#celiquillithon sidebottom

[ID: All PCs from RQG (Azu, Bertie, Sasha, Cel, Zolf, Hamid, and Grizzop) along with Skraak and Wilde posing in one big group. Everyone has a smile on their face except Bertie, who is looking to the side distractedly. Azu, Wilde, and Bertie are in the back row. Azu and Bertie are holding a big sign strung between them that says “Thank you RQG”. Next to the sign on opposite sides are Sasha and Cel. On the bottom row is Zolf, Hamid, Grizzop, and Skraak. End ID.]

Please click on the image I promise its not that blurry!

I don’t even know where to begin with this. RQG ended about a week ago and I’m still thinking about the Finale. I only started listening in May but this podcast brought me so much comfort and joy throughout the summer and into my first year at university. I genuinely cried when it ended and I’m gonna miss it so much! I’m so glad I got a chance to listen while it aired and to meet so many fun characters on the way c:

the table discussed how perfectly they matched in size and i’ve been doomed since. cel and azu snugglebuddies

Day 9 of @the-line-is-erased:The Vengeance and Northern Wastes - Mortality - The things we’ve lost and the things we’ve found.

Skraak struggles with Meerk’s choice to stay dead

Skraak grabbed another cup of the warm drink they’d been served – he didn’t know exactly what it was – and then retreated from the rest of the group.  They were exuberant and loud, and he just needed a little space.

They found a small place to sit and think, not drinking the beverage but letting its heat seep through their scales.

“Hey, little buddy?”

With a heavy exhale, Skraak looked up at Cel, poking their head around the corner of the bunks.

“Hi, Cel.  Is everything alright?” They replied.

“I mean, I don’t know. I saw you slip out and I wanted to make sure you’re okay.”  They paused for a moment, then quickly added, “And if you’re not okay, or even if you are, and you want to be alone, I’ll go, just say the word.  But if you do want company, I’m here for you.”

For a moment, Skraak hesitated, then sighed.  “I miss Meerk.”

“Oh.”  Cel took a seat next to them, careful to leave enough space between them so they weren’t smothering them.  “I miss him too.  I know it’s not the same; you knew him way longer than I did, and you went through the same horrible things at Shoin’s, but…”

Skraak nodded.  He fiddled with the cup in his hands and looked into the steam instead of facing Cel.  “It’s hard.  I saw him there, in that ritual thing.  They were happy!  And it was so loud.”  They smiled as they remembered Meerk’s joy in the cacophony.  “And of course I’m glad that you were able to bring Sassraa back, and that the other two are back too.  But… I still feel… I still wish…”

“You wish Meerk had come back too.”

“Yeah.  And I feel like it’s my fault he didn’t.  If someone else had gone in after them, maybe they’d be here.”  He shook his head.  “Which is selfish.  He’s happy.  And safe.  That’s what matters.”

“Doesn’t mean you can’t miss him.”

“And when everyone else is so happy, it drowns out our mourning.  Not that that’s bad, it’s just… hard to be around all the time. Do you think…”  He paused, then set down his mug on a nearby end table. “Can I have a hug?”

“Of course!”

Skraak fell into Cel’s open arms, and they squeezed them tight as their tears poured forth.  The pair sat like that for a good long while, holding each other close and rocking back and forth in a gentle, relaxing pattern.

“Thank you,” Skraak croaked as he pulled away and wiped his face.

Cel put a hand on their shoulder and gave a sympathetic smile.  “Do you want some company?  Maybe tell me some stories about Meerk?  Or we can just sit in silence.”

“Yeah, that would…” He trailed off, then shook his head. “No, you should go back to the others.  Enjoy the festivities.  Besides, I’m sure you have more flirting to do with Barnes.”

Instead of leaving, Cel scooched back and settled in beside Skraak, giving no indication of going anywhere.

“I can flirt later. Right now, I’m here for you.”

Skraak smiled up at them. “Thank you.  Thank you for being here.”

“You’re welcome.  After all, that’s what friends are for.”

Day 8 of @the-line-is-erased:Japan- Reunions - Inventions, creations, and crossing the line.

Cel and Sassraa talk about gender

“Cel, I have a question.”

They leaned back from where they were installing part of the elemental engine that would power the airship. Cel’s draconic wasn’t great, but they were working on it constantly, so between that and Sassraa’s English they could get by easily enough.

“Sure, what is it?  If it’s about Skraak’s suggestion for the rudder, I told him already that it won’t work, and if he’s trying to get you to convince me, I’m-”

“No, no.”  Sassraa looked down sheepishly.  “It’s about your society.”

“Oh.  You mean, the society of the village I lived in just recently? Or half-elf society?  Oooh, is there an alchemist’s society you’ve heard of that I am somehow not a part of?”

“Maybe I said that wrong…”

“No, no, it’s all good.” Cel offered a supportive smile. “I got carried away.  Go ahead.”

Sassraa sat down next to Cel.  “Well, I was talking with Hamid, and I realized that much of his culture seems to revolve around two main genders.  Not that there aren’t others”- Sassraa gestured to Cel –“but they’re a rarity, and not always well regarded.  Among kobolds, we have… eight sort of ‘common’ genders, but there are way more than that and sometimes people have a mix or have multiple.  And nobody bothers you for your gender or makes you live and work in a different role because of it.  It’s just… very strange.”

“It absolutely is,” Cel replied, nodding and letting out a heavy breath.  “A lot of languages are very much not welcoming to a gender that isn’t male or female.  You have to make your own rules.  But, hey, if your gender doesn’t, I don’t know, translate across from your society, you don’t have to try and press yourself into one that people around here might know of.  Just be you.”

“It’s hard.”  Sassraa chuckled.  “I’m sure you know.”

“I’ve had a lot longer to figure it out, though.  You’ve just been thrown into this.”

“You and Hamid have been trying to teach me English, but pronouns… I don’t know which ones to use for me.  There are a few that could fit, I suppose-”

“You can use more than one set!”

Sassraa’s eyes grew wide. “I can?”

“Of course!  You can use as many pronouns as you want!  Or none, as the case may be, and we’ll just use your name.  And it can change day by day, whatever you’re feeling.  Or!  Or you can make your own pronouns!  Like I said, you get to make your own rules, which is scary, but also freeing.”

“Hm.”  Sassraa thought about it a long while.  “I think I’d like to try they and she?”

Cel smiled. “Absolutely.  Is there anything else I can try and help with?  Not sure I helped at all here or if I just rambled.”

Now it was Sassraa’s turn to smile, placing a hand on Cel’s arm.  “You helped a lot.  We make our own rules.  We don’t force ourselves to play by someone else’s.”

“Exactly.”

“Alright, now I should go tell Skraak how terrible an idea that rudder design is.”

Cel chuckled.  “Good luck; he’s real set on it.”

With a fond roll of her eyes, Sassraa stood and trotted away to continue their own construction work. Meanwhile, Hamid came over to Cel with an armful of equipment they had previously requested from the scrap of Earhart’s last ship.

“Is everything alright with Sassraa?”  He asked.

“Oh, yeah, she’s all good. I was just helping them out with some cultural things.”

Sassraa wasn’t quite out of earshot yet, and Cel swore they could see her smile as they heard both sets of pronouns used.  

“Come on in, Zolf, the water’s lovely!”

He shook his head, a safe distance away on the jetty.  At least the moon was mostly full, so Hamid, Cel, and Azu’s midnight swim wasn’t as dangerous as it could have been, even if it was still extremely ill-advised.

“Nah, I’m good,” Zolf called back to Hamid.  “Someone’s got to get help if something happens.”  Given how tipsy he was, he wasn’t entirely sure if he’d be able to make it back up the walkway regardless, but he could at least make an attempt and yell loud enough someone might hear.  And besides, it was a good excuse that kept him out of the water.

“Wait, do you not want to because… Poseidon, and all that?”  Hamid spoke the god’s name furtively, as if whispering a deep dark secret.

“No, sod him, I don’t care about that.  We’re all drunk and it’s dark; we shouldn’t be out in the ocean at all.”

“Pfft,” Cel said, taking a break from making dolphin noises as they splashed around.  “Zolf, you gotta swim with us.”

“I do not,” he insisted.

With that, Azu climbed out of the water and back onto the beach, marching straight toward Zolf.

“I’m going to pick you up now,” she said.

“No, no, no…”

“Just because I’m getting older doesn’t mean I’m not still strong enough to carry you into the sea with us.”

“That’s not what I meant!” Zolf cried as Azu lifted him out of his chair and gently carried him toward the water.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Hamid added as they crossed the sand.  “We’re not going to force you.”

“I can put you back,” Azu offered, and Zolf shook his head.

“Eh, why not?”  He said with a shrug.  The whole idea of swimming at night while drunk was already a bad idea, but they’d survived worse.  He might as well have some fun. “I’m not sure how well I can tread water or balance with only half my legs, though.”

“We won’t let you sink, don’t worry,” Cel said.

“I can give you a floating piggyback ride if you want,” Azu suggested as she stepped into the waves.

“Uh, yeah, let’s try that, if that’s okay.”

“Of course!”

Azu set Zolf down just at the edge of the water, then knelt down so that she could carry him on her back instead of in her arms like a baby as she had been.  Once he was repositioned, she stood up and walked slowly into the sea, careful to make sure Zolf’s head was still safely above the waves.  Cel and Hamid cheered as the whole crew entered the water.

“Yeah, alright, this isn’t so bad,” Zolf admitted, even cracking a smile.  He had his arms on Azu’s shoulders so that he wouldn’t drift off, but he was managing to float on his own without too much trouble.  The waves were much calmer than they were on their last visit to that beach.

“Told you!”  Cel yelled.  Then, their eyes went wide with an even more ill-advised idea.  “Azu, put Zolf on your shoulders, and I’ll put Hamid on mine, and we’ll do a chicken fight!”

“Zolf?”  Hamid asked, checking to make sure Zolf was alright with the plan before he agreed.

Zolf laughed, shaking his head with the ridiculousness of the situation, but then he narrowed his eyes.  “You know what?  You’re on.  And you’re going down.”

“Knock knock,” Cel called instead of actually knocking on the door.  “Everyone decent?”

Azu chuckled.  “It’s just me.  Come on in.”

Cel stepped inside Azu’s cabin aboard the Venga, clearly trying and failing to hide something behind their back.

“Is everything alright?” Azu asked, even though she could tell from the glee in Cel’s expression that they were not bearing unfortunate news.

“Yes!  I have a gift for you!”  They shoved the box previously half-hidden behind their back into Azu’s face, all the while rocking back and forth on the balls of their feet with barely restrained excitement.

Azu gasped in concern.  “Wait, did I miss a holiday?  I know I get a little confused with days out at sea here… I don’t have anything for you, I’m so sorry, Cel.”

“Pfft, no, it’s nothing like that.  I just wanted to make something nice for you, that’s all.”

“Oh, that’s so kind.” Azu still wanted to apologize for not having anything to offer Cel in return, but instead she reached out and took the box still hovering inches from her nose.

She removed the lid to reveal a pair of work boots colored in a subtle shade of pink.  Azu’s hand flew to her mouth.

“You didn’t…”

“I did!”  Cel exclaimed.  “I know you’re still rocking the pink, but you couldn’t find any good pink boots, so I went ahead and made you some!  I hope they fit; I did sneak into your cabin and measure your other boots one night while you were asleep, so they should fit, but if not, let me know!”

Azu ignored Cel’s admission of sneaking into her cabin – something she and Kiko already suspected after waking up to hearing someone softly humming dramatic music as they crept around the space – and instead sat down to remove her current boots and try on the new set.

The pink wasn’t garish, but it was still poignant enough to reflect Azu’s continuing faith in Aphrodite.  She wiggled her toes and did a couple jumping jacks to test them out, beaming all the while.

“I love them.  Thank you, Cel, this is amazing.”

“I’m so glad you like them!  Can we hug?”

“Of course,” Azu said with a chuckle.

Cel launched themselves into Azu’s arms and gave her a tight squeeze, then stepped back.  “Look at you, turning me into a full-on hugger,” they laughed.  “Anyway, I should probably get back to Sassraa before anything explodes again, but I wanted to get these to you right away.”

They were already exiting the cabin as Azu started to reply, “Thank you again!”  Once Cel disappeared down the hall, Azu sat back down on her bed and held her legs out to examine the boots.

Aphrodite might no longer exist in their world, but the power of her love would always remain, even in the slightest gesture, the most grandiose display, or in the gifting of a pair of pink boots.