#beauyasha means so much to me

[pleasantmsp]

I love Beauyasha so much. I miss them so much.

The reunion gave me so much joy and now I'm in this weird happy but melancholy state. I love the Nein so much and I want more of them. And I especially want more of Beau and Yasha. If we get a Fjorester wedding one shot, I will be stoked. But then also give me the Beauyasha wedding too!

I'm really just hoping they keep doing these little reunions cause I love the Mighty Nein so much and seeing them makes me so happy.

#critical role #cr spoilers #beauyasha #the mighty nein #echoes of the solstice #and the rest of the tags are a rant #got a bit carried away lol #my depression has been real bad for the past like 9 months and i dont have the money or resources to go to therapy #so i am in a real interesting head space lately #this one shot gave me so much joy #i haven't felt that engaged and excited and happy in a long time #but now that its over that feeling is being joined by (like i said) this weird melancholy that i've never felt in this way before #tm9 mean so much to me #beauyasha means so much to me #especially in these times with the strikes and all the cancelations of wlw inclusive media #i've been trying to get back into c3 but getting through those first arcs is proving difficult #bh just doesn't feel the same as the m9 to me which is fine but sad in a way #cause I feel like there's still so much the nein could do and participate in #i definitely understood what ashley meant when she said she didn't feel like she was done with yasha #i feel the same #so i hope they keep doing these one shots and i hope they release some news on the animated show soon #and here's hoping that as I catch up on bh i can come to love them even half as much as tm9 #cause that'd be enough to keep me coming back and then some

[stardustedknuckles]

I'm sure they eventually make their way (makin their way) to Fjord's orphanage but in my mind the first beauyasha kid comes from camp. You're telling me there are kids who are able to come out on sponsorship when they have talent but not a lot of opportunity and some of those kids aren't here to learn how to better survive? You're telling me camp counselor Yasha Nydoorin doesn't spot one of those orphan kids from a mile away, find out they're intending to take these skills somewhere to stay alive/join a mercenary crew, and go home to Beau like "so I need you to take a day off and come with me to this camp." Like. No that absolutely happens - at least once.

And besides the fact that beauyasha plus baby has never sat right to me, there is something way easier about imagining specifically Beau with, at least at first, some shithead loner teen who's testing the limits of their welcome and finding out that not only are they fucked insofar as beauyasha and the Nein pack bonding to new family, but also that their new moms are also terrifyingly good at making their boundaries known. Very reasonable boundaries, but effortlessly enforced without any threat of harm and also weirdly validating, if morally questionable. Imagine fucking up and getting caught stealing after you snuck out (you were bored and understimulated) and at least two of the other seven weirdos you've met materialize next to your moms (because they heard you leave and have been following you as a nice break from the day) and, instead of talking the situation down, discuss among themselves at least three ways to ensure the victim never brings it up and you are fairly certain all of them are crimes (is memory magic legal? Unclear). You're still in trouble, but it'll be a cold day in hell before anyone but your family decides your punishment. And mostly your moms seem more chagrined that they didn't teach you better discernment as for who to steal from.

Anyway Yasha wifed Beau because and not in spite of her rough edges, so I can only imagine that watching Beau both meet her match and realize hey, this kid is a handful but they aren't hard to love and neither was I, is probably doubly rewarding.

#beauyasha #i don't really want to poke at kids as a concept #so much of b/y for me is healing and i'm nowhere near the kind of healing i think it would take to want kids in my escapism #but my brain is being mean to me today and I wrote this as a way to turn the thoughts inside out and make them good #anyway the idea that a kid got real good at stealing from yasha and got cocky #only to try it on beau and get painlessly suplexed and their hair ruffled for the effort #is very fun

[ginkasei]

im definitely not weeping bc beau and yasha’s home. their home.

#chaos liveblogs #cr #tm9r #personal #listen. im . i missed them so so so so so much and i . they mean so much to me #beauyasha

[hollowblossom]

i ranted a little bit about this on discord but there’s something so emotionally satisfying about imodna going canon. campaign 3 was the first campaign i really connected with in critical role. i didn’t start watching until it started. so even though beauyasha existed, i never really felt necessarily connected to it beyond being like “woah, sapphics like me”.

we live in a media landscape where a lot of wlw and wlw rep in media is cancelled or retconned or dropped before it ever actually reaches fruition. to see a slow burn happen in real time, to see so much vulnerability and pining and the realism in that ‘what am i to my best friend, and what is she to me?’ relationship, the internal struggle of it, the things that were explicitly and implicitly said, the words on the lines and in between them, the ups and downs of trying to decipher where you stand with someone, has me incredibly emotional.

to know that there will be more, that it’s not going to end here, that they will get to explore this new yet familiar dynamic between each other, to figure out boundaries and what they want from each other and from their relationship is so gratifying. i can finally see myself here. i see myself. and i cannot even accurately express or articulate how much that means to me, when most of the characters i see myself in get wiped from digital existence or smeared until i can’t see myself in them anymore. it feels beautiful. it feels like a ray of sunshine in my chest. it feels like tearing up in my kitchen. it feels like little me pulling a flag around herself.

thank you, laura bailey and marisha ray. thank you.

#imodna #critical role #campaign 3 #laudna #imogen temult #crit role #cr #noodle oodles #cr spoilers #critical role spoilers

[utilitycaster]

1/2 What I find gets glossed over so much for "pretty lesbians kiss" with regards to Laura and Marisha's characters is that they consistently, across all main campaigns, create characters who really Do Not Understand each other. Like, it's most obvious with Vex and Keyleth (which is why it's so baffling to me how popular that ship is, Vex basically cringes every other time Keyleth opens her mouth and barely tolerates her for the majority of the campaign), but it's clear with Jester and Beau too

2/2 too, especially in regards to their relationships with their respective fathers and also Jester's relationship with Artagan, that they have drastically different viewpoints that aren't really compatible. Anyway, it's somewhat interesting that, while their characters Do Not Understand each other in equal measure across all campaigns, they are outwardly much closer in each subsequent campaign. Do you have any thoughts on this or have had any similar observations regarding this?

Hi anon,

I definitely do have thoughts about this. I don’t think it’s been intentional, per se, that their characters have never been entirely aligned but they’ve become closer (ie, I don’t think that they planned for their characters to be at such odds in Campaign 1, to be friends in Campaign 2, and to be romantically involved in Campaign 3). I also should note that while I agree that Vex/Keyleth is a uniquely terrible ship that deeply misunderstands both characters; and while I vastly prefer both Beauyasha and Fjorester to even a hypothetical in which Beau and Jester took the time to understand each other and a believable and compelling romance could conceivably develop, I do actually enjoy both of those as non-romantic dynamics very much. Part of the problem with Imogen and Laudna is that, at least thus far, the problems with it as a romantic relationship are the exact same problems with it as a platonic relationship. It's flat and uninteresting no matter how you slice it.

As for why this has happened: I think Marisha and Laura’s chemistry with each other as scene partners is unexceptional among the cast. That doesn’t mean it’s bad - everyone in the cast has baseline good chemistry - but it has never stood out to me. Like, I have never personally had strong feelings about any romantic ships between Laura and Sam’s characters, but they do often occupy similar thematic spaces (selfishness/selflessness; a desire to be liked vs. a desire to be yourself) and I have always enjoyed how they’ve played off each other and looked forward to it, and I don't feel the same about Laura and Marisha. While it’s hard to pin a theme on Laudna (more on that later), Beau and Keyleth (and for that matter Patia) all engage with the expectations of one’s family, and that doesn’t have a natural “in” with what Laura usually does (or vice versa). I will also note: many of the best scenes between Laura and Marisha’s characters, and that includes in Campaign 3, have been arguments. The gnarlrock stands out as one of the only interesting Imogen and Laudna interactions (as well as, to be honest, one of the only interesting Laudna and Delilah interactions); Vex yelling at Keyleth in episode 1x45 is one of my favorite scenes in the campaign; and when I think of Beau and Jester I think of Beau’s irritation as Jester gushes about the plot of Tusk Love, and their quietly growing distance due to the disagreements you brought up about Artagan and their fathers (while still remaining good friends, just ones who don’t agree on everything and don’t need to) in the latter half of the campaign. The lack of conflict between Imogen and Laudna is not just uninteresting from the general grade school premise of "stories need conflict"; it's also depriving them of their strongest source of chemistry as actors.

As for why it’s so widely shipped across all three campaigns; I really suspect a major factor is simply that Ashley was frequently absent so this was the only F/F PC/PC option, week to week. There really is no other good explanation for Vex and Keyleth, a couple so terribly unsuited it verges on the dynamic of a 90s straight sitcom of a man who hates his hot wife. I used to be more generous towards that (ie, wanting an F/F ship between PCs even though it had no redeeming qualities other than being an F/F ship between PCs), but my patience for anyone claiming the cover of Campaign 1 norms ran out some time ago; we’ve been living in a fandom environment that overshot in trying to correct for the assholes during C1 for far too long.

Anyway: I don’t know why exactly things fall so flat in Campaign 3, in the sense that these characters were, as far we know, supposed to be designed as friends. I don’t want to keep harping on it but given Laudna’s directionlessness I wonder if that lack of lived-in backstory extends to their time together. At the very least, if they did plan out what those two years looked like in any depth, it has not come through in the story, either through their words or to an extent their acting. The relationship really only makes sense as mutual security blankets; but I don’t find that remotely interesting. Which brings me to the final points.

I’ve been trying to tread carefully around the term “roving slash” not in the least because I think it unfairly condemns queer relationships after quite literally centuries of mediocre and tacked-on M/F relationships that occur simply because one is a man and one is a woman and not because there’s any romantic tension or reason for them to see something in the other. With that said, I’ve found that there’s a lot of fandom popular F/F pairings that fit a very specific mold of each other being the only one who understands the other - but in a bland and flawless way, as victims of circumstance who expect nothing of each other except to be there, and not as people who can uniquely relate to each other’s flaws. It is an idea of romance as something without conflict. [I will note as an aside, however, that this idea often exists simultaneously with the incompatible desire to tell queer stories based in oppression. There can't be any stated desire from these fans for conflict for the characters, internal or external; but I also think that they secretly want some third character to represent a nebulous, problematic force. For all the hate piled upon, say, Percy in his interactions with Keyleth, or the current wave of hate towards Orym, I think they want those characters so there is something to demonize and to further set apart how pure and wronged their ship or their favorite character is; and, as always, to take away the agency - which comes with responsibility, which comes with fault - from women.]

I can’t stand that. As others have recently put better than I could (and we’re talking Cronenberg and Tolstoy here), stories need conflict, and the fandom culture of characters being effortlessly good, and going from traumatized to completely unchallenged, and endless softness is unbearably dull to me. Even things claimed to be held in the highest regard, like recovery, must hit the most pinprick target by fans with this mindset and anything else is a failure. It’s exhausting. For Imogen and Laudna’s relationship specifically, I’ve found that the repeated comparisons of past Laura Bailey Character Romances - both of which are my favorites for their respective campaigns - really puts the flaccidness in her Campaign 3 romance in stark relief. With Percy and Vex, there is a sense that if he does not take the mask off when she calls him darling, it will close a door. I also don’t think it’s a coincidence that they only come together romantically after she has faced some of her own inner darkness with Saundor, and he has defeated Orthax and the party has helped kill Ripley. Similarly, with Fjord and Jester, when Jester asks “would you do anything to get them [his Uk’otoa-granted powers] back?”, there is a palpable sense that were he to have answered “yes”, it would have meant something. And they, too, only commit to a romance once Fjord has done all he can to sever his ties to Uk’otoa, and Jester has begun to slowly explore expressing negative emotions. To compare it to Imogen and Laudna’s noncommittal total lack of narrative tension (maybe we should harness it! Maybe we shouldn’t! Doesn’t really matter because we’ve stated there’s zero stakes either way!) just accentuates the Mariana Trench-level drop in quality.

That digresses a lot from your original question, and so I think what I want to get at is that I have shared these observations. However, I feel that the characters’ differences were well-handled in prior campaigns and felt organic and interesting. I don’t know why it’s so lacking in Campaign 3 and I don’t think my speculation here would be helpful to any argument; I just know that it is exceptional only in its dullness.

#answered #Anonymous #cr tag #long post #i had to kill darlings for this (extended metaphor + self-indulgent song reference + more ship comparison) so know it could have been longe

[hello-eeveev]

Self Rec Tag Game

tagged by @spottedenchants thank you!!!

Rules: Share five of your own fanworks (fic, art, etc.). Then, tag five more people to share the things they've made.

1.something you absolutely adore

On the Nature of Attraction

T, Essek/Caleb, 7.5k

What more can I say about this fic that I haven't already? It's a very vulnerable fic that came from a very vulnerable place. It means a lot to me, and I love that it seems to mean a lot to other people. Sometimes art is sending out a call and receiving the answer: you're not alone. That, and I truly do just like it. I like the story, I like the pacing, I like how I wrote Essek's inner monologue. Unironically, it's a banger.

2. something that was challenging to create

All Things End, All Things Change

T, Essek/Caleb, 2.8k

Fun fact: this is an entirely different fic from what I had intended it to be at the outset. I had been planning an Essek POV romp through Aeor where the main tension was pining that would culminate in hand-holding that's not explicitly romantic but they both kinda know what's going on. Instead I got Caleb POV emotionally devastating choice in Aeor where the main tension is pining for power that you know isn't worth the risk and for a past you can never return to. Does result in hand-holding though, so good for them :) One thing I learned in this fic (and re-learning in the current fic I'm working on) is that Caleb's darker moods are more difficult for me to write than, say, Essek's. And once I get that internal feeling down, it's hard to figure out how much of that should be revealed through dialogue, what exactly should be revealed, and how should it be revealed. It requires some real intentional thought, a lot of brain power and brain space, makes my dopamine-starved adhd brain go noooooo lol That said, I am particularly proud of how I explored why Caleb chose Essek and Essek alone to accompany him to the T-Dock. I think I hit on some tasty stuff there.

3. something that makes you laugh (or smile, if that fits more comfortably)

oh, by the way (also on tumblr with a small coda here)

G, Beau & Caleb, 932

This fic gives me a chuckle every time. It's got all the hits: empire siblings, Caleb playing a silly little prank, Beau's over-the-top reaction to said prank, the "Yasha doesn't get how Sending works" gag. Beau is a fun POV to write. I don't swear much in my day-to-day life and I am not prone to irritation or anger much at all, but those are pretty key to Beau's voice, especially in this little scenario I've crafted for her, so it was fun to play around in her headspace during this low-stakes, overdramatic moment she finds herself in.

4. something that surprised you (in how it turned out, how much other people liked it, etc.)

The Shadowhand Becomes A Baker

G, Essek/Caleb, 2.1k

My first critrole fic! This one surprised me in a couple of ways. Before this fic, I had thought that a beauyasha wedding one-shot I planned shortly after the c2 finale would be the first critrole fic I published, then I thought that I would re-spec a ramble about the relationship between Essek and the Bright Queen and publish that as my first critrole fic, then Ephred the Shadow Baker showed up and my twitter moots convinced me it was Essek in disguise (still holding on to that belief btw) and then I wrote this fic in 2-3 days before anyone else had the same idea. And I was so pleasantly surprised by how kind and eager shadowgast fic readers were! I had seen it ofc, but it's different to be on the receiving end. Before writing critrole fic, I had written some Fire Emblem fics that existed in corners that were far less active than shadowgast in general, much less shadowgast in 2021, so I had not been expecting such an enthusiastic response. It also surprised me that several people complimented my descriptions of the baked goods because at least two of them involved citrus in pastries, which is something I actually hate. I just pretended that someone might like them for the exact reason I hate them and really leaned in to everything I hate about cinnamon rolls that have orange in them. Turns out when you do that, you get some really vivid descriptions. So... writing tip, I guess?

5. something you want other people to see

How to Rest Chapter 1

G, Essek/Caleb, 3.2K

Shadowgast first date! This chapter makes me so soft! Back in my rom-com era! They have a picnic! They stargaze! Caleb flirts! Essek bluescreens! It is one of the joys of my life to make the wizards be awkwardly in love with each other (or, in this case, not quite in love yet, but on their way there), and this date is chock full of it. The hello and goodbye are two of my favorite moments. I really enjoy the imagery and how I conveyed the very blush-y, awkward first-date dynamic. I also love their conversation and Essek's subsequent introspection while they're stargazing. It's sweet and tender and layered, and I got to make a subtle nod to one of my favorite Fire Emblem games and the role that made me fall in love with Matt Mercer in the first place because sometimes two of your favorite ships are about people finding each other against all odds and who knows why their lives are intertwines, but man, are we glad they are.

tagging: @awesomefrogofawesome, @astrasia, @esseekthelyss, @quinn-of-aebradore, @cogsandsprings

#shoutouts to the shadowgast fandom for being absolutely feral #yall keep me writing love youuu #that and wizard brainrot. it's powerful stuff #critical role #shadowgast #essek thelyss #caleb widogast #beauregard lionett #empire siblings #eve’s writing

[justalittlebluetiefling]

What are your hopes for the animation of the mighty nein

Listen, I am sorry for what this answer has become.

If you mean what am I looking forward to in general? Fjord, hot. Jester, amazing. Essek, also hot. Veth, agent of chaos. Early Fjorester flirting that Fjord doesn't understand is flirting. Early Beauyasha that is just Beau being thirsty af. Dunamancy ANIMATED. Polymorph shenanigans. ORLY. Pirates. Jellyfish talk. Fjord kissing Jester on the cheek and her malfunctioning (which they would HAVE to leave in, I mean COME ON). Yasha slowly falling for Beau. Beau slowly falling for Yasha. Fjord slowly falling for Jester. Jester's feelings for Fjord evolving into something real and beautiful. Veth pining for Caleb, but being so happy to see her husband and son again. THE RUBY OF THE SEA. Jester's reaction to the Gentleman when they first meet him because Laura was sick during that episode and we didn't get it in campaign. Fjord giving up his powers. The confrontation between Caleb, Fjord, and Nott at the High Richter's house.

LISTEN I COULD GO ON I WANT IT ALL.

If you mean season one, here is what I hope happens in the season. And I would like to say that this is me shooting for the moon, not necessarily what will realistically happen.

I would like an episode of intros. Show me the groups arriving and setting up and then meeting at the inn in Trostenwald and going to the carnival together and the whole fucking carnival show. That's my ideal episode 1.

Then, we get the carnival fight and everyone getting arrested

An episode for the investigation and finding the island

An episode for fighting Kylre and clearing their names and Beau seeing Cobalt Soul people

Travel hijinks aka just them arriving in Alfield and jumping in to help, then going into the mines and SHAKASTE (two episodes here)

More travel hijinks because if you think they'll skip the syphillis bandits something is wrong with you. But also Zadash arrival and running into Yasha again.

We've got to see the Crownsguard job and rescue the guy to get the Gentleman hint.

Also, meeting the Knights of Requital and going to do that job.

Then they have to break into the houses and the finale ideally for me would be them blowing up the High Richter's house, them running away, and then seeing the tower explode. And that would be where the season would cut.

Honestly, I don't think they need to condense much. I like the idea of seeing the growing pains here and watching them figure out how to interact with each other as a group and some awkwardness.

NOW. Do you mean WHAT DO I WANT FROM THE WHOLE THING?! I want eight seasons. I have a summary.

Season two:

Getting the beacon

Meet the Gentleman and accept the jobs

The Labenda Swamp stuff/Kiri/Hupperdook

First Lorenzo fight/Molly death

Rescuing the friends

Finale would be Molly's funeral and Yasha leaving again

Season three:

Finish up the Zadash contracts and totally cut out the two weeks of downtime, just head straight to Nicodranas

Meet up with Yasha again, Nicodranas adventures, stealing a boat.

Pirate adventures all season. Avantikaaaaaaa.

I want the Happy Fun Ball to be included please.

Finale is the second Uk'otoa temple

Season four:

Back on land, head to Felderwin

Xhorhas (essek essek essek essek)

Asarius and the rifts, then giving up the beacon early/mid-season

Fjord/Uk'otoa power struggles

BAZZOXAN

Finale is Yasha getting stolen by Obann

Season five:

Fjord giving up his powers!

Reani!

Fjord and the Wildmother become buddies

Rescue Yussa from the Happy Fun Ball

The Permaheart!

Tbh the Happy Fun Ball could be half of this season and I wouldn't complain.

Then getting Yasha back and killing Obann!

Season six:

Rexxentrum to start the ball rolling on peace talks

Xhorhas to talk about the peace talks

Isharnai

White Dawn Lagoon

Essek reveal

Uk'otoa attack

Finally the finale is the actual peace talks and continuing on or arriving at Rumblecusp

Season seven:

I would also be cool with s6 finale being the Uk'otoa attack on the even of the peace talks and s7 starting with the peace talks

Travelercon!

Vokodo! Vilya!

Rexxentrum dinner!

Vess Derogna/Eiselcross

Finale would be death of Vess Derogna

Season eight:

Aeor exploration

Palling around with the Tomb Takers

Essek is a safe place.

Family goodbyes

Back to Aeor

Cognouza

Epilogue

I'm not saying this is what is GOING to happen, but this is how I would like to see events distributed, because of narrative beats and stuff.

#erin answers things #anonymous #the mighty nein animated #can i once again stress that i don't expect them to actually lay out the show this way? #this is just like in my perfect world this would happen

[artemis-pendragon]

For the chat thing a "a forgotten but unbroken promise to save each other always'

YES!! Such a good prompt!! You didn't specify a pairing for this one so like the gay little beast that I am I threw in a little Beauyasha for the sapphics amen 😎 hopefully that's okay!! 🖤💙

(this is for the game where y'all send me fanfic prompts, I feed them to ChatGPT, and then I take the cringiest part of the AI-written story and rewrite it lmao)

AI Excerpt:

"Don't worry, Yasha. We made a promise to each other a long time ago, and we're not going to break it now," she said, her voice full of determination.

Yasha looked up at her, a glimmer of hope in her dark eyes. "I remember that promise, Beau. Let's save each other," she replied, her voice soft but filled with conviction.

Together, they began to formulate a plan to escape. They knew it wouldn't be easy, but they were determined to keep their promise to each other. They managed to break free of their bonds and took out their captors one by one.

Rewrite:

"Hey, you remember what you said to me? When we did all the 'til death do us part' vows bullshit?" Beau said. A strand of loose hair stuck to the sheen on her forehead, tracing her glass-sharp features. Determination in every line, the taut flex of muscles under blue silk and gold-webbed bracers.

Yasha watched her. Redundant, because of course. When Beau was there, Yasha was watching her. A rule of the universe. Unbreakable as the words they'd said when they made their vows.

"Yes," Yasha said, voice soft like owl feathers hiding talons. "Saving you is saving me. That's what you said."

"Well, it's true," said Beau, and as always, despite the severity of their situation, she had the audacity to sound embarrassed. "It always was. Is. Will be."

Yasha smiled, corner of her mouth twitching up. Fondness, not mockery, but Beau was in a state, and she didn't want to make her feel bad for feeling. Beau felt so much, was so much. Was everything. "Can I suggest something?"

Beau cocked an eyebrow, tossing her head in a futile attempt to get the strand of hair to unstick from her skin. "I mean, yeah. My brain hasn't been working right since that asshole with the longsword knocked my skull in, so I was hoping you'd come up with something."

A flash of anger so pure and hot it burned a scar across Yasha's heart. "Thank you for the motivation," she murmured. In a flash of heat and electricity, Rage coursed through her and she ripped apart the ropes holding her hands as easily as a thread woven through a wolf's teeth.

"Thought that'd do it," said Beau, grinning, and jerked her head at her own bound hands. "Now do me."

"I think 'doing you' will have to wait, but good to know you like ropes," said Yasha, flashing her teeth in a sharp smile. See a chance, take it, that's what Beau always said. Beau was always a fan of dirty jokes.

Beau's grin grew and she bit her lip suggestively. "Y'know what? You're definitely onto something there. But let's kick these idiots' asses first."

As Beau held up her bound hands, Yasha reached down and untied them, tossing the ropes aside. Together they pushed out of the tent where they'd been held captive and launched themselves at their captors, gathered around the campfire outside.

The fight started and ended in a single round. Less than a minute and Beau and Yasha stood alone, surrounded by bodies. Yasha glanced around, locating the man with the longsword. Wordlessly she crossed to him, white wings unfolding, avenging angel unleashed. She grabbed him by the back of the neck, and lifted him. The man groaned. Yasha picked up his blade and dropped him onto it, shoving up as his body slid down. The groan gurgled into a scream, then cut off. Yasha dropped the body and the sword and turned back to Beau.

"Holy shit," said Beau. "Who says lightning never strikes twice." She grabbed Yasha's hand, tugging playfully at the strand of rope dangling uselessly from her wrist, and they started out together across the wastes toward the distant clouds lingering over the Ashkeeper Peaks.

#post-campaign married beauyasha makes me so happy #theyre such a hot power couple. love that for them. #beauyasha #critical role #beauyasha fanfic #critical role fanfiction #mutuals #fandom-fangirl-hq #cr2 #artemis writes #artemis answers asks

[crimsonxe]

Just finished s1-2 of Vox Machina (animated series), spoilers below the cut:

So I'll just go ahead and say: Fully Keyleth x VEX over Vax, because the latter comes across as an awkward teen romance built on crush-like feelings; while the prior has moments of depth. Nvm Vex's side of things where the only thing drawing her and Percival is her being into broken & edgy type. One could say intellect but its not really highlighted much. Honestly I think I'd put Percival w/ Vax and Keyleth w/ Vex instead. I fully get that this is based on the podcast((?) really not sure where Critical Role falls in categorization), so its likely following the pathing of that; still doesn't mean I can't sigh at it. Though definitely waiting w/ bated breath for Mighty Nein, cause of BeauYasha and even some BeauJester (cause the first is OTP, the latter is a fun side one); which pull my interest more (and makes since considering how the crew would've grown in the time between Campaign 1 and 2).

Totally onboard with Scanlan x Pike, cause they're adorable.

The finale of s2 did pull the thing that 90% of media does and always irks me in having the villain pull out new tricks as well as getting "wins" like 2 out of 3 vestiges including a pair of gauntlets that are fitted to Grog's arms. But meh minor details for an fun as hell show

#the legend of vox machina #spoilers

[flurry-of-beaus-pop-pop]

Yeah, I've definitely noticed that the guests (at least the ones that aren't Robbie/Dorian) have been the ones consistently pushing for Imodna. From Dusk needling Imogen about Laudna and intentionally manipulating our fun-scary witch, to what we've seen from FRIDA and Deanna as well. That, and the fans have been thanking the guests for pushing for it to happen, which... doesn't feel right to me.

I feel like the one exception was Bor'dor as he was asking Laudna questions specifically about Imogen. At first it felt like every other instance... but after the reveal of his Ruby Vanguard affiliation, and that he was there when it all went down, I wonder if it was purely to gather intel, most likely to determine a weakness that he could have exploited had he lived.

A weakness that had been exploited once before by Otohan and could be again.

After all, he most likely realized who Imogen was because of her resemblance to Liliana.

Robbie was definitely fine, and I think that's largely due to the fact that while he is technically a guest, he started the campaign with the group and therefore, was there and gone before the true Imodna shipping began, at least to the degree that it is today.

Utkarsh, while he did definitely bring up Laudna/Imogen, I think his background made it more of a "I don't care what you two define yourselves as, I just know you're important to each other, how can I exploit this" and so it doesn't come across as him trying to push Laudna and Imogen together.

But the rest, definitely pushing an agenda, and it does very much come across as inorganic because like I said, in my opinion, outside of the guests, Imogen and Laudna as anything more than what they currently are isn't something that has been talked about at all among the main players at the table. This, and the fact that, as I've also mentioned, I also noticed some... looks during this last stream that were more "here we go" or "please no" from the actual players that make me think that Laura and Marisha don't want Imodna to happen, or don't want it to happen right now.

Personally, I think my perspective is driven home by the stark contrast of how Beauyasha was treated by the main cast versus how Imogen and Laudna are being treated.

Even in the VERY early days of Beauyasha, the main cast was jumping in and joking around and very much pushing that ship, most likely because they knew on some level, that if things went there with Beau and Yasha, Marisha and Ashley were more than okay with that. We don't see that at all with Imogen and Laudna, in my opinion. Yes, people will post clips of looks that others give when Imogen and Laudna are interacting, but looks are so ambiguous and can mean literally anything. Like from this last episode, when Laudna and Prism are saying goodbye, I saw people posting a brief moment of expression on Laura's face that they took to mean Imogen was jealous, but if you watch the rest of the scene, for the very large majority of that entire interaction, Imogen is laughing and finding their interaction amusing.

Long story short, I put more stock into the actual in-game conversations/actions of the characters rather than the microexpressions of the players because they can mean anything, and so far, in my opinion, there really hasn't been anything regarding anything more between these two from anyone besides guests.

#critical role #my thoughts #putting “my opinion” 20 thousand time #so people know this is my perspective #and it's okay if you disagree #but this is my interpretation #imodna

[romeoandjulietyouwish]

a gentle touch (beauyasha week day 3)

Prompt: Pride @beauyasha-week read on ao3

The rain falls softly down on the roof and against the windows. Various buckets are scattered among the rooms, revealing holes that have yet to be patched up. Rain water cascades down the windows like tears, if Yasha looks hard enough she thinks she can see a woman’s face in the rain. Though it might just be her own.

She sits on the end of the bed, her hair damp at the roots where the rain hit her before getting inside. Her eyes are locked on the window as she slowly uses a damp rag to wipe the dirt from the garden off her hands. Her hair falls loose around her shoulders, long and white now. She’s wearing a pair of soft sweatpants and an even softer t-shirt. 

She should be nothing but comfortable and happy and warm, and yet this melancholy feeling finds it’s way under her nails and in her ears and digging under her skin. 

Both of the kids are spending the night with their Aunt Jester and Uncle Fjord, leaving Beau and Yasha home alone. Normally that would mean a date night but when Beau came home, Yasha hadn’t realized how late in the day it had gotten. She had been gardening until it started raining. Then she went inside and sat at the kitchen table until she heard the door open as Beau came home.

Rain clouds circle her head, she can almost hear the thunder rumbling. But the rumbling ceases at the same time the shower turns off in the adjoining bathroom.

A few moments later, Beau walks back into the room. She wears nothing but a towel around her shoulders to catch the water still dripping from her hair. Yasha finally tears her eyes away from the window to look at her partner, vulnerability written in the heaviness in her eyes and the slight furrow in her brow.

Beau smiles softly and steps towards Yasha, standing between her legs and putting a hand softly on her cheek.

“My hands are dirty,” Yasha tells her softly.

“That’s okay.” Beau leans down and kisses her slowly, running her hands against Yasha’s neck and shoulders tenderly. Yasha sighs softly against her lips, lifting her still dirty hands to Beau’s waist with that permission given. When they pull apart, Yasha leans her head against Beau’s sternum. “You okay, babe?”

Yasha nods, pressing a kiss to Beau’s chest as Beau lifts her hands up to Yasha’s hair. “I love Cricket and Imdrin so much, but sometimes I just need a break. Does that make me an awful mother?”

Beau shakes her head, “You’re a wonderful mother, Yash. Those kids love you more than anything, but this is still new to both of us. You’re allowed to be exhausted and to need a break. That's exactly why they have so many aunts and uncles.”

Yasha laughs and looks up at her partner with exhaustion in her eyes, “I love you.”

“I know,” Beau smiles and kisses her again. “Do you want to take a bath?”

She hums, “Will you sit with me?” No part of her wants to be alone right now and besides, she can probably convince Beau to braid her hair for her.

“Always. I love any opportunity to see you naked, you know that.” Yasha rolls her eyes at Beau and pinches her side with a laugh. As their laughter dies down, Beau takes Yasha’s cheeks in her hands and kisses her again. “I’m so proud of you.”

Yasha frowns up at her, almost whispering as she asks, “Why?”

Beau shrugs, “How far you’ve come. Not punishing yourself for how you feel, not burying it. I’m proud of you every single day, Yash. When I see you gardening and with the kids and teaching Cricket how to read and Imdrin how to tie his shoes. There’s still so much fight in you, Yasha, but you’re using it to help our family and I couldn’t love you more for that.”

Yasha pulls Beau closer, once against closing her eyes as she leans into Beau’s chest. Yasha isn’t good with words sometimes, she can be awkward and tentative and can stumble over her thoughts. But by now, Beau knows how to read what Yasha doesn’t say just as well as what she does. 

So the two of them just stay there for a long moment, Yasha’s eyelashes ticking Beau’s bare skin and beau gently massaging Yasha’s scalp through her thick hair.

“Come on,” Beau tugs the roots of Yasha’s hair gently. “Time for a bath. And then,” she lowers her voice a bit, “figure out how exactly to spend a night without the kids.”

Yasha chuckles, “Knowing you, you already have plenty of ideas.”

“Maybe, you’ll just have to wait to find out,” Beau teases as she pulls Yasha to her feet. Yasha keeps her hand in Beau’s as she allows herself to be pulled into the still humid bathroom, the sounds of thunder growing quieter and the heavy clouds around her starting to dissipate.

#beauyashaweek2023 #critical role #mighty nein #beauyasha

[stardustedknuckles]

The version of Yasha I carry with me is so important to me, but gods I do have a soft spot for this canon woman full of light and happiness and healing. It's like the two cakes meme but the best part is I can pick and choose which aspects I want to play with at any given time. I love the sappy sweet domestic Beauyasha in a way I never expected, and I still find so much value in the idea of the two of them struggling in the wake of the Nein - not with each other, but with what it means to suddenly be free of so much of what defined your life for so long. I love my spikier Beau still figuring out day by day how to let her guards down and undo those reflexes. I love my Yasha reclaiming her strength and her rage for her own purposes going with Beau on missions now and then because she loves her life and her home but Beau is also both of those and if Beau's not done yet then neither is she.

And I love this other version of them in canon, too. The fact that they're That Couple, that they have neighbors and Yasha has a whole room dedicated to just creating new things and a garden and a contentment she's never known. I love Beau struggling with the lack of direct action but committing to the work anyway, and I love the way clock-punching grouch melts into a pile of sap when she sees Yasha just like she's seen her every other day. Truly, the two of them hold so much meaning in any and every form. They need not even conflict. People are all about contradictions and phases and change.

I don't have a point. I've just spent a few days reconciling the way I write them and the way canon portrays them and how I could possibly love both so much, and in the end I reached a very old conclusion: I have always loved canon Beauyasha for its raw light and sweetness. It's like a bungee cord so that I can make dark and complicated things and always stay tethered to their canon dynamic. Most of the stuff I write I wouldn't want to be canon. I rely on them to have it together explicitly so I can pull at the seams in fiction and have it be nothing but a thought exercise/catharsis. I can go diving in the dark because I always know where to return. So yeah. I love my version for how it serves me to write, and I love canon for being the counterweight to tough processing.

#process #thinking of them #I don't have any room for small yasha in either version though #That's the beauty of the mind theater - I don't have to

[utilitycaster]

What’s wild to me is when the purple and black hearts stans start lying about how a lot of beaujes shippers reacted to beauyahsa. Like they were out here calling beauyasha a ship for straight people and accusing the cast of queerbaiting because one wlw ship was canon instead of another one. I’ll never forget when someone said that Beau was a problematic predatory lesbian stereotype because they were mad she never confessed her feelings for Jester.

It goes to what you’ve been saying that very little has happened between Laudna and Imogen romantically so a lot of people have resorted to yelling about other things and accusing people who don’t like the ship of being homophobic. As a lesbian I wanted to love the ship so much but it doesn’t interest in and it’s so disheartening to be accused of hating wlw relationship or be told that I’m not watching the show right.

Hey anon,

I feel like I keep using the word "ahistoric" but god does it fit like...the ugly truth is that, at least on Tumblr, the main detractors from Beauyasha by the end of the campaign were people who shipped Beau and Jester; again, there will always be some misogyny and homophobia and bigotry in the fandom so long as these exist in the real world, but like, it was not homophobes saying Beauyasha was For The Straights.

(also...how is it problematic and predatory to...not confess your feelings for someone if you have no intention of acting on them because you and they are both in other relationships. This is besides the point of this ask but I swear the people who were mad at the C2 canon ships were on a new level of dipshittery; they kept asking for Closure (TM) and it's like most normal people, if they have an unrequited crush and then enter into a relationship with someone else, never tell the person about the crush because it's awkward and there's literally nothing to do or say about it. Like, the typical path forward for closure is like, telling your therapist or journalling or making an angsty playlist, not Confessing Your Love while you're both in relationships with someone else.)

I do think this history is relevant though because in many ways...the behavior of people who shipped Beau and Jester paved the way for the open dislike of Imogen and Laudna we see today. Why should I listen to someone who calls me homophobic for not liking a lesbian ship when they called me homophobic and straight last campaign for liking a lesbian ship they didn't like? Why would I ever listen to a random person who does not know me through anything but our shared interest in the same Actual Play show's assessment of my feminist credentials based on the fact that I don't want the same two characters to kiss as they do? Why would I ever bother to try hit their ever moving target instead of saying "ok" and moving on?

Which isn't to say it doesn't suck. I've gotten questions about how to not be bothered or disheartened before from others, and I don't have great advice because I happen to just, through a combination of personal experience and natural tendencies not be much of a people pleaser, but like...I mean, you're the only person who can know if you're a lesbian. That's really it. Not particularly caring about a specific F/F ship very obviously does not disqualify you from being a lesbian, which we know because otherwise we could just as easily say that not shipping Beauyasha would disqualify you from being a lesbian. They can say whatever they want; it's annoying, but it's bullshit and I think even they know it. (the alternative of course is that they're very, very stupid and do not know it.)

#answered #Anonymous #cr tag

[spookydicks]

so, that was it. that was a loooooooooooooong one. long, but endlessly satisfying and incredibly bittersweet. this may get a bit sappy but i missed these characters so much. mighty nein was my first campaign. i tried watching c1, got overwhelmed, forcused on c2 (thank youuuuuu highlight channels ya'll are LIFESAVERS). its, starting post covid break, the first campaign i've watched the eps live. these characters, especially jester, mean so much to me and hold a special place in my heart.

thank you m9.

thank you

also, beauyasha will be THE BEST parents

#critical role #cr spoilers #the mighty nein #the mighty nein reunited #until next time mighty nein #until next time #jester lavorre #beauregard lionett #fjord stone #veth brenatto #kingsley tealeaf #yasha nydorin #caleb widogast #essek thelyss

[blorbologist]

in preparation for tonight's reunion! what are some of your hcs m9 post campaign? and what are you hoping to see in the two shot?

OHHHHHH god I'm so excited, I've got wine on standby! I don’t think my M9 HCs are too far out of the usual ones? Let's see what I can dig up

Not the M9 directly, but Astrid and Eadwulf live in a house a few doors down from Beauyasha. Either they're married or QPP, either way it's hilarious

I subscribe to Plank King Kingsley theory, I love it!

Caleb uses transmutation magic to spay/neuter the Rexxentrum cats because as much as he'd like to he can't take them all in and no cat should be born on the streets :c

I think at one point after a long discussion, Essek gets Transmorgified into some other kind of elf, or at least a very different looking drow, because the risks if he's found out are way too high. Sometime before Caleb dies they change him back. Veth is there for the first casting, given Essek helped develop this spell that got her body back and is now giving him a little more freedom to live his life, too.

As for hopes for the twoshot...

I! WANT! ESSEK! MY BLORBO MY EVIL PHD STUDENT MY GRAPE OF A FLOATING MAN.

I hope it's at least two years in the future, if not happening roughly when C3 is - to allow time for the Nein to be settled into their post-canon lives and healed a bit.

SOMEONE either expecting a kid or adopting one. Laura dropped the 'Vex is pregnant' bomb during Search for Bob so I wouldn't be surprised if she pulled something similar here, but could be someone else's turn. Veth included! Veth having another kid on the way would actually be a riot holy shit

Luc update! I want to know about his magic lessons and his crossbow usage.

Anything about the Apogee Solstice - does anyone in the Nein know about it? Do the entities they're connected to have an interest? Thinking mainly Ludinus Da'leth, Uk'otoa, Artagan, hell Essek might have thoughts on it.

Speaking of: Artagan insights into some Feywild bullshit!

Domestic Fjester! Domestic Beauyasha! Domestic Shadogast? Domestic Brenattos!

I hope we get more insight into Kingsley's personality! I wanna get a good feel for him.

I wanna know why Cad isn't coming, in-universe. Just gimme a reason, no big!

I'd love Jester and Beau to have a moment as besties, because I missed that late C2, though I understand if they don't go for it because of Beaujester drama remnants.

Is Yussa in trouble Again?

I wanna see Uk'otoa. Not just seal him away. Stab him in the eyeball.

Frumpkin sighting?

A very very minor thing, but if there's any Assembly lore tied to Delilah I'll go feral. Caleb. Caleb pull through for me. Gimme the deets on academic scandals.

This goes without saying, but I wanna say it anyways: I want the cast to have fun. I get so much enjoyment from seeing them have a riot - this is fundamentally their game and their characters and their story. My wants mean little to theirs - I hope they get everything they want out of it even if it’s not what the fandom wants and clearly have a blast.

#critical role #c2 #mighty nein #mighty nein reunion #campaign 2 #m9