Craigslist is a weird place, but they do find someone interested in the shard. Also, they make sure to get a handle on their torments.
Craigslist is a weird place, but they do find someone interested in the shard. Also, they make sure to get a handle on their torments.
Remy is played by Kris Allison @knalliso
Luz is played by Fabby Garza @fabby_garza
Julia is played by Minna Reilly @mynaminnarr
The GM is Josie @DragonGirlJosie
Find us on Twitter @love_hellfire
Demon: Love and Hellfire is a Clever Corvids production. @clever_corvids
Support us on the Clever Corvids Patreon!
Featured Charity: https://ko-fi.com/itsmrmask
All music is from Pixabay (used under their license) unless otherwise noted. Song list
Drafts of the rules I've written. Subject to change on a whim!!
[theme music plays]
Josie: Welcome back to Miami, everyone. Sorry again for the slight lateness on this episode. My schedule has just been a lot to deal with recently, so it’s been causing some delays. I think episodes are just gonna kind of be on an every other week schedule, not necessarily every other Tuesday specifically. I’m gonna try to get back to Tuesday, but I might change the official day to Thursday. We’ll see around next episode. But otherwise, that’s pretty much it, so here’s Fabby with this month’s featured charity.
Fabby: Hey everyone, Fabby here to talk about our featured charity this month. For this month I am going to ask you all to help someone who not only is one of the most important voices in the actual play scene but also an activist who has time and time again fought racism in our spaces and communities. I am referring to Indi Tan of dice comics. Indi not only runs an amazing podcast that everyone should be listening to, but like I said, their work in spreading awareness of racism in both the queer and actual play communities is incredibly important. They’ve recently been through a really hard personal time and have medical bills they need help covering. Please, if you have anything to spare, head over to ko-fi.com/itsmrmask. That’s K-O dash F-I dot com, slash I-T-S-M-R-M-A-S-K.
Josie: Now let’s get into the show.
##Story continues [00.02.26]
Josie: So, last time we left our demons who do brunch—
Fabby: [laughs]
Kris: [snorts]
Fabby: Oh, why didn’t we name the podcast that?
Josie: I mean, because we made it during the podcast. We didn’t know there was gonna be brunch involved.
Fabby: Quick, we need to start from the beginning,
Josie: [laughs] Yep, just start the podcast over. Stop recording.
Fabby: Get that new merch changed ASAP.
Josie: Uh huh, yeah, totally.
Kris: It would have to be in that Live, Laugh, Love font.
Fabby: [laughs] Demons can do brunch.
Josie: [laughs] We just rebrand as something totally straight-laced and—
Fabby: Well no, it’s still— it’s not— it’s queer, but it’s for the straights.
Kris: [groans]
Josie: Oh God, nothing— producing something like that would make me barf.
Fabby: [laughs]
Josie: Um, anyway, last time a lot of friends were consulted—
Fabby: The Will and Grace of podcasts. I’ll stop, I’ll stop.
[snickering]
Minna: Jesus.
Josie: The Will and Grace of podcasts. [laughs] That has to exist though. That’s like— that is just straight people podcasts, right? So not RPG podcasts.
Fabby: Yeah, but with straight people with the like pretense of queerness, right? It would have to be a podcast about a queer subject, but made of straight people.
Josie: I see.
Fabby: That was what Will and Grace was.
Josie: I’ve never seen Will and Grace, so this is all—
Fabby: So Will and Grace is about two gay men and uh…
Josie: Oh.
Fabby: Yes, and then there’s also a straight woman in there. And they’re all friends. But it’s mostly about the straight woman’s relationships, but the gay people are still there, sometimes they’re happy, don’t worry about it. They’re funny gays.
Josie: I see. So it’s one of those.
Fabby: Yeah.
Kris: All I know about that show is that John Barrowman auditioned for one of the— Jack, I think? That role.
Fabby: Yeah.
Minna: Oh my God!
Kris: And during his audition was told to act gayer. I’m like, John Barrowman?!
Josie: [laughs]
Fabby: Yeah.
Minna: John Barrowman!
Fabby: That character is like, Jack is like the stereotype of gayness from the last 20 years.
Kris: Yeah.
Fabby: It all feels influenced by that character in a really fucked-up way.
Kris: It’s just very funny that people thought John Barrowman was not gay enough. [laughs]
Josie: I see…
Fabby: Welcome to our Will and Grace rewatch podcast.
Kris: Yeah, sorry for—
Josie: Oh yeah, totally, none of this is coming out.
Fabby and Kris: [laughs]
Josie: I’ve decided I’m only doing bloopers if they interrupt something otherwise dramatic. Otherwise we’re just gonna roll. [laughs] We’re just gonna roll. So, last time, old friends were consulted, talks were had about relationships, but ultimately that culminated in deciding to make a Craigslist post for one of the Shards in the attempt to lure out other demons, especially those who might be seeking the Shard.
Kris: Mm hmm.
Josie: I want to know what this Craigslist post looks like. What are you selling it as? Are you bothering to disguise it at all?
Fabby: We said— remind me— please correct me if I’m wrong. I feel like last time we said that we were gonna sell it as someone stumbling upon this and trying to sell it, so they would think it’s like a human who happened to stumble upon this.
Josie: Uh huh.
Fabby: Right? Does that sound correct to everyone?
Josie: Yeah, probably.
Kris: Yeah.
Fabby: I feel that’s what we did. And I think I said I was gonna write it. In character, not me, Fabby. Uh, using some of Luz’s artistic qualities, being in the character. She’s a painter, but you know.
Kris: You can paint with words also.
Fabby: Paint with words.
Josie: Yeah, sure. So, you set up this Craigslist post about a human who has just stumbled upon this mystic thing.
Fabby: And they were going to like, describe it in ways that would be like what we’ve seen of the Shards so that anyone looking for it would know this right away, what it is.
Josie: Gotcha. Strangely, it’s not the weirdest post on Craigslist.
Fabby: Yeah, it’s Craigslist.
Kris: Can’t be.
Josie: I imagine there’s a lot of dud replies and visits before anyone you want gets there. I want each of you to make someone up that you have to turn down.
Kris: [laughs]
Fabby: Oh, I have to make up a guy.
Josie: Yes, this is your chance to make up a guy.
Fabby: Furiously going to Twitter and looking for guys.
Minna: [laughs]
Fabby: Leon Musk is the son of, uh, a blood oil baron that has used all his money in tech start-ups and they never really work? I think he’s trying to buy Facebook or something? Anyway, he’s interested in weird collecting shit and he tries to reply to us. He DMs us on Craigslist. I dunno if Craigslist has DMs.
Minna: It— you would email a response, I think.
Josie: Yeah.
Fabby: We get an email form Leon Musk.
Josie: Okay. [laughs]
Fabby: Parody, parody, parody.
Josie: Yeah, disclaimer, parody. Jokes on— no, jokes on you Elon, we’re not on your fucking platform.
Fabby: Not based on any real person.
Josie: Uh huh, totally. [laughs] Um, so yeah, you need to turn him down, but did you really just get a message from Leon Musk?
Fabby: Luz considers trying to scamming some money out of him, but it’s not worth it.
Josie: [laughs] That would involve interaction.
Fabby: Yeah.
Josie: What about the other two of you?
Kris: Mm… I think we get a message from like, a jewelry maker asking like, for the dimensions of it, what the material is like, how easily it like, I don’t know, could be shaped or filed down or something. But mostly those messages are also just like, things being like, ‘Oh yeah, for other— I’m asking because this is the kind of jewelry I make,’ but every message and email comes with a link to their online jewelry store and it’s like, stop trying to sell me things while asking about the thing. Be quiet and go away.
Josie: [laughs] No, I’m the one selling you things.
Kris: Exactly. Only one of us can make money moves at a time. Stop it. It’s my turn.
Minna: [laughs]
Josie: [laughs]
Minna: I think mine wants to know if it has mystical properties, but it’s very clear it’s in a like, crystals kind of way?
Fabby: [laughs]
Josie: Uh huh.
Kris: What kind of energies have you noticed this—
Fabby: What color is the aura of the rock? Is it more like a Pisces rock or a Virgo rock?
[laughter]
Kris: What does that mean?
Fabby: Don’t worry about it.
Josie: Is there inter-relationship? I know there’s birth stones. Mine’s an emerald.
Kris: All I know about rocks is that they look cool.
Fabby: No, you’re Josie— Josie, I think— emerald’s not your— you’re Josie.
Josie: My name can be whatever I want.
Fabby: It’s true. I just wanted to do the bit.
Josie: I have that power.
Fabby: Sorry.
Josie: And yes Kris, rocks are cool.
Fabby: I was just saying a bit. I’m sorry, Emerald I will respect your name.
Josie: [laughs]
Fabby: [laughs]
Josie: This episode will happen sometime.
Fabby: Uh huh. Sorry for my energy, y’all.
Josie: [laughs] It’s fine. I think after a barrage of some normal replies, but most of them very weird, either because they’re doing the whole making money thing backwards or just because you can tell between, you know, fake mysticism and the ones you know to actually be there. Although, in the olden days, that wasn’t really a distinction that existed. Eventually, you get an email from someone who just labels it ‘C’ and it just says, ‘I know what a piece of Babel looks like.’
Minna: Uh!
Kris: Oh no.
Josie: And that’s just the first email.
Fabby: Hmm.
Kris: Shit, alright, are we keeping with bit? Or we don’t?
Fabby: Yeah, okay, do we pretend we don’t? What do we wanna do here? “Do you mean that Brad Pitt movie?”
Minna: [laughs]
Fabby: Luz types the email out but doesn’t send it.
Josie: [laughs]
Kris: The movie called Babel? Sure.
Fabby: Yeah.
Josie: I do imagine the three of you huddled around the laptop.
Minna: Yes.
Kris: Same. [laughs]
Minna: I don’t know whose coffee table it’s on, but it is and we are all like, crammed together in front of it.
Fabby: It’s an actual table and there’s coffee, we’re at La Casita.
Minna: Oh that’s right, sorry, my brain completely forgot the details.
Fabby: It’s a table and it has coffee, but yes.
Josie: [laughs]
Kris: Oh man, I mean like, that’s probably an in-character question.
Kris (as Remy): Should we just come clean or do we keep with the bit of not knowing?
Fabby (as Luz): I feel like—
Kris (as Remy): I don’t know which would be better.
Fabby (as Luz): Okay, I know you don’t really know memes, but I feel we have ended up in the step three profit, step two question mark question mark, because we did step one and we’re hoping for step three, but I don’t think we really planned step two.
Josie: [laughs]
Fabby (as Luz): Okay, let me send you some minion memes real quick.
Kris: [laughs] Remy waits for those like, ‘I understand—’
Fabby: She finds them, she shows you the Gru meme.
Kris: [laughs] Remy’s just sort of like,
Kris (as Remy): I mean I understand the meaning of it. I’m not sure why this bald cartoon is the one saying it, but sure. Um…
Minna: [laughs]
Josie: [laughs]
Kris (as Remy): But the point stands that yeah, we really gotta start thinking about the middle of things, huh?
Josie: I dunno, I like jumping into things half-baked. It’s fun.
Kris: [laughs] No, out of character, big fan. In character, very anxiety-inducing.
Fabby: I was gonna say, it’s uh, I can’t remember her name. The owner of La Casita being like, “Oh no, I love jumping into things half-baked.”
Josie: Oh yeah, Naz.
Fabby: Naz is like, great.
Josie (as Naz): I’d rather do something rather than nothing.
Kris (as Remy): Mm.
Fabby (as Luz): I mean, okay, so do we… we could, we could drop the bit and be like, admit but not… not tell them who we are and pretend to be a different demon? Because we are probably— if they’re associated with like, the priest and stuff, they know who we are.
Kris (as Remy): Hmm. Would it be too obvious just to ask? “Hi, who are you? Who are you associated with?” No, that might be a bit too much— oh, really?
Fabby (as Luz): Not who are we associated, but like, dropping the bit without giving information and be like, “Yes. What is it worth to you?” and then maybe ask like, what House or, or faction maybe? Or what was your old name? I don’t know. Would that make sense? Oh, what if we said, “What’s it worth it to you and what did I used to call you back in the day?”
Kris (as Remy): Oh, that’s cryptic.
Fabby (as Luz): But I think it leaves them enough string to follow. What do you all think?
Kris (as Remy): It’s better than anything I can think of.
Fabby (as Luz): Okay, I’m writing the email.
Fabby: And she drafts an email up.
Josie: Alright. So you send that email asking what name they used to go by. A few moments later, and it is a few moments, you are able to watch this email come in, and the email reads, “Oh thank goodness. I was very worried that I had just sent a completely insane email to a normal person.”
Minna: [laughs]
Fabby: [laughs] Okay, good.
Kris: [laughs]
Josie: “Hello. I used to go by the name Chemosh. Currently, I work as a curator for the Museum of Contemporary Art. Of course, I do not wish to display this item, but I was hoping we could meet and discuss a trade.”
Fabby: I’m gonna send back an email asking like, hey, out of curiosity, what are you… why are you interested in the Shard? What are you planning to do with it?
Josie: I think this time there’s a little longer between emails. And then it comes back, “I wish to preserve it. While it is broken, a thing of the past, I think letting all of the Shards at least languish in obscurity out of our sight and mind would be a mistake. It does well for us to remember our history, does it not?”
Fabby (as Luz): “Yeah, I totally agree. Although I did hear a rumor that someone was trying to recreate it? I don’t know if it’s true or not, like, recreate the Tower? You wouldn’t be involved in any of that, would you?”
Kris: [laughs]
Josie: Another pause. Another email comes back. “That is a very interesting rumor, and perhaps not a surprising one. But no. My interest is in preservation, not restoration, I suppose. Well, I suppose I might restore the Shard to good condition if it has been damaged, but you understand what I mean.
Fabby (as Luz): “I understand.” Um, “I got a tall essence, I understand.”
Josie: [laughs]
Kris: [laughs]
Fabby: Okay, I say to my friends who are, I assume, looking over my shoulder this whole time?
Kris: Mm hmm.
Fabby (as Luz): Okay, so… maybe we should meet— or I should meet with them and try to talk a little bit more, be friendly? And I don’t know, if they seem to be telling the truth, maybe having the Shard restored is not the worst?
Kris (as Remy): Further than the restoration, if Chemosh has some place to actually store them that would be safer than any of our given apartments or Naz’s restaurant, that might be a huge help.
Minna (as Julia): Yeah. More concerned about security than about, uh, art restoration.
Fabby (as Luz): Okay. Then I will arrange a meeting and if we change our minds, we can always, you know, not give it to them. Or not show up.
Kris (as Remy): [sighs] It is one of those cross those bridge when we get there situations, isn’t it?
Fabby (as Luz): Yep. We will burn that bridge when we get to it.
Kris (as Remy): I— hmm.
Kris (as Remy): It takes Remy a second to realize, like, ‘Wait. That’s not how that phrase goes. Hang on. Are you serious about that?’ [laughs]
Josie: [laughs]
Fabby (as Luz): You know. If we get to it.
Kris (as Remy): Uh… okay. Yep. If. If is a big word in that sentence. Alright.
Josie: Yes. “Would you be amenable to meeting at my office at the museum? I can demonstrate the facilities if need be.”
Fabby (as Luz): “Perfect. Would you mind if I brought a friend, someone else like us? Just, you know, meeting strangers and all that.”
Josie: “Of course. I have been rather by my lonesome in this regard. I do wish to connect with more of our lot.”
Fabby (as Luz): “Well that’s perfect, we actually have a semi-regular meeting.”
Kris: [laughs]
Fabby (as Luz): “With some people like you, maybe I’ll get you the information. You know, we do brunch sometimes.”
Josie: “Oh, that’s delightful. I would love to.”
Fabby (as Luz): “Perfect. See you there.”
Fabby: Heart.
Josie: [laughs] So, yeah, you all do have a meeting at the museum, if you wanna do that.
Fabby: Yay.
Josie: Any more you wanna talk about or do?
Kris: Um, so we know that Sekhmet does not like this individual, right?
Josie: Mm hmm.
Kris: I remember that Remy doesn’t fully remember Sekhmet, because I know I made a roll for that and I know it went badly, because I’m looking at that lack of dots in that— in my True Name. But I remember Remy had like, you know, like, ‘I got a bad feeling about this’ kinda thing. Um… [laughs] So, hoo, I’m trying to figure out, like, I think, you know, it’s like, okay. Meeting time’s set up, that’s good and great, there’s like… two minutes of silence where everyone’s like, ‘Okay, that could have gone worse, good, that’s good, okay, love that.’ And then Remy just breaks that kind of silence and calm by going,
Kris (as Remy): Mm. Do— mm. Do either of you remember Sekhmet? I— it could be nothing, but… mm…
Fabby: Me turning to Josie, do we?
Josie: Um… give me some… give me some True Name rolls if you wanna figure it out.
Fabby: 4.
Josie: 4.
Fabby: It’s been long enough in the system that I can’t remember if a 4 is bad or neutral.
Minna: Success with a consequence. I’m a 5, which is the same bracket.
Josie: Okay then. Yeah. You all can remember a bit more about Sekhmet. She was a Devourer who was one of the first to join the rebellion. She was on board basically immediately, because she always kind of ran hot with her temper and her, uh, [laughs] sort of feral demeanor. She was a stalwart companion and fighter, but was notoriously inflexible towards any sort of doubt or cowardice or anything like that. Like, if you were out there with her she’d get along with you just fine. If you weren’t, kind of like, if you were say, like Remy, who was more in the back, or Julia who was more concerned with specific locations, ehh, it was rocky. It was rocky. She didn’t brook what she saw was cowardice. And her definition of cowardice was quite broad. But she kind of embodied like, a little bit of natural disasters, like lightning and fire. Like natural violence, I guess.
Fabby: Mm hmm.
Fabby (as Luz): Uh, a little bit? Violent, joined Lucifer kinda early, but not for the same reasons I did.
Kris (as Remy): Okay. You know, it’s probably noth— I don’t want to worry either of you, I’m real sorry about that, it’s just I… you know, when the name came up earlier I… I just got a concerning feeling. But I feel like those are everywhere these days, so it’s probably just me.
Fabby (as Luz): I mean, we’re still gonna meet first. And if there’s— if we get the feeling when we’re there, we can always leave. There’ll be three of us and one of them. If both of you want to come.
Fabby: [clears throat]
Fabby (as Luz): Otherwise, there will be two of us and one of them. I’m not going by myself.
Kris (as Remy): No, of course not. Uh, if I’m free I’ll try to be there. I don’t know that I’ve ever been in an office in a museum, so sounds like it could be fun.
Fabby (as Luz): Oh, I should probably send an email asking what name we should ask for when we get there. Shouldn’t probably ask the demon name.
Minna: [laughs]
Kris (as Remy): Mm, right.
Minna: Yeah.
Fabby: I do that in the background.
Kris: [laughs]
Minna: I doubt the receptionist knows Chemosh.
Josie: Yeah, he gives the name Elijah. Any preparations y’all wanna make? Good on Faith?
Kris: I could have more, but I feel like I’ve probably got some things to clear up before I can be like, “Hello!”
Josie: [laughs]
Fabby: Yeah, I wouldn’t mind going and getting some Faith from Iris and Ace, cause I think I have one.
Josie: Oh, yeah. That’s probably worthwhile. How you doing, Julia?
Minna: On Faith?
Josie: Yeah.
Minna: I think you had us clear it out at some point or something, cause I don’t have anything marked except a Torment.
Fabby: Did you?
Josie: Yeah.
Kris: Yeah. Josie had us re… like, wipe our Faith cause we— at least, I think both Fabby and I just fully ran through it in like, the first day. [laughs]
Josie: Yeah.
Fabby: In that case, let me do it, cause I don’t know when I would have used all of my Faith up.
Kris: I know I used some at the beach.
Fabby: Yeah, did I use all of it except one at the beach?
Josie: Yeah, it seems like it. [laughs]
Fabby: Okay, that’s fine. Either I forgot to clear it or I used all of it.
Josie: [laughs]
Fabby: Listen, this is my own petard and I’m being hoisted by it.
Josie: Yeah! [laughs]
Fabby: And now I have to go meet up with my T4T partners. That— this is storytelling.
Minna: There is something a little delightful to me about the bit on the Faith tracker— I don’t know if everybody has this or I just did for myself [laughs] but it’s like a little, a little caret and then Torments in tiny letters and all I can think is like the Tumblr way of posting about the horrors or the agonies.
Fabby: [laughs]
Josie: [laughs]
Kris: I have to assume that’s something you did, because I do not have carets anywhere on this.
Josie: Yeah, that’s not a default part of the sheet, but I like that you added it.
Minna: I’ve probably added it because I did not remember that’s where you’re supposed to mark Torments. [laughs]
Josie: [laughs]
Kris: [laughs]
Josie: Your trauma lives here on your sheet. Okay, so Fabby, do you wanna do like, a scene with Iris and Ace or kind of abbreviate it?
Fabby: Uh, whatever you’re up to and the table is good with. Cause I— you and I, or at least I feel I could roleplay Iris and Ace, like, three hours nonstop.
Josie: [laughs] Okay.
Fabby: So I’m basically up to whatever the mood of the table, [laughs] how many times— how much time does everyone else want to look at their phone? [laughs]
Josie: [laughs] Um, in the interest of, yeah, keeping everyone kind of in the game, I think we can kind of abbreviate it and kind of describe vaguely what happens.
Fabby: Yeah.
Josie: I imagine there’s a lot of getting used to after you like, came out to them after a fashion.
Fabby: Mm hmm. Yeah.
Josie: But I don’t think they’re treating you differently at first. Like, it at least starts like a very normal hangout scene. Anyone that— how do you think it goes?
Fabby: Yeah, I think, at least for Luz’s part, she is kinda trying to-- I think she’s gonna be herself and like, being very affectionate and flirty with both of them and maybe trying to pretend nothing’s different, maybe to a detriment? But like, if they bring up that she’s a demon or a demon thing, she’s gonna engage with that. But she probably wouldn’t just bring it up out of the blue. She wouldn’t be like, “Okay, so tomorrow I’m meeting up with another demon to give them a piece of the Tower of Babel so that it can be protected, because there’s this evil demon who wants it and it’ll be safer protected in a museum than in our coffee shop where demons gather for brunch.” I don’t think that she’s gonna come out with that information.
Josie: Yeah, in that case I think you can get 3 Faith back from just chilling and re-establishing some normalcy.
Fabby: Cool. Yeah. That gives me 4 Faith, so perfect.
Josie: Anything else from the other two of you before we go to the meeting?
Kris: Um, how do Torment clocks work? How do you work on those?
Josie: You just do things that might soothe your pain a little bit.
Kris: Mm hmm.
Josie: Like, something that helps you chill out, or forget it, or deal with it. And then we roll some dice and fill it in that many, or some number of ticks on the clock.
Kris: Sure. Cause I think… I think, um, if I remember correctly, Remy might have taken a point of Torment. Cause I got two, which is not lovely. Um, but I think Remy might have taken a point of Torment from, you know, massively letting down Jade and by extension Isaiah, my boy!
Josie: [laughs]
Kris: So I think actually, you know, potentially finding somewhere to like, secure these Shards might actually assuage some of Remy's guilt and it’s like, ‘Okay, look, if these things aren’t just hanging around any of our homes, that means the people around us are safer right? And that’s good and we’re doing a good job? Um, [laughs] so I think— I’m wondering if there’s a way to turn that into potentially working on a Torment clock? Because I was also wondering, like, what does it look like for us to— like, do we just like, have this Shard in someone’s bag of some kind? Or like, do we wrap it in bubble wrap and then put it in a box and then put that box inside another box?
Josie: [laughs] And then mail that box to yourself.
Kris: Yourself, exactly.
Minna: [laughs]
Kris: You know, cause we’re going the very like, Indiana Jones, “It belongs in a museum!” kind of route. Um, which is like, how do we, you know, carry this thing inconspicuously?
Fabby: We put it in a plastic zip-loc baggy and then in Luz’s purse. Maybe wrapped with a handkerchief or something.
Kris: Mm hmm.
Fabby: Oh, it’s wrapped in a trans pride— trans flag, pride handkerchief.
Kris: Nice. Um, but yeah. I think maybe Remy is working on one of their Torments by just keeping Jade up to date? Cause they did say they would do that.
Josie: Oh. Yeah, that makes sense. Yeah, so you’re kinda following through on your promise a little bit.
Kris: Mm hmm. You know. Like I don’t have— we haven’t had this sit-down with Elijah yet, so I can’t say how it’s gone, but at least we’re trying to find somewhere safe to keep these things so that people don’t come looking for them or, you know, try to collect them all in the worst way possible.
Josie: Yeah.
Kris: But yeah, I think they’re trying to follow through on that.
Josie: Yeah. Letting others down in your demon self’s trauma, so go ahead and roll your Demon Name.
Kris: Sure. I have one dice in that like everything else now. Ugh, no, don’t fall.
Josie: [laughs]
Kris: That’s a 4.
Josie: 4. So fill in two ticks on the Torment clock.
Kris: Great. Awesome.
Minna: I should at some point also work on my Torment clock. I forgot that’s a mechanic. [laughs] But I only have one Torment, so it’s not like extremely urgent.
Josie: Yeah, but I mean, now’s a good time to do it if you have an idea.
Minna: She might go kayaking.
Fabby: Oh, that’s’ nice.
Kris: Ah.
Minna: I feel like that’s a good way to reconnect and chill out.
Josie: Yeah. I agree.
Minna: Yeah, I think she has, um, she probably has some, like, a kayak and she probably just has a pickup truck in general, in the general course of life, that is probably the most practical thing for her.
Kris: Yeah, she’s a landscaper.
Minna: [laughs] So she just makes her way to out to some kind of, kind of more swampy than beachy.
Josie: Gimme a Human Name roll.
Minna: Can I add my Kayaking Influence?
Josie: Sure, why not.
Minna: Okay good, because I have zero in Human Name. [laughs]
Josie: [laughs]
Kris: [laughs]
Josie: But I loved that you picked Kayaking Influence.
Minna: 6.
Fabby: [laughs]
Kris: Hell yes!
Minna: Look, I thought maybe I could have friends who also do that.
Kris: Does Julia have a kayaking club?
Minna: Probably! [laughs]
Kris: Like, the way people have hike clubs and running clubs. Like, if she’s been— if she’s just not been going to it for a while, it’s like, what if you did?
Minna: Yeah. That’s probably a thing. [laughs]
Josie: I love that. So yeah, that’s three ticks on the clock. So the next time you soothe your Torments at all, you’ll clear one. So, I think the meeting was for the afternoon the next day. Which I believe is a workday, so this is all after work and stuff. The Museum of Contemporary Art is kind of a neat-looking building, it’s a lot of geometric shapes kind of smooshed together. There’s a very colorful plaza outside with a little pond. And I think Chemosh meets you there. Chemosh/Isaiah is a—
Kris: Elijah.
Josie: Elijah. Yes.
Kris: Sorry. [laughs]
Josie: Fucking biblical names.
Kris: Uh huh. Also I heard Isaiah, I was like [gasps] my boy! [laughs]
Fabby: That’s why I got them confused. Because when you said Elijah, I was like, ‘Oh. Isaiah!’
Kris: You were like, ‘Isn’t that a seven-year-old?’
Fabby: Yeah.
Kris: [laughs]
Fabby: Can’t believe the seven-year-old’s a demon, what a twist!
Josie: I could be smart and just change the name right now, but I think it’s funnier if I don’t going forward.
Fabby: Who’s willing to in-character get them confused at one point? Because I will out of character get them confused at one point.
Josie: [laughs] So anyway, Elijah/Chemosh is a very, very portly man in dress pants and a button-up shirt. He’s very smiley, very happy, he kind of has a sun hat on and always walks with a very, very fancy cane with a very shiny silver top. And he doesn’t seem to need it, he just has it to be fancy, it seems like.
Fabby: That’s fair.
Kris: Yeah, sometimes you gotta have swag.
Josie: He smiles and gives a firm shake of the hand to each of you.
Josie (as Elijah): Welcome, welcome. It has been so long since I have encountered any in our particular club. I do hope you can enjoy the museum before we get down to business.
Fabby (as Luz): Sure, I love— I love museums. Usually I tend to go to more galleries, but maybe one day my stuff will be in a museum, I wouldn’t mind.
Fabby: She like, smiles.
Josie (as Elijah): Yes, well. It is very much a gallery in here. This is not a historical museum, you understand.
Kris (as Remy): Do you wanna give us the insider’s greatest hits tour, or do we just wanna wander for a bit?
Josie (as Elijah): Of course, of course. Although which among you is whom?
Kris (as Remy): Oh.
Minna: [laughs]
Fabby (as Luz): This always happens.
Josie: [laughs]
Fabby (as Luz): So hi, I am Luz. Or you may have known me once as Penumbra.
Josie (as Elijah): Oh!
Fabby (as Luz): Mm hmm.
Josie (as Elijah): We are in the presence of one of our illustrious leader’s inner circle then, I see. Welcome, it’s a pleasure.
Fabby (as Luz): Oh you know, I’m just an artist nowadays.
Josie: He kind of puts his hand to his mouth and whispers,
Josie (as Elijah): It seems we are in the same boat, then.
Fabby (as Luz): [laughs]
Fabby: She like, laughs.
Kris: I love him.
Kris (as Remy): Remy. Um, I was— am— it’s a… Orea. Hi.
Josie: He looks at you for a minute and is like,
Josie (as Elijah): I’m sorry, I did not quite process that the first time around. Orea, it is so good to see you!
Josie: He grabs Remy’s hand again and shakes it vigorously.
Kris: Okay, I think Remy had been sort of like, waiting to see how he reacted to that, and this is like, not what they are expecting.
Josie: [laughs]
Kris: They’re like,
Kris (as Remy): Oh. Oh, alright, yeah. Well, you know. Good to…
Josie (as Elijah): I had been attempting to touch base in that dreadful place, but I could not find you. I do so miss the work we did together. I must assume you’re an architect in this life as well.
Kris: [laughs] Remy’s eyes are just wide with this sort of like ‘A who— a what now?’
Josie: [laughs]
Kris: [laughs] Remy just sort of like, you know, glancing over their shoulder at their shitty old car parked [laughs] in the parking lot. Like,
Kris (as Remy): Uh… not quite. We—I’d love to talk more about that maybe later though, cause, you know, I wasn’t… where everybody else seemed to have been and I probably have about as many questions as you do. Yeah.
Fabby: Luz goes,
Fabby (as Luz): Oh…
Fabby: And leans back to Julia like,
Fabby (as Luz): They meant, like, down there. I thought they meant Reddit.
Kris: [laughs]
Fabby: Or Craigslist, sorry.
Minna: [laughs]
Fabby: I got them in Craigslist. We met them at Craigslist.
Kris: A Craigslist ad. ‘That wretched place, Craigslist’. [sharp laugh]
Minna: [wheezes]
Kris: Good.
Fabby: [laughs]
Kris: Apologies for that audio spike.
Josie: No, it’s good—
Minna: I apologize for whatever ungodly squeal I just made.
Fabby: [laughs]
Josie: It was adorable.
[laughter dies down]
Minna: I think Julia kinda waves and goes,
Minna (as Julia): Aigron. Julia.
Josie: He thinks for a moment.
Josie (as Elijah): Oh, I do remember you. I’m afraid our circles didn’t intersect very often, but you were quite fearsome as I recall.
Minna (as Julia): Still am.
Fabby: Luz nods, like, very seriously.
Fabby (as Luz): Mm hmm. Mm hmm.
Josie (as Elijah): Oh, well I’d better be on my best behavior, then.
Fabby (as Luz): Mm hmm, mm hmm.
Fabby: [laughs]
Josie (as Elijah): Come, come inside. I’ll show you. We can catch up as we talk.
Josie: So, yeah, I think he gives you a very pleasant tour of the Museum of Contemporary Art. It’s a lot of different things, there’s a lot of found art, a lot of like, repurposed art, a lot of abstract sculpture and paintings and like, things that look like canvas painted but are actually like, knitted. And these are all by like, artists of the area.
Fabby: Uh yeah, Luz is one, in her element and two, being a total star-fucker of like, name-dropping like,
Fabby (as Luz): Oh yeah, I’ve had tea with this person. Oh yeah, me and this—
Fabby: Pointing at a painting,
Fabby (as Luz): Me and this artist hooked up once after a show.
Fabby: And just like, basically has a story for each and every one of these, these pieces. And they’re more about her than about the art itself.
Josie: [laughs]
Kris: Does Luz get one of those ‘I liked their early work better’ moments? [laughs]
Fabby (as Luz): Well, a lot of people say their early work is very reminiscent of my current work, but then they moved and they changed— and that’s fine, we all change and do different things.
Josie: Yeah. I mean, I think it becomes clear that Chemosh has different taste.
Fabby: [laughs]
Josie: But he’s polite to a fault.
Fabby: Good.
Josie: And he absolutely engages Luz in this discussion.
Fabby: Yeah, Luz is just having fun.
Josie: I’m imagining philosopher meme about contemporary local art. [laughs]
Fabby: Yes. Uh, yeah, Luz enjoys the art and understands it on a craft level, but also she’s a gossipy bitch and she’s like,
Fabby (as Luz): Oh, did you know that this artist was dating that artist, but then that artist cheated on them with that artist and didn’t even tell them? Woof, that was a whole deal.
Kris: [laughs]
Josie (as Elijah): It sounds very much so. How did you find out about all of this?
Fabby (as Luz): I mean, I ended up hooking with that artist after they broke up. But also, you can see it in this piece cause it’s like right after the breakup. And you can really tell the inner struggle and the pain in the brushstrokes.
Josie (as Elijah): A breakup. I suppose that does make the piece make a bit more sense.
Fabby (as Luz): Mm hmm. Mm hmm. Yeah, that’s when they kinda turned from a more, like, just very clinical art style to what they have now done that’s more abstract and feelings-based. Like, listen, no one likes being hurt, but they repurposed that pain greatly. Also, they’re a great lover now, so that’s always nice.
Josie: [laughs] He chokes a bit and is like,
Josie (as Elijah): Oh. I see.
Fabby (as Luz): Yeah.
Kris: [laughs]
Fabby: She smiles happily, innocently.
Josie: [laughs] I think as you all move through the museum he eventually leads you all through a back door and into a set of stairs leading down, and he turns and says,
Josie (as Elijah): Now I do apologize. I am about to lead the three of you into a basement full of vaguely demonic artifacts.
Minna: [laughs]
Josie (as Elijah): I understand if this is a warning sign and if any of you wish to back out now.
Fabby (as Luz): I mean…
Josie (as Elijah): I don’t want to make any of you uncomfortable.
Fabby: She like whispers a little bit,
Fabby (as Luz): We’re all kind of vaguely demonic artifacts, so… if you look at it in a certain lens.
Kris (as Remy): I think we’ll be fine, Elijah.
##Credits [00.44.31]
Josie: Demon: Love and Hellfire is a Clever Corvids production. Find the show on Twitter @Love_Hellfire and follow @Clever_Corvids on Twitter for updates on the network and City That Never Dies. We also have a website, CleverCorvids.net.
Don’t forget to support the Clever Corvids Patreon. It supports all our shows, and you get some extra goodies each month if you do. I have a few more shows planned, so if we can get enough patrons to afford them, we can keep expanding our network.
Luz, aka Penumbra, is played by Fabby Garza. Fabby is a Mexican-American queer trans woman and you can find her voice in other Actual Play podcasts such as Eidolon Playtest, Moon Harbor Heroes, and Don’t Cast, Don’t Tell. You can find her and all of her work @Fabby_Garza on Twitter.
Remy, aka Orea, is played by Kris Allison. Kris is black, ace and tired. You can also hear them having anti-capitalist gay space adventures in the podcast Breathing Space: Fading Frontier. You can also find them on Twitter @knalliso, where they frequently retweet other people and sometimes draw swords.
Julia, aka Aigron, is played by Minna Reilly. Minna is an aro-ace Florida woman who doesn’t do anything wild enough to end up in a headline. You can, however, hear her elsewhere on Clever Corvids in The City That Never Dies. You can also find her on Twitter @mynaminnarr, where she is almost certainly talking about fanfiction.
The GM is Josie S. Josie is a literal, actual dragon and a thirsty trans lesbian. Hear her elsewhere on Clever Corvids in The City That Never Dies, or guesting on a bunch of other podcasts like Moon Harbor. You can find her on Twitter @DragonGirlJosie, where she is extremely gay all the time.
All music on the show is from Pixabay, used under their license, unless otherwise noted. Pixabay’s license grants the irrevocable, worldwide, non-exclusive and royalty free right to use, download, copy, modify or adapt their content for commercial or non-commercial purposes. Attribution of the artists is not required, but we have a page on our website, CleverCorvids.net, to credit the artists anyway.
Thank you for listening!
[theme music plays out]