#The Zeph'aeratam

[phararaph]

Orym performing The Zeph'aeratam with the forest spirits 🍃

#orym of the air ashari #The Zeph'aeratam #cr3 #bells hells #critical role #critical role fanart #art #artists on tumblr #he's basically doing ballet #I also draw anything other than women

[jennydolfen]

Dancing on the air

Little Orym practising the Zeph'aeratam with his (very) big semi-adopted sister Lita. What he yet lacks in skill he makes up for in zen.

Orym is the cutest when he's completely oblivious to how small he is (which is practically always).

#criticalrolespoilers #critical role fanart #critical role #bells hells #orym of the air ashari #digital art #big moon little moon #procreate art #lita of the air ashari #zeph'aeratam #he's just a little guy #halfling kids should be called quarterlings #jenny dolfen #tempest blades

[studiomaverick]

[Fanart, no spoilers] hello denizens of tumble. I have returned to bring you animated Orym :D yippee! I hope you enjoy!

Some background WIPS not shown on the reel, because y'all are special:

The post where my Orym design comes from:

#art #critical role #critrole #fanart #critical role fanart #bells hells #cr art #cr fanart #cr3 #orym cr #orym of the air ashari #cr orym #critical role orym #zephrah #zeph'aeratam #might be one of the only people ever to use that tag #no one cares about my silly dance #but i do #liam obrien #i see your silly little dance man #eepy blorbo #Youtube

[oddthesungod]

Zeph'aeratam💨🌸

#critical role #critical role fanart #orym #orym of the air ashari #critical doodles #i miss my baby boy i hope he's ok 😔😔😔😔 #also i fucking hate drawing tattoos but for my boy Orym I WILL DO IT

[sky-scribbles]

It's becoming steadily clear that Orym was (and is) very close to Will's family.

'Hi, dad,' he says to the sun - but I don’t think he’s talking about his biological father. Orym, in his own words, ‘didn’t really have a dad... he just kind of rolled on’. Derrig, though - Derrig has a sun tattoo. Derrig, captain of the Tempest Blades, probably taught Orym the Zeph'aeratam. Derrig was probably performing the Zeph'aeratam himself at that very moment, far away in Zephrah.

‘Like I’ve seen Nel and Maeve do so many times,’ he says, casting Druidcraft to bind a wound. Nel and Maeve probably patched up Orym and Will’s own wounds, once, their scrapes from training and their wounds from fighting beasts - and, finally, Orym’s wounds as he sat hollow-eyed, half his heart gone.

Orym grew up without a dad, but found a mentor and role model in Derrig. He married Will and was welcomed with open arms into the family, to the point where he called Derrig dad. When Will died, Orym got himself a tattoo that mirrored Derrig’s. He carries his husband with him - and his husband’s family. Because they became Orym’s family too.

#critical role #cr spoilers #c3 #c3 spoilers #orym #orym of the air ashari #derrig #my cr meta

[towards-toramunda]

And what if I cried? Huh? We finally get official art of Will and I can’t stop looking at him! And DERRIG! MY MAN! LOOK AT HIM!!!!! Watching over them as they practice the zeph'aeratam together I CRY

#critical role #orym of the air ashari #will of the air ashari #derrig #zephrah

[circle-of-wildfire]

that little moment during the festival in byroden, when orym slips away after the pageant and finds somewhere quiet to go through the motions of zeph'aeratam. thinking about his past while he remembers the moves—they're still there in his muscle memory, even if they're a bit rusty after all this time.

was he missing will in that moment? was he thinking about the new friends he'd just made, watching them have fun, and wishing that his husband could have been there with him, too? did he wonder what kind of pie will would have liked the most? was he wishing with all his heart that will was with him, that he could have held him close and they could've looked up at the stars together in that quiet little place?

#don't mind me I'm just having a moment here rewatching exu #do you ever just feel so much about a fictional character #how many times has orym looked around at where he finds himself and just ached to have will next to him in that moment #orym of the air ashari #exandria unlimited #exu #critical role

[fairymonk]

Orym doing the Zeph'aeratam next to Will in the animated intro 😭

#critical role #cr3 #cr spoilers

[waltwhitmansbeard]

“ can i hold your hand? “

“ can i hold your hand? “

He'd never say so out loud, but Orym knows he's the dad friend of the Crown Keepers. Between Dariax, Opal, and Fearne, someone's always making an impulsive decision that has the group two heartbeats away from terror and certain death, and Dorian...well. Dorian's Dorian. So it's up to Orym to keep spirits up, to keep food in bellies and heads on straight. He nudges Fearne away from trying to eat the mysterious fruits and reminds Dariax that he doesn't exactly have the spare gold to gamble away with this roadside scammer. He makes sure everyone gets up in the morning and actually gets to sleep at night. And it's nice, having a role, having people to take care of again. It reminds him of better days, simpler days.

It doesn't escape his notice, then, the night he sits around the dying fire, keeping watch while his friends sleep, that one of his friends isn't sleeping. Dorian's eyes are closed, but Orym can tell by the too-quick rise and fall of his chest and the unnatural stillness that he's faking it. He lets him pretend for a little while, hoping sleep might find him naturally, but eventually he whispers, "Hey Dorian?"

The eyes creak open too slowly, a poor performance from one normally so skilled. "Orym?"

"You okay?"

Dorian sits up. His confused look falls away when he sees Orym watching him intently. He shrugs. "Can't really fall asleep."

Orym scooches over so they're sitting shoulder to elbow. "I could tell." A pause. "You wanna talk about it?"

Another shrug. "I was thinking about my brother. Sometimes I kinda feel like a dick for leaving the way I did."

Home. It's always home, the glinting in the corner of your vision, a song stuck in your head you can never whistle away. "Do you think he's mad at you?"

Dorian sighs, and for a moment, Orym's reminded of Will, who used to sigh like that whenever he had bad news to deliver. "Yeah, I do. Or maybe not. I'd be mad at me."

Orym thinks about how he left Zephrah, about who he left behind. "Yeah, I get that. But, you know, I'm glad you here. For what it's worth."

He watches the stars dance in Dorian's eyes as he smiles. "Yeah. I'm glad I'm here, too."

He nudges Dorian with his elbow. "But you really ought to fall asleep. Dariax is gonna start snoring soon and then we'll all be awake."

Dorian laughs and slides back down into his bedroll. Orym stands to return to his watch position, but Dorian whispers, "Orym?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think...can I hold your hand?"

A flash, cherry blossoms on a rolling hill, the first rays of morning and the Zeph'aeratam, side by side. "Yeah, Dorian. You can always hold my hand." He slips his hand into Dorian's, comically small by comparison, but Dorian's fingers are long, lithe, perfect for plucking out delicate tunes, and when Orym laces his own between them, the night doesn't seem to stretch out quite so long before him. He watches Dorian fall asleep, slipping away like a bloom caught on the wind, and Orym can't help but imagine how the pink morning skies of Zephrah might look on the rich blue hues of his skin.

#ask #runforyourshield #critical role #critical role fic #cr fic #exu #exu fic #crown keepers #crown keepers fic #dorym #dorym fic #my fic

[ravendruid]

And you can see the lights from the main festival and the very top of that statue that's extra lit up at night.

Do you mean to tell me Orym of the Air Ashari is training the Zeph'aeratam under the sight of the statue of Vax'ildan and Vex'ahlia in Byroden?

Do you mean to tell me I'm supposed to just... watch this? And not melt? Not die a little bit inside?

#critical role #exandria unlimited #exu rewatch #exu e4 #HOW. #I'M NOT FINE #also please remind me to add the statue to byroden in my campaign

[somestreptomyces]

Writing this a little less than sober and just out of an intense yoga session to deal with my own chronic pain but...

I'm thinking about Orym slowly teaching Ashton how to do his morning flow, walking them through the basics and giving them the tools to be more in touch with their body and help manage the pain.

Ashton going to bed earlier and getting more rest because Orym wakes him up at the crack of dawn for the Air Ashari equivalent of yoga.

Orym finally having some one to go through the Zeph'aeratam with him after so many years of doing it alone.

Just the two most physical fighters centering themselves in the morning to start the day.

#cr3 #orym of the air ashari #ashton greymoore #bells hells #critical role #i know stretching doesnt help with all kinds of chronic pain but maybe im projecting a little

[xombigirl]

Sunrise

Orym is always up with the sun, body trained to wake as soon as those first rays peek over the horizon but with Ruidus always in the sky…he's not sure he's managed more than an hour or two at a time since he scaled the cliff to meet up with Launda and Ashton. He’s worried about their friends and he’s worried about the Tempest and Lita and the moon and – Orym closes his eyes, letting his mind drift away to those familiar cliffs, lets himself remember the nights spent camping out with Will under the moons, being held in his arms and even holding him on occasion. 

I wish you and Dad were here. Orym thinks, hand unconsciously rubbing over the moons tattooed on his bicep. I could really use some advice from Dad and a hug from you.  

His feet dangle over the edge of the cliff, heels gently drumming against the rock as he looks out into the distance, eyes unfocused but unable to completely avoid the red glow of Ruidus. Ashton had grumbled a bit about him hanging his feet over the edge and Orym knows it’s just how they show they care so he’d affixed some rope to a nearby tree and allowed Ashton to thread it around the back of his chest piece and tie it off before they’d gone to bed. 

He stands back up after a few more minutes, knowing the others will be awake soon when the sun starts to appear beyond the horizon. His sword cuts the rope easily and then he’s taking a running leap and diving off the edge of the cliff, Seedling in hand and a grasping vine already shooting up to wrap around a strong tree branch. The rush of adrenaline has him breathing heavily and Orym lets another memory wash over him, of flying on a sky sail, Will too terrified to do much more than cling to him while Orym was shouting and laughing gleefully. 

You never did like heights. Even if you planned for our cottage to be so close to the cliffs because you know how much I loved them.  

Orym hangs there for a few minutes, taking in the colors shifting in the sky, Ruidus red mixing with the usual softer pinks and yellows of the sunrise until his eyes water. He climbs back up to the top of the cliffs, making sure to stay quiet as he starts to run through the steps of the Zeph'aeratam until his mind is clear and quiet. 

“Orym? We’re going to try and see what’s nearby, did you want to come?” Laudna says from nearby and Orym blinks before focusing on her. 

“Sure. We need to figure out where we are, I think – I think we’re still on Marquet but I’m not sure and Chetney isn’t here with the map.” 

Ashton mumbles something about them waiting until after breakfast as he pokes at a small fire that inexplicably has a frying pan perched over it with bacon frying in it. Orym starts to ask where Ashton even got the bacon, or the frying pan but he just shakes his head fondly and settles next to the fire, listening to Ashton mutter about FCG as the sun gets higher in the sky. 

#critical role #cr fanfic #orym of the air ashari #will of the air ashari #ashton greymoore #laudna #bells hells

[masterqwertster]

10. "Please... what am I doing wrong?" "What aren't you doing wrong?!" for... Lita (or Maeve), Will and Orym? in the dialogue prompt ask?

Prompt Definitely some intense arguing sibling energy there. Though I think I'm going to make it a lot less... intense. 10 "Please... what am I doing wrong?" "What aren't you doing wrong?!"

Orym watches as Lita once more beats her brother into the ground.

It's not surprising, really. Lita is older than him and Will, has been training longer than them, so of course her superior experience will see her beating their asses pretty consistently in sparring matches.

Though that doesn't make her winning streak any less frustrating for Will.

"Damnit! I know the forms just as well as you, so why can't I win?" Will shouts at the sky, splayed out on the ground. "What am I doing wrong?"

"Everything," Lita answers with a careless shrug.

"Liar," Will refutes, bringing his head off the ground to stare at her.

"Don't know what to tell you, little brother, but you're doing it all wrong," she doubles down.

Will just huffs and flops back down into the dirt, obviously still in disagreement with Lita's assessment.

But Orym thinks he might know what she's talking about.

Will is well-practiced in the Zeph'aeratam. As he should be, with Derrig and Lita (and to a lesser extent Baernie and Maeve) practicing plenty at home within his sight.

And the Zeph'aeratam, like most everything from Zephrah, is based around air and wind. And the thing about wind is that, unless there's something unnatural happening, its strength ebbs and flows. It gusts and stills.

So Will's problem, by Orym's observation, is that he's always trying to gust. To attack at full throttle without break. And that is not the way of the Zeph'aeratam. If Will would stop trying to constantly blow through the attack forms, take some time to breathe on the defensive ones, he'd probably do a lot better because he'd be using the Zeph'aeratam correctly.

Now Orym could try and share this revelation with Will... or he could continue to enjoy Will's cute pouting. Decisions, decisions...

#MQ&A #MQfic #critical role #orym of the air ashari #will of the air ashari #lita of the air ashari #vague angst quote prompt

[fjorests-of-wildemount]

The road from Zephrah to Yios is long no matter how it's traveled.

By foot.

By airship.

By cart.

By crawler.

One step. Then another, and another, and another. The many long miles between here and home stretch out like so many echoes.

One step. Then another, and another. Like the long walk from his mother's house to the cliff's edge. The long journey from boy to man to wanderer.

The memories dog his steps. The voices haunt his dreams. He woke in Will's arms to an empty bed this morning. Fifteen steps to the courtyard, three repetitions of the Zeph'aeratam, breathe in, greet the sun, onto the next step.

How many more?

There's so much on his mind, but if he turns to look it will catch him, crush him, so it's forward. Onward. Another step.

Maybe if he keeps walking his footsteps will land less heavy on the ground.

On his way to Yios. To answers. But Letters first. Fearne. Imogen.

Each one is a step. And he has to keep moving forward.

#cr spoilers #critical role #orym of the air ashari #cr fanfic #bells hells #c3 e31

[sylvanfreckles]

Day Seventeen: Don't Touch Me

Summary: After a rough night, Orym tries to coach Ashton through a few movements from the Zeph'aeratam to help them loosen up and ease their pain. It goes about as well as you'd expect.

@whumptober-archive

#whumptober2023 #no.17 #don't touch me #critical role #bell's hells #fanfic #swearing #humor #rage vs yoga

[mirach]

Spoilers for Critical Role c3e39

---

"Morning, Dad."

"Morning."

"Did you see me? I didn't do the transition between the third and fourth form perfectly. I could use someone to tell me what I'm doing wrong."

"In the Zeph'aeratam? No, you don't need anyone to tell you what you're doing wrong."

"No? But… how am I supposed to get better? You're not here anymore. And none of my friends know-"

"-what you are dealing with?"

"Yes. No. I meant the forms. When they watch me, they think I'm doing everything perfectly. They don't know… don't know…"

"What you are dealing with."

---

Every morning on the skyship, Orym practices the Zeph'aeratam. But there are many things that make him feel off balance, and the memory of his father helps him to deal with them.

#critical role spoilers #critical role #orym of the air ashari #orym #derrig #my writing #campaign 3