Hello my friends! Some of you may recall that just about 2 years ago now, I ran a series of polls for ships from Campaign 1, Campaign 2, and EXU Calamity that were not together at the end of their respective series. I excluded any Campaign 3 and modern era EXU ships, since at the time, those storylines were still open; Imodna weren't even together at that point. However, now that C3 has reached it's conclusion, I thought it was a good time to revisit the concept. I also didn't feature M/F pairings last time around and now is a good time to make that right too.
So! Let's get into the rules and paraments parameters:
The phrasing "non-endgame" was chosen as certain relationships present were together at some point in canon but are not longer (ex. Blumendrei) or there was an either mutual or one-sided attraction that did not result in a relationship (ex. Widojest). It doesn't feel right to me to simply call these ships "non-canon", though they are featured alongside plenty of purely fanon ships (ex. Verinwulf), so. Non-endgame. It's a little clunky, but it works.
I've reincorporated pairings from the first poll that lost in the very first round, potentially giving them an opportunity to shine further! Any ship from the first poll that made it further than that is not present this time around. These pairings are: Widofjord, Fjordwulf, Vaxmore, Fjolly, Jester x Reani, Polynein, Vexleth, Perc'ildan, Beaukeg, Vexahra, Beastrid, Beaureani, Polymachina, Beaujester, Lucigast, and Widomauk. Please do not ask me where they are.
Almost every ship will feature fanart of the characters in question, included of course with permission from the artist. Links to the original posts will be included and I highly encourage giving them some love if you vote! Any ship that doesn't have a piece of fanart has a little tableau designed in HeroForge by myself. Grogleth is the only exception, with a still from TLOVM.
This bracket is for fun. Ship hate will not be tolerated. You will be blocked if you act poorly in the tags.
Block “cr non endgame poll” if you don’t want to see this further!
Voting will begin this Friday, February 14th, at 3pm CST. All polls will run for 24 hours. The first round will take place over two days, split into Parts A and B.
Hello all! I hope you're having a lovely day. Today I bring you our very first recc list, featuring eighteen fluffy fics! Some are pure schmoop, some come with a side of angst, and a few with a touch of smut as well. You can find them below the cut and I highly encourage you to check them out, and leave kudoes and comments to spread the rarepair love 🩷
To Keep It All In by rabbitxheart (2071 words, Teen)
Pairing: Fjord/Caleb Widogast (Widofjord)
Warnings: Drug mentions
Fjord touches a weird mushroom thing that makes him high and sick and has to be babysat until the clerics can heal him the next day. While Caleb is sitting with him he tries to make a confession.
Reccer Says: It's really cute and Fjord has sweet moments with Beau and Nott too. Just great sickfic fluff
lips pressed to the palm of your hand by vietbluecoeur (2410 words, General)
Pairing: Yussa Errenis/Marion Lavorre (Rubygold)
Warnings: None
Yussa does Marion's makeup for her before a performance. She returns the favor. They kiss about it.
Reccer Says: It's just SO beautiful. Every word feels gilded or done up in the cosmetics that cover Marion's vanity. The whole thing is poetry, not least of all the relationship between Yussa and Marion. They're so sweet and you can feel the affection they have for each other in every sentence. The way they banter and tease each other is adorable and Viet's voice for Yussa is also just so fun (let that old man say fuck! XD) Also, the way the title ties into the fic is just so sweet.
a place for us to dream by glossolali (1105 words, General)
Pairing: Mollymauk Tealeaf/Essek Thelyss/Caleb Widogast (Shadowidomauk)
Warnings: None
Essek, Molly, and Caleb share a cozy and domestic summer afternoon.
Reccer Says: I am a sucker for cozy cuddly domestic fluff and for Shadowidomauk and this combines the two in the sweetest package. They're snuggly and in love and it's absolutely wonderful.
cheap wine and new beginnings by bunnymauk (2618 words, Teen)
Pairings: Past Lestera/Mollymauk Tealeaf, Hinted Mollymauk Tealeaf/Essek Thelyss (Shadowmauk)
Warnings: Referenced drug use, referenced car accident
Essek and Molly leave the club early and hang out at Molly's place together, there's cuddling <3
Reccer Says: I enjoyed it!
fledgling pledges by hanap (3100 words, Teen)
Pairing: Astrid Beck/Eadwulf Grieve/Essek Thelyss/Caleb Widogast (Blumenshadow)
Warnings: None
Caleb, Astrid, and Eadwulf go on a date with Essek, and each try to woo him.
Reccer Says: Its adorable
she said "take care", but i take more than i bring by MouseInTheCastle (3385 words, General)
Pairing: Mollymauk Tealeaf/Essek Thelyss
Warnings: None
Molly and Caleb are together, and Caleb and Essek are together, but Essek and Molly aren't - Essek gets sick and Molly takes care of him
Reccers Says: Warm and fluffy and cozy, very very sweet <3
December's Language is Imprecise Grief by Marvelouska (2688 words, Teen)
Pairing: Mollymauk Tealeaf/Essek Thelyss/Caleb Widogast (Shadowidomauk)
Warnings: None
Molly, Caleb, and Essek staying in the dorms over christmas break, and Molly and Caleb try to make it a great holiday for Essek.
Reccer Says: I enjoyed it!
someone as lost as you by floralprintshark (6500 words, Teen)
Pairing: Beauregard Lionett/Jester Lavorre (Beaujes)
Warnings: None
Jester asks Beau about her first kiss. The conversation leads to a question Beau didn't expect.
Reccer Says: It's very sweet and has a lot of mutual pining and disaster lesbian Beau
Vax thinks a good cuddle will really set him right. And Shaun must give the best hugs. (Fluffy smut ensues)
Reccer Says: I enjoyed it!
Vivere, Ridere, Amare by noconceptoflife (20189 words, Mature)
Pairing: Yeza Brenatto/Veth Brenatto/Caleb Widogast
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Anxiety
AU where Caleb meets the Brenattos soon after leaving the asylum and hides with them in plain sight. Pretend poly marriage turns real.
Reccer Says: I enjoyed it!
The Maps are Gone (So Are Our Footprints Too) by J (6514, Explicit)
Pairing: Yeza Brenatto/Veth Brenatto/Caleb Widogast
Warnings: Consensual voyeurism
Yeza knows Caleb and Veth have something special, and decides to show Caleb how best to take care of Veth on their travels.
Reccer Says: I enjoyed it!
Not Fancy Stuff by CriticalRolemance (3216 words, Teen)
Pairing: Shaun Gilmore/Vax'ildan (Vaxmore)
Warnings: None
Vax and Gilmore take a moment to forget about the looming existential threat of dragons and have a picnic dinner on the roof of Whitestone Castle.
Reccer Says: All the fics in this series are simple sweet fluff, but this one is probably my favorite. They're just a pair of romantic idiots and they deserve to get to be stupid in love together.
something sweet by roundtriptojupiter (4988 words, General)
Pairing: Percy de Rolo/Grog Strongjaw
Warnings: None
An oblivious, and very confused Percy, becomes subject to Grog's tribe-specific courting rituals when the goliath gets a crush on him. (He eventually gets the hint)
Reccer Says: It's a very niche ship written in a way that feels very authentic to the characters. It also completely got me onboard to the possibilities of said ship! As well as that, it's just a well written, very sweet fic. A great way to get acquainted with what is probably one of Vox Machina's rarest pairings.
The Scientist's Guide to Being Loved by tangereen (1237 words, Teen)
Pairing: Eadwulf Grieve/Essek Thelyss (Esswulf)
Warnings: None
Essek tries to figure out if Eadwulf is in love with him using logic.
Reccer Says: Essek is a goofy little guy trying to use science to explain emotions. I think it's cute.
bifurcation of heart and bone by 917651827 (2372 words, Explicit)
Pairing: Eadwulf Grieve/Essek Thelyss (Esswulf)
Warnings: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics
After his pregnancy, Essek can transform his body and fuck his partner the way he prefers.
Reccer Says: This esswulf focused entry in an Astrid/Eadwulf/Essek/Caleb series is so sweet! After he gives birth, Essek is able to get his dick back and fuck Eadwulf. They're both so loving and gentle with each other. It makes my heart burst!
Through the Years by piratesPencil (5649 words, Mature)
Pairing: Yeza Brenatto/Veth Brenatto/Essek Thelyss/Caleb Widogast
Warnings: None
Scenes of how Caleb and Essek and the Brenattos' relationship grows over several years and they eventually form a polycule.
Reccer Says: I love each one on one scene between Essek and the others. Also great demi Essek feels 💕
And we have two reccs for;
Today I Love You Even More by wtgw (5687 words, Teen)
Pairing: Yeza Brenatto/Veth Brenatto/Caleb Widogast
Warnings: None
Yeza encourages Veth to pursue her crush and is surprised when he ends up developing one of his own.
Takes place in Xhorhas between the time Yeza is rescued and the time they’re able to relocate him; a very sweet fic about Yeza slowly falling for and awkwardly romancing the Wizard boyfriend his wife picked up on the road.
Reccer 1 Says: I loooooove Yeza's characterization his dynamic with not just Veth and Caleb but the rest of the nein is great
Reccer 2 Says: I always love any story fleshing out Yeza and his personality+motivations, and this one does it so well! His patience and kindness in letting Nott persue Caleb, and then his own developing feelings, are just so endearing and fun to read about.
Thank you for joining us for our very first recc list! We'll be doing these every Wednesday for the foreseeable future 🩷 All enclosed recommendations were submitted by the community via our submissions form, which you can find here. All fic information is as it was provided by the reccer, so it may not be accurate to the author's intent or the precise contents of the fic itself. Please assume good intent from all parties 🩷
Submissions for next week's list are already open! We'll be featuring Modern AUs. If you have any you'd like to highlight, you can send them in here. The week after that, the theme is Whump, and you can also submit fics for that now!
If you want more rarepair fic, check out @cr-summer-wildflowers and their event collections on ao3! If you want some friendship after all this romance, take a look at @critter-genfic-events and their recc lists! And if you're interested in everyone's favorite wizards, you can't go wrong with the lists at @aeor-is-for-reccing !
Thanks all and have a lovely day/night/timezone! 🩷
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Yussa's live was calm, he loved the silence of his tower, he loved his routine and he had lived that life for years, more years than anyone on the Open Quay could remember.
Good afternoon everyone, I hope you're all having a lovely Wednesday! This week, we have nine fics featuring proposals, weddings, and marriages of all sorts! As always, you can find them below the cut and if you check any of them out, I encourage you to leave kudoes and comments to spread the rarepair love 💕
Orym and Will go 'stargazing' for their anniversary. (They actually fuck)
Reccer Says: It’s really really sweet!!! I love any fic that shows off how goddamn sappy and in love Orym and Will would’ve been and oh my god does that fic deliver. They’re all over each other and it’s GREAT. And the way the proposal comes out is so funny, I love it.
the sea, the stars, the dreamers by nonwal (117,680 words, Explicit)
Pairing: Astrid Beck/Eadwulf Grieve/Essek Thelyss/Caleb Widogast (Blumenshadow)
Warnings: Mental Health Issues, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Implied/Referenced Psychiatric Abuse, Under-negotiated Kink
A blumenshadow scifi arranged marriage AU that turns into an Among Us AU. Or, "In which Essek agrees to a political marriage to ensure intergalactic peace and keep himself alive, only to discover that his wife has married him for exactly the opposite reason."
Reccer Says: The INTRIGUE. The PINING. The WORLDBUILDING. These four are all having very different mental breakdowns, people are dying, and it is delicious to watch it all play out.
Shame on a martyr claiming friends by thought (1,641 words, Teen)
Pairing: Dorian Storm/Verin Thelyss
Warnings: None
Dorian—still Brontë—is arranged to marry Verin Thelyss. He’s naturally not thrilled, but he finds that he and his husband-to-be may have more in common than he first thought.
Reccer Says: Was immediately intrigued by the pairing and I am so invested in the idea of them now. I’d read 100k of this AU if there was that much, I think about what their relationship might look like so often since first reading it.
Training Perspectives by EliseK (4,106 words, Mature)
Pairing: Orym/Will
Warnings: None
Will & Orym think they're being discreet in training, but their squad disagrees
Kima and Allura attend Yasha and Beau's wedding. An excellent time is had by all.
Reccer Says: I enjoyed it!
Their Fond Pageant by littledust (5,199 words, General)
Pairing: Laerryn Coramar-Seelie/Loquatius Seelie (Loquaerryn)
Warnings: None
When a dozen invitations to Quay and Laerryn’s wedding mysteriously end up undelivered, the Ring of Brass (well, some of them) scramble to solve the mystery before the ceremony can be disrupted.
Reccer Says: It’s very fun, the mystery is great, the voices and POVs for each of the members of the Ring of Brass are spot-on, and Laerryn and Quay’s relationship and wedding are excellent backdrops to the whole thing.
wherever sea and shore brush close together by vietbluecoeur (7,786 words, General)
Pairing: Marion Lavorre/Yussa Errenis (Rubygold)
Warnings: None
A stunning fairy tale telling of the Ruby and the Gold Dragon.
After spending a month apart in anticipation of their wedding, Orym and Will consummate their marriage.
Reccer Says: some very good wedding night smut for everyone’s favorite tragic couple
Thank you for joining us this week’s recc list! All the love to everyone who submitted a fic 💕 All enclosed recommendations were submitted by the community via our submissions form, which you can find here. All fic information is as it was provided by the reccer, so it may not be accurate to the author’s intent or the precise contents of the fic itself. Please assume good intent from all parties 💕
Submissions for next week’s list are already open! We’ll be featuring Oneshots. If you have any you’d like to highlight, you can send them in here. The week after that, the theme is Laudna Rarepairs and the weeks after that we’re taking recommendations for Grief & Mourning and Summer! Submissions for all of these themes are currently open.
If you want more rarepair fic, check out @cr-summer-wildflowers and their event collections on ao3! If you want some friendship after all this romance, take a look at @critter-genfic-events and their recc lists! And if you’re interested in everyone’s favorite wizards, you can’t go wrong with the lists at @aeor-is-for-reccing !
Thanks all and have a lovely day/night/timezone! 💕
Today is all about The #GoldernRuby that is #RubyGold. Check her out on @transafricaradio at 6PM tonight. #AfroOrigins #AfroHouse #House #EDM #Electro #RadioInterview #PublicRelations #Pasada #AfroBeat #IndiePop #Repost @rubygold_live • • • Pic taken By Llewellyn Juice @llwellynmakhanya
