wrong, and thanking her for the allyship. But of course... Keyleth was fucking right, y'all, she was right all along, don't mess with my GIRL lol. Raishan is doing something with runes, and then before Vox Machina can stop her, she's vanished with Thordak's corpse in tow. Dun dun dunnnn.

I'm really curious about how we're fitting in the events I think we still have to hit in the next three episodes. Obviously things are so topsy turvey and out of order here. Percy didn't get to do the Thordak fight in this version! Keyleth doesn't have her vestige! Scanlan is unconscious and out for the count and I have to assume that's dealt with... before the Raishan combat? Or maybe Scanlan sits that one out? I don't fucking know, man, everything is so out of order that I'm on the edge of my seat as much as the just-animated-show viewers!

I'm not going to dock too many points for my big Pike question in this episode. I still want to see where they're going with this in the final three episodes. Other than that aspect, I really really loved this episode. RIP Kash, you really caught a stray by showing up in this episode and getting squished so bad. Gonna miss that guy.

9/10

[rightpastnowhere]

for time and time and time again

peace in all seasons

moss stained with blood

(Pick which you like, or do multiple!)

i’m doin’ all of them!!!! what do you expect at this point lol

send me a made-up fic title and i’ll tell you the fic i’d write to go with it

1. for time and time and time again

not to be basic, but the first thing i thought of was a time loop fic, and i’m a sucker for time loop fics, so. time loop fic! au where wanda and pietro’s powers were unlocked (created or amplified, depending on how heavily you subscribe to MCU canon) by the time stone, not the mind stone. i’m hand-waiving canon to make this possible, just let me do what i want. anyway, their abilities stay mostly the same - pietro’s speed and wanda’s red wiggly woos - except pietro’s speed is him manipulating time (either his body’s time or time around him, idk time physics), and wanda doesn’t have telepathy. she has little manipulations of time that she just assumes are power boosts (like “oh, i’m just moving a little faster because i have powers now, maybe pietro is rubbing off on me” or “oh, i just used magic to decay this thing, that makes sense i guess”) because she doesn’t fully understand what’s going on, and neither does pietro. 

they don’t find out the extent of her powers until pietro dies - which means pietro never realizes, really - and she has the whole power-explosion thing. also, on that note, they still have their twinnie bond, but it’s more of the stone connecting its hosts, and it’s not actual telepathy, just feelings. it’s how wanda knows pietro is dead. ANYWAY when the whole magic burst happens, it sends wanda back in time to before pietro died. cue time loop fic of wanda trying to save her brother through countless iterations of the same day. 

2. peace in all seasons

a little fic that follows percy and vex throughout the first year after the campaign ends, split into four sections with one for each season. the drastic dichotomy of the external feeling of peace now that the world is saved and they can finally stop and breathe, and then the lack of internal peace after the death of vax sent vox machina into a spiral of turmoil, with vex obviously being the most affected. it’s also their first time spending a full year together with literal peace in every season - the year break doesn’t really count, because they didn’t spend all of it together, and they were tense because of all of the loose threads they still had left. and also, there’s vesper, who represents the peace they are trying to live in, but is also anything BUT peaceful because pregnancy is seventeen different kinds of chaotic and difficult. but, hey. there’s peace in the world, and they take a moment to breathe that in. 

3. moss stained with blood

i love the aesthetic of this, but i struggled the most with coming up with a fic for it lol. i eventually settled on a keyleth character study, one that follows her from the anxious, unsure girl that left zephrah, to the keyleth who wanted vengeance after the death of the fire ashari, to the voice at the tempest at the end. she’s still keyleth - still awkward and anixous, a little less unsure but she still watches where she steps - but she’s been undeniably changed by her time with vox machina. she’s still moss, but moss stained with blood. 

[utilitycaster]

i was thinking about your post about your frustrations with the way fandom talks about romance and True Loves—do you get the sense that there's been a bit too much romanticizing of the "i broke the world for us" line? because i feel like the reason it works is that it is, among other things, an encapsulation of how selfish the briarwoods were, rather than a depiction of a healthy romantic relationship worth preserving or emulating. and i'm sure the players know this, but with the way people have discussed that quote regarding imodna in particular, i'm not...fully sure the fandom does? it's like people want imogen and laudna to wrap their entire lives around each other to the exclusion of everyone and everything else.

like, the reason that line is interesting to me in relationship to percy/vex is that their relationship wound up serving as a narrative foil to sylas and delilah; while percy and vex very explicitly influenced each other not to go down that path, they also had several other people in their lives who mattered to them and impacted their growth. and idk i just get the sense that rather than examining the idea of unhealthy codependence, fandom just wants to see these two characters perennially attached at the hip, and i can't say i find that idea terribly interesting. (as you said, there's a reason the briarwoods were npcs; a dynamic like that among player characters could get very tiresome.)

You know, it's hard to say, but I think so. The thing is, it's a great line, but the context is actually quite important: Delilah says "I broke the world for us" as Sylas is being killed by Keyleth's Sunbeam, after the aborted attempt to summon Vecna. This is the line of someone who thinks she's failed; it can be seen as "I had to do all this, some of which I didn't particularly wish to do, and then I don't even get what I wanted, which was to spend eternity with my hot vampire husband?

In other words, I think a lot of people interpret this as "I would do anything for my love" and I think that's part of it, but there's also a not inconsiderable undercurrent of "I got in WAY too deep in the hopes of saving his life, and now I don't even get more than five fucking stressful years?" I mean, Delilah is not terribly sympathetic, because of the murders and the necromancy, but it is in many ways indicated that Vecna was rather opportunistic into calling out to a powerful necromancer who happened to be vulnerable and desperate. On some level I have to wonder if, perhaps, prior to her deal, the Briarwoods did have friends; and then with Sylas as a vampire and Delilah going harder on the necromancy work, they had to cut ties to hide the secret, or they lost those friends when they were discovered and kicked out of the assembly. We see them at a point where all they have is each other...but that could be the result of what they've had to do to have each other.

Regardless, I hesitate to attribute this to why people are weird about other ships; I think that comes from a lot of places, and honestly I've seen far worse justifications or characterizations of ships. I think some of this being brought up for Imogen and Laudna when the story has not really backed up that kind of devotion is just because Delilah is in the story and so they're reminded of it. But I do think that saying someone would break the world for someone else isn't necessarily a sign that it's a dedicated and all-consuming romantic relationship; merely that it's one with little foresight or sense of proportion.

[centaurianthropology]

I hate to say this, but taking Laudna to Whitestone is a potential enormous can of worms, and may not work out like Orym hopes it will.  He looks at Keyleth like this serene goddess, when in reality she is carting the body of an unknown girl who was collateral damage during their fight for Whitestone back to where it all began.  It seems likely that she’s going to present this choice of resurrecting her to Pike, Percy, and Vex.

And what sort of choice is that?  On the one hand is the guilt of what happened, of some random kid dying just because she looked a little like Vex, along with all her family.  Of course they want to make that right in some way.

But on the other hand, the Bells Hells are going to have to take extreme care about what they say, because the only reason Laudna’s alive at all is because the bitch who destroyed the city and murdered Percy’s entire family is in her head.  Delilah is back.  AGAIN.  And letting Laudna stay dead takes care of that.

Laudna isn’t a friend to Vox Machina.  She’s a guilt trip and a booby trap rolled into one.  And the Hells don’t know enough not to tell them everything about Laudna, including Delilah, because Orym trusts them implicitly, and the others don’t have any real context for who and what Delilah is.  Especially to these unknown but incredibly powerful people.

Anyway, all this is to say that I am very iffy about using your former level 20 characters to solve your level 7 characters' problems, but this may provide an opportunity for a clean break from campaign 1.  Orym is the real thread holding them together, so forcing him to realize that Keyleth and her friends are really just fuckups like the Hells would be good.  VM might refuse to resurrect Laudna, or might do it and then state that if they ever see her again, and if there’s even a hint of Delilah there they’ll put her down.  So the Hells can never go back to Tal’dorei while Laudna is with them, because VM would kill her.  That takes care of the ‘run to VM whenever we have a problem too big for us’ issue, and it makes them firmly choose Laudna and their present over their past.

This is also to say that, if their current characters decide to outsource their problems like this--and put the old characters in this much of a moral quandary--I really want to see Matt make the players pull double duty.  Make Ashley, Taliesin, Marisha, and Laura all have to be their old character working through the moral quagmire that is resurrecting Laudna, fully aware that they might decide not to do it or do it in such a way that no one is happy.  It’s the most interesting route for the players, rather than have the DM puppet their old characters to act as get-out-of-death-free cards.  They either get this once, with massive strings attached, or maybe even not at all.  I want Laudna back as much as the next person, but I also really want to see the players grapple with this one as their old characters.  And I want something to guarantee that, after this, the Hells do have to stand on their own two feet, and not just run back to Keyleth every time things go sideways.  It’s too easy an answer to go to her, and it lowers the stakes for the Hells way too much.  I want them to have their own story, because every single one of them really started as an NPC in someone else’s story (except Imogen), so I don’t want them just acting as a subsidiary or satellite for VM.  I want them becoming heroes in their own right, in whatever shape that ends up taking.

So go to Whitestone once.  Save Laudna but at COST both to their current characters and their old characters.  Make a break from VM after that.  No more running to Keyleth.  They have Delilah Briarwood in tow, and if they want to be with Laudna, they can’t go back to Tal’dorei.  And I want it to be the players themselves who make that call, both as their current characters and as their old ones.  

[phoenixfire-thewizardgoddess]

silly headcanon that I thought of while driving and assumed @katia-dreamer might enjoy

Keyleth is very connected to nature, she can feel the thrum of things and the lifeforce around her at all times. When they camp out in the woods, on a mission or the like, she likes to sense through the earth and the grass her companions rest on... their heartbeats.

It is like a gentle symphony of vibrations that pulse through her hands, her mind, and it soothes Keyleth to know they are safe. Sometimes she wakes if a heartbeat is too rapid or the plants nearby are aware of something amiss... ambushes, nightmares, you name it.

But after Whitestone, after the dragon... well, things just, well... they weren't the same. Camping was something Vox Machina did often, of course... but not often enough for her.

She feels like she should have been able to tell that Pike was struggling with Sarenrae, that Percy was not fully himself...

And when they're home, in the keep or the mansion well... it's worrying. The wood is not alive enough for her tastes, even when she sleeps in the garden she cannot hear the others for all the vibrations of the city.

Perhaps it was an unconsious wish, the first time, when sprawling vines crept across the stonework and slipped into crevices in each room. Little tendrils reaching towards figures sprawled on floor, bed, desk and various other surfaces, wrapping a gentle caress around the wrist or forearm where it could.

Connecting them all as they slept.

It was a tad disorienting the first morning after, with several under the impression they were under attach by a plant monster that wanted to caress them, and Scanlan assuming Kiki wanted to get KiKi-Kinky with him... but she gets flustered and awkward and has to go sit in the garden for a long minute to work out what the heck happened.

Vex is sent out to ask what this was all about, full of that curious push-pull affection one might find in an older sister and trying to assague feelings of worry, blame and shame about the situation. Vex wasn't worried in the least, but was wondering how this came about? If there was something worrying her?

Vex was closely tailed by Percy, who is the closest thing Keyleth's ever had to a brother and was just like her, in some ways. Just someone with a lot of mess in the past who had a big ol' dollop of responsibility on their young shoulders and the future looked pretty damn scary unless you could talk about it to someone who would understand. And he did. But not so much about the plants.

Keyleth tells them it wasn't something she DID, but maybe something she was worried about and that made her powers Do The Thing.

"Oh, so you wanted to... touch us? In our sleep?" Vex tried to parse out the meaning.

Percy's frowning, not angry but more thinking. "Is this... could it be like the time we got split by the slayer's take and you begged us all to sleep in the same room? Because you were worried about someone not being there... the next day?"

"I, uh, I guess. It's more like... Icanhearyourheartbeatsthroughnatureandigetrealworriedbut notlikecreepystalkertypeworried but worriedanywaywhenIcan'tfeel youthere...?" Kwyleth explains in a harrowing gust of words that just about knocked the others flat.

"Oh, it's a comfort thing then? I mean, Vax and I tend to sleep near Trinket when we're having a bad night... soft fur, the rumbling, helps you feel settled. Is that what your vines were about? Feeling that rumble? From us, I mean?" Vex asked, eyes soft but ever perceptive.

"...maybe. It just kind of happened, I don't know how or why, but it was the first time in ages I got to sleep the whole night. So... yay for me? I think?"

"Keyleth, if the occasional incident of horticulture sharing a bed with us will make you feel connected and safe, then I don't think anyone should have an issue. They turn a blind eye when I tinker at odd hours, after all..." Percy grins.

"No they don't, we just give you an hour before we send Scanlan in to ferret you out, and if that fails... there's always plan Gog, darling." Vex teases, smugly.

"...ah, that explains a lot." Percy clears his throat, "Um, Keyleth what do you need from us... from Vox Machina? To make you feel safe, that is. Do we need to have plants in our room... or a small tree in a pot, or something of that nature?"

"Oh, better not have a little tree dear, think of Scanlan... the 'morning wood' jokes would be utterly endless!" Vex bemoaned, overdramatically. Winking at Keyleth as the druid laughed at the unexpected turn the conversation took.

"Um, I don't know. Maybe just growing some vines in your room or something? I can try some things out, but it would be nice to be able to know you're all okay and that I can sense if you need me."

"Of course, darling, we understand. The keep is your home too, go ahead and spruce it up however you wish with your fauna, and let us know if you need us to... I don't know, wrap it around a wrist at night? Give it a goodnight kiss or a hug?"

"Seriously Keyleth, I don't recall any etiquette classes around how one might greet a frond and if it is imploite to kiss the leaves before being formally introduced... but we will learn, if that's what you need of us."

"Oh you guys... you're always so nice and I feel so silly and maybe you could give me some time to think about it, but I can get some green in your rooms today if that's okay..."

"I'll talk to Trinket about not playing with the vines or knocking over the pots." Vex confirmed, huffing a little as the druid careened into her arms for a hug. "There, there... settle yourself, darling, we have this in hand."

"Indeed." confirmed Percy, pushing his glasses up his nose absent-mindedly. "And if you could please inform if we need to bow, or curtsey or salute the fro- oof, and now we're hugging. Excellent."

"You love it..." Keyleth responded.

Rolling his eyes in mock annoyance as he grinned at Vex, Percy responded, "Well, yes... but this stays between you, me, Vex and that rather impudently eavesdropping sunflower over there, you hear me?"

"Hey can you guys speak up? We can't hear what you're sayin in private down there!" comes the booming voice of Grog from above, and several frantic whispers hushing him. "What? I just wanna know if Keyleth can make me a big hammock thing for a bed with her vines..."

Vex shrugs. "Well, living in close quarters means privacy is negotiable... but I do hope you won't stress over this darling. If you need to pop a vine into the room to feel connected at night, I have no quarrel with this... neither will Vax or Percy or Pike and Grog seems to have bigger plans in mind..."

There's a pause. "Mmm, perhaps have a vine check if Scanlan has guests first before sending one in, you might get a little too much 'connection' otherwise..."

Keyleth can't stifle the laugh that escapes, and it infects the others as it rings around the courtyard.

From above comes a confused, "What? What are they laughing about?"

And the soothing tones of Pike responding, "Shhh, I'll... I'll tell you when you're older, okay?"

"Oh, okay Pikey."

----------

was not sure where this was going, i think it was funnier in my head lmao

[megabees]

On Pike, Yasha, and Ashley Johnson

so i don’t see a lot of meta surrounding yasha or pike, and while i understand a lot of it does stem from Ashley’s absences on the show, I think there are a lot of similarities between Pike and Yasha and I want to talk about them, as a noted Pike and Yasha stan. this is inspired by meta posts by @c-is-for-circinate​ and @your-turn-to-role​, and i want to just mention that all their metas are great. 

(if you aren’t here for my long meta (and it is long), the TLDR is that Ashley explores interesting things in both her characters, such as how leaving/being left behind affects you, the idea that you can be both soft and hard at the same time, and unknown faith in a higher power, and how we don’t give her enough credit on that)

One of my biggest regrets about Pike is that with Ashley at Blindspot, we didn’t get to see her have the character arc that I feel like she deserved. Playlists for Pike include exploration of her anxiety, the feelings that she is always the one being left behind and that she is too busy tending the hearth to be able to be there for her family, being torn between doing battle and healing (much harder when you’re the only cleric, rather than Jester’s Battle Mercy vibe), and her feelings towards both Scanlan and Percy. 

Those are a lot of nuanced feelings, and I think while Ashley wanted to explore them, she was robbed of some of the ability to do so by Blindspot. Due to this, I think occasionally she falls victim to the fandom trope of forgetting that a character can be complex, and that happens even in the show. Characters like Vax, Keyleth and Percy all come to her with their problems, and she takes their problems, hints at her own, but they are never unpacked. I think a prime example of this comes in Episode 54 of campaign 1, in the conversation following Vax’s trip to the Raven Queen Temple. Keyleth comes to Pike, as she’s confused by Vax and the Raven Queen, and the following conversation ensues. 

Keyleth: I guess I just - I've always respected you and looked up to you, and... you're a cleric of Sarenrae, but you still seem to be very much in control of your life and your destiny, and you seem to know where you're going. 

Pike: It's okay. I feel like maybe I just look that way, because I don't feel like I have much of anything together, or know where I'm going. 

-brief break to talk about Vax and the Raven Queen and how much we hate the Raven Queen-

Keyleth: Would you say you haven't fully given yourself to Sarenrae? 

Pike:(hesitantly) I think I try to, but there's always that little part of me that thinks... or has doubt? So I don't know. 

Pike is in doubt! About her gods, about her destiny, (about the fact that she’s developing feelings for Scanlan and losing them for Percy), but we never explore that! And then Ashley has to go back and we have to fight some dragons and then Scanlan LEAVES, and she’s mad about that, and heartbroken. Remember those issues about being left while everyone else goes off? That factors into why she was so mad at Scanlan. He may have idolized her and hit on her relentlessly, but he made sure to check in on her and her well being, and he grew up once he had a daughter.  

Above all, Pike is a healer, and a devoted one at that. She’s loyal, and she’s kind and she puts others in front of her at all times. But it’s hard to do that all of the time, and it makes her get walked on sometimes. I love VM, but Pike is swayed easily by them, and they don’t talk to her about it as much as they should. (there’s some interesting meta to be done here about the way clerics are treated as not having their own problems and how they tend to repress rather than address, in both the MN and VM, but that’s for another time). She’s painfully aware of each time VM leaves her behind, and how her service stops her from helping her friends. 

On the other hand, Yasha’s exploration looks at how leaving can hurt your friends. She’s off to wherever the Stormlord calls her, but she doesn’t always provide that closure to her friends of where she’s going or how long she will be gone. In a way, the inverse of Pike. It’s explained as “oh that’s just what she does” by Molly in the very beginning, but when Yasha is taken by Obann, it is taken to a whole new level. 

Yasha joins Obann, and she does hurt her friends. She’s forced to kill the Cobalt Soul. She almost kills Beau in the cathedral. She hurts Fjord below the earth. For a while, she is gone and she is hurting innocent people, and that affects her emotional state. How is she supposed to gain these people’s trust back, especially after they are used to her not sticking around? I think this is one of the main reasons (other than Blindspot ending) that Yasha sticks around after the Cathedral. Ashley says in her first playlist that “She realizes it’s better to keep a safe distance from those you care about. It’s better not to care. Leave in the night. Search for more answers. Leave, because where she’s going, she can’t be saved anyway.” This is Yasha’s attitude up until she is let back into the MN after almost killing Beau. They are still kind to her. They pull her up from the depths. In the second playlist, Ashley writes “The Mighty Nein had compassion for her and took her back in, even after almost killing Beau. They showed her love. But forgiving yourself takes a lot more time…In life, it’s so much easier to punish yourself for mistakes than it is to forgive. But sometimes, SOMETIMES, love makes it through the cracks. The greatest balm for certain wounds, for healing, is love and acceptance.” 

Yasha is learning how to let people in, to let herself be taken care of and to take care of others. She is learning how to reconcile the soft parts of her with the hard. That’s the other thing so compelling about Ashley’s characters. Both Yasha and Pike play with the juxtaposition between hard and soft, between strong, loud, angry with timid, quiet, kind. Pike is “a MONSTAH.” She’s small, but she’s tough. A healer, but one who would rather be hitting. Yasha is big, but she’s so tender. A tank, but one who heals immediately. There are no shortage of incredible female characters in CR, but the way that Ashley creates characters who don’t play to type shows me that she knows how to mix up her characters for conflict. A tenderhearted, mild barbarian and a tough, bold cleric provide an inherent contrast within their characters which allows for a more tangible personage. 

In addition, Pike and Yasha both find themselves perplexed by the gods, but leading with unwavering faith. The Stormlord saved Yasha. He plucked her from a rage and reminded her of who she was. Sarenrae saved Pike. She was in a family who had an unfavorable reputation, and she was reunited with Wilhand, who gave her a relationship with Sarenrae and Grog. These interceedings from the gods produce an unrelenting faith, even when it’s hard, and move both Pike and Yasha to a higher mission of growth. 

In summary, Pike and Yasha are incredibly complex characters, and with a brief peek behind the curtain, we can see the ways that they’re similar. Ashley plays quiet sometimes, but her scenes in which she’s in control are spectacular, and her characters are as well. She bides her time, and she knows her characters well, what makes them tick and how they would react to certain situations. It’s a pity we didn’t get more time with Pike, but I’m looking forward to seeing where she takes Yasha. 

[its-a-me-disaster]

Soo, I did a thing. Based off this post with @justalittlebluetiefling

Some C1 spoilers, some C2 spoilers, definitely spoilers from EGTW, definitely tin foil hats. This is going to get long, so strap in folks.

So I’m basing most of my guesses off of Vestiges we know to be in Wildemount (i.e. the ones published in the official EGTW, not the ones that Matt made that are on the Wiki [though I would love to see Beau with the Wraps]).

What we know: we have actually seen one of the new vestiges already! The Wreath of the Prism was used by Arkahn to wrangle his Gloomstalker in the final arc in Thar Amphala. It was the collar thingy. For that reason, I’m guessing it won’t come up in the campaign again. Also, most vestiges are somewhat divine in nature, things that were created by or are in devotion to certain deities, but there are a few that are not (like the spell-swallowing Cabal’s Ruin). This is around the levels that Matt originally gave the vestiges to VM, so we might begin to see hints, especially if the Floating City is as evil as I assume (hope) it is. We also know that several Vestiges tend to be found in their awakened forms already. At these levels dormant vestiges won’t be particularly helpful for long, so I imagine that most of them will be found already awakened or perhaps exalted. Also, vestiges are not just found. Many are in the hands of current wielders and must be either Earned (Mythcarver) or Taken.

Danoth’s Visor: Personally, my favorite vestige that was released with EGTW. It gives Darkvision, and see through matter, and auto-succeed against illusions, and can cast anti magic field when exalted. It gives advantage on perception and investigation checks, and you can make it spyglass mode and double your vision. I think this makes perfect sense for our very special, expositor Beauregard. Making her even better at being an investigator/scout, and giving her a way to completely shut down magic users? Hell yes. Thematically it makes so much sense. Where could it be? This is actually one of few that would make sense for Aeor. It’s not divine based (which is a no-no for a city armed to kill gods), and it was crafted by a pre-Calamity tinkerer. I don’t think it’s in Aeor, partially because I think two others on this list is more likely, but also because it would make sense for it to be somewhere we’ve already been. My guess is it’s in the Happy Fun Ball. So much of that thing is undiscovered, and a secretive archmage would love something like this.

The Grimoire Infinitus: a very magical spellbook that has a whole list of spells preloaded and allows you to use Arcane Recovery multiple times per day, and prepare more spells (must be attuned by a wizard). Well, the only person who loves books more than Beau just happens to be the only wizard in the Nein. Of course Caleb would get this vestige, but where is it? Well, get ready for some serious tinfoil folks, because TRENT IKITHON has the grimoire. That’s right. Caleb gains a vestige by defeating his abuser? We love poetic cinema here. Why else would Trent be so powerful to that no other member of the Assembly has killed him off yet? Because he’s packing serious firepower.

The Infiltrator’s Key: a sneaky little key that gives advantage on stealth checks, lets you cast a whole bunch of spells, transforms into a returning dagger, and lets you open a doorway on any wall. Sounds perfect for our Best Detective, Veth Brenatto. It sounds good for Jester too, but she can already do most of the spells on her own, and has paints that she can make a door from. Veth gets a serious boost to her spell list, and can unattune from the Cloak of Elvenkind without losing anything (she would regain her stealth advantage with the key). But where is this skeleton key? Aeor. I’m betting the first vestige they find is the one that binds Veth to the group until the end of the campaign. It is not a divine vestige, agreeing to the stipulation mentioned earlier. It gives Veth a significant boost, because her subclass is a little underpowered in my opinion, and, she now has a reason to stay: Vestige Hunt.

Verminshroud: this might be my least favorite of the new vestiges, simply because it’s description weirds me out. It gives you a climbing speed, unarmed attacks (d6), resistance to poison, polymorph capabilities (limited to rat, scorpion, wasp) advantage on perception, and insect cloud. Who does that remind you of? I hope you said Caduceus, cause I’m giving this one to him. It fits his aesthetic very well, and gives him a little more utility. Plus, giving advantage on perception to the highest perception in the group? Only good things. This is probably the easiest to place by saying Blightshore. That’s where it was made, and probably resides. If I had to guess I would say it’s in that incredibly creepy tower that partially got sucked into Rumblecusp (go back and read some of the meta when they found it, now that was a rabbit hole).

Stormgirdle: now this is the second easiest one to place, partially because the Grimoire can only be used by one person. Strength buffs up to 25 (one lower than Grog) and a Storm Avatar ability that is sweet, Yasha gets to take home a cool new sub race, and an awesome Vestige-fueled power up. I really thought that this was going to be on Rumblecusp, so I have no idea where it might be. Theoretically, it could be anywhere, but I’ll give three guesses because I’m bummed it wasn’t on Rumblecusp (and this post isn’t long enough anyway). There’s a village in Eiselcross (but not near the ruins) filled with Orcs that revere the Storm Lord, so it could make sense. It’s worn by the Tribe Leader that Yasha fled from (so much drama, so much angst, I love it). Or, it’s at the Third Seal that we never saw for the old Snea Snake. I don’t think that one is likely, because the Nein could have encountered it WAY earlier then, but I think it would be cool to tie Fjord and Yasha’s arcs together again.

Hide of the Feral Guardian: this is one I think the debate could rage over. It’s studded leather blessed by Melora that really deals it’s best advantages to Druids. Up to +3 on attacks in any changed form (so polymorph or Beast Shape are the only ways), free polymorphs into specific animals, and up to +3 in AC. The reason this debate could rage is because thematically it makes a lot of sense for both Fjord and Cad. It definitely helps them both, but because the Verminshroud fits so nicely on Cad, I’m giving this one to Fjord. (Or, surprise 3rd option: they trade it to Keyleth who gives one of them the Spire of Conflux, which makes Fjord a BEAST, or Caduceus the most well-rounded out of all of them [severe damage from elemental spells, +healing, +utility/skills]) Fjord with this can ditch his mariners armor, which doesn’t buy him anything because of his Invocation anyway, and fully buy into his Paladin side. Fjord becomes the most well decked out, with Vestige Armor, Star Razor, and the whole Hexadin power jump that we’ll see in the next few levels. I think the location is pretty clear for this one. We haven’t seen it in any of the sanctuaries Cad brought us to, so it has to be in Molaesmyr. Similar to Fenthras, maybe a wielder of it ended up corrupting the Savalier Wood and is poisoning it. Fjord saves Cad’s home after Cad saves Fjord, and Fjord ends up with two extremely powerful items from Molaesmyr, excellent.

I know in this scenario Jester doesn’t get a Vestige, but there are more out there outside of Wildemount. Plus, Matt has shown through Rumblecusp that he still tinkers with his version of Wildemount and has plans that aren’t detailed in the EGTW. So maybe there’s a hidden vestige we don’t know about?

[the-big-nope]

While I’m certainly nowhere near ready for the story of the Mighty Nein to come to an end, I am also a D&D nerd and there’s a new sourcebook coming out soon with a bunch of new subclasses in it. By the time Campaign 3 of Critical Role gets underway, that book will be published, leaving a wealth of new options for the cast members to choose from, so why not entertain myself by making barely justified predictions of what the cast is most likely to pick for their next characters! (Disclaimer: Some of the new subclasses have been confirmed and some haven’t, so for a few of these picks I’m just going off of what I think is going to be in the book).

Travis

Cleric (Tempest Domain): Travis has been playing lowkey EMT since campaign one, and Laura’s already confirmed that Travis almost went cleric for campaign two. Between Grog with his barb-boosted movement speed to get around the battlefield so he could shove healing potions into his squishier teammates, and Fjord multiclassing into paladin and lovingly tapping his friends with single hit points to get them back up, it would be delightful to see him fully jump in and embrace the classical healer role. Of course, this is Travis, so I don’t see him picking a cleric domain that doesn’t allow for at least some whoop-ass, and Tempest Domain brings plenty of it. You get proficiency with all armor and weapons, Divine Strike at level 8 for boosted melee damage, you can use a reaction to inflict lightning or thunder damage against any enemy within melee range that’s hit you. And if you climb up high enough in levels, you gain a flying speed equal to your walking one whenever you’re outdoors. Pretty nifty, and makes for a fitting subclass for a guy that’s voiced Thor on multiple occasions.

Blood Hunter (Order of the Lycan): I mean, come on. The only reason it isn’t number one is that it was already widely assumed this would be Travis’s pick for campaign two, and I wouldn’t put it past him to surprise us again. But still, we saw him get a taste in Liam’s one shot and he was clearly having the time of his life. Besides, we lost Molly far too early to really see the blood hunter’s potential come to life; it would be damn cool to see someone else take a crack at it, and Travis is enough of a D&D gambler to not shy away from the class’s riskier features.

Artificer (Armorer): Speaking of Marvel connections, if Travis doesn’t lean toward fantasy Thor, then fantasy Iron Man might catch his attention instead. Artificer is an official class now, and since it’ll be reprinted in TCoE by the time campaign 3 gets underway, it’ll be a lot more visible as an option. The Armorer sits in almost a perfect middle ground of what Travis has done before: tanky and a frontliner, but also still has spells and tricks to help the party. Plus, you get a badass suit of power armor out of it. What’s not to like?

Marisha

Bard (College of Creation): After Hazel Copperpot, we all saw the pure magic that was Marisha Ray playing a bard. I know she implied that Hazel was supposed to be her campaign two backup character, but I hope this doesn’t discourage her from making another one. There are quite a few bard subclasses, a number of which I could see her being drawn to (Lore, Glamour, maybe even Swords), but I really vibe with the idea of Creation. I can’t exactly say why; maybe the idea of the ‘dancing object’ feature in Marisha’s hands is very funny to me (remember Keyleth’s adorable “Be Our Guest” moment? That, but this time it’s a walking wardrobe beating the shit out of the enemy).

Paladin (Oath of Vengeance/Conquest): As of yet, no one on Critical Role has ever played a paladin from the start, only multiclassed later down the line. I think this would be a cool departure for Marisha. Both campaigns she’s played characters that were either suspicious or at least indifferent to faith and the gods. Paladins are typically associated with deities, but they’re not tied quite so closely to them as clerics are. It would be fascinating to see what she did with it. As for the subclass, I just think Marisha’s earned her turn on the Goth Character Carousel, and while I know Conquest paladin is very unlikely given its moral grayness by default which might cause undue conflict and that Vengeance is a much more likely and acceptable pick, I just think it would be a sexy character choice. 

Wizard (Bladesinger/Graviturgist): This is a much more pie-in-the-sky, wishful thinking pick on my end, but not impossible imo. Marisha has experience with heavy spellcasting already, so she probably wouldn’t shy away from a wizard, but like Travis I suspect she likes a bit of oomph to her characters, and probably wouldn’t play as support heavy as Caleb does. To that end, Bladesingers get a bit more survivability and some modicum of physical prowess alongside their spells, while Graviturgists are definitely on the more aggressive side of the spectrum for wizard subclasses, with unique dunamancy spells to boot. I’m not sure how restrictive Matt would be about Xhorhassian characters in the next campaign if it takes place on another continent, but hey, you never know. Plus, she picked one of Matt’s homebrew subclasses for the current campaign; it would be cute if it happened again.

Liam

Druid (Circle of the Shepherd): At some point before Critical Role comes to end (hopefully far in the future), I know Liam’s gonna play a druid, I can feel it in my bones. He's too big of a Kiki fan not to. However, while Circle of the Moon might feel obvious given the potential for homage and how much he likes turning into animals, I feel like he might regard it as getting too close to old territory (also, I don’t know if Circle of the Moon is like an exclusive thing to the Ashari tribes, and if it is that would be rather restrictive for building a backstory). If that’s the case, Circle of the Shepherd feels like the next best bet. It has some great support options via the totems you can put down, and rather than becoming badass animals, you instead just get really good at summoning a fuck ton of them. It’s like Frumpkin, but ten of him. And they’re bears. (Honorable mention: If Circle of the Moon would feel like treading old territory then I’m certain Circle of Wildfire would too, but I’d bet my dice collection it would at least be tempting). 

Cleric (Unity Domain): Listen. The pure sap potential that would be at Mr. O’Brien’s fingertips with this subclass is incredible. The domain all about strengthening and protecting the bonds between friends and loved ones?? The domain with the Channel Divinity that can spread damage taken by one creature across the party however the cleric chooses to distribute it to lessen the blow to the individual??? The domain that used to be called the Love Domain???? I’m practically gagging on the soft moments and unspoken devotion conveyed through spellcasting already.

Fighter (Rune Knight/Psi Knight): Liam has yet to play a tank in a long-term campaign, and while I’m more enamored with the potential of the above classes, it would be novel to see him play a character with an actually respectable amount of hit points. However, I feel like if he was gonna commit to a straight frontliner, he’d probably want something a little more unique than a Champion or Battle Master (especially since he’s played those already for one-shots). Rune Knight has some fun options and built-in flavor, and with Psi Knight you can basically be a Jedi. Not bad options at all if you ask me.

Taliesin

Warlock (Fiend): Yeah, it might be expected, or Percy might have been too close to warlock anyway to feel like there’s new ground to cover, but hear me out. Both Percy (who, let’s face it, was a warlock multiclass in all but the actual mechanics) and Fjord were the classic reluctants. They got in over their heads without really knowing what was going on, and once they did they wanted out, cutting ties with their patrons and getting clear with only the scars remaining. I want to see Taliesin commit to a warlock in a way I imagine only he could manage to pull off. How fun would that balancing act be, to have a character that has no intentions of breaking their pact, who’s here for the powers, and is willing to work that delicate balancing act between keeping what he’s got and not letting his contract holder get the better of him? Give it to meeeeee.

Sorcerer (Psionic Soul): Psionic Soul has a bit of that eldritch flavor that vibes with Taliesin so much, with the added interest of introducing a brand new feature to 5E, the Psi Die (with this subclass, using them can do things like letting a sorcerer learn a spell they don’t already know for a few hours, allow you to cast spells without needing verbal, somatic, or material components, and can give you telepathy). Taking both Percy and Molly into account, it seems Tal likes to lean into those unique additional mechanics, and while Psi Die aren’t as risk-heavy as Gunslinger or Bloodhunter, they do add a layer of variability and unpredictability that seems to match his style.

Rogue (Swashbuckler): We only got a little bit of time with Molly, and so missed out on the opportunity to see Tal play a more cavalier character this time around. If he feels like leaning away from spells next time and back toward martial, I think a high-charisma, high-swinging swashbuckler from Tal would be a delight to watch.

Laura

Barbarian (Path of the Ancestral Guardian): Laura deserves to hit things, okay? Yes, spellcasting is great and comes in clutch frequently and Jester’s amazing, but you can tell Laura misses doing fat stacks of damage to the enemy in a single round. I personally think it would be amazing to watch her just cut loose and go full rage machine. As for the subclass, I’m not glued to the idea, but Ancestral Guardians are pretty kickass, have decent support capabilities for a barb without detracting from their DPS at all, and it doesn’t tread on any previous characters’ toes or their aesthetics.

Rogue (Scout/Soulknife): Laura deserves to play her favorite class at last, okay? She’s been class poached two campaigns in a row, and though that resulted in both Vex and Jester and I wouldn’t trade them for the world, Laura has earned first pick. Seeing as she already dipped into Assassin as Vex and Sam took Arcane Trickster, I could see Scout being a viable subclass choice. It’s in the classic sneaky vein, relatively simple in concept, but comes with features that grant easy-to-understand benefits that you can never turn your nose up at (boosts to movement, advantage on initiative, giving advantage against a target to everyone else in the party, etc.). If she’s looking for something a bit flashier, Soulknife has the benefit of retroactively dunking on Vax by taking the basic knife-rogue and making it better, with psionic knives that you can manifest with a thought, that can teleport you around Whisper style, and cranking up that stealth to ridiculous levels by just being able to turn invisible for ten minutes, no concentration or spell needed. The psionic die mechanics are a little funky of course, but I don’t imagine it’s any trickier than learning to manage all those cleric spells.

Monk (Way of the Open Hand): Between Beau just being super cool and her brief stint as Farriwen Breeze, monk wouldn’t be a surprising pick from Laura. An Open Hand monk might be the definitive version everyone knows, but you can’t deny it’s a solid subclass, and between previous overlap and the concepts of the other subclasses just not seeming to fit, I could see the classic being what she went with. But hey, it’s Laura Bailey. She could surprise us with Way of the Drunken Master or something.

Sam

Ranger (Monster Slayer): Let’s be real, I don’t think this would be his actual first pick for a Campaign 3 character, but the amount of shit-stirring he could achieve by making a character with the aim of pissing off Laura Bailey specifically would be hilarious (and since Matt isn’t completely opposed to UA and acknowledges that PHB ranger has a lot of issues, I wouldn’t be surprised if they went Revised Ranger this time).

Warlock (Genie): Actual first pick here, Pact of the Genie Warlock is confirmed by now, and the potential of a warlock in the hands of Sam Riegel is pretty vast (for some reason I’m imagining he would go the ‘spoiled sugar baby’ route). The subclass doesn’t matter as much, but the Genie one is nice in that, depending on the type of genie patron you pick, you can get a wide variety of extra spells, you get a container like a classic lamp or lantern that you can bamf into for short rests, and you get a limited Wish ability for your capstone, all features I feel like would especially appeal to Sam.

Barbarian (Path of the Wild Soul): I want to see Sam play a fairy barbarian. ‘Nough said.

Ashley

Fighter (Eldritch/Echo Knight): Ashley really seems to vibe with the crushing power of martial classes (she does love her brutal kill descriptions), so I could see her sticking with it rather than going back to full caster. However, I do see her picking one of the magical subclasses for some variety after Yasha. Eldritch Knight is a classic and reasonably easy to manage, but tbh I’d LOVE for it to be Echo Knight. And think, if my wishful thinking came true, with Ashley picking an Echo Knight and Marisha playing a Graviturgist wizard, they could link up their backstories and be a traveling Kryn battle duo that left their homeland behind to explore the world!

Sorcerer (Draconic): If she does want to go back to full-time casting, Sorcerer doesn’t require near as much bookkeeping as a cleric, druid, or wizard while still having decent variety, and the Draconic subclass is a bit beefier than the other subclasses. Also, it would be the third campaign in a row where Ashley Johnson’s character eventually got wings, soooo...

And tbh I have no idea what a third pick might be for Ashley, so I’m just gonna throw a dart or two at the board and say either College of Whispers Bard or Way of Mercy Monk *Shrug* We can only wait and see!

[missizzy]

Fic: Old Home, New Home(Critical Role, Vaxleth)

From the time they stepped out of the tree and into Zephrah, everything has been a rush of greetings and important conversations.  Vax has now been introduced to just about everyone his lover had known well in her youth, had his first good long conversation with her father, and learned a lot more about the general history, culture, and day to day life of the Air Ashari.  It was helping him get an idea of how he might best aid her as the man by her side, especially since there were a few people he met that he was very sure he was going to become good friends with.

The entire time, he and Keyleth had barely had time to talk to each other.  Today's not the only day where that's been too much the case.   Their final days in Whitestone, she spent most of her time badgering Percy, Cassandra, and the city's other leading figures for any advice they could give her and then reading every book in the library they recommended.  Vax, for his own part, prioritized spending time with Vex while he still could.  Even now, as he walks hand in hand with Keyleth to their new bedchamber, his mind dwells on his last sight of her face before the tree closed up.

But now, at last, the two of them are alone together again.  It feels a little strange as they enter the bedroom together, Keyleth looking around at a place that probably in her mind still belongs to her past.  She looks at him and smiles shyly.  "Hi."

"Hi," he agrees.  He takes in her tired face but clouded eyes.  "Ready to sleep?"  he asks.

She has to think about that one, and even after doing so, her best answer is, "Maybe after I change for it?"

Vax probably isn't as tired as her, but unlike Keyleth, he hasn't spent half a day being bombarded with dozens of different thoughts that all might keep a new Headmaster awake on her first night in Zephrah where she didn't have any immediate plans to immediate go off on some other daring deed.  What troubling things he does have to dwell on, missing Vex and the bidding of the Raven Queen still in his future, have settled down in his head, and while there may be nights they might keep him awake, he doesn't think this'll be one of them.

All the clothing he has Vax has brought with him, so he just has to open his pack and fish out his sleepwear.  Of course his taking his armor off is nothing new, since he's been constantly sleeping next to Keyleth.  But it's still a relief, especially now, when it reminds him that he's now free of the menace he was wearing it against, and even most of the other ones that have kept him looking over his shoulder for so long.  He feels more than just the weight of the armor fall off him.

Keyleth, meanwhile, has dug into her old drawers, and donned a nightgown that Vax assumes has just been sitting in them since she first left home.  She is now looking down at how it reaches only partway down her calves; it's obviously meant to reach her ankles.  "When did I get taller?" she wonders out loud.  "I though I'd finished growing already."

"Magic," Vax grins at her, and it might actually be true.   Although he hasn't grown out of anything recently, since pledging himself to the Raven Queen and accepting the powers she's given him, he's felt the magic inside him change him physically-it wouldn't be easy to explain, if anyone ever asked, exactly what has changed, but Vax knows and understands it, which is the important part.

Combined they're a little big for the bed, too, having to snuggle up together to fit.  That's not something either of them minds, though.  Vax slings her arm over Keyleth's chest and lays his head against his neck, the way he often does when they're tired out enough.  He focuses on making his breathing slow and steady, which ought to help her sleep.

He wakes some time later from a dream where by the time his eyes are fully open, he can only remember that it was a very unsettling one. Keyleth is exactly where she was, but she's murmuring in her sleep.   Vax catches the words, "dangerous," "people," and "Scanlan."

It takes a moment for him to remind himself that the two of them are completely safe, that there isn't even anything after them at the moment, as far as they know.  After that, as he gazes around the darkened chamber, he finds himself contemplating everywhere he'd slept in the past, from the hovel in which he lived the first ten years of his life to the grand bedrooms of Whitestone Castle.  None of them ever felt quite like Keyleth's childhood bedroom, not even her room in the Keep.

It's partly the design, of course.  Most rooms Vax has been in haven't had living plants incorporated into their structure.  In the darkness, he can just make out the various vines and even thin shrubs that had been expertly woven against or even into the walls.  For all he knows, the thatch that makes up the rest of the walls is also alive; he might ask Keyleth about that.

But it's also the decorations hanging from the window, little handmade beribboned boughs that were put together lopsided, and would probably have fallen apart if they hadn't been literally joined together by obvious magical means.  There's a doll on a table in the corner, not the fanciest thing, but still a finer one than the poorer half of Byroden would have seen.  The ceiling is decorated with more of the boughs, arranged to form a star, though the lines aren't completely straight.

In some ways, Vax knows, Keyleth actually had less of a childhood than he and Vex did, at least once she started training for her position.  He's not going to begrudge her what she did get.  But he's left very aware of how different his life has been, how for most of it, he never was in this kind of world, where both love and comfort could be easily had in the same place, where he never had to worry about what would become of him and those he cared for, where he'd neither had one accent mocked and bullied out of him nor had another make people look at him warily, grouping him with the snobs of Syngorn.  Where he and Vex had never had to prove themselves to be accepted.

How unlikely it should be, that he and Vex both should come to the places they're now both in.  In new homes they already love, consorts to those that rule them, Vex with her own title and role in hers, where they wouldn't have to worry when they woke each day how they were going to get by.

Had he ended up following a different goddess than the one he's pledged himself to, he would be giving thanks to her for this.  As it is, Vax silently instead asks the darkness to stay where it is for now, for tomorrow, for as long as it's willing to.  Let us both be happy, please, he pleads.  For her sake, if not mine.  She made no bargain with you; all she has done is love me, and she will have too long a way to go after me no matter what happens.  Be kind to her, please.

As if even his thoughts have stirred her, Keyleth murmurs, "That doesn't make sense..." and Vax pulls his head up as her eyes blink open, and while he can only see so much in the darkness, they seem to him to still be moving around too much.  "Vax?"

"Kiki?" he whispers.  "Bad dream?"

"Not bad, exactly," she sighs.  "At least....not like the nightmares I've had in the past.  Nothing was trying to kill us, or even do things like possess us or torture us or nasty things like that."

Vax thinks back to nights in the woods with Vex, and the dreams they'd dealt with then, of all the snubs and trouble they'd suffered in Syngorn lurking in their minds.  There'd been dreams of their mother's death, too, and certain dreams Vex wouldn't talk about in the weeks after Trinket joined them; Vax can guess what those there about now.   But even when they'd slept out in the wild with only themselves and a bear cub to protect them, it was what they'd left behind that haunted them more.

He wonders what kind of dreams he'll be having when they've been here a few months.  Or what dreams she'll be having.

For now, he murmurs,  "Just because the challenges we'll be facing now don't involve us risking our lives doesn't mean it's not okay to be anxious about them.  I mean, right now, my main immediate worry is how your people are going to perceive me, and that terrifies me.  And when I genuinely haven't cared about strangers' opinions of me for most of my life.  That's not anything near what I know you've got to be worrying about right now-except that one of my biggest worries about it is how I'm going to reflect on you, because I know I'm not exactly the ideal consort for a leader, and I don't even have the kind of useful skills Vex does..."

"Vax!"  Keyleth cuts him off, dismayed.  The interruption makes Vax fully aware of what's just spilled out of him, as well as the thoughts he hadn't even been consciously aware of before he voiced them.  When Keyleth pauses, maybe reconsiders her immediate reaction to his words, he himself takes a moment, and finds himself feeling the need to add, "I think it's because I really do like your people, more than I've liked most."

"Well," that makes Keyleth smile, "that makes you far more suited for being my consort than anyone who doesn't feel that way, right?"

"True," he says, "and I know you won't even make demands of me, but I think you know I'll need to do anything I can think of to make myself useful.  Even if it's just spending however many hours it takes to talk you past your nerves and build up your confidence."

"And I don't think anyone's better at that.  You're doing a pretty good job right now."

"I wouldn't mind doing it all night," Vax tells her.  It's a tempting thought, in fact, to just stay like this for the rest of the night, talking the hours away until dawn.  He decides right then they will have nights like that in the future, maybe before mornings when they can sleep in a little.

But tomorrow's not one of those mornings, and they've both had it impressed on them that she and probably him as well will have to be fully there mentally.  So Keyleth, with clear reluctance, replies,   "Thanks, but we need to sleep a little more tonight if we can.  We drifted off once already, right?"

"Right," he says.  "But if you want to talk about your dream, surely we can take a few minutes."

Maybe in the end, they remain awake a little longer than they should.  Keyleth can't remember more than the basic outline of her dream, and even when prompted she can't remember Scanlan being in it at all.  But even the mention of his name brings forward pain and regret they both confess to there, and more words pass between them after that about general insecurities and the future.

Although when Keyleth says, "You might get the most attention at the upcoming midsummer festival, when the people around me won't have more important things to pay attention to," Vax has to grin and say, "I think that might be fun.  Before Vex and I left Byroden, we did pick up a thing or two about our town's seasonal festivals.  I'll tell you a bit about those if we have some time tomorrow."

"Tell the others, too," she says.  "At least some of them must be interested, I think."

Well, if she says so, Vax fully intends to.

[atlasburdenedarchive]

day one .

she watches him leave , speechless in a new kind of way  . he’s asked for his space and she’ll give it to him , despite every bone in her body yelling at her to follow him. convince him to stay with them , with grog , with her . percy and vex storm out , she understands . she tries , she tries to catch grog before he leaves because she knows how hurt her brother is , even if no one else does . she looks to vax for answers she knows she won’t find, a hurt she doesn’t quite understand forcing tears to her eyes and a guilt in the pit of her stomach that no matter how hard she tries , she can’t fill with alcohol . she waits until they’ve drunk all their bodies could physically handle . until their matching fun buns make their way slowly back to the castle in an uncanny silence that she hates and she deposits vax on the nearest soft surface and collapses next to him once her armor is off. her head and the room are spinning as she stares at the ceiling of one of many drawing rooms at castle whitestone and she grabs her earring to activate it .  

scanlan . i know you can’t hear me. you’re gone …. with kaylie . which is good . she needs a dad . you’re gonna be such a good dad . i’ve always known that . even before she came along . you’ve got such a big heart and you don’t want anyone to see it … i see it . grog sees it . vax sees it. vex and percy and keyleth , they know how much - how big - how you love them . i know that you needed to leave . i don’t get it but i understand it you know ? we shouldn’t have done that while you were … percy and i … it was wrong of me to do that in front of kaylie after you trusted me with her . i know that now and when you come home i’ll apologize proper . swear on sarenrae . vax snores abruptly and she stops , smiling at him softly as tears she hadn’t even noticed roll down her cheeks .  i don’t regret asking kaylie to help us bring you back because … we might not have been able to get you back at all & having you alive and gone for a while is a trade i will always be willing to make if the alternative is …  well, anyway …  she pauses again, a heavy weight on her chest that even now she knows isn’t due to the alcohol . i miss you already. she falls asleep on vax & if any of vox machina was sober enough to hear her , they don’t tell her .

day two .

allura asks her to go to emon and she doesn’t hesitate . guilt compounding on her heart because it knows before she does that she won’t be able to be there for keyleth . until she meets taryon & it’s almost like they’ve replaced scanlan already & she just … she just can’t . vex tells her that she doesn’t always have to be so strong & for the first time she tells someone besides scanlan the truth : of course she does . if she’s not strong , if she doesn’t have a stiff upper lip she’d never be able to watch them walk away . she’d never be able to bring them back over because seeing them , lifeless in front of her is only half the pain & guilt of not being there to save them in the first place .

day nine .

vax died today. he died for keyleth and neither of us were there. i want to be so mad at you scanlan, and i’m trying so hard not to be. they need you. they need you more than you know. not because you can heal them or because you can house them . they need you . we love you .

day ten .

i miss you . not because everyone is gone . not because i’m lonely & i miss everyone . i just … miss you & not knowing that you and kaylie are safe is driving me crazy .

day seventeen .

scanlan? i know you can’t hear, but i’m sitting in a tavern right now with grog; he just went to sleep . i had a pretty good day . i had to do a lot of labor; just lifting stuff into a cart . and then , you know , vox machina, lo and behold, come home and i see them and now we’re here . but we miss you . i’m going to– I’m very tired .

day seventy-two .

i hope you’re safe .

day eighty-seven .

grog misses you & he’s looking for you , vax is looking for you … we’re all looking for you . we just want to know you’re safe , scanlan .

day one-hundred and seventy-five .

she’s tired of talking to a man she knows can’t hear her , who clearly doesn’t want to be found , but she still implores her god to watch over him and his daughter every night she prays .

day two-hundred and sixteen .

i have to tell you something . she says quietly to her empty room in grayskull keep . the keep is full of people who’s homes were destroyed in the siege , who can’t afford to rebuild just yet . it had been stupid to think that she’d show up & he’d be there .  it was vex . who i had feelings for - who i had my heart . did . i do love her still . i don’t know that i could ever stop , she’s a part of this family that we have and she’s a huge part of my life . my feelings are part of the reason i went to sea . i couldn’t be around everyone & not tell her because if i did & she didn’t feel the same way i’m not sure i’d have been able to stay anyway . & i think i knew … that she and percy would … well , that’s not the point . the point is that there wasn’t anything wrong with you scanlan , you should know that . sure , you came on a little strong but you were never mean about being rejected & so many people would have been . you just loved me & i couldn’t … i couldn’t take all of the feelings you had for me while i still had feelings for her . especially after you gave me that beautiful note & opened your heart to me so fully . you did propose to me , though , in front of everyone . even though i think you knew i’d say no . 

day two-hundred and eighty-eight .

she’s on a beach in marquet at dawn , small feet buried in the sand as sits with her knees to her chest , arms wrapped around them . there’s a quiet breeze that plays with the loose tendrils of her recently dyed hair as she watches the waves crash on the shore before her , the water barely coming up to kiss the top of her feet . the sun creeps it’s way slowly across the horizon and it doesn’t seem fair to enjoy it without scanlan . tary is amazing , they all love him . he’s no scanlan and thankfully never tries to be . she takes her earring out and clenches it in her hand as if it would still work . he can’t hear her either way . hi , scanlan , we’re on vacation ! in the bay of gifts ! i don’t think … we ever got to go on vacation before you left . too many dragons . too many vampires . i like us relaxed , i think you’d like us relaxed . we’ve … done such good things this year . we’ve all done … such good things , despite missing you . i can’t wait for you to see slayer’s cake . we named some cookies after you . they’re ok . i can’t wait for you to meet taryon . i can’t wait for you to see how happy vax is , it’ll blow your mind . percy and vex are , of course , a power couple . grog and i kicked most everyone’s ass in vasselheim . keyleth is … such an amazing leader . of course she is . i wish you could hear me . i wish you were here . there’s a small sound behind her & she looks up to find keyleth , sleep still on her features and not a small amount of worry as she watches her sheepishly . pike smiles , holding her hand out for keyleth to join her & she’s grateful that she gets to enjoy this beautiful sunrise tucked into kiki’s side without the questions she knows she wants to ask .

day three-hundred and eight .

i met my family this week . well , they’re not really my family , honestly . vox machina is my family . grog & wilhand are my family . you are my family . they made my doubt myself but i … i opened up , you know ? i thought that they could be different , that they could be proud of me & that i could change them  & they just wanted my money . i opened my heart & i trusted them & they … they wrecked me . i - you could destroy me . i could open up my heart & i could trust you & you could destroy me , scanlan , more than they did . that’s not fair to you but it’s true & i would just - never recover from that . you mean so much to me & your friendship means so much to me but you confuse me . you kind of – you – make me feel like i’m standing on the edge of a cliff & i want to jump . you have no idea how often i want to jump with you scanlan . something always holds me back though , something that fears the way that i can’t always read you for what you actually mean or say . the thought of hurting you , of getting hurt , of ruining what we have , of ruining vox machina is so much scarier than facing vampires & necromancers & five dragons . because i can’t live up to an ideal . no one can live up to a fantasy .... by the way that cliff metaphor is kind of fucked up because keyleth ... well , the only person who could kill keyleth killed keyleth . i miss you .

day three-hundred and fourteen .

as soon as the half-orc calls his boss the meat man , the tension rolling off of grog only fuels the anger that’s sparking in her heart . they go through this farce . they meet ‘ aes adon ‘ . scanlan doesn’t even have the dignity to show them his real face . to face grog . to face her . & she thinks maybe she built it up in her head a little bit because she’s thought about seeing scanlan a lot ( more than she’ll admit ) over the past three hundred and fourteen days . she’s thought about the relief she’d feel once she knew he was ok . she’s thought about … well, it doesn’t matter what she’s thought about because he hadn’t been planning on staying after he’d given them the information about the ziggurat and/or gotten the plans for a fucking gun from percy . her fingers curl into small fists at her side and when tary leaves , she so desperately wants to follow him out , despite vex’s small plea . despite the hurt on scanlan’s face . she finds herself unable to keep quiet as he speaks , petty asides thrown at him that she doesn’t truly mean but only make her angrier . at him . at herself . when percy breaks the seal she takes the opportunity to leave as quickly as she can because she can’t stand it anymore , especially not when the twins are so clearly ready to forgive him . she and grog do what they do best , they drink their feelings ( whatever they might be ) & fight chod  / lionel / scanlan’s new … whatever he is . she knows lionel doesn’t deserve her anger , he doesn’t deserve grog’s anger . the punch to the half-orc who has been nothing but nice to them , feels a lot worse than she thought it would . vax and vex find her before she can catch up to grog , her anger as entwined with his as anyone , and she tries . she tries so hard to convince them she’s fine . it’s a lot harder this time . she hasn’t had to in so long . they are too perceptive for their own good but they let her leave anyway & that means more than they know . 

she doesn’t want to open the door , doesn’t know if she can see him again so soon but when she does , she definitely doesn’t expect to hit him . it doesn’t make her feel better . cussing him out doesn’t make her feel better . apologizing like she promised she would all those nights ago doesn’t feel like a real apology . she listens to him & some part of her is happy for him . so very happy that he & kaylie have what most of vox machina has never had with their own fathers . it’s all she’s wanted , to be honest . all she’s prayed for when she prays for them . & she can feel herself soften . he’s different , she notes as he apologizes for ogling her , for hurting her , for meeting her at the wrong time . she doesn’t deserve the apology , owes him one at this point if she’s being honest . will owe him until she & grog talk & she finds out where he stands . perhaps we’ll meet again in different circumstances . she lays in grog’s bed later that night listening to him snore , they hadn’t talked . she’d just climbed into his bed like she’d done when they were younger . she can’t help but hear the echoes of her own words replaying themselves in her head . no one can live up to a fantasy . scanlan is not the ghost that she’s spilled her secrets to under the cover of night . he’s not the same person who’d taken all of their flaws and thrown them in their faces . he’s not the same man who got kaylie’s mother pregnant without knowing . he’s trying his best to be true to himself , just like she is . just like they all are . different circumstances feel an awful lot like a second chance to do things right , to do them better . it doesn’t mean she’s ready to forgive , despite the nagging at the back of hear head . she already knows what she’ll find when she finally acknowledges the anger she is clinging to : the confusing feelings scanlan has always made her face whether he knows it or not , whether she wants to or not .

[atlasburdeneda]

day one .

she watches him leave , speechless in a new kind of way  . he’s asked for his space and she’ll give it to him , despite every bone in her body yelling at her to follow him. convince him to stay with them , with grog , with her . percy and vex storm out , she understands . she tries , she tries to catch grog before he leaves because she knows how hurt her brother is , even if no one else does . she looks to vax for answers she knows she won’t find, a hurt she doesn’t quite understand forcing tears to her eyes and a guilt in the pit of her stomach that no matter how hard she tries , she can’t fill with alcohol . she waits until they’ve drunk all their bodies could physically handle . until their matching fun buns make their way slowly back to the castle in an uncanny silence that she hates and she deposits vax on the nearest soft surface and collapses next to him once her armor is off. her head and the room are spinning as she stares at the ceiling of one of many drawing rooms at castle whitestone and she grabs her earring to activate it .  

scanlan . i know you can’t hear me. you’re gone …. with kaylie . which is good . she needs a dad . you’re gonna be such a good dad . i’ve always known that . even before she came along . you’ve got such a big heart and you don’t want anyone to see it … i see it . grog sees it . vax sees it. vex and percy and keyleth , they know how much - how big - how you love them . i know that you needed to leave . i don’t get it but i understand it you know ? we shouldn’t have done that while you were … percy and i … it was wrong of me to do that in front of kaylie after you trusted me with her . i know that now and when you come home i’ll apologize proper . swear on sarenrae . vax snores abruptly and she stops , smiling at him softly as tears she hadn’t even noticed roll down her cheeks .  i don’t regret asking kaylie to help us bring you back because … we might not have been able to get you back at all & having you alive and gone for a while is a trade i will always be willing to make if the alternative is …  well, anyway …  she pauses again, a heavy weight on her chest that even now she knows isn’t due to the alcohol . i miss you already. she falls asleep on vax & if any of vox machina was sober enough to hear her , they don’t tell her .

day two .

allura asks her to go to emon and she doesn’t hesitate . guilt compounding on her heart because it knows before she does that she won’t be able to be there for keyleth . until she meets taryon & it’s almost like they’ve replaced scanlan already & she just … she just can’t . vex tells her that she doesn’t always have to be so strong & for the first time she tells someone besides scanlan the truth : of course she does . if she’s not strong , if she doesn’t have a stiff upper lip she’d never be able to watch them walk away . she’d never be able to bring them back over because seeing them , lifeless in front of her is only half the pain & guilt of not being there to save them in the first place .

day nine .

vax died today. he died for keyleth and neither of us were there. i want to be so mad at you scanlan, and i’m trying so hard not to be. they need you. they need you more than you know. not because you can heal them or because you can house them . they need you . we love you .

day ten .

i miss you . not because everyone is gone . not because i’m lonely & i miss everyone . i just … miss you & not knowing that you and kaylie are safe is driving me crazy .

day seventeen .

scanlan? i know you can’t hear, but i’m sitting in a tavern right now with grog; he just went to sleep . i had a pretty good day . i had to do a lot of labor; just lifting stuff into a cart . and then , you know , vox machina, lo and behold, come home and i see them and now we’re here . but we miss you . i’m going to– I’m very tired .

day seventy-two .

i hope you’re safe .

day eighty-seven .

grog misses you & he’s looking for you , vax is looking for you … we’re all looking for you . we just want to know you’re safe , scanlan .

day one-hundred and seventy-five .

she’s tired of talking to a man she knows can’t hear her , who clearly doesn’t want to be found , but she still implores her god to watch over him and his daughter every night she prays .

day two-hundred and sixteen .

i have to tell you something . she says quietly to her empty room in grayskull keep . the keep is full of people’s who’s homes were destroyed in the siege , who can’t afford to rebuild just yet . it had been stupid to think that she’d show up & he’d be there .  it was vex . who i had feelings for - who i had my heart . did . i do love her still . i don’t know that i could ever stop , she’s a part of this family that we have and she’s a huge part of my life . my feelings are the reason i went to sea . i couldn’t be around everyone & not tell her because if i did & she didn’t feel the same way i’m not sure i’d have been able to stay anyway . & i think i knew … that she and percy would … well , that’s not the point . the point is that there wasn’t anything wrong with you scanlan , you should know that . sure , you came on a little strong but you were never mean about being rejected & so many people would have been . you just loved me & i couldn’t … i couldn’t take all of the feelings you had for me while i still had feelings for her . especially after you gave me that beautiful note & opened your heart to me so fully . you did propose to me , though , in front of everyone . even though i think you knew i’d say no . so i think we can both say we’re not ready for whatever this is to be real .

day two-hundred and eighty-eight .

she’s on a beach in marquet at dawn , small feet buried in the sand as sits with her knees to her chest , arms wrapped around them . there’s a quiet breeze that plays with the loose tendrils of her recently dyed hair as she watches the waves crash on the shore before her , the water barely coming up to kiss the top of her feet . the sun creeps it’s way slowly across the horizon and it doesn’t seem fair to enjoy it without scanlan . tary is amazing , they all love him . he’s no scanlan and thankfully never tries to be . she takes her earring out and clenches it in her hand as if it would still work . he can’t hear her either way . hi , scanlan , we’re on vacation ! in the bay of gifts ! i don’t think … we ever got to go on vacation before you left . too many dragons . too many vampires . i like us relaxed , i think you’d like us relaxed . we’ve … done such good things this year . we’ve all done … such good things , despite missing you . i can’t wait for you to see slayer’s cake . we named some cookies after you . they’re ok . i can’t wait for you to meet taryon . i can’t wait for you to see how happy vax is , it’ll blow your mind . percy and vex are , of course , a power couple . grog and i kicked most everyone’s ass in vasselheim . keyleth is … such an amazing leader . of course she is . i wish you could hear me . i wish you were here . there’s a small sound behind her & she looks up to find keyleth , sleep still on her features and not a small amount of worry as she watches her sheepishly . pike smiles , holding her hand out for keyleth to join her & she’s grateful that she gets to enjoy this beautiful sunrise tucked into kiki’s side without the questions she knows she wants to ask .

day three-hundred and eight .

i met my family this week . well , they’re not really my family , honestly . vox machina is my family . grog & wilhand are my family . you are my family . they made my doubt myself but i … i opened up , you know ? i thought that they could be different , that they could be proud of me & that i could change them  & they just wanted my money . i opened my heart & i trusted them & they … they wrecked me . i - you could destroy me . i could open up my heart & i could trust you & you could destroy me , scanlan , more than they did . that’s not fair to you but it’s true & i would just - never recover from that . you mean so much to me & your friendship means so much to me but you confuse me . you kind of – you – make me feel like i’m standing on the edge of a cliff & i want to jump . you have no idea how often i want to jump with you scanlan . something always holds me back though , something that fears the way that i can’t always read you for what you actually mean or say . the thought of hurting you , of getting hurt , of ruining what we have , of ruining vox machina is so much scarier than facing vampires & necromancers & five dragons . because i can’t live up to an ideal . no one can live up to a fantasy .... by the way that cliff metaphor is kind of fucked up because keyleth ... well , the only person who could kill keyleth killed keyleth . i miss you .

day three-hundred and fourteen .

as soon as the half-orc calls his boss the meat man , the tension rolling off of grog only fuels the anger that’s sparking in her heart . they go through this farce . they meet ‘ aes adon ‘ . scanlan doesn’t even have the dignity to show them his real face . to face grog . to face her . & she thinks maybe she built it up in her head a little bit because she’s thought about seeing scanlan a lot ( more than she’ll admit ) over the past three hundred and fourteen days . she’s thought about the relief she’d feel once she knew he was ok . she’s thought about … well, it doesn’t matter what she’s thought about because he hadn’t been planning on staying after he’d given them the information about the ziggurat and/or gotten the plans for a fucking gun from percy . her fingers curl into small fists at her side and when tary leaves , she so desperately wants to follow him out , despite vex’s small plea . despite the hurt on scanlan’s face . she finds herself unable to keep quiet as he speaks , petty asides thrown at him that she doesn’t truly mean but only make her angrier . at him . at herself . when percy breaks the seal she takes the opportunity to leave as quickly as she can because she can’t stand it anymore , especially not when the twins are so clearly ready to forgive him . she and grog do what they do best , they drink their feelings ( whatever they might be ) & fight chod  / lionel / scanlan’s new … whatever he is . she knows lionel doesn’t deserve her anger , he doesn’t deserve grog’s anger . the punch to the half-orc who has been nothing but nice to them , feels a lot worse than she thought it would . vax and vex find her before she can catch up to grog , her anger as entwined with his as anyone , and she tries . she tries so hard to convince them she’s fine . it’s a lot harder this time . she hasn’t had to in so long . they are too perceptive for their own good but they let her leave anyway & that means more than they know . she doesn’t want to open the door , doesn’t know if she can see him again so soon but when she does , she definitely doesn’t expect to hit him . it doesn’t make her feel better . cussing him out doesn’t make her feel better . apologizing like she promised she would all those nights ago doesn’t feel like a real apology . she listens to him & some part of her is happy for him . so very happy that he & kaylie have what most of vox machina has never had with their own fathers . it’s all she’s wanted , to be honest . all she’s prayed for when she prays for them . & she can feel herself soften . he’s different , she notes as he apologizes for ogling her , for hurting her , for meeting her at the wrong time . she doesn’t deserve the apology , owes him one at this point if she’s being honest . will owe him until she & grog talk & she finds out where he stands . perhaps we’ll meet again in different circumstances . she lays in grog’s bed later that night listening to him snore , they hadn’t talked . she’d just climb into his bed like she’d done when they were younger  . she can’t help but hear the echoes of her own words replaying themselves in her head . no one can live up to a fantasy . scanlan is not the ghost that she’s spilled her secrets to under the cover of night . he’s not the same person who’d taken all of their flaws and thrown them in their faces . he’s not the same man who got kaylie’s mother pregnant without knowing . he’s trying his best to be true to himself , just like she is . just like they all are . different circumstances feel an awful lot like a second chance to do things right , to do them better . it doesn’t mean she’s ready to forgive , despite the nagging at the back of hear head . she already knows what she’ll find when she finally acknowledges the anger she is clinging to : the confusing feelings scanlan has always made her face whether he knows it or not , whether she wants to or not .

[done-dm]

Talks Machina Summary: Episodes 76, 77, and Dalen's Closet

In lieu of the usual pre-show entertainment, we were graced with lovely imagery and music from Sounds of the Wildmother Vol. 1.

Announcements

The next episode of Between the Sheets is Monday, September 26 with Felisha Day. The VOD is available the following Wednesday.

There is NO episode of Critical Role this week. There will also be no episode of Talks Machina the following week (because no episode), but the Tavern Keeper Builder livestream will take up that timeslot.

Critrole Stats

Bread was mentioned 52 times in episode 76.

Jester's 100th message spell was cast during episode 77.

Ten days passed between Caleb's first and last conversation with the scourger.

Episode 76 and 77 tie for most dm face palms with 14 each.

Questions

Laura took the longest to come up with Jester's new character art. She drew out the outfit (somewhat poorly) and the artist took it from there. Laura wanted her to look more and more like the Traveler and dress a little more like an adult

Liam wanted Caleb to look less frazzled and more grim/determined in his new character art.

Jester is not aware that sharing your problems is not something to be ashamed of despite helping the other members of the M9 do exactly that. She doesn't want to acknowledge the fact that she has problems in the first place.

Caleb isn't sure that Essek trusts him, and he doesn't really trust Essek either. He thinks Essek has his own reasons for helping Caleb. Essek could be trying to stack up favors, get him under his thumb, acting as a mole, etc.

Jester's perspective on the Traveler has not changed despite her hearing the Traveler's following referred to as a cult.

Caleb feels like the group is clever enough to meet the needs of everyone that they're dealing with (despite the fact that they've been calling in several favors, particularly from Essek). It's a longshot, but he's trying to broker some kind of peace and needs to stay in everyone's good graces in order to do so.

Essek hurt Jester's feelings when he said he had nothing to learn from her. She tried to hide it from the others. Jester doesn't know who she is right now and that's starting to register with her for the first time.

Caleb has been thinking about the Scourgers for years. He wondered what state somebody would be in after years as a Scourger since he escaped that life early. He also wanted to know if anyone who had gone through that was a lost cause (Astrid and Eowulf in particular). There's still a lot of self-loathing, but Caleb understands that he was manipulated. The Scourger he interrogated was younger than him, so if he was any hope for himself he had to offer that to her as well. He also thinks about Yasha and would be quicker to make excuses for her than he would for himself.

Jester fully believes the Gentleman is her father. She thinks he doesn't care about her, but thinks she can convince him that he is her father eventually. She has no plans to tell the others about his refusal to acknowledge her.

Liam mimes using a shake weight. I expect the gifs to be entertaining.

Caleb has a newfound confidence in facing his past now that he has powerful friends, lots of assets, are in the pocket of a queen, etc. Liam wasn't sure where Caleb would be at this point in the campaign. The group is too persuasive as a family for him to walk away and cause Caleb to go down the other paths Liam thought were a possibility.

Jester thinks it's weird that no one else can see the Traveler, but she chalks it up to him being awesome and powerful.

Caleb made himself look like Trent to avoid looking at him and because Trent is enemy #1, so it made sense to Caleb to put that on hinself.

Jester's main example of people helping others is her mom, so she tries to emulate that: hence the motherly behavior towards her friends in the more recent episodes.

There was a question about Caleb's use of the transmuter's stone that I totally missed, whoops!

Jester expects the Traveler Con to be a really awesome celebration where she will be asked to host a few panels. Although, she obviously doesn't know all the details yet.

Liam pulled that line about the porcelain cats out of his ass. Now it's cannon that Caleb has 9 of them.

Jester finds it hard to be the messenger that everyone relies on. Scrying on Yasha was particularly difficult for her (considering the recent... incident). Laura is thankful Matt will repeat information instead of only relying solely on Jester's ability to convey it.

Caleb wants dunamancy knowledge for the sake of knowledge and also because he wants to manipulate time.

Jester feels like she's doing a pretty lousy job of getting more followers for the Traveler, especially since Fjord was actively looking for a god to follow.

Dalen's Closet Stats/Questions

Vex is the only member of vox machina to get hdywtdt on both Sylas an Delilah Briarwood.

Grog called Derrig four names other than his actual name during the course of the episode.

Liam did know that Sam intended to make Vax the wedding gift. Sam texted Matt and Liam to be sure they were okay with it first. Liam felt like he was playing Vax as an NPC at this point. Matt has told him a little bit about where Vax is at, but it was up to Liam to decide exactly what Vax was at this point.

Laura says it feels "fucking awesome" to be responsible for the deaths of both Briarwoods. Laura thinks of Vex/Percy and Delilah/Sylas as two side of the same coin since she would "pull a Delilah" if something happened to Percy.

The bone on Vax's shoulder was a physical manifestation of his tattoo of Keyleth's antlers. It was the one part of his humanity the Raven Queen couldn't control.

Liam was inspired by the short story "The Jaunt" when deciding how Vax was going to appear at the wedding. Vax has been gone for a year, but that doesn't mean he's experiencing time the same way as the rest of Vox Machina.

Laura fully thought Vax would come back exactly the same as he was when he died. Liam thought that all of Vax's decisions needed to have consequences.

Laura and Liam both feel like this one shot was the end of Vox Machina's story.

It felt good for Laura and Liam to be "twinsies" again.

Vex would have reacted differently if Vesper was at the wedding instead of alseep. She didn't bring it up to avoid giving Sylas another weakness to exploit.

Liam could accept every other member of Vox Machina dying except for Vex because "he made a deal."

Names of Derrig's family members (please note that I totally guessed on spelling): his wife is Nell; his three girls are Baroni(?), Litan, and Maeve; and his son is named Will.

Sam and Marisha both thought they were Taliesin's/Percy's best man. They told Sam he was next to Vex and he had to rewrite his speech (he had one prepared Percy). Laura didn't write down the wedding vows ahead of time, but did prepare them beforehand .

[ficclique]

Fic Clique hosts choices for our top fics of the decade - as featured in our Minisode from Jan 3rd. 

Brenna’s choices: 

Honorable Mentions: 

Worldwide Lonesome by loindexter (BTS) 

2018, 39k, Yoongi/Jin 

The biggest gut-punch I’ve ever felt from a character confession. The Jin of this fic has stuck with me every day since reading it. This fic examines sexuality in a way that made me feel seen & I love that.

Timeshare by Astolat (HP) 

2016, 14k, Draco/Harry 

This is sort of a stand-in for all of astolat’s drarry fic, which as a bundle are one of my top fics for the decade. They are fics that feel like instant-classics and the variety of characterizations, stories and tropes helped establish astolat as perhaps my all time favorite fic author. Timeshare won out above the others because it’s one of the fics that helped us decide to do this podcast! Thank you Timeshare! 

Top 5 picks: 

The Student Prince, by Fayjay (Merlin)

2010, 145k, Merlin/Arthur

A fic that has defined fanfiction for me. Perhaps the fic that first convinced me to love fanfiction. Something I keep coming back to and have reread numerous times. Funny, heartfelt, just different enough from the canon versions of characters. Perhaps the only University AU I will ever fully love. 

The Love Song of the North American Douchebag, by Gyzym (Star Trek RPF)

2013, 25k, Chris/Zach

If you want to hear me (and my lovely co-hosts) discuss this fic in depth, then I recommend listening to Episode 6! However, one of our listeners also submitted this as a top fic of the decade, so I’m going to add what the lovely Scout said: 

“JESUS FUCKING CHRIST, I HOPE I CAN SWEAR. I'm not even in this fandom. The world building is just THAT good. It's one of my highlights *because* of its power to draw me in as a standalone. So much fucking talent in the transformative work community. The banter, characterization, sardonic-ness of this – international impact baby!”

Not Easily Conquered (series), by dropdeaddream & whatarefears (MCU)

2015, 117k, Steve/Bucky 

An incredibly, precise, gut-wrenching trilogy. Each part is astounding both together and apart. A devastating exploration of love and dedication. One of those fics that created a Fandom Moment. I sobbed through the entirety of part 2 when I first read it. Womb to tomb, sweetheart. 

Azoth by zeitgeistic (HP)

2013, 88k, Draco/Harry 

A stunning exploration of magic beyond JKR’s universe. A timeless coming together of two characters. A frankly genius use of a plot device (and something as simple as a school project) to foster an incredibly touching and meaningful relationship, one in which they are not able to find what they need to complete their task until they find what they need in each other.  ALCHEMY BABY! 

Honeysuckle Arch by junkshopdisco (1d) 

2015, 46k, Niall/Harry 

Perhaps the most I’ve ever related to a character in fic. The Niall of this fic lives in my heart, and I feel like reading him helps me understand myself, and everytime I come back to it I understand him better too. It’s a touching portrayal of a character coming to terms with their sexuality in a way that feels completely grounded and who is surrounded by characters who love them, even if they don’t always know how to show it. 

Nicole’s choices: 

Honorable Mentions: 

Protostellar by ninamondays 

bts, 64k, pub 2019, Namjoon/Jungkook & Taehyung/Jimin

Space, cryogenics, fate, reincarnation, class struggles, revolution, climate change, character death. Having hope is punk rock. Processing grief is a slow and ugly process. [deep breath] Have I ever felt so profoundly touched by a fic while I was reading it?

the other thing by cornfields 

hockey rpf, 16k, pub 2015, Jamie/Tyler

An absolutely unflinching look at personal accountability and internalized homophobia. What happens when your self-hatred has collateral damage? It’s about healing but it’ll fucking hurt first. Bleached out vibes. Makes texas feel very big, and the world feel very, very small. A story I’d only trust a fic author to tell.

Top 5 picks: 

Murmuration by fringecity (indiachick) 

bts, 167k, pub 2018, Yoongi/Jimin/Taehyung

Film noir/murder mystery meets gritty sci fi and superpowers. Everyone is morally gray. You Will sob about Kim Taehyung. A masterclass in plot. Felt like a trilogy all wrapped tightly into one fic. A kaleidoscope. An unfurling. This fic mesmerizes.

The River and the Deep Green Bend by liquidmeasure 

1d, 70k, pub 2016, Harry/Niall

Dark tower au, but only technically. Makes me want to believe in the multiverse. An arid western, a sideways coming of age story, an elegy. The first time I’ve ever cried because an ending was perfect.

the undiscovered country by indigostohelit

hamlet, 56k, pub 2014, Hamlet/Horatio

What else can I say about this fic. What else can I Fucking say.

(note: we discuss this fic at length during episode 5) 

All Things Shining by Askance and standbyme

spn, 142k, pub 2013, Dean/Castiel & Sam/ofc

A story about miracles. Literary as hell, with long luxuriant scenes that never drag. Masterful characterization. The thing I wanted from spn fic—connection, plot, and a fic that not only can handle the lore of the show, but is willing to expand upon it.

Who Painted the Moon Black by throughthedark

1d, 95k, pub 2013, Louis/Harry

Hunger games crossover. Doesn’t just use the other fandom for setting, but entirely inhabits it. I had to stop partway through my reread because I knew I’d have nightmares, but this fic never stops hoping. Trauma is not an ending. This fic is certain of that the whole way through.

Reid’s Choices: 

Honorable Mentions: 

songs from the ash, by explosivesky, 2017

Critical Role, Percy/Vex, Keyleth/Vax, 54k, WIP (sort of)

rockstar/movie star AU 

A fantastic example of how fic can just standalone as really good original fiction. A lovingly rendered, devastating and beautifully crafted portrait of four broken people doing their best to navigate through their lives and around one another. 

delta, by sharpa, 2019

BTS, rapline ot3, 60k

What happens when you’re a public figure who gets unwillingly outed, and two people you used to love reach out to offer you sanctuary? You make Reid cry, that’s what. 

Top 5 picks: 

Salt on the Western Wind by Saras_Girl, 2013

Harry Potter, drarry, 60k

Immediately post war, bond

It represents a lot of what I was looking for when I started really getting into Drarry fic, which was an exploration of what canon wouldn’t give me. My favorite Drarry fics have always been the ones that let them dig into their shared trauma, and while this fic isn’t the heaviest one I’ve read, I think the fact that it’s set literally hours after the Battle of Hogwarts ends lends itself well to that concept. I couldn’t have a list of the decade without a Drarry fic, tbh.

The Great Sealand Takeover, by whalehuntingboyfriends, 2015

Roosterteeth/Achievement Hunter RPF, ot6 (gavin, michael, ray, geoff, ryan, jack), 365k

FAHC

When I think about fics that set the standard for a fandom, this is one of the first ones that comes to mind. This fic means a lot to me because it was my introduction to RPF, and in addition to its intricate plot and fandom-constructed lore, also was a take on poly relationships and found families in a way I had never experienced before, with themes of belonging and a love that transcends typical convention.

The Twice-Told Tale by arysteia, 2012

Marvel, steve/tony, 15k

This fic hits a sweet spot for me where it does have some of that 2012 tower-fic nostalgia, but I also think it holds up well in terms of what I (and fandom) find so fascinating about Tony, which is all this grief and trauma that he struggles so hard to process, and the way puts himself at the center of attention to obfuscate the fact that he keeps everyone at a long arm’s length.

There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe, by Shoshanah-ben-hohim, 2015

Hockey, Sid/Geno, Canon Divergent, 77k

& the whole series, including There is a Field, I’ll Meet You There, Alex Galchenyuk/Olli Maata, 131k

When I think about this fic I want to scream from every rooftop I’ve ever been on “please read this fic”. The way it weaves together details to provide a level of grounding and realism in what sounds like the most absurd concept for a fic just floors me. The empathy and compassion and fear in this fic just gets at the most tender parts of my heart, and the fact that it’s ostensibly a ship fic, and yet Sid and Geno spend nearly the entire fic with no communication, but instead are just holding on to the innate truth that they know about one another to get them through this crazy endeavour they’re on elevates the entire fic for me.

what comes after, by poppyseedheart, 2018

Roosterteeth/Achievement Hunter RPF, mavinseg (gavin, meg, michael, lindsay), 36k

Dystopia/Spy AU

When I first read this fic, I finished it and I put it down and then I spent a few days feeling like I was just sort of wandering around in a haze because every single thought was consumed by this fic. In addition to its impeccable worldbuilding and the tone work that it does with its setting, I don’t know that I had ever resonated so deeply with fic characters before. Reading this felt like someone had pried my ribcage open one by one and revealed the softest, most tender parts of me and then went “I’m going to write something that targets this.” This fic is an ode to loss and love, to mourning something that you once had and then hesitantly and clumsily opening yourself up to building something new, and recognizing that, impossibly, that new thing you built can somehow be better than what you had before. 

And I felt all of these things, I felt like my world had just been shattered by this new author I discovered… and then, somehow, I became her friend. Then through Nic I met Brenna, and now when I think about this fic I not only love it for being a work of art, but also for being representative of the thing that brought me to two of the most important people in my life, and that to me will always make it my favorite fic I’ve ever read.

[disasterhumans]

What are your thoughts on Keyleth’s grieving style?

Oh man, I don’t have fully formulated Thoughts, and it’s been several months since I finished c1, but here are some quick and dirty takes wild ramblings (nothing I've ever written was “quick” why was i trying to fool myself):

I mean I think Keyleth herself summarized her grieving process pretty well: She compartmentalizes. (Vex does too, but it’s different.) In some ways, she may have been happy to immediately Have a Mission after they defeated Vecna. She’s heartbroken, and she misses the love of her life, but Having Something To Do not only provides a great distraction, it also lets her fall into a dynamic she’s familiar with: she’s a bit silly, a bit earnest, and there to take on the role as Tank to protect her remaining friends. She turns into an earth elemental and makes silly gesticulations. Vox Machina is down two members, but she still knows where and how she fits in their group. Meanwhile, she really doesn’t know how to mourn yet (the other major loss in her life happened when she was a child, and while they’ve lost friends along the way, I think we can safely say Vax was her first capital ‘l’ Loss.), So she falls back on what she knows, and she power through.

She’s super angry. In general I don’t think Keyleth’s capacity for anger is recognized enough. Her anger doesn’t typically express itself in the way we’re used to seeing anger. At times it comes out as righteous indignation rather than actual rage or ire. But as much as Keyleth is scared of what the future of her life may be, she also angry about it. She cares about the world so deeply, and she gets mad at people who wreak havoc and harm. While they go through Pandemonium, her anger seems to rise and fall. She keeps it at bay for stretches at a time, but then a group of bugbears take Percy’s arm, and it’s just another thing on top of all of the things that have happened. She’s powerful enough to bring back Percy’s fucking arm but not strong enough to bring her partner? boyfriend? they never got to a point where he could be her fiance or her husband Vax back. Vax is dead, they’re trudging through Pandemonium to save Grog’s soul, and now Percy’s lost an arm. I’d be fucking pissed too.

But for much of the journey her anger manifests as some Grade A pettiness. She puts on a sweet, almost simpering smile and asks if there’s anyone else who could possibly join them aside from Lieve’tel, a cleric of the being who stole Vax from her. Vax accepted his death, but neither Vex nor Keyleth did. They still think of it as him being robbed. (Because, remember, they had a plan to bring him back. It was a plan that might have cost them time on the fight, and one which may not have worked. But they all had every intention of bringing Vax back themselves after episode 102.) Marisha could very well have played Keyleth as super dour and pessimistic throughout the one-shot–it would have been a valid acting choice and would have been really interesting to see play out. But instead Keyleth is prickly. Keyleth is generally rather nice and polite. But being known as the “nice one,” means that when you really are just angry and bitter at the world, sometimes the only way it can come out is through being viciously catty. (I love it.)

Also Percy ends up serving as a conduit of her anger at various points. I find their friendship dynamic deeply fascinating. They really don’t even need words with each other. I could only vaguely make out what Marisha-as-Keyleth-as-Earth-Elemental was saying, and Percy not only translated it accurately, but did so eloquently on the first try. Percy’s comment to Lieve’tel about the RQ owing a “great debt,” was surely a reflection of Percy’s own feelings about Vax’s loss, but much more than that I think it was him translating for Keyleth what she felt she couldn’t say. I think that Keyleth relies on Percy to essentially be her “anger translator” in a lot of different contexts, but especially now, I think she leans on him pretty heavily in this oneshot to know how she’s feeling without needing to talk about it. There will be time for tears and talking and processing somewhere down the line. For now, having someone who almost instinctively knows what’s going through her head is such a lightening of the load.

And to put a finer point on Percy’s comment to Lieve’tel being an expression Keyleth’s anger and loss: Percy calls the debt one that is “centuries in the making,” which of the face of it seems hyperbolic. But Keyleth (and Scanlan and Pike) will be around for centuries. This is a loss that will literally be felt by some of those closest to Vax for centuries to come. And what’s more Lieve’tel is liable to live for centuries to come as well. 

Anyway, I had a lot of feelings about Keyleth during the one-shot and I’d love to spend more time breaking this down further at some point, but I’ll leave this here for now.

[necromatador]

Couriers: Ola-Ola

Then, that night, Aeron had a stress-nightmare about the hydra attack and has difficulty falling back asleep at all.  He snuck over to see Nimh again, and after some hesitation asked if he could sleep next to them (admitting that he’s usually used to having his army of siblings to take care of or snuggle in with if he has trouble sleeping).  Nimh shifted over a bit and he curled up next to them, then apologized for not being any help against the hydra.  “I couldn’t stop it grabbing you, I couldn’t...I can’t swim so I couldn’t jump in and help get you out.  I couldn’t even help with the medical attention afterwards...”  Nimh responded with an apology that they should have never put so much pressure on him and him alone.  That no one person should be responsible for another’s life.  And that he had helped, because they’d been in the middle of a panic attack when they woke up the other night in pain and darkness, and then he’d been there, a comforting and safe presence.  He curled up against them, and they wrapped one arm around him and both fell asleep.

The next morning it was announced that the ship would be putting into harbor sometime late that day or very early next morning for repairs because the ship was pretty well fucked by the hydra attack.  Aeron critically beaned Walker on the head with one of the lemons growing from the mast-tree, and then called him over to thank him for saving Nimh.  Walker told Aeron that Nimh is lucky to have a friend like him, and Aeron then immediately threatens Walker that if he hurts Nimh in any way, shape, or form, then Aeron would end him.  Walker assured him that there was no such threat from him.  Nimh is allowed back up on deck for the first time since the hydra, and Walker, after greeting them, told them awkwardly that Kelvayla wanted to talk to them about “a subject of concern”.

Turns out Kelvayla found out about Nimh’s scales (thanks to Walker), and once in her captain’s quarters, she confronted them about it, insinuating that they’re both the same due to both being inheritors of some kind of speck of ancient draconic power.  Nimh punched Walker in the gut, re-injuring themself slightly in the process by over-extending.  Kelvayla threatened to let the rest of the crew/party in on the secret and Nimh, in their anger, unleashes a dragon breath that they didn’t know they could do.  Kelvayla offered the scale back and Nimh took it, stuffing it in their pocket and storming back to Doc’s office because they’d pulled a stitch and wrenched a rib.  Aeron, having seen this, confronted Walker right before dinner like “DUDE WHAT DID I JUST TELL YOU???”  Walker told Aeron “I...tell them I’m sorry.  I didn’t know it was a secret.”  Aeron, intrigued but respectful, doesn’t inquire further about said secret.  At dinner, the party-members are informed about Candle’s thoughts on his own magic by Keyleth, and later before bed Aeron went to compliment Candle on his sneakerly skills.  Candle explained that he was able to follow Aeron so easily because his trick is “everyone always looks behind them when they feel like they’re being watched, but if you can guess where they’re going, you can make them follow you and keep an eye on them that way instead”.  Aeron told Candle that he was genuinely impressed, and complimented Candle on how tricky and clever he was.

Late that night while we were all asleep, we got to the next island and Nimh went for a small walk on the beach before dawn to clear their head and calm down.  That morning we were given a small spiel from Belmont about the island (island of Ola-Ola, town of Kaikala, and just in time for the Kekoa festival!) and we were set free with strict instructions not to cause trouble.  The town, we discovered, was populated by elven people of varying degrees, with elven being the primary language.  We immediately got A SHOWER.  And SOME FOOD (crab soup).  We also immediately found out that the innkeeper’s daughter had gone missing 2 days ago, and Keyleth leapt to help.  He and Kaicis volunteered to go search for her in the jungle bordering the town, and Nimh and Aeron opted to stay back since Nimh was still recovering and they wanted a bit of company.  The K-team headed off into the jungle, with Styrmir as a way to send for help from Nimh.  They got deceived by a local Mimic Bird making noises like a big predator, before finding Belmont (who had gone into the jungle earlier for bird-watching) stuck in some quicksand.  They rescued him and took him along so he didn’t get lost on his way back before discovering that...they were lost.  Which should’ve been impossible.  Keyleth doesn’t get LOST.  Ahead, in a clearing, they found themselves face to face with a fully set tea table, at which was sitting the girl they were looking for, as well as a spooky looking bald elven being.  The girl claimed she’d only been there for an hour at most.  The elven being said they were at the table of Nahele, but didn’t outright saying it was his name.  The K-team realized that he was the reason they’d gotten lost.  Kaicis realized this elven figure was actually an archfey.