#i’d also say what’s stopping vox machina from doing the same

[laurasbailey]

very glad they’re doing another live show but damn i want such an important canon event to be streamed live so bad 😭

[thedeadhandofseldon]

The Anti-Mercer Effect

On the Accessibility of D&D, Why Unprepared Casters is so Fun, and Why Haley Whipjack is possibly the greatest DM of our generation.

(Apologies to my mutuals who aren’t in this fandom for the length of this, but as you all know I have never in my life shut up about anything so… we’ll call it even for the number of posts about Destiel I see every day.

To fellow UC fans - I haven’t listened to arc 4 yet, I started drafting this in early August, and I promise I will write a nice post about how great Gus the Bard is once I get the chance to listen to more of his DMing).

Structure - Or, “This is not the finale, there will be more podding cast”

So, first of all, let’s just talk about how Unprepared Casters works. Because it’s kind of unusual! Most of the other big-name D&D podcasts favor this long, grand arcs; UC has about 10 hours of podcast per each arc. And that’s a major strength in a lot of ways: it makes it really accessible to new listeners, because you can just start with the current arc and understand what’s going on!

And by starting new arcs every six or seven episodes, they can explore lots of ways to play D&D! Classic dungeon delve arc! Heist arc! Epic heroes save the world arc! Sportsball arc! They can touch on all sorts of things!

And while I’m talking about that: Dragons in Dungeons, the first arc, makes it incredibly accessible as a show - because it lets the unfamiliar listener get a sense of what D&D actually is. (It’s about telling stories and making your friends feel heroic and laugh and cry, for the record). If I had to pick a way to introduce someone to the game without actually playing it with them, that arc would definitely be it.

And I’d be remise not to note one very important thing: Haley Whipjack and Gus the Bard are just very funny, very charismatic people. Look. Episode 0s tend to be about 50%(?) those two just talking to each other about their own podcast. It shouldn’t work. And yet it DOES, its one of my favorite parts, because Haley and Gus are just cool.

And a side note that doesn’t fit anywhere else: I throw my soul at him! I throw a scone at him - that’s it, that’s the vibe. The whole podcast alternates between laughing with your friends and brooding alone in a dark tavern corner - but the laughs never forced and the dark corner is never too dark for too long.

Whipjack the Great - Or, the DM is Also a Player!

I think Haley Whipjack is one of the greatest Dungeon Masters alive. The plots and characters! The mechanical shenanigans! The descriptions!

Actually, let’s start there: with the descriptions. (Both Haley and Gus do this really fucking well). As we know, Episode 0 of each arc sees the DM reading a description - of a small town, or the Up North, or the recent history of a great party. And Haley always strikes this tricky balance - one I think a lot of us who DM struggle with - between giving too much description and  worldbuilding, and not telling us anything at all. She describes people and events in just enough detail to imagine them, but never so much they seem static and unreal - just clear enough to envision, but with enough vagueness left to let your imagination begin to run wild.

While I’m thinking about arc 3’s party, let’s talk about a really bold move she made in that arc: letting the players have ongoing control of their history. Loser Lars! She didn’t try to spell out every detail of this high-level party’s history, or restrict their past to only what she decided to allow - she gave them the broad outlines, and let them embellish it. And that made for a much more alive story than any attempt to create it by herself would have - but I think it takes a lot of courage to let your players have that agency. Most Dungeon Masters (myself included) tend to struggle with being control freaks.

And the plots! Yeah, arc one is built of classic tropes - but she actually uses them, she doesn’t get caught up in subverting everything or laughing at the cliches. And it’s fun! In arc 3, there really isn’t a straight line for the players to follow, either - which makes the game much more interesting and much trickier to run. And her NPCs are fantastic and I will talk about them in the next section.

Above all, though, I think what is really impressive is how Haley balances mechanics, and rules as written, with the narrative and rule of cool - and puts both rules and story in the service of playing a fun game. And the secret to that? She’s the DM, but the DM is a player, and the DM is clearly having fun. Hope Lovejoy mechanically shouldn’t get that spellslot back, but she does, and it’s fun. The changeling merchant in Thymore doesn’t really make some Grand Artistic Narrative better, but wow is it fun. And she never tries to force it one way or the other - the story might be more dramatic if Annie didn’t manage to banish the demon from the vault, but it’s a lot cooler and a lot more fun for the players if Annie gets to be a badass instead - and the rules and the dice say that Annie managed it.

Settings feel like places, NPCs feel like people, and the narrative plot feels like a real villainous plot.

Anyway. I could go on about the various ways in which Whipjack is awesome for quite a while - she’s right, first place in D&D is when your friends laugh and super first place is when they cry - but I’m going to stop here and just. Make another post about it some other time. For now, for the record I hold her opinions about the game in higher esteem than I do several official sourcebooks; that is all.

Characters - Or, Bombyx Mori Is Not an Asshole, And That Matters

Okay, I said I would talk about characters! And I will!

Just a general place to start: the party! All of the first three parties are interesting to me, because they all care about each other. Not even necessarily in a Found Family Trope sort of way, though often that too. But they generally aren’t assholes to each other. The players create characters that actually work together, that are interesting; even when there’s internal divisions like SK-73 v. Sir Mr. Person, they aren’t just unpleasant and antagonistic all the time. Listening to the podcast, we’re “with” these people for a couple hours - and it isn’t unpleasant. That matters a lot. (To take a counter-example: I love Critical Role, but the episode when Vox Machina pranked Scanlan after he died and was resurrected wasn’t fun to listen to, it was just uncomfortable and angering and vaguely cruel).

All of the PCs are amazing, and the players in each arc did a great job. If you disagree with me about that, well, you have the right to be incorrect and I am sorry for your loss. Annie Wintersummer, for one example: tragic and sad and I want to give her a hug, but also Fuck Yeah Wintersummer, and also her familiar Charles the Owl is the cutest and funniest and I love him. And we understand what’s going on with Annie, she isn’t some infinite pool of hidden depths because this arc is 7 episodes and we don’t have time for that, but she also has enough complexity to be interesting. Same with Fey Moss: yeah, a lot of her is a silly pun about fame that carries into how she behaves, but a lot of how she behaves is also down to some good classic half-elven angst about parenthood and wanting to be known and seen and important. (Side note: if your half-elf character doesn’t have angst, well, that’s impressive and also I don’t think I believe you).

There are multiple lesbian cat-people in a 4-person party and they both have requited romantic interests who aren’t each other. This is the future liberals want and I am glad for it.

Sir Mister Person, the human fighter! Thavius, the edge lord! Even when a character is “simple,” they’re interesting, because of how they’re played as people and not action-figures. And that matters a lot.

In the same way: the NPCs. There really aren’t a lot of them! And some of them come from Patreon submissions, so uh good work gang, you’re part of the awesomeness and I’m proud of you! The point being, the NPCs work because enough of them are interesting to matter. It’s not just a servant who opens Count Michael’s door, it’s a character with a name (Oleandra!) and a personality and history. They’re interesting. Penny Lovejoy didn’t need to be interesting, the merchant outside the Laughing Mausoleum didn’t need to be interesting, but they ARE! And Haley and Gus EXCEL at making the NPCs matter, not just to the story but to us as viewers. I agree with Sir Mister Person, actually, I would die for the princesses of the kingdom. I actually care about Gem Lovejoy of all people - that wouldn’t happen in an ordinary campaign! That’s the thing that makes Unprepared Casters spectacular - and, frankly, it’s especially impressive because D&D does not tend to be good at making a lot of interesting compared to a lot of other sorts of stories.

And, just as an exemplar of all this: Bombyx Mori. Immortal, reincarnating(?), and described as the incarnation of the player’s ADHD. I expected to hate Bombyx, because as the mom friend both in and out of my friend-group’s campaigns, the chaos-causer is always exhausting to me. And yeah, Bombyx causes problems on purpose! But! She is not an asshole.

And that’s important. Bombyx goes and sits with the queen and comforts her. Bombyx gives Annie emotional support. Bombyx isn’t just a vehicle to jerk around the DM and other players; Bombyx really is a character we can care about. To compare with another case - in the first couple episodes of The Adventure Zone, the PCs are just dicks. Funny, but dicks. Bombyx holds out an arm “covered in larva” to shake with a count, and robs him of magical items, but she also cares about her friends and other people! She uses a powerful magical gem to save her fertilizer guy from death! Yeah, Bombyx is ridiculous, but she’s not just an asshole the party has to keep around for plot reasons; you can see why her party would keep her around. And one layer of meta up, she’s the perfect example of how to make a chaotic character like that while still being fun for everyone you’re playing with, which is often not the case. And I love her.

The Anti-Mercer Effect - Or, “I think we proved it can be fun, you can have a good time with your friends. And it doesn’t have to be scary, you can just work with what you know”

The Mercer Effect basically constitutes this: Matthew Mercer, Dungeon Master of Critical Role, is incredible (as are all of his players). They’re all professional story-tellers in a way, remember, and so Critical Role treats D&D like a narrative art-form, and it’s inspiring. Seeing that on Critical Role sets impossible standards - and people go into their own home games imagining that their campaigns will be like Critical Role, and the burden of that expectation tends to fall disproportionately on the DM. And the end result, I think, of the Mercer Effect is that we get discouraged or intimidated, because our game isn’t “as good as” theirs. (And I should note - Matt certainly doesn’t want that to be our reaction).

So the Anti-Mercer Effect is two things: it’s D&D treated like a game, and it’s inspiring but not intimidating. And Unprepared Casters manages both of those really freaking well. Because they play it like a game! A UC arc looks just like a good campaign in anyone’s home game. They have the vibes of 20-somethings and college students playing D&D for fun because that’s who they are (as a 20-something college student who plays a lot of D&D, watching it felt like watching my friends play an especially good campaign). They’re trying to tell a good story, sure, and they always do. But first and foremost, they’re trying to have fun, and it shows, and I love the UC cast for it.

And that’s the other half of it: it’s inspiring! It’s approachable; you can see that Haley and Gus put plenty of work into preparing the game but it also doesn’t make you feel like you need hundreds of pages of worldbuilding to run a game. Sometimes a cleric makes Haley cry and she gives them back a spell-slot from their deity! That’s fantastic! It’s just inspiring - listening to this over the summer, when my last campaign had fallen apart under the strain of graduation, is why I decided to plan and run my new one!

That quote from Haley Whipjack that I used as the title for this section? That’s the whole core of this idea, and really, I think, the core of the podcast.

The Mercer Effect is when you go “that’s really cool, I could never do that.” But Unprepared Casters makes you look at D&D and go “wow, that looks really fun. I bet I can do that!” And I love the show for it.

And I bet a lot of you do too.

[penandpaperfic]

Keyleth never means to say goodbye. it just...happens. until it doesn’t

Scanlan knows a shifty figure when he sees one, okay

so he knows something’s up when he walks down the street and sees someone duck a little too quickly back into the shop they just left. he tilts his head and, never one to miss a good story, walks in after them

except it’s Keyleth who he finds staring all too intently at the row of boots near the door. and she’s just a little too surprised to see him.

and also she’s a terrible liar.

Scanlan tells her this

so she sighs and shows him what she bought: a cloak for traveling and rations they don’t need and a map of Tal’Dorei and--

“But Grog already has our map,” Scanlan points out, “Why not just ask to borrow that one?”

Keyleth doesn’t answer

she doesn’t look embarrassed to have been caught anymore, but she’s definitely still hiding something. and she’s not good at it, but Scanlan suddenly realizes she might be better than he thought.

“Keyleth?”

“I’m...leaving.”

because she has to find the Water Ashari. because she has a duty to her people. because she’s supposed to become a better person, a better leader, and this just...isn’t the way anymore.

and it shocks him, and he can’t say he understands

(personally, he’s having the time of his life)

but then again, he knows he and Keyleth are different people, in more than just this way

“Scanlan?”

“yeah?”

“you won’t tell anyone, will you? I’m trying not to make a scene, I don’t think I could--”

“what, you’re going to just leave?”

the embarrassment comes back. but then, Scanlan knows all about avoiding goodbyes.

he promises not to tell.

-

Grog is sitting in the kitchen when she comes in

and she’s just grabbing a couple of things that will last a while, which is weird because he always has that kind of stuff in his bag for when they travel

and they’re not traveling, so why is she stocking up on it anyway?

but he doesn’t bother asking because there’s a lot about Keyleth he doesn’t really understand, and that’s okay

but when she pulls down a bottle of ale he starts to feel a little left out

“having a party without me?”

she almost jumps, as if she’d forgotten he was there

“just...one for the road, I guess.”

“what road?”

“nevermind, Grog.”

and he shrugs because, well, okay. nevermind then.

but there’s something off about her. she looks sad.

maybe it’s the whole thing with Vax

or maybe Vex snapped at her again--that always seems to make Keyleth sad.

he doesn’t really know and he doesn’t think he can make it better.

but he does know how to do one thing

“well, if you’re going to drink, you might as well have the good stuff, right?”

and he pats the chair next to him and pulls a mug and an empty bottle from his bag.

she sits, and he pours from his own cask. he pushes the mug at her.

“for now,” he says.

then he takes the bottle and fills it--a bit sloppily, but to the brim--seals it, and sets it down solidly on the table in front of her. “and for the road.”

he doesn’t know why she’s close to tears when she says, “thank you, Grog.”

but she’s smiling, too, and he thinks that she means it

-

Pike is in the garden first, because that’s where her shrine to Sarenrae is

she supposes, later, that Keyleth came to say goodbye to the garden, to see the flowers and the oak tree and the way the light shines on it all one last time

and Trinket’s out there, too, napping in the bright winter sun, but he wakes when Keyleth walks by

that’s how Pike hears her, actually. she turns from her altar and sees Trinket trailing after Keyleth, sees Keyleth kneel beside him and hug him a little too fiercely

Pike is not sneaky, though she thinks maybe now she should try to be

but Keyleth hears her as she tries and fails to creep out of the garden unnoticed

“I’m sorry,” Pike says immediately, “you clearly want to be alone--”

“no, no, you were here first.”

but Keyleth looks so distraught, as if in mourning, and for a moment Pike fears something horrible has happened

“are you okay? are the others--?”

“I’m fine, everything’s fine.”

but her voice catches and Pike knows that it’s not, really.

she hurries over and takes Keyleth hands, and that’s how Keyleth just...crumbles into her arms.

“I’m sorry, this is why I wanted to just go, I didn’t want--”

“wait, what do you mean, go?”

and Keyleth pulls back and brushes her sleeve across her face. “I’m...I’m leaving, Pike. I’m going to complete my Aramente on my own.”

“but...without us? why?”

but even as she asks it, Pike thinks she understands.

she looks at Keyleth and sees the way she looked standing alone beneath the Sun Tree, or the way she shrinks when Vax trails after her or Vex brushes roughly past her, and she thinks of the arguments in Whitestone and even back here in Emon

and she thinks of the sea and Vasselheim and she understands, really.

it just hurts.

“Keyleth, I...I can’t tell you what to do. but I also can’t tell you how much we’re going to miss you.”

but Keyleth gives a short, almost disbelieving laugh, and Pike wonders, suddenly, if that’s part of why she’s leaving.

“I’ll miss you,” she says, insistent, and Keyleth wipes at her eyes again but seems a little more like she believes her now. “when do you go?”

Keyleth shrugs. she already knows, Pike thinks, but she’s trying to slip away unnoticed. she wonders who else has already caught her in the act.

but she doesn’t push for answers. she just hugs Keyleth tight and kisses her cheek and tells her she loves her, wishes her luck.

and when Keyleth leaves the garden, Pike goes back to her altar and says a prayer for her.

-

Percy is, as always, in his workshop

“Keyleth?” he asks over the earring. “I’m so sorry, but I need your help again. could you come down here?”

and for a long moment there’s no response.

so long he wonders if she’s still out in town--he could’ve sworn he saw her come back, but--

but then she responds, a mumbling affirmative, and a few minutes later she’s walking through the door

and she holds things steady and heats metal and summons water and--

--and she does it all in silence.

she doesn’t ask questions or make conversation or giggle at his mishaps like she normally would

they work quickly, as they always do when he asks for her help, but by the time they’re done he glances sideways at her and there are tears in her eyes

he sets his tools down and takes her arm to gently turn her toward him. “what’s the matter? are you hurt? did you get burned and I didn’t see it?”

and Keyleth shakes her head and pulls away and glances toward the exit like she’s ready to bolt. and really, that’s all it takes.

after all, it’s a look he recognizes.

“Keyleth?” he says anyway, needing her to say it out loud

“Percy?” her voice is distant, empty.

he aches.

but then he sighs.

“should I ask, or should I let you go easily?”

“I’m sorry. I should’ve just left, but...”

“but I needed you, so you stayed.” he runs a hand through his hair. “is that why you’ve held on this long?”

“I wanted to be here. I wanted to help you. all of you.”

“but we can’t help you.”

“it’s not that.”

Percy gives her a look.

“it’s not! I just...” but she trails off, and whether she’s lying or she just can’t put the words to her thoughts, he doesn’t know.

he takes her by the shoulders and pulls her into a hug.

“I won’t pretend to like it,” he says, tilting his head carefully to avoid her hair, “but I do admire you for it, at least a little. you’re braver than I am.”

“I wouldn’t say that.”

“well I would, and I do. if I had half your sense of responsibility, I’d still be helping my sister rebuild our home.”

“you are helping her,” she says, holding him tighter. “there is so much you can do from here.”

“and yet you’re leaving.”

she pulls back. “my people are--”

“I know.” he already regrets the words. “I understand. I do.”

“I know you do.”

they look at each other, already missing each other

until Percy says, “we’ll meet again someday.”

“do you really believe that?”

“yes. because if we don’t, I’ll hunt you down until we do.”

and she smiles, shakily, through tears, but a smile nonetheless.

he hugs her again, selfishly putting off letting go, just for one more moment.

-

Vax can’t sleep

so he dares--for some reason, he dares--to go to Keyleth’s room

but no one answers

he thinks about going to Vex instead

there’s so much to talk about there, so much to apologize and demand apologies for

but going to Vex doesn’t feel right, at least not now, so he goes downstairs instead

and there are quiet voices at the door when there really shouldn’t be, so he creeps closer

but it’s only Keyleth--shrouded in a cloak and speaking so softly he can’t make out the words.

Jarett is there as well, grasping her hand in both of his. he nods firmly, clasps her shoulder, lets her draw him into a hug

and then she’s slipping out the door

Vax rushes to follow

he catches her in the courtyard, calling out her name in a voice so hoarse he hardly recognizes it as his own

she stops, breathes a moment, then turns around

“what--what are you--”

but he knows. he knew the moment he saw her

(maybe he knew before, as she avoided everyone and grew quiet and kept to herself from the moment they returned from Whitestone)

“I’m sorry, Vax,” she says, and it hurts how much she means it. “I don’t think either of us are good at goodbyes.”

“was it something I--?”

she shakes her head before he can even finish asking. “no, no, I promise. I told you I don’t feel the same, but you’ve never been anything but... I--I just...”

and he walks toward her, and he feels the world spread thin and disappear around him until there’s nothing, he’s just floating through nothing--an empty, meaningless space without Keyleth there beside him

“I’ll take it back. I’ll never speak of my feelings again, I’ll--”

“Vax.”

it’s almost angry, except it’s not.

but it is enough to bring him back, put him solidly on the ground before her.

she reaches out and takes his hand. “it’s not you. and it’s not just Vox Machina. I have responsibilities. I have a journey to complete.”

“we can help you.”

“but you’re not.” it comes out broken, nothing more than a breath, and he can’t tell if that makes it hurt more or not. “you’re not. not anymore. and it’s not your fault, and it’s not mine. we’re just...”

“on separate paths.”

there are tears in her eyes.

“have you told any of the others?”

“I hadn’t planned on it, they all just...found out. everyone but...”

she doesn’t finish her sentence. something in the way her voice trembles and the tears finally spill from her eyes tells him she can’t.

he decides not to ask.

“I’m so sorry,” he says instead.

“don’t be. please, don’t be. I never would’ve gotten this far without you.”

that’s when he realizes he’s crying, too.

he takes her other hand and steps closer--not demanding anything, just holding onto her as he says, ‘if you ever, ever need anything, you find us. you reach out to us, and we’ll be there, okay? I swear it.”

“I know, Vax. I know.”

“I love you. and I don’t mean--”

“I love you, too.”

and he nods, and he kisses her knuckles, and she turns her hand to cup his cheek

but then she lets go, and he lets her go

and he stands there in the dark as she walks away

and for the first time, it’s Vax who stands and watches someone else disappear into shadows, going further than he can follow

-

Vex wakes up in the morning to an empty room

which is odd, because Trinket has slept beside her bed every night since they first moved into the keep

the light is soft enough that she thinks it might not even be dawn yet

but she’s too alert already to even think about going back to sleep. she dresses quickly, trying to shake out her sudden nerves, and leaves her room without even bothering to rebraid her hair

and with every step she takes down the hall, the feeling that something is horribly, awfully wrong just grows

there is no one in the stairwell, no one in the foyer, no one in the dining hall

Laina is in the kitchen, sleepily putting a kettle on and mumbling a quiet, “good morning, madam,” when she sees Vex

she decides to look for Trinket, because maybe he’ll quell this strange feeling she has, as if she’s on the hunt for something she doesn’t yet know about

he’s easy enough to find, sleeping in the garden, curled at the base of the oak tree Keyleth planted months ago

he raises his head as she approaches--

--and his eyes are so dark and so sad that she loses her breath when she sees him

“what is it, buddy?” she asks, running to his side. Trinket huffs, warm and heavy, and nudges his head into her until she can hold him. “Trinket? what’s wrong?”

a mournful whine is her response

and it’s only then that she realizes how quiet the garden is

there are no birds calling to the dawn from the branches above, no squirrels racing down the tree and through the grass.

but she does hear something stir, and she looks over to see Pike curled up against her altar

“Pike?”

“mmwhat?”

“what are you doing sleeping in the garden, darling?”

Pike yawns wide and rubs her eyes and now that Vex is looking at her she looks just as bad as Trinket, all red eyes and puffy cheeks

“I must’ve fallen asleep praying.”

and Vex thinks, vaguely, of taking her inside and pouring her a cup from the kettle that’s surely whistling by now

but first she has to ask, “can you tell me why Trinket looks like someone died?”

Pike sniffs and swipes at her eyes again

“I imagine he misses Keyleth.”

...

“what?”

and Pike blinks at her, much more awake now. “she--oh.”

“what?”

“I didn’t--”

“what do you mean, misses...”

Vex trails off, staring from Pike, who looks horrified, to Trinket, who looks like his heart is breaking.

(or maybe she’s just projecting)

“Vex--”

but Vex takes off

back through the garden doors, back through the entrance hall, up the stairs, down all the way to Keyleth’s room

and she knocks on the door loud enough that the entire keep must wake up and hear her, but she doesn’t care

she knocks until surely someone would have answered by now, so then she barges in--

“Keyleth!”

--into an empty room.

no books on the desk, no staff leaning against the wall, and no Keyleth sitting in the windowsill in the light of the dawn, turning to smile at Vex as she walks in

“Vex!” someone cries from the hall

but she doesn’t care. she doesn’t want them.

she steps into the room and shuts the door firmly behind her.

the bed made neater than Keyleth had ever left it. the wardrobe empty of belts and packs and dresses. the curtains waving in the gentle breeze because Keyleth never, ever shut her window.

Vex makes it two paces in before her knees hit the floor and she sobs

because Keyleth is gone, and this place holds hardly a trace of her

not even a goodbye.

[kimabutch]

“So,” Kima says, from across the dinner table, “tell me about these adventurers of yours.”

It’s Allura’s first evening back in Tal’dorei following her hasty trip to Nicodranas. Kima and the Council both successfully pleaded with her to come home instead of waiting nervously in Yussa’s tower, and Kima even prepared her trademark roast chicken as a welcome-home dinner. From their dining room window in their tower, Allura can see the bird’s eye view of Emon, its stone streets blooming to life with the coming spring. It’s a beautiful and comforting sight — despite the Menagerie Coast’s fine sea views, Emon will always be home. 

Allura sighs, turning to her wife. “I don’t even know where to begin. They’re rather… perplexing.” 

“Well, you’re always saying to start with what you know. Which ones do you know the most about?” Kima says. 

“Right. Well. There’s the wizard, Caleb.” 

“Of course you’d start with the wizard,” Kima says with a playful grin. “Have you met him before?”

Allura returns the smile. “Wizards don’t all know each other, and no, I’ve never met him before. But I’m fairly certain he’s from the Zemnian Fields.”

“Zemni… that’s where we were, right? Rexxentrum? With all those guys that you hated?”

Allura nods in approval. Kima’s never been one for politics, but she tries for her sake, and Allura appreciates the effort. 

“Hate is a strong word, perhaps. I found many of the methods at the Soltryce Academy and the politics among the Cerberus Assembly a little unsettling.”

“Yeah, they were creepy fuckers,” Kima says. “So is this wizard from the Academy?”

“Well, that’s what’s interesting — I’m fairly certain that he’s not aligned with them anymore. Certainly Yussa would not involve himself with an active member of the Assembly, or anyone involved with the Academy. He has a stronger distaste for Rexxentrum than me. Not to mention that he was wearing a cloak that I believe is of Xhorhassian design.”

“Could he have been raised in Zemnia and defected to Xhorhas?”

“Maybe? I can’t imagine how he survived, however. The Empire is not easy on traitors, and Xhorhas is not known for its love of humans.”

“Huh. A tough wizard. Reminds me of someone I know,” Kima says, and Allura can feel her cheeks redden slightly. “Okay, so who else?”

“There’s another human, Beau, but not from Zemnia, as far as I can tell. I can’t quite pinpoint her accent, but by her clothing, she seems to be a monk. She was so clever with Yussa’s notes... I would hazard a guess that she trained with the Cobalt Soul.” 

“Those weird, Ioun-loving librarians? The ones in Vasselheim are always giving us a hard time at the Sanctuary.” 

“Actually, she reminds me a little of you when we were younger,” Allura says.

“How so?”

“Headstrong and… very blunt.” Kima begins sputtering protests, while Allura continues: “But passionate and protective of her friends. Thoughtful and resourceful, too.”

Kima’s protests turn into a blush. “You talk to all your girls that way?” she teases. 

Allura laughs and extends her hand across the table, intertwining her fingers with Kima’s. “Only to my dearest wife.” She rests for a moment, looking into Kima’s impossibly green eyes, crinkled at the edges with a fond smile. “It is strange, however,” she resumes, “that a member of the Cobalt Soul might be adventuring with a wizard who defected from the Assembly. The organizations are separate and Ioun knows that they don’t always get along, but they’re supposedly allies. Perhaps they fled the Empire together. That might explain how Caleb survived.”

“Huh. Well, I like her a bit better now.”

“I thought you would.”

“So that’s two. What about the one that you gave the mirror to?” Kima says. 

“Ah, yes. Jester. A tiefling — from the Menagerie Coast, I believe, given her accent. Certainly they are more prevalent by the Coast.”

“So is she the leader?”

“Perhaps in the same way that Scanlan still calls himself the leader of Vox Machina,” Allura says, and this gets a good laugh out of Kima. “But perhaps I’m being unfair. She is a little bit of a… jokester, as her name would suggest, but she’s clearly very powerful. She’s a mage of some sort, though I doubt that she’s a wizard...”

“So all wizards do know each other!” Kima says triumphantly.

“... Although if she makes use of divine magic, then she was not wearing any holy symbols that I recognized,” Allura continues, with a smile at her wife. “Caduceus, the firbolg, on the other hand — I’m fairly certain he wears Melora’s swirl in his clothing and earrings.”

“Fear… bulg?” Kima says, rolling the word around in her mouth. 

“A reclusive race — I don’t believe I’ve ever met one in Tal’dorei. They’re giant-kin, I believe, but somewhat bovine in appearance. They supposedly have an affinity with nature, which would explain his ties to the Wildmother, but not his interest in continental politics. But we are not bound by the general tendencies of our ancestors, I suppose.” 

“I hope not. Still haven’t met too many halflings that can kick ass,” Kima says. “So what’s the cow-man like?”

Allura stifles laughter at Kima’s unorthodox word choice. “Interesting, once again. He seemed a little confused.” 

“At what?”

“Everything, I suppose. He asked me whether I was a good archmage or a bad archmage.”

Kima rocks back in laughter. “Well, which one is it?”

“I told him that was a difficult philosophical question. Still, he gave me a… discerning look. Not magical, but thoughtful. He’s perhaps more insightful than he might initially appear,” Allura says.  

“Huh. Well, so long as he didn’t enchant you with his nature magic, that’s fine by me.”

“Indeed. His companion didn’t give me much to work with, either.” 

“Companion?” asks Kima.

“Fjord, the half-orc — his armour also seemed to have Melora’s symbol on it. Perhaps I’m assuming too much, however. I don’t know much more about him. He was polite, but quiet. An accent like mine, but that’s not exactly uncommon, even in Wildemount. You might have liked his sword. It was very ornate.”

“Better than my Holy Avenger?” Kima says, gesturing to the platinum greatsword that hangs on the wall. Allura sometimes wishes that she had won the debate about whether weapons should be allowed in the dining area, but she admits that the sword is beautiful. “I’d love to spar with him, though,” she continues. “Sounds like he’s the only one of these adventurers who can hold a sword.” 

“I’m sure you’d take him handily,” Allura says with a smile. “Although, I think there’s one more who can fight. The, ah, goblin, Nott.” 

“A goblin? Now that’s interesting. Haven’t really met one of them since Kraghammer.” Kima wrinkles her brow. “Better not tell Scanlan. He’d have a fit.” 

“I wasn’t planning to, no. I confess, I was surprised by her presence. Excepting Wensforth, I haven’t met many goblins who have ventured out of their clan. I would think that she’s from Xhorhas, where goblins are more openly accepted, except that her accent does not appear to be Xhorhassian in nature. Nor do goblins typically associate with humans — though, I suppose they don’t usually go adventuring into extraplanar device, either, so she’s unusual on several counts. Sneaky, too. She was hiding behind one of Yussa’s books for several minutes before she introduced herself.” 

“Huh. And you said she can hold her own in a fight?” 

“I believe so,” Allura says. “She carried a well-made crossbow with some confidence, and I saw a shortsword by her side. I could have also sworn that she had a pistol on her, but there wasn’t sufficient time to ask.”

“Ha! Better add Percy to the list of people you can’t tell about this.”

“I suppose so. I believe he’s abandoned the notion that he’ll stop the proliferation of his devices, but it does make him so upset.” Allura sighs. “Anyways, that’s the six of them. They call themselves the Mighty Nine.”

“So on top of all that, they can’t count?”

“Perhaps. Or they have other companions that are not with them at this moment. I should really call in some favours with my contacts in the Empire and ask them whether they’ve heard of this party, but I’ve been so busy trying to research this Angel in Irons.” Allura runs her hands through her hair in frustration. “A threat this level, and there’s barely a word on it —” 

Kima gets up from her seat, steps over to Allura, and gently takes her hand. “Ally, it’s okay. I know everyone keeps putting all of Exandria on your shoulders, but if Yussa’s made friends with a bunch of chucklefucks, that’s on him. It’s not your fault, I promise.” Holding her face, Kima kisses Allura deeply. She feels Allura relax in her hands and lay her arms around Kima’s waist. 

As they pull away, still holding each other, Allura smiles and whispers, “I missed you.” 

“Missed you too, babe,” Kima says, kissing her forehead. 

[utilitycaster]

first, middle person: yeah I am fully on board with the moons being important, beacons maybe being from the moon, and weird betrayer god stuff with the moon just not the “I like spelljammer and I don’t know how logic works” portion.

So: I’m very much on the record as saying I don’t usually like Secret Dragon theories in general, and Yussa is just the current iteration of this theory. I missed the theory for Gilmore since I watched C1 after it had completed and avoided most theories until I’d gone through it all, but I would have been equally irritated at that had I been watching C1 in real time.

Most Secret Dragon theories go like this:

-NPC is arcane caster

-NPC is interesting/cool/attractive

-NPC doesn’t reveal every single solitary detail of their life to the party

-therefore...metallic dragon?

and it’s just like, this isn’t impossible or based on false premises or anything, but there’s no reason for it, and (here’s where it gets into my opinion) it’s way less fun and interesting than “this is a humanoid person”.

It’s annoying, because I really like arcane casters and I really like stories about people, and Secret Dragon theories basically just take any powerful wizard or sorcerer who’s vaguely interesting and kind of mysterious - two traits that are pretty par for the course for powerful wizards and sorcerers - and instead of exploring what kind of person they are and how they got here is just like CLEARLY A HUMANOID COULD NOT BE SMART AND FUNNY LIKE THIS MUST BE A DRAGON.

Which makes the better story: a wealthy elven merchant who’s lived a long weird life (you know what would be cool? Yussa and Ludinus having untold history, as older elven mages on the continent), making friends with mages across the world and having some kind of petty grudge against the ruling family in Nicodranas, fucking up their plans to gentrify the Open Quay, just living his best life in a flagrantly magical tower? or something something dragon? I should point out most of these theories do not actually provide like, supporting evidence beyond “arcane caster” and “mysterious” so I don’t really know how he got to this point as a dragon. This is more a general thing; if you’re coming up with a theory to explain something that doesn’t need explaining, unless it explains it better than a more mundane explanation I’m going to automatically dislike that theory. I love fantasy and stories about magic but there’s a point where “a wizard/dragon did it” stops being a handwave on boring details we didn’t care about anyway (this is a whole other post tbh), and starts erasing real and valid plot details that could make for a richer world. I want fantasy, but I want real people in that fantasy world who just happen to be able to cast fireball, you know?

(also if he could turn into a dragon, canonically only the ability of ancient dragons, he could have used one of his multiple legendary resistances to not get caught in the happy fun ball)

(also also, ancient dragons canonically have a lower intelligence score than a humanoid wizard with max-ed out intelligence, but do typically have maxed-out or above 20 charisma and it would be outright disadvantageous for a dragon to become a wizard instead of being a sorcerer, which isn’t to say they can’t do it for fun, but like, at least you could have made that argument for Gilmore. I don’t think anyone did, because the argument was always Hey Dragons Cool and not trying to answer a question that really needed answering, but like, they could have)

(triple also, it is kind of weird, and I mean this genuinely and not in an ‘i just think it’s funny’ way that the three Dragon Theory subjects I can think of offhand in actual play, namely Gilmore, Yussa, and Angus McDonald from TAZ are all men of color. I don’t think I ever saw this theory for like, Allura, or Essek whose race doesn’t overlay normal irl human races in quite the same way which is definitely a whole other discussion, or Ludinus, or for that matter any of the Cerberus Assembly. Certainly it never got as widespread. I don’t necessarily think this is significant - three data points isn’t a lot - but it is weird.)

I should note: Critical Role has had one humanoid ancient dragon character (J’mon Sa Ord). I am not mad at this for two reasons. First, there was a genuine question: how has a humanoid ruled Ankharel for like a thousand years continuously? Why are their features hard to focus on? Second, they brought up a dragon within a day of meeting Vox Machina, like, at that point you’re connecting some actual dots with your theories vs. just pointing at arbitrary wizards and crying dragon.

[estelofimladris]

The Healer: Critical Role

[ warning: here follows a long rambling story of feelings about losing a fandom and finding new love and happiness in an unexpected way ]

Here’s a little personal story about how some fandoms hurt and some heal. It goes from Fillory to Exandria. (It feels really right when I say it that way.)

I wasn’t ready for the healing that I got, but it’s here now. Thank Sarenrae.

Everyone loves that thunderstruck feeling when you fall in love with a fandom. It’s literally like all the tropes about falling in love. You meet and sometimes there’s just a spark.

That was me with The Magicians. I spent a year immersed in a welcoming fandom in a show that made me feel seen and whole. I had friends in the fandom as well as the friends irl who were into the show. I got to dive into it when I really needed a fandom to help carry me a little through a hard time.

It was heaven. Until it wasn’t.

In April of 2019, The Magicians broke my heart. Again, just like all the tropes about love. Just like a bad breakup, there’s things about it that I really enjoyed, but at the end of the day, I can’t go back to the way things were with that fandom. No matter how welcoming the fandom remained, I couldn’t go back because the show had cut me so deeply.

Then through 2019 and into 2020, I drifted through some new loves and lived in my love of some of my oldest fandoms. Lots of Star Wars. New excitement from Good Omens, The Dragon Prince, and The Old Guard. It’s not to say that I don’t love these things, but at least two of my new favs are, for the time being anyway, done. And, though Star Wars (and in the same breath my other love Marvel) are never really done, I like loving them in a bubble because as anyone in those fandoms knows it can be a complicated relationship.

Also in late 2019, my buddy @wittynamehere1443 decided she wanted to try and run a D&D campaign for our family of misfits. I hadn’t played since high school (D&D 3.5) and was super excited to get back into it. I picked up quite a bit while prepping to play from a mix of reading, remembering old things, and watching some tutorials and stuff on ye ol’ YouTube. I had dabbled in tabletop, but never thought I’d go charging back in, but once I started I couldn’t stop.

I immersed myself in as much as I could, but I’m really a visual & kinesthetic learner, so eventually I was going to have to supplement my book-learning with some real-play to really understand. I played as much as I could as I delved deeper, but even as I dove, I realized I wanted to do more. I started to write my own campaign setting and adventures. I suddenly found myself needing to just know how D&D worked without having to always have the books open.

Now, I had been lightly introduced to some real-play before I really understood what it was. A buddy of mine had shown me a clip of Critical Role out of context quite some time ago and I really didn’t understand how so many people I knew and shared a lot of crossover interests with could be so obsessed with watching 8 people play D&D.

My buddy who was now my DM had consumed all of The Adventure Zone and had very lovely things to say about it and I had the lingering curiosity about Critical Role form the many people who had recommended it to me as well as the complete mystery attached to why people loved it so. And me, being a big lover of visuals and being at home because of COVID, dipped my toe into real-play with the first episode of Critical Role back in late June.

I did it completely on my own at first, which is rare given that most things I watch, I watch them with my best friend and roommate, @hawkeyekate.

( Also, as a weird note, I’ve managed to deftly avoid most spoilers about Critical Role up to this point and I’m not completely sure how. I know one big one in Campaign 2, but until yesterday (when I watched the first episode of Campaign 2) I didn’t even know the classes of 1/2 of the Mighty Nein. I didn’t even know Sam played Nott until about three weeks ago. That bubble has come in very handy. )

I immediately began to get out of it what I was originally there for: great real-play with explanations of rules (especially vs. house rules and the whys of everything). Watching the cast fumble through transitioning from Pathfinder to D&D 5e was very helpful to me because I had some similar questions from the figments of memory I had from 3.5 as well as my other random tabletop experience. I was completely inspired and found myself cranking through pages upon pages of my own world and campaigns as well as delving deeper into my characters that I’d been honing already.

I quickly noticed that I was worrying less about the rules when I played and was getting to enjoy my character for who he is. I was starting to craft interesting mechanics and not just story in my adventures I was writing.

Lightning had struck and suddenly I was in love in a way I hadn’t been in a long time.

As I was watching Critical Role, I definitely wasn’t just learning to be a stronger DM and a better player. I found myself able to tell the twins apart. I was invested in the mysteries as they unraveled in Exandria. I hung on Mercer’s every word.

Then without warning, when the party said goodbye to Pike in Vasselheim, I found myself in tears. I don’t know why but I remember being so struck by that moment. I knew it was partly because Ashley was leaving for New York, but the story for Vox Machina hit a soft spot for me. I was no longer just watching 9 people play D&D. I was invested in the story, the characters, and the world.

I was suddenly a Critter.

I think notoriously at this point, when I fall for a fandom, its often connected to a character. I saw in Vax’ildan a lot of things that really sucked me in from the beginning. He is at the same time like many of my favorite characters of my youth and like many of my favorite characters as an adult. I feel like he’s my heartstrings manifest in a lot of ways, complete with many of the flaws in that.

Then what was a slow crawl accelerated. I would occasionally ramble to @hawkeyekate about the adventures of Vox Machina and it would be on when she was around, but she wasn’t exactly watching it with me. Then at some point during “The Trial of the Take”, she was suddenly sitting with me to watch. She was asking me to pause when she had to go do something - and wait for her.

We were watching together.

We were acutely aware of how the twins echoed things in us and that often we are referred to in the same sentence in the same way. I had my Vex’ahlia.

Only a little over a month later, we’ve battled Briarwoods and now we’re hunting Vestiges and gathering allies. It is a rare day that we don’t watch a little Critical Role. I sport my “Gilmore’s Glorious Goods” shirt. I’ve read Vox Machina: Origins and am making plans for two cosplays already.

I’ve also DM’d six sessions of my first adventure-turned-campaign in my own world I’ve built, Perlen. I play tabletop two-to-three days a week with my friends via the internet. I hoard dice.

I’ve fallen in love again and this time it feels safe.

I know good and bad things will come for Vox Machina ahead. I know the same can be said for The Mighty Nein in my future as well, but the Critters in my life have been so welcoming and it’s been so nice to have something new to talk to my friends about. And I trust the cast of Critical Role not to destroy things just because they made them like The Magicians creators did, a trust I didn’t think I would grow back any time soon. I know that some of the pains in Critical Role aren’t just scripted but are actually to chance, which gives me comfort, too. People live and die by the dice in tabletop and I can abide that. It doesn’t mean I won’t cry and ache every time something bad happens to them because I love them all.

So I will go running through Tal’dorei and look forward to Wildemount while I carve out the mountains and seas of my world of Perlen. I’ll cry when they hurt and smile every time Pike and Grog talk. I’ll be healed the way that stories can in ways I didn’t expect, which has now happened much more than once.

I’m here now and I love it.

[ special shout-out to the Critters in my life that have been so welcoming. Especially my super-enabler, @oniumbra. ]

[fragilefears]

Cheers to 5 years of Critical Role!

I want to say something about what this game, this show, these people mean to me - but I don’t really know what, or how, to say it. So I’m tempted not to. But I don’t want to bail on this because I feel some very strong things and I need to get better at expressing that.

It hasn’t even been a year since I began listening to the first episode of Vox Machina, downloading it on my phone while I waited for my very delayed flight to take me to see my family for Easter.

A friend of mine at work was (is)a huge fan and had been playing D&D for about a year before this - I was interested but also very busy and unable to take on any new commitments. But in the new year I joined a weekly D&D game with them and some other friends, a few who watched CR. It was a lot to get used to, but so much fun. I intended to try to watch CR, but sometimes I’m weird about trying to consume new content if it’s unfamiliar... It was a few months later - sitting in the plane, realising that my flight was delayed hours later than scheduled, further prolonging the long 10 months I’d been away from my family, and quietly sobbing with homesickness for my sister - that I thought what the heck, I’ll give it a go. And it was so much fun! It was slow going at first... but within weeks it all but consumed me. (Oh also i eventually got to spent Easter with my family and it was very good)

When I got home, it wasn’t long before every waking hour that I wasn’t required to speak to someone, I was listening to Critical Role podcasts on my headphones (I only really watched the live shows, and watched more of C2 as I caught up - these days I watch the new episodes each week.) It was crazy, and fun, and dramatic, and interesting, and my ADHD hyperfocus had never found something so engaging and utterly expansive to latch onto before. Everything else is so limited - movies run for a few hours and then you’re rewatching the same thing again... books can be re-read (but also you can’t read when you’re grocery shopping or crafting or paying bills....) tv shows are ok but not many are long enough to keep you going before you have to make another decision of What To Watch Next, then I’m left with a space where that world, those characters, are absent.

Not so with Critical Role! The sheer wealth of content is breathtaking and it’s wonderful.

However the volume of content is such a small aspect of my love for this show. There’s also:

THE STORIES

THE CHARACTERS

THE IMPROV

THE BEAUTY

THE COMMITMENT

THE FANTASY

THE DANGER

THE COMEDY

THE EVER-EVOLVING DYNAMICS

THE REAL LIFE FAMILY OF FRIENDS who demonstrate love and acceptance and community and joy and pain and commitment to each other and to empathy... that’s where I became hooked.

I’m not one to have or keep very close friends. And for a long time I thought that was a Horrible Thing about me as a person, but the harder I tried to force myself to Be A Better Friend the more neurotic I became, I let down others, I felt fake and pushed myself to be something I’m not.

At the time I started listening to Vox Machina I was about... 2 years after a mental breakdown, 2 years into understanding and managing my adult adhd diagnosis and monthly therapy to learn how to not hate my entire being. Which had improved over the 2 years, but just months before Easter last year, things were Very Bad and all the work I’d been trying to do to manage my shitty brain felt all for nought, and so I had just begun anti-depressants - which I swear, changed my life.

But I also attribute that life-altering shift to becoming someone who actually wanted to live; who discovered who she was at the age of 31; who stopped hating herself and stopped trying to be everything to everyone... I attribute who I am today to the influence and inspiration of the love and creativity demonstrated by a bunch of nerdy voice actors playing dungeons and dragons.

I now understand that you can say dumb things and not be rejected by the people who love you. I realise that making mistakes actually IS the best way to learn. I discovered that it’s absolutely ok to not do everything, and if you need to become obsessed with a podcast about dungeons and dragons to actually start saying no to things, that’s ok too.

Thanks to these guys - Matt, Marisha, Liam, Sam, Taliesin, Laura, Travis, Ashley, Brian and the whole team - for the first time in my life, in this past year since I began watching Critical Role... I learned that I kinda like who I am and that as long as I stay true to that, and love others in whatever ways I can, that I can actually relax and there’s a lot of fun to be had (and in a shocking turn of events, I no longer believe that I would be better off not existing! So that’s good!)

The stories they have created, the community they have grown, the love and affection they have for each other and the absolutely joy they have for their game and all the crazy risks they’ve taken and meaningful statements they’ve made - Critical Role is... I just don’t think I’ll ever have the right words to express what I’m trying to say. They just speak to my heart and soul - not just the two campaigns, but so much extra content - namely Talks Machina & Between The Sheets & All Work No Play - that have branched out from the original game (to be fair, Critical Role technically spun off from All Work No Play...) seeing and hearing and being inspired by the Actual Human Beings is such a beautiful thing.

So. Anyway. This got out of hand, but it was either this or giving up and not saying anything at all. And i think maybe they’d prefer we shared things we are grateful for, the things that inspire and change us.

There’s still so much I could say, but instead I’ll just say this: my very first memory of Critical Role is @assuredgrave turning to me at work, in fits of laughter, telling me about how a certain gnome bard ran alone into a house full of enemies, transformed into a triceratops up against a household of crossbow-armed guards and a Goliath, gets stuck in a door turns back into a gnome, slides across a table, dimension doors onto the roof, turns invisible, drinks a fire-breathing potion, and spewed fire from off the roof, before using a giant magic hand to swat the bad guy away, then falling into it to carry himself away from the burning house. What utter chaos and hilarity and adventure to be discovered.

Thank you Critical Role.

[vexing-imogen]

Exit, Pursued by a Bear

-my contribution to @folktalesofexandria also on AO3

He doesn’t know who this strange creature is that’s picking him up, she’s certainly not his mama, but he feels safe cradled in her arms. Even though she’s shaking and her face is wet with tears and she smells like the Bad Things, he feels safe. She presses her face against his snout and starts making noises at him.

“It’s alright, darling, I’ve got you,” she says. She scratches behind his ears, and he growls happily. “I’ll take care of you, I promise.” They’re moving now, walking away from his mama. He whines, starts squirming in her arms.

She holds him tighter and keeps walking, but he manages to squirm out of her grasp and run back to his mama. His mama, who isn’t moving, isn’t making noise, isn’t breathing. A twig snaps behind him, and he turns to see Her kneeling on the ground. “I’m sorry, buddy.” A sob. “There was nothing I could do. I’m so sorry.” She holds her arms out for him and he goes to her, lets her bundle him against her chest again. “I may not be your mother, but I’m going to take care of you. I’ll never leave you alone, I promise.”

He believes her.

Trinket wakes from his dream with a snort. He yawns, shakes the remnants of sleep from his head as he ponders his dream. His first memory of Vex. It’s been a frequent dream lately, and he doesn’t know why. It’s confusing, especially for a bear as old as Trinket.

He’s stretching, trying to alleviate aching bones and popping joints, when the chamber door opens and Vex walks in. She beams at him. “There you are, buddy,” she croons, scratching him behind the ears. He leans into her, but not too hard. It takes her so much longer to get up now if he accidentally knocks her on her rump. “I thought you were going to sleep the day away.”

Trinket huffs and butts against her gently. “I know, darling,” she says through a small yawn. “Like I have any room to talk.”

They take a meandering path through the castle and out into the gardens. Vex is resting on one of the small benches when one of the many young de Rolos approaches, a piece of parchment in his hand. Trinket doesn’t remember this one’s name, there are so many and he is a very old bear, but he looks so much like Uncle Vax that it makes Trinket’s heart ache. Vex’s too. She’s told Trinket so many times.

“Grandmother,” he says, handing her the parchment. “Lady Keyleth’s reply came quicker than expected.”

“Thank you, Hugo, darling,” she says, searching her pockets for something.

The lad doesn’t leave immediately. “Did you want any help reading her letter, Grandmother?”

Vex fixes him with a stern look as she locates Papa Percy’s spectacles and adjusts them on her nose. “I’ve got it handled, Hugo,” she says. “I’m not blind. And even if I were, your Auntie Keyleth writes so large, I’d still be able to read it.”

Hugo flushes and fidgets with his cravat. “I apologize, Grandmother. I’ll leave you to it.” He kisses her on the cheek. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” she says, her gaze softening. “Now, don’t you have an archery lesson to get to?”

His eyes go wide as he pulls out a pocket watch. “Shit.” He grins at her sheepishly. “I should go.”

“Make me proud, darling,” she calls out as he runs off.

Hugo’s voice echoes through the garden as he calls back, “I’ll do my best!”

“Dear boy,” she says softly, shaking her head with a fond smile. She pets Trinket absentmindedly as she reads Keyleth’s letter, only pausing twice to cough harshly into a handkerchief. “Sorry, buddy,” she murmurs when he makes a noise of complaint.

Vex reads the letter three times before she seems satisfied. Trinket takes the opportunity to doze in the mid-morning sunlight. He daydreams about the early days with Vex; learning to track and hunt, protecting her from bandits, swimming in rivers, playing in fields, sleeping by campfires. His mind wanders to their days with Vox Machina. To adventures in strange places, the monsters they fought, and all of the strange, wonderful things they did as a family.

He doesn’t realize that he’s fallen asleep again until Vex is shaking him awake. There’s a strange expression on her face. Something tired and sad, but determined all the same. She’s kneeling on the ground beside him, and when he tries to ask her what’s wrong, she simply wraps her arms around his neck, buries her face in his fur, and breathes in as deep as she can.

“Come for a walk with me, buddy?” she asks. “Kiki’s waiting for us at your uncle’s shrine.” There’s concern in her eyes as he struggles to his feet, holding back a groan of pain. “Only if you can manage it, darling. I can put you in the necklace if you can’t.”

Trinket snorts, determined to show her that he can still keep up. She’s barely made it to her feet before he’s making his way toward the Parchwood, toward that familiar path that leads to a clearing and a pretty stone bench.

Vex catches up to him, puts a hand on his shoulder to slow his walk. “It’s alright, Trinket, there’s no need to rush.” She smiles down at him. “We have all the time in the world.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Keyleth, Pike, and Scanlan are waiting at the shrine, talking quietly amongst themselves, when Vex finally crests the hill into the clearing. Trinket, who has been stubbornly struggling to keep pace with her, bellows happily and flops down on the grass next to Keyleth. Vex takes a moment to catch her breath while Pike and Keyleth lavish attention on her bear. She pointedly ignores their eyes on her as she settles herself, curling up next to Trinket like she has for decades.

They’ve all gone silent, though Keyleth is still absently petting Trinket’s snout. Up close, Vex can see that Pike’s eyes are red and puffy, Keyleth’s sleeves are stained with tears and snot, and Scanlan is fiddling with his shawm, as if he’s trying to think of the perfect song for the occasion. Her chest aches, and not from the disease that seized her so many years ago and refuses to let go. She’s never wanted to hurt them, which is why she’s so determined now to not drag this out any longer.

Keyleth is the one to break the silence, shaky and uncertain. “Vex, your letter…” She sniffles, hiccups. “A-are you sure?”

She nods slowly, closing her eyes against the tears that spill over when Scanlan’s sob echoes through the clearing.

Pike’s warm hands close around hers, and Vex forces herself to meet her earnest gaze. “You don’t have to give up, Vex,” she says desperately. “There are so many routes we haven’t tried yet. Maybe Sarenrae can-”

“Pike.” She cuts the gnome off gently. “We’ve had forty years to find a cure for this. I don’t think there is one. And I’m so fucking tired, darling.”

“Vex…”

“Just stop, please.” She draws in a sharp breath. “Just listen. I’m so tired. I’ve somehow outlived my brother and my husband and all of my children, and I’m so tired of fighting. I just want to rest.”

“But,” Keyleth starts tentatively, “what about Whitestone? What about your legacy?”

“Percy was the one obsessed with legacy, not me,” she says. “And I think our legacy is well secured, besides. Whitestone is in good hands, Kiki. And I’m little more than an old woman who sees ghosts in the faces of children.”

“Hey now, don’t sell yourself short,” Scanlan says, sniffling. “You’ve also got the best rack of any 133 year-old I’ve met.”

That gets a watery laugh from Keyleth and Pike, punctuated by a loud snore from Trinket. Vex leans back against her bear, tears dripping into his fur as she listens to his heartbeat.

“This decision isn’t just for me,” she says after a few minutes. “It’s for Trinket, too.”

Scanlan frowns. “How does your death help Trinket?” he asks.

Vex sniffles, her tears falling faster. “Barring external forces, Trinket can’t pass on until I do,” she explains. “His life force is bound to mine. He lives as long as I do. He suffers as long as I do.”

“Wait, really?”

“You really didn’t realize?” Pike sighs. “Scanlan, how long did you think grizzly bears could live?”

He shrugs. “I don’t know. In case you hadn’t noticed, bears aren’t exactly my thing.”

“Well, I can assure you that 120 years is not a normal lifespan,”  Vex says. She strokes a hand through his gray fur. “He sleeps all the time, he’s in constant pain. He tries to hide it, but I know my buddy. It isn’t fair for me to ask him to keep living like this, but I couldn’t… I could never…”

She dissolves into sobs, muffling her grief in Trinket’s fur until he shifts underneath her, trying to maneuver so he can comfort her. “It’s alright, buddy, I’m alright,” she lies. “You can go back to sleep, darling. Mummy’s fine.” She scritches at a particular spot behind his ears, and after a few minutes, he’s fallen back to sleep.

She looks up from tending to Trinket to find her friends watching her, their eyes full of sympathy. Keyleth is the first one to nod.

“Okay,” she says. “Okay, Vex.”

She wraps Vex in a tight embrace, tears soaking Vex’s hair. “I can’t believe I’m gonna be the last member of Team Half-Elf left.”

Vex laughs. “You always knew you were going to be.” She kisses her softly, then touches their foreheads together. “Kaitiake, Kiki.”

“Kaitiake, Vex.”

Pike approaches next, simply wraps her arms around Vex and cries into her shoulder. “I’m sorry,” she whispers.

“Don’t be,” she says. “You did everything you could.” She kisses the top of Pike’s head. “I love you, Pickle.”

“Love you, too, Vex.”

Scanlan has tears streaming down his face when she hugs him close and whispers, “Take care of them.”

“Of course,” he says, and she feels his lips press against her cheek. “On one condition.”

She arches an eyebrow at him. “And what would that be?”

“I get to light your pyre.”

She sighs, thinking back to the disaster that was Grog’s funeral. “Fine,” she relents. “But if you burn my forest down, I will haunt your ass for eternity.”

“Just my ass?” he says with a salacious waggle of his eyebrows. “Kinky.”

Vex shakes her head. “I’ll miss you, too, you perv.”

Once they’ve all left the clearing, Vex sinks back against Trinket, suddenly exhausted. Without Pike’s healing magic coursing through her, she can feel her lungs starting to seize, making each breath more and more difficult. She takes a breath that turns into a harsh coughing fit that ends with her on all fours, dry heaving. She looks up into Trinket’s worried eyes and wipes blood from her mouth. “It’s okay, Trinket,” she manages, crawling towards him. “We can rest now.”

She curls into Trinket’s warmth and closes her eyes.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Trinket wakes from his nap with a loud yawn, immediately squinting his eyes against the bright light flooding the clearing.

“There you are, sleepyhead!” Vex’s voice calls to him from the path back to Whitestone. “If we don’t get going soon, we’re going to miss lunch.”

Trinket gets up, barely noticing that it isn’t the painful struggle he’s endured for years. He takes a few steps towards Vex, then stops, cocking his head curiously. There must be some kind of magic in this clearing, because his Vex is young again; tall and proud, grinning like they’re about to embark on an adventure.

“What’s wrong, buddy?”

“Nothing,” he answers, shaking the last bit of sleep from his head. Something catches his eye, and he looks back over his shoulder. There’s nothing there. Nothing but a very old bear and a very old woman curled up together by a stone bench. He turns back to Vex, who smiles at him brightly.

“Aren’t you coming, Trinket?”

He huffs and walks over to butt his head against her thigh. What a silly question.

Where else would he go, but with Vex?

[luckyjak]

Why I Don’t Ship Widojest: A Master Post

An anon sent me an ask about this topic, and I debated for quite a bit about how to answer it. Then I decided the best way was to do a long post like this. I put a lot of thought into why I don’t like it, and I thought to share it.

A few things: 1) I am not telling you not to ship it. The goal of this is not to say “Don’t ship Widojest! It is a bad ship and you are a bad person for shipping it!” That is not my goal, okay? The internet and fandom in particular is meant for fun, and if you enjoy Widojest then more power to you! Don’t let me or anyone else stop your fun! Lord knows I have shipped significantly more problematic things. All I ask is that you tag shit more but that’s beside the point.

2) I am not particularly interested in argument. You are not likely to change my mind. I am not trying to be hostile, but if you know reading this is going to piss you off, then don’t read it. A question was asked of me, and so I thought to share my opinion. Unfortunately for everyone involved I am a high school English teacher, and so I cannot think about anything without completely overthinking it.

About my shipping preferences: generally, I like all the ships! I was particularly fond of Widomauk before Molly died, and I now I really enjoy Shadowgast, but I also like Fjorclay, Fjester, Beaujester, Beauyasha, Widofjord, Clayleb, Lavorclay, and, as the only person on earth, Yasha/Caleb. Hell, if Astrid gets a good redemption arc? Caleb/Astrid or even Caleb/Astrid/Edowulf. Any of those ships could become canon and I’d be tickled pink! You can even throw Nott into the mix, even though I mostly ship her with her husband. Nott/Fjord? Delightful. Nott/Caleb? Weird flex but why not? Nott/Jester? Absolutely! They are the best detectives!

I just don’t like Widojest and I don’t want it to be canon, and here’s why:

Doyalist Reasons First:

1) Laura and Liam played twins for years, still act like siblings even though they aren’t related by blood, and it squicks me to think of them together romantically.

Laura and Liam are fantastic actors. If they were hired to play a romantic couple, I have no doubt in my mind they could knock it out of the park.

But why on earth would they want to pretend to be a romantic couple, in a game they both play for fun? 

It would be weird. I play D&D with several guys I consider my brothers, and I can’t imagine pretending to romance either of them in d&d for that same reason. It would be weird. 

Maybe it wouldn’t be weird for Liam and Laura. Maybe they are more dedicated to their RP, and they’d be able to push that aside for the sake of fictional romance. But for me, that would be the last thing I’d want to play, and I suppose I project that onto Laura/Liam.

2) A lot of “evidence” for the ship is the way Liam looks at Laura.

To which I say...did you watch Vox Machina?

That’s how Liam looks at Laura all the time. He’s the president of her fanclub. He’s her twinsie. He always looks at her with hearteyes. I have a hard time seeing that as “evidence” for him having feelings for her when...that’s just what his face looks like.

Now, for Watsion reasons:

3) It has all the benefits for Caleb, and none for Jester

Seriously. What does Jester get out of a relationship with Caleb?

Don’t say someone who understands her, because Caleb certainly doesn’t. In fact, the only person who routinely “gets” Jester is Beau. (see: their conversation on the ship.)

Lots of people accuse Widojest as being a Manic Pixie Dream Girl ship because...let’s be realistic, it has all the makings of one. Tortured, broody man meets young, innocent girl who teaches him to enjoy life once again? Wikipedia’s definition is “[girl with] eccentric personality quirks and are unabashedly girlish. They invariably serve as the romantic interest for a (most often brooding or depressed) male protagonist.” Guys, that is textbook Manic Pixie Dream Girl! It gets even worse because Jester’s character is a healer! You want her to heal him? That is squicky!

And yeah, I trust Liam and Laura to be more nuanced than that, but do you know who I absolutely do not trust to be more nuanced?

The fandom. The fandom that is already producing mass amounts of Manic Pixie Dream Girl fanfic. And as that’s where I spend a lot of my free time...egads. I do not want that.

The few Widojest fics I have read (which, admittedly, are not a lot, because again, I don’t like the ship. The few I have read have been tagged as gen and then come to find out, weren’t.) have the distinct problem of woobie-fying Caleb so that Jester can take care of him, and gosh, I do not want that to become a trend. 

4) Age Gap

Yes, thirteen years is not that major of an age gap. Yes, Fjord/Jester also have a large age gap.

However, there is a world of difference between “20 year old girl displays romantic interest in a 30 year old man, who decides he likes her back after getting to know her for months” vs “33 year old man decides to pursue a 20 year old woman after they danced one time when he was drunk and held hands and she showed general concern for his well-being.” One is decidedly more creepy.

(And would Jester be the one to pursue a relationship with Caleb? I almost think she’d have to, but again, why would Jester ever pursue Caleb when Fjord/Beau are right there.)

(Also, side note that I thought about making it’s own point but then decided it was petty: if Jester’s type is Fjord--tall, broad-shouldered, dark haired, muscled, then Caleb--skinny, red-head, shorter than Fjord--decidedly isn’t her type.

You know who is tall, dark, and handsome though? Beau.) 

And do not say Jester is mature for her age, because she absolutely isn’t! In fact, the whole point of her character is that she’s not mature, she’s very immature and childish on account of her being locked away and being incredibly sheltered most of her life! 

Also not a good excuse: Caleb spent 11 years in the asylum and therefore he’s only mentally in his 20s. Uh, no he’s not. He was in an asylum: he was not brain dead. He lived those years. He might’ve been crazy, but he was alive then. Nothing Liam’s done suggests that Caleb is mentally in his 20′s.

5) What would they even talk about?

This is probably actually the one that bothers me the most out of all these reasons, but uh....what would Caleb and Jester talk about, if they were in a relationship together?

Seriously.

They could talk about books? But Jester only ever reads terrible romance and smut. We saw when she tried to pay attention to the dunamancy lessons that she struggles to be interested in that academic stuff that is Caleb’s bread and butter. They could talk about their childhoods? That will go over well. Jester was locked away from society and Caleb straight up murdered his beloved parents. If they manage to avoid that, I’m sure they could fight again over income, what with Jester being a rich kid and Caleb being a poor farm boy. Pranking? Caleb enjoys a good prank now and again, but I can only imagine he’d tolerate getting banned from so many libraries.

They are a cat and a dog, literally. Caleb is an introvert and his idea of a good time is a quiet night at home with a good book. Jester’s idea of a good time is a party with lots of people! Yet I’m supposed to believe they’d have a happy and fulfilling relationship? Don’t get me wrong, many introverts and extroverts do get married in real life, but like...I have a hard time seeing this one working out. How many dicks do you think Jester draws in his spellbooks--which are expensive and time-consuming and require precise work--before that becomes a point of contention? 

6) He doesn’t trust her enough to tell her his secrets

Hey quick poll! Who in the Mighty Nein doesn’t know that Caleb murdered his parents?

Fjord. Caduceus. And look, Jester.

I have a hard time buying that he sees her romantically when he can’t even tell her one of the biggest things about him. And he’s known her for months at this point.

If I liked a guy, and I found out he had this big secret, and he had told Beau but not me this secret? I would think he didn’t trust me.

I suppose you could argue that he’s trying to protect her. But then that just goes back into the whole “he doesn’t trust her” argument. He even had the opportunity to and he didn’t during their whole hand-holding thing a few episodes ago!

7) What does their ending look like? 

Listen, my ideal ending for Caleb at the moment is “maybe after ten years of friendship he lets Essek tenderly hold his hand for just a moment but no longer” but that’s just me. I see a lot of people who seem to think Caleb’s going to settle down and marry Jester and they are going to have kids, and I just--

Caleb? Having children? Caleb, who murdered his parents and has severe PTSD surrounding that? Caleb, who was abused by his mentor daily for many years? You want to give that Caleb children??? Children who he would constantly worry may grow up to kill him, like he did his own parents, or worse, that he’d do something to accidentally hurt them in a fit of madness?

I could see Caleb maybe adopting a kid if one was forced onto him, but I cannot see him going “ah yes we should procreate!” 

Jester, meanwhile, needs like approximately fifteen kids ten years from now, I think. She’d love them. She’d just adopt an orphanage and let the kids run wild and be the best at playing games with them.

Also, character arcs are important. Because Caleb’s ideal ending is stability and Jester’s is exploration.

Caleb, traumatized child soldier who has spent the past 15 years in an asylum and also fighting for his life, and before that spent time traveling between the Zemni Fields, Ikithon’s home in the country, and the Empire’s Capitol, who then escaped the asylum and spent all of his time running, trying to avoid being caught by Ikithon. The best ending for Caleb is to find peace; peace that involves not having to move around anymore, and having a home again, something he hasn’t had in almost twenty years. Maybe that home is a tower in Nicodranas. Maybe it’s a house in Xhoras with six other people. Maybe it’s a quiet bookstore in Zadash, or a little cabin in the Zemni Fields. A garden/graveyard in the woods. Either way, it doesn’t involve a lot of travel from place to place.

Meanwhile, Jester, who was trapped in exactly one place for her entire life, deserves a chance to explore the world. Even when the Mighty Nein disband, I can’t see Jester being happy to just go back to Nicodranas and stay there for the rest of her life. She may settle down eventually, but uhhh, not for several decades, I don’t think. Part of why my two big ships for her are Fjord and Beau: Fjord wants to be a sailor again, I think, which involves travelling the world, so I could see Jester going out with him. Beau, likewise, is an Expositor whose job is to seek out corruption, which again, means travelling, which Jester would be happy to do with her. Hell, the three of them could go together, sailing and punching evil for all of time! It would be great!

(Also: her god is called the TRAVELER why would you want her to settle down and be a mom??? What part of her story makes you think she needs to stay in one place?)

Lastly

I apologize if this post offends anyone. I’ve just been thinking about it for a while, and while Widojest as a ship has surged in popularity, I suppose I wanted to make a counterpoint about my feelings towards the ship. This isn’t meant as an attack on anyone, again, and please, if you like the ship then don’t look at this as a reason to stop liking it! Fandom is for fun! Keep liking what you like!

And I can’t promise I’m always going to feel this way about the ship--hell, the VOD of Thursday’s episode may come out on Monday, and I may watch it and be converted myself. Who knows! I didn’t like Vax/Keyleth at first either, but it grew on me and now it’s one of my favorites from Vox Machina.

(ALTHOUGH Mr. O’brien I swear to God if you romance Jester while flirting with Essek in a direct parallel to Keyleth/Vax/Gilmore I’m going to fly to LA just to punch you.)

Part of me wonders too if it just comes down to character interpretation, if there is something about their characters that is clicking for some people but isn’t for me. Admittedly, I love Caleb and Jester’s friendship, and I see them more as growing like siblings that romantically, but I’ve been wrong before and who knows, I may be wrong again. But if it is a character interpretation, I just wonder what they are seeing about the characters that squicks me but appeals to them.

[creativerogues]

How I Dealt With: Alignment VS Player Actions

So I’m just going to go into it with a recent example of how the Player’s Actions actively contradicted the Alignment of the Character they’re playing.

Hard Hat, the Tortle Wizard and Necromancer, needed to find 5,000 Gold Pieces in 2 Days to give to another Wizard, so that that Wizard can scribe a Spell Scroll that Hard Hat needs.

So rather than asking the rest of the Party, rather than thinking it through in a way that went with his Character, Hard Hat’s Player chose to act in a way that, while not directly, opposed his Character's Alignment as a Neutral Character.

Hard Hat’s Player chose to go out into the Town of Fostin, the Town the group is currently in, and through a combination of Charm Person, Suggestion and Enthrall, force the rather rich townsfolk of the City to give him their money, like he was some kind of wizardly highwayman...

And while I, as the DM of that Session, did allow him to do this, I told him that Hard Hat’s Alignment as a Character has now shifted, from Neutral, to Neutral Evil...

Now for some of you reading this, however you run your D&D Games, it might sound a bit weird that I, as the DM and someone who is not that in control of the actions of the Players, is allowed to change a Player Character’s Alignment on the spot, but there was a reason as to why I did so...

The reason I’m ruling this as a “temporary” alignment change is because the actual Player’s literal justification for these acts is: “Well the ends justify the means, we’re hurting people to help people.”

And as he was already a Neutral Character, a shift that steps him towards the Evil Side for this Section of the Adventure definitely seemed appropriate after this…

After all, no one who calls themselves a Hero would willingly force an innocent person into giving them money.

But why only Neutral Evil? Well not just because his Character was already Neutral, though that did help a lot, but because this was an action that Hard Hat’s Player thought was the only option, despite it not being the only option.

He had two days of downtime to find 5,000 Gold Pieces, and in the mind of Hard Hat’s Player, he thought the only way to get that 5,000 Gold was through nefarious means...

But if he had just conversed with the group a whole, or simply asked for help from the other Players, they might of discovered a much easier way to get that money on time to the Wizard that asked for it.

Hard Hat had a limited time frame to achieve something that Hard Hat’s Player thought was practically impossible. And while Hard Hat did achieve it in the end, the Player themselves had to justify why this needed to be done.

After all: The ends justify the means, don’t they?

There’s also another example I’d like to give where another player in my most recent session proposed something that I thought would directly oppose his ideals and methods.

Nemorith, who has been delightfully nicknamed Nemo, was returning to the Ship the Party had gained. Nemorith had been away from the Party for over two and half months, on his own adventures with Hard Hat the Necromancer during parts of his leave.

Now, Nemo is a Druid, or as I sometimes call him in my Games: a Wild-Man.

Nemo had lived in the mountains of the Himmelblas Region of my World for over a decade, and had grown up to respect nature, while also remaining neutral, and understanding that violent acts do occur in nature, but only for the needs of food and survival.

This gained him the Alignment of Lawful Neutral. He had a Code, an Oath you might say, and he stuck to it as much of possible, even finding some extremely over complicated ways to deal with issues even though the simplest way to deal with them was: Kill the Bad Guy.

But in this Session, Nemo returned to learn that everything had changed...

Kentucky, the Aarockra Barbarian with a Southern Accent, had become Captain of the Ship during Nemo’s leave, and the Crew took to him well over the 2+ Months in-game that Nemo had been gone.

Foot, the Tabaxi Bard had become quite renowned in the City, performing at taverns and gaining quite the gold pile and renown during Nemo’s leave and levelling up to 5th Level while Nemo was gone, gaining some new Spells and Magics...

Whinny, the Kenku Rogue had learnt to write, and even talk in semi-coherent sentences while Nemo was gone. She had learnt to write Common and can write short sentences now and even speak them while almost making sense.

Everyone was slightly different, while Nemorith remained the same, and he didn’t like it.

And so when the Group threw a Party to celebrate Nemo’s return, he hated it.

He wanted to leave the Party, just get on the ship and sail somewhere else and hopefully go back to normal, but that wasn’t happening.

Instead Foot was performing on-stage to a packed bar, Kentucky was lifting beer barrels that weighted more than most of the Party over his head, and Whinny was writing letters and painting banners to saying “Welcome Home”, writing in Common for the first time Nemorith had seen it.

And he actually grew jealous, everyone was suddenly better than him, they knew more magics, became better at their skills. While he and his Tortle Wizard Friend Hard Hat were just... Surviving...

And this caused a conversation between Hard Hat and Nemorith that I didn’t expect, where Nemorith proposed something to Hard Hat that I thought deserved an Alignment Change.

He proposed that Hard Hat cast Modify Memory on Foot, the Tabaxi Bard, so that Foot would forget all the renown and magic he had gained over the past two and half months.

And when Hard Hat refused to do so, Nemorith attacked Hard Hat.

The rest of the Party, who were still celebrating and partying (just on the ship instead of in the tavern), heard Nemo and Hard Hat shouting at each other, and heard a scuffle.

The situation at that point escalated to the point where Nemorith was locked in one of the bedrooms on the ship until he calmed down.

He was locked in there for almost three days...

So why did I change his alignment?

Well, because of what he said, the way he acted and what he did.

A Character that was Lawful Neutral and had a personal code that stopped him from injuring others, was suddenly attacking his own party members because they didn’t do what he said.

And he broke his own code, he wanted to to destroy a fellow party members process by casting Modify Memory to make that Party Member forget all the new magic and experience they’ve earned, and essentially level them back down to Level 4.

This caused me to change Nemorith’s Alignment to Chaotic Neutral, since he no longer seemed to care about his personal code in that moment, just wanted something, and when he was denied it, he lashed out at the Party in anger.

Now, there is a happy ending, Nemorith apologised to the rest of the Party, and the Group had a pretty deep and emotional talk on why they should stick together and what it means to be good.

But during those three days that Nemo was locked in his room, punching and kicking at the walls in anger, Nemorith’s Alignment, at least in my mind, was Chaotic Neutral...

I hope this Post has been helpful to you. I honestly think the DM having partial control over the PC’s Alignments and the ability to shift and change a Character’s Alignments based on the Player’s Actions is Neat and works if both the DM and Player agree that a Character’s actions in a game are deserving of an Alignment Change.

And if you need even more examples, take Vox Machina from Critical Role.

Vex’s Alignment shifted after she stole a Broom of Flying from a fellow Party Member (SPOILERS?) and Pike’s Alignment shifted after she ruthlessly killed a Creature in a way that her Deity didn’t like....

But anyways I hoped you liked this Post, and if you think I should do more Posts like this or more Posts on the topic of Alignment, let me know!

[dragonologist-phd]

After, And After That

“So you’re here with Keyleth?” “Yeah,” Grog replied, not thinking much of the question until he noticed the way Vex was looking at him. “What?” “I mean… you’re here with Keyleth?” she pressed, raising an eyebrow. Oh.

A collection of moments after the epilogue, as two members of Vox Machina grieve and heal and grow, and eventually find something neither ever could have expected.  

(Also on AO3)

From the very beginning, Keyleth knew there would be an after. She didn’t know it would come so soon. She’d hoped that it would take years and years and years, a whole life, and even that wouldn’t be enough but it would at least be something close to fair.

It still didn’t seem real at first. They all knew it was coming, and were expecting a fight. But Vax went peacefully, with nothing but a few gentle words and a trail of snowdrops. The finality of it all didn’t truly hit Keyleth until that night, when she hugged Trinket and sobbed until she finally fell into an exhausted sleep.

They all stayed in Whitestone for a short time, sharing their grief for a few days as the world celebrated their victory. And then life kept moving. Keyleth returned to her people. They needed her, and although the responsibility still weighed heavy on her shoulders, it helped to have something to occupy her time and her mind. It was a small, bitter comfort at times to imagine what Vax would say if he could see her now, being the leader he had always believed she could be.

It was a glorious death. Grog had to give Vax that much. They defeated a god and saved the whole fuckin’ world. As far as deaths went, you couldn’t get much better than that. For Goliaths, that was what mattered. For Goliaths, death was common, and a worthy death was the most you could hope for.

Grog saw the sense in that. Didn’t mean it didn’t still hurt.

Grog spent the first few months after Vecna’s defeat drifting through the land, sometimes alone and sometimes with Pike and Scanlan at his side. There was some unattended business that needed dealing with, so he that’s what he did. And maybe on some mornings he’d wake up and rub his beard, wishing he could look in the mirror and find it half-shaved, one more time.

Over the next year, all of Vox Machina found the time to visit Keyleth in Zephrah. It was always good to see them- they were her family as much as the Ashari were. She missed them fiercely when they were gone, and was always delighted to see them at the Zephrah gates.

But it was also hard. Vox Machina had never existed without Vax, and seeing them again was always a sharp reminder. It brought up the flurry of emotions that she’d already spent so much time trying to sort out.

When Grog came to visit, it was a little easier. He’d always had a way of making things simple.  She was surprised when he showed up alone; last she’d heard, he was near Emon with Pike and Scanlan.

“They’ve been gettin’ all mushy lately,” Grog explained. “Figured I’d give ‘em a little time on their own. ‘Sides, I haven’t been here since you finished your Aramente.” The memory of that day- the ceremony, the pride, her family, Vax- brought a brittle smile to Keyleth’s face.

Grog spent his time in Zephrah wandering the city, often playing with the children who viewed him as a literally larger-than-life legend.  And because he was Grog, Keyleth made sure to introduce him to Zephrah’s best tavern. They drank and talked and inevitably began trading memories of their adventures.

“The little shit,” Grog chuckled after recalling one of Vax’s prank attempts. He glanced at Keyleth, as if afraid he’d just made her upset, and she waved her hand at him.

“Don’t look at me like that. I’m okay. It's good, actually. I don’t get to talk about him enough. I mention him to anyone here and they start acting weird and it just gets… really depressing.”

Grog nodded, although he was still watching her with a touch of concern. “How’ve you been doing up here? Honestly.”

“I’m-,” Keyleth started to say I’m fine, but stopped herself. “I think I’m still pretty fucked up over it. Aren’t we all? And it’s more than just being upset, I’m…” Keyleth struggled for words, wondering if she was making any sense at all. “I feel like I can’t stop hurting. And then some days I’m kind of okay, but then I feel guilty about that and it all comes back even worse. And I need to be strong, and I need to be a leader, and I don’t want people here treating me like broken glass. And nine days out of ten I can handle it, but sometimes I just want to-” Keyleth searched for the right words but couldn’t find any, and so just slammed her fist on the table. “Do you know what I mean?”

Grog, who had sat silent throughout her rant, considered the question. “I don’t know a lot of things,” he finally admitted. He pointed to her fist, still clenched on the table. “But I do know about that. Sometimes you just gotta let yourself rage.”

Keyleth sighed. “I already have rage. I just don’t know what to do with it.”

“Use it!” Grog said, as if it were obvious. “You gotta let it out at some point!”

Keyleth thought back to a day in Whitestone, lifetimes ago, when Raishan had been alive and Keyleth had been burning with an anger she could never have imagined before. “You said once you could teach me. Is that still an offer?”

“’Course!” Grog’s face lit up, the previous somberness of the conversation fading away. That was one of the things Keyleth had missed about drinking with Grog- he could always bounce back from a heavy conversation. No judgment over outbursts, no worrying. He ordered another round of drinks. “How about tomorrow?”

Keyleth shrugged and reached for another cup of ale. “Yeah, why the hell not?”

She regretted her words the next morning. It had been a long time since she’d used Greater Restoration for the alcohol-related ailments. But she was actually looking forward to her plans for the day, so she forced herself out of bed and met Grog in the Zephrah woods.

“So… what’s first?” she asked him, feeling somewhat awkward.

“First,” Grog said, “stop thinking.” He took a wide stance in front of her and held up his hands, palms facing outward. He grinned. “Hit me.”

Keyleth knew Grog well enough to know he wasn’t joking. She’d hit him a few times before, and had done more damage to her hand than she ever had to him. But she took a deep breath, clenched her fist, and began throwing punches.

Grog shouted encouragement, hardly phased by the blows. “Come on! Gimme a battle cry!”

Keyleth gave a self-conscious shout, which didn’t seem to impress Grog. “I know you can do more than that!” He gave a cry of his own, a roar that immediately brought back memories of the countless battles they’d fought together. Grog always at the front, Vex and Percy firing from afar, Scanlan and Pike and herself with their magic, and Vax, somehow everywhere at once.

A wordless roar ripped itself from Keyleth’s throat, and she threw her fist forward, full of recklessness and adrenaline and rage.

The punch landed squarely against Grog’s large palm, and the Goliath stumbled back a step. He grinned wildly. “Yeah!”

The rest of the morning was spent in the same fashion, and by the time they were done Keyleth’s hands were ringing from the echoes of her blows and her head was dizzy with the rush of spent energy. She collapsed against a nearby tree, breathing heavily.

“Feelin’ better?” Grog asked, and Keyleth nodded. At the moment she was too exhausted to even speak, but it was true. She was better. Not okay, but a bit of the weight had lifted from her chest, and she felt more at peace than she had in a long time.

Although they all went their separate ways, Whitestone always seemed to hold at least one member of Vox Machina at any given time. Vex and Percy were a given, considering their titles and, eventually, the new additions to their family. The others drifted in and out as their situations allowed, visits lasting from mere days to months at a time.

Grog, of course, made sure to check in regularly and make sure that all of his affairs were in order as Grand Poobah de Doink of All This And That. It was very important.

Grog’s main duty as of late was to work on his reading. It was important for a Grand Poobah to know smart things like that, no matter how much it sucked to go through the process of learning them. It wasn’t so bad when Pike was around to help. She was a good teacher. But today she was busy, helping at the Sarenrae temple. The others Grog usually asked for help were also unavailable. Percy was around here somewhere, but Grog had asked him for help before and hadn’t understood a word out of the guy’s mouth for the whole ten minutes the lesson lasted.

So Grog sat by himself in the Whitestone library, a thick book open on the table in front of him. He stared at the words and let out a long sigh.

A moment later, a red, antlered head poked through the door of the library. “Grog?”

Grog looked up, grateful for the distraction. “Keyleth! Didn’t know you were here!”

She smiled and ducked under the doorway into the library. “It was a bit last minute, I just came through the Sun Tree today. How’s the reading going?”

“Good.”

“Really?”

“No.” Grog pushed the book away. “I’m fuckin’ bored.”

Keyleth gave him a sympathetic smile. “Want some company?”

As it turned out, Keyleth was a pretty good teacher. Over the next week, she helped him through nearly a whole chapter of the book he’d been working on.

“You know what you need?” she said, sprawled across a chair in the library after another reading session. “You need something more interesting than these books. What do you read for fun?”

The look on Grog’s face must have answered her question. Keyleth smiled as if she had an idea. “You know what you need? A pen pal! And it will help with your writing!”

Grog frowned. His reading might be improving, but his writing wasn’t much to speak of. “I don’t know about that…”

“But this will help. It’s like… it’s like training!” Keyleth said. “You know how you have to do certain exercises to make yourself stronger? Writing is an exercise to make your reading muscles stronger. Does that make sense?”

Grog paused and thought about it. “I think so.”

“And if we write letters we won’t have to wait until we’re both in Whitestone again to talk to each other.”

That… actually didn’t sound so bad.  “Okay, I'll give it a shot.”

And he did. His letters were short and messy, but with Pike’s help he wrote them and sent them out weekly to Zephrah. Sometimes he included little things he thought might make her happy- flowers, stones, little drawings he’d made to go along with the letter. Keyleth wrote him back. Her letters were longer, and it took him a while to get through them, but she was right- it was good practice. And Grog liked her letters a lot better than the books from the Whitestone library.

Keyleth rushed through the streets of Vasselheim, hoping she wasn’t too late. She could hear the cheering even from here, and as the volume of the yells increased so did her pace. At last the crowds came into view, and Keyleth soon found herself elbowing her way through to the edge of the pit. Scanlan was there already, and waved as Keyleth passed by. She would join him in the stands, but she still had a few minutes before the next fight started.

Grog wasn’t hard to spot. He was on the edge of the ring, surrounded by fans. He and Pike were legends in Vassalheim, by far the most famous contestants in the fights. His face lit up when he saw Keyleth waving enthusiastically, and he pushed through his fans to embrace her in a crushing hug.

“You made it!”

“I said I would!” she laughed, out of breath. “Where’s Pike?”

“Whupping ass,” Grog said proudly, gesturing to the pit. “I’m up next. It’s gonna be a good one this year, I can feel it.”

A bright flash lit up from the pit, and the audience became even more frenzied. Keyleth laughed. “Sounds like I made it just in time to see her win. I better join Scanlan before I miss the show. Kick some ass!” She hugged Grog again, fingers lingering over his bare shoulders as she pulled away, and on impulse she rose on her tiptoes and planted a quick kiss on his cheek.

As her lips left Grog’s cheek, Keyleth’s brief surge of boldness faded and she felt her face begin to flush. She took an awkward step back and hurriedly said, “Good luck!” before turning and fleeing into the crowd. She chanced a single look back at Grog, who seemed taken aback but pleased.

Luckily, Scanlan was too preoccupied to notice Keyleth’s red face as she approached. He was standing on his seat, fist thrust in the air as Pike brought her mace down on an orc’s head.

“That’s my wife!”  he shouted, not even noticing Keyleth until she took her seat next to him. Afterwards, when the arena was being cleaned of blood in preparation for the next fight, he looked over at Keyleth and grinned.

“You seem to be in a good mood today.”

“Do I?” Keyleth asked nervously.

“Well, you’re smiling.”

Keyleth brought her fingers to her lips, mildly surprised to find that he was right. “Yeah, I guess I am.”

The wedding was nice. Long, though, and they had to listen to a lot of talking before they were allowed to move on with it. A lot of talking. But still, it was nice. Grog sat next to Keyleth, who gazed around the room with an odd expression.

“You good?” he asked her once, his voice low under the sound of the piano. He knew that she still got down sometimes at stuff like this, but she nodded.

“Yeah, I’m…I’m okay.” Her voice was quiet but steady, and that was good. A giggle rose to her lips as Elaina made her way down the aisle, throwing rose petals into the air with admirable force, and Grog smiled, too.

The ceremony was… well, boring. The piano played for a long time and the room was hot, and it took a few instances of Keyleth elbowing him sharply in the ribs for Grog to stay awake through the whole thing. He perked up when Pike came out, giving her a thumbs-up as she stood at the front of the room and began talking. Taryon and Lawrence stood in front of her, smiling and clasping hands, and although Grog wasn’t really one for sappy stuff like this, he supposed it was nice. If you like that sort of thing.

Keyleth glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. “Are you crying?”

“No,” Grog lied.

When the ceremony finished, they finally got to eat. As the evening went on the music turned livelier, led by an enthusiastic Scanlan, and soon enough the room was full of people dancing. Grog was settled at a table, finishing off a leg of chicken and mug of ale, surveying the room. Tary was in one corner, deep in conversation with Lawrence and Vex- probably regaling his husband with exaggerated tales of his adventuring days. Percival was on the dance floor, swaying in fumbling circles as a laughing Elaina stood on his feet.

Keyleth was a few tables away. Her attention for most of the evening had been dominated by Freddie and Ursa, who adored their Aunt Keyleth. Grog watched as she leaned towards Ursa and cupped her hands, her red hair falling like a curtain over her face. With a flourish, she opened her hands wide to reveal the pink flower she had just crafted. The youngest de Rolo’s eyes grew wide as Keyleth laughed and tucked the flower behind her hair.

“Enjoying yourself, Grog?”

Grog looked up to see Vex approaching with a warm smile. She collapsed in the chair next to Grog and sighed. “I’m tired. Isn’t that weird? Who knew a wedding could be so exhausting?” She slipped her feet out of her heels and tucked them under her dress, reaching across the table as she did so to steal a sip of Grog’s ale.

“Hey!”

Vex slapped his hand away when he tried to grab his ale back. “You’ve had plenty! What are you doing over here by yourself, anyway?” Her sharp eyes swept around the room until they landed where Grog’s gaze had been moments before. A small smile spread across her face.

“So, you’re here with Keyleth?”

“Yeah,” Grog replied, not thinking much of the question until he noticed the way Vex was looking at him. “What?”

“I mean… you’re here with Keyleth?” she pressed, raising an eyebrow.

Oh.

“S’not like that,” Grog stammered, “I’m here with Keyleth. Like I’m here with you. And Pike. And Tary.”

Vex grinned mischievously. “I’ve never seen you stare at Tary like that.”

Grog scoffed, shaking his head vigorously. “Come on. It’s Keyleth.”

“So?”

“So…it’s Keyleth.” It was obvious, wasn’t it? “I mean, I like to talk to her. And she’s fun. We fight good together. And, okay, she’s pretty-” Vex laughed at that, and Grog hurried on. “But even if I wanted to- and I’m not saying I do- it’s Keyleth.”

Vex was still smiling, but her eyes had softened and grown a bit distant. She was quiet for a moment, and then in a soft voice said, “He loved both of you, you know.”

Grog didn’t say anything in response, and Vex continued. “He was always so good at that, at loving people. I don’t know how he managed sometimes, but he did.” Her eyes flickered across the room again.

“He asked me once why I eloped. I’m not certain he completely understood...but he accepted it, in the end. He just wanted me to find happiness, and he was glad that I did. So if two people he loved were able to be happy together… I think he’d like that.”

A soft silence settled over the pair for a moment, until Vex stretched and stood up again. “Think about it, darling,” she said, before heading out to the dance floor. She approached Percy and Elaina with a curtsy, then cut in, twirling her daughter across the floor as Percy watched with a fond smile.

Thinking wasn’t usually Grog’s greatest skill, but he sat there and thought. If he was being honest...yes, of course he liked Keyleth. Maybe even more than liked her. And they’d been spending a lot of time together. But he wasn’t sure how she felt about anything more than that, and the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her.

At Keyleth’s table, the late night was finally starting to affect the younger guests. Ursa had fallen asleep in her chair, Keyleth’s flower still tucked behind her ear, and Freddie looked about to follow. Keyleth’s attention was on the stage, where Scanlan was pulling a laughing Pike up to sing with him. She listened to the music with a wistful expression, and when she caught Grog’s eye she smiled.

Grog wasn’t great at thinking, so he stopped thinking and approached Keyleth. He bowed ceremoniously and held out a hand. “Lady Keyleth.”

She smiled wryly. “Grand Poobah.”

“Would you… care to dance?”

A contemplative look crossed her face. “I’m not actually a very good dancer.”

Grog shrugged. “S’okay. Neither am I.” Keyleth laughed and took his hand.

Keyleth had always loved the woods. It was peaceful here; not too quiet or too loud, a delicate balance between wilderness and comfort. She came to places like this a lot to be alone.

She wasn’t alone today.

Grog walked alongside her. They weren’t going anywhere in particular. They were just walking and talking, enjoying the day and each other’s company. There was no particular path to follow, and every now and then Keyleth would shift into her Minxy form and climb through the trees as Grog clambered below.

The shifts between conversation and silence were easy and natural, and everything felt okay. It felt more than okay. It felt good, and Keyleth was happy. There was still the ghost of guilt that flitted through her heart every now and then. It didn’t make sense, but it was there.

Keyleth watched Grog walk ahead, his eye caught by some bright flowers, and sighed. She closed her eyes, wondering what Vax would have to say about all of this. She couldn’t know. She wasn’t good at putting her feelings into words the way he had been. While it was true she’d always known there would be a time after Vax, she had never pictured another person, not like this. She could never have guessed Grog.

But it felt right. And while she didn't know what Vax would say, she could guess. He would tell her to stop being so hard on herself. He would tell her to trust herself, and to let herself be happy.

Keyleth let out a deep breath, opening her eyes and looking up at the sky. A flock of birds were flying through the clouds above, their silhouettes dark against the horizon. A feeling of warmth blossomed in Keyleth’s chest, and for the first time in a long time she felt certain about something.

Grog returned with a handful of daffodils and a playful smile. When he bashfully offered them to Keyleth, she rose on her tiptoes and kissed him full on the mouth. The kiss lasted only a moment before she pulled away, just a fraction of an inch, to gauge his reaction. He hesitated for one brief second, then leaned forward into another kiss. This one was deeper, and longer, and Keyleth wrapped her arms around Grog as his hands ran through her hair.

Their day together was far from over. Eventually they would break away, and they would continue their walk. And Keyleth was happy, because she was in an after, but she wasn’t at the end.

[queen-scribbles]

Stars Rewritten AU

Here we go, headcanons for the Adi-verse where Heodan survives. Everything’s behind the cut, since it won’t let me do one in the middle of bullet points(BOO) and this baby is long.

They’re originally just planning to stick together until they reach Gilded Vale and go their own ways, but with how messed up everything is there, that plan gets scrapped very quickly. It’s sketchy and they don’t know who to trust, so they wind up sticking together “just a little longer”.

Only thing that changes about joining up with Aloth is the fight with the drunks is over faster, and there being three of them means there is bed sharing bc they can’t afford a room with a bed for each of them. Adi and Heodan share bc this is a wish fulfillment au they know each other better.

When the Watcher dream starts, she kicks him in the chest twice and narrowly misses clocking him in the jaw. He, of course, tries to wake her up and can’t. She snaps awake just as he’s really starting to worry and feels v guilty for hurting him(especially since he still has a healing injury from the Cilant Lîs ruins), which he brushes off, promising it’s not that bad.

After Adi “talks” to Caldera and has her advice to head for Caed Nua, she asks Heodan if he wants to come with her(promising not to punch him any more in her sleep, which makes him laugh). He agrees, since he doesn’t have any reason to stick around Gilded Vale--no business prospects, unfriendly neighbors, she’s much better company, take your pick--and Caed Nua sounds like a place where they might find the fresh start they’re looking for.

Of course things don’t turn out all sunshine and roses, bc why should life be easy? After Maerwald’s dead and the Steward declares Adi the Lady of Caed Nua, she offers to let Heodan set up shop at the keep, so he doesn’t have to wander so much. Things need to be fixed up first, obviously, but he’d be safer here and knows the lady in charge.

He accepts. This is promising location, she has a good point about knowing the person in charge(knows she’ll be fair).... It’s actually going to be a pretty advantageous arrangement, once the keep’s fixed up some.

While they’re waiting to get things fixed up, however, he also accepts when she asks if he wants to come to Defiance Bay with her. He doesn’t have anything better to do, and getting an idea of how things stand in the city is a good idea.

That’s how it starts; him going pretty much everywhere with her. It’s not really a conscious choice on either of their parts so much as Adi goes  “Hey, Heodan, wanna come do ____ with me?” and he says “Sure”. They enjoy each other’s company and one more person to watch your back never hurts, and he’d be underfoot for the work crews if he stayed at the keep..... Why would there be any deeper meaning than that?

Before a month is out, it’s just assumed he’s going with her. The threat of bandits and other dangers means security-enhancing repairs come first, so the craft hall’s construction keeps getting bumped. “Heodan, wanna come with me?” has turned into “We’re leaving in the morning” with the unspoken expectation he’s coming. He never corrects her. He likes going along.

It’s around Teir Nowneth/Brackenbury (my usual order is Teir Nowneth -> Brackenbury ->Dyrford, it’s like how I always do the treaties in the same order for DAO) that the two of them start paying above average care to each other in combat, and roughly the first jaunt to Stalwart(2-2.5 months in) that they start prioritizing threats to each other over other opponents. They don’t notice what they’re doing until Edér makes a joke about it. 

Dyrford + associated quests came between the halves of tWM, so there are some latent--if unacknowledged--feelings beyond Adi’s (ever-growing) crush when she slips jumping the gap for the back way into Clîaban Rilag and Heodan wrenches his shoulder really bad catching her so she doesn’t plummet to her death.

He just reacted, and that 18(to 21, depending on resting bonus) dex meant he was fast enough to catch her and he’s glad and he doesn’t care that his shoulder hurts because she’s okay and no, Edér, stop grinning like that, it doesn’t Mean Anything, that’s ridiculous. When Adi tries to apologize, he waves it off as paying her back for helping him that first escape into the ruins after the Glanfathan attack.

Sagani’s the one who does the adventure that rewards with the Lovers’ Light rings, and she kinda tosses them to Adi with a smirk and a “Here Watcher, you can find a use for these, right?” *wink wink nudge nudge* It takes a bit of studying to figure out how they work, but once she does, Adi wears the copper one and gives the silver one to Heodan. She does explain to him that they’re enchanted so the wearers can tell if the other is hurt and give some of their essence by squeezing the jewel to help if they want. She’s mostly thinking so she can help him if--gods forbid--he gets hurt in a fight. He’s more front line than she is, after all. Even if he is usually backstabbing people as opposed to Edér’s facing people head-on. (So I’m basically headcanoning that they work like Vox Machina’s “medic alert” necklaces or whatever they called them that they got after Tary joined, with the option to sacrifice your health to stabilize the other person)

Heodan’s not as adventurous as Adi but keeps tagging along on these trips of hers. “I’d be bored and underfoot back at the keep with nothing to do” is his explanation. “Once there’s a building for my shop and I have that to stock and take care of, then you’ll lose me.” (it’s almost a running joke between them by this point--how one or the other keeps finding excuses to prolong his adventuring. Neither really dwells on why they keep doing that.)

She actually ‘loses’ him sooner than that. On the way back from Dyrford Adi decides to (finally) investigate Fyrga’s vision, figuring she can then report back to Fyrga and Lady Webb in one trip. Whatever she was thinking this vision implied, a temperamental, possessive dragon is so not what she was expecting to find.

Despite Adi’s best efforts to defuse the situation and just walk away, the dragon’s not having it and attacks them. They’re actually doing pretty well handling the dragon and its xaurip underlings(first time I’ve ever been over-leveled for that fight lol), but the last remaining xaurip gets in a really good hit on Adi before she kills it via grimoire slam. Thanks to both her cry of pain and how much damage she’s doing, the dragon zeroes in on her.

She has pretty good reflexes, but you can’t dodge and cast at the same time, and ofc she has blood from the xaurip’s parting blow running down her arm, so it’s only a matter of time before it catches her. (She’s largely worried that catching her will also catch Aloth, since they’re both hanging back in roughly the same area, and she really doesn’t want one of her friends getting hurt bc of proximity to her)

Between seeing her predicament and feeling through the ring how badly she’s hurt, Heodan takes a pair of very big risks right together: squeezes the jewel in his ring to heal Adi(he’s standing closer to the paladin, besides, with an enemy that can fly, best to keep those who do ranged damage in good shape, right?) and rakes his stiletto along as much of the dragon’s tail and leg as he can reach, hoping to distract it.

Both of these work a little too well; leaving him hurt and dazed when the dragon wheels around and takes a swipe at him. He doesn’t move fast enough to dodge completely, and the dragon’s claws catch his shoulder and the side of his neck and rake in almost to the center of his chest (how the claws didn’t catch an artery and just kill him outright is a miracle straight from the gods and me *cough*).

Now truly freaked out as she watches him just crumple, bc she knows what he did, Adi pops off a Call to Slumber spell(since Unconscious is not one of Cail’s resistances, suck it, loser). This gives them a serious edge bc now the dragon is unconscious and on the ground where everyone can reach. They finish it off rather quickly(Pallegina gets the killing blow), and then can worry about the unconscious and badly bleeding rogue.

Adi tries to help by squeezing the jewel in her ring right back, but apparently the enchantment needs time to “recharge” between activations and it doesn’t do anything. So they have to patch Heodan up through conventional methods as best they can and Adi decides they should take him to Caed Nua since she has a couple very skilled healers on staff in case any of the workmen get hurt while making repairs. Pallegina cautions that between the extent of his injuries and the... mediocre at best healing skills among their group, he might not even make it that far.

Cue Adi being worried sick and checking on him every half hour max the entire day-ish it takes to reach Caed Nua. She doesn’t sleep the night they have to make camp, instead sitting up and watching Heodan breathe to make sure he keeps doing it. Every so often she squeezes the jewel in her ring, but it never does anything(she starts wondering how long the damn thing needs to recharge[answer: a day, because if I’m giving her a hella powerful magical artifact, there has to be some kind of catch to it]). 

Despite Pallegina’s concerns, Heodan does hang on long enough to get him to the more skillful healers at Caed Nua. (In a twist of something like irony, the work crews were just getting ready to start building the craft hall) Adi hangs around anxiously in the corner while the healers get him properly patched up. They’re honest with her--he’s not in good shape (aside from the shredding damage and blood loss from the dragon’s claws, the initial blow broke his collarbone and a couple ribs), it could go either way, they can’t make any promises.

Between worrying so much she can barely breathe and feeling guilty he got hurt protecting her, Adi wants to stay at Caed Nua until she knows Heodan is out of the woods. But it’s not to be.The second night at Caed Nua, sleeping on the floor of his room(basically passed out from exhaustion; she hasn’t slept since the dragon fight), she dreams about the Eyeless.

This is clearly a major and pressing threat. So, reluctant as she is to leave with Heodan in such bad shape, she gives her friends another couple days to rest and get together supplies they’ll need before they head out.

She’s personally hoping that Heodan will at least wake up--even if just for a few seconds--in the interim, but it’s not to be. So she makes the healers swear to send word if there are any major changes, good or bad, before setting off back to Stalwart.

Adi and Co spend the next two weeks running all over the White March dealing with first some smaller scale problems--like the Battery cannons--then the Iron Flail, and then the Eyeless. No news comes Caed Nua the entire time. Not sure if this is good or bad, she books it back home after finishing in Stalwart.

Heodan’s actually awake when they get there, has been for about a week. The healers wrote her but something must have happened to the letter bc she never got it.

Adi gives him the most enthusiastic hug she dares considering, y’know, broken collarbone and all. She’s relieved beyond words that he pulled through.  She decides to hang around the keep for a couple weeks, surprising absolutely no one, spend some time with him until she’s 100% sure he’s out of the woods. Once the craft hall is finished, she helps with getting that all stocked and ready for when Heodan’s recovered enough to start running it.

Finally, though, she has to go back to work. Starts with Kana’s quest and probably the Battle of Yenwood, maybe Raedric round 2, then it’s just hunting down bounties,short trips that give her an excuse to come back and make sure he’s still alright. (By this point, Edér and Sagani have money on which will come first; Adi confessing her feelings or Heodan figuring them out bc the girl is not as subtle as she thinks she is) But Adi definitely knows the Leaden Key are up to something sketchy by now, and she can’t leave things alone forever. So she heads for Defiance Bay to tell Lady Webb what she found in Clîaban Rilag. While she’s there, she hears a rumor about a group of bandits planning to attack Caed Nua, so puts the animancy hearing on hold to go back and deal with that. The fight is actually rather grueling--this group was better prepared than she expected--so they take a couple days to rest before heading back to the city. (This is where Let It Snow would fit)

Between nerve damage and the way his collarbone heals, Heodan’s arm doesn’t “heal” all the way; stays kind of stiff, which puts an end to his adventuring. He’s no good in a fight anymore, and with the craft hall done, it’s better he focus on that anyway. Being a merchant is what he came to the Dyrwood for in the first place, after all. He’s happy for Adi(and her friends) to be his primary customer(s), but this is for the best.

Adi drops in to say hi every time she’s back at Caed Nua, without fail. This starts during the end of the bounty hunting spree that he’s recovered enough she’s visiting him in His Shop rather than the infirmary, and after  that it’s always the first place she goes when they come back. Still doesn’t say anything about her feelings. Life is too crazy right now, she doesn’t feel like it would be fair to him. (also, there’s a small part of her that’s afraid of losing their friendship, him being the oasis of normal in the craziness of her life.And, look, either way things are going to change, whether he likes her or not. It would just be different kinds of awkward and she doesn’t need that in her life right now)

She finally caves, though, after the animancy hearings and the riots. She stops by the keep “To tell the Steward what happened before rumor get there” (Sure, Adi. The Steward’s the one whose emotions you’re worried about). She’s never quite sure why, later; maybe it’s just finally hit the breaking point of being too much to keep secret, maybe she was inspired by Aloth’s confession to be more honest, who knows? Whatever the reason, she feels compelled to tell Heodan before she follows Thaos to Twin Elms. Just completely spills her guts.

Turns out he knew, or at least suspected, months ago. Adi is a very heart on her sleeve, unsubtle person, it didn’t take a genius to figure out. Especially not with all that time Heodan had while he was recovering where all he could do was lay in bed and think. He didn’t say anything because he figured she had her reasons for keeping quiet and would tell him when she was ready. Also, the longer it took, the more he started to wonder if he’d read things wrong, which was another reason to keep his mouth shut; he didn’t want to make things awkward because he also valued her friendship.

But, you know, he does like her back. She’s kind and passionate and curious and a whole laundry list of other admirable qualities. This prompts Adi to reel off part of the list of reasons she likes him, and they agree to talk more after she gets back from stopping Thaos. There’s a goodbye kiss and then she’s off to save the world.

She’s uncharacteristically impatient to get through Twin Elms, a place she would normally want to spend hours exploring and talking to people and learning all they’re willing to share. Between her rush and her even better than usual mood, Kana actually asks her what’s going on when they settle in for the night at the Celestial Sapling. She’s only too happy to spill the beans. The Watcher dreams are really bad that night, she hardly gets any sleep, but she’s still in a relatively good mood come morning

Is actually really shaken by the revelation her Awakening is permanent. She puts on a brave face talking to Aloth about it, but she was really, really hoping there was a way to reverse this, whether convincing Thaos to undo it or some Engwithan ritual or whatever. Part of her wonders if it’s smart to stat a romantic relationship with someone knowing this is permanent. She saw what happened to Maerwald; she’s uncomfortable with the chance of making someone who loves her watch that happen to her. (When she admits that to Kana, he points out Maerwald had multiple personalities Awakened, some in direct conflict with each other, she only has one)

They win, they go home(Adi kept her promise to Galawain), Heodan is very relieved to see her. They’d been hearing rumors she’d as good as died and other things to that effect. There’s a very long hug involved, which only ends bc he’s kneeling on stone floor and that’s not very comfortable. :P Rather than join the rest of her friends and Caed Nua’s staff in celebrating her success, the two of them find somewhere quiet they can talk about Them.

There are, of course, concerns; her Watcher-ness and Awakened soul are the first ones Adi brings up, but there’s also difference in social standing, lifespan disparity between folk and orlans, the prejudice they’ll deal with given that it’s not just a mixed relationship but she’s an orlan. In the Dyrwood. Edér might be terribly bad, but, y’know, she’s been called ‘cat-fucker’ enough times she wants Heodan prepared if he really want this, wants her.

(he does)

In the end, they acknowledge there will be challenges, but decide they can handle anything together. They’ve always made a good team, if it took a dragon to change their dynamic before, what chance does petty gossip and name calling have?

They share a kiss--a good kiss--with the sunset, enjoy their moment of peace and quiet by cuddling and looking at the stars etc etc happy ending there ya go. ;)

The Deadfire headcanons will be a separate post bc boy HOWDY did this wind up longer than I expected.

[vethyourhalflingmother]

whenever you have free time: can you explain your opinions on what houses vox machina and the mighty nein are in? i 100% agree w gryffindor nott btw

I’d just like to start by clarifying that altho I do feel strongly about some of these opinions (& ive joked about them being unchangeable - which is not true, to be serious), that doesnt mean I don’t wanna hear y’all’s - do you agree w/ me on some & not the others? completely disagree? completely agree for different reasons? tell me (politely pls) & give me some of ur reasons! i think part of the intrigue of sorting our fav characters into hogwarts houses is that it tells us what we value in them & what traits of theirs stand out to us the most - and that subsequently makes it…. fairly subjective (also doesn’t help that the standards for each house are kind of……vague lol)

I expect all of ur essays on this v important question on my desk by 8 am monday morning

now onto answering the actual ask:

The Mighty Nein

Caleb - Ravenclaw; aside from the fact that he obviously values books & advancement of his own magical knowledge, he also seems to think through important decisions in a logical manner (ex. he spent a lot of time thinking about whether he & nott should stay w/ the rest of the mighty nein)

Fjord - Ravenclaw; again, besides the obvious, his interest in studying at the Soltryce Academy, he’s also really observant & intent on learning from those around him, given all the questions he’s asked Caleb & the way he keeps an eye on Jester’s divine magic

Molly - Hufflepuff; altho initially i had some mixed feelings about this, after giving it some thought, im actually most convinced of this one: as many have pointed out, he’s shaping up to be the Mom Friend & taliesin also says he has a moral code that he sticks to - i think being steadfast in the way youre gonna put good into the world (& in how u treat the evils & injustices) is very Hufflepuff  

Yasha - Slytherin; though I say this tentatively bc we haven’t seen a lot of her yet - she doesn’t seem like a traditional slytherin in a highly ambitions sense, but she does seem like to stick to her guns & prioritise herself when necessary (“I run into the woods”)   

Beau - Gryffindor; she strikes me as fight first, ask questions later kinda gal & going in guns blazing seems very Gryffindor to me - in addition, she also saved nott from that manticore, which struck me as reckless bravery consistent w/ gryffindors

Nott - Gryffindor; i spent some time thinking about this one after @matt-the-blind-cinnamon-roll gave some of their reasons for slotting nott as a hufflepuff - ultimately, I think nott’s a gryffindor despite the fact that she doesn’t consider herself brave is bc her actions speak louder than her words (“I cover Caleb’s body with my own” & “I kill the baby manticore”); the willingness to put urself at risk for the people u care about over and over even at ur own expense strikes me as a gryffindor trait (for better or worse, I might add - see my thoughts on Vax’ildammit)

Jester - look I……………………………..honestly don’t fuckin know. Hufflepuff? Slytherin? Idk ask me again in fifty episodes

Vox Machina

Percy - Ravenclaw; initially i had percy as a Slytherin but i think once he got over the whole demon revenge thing he actually turned out to be pretty Ravenclaw - I mean, he does invent things, and he’s not interested at all in being in charge of Whitestone (also what kind of fuckin nerd learns Celestial for the fun of it lmao)

Vex - Slytherin; Lady Vex’ahlia, Baroness of the Third House of Whitestone and Grand Mistress of the Grey Hunt - she cares about the title & the money & with very good reason, i think - her ability to obtain what she wants & persevere through the tough times puts her in Slytherin (also - with trinket’s origin story - i think it takes some real fucking grit & confidence to dig urself out of that kind of situation on ur own)

Vax - Gryffindor; this one is a lot to unpack. @swiftbell & i have been arguing about this one on & off for awhile; she thinks Vax is a Hufflepuff (& she has good reason to). there’s a lot of debate about whether hogwarts house are based on who u are vs who u want to be/strive to be & while i think arguments based on the latter r fine, i tend to base mine on the former in this list bc its easier to see actions than try to parse out thought

so that being said, i think Vax is a gryffindor bc while he cares deeply about his found family, he doesn’t exactly place a high price on his own safety; he goes in first, he goes in stupidly, he almost gets himself killed a lot - that kind of drive toward self sacrifice, to me, falls under the reckless bravery of a gryffindor

(as I said to steph: a hufflepuff would die for their loved ones if they absolutely had to, but a gryffindor tends to look at it as one of their first choices - also vax reminds me a lot of sirius black but im gonna stop right here to avoid turning this post into a vax character analysis)

Grog - Gryffindor; grog doesn’t do much thinking, he just does (& im not saying all gryffindors don’t think - obviously many do (@ hermione granger)- but i do they’re the types of people most prone to falling into the trap of not thinking things thru) it’s almost like the opposite of vax’s problem except we’re not talking about vax anymore bc this isnt a vax character study

Keyleth - Gryffindor; i feel like im beating a dead horse here but kiki also doesn’t always think things through & is very prone to action; the difference between her brand of gryffindor as opposed to vax’s & grog’s is that her outcomes are a little more mixed bag

Pike - Hufflepuff; i think pike is a hufflepuff for a lot of the same reasons i think molly is… which is a little surprising so just bear with me a second; she’s very devoted to Sarenrae, which sets up her (mostly) clear perspective of the world and how she should exist & treat people in it; she’s less of a mom friend (altho she still has some of those qualities), and she’s as loyal to her own causes as she is to Vox Machina; she also tends to be very kind & fun-loving w/out being a pushover

Scanlan - im a huge fan of scanlan, which probably means i should have some momentous opinion here…………….but I don’t, I really don’t know - i think once i get to some key points in scanlan’s character development (which i think are coming up in the next like 15 episodes or something), i’ll have a clearer thought

Tiberius - im not sure i remember tiberius well enough to make a full judgment, but I would say Ravenclaw probably if i had to bc of his constant interest in intelligence & learning to be a better sorcerer

Tary - ive heard of him but i dont know him yet so tbd  

[tiamat-zx]

A Light to Follow in the Darkness (My contribution to the 100th episode celebration of Critical Role)

Synopsis: Keyleth and Vax’ildan find comfort amidst the chaos of the fall of Emon. Set during Episode 42, “Dangerous Dealings”.

Notes: I decided to take the portion of Episode 42 from “Birds of a Feather” and decided to expand on it. This was, of course, inspired by a very popular piece by Wendy Sullivan Green, aka @WendyDoodles on Twitter. “Because she is the sunlight”, indeed.

This is also my contribution for the 100th episode celebration of Critical Role.

This is a first draft, so there is still time to make changes to this before Thursday, assuming that changes need to be made. Please let me know what you think of it.

Enjoy!

It was nighttime in Greyskull Keep, what survivors that remained from the attack on Emon resting as best they could before they would eventually be sent to Whitestone. It wouldn’t be easy due to the cruel reality that was placed upon them, with a gargantuan red dragon claiming the city as its domain. And what’s worse, there were three other dragons out there, no doubt laying claim to so many other cities and destroying so many lives.

The mere thought of being powerless and unable to face them shook Vax’ildan to the core as he was preparing for bed, pacing back and forth in his room. Everything had gotten extremely complicated ever since the party returned from Whitestone. Not only did they manage to have their names cleared of wrongdoing, but also they had to hunt down a traitor to the council. And even after that, after raiding Krieg’s old home, he found himself doubting his place amongst the group, especially after he and Grog had such a huge argument.

And then Uriel announced his resignation from the position of Sovereign, during which the dragons attacked. Three ancient wyrms—one black, one white, one green—led by a fourth, a gargantuan red. As if that weren’t enough, after surviving the assault of the white dragon yesterday, Allura revealed what he had feared: the red dragon, Thordak, was the one who killed his and Vexahlia’s mother years ago.

The party went into the city to look for survivors and managed to do so by finding Uriel’s family, Sherri, and Gilmore, the latter of whom was on death’s door. Vax especially felt such deep guilt over seeing his dear friend in such a state, especially after their previous conversation in the speakeasy after dealing with Daxio where he told the glorious shopkeeper that he was in love with Keyleth while not mentioning her name. He nearly died protecting Uriel’s family. Vax wished that he was there by his side to the very end, to make up for breaking his heart.

No, Vax told himself, you would’ve died as well. If you died, what would have happened to Vex and the others?

Vax sighed heavily. He felt useless about everything that was happening around him. And then there was the issue of the Clasp now being their enemies. As far as he was concerned, even with the temptation of having information provided to them, the Clasp could kindly fuck off. After he was forced to join to protect his sister, and after their previous dealings with them, an alliance was not worth it. He knew how they operated; there was no guarantee that they would be completely true to their word. And even if they were, there was still the very real possibility of betrayal as soon as the terms were settled.

A part of him at the time felt relieved when Keyleth shared her concerns about the proposed alliance. That support only further reminded him of how much in love he was with her. However, he reminded himself to give her space and let her choose for herself. After the blunder he had made in Whitestone of kissing her while delirious, he made sure to be much more mindful of her boundaries. He was also thankful of the new mark she had left on his back where the Clasp tattoo once was. He looked behind him at his reflection and saw it there: a gnarled handprint just below the shoulder. Gnarled yet still beautiful, much like the person who gave it to him.

Sighing, he decided to step out of his room and go check on the refugees before turning in. He especially wanted to check in with Pike about how Gilmore was doing. So he headed downstairs to where they were all gathered. Within a minute of two he could make out the familiar white locks of Pike Trickfoot, out of her armor and conversing with Shaun Gilmore as he lay on a makeshift cot, his robes still damaged from when he had fought Thordak.

“Pike?”

Pike looked towards where Vax was standing, then she turned to Gilmore who nodded at her. She then nodded back as she walked over to where Vax waited for her.

“Hey, Vax. What are you doing down here? Shouldn’t you be resting?”

Vax shrugged. “I could say the same thing about you, Pickle. Uh, how’s Gilmore?”

Pike looked back to where Gilmore lay on the cot, the shopkeeper now resting peacefully and asleep.

“He’s doing much better now. He still needs a few days or so before he’s feeling like his old self.”

“I see,” Vax replied. He then let out a deep sigh and said, “I should probably leave him in your care going forward. I... don’t think he’d want me around.”

“Why?” she asked. “The two of you are pretty close.”

“Well,” Vax said to her, “when we last spoke after fighting Daxio... I told him something. Namely, that the two of us can’t exactly ‘do the dance’ anymore.”

Pike hesitated and then she nodded in understanding. “Go on.”

“The thing is... I’ve fallen in love with someone else, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell him who. I... I just...”

“Is it Keyleth?” Pike asked him bluntly, which stopped Vax in his tracks.

“How did you know?”

Pike shrugged. “Well, you weren’t exactly being subtle around her based on what Vex told me. I hear you kissed her out of the blue.”

Vax groaned. “Damn you, Vex’ahlia... Always trying to make me uncomfortable.”

Pike let out a soft giggle at his expense. “Isn’t that what sisters are supposed to do?”

Vax said nothing as he had no way of refuting that point.

“Does Keyleth know yet?”

Vax nodded. “She does. But... I’m not even sure if she feels the same way. I did tell her that I’d wait for her to choose. And I don’t intend to force myself on her. It just wouldn’t be right.”

Pike nodded and paused for a moment, thinking about something. If nothing else, Pike was an amazing woman in her own right for someone so small in stature. Vax always found himself in awe of her kindness and her power. It was those facets of herself that started to inspire Vax into following in her footsteps. And, gods willing, one day he would do just that.

“Well, I’m not sure what to say about that,” Pike admitted. “But I do know that we’re dealing with so much on our plates at this very moment. Have you figured out what our next move is?”

“We’re thinking of going to Vasselheim, to recruit the Slayer’s Take into assisting us. Unlike the Clasp, we can trust them.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Pike agreed. “Maybe you could convince the Platinum Sanctuary for aid as well. I’m sure Lady Kima may be chomping at the bit for some action, too.”

Vax smiled at that. It’d been a while since they met the halfling paladin of Bahamut. If nothing else, her strength would indeed be a valuable asset. Besides, he knew that she should be informed of what happened to Allura after they parted ways in Emon, considering how close they were.

“Anyway,” Vax said to Pike, “I probably should try to get some sleep. Do take care of Gilmore for me, okay? And... please don’t mention what I said. I’m not sure how he’d take hearing it from someone else.”

“I understand,” Pike replied. “However, you have to promise me that you’ll smooth things over with him eventually.”

“I promise, Pike.”

Pike nodded at Vax’s answer. “Okay then. Please do try to get some sleep, Vax. Good night.”

“Good night.”

As Pike walked back into the room to check on more of the refugees, Vax started to make his way back upstairs feeling weary and exhausted. Tomorrow, they would send everyone else to Whitestone and then they could plan their next move. The Conclave had to be stopped, but they knew they couldn’t do the job by themselves. They needed allies. And Vasselheim seemed to be the perfect place to find some.

As Vax found himself in the hallway that contained the doors to their rooms, a part of him still felt anxious. He knew he wouldn’t be able to get to sleep that easily. He was still so very scared of what may still lay ahead for Vox Machina. So thus, he decided to seek someone out and he made a choice as he approached the door to his room... and passed by it altogether, making his way to another door. If anything, she’d be able to help him cope with what was happening.

At least, that was his hope.

Keyleth placed her circlet on the table as she leaned against the wall of her room clad in her nightgown, still shaken from the events of yesterday when the dragons attacked and just a few hours before. She could still recall the sheer amount of terror in the eyes of the people, and even in the eyes of her companions, when the Conclave descended. So many people had died, and now those who were left had a choice to either serve Thordak and live or resist and die. There were still many within the city that wanted to live to see another day, even if it was under the watchful eye of a great red wyrm. Therefore they pilfered every home they could find of riches and valuables, all for pleasing the Cinder King.

Sleep would not come easy for her, or for anyone inside the keep. It was rather tragic that less than three weeks ago, they had liberated Whitestone from the Briarwoods. The people cheered for their new heroes, something that Keyleth silently hated about herself. She never considered herself a hero due to the atrocities she had done both as an individual and as a part of Vox Machina. Many times in the past, she felt as if nothing she said truly mattered as long as the ends justified the means. It was that way of thinking that she couldn’t even begin to understand nor embrace.

And then, shortly after the Conclave attacked, they sought out the Clasp. And Percy — godsdamned Percival — wanted to strike an accord with them, asking for the aid of their vast intelligence network and for them to aid the citizens of Emon. And in exchange, they wanted entry into Vasselheim among other things. And while Percy and Scanlan were eager to make the deal, the rest of them voiced their disapproval. To Keyleth, it was not worth the cost. That, and Vasselheim itself already had trustworthy allies. And when Vax more or less stated that he wanted nothing to do with the Clasp, that was it. They became enemies.

She was so upset at Percy, especially since he was quick to pin the blame on her for the deal being refused. He had gone on and on about how she supposedly thought she was better than them. But she knew better. She knew that the deal was not worth the risk. And besides, there was no guarantee that the Clasp would truly honor their end of the bargain. After all, they could have just as easily killed them or presented them as offerings to Thordak just to save their own hides.

You always were my total opposite, Percy. I love you still, but I swear to Sarenrae, your attempts at being clever are going to get either you killed or all of us killed. It’s only a matter of time.

Keyleth sighed heavily. As far as she was concerned, she knew that an alliance with the Clasp would be horrible going forward. She tended to consider possible scenarios and how they would transpire in the future, many of which were very bad. This was one of them.

As she sat down at her desk, glancing at her alchemy book and resisting the urge to pore through it, her thoughts wandered to her companions. They were all at the end of their rope, even Grog. This was nothing like what they had faced before regarding the Underdark and the Briarwoods. This was on the level of a world-ending disaster. And everyone was feeling the strain, especially after having fought over the githyanki skull. To think that they were so closely knit, only to nearly be torn apart at the seams due to the temptation of the power that the entity within claimed to have. She silently thanked whomever would be listening that Allura was there to stop them from making another potential mistake.

“Hmph. I never thought I’d be thanking the gods for anything...“ Keyleth muttered to herself.

As she stood up and walked to her bed, she heard a soft knock on her door. Wondering who it was this late at night, she approached the door. For all she knew, it was Laina or Erwen coming to let her know about the remaining refugees and the needs they would require. She also considered that it could be someone completely different, such as one of their guards.

Keyleth opened the door slowly and cautiously, not sure as to who was out there... and her eyes widened a little upon seeing a familiar individual leaning against the wall, wearing little more than a common cloth black shirt and simple trousers. His shoulders were slumped, his brow was furrowed, and his eyes slowly looking up once he’d heard the door creak open.

Vax.

“Hi,” was all Keyleth could say as he stood there, unsure as to whatever else she could say.

“Hi,” Vax responded, and not without a quiver to his voice.

A small part of her was actually hoping that he would show up. For as long as she could remember, she often thought of the half-elf rogue in her dreams, long before he had confessed to her during the raid of Castle Whitestone. Since the confession a few weeks back, she had been utterly confused and more than a little afraid to talk to him about anything. The sudden dragon attack certainly didn’t help matters either, as she grew increasingly scared of Vax’s unusual behavior whenever Thordak was brought up, as out of all of them, Vax and Vex had been the most shaken by Thordak’s existence.

It was almost as if they considered this entire situation very personal.

Keyleth was about to speak again when Vax quickly asked her, “I don’t want to be alone tonight. Do you?”

The way he had said it sounded desperate and full of need. It was as if he was reading her mind. After all, she had said when they last had a meaningful conversation alone that she often thought of him as she fell asleep. She truly and deeply cared about him despite having told him that she was afraid.

“I haven’t been wanting to be alone most nights,” Keyleth admitted as she stepped away from the door.

Vax then let himself in as she closed the door. As she did so, Vax walked further into the room and simply stood there, his back to her.

“Vax... how are you?”

Still not turning to face her, he replied, “I feel like shit. In fact, that’s what everything we’ve been through lately feels like.”

Keyleth nodded to herself. “Yeah, I know. But... I’m glad you’re here. And I’m glad you’re still around.”

Vax finally turned around, and when he did, Keyleth could see tears falling down his face.

“Vax?”

The rogue’s head drooped low as he said, “I’m glad you are as well, Kiki. However, I didn’t come here to force your hand. I still mean what I said back at the Sun Tree.”

She nodded. “I know. And I thank you for that. Still, I’m glad that I don’t have to face the rest of this night by myself. After all, you’re here.”

Vax smiled a little at that. “What do you think? About this whole situation?”

Keyleth could only shake her head. “I don’t know. This is unlike anything we had faced before. We’re dealing with very powerful creatures that can easily kill us should they so please. I mean, you saw what the green one did, right? All those people died when it breathed on them. All I could think about was running away. I couldn’t... We couldn’t save any of them. Even those of the Fire Ashari were...”

She was shaking from seeing all those charred bodies amidst the wrecked village. To think that she was there not a month ago. It was so peaceful despite being close to a caldera. And now... it was gone.

Vax stepped forward and told her while looking into her eyes, “I know.”

Keyleth met his gaze and then, unable to hold back her tears, quickly pulled him into a tight embrace. “I’m scared, Vax. I’m so scared.”

Vax returned the embrace. “Same here. But at least I have Vex’ahlia. I have the others. And... I have you.”

Despite the overwhelming sadness filling her heart, Keyleth still found the capacity to smile at those words. “I feel the same way, Vax.”

Not sure of what else to do next, Keyleth motioned towards her bed. Vax nodded and they both lay atop it, pulling the covers over each other. Vax felt so warm, so full of life. In fact, she felt safe holding him in her arms. And she was sure that he felt the same way.

“This brings back memories,” Vax mentioned

“Of what?” Keyleth asked.

“When we couldn’t afford rooms for everyone back in the day. We used to bunk up and share rooms. Oftentimes, I found myself sharing a room with Vex. But... this feels much different.”

Keyleth smiled a little. “It does. Maybe it’s because of how much we... care about each other.”

She paused for a moment before asking, “Hey, Vax?”

“Yes?”

“Do you mind if I... kissed you?”

The sudden request seemingly left him at a loss for words. Granted, it was a rather bold request coming from her, but after having received her first from Kashaw and then a sudden kiss from him in Whitestone, she wanted to know what it felt like if she were the one to do so to begin with.

“Why?”

“I... I just want to know what it feels like,” she replied.

Vax was thinking things over, and then he gave a slow nod. “From you, Kiki? Certainly.”

She smiled at that. “You’re so silly, Vax. But... you’re also very kind.”

And with that, she braced herself and gently kissed him. It was a slow and steady kiss, but somehow it felt right for her to do this. A part of her knew that she couldn’t allow herself to fall in love with him due to her fear, but in this moment, she felt as if she could put that fear aside.

When she finally broke the kiss, she breathed heavily as did Vax.

“That... That was...” Vax said to her, his words faltering.

“Was that... good for you?” she asked nervously.

Vax smiled at her. “I don’t see how it could’ve been bad.”

Keyleth nodded in response. “Thanks. I was feeling really nervous about it. Anyway, we better get to sleep, don’t you think?”

“We should. Good night, Keyleth.”

She smiled as his eyes slowly closed and he fell asleep. “Good night, Vax’ildan.”

They then both fell into deep slumber, the two of them holding each other tightly in fear of losing the other. A new day would dawn for them tomorrow, one where they were uncertain as to what lay ahead, but for now, despite the chaos and sadness and misery, they found a brief moment of peace together in each others’ arms.

I do know you’re in love with me, Vax’ildan.

And... I love you, too.

[arkhamarchitecture]

we’re going to D&D hell

Alternate title: The Idiot Traveler’s Guide to the Nine Hells of Baator and the Blood War.

So we got plot dumped some info on the Nine Hells in Episode 90 and it’s possible that people didn’t catch all of it the first time through and we know there’s info Taliesin got off screen so that Matt didn’t have to info dump an entire essay straight into our brains (not that we wouldn’t have enjoyed it if he did). As somebody who has spent arguably too much time reading sourcebooks, I know quite a lot about D&D hell and I figured I’d share some knowledge with the portion of the playerbase who doesn’t play or even with the portion of the playerbase who just don’t accumulate tons upon tons of books like I do.

Before we go too far, I want to clarify where I’m getting my information. The only real information on the Nine Hells in 5e comes directly from the Dungeon Master’s Guide. However way back in 3.5e, there was an entire 200 page book about nothing but the Nine Hells called the Fiendish Codex Volume 2 (the first Volume was about Demons and the Abyss, I’ll get to that later).

All information I include here from 3.5e is subject to change and I will note it as such. I will also always use 5e information ahead of 3.5e information if I have it. For example, 5e has a different lord of the first layer, Zariel instead of Bel.

But let’s start with the basics:

So what are Devils? Devils are the ultimate Lawful Evil creatures. Supposedly (and this is 3.5e lore and extremely subject to change since Matt has his own world) they were originally Celestial creatures who were tasked with seeking out and punishing evil doers. Over time, they became corrupted and poisoned by such evil, but still saw it as their job. Asmodeus brokered a deal with the Celestial gods to have his own plane where they could punish evil doers so that they wouldn’t tarnish the Celestial realms with it. Unfortunately for the Celestials, the realm created, Baator, actually ran on those tortured souls and as such it was to the Devils benefit to have more and more, so they started deliberately corrupting mortals in order to punish them in death. The Celestials objected, but by then it was too late - the deal had been made and Asmodeus was the King of the Nine Hells.

As Matt mentioned, when someone dies who sold their soul to a Devil (and once they sell their soul, they may find their lives very short indeed) arrives in the Nine Hells as a Lemure (not a lemur, note the spelling when you Google it). A Lemure is most easily described as a Hell Maggot. They’re small, white, disgusting, and incredibly weak but they can potentially get much worse if left to their own devices.

You see, Devils have a strict hierarchy of species. Like Matt said, Lemures are at the bottom of that hierarchy, but then you have lesser Devils like Imps above them and it goes all the way up through the list to Pit Fiends. But Devils are never born as say, a Pit Fiend. You start out at the bottom and a higher ranked Devil can spend some of his own energy to promote you - literally changing your species into that of a higher ranked Devil. The Devil retains all his memories, though in changing forms, may end up changed into something smarter or dumber than before and this can be something of a clever way for a Devil to keep his subordinates in line. A Devil would find it hard to argue against being promoted, even if they were transforming from a clever and cunning Imp to a stronger but much stupider and more easily controlled Barbazu. 

Likewise, a Devil can be demoted, such as happened to our Pit Fiend friend who probably got shamed all the way back down to Lemure or Nupperibo. As a Pit Fiend, the only Devils above him that would have had the power to demote him would be the specific Archdevil he served or Asmodeus himself. So y’know, somebody important in Baator probably knows who Vox Machina is, though they may not care.

Now, Rakshasas are actually outside of the Devil hierarchy. They can be neither promoted nor demoted. Rakshasa are native to the Nine Hells and are considered Fiends but it aren’t specifically considered Devils.

Now let’s get into the real nitty gritty of Baator.

Layer One: Avernus

Avernus is the uppermost layer of the Nine Hells and is most people’s first stop on their tour. Avernus is, in 5e, ruled by Archduchess Zariel. Her advisor, Bel, is the ex-Lord she supplanted. I’m sure their working relationship is just wonderful. Avernus itself is a rocky shit hole with rivers of blood and clouds of insects. The entire layer is a battlefield for the Blood War when it pushes in close to Baator.

Tiamat also lives on Avernus and the souls of all dead evil dragons and her more humanoid worshipers go to her. That said, even if VM loitered around in Avernus for long enough, they probably wouldn’t run into their old pals, the Chroma Conclave. And even if they did, they’d just be lost souls. Dangerous I’m sure, but not in the same way they were when they were alive.

Layer Two: Dis

Hey, they really important one for our story! Dis consists almost entirely of one massive city - the Iron City - and is ruled by Dispater. Dispater is a deal maker and a tradesman, assuming you’re willing to offer up your soul for trade. He dwells in the Iron Tower in the heart of the city and VM would do well to leave him alone, assuming they get the chance. The 5e book makes no mention of the Iron Tower that Matt said he lived in, but the 3.5e book does and in that book, Dispater is described as paranoid and he keeps track of every single creature that comes and goes from his city, constantly on the look out for traitors.

Since Dis is our most likely destination, I’ll go ahead and list three neat places mentioned in the 3.5e book that Matt may or may not utilize. Oh and as a note - since the entire city is made of iron and this is hell, the majority of it is painfully hot to the touch.

The Garden of Delights - a beautiful paradise run by efreeti magic users. The entire place is a complex illusion designed to lull visitors into gradually becoming more and more corrupt. Failing that, the garden will simply kill them over time since all the food and drink are illusory

Mentiri - a prison built not to contain evil but to contain good. Mentiri has two wings. The first wing, the Bastille of Flesh, houses living creatures of good or even neutral such as paladins and mercenaries who somehow found their way into the Hells. All of these creatures are notably alive and are kept so for a reason. The prison guards set the prisoners against each other in twisted situations until they eventually become Lawful Evil themselves and in doing so, become property of Dispater if they die on his realm. Once they become evil, they are executed and Dispater collects the souls. The other wing is the Bastille of Souls, containing the souls of individuals who weren’t Lawful Evil but somehow ended up in Baator anyway. Some were stolen from the rightful heavens they belonged to but many of them are the souls of mortals killed in Baator who were trapped there. By default, dying in Baator doesn’t automatically mean your soul goes to Mentiri, but if it does somehow end up there, you can’t be raised until your soul is freed from it.

God Street - an unsubtly named region of the Iron City which contains a number of lesser Lawful Evil gods or demigods. These gods aren’t especially powerful compared to major gods but it’s the sort of place you’d find somebody like Vesh if she were Lawful Evil (I don’t know that she is).

Layer Three: Minauros

A nasty ass bog with acid rain and sinking cities. Minauros is ruled by Mammon, an extremely gross Devil who is actually so greedy that he’s one of the only Devils who will trade for things other than souls. Minauros has two major cities, one of which is actually called Minauros and is gradually sinking into the muck, constantly building on top of itself to try to stay out of the bog. 

The second city, Jangling Hiter, has a different solution - it’s also known as the City of Chains and it’s called such because the city is actually suspended on spiked chains and is hanging from the underside of Dis. This is sort of inherently illogical and is one of those things that if you think too hard about, you’ll drive yourself mad. The residents of Jangling Hiter actually are aware of how illogical it is and asking how it works is a surefire way to mark yourself as a victim. And if you’re wondering how bad being a victim in Jangling Hiter is, you should know that the 3.5e book also refers to it as Torture City.

Layer Four: Phlegethos

Phlegethos resembles the more classic Christian hell - magma and smoke and ash and a fortress of obsidian called Abryimoch. Phlegethos is ruled by a father/daughter duo named Archduke Belial and Archduchess Fierna. The pair of them get along uhhhh rather better than you’d necessarily want a father and daughter to get along, if you catch my drift and yes that’s D&D canon motherfuckers, I didn’t make that incest up. That’s... sort of the only notable thing about Phlelgethos, honestly.

Layer Five: Stygia

Stygia is a vast ocean full of icebergs and thunderstorms. One of those icebergs is more important than all of the others because it contains the actual Lord of Stygia, Levistus. Levistus is very much trapped in ice and cannot move but he telepathically rules his realm through his various servants. Levistus was locked in the iceberg by Asmodeus and Levistus is furious about it, but there’s fuckall he can do about it and Asmodeus has graciously allowed him to continue to be the Lord of Stygia so he hasn’t pushed his luck on the matter.

Layer Six: Malboge

Malbolge used to be ruled by a hag, interestingly enough. Hags aren’t devils but she was so powerful, that Asmodeus allowed her to rule the plane. He has since deposed her and replaced her with his succubus daughter, Glasya. Malbolge is a never ending slope. There is not a single point of flat ground anywhere - like one huge mountain without much in the way of ledges to rest on. Avalanches are extremely common, as might be expected, and Glasya resides in a fortress built into the side of the mountain.

In 3.5e, when the Hag Countess was deposed, Asmodeus actually turned her into the layer itself. As in, the layer was made of flesh and bone and the forests were made of hair and the tunnels under the ground were made of her bowels. It was fucking disgusting but 5e seems to have retconned this and thank god for that.

Layer Seven: Maladomini

Sort of another shitpit wasteland like Minauros, except Maladomini didn’t always look like that. The Lord of Maladomini is Archduke Baalzebul who was cursed by Asmodeus to have the lower body of a slug as punishment for attempting to usurp him. Maladomini has suffered right along with its lord and the once beautiful city he reigned over is now known as the Palace of Filth for good reason. The entire place is a trash heap of rotten flesh, literal shit, and other various forms of nasty garbage.

Layer Eight: Cania

The only place you’re gonna find in Baator that’s colder than Stygia is Cania. There’s not a drop of liquid water to be found and the cold wind cuts like knives. The Lord of Cania is Mephistopheles and despite being Asmodeus’ greatest enemy and the most likely person to overthrow him, Mephistopheles enjoys a reasonably friendly relationship with Asmodeus and in fact is a sort of bizarre godfather to Glasya. Devils are fucking weird, ya’ll.

Layer Nine: Nessus

Nessus is... pretty small, actually. It’s mostly a cracked, empty landscape filled with deep dark pits and one massive rift known as the Serpent’s Coil which, depending on which apocryphal story you subscribe to, was created when Asmodeus was hurled out of the heavens and made impact on Baator. Whether it was or wasn’t, Asmodeus makes his home in the citadel of Malsheem which juts out of said rift. Asmodeus is the ultimate Lord of the Nine Hells and every single creature in Baator is subservient to him. Anybody finding themselves in Nessus for any reason has made a very big mistake.

Right so, that’s the Nine Hells. But this post isn’t quite over! See, I mentioned something at the beginning of this post which I haven’t explained yet - the Blood War. This is the name for the ancient war between Devils and Demons.

See Demons and Devils hate each other. Like, a whole lot. Devils and Demons have been fighting the Blood War for as long as the two have existed. It’s really important to understand that Demons and Devils are not interchangeable. Avernus is a war zone because of the Blood War and every single Lord of a given layer of Hell is required to send troops to fight in the Blood War.

Demons outnumber Devils by a massive factor and the only reason the Devils haven’t been wiped out yet is because Demons are inherently disorganized and don’t subscribe much to “tactics.”

The only reason I really care to bring up Demons at all when VM is going to the Nine Hells is because of a minor pet peeve of mine:

Orthax is a demon, not a devil. He is not in the Nine Hells, he is in the Abyss.

I’m aware that Matt changes things around a lot and that what’s canon in the sourcebooks isn’t necessarily canon in Matt’s world. But Orthax has only ever been referred to as a demon and Matt did confirm this week that demons and devils are eternal enemies. We are not going to run into Orthax in Dis. Orthax is not going to team up with Hotis. Orthax would, at best (worst?), team up with Yenk, the very confused Goristro.

Aaaaand that’s been your tour of the Nine Hells of Baator, complete with pit stop at the Blood War. I of course would never, ever argue that you must be accurate to D&D canon when making art or writing fic (Changeling after all has fuckall basis in the actual Feywild). Please don’t take this as me trying to dictate what people do or don’t create in terms of fanworks. I only made this post as a guide to people might be able to expect from Vox Machina’s upcoming journey to D&D Hell.

Here’s to hoping they all come back alive.

[spicynbachili1]

Unknown Pleasures: 20% seasonal | Rock Paper Shotgun

Boo!

Haha, Halloween is very easy. Though I’ve by no means understood the principles when it falls on a weekday, and like all depressing British whingers I resent its bizarre enlargement from a number of hours of hiding from disagreeable infants into a whole sodding month of pumpkins and garbage horror. So with that in thoughts, let’s have a spooooky Unknown Pleasures!

Threatening however then being too British to really ‘trick’ anybody this week: barely interactive fiction, a multiplayer indie with precise gamers, and a stick on the moon.

Vox Machinae £19.49 / 20.99€ / $24.99, Early Entry

A mech shooter is such an apparent match for VR that I’m somewhat shocked we’re not inundated with them. Even should you accurately have little interest in VR although, Vox Machinae is value contemplating. It primarily does what you in all probability already assumed: gamers pilot completely different courses of mech (the distinction being their steadiness of mobility, firepower and armour – there aren’t any help roles), decide their lasers/rockets/cannons, and exit in groups to robo-kick every others’ computo-faces in. Though there’s bot help (which unusually I haven’t examined, as I used to be having loads of enjoyable with – ugh – people) it’s primarily multiplayer, and actually relatively spectacular. The sport modes are effective – occupy bases on the map, race to a randomly showing salvage spot and struggle over it. The degrees are very vertical due to inbuilt jet boosters, and the feeling of ponderous, weighty motion is already there. There’s even a devoted ramming mech, and the weapons and modular destruction of limbs and hardpoints put some previous entries within the style to disgrace (sorry Hawken. You weren’t a nasty recreation however you had been a nasty mech recreation).

The non-VR participant will cope effective, however that is an space that wants work. I couldn’t discover a record of keyboard instructions (although there are some respectably succinct tutorials that can type you out quick), nor discover out the that means of varied beeps and warnings. Extra severely, with out voice (as a result of go to hell) I had no method of speaking with different gamers in any respect, which was a disgrace as I’d have preferred to thank the right nearly-full server I discovered at 4am for a good time. Significantly the American man who I mistook for voice performing when the very first thing I heard was a delightfully droll “Name me Stella, ’trigger I obtained my groove again”.

LoveChoice 拣爱 £1.69 / 1.59€ / $1.99, Early Entry

Lovechoice 拣爱 (Chinese language for “(a backing refrain going ‘love! Alternative! Ah-aaaah!’)”) is by far the shortest recreation to outlive the brutal trials of UP. Will probably be over for you in a couple of minutes. Even a second playthrough will in all probability not outlive your contemplative sandwich. However it’s candy. It’s a heat, light micro-tale about relationship, whereby the same old aim of “unlock the puzzle field that’s some girl” is changed with “she type of likes you so it’ll nearly positively occur no matter you do”. The vital half will not be second-guessing the proper sequence of phrases to cross her exams, nor accumulating Seduced Factors to unlock A Girlfriend, however contemplating what it takes to kind a very good relationship.

Its classes are usually not revolutionary, however then elementary truths about how lovers intertwine seldom are. Vulnerable to spoiling (truthfully, in case your curiosity is piqued, skip to the following paragraph till you’ve performed it), I recognize that the subtext is a critique of our perspective to each video games and romance – the trail of the connection parallels your actions as a participant, and is dictated by not simply what the participant character says, however how a lot you assume and take as a right in regards to the recreation.

It’s tiny, so tiny, nevertheless it’s doing one thing completely different, and one other IF recreation – a courting one, no much less – tipping the scales of the style away from the sweating, lecherous mire it’s notorious for, and for that I believe it’s value recommending.

Ship Us The Moon: Fortuna £19.99 / 19.99€ / $19.99

At any time when one thing goes improper IN SPACE, the protagonist should clomp forwards and backwards fixing doorways and rebooting engines and getting the entry code from that man’s desk (which is infuriatingly bulletproof as a result of folks do it in actual life on a regular basis). And it’s in all probability aliens, and it’ll be closely foreshadowed instantly. Ship Us The Moon has each an fascinating premise and a real thriller. These dozy Earth folks have tousled the planet once more, this time by working out of gasoline, but in addition found a option to generate tonnes of unpolluted (I believe?) vitality from a helium isotope which occurs to be plentiful on That Moon. A colony is constructed, it smelts the helium or no matter and beams the vitality again to Earth through microwaves (theoretically doable – house nerds had been already bouncing the concept round once I was at school, however then EVE On-line got here alongside and distracted them so it by no means took off). However then it out of the blue stops, and Earth is hosed once more.

So, you and a few rogue astro-boffs have scraped collectively a rocket and launched a determined solo flight to the colony to search out out what occurred and repair it. I wouldn’t usually relate a plot in such element however Ship Us The Moon is one among only a few video games to make practical fashionable house shuttle stuff fascinating and approachable to me, and I’m actually curious to search out out what occurred as a result of it could possibly be something. It’s principally about floating in regards to the moonbase reducing cables, listening to audio logs, and changing gubbinses, and it’s not notably taxing. However it appears to be like good, has a good environment, and it’s all somewhat bit understated. I need to discover out what occurred, and for as soon as it appears like I’ll wind up serving to to repair it relatively than blundering right into a face-eating house mutant.

[John has extra ideas on the sport in his Ship Us The Moon: Fortuna overview. –Ed]

Neighbor £11.39 / 12.49€ / $14.99

The one recreation that truly matches the theme this week. Oops. Neighbor is a couple of girl who strikes right into a flat the place she’s continuously afraid and suspicious and laid low with ghostly sights and intrusive, threatening noises, and unable to go away due to extortionate rents, all of which her landlady coldly shrugs off. Much less a horror story than a barely beneath common week in any houseshare within the Southeast, then.

This too is a little bit of a file, for stretching the definition of “interactive” to its close to restrict – Neighbor is as passive because it will get, with nothing to do however click on for the following line, and never even the phantasm of selection that many visible novels current. However it does the job. Ghost tales are of virtually no curiosity to me, however this one’s financial narration and assured pacing had me intrigued all through, and very similar to Ship Us the Moon, I actually loved the supply of the clues and foreshadowing. It’s not tremendous scary, and positively not the boring startle-you-up most horror is, nor does it invoke a very sturdy dread. However I preferred the narratagonist’s perspective – she sees sufficient to be each be rightly scared and really feel silly and uncertain about being scared. She additionally acts remarkably rationally for a personality in a horror story, touchdown the tone extra in supernatural thriller than frightfest. Quite than mark herself as a madwoman by insisting that you simply have to belieeeve me, or creeping across the lair of the monster going “hellooo?” like a lemming with a vore fetish, she units about following up leads on the historical past of the flat and what might presumably have gone on there. She’s a fairly good cookie, and the consequence would possibly invoke the fury of the It’s Not A Sport militia, however should you like a basic thriller with only a little bit of a scare in, you should do nicely right here.

Reignfall £7.19 / eight.19€ / $ 9.99, Early Entry

Although technically a city builder, Reinfall’s constructing is all in help of elevating defences and armies to struggle incoming waves of monsters (which could technically make it a type of tower defence, nevertheless it didn’t really feel that method so I’m saving it from that condemnation). Putting homes and woodcutters and roads carries that delicate satisfaction of growth and enlargement, however there’s no actual administration to talk of moreover rising output by periodically upgrading a farm or plonking a market down by some homes to extend their gold output.

Defending them is the enjoyable bit, and regardless that it too is extra streamlined than a ‘pure’ manstab or RTS, you possibly can at any second take management of your Lord and run round proper alongside your militia and trusty knights. I’ve talked earlier than about what an enormous distinction this will make. Your items could also be nameless, however you’ll nonetheless rush over to rescure a lone peasant when he’s separated from the herd and cornered by skellies (and never simply because surviving ones accumulate stat boosts), and swinging your sword into two or three bandits directly, or simply distracting them for a little bit of crowd management makes an enormous distinction.

There are ranges to achieve and attributes to unlock too, bringing welcome replayability. I just like the artwork model, low tech although it could be, and I’m at all times up for a recreation that channels only a trace of Mount and Blade. And a punny title, too? Alert! Somebody is courting us.

Decide of the Week: Tough, tough resolution. I might nicely look again and need I’d gone for LoveChoice. However it’s going to Vox Machinae.

Early Entry or not, this can be a sturdy mech recreation, and with the suitable growth might have a protracted tail. The place most on-line video games that cross by means of the column are unattainable to guage for lack of gamers, I obtained into Vox instantly, had a grand previous time, and wished to maintain going. Mastering motion and the angles wanted to trace and intention, particularly vertically – assaults from above have a giant benefit since you’re proper there within the cockpit and have big blind spots due to your individual mech, simply correctly – supply that sensation even once you get shot down of getting tangibly higher by means of observe.

And but I additionally felt helpful, battling the large lads however quickly favouring a zippy bot with twin miniguns, harassing and distracting opponents with low, however fixed harm and stress. I notably respect the best way the ‘scope’ extends a feed from a high-zoom digicam, helpful however very tough and dangerous to make use of. This one deserves to take off, and should you’re into having video games sellotaped to your head, you’d be mad to cross it up.

Oh, proper, the theme factor. Uh… I vaaant to suck your blood, mwahaha, and so on.

from SpicyNBAChili.com http://spicymoviechili.spicynbachili.com/unknown-pleasures-20-seasonal-rock-paper-shotgun/