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This Ace Week I am once again so overjoyed that we have the ace-spec characters of Critical Role.

I’m so happy that we have canon aroace Caduceus Clay. Cad, who tramples happily over every awful stereotype of aroaces being cold and emotionless by being so full of warmth, deliberately kind to every plant and person he encounters. Who destroys every ‘unnatural’ stereotype by being the voice of the goddess of nature; who defies every ‘murderous aroace villain’ trope by being the party healer and cook, the Nein’s lifegiver. Who’s shown to have absolutely nothing missing from his life, because his love for his garden and his work and his families, both blood and found, fulfills him utterly.

I’m so grateful that we have canon demi mlm Essek Thelyss. After all the times I’ve heard ‘aces are just unattractive losers trying to cover for the fact that they can’t get a relationship’… here’s Essek, attractive and fashionable and charismatic, with his designer robes and well-manicured feet. Essek who’s shown to be a bit reticent about flaunting his good looks, like he’s just not interested in making his body available to people’s attraction, and whose friends don’t pressure him when all he’s comfy with is foot-dipping, or with lifting up bits of his shirt. Essek whose entire character arc is defined by a love that makes him change completely. Canon Demi Essek who’s shown building that deep bond of trust and knowledge with Caleb before their relationship begins.

I’m so glad we have canon demisexual Keyleth. Someone who has a ‘mostly asexual’ relationship with Vax, a relationship with ‘far less focus on the physical’ - and it’s shown as a deeply loving partnership which both of them are totally happy in and fulfilled by. Keyleth who gets so many scenes of nonsexual intimacy with Vax, who obviously has a relationship where she can say ‘I don’t really wanna have sex rn, can we just cuddle and I can pet your wings’ and he’ll go ‘fuck yeah.’ Keyleth who’s shown to care so much, about everything, who’s so often the moral core of her party, trying to push them to do what’s right, even when she’s not sure what ‘right’ is.

After all the tiring stereotypes and the misconceptions… CR gave us multiple aces. Aces with different identities, with different experiences and traits that different aces in the real world can relate to. Each of them destroying the aphobic stereotypes and tropes in different ways. Each enriching the world they’re in, enriching the overall representation by being there together.

So happy Ace Week to these funky little canon ace-specs. I’m so glad they’re here.

#briefly rising from the dead to reblog this #happy ace week folks! #as an acearo these characters make me so happy #critical role #caduceus clay #essek thelyss #keyleth #canon ace characters <33333

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of all the fanart I could’ve made after the finale, I think this is the best option

#essek thelyss #critical role #fanart

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DEMI ESSEK, CANON ✔️

#cr spoilers #critical role #essek thelyss #matt mercer #shadowgast

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Needa post here more

#cr spoilers #critical role #mighty nein #fanart

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“Molly…”

#cr spoilers #critical role #mollymauk tealeaf #yasha #circus family #fanart

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I also hope in the final episode we get one last meeting with the Syphilis Bandits, half because it would be a great and hilarious throwback and also because someone has to try to explain that whole thing to Essek.

“Oh yeah, we never told you about the Syphilis Bandits.“

“The what.”

#iconic #critical role

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fell in love with the fire long ago

#essek thelyss #critical role #fanart

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I spat this out faster than I thought I was going to haha.

Thank you again Critical Role and your amazing story telling. 

#cr spoilers #critical role #mighty nein #fanart

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The Mighty Nein

(now actually nine!)

#cr spoilers #critical role #mighty nein #fanart

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love and empty

🌟 Instagram | Twitter | Youtube 🌟

#cr spoilers #critical role #mollymauk tealeaf #yasha #circus family #i am crying #fanart

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While I haven’t been actually watching the episodes, I do still follow avid fans on Twitter, so I’ve kept abreast of the general goings-on of the M9, particularly in regards to my own personal interests (i.e. Essek and Molly), so you bet I heard about the MAJOR DEVELOPMENT that happened this most recent episode. Only seeing Essek as an official travelling companion tempted me to return so much.

However, my personal life has recently suffered a tragedy. You guys were fantastic while I was active, and so many of you are still following me despite my lack of activity for the past five months, and I’ve even gotten some new non-bot followers since, which is so cool, so I feel like it’s not too personal to share.

So, this past monday, my mother passed away. She had a history of medical issues, and this past year was particularly harrowing and awful, and her body had decided enough was enough. My dad, twin, and I have a pretty great support system, so we’re doing good, all things considered. Her funeral just so happens to fall on next thursday, which is just a really shitty coincidence. Don’t worry, I’m not feeling any pressure to watch the last episode live or anything, I mean, I’ve missed the last however many episodes. 

But all the exciting stuff relevant to my CR interests happening made me miss you guys and CR and the fandom and MOLLY IS BACK HOLY SHIT THIS IS ALL I’VE WANTED SINCE EPISODE 26. So, while I won’t be watching live, I’m definitely excited to see Molly’s development and if Shadowgast becomes canon (lookin at you, LOB).

Love you guys <333

#cr spoilers #personal #death tw #i've been tempted to rb stuff whenever i drop by tumblr #~~all the essek art and meta~~ #but my social anxiety manifests via starting or continuing a conversation #so to speak #it makes me feel like i have to commit #and for obvs reasons i don't have the energy

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So, my blog’s been kinda quiet for a while, even before the break. A big reason for that was CR hasn’t been my main fandom for a good while. Since then, I’ve tried to keep up a minimum of content, but I just can’t be assed to do it anymore.

I just don’t enjoy the show like I used to. Molly’s death was difficult, but the characters were developing in positive directions and the narrative was getting really exciting. But since quarantine started and we’ve been back from the extended break, that momentum’s been lost and, if anything, the characters and narrative have regressed. And if that’s how the players want to play it that’s fine, it’s their game and all that, but I’m under no obligation to watch a story and characters I love become something completely unrecognizable. There are still good moments, but they’re like needles in a haystack of inane fuckery. I mean, I tried catching up on last episode and they’re just whipping out Modify Memory and seriously consider killing innocents, and I stopped watching so I don’t know what happened after, but I’m just... not interested in the direction these characters are going. It doesn’t help that these character choices feel less like character choices and more the actors just shooting the shit - which, again, is their prerogative, and is especially valid considering the immense stress of the past year in particular. And while I don’t agree that they should be taking out their stress and cabin fever on a campaign that was developing in a really positive direction, that’s not up to me, a mere audience member. What I can do is step away and put my time into something that I find satisfying to consume, which this hasn’t accomplished in months.

So for now my blog’s going on indefinite hiatus. I’ve really loved this blog and have been continually blown away by the amount of people who’ve decided it was good enough to follow, and who interacted with my liveblogging, which I had a ton of fun doing. Maybe I’ll come back, if something juicy happens or a major (positive) development happens with any of my favorite characters, but until then it’s been fun <3

#personal

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Trouble is a friend. 

#the traveler #artagan #jester lavorre #critical role #fanart

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My silly contribution to the critmas gallery! You can view everyone’s amazing work here: https://critrole.com/fan-art-gallery-counting-blessings/ (actually though this might be the best gallery yet it’s so beautiful!!!) 

BONUS cute tiefling buddies:

#;_; #this is the cutest thing #jester lavorre #mollymauk tealeaf #disaster tieflings #critical role #fanart

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Sorry for the spam but since the original blew up again, i just wanted to try something with this one

I have absolutly no knowledge about Tarot meaning, so i googled things and beside the fact that Essek is obviously a mage, the meaning behind the Magician card kinda matched his demeanor ? Or what do you think ? What card should he be ?

#essek thelyss #critical role #fanart

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Extremely quick incomplete history of Exandria with the main focus on Wildemount timeline

made mostly because I was like ‘uh when did Molaesmyr fall relative to Aeor’ after last episode; all info summarized from Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount or events of Campaign 2; I know the Tal’Dorei guide and High Bearer Vord’s story has some more information but that’s less relevant here.

Long before divergence: creation of the world, granting of divine magic, fight of the peoples of Exandria against the Primordials during which arcane magic was given to the peoples of Exandria, founding of the city of Vasselheim

Pre-divergence: Age of Arcanum (lots of arcane magic, tons of flying cities, including Aeor, Zemniaz, and Kethesk. When Halas and Siff Duthar lived). Ascension of The Raven Queen. Release of the Betrayer Gods by Vespin Chloras. Founding of city of Ghor Dranas by the Betrayer gods at the site of modern-day Rosohna. Ghor Dranas attacked Vasselheim and was barely defeated by the Prime Deities.

Calamity: Following the battle between the gods, people turned to dangerous war magics and eventually a world-wide conflict broke out, destroying most of civilization (all but Vasselheim) and killing approximately 2/3rds of the world population. Aeor was thrown into Eiselcross during this time.

Divergence (year 0 or 1 PD): Signifies the end of the Calamity, with the Prime Deities sealing away the Betrayer gods along with themselves behind the Divine Gate.

Beginning ca 100 PD: The Veluthil Forest, a patch of forest that escaped an arcane forest fire that burned for over a century following the Calamity thanks to blessings from Melora and Corellon, becomes home to the new elven city of Molaesmyr.

Prior to 400 PD: In the Swavain Islands, the Ki’Nau people begin Uk’otoa worship

0-500 PD: Grimgolir (Dwarven society) founded in the Dunrock Mountains, Julous Dominion founded in Western Wynandir centered in Zadash, Kamordah founded as a separate society which worshiped a primordial being of fire. In northern/central Wildemount, the survivors of Zemniaz developed their own society and founded Rexxentrum.

Uthodurn is founded in the Flotket alps by members of the Grimgol Dwarf clan, presumably who fled north rather than south during the Calamity.

The Kryn Dynasty is founded by drow who came to the surface from the underdark beneath Ghor Dranas, having developed a faith in the Luxon. The new city on the wreckage of Ghor Dranas is named Rosohna, meaning Rebirth.

Draconia is founded by survivors of the floating city of Kethesk (draconbloods), who initially allied with the native dragonborn of the Dreemoth Ravine (ravenites) to build a new floating city but eventually enslaved them.

Beginning ca 400 PD: Marquet makes contact with the Swavain Islands off the coast of Western Wildemount in the Lucidian Ocean, makes an alliance permitting the creation of an outpost known as Damali. Shortly after a Ki’Nau conflict with the Vukan, a third party, who were annihilated by Uk’otoa in the process (the Marquesians were allied with the Ki’Nau), Uk’otoa was sealed away via three temples by worshipers of Zehir among the Marquesians. The Menagerie Coast begins to develop via Marquesian and Ki’Nau settlers on the mainland, and at some point prior to the present day the cities along the coast unite into the Clovis Concord.

539 PD: founding of the Dwendalian Empire by Eckhardt Dwendal, a powerful Rexxentrum merchant, and his son Manfried.

544-546 PD: Marrow War between the Dwendalian Empire and Julous Dominion during which the Julous Dominion also quashed an uprising in Kamordah. Ended with the execution of the leaders of the Julous Dominion during peace talks with Emperor Manfried, with the stated reason being they had attempted an assassination. This led to the Julous Dominion being incorporated into the empire.

circa 571 PD: Eve of Crimson Midnight, a brief but violent conflict in Rexxentrum between arcane practitioners originating in the Dwendalian Empire vs. those originally from the Julous Dominion. Many civilians were killed and the remaining mages were brought before the king as prisoners. The Cerberus Assembly was founded as a result, in explicit service to the Dwendalian Emperor.

585 PD: sudden toxic purple-gray blight emerged from the center of Molaesmyr, destroying the city. Some survivors fled northwest to the Pearlbow Wilderness and founded Bysaes Tyl; others fled northeast and eventually found Uthodurn, were taken in as refugees and eventually equal members of the Uthodurnian Diarchy.

571 PD - 835 PD: expansion of the Dwendalian Empire into Grimgolir, ongoing cold war and occasional skirmishes with Xhorhas and the Kryn Dynasty, treaties made with the Clovis Concord on the Western Coast of Wildemount.

815 PD: Fall of Draconia during the Chroma Conclave, which primarily affected Tal’Dorei and Issylra.

835 PD: Attack on the halls of Erudition in Zadash by the Kryn Dynasty.

For perspective

- Any survivors of the Calamity are either, for lack of a better term, a non-playable race (ie, dragons, archfey, etc) or have engaged in life-extending magic of some sort (consecution being the most commonly seen one - we know the Bright Queen is over 1000 years old - but there could be archdruids and people who have engaged in necromancy and other age of arcanum methods a la Halas). As such nearly all of the people in Wildemount who remember the Calamity first-hand are going to be high-level Kryn Dynasty officials, and most if not all of those were born as drow who would have experienced the Calamity living in the underdark beneath the city of Ghor Dranas.

- on the other hand, plenty of elves and older dwarves, gnomes, and firbolgs may recall the Marrow War/founding of the Dwendalian Empire, fall of Molaesmyr, and development of the Menagerie Coast and Clovis Concord. Ludinus is indicated to be from Molaesmyr pre-fall, Yussa could very likely be an original Marquesian settler to the Menagerie coast, and Cornelius, Constance, and Corrin probably remember the fall of Molaesmyr. Dagen might have been a child in Uthodurn prior to the arrival of the Molaesmyr refugees, and so on.

- Caleb and Fjord may have clear first-hand memories of hearing about the fall of Draconia; Veth, Jester, and Beau may have hazier ones, and it’s unknown if Yasha or Caduceus would have been aware.

#critical role

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And they were flatmates christmas edition (?

#caduceus clay #mollymauk tealeaf #critical role #fanart #alternate universe