#poor Escher

[old-world-bird]

Token updates for my PC Marcella, her cousin Philippe, and our dearest Douglas, who managed to disappoint both of them almost in one session. YOU WERE LIKE A FATHER TO BOTH OF US, DOUGLAS.

Well, like a dilf-kind-of-father to my PC, but those are not so important details... Anyway, he sucked out Marcella's brain at last, so now she is a mindless blood-lusting monster sitting in his basement and crying from hunger. Philippe disapproves.

Also, Escher!!! We made him depressed and anxious back again, so I updated his token as well.

when you come to Waterdeep from the dull Barovia and discover ✨COLORS✨ -> oh, your ex who broke your heart and whom you still love and miss is here as well

#poor Escher #his hair is sad too #fun thing is that Marcella is not the first one whose personality was destroyed by Douglas #but the first one to put Philippe to THINK #waterdeep dragon heist #curse of strahd #escher belasco #marcella matsovets #philippe matsovets #douglas helderon #digital sketch #dnd character #dhampir #vampire #dungeons and dragons

[housedeaubemarle]

The Grand Hunt - Part 4: The Trophy

Part 1: The Call

Part 2: The Tracking

Part 3: The Hunt

(written with @escherstrange-ffxiv who keeps on being amazing and mindbogglingly strong - we did it! We finished it!)

~*~

“Excuse me sir, has something happened? Why does everyone look so worried?”

The airship port worker furrows his brow, scratching his head under his tweed cap. Considering how the questioner has just stepped off the ship, a thick cloak round her shoulders and luggage in hand, the question makes sense.

“Horde attack about two hours past, milady - terrible business. The guards are out there now, sweeping the grounds; Ishgard even sent the Knights, and no wonder - two blasts they threw and the ground shook like nothing else. Hear tell they’ve already sent word to Twinpools for the dragon hunters.” He grimaces. “Think there were some casualties, poor souls.”

The eyes of the lady before him widen visibly. “Fury have mercy.”

The worker shakes his head. “Once a dragon, always a dragon.”

“I beg to disagree,” is a sudden reply. It comes from an Elezen who steps up neatly beside the lady. He’s visibly taller than her, but also wears travel garb, with bags in both hands. “Nidhogg’s hordes don’t speak for those who seek peace with Ishgard.”

The dock worker is about to object, but sees the glint in the newcomer’s dark brown eyes, even as his posture is relaxed, and voice civilly smooth.

“Well, can’t blame a man when half the cliff is gone,” he says gruffly.

“No, perhaps not.” He looks sideways at the woman, whose brow is wrinkled in concern. “Come on, Dine. Sooner we get home, sooner you can get that look off your face.”

She nods, then looks back to the worker. “Thank you. Fury keep you,” she says kindly before moving away with her companion.

The worker bows shortly, still stinging a little from her companion’s remark. He turns back to his duties, not quite hearing a shocked “Cillien!” from behind him. 

Some way away from the airships, Cillien faces his employer, his face the very picture of surprise. “Lady Oudine?” His blue eyes dart to the person with her; the shock increases sharply. “Lord Remont! Wha- how-”

Remont tilts his head in some confusion. “That should be our question considering how we had planned this as a surprise.”

Cilien stares at him as if he were speaking Doman. “S-surprise?”

“Yes, Rem said he’d come home with me to visit Mamma,” says Oudine with no less bewilderment. “We took the first airship out of Tailfeather, and the wind was with us. But we just heard there was an attack-” She stops. “Why are you here?”

“I… ah…” Cillien looks back and forth between his masters, trying to find the right words. “Well-”

“Cillien, I found them!”

Everyone looks up to see a much shorter Hyur running towards them, panting from his efforts. “It took some doing but they’re-” He screeches to a halt, suddenly realising exactly who Cillien is standing with. “Milady! Milord!”

Oudine’s mouth opens again to see another familiar face, in a completely unexpected place. “Lamb?”

Remont’s eyes jump from the dismay on Cillien’s face, to the horror in Lamb’s, to the utter stupefaction of Oudine’s. He puts a hand on his sister’s shoulder bracingly, as he asks, “Who exactly have you found, Lamb?”

~*~

“Isillud…? Izzy.”

The exhaustion is too deeply set, so it takes a few more shakes before the grey Elezen can bring himself to bleary consciousness. Stiffness and aches begin clamouring for attention across his body, resulting in a heartfelt groan. The waking world is too cruel for someone who’s been through as much as he has in one morning. Eventually, very eventually, his eyes focus.

A very tall, rather tanned Elezen, with short chestnut hair and an undercut, vaguely familiar dark brown eyes and attractive cheekbones, looks back at him. He wears a small smile as he places a mug on the bedside table.

“It’s been a while, cousin.”

It is a familiar scene with a familiar feeling: The languid tone like silk in his ears, the aroma of coffee tickling his nose, and too-bright sunlight pushing through the thin curtains.

The only difference is that Isillud Losstarot isn't buck naked; he checked.

That's when he realises he's still in the present: He's at Falcon's Nest, he brought Rewelle here. He sits up but the room begins to spin and he falls back onto the pillow. "Rewelle, will she be alright…?"

That that should be Isillud’s first question makes Remont’s smile grow. 

“She’s been stabilised, the healer told us, but still not awake,” he says, putting the back of his hand against Isillud’s forehead, gently brushing his bangs aside, to check for a temperature. He puts it to the side of the patient’s face as well, for good measure. “We won’t move her home until she regains consciousness.”

Satisfied that there isn’t a fever, he settles a thin blanket back over Isillud, now a little paler from his exertions. Remont sits back in the wooden chair next to the bed.

Isillud leans into Remont's hand, reluctant enough to look a little pained when his cousin returns to his chair but awkward enough to not look him in the eyes. "I see," he simply says.

“I’m sorry to wake you, but the innkeeper said you’ve been out cold since you got them to see to Rewelle. Had to check if you were rational, in addition to being alive. Also to keep Dine from worrying herself to death over you.” The smile becomes rather rueful. “Her concern also involves your brother despite his absence. Do you wish us to let him know where you are?” The dark brown eyes take on a curious gleam. “Or are you expecting him shortly?”

Remont's question assures him that Joshua and Escher weren't around at least, though he silently prays they made it to Ishgard without rousing suspicion. "Just tell Joshua we are…well." His pretty face frowns a little, "...What are you doing here?"

The other man considers his response. Izzy looks like he's been crumpled up and thrown about like a - while still beautiful - scrap of paper despite the stoic message for his own brother. Whatever agreement they'd had in the past - when they’d found out exactly whose son each of them had been - doesn't preclude a little levity to try and ease the tension.

So he just says lightly, “Taking care of you, since it seems you can't be trusted to do it yourself.”

The tips of Isillud's ears flush slightly pink at Remont's answer. He's still your cousin, Izzy, he reminds himself. "I just do it differently," he retorts, sulking slightly. Remont might remember that he sleeps in and used to neglect regular meals but it doesn't mean he'll admit it. Not to family, anyway.

Remont chuckles. In culinary terms, it’d be a dark chocolate brownie of a laugh: delightful, warm, maybe just a little too rich for comfort. Just a touch.

“Very well, little cousin, though I’m not sure I agree with your methods.” He leans back in the chair, looking as comfortable as if it were the plushest armchair known to man. “I’m here to visit my dear old mother - a surprise from her darling boy whose new haircut I’m sure she will adore.” He turns his head left and right rather proudly.

Isillud can't help but smile at the cornrows in the side. "She will certainly have much to say about it. I don't think I fit the style, though I do see its appeal."

Remont almost asks whether his cousin sees the appeal in the haircut itself, or on him specifically, just to see if the smile will become a blush. 

Instead, he continues, “Also I wanted to see my celebrated cousins for myself. Dine says you’ve been acquitting yourselves well in high society.” 

Isillud twirls a lock of his hair, partly flustered and partly proud at Remont's compliment. "It's all Joshua, really. He has a knack for it I never had. And you? Are you still adventuring?"

“I'm flattered that you think me, a spoiled highborn son, an adventurer,” says Remont with a boyish grin. “Say rather I've not been travelling much, not since we’ve expanded the Ranch’s breeding facilities to keep up with demand. Even I’ve had to be on hand, getting up at odd hours to help feed the chicks and check on the nests. Yet I never thought I’d see orders coming from the likes of Doma, so it's worth it.”

"Never thought I'd see the day Remont de Aubemarle becomes a chocobo rancher instead of bounding off on the next adventure. Perhaps you might take up the mantle of Viscount too?" Isillud teases.

The other Elezen just smiles; he's not about to take easy bait like that. “Hardly. ‘Tis Dine’s good management, I believe, much like Joshua’s knack.” He gazes at Isillud for a short minute, as if looking for something. Then his smile seems to grow quite gentle. “Such reliable siblings we’ve been blessed with, Izzy. Strange, isn’t it, that they care so much for us in spite of our own opinions?” 

Isillud snuggles back into bed, loosening a button on his collar; he's not slept fully clothed in bed since childhood and it smothers him so. "As we do for them. It goes both ways."

Remont doesn't miss the flash of neck and collarbone, and also doesn't take such bait, sitting quite comfortably in his chair.

“Will you tell me what happened, if I ask nicely?” His tone would be more suited to asking whether Isillud prefers tea or coffee.

Isillud's beaming smile is half hidden by his pillow and the soft strands of white hair falling over his face. "Let me hear your best attempt first, cousin." Even if Remont is a cousin and older by a year, he's not going to let him off easy.

Remont snorts in amusement, enjoying the look of angelic innocence radiating off the other Elezen. it's the white hair, he thinks - quite a halo-like appearance. He moves his chair, just so he can lean closer.

“If you wanted a bedtime story, you could've just asked.” And because Remont can't help himself, he reaches out to stroke Isillud's soft hair, like he's soothing a child to sleep.

“The innkeeper says a man carried the lass in, and said he'd been hired to escort her to her cousin's in the Nest. They'd gotten caught in the attacks and she'd gotten hurt terribly. Please get a healer at once, the man had said, and a clean, airy room. Don't bother about him; he would shift for himself. Of course that wouldn't do, so this most compassionate proprietor had one of his workers give the man a room while they hastened for help for the poor young lady.

“Cillien and Lamb, the reason we found you, say the innkeeper perhaps had misheard. Lord Isillud had merely been kind enough to offer his escort for Rewelle to her cousin's at the Nest, particularly since her ladyship the Viscountess requested for both the lords’ assistance. They are here because they'd heard of the attacks and became worried.”

Remont's fingers don't stop their slow, languorous movements, just like his calm, even voice.

“It is extremely curious why you didn't take the easier route of the airship, and somehow ended up just outside the Bridge where the cliff got destroyed.”

His touch reminds Isillud of when his mother used to put him to bed, her long fingers gently massaging his scalp as she told stories of illustrious and noble ancestors.

"Extremely curious indeed," he murmurs, hovering over the edge of sleep with such gentle ministrations. "Why, it almost seems like it was entirely orchestrated to get rid of some ne'er do wells who had attacked one of the Viscountess's staff…and perhaps as a warning sign to the ignoble who employed them."

Remont just hums in reply, saying nothing more. He watches his cousin's eyes close fully again, making sure to keep patting Isillud's head till the breathing is slow, and even-paced.

“You and your brother have done much for us, Izzy,” he whispers. “I wonder if you even knew the risks you undertook.” He drops a quick – and to his credit, quite fraternal – kiss on Isillud's brow then rises to quietly leave the room.

Outside, his sister stands, hands crossed, staring at the door of Rewelle's room as if it had committed a cardinal sin. 

Only when he calls her name and touches her shoulder does she look up. The glare softens at once. “Is he alright?”

Remont nods. “Come, we shouldn't talk here. Let’s take a walk outside.”

The siblings head downstairs, where Cillien is having an overdue bite to eat. He stands when he sees his masters appear, but Oudine waves him back down. 

“It’s alright, please carry on with your meal. I must confer with my brother on what to do next.”

“Yes, milady.”

Remont throws him a smile as he nods at Cillien's plate. “Any good?”

Cillien returns a helpless grin. “Aubemarle has spoilt me hopelessly, milord, but it will do. Cook would have an opinion or three, I shouldn't wonder.”

Remont chuckles, and even Oudine finally cracks a smile. “Good man.” He gives Cillien another nod and walks with his sister out of the inn. 

Instinctively, Oudine tucks her hand around Remont's elbow as they begin their aimless stroll. The streets bustle with activity - people are running back and forth, spreading news and rumours alike. Several armoured men move amongst the crowd.

“It seems we owe our cousins thanks,” says Remont in a low voice, unfazed by his surroundings. 

“How so?” 

“Izzy alluded to an attack on one of the staff, and an ‘ignoble’ whom the attackers worked for.”

Oudine stares out into the street, swiftly putting theories and possible pieces together. “Ajax.” Her brows meet in a fierce glare. “That bastard arranged an attack on Rewelle?”

Remont is probably the only person who wouldn't bat an eyelash at Oudine swearing. “I am unsurprised. Even Tramault can't make things disappear if Ajax is involved directly.” He narrows his eyes. “The Losstarots must have lured Rewelle's attackers out of the city. I assume they had plans to get rid of them somehow, but dragonfire would have changed everything. I can't quite account for Joshua, but then, it's best for the head of the Losstarots not to be seen.” 

Oudine’s mind races with this new information. “Then that means they used Rewelle as bait. Joshua and Isillud might have been discovered. They could have been killed.” Her grip around Remont's elbow tightens. “Idiots.”

Remont pats her tense hand. “Rewelle wouldn't have agreed if she didn't want to.”

She shakes her head. “She's a maid in our employ. There is something to be said for power imbalances.”

“Like the one between us and the Gaussains,” replies Remont calmly. “I think they had little choice.”

Oudine falls silent, but her hold on his elbow does loosen a little.

“Why?” She asks at last. “Why would they do so much for us? For Rewelle? They're finally starting to see progress within Ishgard - the name of Losstarot is becoming more known for their generosity amongst the lowborn and abilities to the high. Why risk all that for… for such distant kin as us?”

Remont looks at his sister. “I thought you liked them.”

“I do like them, hence I refuse to treat them as tools to be used when convenient and put away when not,” says Oudine with frustration. “Rewelle too is not an object for us to move as and when we please.”

“...Dine.” now he pauses, so he can look her in the eye. His voice is gentle.

“Have you considered, perhaps, they also like our family enough to help us? That when they heard Rewelle was in trouble, they helped because it was right to do so, Gaussains or no?”

Oudine stares up at her younger brother's serious expression. Then she looks down, shaking her head at herself. 

Remont pulls her into a tight hug. “I'm sorry I left you with those Ishgardian beasts for so long, Viscount. You seem to have forgotten that there are trustworthy men even here.”

She closes her eyes, leans her forehead against his shoulder. “Then stay longer this time, Rem. At least long enough to help me hunt down one of them.”

He smirks. “You're set on it then.”

“Yes.” She raises her head, and the expression on her face resembles the Dowager's when provoked. “Gaussain has overreached.”

Remont's smirk widens. “Understood, milord. First, we have to take care of our injured.”

She nods. “I have some ideas.”

~*~

Early the next morning, a carriage draws up to the Losstarot residence. While Remont remembers Isillud's tendency to sleep in, they also want to check on Rewelle and Lamb who's been tasked to watch over her while the Aubemarle party returned to Ishgard the evening before.

Remont jumps down to go knock on the front door. 

“Remont de Aubemarle,” says the Elezen to Ser Drouhont. “Apologies for such short notice, but we're here for Lord Joshua de Losstarot. We'd like to bring him to Falcon's Nest, if he would be so kind as to accompany me and Viscount Oudine.”

"Mine apologies, but the young lord was entertaining an eminent Sharlayan scholar until late last night and is now nursing a dreadful headache. He has given express orders to not be disturbed." Drouhont bows deeply. "May I have the honour of passing him a message when he wakes?"

Remont only just manages to bite back a laugh at this frank declaration. He knows of Joshua enough to conclude Isillud isn't the only one paying for their part in this scheme.

“I understand. Pass him my sympathies, and an invitation to the Polar Head inn, in Falcon's Nest. If he can't rise, please reassure him we will return his brother safely before the day is out.”

When he returns to the carriage alone, Oudine just raises her eyebrows inquiringly. 

He grins. “Joshua is indisposed, but I've left the message. I'm sure he'll come find us.” Or not, depending on how long his head keeps pounding.

Oudine casts a doubtful look at him. “I know it's early but isn't he worried about Isillud?”

Remont snickers as the carriage goes on its way to the airship port. “Don't fret, Dine - those brothers have their own way of taking care of each other.”

Meanwhile, Drouhont closes the manor doors with a quiet click then drifts to the drawing room where Joshua lies with an ice pack on his head, shoes kicked off haphazardly and resting at a table leg.

"Fuck you Izzy, you left me with a fucking madman," Joshua mutters, the few short years spent in Limsa showing in his colourful language. He doesn't even move his head to look at Drouhont. "Who was it?"

"Lord Remont de Aubemarle came to bring you to Falcon's Nest to see your brother. I told them you are unwell as per your orders and he said he will return Isillud safely before the day is out."

Joshua tenses. He moves his head but moans when the room spins, returning to his initial position on the pillow. "So he's well, and they've found out."

"That would seem to be so, milord. Shall I prepare a carriage?"

"What for, to yell at him? We all know what happened. I'll yell at him when he comes back." Joshua turns to the backrest - the patterns are more soothing to sore eyes - and curls up. "Keep telling people I'm sick, Drouhont."

"Very well, milord." Drouhont bows and drifts out the door. He wonders briefly if his ex-commanding officer is aware of it yet.

~*~

Ser Lucille sighs at the slightly wider gap between Black Iron Bridge. "Dragonfire, you say?"

"Well, there was a report of a Sharlayan scholar at The Pike doin' some research."

She rolls her eyes. If it's who it is, the dragons are less paperwork. "We'll find them if we have the time. For now focus on weeding out the dragons. They must be around somewhere."

~*~

Sydney takes a sip of Thavnairian chai - hot, burning, and creamy, just the way he likes it. A half-folded letter is tossed carelessly onto a side table. "Nasser."

A tall broad-shouldered Raen pokes his head out from the kitchen, wiping his spice-laden hands. "Sir?"

"Our guest should be reaching the airship landing soon. Could you pick him up and bring him straight to his destination?"

"You do not wish to meet him?"

"I don't want to hear a common thug's desires." He removes his pince-nez to wipe the lenses.

"Very well." Nasser hangs up his apron by the door and heads out.

~*~

Back at the Polar Head, there is a knock, then another, on the door of Isillud's room. 

Lamb the footman had also been tasked to see to Isillud's needs. While it might have been a chore some days ago, Lamb now would run to Dalmasca and back if Isillud wished it. Anything could be done for the one who saved Rewelle.

“Lord Isillud?” 

Isillud groans at the door. Not even when he was in exile was he subject to so many interruptions. Instead he throws the pillow over his head and sleeps some more.

Lamb can’t help grinning when he hears the groan from within. Instead of leaving, he opens the door quietly. Without another sound so as not to disturb the snoozing figure in the bed, he leaves a can of hot water, an enamel basin and a fresh towel on the bedside table. On the chair, he drapes a clean shirt and trousers - originally Cillien’s - since he’s fairly sure Lord Isillud would prefer a change of clothes when he wakes, even if it’s just humble cotton and linen. 

He leaves as silently as he entered, then moves onto another room. Its occupant doesn’t open her eyes until he hovers over her.

She blinks awake, focuses on his face, and offers a smile. “No luck then?” she asks in a hoarse, weak voice. It’s still music to Lamb’s ears after her entire ordeal. 

It is well after midnight, in some blessed hour, when Lamb is jolted awake from where he’s bent over, half sleeping on Rewelle’s bed. His lower back yells mutiny at him, but it is nothing since he’d just felt someone touch his hair.

The candles have gone out, but he can vaguely see her looking at him.

“Thank the Fury and all the gods,” says Lamb fervently, grasping her hand and pressing it to his lips without thinking. He gets up to see her face closer, still holding onto her hand. 

“Where…” she tries, but the sound is weak and creaky. She winces at a pain that shoots into her torso.

“Falcon’s Nest. Lord Isillud rescued you.” 

She breathes out, relieved. “Is he… safe?”

“Yes, he’s alright. He’s fine.” 

“Good…” Her eyes begin to close again, sleep regaining its hold. “Stay, please?”

The grip on her hand gets tighter. “I’m not going anywhere. Not without you.”

Rewelle smiles, then drifts back to sleep.  

He shakes his head. “Think milord’s sleeping off the amount of heroics from yesterday.” 

Rewelle chuckles, though it aches to do so. “No armour, yet a knight.”

Lamb tucks a loose strand behind her ear. “For which I’ll be eternally grateful.”

She looks at him with her dark eyes, taking in his expression. “...thank you, Lamb.”

“Whatever for?”

The smile, even with lips as pale as hers, is rather like early summer: lovely and bright. “Everything.”

Lamb can’t say anything to that, so he just leans over to kiss her forehead. “Could you keep anything down, do you think?”

“Not yet. Maybe… maybe after her ladyship arrives.” Rewelle sighs. “She knows?”

Lamb smiles helplessly. “I think she and Lord Remont worked it out. She said she had a plan for you.���

“...am I going to lose my job?”

Lamb laughs the first hearty laugh he’s done in weeks. 

~*~

“I left him some things in case he woke up before you arrived, milord, but so far he hasn’t stirred.”

While a much-relieved Oudine has gone in to visit Rewelle, Remont laughs outside in the corridor. He holds a box in one hand. “I expected as much. I’ll take it from here, Lamb. Thank you.”

The footman bows with an amused smile, letting his master be. 

“Izzy, I’m coming in whether you're ready or not,” he says out loud. 

Within the room: "If you're not naked and down to fuck, I'm not accepting," Isillud mumbles softly into his pillow through gritted teeth. What does he need to do to get some proper sleep around here??

The door remains shut. From experience, Remont has to surmise he's being cussed at. 

“I've no idea what you're saying, but it can't be good,” he says with much amusement. “Do I have to eat all of these eclairs myself then?”

Oh, to be torn between sweets and sweet slumber, Isillud's eyes snap open but only to consider whether Remont meant literally or figuratively. "Urghhh," he groans, rolling out of bed (still in his previous clothes because he's lazy like that) and shuffling to the door, swinging it open.

To Remont, Isillud is, in a word, amusing: the messy hair, tired circles under his eyes, clouded green irises - no one would believe this was the absurdly beautiful Lord de Losstarot who visited the Viscountess just three days past even.

He takes about five seconds to absorb the details of this shambling husk of a noble, then grins.

“Dear cousin, if you're going to insist on being a hero, then you'll have to bear the consequences.” Remont holds up the box. “Half a dozen of ‘Lord Isillud's favourites’, with Cook's compliments, since ‘his lordship actually asked for it a while ago’.”

He ruffles Isillud's bedhead affectionately. “Have a few of those, then get dressed if you please. Rewelle and Dine would like to see you.”

"I didn't ask for it to turn out that way," Isillud mutters, scratching his hair and his crotch with the coordination of a seasoned pro before taking the box. "...give me half a bell."

After scarfing down three, he finally feels human enough to wash his face, wipe the grime and dirt from his body and change into the clean clothes laid out on a chair, though the gloves stay on. He claps his hands to dispel the dust as best he can, pockets the ear clasp, then heads out to meet everyone, prim and proper as he can look in the given circumstances.

In the corridor, Remont smiles approvingly at Isillud’s improvements. “This way, my lord.” He leads the way to Rewelle’s room, and opens the door.  

Inside, on the same kind of bed Isillud wishes he was still in, Rewelle lies under some blankets, covering her up to her shoulders. Her complexion has barely any colour in it, and the morning light shows scratches and bruises across one side of her face. But her eyes are open and clear, looking at Oudine who sits closely by her bedside.

When those same eyes catch sight of Isillud, Rewelle gives him the widest, warmest smile she can manage. She would have done the same even if he had been covered in slime and mould. 

“Lord Isillud,” she says hoarsely, but in a welcoming tone. 

Oudine glances up at him and though she doesn't really smile, she wordlessly vacates her chair, gesturing towards it. 

Thinking it a courtesy that should last no more than a few minutes (Rewelle needs her rest after all), Isillud stands at the foot of the bed, politely declining Oudine with a shake of his head and a raised palm. 

"How are you holding up?"

Oudine steps aside as her brother uses one hand to gently push him forward. “You won’t hear her from there,” says Remont.

Isillud is duly moved closer to where Rewelle’s head rests on the pillow. She can’t help a tiny laugh at the way the nobleman seems so hesitant, quite unlike any highborn she’s seen before. “Alright enough, milord.” Her eyes shine up at him despite the lack of strength in her voice. “More than I would be without your help. Thank you for saving my life.”

He is about to speak, but stops. What does he say?

You're welcome.

It was nothing.

'Tis your courage that saved you.

Nothing works. She must not know it didn't go to plan. Oudine will have our heads if she knows how much danger Rewelle was in. But they already know she was out where she shouldn't be, and he brought her back; the circumstances are too suspect; too timely.

Between the choice to tell all or to leave questions, he answers the only question that needs answering: He takes out the ruby clasp and gently places it on her blanket. "They will harass you no more, Rewelle. Breathe easy."

Remont sees the ruby glint under the light, and recalls years ago, when he was still regularly haunting all the smoky clubs and lounges highborn Ishgardian sons patronised, how often Ajax's older brothers had complained they couldn't wear other jewels in front of their father. That everything was about those ‘damned Thavnairian rubies’ they couldn't get rid of. Seems like the baby of the family was allowed to bend the rules, thinks Remont with some wry amusement.

His sister is reflecting on a different memory. He said that to me when he visited us the first time, thinks Oudine from where she stands behind them. I wonder who gave him similar reassurances. Why it was needed.

That last question is answered as soon as it is asked. It had been five years in exile, five years of shame; five years of having your family torn apart and scattered to the winds, not knowing if anyone had survived. Not knowing if you could survive without hope of regaining what you'd lost.

Breathing easily, concludes Oudine, would have been a luxury.

From where she lies, Rewelle looks down at the valuable earring. Her eyes widen at the implications. She tries to lift her hand but her body still feels too heavy. So she wiggles her fingers from out of the blankets at least, managing to pinch Isillud's loose sleeve (Cillien's shirt had been a few ilms wider in just about every measurement - a common occurrence when your frame is as rake-thin as Isillud's).

“Then… it's over?” She even glances at her masters, as if to seek confirmation. Remont smiles, Oudine nods. Rewelle looks back up at her rescuer, whose face is all kindness, and tears cannot help but spill over.  

Months of torment ended. Yisa avenged. There is hope again for the normalcy she had once enjoyed before all this. She could walk freely again, on her own, without fear.

Though it hurts to do so, Rewelle breathes in, so she can speak a little louder, with more emphasis. “I can never repay you, milord. Not in this lifetime. But you will be in my prayers every night. Thank you, truly.”

Isillud's sleeve slides a little off his shoulder, gooseflesh showing on his grey complexion. He simply nods. He doesn't deserve her gratitude, not when he's the reason she's in bed. He looks at Remont, silently pleading, ‘Can I go now?’

Without missing a beat, Remont steps forward. “Come, Rewelle. Lord Isillud is a rather shy individual,” he says, winking at her conspiratorially, and moving her hand gingerly back under the blankets. “And Lamb will turn us into porridge if we keep you up any longer. Do us a favour and rest; there’ll be time later.”

Rewelle smiles through the tears. “Yes, milord.”

Remont puts both hands on Isillud’s shoulders, not bothering to put the sleeve back. “Almost done, cousin. Courage now,” he murmurs as he steers Isillud out of the room, without letting him go. 

They wait outside, Isillud confused – more courage? Again? –  while Remont is poker-faced and keeps his hands on Isillud’s shoulders. Then Oudine emerges from the room a minute later, shutting the door behind her. 

She gazes at Isillud, more serious than he has ever seen her. Every time they have met before, whether in public or private, Oudine has always had a welcoming smile and a kind greeting for him and Joshua. This… is new.

“You risked so much more than your lives, do you know?” she says, low-voiced, her grey eyes directed straight at his green ones. “This is Gaussain we face. Gaussain, with direct line to Durendaire. Gaussain, with such wealth and power, Haillenarte had to be extra careful in rejecting their offers - Count Baurendouin himself would have capitulated, if not for Lord Stephanivien.”

Remont squeezes his shoulders; warmth goes through Isillud’s skin. Courage.

“Gaussain holds us Aubemarles in his hands, at least until recently. I was too young and desperate to understand when he offered to help after our father died, but that is Tramault’s way: find the weak, hold them by the neck until they go limp or die.” Her fists are clenched tight, white at the knuckles. “And Mamma decided it was fine to ask you to do this, to endanger yourselves for us, when you and Joshua have worked so hard…!”

In one swift movement, Isillud is yanked from Remont’s hold into a tight hug, Oudine’s fierce whisper beside his ear and her arms around his shoulders.

“Don’t you dare do this again, Isillud de Losstarot. We could have lost all of you…!”

She knocks the wind out of him with her sisterly embrace and the implications of his involvement begin to dawn on his groggy mind.

The rules have changed. They are no longer commoners where what the rich do have nothing to do with them, nor does getting rid of a spoilt brat's thugs simply stop at the thugs. In Ishgard, the chain is long, sometimes obscured by multiple links as it trails up, up the long ladder of command, winding and doubling back on rungs.

They have yanked the chain. Once Tramault de Gaussain cottons on to what he and Joshua are doing, there is no turning back.

But this is what Joshua wants. For noble House Losstarot to be where it was. Where we were. If it means knocking House Gaussain off its pedestal, it is the path we choose to walk.

A hand slowly, carefully creeps up Oudine's back and pats it. Once, then twice. 

We will rise, we will rise. And when we return then the reckoning begins.

"Thank you for your concern, cousin."

The End (for now).

[May the Rood ever flourish.]

-

#ffxiv oc #ffxiv rp #isillud losstarot #joshua losstarot #oudine de aubemarle #remont de aubemarle #rewelle laubaut #lambin forrest #oudine my love how are you so kind but have so many trust issues (I know how but still) #she had a Very Long Word with her mother the night before #not that the Dowager was remotely sorry for getting others involved but the point was made #the entire Aubemarle staff now is going to think Izzy is honestly really shy in private #Joshua you poor boy what did Escher DO

[dougielombax]

NO WAY!

They made Castrovalva real!

All thanks to the power of Block Transfer Computation!

Astounding.

*THIS IS A JOKE!!!!*

#dougie rambles #personal stuff #my poor attempt at a joke #this sounded funnier in my head #shut up #doctor who #castrovalva #Italy #mc escher

[timeagainreviews]

Bombastically Subtle: The Giggle

In my review for “The Power of the Doctor,” I talked about the power of lowering expectations. It’s good to approach Doctor Who with an open mind as it leaves room for being pleasantly surprised. One major truth for the Doctor Who fandom is how often we play ourselves with our expectations. We get it in our heads how something is supposed to be and we get mad that it isn’t that thing. That being said, there is a rational standard to be expected. Before “Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS,” aired, I had a small list of things I wanted to see in the TARDIS. Things which if included, would mean they didn’t waste the opportunity. I wanted to see a big gothic library. Check! I wanted to see the swimming pool. Check! I wanted to see a room that looked like the outdoors. Check! I wanted to see an M.C. Escher room like from “Castrovalva.” Well, three out of four ain’t bad. Speaking of three out of four, remember “The Celestial Toymaker”?

Of the 97 missing episodes of Doctor Who, three are from the four-part story “The Celestial Toymaker.” It would be four out of four, but the last episode “The Final Test,” was eventually returned to BBC in 1984 but wasn’t made available to the public until 1991. For years, all fans had left of this story was the Target novelisation and their imaginations. You could argue that “The Celestial Toymaker,” is a story which has benefitted from going missing. It enjoys a sort of mythic status no effects budget from 1966 could ever live up to. So when it was revealed that the Toymaker would be returning to Doctor Who in “The Giggle,”  I saw it as an opportunity for them to finally give us the episode that has existed in our collective imagination for decades. 

It makes sense that it took 57 years to return the Toymaker to the screen. It’s easier to write “The Doctor sees himself in puppet form,” than it is to film. Words may be the cheapest way to put big images in our heads, but we’ve got Disney money now. Doctor Who can finally afford to give the Toymaker the visuals he deserves. And the episode delivers on those visuals. It’s as mindbending and dazzling as you would expect for a trickster from the Island of Misfit Toys. Not only are the visuals impressive, but they’re also creative. That last bit is something people often forget. Style is everything. The Toymaker’s old-timey shop is beautiful and this design aesthetic carries over to visuals he produces. He feels appropriately out of time and timeless. I wanted to say this upfront because, honestly, there is so much more going on than stellar visuals.

One complaint I’ve seen consistently about the 60th Anniversary Specials is that they often seem like pale imitations of what came before. Just last week I compared “Wild Blue Yonder,” unfavourably to “Midnight,” but I had to concede to the fact that these specials are a bit of an homage to all of Doctor Who. Of course, there are similarities, it’s a celebration of 60 years of Doctor Who. That would be like complaining that they put a Santa robot in a Christmas episode. “The Star Beast,” harkens to alien invasion stories and evil dictators. “Wild Blue Yonder,” is like our “Midnight,” “The Edge of Destruction,” and “Heaven Sent,” type stories with a healthy dose of body horror. And “The Giggle,” is a bit more like “The Ultimate Foe,” “The Mind Robber,” or even “The Sound of Drums.” If these episodes are, as Russell T Davies said, the finale to the 2005 series, they’re a fitting send-off. 

Much like “Wild Blue Yonder,” I found the introduction to “The Giggle,” to be the weakest section of the episode. Something about both scenes in both episodes had unnatural dialogue and poor pacing. It feels almost as though the episodes are both trying their best to get going as fast as possible. It makes sense when you consider that a major plot point is that the Doctor doesn’t take time to rest. Also, there is a lot of information to be imparted within three episodes. Regardless, I got a little nervous by Neil Patrick Harris’ over-the-top German accent bouncing off of Charlie de Melo’s confused face. But when Banerjee says to the Toymaker that his accent was slipping, I relaxed a bit. It’s like when Dorothy Vallens tears her bad wig off in “Blue Velvet.” You think “Oh thank god, they realise it’s unrealistic.”

I love the inclusion of John Logie Baird into the story. Not only is he from Scotland (my newfound home), but an oft-overlooked person in history. Using the inventor of television to celebrate one of Britain’s oldest TV shows feels appropriate. RTD said in an interview that he started reading up on Baird while working on his miniseries “Nolly.” Initially, the only villain of the story was going to be the puppet, Stooky Bill, but Davies realised that might look a bit naff so he considered who might be the puppet master and the Toymaker was a natural fit. I love hearing how writers form stories from seemingly disparate elements. Had RTD never written “Nolly,” we would have probably not seen the Toymaker, which would have been a different 60th anniversary altogether.

Thanks to things like “Doctor Who Unleashed,” and the commentaries, we’ve been given some intriguing insights into Davies’ creative process. Initially, he worried that the Toymaker was too ancient a character for modern fans to care about, but that never stopped Steven Moffat from introducing a new generation of fans to the Great Intelligence. He also took time to discuss the Toymaker’s racist roots. While I’ve never once thought of the Toymaker as yellowface, I can see how their use of the word “celestial,” and his Chinese silks might send the wrong message in this day and age. It’s funny then that that is also the reason he decided to give the Toymaker various accents, as a call back to his problematic nature. He is a villain after all. But is it really racist to make fun of Germans? I prefer my friend Taryn’s explanation that the Toymaker changes his voice often because the Doctor originally beat him by impersonating his voice.

With London at each other’s throats, it’s easy to see why UNIT would be relieved to see the Doctor. I half-expected Kate Stewart to slap the Doctor, but instead, she greets him with a hug. In the words of the Doctor- “This is new!” Now it’s been said before, so I’ll just agree that yes UNIT HQ looks like Avengers tower. We’ve already established that RTD is taking a page out of the Marvel playbook, no need to belabour the point. Back at UNIT, the Doctor is reintroduced to some familiar faces. We see Kate Stewart, Shirley Bingham, but most excitingly, Mel Bush. That’s right, I said “excitingly,” and “Mel Bush,” in the same sentence. I once met Bonnie Langford at a convention and I feel like she could tell I was lying when I said “I liked you in Doctor Who,” because in all honesty, I didn’t. But after rewatching “Paradise Towers,” and admiring Mel’s individuality in the face of the mocking Kangs, I thought “Maybe Hughie Lewis was right, it is hip to be square.” Furthermore, I knew RTD would do her right.

Something I’ve really enjoyed about the RTD2 era is how he has somewhat elevated the role of companion. Too often in the show's history have the companions been forced into the role of audience surrogate, fit only to ask the Doctor what’s happening and to get captured. Both Mel and Donna are rocking shit at their computer consoles. Finally, a writer who remembered Mel is a computer wiz, go figure! And of course, the best temp in Chiswick is leading the attack. But beyond being useful, he’s allowing the companions to have actual depth of emotion. Mel’s life doesn’t feel like a sad sack existence that landed her in a support group. She had a fun life with Glitz. Furthermore, it was a life she chose. There’s no baggage between her and the Doctor, just delight.

The Doctor learns that it’s not just Londoners losing their minds, but the whole world. Even our beloved Trinity Wells has fallen prone to the vitriol on her Fox News-esque talk show. The source of this anger is an arpeggiated laugh over the image of the first-ever televised face- Stooky Bill. This of course is the aspect that reminded me most of the “Utopia/The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords” three-parter. Like the rhythmic heartbeats of a Time Lord, this signal has laid dormant on every television, computer, tablet, and phone screen for years. This is, of course, Russell T Davies’ comment on the current state of discourse on the internet these days. And in another way, it’s his comment on the state of the Doctor Who fandom lately. He seems well aware of the divisions in the fandom and it’s nice to see that aside from the sexists, racists, and transphobes, he’s interested in bringing the rest of us together, but I digress.

In what may be one of the most effective scenes in the whole episode, Kate Stewart removes her Zeedex, a device invented by the mysterious Vlinx to inhibit the effects of the giggle signal. After removing it, we watch in horror as our beloved Kate Stewart devolves into a paranoid ableist bigot who hates gingers. Jemma Redgrave gives a chilling and vulnerable performance that was hard to watch. I found myself choked up seeing her in this state, and watching her profusely apologise to Shirley afterwards was heartbreaking. That said, I loved Shirley’s reaction. It’s nice that RTD in his desire to portray marginalised people hasn’t forgotten that we’re not all helpless. Shirley understood the situation and she’s strong enough to take it. Even more, I loved it when the Doctor snapped at her with a bit of sass. It’s good to see Davies treating this new diverse cast as flawed and vulnerable people. He’s not ticking boxes, these are real characters.

The Doctor begins to get an inkling as to who they are dealing with. The words “puppetmaster,” and “toying with,” begin entering his vocabulary. The hairs on the back of his neck stand on end as something deep inside him is screaming “Toymaker!” Having correlated the mass outbreak of violence with the launch of a South Korean satellite, Kate gets permission from the Doctor to take out the satellite with a Galvanic beam. I loved how it was the Doctor’s job as President of the World to give the command. He must have hated that. Eagle-eyed viewers will remember galvanic radiation as the poisonous light from the planet Midnight. Once again RTD calls back to one of his best stories. Meanwhile, Donna hits Kate up for a job at UNIT netting her six figures a year and five weeks of holiday. Go Donna! While all of this is happening, Shirley has traced the original Stooky Bill broadcast back to SoHo in 1925. The Doctor and Donna pile into the TARDIS to follow this lead which takes them to the Toymaker’s shopfront.

What I love most about including the Toymaker is that it has introduced magic into Doctor Who. The ‘70s gave us many occult storylines, but even then most of them could be explained with science. Seldom does Doctor Who give us a storyline where the Doctor is unable to explain what happened. We got the Beast in “The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit,” and the haunted house from “The Chimes of Midnight,” but for the most part, magic has never been real in Doctor Who. Not even the Carrionites used actual magic in their word-based witchcraft. Perhaps RTD’s time working on “Wizards vs Aliens,” rubbed off on him. Either way, it’s an interesting way to breathe new life into Doctor Who. The Doctor hasn’t really ever dealt with actual magic and I am curious how it will affect him moving forward. Superman is one of the most powerful beings in DC comics, but along with Kryptonite, one of his greatest weaknesses is magic. Magic plays by its own rules.

As a being governed by magic, the Toymaker is bound to a set of rules. The Toymaker takes pride in his rules, so much so that when Donna implies he’ll cheat the Doctor, he looks genuinely offended. There is clear animosity between the Doctor and the Toymaker that is palpable throughout the story. The Doctor even antagonises the Toymaker by implying he is a slave to his rules of play. The Toymaker isn’t just interested in revenge, he wants to humiliate the Doctor in front of the person who loves him the most- Donna. He attempts to weaken her faith in the Doctor by illustrating the Doctor’s past failures to save his companions while highlighting the ways the Doctor justifies his failures. The one thing the Toymaker didn’t consider is that Donna knows this about the Doctor already. He can’t break her faith in a man she regularly puts in his place. This woman once called the Doctor “a thin line of alien nothing.” Do your worst, Toymaker, because Donna has already said it and more.

The real secret behind this episode��s success is in its subtlety, which is hard to imagine in a story where a man turns bullets into flowers while singing to the Spice Girls. Despite all of the big colourful chaos, the most effective moves are quiet. I mentioned in my review for “The Star Beast,” that Davies was more successful in his moments of subtlety than his big declarations, and here is no different. The Doctor and Toymaker play a simple card game. The Doctor loses this game but wins on the technicality that they are now even. There’s no way the Toymaker can allow for a tie, a winner must be decided. You can’t beat the Toymaker with bullets or Osterhagen Keys, but rather by playing his games. Underneath all of the expensive CGI and set design, it ultimately comes down to a game of wits. This is classic Doctor Who, “The Brain of Morbius” stuff.

That art of subtlety had seemed all but gone with the Chibnall era. I grew tired of the Doctor constantly knowing everything and never being out of her depth. It’s good to see the Doctor still has to solve things. It’s why I’ve enjoyed seeing Tennant skulking around being a detective. It’s why people always harp on about “show don’t tell.” It’s better to see how the Doctor slowly pieces things together than for the Doctor to tell us upfront. Knowing everything is not what makes the Doctor clever. Knowing nothing, having no plan, and discovering the path is far more gratifying to see. Ultimately it comes down to Davies having a better understanding of the Doctor as a character. The Doctor is flawed, vain, aloof, and prone to getting frazzled. Its his ability to soldier on that makes him special. The Doctor’s strength isn’t in knowing everything, it’s in knowing his limitations. You can’t learn if you have everything figured out.

While we’re on the subject of subtle changes and Chibnall, it might be worth it to discuss how this story addresses “The Timeless Children,” because I’ve seen zero people talking about it. When the Toymaker flashes the gold tooth in his disturbingly toothy grin, he tells us a little more than the Master’s fate. In a blink-and-you-miss-it line, he implies that he turned the Doctor’s timeline into a jigsaw puzzle. It’s such a subtle moment that it’s not surprising that most people missed it. But think for a moment- what recently turned the Doctor’s life into a convoluted mess? The Timeless Child storyline, of course. I love this line because it does two things. First, it allows the people who enjoyed “The Timeless Children,” to continue on in their enjoyment. Secondly, it allows those of us who disliked it to compartmentalise the storyline into something that finally made sense as a plan devised by a villain. If you ever wondered why the Timeless Child storyline was necessary, you now have a canon explanation- it wasn’t.

Unable to foresee the Doctor’s clever escape clause or Donna’s ability to bash a doll against a wall (love love loved that by the way), the Toymaker decides to change the playing field from his Toyshop to UNIT HQ. Neil Patrick Harris seems to be having the time of his life terrorising UNIT to the tune of “Spice Up Your Life.” At first you think “Oh how funny,” and then you see Mel take a tumble and you think “Woah man, that’s an elderly woman there!” As he gleefully turns two soldiers into a pile of colourful plastic balls, the act is no longer cute. The Toymaker is a horrifying monster with no conscience. Our lives are playthings in his hands and he must be stopped.

This scene illustrates beautifully the exciting possibilities of a magical Whoniverse. The Brigadier once famously quipped “You know, just once I'd like to meet an alien menace that wasn't immune to bullets.” Turning bullets into flowers certainly fits the bill, but it begs an even deeper question- how do you fight an enemy that is immune to science? Kate Stewart took great pride in reforming UNIT to be more science-based, but magic doesn’t care about facts. Magic rewrites reality. The Doctor tries to comfort Shirley by explaining that the Toymaker can change atomic matter with his mind, but admits that even that is a poor explanation. Both the Doctor and UNIT are in new territory. It really ups the danger and makes you wonder how the Doctor will adapt. I said in my review of “The Star Beast,” that the sonic screwdriver was like a magic wand and perhaps it may need to become one! Sorry, War Doctor, it’s no longer a scientific instrument.

Exasperated by the Doctor’s trickery, the Toymaker shocks by shooting the Doctor with the Galvanic beam, stating that he wants to play the final game with the next Doctor. This jumpstarts a new regeneration, but as we all know, it’s not your usual regeneration. But before we get into that, I would like to discuss the moments leading up to that infamous moment because some interesting stuff happens. Having Donna and Mel join the Doctor’s side was exciting because we’re so used to the Doctor regenerating in a blast of energy powerful enough to destroy TARDIS consoles and Dalek ships. It’s easy to forget that the Doctor used to regenerate surrounded by his friends. So there the Doctor stands, surrounded by what the Eleventh Doctor would refer to as “the ultimate ginge.” I think we all sort of expected to hear the Doctor say something like “I don’t want to go,” or “I’m ready to go,” and I applaud RTD for avoiding both in favour of a far more appropriate “Allons y!”

Now, if you’re a terminally online Doctor Who fan like myself, you’d probably read the leak about bi-generation and were therefore not surprised. I kind of regret it because it turned out to be true. I am so used to “leaks,” and “fan theories,” being wrong that I expected the same here. However, part of me is somewhat glad I read the leak as it gave me time to think about the concept. I had seen people immediately hate the idea, so I think a part of me decided to be fair. After all, if you read just the synopsis of any story, divorced of all context and tone, you might also say “That sounds terrible.” In context to the rest of this episode, and what came after, bi-geneation was an absolute joy to behold.

Usually when we get a regeneration, we get maybe 20 seconds to enjoy the new Doctor and then have to wait a few months to see more. But here we not only get to meet Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor, we get to see him in a mult-Doctor episode with David Tennant! What a treat. Immediately I took to Ncuti as he tells the Fourteenth Doctor to push and then admits he doesn’t know that it will work. This is all new to him as well. I said above that I like when the Doctor is slightly out of his depth, and this is no exception. I will say it’s very lucky for both of them that one of them got the pants and the other got the trousers. Can you imagine that scene playing out with one of them having a Winnie the Pooh thing going on? However, they did miss a chance to call back to the Twelfth Doctor by not giving the Doctor question mark underpants. Oh well.

After watching this episode I asked Taryn what she thought about the Fifteenth Doctor and she told me that she felt it was too early to tell. I then pointed out that while we don’t fully know his personality yet, there was no point during which he didn’t feel like the Doctor. Ncuti takes to the role like a fish in water. He is the Doctor and I cannot wait to learn more about his personality. But first, we have a Toymaker to banish. Now I’ve seen people complain that a game of catch was a disappointing climax to the story, but I disagree. Both of the games the Doctor plays against the Toymaker are simple. Which card face is higher? Can you catch the ball without dropping? It’s nice to have a simple solution against a backdrop of heavy special effects. There are some comical moments such as when Fifteen throws the ball as if he’s trying to win against Fourteen. Also just seeing Ncuti run around in his pants was very funny. Ultimately it is the Toymaker who drops the ball. The Fourteenth Doctor takes his prize in the form of banishing him from our universe forever, but not before the Toymaker warns of his minions spilling into our reality. I was reminded of the “Babylon 5” spin-off “Crusade,” where the Shadows of B5 had been defeated, but their minions continued to plague the galaxy. Or if you’re a Tolkien nerd, it’s like when Sauron continued the work of Morgoth. It’s very exciting stuff.

They continue to set things up for future episodes. They call back to the salt thing from “Wild Blue Yonder,” when Kate orders her men to encase the Toymaker’s box in salt. They also give us a hint of future Master appearances when a mysterious hand with cherry red nail polish retrieves the Toymaker’s tooth. Is it just me or was that lady floating? Because I can’t tell where she would have been standing. But most exciting of all would be the implications of bi-generation and the Fifteenth Doctor’s prize of splitting the TARDIS. According to Davies, he sees this as something that happens across every regeneration. Now every Doctor goes on to have further adventures with their own TARDIS. I’ll be honest, I like this idea less, but that’s mostly just because it’s a bit messy. But why I like it is that it makes a case for its existence. Doctor Who has always been slightly metafictional. Do you need to replace an actor? Well, now the Doctor’s body can change. But this has also introduced a problem into the show which is that if an actor gets too old to play their Doctor, you have to come up with some weird excuse as to why they now look old and bald. But not anymore! While the concept of time streams would have been a cleaner and more wibbly wobbly way to approach this issue, I’m fine with this explanation. It serves a purpose and fixes one of the show’s oldest conundrums.

One aspect the fandom still seems a bit murky on is whether or not the Fourteenth Doctor will still go on to become the Fifteenth Doctor. I’ve seen some people wonder if the Fourteenth Doctor might go on to become the Currator. But I like to think it’s more like a Clara thing where he’ll eventually return to his original point of death to bi-generate into Ncuti Gatwa. One reason I think this is because the Fifteenth Doctor feels at peace with himself. I like to imagine this is due to living a life with the Noble-Temple-Mott family. Something inside the Doctor heals and he’s eventually ready to get back out there and travel like the good ol’ days. Truthfully though, neither scenario would really bother me. With Donna now working at UNIT and Fourteen sticking around I expect we’ll see them again, but at this point, I’m ready to watch Ncuti dazzle us for a bit. 

The epilogue with Donna’s family was such a nice and necessary scene. While Ncuti had since become the new Doctor, he wasn’t yet the current Doctor. We still needed to say goodbye to the Fourteenth Doctor. A good and proper goodbye. Earlier in the episode, Donna mentions to the Doctor that he never seems to rest, but here he seems at peace. It’s funny how it took 15 years to explore how the Tenth Doctor could have been “so much more,” but here it is. The real reason he came back was to retire, to have a family, to find peace. It’s as though every regeneration still swimming around in the Doctor’s mind is finally able to relax. We do however get a hint that it’s not all sunny days and lemonade. If you read Rose Noble’s Magic Card, it mentions she is ready for adventures in her own right. Seeing as she is known to have the occasional trip to Mars with Uncle Doctor, I suspect we’ll see her in the TARDIS sometime if not Big Finish. 

Back in his own fully accessible TARDIS, the Fifteenth Doctor is finally the current Doctor. He runs around his TARDIS consoles flipping switches and having the time of his life, ready to get out there and show the universe what he can do. And what a joy it is to see, is it not? I had been very nervous about this episode because I was worried about where Doctor Who would end up in the end. So much had changed during the Chibnall era and not all of it was for the better. The future of the show felt very shaky and uncertain. Ultimately I was hoping the show could once again find some sort of equilibrium and I feel it has. Doctor Who feels like it’s finally at a point where it can comfortably move forward. I can’t think of anything better to say now than “Allons y!”

#Doctor Who #Fourteenth Doctor #David Tennant #Fifteenth Doctor #Ncuti Gatwa #Catherine Tate #Donna Noble #Neil Patrick Harris #The Toymaker #The Giggle #Russell T Davies #RTD #RTD2 #60th anniversary specials #60th anniversary #UNIT #Kate Stewart #Rose Noble #yasmin finney #BBC #TARDIS #bi-generation #bi generation #Shirley Anne Bingham #ruth madeley #Jemma Redgrave #timeagainreviews

[eschergirls]

Anonymous submitted:

A bit of retro videogame Escher-girl art from Sonic Blast Man II for the SNES. That's the title character in the middle breaking poor Sonia in half in a "friendly" hug. (To be fair it looks like he also broke Captain Choyer's neck too.)

Sonic Blast Man doesn't know his own strength.  Sonia also looks smaller than she does in the game, though it's hard to tell because she's so oddly smooshed.  

(Japanese cover of Sonic Blast Man 2, Taito Corporation)

#Sonic Blast Man #video games #Taito Corporation #superheroes #Sonia [Sonic Blast Man] #rubber spines #detached legs #promotional material #screenshot #submission

[ravenkings]

Subcultures in general — once the poles of style and art and politics and music around which wound so many ribbons of teenage meaning — have largely collapsed. What teenagers today are offered instead is a hyperactive landscape of so-called aesthetics — thousands of them, including everything from the infamous cottagecore to, these days, prep. These are more like cultural atmospheres, performed mainly online, with names and looks and hashtags, an easy visual pablum. They come and go and blend and break apart like clouds in the wind, many within weeks of appearing. They have much content but little context — a lot to look at but a very thin relationship to any “real life” anything, like behaviors or gathering places. On one end, even a distinctly in-the-world subculture (like, say, grunge) can be reduced to a vibe packet of anodyne references (cigarettes, grimy things); on the other, a mere mood tone can be elevated to something offered as lifestyle (there are girls who enjoy the color red and a certain Euro effortlessness, and they are called Tomato Girls, while others who prefer white are called Vanilla Girls). If two dozen things on a Pinterest page feel as if they go together, chances are someone, even just as a lark or experiment, is calling it an aesthetic. For proof, you need only log on to Aesthetics Wiki, a wonderfully encyclopedic website for online style tribes. Here you will find not only large categories like emo, Y2K, VSCO, academia or the perennial goth but also categories so specific that their nicheness begins feeling like an Escher staircase of references. The roughly 200 aesthetics found under the randomly chosen letter M contain some that will be legible to many (Memphis rap, Mod), some that involve a kind of style-sensitive hairsplitting (Mallgoth, Messy French It Girl, McBling) and others that are just full-on W.T.F.: Meatcore is for people who appreciate raw meat as a nondietary object, and Monumentality is the appreciation of anything big, like Godzilla, Gothic cathedrals, giant redwoods or asteroids (“many asteroids are fairly large”). It’s hard to imagine a Monumentality meetup because, like so many aesthetics, Monumentality is only referential, its conversation ending right where it begins: Do you like this big thing? Yes, because it is big.

–Mireille Silcoff, "Teen Subcultures Are Fading. Pity the Poor Kids," New York Times Magazine, February 21, 2024

#social media #article #quote

[the-pale-chancellor]

We uh....UUHHH....I don't have a proper explanation for the campaign we had yesterday so just bare with me for a minute.

-Stopped the Vallaki gencoide I suppose????? At the cost of me getting hit with a whole damn altar piece by Strahd

-Ah yes, Strahd. /inhales/ fuck.

That man literally had to rocket through the church door and start aggressively shouting at everyone*

*by everyone I mean Escher.

-Escher got un-consorted. My poor boy was kicked out of his own home and left without a coffin. He's just a silly little guy now. Strahd was about to pour some holy water onto him but the two elves gang remembered about their braincell, tossed it away and vaporized the water so Escher wasn't hurt. Have I mentioned a flying altar already?

-Met the Abbot. Uh...I mean we also found lady Anna we had went to Barovia for...yeah...

-Absolutely creepiest encounter okay. I am not so afraid of Strahd as I am of the Abbot. Uncanny valley vibes 24/7

-(religious) Trauma™ (don't worry, our master asked if we were fine with all of that. that didn't help with us getting traumatized though)

#dnd #curse of strahd #dnd campaign #dnd5e #d&d #cos #the abbot #escher #escher belasco #vallaki #strahd von zarovich #wooo we ain't dead still

[stoicbreviary]

What is my ruling faculty now to me?  And of what nature am I now making it?  And for what purpose am I now using it?  Is it void of understanding?  Is it loosed and rent asunder from social life?  Is it melted into and mixed with the poor flesh so as to move together with it? 

—Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 10.24 

IMAGE: M.C. Escher, Hand with Reflecting Sphere (1935) 

#stoicism #marcus aurelius #philosophy

[silvernsold]

Ismark has really been through the wringer in our campaign. He was kidnapped by Rahadin (who is his ex), had to deal with Escher for 3 weeks, then got his leg cut off. AND he's trans*. Poor guy.

*note: this is only true in my heart

Anyways this piece was inspired this one frame of fmab that has lived in my brain ever since i first watched. screenshot under the cut :)

#ismark kolyanovich #curse of strahd #dnd #dnd fanart #in memoriam

[godfreygwilym]

some notes on how i've been running the brides

when i first set out to dm cos, one of the first things i was really determined to do was give them more in-depth backstories, since— with the exception of escher getting like one paragraph lol— they're basically just. creepy dolls. which i GUESS works with gothic horror but man i would really like to have female characters with personalities!!!!

*combination of my own interpretation as well as concepts ive integrated from other dms, so if you recognize something specific i probably got it from elsewhere

ludmilla vilisevic

physically in her mid-30s, and is aged roughly 230. i play her with an rp english accent, although in my mind she has a nigerian affect. she is very poised and calculating, and always tries to be the one in control of any situation. has a talent for shadow magic, and her own sentient shadow is the closest she has to a best friend. she also has a barn owl familiar named amicus and a cat named eupraxia. when she takes a human disguise, she goes by the name of filena voltanescu.

before ludmilla married strahd, her name was lumina. she is a wizard apprentice who was lost in the mists and stumbled into barovia. naturally very curious, brave and shrewd, she marched up to ravenloft despite all the warnings. her and strahd ended up having a very romantic relationship (despite lowkey reflags from strahd the whole time lol) for a long time since there had been a long spell of no tatyana reincarnation, although they eventually began to fall apart, partially spurred by her feelings of isolation and longing for her family outside of barovia.

at the point that cos takes place, ludmilla is very distant from strahd and is really only going through the motions/trying to stay useful, though she is determined to remain a step above his other partners in terms of superiority. she spends a great deal of her time researching and experimenting on mostly-unwilling test subjects (she is well aware at this point that what she is doing is cruel, but after two centuries she's become rather indifferent). she's very fascinated by the abbot's work.

in my game, strahd has given her emil toranescu, who is imprisoned in tsolenka pass. she is working on developing a method to transfer souls from one body to another— in my game, ismark is the true reincarnation of tatyana, and ireena merely looks like her.

anastrasya "anya" karelova

physically in her early 30s, anya is just over a century old. barovian accent, and extremely flamboyant and charismatic, she loves being the centre of attention. she has a natural talent for communicating with ghosts, who are often her captive audience. not much combat skill beyond what abilities she has as a vampire, but she has a wicked skill for charming people. in human disguise, she goes by ekaterina bogdana.

anya is from minor vallakian nobility, which comes with all the trappings of petty inter-family squabbles. she has had a terribly unfortunate string of bad luck with marriages, all of her betrotheds have met poor fates or ran off. on a fourth attempt, her parents arranged for her to be married to an older landowner who she did not care for at all.

while she was engaged, anya ran into ludmilla (in human disguise) by chance. they grew close quickly and began having an affair. eventually, ludmilla introduced her to strahd, and she was instantly enamoured. before the wedding, anastrasya's betrothed "mysteriously" died, and she was whisked away to ravenloft. at this point, ludmilla and strahd's relationship was very cold, and he became preoccupied with anya.

volenta popofska

physically in her mid-20s, and is about 65 years old. barovian, and has a very floaty and whimsical way of speaking, though very soft spoken and rather self conscious. she often comes off as eerie. her vampiric abilities are amplified, making her a very good rogue/assassin. in "human" disguise, she is called violet spivakhofska.

volenta is a tiefling who was born in a small fishing village on lake zarovich. her parents did not want her, and so she was raised by the village elder. when she passed away when volenta was a teenager, she no longer had any protection from the animosity of the villagers, so she fled. eventually she was picked up by a small group of bandits, who would've attacked her, but she convinced them to let her join.

she bounced around various groups of bandits and thieves for several years, finding a place but never truly fitting in. after one traumatic rejection, she went to ravenloft in search of strahd, who she had heard stories of since she was a child, and had often wished would come and take her away. to volenta's joy, strahd took a liking to her and made her his bride.

even still, volenta is an outcast due to her awkward and sometimes unsettling behaviour and knack for the macabre. strahd enjoys her, but does little to try and ingratiate her with his other partners, and so she remains self-conscious and eager to win his favour.

escher gerst

physically in his late twenties, escher has been a vampire for just over a decade. i play him with a german accent. he is usually very distant and melancholy, though he becomes much more playful when not around strahd. a bard by trade, as a vampire he discovers a natural aptitude for shapeshifting, spurred by a bit of neuroticism over not being able to see his own reflection. in human disguise, he goes by claudius belasco.

escher is also from outside the mists, the son of poor farmers who ran off to join a bard troupe. he loves stories and music, and has a knack for various instruments, but particularly enjoys the lute and the violin— strahd has gifted him two exquisite models. his troupe was caught in the mists, and unbeknownst to him, strahd began spying on them. outside the village of barovia in the svalich woods, strange orchestrated a wolf attack on the group, sparing escher so that he could swoop in and save him. when escher awoke in a plush bed in ravenloft, he became deeply enamoured with strahd, who he saw as a fairytale prince. they had a very passionate relationship with strahd lavishing many gifts on escher before convincing him to let him turn him into a vampire.

despite not being together long, however, strahd has quickly become rather bored of escher's antics, who became desperate to stay in his good graces to avoid being sealed into the crypts. after the revolt in the village of barovia, strahd took doru as a vampire spawn. escher and him would have been close friends, if escher wasn't so deeply self-conscious and paranoid over his own status. eventually, he convinced strahd to starve doru to the point of madness and return him to his father at the church. escher would feel guilty over this, were he not so deeply concerned over his own self-preservation.

also due to strahd's coldness toward him, escher developed a fascination with vallaki, where he often goes in human disguise. here, he took a human lover, a painter named anton. anton became involved with the feast of saint andral, when escher gave him a bag (secretly containing the bones) and had him deliver it to the coffin shop. during the chaos of the feast, unfortunately, strahd had anton killed— escher beseeched the party to bury him properly and behead him so he would not return as a vampire spawn.

#curse of strahd #my stuff #i will probably have to edit this later Lol unfortunately trying to edit on tumblr mobile is like scraping plastic off a frying pan #also one of my players wrote a very wonderful ludmilla/strahd story that i hope they'll publish on ao3 #ive also written a ~5k drabble about escher and started two for anya and volenta that i have not finished #anyway overall i hope it's quite clear that the brides are all indivuals who are very lonely/crave affection and fear punishment which #informs a lot of their behaviour

[anddreadful]

can I ask for an update Teddy and Aster? Are they okay?

Aw i'm so touched someone cares enough to ask! also love the phrasing of "are they okay" rather than like "what are they up to". great question.

Teddy is actually doing good, contextually speaking (still suicidal, dating a doomed religious guy with poor emotional self-awareness and controlling tendencies, and trapped in a demiplane of horror where her overlord vampire ex is throwing a prolonged fit about their breakup, but that's old news). The party survived the amber temple and after some complications, Teddy put the sun sword back together, which is HUGE for the strahd-killing efforts, has absorbed Marina and Tatyana's spirits as her second and third echo knight incarnations, and learned a secret strahd ability (he can phase through walls, god damn it). Also we killed Ludmilla! Escher is the only bride left (unless you count Borakov's brother, who is a vampire and is in ravenloft most likely getting up to some gay stuff, or Gertruda, who is aged up in our game and who Strahd recently made a vampire and is sleeping with to spite teddy). Next up we have to deal with some werewolves, but that's mostly Nim's business since she's their queen or something.

I tweeted about this recently but Aster is experiencing the classic early 20s pipeline of "I got the job i wanted! :) -> i have to actually do the job i wanted :/." The party finally arrived at the archeological dig site she was assigned to, and her patron has promised her more dope powers that are hidden somewhere within the ancient ruins (she's having dreams about it and wakes up with her eyes bleeding? I'm sure that's fine). But aster is doing hard, slow labor for the first time ever, and she doesn't love having bosses and supervisors and working within actual professional protocol. she's also having to hide her magic and keep secret a lot of our suspiciously-begotten lore knowledge. We just learned that someone is sabotaging the dig, ruining machines and smashing artifacts, so it's another mystery that aster will probably eventually solve with the help of "being able to read everyone's minds all the time". Meanwhile Clay is having a slow existential crisis and Sev is the dig site superstar (physically strong, himself a relic of history, can do magic and doesn't have to hide it). You could say they're busy Unearthing Remnants.

Also, i will have a new dnd (actually pathfinder) main girlie soon... 👀

#dndposting #unearthed remnants #curse of strahd #something fundamentally funny to me about dnd characters who are legitimately employed like aster is #yells at heroic adventurers 'GET A JOB'

[gamesception]

Sception Reads Cass Cain #11

Batman: Gotham City Secret Files #1, "Night Games" Story by Scott Peterson & Kelley Puckett Written by Scott Peterson, Pencils by Paul Ryan

Now that's an interesting lineup. Paul Ryan is a different artist, but Scott Peterson and Kelley Puckett is the initial story team behind Cass's solo title - only usually Kelley Puckett delivers the actual script, and here it's Peterson instead. I wonder if I'll be able to notice a difference? Probably not, it's been too long since I read the Batgirl title - I've been holding off on going back to it to try and preserve some fresh thoughts for this re-read.

Story opens on this cute little fight scene where Cass takes down a group of street toughs in the time it takes for the bottle one of them drops to hit the ground. As I often call out when it happens, I like that the artist draws her face through the mask in the first panel there, but what I like less is that I don't particularly recognize that face as Cass? Just doesn't look like her facial features? But this is comics books arts, so different artists draw characters differently, can't get too annoyed about that.

The gratuitous butt shots, though, that I will get annoyed at if it keeps up. Come on, Ryan.

Agh! Selina! What happened to your waist! Your poor organs!

Yeesh. I won't complain about this all issue, and it's not like so bad I'm submitting posts to escher girls or anything, but yeah.

Anyway, we do have the premise, though. a pal-around team up with Selina and Cass. Which will doubtless have Selina trying to pull some tricksy business, and Cass seeing right through her, since it's not like Peterson and Puckett are going to forget how her body reading works. Should be fun.

There's something very DCAU about how Ryan draws the city. I don't dislike it, but I feel like a similarly cartoony aesthetic to the characters would fit in better with the surroundings.

So Selina's tailing some guy, and when a group of muggers start moving in on him she and Cass step in before he notices.

I like the big smile on Cass there. Again, she likes being Batgirl. She's having fun. It's an important glimpse into the kid she really is underneath the guilt and self loathing that provides an essential counterpoint to her angst, and it's an extra twist in the knife too the angst, in a way that I don't want to get into now because I'm saving that bit for... when does that dream sequence happen?

... holy shit, Batgirl #18? That's way later than I remembered it happening? I thought that was in the very earliest days! A year and a half into her comic? I don't know if I can wait that long to talk about that. We might have to have an out of order interlude to bring it up early.

Not today, though. For now we're sticking to this rare Batgirl/Catwoman team up. Selina's not used to fighting as a team and isn't sure exactly how to do it, but Cass doesn't really need the help, so Selina just leans back and throws in the occasional whip crack when she's bored. It's a fun little sequence.

Cass is still a brand new character, one with her own title starting at issue one the same month as this book was released, so the writers are very clearly having Selina talk her up here, but it works in character since playful complimentary banter to put people at east and get them to expose weaknesses is just part of Catwoman's whole deal.

And I like the way Cass is arching a brow there in the first panel, & shrugging in the second. No words, but very expressive. The face feels a bit more like her too, here.

There's a couple pages of cutaway to Barbara and Bruce wondering what Cass is up to. We get confirmation of her age here - 17. Though I'm not entirely sure how they know that, as I'm not sure that's something Cass would know herself. Sadly there's some sort of issue with the next page in the scan I'm working from, but it mentions that despite not knowing how to speak, Cassandra seems to understand more or less what people are saying to her, and Bruce mentions that he hasn't quite figured out how that works yet. He'll have figured it out by Batgirl #1, but it's a mystery to be hinted at in this book.

Meanwhile, Selina and Cass track the guy they've been following to a meetup with a buyer for whatever it is he's got in his briefcase. The buyer turns out to be the Penguin, and item to be sold...

Well, the new construction in Gotham is mostly down to Bruce Wayne and Lex Luthor. If documents detailed hidden surveillance that might be Lex, but hidden entrances feels more like Bruce taking advantage of the rebuilding effort to make his little appearing/disappearing trick a bit easier.

Obviously these would be valuable for a thief, like the Penguin, or Catwoman herself, but Selina views it as cheating, and opts to destroy the blueprints instead.

Thankfully she wasn't actually pulling anything particularly nefarious here. Thankfully for Selina, I mean. She can hold her own in a fight, but Cass, at least this version of Cass, is supposed to be in the Richard Dragon / Bronze Tiger / Lady Shiva tier for DC comics martial artists, and that's just not what Catwoman's about.

Catwoman's curiosity is piqued, though, so after saying goodbye she doubles back to follow this new Batgirl home and find out more about her.

But much to Selina's suprise, Cass knows she's following and cuts her off. Selina thinks there's no way she could have been heard, and Cass must have known she'd follow somehow, again hinting at but not outright stating Cass's body reading gimmick.

...

And that was that. This book's an anthology issue, with different stories by different creative teams, but this is the only one with Cass in it. It was a nice, lighthearted change of pace from the last Cass story. Kind of short, not too much going on, but we do get a bit of Cass having fun and a look at some of her books gimmicks - not just hinting at her body reading ability, but also the gimmick of interspersing Cass's adventures with Bruce and Barbara talking about her. Not essential reading by any stretch, but not bad.

Next time, at long last, we finally get to Cassandra Cain's solo book. Will it be as good as I remember right from the start? I'm eager to find out.

#sception reads cassandra cain #batgirl #cassandra cain #catwoman #selina kyle

[mr-leach]

And the last batch of discord emotes until I make more: the actual module characters (sort of -- in our game, Ismark is Tatyana’s reincarnation, while Ireena is the one who reached out to the party for help and is now in charge of looking after the village of Barovia).

Poor Ismark does not know how to handle being the object of affection for a tyrannical Vampire Lord, and really, who among us can say they would fare much better? (Don’t answer that)

Escher is just here being himself, really. We got a party full of pretty, mostly male-adjacent hotties, so he’s got plenty to drool over.

And then there’s the man himself! It’s only fair that our DM gets a few emotes to harass us with, lol. A little disconcerting when he reacts to our character artwork or us dissing him in the text chat, though.

I actually don’t mind if anyone who uses discord for their own CoS game wants to use these lil guys! I made them just for fun so if people like ‘em, feel free to make your own custom emotes with ‘em. Just don’t repost or redistribute or use as public icons citing some half assed crap like “credit to the artist”--you know, like a giant douche would do--and you’re good.

#curse of strahd #dnd #strahd von zarovich #ismark kolyanovich #escher #art #original

[calenhads]

we of course had our dinner with strahd session last night on halloween but tell me why my dm went a little wild with it. like okay we all know rhys has a complex childhood friends to almost-lovers to betrayers back to lovers relationship. but tell me why when strahd was like "dessert time!" and brought out PEOPLE for himself and rhys (dhampir moment) my dm was like "are you looking at arrigal" and i was like "yes of course i'm looking at my problematic cancelled husband" and they were like "he's watching with anticipation. you get the sense that he wants you to do this" and rhys who for the past 20 years have avoided drinking blood FAILED HIS SAVING THROW. and one hit k.o.'d this poor innocent stranger in strahd's dining room and my dm has the AUDACITY. THE AUDACITY. to then be like "when you look back at arrigal he's watching you in awe" like okay!!!! okay!!! how am i supposed to handle that!!! and also keep in mind that all of this is happening less than 5 minutes after our paladin successfuly rizzed up not only escher but also some random ratfolk chef with a new york accent named remy working in the kitchens. because the perception roll to see if any of them had rats in their hats was over a 20.

#meaghan talks #oc: rhys holloway #literally the duality of dnd. especially curse of strahd. #adrenaline was so high i was SWEATING while rolling that saving throw #not because i wanted to succeed mind you. #the possibility of rhys drinking blood under duress has been a loaded gun pointed directly at my head for like 2 months #and now it happened and half the party is pissed at him the other half is worried and he is like. i just killed someone. wtf. #but also. WHY IS ARRIGAL LOOKING AT HIM LIKE THAT #i need to write about them fucking nasty. they have so many problems but all of them compel me

[tea-with-eleni]

Do I have a favorite among the brides? Not really. But also, it’s Volenta.

In my version of Strahd, Ludmila is the bride who, had she met Strahd before Patrina and Tatyana, would actually have been his match. She’s his intellectual equal, she’ll support him in anything, and she’s at least as bi and polyamorous as he is. Is she willing to do terrible things? of course. But also, as far as she's concerned, it's impossible to really kill a Barovian. They'll reincarnate sooner or later, if they were really a person.

Volenta is almost more Ludmilla’s bride than Strahd’s - she’s younger and more fun-loving. She’s probably one of the earlier adventurers who met their end in Barovia, but like so many, fell in love with the lord (and mistress) of Ravenloft instead. Oh, and she’s a sadist who likes to drain her prey enough to weaken them before feeding them to her demons.

Anastraya is there because she was avoiding an arranged marriage and she felt like Strahd was unlikely to refuse an intelligent, beautiful woman who would offer to take one of his more annoying duties off his hands. She offered to deal with the public so he didn’t have to. Strahd "I-would-rather-create-a-secret-identity-just-to-buy-books-with-as-little-social-interaction-as-possible" von Zarovich couldn't pass that up. Anything romantic was a bonus for either of them.

Escher was an impulse; he reminded Strahd of someone from his past and Strahd is already regretting it. Escher lacks the intellect to keep up with the others long-term and will probably meet his final death soon.

All of them are equally committed to bringing Tatyana into the polycule, however... Ludmilla because she loves her through Strahd, Volenta because she thinks it'd be fun, Anastraya because "Get Tatyana to love me" has been at the top of Strahd's to-do list for way too long now. Poor, poor Tatyana.

And, naturally, poor my oops-all-boys party if they're going to get in the way of the ladies. 😈

#curse of strahd #dungeons and dragons #dnd #my art #dungeons and/or dragons #Volenta popofsky #bride of Strahd #Strahd

[eschergirls]

Originally published at: https://eschergirls.com/photo/2022/12/12/retro-decoy-leg

A retro Escher Girl!  That poor woman's leg appears to be tacked onto her hip.  At first I thought it might have been like the line of a stocking, but I don't think it is given that there's no similar one on the other leg.  I think it's a decoy leg to fool enemies.

(Cover of Phantasy Star IV, Sega, submitted by anonymous)

#phantasy star #video games #promotional material #sega #detached leg #disembodied limbs