#* ⟢ ━━ beauregard lionett. ( answered )

[pocketgalaxies]

sucks that beau seems to hate laudna. they have so much in common with this ep and the 95-96 eps of c3

tea! yeah it's sad bc i think that dynamic could've been rly fun but 1) marisha absolutely did not have her head screwed on straight enough to pull off a beau/laudna conversation and 2) i think they're both characters that require a significant amount of chipping away and also knowledge of a Lot of backstory to really see and understand all those commonalities, and beau (in this context) would absolutely not entertain laudna's company long enough for them to get to that point dkfjskdjfsd

speaking of which, i actually think it's a little interesting in itself that they weren't able to be on any level to chat with each other. it's a symptom of the fact that they both Present themselves a certain way that is vastly different from the way they are when amongst their closest friends and confidants, and those chosen Presentations are very different from each other. when meeting strangers/new acquaintances, beau is standoffish, rude, blunt, pessimistic. laudna is excessively bubbly and excitable and fills the space with both her body and her voice. extreme opposites. but in private and trusted spaces, they both fall closer to some middle ground. this is different from people like jester, orym, chetney, etc. – people who are more consistent in their behaviors across different social contexts (obviously i'm speaking in relative terms here – everyone is a little different and more vulnerable when they aren't meeting strangers). but that intentional masking of their more authentic (insecure, lonely) selves makes it a lot harder to put them in a space in which they would believably broach those topics with each other. idk i just think they're neat!!

[somewhatsentientspellbook]

inspired by fearne's gut instinct upon seeing dark-fearne being to flirt

[essektheylyss]

To preface, I think that Beau and Caleb are fine, and somewhere in Exandria they're being super effective using their respective 10 strength scores to try to smash their restraints into a rock before giving up and trudging off to find a smith shop or an arcane store. HOWEVER.

I am thinking about what a HORRIFIC few moments they just had. Of course they're here chasing Ludinus to this end, because that's what they set out to do, but I don't think there was any imagining in their epilogues to what extent this would go. They signed up for riskier-than-average private investigation work and found a plot to unleash a second Calamity.

And then, when it came down to it, they failed.

They were about as trapped and restrained as they could be, fully at Ludinus's mercy. Behind the charm, did Beau think about how much Yasha was forced to do when her will wasn't her own? Silenced and without magic, did Caleb remember being at the complete mercy of another Cerberus Assembly archmage?

And amidst it all, when was the last time Beau saw Yasha and their kids, whom she's had for no more than five years? When did Caleb last visit Veth or speak to Essek? Does he even know where Essek is right now? Do any of the Nein know specifically where Beau and Caleb are?

They've failed, they're trapped, and they're restrained in ways that explicitly cut off any possible way they might tell their loved ones goodbye, let alone warn them about what they are near certain is about to happen.

And the nature of what looks inevitable in that moment means that even that warning would mean nothing in the end, because while Beau and Caleb are already trapped, there is no escape for anyone in Exandria if Ludinus gets his way.

[artemis-pendragon]

This is just to satisfy my own headcanon, but I hope that in the animated series, they provide an origin for Beau's eye scar. My headcanon is that Lorenzo gave that to her, whether in their first or second showdown.

This is so good I'm so in 😭 Jester tries to heal her and she just says "No. I'm keeping it. Molly fucking died; I can handle a scar." Like she's not just keeping it so she can beat herself up over not being able to save her friends every time she looks in the mirror because by god she is Like That

[featherstcnes]

@feuerwizard asked: ❛  don’t do anything stupid until i get down there.  ❜ (to beau)

it wasn't beau's fault that the plan was already falling apart. well, okay, maybe it was -- but she'd at least tried to do her part that caleb had definitely said to wait until they were both in position. but everything was laid out perfectly ( in hindsight, maybe it wasn't, but hells, it had seemed like it ) and she'd taken her chance. but now, it appeared that the flawless plan a that they'd created was most definitely being crossed off the list. her feet were moving across a bumpy path near the outside of the building, soon leaping up to grab onto a part of the fence to get away from a few guards that were on her tail. she just had managed to get herself into a safe spot, seemingly undetected, when she'd heard caleb's message from her sending stone.

she rubbed her forehead, wiping away a bit of the sweat that was accumulating before she replied. " yeah, so, the stupid already happened. " there was a brief pause before she continued. she could already imagine the furrow of his brow and the disappointment without even seeing him in person. " i'm hiding, but i think i lost them. at least they're distracted? " a beat. " sorry. unless this works, then not sorry. " if it helped, she wasn't going to do anything else stupid until he got here.

[exandrianpunk]

just want to quickly point out that throughout all of the recent scrying I was screaming for Orym to scry on Keyleth!?!?!? is she alive?!?!?!

and/or his sister(in-law)!?!? i don't think we specifically saw her at the malleus key, wtf is up with her?!?! is she just another right-hand of the Tempest lost to the cult!?!?

and/or Caleb/Beau?!?! where are the empire siblings!?!?

[stardustedknuckles]

I keep seeing pictures of Beau being carried, mostly by Yasha because yes, and I just had the thought of Beau just... being carried everywhere by the entire Nein for the day. No walking for her. Maybe she's injured or maybe the rest of the Nein just decided to go with it. Yasha, Jester and maybeeee Fjord can just carry her, Caleb uses magic, Veth tinkers something, Kingsley just uses his boat or something

She fucked up her ankle repeatedly and over time and it eventually caught up with her and yeah, healing magic keeps it from actively deteriorating, but there's a solid three days of splint and healing bursts every couple of hours and she is the grumpiest expositor to ever be secretly pleased as her friends take turns babysitting her and refusing to let her put weight on it. It was yasha who sold her out. Enough time living with Beau and she can spot when something is off even a little.

She tries it with Caleb, of course. Says "I gotta pee, you gonna be there for that too?" and Caleb just turns her into a bird and tells her to have at it all at once. And then turns himself into a bigger bird so he can gently bully her and prevent her attempts to shit on his head.

She takes great pleasure in making fjord carry her piggyback and bitches about his weak form and pointy armor. Makes him work out with her on his back. He says now his back is sore, Veth carry me on your cool disc, and she does. After she knocks him out with a sleep spell. Just floating him around asleep on an invisible disc of force.

[ogdoadfates]

💖 for the Empire Kids?

First I just want to say, I am so so sorry for the wait! I actually hadn't watched ANY of C2 yet, which XD thanks for being the final kick to get me started on that lol you've also now indirectly dragged another friend of mine into the Critical Role hole! Now me and my friend are not that far into C2 so, let that be known with my fluffy/sweet headcannon that it can very much have some holes.

I have a headcannon that at some point Caleb gets Beau a new Quarterstaff but before giving it to her he spends weeks if not months carving arcane runes into it (making sure it doesn't compromise the integrity of the Quarterstaff) which would work basicly like a distress beacon if the Quarterstaff is broken in combat, alerting Caleb and the others.

[pocketgalaxies]

juiciest beau question ever.

[criticalfic]

Hi!! I’ve been looking for this fic that I remember from a few years ago, and I’ve been informed you might be able to help? If so: it’s Caleb and Beau centric, where Caleb never broke and remained Bren. He and Beau were like… enemies forced to work together for something - I believe it was also focused on the war but I can’t remember if they were on opposite sides or not! Does this ring any bells?

anon, sadly this does not ring a bell for me :(

i did some digging on ao3, so maybe one of these will be the right fic? you’ll have to let me know! (since you said a few years ago, i stuck with ones from pre2021, although i did see a couple 2021 fics that looked like they might be along these lines as well)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16778578/chapters/39373504

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18828166/chapters/44678902

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21242447/chapters/50578094

ALSO, i discovered there’s a canonical tag on ao3 for Scourger | Volstrucker Caleb Widogast, so you could check that out and see if any of the works in that tag might be what you’re thinking of!

as always, if anyone else sees this and thinks they might know the fic, feel free to chime in on the post or send something to me!

[feuerwizard]

he’s a ten but he won’t make me a tower full of ninja cats for date night every time i ask 🙄

♢      —        send  [ THEY’RE A 10 BUT … ]  and finish it in my muse’s inbox.

"Beauregard, I cannot lend you my tower every time you want to have a date."

[ihaveatypeanditstrickstergods]

Who are your top 3 CR PCs?

Okay, I have a few different answers depending on whether guest characters, EXU, or Candela Obscura count.

If we're counting everything:

1. Sean Finnerty (Candela Obscura, Circle of Needle & Thread): I love characters who put a comedic veneer over being immensely fucked up, and I love when that veneer drops. His arc was so sad and I loved it so much

2. Jester Lavorre (Mighty Nein): She is the chaos I want to see in the world. She's such a fun character, I love how she's both a genuinely nice person and someone who will permanently superglue a golden dick to someone's hand, and there's definitely something about her that resonates with me as someone who grew sheltered with a creative outlet. Also the Cupcake is iconic.

3. Nydas Okiro (EXU Calamity): Of course there's gonna be someone from Calamity on here. A lot of people focus on Zerxus, Quay, or Laerryn, and I love all of them, but Nydas was my favorite from his introduction. He's one of the top two examples of blind ambition in the Ring of Brass (along with Laerryn), and his reaction to the prophecy was SUCH a good character beat. His stand at the Golden Scythe and rallying of the constructs in episode 4 still makes me tear up every time.

Honorable mentions: Shakaste (Mighty Nein guest character), Kerrek (Vox Machina Guest character), Dariax Zaveon (EXU original/Kymal)

If we're just talking core campaigns (I am very behind on Bells Hells, so there won't be anyone from there, but I do very much like Imogen and FCG)

1. Jester Lavorre (Mighty Nein) (see above)

2. Beauregard Lionett (Mighty Nein): Listen, I'm a library information professional, I am legally obligated to love her and the Cobalt Soul. I appreciate the amount of bullshit she refused to take, I feel like she got to fully in-character make use of Marisha's note taking skills (which is one of her biggest strengths as a player, imo), and I can't think of a single dynamic she had with another member of the Nein that I didn't have fun with.

3. Percival Frederickstein von Musel Kollowski de Rolo III (Vox Machina) (I hope I spelled that all correctly): I am not immune to sadboi. Percy had one of my favorite arcs in Campaign 1; there's something to be said for revenge arcs that do eventually answer the question of "so now what?" and I enjoyed that Taliesin never cut him a break for his shit. I'm also a shameless Perc'ahlia shipper, and I would be lying if I said that didn't influence my choice.

Honorable mentions: Caleb Widogast (Mighty Nein), Vex'ahlia (Vox Machina)

[tunedtostatic]

"Illusionist Astrid as mechanical imitation of Bren's charisma" Thank you this take, it has me staring at the wall. Like oh...Astrid. I love the idea that this is Ikithon's version of lean staffing; there are three of them and if one of them breaks of course the other two aren't allowed to simply continue as themselves. Astrid needs to be the Astrid Ikithon needs and she also needs to be the Bren Ikithon needs! Ikithon is waiting!

I've been going with illusionist Astrid because I'm a sucker for anything canon-supported and also I feel biased - evocation is my favorite so obviously any wizard I like should be an evoker forever - so, thrilled at another person going to evoker Astrid (I was talking with a friend about Astrid subclasses and even though both of us usually go with other headcanons we had to spend a moment to be like...evoker Astrid...those damage numbers......) I hadn't thought about evocation in terms of her being in direct competition with Bren at the Academy, which would also be !! a lot to unpack there.

wrt Astrid not being a femme fatale, it's key to me that she feels like a noir character in the way women (and sometimes men) who are tough and poised and dangerous but circumstantially under someone else's control are staples of noir and hardboiled, but I don't use the term "femme fatale" because, like you said, she doesn't fit the colloquial cultural definition of a femme fatale at all! She doesn't do the slinky weaponized femininity thing! She does fit the within-genre definition of a fatal woman weirdly well, as someone who could drag the hero to his doom (Caleb thinking about staying in e89, gah). All her communicating through implication and tiptoeing to maintain a sense of self and move on her own behalf within Ikithon's captivity is where I go "sure I can make illusion work," with how she spends a lot of time walking the line of what is reality.

a random headcanon that is not supported by the text? a random headcanon that IS supported by the text? also, thoughts on astrid and schools of magic? i think fanon consensus is that she's an illusionist because of how she uses changeable glamors at the dinner (and mercer twitter lore is that glyph chant is reskinned bladesinging, so she has those stats when her glyph chant is up) and illusionist astrid is compelling so why not, but i have seen arguments for why other schools would also be interesting.

weirdly i haven't thought very much about astrid's subclass. i'm instinctively fond of evoker astrid because i love when she does big ugly damage and i like the idea of academy bren and astrid in direct collaboration/competition but. okay let me spitball for a minute. misogyny is obviously a little different in exandria, but from a real-world perspective illusion is a very feminine kind of magic. In a lot of historical contexts it is the worst thing a woman can do, see "art" and and artifice as signs of deceptiveness, moral degeneracy and promiscuity, feminine lack of mental fortitude, "God hath given you one face and you make yourselves another", etc. Illusionism makes you femme fatale coded by default.

So there's something very interesting about illusionist astrid bc i don't actually think we have any reason to believe she relies on weaponized femininity. She's hard and mean and severe and handsome and she goes by "Master". I think Bren was far more charismatic (and prettier), and far more reliant on it--Caleb in-campaign has that 16 CHA, he actively uses essek and lucien's attraction to him to get what he wants, he is a con man when we first meet him, he can really turn on charisma and charm when he wants to. Caleb has to consciously turn it on, but i don't think Bren did, I think he was just a very charming and pretty young man.

So what that would mean for an illusionist astrid is that bren left, and she sort of became a mechanical imitation of him, not naturally suited to that kind of soldiery but she's a good wizard, she's a quick study, she can put her mind to it. In a lot of ways Astrid was forced to be a less-good version of Bren, the second choice, not the son student her father master wanted. And she knows this. Trent says it to her face in 110. It's true right up through the end when she gets the assembly appointment only after it is offered to Caleb.

To answer your supported-by-the-text headcanon question, i think maybe she expected to be an evoker and switched paths, probably at trent's behest, because ultimately her magic and study is not for her personal interest, she doesn't get to be a self-obsessed wizard like wealthy mages do. she's an employee. her magic is a weapon and it is owned by the man who writes her paycheck, it will be developed in whatever way he thinks is most useful for the empire.

(i just finished c2 ama)

[gilmores-glorious-blog]

mighty nein edition!!

vox machina version here

bells hells version here