#i love how amazing you are caduceus

[residentinsomniacartist]

wait wait wait guys have you ever thought about how the Mighty Nein are everything they shouldn’t be upon first glance

no no guys guys listen to me they’re all the antithesis of what they’re meant to be and that’s why they’re such amazing and heartfelt characters

like, Caleb is a wizard who’s afraid of his own fire magic. his own power causes him to falter in battle. his strongest spells are his most dangerous to himself. wizards are supposed to be prideful of their magic, but Caleb’s is the reason he hates himself

Beau is a monk who never wanted to be. her job is one that people normally associate with being calm and collected and Beau was a wild rebellious kid who got dragged into this line of work against her will. she never wanted to be this!! but now she is and she’s gotta deal with it!!

Fjord is a warlock who never wanted power from his pact, which is why you’d think a warlock would make their pact at all. but no. Fjord made his pact because he wanted to live, not because he wanted power. he was a scared orphan who hated his tusks, not a buff, muscled, angry half-orc like people assumed

Nott is NOT, that’s the whole crux of her narrative! she wasn’t pretty, like a halfling girl was supposed to be. she wasn’t a goblin, she was just transformed into one. and not only that, but despite being a three-foot-tall alcoholic kleptomaniac, she’s the mom of the group!

Jester is a Cleric whose god isn’t actually a god and who would much rather bash bad guys over the head with her lollipop than have to stop and heal her friends!! she’s a bubbly, optimistic ray-of-sunshine, but you know when she says she’s gonna change the world with friendship she means it as a threat

Mollymauk is an amnesiac, but he doesn’t want to remember who he was. if you ask him, that wasn’t him! he might be a flirtatious hedonistic carnie, but he’s also single-mindedly devoted to making the world a better and more loved place than it was when he found it. he’s a liar, but he means well. he’s an arrogant fool, yes, but he’s right! he did it! he left it better!

Caduceus seems like he’d be creepy and grim from growing up in a graveyard, but he’s actually the most chill out of the entire Nein by far. he’s calm, he’s sweet, and he’s comforting, more than anything else. you’d think he’d be amazed by seeing the outside world for the first time, but he spends the whole time knowing that one day he’ll return home, that he wasn’t supposed to be the one to leave

Yasha is a barbarian with skeletal wings and a dramatic, monochromatic look, but she’s a complete sweetheart. she’s Molly’s best friend, she was a carnival bouncer, she’s a lesbian disaster who collects pressed flowers in a book out of love for the wife she lost. those black wings were actually hiding soft white feathers

Essek was born straight into the den of politics, he was a spymaster, he literally started a war for his own gain, and yet. he’s sounds irredeemable on paper, but. he’s not!! sure, the Nein kind of have to drag his alignment kicking and screaming into neutral, but they manage it. Essek learns and grows and he overcomes his nature. he becomes good, against all odds

guys guys guys don’t you see it!! look at them!!they’re such compelling characters!! they’re everything they’re not supposed to be!! dude y’all how didn’t I realize this earlier!! they subvert their narratives in the most interesting ways ever and I justhshsbhshshsjnsmshsnhsfn!!

#having very normal thoughts about the hyperfixation before bed as you can see #god I love the Mighty Nein #I swear to god their story is one of the best things I’ve ever discovered #it just #it just screams ‘you can be more than what the world made you to be’ #‘you can be more than you once were’ #‘you can live and grow and love and it can be so so amazing. just let yourself have it’ #the Mighty Nein’s story is one of such overwhelming hope and love for the world and I just #*distant sobbing* /pos #the mighty nein #critical role campaign 2 spoilers #critical role #cr c2 #caleb widogast #beauregard lionett #fjord stone #nott the brave #veth brenatto #jester lavorre #mollymauk tealeaf #caduceus clay #yasha nydoorin #essek thelyss #cr meta

[critter-genfic-events]

This week, we have eight amazing timeskip/future fics recced! Some skip ahead a handful of decades, while some skip ahead centuries, but all of them are wonderfully heart wrenching and hit just the right spot. Check them out under the cut, and as ever, comment or kudos if you like them!

The Matter of Lot 19 by pagerunner (10102,Teen) Warnings: None Pairings:

Keyleth returns to Whitestone after many, many years to see about a unique and precious clock that's up for auction. But she's not the only one intending to bid...and her competitors might not only be interested because of the clock's connection to a certain legendary de Rolo.

Reccer says: Beautiful and Bittersweet and has a lot of great older Kiki and Sun Tree moments.

Library Magic by westwind (2739,General) Warnings: None Pairings:

After the Mighty Nein's adventuring days are over, Caleb travels with a library in an enchanted wagon. He comes across a stranger who's nevertheless familiar.

Reccer says: I liked it

The More Things Change by FinnsKeeper (4922,Teen) Warnings: Major Character Death Pairings:

Beau is hurt. The best chance they have of saving her is asking for her to be consecuted

Reccer says: A heartbreatking but fascinating take on the nein being consecuted

Unexpected and Predictable by alullabytoleaveby (2131,General) Warnings: Pairings: Verin Thelyss & Caleb Widogast

The last thing Caleb expects to hear on a rainy Tuesday evening is the sound of a knock at his door and Verin Thelyss, Ambassador of the Bright Queen to the Dwendalian Empire, on his doorstep. But he should have expected it. After all, Essek had already prepared for this eventuality.

Reccer says: I love this glimpse of Verin, and Caleb being able to explain his relationship to Essek's brother.

What Makes a Home? by literalfuckinggarbage (3188,General) Warnings: Child abuse, abusive parenting Pairings: Beau & TJ

TJ turns up on Beau's doorstep after running away from Kamordah. Beau takes care of her little brother.

Reccer says: It's really lovely seeing an older Beau step up to being an older sister and the relationship between her and TJ is incredibly sweet. They have a rapport, they banter, and the love that's grown between them over the years is plain in each word between them. The ending is so wonderful too and it's a concept I really should rotate more.

cycles by justsleepwalkin (500,General) Warnings: Major Character Death Pairings: Caduceus Clay & Essek Thelyss

Caduceus and Essek take a walk among the falling leaves and have a talk about endings and beginnings.

Reccer says: Beautiful and atmospheric - a perfect moment between the two of them.

From the Mixed-Up Files of The J. Lavorre Catalogue Raisonné by renquise (2328,General) Warnings: None Pairings:

An art history report on the famous artist Jester Lavorre

Reccer says: I adore epistolary fics and this perfectly scratches that itch. Seeing what people might say about Jester and her friends centuries after they are gone is a treat!

a little birdie told me by Ink_Beneath_Her_Fingernails (1647,Not Rated) Warnings: None Pairings:

Kiri absently wonders if the Gentleman somehow had the foresight to keep her name out of their ears, and how he'd managed it for all these years. (Or: The mob boss Kiri we all deserve.)

Reccer says: Mob Boss Kiri - what's not to love?

This is one of our weekly communally-generated gen rec lists. Every week we announce a new theme and allow anyone to submit a fic recommendation. Please note that the summary and content notes are provided by the reccer, and may be different than what the author has provided. Please assume good intentions all around. <3

And hey, anyone includes you!

Next week, we'll be featuring prank fics!

Then, it'll be Ashton focused, Hair Care, and Pre-Campaign!

Any fics coming to mind?  Well, then use this form to submit!

If you're looking for some more, check out some fics written in the critter genfic bingo tag, or the older rec lists! Or you can request your own card and join in on the fun!

#critical role #critter genfic rec lists #timeskip au #future fic #keyleth of the air ashari #vox machina #caleb widogast #beauregard lionett #verin thelyss #tj lionett #caduceus clay #essek thelyss #jester lavorre #kiri critical role #the mighty nein

[foolofatook001]

She’s not stupid, okay. She knows that no one trusts the Traveler—Artagan, whatever— no matter how much they all say We’re with you, Jester. She’s seen them in their little worried huddles off to the side, Beau and Fjord and Caduceus, and she knows when they’ve been talking about her and the Traveler because they all have That Expression on their face. That pursed-lips Mmmm I don’t like this but I am keeping my mouth shut right now expression. That Mmmm my god is a real god and a lot better than Jester’s fake god expression. (And of course the Traveler is still basically a real, almost-god, even if he doesn’t want to be as much of a god anymore! Jester just knows that that’s kind of what they’re thinking when they have That Look on their faces.) 

And they’re her friends, and Jester loves them, and she knows they love her and they want her to be safe. 

But. But. The Traveler was Jester’s first friend, and her best friend, and for a long time her only friend, so it hurts that the rest of Jester’s friends don’t… see that.

And Fjord’s one to talk, too— wasn’t he doing stupid things for Uk’otoa (Uk’otoa) not too long ago? But he follows the Wildmother, so obviously he knows everything now!

All right, Jester knows that’s a little mean. She remembers him promising her Mama that he would protect her. He just wants to keep her safe, and he’s said as much; he’s been burned by his own experiences and he doesn’t want her to get hurt the same way. 

(And she has been hurt. Is hurt. There are a few things that she’s never going to draw out in her sketchbook, the kind of things that she just wants to cry out while curled up in her Mama’s lap like she’s little again. The kind of things that she can’t even tell the Traveler, because right now he needs her help, so he needs her to be strong and he needs her to be happy.)

But even so, she KNOWS the Traveler, knows him better than Fjord ever knew his stupid snea snake, even if she didn’t know him as well as she thought she did. He may be tricksy, but she still trusts him, because he’s promised time and again that she is his first, his favorite, and he will not leave her, not forever. And none of her friends seem to believe her when she tells them this!

“I’d like to be there to help you walk the path you’re on, and…keep things from getting out of hand,” says Caduceus’s slow, deep voice.

“Sure, Jester,” says Beau, “but you know you’re the one who does all the amazing stuff, right? Not him.” 

“Arch means evil, doesn’t it?” Nott’s worried, reedy voice says. “It’s only used in bad things!”

The silence from everybody but Caleb after the Traveler says, “As long as you have her around, you’ll have me around,” speaks volumes and volumes. A whole Cobalt Soul library. 

And that hurts just as much. 

If Artagan told her, right this second, that he was going to go off to travel through the planes and he wanted her to come with him… 

She isn’t sure she would tell him no.

#critical role #fool writes #jester lavorre #the traveler #artagan #I just still have many thoughts about the Nein and how they all treat Jester and her god #especially in the run-up to travelercon #like #beau and fjord are actively making plans to take the traveler down if he steps one toe out of line #caduceus has that 'i'm going along with this because everyone else is but i don't 100% approve' vibe #veth and yasha make no secret of how little they trust him #and i mean like it's valid #because the traveler is shady af #but it feels like jester gets dismissed really easily? #and they're doing a lot of this 'backup planning' behind her back #probably because they know that jester would Have Something To Say About It #idk man #like i get why #but I will still write about it lol #also this was almost widojest #but then I ran out of steam #rest assured however #that the 'and I cast Seeming and everyone is wearing green robes...Jester's has extra embroidery' lives in my mind at all times #wow this was a proper tag rant #fun times

[bananathebookworm]

TLOVM S2 Episodes 1-3 Ramblings

AHHH! So fucking stoked for this season!

EP. 1

- This is incredible. They’ve managed to translate the absolute terror of this moment so well.

- Uriel’s death... fucking gruesome..

- Interesting that the main focus is on Umbrasyl, with enough Raishan and Thordak sprinkled in to establish their status in the conclave.

- They managed to capture the “19 Misses!?” moment so beautifully. I love seeing how these game mechanics adapt from game to screen.

- Missed moment from the campaign: Vorugal collapsing the top of Allura’s tower. Vorugal doesn’t make a direct attack until VM is at their keep.

- The looting of the remains of Gilmore’s shop. Poor Scanlan being left with a broom. That can’t possible be useful for anything at all.

- The adventures of Grog and Kraven Edge begin... this will go well.

- The snowflakes as Vorugal approaches. Nice touch.

- Nothing but respect for Keyleth in this house. 

- Green-eyed little girl... that’s not suspicious at all...

- And a moment of perspective for Vox Machina. Love seeing a team come together.

- Liam as Vorugal was a fantastic choice.

EP. 2

- I love the visualizations of their magic so much. Each character has their own colour scheme and style and I love it so much.

- Matt as the guard to Vasselheim. 

- Bidet.

- Caduceus easter egg when Keyleth mentions the Wildmother. Which makes sense given that Caduceus is the only member of the Mighty Nein that would be an adult and not a small child at this time. Now I need a story about his adventures in Tal’Dorei.

- Raven Queen!

- Green-eyed individual pointing them to the Slayer’s Take... 

- Forgot how much of an asshole Kash comes across as...

- The design of the Slayer’s Take is amazing. 

- Love how long it took them to realize they lost their fucking Goliath...

- That combat wheelchair is fucking badass and I love it so much

- Grog and Earthbreaker Groon. One of my favourite moments of the campaign. 

- “I just wanna put her in my pocket” I would also love a little pocket Pike giving me guidance and fucking up shitty people I deal with at work.

- “Where does your strength come from?” The ease with which Earthbreaker Groon can launch Grog across the room is amazing.

- Osysa the Sphinx... isolating them... reading their deepest fears and insecurities... fuck... Also the animation for her very clearly separating her as a being older than time.

- “No one cares about you. I’m no different.” Fucking. Brutal. And another wonderful foreshadow to Scanlan’s path later on.

- Pike my beloved. 

- Interesting that they didn’t have Grog reach the answer to where he gets his strength in this encounter.

- This animation for the story of the vestiges is gorgeous.

- Viktor the Black Powder Salesman... I look forward to this recurring character. Also I’m really glad Matt is voicing him because I don’t think anyone else coudl capture that particular unhingedness...

EP. 3

- “A bird? How does that help!?” Well at least we’re still at the “thinking rationally about Wild Shape” point in time.

- I need Zahra to have a scene in every single episode. 

- Canonical making fun of Purvan’s name. Love it.

- Grog’s Beard! I love the Travis squeal laugh.

- Zahra’s eye-twitch. 

- “Do not go far from me.” Just stab me in the fucking heart why don’t you...

- Baby twins! Love these flashbacks we didn’t get to see in game.

- Fucking Syldor. Hate him so much. Feed him to Trinket.

- Separating the twins as well as Zahra and Kash, like the original Trial of the Take episodes. 

- Grog going absolutely feral with Kraven Edge... I can’t fucking wait to see the culmination of this partnership.

- The Ladies of Critical Role continue to remind me of how gay I am...

- Pike’s concern over Grog’s change in behaviour in battle... this is going to hurt.

- Deathwalker’s Ward... 

- They did change this ever so slightly. In campaign, Taliesin/Percy intentionally touched the armour without thinking about checking for traps. In the show, Percy accidentally touches it while distracted. Both resulting in the same devastating effect.

- Fuck that happened fast. 

- The black feathers... the Matron of Ravens is coming...

- Liam... my heart can’t handle Vax’s sobbing...

---

What and amazing and brutal start to the second season of this show. I can only hope they continue to get picked up for the rest of Vox Machina’s story once the Conclave is done in season 3. 

#critical role #cr spoilers #the legend of vox machina #the legend of vox machina spoilers #tlovm spoilers

[nochi-quinn]

legend of vox machina watch party episodes 1-3: billfrito

why does all the amazon lovm merch look SO BAD

let laura bailey run your merch department amazon

amazon merch: focus-tested, advertiser friendly, bland

cr official merch: laura bailey wanted a thing so she made it, superior, personal

matt: I play The Entire Rest Of The World

are they already drunk or just goofy

the eternal question

"tall and lovely" literally nobody remembers sam is tall

djfskj he matches the sofa

GILMORE-SCENTED

oh HE'S already drunk

"that's five more trinkets than ever appear in the show"

travis in the calamity merch

aw, but mica's speech

I have absolutely forgotten how to use the watch party

oh right I don't get video until twitch says I get video

EPISODE ONE

"what could go wrong"

"I don't know what that means"

see, even this has better quality than the actual prime video player

"everybody be quiet I'm talking"

75k?!

I mean it makes sense but also that's A Number

"it's sleeping gas"

Nickelodeon Presents Legend of Vox Machina

WIZARDS

well she's a sorceror but WIZARDS

I was really hoping liam would be in this one but I'm beginning to understand why he's not

can you imagine

mb next time for maximum trauma

"that was my child" "sam's kids die all the time in this show"

"and then this happens"

THORDAK

I didn't notice the lens flare in the city shot beforeeeeee

"I don't wanna say yes until I know what happens" that's amazing

"don't let your shop fall on you next time"

"freak-ass"

I love that travis watches the reaction videos

"we should get rid of that"

Just A Broom™

"if the spork doesn't work you have no choice"

"no horses were harmed"

oh WOW

give them all raises

animation should win cinematography

Sam's Kids Watch

I still regret the loss of Kiki's friendship with the Sun Tree

s a m

"and it makes for really great desktop wallpapers"

"buildings were still…up"

"when I did it in their imaginations"

OH SHIT I want THAT for a wallpaper

these are fucking gorgeous

FLORIDA DRAGON

"I'm from there, I can say that"

I enjoy so much that matt has just leaned into wearing comfy pants to every event

jesus

the scrawlings of a madman

Big Dragon is Big

mica

who is that skinny motherfucker

THERE'S gilmore

I don't know who that other guy was. dark gilmore.

skinny gilmore isn't real, he can't hurt you

"I'm dying, show me your tits"

ahhh sketchy thordak

"big mistake giving sunil a catchphrase"

"remember when TVs had dials? I don't, I wasn't alive then"

travis is already in despair

y'all know what you were getting into when you let her host again

did travis just go "have fun storming the castle"

EPISODE TWO

it is nice to hear dani

"the internet is still just a concept"

will!!

the persistence of my crush on will friedle is astounding

ABC's TGIF veterans sound off

"someone had to design this!"

Ethereal Butt Scoops

will

"you're in this one!" "I know, I've heard"

Australian Accent Guy

I have not sat down and tried to hear the main cast in the background yet

there you go, it was Caduceus, but not For Real Caduceus, just Easter Egg Caduceus

"the armor looks a lot like Kima's armor!" "yeah, imagine that"

"we had to change it, the first take she was watching The Boys"

She

"if you put a backwards hat on [kashaw] it would fit"

He

STABBY WHEELCHAIR

memelords

matTHEW

josh turner, she's talking about josh turner

spoilers will

I love that they get to record together again but I

will's first ever animated swear!

terry deserved to swear lbr

"that was horrible" "it was fun!"

he's just so proud of himself. and so wrong.

"okay byeeee"

ONE PERSON did all of this?!

osysa's facial animation is so fucking good

sassy arrogant woman on sassy arrogant woman violence

memelords

victor!

taliesin just sneezed somewhere

Bill Frito

ART

aww, them coming up with story for kash and zahra just 'cause they could

OSYSA CONCEPT ART

why is there an audio desync when I have my headset off but not with it on

I'm unfortunately having to use this as a break to check on my kid

I desperately need Victor Award Speech

I don't even care if it's just a Victor Laugh at the end. I need this.

I Saw Green Once

"oh he's a dick!"

"you really crafted the perfect fuckboi"

ANIMATED CALAMITY???

MATT IF IT'S ANIMATED CALAMITY YOU HAVE TO TELL ME OTHERWISE IT'S ENTRAPMENT

"please get out"

I need my kid's pancreas to quit fucking up so I can put my headset back on, I missing so much crosstalk orz

DANI CARR 👏👏👏

it ain't called chaos couch for nothin

professionalism, we don't know her

"no we got a few more bits"

will did you not catch my TGIF shoutout earlier, I absolutely remember dial-up

EPISODE THREE

"that's the head of the CCP" M A T T H E W

justice for dexter the cute dragon

Skipping the Intro Is A War Crime

"who did that? I hope he's awesome" "yeah about that"

"tieflings are so cool" "just tieflings, not that other asshole"

will's shirt is doing an optical illusion on the picture in picture

"like taking the laugh track out of mash" that's a really good analogy actually

forever in awe of travis' ability to hit that pitch

I changed my twitter name to 'do not go far from me' bc I chose violence

[psychonauts 1 voice] YOU, tree-sitter!

I still cannot hear troy baker here, I am ashamed of myself

"he's a bit of an ass, you've got this"

"complete with traps" "SPOILERS"

I do love zahra's face there

"this is just travis as a player" noted Big Red Button addict travis willingham

"stay away from her! get a job!" dslkfjls

I wondered how much of this was or wasn't from kith and kin, I haven't had the chance to read it

I'm absolutely in awe of foley artists

I always felt like travis was living vicariously through grog with the beard, since he had to shave his for mocap work at the time

"I think your beard is evil!"

"'cause mary sucks in real life and I'm the nice one"

"there's never a time when they just turn around and go home" this is why Campfire Cooking In Another World is excellent, the protagonist is just like "no 🥰"

still in love with vex's little ear twitch

the way they all just went SILENT

"I don't wanna cry on national television"

you are not immune to liam o'brien

"you spelled my name 'troy baker'"

nope, no pokeball yet

(they are definitely not allowed to call it a pokeball) (I am under no such restrictions)

"that was definitely on purpose"

"we should finish those episodes"

"JUST MAKE THIS ONE BLACK AND WHITE"

I'm torn btwn "ha ha funny d&d wife jokes" and "that's actually important to communicate before it has the CHANCE to be a problem"

oh SHIT this concept art

"control water moses style"

"the damned missionaries showed up"

"their dicks are teeth"

NOT THE XENOMORPH

"do not make fanart of that"

matt if you get to say that out loud fcg gets to have a flesh tongue

"hashtag - " "NO"

grog and bacon edge was a+

that time he made scanlan drown out him in the outhouse so he could talk to it

"oh no we all share one brain cell, this is horrible"

matt say the names out loud before you get to the table, I've been saying this for years

CR 13 Pedobear

"obsessed with that" "you should not be"

"I showed these episodes to my kids" sam no

Dark is Not Evil

oh right kestrel came up with marisha's space frog

"we're gonna show up and talk behind you"

the episodes drop three hours before critrole for me, rip my thursday nights

drop the video will. will drop the video. will.

"I UNDERSTAND THAT REFERENCE"

"iono" "MATTHEW"

OH THE NECKLACE

them threatening matt until he picks a voice to do

"WHO'S SCRATCH KASH"

their dream guest stars have a habit of just being their guest stars

Bill Frito Can Do Anything

mica are you talking abo - you're talking about your dad

"I cannot do that."

ROBBIE

I miss him

that's right, will nuked all his socials

(good for him)

"you can" "get fucked"

mica just going "END"

#crititag #lovmtag #critical role #the legend of vox machina #liveblog #reaction post #spoilers #watch party #tlovm watch party

[criticalrolo]

1 & 6 for the hater asks?

the character everyone gets wrong

I already wrote my caduceus thesis for this answer, so someone else I think everyone gets wrong is Faramir. Like yes, he is amazing and pure and wonderful and everyone should love him. Part of him being such a good character is that he is 100% the Younger Brother Who Picks Fights With Dad and will simply do What He Wants, Fuck What People Say About It. He argues with Denethor ALL the time and you just know that Boromir was STRESSING in the background trying to smooth things over when they were younger. Like -- Faramir is NOT a pushover, he's obstinate as hell and WILL dig his heels in if he thinks something is a bad idea, and by that point it's going to be impossible to convince him to do something he doesn't want to do. "Oh your life will be forfeit if you let Frodo go" "THEN LET IT BE FORFEIT" He's going to kiss Eowyn on the roof where everyone can see him and he doesn't care about the gossip at ALL. Stop making him so fucking soft and demure and let him be the stubborn bitch he is in canon!! ugh I love him so much

6. which ship fans are the most annoying?

by the end of c2 I was annoyed with every ship's fans I think. geralt/jaskier shippers have made me want to jump off a roof a few times over from just dipping my toes into netflix witcher content. i have THOUGHTS about the absolute state of shipping in mdzs but that's an entire other paragraph about how truly insane the various interpretations of the story are on this godforsaken website. mostly I think I just find a lot of people super into shipping annoying LKJSDJFLSSFJ

#caduceus and faramir are some of my Favorite Characters of All Time Forever btw. no one gets them like me. well actually several people do #but MOST people do not understand. why they are so good #ANYWAY #ask meme

[thelavendersquid]

I had reached the tag limit on love persevering but you NEED to know my thoughts because it was SO FUCKING GOOD OK YOU KNOCKED IT OUTTA THE BALLPARK! You got the characterization of literally everyone so perfect & I love the way you write about Fjord’s strained relationship with tickling & backed it up with canon justification ‘cause it would honestly make sense for him to feel that way about it with the way he grew up. His struggle to want to be close with his friends & engage in their playful affection but having these valid reservations about doing so is literally sooo good! & it made me so sad when Jester tried to tickle him but he was all shut off & upset & Caduceus quietly comforting her is just so 🥺 & I can tell it would be something Fjord would overthink when given the time to do so & literally just blurting out the question to Caleb in the middle of the night. Caleb’s reaction is so damn funny & genuine like that is 100% how he would response he is NOT equipped for this conversation without combusting from embarrassment. The way they all cried over Molly literally brought tears to my eyes it was so heartfelt & emotional & I was not expecting that omg. I needed to mourn him alongside the other characters, it was so cathartic. & the way they literally had a tickle fight in his memory felt so fitting & was such a mighty nein move! & THEN HE ACTUALLY SHOWED UP & ONLY CADUCEUS COULD SEE HIM?? ACTUAL PERFECTION LITERALLY THE BEST MOMENT IN ALL OF FANFICTION! & then he joined the fray & got to tickle his friends 1 last time & make them laugh & feel loved & AAAAHHHH I HAVE SO MANY EMOTIONS ABOUT THIS FIC!!!! Seriously this was amazing I am so grateful for this & for you sorry for the long tangent but I NEED you to know just how amazing & wonderful that fic is seriously you cured every ailment in my body

Omg you just made my entire day, week and month 😭😭 I’m so glad you liked it!!! Thank you so much for telling me how much you loved it, I appreciate that so much and it means so much to me 💜 This really became such an important fic to me over the last couple months of working on it and it makes me SO happy to hear it’s had the same effect on others too! You can write me a long tangent any day of the week, I’m so thrilled to hear all of your thoughts!!!

Yesss Fjord is SUCH an overthinker but he just keeps everything to himself and then blurts it out at the worst moment lmao. And Caleb is just starting to get used to that with regular day-to-day stuff, he’s NOT prepared for the conversation Fjord is trying to start. But he doesn’t want to push him away so he does the next best thing: Put them both in front of Cad and let him handle it 😂 There were definitely tears when I was writing them all talking about Molly, I think we all needed that mourning. And then I just couldn’t leave him out of a tickle fight being held in his honor!! You know he would find a way to show up for that if he had to petition multiple goddesses themselves! And Caduceus! What are high perception and insight characters even for if not to see the ghost of your friends’ best friend coming back to make them laugh one last time?? Ahhh Fjord and Jester, I love them so much and I was sooo sad to write Fjord rejecting Jester’s silliness this time 🥺 But he just needed some time to (over)think. When I was sitting there thinking ‘what would it take for Fjord to be okay with being tickled’ the first thing that came to my mind was Jester, it would take Jester. But it actually took all of them in different ways because that’s just how it works with the mighty nein and I love them for that. It took me forever to get into Fjord’s head for this but once I did I just fell in love with him even more, he wants to be close and playful with his friends but he’s just not sure how and he’s had so many bad experiences he doesn’t even know what to do. He’s always walking that line of trying to be cool and tough vs being vulnerable and silly with his friends and it was so fun to write that. Anyway thank YOU for sharing all your thoughts with me, it literally made my day!!!

#critickle role #I love this community so much #my fics

[papermonkeyism]

Alright, I have now officially seen Critical Role campaign 2, had some time to watch the campaign wrap up and just generally put thoughts in a row.

Some of said thoughts, in no particular order:

I appreciate how, like, 90% of the muscle mass of the group is firmly on the lady-side of the party. Personally quite happy about that.

I don't think I ever really got over the character death, but I do appreciate the narrative weight of it and I have a huge soft spot for the character we got out of it so. Man, the story would have been so different, huh?

I hadn't thought one could steal a ship by accident but

Lots of eyeballs in this campaign.

The entire Happy Fun Ball thing.

Jester having the Sending spell was amazing.

Speaking of Jester, I lost my shit with the blueberry cupcake. You know the one.

Personally very pleased by getting to know characters of races that usually get portrayed as evil by default as people, as this has been one of my pet peeves in fantasy genre for decades.

Love the character designs of some of the NPCs. Special shoutout to Orly and the moorbounder salesman.

I really, really enjoyed watching Caduceus interact with his family. That was all very authentic sibling relationship shenanigans, and I love it so much.

Also the dinner scene.

Really, I have only experienced three of Taliesin's characters so far (Mollymauk, Caduceus and Ashton), but I got to say I really appreciate how he does characters. Very aesthetic.

(the reunion two parter is going to be interesting)

The Travelercon. Just... the Travelercon

I still think Yasha "negative 2 charisma modifier" Nydoorin attempting to flirt was the funniest thing ever, in a sweet way.

This was overall gayer than I expected. I'm used to keeping my expectations low to non existent, so I was quite happy to be surprised. Cozy.

Speaking of, I now understand why I keep seeing so much fan art of the sad trash wizard with a drow.

The M9 took one look at Essek and decided to adopt him

I think Caleb's character arc is the one that left me the most impressed, but they all got their chances to shine. I am weirdly proud of all of these make believe people.

Honestly, looking back, they really did get far during the course of the game. What started as a mistrusting bunch of colourful assholes grew into a tight knit and surprisingly functional found family. Specially that last battle of the series, it was efficient and had so many character points in it.

I think my favourite parts were all the heart to heart conversations between the characters sprinkled throughout the series.

Fun little extra, my local library has a copy of the Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, the DnD sourcebook for the setting/continent this campaign takes place in, and I've borrowed it couple times during my watch through. It's been special bit of extra fun to whip out the giant map that comes with the book and follow the party's travels on it while watching the game sessions.

(I may or may not have bought myself the Beauregard sleeveless hoodie thing with my last month's fun money. It is soft and comfy and it has pockets.)

And so many other thoughts, but that was literally 141 episodes with the combined runtime of over five and half hundred hours. Took me about a year or so, though 3/4 of the campaign was marathoned within the last three-ish months because of not having social life.

I think I want to give a bit of a rewatch to the first episode or few, now that I've seen the whole story. Refresh how it all started.

#shut up paper

[flurry-of-beaus-pop-pop]

Now that I finally finished Campaign 1, here are my final thoughts:

Character Rankings By Player:

Liam: 1. Orym 2. Caleb 3. Vax

Laura: 1. Jester 2. Vex 3. Imogen

Travis: 1. Chetney 2. Grog 3. Fjord

Ashley: 1. Fearne 1. Yasha 1. Pike (they're all one because I love them all and couldn't choose)

Sam: 1. Scanlan 2. FCG 3. Nott

Taliesin: 1. Caduceus 2. Molly 3. Ashton 4. Percy

Marisha: 1. Beau 2. Keyleth 3. Laudna

Campaign 1 Thoughts:

Personally, wasn't that big of a fan of the Raven Queen storyliine - had I watched Campaign 1 before I watched the other 2 campaigns, I may have thought differently, but it was just the same "Liam's character is depressing" storyline and it didn't really seem to be all that much of a point/benefit to his sacrifice.

Grog and Pike's friendship is literally the best. I love the goofiness that comes out of Ashley and Travis's friendship

Vax and Keyleth and Vex and Percy genuinely had zero chemistry for me. I think that Keyleth should have ended up with Kashaw or nobody, Vax with Gilmore, Vex with Zahra, and Percy with nobody and/or some unknown NPC

Absolutely adored Scanlan/Pike's relationship and the path it took. Yes, Scanlan did some not appropriate things at the beginning, but he truly was the best version of himself when he was trying to be the best for Pike

Kima and Allura are amazing and it really adds to their appearances in C2/C3

Keyleth, at least in this campaign (she is different in campaigns where she's piloted by Matt) is definitely not leader material. She struggles so much with making decisions, and often makes not great ones

Percy spent the entire campaign trying to get sympathy for the fact that he felt guilty for making the guns, yet never stopped using them and even continued to make them for other people. Even if you wanted to make that argument that that was his class, so it would be weird if he stopped, he didn't even really play a major role with them in the final battles because they weren't magic

Percy was genuinely Taliesin's most annoying character and every character he's played since is just Percy in a different shade, in my opinion.

Grog with the Deck of Many Things was amazing

I genuinely loved all the different guests that were a part of this campaign, especially Will and Maryann

Not necessarily about C1, but I find it a tad strange that with how important Vox Machina was with literally saving the world, that they're barely mentioned by name in subsequent campaigns

Sam's devastation over having to use the Wish spell was genuinely heartbreaking

Campaign 2 is still my fave

#critical role #vox machina #keyleth of the air ashari #percy de rolo #scanlan shorthalt #pike trickfoot #grog strongjaw #vex'ahlia #vax'ildan

[thequeenofmyownscreen]

Seventeen things I noted about CR2E135 “The Genesis Ward” and the Talks Machina about it :

A blocked Suez Canal joke, I can date this episode without looking at the Youtube details. Thanks, Sam, for making me relieving that crazy week on tumblr.

SOCKS MACHINA !!!

Fjord cast Mask of Many Faces just to have his hair come back "perfect". Immediately, Veth : "Oh, is it an illusion ?" Fjord, offended : "What, no ! I am a powerful practitioner of the -- Don't touch it !!!" (as Veth cast Mage Hand to ruffle Fjord's hair)

Ooooooh an explosion ??? That was provoked inward by something giga mega powerful ?! The more we see of Aeor the more I want to see

A component room and a records room with nice blank paper made for wizards ? Aeor is Caleb's dreaaaaaaam

I was like "Wait, the Factorum Malleus ? Where have I heard THAT before" and I searched through the transcripts database, and FRIDA fought in Aeor to defend it !!! WHAT THE HELL THIS IS BLOWING MY MIND

Elemental energy funneling ? Me thinks the fuckers at Aeor created a breach through the Water Plane and used the perpetual flow of water to harness power and power up their city...

Essek himself is suggesting to Caleb that there is a time to save the world, and a time to search Aeor. As a DM, I call that a message to my players. Event though... again, I want to see all of Aeor

the Aeorians, crazy motherfuckers, invented rejuvenation chambers for humanoids (like the one in the Lazarus experiment in Doctor Who, without the unfortunate consequence of turning Mark Gatiss into a monster) AND a rejuvenation chamber for the robots !

Veth is getting the vapors, just from hearing Devexian talk, I laughed really loud at Sam's antics

OBSESSED with how Devexian was like, 'Thanks for repairing me I guess', and (relunctantly) bringing some LORE, and 'I must go now see you losers ok I'll open this door for you ~byyyyye', in under 10 minutes

As Fjord is enclosed in the tube space not knowing what will happen, Laura (known Harrisson Ford stan), as Jester : "Fjord !! I love you..." Travis, who wants to please his wife and is also a Harrison Ford stan : "I know..."

Hahaha, now it's Caleb's turn to say to Essek that they do not have time to study the weird rejuvenation room with dunamis traces

Amazing ending with the visual of the Nein just running to the edge and free falling (or flying) to escape the other monster.

Ok, so Taliesin apparently wrote the dream Caduceus has wayyyy before meeting the Nein in the weekend after Molly's death episode, where he was panicking and creating in urgency another character ; and he never looked at these character notes ever again until the ending arc, where he was like "hum.... this could be important". It's hilarious to me, because it means these players are good but they are humans, and they will forget stuff like this they crafter. Matt, however, will not, and will use it to incorporate into his world !

Caduceus, at Aeor, if he could : "You guys had problems."

There is a Twinkie Museum, and of course, Taliesin knows about it because he went at it.

#my thoughts #critical role #cr campaign 2 #CR2E135

[7of-hearts]

personally, i’m really glad that laudna came back still a little undead, for two reasons mostly

first, kinda outside of the narrative, i am fascinated with the visual representations of someone’s trauma. taliesin is amazing at this (percy’s hair, his initial descriptions of caduceus’s malnourished state, ashton’s scars), and i’ve really enjoyed watching marisha explore this as well. i also just adore laudna’s undead quirks and how much laudna loves being fun scary.

the second reason is that laudna is comfortable in this body, in who she is now i think. growth does not have to be returning to who you used to be. it can be growing over and around who you once were, keeping them with you but not necessarily going back to that. personally, i don’t think laudna will want to go by matilda again. this is her now. she keeps matilda and the memory of whitestone’s darkness and the pain of it all with her, but that isn’t her anymore, at least that isn’t all of her. like wasps building their nests around an object, almost. you can see the shape of what was there before, but there’s so much more built around it now.

#i hope this comes across well. phrasing is hard #critical role #cr3 #bell’s hells #laudna #matilda #marisha ray

[critter-genfic-events]

Canon Divergent AU Recs!

This week, we have canon divergent AU recs! A dozen different what-ifs to explore below the cut - and as ever, if you like them, remember to comment or kudos!

Catch A Falling Star by Rainydaydecaf (32921,Mature) Warnings: Feeblemind Pairings: Beauregard Lionett/Yasha Nydoorin, Essek Thelyss & The Mighty Nein

The Nein find a feebleminded Essek down in the sewers along with the beacon.

Reccer says: It's got a great spotlight on each of the Mighty Nein as they interact with the feebleminded drow - from Fjord babysitting him and Kiri to Beau giving him a haircut - and feels true to the characters and the world

pressure cracks by BananasofThorns (10271,Teen) Warnings: None Pairings: Fjord & Caleb Widogast

Fjord is a student at Solstryce Academy. Professor Ermendrud requests a private meeting with him.

Reccer says: It's got echoes of Fjord and Caleb's dynamic in the pirate arc, combined with scourger Bren

The Star and the Wildflower by devil_seabird_king (ShaaKi) (8173,Teen) Warnings: suicidal thoughts Pairings: Caduceus Clay & Essek Thelyss

A young Essek is becomes friends with a young Caduceus Clay

Reccer says: This is a combination that doesn't get enough love, so it's fun to imagine what they'd be like as childhood friends

A Whisper On My Shoulder by EssayofThoughts (251169,Mature) Warnings: Major Character Death Pairings: none

Percy's not the only member of his family to survive the Briarwoods' attack. He's just the only one to do so alive.

Reccer says: A true epic that imagines Cassandra as a ghost by Percy's side throughout the initial parts of Vox Machina's journey. Amazingly well thought out

some ever after no one could predict by QueenWithABeeThrone (15343,Teen) Warnings: None Pairings: Leofric/Una Ermendrud

Over thirty years ago, Una Ermendrud went into the Feywild and met a satyr named Garmelie. thirty years later, Caleb reunites with his godfather.

Reccer says: I love how practical Una is in this, and how that practicality cuts through the feywild magic.

both my broken hands are true by quothhh (1805,Teen) Warnings: None Pairings: Veth Brenatto & Caleb Widogast

In a world where Yeza was taken by the goblins instead of Veth, Caleb and Veth manage to meet anyway.

Reccer says: It's got some killer lines and also a great example of the Caleb and Veth friendship

watch my back, and keep the blade by jadeandquartz (3553,Mature) Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Major Character Death Pairings: Orym & Imogen Temult

Laudna permanently dies. Imogen and Orym head after Otahan for revenge

Reccer says: An amazing bit of angst

You Think You Can Rid Yourself Of Me So Easily? by sparklegem (3724,Mature) Warnings: Hurt no Comfort Pairings: none

Percy's cursed weapon is not as easy to get rid of as they think.

Reccer says: I liked it

to know that this war was winless by quanshi (burningdarkfire) (834,Teen) Warnings: none Pairings: Beauregard Lionett & Caleb Widogast

Beauregard meets Bren for lunch

Reccer says: I love scourger Bren vs. Beauregard fics, and this is a lovely little taste

The Fool and the Soldier by mare_astrorum (200,000+,Mature) Warnings: None Pairings:

Mollymauk Tealeaf survived the Mighty Nein's encounter with the Iron Shepherds on Glory Run Road, but a short time later, a spirit began hunting him, claiming that he stole his body.

Reccer says: One of the most insane things Matt dropped during the wrap-up was where the campaign might have gone had Molly survived. This is such a wonderful exploration of the concept of the Tombtakers as reoccurring enemies and Molly still with the party that is wonderfully IC, extremely detailed, and a lot of fun. It's going to be a long one and it's ongoing, so buckle in.

Magic Jar by Anonymous (3211,Teen) Warnings: none Pairings: none

The mighty nine, if Caleb was a soul in a magic jar

Reccer says: It's a fascinating premise and an amazing thing to think about

you'll let it go by pigflight (1590,Teen) Warnings: major character death Pairings: Delilah Briarwood & Laudna

What if Delilah convinced Laudna to take the shard?

Reccer says: wonderfully angsty and delicious

If you liked this rec list, follow along for more! We'll be posting a new list with a new theme each Monday. Want to make your own recs? Check out use this form to submit!

Next week, we're featuring your featuring explorations of grief, in all forms. It'll also be a day late, as next Monday is Christmas.

After that, we'll Pike Trickfoot, mysteries, and then monsters.

If you're looking for some more, check out some fics written in the critter genfic bingo tag, or the older rec lists! Or you can request your own card and join in on the fun!

#critical role #critter genfic rec lists #gen fic #bells hells #the mighty nein #vox machina #caleb widogast #veth brenatto #percy de rolo #essek thelyss #caduceus clay #fjord stone #beauregard lionett #mollymauk tealeaf #laudna cr #orym of the air ashari #delilah briarwood

[captainsspnanon]

C2E59 - Perspective

Sorry for delay, I gave The Unsleeping City a go and had to finish it.  I personally prefer CR over D20, because I love the CR cast all RPing with each other, whereas in D20 it’s so heavily story focused, and RP seems to just be between PC and NPC, not PC and PC, but I’m going to give Fantasy High another shot, and then did get Dropout for some of the other campaigns.  All in all, I did enjoy it, and if you are someone who really wants more good story than lots of RP, I’d recommend D20.  (also a lot more comedy, just by the nature of the stories created and the settings leaning more into the absurd than the classic)

BUT BACK INTO CR, PLSKTHX

(and of course today’s a Thursday, so unless I finish this episode tonight, which is unlikely, I won’t finish it until after I watch the new one.)

….FUCK matt looks hot

nooooooooooo top camera is lower quality :(

(it is now several days after starting! XD  My focus is SHOT right now, I keep jumping from one thing to another to another.  PLUS I’m really wanting to start my Leverage rewatch, and then there’s this, and then there’s giving Fantasy High another go [on the third episode now] and then just all the cooking videos that I watch, not including actually reading and doing shit……...my brain needs to calm down!)

Let’s see how far I can get today before my brain nopes out.

YASHA CHARGING FORWARDS!!!!  (not at ALL influenced by Travis getting super hype in the corner, no sir)

Oh hey!  Is this the first Dwarven Forge sponsor for combat section?

“this will be a trick I learned from Brennan” re: the blue tack.  I had NO CLUE who Brennan was the first time I heard this, so this is super cool! Escape from the Bloodkeep looks like it aired on Dropout around Feb 2019, and this episode is from April 2019, so only a relative few months between (even including that I don’t know when the D20 stuff was actually filmed, because I think? that they have the entire season filmed before posting?)

Travis is SO EXCITED that the Charm Monster worked.  And for good reason!  This definitely was a big turning point of the encounter!  Actually, I wonder how the entire section of these few episodes would have gone had the Nein just killed the giants.  Never find out about their home, never find out about the rift machine, never get the scrap of fabric for scrying……. Unless Matt was going to have the giants start talking during the combat regardless to try to stop it from being one-sided, this is a case where a whole chunk of the campaign could have turned out very differently.

Yasha succeeded on a wisdom saving throw????  what is this out of character nonsense??!!! oh wait, it was for Hold Person.  Alright, proceed.

Yeah, Cat’s Ire! I want to see the cat claw mini next to the Bigby’s Hand mini from C1.  For whatever reason, it always feels to me like the cat claw is smaller, despite knowing that it’s big enough for Caleb to ride it in the cathedral fight.  I’m assuming this is just due to the perspective with the minis.

I actually got a decent chunk into the fight before I noped out from focus issues, but just didn’t have much to say because, yanno, combat.

A week later, let’s keep going!

POLYMORPH LET’S GOOOOOO!!!  Yes, I will likely be this excited every time someone casts Polymorph.  It was THE spell of this campaign, had incredible use both in and out of combat, and ranged for serious to humorous as needed. (Runner up iconic spells for C2?  Sending, Bless/Bane, and Spiritual Weapon are the three that come to mind)

A wild Foster appears!  Foster uses Refill Drinks!  It’s super effective!

Travis, while he gets all the credit he deserves for being an amazing RPer, does NOT get enough credit for his physical portrayals.  He mostly sits outside of his PC while at the table, but when he DOES do it, it’s fucking fantastic.  The ‘UH UH UH, DOWN’ head waggle and heavily downturned mouth??  Completely in character, and completely hysterical.  I love Fjord so much

Okay, the giant telling Caduceus that they were attacked by creatures with wings and long faces?  Ominous and also exciting.  Hearing it again now knowing what the creatures look like??  Absurd and humorous.  It’s SUCH an ugly mini, omg, it’s forever tainted my reaction to it.  And to be fair, it’s a strong creature with some terrifying abilities!  But it’s so GOOFY LOOKING.

“watched his life wither” it’s so cool to see how much Matt actually tells the group ahead of time, but because they don’t have the knowledge of what’s to come, even though he shares it all, it’s in such a way that they can’t predict.  He did the same with the information with the Beacon, and I’m sure much more that I’ve forgotten.

WAIT WHAT what is this shit with Soorna’s brother being killed by the creatures and then being undead? and possessed or shit I DON’T REMEMBER THIS AT ALL

I really appreciate how in C2, pretty much every PC aside from Yasha all had multiple instances of them taking the lead and handling big conversations.  If it’s more serious/analytical, usually Beau or Caleb take the lead. More demanding or bluster or submission?  Fjord (with a wonderful show of flipping between his dynamics).  Humorous or unexpectedly influential?  Jester and Nott.  And while part of it is just Ashley not having the opportunity to, it also makes sense that Yasha mostly sat back and let the others do the talking.  There’s no one set leader, no one style of voice, no one player who made sure to play the face.  After I’d finished watching and watching C1 (so therefore having the opportunity to forget a whole lot of C2), my remembrance was of Caleb, Beau, and Jester being the big talkers. This rewatch is really letting me appreciate Fjord, Nott, and Caduceus’ contributions even more.  They don’t have just ‘one off’ moments, nor do they just have their ‘big’ moments.  All are a steady contribution throughout the campaign.  (and, no hate here, but honestly?  I’m glad we didn’t have Molly throughout, because I really am unable to imagine his conversations and how he may handle things – especially considering Tal wanted to play him as fairly static in terms of character growth, so imagining early!Molly with his harshness and abrasiveness, unsoftened in the way Beau and Caleb are, is just jarring in my mind)

Oh, investigation checks.  I kinda feel bad that Beau got a 25 but basically just found junk, where Fjord got a 26 and got the humiliation material.  I know that technically they were searching different areas, but it’s just one of those things that feels a little bad.  I’d have thought that maybe it required the nat20, but Matt specifically asked “for a total of?”, implying that it did have a specific DC.

Jester pestering Caleb while he’s casting Comprehend Languages definitely gives me twinnie vibes, but also in a completely different way.  Full props to Laura and Liam – the three dynamics that they’ve presented in each of the campaigns is so different but feels so true.  I’m still early on in C3 (episode 30 airs tonight…..episode 29 is the one that I mentioned earlier XD) that they haven’t fully established how they will work in this one, but I’m SO looking forwards to it, SO SO SO MUCH.  Or even finding out if in C3 they end up having a very MINIMAL dynamic – like how Caleb and Caduceus, despite having a few good conversations, had much more of a minimal dynamic than the other C2 friendships.  It’s early enough in C3 that I don’t know! And what’s already been established can change!

Re: moorbounders “if they get killed, I’m going to kill you” “no you won’t, you love me” can I just mention how much I love Laura and Travis’s relationship with how they portray it when they’re streaming?  It’s so fucking adorable

I am pretty sure that I haven’t forgotten a moment, so I am gonna say FIRST INSTANCE OF YASHA EATING BUGS (yes spiders count as bugs shut up).  You can tell that she had this in her mind early on, Matt was describing the flesh and she was sitting there smiling and nodding while the other players/PCs were getting grossed out expressions.  She had the rat to eat before, but this is a step further.  (side note, yes I’m aware that insects are eaten in non-US cultures.  But I admit that it’s a hellova NOPE for me, especially with my phobia of bugs crawling inside my body).  I wonder how much of this was improv-ed in the moment and how much of it was something she’d already determined for Yasha’s backstory.

IT’S BEEN A WHILE!!!!!!!!!!!  First appearance!!!!!  I’m shocked that so many of them jumped on it instantly.  It made me think that it must have happened earlier, but I can’t find any earlier instance of it.

Sam making good use of travel time to have a conversation with Caleb about Nott’s feelings, and it’s so good.  It might not get touched on in depth at this point, but it brings up basically all of her worries.  Is she a bad person for immediately going out on an adventure again?  For WANTING to go out on the adventure again?  Will Yeza like who she is now?  He’s accepted her skin for the moment, but what about her mind?  Does SHE want to go back to being who she was?  So quickly laying out everything there, for an emotional journey that will take the rest of the campaign for her to go through.  And Caleb!  Being so supportive of her and her choices, but also fully reassuring her that Yeza will support her, disagreeing when she thinks it’s just for now.  Also – let’s give fucking full credit to Liam Oberon in this moment.  They’ve already had the Nott/Veth conversation when Nott first shared her story.  But then they also all understood the switch to Veth while Yeza was around.  And now, Caleb takes a moment to clarify even further ‘what would you like me to call you when we are not with Yeza’ and it’s BEAUTIFUL.  This is just a small aspect of it, but it’s a moment where a viewer can really take this and use it in their own lives for people that they may know, to ensure the comfort of those who struggle with their identity or how they present it.

HENRY CAMEO!

Okay first of all, Laura doing sad!Jester destroys me every single fucking time omg. Secondly, I’m actually not quite sure where she was leaving the possibility of the RP going.  I’m a bit disappointed that Travis didn’t engage with it.  While the moment ended up being silly kinda flirty kinda teasy, it feels like there was something big under the surface that got missed.  And because of my shitty memory, I can’t remember if it comes up again later or not!  (to be fair, Laura could have just been RPing Jester as low from being poisoned the night before, but let me read into things)

I appreciate Travis noping out as Matt is describing all the spiders that they’re seeing.  At this EXACT MOMENT, there is a decent sized spider RIGHT ABOVE my bed where the wall meets the ceiling.  It’s too high up for me to kill it, even if I stand on the bed.  As long as it STAYS there, or moves somewhere else, I’m...well, not fine, but ignoring it.  (I had to sleep with it there last night T.T) but if it comes down the wall?  It diiies.

...I just realized that everyone is individually mic-ed.  When did this happen????  I thought they had mics above them?  They’ve certainly hit them enough times.  Maybe because Ashley is back so they’re not seated properly under them?  Or maybe they’ve had the individual mics for a while and I’ve just completely failed to notice?  *starts checking things*  oh, they didn’t have them before break.  I’m guessing it’s for the kickstarter celebration after the show then, and they just decided to get it done during the break to reduce the amount of time they needed to get set up.

I still have mixed feelings with Frumpkin exploring everything ahead of time.  It’s great that the map gets cleared and the party has a vague idea of what they’re heading in to, but it takes the agency away from other players to discover it on their own.  I don’t remember how much Vax did this as well, I think it was frequently?  Or at least at the beginning.  Just glad that Orym doesn’t do it.  Yet.  It’s different when it’s different players doing it each time, but when it’s the same player each time, in multiple campaigns?  I’d hope that Liam checked in with the other players to make sure that they were cool with it.  It’s hard to argue with, because tactically it makes absolute sense to send Frumpkin, but that doesn’t always translate to fun.

Oh good, this was only a quick little exploration.  And once again the ‘does Frumpkin have darkvision’ question.  Matt should have just given Caleb a magic collar or something that let him have darkvision as a cat only. Dumbest 5e ruling.

Beau boosted with Holy Weapon is SO fucking badass, I wish it happened more often.  I actually only remember it one other time….CR stats has it a total of 8 times.  Episodes 59, 60, 69, 82, 95,105, 133, 139.

I….forgot about all these con saves.  Fuck we is in trouble

I hear a lot online about how Matt pulls his punches once Molly died.  Except Fjord nearly straight up died during this combat from having his hit point max reduced to 0 (thanks Cad for canceling the crit!), being targeted as an unconscious creature while an aggressive target was in range but ignored.  I disagree with this statement fully, for what it’s worth.  I also don’t get the argument of people who are desperate to see the party fall and PCs constantly die.  I get that it happened a lot in C1, but you know what also happened in C1?  The players got tired of it.  They talk about it in one of the Talks (have no clue which one, whether it was at the end of C1 or during C2) but they were resurrectioned out because of how emotionally taxing it was, especially to keep having it happen.  So much of the ‘waaaah’ online is that the people thing Matt is being too gentle.  IF he is (which I don’t agree with), then it’s likely something he decided after talking with the players.  Considering they shared their feelings online through Talks, it’s VERY likely that they would have talked with Matt and explained how they felt and what they would like going forwards.  And there is nothing wrong with having a more or less deadly game!  But this is where there’s a lot of preference that it taken from the point of the viewer basically ignoring what is likely preference on the parts of the players.

I forgot that the NPC got the kill!!  I guess ‘cause it wasn’t as hyped up for the “How Do I Want To Do This” moment with Obann – Matt even still says the normal HDYWTDT.

LOL Liam is never going to let anyone forget what happened with Kynan.  STILL SALTY.

I don’t think I’m going to watch their kickstarter wrapup.  I watched it the first time, and I’d rather go to the Talks, or jump back into Fantasy High (still not vibing with this one as much as I did for The Unsleeping City, but they do two of it so I feel like I have to)

@suicidallyreckless

#critical role #the mighty nein #cr c2 rewatch #spoilers for c1 and c2

[gorgynei]

002 | Give me a character & I will tell you:

How I feel about this character: i adore him!!! hes one of my favorites in the m9 just a very good guy all around. his character arc and development is definitely one of the strongest (in my opinion) of all of the nein and im a HUGE lover of all the parallels between ukotoa and melora

My non-romantic OTP for this character: i mean. brjeaus is too good to top by any other duo, truly. caduceus and fjord were also an amazing pair

My unpopular opinion about this character: i dont really have any i think? the closest thing is probably like. i loved his decision to sacrifice the guards in aeor and i think it was cool and morally grey and made sense in the moment

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: im actually super content with fjords story i cant really think of anything i wished happened with him. id loved to have seen more of him and vandran but im satisfied with what we got as well

my OTP: fjorester (i dont have strong opinions about fjord ships, cant complain about the canon couple)

a headcanon fact: trans king

#i am having a nice day btw and ty :") #love fjord. love him. 10/10 green bean #1/2/3 ask game #ndanddnd #fjord

[lidrens]

Soulsborne asks: 8, 9, 16, 23?

this became rambly so under read more it goes

8. Do you have any fond coop memories? Does a specific moment stand out to you?

yeah you know from high-level dungeons in bb come all kinds of things. so on my platinum character ive also farmed all kinds of gems and shit, and 99% of coop i do happens in the chalice dungeons with people just as insanely overleveled as me.

...that's until hunters of hunters roll in and you realise that whoever invaded your ass is probably just as high a level as you or more (which is around 300) and you're just. well that'll be a fun fight huh.

i have a vivid memory of a crow wannabe showing up and pulling out a tonitrus, the Most Okayest Weapon Ever. they chased me around ihyll and died to a fireball trap. fuxking lmao.

another one is from ds3 and it's about a greatbow user who fucking soloed midir, the big bad fuckoff huge dragon for me on my dark character run. i was doing like 20 damage? and then this guy rolls in and puts the fear of god back right into my heart. oh it was amazing.

9. What are your three favourite weapons and why?

im not gonna list all of the games because i can't remember all weapons right now, so:

- the blade of mercy. it's so worth learning how to effectively use. it's fast, it does a respectable amount of damage on a good skill build and it encourages very high mobility and less of R1 mashing.

- the onyx blade. everything about it is immaculate, from the caduceus aesthetic to the black flames, to its speed. i love how light it feels to wield too, as if its barely holding together from everything its original wielder been through.

- morgott's cursed curved greatsword. it's very satisfying to use and to land the skill attack in succession, also i absolutely love curved greatswords in elden ring. the design of the blade and the introduction of it, as the wood falls off it from the sheer force of morgott's grip? hhoh. i want this thing in my house not gonna lie.

- honorable mention of estoc, the weapon i use in every souls game until i find something i like for my specific build. also it fucking carried me through my first ds2 run, what a great weapon.

16. What are your favourite areas?

ds1: new londo and anor londo. all of the headcanons aside, i can't help but wonder what they were like when they were alive. and in their current states they're much like yourself, undead and long hollow, having forgotten what it is to be a home.

ds2: THE GUTTER. lighting up all the sconces is something i look forward to every run. and with the heartbeat... the place is so unsettling and beautiful in the dark, i just spend a lot of time wandering around and looking at the edges of structures peeking out from the dark. the runner up is shulva. i would love to live there before it went to shit.

ds3: i like carthus catacombs, sue me. mainly because invasions in there are very fun (for me). irithyll is okay. the ringed city is more okayer but it takes longer to get there, and the only reason i like two of those is their aesthetics. idk ds3 lore.

bloodborne: ...the hunter's nightmare. the ruined and warped city of yharnam in sickly daylight, drowned in blood and knowing nobody but those who spill it. to be fair i like most of all bloodborne locations with one petty exclusion (fuck you hemwick). i wish the castle cainhurst was bigger on the inside as well as the outside, but i guess i will have to do with the castle sol </3

elden ring: fuck all of you, caelid is beautiful and haunting, a festering and living grave of a land. i like it a moderate amount. i have not spent hours obsessively taking pictures of various plants and creatures there. i am normal about caelid. ...on another note, i think leyndell is the best area fromsoft ever made as a dungeon and aesthetics wise.

23. What is your favourite fashion souls?

oh man im kind of tired of listing every game, so I'll go with top three outfits i have on some of my characters:

- nights cavalry set and nox monk headpiece.

- tomb prospector set and yharnam hunter hat (or maria's hat).

- loyce set.

#this is. a lot. i am so sorry #answered #dark souls #bloodborne #elden ring #redsixwing

[abovebelowhalimekaraca]

Alternate Dimensions/Worlds- Research (3)

Locke and Key

Locke & Key follows the events surrounding the Locke family that has moved to their families' traditional home Key house Manor following the murder of their father and the secret of the magical keys.

The Keys of the Locke family are a variety of magical keys that are found hidden throughout the Locke family home, Keyhouse Manor. The original Keys were crafted by Benjamin Locke during the eighteenth-century Revolutionary War.

These are some of the well known keys from the show:

THE ANYWHERE KEY

It allows the user to travel anywhere in the world ,as long as they’ve seen the door they want to travel through.

THE MIRROR KEY

It brings your reflection in the mirror to life and it also beckons the user into the mirror where they get trapped until someone else comes to rescue.

THE MATCHSTICK KEY

This key acts as a matchstick, allowing users to set fire to whichever location or thing they want.

THE HEAD KEY

The key with the most iconic design — a key with a head for its “handle” — lets its user travel into a person’s mind and explore their feelings, their subconscious, and their memories.

THE GHOST KEY

This key allows the user to leave their physical form and exist solely as a spirit, undetectable to human senses.

THE MUSIC BOX KEY

Not only does this key activate a magical music box, but it allows its wielder to turn another person into their puppet by controlling their entire body.

THE PLANT KEY

This key doesn’t feature in the comics that much, but within the show, we learn that the key activates a tree that has the kids’ uncle (and their father’s brother) Duncan Locke’s memories stored in its roots.

THE IDENTITY KEY

Perhaps the most pivotal key of all, this one allows the user to change their appearance, and change that of others as well. Dodge uses it to get closer to the Locke family and eventually trick them a few different times. The person using the key can transform into someone of a different gender, race, age, and even weight.

THE MENDING KEY

This one works in tandem with the Mending Cabinet, as broken objects must be locked inside, so they can be fixed and once again emerge whole again.

THE OMEGA KEY

This powerful key opens the Black Door, a portal to another realm, where parasitic demonic beings exist.

THE ECHO KEY

Ellie Whedon steals and secretly uses this key, which reveals its horrifying ability to bring people back from the dead… but as a former shadow of themselves, aka an “echo.”

THE SHADOW KEY

This must be placed in the Crown of Shadows, which then allows the wearer to control a host of shadow monsters, with all of them taking whatever shape the wearer wishes them to.

THE TIMESHIFT KEY

The most recent trailer for Season 3 unlocked the power of time travel with the aptly-named Timeshift Key. Bode's use of this temporal door-opener thrusts him back in time to the 18th century, where he meets with his ancestor, Benjamin Locke.

THE BESTIARY KEY

Like the Time shift Key, the Animal Key is pretty self-explanatory: it turns the user into an animal! More specifically, however, it is said to unleash one's "inner animal."

Designs

The designs for the keys are very clever and unique and I love how each head is made to represent the keys individual power. My favourites from the show have to be:

The Time sift Key is absolutely amazing looking and I love how it has an actual hourglass that you can rotate. One thing I don’t see particularly useful is having the little clock underneath. I feel like it would’ve looked a lot better and even a bit mysterious without it.

The Mending Key is one of my favourites due to it’s very original looking design. Though, I find it interesting that they went with the design of a caduceus, known as the symbol of Hermes, instead of using the staff of Asclepius, Greek God of healing and medicine. Since the power of the key is mending .

The last one is the Creation Key. Since they key is a drawing tool, having Leonardo Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Mans as it’s head was very inspired.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Pauline Diana Baynes was an English illustrator, author and commercial artist. She contributed drawings and paintings to more than 200 books, mostly in the children's genre. She was the first illustrator of some of J. R. R. Tolkien's minor works and of C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia.

Most of her paintings seem to be done in ink and watercolour, I really like the realistic style that sometimes seems to adapt a get more child friendly features, like animals smiling and bright and colourful shapes and backgrounds.

Another thing I really like about Baynes’ work is its fluidity. I see this a lot in her book covers. There is a lot of movement coming from either the background (e.g trees moving in the wind, birds flying) or the characters playing or dancing around, which is a lot more fun and eye catching for young children. Nothing ever is static.

The details in some of her work is pretty impressing, especially since everything is done by hand, in ink and paints. All the little pen strokes on the animals fur really add depth and shadow.

A while ago I have done a similar artwork and I tried to adapt it a bit to make it look more like it was done in a similar style as Baynes’. I also used some watercolour texture, hoping that this will further amplify some kind of resemblance.