#where could you POSSIBLY be vax

[nellasbookplanet]

In the wake of FCG' fate I've been thinking about death in ttrpgs, and how it kind of exists on three levels:

There’s the gameplay level, where it only makes sense for a combat-heavy, pc-based game to have a tool for resurrection because the characters are going to die a lot and players get attached to them and their plotlines.

Then there’s the narrative level, where you sort of need permanent death on occasion so as not to lose all tension and realism. On this level, sometimes the player will let their character remain dead because they find it more interesting despite there being options of resurrection, or maybe the dice simply won’t allow the resurrection to succeed.

Then, of course, there’s the in-universe level, which is the one that really twists my mind. This is a world where actual resurrection of the actual dead is entirely obtainable, often without any ill effects (I mean, they'll be traumatized, but unless you ask a necromancer to do the resurrection they won’t come back as a zombie or vampire or otherwise wrong). It’s so normal that many adventurers will have gone through it multiple times. Like, imagine actually living in a world where all that keeps you from getting a missing loved one back is the funds to buy a diamond and hire a cleric. As viewers we felt that of course Pike should bring Laudna, a complete stranger, back when asked, but how often does she get this question? How many parents have come and begged her to return their child to them? How many lovers lost but still within reach? When and how does she decide who she saves and who she doesn’t?

From this perspective, I feel like every other adventurer should have the motive/backstory of 'I lost a loved one and am working to obtain the level of power/wealth to get them back'. But of course this is a game, and resurrection is just a game mechanic meant to be practically useful.

Anyway. A story-based actual play kind of has to find a way to balance these three levels. From a narrative perspective letting FCG remain dead makes sense, respects their sacrifice, and ends their arc on a highlight. From a gameplay level it is possible to bring them back but a lot more complicated than a simple revivify. But on an in-universe level, when do you decide if you should let someone remain dead or not? Is the party selfish if they don’t choose to pursue his resurrection the way they did for Laudna? Do they even know, as characters, that it’s technically possible to save someone who's been blown to smithereens? Back in campaign 2, the moment the m9 gained access to higher level resurrection they went to get Molly back (and only failed because his body had been taken back by Lucien). At the end of c1, half the party were in denial about Vax and still looking for ways to save him, because they had always been able to before (and had the game continued longer it wouldn’t have surprised me had they found a way). Deanna was brought back decades after her death (and was kind of fucked up because of it). Bringing someone back could be saving them, showing them just how loved and appreciated they are. Or it could be saving you, forcing someone back from rest and peace into a world that's kept moving without them because you can’t handle the guilt of knowing you let them stay gone when you didn’t have to. How do you know? How would you ever know?

#cr spoilers #sometimes i think about how oryms backstory has it baked in that will was magically impossible to bring back #while yasha was simply not powerful enough in either magic or connections to bring zuala back #and by the time she was years had gone by and yasha had moved on and bringing zuala back would've been cruel and selfish #similar to how deanna was brought back but now she was left behind and alone #speaking of could you ever truly move on from grief in a world like that? #how do you accept the inevitability of death when it isn’t necessarily permanent? #no wonder delilah and sylas went evil to keep each other alive #no wonder laerryn accidentally caused the calamity in trying to break through the planes #the hubris of a world like this would be UNREAL #as would the bitter feelings from everyone who knows this power exists but can’t access it bc they’re like. a farmer #critical role #long post #nella talks cr #cr3 spoilers

[centaurianthropology]

My thoughts on C3E77

So apparently this one was controversial?

I'm going to say right now, I really loved everyone's decisions. They all fit the characters, but more they fit the players. I know that there are claims that Tal ignored all the warnings, but I actually think Matt may have misjudged the situation going in.

Ashley made it clear on 4SD that she did not want the shard. I think she's not really feeling the Dark Fearne storyline (and that's fair), and Matt seems to have missed that she genuinely didn't want to go down that route. Maybe he thought she was playing coy? Maybe they've been playing together so long he thought he knew a story she'd enjoy and missed her signals that she wasn't into it. I've done that before with some of my long-term players.

However that went down, Tal and she had a conversation after 4SD about what they wanted to do, and it was clear going into the episode that they at least had it planned out who was taking that shard, and it was going to be Ashton from the off. The fact that Matt was not expecting that somewhat surprises me. As Taliesin said: he put a big red backstory-shaped button in front of Ashton, and Ashton is terrified of losing people. If Fearne didn't want the shard, Ashton was going to dive on that grenade head-first. And part of Ashton wanted it. They are told they can't do something, and they will go about proving that old tree and everyone else wrong in the most self-destructive way possible. They are intensely punk in that way.

Matt may have designed the shard for Fearne, but this is not the first time that an item meant for one player ends up with another. Deathwalker's Ward was made for Percy, but through the events in the Sunken Tomb, it ended up with Vax and led to a hell of a story. And now something meant for Fearne goes to Ashton, and I have a feeling we're now in for another hell of a story. Because Ashton is now, essentially, a lava genasi, with three impossible things crammed into their broken body. Will they survive the campaign? I have no idea, but it has become clear that they don't expect to.

And honestly? This may well be what the Hells need, not in terms of power, but in terms of really realizing how self-destructive they all are. Marisha may say that no one loves a martyr, but Laudna was very much ready to play that role earlier this episode. Imogen is very self-destructive. So is Orym. So is FCG. The only two who have shown any degree of self-preservation are Fearne and Chet. The rest are bombs waiting for the most poetic moment to go off.

And today one of them did for a moment. They finally saw the end result that their self-destructive tendencies get them: Ashton blown into a thousand pieces, scattered across the top of the ziggurat. Deanna's ring saved him. Fearne's Aura of Life and FCG's Aura of Vitality saved him. Ashton could only roll and take damage.

Matt may have not designed it this way, but this was absolutely Ashton's 'where do you get your strength from' moment of the campaign, but in a very different way than Grog or Yasha experienced them. Because Ashton might just need this realization slapped into them by all their friends: this was dumb and they would have died because they didn't trust their friends. Because their strength and their salvation truly came from the people that love them.

Ashton has been, up until this point, a bit gung-ho to die for his friends. Honestly, they all are, and it's about time he and all the others learned how to live for their friends.

Anyway, hell of an episode, and a brutal but thrilling last hour. I was grinning right along with Sam. The mad fucker pulled it off by the skin of his teeth and by the grace of two friends dumping every bit of healing they had into him.

#critical role #ashton greymoore #taliesin jaffe #I love how this complicates everyone's relationships #and may actually make them talk about self-destructive bullshit #good #this was needed #and honestly good for both Ashley for sticking to not wanting a storyline she wasn't jiving with #and Taliesin for taking that lack of interest and running with it #cr spoilers #Ashley Johnson #Fearne Calloway

[crithaus]

Been seeing so many tweets abt it and I wanna get back on yonder soap box for a second cuz I have my own musings

I had always wondered if Vax would show up when Vex was drowning in Dalen's Closet and then when he didn't I wondered why and mused that barring the above table reasons of this being a game with set rules and Matt can't just deus ex machina their way outta all their scraps, that below table the Deal Vax had already made with RQ for Vex's safety was all the flexing she would allow him to do and then voila Vex comes back anyhow, and I think it's important to note that as Vex was dying Liam slipped out of Derrig's character, something he doesn't do much, and into Vaxbrain ("We had a deal, Matt.") to Express how unhappy he was that Vex was drowning and the deal he'd made was being routed and I think that's proof enough that Vax would if allowed absolutely come down there and rescue his family from any and all scrapes if he was able to,

Now with this latest episode, We saw Otohan bedecked Paragon's Call with RQ's symbols, we know Otohan has the poison that prevents you from being rezzed which is an affront to RQ's domain and position if I've ever heard one, we know the attack on Kiki was on purpose and possibly to get RQ's attention, get her looking and all, and this whole situation with Ludinus is the biggest threat yet faced to all the gods and all their domains,

And that's why she let Vax through the gates this time, just in time to wrest that permadeath dagger away from the heart of the love of his life. I don't think Vax could have been there without the requisite chips falling where they did, without RQ letting him, I think the thought that he busted through all of those gates unprompted and w/o permission is a little disingenuous because Vax would want to do that for any and every one of his family members every day all the time forever, but it makes perfect sense that as the Raven Queen's champion he would be sent down to stop Ludinus from freeing Predathos and it makes perfect sense for Vax to veer off from his official business, to shirk his responsibility and use the opportunity given to go to her, to do such a grand and meaningful gesture for his one true love, and tl sound so unclouded and present while doing so, I mean

This is Vax we're talking about. The guy who looked death (death herself both times y'know, Otohan and her dagger and RQ, two sides of a coin or something) right in the eye, twice, clutching his girls to him and telling that nigh all powerful entity to fuck right off cuz they can't have these girls he loves more than life? Peak Vax behavior. To know he's been watching Keyleth for so long finally seized his moment to help her, and did so with gusto? True love. The purest kind, the Vax-iest kind. Not even death can stop his love for her, for Vex, for Vox Machina.

And I think after this all is over they need to renegotiate the terms of Vax's service so he can stay back past the gates with the rest of his family cuz RQ is a stingy bitch and should have been MUCH laxer with gate-crossing privileges, I mean Vax has more than earned it now

#critical role #critical role spoilers #otohan thull #vax'ildan #c3ep51 #ludinus da'leth #the bells hells #vex'ahlia de rolo #keyleth of the air ashari #the moment was beyond sweet and painful and keyleth deserves so much more than just a glimpse of him but im tired of seeing the #smug 'vax broke past all the gates *only* for her' like kiki is the only person vax cares about like vm is just about romantic love and #it makes me sad cuz vm is about love that transcends all boundaries and borders and he'd do #did and will do again that for all of his loves his and kikis relationship is so much deeper and richer in the whole context of vm rather #than just their romantic partnership

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

Am I the asshole for getting a restraining order against my anti-vax sister and her family?

I know that sounds bad but hear me out.

So I (27 M) and my wife (28 F) recently had our first child together six months ago and my parents and sister have started coming over to see our baby girl.

I didn't let them see the baby when she was born because unfortunately my wife and I were in a bad car accident. (Drunk driver ran us off the road and the car rolled down a small cliffside until it flipped over and crashed) we're both ok but my wife is now wheelchair bound and our daughter had to be delivered and put in an incubator for the rest of pregnancy because my wife was only 26 weeks pregnant at the time.

It was a miracle that our baby even survived.

But because my daughter was born so early she has a lot of health problems, including an incredibly weak immune system.

This is where the Am I The Asshole part comes in.

Obviously because of the horrible circumstances my family, particularly my sister, have been very patient on not being able to see the baby until everything settles down.

Well things have settled enough that we felt comfortable enough letting my parents come over to visit and meet their new granddaughter.

And that would've been fine if my sister (30 F) hadn't come too.

My sister is an anti-vaxxer. A hardcore anti-vaxxer.

Like full on believing in essential oils and healing crystals and literally ANYTHING other than traditional medicine. And considering the fact that she spent the entirety of my wife's pregnancy sending her guides for "vaccine detoxes", what essential oils to use and constantly pressuring her not to get our daughter vaccinated...yeah.

(Luckily my wife is way too smart to actually believe that bullshit and kept leaving my sister on read whenever she would start)

So my sister came over and brought her three children with her. None of her children are vaccinated.

She wanted to let her unvaccinated spawns near my heavily immunocompromised infant daughter.

Two of the three spawns were both sick with colds.

I cannot believe she would be that stupid.

So I yelled at her, telling her to take her children and leave because they sure as hell arent coming NEAR my daughter. She yelled at me saying that she wanted to see her niece and her essential oil covered gremlins would help give my daughter "natural immunity" and other anti vax crap. I argued back that if my daughter catches whatever PREVENTABLE diseases the kids are carrying she could very likely DIE.

And it turned into a whole big fight in the driveway. I ended up punching my brother in law (sister's equally anti-vax husband) in the face when he tried to push past me and let the children into my house. (He also punched me twice after that)

It was an entire mess.

Eventually my parents dragged my sister and her husband away and made them leave with their kids.

Once that whole ordeal ended I gave the entire driveway a deep clean and threw out the clothes I was wearing that day. (Call me paranoid but I do not want ANY risk of my baby girl getting sick and very possibly DYING because of my sister and her family)

My wife and I have my sister and her husband blocked on everything and I'm working on getting a restraining order against those people because there is no way in hell you could convince my sister to just vaccinate her children. So I do not want her, her husband or her children anywhere near my family ever again.

So Am I the asshole? My sister certainly thinks I am (my mother told me. she's been yapping away to her facebook group friends about how unfair and horrible I'm being when she did nothing wrong)

What are these acronyms?

#aita #am i the asshole

[utilitycaster]

Can you write about what you thought of how the Craven Edge consequences were adapted?

Sure!

[again, spoilers for C1 below if you are avoiding that]

I think a really big thing to remember is that when you strip away the D&D context, some beats in C1 just don't totally work, and a big one is that half the party died repeatedly during the Conclave arc and were resurrected each time. You want to make those feel like big moments, and so honestly the only deaths I'd keep (aside from Vex's that already occurred) are Percy's at Ripley's hand, and then, assuming we get more seasons, outside of that arc, Vax's death with Vecna, possibly Artagan, and obviously at the end, since those are "The Raven Queen has made you a revenant"). Vex and Percy's other deaths aren't terribly relevant to the narrative and are resolved quickly, and Scanlan's deaths could be exchanged from a particularly harsh encounter with Kaylie and some near death experiences plus some social rejections.

Anyway, what that means is that instead of having Grog die, you want a different negative consequence. (I also like how Grog is able to destroy the sword himself here, so that while he does have an arc of being a pathetic noodle man, he gets a good moment first.) So, anyway, pathetic noodle man hours. It fits well because the "where do you get your strength" line has been repeated (with Kamaljiori, not just with Groon), and it lines him up to discover his strength through relying on his friends and standing up for people (or so I presume, but like, the themes are constant even if exact plot notes differ), which also saves the second trip back to Vasselheim which I'd cut (make Vax's Raven Queen Temple Scene happen elsewhere). And, I think, it's worth noting that again that this show is trying to convey character themes and motivations that were revealed through hours of subtle gameplay in the campaign in like, five minutes. So having him extremely dependent on the others and quite literally being saved again by Wilhand and Pike (and, this time around, Scanlan as well) is a good strong parallel to drive it home.

The other good thing is just that removing any dignity he had is funny as shit and I support it.

#answered #Anonymous #tlovm spoilers #critical role #grog strongjaw

[saphirered]

A vox machina oneshot

Vax x reader.

The reader has a card that allows them to swap places with the intended target depending on the intention behind it. They use it on vax and take his place as the raven queens champion just as she is about to take him away. They tell vax to go be with keyleth and live a full and happy life with her Unknown to the reader vax was in love with them the whole time. The last thing they say to him is a heart felt confession on their love for him before they dissapear. I know it's an angst one but if you want to make a fluffy ending it's up to you

Enjoy! 😘

They tried. Everyone tried. Every loophole, every possible way to weasel out of this deal with the goddess of death was exploited. All of them failed. They tried and they failed. At least they tried. The only regret Vax has is they wasted plenty of time on this unsolvable problem. He knew his time was running out. Even before he realised it. He knew that time would come where she’d pull his tether and he’d have to leave everyone being. She sent him out with a purpose and that’s now completed. Not even the greatest wish could change that. Especially not now. The deal is done. Vax accepts this. It took him a while but he does. It doesn’t make it any easier though. She gave him time to say goodbye. She didn’t have to. There is yet some mercy left in the cold dead heart of the Raven Queen, some compassion still beyond that broken mask. He got to say goodbye to you. 

This can’t be the end. This is not the way. You refuse to accept this fate. For all the love in your heart, for the bleeding hearts of your friends. They need him. You need him. He cannot just slip into oblivion to serve the goddess of death for eternity because of some cruel mistake. It’s neither just nor fair. This fate is a cruel one. Fate is cruel. You know it all too well. Life deals you a hand of cards when you are born. Some are born lucky. Others are lucky to be born. Some are destined for greatness. Others are doomed from the start. For entities that pretend to be benevolent and kind, they are not far off from the tyrant claiming themself king, or the evil mage enslaving the many. It all comes down to that hand of cards. You got lucky. For all the bullshit in your life you got your hand on one of those cards and you just happen to be good at that ethereal game of sleight of hand. It’s not cheating if there’s no rules. You drew from the deck of fate and you got lucky. That luck came with a curse though because you’d always know what the gravity of that decision would mean. 

You got your hands on a card that could change fate; your fate to be specific. You may have thought about it many times but by using that twist of fate you condemn another to yours. Could you live with yourself knowing that you took something from another for your own gain? Equally, would you sacrifice yourself for anyone down on their luck and willing to take their suffering instead? You know damn well why you didn’t use this cruel trinket. But now, it resurfaces again, it burns in your palm as you walk by Vex trying to hold herself together as she pats her brother on the shoulder with some witty remark. You nearly break when he pulls her into a hug and you see her tears spill. She wipes them away before he pulls back. Vax noticed either way. You notice all of them heartbroken. You’re heartbroken too. You don’t want him to go. He holds part of your heart after all. You’ve never told him so blatantly but it’s true no less. 

You see Keyleth falling apart at the seams. Vax tries to console her but he can’t. She holds his heart. He holds hers and he’ll be taking it with him whether he intends to or not. It hurts him to know he’ll leave his friends, his family, his love so hurt with his departure. You see the effect Vax has had on their lives, all of them, on yours. You know how much he means to them and that card of fate starts to become more and more appealing. You have a chance to save someone you love. You can make a change in order for him to change the world. You can give him a chance of life by throwing away your own to the service of some god and you’d do it without a second thought. You will. You’ve already made up your mind. The only reason why you haven’t yet is because you struggle to find the right words to tell him. You don’t think you can face him with this. What would he think of you to know you could have changed a fate so easily and never did. Are you truly so selfish? Were you truly not ready to until it came down to your own pain? You can’t keep avoiding this anymore and so you slip away.

Vax notices you retreating ever so slowly. How could he not? He might be light on his feet and it takes one to know one but he’d always notice your presence or lack thereof. The air changes and so does that strange coiling feeling within him whenever you’re near. It’s quite pleasant. He’s known it for a while now but with his impending doom, he could not bring himself to give into it, to give into you knowing he’d only break you. He made that choice for you he supposes but equally so for himself. He can’t look you in the eye while he’s torn away from you. He can’t face your tears. The others, it’s already hell on Exandria facing them but were he to face you, he’d be falling apart. You’ve been strong so long. He wishes he could be as strong as you. He doesn’t have the heart for it but he too has begun to see the cracks in your armour. Something’s amiss and when he sees you slowly retreat to the back of the room, away from the conversation, away from the people until you slip outside entirely, he feels that tether pull taut and he cannot but follow. 

Vax finds you out front. There’s something in your palm, a card he realises. Just the one. It’s got a golden sheen to it and you reach out to touch it. He sees your shoulders shaking and tense. You bite your lip. That’s when you let out a muffled sob. You’re not aware he’s there. You squeeze your eyes shut and tears spill. He takes a step closer to you. 

“If you had the power to change this fate, would you?” So you had noticed his approach. He couldn’t care less. You’re hurt. Not physically but you’re hurt either way and it breaks his heart. It’s yours after all, even if you don’t know it. You quickly put that golden card back in your pocket. You wipe away your tears and let out a shaky breath. 

“What do you mean?” He questions but the look you give him implies no humour and comes with a sense of urgency. “I don’t want to go. I’d much rather stay here with you, with them but I can’t. It was a worthy sacrifice and I’d make the choice a thousand times over.

“If-uh-“ You try to find the right words but can’t even look him in the eye. “If another could take that place and you could stay, would you stay?” He thinks for a second and then grows suspicious. 

“At what cost?” You shake your head.

“I’m sorry. Forget I said anything. You shouldn’t be spending this valuable time out here with me talking about this stupid-“ 

“Hey, hey- time spent with you is never wasted. I want you here with me, for as long as I have, for as long as you’ll have me.” You feel his palm agains your cheek, raising your gaze to meet his. You see that pained but kind smile. It only solidifies your choice. You know what to do. 

“Okay.” You squeak not able to keep your voice stable and Vax just simply pulls you into his embrace. That’s the last conversation you’d have with him until that fated moment, until the true goodbye. 

The goddess had come to lay claim to her champion, to the life she’s to call hers and the servitude she’s owed. The goodbye is a harrowed one but it’s not his goodbye. You look at Keyleth holding onto Percy who does his best to console her, Vex attempting to stay strong and stoic despite the tears running down her face and noticeable the death grip she has on Pike’s hand. Scanlan’s even struggling and so is Grog. The Raven Queen holds out her hand and beckons. Vax says goodbye to you last. He holds onto your hand, brings it to his chest. There’s no words he speaks but his eyes say it all. You take a step towards him and turn so you’re interposing between himself and the goddess. The others go alert, contemplating the prospects of killing the goddess and freeing the resident rogue form this cruel pact if you make the first move. Vax holds onto your hand still as if to keep you from doing something stupid or reckless against a literal god. Little does he know. 

“I invoke the blessing I have been given. I invoke the fate that was never mine and will share the burden of it. I trade my place for his as it is the right of the hand that was dealt to me. Fate wills it so, and so it shall be.” You remember the words well. Though you have never spoken them out loud. They are like a practiced speech. You’ve played them over in your mind; the script upon that  fated golden card and when it appears in your palm it glows that bright golden like the tethers of fate and memory the Raven Queen holds so dear. It certainly peaks her interest. 

“What are you doing?” Vax asks looking between you and the goddess. You glance back over your shoulder. 

“What I should have done the very moment this curse befell you. I’m sorry I could not do it before. I hope you can forgive me. You’ll be free.” 

“You can’t do this!” Desperation and despair are the ways of the mortal worlds, of those consumed by time and whims of circumstance. They are the ways of you and him and everyone around you. 

“It’s okay, Vax. It’s okay. I’ve made my choice. They need you more than they need me. I wish you a happy life. Even if I can’t be part of it.” 

“I need you.” He sounds so small, so broken and that alone makes you almost regret. Almost. But you wouldn’t reverse it. Even if you could. 

“Your heart belongs here. With Them. With your sister. With Keyleth. My heart belongs with you but you do not need it, not like they need you. It’s a worthy sacrifice.” You take a step closer towards the goddess but Vax does not let go of your hand. He holds on. 

“That’s where you’re wrong. I love them. I love my sister, my friends, Keyleth. I love them. But I’m in love with you. I’m in love with you and I can’t let you do this.” Your heart stops right there in your chest. Your world comes apart. To have those words be spoken… You don’t even know what to do with them. You can’t breathe or speak or think for some moments. He loves you. He’s in love with you. Vax is in love with you and you’re about to leave him behind. You’ve made the right choice either way but it’s become a far more painful one now and you come to realise that’s exactly what he tried to protect you from by not mentioning before. You hate and love him for it. 

“It’s already done.” That stupid card dematerialises in a golden dust. and invisible breeze lets the dust weave into a tether to wrap around your free arm. You feel it burn and pull painfully so. You pull against the strain, toe to toe with Vax and softly place your lips against his. A final parting gift, for whom you’re unsure. “My fate is sealed. May you live a good life, Vax’ildan. May it be a long and merry one filled with love.” And that’s when you step away, in that brief moment where he lowers his guard and is forced to let you go. The golden tether pulls you in and away from him. The Raven Queen beckons you and you follow with one last glance over your shoulder, one last look at him. 

“I love you.” The final words he’ll ever hear from your lips. He’s too late to respond. You’re gone. The goddess of death is gone. His heart is gone and he’s left on Exandria broken and surrounded by his loved ones. He feels empty despite it. He doesn’t know what to do or say or think. It’s a whirlwind. 

#vax’ildan x reader #vax x reader #critical role x reader #legend of vox machina x reader #vox machina x reader #critical role fanfic #critical role #legend of vox machina #vox machina #vax'ildan #critical role fanfiction

[gay-dorito-dust]

You asked for it, you receive it.

Deadweight pt2

It all happened too fast for any of their minds to comprehend what had just happened. What they did know was that you had seemingly died before their eyes as your dead ones stared up at the ceiling and beyond it towards the heavens.

You looked too content with death as your face wasn’t contorted in any sort of pain. It was oddly at serene, at peace almost, but that didn’t help heal them from the breathless they felt as though hit really, really hard in the gut; forcing them to kneel over.

Pike screeched in horror as she, followed by Keyleth, rushed to your sides, becoming visibly perturbed when they felt how dangerous cold your skin was when shifting you to a more comfortable position. They shared a unanimous look that read. ‘Were we already too late,’

Percy and Vex stood themselves a good distance away from Purvon’s sarcophagus and the armour that attacked you in Vex’s stead. Guilt and anguish are away at them as they could only bring themselves to watch as Keyleth and Pike struggle to heal you of your current predicament. Tears of frustration began to build up in their eyes and exhaustion heavily hindered their progress the longer the healing process went without much succession.

“Why the fuck isn’t anything helping?!” Keyleth cried, completely spent of her magic. The cleric gnome didn’t respond as she was hellbent on using everything in her arsenal but it seemed that not even the everlight was enough to bring you back either. “We have to keep trying…I just don’t want to think about potentially burying a friend today.” She confessed softly as the last flickers of her magic faded back into her palms. Indicating that she had pushed herself too hard and that it was time to give it a break.

You weren’t coming back and honestly they were beginning to think that you didn’t want to come back.

Scanlan, haven watched everything from afar in horror, scampered to where Grog was still holding the rope and shouted down the hole in desperation. “VAX GET YOUR ARSE UP HERE, WE’VE GOT A PROBLEM!” The half elf soon clambered himself out of the hole, disgruntled. “I was only gone for 30 seconds, what the fuck could you have possibly done-“ immediately as soon as the words left his lips, his throat immediately ran dry as Vax eyed the situation before him.

It seemed as though crawling out of that hole only lead him into a form hell; his sister and Percy were now stood just behind a hysterically crying Keyleth and an defeated looking Pike like looming guardians. Yet he could see the look of guilt and shame easily on their faces as they too tried to conceal their own emotions poorly.

He watched as his sister crumple next to your motionless form, grasping onto your hand so tightly Vax swore she’d pull it clean off. He also watched as Percy knelt beside your other side and bowed his head whilst his shoulders heaved uncontrollably as teardrops splattered the floor between his thighs. “Why them,” Vax heard Percy speak, “God why them, they didn’t do anything to deserve this! They are…they were too good for this life…too good for us.”

In that moment everything clicked for him. Something happened to you and that something prevented Keyleth or Pike from healing/reviving you. The half elf looked over at Grog and Scanlan who had yet to speak a single word to him about any of what just happened. Neither of them looked to have the heart in doing so and with that Vax moved himself closer to where you were but felt his footfalls slowed down the moment he caught a glimpse of your dead eyes staring up past him and at the ceiling; seemingly at peace with your choice of death.

“What happened.” Vax said so softly at first for anyone to hear him until he clenched his firsts and rose his voice to a heartbroken sob. “What the hell fucking happened, why aren’t they getting up?!” No one could bring themselves to meet his eyes but whilst no one spoke up, it didn’t take a genius to recognise the mood change, the period of mourning, the prolonged solemn silences out of respect.

You were gone and they weren’t fast enough to stop death from taking you.

#tlovm fanfic #tlovm x you #tlovm imagines #tlovm x reader #tlovm imagine #tlovm s2 #tlovm fic #tlovm spoilers #tlovm #the legend of vox machina fanfic #the legend of vox machina fic #the legend of vox machina x you #the legend of vox machina imagine #the legend of vox machina imagines #the legend of vox machina x reader #vox machina imagines #vox machina imagine #vox machina fanfic #vox machina x reader #vox machina x you #vax’ildan x reader #vex’ahlia x reader #percy de rolo x reader #pike x reader #keyleth x reader #scanlan x reader #grog x reader #vax’ildan imagines #Percy de rolo imagines #vex’ahlia imagines

[titanrpg]

how i learned ttrpg design, pt. 2

again, i'm not an authority on game design. i'm just sharing how i did it from scratch in case anyone else is starting from scratch too.

2

i'm gonna take a whole post to talk about the FIRST indie TTRPG that opened my eyes up to what the genre could do outside of western fantasy dungeon crawls. it's an elegant 17-page TTRPG called Things, Eldritch and Terrifying. by s. gates (@/harpydora on twitter). i found it in the first trans rights bundle i bought on itch when i was getting into indie ttrpgs.

it's a one-on-one TTRPG where one player plays a human and the other plays an eldritch terror trying to gain access to our dimension. each has their own set of abilities and traits to choose from. you roleplay 5 scenes. after each one, the human awards the terror a token of favor or token of revulsion based on the interaction.

at the end, you draw from a playing card deck. the human gains a card for each token of revulsion. the terror gains a card for each token of favor. if the human has the highest card, the terror fails to make it in. if the terror has the highest card, the human invites them in.

i could go step by step and detail everything that's different between this game and, say, D&D or Pathfinder. but honestly i'd be here all day. TET could not be more different. it doesn't use dice, and in fact doesn't use a randomized resolution mechanic at all until the very end. the roleplaying determines the probabilities. and it's entirely possible that the human awards 4 tokens of revulsion and 1 token of favor, and the terror still draws the highest card. to me, it communicates that anyone can give into temptation, no matter how strong you think you are. it also communicates that this can be super hot. (i believe the author would agree with me lol)

the game's goal is to explore the intersection of horror and sensuality. in my opinion, it succeeds wildly. but i'm biased because my now partner and i used this game as an excuse to meet up for the first time IRL as a "yay we're vaxxed" thing. we're v happy and we're traveling to meet their extended family next week.

my point being it's a TOTALLY different paradigm of design. it opened my eyes SO much, and yet i've never heard anyone else talk about it.

my main takeaway: read small games. they can teach you a LOT, be full of depth, and have a BIG impact

corollary takeaway: YOUR small game is worth making

for example, my small game NIGHTHAWKS owes a lot to this game. and it's probably the most-played game of mine (as far as i can tell). i'll have a separate post talking about it soon.

happy designing!

#ttrpg #indie ttrpg #how i learned ttrpg design

[tsunderetypea]

Little Slayer 5| TLoVM x platonic!reader

[A/N]: Hey y’all, I hope you are enjoying the series so far. I’m trying to work on Part 6 but I’m running out on ideas on what to do or say so I thought it would be interesting to ask you the readers on what do you think should go on next and if you have any funny-liners to add in haha!

Please let me know in the comments! Now onward to the story!

—

Word Count| 1647

Link to [Part 4] | Link to [Part 6]

“I can’t believe it… they’re gone.” came the mournful response of the performing bard, Vax seeing his sorrowful expression as he himself was in disbelief that you had been taken just as fast.

However as he thought about what they should do at that moment, he noticed something was afoot.

Or rather something was missing.

“Surrender? They don’t know it.” a slightly familiar voice spoke. The eyes of the party members sparked in recognition of the voice, though their faces were in disbelief when they saw who had spoken it. “Impossible…” glowered the master of cremation as he lowered his head to look at you as you stood mere kilometers away holding Mythcarver in your hand.

You had managed to get it. ‘By the gods…’ thought the rogue as he could feel the corners of his lips quirk into a proud smile.

“Not ‘impossible’-- ‘I’M’ possible…” you corrected. With a smirk on your lips and with the vestige in hand; you directed Mythcarver to his feet. The dragon let out a guttural growl before looking down to see pouches of something on his left foot that alighted at that moment.

You knew that gunpowder would come in handy.

Multiple explosions reverberated in the area; Keyleth, Pike, Scanlan, and Vax moved out of the way as Scargone was knocked over by his injured foot.

Grog and Vex looked on with incredulous looks on their faces though the half-giants turned into one of glee. “See I told you she can vibrate…” he said proudly as the others recovered from the ground.

You happened to hear him and chuckled at his response but that laughter went away when Scargone set his sights on you.

His eyes seemed to try to read your figure as now that he was able to see you by the light of his flame that their was an air of familiarity surrounding you.

Of course you had no clue on what he thought of at that moment as without a second to waste you charged toward him with Mythcarver at the ready.

Vax however did not want you to further engage. “Scanlan, Keyleth get them!” he ordered as he saw your figure charge at the destructive monster.

From what you could tell all you could hear was white noise as you focused your attention on your oversized opponent who sent out another fury of blue. You dropped down skidding in time to now slide under his belly.

“Where are they?” Scargone hissed as his flame diminished from sight, sensing that you had evaded his attack. He lowered his head in search of you even though you quietly crept out from under his belly to now under his head. What you had in mind since you had the vestige was going to top all the stupidest things you had done so far.

But it would also give Vox Machina an opening when they saw what you would do next even though you couldn’t lie to yourself that it was a little bit scary.

Okay, a lot scary.

‘This is so scary?! Why did I think this was a good idea!?’ you admonished yourself as you tried to keep yourself going on the adrenaline, your lungs desperate for air as much as you tried to stifle your deep breaths. You couldn’t give way to your position no matter how much head damage the beast had as you waited for the exact moment to exact your attack.

You could see it approaching as when he was close enough to the ground, you darted out and climbed as fast as you ever climbed on top of his snout.

“That kid has more balls than I do…” the words spilled out of Scanlan’s mouth as they all witnessed you climb on top of the beast’s nose. “You got that right,” echoed Pike as they saw at first glance how Scargone was trying to make you let go of him.

“But why go on his… nose?” grunted Keyleth as she summoned more vines to pin the lizard’s wings. But her comment brought something to mind for the Matron’s champion as he looked onward to the still resisting beast though more importantly on you.

Then it hit him.

“I see what they are going to do, be on the ready..!” he informed as he ducked out of the way from a near fiery death. “I’m still trying to hold him down!” yelled the air Ashari. “Whatever you have planned, do it without me.”

“I’ll still stay with you,” Pike voiced as she still attempted to assist with all her being. “No Pike, we’re going to need you.” expressed the half-elf as he beckoned for both gnomes to follow after him. The cleric was hesitant, her eyes looking over to see if the Druid would be alright with her leaving only to see her send a look that confirmed it. It was only the four of them now that Percy, Grog and Vex were out of commission.

—

“GAHH!” you screamed as you tried to hold on.

“You insolent bitch! I’m going to roast you and eat you when I have my claws on you!” you heard Scargone say to you.

“I don’t taste delicious sorry! I think I have diseases!… the plague even!” you shouted as you held on to some nobs on his snout, all the while still holding onto Mythcarver. “Not the point you bastard!” he hissed as he threw his head in an attempt to bite your flailing limbs off or at most get the vestige out of your hands.

You had had it. “Then have tetanus then!” with a war cry that mostly sounded like a scream, you swung Mythcarver jabbing it by your luck a through-and-through into his nostrils.

Scaergone howled in utmost agony as your right arm was bathed in his blood.

Though by his distraction of pain, he had no time to react to the forces assembling behind him.

With a shout of “now”, thanks to Vax’s speed he was able to get Scanlan and Pike to Scargone’s skull and because of their sudden force; their attack was more deadly when they struck him again for the last time.

The dragon let out a wail as he tried to keep his head up until several gunshots penetrated his already wounded weak spots made his once towering head crash to the ground with a loud thud.

The trio having heard the gunshots looked up to see Percy towering over them on another nearby building, blood streaming down his head as he lowered his pepperbox.

“I thought this would never end…” he managed to huff out as Pike and Scanlan cheered in victory. “Me neither..” Keyleth uttered, drained as she leaned onto her staff for support. Out of all of them, she had taken the brunt of managing to stay around to keep Scargone grounded.

“It was thanks to the kid we were able to succeed…” Scanlan said with a smile, being the first to praise you. “Indeed..” Vax shared one as well that was quickly wiped away when he realized you might have not gotten off when they finished slaying the mythical beast.

“Oh shit, are they okay?..!” he quickly got off the slain dragon as he made his way toward the head, the others following in his pursuit. In that moment he did feel slight guilt from how he was acting towards you earlier. But it seemed to vanish as you said “I’m good!” to him when he made his way over. A smile was etched on your lips as you hung over upside down from the snout without a care as if you were not lying on top of a dead dragon.

“Thank goodness you are!” chuckled Pike as she watched Vax help you to get down from the dead beast’s snout. “I still can’t believe you did that..!” Scanlan spoke as Percy rounded the corner with Keyleth. For the most part, they seemed to be out of words to say as you landed down beside the gnome.

“Honestly I can’t believe I did that either!” you half-heartedly chuckled, a bit embarrassed from their praises. “I mean I know you guys said you didn’t need me around but uh… I couldn’t really help myself. I felt like I should’ve been here anyway.” you continued yet you felt yourself averting from their gazes. “I also wanted to properly thank you all from earlier. Can’t do that when you guys are dead, heh.”

“You didn’t really have to do that in more ways than some, but I think I can speak for all that we are glad you did.” Vax was the first to speak in response to your address as his comrades nodded with agreement. “But we would also like to thank you. You did save us in the end.” the freckles woman sent you a smile as you looked to her having heard she was speaking directly towards you.

“I told you they’re the best. They’re my pet after all,” a deep yet familiar voice boasted as you looked over to see Grog being helped by Vex as they approached your group.

“It appears so…” agreed the archer as she sent a nod your way, you taking it as her thanks as Pike raced over to them so that she could put her healing abilities to use.

“You flatter me, I wouldn’t mind actually being a… pet.” suddenly you saw the world going sideways as boots and other things you couldn’t identify filled your vision.

It was then the world turned black.

#little slayer #the legend of vox machina #the legend of vox machina x reader #tlovm fic #tlovm x reader #critical role #critical role the legend of vox machina #platonic!reader #percival fredrickstein von musel klossowski de rolo iii #vex’ahlia #vaxildan #keyleth #scanlan shorthalt #pike trickfoot #grog strongjaw #vox machina x reader

[waltwhitmansbeard]

45. Realization of feelings at the Worst Possible Moment

Ooh boy, that could apply to practically all the CR ships.

You know what? Surprise me.

45. Realization of feelings at the Worst Possible Moment setting this in vamp machina. it directly precedes this.

She's a vampire. Of course she is. Vex'ahlia is a vampire and Percy is the dumbest motherfucker on the planet. Gods forbid he know a single moment of peace. Gods forbid anything in his life be uncomplicated.

This next bit is uncomplicated, though. The next bit is simple: slay the vampire. This is what he's been doing his entire adult life. Identify the threat, neutralize it. Quick, easy, utterly uncomplicated. He pats the inner pocket of his jacket; the stake is there, where it always is.

He's halfway between his place and hers, and as he walks, strides long and quick, he doesn't think about what he left behind. He doesn't replay the memory of tears streaming thick down Keyleth's cheeks, doesn't remember the tremble of her chin as she stumbles through her desperate apology. If he thinks about Keyleth, his best friend, letting a monster tear her open and drain her blood like it didn't matter, then the stake might just end up in his own heart.

Instead he makes the mental leaps, over and over and over. Keyleth is seeing Vax. Vax is a vampire. Vax's twin is Vex. These are all facts Percy knows to be true. More facts he knows to be true: Vax and Vex still look as identical as fraternal twins can look. Vex's skin, while soft, smooth, supple, has never been warm to the touch. Vex's favorite thing to do, when they are a tangle of limbs and sweat beneath her silky sheets, is bury her nose into the crook of his neck, where his blood still churns from her expert ministrations. Percy has never seen Vex under the light of the sun.

Dumbest motherfucker. On the planet.

He's less than a block away from her apartment now. The stake feels like an anchor in his pocket. His heart pounds erratically in his throat, and he can't figure out why. So what, she's a vampire? So what, he'll be killing her in less than five minutes' time? This is what he does. It doesn't mean anything, because it can't mean anything.

So why is he a hair's breadth away from crying?

He comes to a halt on the sidewalk, nearly causing a pile-up among the other pedestrians, who shoot him annoyed looks he barely registers. Why is he a hair's breadth away from crying? Why does the though of driving this stake through Vex's heart make him want to peel his skin off, inch by inch? They're fucking. They fuck. Their sexual compatibility is off the charts, and sure, Percy can't imagine ever having anyone else in his bed again, but it's not like it's a real loss, it's not like he lo—

His heart stops. Holy shit. He's in love with her. Not just lust, not just companionship, love. He loves the way she laughs, loves the razor-sharp accuracy of her wit, loves the music she plays when she's soaking in the tub, surrounded by rose petals and bubbles the size of his fist. He loves falling asleep next to her and waking up next to her and seeing her bury her face into his pillow as he sneaks out before dawn. He can't imagine ever having anyone else in his bed again because he doesn't want his bed, he wants theirs. He wants her every thought on every subject, wants to write them down in leatherbound tomes and reference them like a scholar in the subject of her. He is utterly, completely, hopelessly in love with her, and now he's standing here, ten feet away from her stoop, and his fingers twitch up toward the stake in his jacket pocket.

He stares at her front door. The last time he walked through it, his bones felt like jelly and the smile on his face was stupid, bright. For fuck's sake, he's been in love with her for months. What a thing to realize right before he plunges this stake between her ribs.

Because he's going to do it. That's the thing that's going to kill him. He forces his legs to move, one joint after the other, and as he stomps up the few steps of her stoop, he knows that he's going to do it. He hits her buzzer, and when she drawls, "Hello?" he can barely choke out her name. It is torture, the way she sighs, "Percival," the swiftness with which she grants him entry.

He has three flights of stairs to get his head on straight. During each one, he convinces himself to do it, over and over and over. Quick, easy, uncomplicated. Slay the monster. Save the world.

He is at her door too fast, not fast enough. He knocks. She opens. She looks like heaven, like hell, like the best and worst thing that has ever happened to him. "I didn't expect to see you so soo—"

Her eyes fall onto the stake, now gripped with white knuckles at his side. The recognition comes lightning-quick; she always was so much smarter than him. For a moment, her face is impassable, and he'd give anything to know what she's thinking. Whatever he could have guessed, he'd be wrong, because in no world would he predict a smile, curling and hot, like smoke. She meets his eyes again, her expression a mystery he'll never be clever enough to solve. She steps back, opening the door wider. "Why don't you come on in?"

#happy halloween!! have a disaster percy and his vampire love #ask #tiamat-zx #critical role #critical role fic #cr fic #critical role au #cr au #vox machina #vox machina au #vox machina fic #perc'ahlia #perc'ahlia fic #perc'ahlia au #my fic #vamp machina au

[ravendruid]

Game Night

This fic is part of the Critter Genfic Bingo to fulfill the Game Night and Modern AU slots, and is set in my Gamer AU. Read on AO3

Vax’ildan rarely gets to spend his own money on games these days as they are often gently covered by his subscribers, but a new game caught him unaware, so he didn’t have time to set up a donation goal or even make a poll to ascertain interest from his followers. The plan was simple: Vax was going to record his first playthrough of the game in solo mode and finally give YouTube a try. If it got a good response, then he would ask a friend or two if they wanted to play with him on stream. However, as his plans are wont to do, everything went down the drain when he mentioned buying the game on his next stream, and chat begged him to play live. 

“Well, I guess that answers it,” Vax jokingly replied to everyone’s requests. “Let me talk to some friends and see if anyone is up for it. Hopefully, I’ll have a group for the next stream. How does that sound?”

Vax’s chat went wild with names and requests of other streamers he could ask to play with him, but the main name in common was very clear: Keyleth. It took him a while to cede to ask her, but he made no promises that he would be able to convince her to play the game. In the end, it was easier than he thought. All Vax had to do was tell his girlfriend that she could customize her character and show her the different options for races and classes, and she was in. The next challenge was finding two more people to play, which Keyleth also fixed by asking Percy, who in turn asked Vex’ahlia. So a party was formed, with Keyleth and Vax squad streaming so their viewers could watch both their points of vision.

“What are you guys playing,” Vax asks as he starts building his character. His is an easy choice to make, and he starts customizing a half-elf rogue to look slightly like him as his chat flies in approval and suggestions. 

“I think I might try a ranger,” Vex’ahlia replies. Because she’s not streaming today, the audience will have to wait to see the reveal of her character, but on Vex’s screen is a female half-elf with a ponytail braid.

“Are you going to get a bear companion and call him Trinket, dear?” Percival teases his girlfriend. Everyone in Vax and Keyleth’s audience is familiar with Trinket, Vex’s large Newfoundland dog. At almost 70 kg, Trinket’s massive form and shaggy brown hair make him resemble a bear, which is where the joke came from one day during Vex’s first streams.

“Don’t tempt me, Percival.”

“What about you, Freddie?” Vax leans back on his chair, admiring his character. 

“I’m playing a human fighter, of course.”

“Chat is asking if you’re going melee,” Vax leans in to read the questions on his screen.

“No. I’ll be ranged.”

“Keyleth, darling, what are you playing? You’re so quiet.” Vex mutters, adding piercings to her character.

“Oh? Sorry, there are so many options and hairs. It’s a lot,” Keyleth sounds and looks overwhelmed. She’s not used to playing this type of game, especially for the first time on stream. 

“It’s okay, darling. Take your time.” Vex’ahlia reassures.

One of Keyleth’s biggest insecurities about streaming a game that is so out of her comfort zone was related to how her regular audience would react to the change. She usually streams cozy games that a lot of people use for body-doubling, and she loves providing everyone with a safe environment where they can go to escape from their daily lives. An adventure roleplaying game with a lot of action, dialogues, and possibly fights is not what her target audience usually looks for. However, Keyleth was pleasantly surprised—and relieved—when the poll results came in favor of her playing the game on stream. It turned out that a lot of Keyleth’s followers were avid players of tabletop roleplaying games or were generally interested in the game itself.

Although she felt better about how her audience would respond to the new game, Keyleth was still worried about stepping out of the bubble that shielded her from trolls. With a much more popular game being streamed—adding the fact that she is a woman with her camera on—Keyleth still couldn’t shake the fear that something bad could happen during the streams, which is why she recruited her best moderators, Pike and Grog, who were more than happy to stay on the sidelines and keep everyone on track.

“Okay, I think I’m done. Sorry, it took me so long,” Keyleth finally announces an hour after the stream starts. On her screen is a female half-elf druid with space buns and braids almost as red as Keyleth’s hair. She quickly reads the chat and smiles at everyone’s compliments about her character, most saying how fun her hair looks.

“No problem, love. Is everyone ready?” Vax asks. Everyone agrees, so they quickly name their characters after themselves before they move on to the next screen.

“We have to make another one?” Keyleth shouts, raising her hands to her head. On everyone’s screen is another character whose race and appearance can also be customized.

“What the fuck is a guardian,” Vex’ahlia asks, going over the different races available.

“I think it’s someone who will protect you and keep you alive,” Vax explains, quickly building a generic male elf. “You don’t have to fully customize them if you don’t want to. Just pick a race and whatever you want them to look like, I guess.”

“Yeah, right…” Keyleth looks distraught at her screen. “You know what… Chat, pick a race,” Keyleth asks. Her chat window quickly fills up with people firing races: there are a few elves, some asking for a dwarf, and a couple of people asking for a Githyanki, but the majority of the requests seem to be Drow, which is the preset anyway. It doesn’t take everyone a long time to finish building their guardians, and finally, the game begins. 

A lot of fun is had for the next few hours: Vax steals everything he can get his hands on (and flirts with the vampire NPC), a wizard is saved from a portal, and the group goes through their first dungeon, the overgrown ruins of an old temple where they find a sarcophagus in a dank crypt.

“Guys, I found a sarcophagus. Do you think it has a treasure inside?” Vex’ahlia asks. 

“We should investigate,” Percy crosses the threshold and waits for Vex to join him before he continues. 

For some reason, neither of them notices the notification in the corner that says they failed several perception checks, so once Vex’s character is by Percy’s side, he opens the lid to the tomb, making several explosions go off and fire erupt in the chamber.

“Vex’ahlia!” Percy screams in real life, jumping out of his chair so fast it tumbles back and hits the wooden floor with a loud thud. 

“I’m alright, darling,” Vex reassures him from the room next door, cackling at her boyfriend’s reaction. Her and Percy’s portraits on the left side of the screen are gray with a skull symbol next to them, indicating both characters are dead.

“What the fuck happened? I was gone for thirty seconds,” Vax shouts, sitting on his chair. He had just gone to the kitchen really quickly to grab some water for himself and Keyleth when he heard Keyleth’s screams.

“When was the last time you saved, brother?” Vex manages to ask, still laughing. 

“Right before we walked into this room.” Vax shakes his head, unamused. “Are you okay, Freddie?”

“Ye–yeah, I think so. That was—” Percy draws a long breath and releases it slowly, and when he speaks again, his heart has slowed, and his voice is back to normal, “—unexpected.”

Once Vax reloads the game, he goes through the room ahead of everyone to make sure he disarms every trap before they loot the sarcophagus. “Let this be a lesson about greed, everyone,” He jokes once the valuables are successfully stashed in his inventory.

Because one tragedy doesn’t come by itself, not long after, the party is suddenly ambushed by undead skeletons, making Keyleth scream in panic as her character gets knocked unconscious by one before she gets a turn to do anything. 

“I don’t think we’re strong enough to defeat these guys,” She cries.

“Yeah, we are, look.” Vax’s character appears next to Keyleth’s and stabs the skeleton that attacked her twice, leaving it with two HP. “I’ll always be here to save you, Kiki.” Vax’ildan being cheesy with his girlfriend on stream is not news, but it still manages to send both their chats over the edge. This will surely make the next fanmade supercut.

“Alright, lovebirds. Shall we kill these assholes, then?” Vex teases them. 

The battle doesn’t draw long once Keyleth’s character is back up—still at one HP, but up nonetheless—and this time, when they find another sarcophagus, the group allows Vax to spearhead the party.

“Well, that was fun, right, everyone?” Vax asks a few minutes later, once they get a new NPC ally and discover an arcane book that they put away to ask their wizard friend to check later. 

“Yeah. I wasn’t expecting it to be so fun,” Keyleth admits, leaning back in her chair and pulling her hoodie up. She can feel her battery draining fast. They have been streaming for a few hours longer than what she usually streams for, and her body is already reacting to it. 

“Even when I died,” Vex’ahlia jokes, petting Trinket’s head on her lap. She’s glad she’s not on camera today. Her hair is a mess and she’s wearing a stained t-shirt she stole from Percy’s drawer. 

“I did not like that part at all,” Percy chimes in, combing a hand through his shock-white hair and making it messier than it was.

“Just be glad I saved right before you two dingus went and set all the traps off,” Vax rolls his eyes at his sister and her boyfriend. His gaze darts over his screen to Keyleth’s stream, and he sees her bury herself in her hoodie and pull her knees up to her chest. For others, it might look like she’s just cold and getting comfortable, but Vax knows she’s overwhelmed and overstimulated, and she needs to relax, so he seamlessly brings the stream to an end with the promise of another one very soon.

More adventures await this group of chucklefucks, many mistakes and perception check failures that lead to not-so-good results, a lot of flirting with NPCs—Vax finds himself torn between the Vampire and the Wizard—and even a few not-safe-for-work unexpected scenes that make Keyleth slide down her chair and hide under her desk. At the end of the day, there is no denying that game night in general, and the new game in particular, is a huge success overall, and that everyone has plenty of fun playing and watching it.

#critical role #cr fic #critter genfic bingo #vox machina #perc'ahlia #vaxleth #modern au #gamer au #I'm so glad to finally post this. It has been tormenting me for over a week. #This is the fic I wrote and then decided to start again from scratch.

[blorbologist]

Cat’s Cradle

Tiny Perc’ahlia AU I started because I need some good vibes rn: 

TLDR Percy finds a litter of abandoned kittens. Vex can’t take them on with her work schedule, shelters are too full to accept the workload of newborn beans, but Percy hasn’t a clue what to do.

So, naturally, he decides to help Vex foster his kittens. By practically moving in, given overnight feedings and her hours on the job (and Vax and Kiki are on a vacation to write them out of this).

What could possibly go wrong?

--

“Tsk tsk tsk.” Percival rattles the cup of kibble, the rolling churn loud in the morning chill.

Ten minutes in, he has to admit defeat. She’s been late before. 

With a sigh he places the bowl down in its usual spot and fishes around for his keys. With his other hand he quickly sends a text to Vex before his fingers freeze. 

Sorry, no photos for you. Curio was a no-show.

The lock snaps - so very satisfying - and warm air buffets him as he makes his way into his workshop. Not strictly his - technically he rents his room, use of the main forge and such from Victor. But he’s one of two with a key and that’s enough to be his, thank you very much.

Out of habit, he flicks on the lights before taking off his boots. 

Percy only gets one stomp to free them of snow before there’s a clatter. A racket, even, as a blur of fur skids out from under his main worktable, sending a jacket left there flying. An array of screwdrivers and his box of drill bits scream as they hit the ground - he barely recognizes the dark tail and paws before it’s gone.

“Curio?” Percy whispers into the sudden quiet. It must have been her - he’s never seen a stray with her colors before, let alone here, and she’s such a flighty thing, despite his best efforts at Keyleth’s behest. It was only a few days ago he got close enough to hear her purr as she ate.

He swears he hadn’t left that window open, given they had been calling for a spring cold snap. The screen lies half-torn on the floor, on closer inspection. With a scowl Percy pads over and slides the glass closed, picks up the mesh. Not sure it can be salvaged. Great.

It’s very quiet, but the buzzing fluorescent lights overhead, so he can indulge in a heartfelt “Fuck” and listen to it echo.

It does.

It also comes back a little shrill. And chorused. 

Percy’s frown deepens. Stalking the noise is easy enough, as is lifting that fallen jacket.

Oh dear. 

Help, he texts Vex, and attaches a photo.

--

“Are you keeping them warm?” are the first words out of Vex’s mouth when he lets her in. 

Awkwardly, with one arm, he closes the door. She would usually allow time for a smile - Vex today is on a warpath, striding right down the hall. 

It’s a rare day to see her without her massive brown mutt at her side, but the circumstances certainly exclude Trinket from the proceedings.

“Of course,” he says, doing his best to follow her promptly. A touch difficult, given - “I did not have anything on hand, and the forge takes a while to warm, so -”

“Percy, kittens rely on their mother’s body heat to survive. If you’re right and they’re that new-”

“I know - they’re safe.”

Vex spins away once in Victor’s workshop. She procures a bean bag from her purse that’s quickly stuffed in the abused lunch microwave. She has to smack it to get it whirring to life. “Darling, why don’t you give me a hand? Where are the babies?”

“No, and here.”

“No?”

Vex is looking at him very curiously. So Percy takes it as a command: sits, peels off his sweater, ignores Vex’s quirked brow loaded with innuendo, and untucks the overlarge undershirt.

“I figured,” he says, a touch breathless because oh that tickles, “body heat was better than nothing.”

Her eyes are wide and soft and staring down at a very peculiar angle at the writhing patches clutched tight to Percy’s skin. They’re quieter, now, and he’s not sure if that’s a good or bad thing.

“Oh - they’re so small,” Vex says, downy soft. Percy’s stomach flutters. He blames it on the prick of tiny claws. “Poor things.”

Vex inhales and is immediately back in action, slipping under the tables to find a suitable outlet for something else she tossed on a chair. “Just stay there, darling? I’ll get something a little more convenient set up for them.”

It isn’t long at all before Vex has commandeered the slipper basked, tucked in the electric heating pad and the microwaved one and tucked the whole nest with towels - clean ones, from her place. With a waddle, Percy joins her, kneels, and gingerly holds his shirt open as Vex scoops up each kitten in turn.

“One.” She counts as she goes, setting the squirming kitten down gently. They mewl in protest. 

“Two.” She’s smiling, now, and with the adrenaline beginning to fade Percy feels he can too. 

“Three - oh, sweetie, you’re still damp.” Her face becomes something heartbreaking at the realization.

“Four - and five.” He hands her the last one, hand trembling almost as much as it is. 

Five kittens. All squirming, to some degree or another - none still, at least. Two at least are whimpering, doing their best to knead at the nearest soft thing. Another is pushed over by its siblings and wails. Percy slowly tips it back upright.

“They’re disgusting,” Vex whispers with affection. “I was going to - I expected these to be a week or two old, because no one really gets what newborn animals are like. But - these really are newborn. Mom did not even finish cleaning them.”

He huffs. Could be amused, could be humorless. He’s just tired and it’s not even ten am. Vex echoes him, and it’s murmuring quiet as the kittens get settled.

“Alright,” Percy sighs. Five kittens. He hadn’t exactly taken time to count them, in the rush to scoop them up once he had Vex on the phone relaying instructions.

(Five is a bad number. For Percival, specifically.)

“Alright,” he repeats. “What’s next?”

Vex steels herself. “We have to find their mother.” 

#critical role #perc'ahlia #percahlia #critical role fanfiction #cr fanfic #critical role fic #campaign 1 #cat's cradle au #look even i sometimes want soft things - combines cat special interest with OTP win-win for me #probably not gonna write much more of this at Least for a while #BUT!! its cute and i wanna Share so #my writing

[copperbadge]

I know from medical conferences that the gut *and* its biome has been known for a while to be a huge part of our nervous system. Since that was ten years ago, I suspect the reason we don't know much about it is the same reason women's reproductive systems are so 'mysterious': no one funded it. No one wants to attend a charity drive about shit. A *lot* of issues could be solved with the speed of the COVID vax, if funded; you can probably speak to that far better.

You know, I'm not sure I can speak better to that. I haven't been immersed in either women's health issues or gut health/ADHD-Autism issues much, so I don't know what the scope of research is there. However I do have some thoughts about "funding could fix this" -- because funding could fix some things...but it can't always fix everything.

Most research, at least in the US, is driven by two things: either 'this will be super lucrative' or 'people won't shut the fuck up until we fund it'. It's highly unfair that stuff like the Crohns-Autism link or PCOS have to be lobbied to be funded, because generally the people doing the lobbying are already dealing with fatiguing health issues, and certainly I think there's a case to be made that a lot of "non lucrative" conditions could do with a lot more research. I'm not saying anything is well-funded when it's not, I just don't have that data.

However, I work for a nonprofit that serves a medically afflicted community, and I know that even if you are funding research to the hilt, sometimes it doesn't go anywhere. ALS got a shitload of funding and managed to make huge advances in treatment, but like...

My nonprofit sources and funds young scientists researching treatments and cures; we give them a fifty grand jumpstart and most of them have gone on to get millions from the NIH. Some of those millions are from our lobbying for increased federal funding. We have built a database of DNA and tissue samples from our constituency that pharma and research labs have access to, which is genuinely advancing medical knowledge. (Yes, the database is voluntary, everyone consents, it's all very above-board.) We have working relationships with basically every pharma company in the world that is studying anything related to our interests. 

 We've been at it for nearly two decades, and we still don't fucking know what causes the family of diseases we support. We don't even have diagnostic tests that let us easily identify the disease -- for all our hard work it's generally a four-year process from initial symptom to diagnosis.

And when you're dealing with conditions which in the past have been highly stigmatized, treated as mental illness, or subject to eugenic ignorance, it gets even more complex, of course. People bring a lot of bias into the study of neurodiversity. So it is possible there is a ton of research going on (I genuinely don't know) and the wheels are just spinning in place right now.

Increased funding is great and increased lobbying for research funding is great, but without knowing how much is getting spent where, it's tough for me to comment more fully. I've spent three years watching our doctors try desperately to find a cure or even a more effective treatment, with solid funding but very little success. Sometimes the fight is a marathon, and there's no amount of money that will turn it into a sprint.

#sam has adhd #medical research #research funding

[insom-nom-nom-niatic]

Dreams

PROMPT: #47“Were you dreaming about me again?”

PAIRING: Keyleth X Vax'ildan (VOX MACHINA)

WARNINGS: Fluff with suggestive themes

Thank you @ravendruid for helping me pick a random prompt to start off this little experiment!!

The Experiment: Me being me, I cannot just exist being in one single fandom. But I feel bad writing only one fandom because at the moment that is what my little, broken heart wants. So for a little bit, I am challenging myself by having a prompt that I write for 1 fandom... and only changing it slightly to then make it work into another.

Will it work? Probably not.

Will I get bored of doing this? Most likely.

Will I still try? Fuck yes.

Her legs began quaking, a shiver running down her spine as she awoke from a deep slumber sitting up straight with a heavy pant. The sheets beneath where she had laid are damp from the sweat beading down the back of her neck, re hairs slickened to her skin. 

The door to the cabin squealed as the door carefully opened. The smell of fresh tea wafted through her senses, calming the rush of fear and adrenaline that had woken her up. 

Vax greeted her with a mischievous grin, the mug in his hand steaming against the perfect bone structure of his features as he peered back to the red head. 

“Were you dreaming about me again?” Vax had yet to read the room, especially the woman before him. He had heard her moans as he was getting ready to start a fire. Not wanting to wake his lady from a wet dream, he decided to fix her a perfect cup of her favorite tea for when she awoke instead. 

He hadn’t know about what happened after he left the small, wooden cabin. Her moans turned into cries. Her breathing faultered and her body shook in agony as she lived out her perfect nightmare. 

It seemed so real. 

It felt so real. 

Keyleth gave a tired smile. Her eyes searched the room, grounding herself back into reality. Vax didn’t miss this, seeing a single bead of moisture fall from her brow, he rushed over to her side. His hands caressing her own as his warmth helped ease her nightmare further and further. With him there, she was safe. 

She was safe.

Vax pulled her into his chest, his arms wrapping around her frame tight. She could feel his heart beating against her skin and his breath tickling the still slick skin of her expose neck. Her head layed in the crook of his own where she could inhale his musty scent, something that would easily turn her off with any other man, but with him is was inviting. 

His hands kept her in place for a while, both sitting in silence wrappe in eachother’s arms, legs, and anything else they could possibly touch. When her breathing regulated and her mind shook off the pain of what she had seen and felt, Keyleth whispered into the soft skin of Vax’ildan’s neck. 

“I would have rathered to be dreaming about you.” 

His body shook with a chuckle. Moving his hands slowly down her back, one landed on the exposed skin just above her green panties. His fingertips ghosting the edge of the lace. Feeling her warm skin raise into goosebumps beneath his touch. 

“I would have rather you had dreaming of me too,” His voice began to turn more rugged. Keyleth didn’t have to see his face to know that Vax’s pupils were beginning to dilate or know he had that mischievous little grin on his lips. She swallowed hard, hiding her own nervous giggle. 

“But I would rather act out that dream instead if I’m being honest.” 

#vaxleth #vox machina #critical role #keyleth #vax'ildan #vaxleth fic #vaxleth fanfiction #cr1 fanfic #I made it over 500 words!! #barely but still #this was harder than I thought it would be #insom nom nom niatic writes

[timaeusterrored]

“He is 60 years your junior, Kerry!”

“Lou, I said not in front of them.”

Vax stopped by the sudden argument in the living area. He had gotten back from a job, and luckily was clean and not hurt. He didn’t want to give Louise another reason to try and find a thing wrong with him.

He had tried everything to prove he wasn’t using Kerry. Playing with Kim, trying to bond with Ted, paying for dinner every night they had gone out. She was convinced it was an act for her.

“Yes in front of them! They deserve to know-“

“Not in front of them, Louise. That is my fucking line.”

Vax scanned the house, and found the kids sitting upstairs. The Villa was open floor and everyone in the place could hear them. But he couldn’t help but admire Kerry not wanting to fight where they could hear him.

“I like Vax.” A tiny voice from upstairs suddenly said, making the ex couple look up. Kerry rubbed his face.

“Kimmy baby please not now.” Kerry tried, but he could hear her running down the stairs.

“He’s nice! He let me braid his hair and took my advice that pink looks good on him!”

V couldn’t stop his smile, knowing he shouldn’t be listening to this. He wasn’t their family. Louise saw him as a boytoy using Kerry for his money and body. He barely let him buy him a birthday present.

“That’s not the issue, Kim. Go back with your brother-“

“Why don’t you like him? He’s nice! Tell her Teddy!” Kim urges her older brother, who had followed her down.

“…He’s cool, I guess.”

Oh wow. That was a massive fucking compliment coming from Ted.

“Theodore-“

“Louise, enough. He’s not using me, us. He’s the last person that would ever hurt us.” Kerry said, it was the calmest V had ever heard him in an argument. But the reason was him not wanting to lose his cool in front of his kids.

Maybe he should make himself known.

He walked back, opening and closing the door once again and the voices stopped.

“I’m home!” He called, hearing Kim run to greet him first.

“Vax! Did your friends like your hair?” She asked when he scooped her up. V had made a comment about his friends possibly loving the new look.

“They did actually, my friend Claire made me a pink drink today to match!” He matched her excitement easily, smiling when he saw his man approaching. He leaned in for a kiss, hearing Kim squeal.

“Grossss!” She squealed when Kerry blew a raspberry into her cheek.

“How’s sushi sound for dinner?” Kerry asked softly, but V could feel the tense energy in his shoulders.

“Sounds perfect.”

#I’m not proud of this I was cringing while writing it #but I’m also not vibing rn #anyway #yeah Louise didn’t like Vax at first #cyberpunk 2077 #kerry eurodyne #cyberpunk kerry #Louise Nordin Eurodyne #the Eurodyne family #cyberpunk ted and kim #Ted Eurodyne #Kim Eurodyne #cyberpunk v #male v #kerry x v #kerry eurodyne x v #kerry #ker x v #male v cyberpunk #vax eurodyne #kerry eurodyne x male v #kerry x male v #kerry x masc v #v x kerry #male v x kerry #v x kerry eurodyne

[demigoddessqueens]

like I love you

Partly based off an anon ask about first time with Vax, and a follow-up convo with @southside-otaku , I’ve decided to make a part 2.

Yes there’s smut to start off AGAIN, 18+

The morning was just barely starting as the sun’s rays peaked into your room. Or was it now both your room? Considering the sleeping form and arm pulling you close, what happened last night was no dream at all.

Turning to your side, the gentle sleeping form of famed Vox Machina rogue Vax’ildan greets you. It really was a lovely sight first thing in the morning. His soft touch, hair strewn across the pillows, gentle snores and legs still intertwine with yours. Feeling the heat of the moment, you leaned towards to place a chaste kiss

Guess the whole sleeping form was a façade since your lover’s warm brown eyes opened as soon as he felt you. “G’morning, my love.” You scoffed lightly as you leaned down again for his lips. “Morning to you too, love….hmm you were so good last night. So perfect for me.” Vax’s grip tightened more as he moved to kiss your neck. “Likewise for you, although I’d say you were better.”

The rogue indulged more in the aftercare with you, tender kisses and touches growing more heated by the second. You could feel him growing more as it pressed against your leg, and your desire becoming slick as well. “Seems as though you want a repeat of last night, Mr Vessar. Who am I to stop you?” He hitched up one of your free legs over his hips as he slid so easily into you with a sharp gasp. “No man or woman would be mad enough to let you leave their bed after such a night. I intend to make good on that.”

You gasped as he pulled you closer, tighter to where those brown eyes melted more into you. Filling you to the brim as you shuddered still from the night before. He was here, there, everywhere all around you in your passions. Molded so perfectly to each other’s forms. You left a trail of love bites across his neck and collar bone, raking your nails down his back. The lustful moans of “no idea, nngh, how pretty, how good-oh fuck-you feel!” spurred you on as you pulled on his hair. You thrusted your hips more to meet his, wanting this to go on as long as possible with your bodies accepting and satisfying each other throughout the morning.

It was a different scene at the breakfast table. While you and your love languished away in your love making, the rest of Vox Machina had heard you both in the first early hours of the day. Scanlan was more than eager to break the tension once it dawned on them what FINALLY happened. “We’re gonna run with this until they get down here.”

They could see past the act when you both tried to come into the kitchen at separate times, both muttering casual “Good mornings”. Vex could see the love struck expression on her brother’s face, and when you both sat across from each other then she let the floodgates open.

“So, brother…seems as though we should be congratulating you for becoming a man.” Vax immediately started coughing on the small morsel of food he had eaten before the hits kept on rolling. Grog howled with laughter as Keyleth offered a sympathetic yet sweet “I’m so happy for you guys.”

Scanlan and Pike’s words only made your face heat up more. “When’s the wedding?? Who knew y/n had a set of pipes?” You turned your head towards Percy for any respite, but that look behind his clouded glasses said otherwise. “Honestly y/n, I didn’t realize how good Vax felt—.” Vex quickly cut him off before hearing more about her brother’s skills.

Well, this was going to be interesting from now on. You looked at your shell shocked lover with a look that said “well we had to let them one way or another.”

#critical role #cr smut #critical role x y/n #critical role x you #critical role x reader #fanfic smut #tlovm #tlovm x y/n #tlovm x you #tlovm x reader #the legend of vox machina #vax’ildan vessar #vax’ildan x y/n #vax’ildan x you #vax’ildan x reader