The impending death of Cohost has reminded me, oddly, of one of the best ttrpg sessions I have ever been part of. As some might know, I was in a long-term Star Wars Edge of the Empire campaign with some friends, and anyone who heard about it likely also heard me loudly sing praises for my good friend, and GM, Jerry. This campaign centered an old smuggler, an anxious thief, two force-sensitives, one a mechanic and the other a himbo, and a caf-addicted pilot (me), as they raced to stop the machinations of a pseudo-Imperial nationalist cult and their dark-sided leader. This campaign was full of a ton of great sessions widely inspired by noir and jazzy anime, with Cowboy Bebop being its heaviest influence. It was a blast, and even though we never got to see its conclusion, I still hold it in my heart, and with highest regard.
It was our 7th session, titled "Of Droids and Men", that really convinced me this was something incredibly special. Betrayed and abandoned by their guide, who turned out to be one of the bad guys, the Crew of the Eagle Gorgeous found themselves stranded in the jungles of Felucia, far too deep in to make their way back to the backwater spaceport where their ship lied. After hours of searching, they stumbled upon, of all things, a functioning B1 Battle Droid. This droid, however, was malfunctioning and low on battery, and had long ago left behind the violence protocols it was designed for and had become fascinated with the local flora. The droid, of course, knew the area well and could lead them back to town, but requested we help it break into an old Separatist base so that it may replace its failing power supply. The party had, for quite a bit, struggled to put up with him, particularly those old enough to remember the Clone Wars, those who knew the capabilities of a droid built for soldiering, and those who just found his voice particularly grating as he rattled on about the plants as they walked. Eventually the gang was beset by a Felucian Jungle Dragon, which was quite ferocious and hungry, and was only barely put down. In this moment though, the B1 broke, and not physically.
There was no Separatist base. Its chronometer never failed, he knows how long its been since the others were shut down and figured it out a long time ago that his side lost the war. And nobody was manufacturing those power supplies anymore, and surely any left exposed to the elements this long were no good. The droid had deceived the party, to a degree. It had actually been leading them back to town, though taking a scenic route, but he knew he didn't have much power left, and after decades, he was glad to have company again, and to be treated with any amount of kindness.
Just outside of town, his servos started to fail, so we stopped to rest under a tree, surrounded by flowers and his favorite mushrooms. Chanterelles, because they looked kinda like him. In those moments he talked about how he started to catalogue all these plants because when death was no longer his purpose, he came to appreciate the life all around him, and he always wondered what it was like to be alive. That gave him a sense of joy, and getting the chance to experience friendship again left him content.
"You know, for someone who's never lived before, I figure this is pretty close." And then, he stopped.
I think about Chanterelle all the time. Jerry crafted so many memorable characters for us, but that battle droid was truly something remarkable. I cried over that droid that I knew for only a few short hours.
I guess part of me thinks about Chanterelle in the wake of Cohost's impending death due to the purpose it built for all of us, as a means to reexamine our experiences with social media away from something consuming and into something constructive. The whimsy and optimism Chanterelle had in his obsession reminds me of that same whimsy and optimism I saw here. I see a website whose existence is about to come to an end far too soon and yet nonetheless fulfilled its own sense of purpose in the time it had. I cried over that droid and let me tell you, I very nearly cried when I heard this website was coming to an end.
I don't know if there's a greater point to this post beside me reminiscing, and maybe experiencing a little grief, but I just wanted to share a little.
