#rqg japan

[eleanor-is-fine]

RQG 121 Contact

Setup for Japan arc in this episode, including the Shoin Institute and local geography, plus the device that “the Hephaestus lot” is working on… gosh, if only I’d been taking notes the first time through.

Wilde’s ankle cuffs 😢

What, Harlequins here?

[loverboybrightsideghost]

i forgot quite how many avengers references there are in rqg

[rustyelias]

runs in here I am urhshdhzudn

THIS MOTHER FUCKING SONG IS SO RQG WILDE!!! it's literally him!!! I cant explain it it just is!!!

[ghostbiie]

[eleanor-is-fine]

This is the scene where I fell for Carter. It also fanned my “what if Barnes & Carter?” flames

I want sadness, give me the angstiest doodle you can think of (if u want to, thank u and I love ur art!!) anyone you want, just break my heart

this might not be what you were going for but do you ever think about that time carter played solitaire in the corner by himself and then slept on the stairs and then also got stepped on and how not one of the people around him like him very much and how nobody has ever been happy to see him?

[incorrect-rqg]

Okay my intent here is not to start drama in the rqg fandom in 2024 because I love this community and frankly it's not that deep, but there's something I just wanna talk about for a sec.

I've seen the sentiment around lately that the party is unnecessarily cruel to Wilde - from the Prague arc all the way up to Damascus or even Japan - and that this specifically contributes to Wilde's guardedness and unwillingness to be emotionally open with the party throughout the show. That he goes "oh, you want me to be the snarky punching bag with no feelings? Then that's what I'll be."

While this is a sentiment I generally agree with, I take some issue with the idea that the party - Grizzop specifically - is mean to Wilde for "no reason".

Grizzop has a very good reason to dislike being around Wilde, which he expresses on numerous occasions - Wilde's lack of respect for Grizzop's personhood and his use of condescending and demeaning language.

While Wilde never actually calls Grizzop "It" like he'd later claim (just a result of long gaps between sessions and Ben being a human being with imperfect memory), he does call him "this one" and generally treat him in a dismissive and condescending way, even after being told to stop numerous times.

Now, I've seen the argument that this is kind of just how Wilde talks to everyone. That's just who he is, especially in earlier arcs. This isn't entirely untrue, but that doesn't change the fact that like... Grizzop is a goblin (in the RQGverse a minority race with a history of oppression), who has been the target of this kind of language and attitude from humans his entire life. He's entirely warranted in being upset at being treated this way. Wilde doesn't ever really give Grizzop any reason to like him, and frankly Grizzop doesn't owe Wilde jack shit.

Another scenario is the iconic moment where Grizzop punches Wilde in the dick. I made a post about this a couple days ago while Very High and then forgot to delete it in the morning so it's just up now. But I've seen a couple comments (on the post and elsewhere) being like "poor Wilde :(" or "he didn't deserve that" and like... He kinda did? He was being antagonistic and negging Sasha, deliberately trying to make her feel worse about her upcoming Risky Medical Procedure. Even if it was just him being silly that's still a pretty shitty thing to do. You can argue that Grizzop went overboard with the physical violence, but arguing that it wasn't at all warranted doesn't make sense to me.

I love Wilde as much as the next rqg fan. He's probably my favourite character, maybe behind Sasha. But in order to appreciate the extent of his character growth it's important to recognize situations where yeah, he was being shitty and antagonistic.

And, even in a scenario as silly and fantastical as this, I still think it's important to not brush off the experiences of a marginalized person who says they're a target of discriminatory language, even if the perpetrator is someone you like. Wilde is white, and charming, and wealthy, and in a position of power over Grizzop as his handler and as a government representative. He is not the victim in this situation.

Again, very much not looking to start shit here, especially because "aw, poor Wilde :(" is definitely a thought I've had while listening to early RQG. This is just something I've been thinking about a lot during my current relisten and wanted to share with you guys.

[just-an-enby-lemon]

RQG Characthers and If They Comit Tax Evasion

*PCs*

Hamid -> he thinks he doesn't but he actually does (he trusts his family to do his taxes for him and they just don't cause they are Al Tahains and don't need to)

Sasha -> does not know what taxes are/ still doesn't pay them after learning

Zolf -> people that are part of the cults don't need to pay taxes, that being said after he lefts the Poseidon lot he still does not pay his taxes

Bertie -> hajahahahahahahahaha wait are you serius? Yes! He totally comits tax evasion, he also thinks poor people should pay HIM taxes actually, if pressed will defend feudalism

Grizzop -> No. He doesn't pay taxes but is because the sweet paladin fiscal benefits and still pays a fee to the Artemis lot.

Azu -> No. She doesn't need to pay taxes as a paladin but she comits tax fraud so she can keep paying them.

Cel -> No. They did it for a long time but they don't feel the need to in Japan.

*Some NPCs*

Harlequinns -> Since the taxes are for the Meritocracy no Harlequinn pays them. The Prague ones are in a more complicated spot where they do pay some taxes to keep their position and mostly just commit tax fraud. Einstein likes finding fun ways to do it.

Wilde -> No. He really can't when working that close to the Meritocracy. He also does his coworkers taxes part of it is his workaholic will accept any work tendendices but mostly is so he can spy on people's financial information and collect favors. He did more than once used his position to make someone comitt tax fraud and than gets them in trouble for it (an ex, an enemy, someone he wanted out of the office).

Carter -> Absolutly. 100%

Barnes -> No. He is a good boi.

The Al Tahans -> yup, they also have a lot of financial benefits both because they are bank owners and just for Apophis nepotism style of things.

Kiko -> Yes but not always she sees not getting caught by "dragon IDF" a challenge and Earhart fully incentivizes it.

The Kobolds -> They are all together here because I don't think Kobold society belives in money at all. When they stabelish a goverment they share a part of their inventions and all their resources but it's not really taxes.

Barret -> Yes. Not only that but is very likely that Barret was in fact being paid with people's tax money because of Meritocratic corruption.

Eddie -> also doesn't know what taxes are but for a very different reason, would pay them if he learned. Is tecnically not a crime cause he has paladin imunity and his parents pay his Apollo's fee.

Tjelvar -> No. He is always in his best behavior so he can gather the most financial support for his research and most of meritocratic programs say you have to have a clean criminal record.

[iwannarunawayandbeapirate]

Relistening to the RQG Cairo arc right now and I have never thought about it from this angle before but holy shit Saira is going through so much??

Like imagine this. You're just going about your business when suddenly, communication, technology and transport all over the world stop working. Less than two weeks later, you hear that your sister has been killed by a wizard. It's all over the news, and apparently your brother was there too? And the wizard cursed him? You don't know if he's okay, and you can't even contact him because all the modern communication systems are down. But like two days later, he just shows up in Cairo with no announcement and doesn't even explain how he got there. He has some friends with him who immediately get drunk and damage the magical mural on the ceiling. Within the span of the next two days, you find out that he got kicked out of university, that your other brother broke into your family's bank and killed someone, that your father is taking the fall for him, that your brother didn't actually kill someone but did break into the bank and is now turning himself in to the police. Oh, and also there's an ancient tomb underneath the bank and it's full of traps. But you have no time to process this, because two of your family members have been arrested and another one has died while you have to basically run the entire family business while also still doing your normal job as a dragon's assistant. And that's not all! Apparently, you are actually descended from the dragon that you work for. Your brother and his friends want to talk to him because one of them is undead?? And your brother has inherited magical powers from the dragon. And so have your even younger brothers, apparently.

Eventually, your brother leaves again, as suddenly as he came. You think you can finally get a moment to breathe and get used to the new situation, but then, your other little brother is kidnapped. And your adventuring brother disappears as well. And then an old German guy shows up and tells you they're in a temporal rift in Rome?? You don't even have much time to worry about them, because suddenly, people are becoming infected with blue veins and betraying their loved ones. Your former home is now the headquarters for the rebellion, who you think also want to bring down the dragons you once worked for? Your brothers show up again after 18 months, but they haven't aged at all, and they've picked up a gnome, a goblin, and a paladin along the way. The older brother disappears pretty much as soon as he arrived - he's off to Japan now. A few weeks later, the abnormal storms that have been sweeping through Egypt suddenly stop. And then, a month or so later, it all stops. The blue veins. Magic. The Meritocracy. And your little brother was at the centre of all of this from the beginning.

What the actual fuck?

[utilitycaster]

Sorry to keep asking you about RQG but I like your meta and it's been a while since it's finished, so there's not as much going on with it.

What did you think about the characters and the party dynamics through the different parties? They had a fair bit of inter-party conflict that I think resolved in ways of "we are just not going to get along so let's move on" and I think that's interestingly something we don't see a lot (more recent ex: BH's continually coming into conflict about if the Vanguard was maybe right when Imogen is/was deciding if she could trust her mom even after half the party had been killed by them and orym's previous history with them not really resolving).

I remember even less, tbh, of RQG than NADDPod but I agree. I think this is partially just because Ben Meredith is a player who had ZERO fear of conflict and Zolf was a grumpy and often harsh guy but also an insightful one; and Grizzop was similarly somewhat unyielding as a paladin but necessarily charismatic and dedicated to working together. There was also Sasha, who was very standoffish for valid reasons but hard to bring into a fold; and Bertie, who was an asshole. This is great, and more parties should be like this. I think it's important to have people like Hamid and Azu who are super warm and dedicated to creating a found family but I think, as someone who is quite sensitive to overfamiliar gestures it's actually really enjoyable to have D&D parties that are more like coworkers. I enjoy a good tightly bound family-like party like the Nein, but not every dynamic needs to be like that! (And RQG did ultimately end up with very familial relationships because saving the world together will do it, but man it was coworkers until like, Japan, honestly). I think Bells Hells is obviously somewhere in between these two positions and I also think this works better with smaller parties to be fair but yeah, I think it would be healthier if they were a little bit more willing to say "we will never agree on this but we agree on our larger goal so let's do this". Don't force a friendship! it strips the threading of the metaphorical screws and it never quite hangs right.

For another dynamic a little like this, also in PF1e, I recommend Burnt Cookbook Party. The players are friends but the characters are like well we are stuck together but there's some mistrust.

[eleanor-is-fine]

RQG 135 Science!

Hamid decides to fireball the jelly cube much to the shrill dismay of Zolf Ben - so loud!

48 damage plus all the windows, blob manages to partly reform… Cel throws four bombs, all hit, high damage (4 d6+7) - jelly chunks fly all over

[ooze was going to cast fireball… “good” says Ben]

Zolf chastises Hamid, Hamid justifies, they continue going up, past an old dormitory, 2 1/2 more floors to a locked door. Hamid casts acid splash, lock falls off. Stairs go up but lift stops here. Huge storage space stuffed full, most atticky of attic spaces

Medical equipment, painting of Shoin, locked trap door, a trapped trap door.

Zolf pokes it and it explodes - Zolf takes 7, Hamid takes 0 - storm ⛈️

Lightning illuminates towers, walkways, huge and bright lighthouse. Courtyards below, a few people moving around.

What happened to the school & students?

Locked hatch at end of walkway - sliding window with paper “go away” (that’s weird)

Room seems like the control room of the lighthouse, spiral staircase leading up and down, power and comm cables

People in room above… party plans attack (for once) (whispers)

Hamid and Cel sneak up, peek in to see kobolds in little lab coats doing something with controls and arguing with each other - Hamid casts rainbow pattern to mesmerize, gets three & grabs the other

Cel asks what they’re doing, kobold buddy grins and says Science!

[saveandreset]

I'm trying to do an RQG relisten, I'm on ep 26 I predict a riot, but I keep jumping to the post-japan times, this is fine.

[shy-magpie]

RQG 166

Where in there is shipping, talk of strange magics, and preparations are made

"Smooth Sailing" is not quite up there with "everything is fine" but its ominous.

So is this strictly to annoy Alex or did they notice fandom commenting on how fast they spoke?

No sexy Jesus then it can't be Grant

I love Hamid made them all cold weather gear

Tension for long periods sucks. Azu is going to find Kiko!

Cel points out that Azu asking if Kiko wants "take a break together"!

Hamid is also a shipper on deck!

Kiko sees Hamid & Cel sharing thumbs up A love nest?

Azu is nervous!

Azu refuses because she doesn't want to risk it while they are in danger; Kiko doesn't want to die sober

Kiko hangs out in the nest because it beats throttling Carter.

Kiko takes control of the conversation, since Azu is jumping quite a bit ahead; asks what Azu is doing in Japan on her way to Svalbard. Azu starts to say "save the world" when Ben points out infosec, panics and says "nothing".

Oh Earhardt is the captain of Kiko's adopted father, a gnome named Elbert. Azu goes pretty vague, says she want to be high priestess of Aphrodite which means good works like healing people. At this point Kiko asks if she could do anything about the crick in her neck. Which seems a bit "lay your hands on me".

Alex draws a vail there beyond asking Helen if Azu kisses on the first date (yes a little one).

Hamid & Cel notice Azu coming back up alone. Azu tells them she had a kiss: Hamid claps, Cel squeals.

Oh the bears climbed to the top of real mountains to die.

Earhardt asks Zolf if he thinks something killed the bears. Zolf basically says we'd see it coming.

Earhardt is more worried about the effects of the borealis on the ship.

Zolf says to take it to a vote. Earhardt tries to tell Zolf to handle it, Zolf tells her it should be her

Zolf gathers them all, giving Azu an approving pat on the arm.

Earhardt isn't actually bad at this. Lore time!

Hamid is trying to share his magic knowledge again, but he still sounds nervous.

Cel asks if something like the antimagic cell would help, but I don't know if they can persue that? Yeah spells and material.

Zolf points out that they have magic types fairly covered.

Oh so this is explicitly not like Rome.

Hamid figures its mostly safe.

Zolf asks how the Kobolds feel!

They get that its dangerous and ask it they can kill it. They ask if they can make a lightning rod! Clever Kobolds. Cel follows up the idea.

The lightning rod would protect a room below decks but it would send the danger elsewhere.

Oh Hamid wants to transfer the magic into spells rather than just vented dangerously.

The Cohort looks to Hamid before voting. Earhardt voted nay because the detour would take them someplace useful; but takes being out voted with grace.

Wilde offers to drive or give the anklets to Zolf since they offer protection. Zolf doesn't want him taking either risk but agrees to teach him in case Zolf can't fly. The rolls for the lightning rod are so very low. Only Cel knows that its "a bit sketch" but the others think its fine. Earhardt wants to head to enemy territory and the party knows it.

Sussura is a lovely name for a Kobold. Skraak & Sussura are arguing about something. Sussura tells them that unless they can do better they should take what Cel is offering. They take Cels hand leads them inside and turns around makes a rude gesture then asks if they want inside or outside!

Cel offers Sussura the fang. Cel misses that Sussura looks at them with even more respect or adoration than they look at Hamid. Azu catches it.

Helen tells Cel they all trust them. Which makes it so much worse.

Alex doesn't tell us how well Wilde learns. The safe room is actually a modification of the living area.

Zolf makes the usual vague catch you on the flip side noises. Earhardt tells him this risk is only worth it while the borealis is near and to get them asap.

Hamid asks to cast a spell on Zolf. Its called "Heroism" and gives +2 on a bunch of things for 90 minutes.

Cel reminds them there is still an element of risk but is more cheery than they were. We fade out on the image of Zolf sailing into danger.

[asexualgilliontidestrider]

Grips my rqg/JRWI au in my hands so hard the atoms split apart and it turns into dust.

I just think it would be cool if some magical weirdness happened when the LOLOMG (sans bertie as he was on the train) were sailing across the channel and the boat capsized and they ended up in the JRWI riptide universe…. It wouldn’t be the first time the riptide pirates have picked up some random people floating face down on some driftwood and I think it would just be so fun….

Just the conflicting running jokes. England doesn’t exist in the riptide universe and English is a dialect called finglish spoken by an undersea country of sea elves. All the magic that zolf and Hamid are used to coming from a pathfinder based universe is just a little wonky, and zolf gets the rome effect where Poseidon just…. Isn’t there. Just dead air.

Sasha and chip bond over missing fingers and being rogue orphans. Hamid and gillion discuss taxes and a bit of hamid’s soul dies as he watches gillion just throw an armful of gold off the edge of the ship “to pay sea taxes. You know, because of the gold fish”. Hamid is violently sea sick and zolf is slightly on edge with his past experiences with a pirate crew and the loss of his leg during that time. Jay chats with Sasha about her retractable wrist blades and the mechanics of them, ollie (5’1) is a 12 year old half elf and still taller than hamid (3’4). Old man Earl absolutely takes the piss out of Hamid for being so short because they’re both halflings and the fact that Hamid is short for even a halfling would probably be funny to him. The LOLOMG seem a little perturbed when they watch said 5’1 12 year old pick up one of the captains that are at least a head and shoulders taller than him and haul them over the edge of the boat as a “prank”.

They see Alphonse and comment that it’s weird to see an automata like that outside of places like france and japan and get blank stares from the crew of the albatross as they say that he came from Edison kingdom and the LOLOMG are just like EDISON ? LIKE THOMAS EDISON ?? THE INVENTOR OF THE SIMULACRUM??????? And the riptide pirates are like what lol no just like. The place. That one floating city, you know? And Hamid is like ??? The only floating city I’ve seen is Prague university what.

The riptide pirates ask what island they were trying to get to on their boat and zolf tells them they were trying to get to france and once again blank stares. No idea what they’re on about. Chip asks no like what sea were you from. Like. West Sea North Sea East Sea South Sea or what. And zolf just stares at them trying not to think he just died and this is hell.

I just feel like the riptide crew is so cartoonishly varied and colourful compared to the rqg party with their half elves and humans and panda folk and tritons and warforged and halflings all dressed in bright colourful clothing and flying a customised Jolly Roger flag. Queen and Hamid would probably be best friends. Sasha would probably find chip either a chill guy to hang out with or completely fucking unbearable. Otherwise she would probably hang around Alphonse and just talk to him about the world and what it’s like. Zolf and gryffon would probably talk prosthetics at least once and they’d probably quietly enjoy each others company. Zolf would probably enjoy hanging out with drey too, seeing as though he’s a 50 year old dwarf who probably wouldn’t have much patience for anyone under Sasha’s age (23)

I feel like if I allowed bertie into this au he would just get thrown into the ocean and drown instantly because he would be like quietly mysoginistic to Jay once and ollie would fling him over the railings of the ship

[ssunfl-wers]

thanks for the tag!!

Last song: Quiver by Lonas (I was organising my playlist of music recommendations from other people)(thanks Anna)

Fav colour: yellow & baby blue

Last book: I’m rereading It Came From the Closet: Queer Reflections on Horror which I absolutely recommend!! I just got it back from a friend so im mostly rereading so I can see what notes she made in it

Last movie: honestly I can’t remember 😅

Last show: Midnight Mass. it was alright, not spectacular but I did enjoy the cinematography

Sweet/savoury/spicy: savoury!

Relationship status: single

Last thing I searched: yen to aud conversion (my best friend is still in Japan and he is spending so much money on ceramics)

Current obsession: relistening to RQG and thinking too hard about it

Looking forward to: hearing back from a couple of tattoo artists so I can book with them ☺️

I can’t think of anyone to tag right now so open tags

Ten People I’d Like to Get to Know Better

tagged by: @orphiclovers

last song: It’s all been Christmas retail crap or if you count the radio on the drive home playing Avril Lavigne

fav color: this pale seafoam green for things or white for clothes

last book: Eclipse by Wilder (poetry)

last movie: Deadpool & Wolverine

last show: N/A

sweet/spicy/savory: sweet and savory 

relationship status: 4 people proposed to me this year. 1 meant it fr 🥹 (engaged irl) otherwise I have a harem on AO3 going.

last thing i googled: how big is a wintermelon?

current obsession: cooking and Infinity Nikki

looking forward to: I’m planning a road trip with the girls later this week!!

Tagging: @auuwmk, @ssunfish, @ajhaijma, @stoneclaw, @quiteboared, @kiwiandmint, @dgeneralacc, @rex44201, @readingdreaming4951, @thottykunikida

[hellichk]

The backgrounds i did for @raspberryhell 's RQG anime OP parody, Trust Me!!!

This was a blast to do, so so happy I got to work with them!!

You can watch it on their tumblr and also on youtube!