abraxaslogs | [open] i'm so tired of being tired

[ annabeth has been waiting for this moment since eddie first started taunting dnd. ]

[ as soon as she gets a character sheet and finally starts learning how to do this, she gets to work and she dives in hard. she chooses a paladin, appreciative of the combination in fighting and magic, and somehow manages to create an extremely well thought out first timer sheet, leaving nothing un-scrutinized and doing her best to find a good balance. she is putting forth great effort here, less so to impress eddie so much as this game is literally checking off every single box in the list of things annabeth enjoys. ]

[ her enthusiasm does not wane in the game itself. eddie definitely tried to kill her off more than once, but he did not succeed, thank you very much. annabeth learned as many rules as she could as quickly as she could, and she is not afraid to toe the line on those rules to pull the moves she wants. she pushes plenty of buttons while still trying to get a feel for it. ]

[ but the most important part is it's stupidly fun, and even in those moments where she yells at eddie for a story choice, or swears when she makes a mistake, it's very clear she is having a good time. she can be a little intense, but she's very into the shenanigans. annabeth chase makes for an ideal dnd player, who knew?? ]

If you really get a lot of complaints, that's usually a sign of poor management. [ she doesn't actually have any right now, but he brought it up. ]

Edited 2024-09-10 05:09 (UTC)

[ Truth be told, Annabeth is part of the reason Eddie finally got off his ass and put this campaign together. It’s true that he needed a distraction and needed to pull himself out of the pit he’s found himself in, but at the same time, he hadn’t forgotten that someone was far more enthusiastic and interested in learning how to play than most.

And he wasn’t disappointed. Annabeth proves to be a star D&D player. She’s intense and serious without being too stuffy about it, creative and not afraid to push back against Eddie’s flimsy rules. She’d even managed to avoid Eddie’s attempts ot kill her more than once. If he had to compare someone to the other members of Hellfire Club, well—Annabeth would have fit right in, and Eddie will absolutely be inviting her back of another campaign. She may not have been trying to impress him, but he is very impressed. ]

Hey, hey— [ He points at her with his guitar pick. ] My management is fantastic. I just don’t think the newbies would appreciate the way I usually run things.

[ He used to be a little harsh with his regular attendees. He’s calmed down a lot since then, just to keep people coming around and having a good time. ]

But if you’re gonna act like that, I guess I’m not gonna compliment you like I’d planned.

[ it's strategy! it's thoughtfulness! it's chaotic! it's making things up on the fly! it's math! it's all things she's very good at, just in a much less physically life threatening setting. barely ten minutes into it, annabeth became a very big fan. she is in it to win it, whatever winning ultimately looks like. she likes the mystery too. ]

[ she rolls her eyes and crosses her arms, but her expression remains more amused than anything else, betraying the sarcasm. ] You're the one who opened the floor to it. I was only going to tell you that it was fun, and I'm already thinking about what might happen next time, how I might do things differently.

[ she pauses. ] So now you can tell me the compliment.

[ give it to her. ]

Yeah, yeah, maybe I don’t feel like giving out compliments anymore.

[ He makes a show of pretending to carefully consider whether he wants to pay her a compliment or not. But it’s clear he has a true fan of the game on his hands now, and surprisingly, it’s kind of hard to be cagey when you have someone like that in your presence. So he relents. ]

You’re a good player. You put together a good character and you avoided my attempts to kill you— [ He pauses to glance at his hand where he’s made tally marks. Yes, he is a walking meme at this point. ] Three times. That’s admirable. Impressive, even. So if you wanna come back next time? Come back next time.

[ she crosses her arms with somewhat dramatic flair, giving eddie a Look while she waits for him to cave. ]

[ and, well, when he finally does and practically gives her a list of all the things she did well, annabeth is preening. her shoulders lift up proudly and her expression becomes incredibly self-satisfied as she grins widely. eddie's the self proclaimed king of the nerds, he clearly knows his shit about this game, and she just fucking nailed it. she knew she did well, but it's always nice to hear it. she's IMPRESSIVE. ]

I knew I'd be good at it. [ she thinks this about most things. it's a literal fatal flaw. ] I'll definitely be back. You are not going to succeed at killing me.

[ if real life monsters can't do it, she's not going to let a dungeon master either!! ]

But thank you for saying so. [ she can be a little polite about it, in between all the inner gloating. ]

[ She is very impressive! So much so that Eddie is already thinking who he might ask to take over as DM in the far future. It would have been Dustin—it was always going to be Dustin, but Dustin isn’t here anymore and if Eddie is always the one DMing, he can’t play.

But he won’t ask yet. Not after a single campaign, not when Annabeth is still a beginner and hasn’t yet committed to more than one campaign. He will be keeping it in mind, though. ]

Yeah, well, we’ll see about that, won’t we?

[ Said in an ominous tone that implies he will be trying harder to kill her character in the future. Just for kicks. He grins, though, even as he threatens: ]

Keep gloating and I’m gonna revoke the invitation, though.

[ she only snorts at his so-called ominous tone. she'd be even more flattered and smug if he told her he thought she'd be capable of running a game one day, so perhaps it's for the best he holds back on it. ]

You just told me how good at this I was, why would you kick me out? I'm allowed to bask in a win.

[ besides, it's not like anything bad can come out of this kind of gloating, right?? right???? right. ]

It'll be even better next time, now that I have a better sense of how it works.

[ See, this is exactly why he’s not saying anything yet! The thought is in his head, but he’s keeping it to himself until some of this smugness cools down a bit—and until she’s actually played more than once. It’s probably going to happen, though. If Dustin can’t be his protege, he’ll just have to pick someone else. ]

Alright, alright—first of all, you didn’t win. You just played an impressively good game. For a beginner.

[ He emphasized that part pointedly. Even though she played well for literally anyone, not just a beginner. ]

Second of all...you’re right. I’m just talking shit. But I'm still gonna hold you to that. Come back next time, do even better.

[ this is why eddie reigns supreme as the dungeon master. ]

How does that not count at the very least as a win? It doesn't have to be the ultimate win. [ not yet. ]

[ she barely bats an eye at the beginner remark, because everyone has to start somewhere. she still did excellent. she can be the champion of the beginners and be satisfied. ]

I really did have a lot of fun. And I see what you mean about how it's easier to learn in immersion. How long have you been playing?

[ He just grins mysteriously, and he doesn’t provide a real answer for her. He doesn’t consider it a win because to him, there’s really no winning or losing in D&D—not in the traditional sense. Instead, he just replies: ]

If you really want win, keep showing up.

[ A fresh challenge for you, Annabeth. He can tell she gets it, though. She did do a fantastic job. ]

Uhh, I’ve been playing probably since I was thirteen? My best friend and I got really into it one summer. Started a club. Membership was never exactly bursting, but the people who were meant to find it always did.

You don't have to keep trying to convince me. [ she was sold on her return the moment they started to play. ]

[ annabeth squints briefly, like she's trying to figure out how old he might be, but ultimately just settles on the fact that he's been playing it for quite a few years, and that satisfies her well enough. ]

It's quality, not quantity, no matter the club. [ as though she has club experience at a real school. ] I can definitely tell you've been doing it a while though, so kudos.

[ He watches as she squints at him, and he rolls his eyes because he knows she’s trying to figure out what sort of mental math is required in this situation. ]

I know my air of eternal youth would lead you to believe otherwise, but if you’re trying to guess, I’m twenty-one. Give or take. Depends on how much you wanna count my time here.

[ Because he did die, and do birthdays really count after you’ve died? In some way, maybe they do. He still lived that stretch of time, and he swears he’s found at least one grey hair which means he’s probably still aging. It’s something he struggles with a lot—navigating the line between being dead at home and alive in Abraxas. ]

So, uh, me and my eight years of experience thank you. And begrudgingly welcome you as an honorary member of Hellfire.

I was just curious! [ he didn't seem that much older than her! ]

[ annabeth is aware of the possibility of turning eighteen in abraxas rather than at home, which is not ideal, but it's certainly better than her last birthday, in the pits of hell. speaking of - ]

[ for the first time in this conversation, her nose wrinkles a little. ]

Why'd you call it Hellfire anyway?

Edited 2024-10-24 04:53 (UTC)

Why do you call it Hellfire—

[ He snorts and rolls his eyes, like it should be blatantly obvious. ]

Why was Metallica called Metallica? Why was Black Sabbath called Black Sabbath? Because those names are metal as hell. Same with Hellfire Club.

[ He pauses, tilting his head thoughtfully as if thee’s something else to it. There is: ]

And, uh, I stole it from X-Men.

Only one of those has 'metal' in the name.

[ she doesn't actually know the lore of 80s metal bands and their naming process. mostly she thinks it's just a slightly annoying response since he's so worked up about it. ]

Wasn't the Hellfire Club some kind of vaguely suspicious secret society in England back in the day too?

[ He glances up at her with an expression that implies he’s dealt with this way too many times already. She may not know much about metal bands or their names, but it’s still the sort of purposefully annoying response he’d expect from someone like Dustin. ]

Doesn’t matter. The metal is there in spirit. “Metal” as in…awesome, you know? Incredible. Brutal.

[ Eddie is the type of person who really didn’t do well in school. He’s always struggled with anything that doesn’t interest him, but he does hoard information he finds interesting, and he’ll be sure to file that one about the Hellfire Club away for a rainy day. ]

Was it? I mean, that’s news to me, but in my case? It’s just X-Men.

So it's a vibe not a physical material.

[ his face almost makes her laugh, and he can probably see the amusement in her own expression, but she does manage to keep it in check, even if she's still being a shit. ]

I think so. I don't know a lot about it. I do kinda know the X-Men, but I don't really read a lot of comics.

[ unless they're in ancient greek, which is hardly a translation priority. annabeth loves reading and learning, but she's had plenty of her own struggles with it too. ]

Exactly.

[ With a grin, he claps and points to her to indicate that yes, she hit the nail dead on the head. He does see her struggling not to laugh, but if she’s poking fun at him now, it doesn’t seem to bother him at all. ]

Man, that’s one of the saddest things I’ve ever heard.

[ Not quite on par with Arthur not having heard new music in years, but still quite sad. Eddie isn’t on level with Annabeth’s love of learning, but has always loved to read, so long as it’s something that interests him. That love doesn’t end with comic books, but he does uphold the as their own form of art. ]

Well, lucky for you, I can recommend you the greatest hits if you ever wanna give them a try.

[ she will refrain from pointing out her joke in making fun of him, mostly because she's still in a good mood. ]

[ well, until the sad comment gets her huffy again, but it's not the same sort of posturing from the game. ]

I prefer reading in Ancient Greek and they don't really do comics in a dead language. [ a beat. ] Do you think the Horizon could do it automatically? Like, if you gave me a bunch of comics I could magic them...?

Can you really call it a dead language when there’s a whole group of you still reading and writing it?

[ Dead to the general public, sure, but based on what he’s seen here in Abraxas, it sounds like the demigod kids are a somewhat numerous group.

He tilts his head thoughtfully, gears turning for a moment, then he claps his hands togethe loudly and pushes himself out of the throne with a wide grin on his face. ]

Not sure. You wanna give it a try?

[ she pauses. ] Publication companies aren't out here catering to us. It's not like it's a big group.

[ enough to fill a summer camp and then some. definitely not enough for a whole country. ]

[ annabeth considers, with the faintest grin growing on her face. she does love to mess around with the horizon's magic. ]

All the books in my Domain are already in Greek so it's possible on that level... Yeah. Let's try.

Duh. Easy fix. One of you just has to get into the publishing company. Force everyone to have to learn Ancient Greek.

[ He’s aware it doesn’t work quite like that, but he grins all the same, like his jokes alone could make it true. ]

Hell yeah. Okay, so, let’s see here…

[ He laces his arms behind his back and begins to pace, gaze tilted upward in thought. If Annabeth were to try to interrupt, he would shush her loudly and somewhat rudely, but the whole process doesn’t take all that long. He strides from one end of the table to the other twice, murmuring out loud, before he suddenly smacks his forehead and mumbles shit, obviously. ]

Yeah, alright. Not to be totally cliche, and I’m sure I’d get my head bitten off by nerds far more serious than myself, but uh—

[ He allows himself a brief moment of focus, and then a stack of X-Men comics are in his hands—othe Dark Phoenix saga as best as his memory will recall it, unfortunately all in English. ]

These are the ones to get you hooked. If you can get the Horizon to translate them.

[ she rolls her eyes. ] But then we can't use it to talk shit amongst the regular people.

[ it's only half a joke. she and percy have most definitely talked shit in ancient greek in front of others. ]

[ annabeth waits patiently as eddie creates his stack of comics; she crosses her arms and taps her fingers against the aforementioned arm, but it's only a distracted movement. ]

[ she perks up when the comics appear, then gestures for him to put them down on the table. ]

I'll try with one first. No point in the effort of a whole stack if it doesn't even work. I mean, even if it doesn't work, I can still take them back to read. It's just... harder.

[ she stares down the cover, watching the letters swim. ] How's this sound: I work the Horizon magic, then read a couple pages, and you tell me if it sounds accurate?

Edited 2024-11-14 07:32 (UTC)

See, that’s when you take up Sindarin. Chances of you finding anyone who speaks that are…well, they’re pretty low.

[ Especially speaking as someone who comes from the 80s. The chances of him running into anyone outside of his little nerd group knowing Elvish have always been slim to none. Hell, even most of the people in that nerd group had no interest. ]

And if you learn Quenya—then it’s probably gonna be zero. But until then, semi-dead language it is.

[ King of the Nerds is at it again. With a grin, he dips into a low bow and presents Annabeth with the comics almost reverently, like they’re something precious and totally priceless. To him, they sort of are. Maybe it’s a little silly, but he always gets a kick out of sharing things things with people who are genuinely interested. ]

Sounds good. Take your time.

[ she squints at him. ] Those aren't real.

[ what kind of nerd doesn't know lord of the rings?? annabeth doesn't. but she knows those languages sound fake. ]

[ she takes the comics with some level of care, if only to match his energy. far be it from her to be outdone about anything. she stares down at the cover and idly flips through the one on the top, before spreading them all out across the table. ]

Okay.

[ she likes to think she's pretty good with horizon stuff, but she's always simply created her books into ancient greek. it helped that her memory is borderline photographic. this is different, but she's not afraid to try. ]

[ so, she reaches into whatever part of herself is connected to the horizon and makes an attempt to change the words from english to greek. it takes some time, but she finally lets out a breath she didn't realize she was holding and peers down at the first volume. her face lights up a little. ]

Well. It changed. [ she picks it up, and reads the first page aloud, in english. ] Does all that sound right?

[open] i'm so tired of being tired

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