#marisha’s reaction in this is killing me

[empressofedge]

Bless 😭 I love behind the scenes

[criticalyasha]

C3E91 - 「 Are we kissing (feat. Laudna) 」

[thewholedamnboulangerie]

jester essek caleb astrid and eadwulf all in the same scene... this is like blorbo heroin to me

[luckthebard]

One of the most telling things to me about Laudna’s constantly pivoting reasoning for why the group should just let her (Delilah) absorb the sword, in terms of her arguments coming from an untenable place, is that she didn’t have a response when Orym pointed out that that blade killed him too.

And this point also seems to be getting lost in fandom reactions that are positioning Laudna as entirely in the right due to trauma. It killed her and is a trigger - it killed Orym and is a trigger for him too! That’s what the whole scene in the rain was depicting. One reaction is not more valid than the other, necessarily. But they have competing needs when it comes to dealing with the trauma trigger, which is what Marisha and Liam leaned into and committed to so well.

And that aside, Laudna’s logic really falls apart in the face of Imogen’s point that if it’s so hateful, why on earth would it be better for Laudna to have it be a literal part of her instead of seeing it wielded by a friend.

All this to say, I’m thrilled Marisha is pursuing the “Laudna being lured by/addicted to Delilah’s power” thing so strongly because it is a huge jolt to the narrative and creating some amazing scenes and juicy drama and delicious tension in Imogen and Laudna’s relationship. I just think people are missing the point of Marisha’s character work entirely if their takeaway from that scene is “everyone’s being mean to Laudna they should let her do whatever she wants even if it hurts her and others”.

[samcarter34]

Since people seem to once again be having trouble remembering the order of operations, let me just remind everyone:

The ability Laudna possesses to feed Delilah is Hunger of the Shadow. In the fight with Bor’dor, Laudna used that BEFORE Orym’s head nod. Bor’dor attacked them and her response was to do the thing she knew would give power to Delilah. Matt even makes the sound of Delilah’s heartbeat.

The spell she used after the head nod? Whither and Bloom. The same spell she later attacked Orym with, which isn’t even a warlock spell.

And speaking of the head nod, you want to know what’s it’s prefaced with? ‘Laudna you can do whatever you want.’ And Marisha responds by saying that Laudna is ‘barely present’ because she’s having ptsd flashbacks to all of the times something horrible happened to her and she couldn’t do anything about it. So she kills Bor’dor because it makes her feel in control of the situation.

And yeah, the 4SD where Liam says Orym thought Delilah might come back. Except y’all somehow took that and made it seem like he’s the one who shoved Laudna over the edge when what actually happened is that Laudna flung herself off it because betrayal is triggering to her.

And the sword. The sword which apparently wasn’t triggering enough that Imogen contemplating whether the Vanguard were good guys didn’t cause any reaction. Or for that matter, make her object to Ashton’s ‘this is permission statement.’ But she saw Orym wearing it, got uncomfortable and then all it took was one sentence from Delilah for her to decide to steal it. Delilah, who mutilated her, murdered her, has been possessing her for decades, and who basically held her soul hostage when BH wanted VM to resurrect Laudna. But what Delilah didn’t do? Tell Laudna to steal the sword.

I wasn’t around for campaign 1, but in campaign 2 I definitely noticed a trend that people who were all ‘I love women! Female characters rock!’ would, the second one of their alleged faves did something controversial (or just something they didn’t like) would find a way to shift the onus onto someone else so she could remain blameless. And that is definitely continuing this campaign, and if anything is getting worse (which, not to get into speculation, but I wonder if it’s because all of the female characters this go round are more traditionally feminine than last campaign.)

I think the reason Orym’s been getting raked across the coals so hard by certain parts of the fandom is actually because of this. Because Imogen’s repeatedly gone ‘what if the Vanguard have a point’ and Laudna agrees with everything she says, whereas Orym’s been pretty consistently ‘no, the murder cult that murdered my family are bad guys.’ And well, can’t go around admitting that our faves did something wrong.’

And so we have a situation where Laudna attacks Orym, but somehow that’s Orym’s fault because the possibility of Laudna doing something wrong ruins people’s lesbian cottegecore fantasy. But the thing is, that whole thing was all Laudna. She chose to listen to her first murderer when Delilah said ‘maybe it’s cursed’ and then she chose to blanket the room in magical darkness (sorcerer ability, not warlock) chose to cast an area of effect spell to destroy the thing Orym was using to sheath the sword (sorcerer spell, not warlock) and, upon hurting Orym, chose not to drop said darkness, which meant Orym couldn’t see who attacked him. And when she got caught, she tried to downplay what she did, tried to say that because she didn’t mean to hurt him it didn’t count, refused to apologize for actually hurting him, kept shifting her argument (and even low key got called out on it by Imogen when she asked Laudna why she’s want its power inside her if she thinks it’s so evil.)

There is an alternate universe where Laudna wakes Orym up and they have what probably would have been an intense discussion about the sword (and that might even have been what Marisha was aiming for before Delilah got involved) and THAT truly would have been the ‘both sides are equally right’ scenario, but that’s not what we got. And you can say Orym shouldn’t have taken the sword unilaterally (but somehow Laudna’s allowed to unilaterally steal and absorb it?) or that she’s being manipulated by Delilah, but the fact is that Laudna’s an adult and is responsible for her own decisions. Yes, Delilah is a powerful and malign presence that they all downplayed/ignored, but, to use Marisha’s addiction metaphor, making amends with those you’ve harmed is a part of recovery for a reason. Because ultimately, you are the one who did that. Yes, it does immensely suck for Laudna that she’s been handed the cards she has been, but it’s up to her to make the best play she can.

Wow this got long, but my overall point is that Laudna is a character with her own agency and makes her own decisions (well, Marisha makes them, but at this point y’all should know she’s not conflict averse and is willing to have her characters make controversial character choices). And really, take all that away, what’s left? How much onus can you take from a character before you might as well go look at a painting?

[towards-toramunda]

The cast is all on fucking fire this episode like Marisha is making me feel INSANE with Laudna, Ashley is just… the rage and anger and going to the matron ugh, Travis comforting fearne and then telling ASHTON TO LEAVE THE GROUP??? Taliesin going full introspection, and Sam making FCG THE therapist???? Calling out Ashton?????? Asking Ashton if they actually care about any of them?????????????

UGH they’re killing it so much (its making me miss liam more honestly because everyone’s killing it and we don’t get to see Orym’s reactions to it)

I loved Imogen and FCG being the two to stay behind and talk to Ashton at the top of the episode (it was giving southern parents energy with the accents ngl)

[cringefaecompilation]

Hey last anon back again…

I thought the whole essay was really well thought out and presented for sure! All the points you made hit home so I’m just going to expand on a few here for you:

There has always been that trend in fandoms to prop white male characters up on a pedestal and it’s never more apparent than when you compare a given fanbase’s reaction to a non-white man.

Because unfortunately the abysmal treatment of Marisha, Laura, and Ashley has become par for the course and having such a polarized reception to Bor’dor/Utkarsh especially was very stark for me. And were Dorian not the group’s “special little guy” to come in and bolster them after FCG’s death who knows what the reaction would have been.

The main cast are putting forth the effort to integrate a guest into the weekly table and making multiple demonstrative points to show that he is as much a part of Bells Hells as the rest of them. The least we can do as a fanbase is to engage with Dorian as his own person. And give Robbie the autonomy he deserves to make his story what he wants it to be.

oh boy, yeah. i saw the stark shift in fandom trend from "bor'dor, this man of color, is most comparable to a cute little puppy that follows around the rest of the white cast and doesn't bring too much attention to himself!" turn around to "he's an irredeemable demon! the evilest monster to ever walk upon the face of exandria and they should've desecrated his body after killing him!" instantly. shit was terrifying.

aaaaaaand since you brought it up i can add the bit i only alluded to in my post!

i mentioned the noble savage trope and how in some part it can contribute to men and boys of color being hypersexualized by white fans. and dorian, being the resident "hot boi" is usually only milled down to being... that. or people only talking about him when they're talking about him having sex with orym. or getting into arguments about how he should instead have sex with ashton. or dariax. because, of course, the only thing that matters is the romantic/sexual feelings of the white guy and getting their dick/pussy wet and not dorian's feelings.

now, robbie daymond cracking jokes about how hot dorian is and him wearing "slutty clothes" is different than that. again, he has the autonomy and he can damn well please talk about how hot his character is! his narrative telephone episode was about him playing a character who's sole personality trait was being sexy while the rest of his family was ugly! the same goes for the rest of the critical role cast who know him and only take the joke as far as robbie's comfortable with.

finding dorian attractive is not the problem. seeing him as only an object for a white character's (or a white audience's) sexual gratification is.

[revvethasmythh]

45 for the ask meme

(Also RIP your rib roast)

45. Ominous Lectures: Did your opinion on specific characters change over the course of the year? If so, how?

Honestly, the biggest opinion change for me this year was Laudna and not particularly for the better. I'd found her quite enjoyable as a character before, but something about the lack of cohesive backstory and her intense (sometimes confusingly so) reactions to plot developments this year really had me scratching my head and asking if her character made much sense at all. Because her reactions can be SO strong ("it's finally happened! Ashton has kidnapped Imogen!" and/or wanting to kill Ashton for "betraying" her) and it feels like there is not nearly enough background information for those intense responses to made sense. If I've watched the entire campaign and it's hard to puzzle out where these reactions are stemming from, then we have an issue. Yes, there are reasons if you dig into her backstory and listen specifically to what Marisha has said on 4sd, but in terms of what's been done ON the show itself, it doesn't feel like Laudna has enough history told for most of her reactions to make sense (also re: her suddenly talking about feeling hated by the gods, which had never come up before, and her sudden attachment to the titans during the Issylra plot especially compared to her convo w/Imogen in ep. 49 and her comments about the gods, which don't seem to follow at all the same lines of logic as she's using now)

[captainsspnanon]

C3E63 - reaction

FUN combat! Really pleased with the combats from this group, just been thoroughly entertaining and feel like they fly by! Interestingly though, this combat I kept thinking that I was seeing DM mistakes or player mistakes much more than usual. Didn't detract from my enjoyment, but took me a little by surprise.

Very fun moment with Marisha and Liam during the combat where she proposed he pull Hevestro out of the enemy with Seedling and he made a face at her because he'd already come up with the idea. XD

Poor barbarians and their wisdom saves XD

Wish we could have seen what the red orbs actually did. I think him reabsorbing one probably did heal, but it had to have been doing more than that, but they basically got sidelined.

Some Hishari lore! Finally! I'm actually very disappointed that this group has already finished and is returning back to the main grouping - this feels like it would have been the perfect time to make a detour for Ashton, especially because they Technically still had five days to do things (with possible who knows more from the failed teleport from team wildemount!). I'm not surprised that Matt had to massage the timeline a bit to make things work, but I'm also a bit disappointed by it. Especially especially because Taliesin has been showing interest in making storyline progress with the Hishari, having Ashton ask Abbidina and Hevestro about it. I hope more opportunities arise soon, but my guess is we're back on Main Plot track with the side journeys being finished.

Glad Matt specified that the Astral Sea wasn't just the sky/deep space.

I freely admit, I was one of the people who thought Bor'Dor was just who he said he was. I am very pleased to have been proven wrong! Utkarsh did a FANTASTIC job, and I see why they were pre-hyping the episode! Unlike Yu's about-face, this wasn't broadcasted to the audience at any point in time, so it felt like a true shock to the system.

Orym's little nod to Laudna! Laudna just completely losing control while feeling like she's in control! Delilah popping back in!

I fully agree with killing Bor'Dor. While the cast easily could have backed down and done a capture and talk scene, it felt right that it all boiled over and led to the finality of ending him.

I am FULL of feels! I'm very VERY excited to see how Laudna progresses from here, and also Orym now sort of shedding his hold on trying to be a Nice guy with throwing the locket away.

I wish we had another episode or two with the group. Even make it a little longer to allow for a Hishari detour, spend that extra time having team wildemount have to recover from the teleport!

Ah well. I'm still excited to see what happens next. IN TWO WEEKS AARGH.

EDIT: Oh! I forgot! I'm super confused with Bor'Dor's backstory though. The Menagerie Coast hates worship of the Wildmother??? What???

[stardustedknuckles]

Whatever that gas can said, Marisha's reaction is KILLING me lmao

[blorbologist]

Think im gonna liveblog my 115 reactions bc I think my friends are tired of me spamming crying cat emotes in the server :')

Had paused yesterday right when Percy stood up to the RQ, love that my arrogant bastard Resolved, got a 19 so a 22 and of course he still was frozen before a god's will.

'Freddie-' 'This isn’t about you!' Like hell it isn’t Percy vjvjvjvjvjg sure sure sure pretend it's just for Vex and Keyleth, but it's for you too, and for him. You called eachother brothers last night ;;,

'All who will come to love you and what you've done' oh fuck *off* like that's a fucking comfort. I love the RQ, Vax made a deal, but bitch that's one hell of a disconnect

Marisha’s face gonna mcFucking kill me, because Keyleth is going to SEE that hope over generations (and inevitably see it fade because memory is so fallible)

I love Vex and Scanlan trying to angle for more time. The two faces the liars the ones who feel most responsible (she died in that tomb and she took him instead the raven bitch,,,, he wishes he could Wish he wishes he wishes) just trying. They just need one more day. One more and the 9th level spell slot and and and she knows

[thequeenofmyownscreen]

Twenty-five things I noted about CR2E140 “Long May He Reign” :

oh buckle up kids it's going to be a long bumpy ride, but this episode deserves it

Marisha is wearing an ExU t-shirt and that makes me so happy

Yeah, ain't that the mood :

I love the transformation of Lucien the Neo-Somnovem abilities, instead of guilt, now Yasha is mind-transported into her worst nightmare : Zuala shouting "why did you leave me ??"

"Minus eyes" "Minus eyes", I love that it's becoming the phrase to shout.

CALEB IMAGINED THE GLAIVE THAT KILLED LUCIEN AND IT CAME TO LIFE. Ooooooh boy Liam is such a good player, he understood the possibility of what Matt was saying about the aether potential !

Veth screming with joy and lust when Fjord cast Marine Layer, what an episode, guys (he did warn her to "keep [her] clothes on")

Jester, using the power of imagination : "The giant pillar in front of [Lucien] turning into a giant dick covered in eggs, scrambled eggs. And I'm going to use it as a giant bludgeoning device to fall forward and smack him in the face !" Bonus Travis reaction : "That's my child's mother." Bonus Liam reaction : "I mean, in character to the end." Bonus Taliesin reaction : "This is how my parents said I'd die."

OOOOoooh interesting, the attacks on each of the eyes are useful to get rid of the eyes and : a) get rid of nasty effects (that 40+ points of necrotic damage every time Fastidan strikes is no joke !!) b) hurt Lucien in the process

you can also heal with the power of the mind !

Laura tried and tried, but alas, the dice gods were not with her. That's too bad, I would have wanted to see a Divine Intervention of the Traveler SO BAD

Travis utterly failing to sound persuasive towards Lucien with his story of the fruit basket in Zadash makes me laugh so much. Matt : "I'm on the cusp of giving you disadvantage for that one." Travis : "I'm on the cusp of agreeing !"

Ashley blowing her nose in the Socks Machina because she's crying after Jester got killed and she doesn't have any tissues around is the saddest thing I've seen on 3 campaigns of Critical Role (yet).

They were all so stressed !!! I'm appreciating Travis saying "Calm down, let's slow a few seconds" and prompting Sam to fill up the silence even more. CEO BRAIN !!

After Caduceus tried to Revivify Jester, but Matt left it in suspense, before revealing it worked... the instant relief and simultaneous freak-out of the cast, tag yourself, I'm Liam :

TWO NATURAL TWENTYS MARISHA RAY IS A GODDESS

"can we animate that ?" Travis got hit by the Appollo ball, and also no ! because he's got to know by now that everything the cast ever says will come true, right ?

Caleb got the same treatment Jester did by Lucien : unconscious, and then with one attack left he finished him on the spot.

Jester, basically : "I'm a cleric, but..." and she didn't wait for an answer before getting the HDYWTDT on Lucien !

You know it's a good D&D game when there's only silence, hysterics bouts of laughter, and then more silence, mouths open because everything that just happened was incredible.

my thoughts from this point on were... not very coherent : "Oh my god, they're doing it. They're trying to resurrect Molly (When I began this campaign, I knew that Taliesin's first character died and somehow… came back ?? The details were not was I was searching for, since I hate getting spoiled on a good story.) oH MY GOD A NATURAL ONE NOOOOOOOW ???? WHAT IS HAPPENING ? IS IT ALL A DREAM ?? ARE THEY ALL DEAD SINCE THE BEGINNING ??"

"It's just not fair" broke me

Beau : "We may be heroes that no one knows about. But we know."

the end... like, what the fuck. CADUCEUS ROLLED ANOTHER DIVINE INTERVENTION and THEY HAVE DONE IT THEY BROUGHT HIM BACK my heart was beating a hundred times a minute

"Someone call Burch, she's off the hook" I'M SCREAMING

And the Mighty were Nein

[aspiringsophrosyne]

Episode 6: Into Rimecleft

Fairly simple episode this time. Feels like it's been a while (been awhile) since the last show. So let's get right to it.

The Good.

Ah, Critical Role and dreams. Is there a better combo out there? Campaign 2 says: NEIN!

We get a nice little action scene to start things off. And we're really starting to build off the groundwork from the last episode, where Craven Edge, frustrated at the Fire Plane creatures' lack of blood, lurched in Pike's direction.

The implication was clear then. Here it's no longer a mere implication.

Getting to hear Ralph Ineson as Kevdak here for the first time is...Mm! A voice like rusted hinges, years of tobacco, and something dangerous awaiting the opportunity to strike. So good. The CRew really lucked out with their guest actors.

Speaking of which, Tony Plana acting as the second Sphinx is a wholly unique but equally joyful addition. While he's just as slow to warm to Vox Machina as Osysa, he brings a different energy that keeps things from getting repetitive. While she was lofty and dismissive, Kammie was more playful. Even when he doesn't see much in the group, his barbs don't cut as deep even before his moment with Scanlan.

I am a little sad we didn't see the whole thinking with portals puzzle from the original stream (which could've looked incredible in a visual medium) however...

Sam Riegel can strike the perfect balance between absolutely head-in-your-hands ridiculous and sincerely, heartbreakingly heartfelt. And it's a skill I have no shortage of envy for. You keep listening to Scanlan's song and expecting it to be too stupid to make you feel for the Sphinxes....but it never is. And that's just amazing. Still waiting for Seasons 2's OST to drop.

I do like the idea of a spell taking a significant amount of time to cast. It uses spells we've seen a million times to make for one hell of a nail-biter. And it's true to the game in some ways. While Plane Shift wasn't one of them, in-game, some spells take minutes, even hours. Or longer. And that can make things tense if you need every second to cast before something gets close enough to eat your face. 

The Grog Umbrasyl fight was hype. We got first blood drawn on a dragon, and as Marisha says in the watch-along, it'd been a hot minute since Grog got to flex. But you can also see really fast why this is a problem. Not only do the rest of Grog's squishier teammates have to get out, but you could also easily see him killing himself fighting Umbrasyl alone to feed Craven Edge.

And then....well, we'll talk about it next episode. 

I liked some of the little things here too. Percy giving Vex his coat, blushing up a storm, and Keyleth's reaction in the background. Likewise, Keyleth suggesting Vax could ask the Matron for help is a nice bit of setup for later things. Even if it is a little funny in hindsight; stream-Keyleth was almost a flat-earth atheist.

It's interesting to see what the cast has done to change up their characters from the stream.

The Bad. (Or at least not great.)

This is another episode that suffers from some poor pacing. After Grog's dream, little happens until they reach the Sphinx's lair. This is frustrating for me.

Remember how I said in the last episode that the time VM is traveling would be a good place for banter? Not just because it makes sense for them to do because they've got nothing else to occupy themselves while they walk, but because it would also help with character and world-building? All that is just as true here as in the last episode. But it'd also help with pacing.

There's a little bit here, but it's mainly bouncing from one two-to-three-sentence conversation to another. We could do more with the time.

Something that could help draw up suspense, for example, is having the crew talk with each other about how hard things have been so far; what's meeting the second Sphinx going to be like? Do they think they can convince them the way they did Osysa? Do they think they have a chance to get the other Vestiges? Do they believe those weapons will be enough to defeat the dragons?

That kind of thing makes for a good through-line for the Chroma Conclave plot that keeps things interesting even when the characters are just traveling and not doing much. The way things are now, it's like the writing team is just killing time until the action starts. And the banter was one of the best parts of the original stream.

I have...mixed feelings about the Sphinx's death. The Kaiju fight helps establish Umbrasyl as the boss of the season. It was also just really cool to watch...

But I can't help but worry this will be the writing CRew's go-to when they need to portray something as a threat or when they want to surprise stream watchers: just kill a character that survived in the original. And...yeah, nah. I'm not into that. I'll admit to being sentimental, and usually, I'll gravitate more toward happy endings than tragic ones, but I can enjoy the latter if it's earned and set up well. This death doesn't bother me as much as Archie's, but it does bother me a little. 

Nitpicks:

This line is...kind of awkward:

Vex'ahlia: Hard to believe we're gonna find a Sphinx in this forsaken place. (shivers) I'm as cold as a corpse, and I'd rather not repeat that experience.

Maybe something like this?

Vex'ahlia: Hard to believe we're gonna find a Sphinx in this forsaken place. (shivers) Wouldn't it be hilarious if I died and was brought back, only to freeze to death out here before we found the damn thing?

And this:

Keyleth: The entire range is eternally cold. Well, except for Pyrah. There's a myth about it, actually. A thousand...

Scanlan: Uh, m-maybe we just save the myth? My balls are ice cubes.

Me (tearing my hair out): AH! Maybe a myth will help take your mind off your balls for once, Scanlan!? Give me my damn lore.

And this line is just...I know it's Scanlan, but what does one have to do with the other??

Mostly a set up episode for what's to come. Overall not bad, could be better. But I think things really start to ramp up in the next batch.

[luckthebard]

Now I'm really interested to hear your take on Asmodeus in exu calamity. You mentioned people still sympathising with him even after episode 4?

Feel free to rant!

I mean the short answer here is what Brennan and Marisha talked about in regards to Asmodeus in the wrap-up: that he's a gaslighting manipulator and it's far more horrifying than if he'd been mustache twirling evil the whole time.

And it's not a knock on anyone if they watched the first few episodes of Calamity thinking "oh man, maybe the story we know about the Betrayers isn't the whole story, he's making sense!" because that was the point of the story. That was the journey Zerxus took. We as viewers of the story were on that emotional journey with him. As Brennan said, what's scariest about those kind of manipulators is they're intensely empathetic and know how to create emotional reactions in other people. And it's the kind of story many of us are primed to be empathetic to! The idea of the missing side of history, the wronged party misrepresented by the narrative, everything is not what you were told. But that's what the most dangerous manipulators do too - they will always lure you with things you already want to believe are true.

But if someone got to the end of the story, saw victorious Asmodeus gleefully and viciously and cruelly kill Zerxus again and again in response to kindness? Heard him say his only regret was he couldn't torture everyone for longer than an eternity? And STILL thought "oh maybe he has a point though"? THAT is baffling to me.

Not everything is a subversion of the mythic. Sometimes we need symbols of great evil to show us plainly what they are. And Asmodeus, father of lies, is that great evil that lies and lies and lies and almost makes you feel like he could be right - because the manipulation and twisting of sympathy is the core of what's so frightening about his evil.

[writing-by-katt]

Oh Brothers?: Prologue

Cesare sits at his desk, mulling over papers from the latest week’s jobs. A meeting with the Russian mafia (Bravata) leaders is scheduled for 3 months from now. He huffs, pinching the bridge of his nose, before standing abruptly and swiping everything off his desk. As he is about to throw the door to his office open, the handle clicks.

A dark-haired, average-height man, in a 3 piece suit stands in front of him with a perturbed expression. The young man scans the ornate office before gazing into Cesare’s storm-green eyes.

“Father. We need to talk…” The dark-haired man glances over his shoulder, “preferably in private.”

Cesare looks down at his son, jaw ticking, “Come in Viktor. I’m sure you have good reason to disrupt me when you know I’m busy.”

Cesare’s sharp tone and menacing glare don’t phase Viktor in the slightest. He simply steps over the mess that is his father’s office and lounges in one of the leather chairs in front of the desk.

Victor takes a calming breath as his father sits heavily, “Father. I don’t know how to put this gracefully.” He pauses.

“Aksana and Carina Mezzasalma have been located in New York City, USA. An extraction team has been sent to bring them to Genoa where Vito and Santo will meet them before driving here. Shall I have rooms prepared?”

Cesare is silent for a few moments. He is not an easily disturbed man but this. This disturbed him.

~NEW YORK CITY, NY~

3:20pm

An explosion echoes from the video on a screen. The middle-aged woman standing next to the projection pauses the video, leaving the room silent. One of her red curls brushes her umber brow. Brown eyes scan the room for a second before a grey-haired woman at the end coughs slightly.

“Agent Dowton. Care to explain what we just witnessed?” The red-haired chief fixes her gaze.

“Of course Ma’am,” Agent Dowton strides to the podium. Her cane tapping along the cheap tile floors, “As you can see, at approximately 4:37am, a warehouse in Harlem was obliterated by a massive explosion. Witnesses say the explosion was caused by a noxious chemical reaction at the warehouse. How do you ask? Well, it turns out that Mr. and Ms. Greg and Marisha Bjorno were involved with one of the local gangs, the Diamond Skull Syndicate. The DSS and The Kings have been spotted having conflicts for the last few months, we have been led to believe that The Kings targeted the warehouse in order to send the DSS a message. Dr. Bjorno was inside her lab at the time and Mr. Bjorno was in his office. While both were on opposite sides of the warehouse, the explosion was large enough that both were killed.”

A steely-eyed man at the end of the table raised his hand, “Why would the Bjorno’s be targeted by The Kings? Wouldn’t it make more sense for them to go after one of the DSS’s strongholds?”

“Thank you for your interruption Agent Cass, I was getting to that,” Dowton looks at the younger man sternly before continuing, “The Bjornos were creating and selling methamphetamines to not only the DSS but The Kings and a few minor gangs in other parts of the city. One of our witnesses, a member of the Jade Sisterhood, sent a tip just four hours ago, as it turns out, the Bjornos have two daughters. You are to locate them and bring them into custody so that we may find their next of kin.”

The elder woman taps her way back to her seat before Chief Kent resumes her position at the podium.

With hands clasped behind her back, she addresses the agents gathered, “Agents Cass and Wright, you are to go to Central High School and find Aksana Vilkov, dismissed. Agents Moore and Dawson, you will intercept Carina Vilkov, aka: Short-Fuse. She may be difficult to track down if you don’t find her before she makes it to the Jade Sisterhood hideout. Our informant was less than helpful when it came to the location. If you are unable to intercept her before she gets there, you will have a second chance at 2:30 am when she returns home to her apartment in Brownsville.”

“Hold up chief! What? Is this Vilkov sister part of the sisterhood? Shouldn’t we detain her or something? And why are we calling them Vilkov? They’re the Bjorno’s kids right?” Moore stands angrily. The sisterhood has been giving them issues since his days as a cadet. There is no way he’ll just roll over and let some brat get away with the crimes she has no doubt committed.

“Cool it, Moore. Vilkov and her sister aren’t part of the sisterhood, they’re just under their protection. If you actually read the file before the meeting, you’d know that the Bjornos have two residences. One in Tribeca and one in Brooklyn. As the Bjorno’s were below the law anyway, it is assumed that their daughters live in Brooklyn while Mr. and Ms. Bjorno lived in Tribeca. Our informant did let us in on a little detail though. Carina Vilkov started cage fighting after a run-in with a different gang jumped her and her sister on their way back from school one night. Turns out she is a little firecracker and wracks in the cash for the sisterhood. In return, she gets 10% from each fight and protection from the sisterhood.” Dawson’s hand brushes through their bronze hair.

“You didn’t answer my question about the whole name thing tho…”

“Marisha’s maiden name is Vilkov. Bjorno is the girl’s stepfather you dipshit.”

Dawson receives a slap to the back of their head for that comment.

“Alright, you chatty Cathys! Hop to it! Or do you want to be out all night!” Chief Kent snaps her fingers in the duo’s faces. She rolls her golden-brown eyes as they scramble over each other to get out the door first.

Left alone in the conference room, she turns to peer at the photos on the board in front of her. Pulling out her phone to make a call to the next of kin, she sighs.

“Let’s just hope this doesn’t end in a gang war…”

[essek-thelyss]

This place is filled with treasures that I just need to organize. It’s not trash, you don’t have an eye.

+ Bonus