274 | more high rollers aerois thoughts, through episode 34

[straightforwardly]

More High Rollers: Aerois thoughts, up to episode 34, this time in bullet point form.

• This is something that probably should have gone into my last update—it just slipped my mind at the time—but how quick the DM was to stress that the spell Hunger Of Hadar isn’t a thing in Aerois (due to Hadar being a being who no one has ever heard of) when Kim made a joke/comment about it, definitely took on a new light after the Tiangong-based, “Hadar is coming & it’s terrifying” revelations Nova has after the battle with that woman in the Nighteye.



• Another last update thing: Nightfrost. I was a bit sad about his demise, since I was curious about where his plot was going to go, but I’m also very curious about how Lucius feels about the whole thing. There was this intriguing tidbit dropped when Quill allowed that ghost in the Nighteye to possess him, where Lucius implies that he enjoys the sensation of being benevolently possessed?? That on its own is already a delicious characterization tidbit, but then Aila makes a comment along the lines of, “Awww, missing Nightfrost?”, to which Lucius just—says nothing, in a rather deliberate-feeling way.
  
  Which then got me wondering how Lucius feels about Nightfrost’s death! We had Nova acknowledging it when she’s going through her guilt-induced meltdown, but I don’t think we’ve had Lucius directly comment on it? Not that I recall, at least. But I feel like there could be some complicated emotions going on underneath the surface. He was trying to help Nightfrost with his intense trauma, and they were in the process of building an emotional connection to one another in addition to the magical one that already existed between them—and then, he watches Nightfrost die, helpless to do anything.
  
  I do see Lucius as a character who has more going on under the surface than one might expect (see also: his conversation with Nova about his father when she’s helping him write a letter to him, which had me metaphorically fist-pumping & going I KNEW IT when that happened), and I could quite easily see Nightfrost’s death impacting him in a way related to the insecurities he implied having during that aforementioned conversation with Nova.
  
  Finally: there was a moment during one of the post-Sentry death episodes where he refers to the group as being heroes, before clarifying with something along the lines of, ‘Not me. I’m not a hero. But the rest of them are.’ It was a quick, blink & you’d miss it line, but I instantly narrowed in on it & its implications—and now I’m also wondering if it has any connection to what happened with Nightfrost as well.



• On a different note, I’ve started warming up to Pyri now. (Pun not intended, but nonetheless delighted in upon realization.) Quill is absolutely still superior and I want him back so so bad, but there is something fun about his dynamic with the group.



• Speaking of dynamics with the group—between Pyri and Johan, I’ve noticed something, and it’s that Aila seems to have gained a powerful protective streak when it comes to her companions! Not that she wasn’t wary of trouble or protective of her companions before, but there’s a new intensity to it that I’m reading as an emotional reaction to losing Sentry and Quill. Pyri and Johan are both treated as outsiders and potential threats, in a way that stands in stark contrast with Oriya, who Aila does seem to treat as one of her own.
  
  (...On that note, Oriya being a part of their group huddle when they discuss whether to show Johan Quill’s body or not? Super cute detail, imo. Again, wishing that Rhiannon could somehow play Sentry and Oriya both, because I want Oriya to remain part of the main party so bad…)



• FAIRY PRINCESS LUCIUS. Please picture my utter glee when Lucius underwent that transformation. My first reaction was: what utter perfection, and also I’m so sad that Quill isn’t here to react to this.
  
  Tragically, my delight soon turned to horror, because, as it turns out—I can’t actually stand Lucius’ new voice when he’s under that curse. T_T So I do hope it’s either temporary or that Trott gets tired of doing that voice at some point, because no, I can’t, sob sob sob.



• SPEAKING OF SOBBING: LUCIUS ASKING QUILL’S SPIRIT IF HE (LUCIUS) IS QUILL’S BEST FRIEND AND QUILL SAYING YES, HELP, WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH ALL THESE FEELINGS



• I’m a little sad that Trott is AFK for episode 34—not just because of “no real Lucius content :(” reasons, though that too, but because the party had a conversation about what types of dreams they have, and I would have really liked to hear what Lucius would have answered that question with.
  
  Also, Nova saying that she finds the way Lucius sleeps sweet (after Aila commented on how only Lucius could still be so annoying even when he’s sleeping, lol) made me go awww. Continuing to adore this friendship <3