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omens-daughter · 9 months

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When the malleus keys were first introduced, I noted that "malleus" means hammer, such as in the word mallet and also the bone in your inner ear that helps with hearing. I know this because of a witch hunting book from a long time ago called the Malleus Malefacarum (or the Hammer of Witches)

I make note of this.

They are called "hammer keys"

So, I'm sitting there. Episodes pass. I'm thinking about the Aeor arc in campaign 2 for some reason, can't recall why. But I'm thinking about it, and suddenly, I recall something

The Mighty Nein uncover notes about something called the Factorum Malleus project, AKA the God Hammer. We know this to actually be, canonically, what Ludinus has been trying to replicate with his keys courtesy of FRIDA and their memory of protecting one

In those notes the M9 recovered, the project head is noted as a mage named Athodan. It is stated that this mage uncovered a relic, which turned out to be a Luxon beacon, and used necromantic glyphwork to unlock some property from it that pleased the overseers of this mage's work. What this mage was working on prior to (or in conjunction with) the Malleus Factorum project was rejuvenation

I believe that Ludinus Da'leth is an ancient Aeorian mage named Athodan who worked on the original project to free Predathos and kill the gods

When the gods (collectively, Betrayer and Prime) struck Aeor out of the sky, I believe Athodan somehow survived, but lost all of his work

Maybe he wasn't in the city at the time. Maybe he had some sort of contingency. Regardless, he survived. And, in order to survive the Calamity, he made his way to Issylra and hid out in Vasselheim, the Dawn City, the last bastion of civilization left after the Calamity ravaged Exandria

Once people began migrating out from Vasselheim again, he settled in a town called Ivaadel. Maybe this is where he developed his harness thing that allowed him to rejuvenate again, since he'd be approaching pretty old age (depending on what was done with the Luxon beacon and how old he was when he did it)

He rejuvenates and relocates. Can't have anyone back home notice that Old Ass Ludinus is a 150 year old elf again, right?

He settles in Molaesmyr, because in this post-Calamity world, he is working with figurative rocks and sticks when it comes to magic and technology. So, he needs somewhere that will

a) have a natural wellspring of powerful magic, and

b) have access to relics from Aeor. Molaesmyr has both

And we know Ludinus began hoarding Aeorian artifacts as per Team Wildemount's investigationHe attempted something. Either a shoddy replication of what was built in Aeor, or just an attempt at communion with Predathos and that wiped out the city and corrupted the surrounding woodlands

Ludinus then runs off to Bysaes Tyl for a brief time before showing up on the Eve of Crimson Midnight (interesting name, that) and is credited with stopping the violence between powerful Dwendalian and Julous Dominion aristocratic mages. This accord he is able to reach with them is the basis on which he founds the Cerberus Assembly

The Cerberus Assembly is named after a conglomerate of mages from the Age of Arcanum and predates with Calamity

Knowing that Ludinus founded the modern Cerberus Assembly is kinda suspicious considering how little information of the Age of Arcanum survived the Calamity

He also mentions Laeryn in his notes (Abriya's character from ExU Calamity) and literally no one remembers who she is. Him being aware of her is nuts in the first place, even crazier if you think he is just a modern-day elf mage

In summary:

Ludinus Da'leth is a pre-Calamity, semi-immortal mage from Aeor named Athodan who has been using his knowledge of rejuvenation to keep himself alive for, at the very least, 1000 years

Too many boxes of this theory have been ticked, and I wholeheartedly believe it

#critical role #ludinus da'leth #athodan #the malleus keys #aeor #cr campaign 3 #cr campaign 2 #the factorum malleus project #critical role speculation #cr theory #critical role theory #age of arcanum #the cerberus assembly #exu calamity #the calamity

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tshortik · 1 year

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would love to hear more critrole dragon age au thoughts 👀

WELL THEN... This is going to be a lot, but still only a fraction of my thoughts lmao.

I will start with Essek cuz I care himb.

Essek as a saarebas qunari, except nobody in the Qun actually knows he is a mage because he is keeping it secret. He is a loyal member of the Qun with perfect knowledge of its philosophy and holds much promise in becoming an actual well respected and important member of society and the politics there... Except he's not actually the perfect token citizen everybody imagines him to be, because he is practising blood magic in secret.

He sees much potential in magic and the Fade and even though he believes in most of the Qun, he also looks at it very critically with he intense wish of improvement. He is however unable to voice these opinions in a way that matter, and if anyone were to find out who he truly is, all of his achievements from the last years would basically be thrown into the trash as a shackled Saarebas with no voice.

Desperately he somehow managed to reach out to someone in Tevinter (wink wonk the Assembly wink wonk) to make some sort of deal with them to gain more knowledge he wouldn't otherwise be able to get back home. In return he gave them intel about Par Vollen and also Seheron and he might be the reason for some absolutely disastrous clashes that killed many many people there.

Essek is currently being an idiot again, just like in the source material, except that he is experimenting with Red Lyrium instead of the Luxon Beacon. Consequently he is probably besties with some Pride Demons and very likely at a risk of possession each time he does that shit, but he is probably very aware of that, but does it anyway "because someone has to". If this was the videogame I could see him having two potential horrible endings where he is either revealed to His People and becomes shackled as a Saarebas, or him getting straight up possessed. The good Mighty Nein ending would be him realising that he might be a little bit too unhinged and should probably listen to his friends more, be more careful, and not keep those insane ideas all bottled up lmao.

Beauregard!! She was to go to the Conclave in order to spy for Leliana and gain intel, but then the entire thing exploded and now she is the inquisitor. Goddammit. She hates every minute of it, but becomes a really good leader in the process. Her life is a constant of her attempting to chill in her large inquisitor bedroom or gorgeous balcony only to be interrupted each and every single time until she accepts defeat and does bureaucracy again. Beauregard started her career attempting to become a templar, but the more she got into the matter the more uncomfortable she got about it. She was probably still in training when the chantry blew up (because of Caleb), and that shook her so much in addition to all her complicated feelings that she said fuck it and left. Somehow throughout all of this and her father's connections, Leliana managed to track her down and decided to put her research-spy-gifts to good use. Beau smells out most of the Dragon Age plots on her own and she is very enthusiastic about finding a solution for all that corruption she is seeing in all corners of Thedas. And now as the inquisitor her voice finally matters, because people can't choose to not listen to her anymore. ;) She collects all the damn oculara shards and the entire party is fucking sick of it, she needs to look through every book and scroll they can find and the Halamshiral Mission was an absolute nightmare for her, but also an absolute delight for everybody else who lived to witness it lmao.

Caleb I am not entire sure yet, because my brain is fried at the moment, but he should be the one to blow up the chantry in my opinion, you know, as a treat. But also he should have ties to Tevinter, so I am not entirely sure how to connect that in an elegant way, but it somehow has to. Lyrium tattoos would also be very neat, to mirror the Volllstrecker tattooes. If he has ties to Tevinter, it would also mirror his relationship with Essek in an interesting way like in canon as well. I gotta think about this more, because Caleb deserves a cool au plot lmao.

#ask #anon #i dont know if i should give this its own tag because its becoming clear to me that i am invested in this stupid au lmao

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catgirlthecrazy · 2 years

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Let's play a game folks: Which Orders of the Knights Radiant Would Each Member of the Mighty Nein Belong to?

(Aka: the Stormlight Archive equivalent of sorting your favorite characters into Hogwarts Houses).

This is something that's been bouncing around in my head off and on for literal years. It's a little tricky, because a few of the Orders (Elsecallers, Stonewards, and Dustbringers especially) have received very little screentime so far; for those who need a refresher on what each of the orders is about, I'm mostly relying on the information on this webpage; it's also a decent primer on the Radiants for Critical Role fans who haven't read the Stormlight Archive and want to know WTF I'm talking about. I suspect the audience for this post is going to be small, but fuck it, I'm doing it anyways.

In descending order of certainty.

Jester: Lightweaver, easy. She's an artist, she deals in subterfuge and illusions a lot, and her speech to Caleb about how "we all lie sometimes" fits really well with their ideals. Lightweavers are also known for bringing joy to others through art and entertainment, and for helping others see the best in themselves. Both of those describe Jester to a T

(trying to imagine Artagan as her Cryptic, though, makes my brain segfault)

Beau: also easy, Truthwatcher. This order is very concerned with discovering and spreading knowledge, with a significant minority specifically interested in making sure those in power are being honest with the ones they lead. That's the entire guiding philosophy of the Cobalt Soul.

Yasha: Windrunner. For a long time I was really unsure about where she'd fit. Then I watched the episode where the Stormlord asked her why she fights, and her answer was "to protect." That's what the Windrunners are all about. Though I can't see her being part of a formal military hierarchy like Kaladin's Windrunners have; I think she'd operate independently or as part of a loosely organized group.

Also, they can fly.

Fjord: Willshaper. This order is all about freedom and exploration, and that's a perfect fit for a paladin who swore the Oath of the Open Sea. Willshapers are also one of the two Orders that can teleport, and Fjord has a shit ton of teleportation spells. Bonus: his pact weapon and Armor of Agathys already function like a Shardblade and Shardplate

Caleb: my gut says Elsecaller, though we don't know a ton about them. That order is described as thoughtful and wise, their oaths are themed around reaching your potential, and they tend to attract a lot of scholars. Much of Caleb's arc involved him trying to reach his fullest potential as a wizard. Plus, their Soulcasting abilities are a good match for Transmutation. However, I think you could also make a case for Dustbringer: their oaths are all about mastering yourself and the destructive abilities you wield. Plus they're the order most known for burning stuff.

Molly/Kingsley: Willshaper again. The description in the link provided literally says: "The Willshapers contain many gregarious and even flamboyant characters who make their own way, taking the path they choose." And doesn't that describe him to a T?

Essek: for a while I wanted to say Truthwatcher, because he's very keen on discovering knowledge and unlocking the secrets of dunamancy. And I do love the poignancy of him getting healing powers. But given that his entire arc is all about him realizing that he wants to be a better person, and struggling to figure out how to do that, I'm more inclined to put him with the Elsecallers. And it would be fitting for him to be in the same order as Caleb.

(it's a shame, though, that neither of the orders with gravity powers fit him at all)

Veth: Stoneward. This might seem odd at first glance, given that that order is known for attracting jocks and soldier types. But if Veth had one guiding principle, it's that once she's adopted you, she'll do just about anything for you. She's the one who gave us "the only choice we've consistently made is to take care of our friends." That fits the "I will be there when I am needed" ideal pretty well.

Caduceus: Him I'm least sure of. On a thematic level, Edgedancers are the best fit, since they're the order most known for healing, they attract a lot of clergy, and their spren are sapient plant people. On the other hand, the Edgedancer ideals are all about remembering the forgotten little people of society, and that's not really a Caduceus thing.

Edit: multiple commenters have convinced me that Caduceus, who devotes his life to tending the graves and remembering the stories of the dead, is in fact a perfect fit for the Edgedancers, so I stand corrected about that.

The one thing I can be absolutely sure of is that absolutely none of these chaotic, rule-breaking chucklefucks are Skybreakers.

#the stormlight archive #critical role #meta #my post

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gilmores-glorious-blog · 2 years

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can you explain the storyline in critical role for me? if that's too much, who is your favorite character in critical role (and why)?

ohhhhh anon you shouldn’t have gotten me started…..

this is going to be so fucking long i’m so sorry so! critical role is a show/company comprised at it’s core of eight friends, all of whom are professional voice actors, playing dungeons & dragons together. they have 3 campaigns, the third of which is currently happening, as well as many oneshots, talk shows, an animated show, and more. each campaign has a very in-depth storyline, but i’ll do a brief summary of each of them. campaign 1 is vox machina, a ragtag band of mercenaries who become dragon-slaying, vampire-killing, god-fighting heroes. the characters (in my opinion) are all very lovable, and there's some really great romantic, platonic, and familial relationships. it's probably the most cliche in it's representation of fantasy and d&d so i recommend it for people who like that. there's also an animated show of it on amazon prime with one season out and another on the way! no knowledge of critical role is needed to watch the show,, it's how i got into cr in the first place. campaign 2 is the mighty nein, a bunch of fucked up and morally gray people who make a really good adventuring-team-turned-found-family. there’s a lot more diversity in these characters in terms of species/race than in campaign one, which can be enjoyable if you want your characters with horns and tails and tusks and funky-colored skin. full disclosure, i probably know the least about the mighty nein so some of the more complicated plot lines are more confusing to me,, that being said, i’ve still watched a lot of campaign 2 stuff and i adore them a whole lot. campaign 3 is bell’s hells, who really are just some guys that accidentally got involved in something way bigger than any of them. they’re all so dumb and easily trusting and so very lovely <3 there’s some really cool character designs and concepts, which i love. they’re currently on episode 34 of this campaign, so it’ll be going on for a while longer (the other two campaigns are 100+ episodes), which can be fun if you like watching things live. because this is already a full length essay, i’ll keep it very brief on the favorite characters part… my favorite characters are the three played by liam o’brien: vax’ildan, caleb widogast, and orym. liam is just such a phenomenal actor and his characters are so sad and emotional and fantastic and yeah i just love all three of them a whole lot <3 every campaign has moments that are wildly funny and moments that will make you cry your eyes out… there’s also fantastic queer characters in every campaign (including but not limited to aroace characters, multiple ace-spec characters, poly characters, a prominent wlw couple, and a lot more). in addition to the show, there are comics for campaigns one and two, and a published novel with one more on the way. anyways. i’m so sorry for how long this is, but that’s what you get for asking a neurodivergent person about their hyperfixation i guess 🤷‍♀️ i know critical role can seem like a lot, and that turns many people off of it, but you really don’t have to watch the entire thing in order to be a fan. i’ve been intensely hyperfixated on it for seven months, and i’ve watched one (1) episode in its entirety. it really is so so good and such a fun gateway into d&d as well as just a very enjoyable group of people to help restore your faith in humanity and bring a smile to your face. i could not recommend it highly enough.

#oh my GOD this is a lot #i just don’t have people ask me about my interests a lot.. so when they do i’m gonna infodump like hell #hopefully this is helpful for someone!#critical role #long post #eli.ask

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thequeenofmyownscreen · 2 years

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Fourteen things I noted about CR2E100 “Hunted at Sea”

No Talks Machina about it, per se, because from this point on, they changed the format, and did Talks for a couple of episodes at a time. So I'll follow the airdate order, it's easier.

It's so good to have them back !!!!!!!!! Not gonna lie, with my own choice of pausing in Campaign 2, AND what has been going in Campaign 3, it has been a difficult time, because I just miss the Mighty Nein so much. But at the same time, I'm glad I did a little pause, even if it wasn't 4 months - people must have been going crazy at the time - and had the time to see puppets being murdered live, hear Ashley forgetting Grog's name, see Travis in a priest outfit, hear the inception of Critical Role itself, and see the Mercer-Rays almost burn their motherfucking house down.

Sam's poem was so great ! It made me tear up.

The seating arrangements is different in this socially-distanced set, and I already know I'm gonna miss Marisha and Travis the BrJeaus, Sam and Laura Nott the Best Detective Agency, Liam and Marisha the Empire Kids, and Ashley and Taliesin just cuddling.

Huh, Fjord/Travis taking the lead and commanding the crew and demonstrating his knowledge in how to run a ship is... Kind of hot !

The Mighty Nein's greatest defense works again : just Polymorphing the enemy into a turtle. The fact that the enemy was a dragon turtle before is just cherry on the cake

Fjord's prayer to the Wildmother : "I'm sorry I didn't check in before I got on the water, like a fucking NOOB !! Please watch over the cast... Huh, the crew !" amazing

What does the dragon turtle want ? The Mighty Nein theorizes its mate is stuck in Darktow and it "hasn't had sex in a long time". Beau : "Maybe we just need to hook it up ! Maybe he just needs to get laid." Sam : "Just finger bang that thing, and it'll all be okay." Taliesin : "...And we're back !" I really really missed those disasters.

Oh yes, let's try the other Mighty Nein's greatest defense : Jester psychologically scaring the enemy by Sending a message.

Marisha, who rolled shit on Beau's perception : "Fucking titties." Liam, under his breath : "That's the goal." (everyone starts laughing while Marisha nods sagely) Matt : "Even when Beauregard loses, she wins."

TravelerCon 3000 : there's between 20 and 200 people arriving. Sounds about right.

The flower-picking scene, oh my god. In my head, there is a top 5 off these kind of scenes filled with double-entendres, and this one comes just after the "Ash-hole" one in ExU s01. Laura as Jester : "Can I go down and look at the stem of the flower ? Is there any of that... you know how some flowers have white stuff that comes out of the stem when you pick it ?" (The cast barely stifle their laughter) "I'm not trying to be dirty !" Matt : "No, I know what you're talking about. You're also Laura Bailey, so we all assume."

Nervousness ? A sense of being watched ? THIS ISLAND IS SUPER FUCKING HAUNTED !

Nope, never mind, this island is the center of a cult with people who have their mind erased for something that calls itself a god but most certainly isn't (like all leaders of all cults)

AVOCADO ! Sam says it best : "The Mighty Nein : insulting people's gods since 2020."

#my thoughts #critical role #cr campaign 2 #CR2E100

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the-littlest-goblin · 3 years

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ooooooooh for fic prompts, could i request: essek interacting with Frumpkin, specifically playing with him (so as to impress Caleb and earn his favor a bit), but our favorite hot boi most likely did not have pets growing up and is at a bit of a loss with what to do. (bonus: Caleb sees this and thinks it's incredibly endearing)

I think you got everything you wanted. ft. my personal 'here’s how Frumpkin can still win’ headcanon.

----

This was not how familiars were supposed to work.

Essek may not have summoned one before (he’d never really understood the use of an assistant with no opposable thumbs), but he had read enough about the spell to know that this was not how familiars were supposed to behave.

Maybe that was because Frumpkin didn’t technically count as a familiar anymore.

No one knew exactly what had happened, or why. Essek and Caleb had exchanged a number of theories on the matter, but so far the best explanation still went to Beau’s conclusion: “weird fey shit.”

After Aeor and the Somnovem, when they had all finally gotten a chance to breathe again, Caleb had done some sort of ritual to more permanently banish his familiar. Essek hadn’t gotten the full context at the time, but it had something to do with symbolic closure and moving on. The cat was already gone from the Material Plane at that point, but Caleb had wanted to remove the temptation to summon him again, and so devised a sort of reversal of the Find Familiar spell.

However, upon performing the anti-summoning ritual, the cat had appeared in the ritual circle as if Caleb had cast the spell as usual. Only instead of going to his master’s side, Frumpkin had sauntered away from Caleb with a swish of his tail and gone to sit directly at Essek’s feet.

“Hmm,” Caleb had muttered, the hint of a grin twitching at the corner of his mouth. “It looks like he has made a choice.”

Ever since, Caleb had been unable to banish Frumpkin, or communicate with him, or give him orders. He had seemingly lost his magical connection to, and mastery over, the cat—Frumpkin was no longer his familiar, as had been the intention. It was just that Frumpkin apparently liked the Material Plane better than the Feywild, and so refused to leave. And since Caleb had let him go, he chose a new wizard to keep him company. For the next several days they had spent recuperating and planning their next moves, Frumpkin stuck with Essek, never straying from his side for long.

But, crucially, he did not become Essek’s familiar, a lesson they had learned quickly enough. Essek didn’t even have Find Familiar in his spellbook. He couldn’t banish Frumpkin, he couldn’t communicate telepathically with him, and he certainly couldn’t give him orders.

So, Essek just had a pet cat now, one which happened to be fey in nature. Stranger things had happened—much, much stranger—so for Essek’s part, it had seemed easiest to just accept this development in stride. At times, he was even grateful for the cat’s presence.

But right now, he was very much not. At least familiars were obedient.

Essek winced against the sound of shattering glass—a sound which was becoming somewhat routine since taking up residence in these new, temporary lodgings with Frumpkin as his roommate.

Essek closed his eyes and took one deep breath before looking up from his notes to survey the damage. His gaze met Frumpkin’s round, amber eyes across the room, looking impossibly innocent where he sat primly on one of the tables which Essek had set up to house his research. His tail swished back and forth where it hung over the edge, acting like a flashing signal to point Essek’s attention down towards the starburst of broken glass glittering directly beneath him.

Mercifully, the beaker which Frumpkin had marked for termination had been holding a harmless and easily replaceable solvent, rather than any of the more valuable or dangerous liquids Essek had lying around in his provisional lab. His fingers curled protectively around the precious vial of liquid dunamis sitting next to him.

“Why?” He let the single syllable of the word stretch out into a long, bone-deep groan lasting several seconds. The question was aimed both at Frumpkin and at himself, and covered a variety of curiosities he had about the situation. Why did Frumpkin feel such a persistent desire to destroy Essek’s belongings? Why had he chosen to adhere himself to Essek in the first place, when he seemed to hold a deep disdain for everything Essek owned or did? Why was Essek incapable of learning the very simple lesson of locking the door to this makeshift lab? Why had he promised Caleb that he would take care of Frumpkin while the Mighty Nein dealt with the Assembly, instead of throwing the mangy beast out onto the streets of Port Dumali as soon as they had arrived at the safe house?

None of these were questions to which Essek was about to get any answers, so he tried another one.

“What do you want from me?”

Frumpkin blinked.

“You are still a fey being. You don’t need food or water, and as far as I understand, providing those two things are the pillars of caring for a pet. So, what else could you possibly need that requires my attention?”

Frumpkin flicked his ears.

Caleb had given Essek a brief overview of what to expect in terms of cat-care, but either he had chosen to leave out a lot of unsavory details, or decoupling from their arcane connection had put Frumpkin through a drastic personality change, because Essek had received no instructions about how to handle the kind of stalemate in which he currently found himself.

“You have my sincerest apologies, but unlike your previous master, I cannot read your thoughts, and your current methods of communication are lacking in clarity.”

Frumpkin’s tail began swishing faster. He broke eye contact with Essek to gaze intently at the row of jars lining the next table over. These were full of various concoctions, including some potentially dangerous acids, the results of Essek’s increasing boredom as he stayed hunkered down in his safe house day after day. He only ever went out for the duration of a Disguise Self to buy food or other necessary supplies; he was too noticeable to amble around the city for leisure, on the slim but ever-present risk that word of a strange drow in Port Dumali would reach the ears of Ikithon or his servants. Essek was under strict instructions to stay as hidden as possible until he got the all-clear from the Mighty Nein. With only the materials to continue his most basic experiments with dunamis, he was growing bored out of his mind.

Essek heaved another deep sigh before reluctantly abandoning his notes and gliding over to where Frumpkin had stationed himself. With a short wave of his hands, the spill vanished and the broken shards of glass floated gently into the trash bin. Then, Essek unceremoniously lifted the cat into his arms before he had the chance to wreak any more havoc, and deposited him outside the door.

Distraction removed, Essek made to turn around and return to his research, this time intending to lock the door to prevent further feline interruptions. But before he could do so, he made the mistake of looking into Frumpkin’s eyes again. The cat’s pupils gleamed, impossibly wide and round, and his tail was still swishing back and forth in an incomprehensible pattern, like some sort of code. A mixture of affection and guilt welled up in Essek, rooting to the spot.

Godsdammit, but he had promised Caleb he was going to take care of his cat, and that meant not ignoring Frumpkin when he was clearly trying to tell him something. Because even if Caleb no longer wanted a familiar to travel around with him, he still loved this damned cat, and also Essek was trying to be less callous and heartless in general.

He thought back to Caleb’s instructions with a fair bit of desperation, searching for some hint of what would make Frumpkin happy. All he came up with was a faint recollection, something about enjoying being scratched behind the ears.

“Is that all you want? Is that what you interrupted me for?” Fighting not to roll his eyes, Essek reached down for a pet.

As soon as he got close enough, Frumpkin lunged.

“Gah!” Essek snatched his hand back, nursing the sting of pain from Frumpkin’s bite. There was no blood; the little demons’s fangs hadn’t managed to break the skin. It could barely count as an injury, but the shock of betrayal hurt more than the scratch.

“What in the Nine Hells was that for?” Essek glared at Frumpkin, then noticed just in time that the cat was poised to strike again. This time, he only had to turn slightly to keep his hands out of harm's way, but Frumpkin wasn’t aiming for the exposed skin. There was a loose thread dangling from the hem of Essek’s sleeve, apparently caught by the previous attack. Frumpkin was intent on it. He flung himself at the thread, grabbing at it with his clumsy paws. It slipped through his grip, and he lunged again without hesitation.

Experimentally, Essek lifted his arm so the thread dangled higher off the ground. Frumpkin took the challenge to heart, leaping to grab it in his teeth before it slipped out of his grasp again, and he landed on the floor in defeat. Essek moved his arm over to one side, and Frumpkin followed with enthusiasm, this time managing to get the thread around one claw. The split second of resistance was enough to tear it from Essek’s sleeve. Frumpkin rolled over onto his back, victorious, batting his prize around in euphoric glee.

A grin spread across Essek’s face as he watched this display of simple delight.

“I suppose you were just bored, too. Was that it?”

Frumpkin responded by biting the string with a vengeance.

An idea began forming in the corner of his mind as he watched Frumpkin playing. Absentmindedly, Essek twisted his fingers and summoned a trace thread of dunamis into his hand, shaping and stretching it into a longer and longer cord of greyish, glowing energy, which he then dangled tantalizingly over Frumpkin’s head. The boring, non-magical string was immediately forgotten and discarded as Frumpkin caught sight of the dunamis toy. His whole body wiggling in excitement, he lunged at the cord again and again, pulling a genuine laugh out of Essek as he bobbed and weaved the magic around, dancing it out of Frumpkin’s grasp. He needed a break from his lab anyway, and this was shockingly entertaining.

---

“Well? How are they?” Just a hint of nerves colored Caleb’s voice, as it did every time they checked in on Essek. The fear that this time, the scry would reveal him not safe and sound on the Coast, far from the Trent’s reach, but somewhere cold and dark and threatening.

The faint glow faded from Jester’s eyes as the spell ended. Looking up at Caleb with a smile, she said, “You’re not going to believe this Caleb, it’s the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen.”

Caleb grinned back at her.

#critrole #critical role #my writing #fic prompts #the pedant in me needs to point out that Essek would definitely be wearing his anti-scrying necklace but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯#Anonymous

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elizabethemerald · 3 years

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Spring in Nicodranas

Jester leaned over the prow of the ship as the Nein Heroes slowly pulled into port. A bright smile was permanently pulling at her lips. Nicodranas in the spring was always a welcome sight to behold. With one hand still holding a line while the wind whipped her skirts around her ankles, she wove her hand through the air, pink sigils hanging in the air for the sending spell.

“Hey Caleb! It’s Jester, Fjord and I are back in Nicodranas for a few days. Could you pick up the others so we can watch momma sing?”

She felt like maybe she had gotten cut off there at some point but she wasn’t worried. Caleb knew what she meant. Sure enough only a few seconds later Caleb replied, a slight laugh in his voice.

“Ja, Jester, We will meet you at the Chateau. Could you message Beauregard to ensure she’s home and decent? I don’t want to interrupt anything.”

Jester nods to herself as she preps another sending spell. One of the biggest problems of being able to teleport directly into the living rooms of the their friends is it sometimes had fun consequences. Well Caleb would probably consider it awkward at least.

“Hi Beau! Caleb is coming by to pick you up, are you home? Are you naked? Oh! Are you and Yasha having super hot sex?”

“Hey Jessie, thanks for the warning. We’ll be dressed when Caleb gets here. Looking forward to seeing you again. Tell Fjord we’re working out tomorrow.”

She cackles to herself a little, Fjord is going to be so upset to have to work out again. He enjoyed their time at sea because he didn’t have do Beau’s super difficult work out routine. She had one last message to send, as her fingers danced through the air.

“Heya Veth!! We’re meeting at the Chateau today, momma is singing. Bring Yeza and Luc and we’ll all have fun together. Oh my gosh, I saw the craziest seagull yesterday!”

“Sure thing Jester. We wouldn’t miss it. I have to pick up Luc from daycare and we’ll be there. Also you got cut off there.”

Jester smiled to herself and was about to send another message when she realized the Nine Heroes was moving alongside the dock. She jumped to get her hands on the ropes. Getting a ship this large properly docked took a lot of work and needed all hands. Including hers.

When the ship was finally tied off and Orly had started to unload the cargo. Fjord pulled Jester aside, gently wiping her bangs out of her face. She was surprised to see he was wearing his fanciest captain’s outfit.

“Ah, Fjord! Look at you! Why are you dressing all fancy? We’re home, we can relax!”

“Well your mother is performing tonight. I feel silly showing up looking like a mess.” He said smoothly.

“Ooh, should I dress up too? We can make it a fancy date night!”

“That sounds like a great idea, you go get dressed, I’ll finish up here.” Fjord said.

Jester dashed off to their cabin. She only rarely got a chance to wear her fanciest dresses, so it would be nice to get super dressed up. It took her a few minutes to find which dress she wanted to wear and to make herself as dolled up as possible.

Soon enough she and Fjord were walking through the evening air of Nicodranas arm in arm. She had a wide smile on her face as they walked.

Waiting outside the doors of the Chateau were the rest of the Mighty Nein. Jester was surprised that they were all dressed just as fancy as her and Fjord. Caleb was wearing his Xhorhasian jacket and a suit. Yasha was wearing her crushed velvet black dress. Beau of course looked as stunning as her fists in her gray suit. Essek and Caduceus had also dressed for the occasion and to her surprise, Kingsley was there! He had his own ship now and she rarely saw him.

When the group stepped through the door they found Veth, Yeza and Luc sitting around a table. Jester cheered and hugged her friend, chattering happily with the Nein as they all settled down at the table. Food was ordered, drinks filled, and they all seemed ready for the performance to start.

Jester looked around, normally her momma’s performances completely filled the seats, but now there were only a few people sitting around. As she looked around closer there were other things that seemed off to her. Why were all of the Nein dressed in their fanciest? Fjord was sweating, why was he so nervous? Some of the conversation seemed stilted, like the others were waiting for something. Even Sprinkle was acting differently, relaxing on the table top, watching her and Fjord.

She was just about to ask about the strangeness when the music started up for her momma’s performance. Whatever was going on would have to wait until after. The other guests seemed to fade away as Marion stepped down the stairs, her voice already carrying through the air.

Marion’s performance was breath taking as it ever was. She sang a new song, about a sailor and a princess and the adventures they got up to as they fell in love. Jester sighed dreamily, as the song ramped up to a crescendo. Then just as the sailor was going to propose to the princess, Marion stopped singing, her arm outstretched towards the table the Nein sat at.

Jester looked around in confusion. The people in the crowd had all disappeared. And Caleb’s programmed illusion had changed to show scenes of the Mighty Nein in amber. Meeting up for the first time, saving each other, fighting side by side. Scene after scene of their adventures drifted through the air around her. Sprinkle sat and stared at her with twinkling eyes, a small barely visible green cloak wrapped around his shoulders.

Fjord stood up, straightened his jacket, then knelt down in front of her.

Her hands flew to face as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box.

“Jester Lavorre. I have loved you for so long. Would you do me the honor of making me the happiest man on land or sea. WIll you marry me?”

Jester gasped, tears sparkling in her eyes as she nodded as fast as she could. When Fjord stood up to put the ring that had been in the box on her finger, she wrapped her arms around his middle, lifting him up off his feet and spinning him around. She realized she was laughing and her smile was so wide her face was starting to hurt. She finally set him back down and let him slide the ring onto her finger.

The rest of the Mighty Nein immediately started clapping and cheering. The illusion around them changed to miniature fireworks. A few actual fire works may have gone off thanks to Beau. Jester kissed Fjord, holding him tight as around her, her family cheered. Soon the kiss evolved into a group hug as one by one the rest of the Nein piled around them clapping their backs.

Drinks were called for as they once again took their seats, Marion moving to join beside her daughter. Jester held Fjord’s hand for the rest of the night. Her heart felt full to the bursting. Love for Fjord. His love for her. Their love for their strange family. The love of the Mighty Nein for the two of them. Marion raised a toast to the pair.

“To the future stories you two will share. May you find yourself surrounded by this love at the end of each adventure.”

#jester lavorre #fjord critical role #fjorester #critical role #critical role spoilers #stories entwine evermore

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standbyyourmantis · 2 years

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The Sims 4: The Mighty Nein

Once upon a time, it was January 14 and I thought it would be fun to make a set of Mighty Nein Sims because I was so desperate for new Widomauk content that I was re-reading fanfic two and three times. So, I went on a download binge. This project snowballed into creating Vox Machina and the then-unnamed Bell’s Hells. When some friends expressed interest in having them, I set about collecting a list of all the custom content I’d used for each Sim and while doing that I kept finding more cc that I liked. I ended up needing to learn how to create cc to perfect certain characters, and it’s finally, finally completed.

So anyway, here’s 29 Sims.

Each Sim in the set comes with two everyday outfits (except for FCG). I attempted to remain as close to their canonical clothing and style as possible with an eye towards this being a modern AU like you’d find in a fanfic.

Vox Machina || Bell’s Hells

You can find the full CC list required for all three sets here.

Here is the folder of CC I created (some may require additional meshes, this information is available in the CC list)

Introducing part two of three, The Mighty Nein!

Additional information and in-game headshots below the cut

Following the order of introductions, the first family on our list is Murder, Hobos. This family features Caleb, Nott, and Frumpkin.

Caleb has full body freckles, body hair, and a set of self-harm scars on his arms (they were the only small parallel scars I could find). He also has a chin dimple under the beard. He is a max level spellcaster because I couldn’t figure out how to reset that skill, but his others are all dropped back to 0.

Nott has sharp teeth and full sclera eyes with a pupil overlay. Her formalwear includes pierced ears. All my Sims with odd colored skin use the same skin set and she and Molly share an eye set just to cut down on how many things people had to download because it is A LOT.

Frumpkin is a Bengal. He has the Woozles. I did not cure him before porting him over because I didn’t catch it until they were already exported. Sorry.

Family two is The Blues. This is Jester and Beau.

Jester was one of my favorite Sims to dress. She and Molly use the same fangs and their horns and tail come from the same set as do their skintones. She has one of my favorite details, which is that little donut choker. She wears a LOT of pink.

Beau will default to male clothing because it suited her more than female. She has leg and armpit hair as well as a tattoo on the back of her neck similar to the canon one although I didn’t go exact because in my game Molly is still alive.

The Wild Brothers is the third family, which is Fjord and Caduceus.

Caduceus is the tallest Sim in my game. I have his neck and body stretched as far as they would go. He is furry and he wears two Maxis recolors I made for his everyday.

Fjord was just real hard to dress, so I went with pretty basic straight dude clothes.

Circus People rounds out our player characters, and that is obviously Molly and Yasha.

Yasha has two different colored eyes, and while she shaves her legs she does not shave her armpits (as all Xhorhasian women do not shave their armpits, but she does canonically shave her arms so I decided she shaves arms and legs but not armpits, this was clearly a decision I put a weird amount of thought into). She is a little taller than average but not as tall as Caduceus.

Mollymauk has no body hair, as I am on the boat that Tieflings and elves tend to be naturally more hairless. He has a tail and horns that match Jester's, and a full set of canonical tattoos that were made by @viktormaru. Since I am also on board the "Tieflings don't handle the cold well" boat, he has my favorite of all the cold weather outfits on this set.

Finally, the last house on the list is Hot Boi. Yes, that's right, I made Essek to ensure that all your shipping needs are met.

Essek has my favorite of the warm weather outfits, and boy it is hard to get a good picture of him due to how dark his skin is. He is the same height as Jester who is slightly shorter than average.

#critical role #cr2 #the mighty nein #the sims 4 #mighty nein #the sims #critical role sims

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utilitycaster · 1 year

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I want to expand on the role of Brevyn, because I think Madeleine Roux had a really tough task, to humanize Lucien without compromising him as, well, the campaign BBEG who betrayed every last alliance in the pursuit of power, as well as drawing parallels to Molly (and even setting groundwork for Kingsley), and I think she did it wonderfully. I also want to talk about how Brevyn parallels Molly both within the canon and externally, which I honestly don't know is deliberate (the external part; the in-canon part I assume is on purpose but I have to imagine Roux stayed out of fandom things in order to avoid being unwittingly influenced by fanon).

I assume if you're reading this you've read the book but in case you're not, Brevyn is a friend and lover of Lucien's from Shadycreek Run. She's his oldest friend other than Cree, and notably, whereas Cree is always a follower of Lucien, Brevyn is someone Lucien follows. She's why he ends up going to the Claret Orders - she gets kicked out of her mother's house, where Lucien and Cree also often stay, so they all go to the Claret Orders. When the Claret Orders find themselves lacking in contracts, Brevyn is the one who branches out and ultimately builds a working relationship with Vess, and along with Lucien is the one who brings together the original Tombtakers (she and Jurrell die before we meet them in Campaign 2). She ultimately dies trying to retrieve the Somnovem journal for him, of her own accord.

As a result, Brevyn serves something as a lost Lenore, and as the tether that snapped at just the right time. It underscores why Lucien's response to Vess is so particularly brutal, why he became so tied up in the Somnovem in the first place, and because while Brevyn's death, like those of all of the Tombtakers, ultimately is because of the Somnovem, she's the only one who dies purely of her own free will. Lucien forces the rest to follow him, in the end, and lets them die one by one. He neglects his sister in favor of ambition, and then is devastated that she decided to build her own life in his absence and won't leave for a long-lost brother. But Brevyn dies as herself. She's that one last shred of humanity that was not present in what we saw of him in the show. And the shard of Molly latches on to that, understandably, as the one good thing Lucien had, because in the end Lucien is someone we know from Campaign 2 will ultimately leave even Cree, his oldest companion, to die, in order to buy himself a little bit of time. We need one relationship he actually cared about; and that one is Brevyn, with whom he stayed as she died.

Now, the fun thing for me is that the book is written in a third person limited viewpoint. The opinions presented are Lucien's, for the most part, so we see Brevyn through his eyes. She, understandably, becomes idealized to him even though it's clear she's got plenty of flaws (willing to make some sketchy deals with the Assembly, impulsive to the point of adrenaline junkie levels, rather too trusting, ruled heavily by emotion over logic) because, well, he has feelings for her. And then, of course, after she dies, he idealizes her within the narrative, because how could he be anything but loving and generous with the woman who gave her life so he could continue to live?

It's remarkably close to how the fandom and the Mighty Nein themselves responded to Molly's death, with his worst traits, the condescension and fickleness and manipulation, all washed away because he did, in the end, die for them. And this is a pretty common trope, to come up with a far more perfect version of someone after they've died, particularly if they died in a way where it feels like you owe them something, so again, the way it parallels the fandom lionization of Molly might be a happy accident - but it's a really fun metatextual reflection here nonetheless.

#critical role #critical role spoilers #nine eyes of lucien spoilers #brevyn oakbender #lucien tavelle #the nine eyes of lucien #long post

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marieaqua · 2 years

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An idea I’ve been rattling around in my head for awhile is a Mighty Nein AU taking place in the Star Wars universe. There’s a lot of little moments I thought of that I don’t have anything to share about but I do just wanna put the Nein’s general roles/backstories out there

Caleb/Bren - Jedi padawan that was training under Trent. Trent was an undercover/in hiding Sith and when order 66 happens Caleb gets pulled into becoming an Inquisitor. There he becomes closer to Astrid and Eadwulf. He eventually runs away from being an Inquisitor. He changes his name and distances himself from the force as much as possible.

Beau - A force sensitive who didn’t know it. Her parents sent her to the Jedi Temple as a civilian “volunteer” as punishment for getting involved with a crime syndicate. At the Temple Dairon sees her potential and trains her in secret. When order 66 happens she gets away because she’s just a civilian. She runs off into the galaxy not knowing what happened to Dairon .

Jester - Grew up on an inner rim planet where her mom is a well known performer. After the Empire comes to power and she grows up into a young adult she starts to speak out against it and gets a bounty put on her. She has to run away, and knowing vaguely her mom’s past in the outer rim she heads out there hoping to find her father.

Fjord - Grew up working for any ship he could get a job on. After order 66 he found a job for a ship that also employed some clones that had survived as themselves. The group takes him under their wing and he takes a permanent position on the ship. The ship is sabotaged by a crew member and he believes his clone family is dead, but wonders if they’re still out there.

Nott/Veth - A Mando who fought against the Empire when they took over. She went MIA during an attack and was presumed dead. To keep her family safe she let them believe she was dead so they could stay under the Empire’s radar. To keep up the ruse that she’s dead she abandons her armor and changes her name before running into a crime ring that she occasionally will take jobs from.

Yasha - A Nightsister who was abandoned by her clan and was taken in by a Sith. She was trained and used as a weapon by the Sith. When the Nightsisters were killed she broke free and went back to see if her clan has survived. When she saw they didn’t she went off alone and jumped around the galaxy working for whoever needed it.

Caduceus - Worked on his family’s graveyard on an agricultural moon. His family worked as an informational hub for the early Rebellion. Slowly his family members were leaving to go do work for the Rebellion in other corners of the galaxy till he was the only one left at home. When the Empire eventually took control of the moon they started destroying the land. He decided to leave to go help the Rebellion in a more direct way to try and save his home.

Molly / Lucien - Was born into a cult in the unknown region. He left to go try an spread the cult teachings to the known galaxy with a group and was injured and assumed dead. His group left him and he was found and brought back to health by a smuggler, Gustav. He lost all his memories in the injury and was given a new identity by Gustav as a member of his crew.

Essek - A former Republic politician aid who pledges his loyalty to the Empire when it comes to power. He is brought into an inner circle of high ranking members of the government and starts to hear things that would be very useful to many opposing parties. He starts to trade Empire secrets to the Rebellion and other groups while also giving the Empire inside information about the Rebellion.

#critical role #critical role au #star wars au #Star wars #I have a lot of little ideas for this and no idea of how to write it #I have like 280 words on a Google doc of Beau and Caleb taking about Jedi stuff and that’s it

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lynkhart · 3 years

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MAJOR spoilers for the C2 finale of Critical Role so read at your own risk of you haven’t caught up!

I have so many feelings regarding Caleb and Essek’s intertwining character arcs I needed to explore, so strap in folks, you’re in for a bit of a ride! (But seriously though, this is like 4000 words long, I basically wrote an essay 😂)

At the start of the campaign, Caleb Widogast was dripping in guilt and self loathing and refused to believe he could ever absolve himself of his sins. Essek Thelyss was a cold, aloof individual who betrayed his people for selfish goals, and their differing yet mirrored narratives have been an absolute delight to watch unfold.

In the beginning Caleb truly hated himself. He shot down any attempt at a compliment, described himself as a ‘disgusting person’, outright rejected the idea that he was worthy of love, and never let the blame shift from him for what he’d done. When Beauregard and Veth/Nott pointed out that he was coerced and manipulated into killing his parents, he reacts in an incredibly visceral way, and I’ve seen several comments likening it to a victim of child abuse who was groomed into believing they were as responsible as their abuser, and I think that’s exactly how it was meant to be read. He doesn’t see himself as a victim, only a murderer, and punishes himself for it every day. We see this in the way he presents himself, dirty and unkempt because in his mind he doesn’t deserve to feel good about himself in any way. Other than Nott/Veth and Beau to a certain degree, he purposefully isolates himself from the rest of the group and it’s a long time until he feels relaxed enough in their company to drop his defences a little.

(Speaking from a purely meta point of view, Liam did an absolutely phenomenal job of showing this through body language and I’d love to see someone do a compilation video of it. He starts off very hunched and guarded, leaning his body away from the closest person to him and avoiding eye contact and physical touch; but by the end stands tall and sure of himself.)

Early on there were a few moments where he had the option to do some pretty dark shit, and I’m sure there’s a possible timeline where he gave into his desire for revenge and really lost his way, but I’m glad he stuck it out and worked through his trauma in the way he did. His PTSD and disassociation when casting with fire was tragic, but over time he was able to work through it thanks to the constant love and support of his friends who kept him from going off at the deep end.

Molly’s death was the catalyst for change in a lot of the party, and Caleb is no exception. On the verge of leaving the group prior to his death, the grief they shared, combined with their frantic attempt to rescue the other half of their party put things in perspective and gradually he learned how to be a person again, to care.

Altering time to save his family had been Caleb’s only goal in life, and so when Essek and by extension, dunamancy was introduced, you could see his eyes light up at the possibilities.

A huge turning point for him is aligned so closely with Essek’s redemption arc which feels quite apt I think. When Essek confesses to his crimes, Caleb delivers a beautifully iconic piece of dialogue where he acknowledges their similarities and how much he himself has changed as a person since meeting the Mighty Nein. (Source - CR wiki)

‘You listen to me. I know what you are talking about. I know. And the difference between you and I is thinner than a razor. I know what it means to have other people complicate your desires and wishes. And I was like you. Was. I know what a fool I have been for years. You didn't account for us. Good. That is life. Shit hits you sideways in life and no one is prepared. No one is ready. These people changed me. These people can change you. You were not born with venom in your veins. You learned it. You learned it. You have a rare opportunity here, Thelyss. One chance to save yourself, and we are offering it.’

This is not the same Caleb we met back in the Nestled Nook inn way back in the first episode. While not yet fulfilled or entirely convinced of his own worth, he knows he’s on the right path. That alone is progress enough, but that he uses his own experiences to help another escape those same chains of guilt says such a lot for his development. When he tells Essek that his ‘venom’ was learned, he’s also talking about himself and his own history of being manipulated and gaslit, with the implication being that it can be un-learned just as efficiently.

Caleb Widogast is selfish no more, or at the very least, doesn’t let his goals undermine anyone else’s anymore. Contrary to what he himself might still think, he is in no way a bad person. He loves fiercely and cannot abide seeing those he cares about in pain.

Early game Essek is what Caleb could have been if he’d rejected his friends and focused solely on his own selfish goal to undo his mistakes. Both are impassive at first and see the Mighty Nein as means to an end...until they get to know them and then their fate is sealed. The Power of Friendship wins once again!

At the beginning Caleb said he wanted to ‘bend reality to my will’ (sic) and in the end he does just that, though not in the way he originally intended. Destroying the T-Dock, and by extension the one thing he’d been building towards from the start, the chance to go back and change time, for me personally was the absolute peak of his journey. I rewatched the scene where Caleb revealed the truth about his parents death today, and it was really jarring to see just how far he’d come since then. It made me oddly proud actually.

I always felt like his plan to save his parents was the one thing holding him back from truly accepting their deaths, which is why the final scene of him in the cemetery with the letters for them hit so hard. He never truly gave up hope that they’d be reunited, but ultimately he realised he was merely postponing the inevitable and never allowing himself to live his own life. While time travel shenanigans would have been incredibly interesting to explore in game, choosing to let the past lie and not go back for them finally allows him to grieve and move on, and perhaps most importantly of all, to forgive himself at last.

I know some people were annoyed by Caleb’s decision in the finale to spend the rest of his life teaching rather than continuing to adventure, but I see it as the natural conclusion to his whole arc and his own personal victory.

He looked Trent Ikithon in the eyes, a man who he’d spent years wanting to kill and run from in equal measure, stripped him of his power and his voice (and ultimately his ability to harm anyone else) and finally spared his life so he had to live with the indignity of his defeat for the rest of his miserable existence. You couldn’t have asked for a more damning rejection of everything he’d been brainwashed into believing as a child. His dismissal of Trent’s position in the Assembly played into that as well. He never really wanted power for the sake of it; he had no desire for politics, he just wanted his family back, and while he didn’t get the one he started with, he made a new one for himself in the end.

As Caduceus once very wisely said:

‘Pain doesn’t make people; it's love that makes people. The pain is inconsequential; it's love that saves them.’

Caleb gets to break the cycle of abuse and teach a new generation of mages the way he should have been, with kindness and respect, and I’m pretty sure he’d have introduced a handsome drow as a guest lecturer from time to time. 😉

Speaking of...

Essek described himself as selfish and as a coward, forever putting his own wants and desires first, yet over the course of his journey with the Nein we see his priorities change drastically.

Having friends gives him people to care about, something he’s never had before, and it changes his outlook on life completely. For me, the first time we really see this is when he joins them for dinner in the Xorhaus and stops levitating. It’s a subtle thing, but meaningful. He explains that it had become an expectation of him, a quirk he’s known for, and so to feel comfortable enough around the Nein to drop that pretence is quite bold I think.

Much later, when he chooses to destroy the mini beacon they discover in Aeor in order to give everyone a long rest before the final confrontation with Lucian, he’s essentially giving up everything he betrayed his people for, just to keep his friends safe. The existence and context of that single artefact could have had an earthshattering impact on the Dynasty’s entire culture, forcing them to reevaluate their entire belief system and attitude to the Luxon, something he’d wanted from the start, something he helped start a war for, but he offered it up as a sacrifice without a second thought.

I’d say that’s a pretty big morality shift, and I’m super interested to see if Matt reveals if his alignment changed in the post campaign Q&A. I have a feeling he set him up as a potential BBEG but the party was like ‘no, you can’t have him, he’s ours now’ and that was the end of that. 😂

I think it says so much about the other characters too, that they befriended this person they barely knew, and when he was revealed to have done such terrible things, their first reaction was to give him comfort and an opportunity to atone. Jester held his hand while he confessed, and afterwards, while they didn’t immediately forgive him, they saw the good in him and wanted him to be better, which ultimately feels like what the entire campaign was about, leaving places (and people) better than they found them. It’s obvious that he’s never really had many friends before and has therefore never had the opportunity to be emotionally open with anyone, so seeing him gradually warm up to the Nein and allow himself to soften around them was really lovely to watch.

(Obviously, from a realistic moral perspective, he still fucked up big time. He’s still a godsdamned war criminal and really should have been put on trial for what he did, but I think from a narrative and personal point of view, his redemption arc was far more satisfying, so I’m glad it happened the way it did. (And not to derail but the rest of the gang have done some pretty horrific stuff as well, though perhaps not quite on the same scale)

He has a few moments towards the end that I absolutely love because they show that beneath the guilt and anguish, there’s an incredibly sweet and sensitive soul in there, just wanting acceptance. His dry jokes which often don’t quite hit, (the ‘I will punish the bakery’ line is such an under-appreciated one 😂) his simple joy at learning to garden in the Blooming Grove, and realising that he’d never been asked what his favourite food was before was actually kind of heartbreaking, because it highlighted how lonely his life must have been until that time. There was a moment pretty early on I think when he cast disguise on the party and Jester asked if he could cast it again to change the look of her outfit a bit and while he seemed to find it amusing, he refused, not wanting to waste a spell on such a frivolous request. Cut to their time in Aeor where he burns a fly spell just so he and Caleb can flirtatiously swoop around each other for a couple of minutes, all the while trying to beat Lucian to the city.

His breakdown when Molly’s resurrection failed really cemented to me how much he’d grown as a character. He never met Molly, his only knowledge of him was secondhand, through the eyes of his friends, but seeing it fail just broke him because he knew how much it hurt them to go through it all over again.

His comment to Caleb about not admitting defeat and wishing he could do more did get me wondering at the time if he was going to try and do something crazy, perhaps sacrificing himself via the Temporal Dock to make amends or somehow forcing another reroll, but I’m glad he didn’t. The conversation following that with Fjord was one of my favourites- he shows him acceptance and belief in his potential for the future, something he’s lacked for a long time, and when Caleb bluntly affirms afterwards that he is indeed an official member of the Mighty Nein, it’s the start of the rest of his life, and something he’s exceptionally grateful for.

It all leads to that final moment in Aeor with Caleb, when, presented with the opportunity to alter time and undo everything, he chooses to accept his decisions and carry the weight of his sins for the rest of his long life. That’s...huge.

He’s essentially choosing to live the rest of his existence as a fugitive, forever on the run, with no guaranteed peace or safety. He chooses to spend his life making up for his deeds, rather than looking for an easy way out.

I think that may have had a big impact on why Caleb ultimately made the same decision, as if Essek had been up for altering his timeline I think he’d have struggled to resist it himself. The conversation they had earlier in Aeor about their priorities and resisting temptation really comes to mind as well.

Now, to the relationship.

It was subtle, and not as ‘in your face’ obvious as the other characters, but I’ve been watching and hoping for a long time and I must say, it feels good to be vindicated.

(And if you have any doubt, both Matt and Liam confirmed on Twitter that their post finale relationship was 100% romantic)

I’d been hoping that Shadowgast would be a canon endgame relationship for a while, so the finale, and the aforementioned T-Dock scene in particular had me quite literally shaking with emotion as I watched live. Here you have two men, both damaged and guilt-stricken in their own ways, who find in each other a kindred spirit and a path to redemption.

They’re both very guarded and closed off people, but Essek in particular has a definite shift in the last arc of the campaign especially when it came to his interactions with Caleb. At the start he was quite aloof and stoic, though charming, and they had an instant connection through their shared love of the arcane, (anyone who couldn’t see them making heart eyes at each other when Essek was describing the different types of magic he could teach Caleb was clearly blind) but by the end he was incredibly open to showing his vulnerabilities and that takes a lot, especially for someone whose primary focus was to stay in control of every aspect of his life. The ‘Caleb, I’m scared’ moment during the Trent fight in particular made my heart ache.

No, we didn’t get a dramatic declaration of love or a cinematic mid-battle kiss, but I’d argue that their relationship was just as, if not more intimate than any of the other main characters were. They understood each other in a way the others didn’t, their shared guilt, feelings of inadequacy and their obsession with magic forged a deep connection from the get-go. Neither of them are big fans of PDA I think, though Caleb is tactile as hell (forehead touches and kisses, oh man, I’m so weak for those 😩👌) and some of their most iconic moments have them putting themselves in harm’s way to protect the other. Essek shaking off his forced guilt trip immediately after the now infamous forehead touch in ep140 was beautifully poetic, as was using his fortune’s favour to pull Caleb out of the rubble moments before. Caleb trying to include him in his Sphere of Invulnerability in the finale and Essek staying close to him the whole fight despite being obviously terrified of Trent was the icing on the cake. It’s clear that they care for each other a great deal; whether by the finale they’d consider it love is up for debate, but we know that’s eventually where it ended up and honestly, I love that. I deeply appreciated the fact Matt and Liam both emphasised that they took their time with their relationship, letting each other heal in their own way before they took the next step. All too often in media, and real life too sadly, a romantic relationship is seen as some kind of quick fix, and that a lover will somehow complete you or make all your problems vanish. They knew this wasn’t the case here, and that made it all the better.

While I would have *loved* to have seen them together as a couple right to the very end, the change in their relationship felt right, if bittersweet. I doubt they ever stopped loving each other, and if anything, choosing to shift to a deep and lifelong friendship over a romance that would cause them both so much pain is one of the kindest things you could do for someone you love. After all, friendship isn’t a downgrade, just another way of experiencing that same love, and it wasn’t as though they broke up and never saw each other again, it was pretty strongly implied that they remained a major feature in each other’s lives, they just changed their label slightly. Caleb would hate to have forced Essek to watch him wither away, and although his eventual passing would hurt Essek regardless, incompatible lifespans being what they are, having a period of time to adjust to it, to give them a buffer between the inevitable heartbreak was actually really sweet.

Their romance was no accident, they knew going in that it had a time limit, that it wasn’t going to be forever for one of them, and the fact they did it anyway says so much. They began their adventure wholeheartedly believing that they were both, in their own way incapable of love, only to later find it with each other. Whether their relationship lasted for a couple of years or multiple decades is irrelevant, what matters is that while it did they had a happy and fulfilled life together.

I know some folk wanted Caleb to use the transmogrification spell on himself so he could live on with Essek as another elf, or make him human instead, but that would have been way out of character for both I think. If they could have backwards engineered one of the rejuvenation stations in Aeor and used it to extend Caleb’s life by a hundred years or so, so he’d have a similar lifespan to Veth, now, I could have seen him possibly doing that, so he could spend more time with his best friend too, but nothing further I think. He longed to be reunited with his parents too much to postpone death unnaturally like that.

That both Caleb and Essek ultimately chose to live with their mistakes and make peace with themselves was incredibly cathartic, and I couldn’t imagine it playing out any better.

The fact Matt has explicitly stated Essek is Demi too means so much to me personally because the latter is a label I’ve been identifying with a lot recently, and it’s so rare for aspec relationships to get any representation! It has honestly given me a lot to think about over the last few days, and I really appreciate it.

To conclude, here’s a bit of shameless self promotion. I wrote this after watching the finale and honestly feel like it sums up my feelings on the nature of their relationship pretty well.

‘A casual hand on a shoulder, a waist, a wrist; a gentle kiss placed on a forehead is common between them now, an intimacy born of trust and mutual affection. Over time it grows, like a fire born of seasoned timber; gradual and steady, no spluttering kindling that flares and sparks, but a slow burn, one which lasts.

Their love is embroidered into every aspect of their lives together. Acts of service, of comfort, of understanding.

Sometimes a kiss leads to more than a kiss, sometimes it doesn’t. Either way they are content.‘

So yeah, I love these two wizard boys so very much and I couldn’t be happier with the conclusion of their stories. ❤️

#Critical Role #Critical Role Spoilers #CR Spoilers #shadowgast #Essek thelyss #Caleb Widogast #C2ep141 #C2ep141 spoilers #critical role finale

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noodle-puppy · 3 years

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Critical Role Campaign 3 Race and Class Hopes and Predictions

So here I am, going to throw my hat in the ring guessing what I think the cast of Critical Role are playing, giving that Campaign 3 is just around the corner. I’ll probably be wrong but I think I’ll have fun with this! Guesses are under the cut, as this post might get long...

TRAVIS: Centaur Order of the Lycan Blood Hunter

Travis seems to prefer melee combatants who just hit things and get the job done; supposedly he’s said somewhere about not wanting to play a full-caster, yet I’ve seen a lot of predictions for Wizard (though I can see why). Blood Hunter seems like an obvious choice, but perhaps too obvious - but I can’t deny that I would love to see Travis go full werewolf! Besides, with what happened to Mollymauk and all, this class needs more time to shine: so Order of the Lycan Blood Hunter it is! Honourable mentions to Bard, Monk and Rogue; as they’re also classes I’d like to see Travis play.

For the species pick, I’d kill to see Travis play a Centaur. The idea of a centaur werwolf is hilarious to me, and has evocative imagery! I know that as fey creatures centaurs can’t normally get lycanthropy, but I can see Matt making an exception for the reasons I just said. Realistically though, I think he’ll pick a Human, so if he does you can’t say I was wrong! >:)

LAURA: Tabaxi Echo Knight Fighter

My first thought was Bard, but after Jester I don’t think Laura will want to be a support class any time soon. I think she’ll be a melee combatant, probably one without magic since both Vex and Jester had magic at their disposal. Barbarian is a popular pick for her, and while I can see the appeal, I’m going with Fighter. Perhaps she’ll go Echo Knight as a fun callback to Jester’s Invoke Duplicity? It’d be a pretty cool subclass to see in action!

As for species, I think we all want to see a Tabaxi. I'm getting early 2000′s 3D platformer vibes from this character, akin to Ratchet and Clank and Sly Cooper.

LIAM: Drow College of Tragedy Bard

Liam has gone on record to say that he’s playing through the four traditional RPG classes: Fighter (Orym), Thief (Vax), Mage (Caleb) and Healer. Cleric seems to be the obvious pick here (and hey, it’s probably right), but honestly? I’d love to see Liam as a Bard. I think he’d have a lot of fun taking a class associated with cheerfulness and revelry and injecting it with his trademark angst and sorrow. Could be a fun subversion! Apparently Matt has a Shakespearian homebrew College of Tragedy subclass in the works, and I think I’d be perfect to debut here!

Species-wise my first thought was Warforged, since they exist in Exandria now and the idea of a robot with instruments integrated into its body is very cool (write that down!), I’d love to see an Elf in the main cast, and I can see Liam paying tribute to Essek by making a Dark Elf his choice.

SAM: Kenku Circle of Dreams Druid

I know that Liam picks Sam’s combo, but from what I’ve seen Sam is the opposite of Travis: he loves magic-based characters, cleverly manipulating the games with his usual chaotic glee. A Wild Magic Sorcerer is probably going to be the winner (I like the theory of him and Laura making Wild Magic siblings!), but if a man can dream I’d like to see him as a Druid. I’d like to see a high Wisdom character from him, but yet the idea of messing around with Wild Shape is too good to pass up. I have no preference on subclass, so I’ll just pick Circle of Dreams because it sounds cool.

As you can tell I’d like to see more monstrous characters this time around, and you know what would be perfect for Sam? A Kenku. I’d trust no one else to pull it off. Also a kenku usually has black wings, so they’re totally going to be the love interest of Marisha’s character. Nailed the most important question!

MARISHA: Fairy Oath of the Crown Paladin

Speaking of, Marisha has summoned the wrath of nature as Keyleth and the might of martial arts as Beau; so this time it’d be interesting to see her step back and make a support character instead. We’ve already got Liam as our healer, but I think it’s time we had someone start out as a Paladin! Marisha looks like she has the gusto to pull off any of the subclasses, but of the lot the Oath of the Crown is catching my eye.

Something I’d like to see from this campaign is some of the new races, and one of my new favourites was released just recently - the Fairy! Only problem is they can’t fly in medium or heavy armour, so maybe we’ll see an unconventional Paladin build here?

ASHLEY: Dhampir Way of the Long Death Monk/Phantom Rogue

I’m going to be predictable here and say Ashley’s playing a Monk, a class that she expressed interest in during the Vox Machine vs Mighty Nein oneshot. I’m picking Way of the Long Death as the subclass to pair well with my species choice. On a similar note, the Phantom subclass of the Rogue will also work, and after her miserable dice luck I’d want Ashley to play a character with a consistent set of skills: she’ll finally get a good Slealth check!

Ashley’s seems to like playing characters at extreme ends of the spectrum - Pike and Fearne look innocent, yet hold terrifying power; Yasha looks gothic and intimidating, but is gentle and introverted outside of battle. I’d like to see a character from her who looks like they could kill you and will, and the Dhampir is a fairly new playable species which not only fits the bill, but could lend itself to some great roleplay.

TALESIN: Fire Genasi Alchemist Artificer/Genie Warlock

Talesin seems almost inscrutable to guess for, so it was a hard pick for me here. I’ve got to be honest and say that 99% of what you see here is wish fulfilment, so if I’m just pulling everything out of thin air I think Talesin has what it takes to be a great Artificer, considering he knows a lot about the game. And the Alchemist subclass means that he could have a lot of fun with a mad scientist character. But this party is skewing towards support, and I would like to see a proper caster here beside the Druid. It ultimately came between Sorcerer and Warlock, but I think Warlock wins in the end. The Genie subclass is maybe cliche considering the race I went with but again, I can do what I want :P

Genasi is one of my favourite playable species, and while I know we just had Fy’ra Rai, a Fire Genasi is going to be my pick here. A hotheaded scientist with his efreeti parent watching on is what I’m going for with these choices.

So that’s all I’ve got in me (my arm is so sore from typing this guys); I might reblog this with further thoughts once we figure out who the characters are once and for all!

#my post #critical role #cr campaign 3 #dungeons and dragons #travis willingham #laura bailey #liam o'brien #sam riegel #marisha ray #ashley johnson #talesin jaffe #long post

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