god i’m such a slut for characters who think what they’ve done is unforgivable who are just gobsmacked when they open themselves up to someone who forgives them as easily as breathing
to be honest I struggled a lot with this one, but oghghhhh it turned out so well in the end. looking at this brings me so much joy, despite all the frustration i had in the making of this one. doing it all for her 💖
So thinking about Caleb's accent and how he sounds like Essek and Caleb being bad at accents and Essek's accent undercover and trying to connect all the dots.
Look at it this way. In campaign 2, Matt's Essek voice and accent changed wildly almost every other sentence.
Caleb and Cad (and Jester) had no clue undercover Essek's accent wasn't authentic. They barely noticed he was nervous, let alone faking anything. When they met on the Assembly's boat and Mercer rolled for Dezran where they saw his nerves, they still couldn't catch he was faking a Nicodranas persona (also again pointing out "Thain" was 100% Mercer googling noble names and not meant to be a bad cover) even with Caleb's memory, Caleb and Caduceus's extremely high passive perceptions, and Jester's background as a Nicodranas native.
And then of course Caleb's roll with frumpkin revealed it all, but it took that snooping and very high stealth roll to truly realize, and later Mercer has said he didn't expect them to catch Essek, blaming it on them rolling so high on a number of checks.
In contrast, when Astrid (an established elite spy for 15 years) was disguised and undercover in the lavish chateau, she got her fake Marquesian accent noticed immediately by (very unperceptive) Fjord of all people, who's never even visited the country... and yet he had no clue about Essek's accent or persona.
essek: so yeah i effectively started this entire war because of my selfish, singular lust for knowledge and power.
the nein: everyone makes mistakes man. your aloofness and mysterious hovering have bewitched us and we've fallen in love with you. welcome to the nein here's your house key.
"You are a broken person who had ill intentions and wandered aimlessly into a path that you had no intention or no idea how to complete. And yet somehow along the way, you found a heart. You sound like all of us. Welcome to The Mighty Nein."
JESTER AND CALEB AND CADUCEUS. WALKING INTO A ROOM AFTER A REGRETFUL FLOATING HOT BOI AND DESTROYING ALL HIS EXPECTATIONS.
Jester just. Fuckin. Brushed past everything that Essek confessed to. Yeah. Okay. You did some bad shit but you’re trying to stop it now right? More importantly, are you still our friend?
the fact that Essek gave away two of his nations’ precious religious artifacts that house the souls of his people, and in doing so started a war that cost thousands of lives? whatever. water under the bridge. make some babies or something to balance the scales. Jester’s decided that she likes you, and there’s fuck-all you can do about that.
And Caleb, who Essek has ALREADY formed a connection with over their shared passion for the arcane. They’ve spent time in study together, Essek teaching Caleb the dunamantic spells he created himself, and Caleb showing Essek the spellwork he’s been working on, asking him for help to finish it.
Caleb, who gets down on his knees in front of Essek and looks into his eyes and tells him that he sees him, that he understands him, that he’s been where he is, that these people changed him too.
And then Caduceus, more insightful than anyone Essek’s ever met, with the moral code forged in steel. Essek’s seen Cad look at people and read them like their deepest thoughts are written across their face, and he just… tells Essek that he’s a good person. I’d bet no one has ever told Essek before that he’s good. Not powerful, not brilliant, not a prodigy, just… good.
everything going as expected here in this fine Sunday (rewatching shadowgast supercut and started crying when they reached c2e97 the fancy and the fooled 🤪
I watched Campaign 2, Episode 97 for the first time today and holy Wildmother, I knew the broadest of broad strokes of what the two (2) big things that happened in this episode were but absolutely no context or specifics or anything and then I watched it and I have been absolutely feral ever since.
Like I was in my kitchen in the middle of washing dishes and Fix You came on my music randomly and I almost started crying save me from myself.
Anyway Liam O'Brien just out here assassinating my feelings as per usual nothing to see here
In episode 97 while talking about clay for Nott's transmogrification spell, the cast have a little in-character riff about shops where you paint your own pottery. Cad, Jester, and Nott are all familiar with the concept. Yasha's never done it but would be game to try. Fjord is confused. Nott recounts making a piggy bank in the past. Beau closes off with "That would actually be a fun afternoon. Get a little day drunk, it's nice" and now I'm just trying to imagine what Color-Me-Mine bisqueware the M9 would all chose to paint, the dubious results of their efforts, and whether or not the shop would still be standing when they left.