#laudna is also participating

[undead-knick-knack]

Modern au where Ashton and the rest of the Bells Hells take FCG trick-or-treating because he's never been

[quantummindclassicalheart]

Here's my @widojestsecretsanta fic for @therapybard! I might have gone a little overboard with the plot-- there will be a second chapter coming in the next week.

Summary:

Jester takes stock of the situation. No magic. No Mighty Nein. She’s not dead, probably. And at least it feels like there’s a floor beneath her feet. So she can walk… somewhere. Plus, she was just with Caleb, so it stands to reason that he’s around here too.  So step one: find Caleb. Wait, no—step one: figure out what this place is. Step two (but also kind of at the same time as step one, so like. Step one-and-a-half): find Caleb.  Step three (or two, if the last one was one-and-a-half): fix his memories, get back to the island, and kill Vokodo. Maybe that last one should be multiple steps? It’s fine. Once she finds Caleb, they’ll figure the rest out together. Oh, step zero: don’t die.

[utilitycaster]

An ongoing theme, with regards to the gods (as opposed to Predathos and the Imperium) is that of free will. The gods are stringent in collecting on promises made, and the Betrayers will use initial consent as license to act freely, but it’s notable, in a campaign where nearly all the main player characters are shaped by entities that never once gave them a choice, the gods require an invitation. Except, worryingly, Predathos, a being of nigh-divine powers who does not seem bound by this limitation. And, of course, mortals can do as they will.

When Lolth overtakes Opal, the fact that Opal assumed both the crown, and the title of champion, willingly, is repeatedly mentioned, in DM narration and by Lolth herself. Lolth also mentions to Dorian, (perhaps untruthfully, though the events of EXU indicate this might be genuine), that she wished for him to become her champion instead - but he did not put on the crown, so she can’t have him. Obviously, Lolth takes many liberties with Opal once given entry, but she can only speak to people or act through someone who has permitted her. We see this too with Asmodeus: it is ultimately Zerxus’s choice not to walk away and face his death, but make good on his pact; some degree of initial consent is needed. K’nauth and Judicators are also both explicitly described as voluntary: once permission is given, they are bound, but this is no different than the contracts of warlocks and notably, with the gods, while we’ve seen them make deals under dire straits, we’ve never seen such unwitting participants in their pacts as Fjord with Uk’otoa or Laudna with Delilah among the gods. All entered in control of their faculties, to our knowledge, though not necessarily with the full knowledge of what it entailed.

The Prime Deities are differentiated from the Betrayers in that they continue to provide free will to their champions and their faithful. The Raven Queen accepts Vax’s trade of his life for Vex’s, given without any direct communication from her, but she quickly does begin to communicate clearly; when Vax communes with her in Duskmeadow, she tells him what she wishes, putting him much more at ease. Later, after his death, she gives him an option to either remain dead, or to have a little more time left with Keyleth, Vex, and the others of Vox Machina before he completes his task and returns to her, and he makes a choice. When Morrighan asks for guidance, the Raven Queen’s response is to ask “why are you fighting, and what are you fighting for?” and stresses that she wishes to lay out the exact terms before Morrighan agrees to anything. When Percy asks her what to do she, ironically enough for a goddess of fate, tells him he possesses the capacity to do great things of his own accord. All of Vox Machina’s divine favors come willingly, only after a conversation; the Wildmother first reaches out to Fjord before he decides to accept. And mortals have the capacity to resist even these promises; Opal is only partially successful but she does not give the Spider Queen two deaths and she does not leave alone. Fy’ra Rai finds herself able to go against Lolth’s wishes even when the Wildmother does not wish to intervene; it is her choice not to kill Opal but to go with her.

When mortals express doubt in the gods, it’s typically not their actions. It’s because they don’t think they meddle in the matters of mortals enough. As mentioned, Percy struggles with the open-ended nature of the Raven Queen’s advice. Essek, frequently considered an “anti-god” character is actually quite mild in his doubt and ultimately more frustrated at the clerics of the Kryn Dynasty than the Luxon itself (put a pin in that). Ludinus Da’leth states the gods should have prevented the Calamity, despite us knowing that the Prime Deities avoided intervention and that ultimately, while the Calamity had a number of causes, mortals (Vespin, Laerryn, much of the city of Avalir) were at the root. Ashton and Imogen’s frustrations with the gods have both ultimately been that they asked for assistance and did not receive it.

The extension of the Prime Deities’ belief in the free will of mortals is sufficiently strong that even during the Age of Arcanum, when many mortals rejected them, and when they did not require mortal intermediaries, they still chose to preserve it until the Calamity began. Each major action by the gods as a group is ultimately one to preserve themselves (the sealing of Predathos; the destruction of Aeor; the current campaign’s truce) or to preserve mortals (the Primes during the Schism and in creating the Divine Gate).

Contrast this with Delilah, who seizes control of Laudna and who is never stated to have asked permission for any of her actions. Compare to FCG, designed by Aeorians to lose control and kill. Compare to Chetney, bitten by a werewolf in the wilderness (and the others of the Gorgynei as well) - indeed, what control he has is the legacy of magic granted by the Raven Queen and by a nature spirit tied to the Wildmother. Contrast this now with Predathos, whose Ruidusborn had no say in this connection and indeed, many are motivated in service to Predathos with the goal of freeing themselves. Enforcers within the Kreveris Imperium refer to themselves as The Will, and Elder Barthie refers to those who oppose them as being made “pliable”. Chetney’s loss of control under Ruidus is deliberately triggered by the Weave Mind, with whom he made no deal.

If we (in my opinion, rightfully) reject any argument that denies the right of sentient entities to self-preservation, we are left with the following accusations of the gods: failing to stop wrongdoing by mortals (both in their name and unrelated); and acting in accordance with pre-existing agreements. The latter we can also reject; it is not perhaps kind of the gods to hold people to their contracts, but this is not unique to them and as discussed extensively above, they do require that, at least initially, the promise be made willingly.

The former, unfortunately, will not be stopped by destroying the gods. Ultimately, such people as Tuldus, Bor’Dor, and the people of Hearthdell were oppressed by their fellow mortals. In-world, we have seen zealotry in the name not just of the Prime Deities but that of countless lesser ones, notably Uk’otoa; if only the Prime and Betrayer gods are at stake, this simply creates a power vacuum to be filled by other entities vastly more powerful than mortals. On the other hand, should all power-granting entities be devoured, setting aside the upheaval this will cause in society, this leaves no shortage of room for oppression on the basis of race or political affiliation, both of which we’ve seen. The Tal’Dorei Campaign Setting’s original incarnation, prior to the further development of Wildemount for Campaign 2, even stated the Dwendalian Empire forbade all religion and was still an authoritarian one. Colonization is the end goal of the Weave Mind and indeed the motivation for killing the gods per Edmuda. It also is not unheard of on Exandria for reasons not attributed to religion, notably the settling of the Menagerie Coast by Marquesians, and Tal’Dorei (formerly Gwessar) by human settlers from Issylra. And, of course, as we know in our real world, you do not need provable deities for religion to develop nor for colonization and oppression. Mortals do these things in reality and Exandria, whether or not the gods exist, and destroying the gods in Exandria achieves no prevention, only carnage.

Returning, finally, to Essek: when we look at the major characters who are PCs or are aligned with them who have expressed frustration with the gods, the only one who has much of a case for being influenced by the actions of a deity is Percy, who is staunchly on the side against Predathos. One could split hairs and note that Vecna was not a deity at the time of the murder of Percy’s family, his own torture, and the destruction and occupation of Whitestone, but rather merely a power-hungry wizard extending his lifespan via unscrupulous means, but Percy’s own choices render this moot. Meanwhile, the gods simply did not alleviate Imogen and Ashton’s experiences, both of which were in part due to powers caused by entities the gods, in fact, failed to sufficiently destroy (Predathos and Ka’Mort specifically) and mostly perpetuated by mortals reacting to Imogen’s abilities or Ashton finding themself orphaned on the outskirts of a notoriously rough city and later, caught as the fall guy in a failed heist by a morally questionable wealthy collector.

It is my belief that Keyleth’s anger is, on some level, extended towards someone who can’t respond nor change and who she feels she cannot be angry at, and that is Vax. Vax made the deal and the Raven Queen collected; Vax decided to take the Raven Queen’s second offer. He was forced into neither, and as discussed later, he likely would have responded poorly to a True Resurrection attempt given his faith. Vax is dead because of Vecna, but neutralizing Vecna didn’t fix it. I think Dorian’s anger at Lolth meanwhile is valid, but it’s also something I’d imagine he feels he cannot direct towards Opal, even though her actions are a part of it. And I’m sure both Keyleth and Dorian blame themselves, to an extent, whether or not that is rightful. The gods make just as convenient a scapegoat for those hurt by mortals as they do an excuse for cruelty.  But I don’t think killing them will bring back Vax, and certainly not Cyrus. Much as Derrig and Will and four other Ashari lie permanently dead at the hands of Otohan Thull despite her demise, and Orym’s trauma remains, killing the gods will not undo what happened to Imogen or Ashton. And since their main crime is considered to be inaction, killing them does not end suffering (and, indeed, should we dig into the infrastructures of Exandrian society and cosmology, may very well drastically increase it). It merely confirms that no one will receive their favor rather than only some; a bringing everyone down to your misery rather than striving to elevate all. An apt, if slightly tongue-in-cheek comparison to the real world is the fact that the cause of student loan forgiveness has been hamstrung and neutered by people furious that, since they didn’t receive help, no one else should - it is a self-centered and retaliatory mentality to lash out so far in jealousy that one would willingly destroy the life of another with the goal of increasing universal suffering.

Sources:

Timestamps available upon request but here are the episodes I’m drawing from. Printed works include pages.

Lolth, Opal, and Dorian: see 3x92-93; see also EXU Prime episode 8, EXU Kymal episode 2 for Opal willingly accepting and EXU Prime episodes 5 and 7 for the Spider Queen trying to get Dorian to put on the circlet.

K’nauth: EXU Calamity episode 2

Asmodeus and Zerxus: EXU Calamity episode 4

Judicators: 3x43

The Raven Queen and Vax: notably 1x44 (initial deal), 1x57 (Duskmeadow communion), 1x103 (her offering him the choice to pass or to become a revenant). Percy is also in 1x57.

The Raven Queen and Morrighan: 3x93.

Vox Machina’s divine favors: 1x104-1x106

Fjord and the Wildmother: 2x65; powers granted in 2x76.

Fy’ra and the Wildmother: 3x93

Essek’s feelings: see the final portion of this excellent post from essektheyless

Ludinus on the gods: 3x45

For causes of the Calamity, see EXU Calamity in its entirety, but Vespin specifically is episode 4, many of Avalir’s actions (including ignoring the hall of prophecy) are episode 2, and Laerryn denying the Arboreal Calix needed energy and casting Blight are in episode 3).

Ashton on the gods: 3x65

Imogen on the gods: 3x79

See page 12 of The Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount regarding the Prime Deities’ choice not to enforce their will during the Age of Arcanum.

Sealing of Predathos: 3x43; destruction of Aeor: EGTW 121; Truce mentioned in 3x67 and has appeared in 3x89 (Vezoden) and 3x92-93 (The Wildmother and Lolth).

Schism: EGTW 12; Divine Gate EGTW 13-14.

Delilah seizing control: 3x23

FCG’s design: 3x32 and 3x45

Chetney and Gorgynei (history and control): 3x40-41

Weave Mind control of Chetney: 3x91

Goals of Ruidusborn: multiple but see 3x48 and 3x89, 3x92 for a strong example with Liliana.

Imperium practices: 3x84

Tuldus: 3x44. Bor’Dor: 3x63. Hearthdell: 3x60-61.

Actions of Uk’otoa: much of Campaign 2 but notably 2x98 and The Mighty Nein Reunited.

Original description of the Dwendalian Empire: Tal’Dorei Campaign Setting (not Reborn) page 99

Goals of the Weave Mind: 3x85

Colonization of the Menagerie Coast: EGTW 17 (largely a peaceful one); Colonization of Tal’Dorei: Tal’Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn page 18 (explicitly stated to be against the wishes of the elves; led in part to the rule of Drassig and Scattered War).

Percy and Vecna: Vecna ascends in 1x106; the events of the Whitestone Occupation begin prior to campaign 1. Percy is in multiple war councils against the Vanguard and notably appears in the plans for a distraction to allow Bells Hells to take the Bloody Bridge in 3x81.

Imogen and Predathos: the revelation that Predathos may be within exaltants comes in 3x92; 3x83 and 3x87 both have involuntary experiences due to Predathos and see Liliana’s arguments in 3x48 as well as Imogen’s discussion of Gelvaan.

Ashton and Ka’Mort: emotional fallout most notably in 3x78; Evontra’vir’s description of what happened with the shard in 3x74. Memories of the Hexum Manor heist can be seen in 3x35.

[fromtheearthoftheearthtotheearth]

I really dont think laudna and ashtons anger at the gods is as misplaced as reddit makes it seem , cause like Laudna:

was hanged on the tree of a god, by an acolite of an upcoming god. As far as she knows no god helped to prevent this.

She was also chased out by a bunch of people, typically in the company of some priest.

Their cleric godly friend keep being a shit about using an ability that instills fear of the gods into her, saying she needs to respect the gods after it even.

It could be entirely true that clerics get their ability not from gods, as fcg was able to be a cleric without it. Thus it is not weird to think that pike was the most important reason of her ressurection, not the everlight.

Ashton:

thought the gods were passive for a while, which would explain why he (cult victim, chronic pain) and people around them in their youth (greymoore orphans, bassuras in general, people in the inside of the core sprire) weren't helped with their problems.

then when they attacked the temple, they realized that representatives of the dawnfather would come to the aid of his acolites.

I dont think the bigger point is that the dawnfather(s representatives) didnt like them because they attacked their temple (because duh). I think its more important that the angel of the dawnfather helping these people proves that the gods aren't passive and will ''actively'' participate into things that help their goals.

Which looks kinda bad when you realize the gods and their followers were seeking power and influence around these nexus points so no one else could use it, even if it distrubed the community around the nexus point.

Yet it won't help prevent something like, for example, the blowing up of a town via cultists, the apex war, the hanging of multiple townspeople on one of his trees, etc.

The gods seperated themselves from humans to prevent all out divinity wars like the calamity again (they say ofc) but they do still have influence and they will use it for their own goals.

I do think that Ashton has a bunch of issues that they need to adress to make their opinion a bit more ''healthy'' and less ''personal''. Although I think its rooted in truth, they seem to think of it as a personal slight, while its more a ''the gods will do things for their own agenda'' type of thing. The whole of bells hells also saw the judicators, which are basically people devoid of their personality that serve the gods. They saw people getting slain for simply knowing of predathos, which eventually imogen would also fall under. (even if they never got the information via stolen papers). And every believing person has been recruited to participate in the fight surrounding the red moon, while a lot of them will probably die. Ofcourse critters know all the good (and bad) things some gods have done, but as for characters goes I do think their takes are pretty logical and I am tired of pretending it is not <3.

[masterqwertster]

For the AU game: how about, the earth shard gives Ashton the ability to fuse with members of the Hells into one superpowered being, like with fusion in Steven Universe? The 'wrong way to multiclass' AU

An interesting idea!

I'll admit, I never really watched Steven Universe (or got into Dragon Ball Whatever-Era-Introduced-Fusion-Ha!), but it's thankfully an easy enough idea to follow.

Anyways:

Wrong Way to Multiclass AU

Fusing with Laudna gets weird because Delilah is there too. And honestly, it kind of freaks Delilah out a little bit because she's pretty sure a barely creative use of that ability could allow the definitely-not-a-genasi-because-they-can't-do-this-shit to separate her from Laudna by taking her into themself, then unfuse her from themself, then have the little cleric robit (or some other holy person) exorcise her vulnerable spirit, thus severing her last tether to the living world. Also, the Laudna-Ashton fusion is able to draw on Delilah's spells because she is technically part of that mess (super wild wizard-warlock-sorcerer-barbarian multiclass)

Even when fusing with the small folk of Bells Hells, the new form doesn't lose any of Ashton's height because titan enormity overrules their shortness. Also, while on the subject of titan=enormous, all Fearne-Ashton Wild Shape forms are super-sized specimens

Bells Hells probably notices Ashton's self-worth issues sooner thanks to the FCG-Ashton fusion being way too self-depreciating and eager to please for that to belong to just one or the other

The Imogen-Ashton fusion is pretty ruthless (see Imogen and Ashton's thoughts on an appropriate approach to Dancer in ep70). Anyone who threatens Bells Hells is in for it when faced with this fusion

Chetney is probably the most eager to participate in the fusions because he gets to feel young again and stronger than ever. Chet-Ash is definitely the fusion with the most raw physical strength

Send me a potential AU and I’ll tell you five fun facts that would happen in a story.

[bloodyshadow1]

my rankings on who I think the imposters are going to be

High chance

Orym- from a character and player standpoint, it would make sense to me for Orym to be one of the imposters, the group already trusts him the most. He's vanilla as a class so it would be easy for the dopplegangers to copy him and his moveset. Also Liam would love a chance to fuck with his friends and fellow players

Medium Chance

Chetney- in medium because he would be harder to replace than orym, because he has special abilities and can transform. The doppleganger might be able to copy some of his abilities aesthetically, but they haven't seen him transform so there is no way to know about it. Travis, like liam would love a chance to fuck with the table so I think he would be a good choice for matt

Laudna- like Chet has a transformation that I don't think she activated so the dopplegangers wouldn't know about it and would be easy to be revealed. That being said, Nana might have informed them somehow. Also as Marisha is her player, and married to Matt it would be easy for them to plan over the week to fuck with their friends. She also doesn't have the skills to be useful in this situation personally, other than deception. her abysmal strength score could be a detriment, so I could see Marisha 'accidentally' choosing those ability checks while still complaining about failing them without initailly raising suspicions

FCG- he is a metal being so I'm not sure how a flesh and blood doppleganger could replicate that outside of appearance. would they klink if flicked or would they feel like flesh with metallic bodypaint. Sam is an agent of chaos so I wouldn't put it past him to be an imposter just to fuck with his friends, maybe even a third imposter just for the hell of it

Low Chance

Ashton- honestly, as much as I think Talisen could be a good imposter, the big reason they're all there is because Ashton made a big decision with a huge fall out in their party. the party probably trusts them the least right now and they kind of need to be them so that the rift can heal

Other- mixed bag

Fearne- she's strange because I could see her go either way. I could see Nana Mori wanting Ferne to participate because she's her favorite, but I could also see her wanting Fearne in the stands with her. Fearne's a druid which are one of the most versatile classes so her spells are probably going to be key to solving the challenge or at least help it along. Ashley is a chaos gremlin though so I could see her having fun either way

Imogen- The big thing with imogen, is if Nana Mori does something to prevent her from reading minds at all. If she doesn't than imogen will all but have to be one of the imposters because she could read their thoughts and it would be too easy. Personally I think Mori will do something to mess with imogen's powers so she won't be an imposter, because she is one of the party that probably needs a lesson on trust. She removed her circlet because she doesn't trust most of the party, or at least she wants to be aware of the party's actions because of what happened.

What do you guys think? Do you agree do you have different lists for different reasons, let me know

[cringefaecompilation]

would enjoy a hardcore metal show and participate in a wall of death: fearne, ashton, chetney, laudna

barely alive dragging themselves across the ground coming back from the function: orym, imogen, fcg, dorian, also laudna but she enjoyed it

[stardustedknuckles]

Hey can you remind me when Imogen confirmed her attraction to men? (Not because I don’t think she’s bi, I definitely do. I just have terrible working memory and want to be able to reference her history when I write docs.) Was it the boy she worked with back in the stables?

Gorgynei already said something about it but yeah, it was Sam and most importantly, it was Sam in a way that Imogen hasn't really sounded as comfy or wistful about elsewhere. The thing is that it's less about "I'm gonna defend this past attraction as a huge canon identifier thing" so much as "I AM going to actively push back on the tendency for fandom spaces to decide that any and every female character is fair game to be called a lesbian unless she explicitly wants to bone a guy and doesn't say psych" (note how quickly fearne got dropped from the wlw conversation as soon as she was serious about calling chetney's bluff) and overall biphobia in this fandom is absolutely insane. It also matters that Imogen was an active participant in the date with Pretty, which you can argue was for deception or laughs but which she took very seriously.

I know that for the most part, people calling imogen and laudna lesbians are mostly tongue in cheek/casual about it - projecting the normal way we all do on our faves. but it speaks to a greater trend of r*dfem koolaid insisting that 1) attraction to men makes you impure 2) lesbians can only be pure and 3) if I like this character then she can't be attracted to men (usually with an "uwu no offense to men" that is wholly insincere). I can't speak for others, but I wouldn't be so insistent on respecting the very possibility/few facts of a bi character if the rest of fandom wasn't hell bent on doing powerpoints about how they cannot possibly be bi and actually they're a lesbian and if you don't agree you're literally homophobic.

And that's about all the energy I have to spend on this today. I know it was more than you bargained for so thanks for listening.

Edit: I CAN'T BELIEVE I FORGOT THE LITRERAL EVERYTHING WITH DORIAN. How many times did she fall back on the idea that the two of them were boning or up for boning?? That was like a whole strategy for a stretch of episodes there.

[a-couple-of-notes]

There's been a lot of talk within Imodna spaces about "a caretaking role reversal" with Laudna and Imogen--like, "Laudna always takes care of Imogen and Imogen never does and now it's Imogen's turn" (and sometimes it sort of feels like there's an undertone of "Imogen doesn't realize how much Laudna does for her, so now she has to pay up by doing those things for Laudna")--but I posit: this "role reversal" is not as unprecedented as conversation seems to suggest. Laudna's supported Imogen and taken care of her after her dreams, yes, but Imogen has also pretty continuously supported Laudna. Imogen calms her down and encourages her when people are scared of her. She checks in on Laudna after the first Hunger of the Shadow. Imogen's undeniably the "caretaker"--insomuch as friendships take on roles--after the resurrection.

It's true that Laudna tries to position herself, especially earlier in the campaign, as Imogen's support. (Which is clearly almost as much for herself as for Imogen.) It's also true that Imogen, despite her charisma, is far less openly warm and affirming. But. I don't know. The sheer number of posts about this pre C3E65 made me want to just put in writing that Imogen, on multiple occasions, has taken care of Laudna; that I feel and participate in the categorization of (to be clear) purely fictional characters into roles; but that also it does a disservice to both characters to pretend that their mutual care is somehow a new thing.

[mintywolf]

A Long Road Home - Author Notes

Page 27

Cleric: Shadow sorcery isn’t unholy. Matilda: (meanwhile beheading an effigy of the Dawnfather)

Someone please supervise this child.

There was a longer sequence of events here planned initially; she was supposed to get burned by the candle at first and then get mad at it and snuff it out with her shadow powers and start playing around with the shadow, but there ended up not being room to make clear what was happening with all this dialogue. (Also realistically she would have yelped and called attention to herself, precluding the entire conversation.) I had also planned for the entire scene to take place with the “camera” in front of the adults at her level, so we don’t see their faces, just her wandering around doing things in the background between them, but the distance made it hard to tell what exactly she was doing. (The static perspective would have definitely saved me some time though!!)

The circumstances of Matilda’s birth are also discussed in Remember Us (which is not quite part of the Mintywolf Comic Universe but it is adjacent to it), where it is suggested that she Strength of the Grave’d herself back to life after being born a stillbirth. (Because that’s actually a level 1 shadow sorcerer skill, so was already Like That her entire life, long before Delilah’s interference!) Back when chapter 2 of this was Laudna’s whole backstory still in one solid, blunt-force-trauma-inducing brick, it started with that scene, before I had the idea of having it broken up into achronological pieces and conveyed to Imogen via telepathy. The scene got cut, because she obviously doesn’t have an actual memory of the incident to show her but it went pretty much how she describes it in the fic. It’s snowing, dad is hurrying home because the baby is coming early but arrives to find his wife in tears. The midwife tries to reassure him that perhaps it was “a mercy” because, being born too soon and in the dead of winter, the child would have had a hard time of it. Then a cleric comes to perform the last rites and the presumed-dead infant alarms everyone by being in fact alive, thank you very much. (I changed that version a little for this; instead of actively resisting her last rites she’s just kind of bewildered but content to be alive, which I think fits better with the ongoing theme Marisha has described for Laudna as not really being an active participant in her destiny, just kind of being swept along through history by a series of incomprehensibly horrible events and making the best of it.)

I tried preserving some of those lines in her dad’s retelling of the incident here but her parents are already on thin ice with some of you people (adoption applications for Matilda have been steadily accumulating since page 24, haha) and I didn’t want to risk implying that they didn’t want her. They did! Despite what happens in the coming pages I think she was very loved and wanted and they were really trying to do what they thought was best for her.

This page also introduces a concept I hinted at earlier — that there are simultaneous, conflicting but equally-true versions of Laudna’s past in her memory, a paradox caused by Bells Hells entering her memories through the Domain of Dread. In DnD, sorcerous origins are either ancestral or the result of some life-changing incident, and with the shadow sorcerer origin the incident is exposure to the Shadowfell. Are her powers hereditary, or did she have a brush with the Raven Queen’s realm in the Shadowfell at birth, or did her powers start manifesting after first coming into contact with Imogen and her friends in Darkstone?

[samuraiko]

Yet another late night CR thought for C3E36+ (SPOILERS AHOY)

(YOU KNOW THE DRILL)

(STOP READING IF YOU DON’T WANT SPOILERS)

(OKAY, I DON’T WANT TO HEAR IT AFTER THIS!)

So, let’s assume for argument’s sake that our dear gnome cleric from C1, Pike Trickfoot, is actually in Whitestone at the moment. (One possible reason for Keyleth bringing the Hells there, apart from the obvious one of telling the de Rolos, “yeah, you know how you thought Delilah Briarwood was toast? Think again”...).

If Matt decides to have Pike cast Raise Dead, the Hells are going to have to do a skill challenge for the ritual to work. (Never mind the obvious of trying to find a 500g diamond to use for the spell. They have a bracelet of diamonds from Jiana Hexum worth a decent chunk of change, but I think for Raise Dead it has to be a SINGLE diamond.)

I wonder who will participate, and what skill they’ll use to bring her back?

The four that I can see doing it are:

Imogen (this is such a duh... and most likely Persuasion?)

Ashton (also kind of a duh... but Ash’s Charisma SUCKS, so what would he use? It’d be a creative use of the skill, but if he were to make the case about how they both came back through magic that neither of them understand, and how both of them are broken but doing their best, maybe Arcana? Or more likely, knowing Ash, Intimidation if he wants to take a leaf out of Grog’s book)

Orym (out of survivor’s guilt... another possibility for Persuasion, since at least his doesn’t suck nearly as bad as Ashton’s does, but his isn’t nearly as good as Imogen’s is)

Fearne (also out of survivor’s guilt... and for her, Religion might work if she’s trying to implore the Changebringer for another chance?)

Only three are needed... and personally, I don’t really see FCG or Chetney participating in this one, unless they really come out of left field with it. Neither of them really has the same connection to Laudna that the others do, and Fearne’s isn’t quite as strong as the other three I mentioned.

That’s also assuming that Delilah Briarwood doesn’t try some beyond-the-grave fuckery a la Orthax and Percy from C1E69...

[utilitycaster]

So I am super behind on CR, just finished the M9 Reunited, so I don’t know about shipping or blorbos or what’s making the fandom eat itself currently, but I am not surprised by the gods as colonizers discourse that is apparently happening. I think it’s been building since the “Exandria: An Intimate History” video that CR put out on YouTube just before Calamity. The description of the gods arrival on Exandria and conflict with the titans could be read as colonizer behavior from the video if that’s what you wanted to see, especially if you didn’t have any other context.

Hi anon,

I'm not sure if there was intended to be a question in here, and I mean this kindly, but this is a discussion that does require knowledge of Campaign 3, and of the sources within the fandom from which this statement is coming, in order to participate meaningfully.

The question isn't really "how is it possible to see the gods as colonizers." It's the following questions for me, specifically:

Why does this discussion surface specifically at times when people either want to argue that the Prime Deities are bad (Calamity); or that unleashing an entity that could kill all the gods is a valid consideration (Campaign 3)?

Why does the discussion of colonialism in Exandria rarely occur over in-world colonialism among mortals that is still in many cases being perpetuated (eg: the Menagerie Coast was settled by Marquesians despite being populated by the Ki'Nau already; Tal'Dorei after the Calamity was settled by Issylrans who ultimately renamed the continent after a descendant of those settlers, despite Syngornian elves having been longtime residents of Gwessar - and indeed, often being characterized by the fandom as the oppressors; the Kryn Dynasty is currently engaging in colonialism and missionary work in Xhorhas)? Whitestone was settled by a shipwrecked group from Port Damali, led by the de Rolos, and until after Campaign 1 was a fairly remote and self-contained location; should we then treat Percy and Laudna as colonizers? Again, since the Ashari were originally guardians of the sealed primordials, are Keyleth and Orym perpetuating colonialism?

In this framework, the gods (Prime and Betrayer) are the colonizers and the primordials are the colonized:

Where do the mortals fit into this, as the creation of the gods, who did not ask to be made on a world that was already inhabited? Are they the children of the colonizers? Were they brought here against their will? Do they perpetuate the colonization? Given that the primordials will kill them if released, what is their responsibility?

What is the responsibility of the gods? Should they abandon the world entirely, leaving both the primordials and mortals with the mess they created (Betrayers)? Should they side with the mortals, who were being attacked by the primordials (Prime)? Because neither side really sides with the primordials in this narrative during the Schism; it's only during the Calamity that the Betrayers then decide to use the primordials against mortals, and the Betrayers do not actually hate the Prime deities (ie, their fellow colonizers in this framework).

In the specific question of Predathos: Predathos is also not native to Exandria, and was originally sealed by the alliance of all the surviving gods along with the primordials. Is the solution to this colonist metaphor unleashing a new intruder onto the world to kill the gods (both Betrayer and Prime), even though the colonized (primordials) opposed it the first time? Is the Ruby Vanguard arguing for the release of the colonized (primordials) or are they just claiming the world for mortals? Will killing the gods help the primordials?

So anyway my point here isn't "how could any one see this as a colonist narrative?"; it's "reducing this to a colonist narrative has extremely far-ranging implications that are not being explored nor critiqued, and it's deeply telling that this pretty much exclusively comes up as a convenient argument against the gods, and never about mortals."

[waltwhitmansbeard]

hello!

welcome to my blog. :) apparently most people call me walt, which you are welcome to do as well. my pronouns are she/her and i live in the united states. i like critical role, which is what you'll see the most of on this blog, but i've got some other interests as well, like dimension 20, art, science, and cute animals.

you might be here because of my critical role fanfiction, and if so, thanks for stopping by! my biggest work is called my fair lady and it's a vaxleth-centric medieval au. you can find more information about that on the mfl masterpost.

my latest longfic, i'm sending a raven, is available on ao3 here.

if it's shorter drabbles you're after, i've got those too! they're broken into separate masterposts because tumblr has link limit but they are as follows:

campaign one

campaign two

campaign three

the legend of vox machina

they're also available on ao3 in the work titled worse: we're family. you can also find all of my other writing over on ao3, where i also go by the username waltwhitmansbeard. i take requests for these drabbles! you can use any of the ask memes i've reblogged (just be sure to specify, especially if it's an older meme), or you can just put an idea in my askbox. try to only send me one at a time; it can be a bit overwhelming to have five or six requests in the askbox at the same time, though i love to have them. these are the ships i feel most comfortable/excited to write:

keyleth/vax

vex/percy

vax/gilmore

keyleth/vax/gilmore

caleb/essek

jester/fjord

orym/will

imogen/laudna

dorian/orym

ashton/orym

fearne/ashton/orym

ashton/dorian/orym

i also really enjoy writing platonic friendships between really any of the cr pcs (or npcs!) so feel free to float those my way as well! you can be as specific or as general as you'd like in prompts.

have you ever thought about what it would be like if keyleth and vax lived together and had a podcast about plants? me too! have you ever thought about what it would be like if the members of vox machina were vampires and witches? me too!

i am participating in critter genfic bingo! you can find my bingo entries here! i participated in perc'ahlia week 2023! you can find the masterpost of those fics here!

i liveblog each new critical role episode on friday mornings after the episode streams, so if you don't wanna see that, please block #cr spoilers. i liveblog each new dimension 20 episode as soon as it airs, so if you don't wanna see that, please block #d20 spoilers. i will tag posts and reblogs for each of those things for 48 hours after the episode airs.

i'm so happy to be part of this community, and i'm always grateful to anyone who wants to stop by and say hi! i promise i'll only bite a little. ;)

if you enjoy my writing, please consider donating to my ko-fi, if you're able to do so.

[blackbird-brewster]

Fic Rec Roundup

As I've already mentioned, I participated in @justleaveacommentfest over the past week as a way to challenge myself to read/comment on fanfics. I haven't been doing my Friday Fic Rec lists in a while because I just haven't been reading much, so I wanted to make a post with all the fics Ir ead for the comment fest. Unlike my CM Friday Fic Recs, this list is multi-fandom!

Criminal Minds

Mostly smut, but I also tried some '/reader' fics out for the first time. I still don't think it's really my thing, but I've included the ones I read so other people can check them out too.

Predilection (2007) || Author: harper_m JJ/Emily || Rated: M || WC: 1255 Thin Walls (2022) || Author: calwrites JJ/Emily || Rated: M || WC: 827

bigger (5+1) (2022) || Author: calwrites JJ/Emily || Rated: M || WC: 827

emily mit dem großen schwanz (2023) || Author: Just_a_torn_up_masterpiece JJ/Emily || Rated: E || WC: 1913

After Hit, Nobody Ran (2023) || Author: notabene187 JJ/Emily || Rated: G || WC: 4662

Be Patient (2023) || Author: imfruity Emily/Reader || Rated: E || WC: 455

Warmer (2021) || Author: nocreditinthestraightworld Elle/JJ || Rated: E || WC: 2022

from afar (2023) || Author: just_a_torn_up_masterpiece Tara/Emily || Rated: G || WC: 477

Love Abundant (2021) || Author: sweetmidnights OT3: Penelope/Emily/Tara || Rated: G || WC: 2151

I've Got a Secret, Can You Keep It? (2020) || Author: domromanoff Emily/Reader || Rated: E || WC: 787

Work Tension (2021) || Author: Jem_ily JJ/Emily || Rated: E || WC: 1516

Blackbird (2014) || Author: MadameCissy JJ/Emily || (Unrated) || WC: 27,576

Criminal Minds Bingo 2022 (Anthology) || Author: thelarkascending Multi-Ships || Rated: Teen || WC: 7144

By the Bull (2023) || Author: notabene187 JJ/Emily || Rated: E || WC: 5119

A Year in the Life (2023) || Author: thelarkascending Tara/Emily || Rated: T || WC: 4670

Winning (2010) || Author: crazylittleelf Fringe, CM Crossover || Olivia/Emily || Rated: M || WC: 251

Leverage

First time reading fic for Leverage! Love my OT3 forever and ever, I just had never gotten around to scrolling the tag. SO glad I did, there are so many great fics for these three.

Coming Home to You (2022) || Author: australiansunrise OT3: Parker/Hardison/Eliot || Rated: E || WC: 1031

[DND Character Sheets & Fanart] (2023) || Author: faorism OT3: Parker/Hardison/Eliot || Rated: T || WC: 1013

Legend of the Seeker

Another fandom I've been in since it first aired, but enver read any LotS fic! I was not disappointed, WOW! Incredibly talented authors, can't wait to explore this ship tag more in the future.

Lightness (2012) || Author: simplesetgo OT3: Richard/Cara/Kahlan || Rated: M || WC: 1688

Story Time (2020) || Author: GravityWinsAgain OT3: Richard/Cara/Kahlan || Rated: E || WC: 1378

Critical Role

First two are just faves I revisit a lot. The third was because I was in an Imoda mood, for absolutely no reason ;)

Flowers and Cupcakes (2022) || Author: lavenderthem Beau/Yasha || Rated: G || WC: 929

there was something from the moment I saw her (2021) || Author: transformatron Beau/Yasha (fanart) || Rated: E

Wither and Bloom (2023) || Author: buckles Imogen/Laudna || Rated: T || WC: 486

Thank you so much to @justleaveacommentfest for organising this event, it was so much fun. I'm looking forward to the next one!

[masterqwertster]

🏴‍☠️ What is the daily life in the ship like? And what would happen if they ever met a certain Captain Tusktooth and his crew (fucking Marius)

🏴‍☠️Hmmm... I mean, it's basically a lot of travel days. There's keeping the ship running, and then everyone has their little side projects they like to work on when they aren't hands on deck. Plus whatever interpersonal stuff is going on at the time.

Chetney still carves toys and stuff. And if he runs his personal stash of woodblocks out, he'll start doing embellishment on the ship. Or embellish because he's bored and feels like doing detail work without having to carve a basic shape.

Besides Zeph'aeratam practice (gotta stay sharp!), Orym likes working on the Green Cabin. Just a little druidcraft to encourage the growth, and experiment with different plants and growing fruit. Maybe a little woodcarving practice sine he knows the basics.

Ashton does decorative patch embroidery in their free time. And elemental meditations that sometimes fall into dunamis meditations just to try to figure out his powers more, but he's not too good at meditating.

Prism is usually working on one research project or another, and having the time of her life getting to test anything that comes to mind (as long as it doesn't threaten to sink/damage the ship)

Deanna stich and bitches with whoever sits down with her

Laudna works on whatever crafting project has caught her fancy

Imogen likes to sit with Laudna and a good book or meditate. She's also not great at meditating

FCG bakes or tries to give therapy

FRIDA works on their drawings in their free time

Fearne is unpredictable chaos

🏴‍☠️Chaos, plain and simple.

You've put Fearne and Jester within orbit of each other. Ashton and Chet (and Prism?) are there to egg them on. Deanna is willing to participate while only offering a slight Voice of Reason. Depending on his mood, Orym is there with Deanna. FRIDA is generally up for anything. Laudna is probably adding macabre twists to Jester and Fearne's ideas. FCG is trying to talk the crazy down, probably unsuccessfully. And Imogen and Fjord are watching, resigned to their friend/girlfriend's brand of crazy.

[tanely]

My money is on Orym “Captain of the Survivors Gulit” to be one of the participants as well. Mainly because when Ashton and Imogen used their potions of possibilities, he said he was saving his, and it would make perfect sense for him to donate it to Laudna’s resurrection as they “chose” him over her. Also he alluded to seeing similarities between Will and himself and Laudna and Imogen, and he knows that hurt, if a love one not coming back, and it’s not a hurt he would wish on anyone

yes! this is a great reason for Orym to participate!

Imogen for sure makes the most sense in the narrative. My other bets were honestly Fearne (dealing with the coin flip/being the one who tried first) and Ashton (he seems to be extremely affected as well by Laudna's death).

But sorry as i go off in a tangent about how much i love this particular skill challenge.

Personally, what i love is that it's an excuse for everyone at the table to RP their asses off. (grog singing to scanlan... even the thought of it STILL makes me tear up)

it's a great way for players to explore their own characters and how they relate to others at the table. Every PC has a reason to participate. so it's always interesting who the players choose. It inspires creativity and using skills you might not think would be applicable.

This ritual is honestly something that i missed a lot during the M9 campaign, because while its sad i enjoy 100% of this skill challenge and it always opens up such interesting dynamics and stories from it!