#Ash does CR

[shouldhavebeenpersephone]

the duality of man

post credits to @stardustedknuckles and @weaseltotheface

#this was the first thing I saw in the morning and I think it's hilarious #cr spoilers #Ash does CR

[lunarrolls]

i’m. a little bit wrecked over ashton in episode 78 y’all. i’m a little sad. just a little . i just. damn.

they hurt themself really fucking badly. and they could have killed their friends chasing something that was never theirs, chasing a reality that never was, that they never actually wanted in the first place. all because he was just fucking wrong about something. they just—they made a mistake. and it was the worst possible mistake they could have made. and i’m just thinking about how awful that is, to realize how little you actually value your own life in the middle of a crater you made with your own body because you just died and reformed and all you can think is how much you would have deserved to stay dead, to hurt forever, for the fact that the people before you were cruel and horrible and you mirrored them without a second thought in a matter of days.

like that’s so fucked dude. how do you rebuild a self esteem you never had after doing something so monumentally wrong. you stop using that false bravado because it won’t do you any good anymore, now that they all know how weak you are. how do you start caring about yourself when there’s so much to loathe, so much to make up for, so much to apologize for. that’s fucking terrible. how is he literally ever gonna trust himself again? trust his own judgement? trust what he wants? the last time he wanted something that badly it killed him and nearly broke his friends. like holy shit. how do you. how. how?

#cr #cr3 #ashton greymoore #like holy shit. holy SHIIIITTTTT #this was like. the worst possible mistake ashton could have made #it makes me so sad. it makes me soooo sad. because i get it. i fully truly do #it’s ever fear i have about being wrong #it wasn’t as calculated as the group seems to think. it wasn’t a grand scheme #nothing ash does is like that #sure he thought it over. and made a poor choice. but honestly? just a mistake #all of them are time bombs and ashton just happened to go off first #they have every right to be mad. every right. it was a shitty thing to do #but i can’t help feeling incredibly sad for them. they’re not used to any of this. #i have many thoughts about this i need to post more about it lmao #roll history

[densitywell]

hey FCG how could you think Ashton doesn't care about you after they told you he would kill anyone that made you feel bad. that they wanted you to find a reason to live. FCG do you get that all the pushing and prodding was Ashton's way of showing he cared because when you've been abandoned like they have any expression of love is an act of humiliation, because nobody will ever love you as much as you love them, FCG, and you know it and now they know it, too. they probably don't even want your love, anyways, FCG. nobody else has. FCG hey do you understand that Ashton's manufactured distance is a security blanket, that they can only stand to care for another person that will inevitably leave them if he pretends that he's already one foot out the door as well. and that they can't stop themselves from caring. did you know that FCG. FCG. FCG hey

#crposting #bhposting #critical role #cr spoilers #of course FCG doesn't know that they're like two. but that does not mean i don't want to shake his little robot self when i think abt it! #honestly though FCG NOT getting this makes a lot of sense. currently it feels a bit like FCG loves Ash but doesn't rlly like him #and definitely doesn't understand them. although you could see him start to get an idea as the ep went on

[mlynar-nearl]

good luck on your finals + masters presentation!! wishing u all the best :3

aaah thank you the misery does not end o;u;ob

i have a few final essays, a finalized draft of my proposal for my thesis (thesis to be done next school year), and i'm presenting on a panel at a day-long symposium for my graduate program in a couple of days here. needless to say it's Stressful. i tryyy to keep my rl stuff from interfering too badly with my shitposting and fic schedule to keep a work life balance and to keep myself from snapping but end of semester always likes to push a bitch to their absolute limit, yknow?

#ash answers #anonymous #don't get me wrong i love my school and i'm happy with my program it's just auuuugh the crushing weight does anyone else feel the cr #but i just finished all my work for the day and im in for the evening so at least i'll have some time to relax and write now

[freshcut-chetney]

just so smug about the Ashton hate. They suck! They're an asshole!! I've hated them since they called Dorian useless!! No one gave them any shit for breaking Fearne's lens, you know the thing she'd been carrying around since ExU!!!

#if any of the ladies had done any of the shit ashton does they would be hated by the fandom #but for some reason this fandom is allergic to any criticism about tal's characters #braindead things ive seen this week: if you hate ash you're an ableist #no bitch it's because ashton is an ass #cr negativity #i am an ashton hater first tbh

[seraphiism]

𓆩 ღ 𓆪 𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞

( i wish i could be everything for you. family, home, watchtower, lighthouse. i am sorry for every way i've ever hurt you, including this. )

chara : clive rosfield fandom : final fantasy 16 quote cr : mabel podcast a/n : ngl someone may have forgotten some of the plot in ff16. not me though

── IT WAS ONCE SAID THAT THERE ARE THREE UNIVERSAL TRUTHS IN THIS WORLD :

ONE : GRIEF IS A DEAD MAN WALKING. it will overcome you, destroy you, devour you, drown you beneath the waves of sorrow. IT WILL HURT. it always will. but it is ultimately you who deems your survival. do not forget that.

TWO : YOU WILL KNOW LONELINESS LIKE IT IS YOUR DEEPEST COMPANION. you will find familiarity with the emptiness, and it will turn into nostalgia turned to mourning twisted into an anguish. in the end, you won't know the difference between friend or foe in the coexistence of your own solitude.

THREE : THE WEIGHT OF THE WORLD IS A TERRIBLY HEAVY THING, DEAREST. make sure you do not carry it alone.

it is almost amusing, you think, gaze boring into the dying embers before you, how convenient it is to forget said truths. how it slips from the mind in the most foolish of times when the truth is spoken to you ; how obnoxiously it echoes into memory when you speak of it to someone as means of lessons learned.

the truth is a very miserable thing sometimes, this sobering reminder of humanity, but it is also something so excruciatingly tender.

you shiver. the air is cold and unwelcoming. the embers burn bright, then nearly fade into nothingness : a distant flux and flow, the reignition of something that wants to survive.

what a profound sight it is, clive thinks, almost breathless at your beauty beneath the moonlight, it is a mere glimpse to the serenity that settles in the depths of your heart, almost forgotten, and in the weariness of your features, it serves as something hopeful. you must be searching for a shooting star ; you always are, and maybe he's searching for one tonight, too. how lucky you would both be if granted a wish fulfilled. perhaps it would spare you from the pain to come on this endless journey, this path to redemption and salvation.

he looks to the sky, too, hopes to remember this moment for a long while, this time in which you find repose beneath the stars.

it is not long before you feel him shift beside you, his hands gentle as he drapes his cloak over your shoulders. you do not say anything, but you smile in silent thanks, and he wonders how he can do this. how he can say this. the destruction of oneself is much easier than the destruction of another. he returns the smile, but it does not reach his eyes, and you know that something is wrong.

he averts his gaze, focuses on the fire. dying, dying, dead. fire is such a horrific being, he has learned, and what a tragic way he has discovered it so. how it burns and burns, consuming everything in its path. it is ruthless in nature-- a terror that seizes anything it can, burning it into damnation and ruin until there is nothing but ashes meant to be forgotten.

such fire runs in his blood, and with it, a quiet violence. he does not know why, doesn't know how, and he begs the question to the divine a thousand times over. there is no answer. there never is, never will be. the only thing he knows is that there is blood on his hands, and he cannot afford to shed yours. he will not.

even if it means going your separate ways, even if he means breaking your heart, even if it means carrying out an act of betrayal to the trust that has bound you to each other.

"i..." he cannot even bring himself to speak. what a coward he is. "there is something i wish to discuss with you."

you still look to the sky. the subtle curve of your lips does not falter, even with the words he does not expect to hear.

"you plan to leave, don't you?" you wonder if there is a shooting star somewhere out there, wonder if it will be kind enough to visit in times of despair. "you think this is all your fault, that you were the one who killed what you thought to be most precious."

the smile has faded. your gaze shifts to the ashes, then to him, seeing that heartache in those blue eyes. something feels like it's tightening around your throat. you suspect it is grief. you speak again, anyway.

"you think... that your existence should be void, that you should be punished for what you believe you did. that if you stay-- if you stay here, if you stay with me, then it'll happen all over again."

he does not speak for a long while. what can you even say to that? how can he tell you that you're right, that he's afraid he could hurt you to the point of no return and not know it? that he's going to leave you because he loves you?

you turn towards him, your hands reaching for his. your hold is tender, careful, but he feels the way you tremble ever so slightly. it is his fault.

"the things i've done back then--" he pauses, uncertainty in his eyes, a grief of some sort, "i didn't know it was me. i thought i had been chasing after the one responsible for my pain, but i've been chasing a ghost all along." his hands squeeze yours, and maybe they're shaking, too. "i failed my duty. there's only one path that lies ahead of me, and that is one where you are safe."

he doesn't know what to expect-- your anger, your fury. that's what he almost wants, because it is much easier to end things that way. but he doesn't expect your expression to soften, doesn't expect to feel the way your hand cups his cheek, thumb tracing over his scar. he is already on the verge of break, but this may be the one thing that pushes him over the edge, and a sorrowful smile finds its way to your lips at the tears that threaten to trail down his face.

"you don't want to go, clive." your voice is barely above a whisper, quiet, almost forgotten in the wind.

no, he doesn't. he doesn't want to leave, doesn't want to leave you, doesn't want to lose you. he wants to stay. he wants to think that there's hope somewhere, but the truth of it all is that there's just not.

"no, i don't." he places his hand over yours, instinctively leans into your touch. "i don't."

"so stay. stay with me. i know you are in despair. i know. but the truth runs deeper than any of us suspect. you can't give up, not yet." this time, your voice almost breaks. you lean forward, your forehead pressed against his. you are afraid to speak. "we are not meant for solitude, you know. the path you take is the only one i know. i will not leave you, clive. not now, not ever."

he doesn't--

he feels his heart waver, feels like his thoughts are a mess, mind a haze in the midst of mourning. he cannot help but close his eyes at your words, at your warmth. he doesn't know if he can believe you, not yet. to grant himself forgiveness is an act of selfishness, and it is not one that is deserved. not now, maybe not ever.

"you've always bested me, haven't you?" even now, he's unsure of what to say, what to do. you've always been right, always known the best course of action. even in the darkest nights of ruin, you've always managed to find the light. for that, he is grateful. "...you have my heart, always. thank you."

you smile, but this time, it is a quiet sadness, yet almost hopeful. your lips meet his-- brief, but more than enough.

the journey ahead is a long one. it will be difficult. it will be harsh, cruel, and it will push both of you to the point of break. but so long as you have each other, you will make it.

"of course." you answer, and you kiss him once more. "you have my heart, too. our paths will always be intertwined, clive."

he laces his fingers with yours, lips ghosting against the back of your hand in an act of reverence.

"yes," he murmurs, and maybe there is something holy in the way he speaks to you, looks at you, "always."

#final fantasy x reader #clive rosfield x reader #clive x reader #final fantasy 16 x reader #my brain while i wrote this . she was gone. evaporated into thin air #.: writing

[how-queerious]

been seein lot of posts calling the cast weird for the way they/their characters are being with the whole "destined" aspect of callowmoore but like consider who does and does not seem to outwardly ship it that way.

maybe there are things and dynamics i've been missing but to me there is a clear division between which characters (not actors) are pushing it and which are not; The main people seeming to push for it are FCG, Imogen, Laudna, and Fearne. The main people just watching and not really swaying either way are Orym, Chet, and Ash. Here's my thoughts on the possible motivations for that from a character perspective. With that in mind, I have focused on the PCs here; I have all the love in the world for matt as a DM, but to untangle the intricacies of his character work in literally even just one episode at a time is a whole other post. Accidental essay below the cut y'all.

broad strokes are that the camps are divided primarily* by who has and hasn't had extensive adult romantic relationships. Laudna, Imogen, and FCG are all experiencing what seem to be their first real adult relationships, and have had notably, explicitly little experience with romance at all beyond that. Fearne herself, despite her age, also seems to have had very little experience with romance and love (remembering that casual or platonic sex is not romance). They have all been starry-eyed and naive about love in prior episodes, and Laudna in particular has a childlike view of it. To compound this, Fearne has been lonely the vast majority of her life, just her, her nana, and their companions of questionable sentience and willingness. Exhibited in some of the darker episodes, and stated by ashley (at some point), she is literally just learning how to feel as mortals do in the prime material plane. Many of us as young shippers were drawn to the allure of the "Soulmate AU" for a lot of the same reasons.

On the other side of the coin, we have the three opposed or neutral. Chet and Orym, unlike any of the others, have both experienced long-term mature romantic relationships. Though Chet often focuses on the sex, and Orym tends not to focus on anything if he can help it, both have shown in their character choices and interactions with people from their past that they have the understanding of mature and healthy(ish) romance. As a contrast to their knowledgability, Ashton has only ever been burned by what should have been love in the past, and has not experienced romance. They have spent their whole life fighting fate, and will continue to do so for at least the time being. He is just learning to let themself love platonically, of course they don't want to follow "fate" to a romantic relationship with someone as chaotic and beautiful and terrifying as Fearne. They'll do the cool combos with her, and he'll flirt and tease, but anything else is unknown territory in a field already littered with the casualties of their past attempts to trust.

Though they may seem to be pushing for this fated dynamic in a way that feels very off for CR, there are genuine and realistic character motivations for them to do so. Perhaps I'm putting too much thought and faith behind it, but I think the specificity of who is or isn't pushing speaks great volumes to the fact that these are all people who have a wealth of theatric and improvisation experience and knowledge behind them. They are all actors with more than my lifetime of hard work behind this "silly game" they play, and I think we ought to consider that.

#like idk them personally but c'MON #aside from their DECADE of play experience #they are all professional actors nd improvisors #i feel like we should give them a little more credit here #long post #in this essay i will #critical role #i do kinda ship callowmoore as fuckbuddies btw #i am projecting my maybe-aro-ness onto fearne about it tho #gimme gimme gimme #callowmoore #callowmoore positive #ashton greymoore #fearne calloway #fresh cut grass (cr) #launda #imogen #southern gothic (cr) #orym of the air ashari #chetney pock o'pea #not to interact with the disk horse i was in the trenches of 2017 broadway and 2018 voltron #but i just had thoughts i hade to give to the universe

[scraftyisthebest]

With the recent reveal of Gibeon owning a Shiny (White) Zygarde, many people have been trying to use this to insinuate that Horizons may take place in a separate continuity/timeline/universe from Ash's story.

However, I disagree, and I think that not only does Liko's show still take place in the same continuity as Ash's story, but that such sentiment is frankly something that goes without saying. If they truly wanted to create a new, separate continuity, why wouldn't they just use a new version of Ash to establish that? And in such a case, I believe they would be much more liberal about using legacy characters because such characters would be new versions of them, not the ones we know: the fact that they're largely avoiding acknowledging legacy characters for the most part implies they're still out there in the world Liko and Roy are travelling. It would also needlessly complicate things like potential meetings which have immense marketing value like an Ash and Liko meeting down the line. The world Anipoke has taken place in is so large and has gone through so much worldbuilding with still more potential for even more, that Ash and Liko can viably exist in the same world without crossing paths. There's no business or storytelling benefit to making Horizons a new continuity, as Liko and Roy are fundamentally different characters with a different space in the world from Ash to begin with, and it would be a total waste if they just dropped all the worldbuilding they had done over the past 26 years. Thus, it is most certainly in the same continuity as before.

---

Now on to my main point, I think there is a much simpler explanation to the existence of Gibeon's Shiny Zygarde that can justify why it exists even with the existence of Squishy and Z2, and in that same world. And one that I think may raise very interesting implications for this story and where we may be headed. Also one that mirrors the games, particularly SV and its deal with Terapagos and the Paradoxes.

I believe that Gibeon's Zygarde, alongside the Black Rayquaza and the rest of the Six Heroes who were believed to be Lucius's companions, are honorary Paradox Pokemon who were magically willed into existence by the power of Terapagos.

It is easy to miss, especially if you don't stop to think about it, but Terapagos's power, aside from being the harbinger of the Terastal phenomenon, is the power to create paradoxical things. It can "create" things using its power, things that originate from human imagination to those who believe certain things about them, but when you stop to think about those things, it makes no logical sense for them to exist in the way they are explained.

This is especially evident in the actual Paradox Pokemon from the games. Sada and Turo willed them into existence using their "time machine" and believe them to be Pokemon from the ancient past and distant future, or the one we "see" in the Crystal Pool being from alternate timelines. But as their names imply, their existence is a paradox: their whole deal is that they're not supposed to actually exist, and yet somehow, they got willed into reality and given life and physical existence. The dubiousness of their existence is enforced by their drawings in the Scarlet/Violet books, created 200 years prior to the game's events by Heath and his expedition team, contradicting the fact that Sada/Turo only created the time machine 10 years prior to the game's story. The dubiousness of how they came to be is also reinforced by their only other mention being in the Occult magazines, which are questionably trustworthy at best. We know that their existence started in Area Zero, a place filled with Terastal energy thanks to Terapagos, thus the latter is the creator of them.

The paradoxical nature of Terapagos's power is also reflected in the Crystal Pool event at the end of Indigo Disk, a place where you can seemingly talk to the dead, and Terapagos summons a Sada or Turo who was alive, supposedly before they created the time machine. And you give them Briar's book in exchange for the Scarlet/Violet book. But the more you think about this event, the less it actually makes sense, and the only conclusion you can make is that if it were our own Sada/Turo, the entire game's timeline would implode upon itself.

Now on to the anime, Gibeon is now known to have been a companion of Lucius. Lucius and his friends have the stories of their adventures chronicled in books and legends. This incidentally also parallels how the Paradox Pokemon are chronicled in Scarlet and Violet the games. But when you stop to look at everything, aside from Terapagos, the nature of the Six Heroes' existence is incredibly dubious at best, to the point where it's questionable if those six ever actually existed, or if they did, how they came to be. The same would likely apply to Gibeon's Shiny Zygarde. The Black Rayquaza is the biggest example: aside from being a Rayquaza, it is always shown glowing and crystallized, likely surrounded by Terastal energy. It may have even been created by and willed into reality by Terapagos itself, literally formed by Terastal energy. This is sort of hinted at very early on, when Liko's pendant, which was Terapagos, and Roy's special Poke Ball, which unleashed the Black Rayquaza, resonated with one another, and the Black Rayquaza didn't emerge until it resonated with Terapagos, which may imply that it wasn't actually in there and Terapagos used its power to will it into existence, alongside the other five heroes. The other Heroes seem to have abnormal traits as well, such as a giant Arboliva and two of the heroes being legendaries, and they only "awakened" once the Black Rayquaza did. This may imply they weren't real, and the only one of Lucius's Pokemon who wasn't willed into existence was Terapagos itself, who used its power to "create" companions for Lucius and its friends.

The same may apply to Gibeon's White Zygarde as well, who may have been willed into existence by Terapagos. This Zygarde, along with Rayquaza, are the biggest anomalies not just in their different coloration, but that they were literally owned by someone, which in the anime world should not be possible as major legendaries like them are largely above being owned by Trainers. Them being Paradoxes willed into reality by Terapagos would explain this.

This is most certainly an interesting turning point, and may raise a lot of questions to the true tale of Lucius and his friends, and what Rakua truly is. One thing is certain though: Terapagos and its special powers surrounding Terastal energy and the creation of paradoxical things seem to be playing a major role here.

#pokemon #anipoke #pokemon horizons #pokemon 2023 #pokeani #analysis #white zygarde #shiny zygarde #gibeon #gibeon's zygarde #lucius #lucius pokemon #terapagos #black rayquaza #rayquaza #six heroes #rakua #pokemon scarlet and violet dlc #pokemon sv dlc #pokemon scarlet and violet #the indigo disk #paradox pokemon #the hidden treasure of area zero #pokemon anime #pokemon sv

[thecreaturecodex]

Spawn of Rovagug, Xotani

Image © Paizo Publishing

{Sponsored by @tar-baphon​. Although I imagine that @monstersdownthepath​ will be happy to see it too, since they had to sort of average the 3.5 and PF2e statistics of Xotani. PF1e skipped it completely, maybe because it appeared in literally the last D&D 3.5 adventure Paizo published. I did run Legacy of Fire, and loved it. Personally, I made a few tweaks. Even if Jhavhul had succeeded, his consciousness was just going to be overwritten by Xotani; you don’t compromise with a Spawn of Rovagug. The sponsor asked me to adjust its CR up by 1, which was really only a matter of deciding how many HD to give it. Besides that, and the lava bombs borrowed from PF2e, this is a pretty straightforward conversion.]

Spawn of Rovagug, Xotani CR 21 CE Magical Beast This creature is a living magma flow, a cross between a wingless dragon and a centipede. It is the size of a building, jagged obsidian plates rising from its back and sides, and gouts of flames shooting from cracks in its surface and drool from its maw. It has eight empty eye sockets, but still seems able to see just fine. 

Xotani the Firebleeder is the weakest of the Spawn of Rovagug, but this still makes it one of the most deadly creatures in Garund. When Xotani is awake, it avoids the sun. It finds sunlight blindingly bright and surprisingly painful, and so remains underground by day, creating a network of tunnels from its own burrowing and from the lava that it spews and leaks. By night, it emerges, setting everything ablaze in its path. It has no desires or intentions other than pure destruction, although it will consume the ashes of what it destroys as a mockery of natural predation. It does take extra damage from the touch of cold, but cold damage enrages Xotani more than dissuades it.

Xotani is an unstoppable force in combat, moving like a lava flow over anything that stands in its path. Its very touch sets combustible objects ablaze, and weapons turned against it melt into slag. Xotani’s main strategies are either breathing a torrent of fire over clustered enemies, or grabbing and swallowing a single powerful foe. Wounds that open in Xotani’s flesh spew magma reflexively, and Xotani can fire lava bombs from its back. Xotani is barely sapient, but knows enough to avoid using its breath weapon against foes that are immune to fire: these it just eats after softening them up with claws and teeth.

The Firebleeder was “slain” by a powerful order of mages millennia ago, and is currently slumbering beneath Pale Mountain in Katapesh, where the color of the rock is said to come from the crushed bones of those who died in battle.  However, Xotani came very close to being awakened in the recent past. The lovesick Jhavhul, an efreet general, attempted to possess Xotani in order to have a form worthy of the object of his obsession, Ymeri the Queen of the Inferno. Without the twisted wishcraft used by Jhavhul, Xotani will not awaken for centuries. But it does now stir in his slumber, and droughts, wildfires and heat waves are more common around the Obari Ocean because of it. And plenty of other doomsday cults, misguided fire worshipers or simply bad actors may be able to wake Xotani yet. 

Xotani the Firebleeder       CR 21 XP 409,600 CE Colossal magical beast (fire, spawn of Rovagug) Init +8; Senses blindsight 120 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, Perception +26 Aura frightful presence (300 ft., Will DC 27) Defense AC 38, touch 6, flat-footed 34 (-8 size, +4 Dex, +32 natural) hp 403 (26d10+260); regeneration 30 Fort +25, Ref +21, Will +20 DR 15/epic; Immune ability damage, ability drain, bleed, disease, electricity, energy drain, fire, mind-influencing effects, paralysis, permanent wounds, petrifaction, poison, polymorph; SR  32 Defensive Abilities heat, hibernation, supreme regeneration; Weaknesses cold, sunlight blindness Offense Speed 60 feet, burrow 40 ft., climb 60 ft. Melee bite +32 (4d8+14 plus grab and 5d6 fire), 2 claws +32 (2d8+14 plus 5d6 fire) Space 30 ft.; Reach 30 ft. Special Abilities breath weapon (70 ft. cone, 1d4 rounds, 16d10 fire, Ref DC 33), firebleed, lava bomb, swallow whole (AC 26, 40 hp, 2d8+21 plus 20d6 fire), trample (2d8+21 plus 5d6 fire, Ref DC 37) Statistics Str 38, Dex 19, Con 30, Int 3, Wis 17, Cha 18 Base Atk +26; CMB +48 (+52 grapple, +68 overrun); CMD 62 (cannot be tripped) Feats Combat Reflexes, Critical Focus, Greater Vital Strike, Improved Critical (claw), Improved Initiative, Improved Vital Strike, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Nimble Moves, Power Attack, Staggering Critical, Stunning Critical, Vital Strike Skills Climb +27, Perception +26, Survival +23; Racial Modifiers +8 Perception, +8 Survival Languages Aklo (cannot speak) SQ unstoppable force Ecology Environment any land or underground Organization unique Treasure incidental Special Abilities Blindsight (Ex) Xotani’s blindsight is based on hearing. If it is deafened, Xotani cannot use its blindsight. Firebleed (Ex) As an immediate action upon taking at least 10 points of slashing or piercing damage, Xotani can spew lava from its wound in a 30 foot cone. All creatures in the area must succeed a DC 33 Reflex save or take 10d6 points of fire damage. Creatures that fail the save are coated in cooling sticky lava, being entangled and taking 5d6 points of fire damage for the next 1d3 rounds or until they spend a full round action to scrape the lava off. The save DC is Constitution based. Heat (Ex) All of Xotani’s attacks deal an additional 5d6 points of fire damage, and any creature touching or striking it with a unarmed strike or natural weapon take that damage. A manufactured weapon that strikes Xotani is incinerated and destroyed; a magical weapon may attempt a DC 33 Fortitude save in order to survive. The save DC is Constitution based. Hibernation (Ex) Spawn of Rovagug can sleep for years, decades, or even centuries and do not need to eat or breathe during these periods of dormancy, though they breathe normally and eat ravenously and almost constantly once they’ve been awakened. If a spawn of Rovagug is forced into an environment where it cannot breathe and would suffocate, it goes into hibernation until conditions are right for it to reawaken. Lava Bomb (Su) Once every 1d4 rounds, Xotani can create lava bombs as a standard action. Treat this as a supernatural version of the meteor swarm spell (ranged touch +22, Reflex DC 27) with a range of 400 feet. The save DC is Charisma based. Sunlight Blindness (Ex) Xotani’s light blindness is only activated by true sunlight. Supreme Regeneration (Ex) All spawn of Rovagug possess regeneration, and no form of attack can suppress this regeneration; they regenerate even if disintegrated or slain by a death effect. If a spawn of Rovagug fails a save against an effect that would kill it instantly, it rises from death 3 rounds later with 1 hit point if no further damage is dealt to its remains. It can be banished or otherwise transported as a means to save a region, but a method to kill Spawn of Rovagug has yet to be discovered. Unstoppable Force (Ex) A spawn of Rovagug can always charge, even if its movement is impeded or its path is blocked by another creature. It receives a +20 racial bonus on combat maneuver checks to overrun and Strength checks to break or destroy objects, and can make one such check as a free action as part of a charge. In addition, the natural weapons of a spawn of Rovagug ignore all forms of damage reduction and hardness.

#xotani #spawn of rovagug #pathfinder 1e #pathfinder 2e #D&D #legacy of fire #sponsored post

[shouldhavebeenpersephone]

I missed the Might Nein so naturally I am rewatching campaign 2 - now tell me how I missed half of Beau's shameless flirting with Yasha?

Episode 4 right before break as Ashley tries to explain Yasha's wanderlust Marisha is not only trying to eye-fuck her but also proceeds to say - wouldn't want to be tied down to anything but your cloak *wink*, am I right?

Uhhhmmmm Marisha???????? HELLO???? Ashley's nervous laugh is pretty much exactly how I feel about it as well

#beauyasha #yasha nydoorin #beauregard lionett #cr2 #cr2e4 #Ash does CR

[monstersdownthepath]

Lord of Lost Dreams: Shamira, Princess of the Porphyry City

CR 25

Chaotic Evil Medium Outsider

Adventure Path: Wrath of the Righteous: The Midnight Isles, pg. 74-75

This blazing Nascent Demon Lord is the closest thing to a friend that Nocticula has, serving as the ruler of the second-largest island among the Midnight Isles, Nocticula's Abyssal realm. It goes without saying that despite being one of the only creatures in existence that Nocticula values as a lover, companion, minion, enforcer, AND friend (rather than just one, or as multiple of them but sarcastically), the two demons are constantly keeping one another on their toes. The nature of the Abyss is fierce competition and rampant parasitism even among creatures who consider each other allies, after all. While Shamira will eventually become the ruler of the Midnight Isles and potentially ascend to full Demon Lord, this article is how she's portrayed in 1e as the Nascent Lord at Nocticula's side. Her greatest warrior, her shining star in the Abyss... and perhaps someone purposely hand-crafted as her eventual successor when she ascended.

While her future has been clearly revealed, Shamira's past is naught but smoke and ash, rumors and questions she does not answer but does not discourage. There are hints here and there that she was not always the burning succubus she is now, chief among them being her bizarre animosity towards Sarenrae and the powers she gains by slaying or corrupting the Dawnflower's followers. She has the power of Divine Deception, shielding her alignment from all forms of detection and instead causing her to read as the alignment of whatever deity she carries a holy symbol of. This ability lasts only 2d6 hours before the symbol crumbles to dust... UNLESS it's a symbol of Sarenrae, in which case it lasts 24 hours.

There's more to it than that, of course, but the greatest hint that there's something at play FAR worse than simple hatred for a specific goddess is Shamira's uncanny resemblance to Sarenrae's most common portrayal. One wonders who the father may have been. But we're not here to speculate on divine family trees, are we? We're here to see how badly the Abyss' own blazing angel can kick your ass!

It goes without saying that Shamira is more keen on avoiding fighting, much like her mistress. She prefers having minions and servants to roasted adventurers and extra scars, and if you're not careful, you may end up wrapped around her finger in as little as one round. Hope your Will saves are beefed up, because Shamira loves using her at-will Mass Suggestion and Charm Person to shape the party's actions before she ever even unveils herself from her disguise. She's even got Quickened Dominate Person at 3/day if she wants to skip having to make checks to manipulate the party with carefully worded spells altogether. As with many fiends of seduction and enchantment, the greatest obstacle in a battle with Shamira is getting to a battle in the first place without the party suddenly tearing each other apart!

She's no less dangerous from afar. Should she get any scrap of tissue or a belonging from one of the party, you can bet she'll be using her 1/day Nightmare to ruin their lives. Her Nightmare is vastly empowered from the standard spell thanks to her Dream Haunting, allowing her to combine her Energy Drain (2 levels) or ANY of her mind-affecting spells with it to harass her foes regardless of distance. What's worse (yet slightly amusing) is that her Energy Drain is also empowered, and she may cause any creature who suffers her drain to burst into flames for 8d6 Fire damage each round until they die or put themselves out. So even if a creature survives the 2 levels of drain, they may still die as they suddenly explode in their sleep! Hitting a vulnerable party member (or NPC ally) with this ability won't just ruin THEIR night, it may cause the party's whole base to go up in smoke! Fire spreads, after all.

There is another interesting power her Dream Haunting gives her, and that's her ability to use Profane Benediction from a distance. Like a lesser Succubus, Shamira can gift a willing mortal with a +4 to any one of their ability scores and establish a psychic link with them, letting her communicate telepathically across any distance and use Suggestion at-will on them. While any Succubus can give a buff to a willing mortal, Shamira is the only one who can do so from a distance if she needs to! Given her power to shapeshift and disguise her alignment perfectly, it's easy for the Ardent Dream to slowly manipulate and corrupt entire cities, one personal visit or bad dream at a time, victims rarely realizing they're being had. Worshipers of Sarenrae receiving this Benediction also gain immunity to Fire damage, and given Shamira's resemblance to the biggest and most famous goddess of the sun, unfortunate worshipers can be easily tricked into believing she's the real deal and fail to break out of her grip until she's corrupted them completely, or at least turned them into destructive fanatics.

Once the party has undone her scheme and fought past her minions, she's no less of a threat. Like many high-level Medium-sized foes, getting out of her reach makes her melee prowess plummet, but allowing her to Full-Attack you is a doozy: two wing attacks for 1d8+4 damage, two claws for 1d8+9, and a tail slap for 2d6+4 damage that attempts to Grab and Constrict creatures it hits for 2d6+13 more damage. ALL of her natural attacks inflict 4d6 Fire damage, and ALL of her natural attacks also inflict that lingering 8d6 burn damage if the victim fails even a single DC 38 Reflex save to avoid catching fire. She's also surrounded on all sides by a permanent Fire Shield, dealing 1d6+15 Fire damage to any creature that attacks her with a non-reach weapon, which very quickly adds up as there's no way to avoid it without using reach or ranged weapons!

But of course, a classy lady like Shamira wouldn't be caught dead dirtying her hands in melee, like some kind of idiot. No, she's a smaller version of her flighty, ranged-attack-loving boss in almost every way in that she's summoning demons as cover during Time Stop, but she adds some extra paused-time sauce by laying down her 3/day Empowered Delayed Blast Fireball as a fun prank for when time restarts. Then while your ears are still ringing from taking anywhere from effectively 30 to 90d6 points of Fire damage, she's up in the air with her Firebow, plinking away at your party as you deal with her summons and anyone she's taken command of with Dominate. She can create or dismiss her favored +5 Flaming Burst Unholy Composite Longbow at will as a swift action, so you can't disarm her or steal it, and she can fire it upwards to four times a round (five if she uses Rapid Shot, which she has no reason not to) for 1d8+14 + 1d6 Fire damage. Every arrow also inflicts her 8d6 burn damage just to keep up the DPS between rounds, and incentivizing her to spread the love around before focusing one target down.

You may be wondering by this time what her fire gimmick is, then. Every demigod of fire has one; Moloch deals Hellfire damage, Zelishkar deals half damage even to creatures immune to Fire, Chavazvug shuts off Fire Resistance/Immunity entirely, etc. In the case of this flaming succubus, her Fiery Passion allows her to bypass Fire Immunity and Fire Resistance entirely unless her target is completely immune to mind-affecting effects... which, in the case of players, means there's basically no way for them to avoid any of her fires, her Burn, or her spells (like her thus-far unmentioned 1/day Meteor Swarm). The wording is quite strict: it HAS to be complete immunity! Boosting saves with the likes of the reliable Mind Blank simply won't work. Other demigod-level creatures and, amusingly, fireproof Oozes and Vermin are typically safe from Shamira's Fiery Passion, but everyone else has to jump through hoops to avoid being burned.

Ironically this means Shamira herself isn't immune to her own Fire damage, because she's only immune to charms and compulsions, not mind-affecting effects in general. If you huck her Delayed Blast Fireballs back at her somehow or give her a hug while you're on fire from her Burn (WARNING: Do Not Do This, she has Fire Shield on constantly), she'll crisp herself. It's not likely to happen, but the fact it can happen at all is very, very funny to me.

You can read more about her here.

#Monster Spotlight #CR 21 to 25 #Pathfinder #Lords of Sin Month

[samuraiko]

CR musings - what *I'D* love to see from Orym...

67 episodes in now... so we've had a chance for some solid character development, both in terms of personal arcs and interpersonal relationships.

Over and over and over, Liam's said how he created Orym as just a little guy who's swept up in grand adventures, who came from a good place, and who has a good heart and wants to hang onto that as long as he possibly can.

But because life is what happens to you while you're making other plans, and we're watching the ground slowly crumble Orym's feet one painful revelation at a time, here's what I want to see.

I want to see how long he can do it before he breaks... but not JUST that.

I want to see what he'll do to try and delay that moment as long as possible. I want to see what he'll do to shore up that crumbling foothold, whether it's protecting the newfound relationships that his friends are in, or helping his leader, or whatever small acts of kindness he can snatch from despair along the way.

I want to see what happens when (not if, WHEN) the ground does eventually fall away, and Orym touches that darkness. Because the REAL mark of a person's character is what you are, alone in the dark, where no one else will ever know or see. It's easy to be heroic and good when you know (or at least think you know) that others are there to see and reinforce your decisions. It's so, so, *SO* much harder when no one else knows the terrible depths of the battles you fight all alone. I don't know if he'll stay strong or if he'll pull the 180 that everyone seems to think he will - if he does pull the 180, if he really will just stay on that darker path, or if it will be just a fleeting momentary decision he regrets a la Laudna letting Delilah back in, or if it will be something that he has to constantly fight to redeem himself.

But most of all, because I have faith in Orym, I want to see to what lengths he'll go to claw his way back out of that darkness, to take back that lost ground, to not just succumb but to overcome. Because unlike FCG, for whom I was totally on board with Ashton's idea that he was a martyr looking for a cause, Orym DOESN'T want to die. He KNOWS life is good, he KNOWS that there is more than just temptation and corruption and death and despair. More than Vax, more than Caleb, Orym is the character that LIVES life, not just endures it - he revels and celebrates and wholeheartedly appreciates beauty and joy when he finds it.

Orym is a warrior, a soldier, and knows the values of the weapons he wields - not just his sword and shield, but his heart, his principles, and yes, even his anger.

And not only did Keyleth, this bastion of strength he's known since childhood, admit that she herself has been angry for THIRTY YEARS and is all but begging for help to find a way to wield it, she REMINDS HIM of what he himself told Ashton back at the Calloway Layaway - anger without direction or purpose is destructive and dangerous. But anger WITH direction and purpose... well, if I might be allowed to quote a different fire-wielding wizard...

"Also known as passion… Passion has overthrown tyrants and freed prisoners and slaves. Passion has brought justice where there was savagery. Passion has created freedom where there was nothing but fear. Passion has helped souls rise from the ashes of their horrible lives and build something better, stronger, more beautiful."

I want to see Orym harness that anger into passion.

"This is the new age, this is the new fight This is the new way to come face to face with the dark side This is the new game, this is the new line This is the new stage, the battle begins on the inside Just when you think you've seen it all THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING..."

#critical role #campaign 3 #orym of the air ashari #liam o'brien

[foxqueen-katarian]

Orym with Jester? On a different note, Ashton with Caduceus!

Jester is a slightly less stressful (for Orym) Fearne. The chaos is there, but she's more cupcakes and dicks, and less theft and confusing threats of violence.

That said I don't know that Jester would know what to do with an Orym. He's very serious, and not in a way that's fun to pick at (Fjord), or secretly just as chaotic (Caleb), or able to offer applicable life advise (Yasha, Beau, and Caduceus). Orym does like pie though, and they could bond through the shared love of sweets.

They'd be a menace to deal with in combat, Orym positions himself like a shield, and Jester skipped day one of Cleric school (do no harm) and runs on cat rules (take no shit).

I think they'd have the adult and their child relationship that fandom likes to think Nott/Veth and Caleb have; Sad Dad and Colorful Child.

(Also like Orym knows about Artagan which is adds a whole level of them pointing at each other over Jester's shoulder when she isn't looking)

---- Ashton and Caduceus is weird?

They're very different people, with goals and values that don't really line up well. I don't think they'd be intentionally antagonistic with each other but Cad likes projects and 'fixing' people which I don't think Ash would take well to. I think they'd have something similar to what Cad and Nott/Veth had going on, with the potential for more drama/conflict and butting of heads. In a group setting they'd be alright, but one on one I think it might get awkward.

Send me two CR characters and I’ll tell you what I think their dynamic in an adventuring party would be.

#critical role #jester lavorre #orym of the air ashari #caduceus clay #ashton greymoore

[rotschopf-thedrow]

7 snippets, 7 mutuals

Got tagged by the awesome @cr-noble-writes <3 Thank you!

No pressure tags: @lonesurvivorao3, @ficbrish, @valka-arialitan, @mallaidhsomo, @nyamadermont, @clericofshadows & @kalliesa, if you feel inclined ^^

I only have one WIP I'm currently working on - The loneliest Hour - and the story only has 6 chapters. Ah well. Something from a one-shot, then? Perhaps? ;)

So, one snippet from every chapter of TLH + an yet untitled one-shot.

1. The music turned to a slower, more sensual rhythm that belied the lyrics accompanying the song. They spoke of hurt, of loneliness, of devastation; of loss so profound it threatened to rip you apart on the very seams of your being; of not being alone in that moment, of being allowed to lean on someone. Kaidan put up no resistance when Coats pulled him closer, encouraging him to accept it. It would take Kaidan a long time to come to terms with losing Shepard, to accept that he himself was still alive when so many good people had gone down with the Normandy.

2. He took a sharp breath when he felt Coats’ fingers sliding under his uniform shirt, unto his bare, sweat-damp skin on the small of his back.

“So, do I get to call you Daryl?” Kaidan whispered against Coats’ ear, revelling in the shiver that travelled through Coats’ body.

“You sure as hell get to call me Daryl,” Coats replied just as huskily, and Kaidan had to suppress a moan when Coats’ lips travelled along his hairline. Fuck.

3. He knew he would if he were interested in someone. “You know, you have an awful tendency to show up at the most convenient opportunities, Daryl,” he finally said, placing the glass back on the table and making sure his fingers brushed against Coats’.

A glint lit up Coats’ eyes, and he smirked. “Do I now.”

“Yes.” Kaidan narrowed his eyes, inclining his head slightly. “And you’re a shameless flirt, who neither calls nor writes.”

Coats snorted. “Same goes for you, Kaidan.”

“True. What’s your reason you never got in touch with me?”

Coats took a deep breath and stole Kaidan’s shot of whiskey, sniffing it before he took a careful taste. “I didn’t think you wanted that kind of attention from someone like me.” Coats’ words hit Kaidan directly in the gut. “The longer I didn’t hear from you, the more I believed it. What’s your excuse?”

4. “No need, James. It’s just that someone needs to drill it into the head of this idiot from time to time that he’s worth it. Especially when his man is not around.”

“Wait, what?” Vega’s eyes jumped from Kaidan to Shepard and back. “I thought… you two are… you know. Most of the crew do.”

Kaidan groaned. He had been waiting for it to happen and, frankly, it amazed him that it had taken so long to come up. Back on the first Normandy, Ash had waited a full two days to ask him if he was dating Shepard.

“We’re not together, James,” Shepard finally said after a moment of awkward silence.

“Why not?”

“Because I won’t fuck up the best friendship I’ve ever had for a lay I wouldn’t enjoy anyways,” Shepard replied. “But that is beside the point.” He sighed. “I appreciate the sentiment, Kaidan. I really do, but it had to be me. Leviathan only let me go because it was me, because of who I am. It would’ve killed you, and that is something I wouldn’t have been able to bear.”

5. He would probably never get used to Shepard just turning himself into a weapon, but it was still a sight to behold. “So what? I’m not allowed to kiss my man goodbye?” he asked, emptying a clip into a couple of marauders.

He hated those things. They were somehow capable of bolstering the armour of close-by husks and cannibals, turning a skirmish into a fully-fledged battle in no time if they weren’t taken out as fast as possible.

“Maybe the James-human does not understand those things since he has no mate,” Javik commented, and Kaidan was almost certain that this was a smirk he could hear in Javik’s usually solemn voice.

“The James-human does understand it very much,” Vega retorted, stomping on the neck of a downed marauder with more force than necessary. “The James-human just chooses his mates as carefully.”

6. “I joined because of Shepard, Cool Aid down there,” he continued and gestured towards a huge marine at the end of the line, “as well. Martens was in Coats’ company before they arrived at the FOB, and you, sir, saved my sorry ass from a banshee. We owe you, and with your permission, we’d like to join your efforts in finding Shepard, and Major Coats as well.”

For a fleeting moment, Kaidan didn’t know what to say. They knew. They knew about him and Coats and had just made it their objective to help him find his man and his best friend. This was loyalty no amount of pay could buy. This was loyalty forged on the battlefield, and Kaidan was thankful for it.

He nodded. “Permission granted, marines. Thank you.” “Hooyah!”

And now for the snippet of a yet untitled one-shot that is set beofre The Loneliest Hour:

7.If there was one trait Daryl Coats attributed to himself, it would be “stealth”. He had been stationed far behind enemy lines, had stood knee-deep in batarian corpses and still made the enemy believe their people had died in a freak accident. One well-placed shot from his sniper rifle exploding one fuel tank had put an end to the uprising on Mavigon, effectively saving todays Admiral Mikhailovich’s arse from getting busted.

Stealth was his business if he wanted to and, thus, it didn’t come as a surprise to him that no one seemed to notice him slipping into Court Room 3. No one had bothered to inform him of the proceedings though his sister had died in the Battle of the Citadel. There were a lot of people missing from the court room: All the families and friends of the 2,400 soldiers and crew who had died defending a Council they had only heard of in tall tales. The least he could do to honour their sacrifice was to be here and look their murderers in the eye.

#7 snippets 7 mutuals #mass effect #kaidan alenko #writing #rotschopf shares #verse: the loneliest hour #kaidan alenko x major daryl coats

[unofficialadamtaurus]

Jaune when he arrives: visibly tired, breathing hard, disoriented and vocalizing his questions.

Ruby: just fuckin gets up and walks i guess

More episode reactions under the cut because I can't be bothered to make separate posts.

I hate this so much. Your entire kingdom is gone, you've just left yet another place in ashes, and you're now getting the hots for Jaune because he's 20-or-however-many years older? Right after Jaune is tearing up at their reunion?

Tonal consistency, writers. Learn it.

Also, they make such a big deal about how they "got everyone out safely." Uh...

No?

Ruby: "What good is saving anybody if Salem just destroys the world anyway?

Yang: "That's how Ironwood thought. You don't mean that."

Hilarious that they're still throwing Ironwood under the bus. Also, Yang, that doesn't refute Ironwood's line of thinking at all. Every time, literally every time Ruby questions herself or her groups' actions, someone reassures her that they can stay the course. That's not character development, that's stagnation in a fancy hat!

Blake and Yang's little bridge show...literally just shimmy along the ropes, they didn't look frayed at all. Blake, you have a bladed weapon with a long ribbon attached that you have used as a grapple point before. Yang, you've used your gauntlets to launch yourself.

"I just don't get how the story is both real and not" This just in: Ruby seemingly does not understand the concepts of lying, omission, and misremembering.

Why does Jaune's dialogue remind me of the Exo Stranger from Destiny 1? "We don't have time for this" > "I don't have time to explain why I don't have time to explain." Just fuckin say what you need to say dude. Also, why is Jaune on such a hair trigger?

I do like the twist of the tree/cat being antagonists. That's neat.

I'm glad they finally confirmed Bees, even if the scene itself was very janky (those two kissing is more important than figuring out how to get and save the world? okay). I love when characters just tell each other what they like about each other rather than us as the audience being able to see that appreciation over time /s. Yang's "you've never been intimidated by me" -> smash cut to back in the village auction when that was absolutely not the case.

It's been painful watching them write those two in a seemingly never-ending mating dance. Maybe now there will actually be room for them to have interactions with characters besides each other.

Ruby's almost panic attack when seeing her weapon was interesting. Are they treating CR like the mantle of responsibility? I.e., if Ruby takes it, she's gotta bear the weight again? I want them to do more with that. We keep getting right on the cusp of Ruby's full-on breakdown but never actually tipping over.

Odd that Neo wasn't mentioned at all.

#rwde #rwby spoilers #rwby volume 9 spoilers

[waltwhitmansbeard]

you know it had to be done, situation 2 with Vax and Keyleth?

The first time they realize their partner will live a large part of their life without them. gonna make this general cr, i think. idr the exact way things played out in the immediate aftermath of the chroma conclave so just go with it.

When the dust is settled and the dragons are dead, Vax is still alive. This alone is a miracle; he has been courting death for some time, even before this dalliance with the Raven Queen, and dying in the fight to slay the beast that killed his mother seemed fitting, poetic even.

Yet here is he, all four limbs and the steady in-and-out of his lungs, and stretching before him is time. His forever belongs to his matron, but his now, at least, belongs to him, and he belongs to her.

She is asleep, arms and legs splayed out as wildly as her hair—she has always been a bed hog. (What a giddy thing, to speak of her and always in the same breath.) He's sitting up, watching the sliver of moonlight peeking through their Whitestone curtains slowly creep along the curve of her spine. He is too...something to sleep. Wired? Tired? Alive? Whatever. He'd rather watch her, anyway.

They will be going to Vesrah soon. He's pretty sure he's more excited about the prospect than she is. They will be going to Vesrah, and she will complete her Aramenté. He serves the Mistress of Fate, and this is her fate, terrified of it as she is. The end of the journey is just a new beginning for her, and Vax has always been a fan of beginnings.

Beginnings. They've had a lot of endings, Vox Machina, but on the heels of each has always come a new beginning, a new mission, a new someday to chase. Tonight, though, Vax is staring down the barrel of quiet. There are small victories to seek out—her Aramenté, the final death of the rakshasa, whatever the hell they need to do with those ashes—but they are so very close to being done. And that means a new beginning.

He wonders what Zephrah will be like. He's visited, of course, but to wake up there, to see its people moving about their lives, to hear the howl of the Summit Peaks but not feel the wind—it must be so different from Byroden, from Syngorn, from Emon, from Whitestone, from all of the places he's called home in his years. This, though, this is the home he has been waiting for, the one that does not come from shifting responsibilities or a need for escape, but instead from an easy settling, a quiet promise of tomorrow.

Of course, this new beginning, this new tomorrow, it will not be the same for her. Vax reaches down to twirl a finger in a lock of her flaming hair. She doesn't stir. She will have so many tomorrows, so, so many tomorrows, and for the first time, as he watches the slow up and down of her shoulders, the minute shifting of her fingers atop her pillow, he confronts the notion of all the tomorrows she will have without him.

He got so lucky, in the grand scheme of things. He has been courting death, yes, but regardless of when death finally returns his favor, he will not know a day on this earth without her. He will not wake to morning birdsong and know that music has lost all melody. He will not turn to whisper a joke to an ear that has long been gone. He will not keep to one side of a bed, though the whole thing has been his for longer than he can remember. He does not envy her, does not wish to grapple with what years lie ahead the way she must. Gods above, is it any wonder why she is so anxious, so terrified to let people in?

Vax doesn't know how his sister does it, holds the man she loves, the man she is destined to lose when she is still so young, and give herself entirely, no hesitation, no regret. It is so easy for Vax to give himself to her; if she doesn't keep his memory once he is gone, who will? She will outlive generations. She will outlive nations. Hells, she might even live into the next age, whatever the gods have in store for them. And she will see it all without him.

He slides down to slip an arm across her back, gently pull her in just a bit closer. She hums in her sleep, and Vax ducks his face into her shoulder. He got so lucky, not just in the grand scheme of things, but in this, these stolen moments, these forgotten hours. He hopes she does not find him selfish for not wanting to give them up, for wanting to love her and be loved by her for as long as the fates allow. He closes his eyes. He will do both as best he can. It is, after all, his destiny.

#sfasjf;lksf;h; this was supposed to be like three paragraphs #critical role #critical role fic #cr fic #vaxleth #vaxleth fic #vox machina #vox machina fic #my fic #ask #Anonymous