#rip rolo

[unfinishedrambles]

tfw they sneak like half of the iconic ship moments into 20-ish minutes and give me a heart attack

[burr-ell]

funniest part of ripley's revenge is that it mostly backfired and percy blames HIMSELF for spreading guns. he's out here like 😫 this evil weapon has spread it's all my fault and ripley's in hell like I DID THAT YOU ASSHOLE

[your-turn-to-role]

i talked last week about how percy in c1 is often the grog translator, now lovm has given us grog as the percy translator!

[crystal-lillies]

Chetney. My man. I love you bud. You have every right to be mad at Ashton. To curse them out, to rip them to shreds.

But don't you fucking push them to leave. Not after you begged Fearne to stay.

I'm glad Ash took it in as much stride as they could and the conversation ended on a slightly better note but oof.

(Also that conversation between Ashton and Percy... the way Percy softened up when they admitted that maybe they weren't worthy of trust again!! That's him baby!!! That's how he felt!!!! Aaaaaaaa)

[thestreamweaver]

Considering how Logan was absolutely READY to adopt Laura, if he found out that Evan was his child in any way shape or form...

That man would be feeling SO many emotions at once!

Yes!! He'd probably feel like he'd never live it down if the others were there to being that he would literally be like:

[theres-whump-in-that-nebula]

Reading over a talk script and realizing the structure is so clunky that there’s absolutely nothing to sink your teeth into

[sad amateur actor sounds]

[storiedhistories]

THEY’RE A 10 BUT… // Accepting

@missallanea asked: [ THEY’RE A 10 BUT … ] he continues to try and argue about himself being the better shot. You can say it until you're blue in the face, darling, it won't become true. / vex for percy uwu

"I'm only the better distance shot," he amends, glancing over at her with something of a smile. "You're far more accurate than I am, especially when my guns blow up in my face."

[roguelioness]

less than two minutes into this playthrough and I have to nope out because bioware doesn't know what real eyebrows look like

[diabeticgirl4]

Another cr1 au I can't get out of my head that I desperately need to read and/or write: basically Cassandra fully rejecting her de Rolo name and status and refusing to lead Whitestone post- saving the city. ur problem now Percy!

Cassandra was not lying and she later stuck to her words when she called herself a Briarwood. As far as she knew, she was the last surviving de Rolo for the five years post her recapture, and with the Briarwoods charming her, torturing her, keeping her under their thumbs for five long years, being a de Rolo wasn't really a choice anymore, was it?

But then when Percy came back, made himself known for the first time in five years, what could've been relief, hope, or even pride at seeing another de Rolo alive after the years, instead she felt nothing but fury. He was alive after all these years, and never thought to make contact? Not only did he leave her for dead, but never once considered her survival? Despite being stuck with the Briarwoods, she still had contacts throughout the city, and not once through the years did someone report back with note of the survival of one Percival de Rolo. But now he comes back, and thinks she should be grateful?

Yes, of course she's relieved by the death of the Briarwoods. She may have considered herself a Briarwood alongside them, but they still made her life near insufferable.

Her brother reappearing into her life, however, after five long years of suffering and then acting like things could go back to normal? Cassandra no longer has a sense of normalcy and has long since abandoned the de Rolo name and lifestyle. What has being a de Rolo done for her, other than having her entire family slaughtered and everything else taken away from her? Being a Briarwood, however, at least ensured her survival with her new "family".

So when Percival states his desire to restore the de Rolo legacy, yet thinks he is not capable of leading the land- what, like she is? She, who no longer claims the de Rolo name, who has not thought of Percival as her brother since he left her for dead all those years ago?

That's fine with her, if he chooses not to have any part in leading Whitestone, but he cannot expect her to lead in his place. She will have no part in leading the lands that helped keep her captive over the years, and will not reclaim the name that was stolen from her and desecrated with only her to witness.

(tl;dr I don't think it was fair for percy to run from + shove the responsibilities of leading Whitestone on cassandra not long after learning of her survival, and I think she has the right to be angry and say "no frick that" and let percy figure it all out himself! Let there be complicated de Rolo sibling feelings, let there be anger and hurt! Gimme that angst!)

[witchamajigit]

Imodna weirdness

Anyone else feeling like the trajectory of Laudna and Imogen is heading into very... unhealthy waters? I know a lot of people will jump down my throat for this but I feel like their relationship might be the first one in CR to fall apart on screen. They seem to be forces ripped in different directions and with this last bit of drama, I think Imogen is really starting to see the cracks.

Laudna is not well and I have very very high doubts of her survival through the campaign. If Laudna wins, will she die without Delilah? If Delilah takes over, how long before someone takes her head off (look at the entire De Rolo bloodline for that one) or even the Bells themselves have to take her out.

The relationship has felt very strained and, forced isn't the right word, but held together with very thin threads. I wonder when enough of those threads will snap to make the whole thing unravel.

Sometimes love isn't enough.

[lulublack90]

Prompt 17 - Pic 'n' Mix

@wolfstarmicrofic June 17, word count 706

Previous part First part

Sirius’s sweet supply seemed endless. He’d shown Remus what he’d brought with him after they’d finished their lion bars. He had Snicker bars, bags of Maltesers, more Mars bars, Milkyways, Milkybars, Rolos, M&M’s, the plain ones, the peanut ones and the biscuit ones, Haribo Starmix, Haribo Tangfastics and a fat bag of Pic ’n’ Mix. Remus had drooled over the selection. 

“Wow, your parents must be missing you,” He said dreamily as Sirius passed him a bag of Starmix. He ripped the blue bag open and popped a fired egg into his mouth. 

“Ha! Yeah right,” He shook his head as he laughed quietly. “These are all from Effie Potter. She knows I like a chocolate bar, and she always goes overboard.” Remus felt like there was more that Sirius hadn’t said. 

“So James’s mum sends James with sweets for you?” He asked cautiously, wanting to know why someone would send a boy she wasn’t related to so many branded sweets. 

“I, er, kind of live with James,” Sirius said awkwardly, dragging his fingers through his hair and yelping when one got caught on a tangle. “My parents kicked me out when they found out I liked boys. My little brother still lives there, but if the rumours are true he should be getting disowned any day now. But I doubt it will go that far. They’ll give him an ultimatum and force him to marry a suitable bride as soon as he’s out of school.” Sirius screwed up his face and huffed at the floor. “They need their heir after all,” He said darkly. He stood in silence for a second before he shook his head and plastered a huge smile on his face. “Anyway, enough of the tragic origin story. I live with James, and Effie and Monty are my parents now, and I’ve never been happier.” Remus stood up and wrapped his arms around Sirius, holding him tight. 

“Your real parents sound proper shit. I hope they get chased down the road by angry magpies,” Sirius collapsed into laughter, shaking against Remus. 

“Oh my god, Remus. Thank you, thank you for that image. Oh my god,” He repeated, wiping tears from his eyes. 

The cabin door banged open and James dragged Peter in, who was pressing a clump of cotton wool to his face. 

“I slipped on the dock trying to get the kayak out of the water. Pomfrey says it’s not broken, but I have to sit down quietly and hold this to it until the bleeding stops.” He grumbled as he went and sat on his bed. 

“I swear you’re cursed, Pete,” Sirius said seriously. “I’ve never known anyone who has so many accidents on a regular basis as you. You must have done something awful in a previous life for this level of torment.” Peter stuck his fingers up at Sirius. Sirius gasped at the audacity. “That’s it, you’ll be a fat little worm that can only eat lettuce in your next life now,” Peter stuck his fingers up again and left them there. Remus couldn’t keep the snort that escaped him as he laughed at the pair. James came over and plonked himself on Remus’s bed and helped himself to Remus’s Haribo. 

“Then you must have done something truly terrible to have parents like yours,” James quipped, coming to Peter’s defence. Sirius spun on him, pointing his finger. 

“Hey, I was wrongly accused or else how do you explain me finding you and our parents?”

“He’s got you there, James,” Peter said, his voice slightly muffled by the cotton wool. 

Remus sat back and listened to them tease each other, thinking he must have put up with a lot in his previous life to be this lucky now. He popped another Haribo into his mouth, only realising it was a heart when it hit his tongue. He smiled to himself and threw a gummy bear at the back of Sirius’s head, pointing at an unsuspecting James when he turned around. Sirius launched himself through the air, landing on James and toppling them off Remus’s bed entirely. Remus stretched his legs out fully. This is the life, he thought as he folded his arms behind his head and relaxed.    

Next part

[fjorests-of-wildemount]

Percy De Rolo is a certified asshole, selfish to a fault, petty, arrogant, and always thinks he is the smartest person in the room. He has PTSD from when the Briarwoods destroyed his family the first time and then ripped it apart the second. He is deeply flawed, deeply complicated, and just so human.

And here he is, safe in Whitestone for 30 years, safe enough that he's managed to grow the city and his family bigger and more prosperous than he ever could have imagined when he returned home the first time at 22 to find the city in ruins.

He tried to trade his soul to save Vax'ildan from (in his mind) the Raven Queen. He loves deeply and fiercely, and the worst way to provoke him is to threaten his family.

And he's a father now, and just like Trinket growled at Ashton when they got too close, Percy slammed up his walls and snapped the door shut at the very thought of Delilah getting anywhere near his family again.

He's terrified. He's tired. He can't face trying to figure out how to defeat Delilah *again*.

But he didn't throw the Hells out of the castle, or out of Whitestone. Vex and Pike have got this (Vex can kill the bitch again, she's got practice), but Percy . . . They brought the one thing that will rattle Percy to his core to his very doorstep.

I absolutely loved Matt's portrayal and I *love* that Ashton ran to confront him. Percy doesn't get enough people calling him an asshole in his daily life anymore, I think.

*Edited to say bc I don't know if I was clear: all of the above is why I love and adore Percy and it all felt very true to who he is.

[demisexualemmaswan]

rip "percival frederickstein von mussel klowosski de rolo the third...you will FIGHT this monster inside of you!"

you'll always be famous to me

[anonymousonlyanonymoud]

The Lost de Rolo Chp. 4

The Merchant

TW: TW: Murder, child murder, blood, panic attack, vomit

Previous Chapter

The Market Ward of Westruun was slowly becoming alive as the shops began to open and the chatter of the morning began to fill the streets.

Small crowds formed in front of stores while people began exiting taverns, either drunkenly stumbling home or leaving for whatever job that'd been found for the day.

And at the end of one of the darkest streets, coming out of a dilapidated tavern known for serving watered-down ale and food that was similar to mush, and having beetles in their beds, was Ciara de Rolo.

Her weathered and thin cloak was tightly pulled around her shoulders in a feeble attempt to keep the chill that had begun to set across the realm as the first flurry of snow began to fall. 

The signs of winter were all around the town as the preparations for Westruun's Winterscrest Festival were underway, but Ciara kept her head down to avoid looking at any decorations that would have been put up.

The last Winterscrest festival she'd celebrated had been before she lost everything.

It used to be a happy time for her, watching the Castle of Whitestone being transformed into a wonderland of celebrations as the surrounding city shared a festive joy.

Vesper had taken an interest in overseeing the festivities during the years before...

Both mother and father praised her for her work while Julius said he was grateful for not being the one in charge of parties as it would never look half as good as what she came up with.

Percy asked millions of questions regarding the construction that went on during the setup and would have to be pulled away multiple times from the head builders who had come to finalize plans with Vesper.

The twins had always rolled their eyes at Percy, teasing him about what he was asking. But Whitney and Oliver always looked with awe at what Vesper was able to accomplish.

Ludwig and Cass were filled with wonder at the way the city transformed. Their excitement built each day preparations were made while they used the progress being made as a calendar to count down the days till Winterscrest.

The excitement was infectious and spread throughout the city as the holiday drew closer, even the year the Briarwoods came.

They had been welcomed warmly along with that fucking doctor by her parents, and they repaid that kindness with murder.

Ciara no longer thought about her siblings' happiness when Winterscrest came around. Her mind instead was filled with Whitney's sobs of terror as she was ripped from their sister's arms by Captain Kerrion Stonefell. The man's laugh rang in Ciara's ears before he slammed Whitney's head against the wall. Her blood dripped down the stonework and stained her light brown hair.

Vesper's screams as Stonefell pulled her by her hair and threw her from the window. Ciara heard the sickening snap of bones as her sister's screams cut off. Stonefell continued to laugh as he dragged Ciara to that same window and forced her to look at Vesper's broken body in the courtyard below.

The laughter of children filtered through her head as a small group rushed past. One of the children fell into her side, unintentionally jerking the metallic right arm that the doctor had melded to her years ago. The rods and screws tugged at her skin which sent a sharp twinge of pain through the remains of the limb as she grimaced.

While attempting to blink away the image of her sister's broken body, Ciara sent a glare to the kids who ran off without looking back. 

A part of her, the old part of her that belonged to a young girl who had sat through hours of etiquette lessons with her siblings, the old part that was caged away in the back of her mind in a darkened room, wanted to scold the children for not looking where they were going. That it wasn't polite and they should apologize.

But the main part of Ciara, the part that had been fed on, tortured, ripped apart, and sewn back together with jagged stitches that left horrific scars, only glared as the kids scampered away. 

Ciara continued weaving through the growing crowds, not lifting her head as vendors began calling out for customers as their stalls went up. She heard all the sales pitches before, and it wasn't like she could afford the wares anyway. Ciara was ready to walk past and ignore the merchants until she caught a conversation that her freezing in her tracks,

"-a shop in Whitestone at some point. The tyrants who'd forcefully taken control five years ago are gone and, thankfully, dead. The city is now rebuilding and in need of new economics in the market," The de Rolo felt herself turn toward the voice and saw the person who'd caught her attention.

The voice belonged to a man with dark skin, hair in a half-ponytail with two short braids framing the side of his face, a braided goatee, purple robes with gold trim, gold jewelry, and a red sash around his waist to complete the look.

He was standing in front of a building that looked to be in the middle of renovations with four other merchants. Two humans, a halfling, and an elf. Ciara recognized them as members of the Westruun Merchant Guild. She'd stolen a thing or two from the halfling and spied on the elf. 

His sister was a cartographer who had married a diplomat in Syngorn. He only kept in touch with her and his niece. From what Ciara had found, he didn't have much love for his brother-in-law and rarely spoke to him. Which meant the Clasp no longer wanted anything to do with him.

The merchants were listening intently to the purple-clad man as he spoke about bringing business to Whitestone during and after the city was restored.

But what made Ciara turn cold with shock was when she heard the goateed man say,

"A council has been made, with a de Rolo at the head to rule Whitestone once again," 

A de Rolo? That couldn't be possible.

The de Rolo's were all dead.

Ciara knew they were dead.

She'd seen them, her parents, Julius, Vesper, Oliver, Whitney, and Ludwig. 

She never saw Percy or Cass alive after that dinner, but she heard them. The Briarwoods made sure she heard them scream.

Ciara heard her remaining family as she sat frozen in the cell The Briarwoods had shoved her in. Bound under a Hold Person Spell she was forced to listen as Ripley tortured Percy and Cass. 

She heard them.

Ciara heard Percy weakly insisting he didn't know what was below Whitestone before his voice became desperate as Ripley began cutting into their sister.

When the screaming stopped and Ciara was dragged away, Ripley would visit. The doctor would show her the hooks and tools that had been embedded in her siblings' mere minutes ago. Ciara was forced to listen as Ripley described how she tortured Percy and Cass before going on to say Ciara could stop it.

She just needed to tell Ripley about what was under Whitestone.

But Ciara hadn't, and still didn't, know what the woman was talking about.

And the screaming continued.

Ciara had each of their screams etched into her mind that she heard it everywhere. Even after she'd been taken from the dungeons.

And then, the screaming stopped. She was no longer tossed into a cell to listen as Ripley tortured her siblings. And because of that, a venomous hope leached into her mind, because despite all that she had witnessed, Ciara was naive enough to think that Percy and Cass had somehow escaped.

Until-

Until-

Anger bubbled to the surface as Ciara found herself standing in front of the goateed man with words that were spat with rage and vitriol flying from her mouth,

"Enough! Enough of these lies! The de Rolos are dead! All of them are dead!" 

The goateed man looked momentarily taken aback at Ciara rushing into his space, but he composed himself while leaning against the wall behind him. His arms crossed in front of his chest which made the bangles clink together,

"I can assure you, I speak no lies-"

"And I can assure you, you are!" Ciara hissed, but the man seemed nonplussed at her anger and merely raised a perfectly trimmed brow,

"You are quite confident that I am lying," 

"Because I know you are! Seven of them were killed in one night by the Briarwoods! And the two who were left alive were tortured and killed a year later!" Her voice was tapering out into a harsh whisper, "The only de Rolos left in Whitestone are the ones in the crypts!"

The man, despite the other merchants quickly making their exit, only began inspecting his nails before meeting her gaze,

"I admit, I've never been told the details about what happened. My friend was present for the events, and understandably, Percival hasn't wanted to explain how his family was murdered in front of him,"

Her whole body began to shake as her hands clenched,

"Percival is dead! I don't know who you've been talking to, who's been claiming to be him, who is using his name to rule, but Percival died years ago!"

Once again, as Ciara's anger rolled from her in waves, the man didn't seem bothered and continued inspecting his nails. But Ciara hadn't noticed how his gaze hardened as he began taking in the details of her.

Gilmore was beginning to put the similarities between the woman in front of him, and the gunslinger that followed Vax'ildan's sister around, carefully putting pieces of the puzzle together as he said,

"It is not Percival who rules Whitestone but his sister Cassandra," He tilted his head and gauged her reaction.

 The fire that had been raging inside Ciara turned to ice as the tremors racing through her tripled in strength while she felt her eyes begin to burn,

"Then whoever rules Whitestone is an imposter!" She hissed, "Both Percival and Cassandra de Rolo died! They were flayed and murdered!"

Her voice was shattered as her legs shook harshly and it was a wonder that Ciara was able to stay upright as her mind filled with the bodies of her siblings.

Of Percy and Cass who had been flayed by the doctor's hooks until they died and then thrown out into the courtyard in front of Ciara. Ripley had lit the torch and Sylas Briarwood had thrown it onto what remained of her siblings. 

Ciara had screamed. Screamed loud enough that she was certain her voice had reached beyond the Timberlands as what remained of her family became nothing more than charred bones. And when the fire had gone out, Delilah Briarwood had cast a magical flame that turned their remains to ash that blew away in the wind.

A hand was now on her shoulder and pulling her up.

Ciara had collapsed to her knees without realizing and the merchant was now leading her inside the renovated building behind them.

The interior was plain with empty shelves and display cases, a few rugs rolled up and crates stacked against the wall.

When the door shut behind them, the man snapped his fingers, and a table and two chairs appeared before the two. 

The young woman found herself now sitting across from the merchant who was staring at her with a critical gaze,

"Well," He began after a moment of studying her, "I suppose introductions are in order before questions are asked. I'm Gilmore, owner of Gilmore's Glorious Goods in Emon and of this soon-to-be-open store here in Westruun,"

The merchant, Gilmore, waved his hand in a flamboyant fashion that had small sparks falling from his fingers which made Ciara flinch back.

Gilmore then looked at Ciara as the sparks quickly dissipated and gestured toward her with an open palm and expectant look until she answered,

"People call me Bird,"

"I imagine due to your corvid friends there,"

She didn't need to look to know that Adrik and Nyx were peering in through the window. They were like two small shadows that followed her everywhere, no matter how many times she refused to acknowledge them,

"Suppose so,"

Gilmore hummed while resting his chin against his hand, "If I were to ask for your real name, I assume you would not give it,"

The tension that had slowly been ebbing away returned tenfold as Ciara leaned as far away from the man as possible,

"If I were to say you were right?" 

The merchant shrugged while leaning back in his chair, "Names have power. From the gods and fiends to the most ordinary of folk, a name can have a hold on someone. Whether to bind or summon a being of power, or simply be a shield for someone hiding,"

She should leave. Ciara needed to leave. She had a job that was given a deadline of two days, and she knew better than to slack off or be late. And this Gilmore was prying into open wounds that had festered and rotted over the years,

"What you're implying," Her voice was shaking, "Is wrong. It- It's all wrong!"

"Are you certain? Earlier you counted nine de Rolo's. Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't there ten in Whitestone? The lord and lady with their eight children? Why have you only counted seven children?" 

Her trembling hand found purchase on the short sword that hung at her hip as she whispered, "The eighth died. She died when her brother and sister's bodies were burned in front of her,"

Gilmore's eyes were trained on her with a look of sadness as he leaned forward,

"Then I'll speak to the ghost sitting across from me. And I'll tell her that her brother, Percival, is coming to Westruun-"

He was cut off by Ciara shoving away from the table, causing the chair she'd been sitting on to clatter to the ground, 

"No-he-He's dead! He's-" She darted out of the store without finishing.

The ravens that had been sitting at the window croaked and squawked in alarm when the door slammed open and Ciara stumbled out into the street.

She couldn't see the people around her, she couldn't see where she was going.

There were some shouts as she ran into things, but Ciara kept running until she skidded to a stop and fell to her knees in an alley.

A burning, acrid taste came hurtling up her throat and onto the ground in front of her as she only thought of the last two bodies. Of Cassandra and Percy.

The exposed muscle and bone had been barely covered by the remains of their formal wear. The remains of what they had been wearing to that fucking dinner!

They were dead. They were dead! 

They couldn't be alive because that would mean she would have-

More bile worked its way up Ciara's throat as her vision blurred. 

When the meager contents of her stomach had all been expelled from her body, Ciara coughed and gagged while wiping at her mouth. She managed to push herself up and saw someone standing to her right with a waterskin held out.

Ciara saw who had found her and took the skin, swishing the water around her mouth before spitting it out as the Spireling made himself comfortable on a few crates,

"You're taking a late start, Bird. Not like you," The halfling rasped.

She sat against the wall and tossed the waterskin back, "Got distracted. Nothing to worry about, Fetch. I'm going to leave now," 

"What did that man want?" The halfling questioned, "The merchant. He's new in Westruun,"

"No one,"

"Really? No one?"

"No one to me,"

Fetch scoffed and leaned toward her, "And despite that, one of your ravens stayed behind at his shop,"

She jerked her gaze toward the sky and only saw one raven settled on the roof across from her. Nyx's beady eyes met hers before darting to Fetch. If a raven could glare, Ciara was certain that Nyx would be. But Fetch was correct, Adrik was nowhere to be seen,

"I don't control where they go-"

"But they've been following you since you arrived in Westruun. And suddenly, one of them leaves your side? What. Did. He. Want?"

Ciara shook her head, "Nothing of consequence-"

"You expect me to believe that?" He leaned forward, "Are you trying to fly away, Bird?"

She unflinchingly met his gaze, "I'm not that stupid, Fetch. I learned my lesson from last time,"

Fetch only continued to eye her for a very long moment before standing,

"You better get going, Bird. You've already lost too much time,"

He disappeared as quickly as he came, leaving Ciara to shakily return to her feet.

With a shaky breath, she glanced up at Nyx who was hopping along the roof and ruffling her feathers, then began making her way toward the Western Gate.

[scurvgirl]

Some Uncle Grog fluff for your Sunday. Shout-out to all my fellow dyslexics out there.

Anyways, here is little Wolfe De Rolo bonding with his Uncle Grog.

_

While Vox Machina wasn't always together anymore, there were times where they made sure to be together. Winter's Crest was one of those times. Grog was in Whitestone Castle, getting ready to head out to the bakery before probably working out with the Whitestone guards - gotta remind them that defense isn't ALL in the guns.

Grog walked through the hall when his ear twitched at a noise. Huh. That was weird. Curious, he turned and opened up the door closest to him. It was closet, full of mostly blankets but also Wolfe.

"Oh it's just you, Uncle Grog." The boy sighed.

"Uh what do you mean by that, just Uncle Grog?"

"I mean you're not...one of them."

"Who?"

He sighed again, "My tutors. Leona....my parents."

"Hmm, Percy has been in a pissy mood lately."

Wolfe shrugged, "Mum's pregnant, he's always in a mood when she's pregnant. But that's not why I'm in here. Look I just...I just can't do school today."

"Oh, well you want to go out with me? I was gonna pick up sweets then hit some stuff."

Wolfe's eyes lit up, "Yes! I'd love to do that!"

"Alright! Let's go, little buddy."

"Hey! I'm tall for my age!"

Still small to Grog but maybe Wolfe was right - he wasn't gnome sized even. "Medium buddy!"

They headed to the bakery, picked up a bunch of bear claws then headed to the training yard.

"Alright, boys put down your little fun sticks - time to practice some REAL combat!" Grog shouted, ready to get a nice brawl going when...hm. Wolfe was here. Vex had two, no, THREE rules for the babies. One, no beer. Two, no brawls. Three, no house of lady favors. It limited Grog severely BUT maybe...maybe he didn't need to brawl but show Wolfe some beginner steps. Percy certainly didn't seem to be training the boy for anything for guns and school. It occurred to Grog then that he could teach Wolfe how to be strong.

"Make room for the...little lord Wolfe De Rolo! Today, he learns how to be strong!" There's a pause before the guards hollar and hoot in agreement. Wolfe smiles brightly up at Grog which makes him feel a weird warm tingly feeling in his chest. Not bad, kinda like when Pike heals him but also not like that. Cool.

For the next several hours Grog showed Wolfe how to train. They did push ups, sit ups, pull ups...lots of ups, not many downs. He even showed Wolfe how to properly hold a sword and how to punch without breaking your fingers.

Grog called the end when Wolfe started looking like he was maybe a bit in pain or too tired. No sense in making his nephew hurt.

"Alright! That was good! Keep working out like that and maybe you'll be as ripped as me one day."

"That was intense but good. I liked it, I think my body may feel different tomorrow - but this was good. What do we do now?"

"Now we go to the bar! Like strong men do!" That earned Grog another bright smile and warm feeling in his chest.

They headed to a tavern where Grog bought himself some ale, a giant sandwich and....a giant sandwich for Wolfe too.

"You got a weapon you think you would like?"

Wolfe smiled, "Mum has us practicing the bow, which I like. But...I want to try an axe."

"Atta boy!" He reached over and clasped Wolfe's shoulder. "So, you gonna tell me why you didn't want your parents and...others to find you today?"

The smile on Wolfe's faded and the warm feeling in Grog's chest was replaced with a twisty feeling he did NOT like.

"It's...embarrassing."

"Oh, did you poop your pants or something?"

"No! Nothing like that. I just..." Wolfe sighed, "everyone in my family is so smart. Dad invented guns and mum is so, so good with money and Vesper knows so many languages now. Leona reads so fast, and even little Danny is beginning to read. But...I'm not like that. Reading...is so hard, Uncle Grog. It doesn't make sense in my head, the letter and the sounds... they thought my eyes were bad like Leona but nope, it's not my eyes. I'm just...not smart."

The twisty feeling in Grog's chest worsened. It reminded him too much of the hard parts of being in Vox Machina, of always being around smart people.

Wolfe kept going, "But...maybe I don't need to read. Maybe I can just be strong! Like you, Uncle Grog!"

That...felt wrong. This was Percy and Vex's boy, and more...Grog hated he couldn't read for so long. Hated books, hated words, hated...his brain. Wolfe shouldn't go through that.

"We worked a lot on being strong today. You did some really good work. But being strong isn't all about muscles." He said carefully, thinking about Earthbreaker Gruun.

"It isn't?"

Grog shook his head, "Strength is about doing hard things. Doing things that make you work. You don't get strong by doing easy things. You get strong by doing the work and...and standing by your friends because sometimes that's hard too.

"Sure, you could get all muscly like me but you have to ask, Wolfe - where does your strength come from?"

Wolfe was silent for a long moment before he sniffled, "I don't know, Uncle Grog."

"That's okay. You can answer that later. But first, reading is a challenge, yeah?" Wolfe nodded. "Meet the challenge. Beat it. And if what you're doing isn't working, then WE can find a way that does."

"Okay...will you help? I don't think I can do it alone."

Grog smiled at the boy and clasped his shoulder again, "Of course. And when you need a break, we can BREAK stuff!"

"Yeah!"

They finished their afternoon meal before heading back to the castle. Halfway there, a familiar, pissy voice came in over the earring.

"Grog Strongjaw, tell me you have my son with you."

"Hey, Percy. Yeah, Wolfe's here. We had a good man day!"

"MAN DAY?! Did you take my son to a brothel?! He's NINE, GROG!"

"Relax! We got sweet, hit stuff, then got sandwiches at the tavern."

A long suffering sigh phased through the earring. "Just...bring him home."

"Already on our way."

Wolfe looked up at Grog, "Is he mad?" Grog shrugged.

"He'll get over it. Hey, you wanna ride on my shoulders?"

"Hells yeah!" Grog hoisted him up and they finished the rest of the walk this way with Wolfe peering down at everyone who was suddenly much shorter than him.

They reached the castle, which meant meeting a pissy Percy, a perturbed Vex, and put-out tutors. Grog took the blame - he wanted some alone Uncle Grog time with Wolfe. He could take his friends' annoyance. Leona and Vesper took Wolfe aside to go play upstairs while the grown-ups stayed in the study.

"So uh, Wolfe told me that reading is hard for him."

Percy waved him off, "Yes, we know, we are working on it-

"Well, it's not working. I'm gonna stay to help. Show him what worked for me."

Vex looked at Percy and shrugged, "He makes a good point, darling."

They all talked a little longer, working out what Percy called "logistics."

Before the children went to bed, Wolfe ran over to Grog and gave him a hug.

"You're the best uncle, Uncle Grog. Thank you."

Grog held him a little tighter. He was a good uncle. That warm little feeling in his chest returned in full strength.

[aq2003]

:0 what are the sections in ur percy playlist? (<- wants to know what images to microwave in their head at what times when listening to it)

okay uhh so (this will be the masterpost for it for the time being)

songs i would slap a "this is percy's theme song" label onto if i could: dust bowl dance -> when murder entered my heart

start of briarwood arc: darkside -> first death

orthax: broken bones -> the hearse

cass/revenge quest regrets: violet -> kamado tanjiro no uta

post-briarwood arc: villains, pt 2 -> half-decade hangover

vex, pt 1/sunken tomb: englishman in new york -> the manic

raven queen: little big boy -> vivid vice

ripley/glintshore: bullets -> rip to my youth

keyleth/resurrection: about sophie(*) -> best friends

vox machina/found family: fightsong(**) -> hope of morning

vex, pt 2/"living on far past the point you thought you'd die": frankenstein -> winter winds

(*) about sophie is tragically not on spotify please just imagine it's there because it's one of The percy and keyleth songs to me

(**) fightsong (from the vm section) and in the backroom (from the ripley section) have the og japanese versions on the playlist itself, but lyrics wise the ones that specifically apply to percy are the english covers by trickle, which change the translations slightly to make the song flow. go check them out if u want they're pretty good!