#crunchy taako

[fandomsnstuff]

@taznovembercelebration

Day 3: bakery au/playlist

Kravitz gives Taako a gift and gets invited to a party

Read it on AO3

Kravitz stands pressed against the brick wall outside the bakery, out of view of the large stretch of front windows. He drums his fingers on the plastic case in his hands.

This is. Insane. Taako's working. He's almost always been working when they see each other. What on Earth made him think that making him a mixtape in cd form, cassette form, and spotify form (just in case he doesn't have a way to play the other two) would be appropriate?

Sure, they see each other every day when Kravitz comes in for a sweet treat. And Taako flirts with him over the counter every time, and loiters around the little table he sits at by the window to talk to him more. Then of course there was that time they ran into each other at the grocery store and stood in the aisle talking for at least 30 minutes. And the time they ran into each other at the movies and went for dinner and a walk after. Then Taako gave him his number the next day when he came in for a danish, and they text almost every day. Taako even joked that they were meant to be when they found out that Kravitz's old college roommate is his brother in law.

But a mixtape? What is this, 1986?

But here he is, with an hour and a half of music he carefully curated for Taako in three different forms. At this point he can't not give it to him.

He takes a deep breath and walks into the bakery. The bell above the door jingles and Taako doesn't even look up from where he's loading some fresh cookies into the display. "I was wondering how long you were gonna stand out there."

Kravitz freezes. "You could see-"

"Sure could." Taako comes up and leans against the counter, smiling smugly. "Whatcha got there?"

Kravitz hides the tape and cd behind his back, his face burning. "Nothing."

"Doesn't look like nothing." Kravitz takes a very sudden interest in the wall behind Taako. "Tell you what," Taako says, drawing Kravitz's eyes back to him like a magnet, "I'll trade you. You show me what made you stand outside my place of business for 10 minutes, and I give you one of my new ginger molasses cookies, on the house."

Kravitz eyes the cookies in question. They do look good, perfect picturesque cracks on top, sugar on the outside glistening like crystal. And Taako's cookies are always perfectly crunchy on the edges and soft in the middle.

"They just came out of the oven," he says tauntingly, "still warm."

The unfortunate thing is that Kravitz can be bought. Especially with baked goods. "I, um," his heart is still racing, but he approaches the counter, "this is so dumb, but I," he laughs, embarrassed, and presents the gifts, "I made you a mixtape? You mentioned that you've been listening to the same music when you bake since you started working here, and maybe you want to, but I just thought you might like… another option." Taako's very good at keeping his composure, but his eyebrows have raised. Kravitz hopes that's good surprised and not incredulous, bad surprised. "I didn't know what you have to play music so, uh, yeah."

A beat of silence passes, then Taako barks a laugh. He picks up the cassette and flips it over, reading the tracks. "Hozier, ACDC, Taylor Swift," his voice rises in pitch as he reads out the artists, "My Chemical Romance, Ed Sheeran, The Backstreet Boys, Nickleback-" he cackles, "you're a freak, Krav, this fucks."

Kravitz laughs. "You said you like variety."

"Well I've certainly got it now." He puts the tape down and walks back to the display, grabbing a paper bag and a pair of tongs. "I think I owe you two cookies for this."

"You don't have to-"

"Too late!" He packages up two ginger cookies and hands the bag over to him. "No take-backsies."

"Thank you." He takes his treat and sits at his table by the window, watching Taako as he takes his new music into the back, and a moment later the song playing over the speakers stops and Take Me to Church starts.

Taako isn't able to stop and talk to him a lot, he putters around, filling the display case, cleaning, helping other people who come in. When Kravitz is on his way out, Taako calls out, "hey, Krav!" He turns, and Taako says, "do you want to go to a party?"

"Like, in general?"

"No, I'm- there's going to be a party this weekend. With my friends. Barold will be there. Do you want to come?"

"Oh," other than Barry, he hasn't met Taako's friends, "I wouldn't want to intrude on your friends."

"Well," Taako scoffs and crosses his arms, "it's my birthday party so I can do whatever I want and they can deal."

Kravitz's eyes widen. "It's your birthday? I had no idea-"

"You wouldn't. Anyway, you in?"

"Yeah, yes, for sure."

"Cool. I'll text you."

Taako texts him later that day with an address and a time for the coming Saturday. He asks if he should bring anything, and Taako's response of "just your handsome self" makes his heart do somersaults. He considers getting Taako a gift, but he made him a mixtape. Maybe he already considers that his gift. He thinks about bringing wine, but he knows Taako's pretty particular about his wine pairings. The idea of flowers goes straight out the window, that'd be too much.

He follows Taako's instructions and just brings himself. There's food and desserts set out, including a cake that's been pre-cut so people can just grab and go. He asks Taako, "no candles?"

He snorts. "Trust me, you don't want to hear these fuckers sing."

The party itself is… fine. Taako's friends are welcoming, and include him in conversation and games. But there's a history and camaraderie here that he's very clearly not a part of. Of course it's Taako's party, so he can do what he wants, but Kravitz feels like he shouldn't be here.

Taako sticks around in his general vicinity for the most part, which Kravitz is grateful for. It reminds him that he was actually invited. But at some point Taako gets dragged off to do god knows what, and Kravitz takes the opportunity to step outside.

The cool night air is refreshing. He takes a deep breath and sits in one of the patio chairs. A minute later, the sliding door opens and Barry steps out. He sits in the chair next to him, "you okay, bud?"

He shrugs. "Yeah." Barry gives him a sympathetic look that somehow makes him want to spill his guts. Kravitz sighs, "it's just- I'm glad that Taako invited me, but it just feels like- everybody's nice and all, but you've known each other for so long, maybe it'd have been better if his birthday party was just his closest friends, you know?"

Barry snorts. "Sorry, I'm not laughing at you, but," he chuckles and shakes his head, "do you know how Taako normally celebrates his birthday?"

His brow furrows. "He has a party? Has all his friends come and give him presents?"

"No. He lets Lup buy him dinner and that's it. He never wants a party or cake. I'm not even allowed to know where they're going for dinner." He leans in close and lowers his voice, "this party didn't exist until he invited you to it."

"Then…" he looks back through the glass of the sliding door, where Taako's scrambling to get out of Magnus's arms like an indignant cat while Merle loudly sings Happy Birthday, "why?"

Barry looks a little smug. "I have a few ideas."

"Like what?"

He shrugs and stands, clapping a hand on Kravitz's shoulder. "I'll see you in there."

"Wha- Barry!"

But he's already gone back inside.

The Monday after the party, Kravitz is sitting at his table in the bakery, daydreaming out the window when a slice of confetti cake is set down in front of him. Taako sits across from him with his own slice of confetti cake that has a purple candle sticking out of it. He takes a lighter out of his pocket and seem to light and blow out the candle in one go. He picks up the fork on his plate and digs into the cake. Kravitz picks up his own fork and tentatively takes a bite.

"I hear Barold spilled the party beans to you," Taako says after a long silence. He's deconstructing the layers of cake with his fork.

"Party beans?" Kravitz says eloquently.

Taako huffs. "Party beans! The beans about the party!" He slumps back in his chair, and scoops a lump of icing into his mouth.

Kravitz doesn't know what to say, so he says nothing. They both pick at their cake in silence as Green Day serenades them through the speakers.

"I just never really saw the point," Taako says eventually. "For our entire lives, our birthday was just another day, because we had no money to make a big deal about it. Then we got some money and a couple of friends, and we could make a whole shindig about it. Lup loved it, I didn't really care. I liked planning it for Lup, but I just didn't need it for me. I let her take me to dinner because she insists on doing something."

Kravitz takes a moment, then says, "you deserve to be celebrated, Taako."

"I know," he snaps. "A birthday party's just too much."

"But you love getting attention." He shrugs, still slumped in his seat. Kravitz says, "so why the party now?"

"I wanted to spend time with you, doofus. And a birthday party was the first thing that came to my idiot brain."

"Oh." Kravitz stabs at his cake. "You don't need to throw a party to get me to spend time with you." Taako stays low in his seat, looking at his decimated piece of cake. "Can I take you to dinner?"

Taako finally sits up. "As long as you don't tell the waiters it's my birthday. I've been subjected to too many sparklers and stupid hats."

Kravitz laughs. "I think I can manage that."

[bluekacola]

i drew this at like -5° rotation and then autodesk sketchbook wouldnt let me rotate it without making it the most horrific Crunchy thing known to the earth so for a prime viewing experience rotate your device ever so slightly 5 degrees to the left

here is a taako going off of my very limited adventure zone knowledge (2 and a half of the graphic novels and like 30 minutes of the podcast) and my even more limited d&d knowledge because he is lovely:)

[screamingbluepanda]

Interests

Not everything will be listed (because sometimes I forgor) All things associated with tags I have posted will be listed

General

Art Digital & Traditional

Fanfic/Writing/Reading

D&D/Dungeons & Dragons

Furry/Fursuiting

Red Pandas

Space/Astronomy

Cosplay

Crafts

Crystals & Gemstones

Wicca

Cooking

Cartoons

The Owl House - #toh

Helluva Boss - #helluva #helluva boss

Ninjago #ninjago - #lego ninjago

Animaniacs - #animaniacs

Kipo: The Age of Wonderbeasts - #kipo

Dead End: Paranormal Park - #dead end #de:pp

Inside Job - #inside job

Gravity Falls - #gravity falls #gf

She-ra and the Princesses of Power - #shera

Steven Universe - #steven universe #su

Invader Zim - #invader zim #iz

Star VS. - #svtfoe

Aggretsuko - #aggretsuko

The Cuphead Show - #cuphead

MLP - #mlp

Anime

Digimon (Adventure, 02, Tri) - #digimon

Beastars - #beastars

Brand New Animal - #bna

My Hero Academia - #bnha

Death Note - #death note

Fruits Basket - #fruba

Danganronpa - #danganronpa #dr2 #dr

Mob Psycho 100 - #mp100

Soul Eater

Promised Neverland

Blue Exorcist

Assassination Classroom

TV Shows/Movies

IT (2017 & 2019) - #it #it 2017 #it 2019

Luca - #luca

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish - #puss in boots

Stranger Things - #stranger things #st

MFKZ - #mfkz

Video Games

Psychonauts (1 & 2) - #psychonauts

Pokemon - #pkmn

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon (Red/Blue, Darkness/Time/Sky, DX) - #pmd

Sam and Max - #sam and max

Undertale and Deltarune - #undertale #deltarune

Hades - #hades

Cookie Run: Kingdom - #crk

Epic Mickey (1 & The Power of Two) - #epic mickey

No Straight Roads - #nsr

Splatoon - #splatoon

Monster Hunter (Ultimate, World, Rise) - #mh #mhw #mhr

FNAF - #fnaf #fnaf sb

Friday Night Funkin - #fnf

Animal Crossing - #acnh

Little Nightmares (1 & 2) - #ln #ln2

Bugsnax - #bugsnax

Cuphead - #cuphead

Bendy and the Ink Machine/Dark Revival - #batim #batdr

Okami - #okami

Spyro/The Legend of Spyro Trilogy - #spyro

Zelda (mainly Twilight Princess and Breath of the Wild) - #zelda tp #zelda #botw

Night in the Woods

Portal (1 & 2)

Terraria

Stardew Valley

Subnautica

Oneshot

Inscryprion

VRChat

Among Us

Monster Prom

Sims

Skyrim

Hollow Knight

Ships

(Romantic implied, but if Platonic/Familial/ect. will be stated c: no incest/pedo/toxic ships 🤢)

Lumity (Luz/Amity) - The Owl House

Raeda (Raine/Eda) - The Owl House

Fizzmodeus (Fizzarolli/Asmodeus) - Helluva Boss

Stolitz (Stolas/Blitzo) - Helluva Boss

Moxillie (Moxxie/Millie) - Helluva Boss

Verbie (Barbie Wire/Verosika) - Helluva Boss

Pixane (Zane/Pixal) - Ninjago

Jaya (Jay/Nya) - Ninjago

Polyninja (Kai/Jay/Cole/Zane) - Ninjago <Platonic or Romantic>

Barnlogs (Barney/Logs) - Dead End

Breagen (Brett/Reagen) - Inside Job

Rongan (Ron/Reagen) - Inside Job

Entrapdak (Entrapta/Hordak) - Shera

Haidano (Tadano/Haida) - Aggretsuko

DevilDice (King Dice/Devil) - Cuphead

Komahina (Nagito/Hajime) - Danganronpa

Chimondo (Chihiro/Mondo) - Danganronpa

Reddie (Ritchie/Eddie) - IT

Luberto (Luca/Alberto) - Luca

Sasha/Milla - Psychonauts

Freelance Husbands (Sam/Max) - Sam and Max

Suselle (Susie/Noelle) - Deltarune

Zagnos (Hypnos/Zagreus) - Hades

Purecacao (Pure Vanilla/Dark Cacao) - CRK

Espresseline (Espresso/Madeline) - CRK

Black Pearl/Captian Caviar - CRK

Wildchip (Wildberry/Crunchy Chip) - CRK

Teaclair (Eclair/Tea Knight) - CRK

SeaMoon (Sea Fairy/Moonlight) - CRK

Shercotton (Sherbert/Cotton) - CRK

Sun/Moon - FNAF: SB <Platonic or Romantic>

Sun/Moon/Monty - FNAF: SB

BF/Pico - FNF

GF/BF - FNF

Flick/CJ - ACNH

Snorplo (Chandlo/Snorpy) - Bugsnax

Lizbell (Lizbert/Eggabell) - Bugsnax

Taakitz (Taako/Kravitz) - TAZ

Blupjeans (Barry/Lup) - TAZ

Youtube/Twitch/Podcasts

Markiplier

Jacksepticeye

Game Grumps

cr1tikal / Charlie / Moist / penguinz0

The Adventure Zone / The McElroys / MBMBAM

Saberspark

AstralSpiff

Call Me Kevin

vinesauce

MissJackieCR

Music (its alot and not even everything lol)

Twenty One Pilots / TOP

Panic! At The Disco

Fall Out Boy

Daft Punk

Ninja Sex Party

Starbomb

Tom Cardy

The Gentle Men

Bo Burnham

CORPSE

Lemon Demon

The Scary Jokes

Tally Hall

Scarlxrd

Kordhell

Porter Robinson

ODESZA

Madeon

Yung Gravy

MGMT

The Oh Hellos

Savant

Glass Animals

Miike Snow

Woodkid

Two Door Cinema Club

----

Comfort Characters

Hunter - The Owl House

#hunter toh

Stardust Cookie - Cookie Run: Kingdom

#stardust crk

Sorbet Shark Cookie - Cookie Run: Kingdom

#shark crk #sorbet shark crk

Sun and Moon / The Daycare Attendant - FNAF: Security Breach

#sun fnaf #moon fnaf #eclipse fnaf

Hypnos - Hades

#hypnos hades

Mono - Little Nightmares 2

#mono ln

Scorbunny / Raboot / Cinderace - Pokemon Sword and Shield

#scorbunny #scorbunny swsh #scorbunny pkmn

Hawks / Keigo Takami - My Hero Acadamia

#hawks bnha

Spinel - Steven Universe: The Movie/Future

#spinel su

Nagito Komeda - Danganronpa 

#nagito #nagito dr

Llloyd Garmadon - Ninjago

#lloyd ninjago

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit - Epic Mickey 1 & 2

#oswald #oswald the lucky rabbit #oswald epic mickey

[canon-fcdder]

heartheaded: 

𝄇𝄋𝄋𝄆 > ❝Listen, this isn’t really that big of a deal, is it? Tell you what–call me when there’s another dragon to slay……… or lay. I’m open to suggestions, but for now–we have to get our coin somehow, and only Scanlan can light up this drab and dank city square, so if you’d excuse me.❞

The gnome told his current companion as he hopped up on the center fountain, tuning his lute. As every good minx should, he flattens back his hair and starts letting loose a fast and soft melody, more of a ballad. He seems to be scatting for now, until he can come up with something which, knowing him wouldn’t be long at all.

「 ☆ 」    The bard’s suggestive nonchalance reminds Taako of a former traveling companion, prone to similar... quips. Although they couldn’t be more different than night and day when it came to how they carry themselves. One a dwarven cleric, weathered and war-weary, a bit on the  ❛  crunchy  ❜  side with his devotion to natural world. Clumsy and a tad oblivious at times, but dependable when it matters. If a bit bullheaded, when he didn’t feel like going with the flow of a situation. And the other— is this. A gnomic bard, pristine and posturing, seemingly devoted to the needs of the people rather than the plants. Grace in words and movement, with what seems to be a sharp mind to match his sharp tongue. Then again, it could be a ruse...

One can always paint themselves as smarter than they truly are, much like how Taako often plays the part of the fool. Not quite as glamorous a role, but a necessary one... and if he’s being honest, far more FUN than constant seriousness.

Hence his bemused smile as he returns the playful comment,  ❝ Firstly, kudos to the wordplay. Seriously, good stuff.  ❞  Pointing a finger gun at the gnome, he then claps his hands in front of himself, allowing his smile to slip as he adds,  ❝ However, I’m not sure you understand the definition of a  ❛  big deal  ❜. Because I’d consider being broke as Hell, one of those.  ❞  Not to say that he doubted they’d gather some coin— wealth has a way of making itself to Taako’s pockets, one way or another —but it’s still a daunting task to start with not even a breadcrumb to their name.  ❝ And that’s a cute little ditty you have going on there—  ❞

Resting a hand on his slim hip, other one motions at Scanlan’s musical weapon of choice,  ❝  But I’m not convinced we WON’T end up needing to go fisticuffs with a dragon just to get a decent meal and beds that aren't already occupied by bugs. Drab and dank as this place may be darling, it still doesn’t look cheap.  ❞  Sitting down on the fountain, giving the performer a fair bit of space to command his stage, Taako crosses one leg over the other,  ❝ Do you really think these sour-faced suckers are going to cough up some coin?  ❞  

He looks more curious than condescending; having been a fellow performer himself in the past— still considering himself one NOW, if he’s being honest —and wondering how adept Scanlan is at drawing in ( and winning over ) an audience.   「 ☆ 」 

[tradingspacesofficial]

I FORGOT TAAKO SURFS THIS EPISODE IS SO GOOD

[xoxo-ren-xoxo]

TAZ Characters as MORE things I have said

Taako: I have eaten more than the average amount of dirt

Magnus: Let's go, lesbians. This place is very hetero and it ain't a good look.

Merle: Do you mean grass as in weed or grass as in grass?

Lup: I can have a little arson, as a treat

Barry: FOUND A DEAD SQUIRREL COME AND GET IT!!!!!!!!

Lucretia: Wish I could read all these books but my brain will not allow me to be happy I guess

Davenport: Is there anything more beautiful than the sea? Don't answer that.

Kravitz: Some of my bones just don't work!

Angus: Legally I am now the only person allowed to swear. Frick.

Killian: You'll love this, it's gay

Carey: Of course I love it, it's gay

[grubloved]

space wizards

[propertyoflup]

A concept:

Taako with long hair, but he doesn’t own a brush and he’s kinda crunchy

[incarnation-of-rasputin]

I drew my favorite boy while listening to the last episode of the Balance campaign <3

[nattoppet-dj]

Idk anything about taz but i love Taako please draw him ❤

the difference between peanut butter types. creamy and crunchy.

bonus:

dressed down, lovestruck krav!!

[jerreeeeeee]

taako and merle hate each other because “he cant take a single hit without exploding and then has the gall to give me lip about my healing” and “he’s short and old and crunchy and he stinks” both completely unaware of any rivalry or bad blood between dwarves and elves

[barry-j-blupjeans]

Number 10 from the creativeprompts soulmate au list (names) for Blupjeans plz 🥺

10. Names - their soulmate’s name is written on their body (maybe only initials)

Soulmate Prompts

Sentence Starters

(Send one from either/a combo from each!)

--

"Alright," Davenport said, clapping his hands together. "Thank you all for coming on time." He sent a pointed look at Magnus, who was almost late. Magnus had the decency to duck his head a little. "As you know, the ship's launch isn't for another few weeks but it's very important for us to know each other well and, at this point, I don't think anyone knows anyone else. Except for the twins, of course. Uh, so first thing's first, we're gonna go around in a circle and say our names, pronouns, and positions on board. Maybe a fun fact, if you're feeling up to it.. I'll start."

Lup saw Taako roll his eyes from next to her and she had to admit, yeah, this wasn't a great start. She understood why they were doing this, of course. The engine ran off bonds and like Davenport had said, they didn't know jackshit about each other. Well, she knew a few things about Davenport, but besides that.

"My name's Davenport," Davenport was saying. "He/him pronouns. I'm the Captain for this trip and, uh, let's see. My fun fact is that I'm the oldest of four siblings. Lucretia, how about you next?"

Lucretia, a young human girl, who had been writing everything Davenport had said down, jumped. She cleared her throat a little and said,

"Lucretia, she/her, I'm the chronicler for this mission and I-" She blinked as if trying to think of anything fun about herself. "My favorite color is blue? Is that anything?"

"Uniform must suck for her," Taako whispered into her ear. Lup snorted behind her hand. The next person was up, another young-looking human. He had a scar across his eyebrow. Taako leaned forward slightly.

"Magnus Burnsides," he boomed. "I use he/him and uhh- I've got a cute lil' puppy back home named Marmalade. She's a cocker spaniel and I love her, but she is unfortunately not allowed to come into space. Oh, I'm the security officer!"

"Lup, she/her," Lup said easily, looking around at the six of them- well, the five. Taako already knew who she was. The person sitting on Davenport's other side jolted a little when she started talking, going from his polite but bored facade to actually looking interested. When she met his eye, he blushed a little and looked away. "I'm gonna be a chef and arcanist for this mission, you're welcome, and my fun fact is... I've got a twin. Surprise."

Taako made a choking sound next to her. His shoulders were shaking slightly with laughter when he got his turn to speak.

"It's, uh, Taako, he/him, please and thank you, uh- also a chef and arcanist. And, in a shocking turn of events, I've also got a twin. Imagine that."

"M' names Merle," said the next person, a crunchy-looking dwarf. He had on a red hawaiian t-shirt instead of his red robe. "He/him, resident medic and biologist, and I'm also one of the Institute's on-campus medics if that means anything to ya."

Finally, it came to the person who had sat up a bit when Lup spoke. He was an older human, a little past the middle of his life, if Lup had to guess. His whole getup screamed "nerd!!" He was obviously trying not to make it known, but he was looking very carefully for Lup's reaction when he spoke.

"I'm Barry Bluejeans," he said, ignoring the way Magnus snickered, just a little. "He/him, and uh. I'm a professor at- uh, at Hartlepool University. Also the head scientist for this mission."

"You're kidding," Taako said next to her, quiet enough so that only she could hear. "Is he actually-"

Lup nodded a bit, just as gobsmacked. And, as if to confirm their suspicions, he rolled up his sleeve a bit as Davenport began talking again and showed them the name, in golden ink, written on his wrist.

Lup.

[ceilingfan5]

i wish you would write a fic where taako and lup get into trouble together :)

After the Day of Story and Song, Taako has a lot of dreams that are memories. Most of them are about Lup, like his brain is rolling around in them now that it finally has access. Some of the same memories come back, night after night, some bad, some good, some in-between, and it’s hard, it’s strange, but Taako is quietly thankful he can remember those things without the poisonous sting of absolute loneliness. After a while, he can almost enjoy them without waking up in a dead sweat and having to call Lup on her stone in the middle of the night--even though she always answers, even though it always helps to know she’s alive and she’s there and she’s real, she was always real. It helps that he’s not sleeping alone, anymore. 

This time, they’re young, maybe in their twenties. Just little. They’re between families for a while, and that means they’re hungry, always hungry, and so cold. They spend most of their time outdoors, getting dirty and lost and holding onto each other in crowds, and they have sticky little fingers that get them in trouble. 

It was a loaf of bread, this time. Lup filched it from a market stand when the baker wasn’t looking, and within a minute, the world seems to come down around their too-big-ears. 

“Stop, thief!” some gruff voice calls out, and the adrenaline kicks in, and they fucking bolt. They would probably get further if they split up, something they’ll figure out in later years, but right now, they’re attached at the hip--holding hands as they run on twiggy little legs, ducking under fancy skirts and through racks of scarves and into market tables like their pursuers can’t, and they’re laughing all the way, thrilled by the chase because they have no choice but to be. 

“Left, Koko!” Lup hisses, and they dive left, narrowly missing another shop owner who recognizes them from the cheese incident (they made off with a whole wheel, that time, bouncing down the hill to the little cave they’ve been chilling in, and oh, how their stomachs hurt for a week). 

“Right, Lulu!” Taako responds, and she’s just as receptive, plowing through the crowd and getting lost with their crispy, crunchy, fresh-baked prize. They duck behind a wagon and take a moment to catch their breath before they fall apart into giggles, finally letting go of each other. 

“That was cl-” 

“So close-”

“And we-”

“Could’ve gotten-”

“But we didn’t!!!!”

They lean against one another and the cart and split the bread in two, and Taako gives Lup the bigger half. She needs to grow big and strong. He has to protect her, like she protects him. They’re a team. A unit. A powerhouse. 

They don’t speak for a bit, just chewing and savoring the fluffy, crunchy bread, made even tastier by the adrenaline, and when it’s all gone, they sigh and rest their heads against one another. 

“Better go before-”

“Before we get caught.”

It’s so easy to know what the other is thinking. They’re so in sync it freaks people out, but they love it. They’re two halves of the same coin, and they’re going to go far, so far, together. They look up at the suns in the sky and sigh heavily in unison, knowing it’s a long trek back to their little hideout. 

“Hey Ko?”

“Yeah?”

“What do you think we’ll be when we grow up?”

It’s nice that she says when. It fills Taako with hope that maybe someday, they’ll do more than just survive. 

“Dunno,” he says. He looks at his hands. So little, so dirty. “I don’t wanna be a merchant.”

“No kidding,” Lup says, and she laughs. “I think I want to be something special. Something no one’s ever been before.”

“You will,” Taako says, with absolute, perfect certainty. “And I’ll come with you.”

“Of course you will!” Lup laughs. “I’m never letting you out of my sight!” 

When Taako wakes up, his heart hurts, but he’s smiling. He thinks about calling Lup, but he saves it for the morning, saves it for when he knows what words to say to her to keep her from worrying about him. He snuggles up with Kravitz instead, and he decides he’s making bread tomorrow. For old time’s sake.

[deviljho]

i watched the sarahz mcelr*y video and one thing i think is interesting that i keep thinking about that she touched upon is the way that taz is frequently criticized now for not being dnd-y enough...like that it’s too much like a radio play or something. and that specifically tr*vis as a DM is too strict about adhering to the story he made for the campaign. and idk i just feel like that was ALWAYS a thing in taz like the original arc is very on the rails so to speak, for a huge majority of the plot points and decisions. maybe it just wasn’t as apparent bc they executed it really well (and also bc the story was like actually decent, lmao). i guess i just don’t get this from a listener perspective maybe i’m just not the type of person who cares about the crunchy mechanic aspects of dnd but the drama about travis fudging his rolls for the sake of pacing and this criticism of the story being too much like a radio play never bothered me

i have a bunch of other criticisms of the video but overall i didn’t think it was bad and it was interesting to watch from the perspective of someone who dropped taz and mbmbam pretty fast after balance ended bc of lack of further interest/life stuff preventing me from keeping up on podcasts. the stuff she considers notable drama surrounding the podcast vs stuff she glosses over or barely mentions (such as the n*ck robinson and polygon drama, the taako race stuff which imo was much more significant than she made it out to be in the video) makes me scratch my head but i guess it was already several hours long so maybe she was just pressed for time

[bobsupportgroup]

Taako and Magnus are having a prank war. I've been trapped in my room for three days, afraid to leave for fear of being dragged into it. If anyone with wings or Levitate could bring food to my window, I would appreciate it. -Trapped and alone, Merle.

-

[comradelup]

Julia would never describe death as enlightening. Quite the opposite, actually. Maybe… endarkening…. Point is, she never knew death until she died.

She opens her eyes on the shore of the astral sea. She feels bruised all over, and half her mind is still fast asleep. Groggy. That’s the word for it.

The sunless grey sky is above her, and the sound of lapping waves fill her ears. Sand surrounds her on the ground, and it’s almost comfortable, even if it may be getting in her hair. She doesn’t want to move, so she doesn’t.

A weird sense of familiarity washes over her as lazy as the waves. She’s been here before, right? Or perhaps she’s seen one too many friends and comrades die for death to be confusing and scary. Her most likely theory is that The Raven Queen does this to people to ease them into death after trauma.

She recalls the events before her death. Kalen returned with vengeance to blow up Raven’s Roost. She bets he was bitter about his loss and decided to erase any memory of his weakness. Well, he got his revenge. Julia tried to get as many people as she could out, but a whole building fell on her as a result. One of the two leaders of the revolution is dead. She’s only happy he didn’t get Magnus.

Magnus… she remembers him. A cheerful carpenter, a loving husband, a great crewmate.

Wait. What?

The memories trickle into her mind like a summer creek. The two of them in flowing red robes, standing somewhere up high. On the deck of some ship, but on land. Above land.

The Starblaster.

There were others too. Beautiful twin elves, a plain-looking human, a crunchy dwarf, a wallflower of a human, and a gnome captain. Their names hit her like arrows to the chest.

Taako. Lup. Barry. Merle. Lucretia. Davenport.

It comes back faster now. The flow quickens. The eight of them, on the Starblaster, on an endless mission. Images flash in her mind. Good times, bad times, laughter, love, screaming, crying. Life and death alike.

They were running from something, running to something else. But… what?

At least she knows why death is familiar. She’s died before. An explosion, an accidental poisoning, turning to a statue… death is an old friend in a way. She remembers her friends dying too. The four judges killing everyone but Lucretia. That time everyone but her, Lup, and Lucretia died so it was months of girls’ nights. One year the twins died and everyone else tried to cook like them but couldn’t, because who can cook like the twins?

These memories don’t quite feel like her own. She’s missing something. Lup and Barry trying to understand the chemical makeup of the Light of Creation. Merle dying so many times talking to John. Magnus died in the first cycle at the hands of The Hunger.

A weak groan escapes her and she closes her eyes. This is giving her a headache, trying to think through the static. Static… static…

Fischer! Her eyes snap open, arm frozen halfway to rubbing her temple. Death really is enlightening, the voidfish’s power doesn’t work on the dead. Somehow she forgot everything, or at least everything in Lucretia’s journals.

Oh, poor Lucretia. Now that it’s coming back to her, she remembers Lucretia bringing her and Magnus to Raven’s Roost, trying to hide her tears. She told them, this is where you’ve lived your whole lives, it’s not much, but it’s home. Julia retroactively corrects that no, the Starblaster is home, Lucretia is home, along with the rest of the crew. Lucretia must have erased their memories of their mission, but Julia can’t quite remember why. She can’t bring herself to be truly angry though; she loves Lucretia too much to be.

She starts to remember more recent details too. Lup… Lup went missing. She’s nowhere to be found, even with Barry and Taako’s rigorous searching. She went missing after the eight of them made the… the… the Grand Relics.

The dam breaks, and she knows everything— the Light of Creation, The Hunger, oh stars.

She lets her arm fall and stares up, letting all the sadness show on her face. The world might end, and no one else but a dead woman will know how to stop it. Not even, right? All she knows how to do is run away. This plane will be consumed and feasted upon until there’s nothing left, and she’ll be destroyed right with everyone el—

“Um, Julia?”

Julia cranes her head back towards the sound of the voice. Upside down, she sees a pair of fancy shoes and the hem of fancy slacks. They step closer and Julia looks up at the sky again as a face comes into view.

“You’re Julia Burnsides, right? Are you okay?” the man asks, and he’s handsome. Not the same rustic and warm handsomeness of Magnus, but a sharp, well dressed handsome. It isn’t her thing, but it’s hard to not admit that this guy is a looker. His long dreadlocks are pulled back in a half up half down style, and some of them fall over his shoulder as he looks down at her.

“I’m Julia,” she says, and her voice is raw. She coughs into her hand and he looks sympathetic. “Who’re you?”

“I’m Kravitz. Let me help you up.” He holds out a hand, and she takes it. It’s cold as shit but she doesn’t comment on it as he helps her stand.

Her body doesn’t like being vertical apparently. She now knows her bruises are the incorporeal equal of the injuries sustained from her death, and they make all movement painful. She wobbles a bit when on two feet and balances herself on Kravitz’s steady hand.

“Thanks,” she mutters through the pain, because her parents didn’t raise a rude girl.

“Of course,” Kravitz says, taking his hand back and using both hands to hold onto a sharp scythe taller than him. It’s actually about Julia’s height, as she stands a good few inches above him.

“There’s a bit of… an issue here,” he continues, “When a person dies, they either go into the astral sea or the eternal stockade. Or, in special cases, to the Raven Queen herself to discuss joining her retinue. You shouldn’t have ended up here.”

He’s saying a lot of words at once. Her head’s still swimming. She feels dizzy. Remembering a century all at once after a falling building killed you is… tough to handle all at once. And it's not the position she should be in when discussing… what was it? Death crimes? He mentioned a stockade, right?

“I… I should…” She brings a hand to her head and rubs the part of her temple that isn’t super bruised.

“You don’t look good, here.” Julia’s staring at the ground, blinking and trying not to sway, so she doesn’t see what he does. She hears fabric ripping, and he puts a cold hand on her shoulder.

“Step right through here,” he says, voice quiet. He seems tuned in to her headache and is accommodating, for which she's thankful.

She follows his direction, through a portal of sorts. One second she’s on a beach, the next she’s in a throne room, four stories tall. The floors and walls are black marble with an iridescent sheen to them. The far left wall is floor to ceiling windows, showing off the astral sea. It's beautiful, swirling rainbow waters with millions of lights floating above the surface. The sky is grey, but not like it’s covered by clouds, it’s naturally grey. Not a sun or cloud to be seen. In the window sills are ravens, hopping around or snoozing or watching her. All of them are silent in the presence of their queen.

The Raven Queen is hard to perceive. She is in the back of the room, on a large throne. Shadows cover that end of the room, so she can’t see the queen’s face. She does know she’s huge, though. Tens of feet tall, Julia guesses she’d be almost as tall as the throne room if she wasn’t sitting. She’s wearing an impeccable dark suit glittering with gold accents and jewelry. There are rings on her gloved fingers and bracelets on her wrists, and her hands sit on the arms of the throne. One leg is crossed over the other, letting a dark flowing cape pool at one foot.

In her presence, Kravitz kneels. Following, Julia does the same. He says, “My Queen, I found Julia Burnsides on the shore of the astral sea, disoriented and in pain. I don’t know what her soul’s fate is, so I come to you for guidance.”

Julia stays quiet, looking at the floor. She can kind of see her reflection, and sees that her face isn’t as beat up as it feels. In fact, it’s completely free of injury. She’s also wearing her IPRE robe. Huh.

After a moment of silence, The Raven Queen speaks. “Julia Burnsides, you have died twenty-two times, including your most recent death.”

Julia looks up to the queen and sees Kravitz staring at her bewildered out of the corner of her eye. She can’t see the queen’s expression, but her voice makes her sound accusatory. So Julia nods, unsure of what else to say.

“Yet… you have entered the Astral Plane every time. You also never escaped the plane. That is an anomaly.”

“I can explain, your majesty.” Julia remembers other Astral Planes too, with the occasional alternate death deities. At least in this plane, it’s The Raven Queen and not that other one, The King of Death and Insects. She hates bugs.

“Please do.” The queen waves a hand, and two armchairs appear, with a coffee table in front of them. Julia takes the silent invitation and moves to sit down in one. Two mugs of tea appear and she takes one. What's most strange is Kravitz seems more confused than her as he does the same. Julia must be a real edge case.

She takes a sip of tea and feels the warmth travel down her throat into her stomach, then spread to her whole body. It seeps away the pain and clears her head, making her sigh in relief and relax into her seat.

“Now,” The Raven Queen says, “explain your deaths.” She holds up a palm in her direction and pushes it towards her. Julia feels a breeze blow past her as a Zone of Truth appears around her. Admittedly, she’s developed a familiarity with it thanks to Merle, but she lets the spell affect her this time. She has no reason to lie to a queen.

“I… I don’t know where to start,” Julia says. If only she had Lucretia’s journals and could read them to the queen. “Do you know about the multiverse theory?”

She goes on to explain everything from the beginning. Where she's really from, the Light of Creation landing on her home plane, and the original mission of the IPRE. The Hunger and how it interrupted this mission, the cycles that brought her and her family from the dead. She even explains that this is the first death where she wasn’t put into the astral sea. (Except for that one time she and Barry ended up in that plane’s stockade, though. It was only an experiment gone wrong, after all, so why include it?)

All of this is new information for The Raven Queen and Kravitz, but it feels new to Julia too. For some of the details she says them without thinking and then reflects on them. Taako made a fake Light of Creation? Oh right, he did!

After she’s done explaining, she sits back, taking a big sip of her tea. Her cup never seems to empty and for that, she’s glad, because every sip brings back that warm feeling in this cold, dead plane.

Kravitz looks bewildered and intrigued by the story, but also says nothing. The Raven Queen is quietly contemplative for a moment, then says, “Those relics are causing a lot of death. You created them?”

Julia flushes. “Yes, your majesty, but we didn’t mean to cause wars. The Light of Creation needs to be needed, so we tried to make intriguing objects. They ended up using the people wielding them instead of the other way around.” She looks down into her lap, staring at the tea swirling in the mug. Voice low, she adds, “We would never do that to so many innocent people.”

She can tell she brought down the mood of the room, evidenced by Kravitz’s kind of awkward look as he clearly doesn’t know how to make her feel better. She can’t bring herself to care though. Maybe ignorance really is blissful, she was happiest she’s been in decades when all she knew was Raven’s Roost.

“Things like this are rarely intentional,” The Raven Queen says, her tone somber. “These objects, they are an affront to the nature of life and death. They are an insult to my domain.”

“You’re really good at cheering people up, you know that?” Julia deadpans, apathetically staring at her drink. Kravitz stares at her with wide eyes.

“I am saying this to ask: can you stop these objects from killing people?” The Raven Queen asks.

“I… imagine that we could. We’ve handled the Light so much that we are more or less immune to it’s craveability.”

“I’m sorry, ‘craveability?’” Kravtiz interjects. Julia nods, sipping her tea.

“So your living crewmates could put an end to these wars?” The Raven Queen asks.

“They’re the only ones who can,” Julia says.

The Raven Queen is silent for another moment. Then, “Until all Grand Relics are collected and disposed of, your family’s bounties will be called off.”

Julia sighs, relieved, and sags into her seat. Then sits back up. “But what will happen to me?”

“You cannot influence the Prime Material Plane anymore. You have the option of joining the astral sea, or lessening your family’s sentence by serving time yourself.”

“But their deaths are like mine. They didn’t escape the Astral Planes willingly and you technically can’t punish them.”

Kravitz looks at her like she’s walking into a volcano and expecting to live. She gets it, she knows she’s talking back to a goddess, but she doesn’t care.

“Lup Hallwinter and Sildar Hallwinter are liches, and they will be punished accordingly.”

“Just call them— ugh—” Julia huffs a sigh and sags into her chair in frustration. She puts her cup down and says, “They did it ethically, for the greater good. Lup and Barry were able to do so much good without death to stop them!”

“There is a reason death stops them. Everyone thinks they have a good reason to cross me.”

“You wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for them!” Julia shouts, standing. Kravitz stands too, scythe at the ready. Julia pays him no mind, pointing a finger at the queen. “You OWE them!”

The air is still. Kravitz is ready to strike at the queen’s order. Julia doesn’t give a shit. Goddess or not, she can’t act like she knows Barry and Lup enough to just declare their fates. Other liches? Yeah, they’re almost always corrupt and selfish, but what Lup and Barry did is selfless if anything.

“There is no point in arguing. Make your choice.”

Julia raises her chin defiantly. The same look she’s given corrupt warlords and wealthy industrialists, the look she’d give John if she met him rather than Merle. The queen is unmoving and Julia knows her effort is futile, at least now. She crosses her arms. “I’ll serve their sentence.”

“It’s decided then. Julia Burnsides, you will begin training as a Reaper, serving the sentences of Lup and Sildar Hallwinter. Reaper Kravitz, you will train her."