#but also love that with the knowledge of the rest of rqg

[kristsune]

Into the Wilds is one of my favorite specials, so I decided to make a little collection of some favorite moments. I was sad that we never got back to these characters, but I will still always imagine them wandering around in the background of the main campaign because I can.

[lobotomy-maybe-bestie]

7? :)

this is a bit difficult because i don't really have or like aus that have a complete theme shift but sometimes i like to think about what the characters would do if they, through weird multi-dimensional shenanigans, found out they are characters in a ttrpg and could listen to the episodes of rqg/small snippets of them that i find on tumblr:

-zolf would have an entire freakout. like we're talking paris, if not worse. he would simultaneously absolutely hate ben both as an extension of his self-loathing and as the person who "forced" him to do certain things he regrets now but also find a weird comfort in the fact that these people who have an overhead "objective" view of him don't think he's terrible or everything is his fault. then at the same time he would loathe them all for taking his world and playing around with it, only using him and his friends for entertainment.

-cel would be like "OH THAT EXPLAINS SO MUCH" lydia plays them as very unintentionally meta and if they found out they'd immediatly analyse all of their thoughts, feelings and memories, trying to determine which dice rolls lead to what exactly. they would delve so deep into this whole new level of meta science that the others may think they have gone mad. also i feel like they would frown upon the whole "world ending for narrative purposes" thing but eventually come out the other end and say that it's nice that there are people that care enough about a story that it makes up their whole world.

-wilde would have an immediate existential identity crisis when he finds out he's an npc. not only is he not important enough to be a player character (the players don't even know what he's been up to for a lot of the time!) he is also played by the same person who plays barret, all the squizzards and every single other bad person.

-azu wouldn't be mad, i think, except maybe at alex. she would LOVE helen. she'd see them as her ally in everything bc helen only wants good things to happen to her.

-hamid would be shocked. he might have a breakdown or try really hard to make sense of everything, maybe joining cel in their endeavours.

-the knowledge that lydia played sasha would make the party weird around cel at first, while they themself would probably try at first to figure out if they maybe have some of her memories or qualities. eventually it'd probably be azu who'd tell the others that just because the person who plays cel also plays sasha doesn't mean they should treat cel differently. wilde adds in that he is played by the person who plays literally everyone else and they don't treat him differently either.

-that ben also played grizzop would be... a surprise, to say the least. zolf would have another identity crisis. wilde, half joking but a little inappropriately, complains about the time grizzop punched him in the crotch and zolf gives him a look like "i threatened to drown you it's not my fault you have that effect on people when they first meet you".

-listening to the ancient rome arc would kill them. hamid and azu would cry the whole way through, zolf would walk out probably and then would have to be brought back in to listen to the rest. they would all be Very weirded out by ben's delight in grizzop's death, and would get very worried for zolf. zolf, meanwhile, is trying to reconcile that he shares the instinct of "protect sasha even if it means your death" with the person who controls him who actually went through with it (sort of).

-look idk it's not a developed idea. i never thought i'd talk about it bc it is a little weird. the main points are all very angsty lol i mostly use it as a fun thought exercise of how the characters would react upon finding out. not even big story things. i love listening to that one audio from the episode that had a lot of fluff where everyone is just excited for every character's relationship.

[knifemartin]

2, 6, 15? :)

2. What has been your favourite relationship to see (well, hear) develop?

We all know I'm #basic & there is so much to zolf&wilde that I adore and will never get enough of (platonic life partners!!!!) I could talk about them forever, and I have & I will, but also there's too much there for me to go into right now so I'm putting them back on the shelf and taking down Zolf & Sasha for a moment, and how absolutely heartbreaking their ending was when you look back on how much Sasha changed Zolf's life and he never got to see her again. Meeting her, loving her, promising to be there for her and heal her when he finds out how sick she is? But then he has to leave because it's what he has to do for himself, and sasha gets that so she lets him go.

And as if that isn't enough!!- Finding hope in the thought of her, and he makes his way back to wilde & there's no rangers left. then they return but sasha isn't even there

and then they get the letter and he can't be in the room with everyone else and all their grief too, so he leaves and reads it in private??? and it's all he has left of her???

Listen. guilt & grief combo my beloved I love Zolf & Sasha more than life itself. I miss their awkward interactions on a daily basis. I will never be over them.

6. What is something you are wholly convinced will happen in the finale?

Fun fact about me! I never ever make serious predictions about media I am consuming. idk, it's just. Can't do it, can't even guess who the killer might be in a thriller. I love re-watching/reading/listening with the knowledge of the ending, I love thinking about potentials afterwards, but legitimately guessing where the story is going? not a me thing

I am wholly convinced, however, that it will give me capital-E Emotions and that I won't be able to think of anything else for the rest of my day

15. Which moments have genuinely made you cry?

S A S H A ' S L E T T E R

The only time I've cried listening to any podcast. I blamed it on the fact I listened to it first thing in the morning and was really tired, and decided that must've made me emotional. i did not see it coming, i was not ready!! dont ask about the other four times it's made me cry shhhh

RQG Retrospective asks!

[shy-magpie]

RQG 141

The wait is over! Skraak's gonna sober up soon and all signs point to upcoming boss fight. Will they end up with an army of captured Kobolds fulfilling the promise to make Skraak a general or are they going to spend the last episode on the island trying to remember who was tied up where? Patreon thanks have gotten more fun since I started recognizing names.

Alex sounds contrite about possible errors. Ben is honest about the social contract. Honestly these guys hold themselves to too high a standard sometimes. Oh everyone is doing Ben impressions, I love it when you can see they are really are friends Back to the elevator shaft Hamid and Zolf can fly without warning but are Cel and Azu going to be OK? Oh ladder is bad bad bad. Right not their first rodeo: Hamid and Zolf are talking out the plan. Zolf will scout? *scouts* *elevator ain’t moving* *reports* Regarding the text level of the ensuing conversation: Everyone is going to be tied together. No falling allowed. Hamid makes a case for Lightest First, Zolf was thinking Heaviest First. They go with lightest first. Eh I'm no hiker so not going to spend to much brain space on working out which order makes sense. Especially since none of them are allowed to fall, Alex. Subtext: Hamid sounds a little nervous about it but is in leader mode, not presenting an idea to his boss mode. Zolf sounds unsure how to take that level of the conversation but always did take Hamid's ideas seriously; even if only seriously enough to argue about rather than dismiss out of hand. As they discuss it Hamid sounds a bit more confident as Zolf takes it well. Zolf sounds frustrated but I think it's only on the level he explicitly said: this is going to suck and he would rather do it quickly, than have time for worry to really set in. I swear if they have Azu fall on someone like Bertie fell on Sasha; the way the last season of scripted shows do call backs to fan favorite episodes I'll never trust the dice are unweighted again. Eep, fatigue mechanics are starting now Yes having typing as an excuse to pause as they hit the bit we've been worrying about is nice. I don't want anyone to slip but I kinda need Zolf as Iron Man saving someone fan art. Ha Bryn just figured out they can work out how much time has passed by how often Zolf has to reactivate his boots. He clearly knows how much Ben will appreciate being used to add to the admin when he points this out. Oh this is going to be Planes Walking all over again, rolls every few seconds. I refuse to track the numbers, we had too many naturals in both directions. Tired climbing in the dark. Or not: Zolf lights a torch because Hamid can't cast and climb. Fatigued officially kicked in for Cel. Yeah we worried about this in the discord it is a Bad condition. Alex was going to soften it but Zolf has it covered? Well at least cover 7 times a day but there are only 5 of them unless sickened* or one of the other conditions comes up too. Zolf & Cel scene is fun. Rolls, trying to tune it out and just wait for the effects. Mood lightened by Ben rolling for fun. Skraak needs to be rolled for too. Of course Ben is the only one not sounding stressed at this. To be fair its a bit heavy handed by Alex standards to give us an NPC whose two main traits are endearing and vulnerable. Yes, yes, yes! Zolf is carrying Skraak in a little rope backpack! What is up with this design? I'm getting an overpowered kid vibe. Where is Alex going with this? Water reflections? Leaking hydraulics? Break right after pointing out that Hamid's armor is probably gone. Please tell me he can recast if there is something nasty down here. Ouch falling would have hurt even worse than expected. No Cel/Lydia, things that could have easily turned you into pâté are not cool. Alex has trained them too well to just open the door without a plan. Little Kobold Jeffrey's Tube hatch Skraak time. Yes, I know I said Alex was manipulating us, I never said it didn't work. Poor little guy is too cute. Ben admits Zolf would have cured his fatigue. Aquarium tunnel? For just the boss? Doesn't fit the military past and is a stretch for a school, did Yoshida have it added? how rich is this guy? Quick Hamid and Azu moment My respect for Shoin as an alchemist is going down.  Maintain your equipment: you're a mad scientist for heaven's sake. Going back to my “something is using Yoshida as a boogeyman” theory Sorry if this isn't up to my usual. Listening at home instead of waiting for work and I don't think I got 10 minutes in a row undisturbed. Anyway: set design/world building is wonderful. Light turns out to be natural phosphorus(?) from a thermal vent, because Alex world builds from the geothermal layer up. Never let it be said Alex doesn't give the people what they ask for. Thank you Alex and Helen for 15 octopuses and the rest of the table for making the Jurassic Park reference/background music. A pulpy fun scene that was indulgent even before a geeky reference right from my childhood? RQG is good to me Ship wrecks? Gotta be the Mechanical Squid from Dover! Zolf knowledge time Boats were sunk over the last decade? Hamid agrees with me! I am going to be smug even if debunked, at proof I'm thinking the same way as the players. I'm thinking dragging the boats here was just an easy way to be sure they got all the stuff they wanted before dumping the looted wrecks? Telling a machine to grab a boat and bring it back has to be easier than defining what loot it should take and what to dump. Genre savvy Zolf points out we will probably get an evil monologue explaining. Good bye nice safe tunnel. Utility is king in the new complex but no maintenance again? Been damaged without repair too? And has it's own power? Cel is also wondering about the maintenance. Azu points out the danger Cel is accidentally but actively making her more frightened. On a Watsonian level anyways. Lydia knows what she is doing. Literal fun-house is it, Ben/Zolf. The place was set up for the kind of nerdy party RQG fans would love then it was abandoned? But the food was fresh and the costumes were designed for the team? Locker, trap, and Helen gasp. Vial broken, was that what the potion puzzle with the costumes was for? Alex is merciful and reinforcing the "set up for a party years ago and abandoned in place" by the contents being too old to hurt the team. 3 years expired, is that when the party was? Zolf breaks the box because  he does not like puzzle games. It was the prize: 4 vials but also too old to use. The customization is discussed. Lydia has Cel accidentally point out the time skip accounts for a lot of the time element. Well half of it, but if we take 3 years as a solid date, that leaves 18 months before the times skip and I don't think The Rangers were formed over a year before that. Maybe minions who kept updating based on old orders? "Actually"? Alex?!? OK, Broken traps can be tagged on like that. Holy Hades, I was right: Corpse with a bolt through his head?  Gotta be Yoshida. Poor Bryn glitched on his own character name because of all the Salad jokes; honest to god we tease because we love. Ben lightens things back up. Wait hey Zolf's cure fatigue also covers poisons*, is Skraak no longer drugged? Also is he still tied to Zolf? I don't remember them taking him out of the rope back pack. Did a lunch time re-listen/edit of these notes, because the universe punishes me with interruptions if I try to break my ritual. Hope it helped more than made the tone even more confusing. *I could have sworn poisoned was one of the conditions cured by Calming touch (Zolf's spell). I listened while doing my edit pass on this post and I couldn't find it. Maybe that damned processing issue again: you know I can wrap my head around hearing a tone but not make out words; hearing a completely different word so clearly I don't know my ears/brain glitched? Pisses me off more than it presents an actual problem.

[nemainofthewater]

RQG Secret Santa Letter 2019

Dear Author,

First of all, thank you so much for writing for me! I can’t wait to see what you come up with and I know that I’ll love it. I’m nemainofthewater on AO3 (and most other fandom spaces).

You are more than welcome to include characters other than the ones I have requested!

I am open to gen or shipping (het/slash/femslash/OT3s etc). I’ve written out some things that I like in general below and a few prompts, but please feel free to ignore them if you get a burst of inspiration. I will love anything you write!

Things I like:

-Found family! I really love team-as-family, slice of life type stories where everything may be difficult (or not!) but at least they have each other

-angst: I am awful for this and I enjoy reading angsty things, though I would life some glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel and for it not to be all doom and gloom

-Adventures: I love case fics or adventure things where the characters work together to solve something. Bonus for characters displaying unexpected knowledge/skills, or just being good at their jobs and their team appreciating that

-some canon divergence AUs or role reversal (although on the whole I am not a fan of college/high school AUs)

-characters who don’t take care of themselves being gently bullied into sleeping/eating/resting, or just generally just looking after themselves

-food or creating things as a love language (platonic or romantic)

-OT3s to solve love triangles

Things I’m not fond of:

-High school/college AUs

-texting fics

-characters watch the show/read the book etc that they come from

-crossovers: I am generally in favour of them, but would prefer for them to be a fandom that I am familiar with

DNWs: explicit sex, incest, underage, character bashing (out of universe: it doesn’t count if characters don’t like each other in canon, for example), racism, sexism, homophobia, aphobia, transphobia

Rusty Quill Gaming

I do feel like I’m repeating myself whenever I request RQG, but I really like stories exploring Oscar Wilde. He is a carefully concealed disaster who needs people to bully him into taking care of himself, and apparently that is the sort of character I enjoy reading about!

I enjoy stories where Wilde can’t maintain his mask: maybe he’s pushed it too far and has to accept help. Or where he’s able to have some downtime and relax for once. Or perhaps something where he’s in his (social) element and someone who has got to know him can just See the barriers slam up.

I would also appreciate stories about Ed and Tjelvar! I don’t know, Ed’s just such a ball of sunshine (almost literally) and Tjelvar being So Done but also having to help him out of course. But also being his own brand of idiot when it comes to archaeology?

The Magnus Archives

-I would love anything with the original archives team hanging out, forced Christmas parties are a beautiful, beautiful thing especially if Elias is hanging around and looking smug as he explains that everyone Has to attend while feeding on Jon’s discomfort…

-Martin having a nice Christmas, one where people (Daisy? Basira? Jon? Tim? Sasha?? Someone!) appreciate him and also possibly reassuring him that people appreciate him for him.

-Melanie and Georgie host Christmas!

-Lonely Eyes? Two bastards bitching at each other. At Christmas.