#Fjord was also on his own for 2 weeks

[khalliys]

Of course, the time she wasn't there wasn't insignificant! But it's far away from what a lot of people make it out to be. This is aimed at the crowd who says that Yasha constantly disappeared on them, mostly without a word and that you'd never know when she'd be there or not and that's ... just not true.

She willingly left them only 3 times and just 1 was without a word. That's such a small number in comparison to what it's often made out to be! And all of them were super early on. The last time she willingly left them was roughly 6 weeks after they first met!

Don't get me wrong, I care a lot about what she did alone, and especially how she did in those 6 weeks that she was alone after Molly's death, like. Yasha had just endured a week getting tortured, witnessing her friends getting tortured and then wakes up to the grave of her best friend who got murdered - in some way because of her. That's some severely fucked up shit and she decided to work through all that alone and without help, not dissimilarly to how she was on her own after Zuala got murdered :(

But when we go back to the sum of all of Yasha's absences, there's also a bit of complicated time fuckery involved here that leads to Yasha being separated from the rest for longer than the others were separated from Yasha, because of the Happy Fun Ball. If the timeline in the wiki is right, then the two times the party was in the HFB without Yasha add up to maybe 3 days for them, but translate to 36 days in the real world, 31 of which while she was with Obann. So while Obann had her for about 8 weeks (since they also traversed planes, who knows how long it was for her exactly), for the rest of the Nein it was 4 weeks. It complicated.

Yasha Disappearances Timeline

Probably has been done before, but if then I haven’t come across it yet. Initially I was just curious about the time span between episode 92 and 126 (Spoiler, it’s been a bit over 2 months and also interesting: the M9 visited Kamordah only 9 days after Yasha was freed from Obann’s control). But because I’ve always wanted to put numbers to it – feeling like Yasha disappearing gets exaggeraded a lot more than it actually happened, probably because Ashley was gone a lot more than Yasha and she barely got mentioned when she was with the group as an NPC – I just went and got some rough dates from the Time Line page on the Critical Role Wiki. 

It’s definitely not 100% accurate, because the Time Line doesn’t seem to be 100% accurate and I just roughly skimmed through episode wikis. But it’s accurate enough and dates might be off for only like a day or two.

16 Sydenstar 835

Episode 1. The Mighty Nein meet. At the end of the episode Yasha disappears, trying to escape from the Crownsguards.

19 Sydenstar 835

Episode 4. After killing the fiendish toad Kylre, Yasha is brought along to the groups trial. She reveals she had been captured immediately after trying to escape from the guards and had been in jail since.

- Yasha returns after being kind of accidentally gone for about 3 days.

20 Sydenstar 835

Episode 4. The group heads off to Zadash. Yasha declines to come along right away because she feels like she can’t leave until she’s told she can. She tells them she’ll meet up with them in Zadash.

25 Sydenstar 835

Episode 9. The group takes a bath at the Steam’s Respite in Zadash where they find Yasha already in the bath with her sword.

- Yasha returns after being away from the group for about 5 days.

26 Sydenstar 835

Episode 11. The Mighty Nein take a rest at the Evening Nip. A storm is raging as they go to sleep and Beau and Jester find Yasha fixated on it. The next morning they find her gone.

29 Sydenstar 835

Episode 14. When the group enters the lair of The Gentleman in the Evening Nip, Yasha follows right behind them.

- Yasha returns after being away from the group for about 3 days.

18 Fessuran 835

Episode 25. At the end of the episode Yasha, along with Fjord and Jester, get kidnapped by the Iron Shepherds.

25 Fessuran 835

Episode 29. Yasha, Fjord and Jester are rescued by the rest of the Nein.

- Yasha has been unwillingly gone for 7 days, but remains unconscious when they find her.

27 Fessuran 835

Episode 30. Yasha has been unconscious for about 2 - 3 days and awakes when the group pauses at Molly’s grave. After learning what happend to him and screaming out in agony, lightning starts flashing at the horizont. Yasha walks towards the storm and tells the group she will find them when she is ready.

- This is the last time Yasha willingly leaves the group.

13 Cuersaar 385

Episode 34. Yasha finds the rest of the group unintentionally at the Wayfarer’s Cove. She’s aloof and tells them she has to go somewhere, looking for passage over the water, because she had dreams of islands. She nevertheless stays with the group.

- Yasha returns after being away from the group for about 42 days.

[Bonus:

14 Duscar 835

Episode 45. Yasha does not disappear – but everyone else does and gets sucked into the Happy Fun Ball.

20 Duscar 835

Episode 46. The group returns from The Happy Fun Ball and learns that about 6 days have passed in real time. They head for breakfast without waking Yasha, who meets them later disgruntled and upset. While the others were stuck in the Happy Fun Ball Yasha was left wondering whether her friends had died or just left because they didn’t want her to be part of the group anymore.

- For once the group disappeared on Yasha – for 6 days. ]

13 Misuthar 836

Episode 69. The Mighty Nein fight Obann and The Laughing Hand in a lost tomb outside of Bazzoxan. It appears that they manage to kill Obann, but as he dies he gets Yasha under his control. Fully aware, but unable to control her body she can only watch herself turn against her friends who narrowly escape the tomb without her.

13 Thunsheer 836

Episode 86. While fighting against her friends and almost killing Beau in the Chantry of the Dawn, Caduceus manages to break the spell that kept Yasha under Obann’s control.

- Yasha was unwillingly separated from the group for 59 days.

In conclusion:

Yasha has has left the group a total of 6 times. (1 time the group left her, accidentally.)

Only 2 of those times has she been gone for longer than a week (42 days and 59 days).

Of the 2 times she was gone for an extended period of time only 1 was voluntarily (after Molly’s death).

3 of all her disappearances were by choice (Episode 4, Episode 11, Episode 30)

She willingly left the group without a word only 1 time (Episode 11).

The time between the first meeting and Yasha getting freed from Obann’s control spans about 8 months.

Out of these 235 days Yasha was separated from the group a total amount of 125 days, including the 6 days the rest was trapped in the Happy Fun Ball.

75 of those days were not by her own choice.

[skalfy]

Misunderstandings

alexia putellas x reader, ~4.1k words, part 1/2 - Part 2 here

angst in this part, but planning for a happy ending.

Hi! for people waiting for part 3 of the Misa story I promise I am working on it, just been busy and got caught with some other ideas, including this one. Hope y'all enjoy this in the meantime!

Also please feel free to send me requests, I am not very quick, but would love to take on some ideas. I don't really have a complete list of players I will/won't write for, but if you send me one for someone I won't, I'll reply and let you know so you can send it elsewhere :)

--

You had no idea how you had gotten off on the complete wrong foot with Alexia Putellas.

It had only been a month since you joined Barcelona on a three year deal, fulfilling a lifelong dream while launching you far out of your comfort zone. You were shy, and coming from Tigres, and before that, college football in America, you hardly even had a former opponent to befriend. All of your new teammates were strangers, and in some cases, even strangers you’d looked up to for years. All of your teammates except one, that was.

In a strange twist of fate, you had met Ingrid Engen almost a decade prior, when the two of you were both 17. You had an aunt--not a real one, but one of your father’s old friends from college-- who had moved to Norway a few years before you were born. Your family had gone to visit Aunt Anna every couple summers, spending a week or two seeing the fjords and the beautiful traveling the countryside. The summer you were 17, Aunt Anna had invited you to stay for a whole month. It was meant to be a sort of final hurrah before you started college in the fall, and your parents agreed without much debate.

Your second night at Aunt Anna’s house in Melhus, you had headed to the football pitch down the street with the intent to complete your assigned summer workout, and instead you had met Ingrid. That evening on the pitch was the start of a whirlwind month-long friendship as the two of you bonded over your love of the sport, then grew to find you had much more in common beyond that. One night as you sat on your bed in Anna’s house, Ingrid had told you that she was gay, opening up about the feelings she had for one of her U-19 national teammates. She held you in a tight hug as, for the first time, you said out loud that you thought you might be gay too.

You had said a tearful goodbye at the end of the month, but stayed in touch with Ingrid somewhat throughout the years, exchanging infrequent texts congratulating each other on football achievements or to check in on life. You had been pleased to hear that things worked out with her national team crush, Marie, though sorry to hear it ended a few years later. She had cheered you on in turn when you had your first serious relationship with a girl at college. When you first arrived at Barça, the two of you hadn’t seen each other since that month in Melhus, even with your respective places on your senior national teams, but you still considered her a trusted friend.

During the your first month with the Blaugrana, you had gravitated immediately toward Ingrid. You were delighted to fall back into the easy friendship you had shared so many years ago, and it helped that you were nervous to attempt to befriend your other teammates. You worried that you were monopolizing Ingrid’s time, but she easily assuaged your concerns, telling you that she was happy to spend the time together and that she would be there to support you as you took opening up to the team at your own pace. She offered you an open invite to have dinner with her and Mapi whenever you were ready to branch out.

Though you mostly kept to yourself and Ingrid, the rest of the team seemed friendly and open for the most part. Pina and Patri didn’t seem to mind your shyness and often chattered happily to you, managing to include you as a third member of their two person conversations in the changing room. Your spanish wasn’t perfect, but three years playing in Mexico had brought you up to a passable level.

Keira and Lucy, often accompanied by Ona, would also frequently bring you into conversations. You got the sense that it was as much for Keira’s sake as yours, she seemed more than pleased to have another native english speaker to chat to. You appreciated their dynamics, full of biting wit and teasing that reminded you of time with your national teammates.

The one person who seemed to hold nothing but animosity towards you was the one who you had been most excited to play with. You racked your brain, but couldn’t place any reason why you so often seemed to be at the receiving end of Alexia’s ire, but it was unmistakeable. At best, she ignored you-- the few mornings you had arrived early enough for the two of you to be the only ones in the changing room, she remained stubbornly silent, hardly acknowledging you at all besides a flat look as you entered. At worst, she singled you out in training, barking critique after critique. You had a relatively thick skin, but the captain’s intense disapproval wore on you as it never seemed to relent.

The obvious explanations that you could think of for her behavior were out. You were a forward, used to playing out and out striker or tucked under as a false 9, but you hadn’t played midfield since a few times in a pinch in college, so even setting aside her unmatched abilities, she couldn’t possibly think you were threatening her place. You had hardly ever played against her, coming off the bench late in a game once against Spain, and playing most of a friendly with Tigres. You had certainly never put in a risky tackle against her, you didn’t think you had even made any impact on her. Certainly nothing she might hold a grudge for-- you hadn’t, say, nabbed a winning goal.

As far as you could tell, it seemed like it was something you had done since joining Barça, because she hadn’t seemed so frosty on your first meeting. The captain had been quiet but polite as she welcomed you to the team, even returning the shy smile you had given her when you were introduced, but by the end of the first week it became clear that you had drawn her ire.

You had asked Ingrid for her opinion, and, while she agreed that Alexia did seem to be especially critical of you, she couldn’t come up with an explanation. After thinking through it, she optimistically suggested that it could be a misguided attempt to help you adjust to the Barcelona playstyle. At the skeptical wince you gave her in response, she offered to ask Mapi to weigh in. You thanked her, but declined. Alexia’s best friend’s opinion would likely be your best chance to understand, but you were wary of putting either Ingrid or her girlfriend in an awkward position.

--

A few days after that conversation with Ingrid, a particularly bad day of practice with Alexia all over your every move had you feeling desperate. You had stuck it out to the end of the session, but raced away as soon as you could, eyes hot with unshed tears and face red with embarrassment and exertion. You passed through the changing room only long enough to kick off your boots and grab your keys and phone. Jana was inside and changed already, on a slightly shortened training plan as she returned from injury, and she called out in concern as she saw you dart for the exit.

“¿Estás bien, Y/N? ¿Qué pasó?” You shook your head as the younger player stepped toward you, not sure whether you were answering no to the first question or trying to deny anything was wrong. Either way, Jana took matters into her own hands, grabbing you gently by the elbow and guiding you to face her. “Let me drive you home, vale?” you choked back a sob and let the defender walk you towards her car.

You told Jana which apartment building you were in and she didn’t bother to plug it into the GPS, navigating the short drive easily. She had turned on some music and you were grateful that she let it play quietly without asking you any more questions. When you reached your building, she turned the car off and climbed out, circling around to meet you at the passenger side door, clearly intent on seeing you all the way in. You let her walk you through your apartment door, sinking onto one of your kitchen chairs once you were in. The defender stood at the edge of the kitchen, looking a little uncertain.

“¿Quieres que llame a alguien? Call someone?” she asked.

“Voy a llamar a Jenni. Gracias por todo. Puedes quedarte si quieres.” you replied, managing a genuine smile at the young defender. She smiled back, pulling out the chair nearest you to sit.

Jenni had been one of your closest friends at Tigres, and she was eagerly checking in on your move to Barcelona every day, but you had held back about the challenges you were having with Alexia. You were afraid to gossip about the captain, especially with Jenni, and you weren’t entirely sure what kind of reaction to expect. But after the day you had, you craved Jenni’s support and guidance too much to keep holding back.

The phone only rang twice before Jenni picked up, greeting you with a cheery “¡hola, cariño!” you tried to answer her in return, but you were caught off guard by the wave of tears that surged back at the sound of her voice. All you managed was an urgent sniffle as you fought to hold the tears at bay.

“¿Cari? ¿Qué pasa?” Jenni’s voice, now concerned, crackled through your phone’s speakers again. After a moment, you felt Jana’s hand slide onto your knee comfortingly. You turned to her and saw that she had reached her other hand out, palm up. You handed the phone to her and watched as she immediately brought it to her ear.

“Hola, Jenni. Es Jana.” she greeted her former teammate before launching into a stream of spanish too quick for you to try to follow. You zoned out to the sound of Jana’s voice, focusing on deep breaths to unclench the tight knot of tears high in your throat.

You had managed to relax yourself considerably by the time Jana brought your attention back with a light squeeze to your knee where her hand still rested. You looked up to see her holding the phone between the two of you, an expectant look on her face.

“Jenni asked if you are ready to tell what’s wrong.” You nodded and took a deep breath.

“Alexia hates me. I don’t know what I did, but she hates me and I don’t know how to fix it.”

“How do you know, what is she doing? Cari, Alexia is shy and competetivo. Maybe she doesn’t know she is hurting you.”

“No, Jen.” you felt a tear roll down your cheek. “She knows. If it’s just the two us she will ignore me, she can’t even look at me. When we are with the team she tells me everything I do is wrong, my touch, my passes, my shots. I know I am not as good as everyone else here, but I’m trying and none of it is enough for her. I can see how she is patient and kind with the young ones, so I know it is about me.”

“Es verdad, I haven’t been in the practices, but the others have been worried about it. I didn’t know it was so bad, but Ale has been muy dura.” Jana chimed in, and you were a little surprised to hear her mention the team was concerned.

“I thought I wanted to play here, but I can’t do this for three years. I just want to be back at Tigres.” you admitted.

“Lo siento, Y/n. Lo siento mucho. I wish I was there to hug you.” you could tell she meant it by the waver in her voice, and it made you miss her even more fiercely.

You talked through everything you could think of, all your interactions with Alexia, every idea you had eliminated for what went wrong. Jenni and Jana alternated between outrage and murmured words of comfort, but mostly just listened as you vented everything you had been holding in for weeks. By the end, you actually felt better. Whether it was the release of finally letting everything go, or the relief of hearing two people who knew Alexia agree that something wasn’t right, a weight was definitely lifted from your chest.

“So what should I do?” You finally asked Jenni. “How can I fix whatever this is?”

“Oh, nena, you shouldn’t fix this, it’s Alexia who needs to. Quandó ella escuche lo que tengo--”

“Jenni, no porfa! You can’t talk to her about this.” You loved Jenni, hot head and all, but you couldn’t let her go off on Alexia about this. “Thank you, I know you would do that for me, but I need to do this. I don’t want her to think-- I can’t ruin—”

“Vale, I understand, cari. I won’t say anything, prometo.” Jenni saved you from struggling to explain further. In the pause that followed, Jana spoke suddenly from next to you.

“I think you need to talk to Ale. O sea, if you want to understand what is in her head. Maybe Mapi knows, but,” she stopped with a shrug, and Jenni finished for her,

“Only Ale knows what Ale is thinking. Jana is right.” You nodded, even though Jenni couldn’t see you. She sighed over the phone, then continued. “It might be easier if you are gentle. Even if she doesn’t deserve it.”

“Gracias, Jenni.” You were suddenly very tired. “Te amo mucho. I wish I was back with you.”

“Yo también, nena. Te amo mucho. I am here if you need me.”

“I know. Good night.”

“Good night.” You hung up the phone and placed it on the table.

Jana stood from the chair next to you and held a hand out to you. When you took it, she pulled you gently to your feet, then wrapped you in a hug. You immediately softened into the embrace, grateful for the comfort. She held you close for a long moment, then released you into a light hold.

“I know you have Ingrid, but I’m here for you too, Y/n. We haven’t had much time to get to know each other, but I’m glad you are at Barça and I want to be your friend.” The earnest look in her eyes as she spoke nearly had your own tearing up again. You tugged her back into a hug, squeezing her fiercely before you let go.

“Gracias, Jana. I want to be your friend too. Thank you.” You could feel a smile break across your face, and she grinned in return. “I should let you go home before it is too late. Are you okay to drive?”

“Yes, gracias. It is a short drive, we are almost neighbors. You can visit me soon and I will show you!”

You walked Jana back down to her car, exchanging numbers before you said your goodbyes. Despite everything, you felt a glow of hope for your future at Barcelona. At least you had a new friend and some kind of plan.

--

You were halfway through your pre-practice routine the following morning when your phone chimed with a message. It was Jana.

Jana: ¡Hola! Do you need a ride this morning?

Jana: Because I made you leave your car

Jana: Not sorry for that 😋🚙

You had completely forgotten about your car, so you were grateful for both the reminder and the offer.

You: Yes, thank you! I can walk to you if that is easier.

Jana: Do not worry, I will pick you up. 20 minutes?

You: Perfect

True to her word, Jana picked you up outside 20 minutes later. The drive was much more lighthearted than the previous night. You asked about Jana’s english, curious about why it was so good when she had spent her whole career in Spain. She started to explain that it was part of the curriculum at La Masia, but then cracked a smile and confessed that it was mostly because she was dating Jill and it was much easier than learning Dutch.

You had been curious about the rumors around the two, and seeing the way Jana lit up made you glad to hear they were true. You said as much to the defender, which led to her telling the story of how they met during the rest of the drive. The sweet story left you both in a good mood as you pulled up to the training center.

You climbed out of the car and grabbed your bag, laughing with Jana as she came up next to you and bumped into your shoulder as you started to walk together. For the first time in a while, you didn’t feel dread at the thought of walking into training, and you weren’t desperately searching for any sight of Ingrid. Jana seemed to be noticing the same thing.

“You will have to let me take you home more often if it puts you in this good of a mood!” She said, wrapping one arm around your shoulders.

You were about to respond when another voice beat you to it.

“Jana. Y/N.”

You froze, looking up to see Alexia approaching. Jana squeezed your shoulder where her hand rested. The captain had an unreadable expression on her face, eyes darting from you to Jana, then back to you.

“Hola, Capitana.” You said, lowering your gaze as her eyes met yours.

“Can I talk to you?” It was clear that the question was directed at you. When you didn’t immediately respond, she spoke again, voice softening almost imperceptibly. “Jana, vé sin nosotros. Iremos pronto.”

Jana caught your eye and you nodded slightly. You appreciated her willingness to look out for you, but you didn’t want to get her in trouble, not to mention you wanted to speak to Alexia anyway. The defender gave you a final squeeze to your arm before walking past Alexia toward the training center.

The two of you stood in silence. For a moment, your mind raced to guess what she had stopped you to say, but you pushed the worry down. With the way your relationship was going, it hardly seemed worth predicting what her latest criticism would be. You stared over Alexia’s shoulder, waiting.

“Jana has a girlfriend.” It was maybe the last thing you expected the midfielder to say, and you were caught completely off guard.

“What? I—I know.” You sputtered out. Jana’s last comment jumped into your mind, and when Alexia didn’t say anything else, you felt the need to continue and clarify. “What Jana said… She didn’t mean what it sounded like. She gave me a ride home last night and then this morning.”

“Bueno.” Alexia finally said, quieter than before.

“Was there anything else you wanted to talk about?” You asked, voice flat.

“Ah...” she hesitated. “No.”

The blonde turned and walked away as you watched. The good mood you had only a few minutes earlier was gone, leaving behind a sort of hollow feeling. Jana had been the one to drive you, the one with her arm around your shoulders, and the one to make a silly joke about taking you home, but still, Alexia assumed the worst of you and you only. Suddenly, you felt like an idiot for thinking you could talk anything out with the captain. A surge of hopelessness washed over you as you imagined her scrutinizing every interaction you had with your teammates in addition to your skills on the pitch, and you felt sick. You walked to where you left your car last night, pulling out your phone to text Jonatan.

You: Lo siento, estoy enferma y no puedo ir a practicar.

--

Once at home, you buried yourself under the covers on your bed. You still felt awful from the interaction with Alexia, but you were overwhelmed by a wave of other emotions-- guilt for missing practice, anger at yourself for letting a personal issue get in the way of your career, and a deep fear that things were not going to get better.

Your phone was vibrating in the other room, but you ignored it, certain it wasn’t anyone you wanted to talk to right now. Ingrid was at the practice you just left, and it was far too early for Jenni or your family to be awake in their timezones.

As you lay bundled in your bed, the adrenaline from your high emotions faded, and you found yourself suddenly fighting heavy eyelids. Slowly, you faded into sleep.

--

You awoke to a loud pounding on your apartment door. Disoriented, you dragged yourself out of bed, padding out into the living room as the noise continued. You flipped the deadbolt and yanked the door open, coming suddenly face to face with your insistent visitor.

“Alexia?”

The blonde shouldered her way past you without a word, marching into your living room and looking wildly around. You closed the door and locked it before turning back to see Alexia peering into your bedroom. You snapped.

“Alexia! What the hell are you doing?”

“Looking for Ingrid!” She turned to snarl at you, eyes cold.

“What? Ingrid’s not here, what are you talking about?” You were genuinely confused, and Alexia barreling her way through your apartment wasn’t helping. You reached out and caught her by the elbow as she made to walk into your bedroom. “Stop, please! Can you just explain what’s going on?”

Alexia shook your hand off her arm, but stayed put.

“I’m not stupid. You show up here while Mapi is injured and try to steal her girlfriend. I see you every day at practice all over Ingrid. You don’t talk to anyone except her, you follow her around, you take her out for coffee, all while my best friend isn’t there to see. At first I thought you were just friendly, but it’s only with her.” Her chest heaved as she paused to take a breath. “Then I realized today you skipped practice and convinced Ingrid to join you and I knew.”

Your head was spinning and you were certain your jaw was nearly on the floor. You understood Alexia’s words, but struggled to comprehend what she was saying. As it finally clicked, a burst of laughter rose up in your chest. Alexia looked on, eyes narrowed, as you found yourself almost giggling.

“I’m, I’m sorry. It’s not funny!” You managed, pulling yourself together with a deep breath. “It’s just… you’ve been making me feel awful for weeks now because you think I’m trying to steal Ingrid from your friend? Did you even think to bring it up to Mapi herself?”

The blonde made no move to respond.

“I’ve been friends with Ingrid since we were 17. Mapi knows that. If we had any interest in each other we would have sorted it out long before now. You’re completely right that I’ve been following her around and sticking by her side, but you’re completely wrong about why. God, Alexia, I just came from halfway across the world to play for a team full of people I’ve looked up to for years. I miss my family and Jenni and the rest of my old teammates. A month ago, Ingrid was the only person I knew in this entire stupid country!”

You closed your eyes for a long moment, trying to calm your racing heart. Your body felt like you had just played 90 minutes of a championship final. When you eventually opened your eyes again, it was to the sight of Alexia still rooted to the same spot. She had hardly moved a muscle other than to drop her gaze to the floor, back and shoulders. rigid with tension. You left her in the bedroom doorway and walked over to sink into the same kitchen chair Jana had occupied last night.

“Y/n, I—” she started, but paused at the sound of the lock, then the knob turning on the door. It swung open.

“Y/n! Sorry to use your spare key, but you weren’t answering my texts! I would have come sooner, but I had a dentist’s appointment I had to leave practice for. Are you okay? Are you sick? Jana said you seemed fine until you talked to Alexia this morning, did she say something?”

“I’m okay.” Ingrid’s gaze caught you when you spoke, then rose to look past you as she responded.

“Good, I-- Alexia?”

“Alexia was just leaving.” You spoke before the blonde could. “Are you okay to drive home, Capitana?”

“Sí. Yes.” She answered quietly, finally moving away from your bedroom and towards the door to leave. Before she stepped out, she paused to turn your way. “Lo siento, Y/n. I will fix this.”

When the door shut behind her, you dropped your head into your arms on the table.

Part 2

[idksmtms]

You Are Not One Of Us (Poseidon x Norse Goddess!reader) - Part 3

Full Request - Part 2

Part 2 << PART3 >> Part 4

AN: I’m so sorry this is so late! I’ve been so busy with life and then I was so tired I kinda lost the motivation to write but I’m back now!!! Also, sorry this is so short, it's kind of a filler before all the big stuff happens!

Side note: I’m so proud of the way I choose to show their messaging systems - will continue in ending note - 

Summary: Forced apart, you and Poseidon try to find ways to communicate.  

Word count: 2,604

Trigger Warnings: she/her pronouns, AFAB reader, profanity, innuendo, age gap (even tho they are both thousands of years old), god racism?? Idk they act like “foreigner gods” is a bad thing, lusting, liking the fact that he looks older (is this a warning???), (please let me know if I missed any) 

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians characters. I do not claim to own any of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians characters. I do not own any pictures used nor do I claim to do so. 

Always appreciate comments, likes, and reblogs :)

After you were thrown from Olympus and forbidden to even be near your love, it stormed for two weeks straight. With every day of the storm, more houses were destroyed, more people hurt, with no sign of an end. The people trekked to Poseidon’s temples every day with offerings, they prayed until their voices were hoarse, but the rain didn’t cease. The people believed he had given up on them, that they had done something to anger him. They didn’t know the utter heartbreak that coursed with the ichor in his veins. They didn’t know that this was the true despair of a god, that it could destroy them all. 

You had been taken back to Asgard and cared for like you were newly-made, the Aesir tip-toeing around you and hoping not to set off any catastrophes. You had become numb since you had been brought home, moving around the halls of Valhalla like a lost spirit. Odin and Frigg tried so hard to bring you back, to do something that would return you to yourself, but it was all in vain. The only thing that you could possibly want was him. 

Every day you walked the fjords, standing right on the edge of a cliff, the breeze pressing on your back, hoping to push you off. You had roamed every inch of the fjords, combed every cliffedge. You waited for Pegasus to find you, to whisk you away to your love, but the winged stallion never came. You hoped for a sign, any sign that both of you weren’t lost to each other, but nothing came.

And then, when you were beginning to lose all hope, you looked down over the edge of the cliff, straight down and into the swirling waters that frothed and smashed against the sharp rocks. There was no pegasus, but a huge clump of seaweed. You had never seen the seaweed come up near the fjords before in your whole existence, not this much anyway. It was always deep under the water, or only a few specks of it floated up and washed ashore. But there was so much of it floating near the edge that it created an island on the water. 

Your heart stopped in your chest as you watched it float to the cliff wall and bump against it. Again and again it floated into the cliff, as if waiting for something before it would allow itself to disperse. You clenched your hands together, breath suddenly shallow, then took a run and jumped off the cliff. 

The water was icy, and your skin began to tingle as the bubbles floated up around you and to the surface. You waited until they had all disappeared then allowed yourself to push to the surface as well, treading water and staring up at the sky for a moment. It had been so long since you had gone swimming, since you had enjoyed the sea as you once had, and it felt immeasurably good to be immersed in it once more. You smiled, wider and brighter than you had ever done since being back from Olympus. You allowed yourself to drop into the water again and again, ceasing the swirling of your arms and legs to just float in it. It felt like a hug from Poseidon. Then you swam over to the island of kelp and began sifting through it. 

Carefully pulling each piece away and gathering it into your other hand. If it truly was a message from him you wouldn’t let any of it go to waste. It was slippery and a little slimy but you just held on tighter as you straightened out each piece and lay it in your other hand. Right in the centre of the bundle, you found five oyster shells. They were placed in a perfectly straight row in the perfect centre of the kelp and they were… perfect. You had never seen an oyster like that, perfectly black on the outside like a mussel but still rippled so you knew it was an oyster. You reached out and gently picked one up. Your hands shook and tears filled your eyes until the oyster became blurry. You wiped at them haphazardly, blinking until you could see again and the tears had mixed into the seawater. 

The oyster was just barely open, a thin crack that you tried to peek through, but you couldn’t see anything inside. You dug your nails into the opening and used whatever godly strength you possess to pry it open just enough without breaking it fully. It was a rather delicate task and you had to stop a few times for fear of cracking the shell, but when you got it open you found a beautiful pearl sitting in the centre. It wasn’t perfectly round (as you found that natural pearls rarely were) and was actually rather flat with its edges poking out here and there so it looked like a splash of water in pearl form. You picked it out of the shell, the oyster within not giving any resistance, and you held it in your palm. It seemed smooth, and glinted different colours in the grey light. You flipped it over, and you found that there were little scratches on the pearl. They were much too small for you to decipher at first, but as you brought it closer to your eye and realised that it was writing, your heart began to thunder. ‘To have and to hold’ was all it said. You stared at it, heart in your throat, and gently placed it back in the oyster, shutting it and resting it on its bed. The next was the same, except this pearl was smoother around the edges, almost like a flat oval. ‘For better or worse’ it said in the same small writing. The one after it was almost perfectly round but also flat and thin like a drachma. ‘For richer or for poorer’. The next pearl was sharp, its edges jagged and spiking out. ‘Until death do us part’. You caressed it, allowing the sharpest edge to cut into your skin and the bead of blood to stain the pearl. You whispered each word aloud as you opened the pearls, hoping that since you were in the water that he could hear it, that he would know. The final pearl was a perfect sphere and as large as the first segment of your pinky finger. The writing was inscribed around it, and you spun it over and over, reading the words until they were screaming inside your head, until you couldn’t read them anymore because your eyes were streaming with tears and you were sobbing so heavily that water splashed up and into your mouth. ‘I love you’ it read, inscribed over and over around the pearl so that it looked like it was scratched all over. 

You floated there for a moment, staring at the vows, at the pearls, then let yourself sink under the water, eyes closed. You screamed the words into the water, bubbles floating around your face, voice garbled, but you screamed until you had no air left and even your body began to tire. You wanted him to hear you, needed him to know. Then you surfaced, breathing heavily and feeling lighter than you had before coming to the cliffs. You looked at each pearl again, caressed them, then gently placed them back into their shells. You wrapped the shells up in the seaweed, creating a tight parcel and tying it up with the seaweed you had stripped away before. You stayed in the water a while longer, feeling the caress of it on your skin, pretending it was his arms wrapping around you, his fingers running up and down your arms. Then, when it became close to the time of the nightly feast and knowing the others would begin to worry if you did not show up, you grabbed the parcel and made your way back to your new home, a small house built at the bottom of the hills that led to the cliff edges. 

It was more of a hut, built in the viking style and furnished sparsely. You had lost all your taste for glamour in the last weeks, lost the feeling of being a goddess, and had conjured this place, quiet and secluded and right by the cliffs you had once enjoyed. You left the pile of seaweed in the hall of the house by the entrance, thinking of ways to decorate your house with it. You placed the shells in order on a shelf just above your bed. You didn’t want the pearls themselves to be exposed, just in case someone came snooping. You looked at them longingly and kissed each shell before making the journey back to Valhalla. You had to find a way to send a message in return. You had to. 

Poseidon sat on the beach he had once brought you to. He stared out at the water’s edge, watching a happy couple walk along it, a woman in a beautiful dress kicking up splashes of water and the man staring down at her with such devotion in his eyes. He watched them press close to each other, walk further into the water, let it roll over them. He watched them kiss, felt it on his own lips, then a wave crashed over the shadows and they disappeared into seafoam and the sparkle of sunlight on the water. 

Poseidon pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes, sighing heavily and shaking his head as he muttered angrily to himself. Though he had been forced to stop the storms lest he flood all of Greece, the one in his head never ceased. You were his every thought, consuming him from the inside. He had gone to the lake on Olympus everyday for the week he had been forced to stay there after your banishment. Zeus has wanted all the gods together to feast and be merry for the return of his bolt. Poseidon had not spoken a word the entire time, glaring at his brother with such fire that even Hephaestus could not conjure a flame with such heat. The rest of the time was either spent watching Hermes, trying to figure out if all of this was really his doing, or making the trek to the lake to sit on one of the boulders, feet dipped into the water, and reminiscing on the time he had with you. 

Even since had returned to his domain, nothing felt right. The usually comforting embrace of the water now felt hollow. The feeling of the sand under his feet did not mean anything now that he couldn’t share it with you. He no longer felt like the god of the seas, just a god of… nothing. Everywhere he looked he saw something that reminded him of you. He could not escape your memory even if he were trying. Even now, sitting on the beach where you had first kissed, he could only hope you had received his pearls, his vows of marriage. 

A butterfly, blue and shiny, fluttered into view. He watched it flap its wings and fly in little twirls, as if looking for something. Then it began to flutter closer, circling its way to him.  He watched the little creature with a sad smile, wishing you were here to see it. He knew you would love it. But the butterfly kept coming closer, flittering and fluttering until it sat itself on the tip of his nose. His eyes crossed as he tried to stare at it, eyebrows knitting in a frown, as the insect flapped its wings once, twice, then laid them out flat and stopped moving entirely. Without the strength of its little legs gripping to his nose, the butterfly fell away and into his lap, laying on his thigh as still and dead as he felt. His frown deepened, staring at the creature with its legs poking up into the air and wings perfectly flat. 

The structure and pattern suggested it was a monarch butterfly, but they didn’t come in blue. It was old, at least for its species, around 6 weeks if he were to guess, right at the end of its life. With the gentlest movements, he dug his fingertips under the wings of the dead butterfly and lifted it closer to his eyes. He flipped it over and examined the backs of its wings, the beautiful blue that somehow shined even brighter now that it was dead. He stared at the black lines that swirled over the wings, creating little pockets of blue and edged with dots of white. It was in the black lines that he found writing, in the smallest letters possible. Where the lines swirled and made pockets, letters followed them. And there, on the wings of this butterfly that seemed to randomly appear on this beach and randomly choose to land on him, he found his wedding vows. Each one he had sent, returned in the beautiful writing of a goddess. And right at the bottom, in the biggest letters, ‘I love you’. He could almost hear your voice, a whisper in the wind, and he closed his eyes lest the tears fall. 

Years passed without a word from neither him nor you. You had settled into your life with the Aesir again, comforted by the pearls that sat above your bed. You opened the shells every night and gazed at them, whispering the words and hoping that somewhere in the sea he felt your love. He too returned to his palace underwater, the butterfly encased in clear ice to be frozen as long as he lived, a reminder that you had said yes, that you had married him. Both of you felt safer knowing he was yours and you were his. It was not a traditional wedding by any means, but it was yours, and you would cherish it until the end of your days. 

After the first three decades of peace and no sign of anyone knowing that you had sent messages to each other, you sent one more, another butterfly with a simple reminder that you loved him. In return you received a conch shell, not too large but still a hefty weight in your palm. When you lifted it to your ear, in the whisper of the ocean you could hear his voice, telling you he loved you. Every night you put it to your ear and let it lull you to sleep. 

So many years passed in this way, changes coming and going, empires rising and falling. Suddenly the modem age arrived, bringing its technology and skyscrapers and all of you gods into each other’s vicinity once more. Now the Greek gods were huddled in New York, living lavishly atop the Empire State building while the halls of the Aesir occupied Boston, hiding in plain sight. The battles continued, the monsters still roared, but things had become slow, the gods became lazy. While you kept your cabin in the fjords, your connection to Poseidon and your homeland, you were forced to spend much of your time in Boston to keep yourself alive, to keep your facade with the other gods. 

The clashes between the worlds of the Greek and the Norse became more frequent, though all the gods kept their promise of staying away from each other. It was not until the battle of the Draugur that this promise was broken. That after millennia you were face to face with your love once more…

A/N: I chose things from the sea as his messaging system because obvi he’s the god of the sea. But I chose butterflies for Y/n because I see her character in so many ways that I feel the butterfly embodies. I was thinking of the butterfly effect (a butterfly flaps its wings in one place and a storm starts in another) and that’s literally Y/n because she’s this small thing who’s seen as gentle and underestimated but she causes all these big things simply by existing. And then butterflies are seen as small and gentle and colourful but there’s literally a species of butterfly that drinks the tears of turtles and that felt so accurate to her character because she’s seen as small and pretty and colourful (and she is) but she can also be vicious and violent for survival. Anyway, thank you for coming to my ted talk. 

Taglist: @thicficbich1, @pasta-warlord

[critter-genfic-events]

Pop Pop! This week we have nine awesome fics focusing on one badass human monk, Beauregard Lionett! We’ve got drama and angst as well as chaos and humor, all of it well worth a read.

Check them out under the cut, and don’t forget to comment and kudos if you enjoyed them!

Lionheart by tfm (49068,Mature) Warnings: Child Abuse, Explicit violence, Usual Violence as in Canon Pairings: Beauregard Lionett/Yasha Nydoorin

AU where they are shifters, but Beau isn't and tries to fit in. Also, her family issues are pretty more serious here

Reccer says: The angst and how it focuses on Beau trying to be loved/useful by the Nein while not realising that they would all kill for her in a heartbeat. Also, it captures the character voices so well that at times it feels like the original campaign

Especially the Lies by operafloozy (7800,Teen) Warnings: None Pairings: Astrid Beck & Beauregard Lionett

Of the stories Astrid tells, and the truths Beau learns.

Reccer says: I love the way that the fic has Beau fight through the disappointment and keeps her integrity

Take Me Instead by Professor_Rye (4171,Teen) Warnings: human traffickers and claustrophobia Pairings: Beau & The Mighty Nein

The Nein are vigilante heroes in a Modern no Magic AU, going after human traffickers. Beau acts as bait, then regrets it

Reccer says: I liked it

The Heart External by BeatriceEagle (103670,Teen) Warnings: implied child abuse (including sexual abuse). Pairings: Beauregard Lionett & Caleb Widogast

From the author: "Six months ago, Beau adopted a teenager who loves the Cobalt Soul, but can't stand her. Ten minutes ago, Caleb accidentally summoned his own teenage self into his living room." (This is about half-Caleb-focused and also features OC kids pretty heavily. I do adore the Beau of it all, but I also would understand completely if you decided this doesn't fit what you're looking for!)

Reccer says: Incredible premise + exquisitely accurate characterization + pain + healing

bait your hook, lover by justlikeswitchblades (4566,Not Rated) Warnings: None Pairings: Fjord & Beauregard Lionett

Fjord and Beau have to pretend to be married for a Cobalt Soul undercover job.

Reccer says: Amazing premise with a fantastic twist at the end

so jump and i'm jumping (just a human) by phenomenology (11453,Teen) Warnings: None Pairings: Beau & Caleb

AU where Caleb couldn't get the collar off after the events of the Apogee Solstice. Beau and Caleb travel to safety on foot.

Reccer says: An amazing hurt/comfort adventure story - I love the sibling bond and trust between them.

counterweight by BeatriceEagle (17466,Teen) Warnings: Past sexual assault and torture, graphic depictions of violence Pairings: Astrid Beck & Beauregard Lionett

As Astrid struggles to share her story with Beauregard Lionett, a Volstrucker attack strands the two of them in the middle of the Pearlbow Wilderness, relying on each other to carry an abjured-asleep Caleb to safety. Well, it's one way to give a deposition.

Reccer says: I love the interplay between Beau and Astrid here - from Astrid's point of view, but so much of the focus is still on Beau, and how she's trying to get Astrid to trust her

“I… wait.” by TiamatZX (1000,Teen) Warnings: None Pairings:

While ascending the steps to the Throne Roost on Darktow Isle, Beau has a bit of a panic in wondering what to do about it. Takes place during 2x43, “In Hot Water”

Reccer says: I liked it

Stillness of Mind by TiamatZX (650,Teen) Warnings: None Pairings:

Basically, what happens during 2x86, “The Cathedral”, when Obann tries to take control of Beau’s mind, and how she breaks free from it.

Reccer says: I just love “The Cathedral” and any stories tied to it, as it’s my favorite Campaign 2 episode.

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!

We'll be back on the fifteenth with One Shots, followed in December by fics focusing on Imogen, and then character studies after that!

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!

[simplysparrow14]

I’d love to hear about all your writing, but you know me: the one titled “We are not always what we seem, and hardly ever what we dream” immediately piqued interest 👀

ahhh Thank You!!

This fic is mainly inspired by Snow White, more importantly, just the themes of Snow White in general. The notion of friendship and friend-groups, dreaming of love, finding a home that accepts you as you are, regardless of circumstance just really spoke to me.

The entire premise is that Caleb, after years of abuse from Trent in the Soltryce academy, finally gets the courage to escape. He leaves behind Astrid and Eadwulf in his desperate flight and traverses Wildmount, never stopping because of the fear that Trent and the rest of Academy are hot on his trail. He tries his best to steer clear of towns and large cities, and in the process becomes a street-rat, scrounging for food in trash bins and waste disposal carts, even going so far as to threaten normal, unwilling people on the roads, demanding their food (he still regrets the one couple he robbed on the highways; it had been snowing and so very cold, and Caleb had been so hungry. They looked rich. They sounded of money. Calling forth his magic, he threatened the wife with fire. The husband had been fast, and in his fear, Caleb burned him. He ran into the night with their wallet, the cries of anguish still in his ears, and he's sorry, so very sorry...)

In the daylight, Caleb is nothing more than a wandering miscreant, But at night, he is a dutiful student, practicing his charms and cantrips. It puts him at ease knowing that, at the end of the day, after his escape, he still has something to call his own.

Eventualy, Caleb comes across The Fletching and Moondrop Traveling Carnival. In this version, the entire M9 are circus performs (Yasha as a strongman, Jester as a general clown/magicians assistant, Veth and Beau as part of a 2-person acrobat show, Fjord as a swordsmaster.) In this version, Caleb is brought into the group by Molly (insert Muppet charismas carol "Who did NOT die") to be the circus' newest magician. It does take a few weeks for Caleb to be comfortable with everyone but the days that follow are some of the warmest and happiest that he's had in a long, long time.

Caleb is instantly loved by the small children (and by jester) who adores his intricate magic. He makes glowing animals and trinkets out of thin air and during one particularly rowdy show, he turns his magic toward Jester, creating for her the pink horses and lollipops she loves dearly. Jester is instantly smitten with him, charmed by his quiet stance, his intense eyes. He's nothing like the magicians who called the circus home. He's nothing like her, who delights in tricks but scoffs at gifting (she's still learning). Each piece of magic that he crafts for the children is special and unique, thoughtful in a way that none of the other's had been before.

Admittedly, Caleb also becomes smitten with Jester. In the after hours of the shows, she's the first to greet him in his rooms. She sits with him, marveling at the amount of books and tomes he's managed to fit within the small space. At every opportunity, she's smiling at him, and the way his heart flutters at the sight is nothing short of electric. He likes everything about her, including her super scuffy slightly-dead looking ferret who somehow survives She's nothing like Astrid and certainly nothing like the other people he's had clandesdine crushes on. She's a dream made real to him and he's more than willing to waste his magic on simple circus tricks if it means

Eventually, things between Jester and Caleb start happening. She and Caleb start preforming acts together (think a very Zendeya/Zack Efron "Rewrite the Stars" moment) delighting the crowd with their grand shows. Caleb, for the first time in his life, feels appreciated and loved, and most of all safe.

However, all of it comes crashing down when Astrid and Eadwulf arrive one day, along with Trent, who's disguised himself as a simple old man. Releaved that his is alive, Astrid and Eadwulf beg him to return, that Trent, in the event of Caleb's escape, has changed his ways. However, when the two are far from ear-shot, Trent returns to his absuive and manipulative ways. He's been at the circus before, watching Caleb from a distace, and has noticed how he looks at the pretty little tieflight clown.

With whisperd words, Trent preforms the same spell that he used on Caleb to destroyed his parents, twisting his memories. Trent then gives Caleb a peice of food (I cant decide on either a powerderd donut or a cupcake) to give to Jester. As Jester is about eat the food, Caleb snaps out of it just in time to wresle Jester for it, and in his haste to get it away from her, Caleb takes the plunge and eats it. The poison within the food actives and Caleb falls into a death like sleep.

That's about as far as I got with the outline. Obviously it'll end with a Trent vs M9 fight, Jester kissing Caleb awake and a happy, perfect ending.

[mareastrorum]

The Fool and the Soldier: Chapter Commentary

Chapter 6: Tavern & Lust

On off weeks, I’ll be posting some commentary on the prior week’s chapter. Since this is a longfic, I expect that it will be helpful for keeping track of stuff, plus I might mention something you missed. Of course, this will include spoilers, so continue with that in mind.

These aren’t meant to be comprehensive! There is so much more going on that I’m not saying. Feel free to ask questions too, either in replies or asks. If it’s too spoilery, I’ll let you know. I’ll add them to the body at the bottom as I receive them.

See the directory for other meta posts.

Tavern & Lust

The literal meaning of the card is not quite the theme of this chapter. In the deck, Tavern refers to respect, a meeting, and negotiation. Lust refers to desire and indulgence. We saw each of those in non-sexual contexts, so sorry to any readers that were expecting some smut. It’s too early for that, and honestly, while I am considering whether to up the rating for potential scenes later in the story, I wouldn’t have chosen this chapter title for those developments anyway. No promises on whether that will actually happen—and even if it does, the category is going to stay “Gen.” Romance is not the primary focus of this fic.

Beach

I wanted this to be a fun contrast with the wind down on The Mist at the end. Shenanigans and relaxation without any lasting consequences.

I chose Fjord’s POV for this because, unlike the others, the sea is what he would consider a homecoming. Everyone else is seeing something new, and even Jester probably hadn’t been to a beach very often. The rest would have probably fixated on their own experiences without paying as much attention to anyone else. I think Molly would have enjoyed the beach and wandered around to different things, but his perspective on the actual environment wouldn’t have been as cohesive in the story. In the stream, Fjord had interacted with several of the Nein, so I got the impression his focus was on his companions—which is perfect for an introductory scene. Plus this is the prelude to his initial arc, and this was a good spot for some introspection.

The actual events didn’t deviate much from canon. The peacock messed with Nott hunting seagulls, and Molly was around for tomfoolery. I also added a bit about the tide pools and Fjord looking for interesting things to share.

However, when I first posted the WIP, I fucked up: I forgot Fjord didn’t have Summer’s Dance to teleport to ambush Caleb. I changed it to Blink for the final version. And that mistake was with notes reminding me about that, so I added even more annoying notes to myself so I don’t miss it later.

Luck

The original draft of this scene basically spilled onto the page as a stream of consciousness thing. I didn’t have an outline or plans to include anything specific. I just wanted a scene between the Tombtakers now that they were all in Zadash. This was initially going to be the same day they left, but as I planned out the order of the scenes for this chapter, I wanted to spread out the Tombtakers scenes, so I moved it earlier. I also moved Tyffial’s introductory scene earlier by 1 day and split them across 2 chapters.

The very first version didn’t have the intro discussing Zoran’s new mace or the dragonborn from the Claret Orders and skipped right to the Tombtakers in their room. Those two parts got added in another revision, also without any plan, and just fell onto the page as I went. The Orders member was going to be an aasimar, but I didn’t have plans for any dragonborn NPCs yet, so I switched it. As I drafted that part, I figured this would be a good way to remind the reader of the developments with the bounty and make sure the Tombtakers were all aware of it. Plus it includes an overt use of Otis’s Detect Thoughts spell in case the readers weren’t quite aware of the fact that they had used it on Beau in chapter 1.

I also wanted to introduce how Zoran’s weapon is surprisingly different. The mace in the stream was somewhat shaped like a grater, and as I thought it over, that wouldn’t be effective against armor as much as spikes would be. Thus, the reason was probably to do superficial wounds on himself to trigger a rite, not to consistently increase damage against opponents. Honestly, there’s other ways to do it, but shaving away a layer of your own skin is pretty damn intimidating.

Taliesin had his own reasons for choosing Molly’s name, but I realized there would probably be an in-universe meaning to it as well. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is a famous poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge about a captain that kills an albatross (related to mollymawks), thereby inflicting his voyage with all sorts of trials. Cockney (which is close to the accent Matt used in stream for Zoran) rhyming slang also has a meaning for Tealeaf that was too apt to pass up.

Altogether, that combined into a pretty dense scene that gave a lot of insight into the Tombtakers’ relationships to each other (particularly Otis), the Orders, and the Empire. They lived, worked, and traveled together for years after leaving the Orders, so their connections are far more established than the Nein and don’t require nearly as much dialogue to communicate. They’re intimately familiar with each other’s toolkits, strengths, and weaknesses.

Zoran and Otis have a lot of unspoken trust and watch each others’ back unprompted, relying on the other to help sort things out. They went through town together and then had drinks, all without chatting much. Otis used Detect Thoughts to check whether Zoran had anything to worry about from the dragonborn, and Zoran elicited information so Otis could use the spell effectively. Otis also pointed out that Zoran’s weapon could make him a target (Otis is int-based while Zoran is wis-based, hence investigation versus insight specialties). Neither did anything more than give the other a heads up, and they didn’t harp on any decisions made.

Zoran’s also the complainer, which I took from his griping outside the dome when the Tombtakers caught up to the Nein in episodes 120 and 121. Lucien told him to be patient and eat his jerky, which he did. So Zoran makes his disapproval known when he dislikes anything, but he’ll put up with whatever the others decide. So he shoots distrusting looks when Tyffial offers drinks and grumbles when they discuss the curse of undeath, but he still takes the alcohol offered and doesn’t argue with Cree.

Tyffial had very few lines in canon and mostly just followed Lucien’s lead in a fight, so there was little to go off of for personality other than how dismissive she was of the Nein. To round out my version of the Tombtakers, Tyffial takes action and will push back when she disagrees with something. This causes some tension with each of them, so Zoran gets agitated, Otis brushes it off, and Cree doubles down on being stubborn. However, she and Zoran still shared a laugh over Molly’s name when they both had sufficient understanding to catch it—Zoran is from the Menagerie Coast and Tyffial once traveled through there, so they’ve both heard of the story and the slang.

Tyffial and Otis didn’t interact as much. Otis didn’t have any substantive criticism of the way she did things other than it meaning another day in Zadash. Tyffial gets things done and says what she thinks, and Otis likes that. While she finds the halfling unsettling at times, she isn’t dismissive of their “creepy bullshit” either. She still recognizes it’s effective enough to be listed as a way of getting rid of Molly. So the two have their own brand of mutual respect even when they make no sense to the other.

We’ve seen Cree and Otis interact several times by now, so the halfling’s knack for getting on her nerves isn’t surprising. Otis still listens to her when she’s “the boss” even when they disagree and sass her about it.

None of the Tombtakers has a high opinion of the Claret Orders, which I took from canon. Cree had described the Orders as “a bit clouded” to the Nein in episode 14, and since she was the cleric of the Raven Queen, that’s probably the most generous any of them would have said. In episode 121, Lucien said, “Some of us just found like-minded interest in taking the things we learned and eventually sticking out on our own because we’ve all got an inherent dislike of authority.” So there was something common among them about not liking how the Orders was run, which I expect would manifest as varying levels of distrust. So they don’t heed the warning too strongly, but recognize that the bounty could pose a problem.

Similarly, the Tombtakers don’t have a high opinion of the Empire, also taking from the “inherent dislike of authority” that Lucien mentioned in canon. Otis’s initial thoughts were about fucking with the local political scene, but they didn’t know enough to make it work without causing problems for Cree. Tyffial has a connection at the Cobalt Soul, which Otis believes is just as corrupt as the other institutions. Both Zoran and Cree work for the Myriad, but other than keeping their respective bosses off their backs, they don’t have any real loyalty to the organization. Neither shows any hesitation for picking up and leaving beyond avoiding troublesome consequences. They’re there for the perks and nothing else.

In short, the Tombtakers like each other better than everything else they’ve encountered, even if they aren’t particularly affectionate or kind. No hugs and trying to comfort each other’s trauma; they’re comfortable with their own identities and compensate for each other’s shortcomings rather than try to fix something. Or poke at each other just for funsies, knowing that putting up with whatever they dislike is worth it anyway.

Nicodranas

Molly would have adored Nicodranas, but he’s also somewhat classist. In episode 6 of Talks Machina, Taliesin said:

[Molly] hasn’t decided if [Beau] comes from too much money to be a civilized human being. If he decides she comes from too much money, he’s going to be really irritated at her. … Molly’s a little classist too. He thinks people with too much money aren’t doing anything of value just holding onto it.

Because of that, I put a lot of thought into how Molly would react to the lifestyle at the Lavish Chateau. Like, he’d have been fully aware how spoiled rich Jester was before episode 26, but he never treated her as though she was a lesser person or that something was wrong with her for it. So I imagine there must have been some separation going on there. He’d have had some preconceptions about rich neighborhoods generally, as well as businesses in them, like the Chateau. But Jester is “one of the good ones” compared to all the rest. She’s an exception. His judgment on Marion is reserved until they actually meet.

However, before they even get to that point, Molly wouldn’t have had any reason to have met parents of someone he knew before. That would have been more groundbreaking than a few rich people not being terrible. So his initial thoughts on “oh, this place is full of people who are too rich to be good people” gets sidetracked by some heavy existentialism springing to mind. Of course, Molly nopes out and focuses on something he can enjoy because that’s just not his thing.

Parents

Fun fact: I had originally planned to have this scene from Nott’s POV and the docks from Beau’s POV. But I just couldn’t get anything down for either of them. I swapped them as an exercise to see if that’d work, and it did, so I stuck with those drafts. Beau’s POV works a lot better for this scene anyway. She’s got hangups on her parents that we haven’t yet explored, and Nott’s arc is still on the “I’m bad because I’m a goblin” phase, not the “I’m an okay person, but a terrible mom for not going home” phase.

So Beau figures out that the Gentleman is Jester’s dad first, and also realizes he’s a deadbeat first. Sad times. However, I didn’t want to dive too deeply into Beau’s issues because the resolution with her parents is a long way off. It would get old after a while if I frontloaded a lot of it, so it’s a soft introduction.

We also got to see how much Beau empathizes with Jester specifically, which matches up with the fact that Beau had a pretty strong crush on her at this point in the campaign. That said, while Beau recognizes what Jester’s probably going through, she’s not yet cognizant enough to know how to comfort anyone going through that. She’s socially awkward and hasn’t even come to terms with her own trauma.

Leaps

Molly’s gotta do something stupid in every town he visits, and I felt jumping across third story balconies was probably good. I did roll for that, he got a 19. (Every time there’s some flavor where it’d be funny if he failed, I roll for it.)

Molly was again thoroughly distracted from how rich Marion and Jester are by how distraught they were that the Gentleman blew Jester off. Even so, Molly doesn’t have a story about how to cope with shitty parents that let you down, else he would have had something to rely on for coping about Gustav. So he distracts her with cards, because as far as he’s concerned, Jester just needs time and she’ll get over it, like he did. Yep, there’s no lingering wounds nor complexes about losing faith in a role model at all. Totally fine.

Pfft.

Fjord also makes a realization that he was concerned about Molly and Jester spending time alone in her room. At this point in his arc, Fjord had not yet developed any deep romantic feelings for Jester. He’s got too much on his plate to recognize it until Molly does something suggestive.

And there’s some new cards! There’s no foreshadowing there. Don’t worry about it.

Dream: Games

The rhyme at the beginning of the dream is from the poem “Hymn (for Boys’ Voices)” by C.S. Lewis. He was born in Ireland and moved to England, and while he is often referred to as British, he considered himself Irish. He was a fan of W.B. Yeats (an Irish poet who was a nationalist and eventually became a fascist); raised Catholic, became a teenage athiest, then became an Anglican; badly wounded while he served in the British Army in World War I; rejected from service for World War II and evacuated children from London; and a prolific writer in both prose and poetry. His intersectional identity reflected heavily in his works, and he had an ego that I felt suited several of these dreams. His poetry’s going to pop up in a few others.

I almost included the next stanza, but decided to drop it since I didn’t want to modify this poem to make it match (lowercase god or plural gods), and it felt a little too early to start referencing deification in TF&TS:

Every man a God would be Laughing through eternity If as God's his eyes could see.

See what I mean about Lewis having an ego? He had a ton of poetry like that.

It’s hard to find reliable information about cultural traditions for what to do with baby teeth, but what I mostly found for Ireland was burying the baby teeth to avoid getting swapped with changelings. However, as I thought that over for Shadycreek Run, I felt a superstition relating to the river was more likely, and there were other traditions that throwing teeth in nearby rivers was good luck. So I split the IRL myth in two: the Nightback Clan buries teeth so that they grow strong (matching well with tabaxi that worship Melora), and Shadycreek Run denizens throw them in the river to avoid attracting changelings.

The rest of this dream went though numerous iterations. I brainstormed several games the kids could play that would reflect the skills and athleticism necessary to survive on the streets in Shadycreek Run next to the Savalirwood. There are a lot of dangers that require them to be quick, violent, and paranoid.

When I was growing up in unfavorable circumstances, there were a few teenagers and adults that took it upon themselves to teach younger kids how to fight. Most of the time, it was so they could sic the kids on someone in particular, so they only taught enough to cause someone very specific problems. Other times, they expected pay of some kind. Of course, kids then need to get money somehow, or booze, or certain valuable items that may or may not have been “found” in nearby residences and businesses. Alternatively, they did some small jobs like stand lookout, swipe something from somewhere nearby, or leave some particularly flammable or noxious substances somewhere no one is going to look.

Don’t worry about it.

(Relatedly, the plot hook that Auntie Mama—a known retired Mardoon gangster—continued to openly live in the Run and even welcomed one of the street kids to hang out on her porch without demanding any pay or loyalty is probably the second dumbest thing that I read in TNEOL, and I am fully willing to call that out without apology. That was genuinely stupid. As a friend phrased it, “that’s how you get car bombed.” Does anyone actually believe that a city run by four rival crime families and no government would have a culture of letting people retire from that life with dignity and safety? Ridiculous.)

Anyway, I wanted to explore exactly how Lucien would have first learned how to fight properly. He could have joined a gang, but since he’s a tiefling, I doubt that he would have been welcomed openly. Most likely, if he was ever offered an opportunity, he’d have had to prove himself before joining, so he’d likely need to know how to fight before that in order to have a real chance as succeeding, regardless of the type of initiation demanded. Thus, I went the paid lessons route.

The hobgoblin teacher was a Tasker (identifiable by the single blue pauldron), one of the Grudge Gang, which was “neutral” in the sense that they just generally enforced the peace in town without any intention of eliminating the tribes. They got hired on as extra muscle by whomever has the coin. Why train the kids? Because kids that know how to fight are less destructive than those that don’t. A kid that wants to hurt one person is less of a problem with a knife they know how to use than a kid who doesn’t know how to fight and feels like lighting some fires about it.

Again. Don’t worry about it.

The hobgoblin’s lessons are legitimate advice for anyone learning the basics. Obviously, there’s a ton more to being able to fight competently and assessing opponents, but for an introductory lesson, stances and how to move are pretty solid. They’re also much more important than knowing how to throw a good punch or any other sort of attack. Screwing up a punch is how you break a finger. Screwing up a dodge or not knowing when/how to escape is how you get stabbed.

Don’t worry about that either.

Of course, they’re still kids, so there had to be times and places that they would find a way to play. Early in the morning in open spaces with the Greytraders patrolling would be one of them, hence jump rope in Clover Plaza. We also get another instance of rhythms and rhymes having some importance to Lucien, this time in a game that favors dexterity. Given that we (the audience) know that he had to survive Shadycreek Run until he joined the Claret Orders, I figured it would have been at least partially attributable to the stats he’d rely on later as a blood hunter, so speed and agility would have been his strengths.

The first two rhymes are common jump rope rhymes. The second is for double dutch (jumping with two ropes swinging in opposite directions). I used to play with super thin ropes from the chop shop across the street (don’t worry about it), and the third was one of the rhymes I remembered from that time. Each of the later lines is supposed to be accompanied by a special move, such as hopping wide (front or sideways), touching the ground, spinning, turning, jumping out backwards and back in, etc. However, the rhyme originally went “twenty-four robbers” and “Spanish lady” (the second varies regionally), but I modified those lines to match the story here. Some of those lines seem awfully apt for stuff that happened to Lucien later on, don’t they? Hmmm…

Another game was tag, so we see Lucien and a half-elf playing deeper in the forest, away from the streets. However, even if they knew of relatively safe areas in the Savalirwood, there’s many dangers. Slavers were a big thing, and even though they were covered in the prior dream, I felt it was important to bring them up multiple times. That would have been a huge threat to any children living in Shadycreek, and I wanted to demonstrate that they weren’t just present as thugs snatching kids up. Thus, the two boys wander a little too far and stumble onto the road to one of the workshops referenced in episodes 53 and 54 of campaign 3. Depending on the race, gender, and appearance, kids would be pretty valuable in certain slave markets, but as in any venture, some merchandise just won’t sell. No worries, the Jagentoths have sweatshops. They run a business, they wouldn’t like to waste effort.

Hey. Don’t.

Last was hide and seek. We saw Lucien already knew how to hide from slavers in the tag scene (gray cloak and in the bushes), and also from shorter kids by climbing out of reach.

Of course, all these games have a key commonality: they’re good skills to have for escaping from predators. So along come some fey—yet another threat to street kids in Exandria—that chase them all the way back to the Run to show that off. The Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount featured a hook in the Savalirwood that a hag coven (including Nanny Filthtouch) in Molaesmyr kidnapped a Mardoon kid from Shadycreek Run, so I figured the hags were probably collecting other kids from there, too. Thus, teams of child-hunting fey. Redcaps are pretty fucked up, and Quicklings are just as nefarious. (Note: Quicklings are usually 2 feet tall, but I made them a little smaller because that is creepier, IMO.) Neither has an innate charm or stun ability, but I figured the hags probably armed them with some items to handle that; after all, if the hags wanted live kids instead of pieces, they’d need to equip their minions with some way of fetching at least some of them. Thus, items to stun and chains to drag them back.

The song the Quicklings sang is The Fairy Nurse, an Irish lullaby about a baby stolen by faeries. It’s sung by a faerie to comfort a crying baby that they “love thee dearly, And as thy mortal mother nearly”—so, almost as much as their mother did. The lyrics are pretty fucked up, just like in a lot of other lullabies about faeries. I felt that D&D fey would probably sing this song in mockery of the kids they were hunting, because, hey, they work for hags. None of this is nice.

There’s some Irish folklore that fae cannot cross running water, but it’s not very consistent, and I couldn’t find a source that the aos sí/aes sídhe specifically couldn’t do it. The sources I found that mentioned it were in English with anglicized spellings. Thus, I suspect that could be more recent compilations mixing it up with folklore from other cultures. However, it is a common myth about fae in general, and considering the prominence of the river to Shadycreek Run, I thought it would be a nice touch that weaker D&D fey (Quicklings are CR1) wouldn’t cross the water, but the Redcap (CR3) would.

The last bit of the scene is Greytraders running in to defend the town from the Redcap. They’re yet another neutral faction, but they’re reformed criminals/outcasts and want to solve the issue of violence in the Run. That’s about as close to “good guys” as anyone gets in Shadycreek. Unfortunately, they’ve got a lot to fight off, including murderous fey, and it doesn’t necessarily go well.

As @captainsparklefingers guessed, these dreams are in chronological order. Events in earlier dreams come into play in the later dreams. Just something to keep in mind.

And the kids all made it for once! Yay! This one time, everyone lives!

Don’t worry about it.

Flowers

In the stream, Nott and Jester had accompanied Caduceus and Caleb to the lighthouse, but I figured Molly would be persuasive (read: insistent) enough to lure them into going shopping with him. Nott gets the itch, after all, and Jester would love to show off her city.

Then I skipped both the other scenes because there really wasn’t much progress to them. The cast rolled badly for the most part. :(

However, that gave the chance for Yasha to come back with a bit more substance than just appearing in the same bar. Ashley’s absences made it difficult to explore Yasha’s arc early on in the campaign. I wanted to dip into why she collects flowers, and even if the Nein aren’t aware of it, they’re helping her to come to terms with Zuala’s death, step by step.

The flower Yasha had collected near Bladegarden was the Blue Perennem that Matt introduced in episode 66 of campaign 3. It seemed like a prime location for it to grow, and the flower likely has other uses as an antitoxin than one specific assassin poison. It’s got a distinctive look, so it wasn’t unreasonable for a shopkeeper in a busy trade hub who also frequently trades with adventurers to recognize it.

There’s a reason I’m introducing more gold and items to the Nein: they have one more member to outfit and pay for. Normally, a DM would just increase the enemies and loot to account for more PCs, but the enemies and loot drops are preset through canon. Rather than discard canon out of convenience, I included some creative explanations for how the Nein could afford stuff now that Molly’s here. I figured some gold, two flavor items (pouch and staff), and two practical items (sending stones and hat) would be a good balance heading into the next arc.

This scene was also to ensure that the readers understand that Jester is on good terms with Molly and Nott, even if they poke fun that they’re going to eat the new animal companions. It’s just a bit to Molly, and while Nott was actually tempted to eat Sprinkle, she wouldn’t do that to Jester. Jester also isn’t the type to hold a grudge, so no hurt feelings.

The Sluice Gate

I almost skipped this scene for a flashback, but Caduceus did not have a good day in canon, and I felt that was important to include since it was the first turning point in his arc. Until then, everyone else assumed he had his shit together. Thus, seeing him stumble psychologically and start doubting the Nein was too significant to summarize.

That said, doing the whole fight from start to finish, plus the smaller fight leading up to it, was just going to be excessive. It wasn’t relevant otherwise and the dock fight was more entertaining. Thus, we jumped into the middle, right Caduceus was beginning to unravel. Much more exciting and tense.

However, Caduceus’s key flaw is that he is not all that self-aware. He focuses on others to his own detriment, not too unlike Molly. He sees himself as the support. Thus, his mind focuses on Jester and her pets instead of himself. It brings a horrible awareness that he and Jester could both die and no one else can heal them. Not good.

I also thought that the reaction to Fjord’s Accursed Specter would be different now that the Nein have faced Lucien as an undead. Caduceus had already suspected that maybe Lucien wasn’t gone for good, and Molly keeps having dreams that are totally about him and not some other tiefling but maybe he’s haunted andwhoknowsbuthe’snotpanicking, so the two of them are on edge seeing Fjord control an undead spirit.

Combined with the rather unhelpful stop at the Mother’s Lighthouse, that chips away at Caduceus’s confidence that he’s following the right path. He hasn’t found any clues to how to fix the Blooming Grove, there’s been no sign of his family, and the Nein not knowing what they’re doing is actually kind of a problem.

But, hey, maybe tonight will go better. (It doesn’t.)

Night of Ascension

There is a lot in this scene I’m not going to talk about because it will be a big part of the plot and/or themes. So here’s your heads up that this scene is Important.

I first drafted this part without knowing which chapter it would go in. It was before I had ironed out the outline to know exactly where the first confrontation would fit (though I knew it would be in Zadash). However, once I reviewed the calendar to check when the Nein would be doing XYZ, I realized that they missed out on any festivities surrounding the Night of Ascension because of their shenanigans around Nicodranas. Then the idea occurred to me that it would be wonderfully delicious irony to summon Lucien as an undead on the Night of Ascension, which led to this scene.

I chose Cree’s POV specifically because I wanted to include some introspection about her changing faith and comparing that to how the Dwendalian Empire makes use of religious holidays. The contrast between the Empire’s traditions and those in the Run and Nicodranas also matches the theme of the chapter title card regarding transactional business versus merrymaking and indulgence.

I also wanted to explore how she differs from Lucien on issues of faith and fate. A lot of this came from brainstorming about what sort of beliefs they likely held before Lucien found the Somnovem’s book. That’s going to come out more over time, especially in the dreams, so stay tuned for that.

Lastly, we got more interactions between the Tombtakers. They’re rough with each other and are happy to give each other shit when there’s nothing else going on, but they’re still a cohesive unit even after so long. As soon as Zoran was freaked out, Tyffial was ready to fight too, even if Cree seemed unconcerned. (Otis didn’t help by being creepy about it.) That said, Tyffial still stood down once she was sure it was actually Lucien.

There was also some word play in Irish in this scene. When Tyffial asked if the ghost was Lucien, he replied, “Tá mé,” and I included the following explanation:

Literally means ‘it is me’ but is grammatically incorrect. Irish has two verbs that mean ‘to be,’ and in this specific sentence, it would be either ‘tá’ or ‘is’ (pronounced ‘eess’ with soft ‘s’ sound, not ‘ihz’ like English’s ‘is’). ‘Tá’ is the present tense of ‘to be’ meaning ‘he/she/it is,’ but the verb refers to what something is like, descriptors, and temporary states (e.g., ‘I am tired.’). ‘Is’ is a copula, which is a grammatical function that links a subject to another noun or an adjective, so that is used to identify or classify the subject (e.g., ‘I am a tiefling.’). Lucien used ‘tá’ intentionally because he’s emphasizing that this is not what he actually is and that this is temporary. Instead of confirming his identity as Lucien (which is what Tyffial literally asked), he’s saying ‘This is what I am, for now’ (in response to the implication that Tyffial doesn’t quite believe that Lucien is undead and possessing Zoran).

I think I spent about 2-3 hours researching on numerous websites to make sure I was actually getting the different versions of “to be” correct. (The hard part about this stuff is finding reliable sources.) A similar remark could be made in Spanish, which also has two forms of that verb, and that was how it occurred to me in the first place.

Note: He made this comment to Tyffial, who would only understand the meaning if she spoke the language. Curious…

Pets

I wanted to include a check in with Jester after the heavy stuff hit because her father’s identity and developments with Algar all came about without much commentary from her in the stream. Jester doesn’t like to focus on negative emotions, so we see her taking after Marion and Molly by pretending everything is okay.

Thus, there’s definitely no reason that Xundi’s decision to immediately return to his partner was so memorable. And there’s no special significance to the act of leaving Nugget and the peacock behind with Marion while Jester goes off to do something dangerous. No parallels of any sort.

Pfffft.

The Docks

This scene was initially about half the length, but @fruitzbat (author of an amazing Kingsley epic and my beta reader) pointed out that it would have a better impact and lead into the next scene more fluidly if it wasn’t as clipped. Thus, I added most of the beginning of the scene the day before posting.

As I mentioned above, this was initially going to be Beau’s scene, but Nott’s POV was just too funny to pass up. She was separated from the Nein and spent most of the fight hiding, so her perspective was hilariously out of the loop. In canon, the players rolled terribly on every attempt to avoid detection and de-escalate, and I wanted to keep that train wreck.

Beau had originally tried to use Caleb as her partner for the distraction, but since Molly was here, he was the perfect guy to drag into it given that he loves distractions. He was surprised that Beau of all people was the one that leapt into it, but this was also after her Tracy persona that afternoon (which I skipped since it wasn’t that substantive). The first line was canon, and coming up with the rest of their soap opera bullshit was fun.

Aftermath

Caleb was in the background for most of the Nein’s trip through Nicodranas. I got the impression that this was about the time he came to terms with Molly’s death, that he was truly attached to the Nein, and took the “better than you found it” advice to heart. I don’t think Molly’s survival would have kneecapped that development.

Caleb’s perspective was also that the Nein didn’t do anything wrong in canon. Thus, he glosses over the developments and isn’t as troubled as the rest. This helps us skip a lot of the boring stuff and speed toward the next arc.

Finally, Caleb also unveils a hat of disguise for Nott. I wanted to mess with her arc so she wouldn’t be in the background the whole time (Sam was so good at hiding it in plain sight). There are plans in motion.

Don’t worry about it.

[horsegamergirl]

Game update is here:

"THE BUZZING BAZAAR

Hey, StarFam! The Bazaar has made its way back to Jorvik, bringing deals on horses for an entire week.

HORSE DISCOUNTS!

★The Morgan is 549 Star coins

★The Appaloosa is 499 Star coins

★The American Paint Horse is 499 Star coins

★The Knabstrupper is 399 Star coins

Head over to the Bazaar in Moorland to grab these discounts, or visit the horses' usual homes around Jorvik to get these discounts for a limited time. These special offers will be around until the Wednesday Update on September 4th.

SSH EXCLUSIVES NOW IN JORVIK!

All horses that were once exclusive on the Star Stable Horses App are now available in Jorvik! From this update on, all app horses (aside from the Texas Bluebell) will be permanently found in SSO. Plus, a few special coat variations that were once app exclusive are available at the Bazaar:

Variations of the Morgan, Appaloosa, American Paint Horse, and Knabstrupper as mentioned above!

Additionally, one Icelandic, one Gotland Pony, one Finn Horse, and two Fjord Horse variations are permanently in Jorvik and temporarily discounted at the Bazaar.

THE TRAILBLAZER TRACK!

The Trailblazer Track is live for one more week, rewarding hard working Star Riders with unique items for both rider and horse. Keep up with daily activities all over Jorvik, and earn Trail Points as you go! Every time you earn 1000 Trail Points, you'll reach Milestones that unlock rewards! There are 25 milestones in total, meaning 25 sparkling prizes.

If you aren't a Star Rider, you'll still earn the Trail Points, but won't be able to collect the rewards. If you choose to become a Star Rider, you will be able to collect them automatically.

Try it out and let us know what you think about the Trailblazer Track! It's available until September 4th.

MORE MOORLAND!

Ydris caught wind of the ongoing renovations around Moorland, and decided to give his circus tent a little glow up on his own! Penny and Polly are also excited to share their changes to the Pony Race, so bring out your small, but feisty steeds and check it out!

HORSE RETIREMENT

The next horse to leave us for greener pastures is the Gen 2 English Thoroughbred. During the Wednesday Update on October 23rd, it will leave Jorvik and not be available for purchase from then on. Find them at Ferdinand's Horse Market before it receives its well-earned retirement! You will be able to purchase the Thoroughbred for 400 Star Coins.

While we love each and every one of our old horses, we sometimes need to make changes to ensure the game can run at the best possible performance. One of these changes will be to slowly phase out our very oldest horses.

If you already have purchased these horses, no need to worry! The horses will stay unchanged in your safe ownership. Please note that they will not be further supported with is bug fixes, updates, or new tack.

COMING NEXT WEEK!

Paddock Props have arrived at Paddock Island, along with the return of some beloved birthday horses!"

Additional news from their Instagram:

"We've also updated the lighting in your home stable so it looks a little bit brighter and warmer🌅"

[maskeddevera]

Okay, I'll bite, especially because I'm not seeing a lot of fans discussing these thoughts...Kingsley, minus a few feelings and vague memories, hasn't done anything that wouldn't fit with a Mollymauk with most of his memories removed. Kingsley could easily be a Mollymauk mostly rebooted back to when he woke up before he met the circus...just like Caduceus asked to put the soul back as it was.

How much of your identity is from your memories, and how much of your identity is from muscle memory (juggling), and how much of your identity is from your heart/"soul"?

A true character analysis would deserve a lot more than what I'm currently going to say, but just a few points:

1) Mollymauk woke up saying "empty" for a few weeks. So did Kingsley (until the restoration spell seemed to accelerate the process).

2) Mollymauk never recognized that who he was before he "woke up" was him. He was obstinate and irrational about denying the identity that came before his current existence even when old memories surfaced.

3) One of the first things that The Mighty Nein said to their newly revived purple tiefling is that they suggested that maybe he might want to change his name...which he promptly did once he woke up out of his fugue state. (Side note, that was actually a good move on their part...Mollymauk was never truly his name...per Taliesin on the Talks Machina for c2e14, Gustav named him Mollymauk. Taliesin said, "He didn't choose his name. It was chosen for him." Kingsley at least was allowed to choose his own name.)

4) Mollymauk was obsessed with looking fashionable/stylish and modeled his fashion off of the first people who took him in. Kingsley did the same.

5) Kingsley appears to have residual feelings about The Mighty Nein that mirror Mollymauk's feelings for them.

6) Mollymauk was very extra, indulged to excess, and was joyful but also sarcastic and judgemental of others. Kingsley's personality mirrors Mollymauk's personality.

6) Mollymauk was a con artist, but he always said to himself that he was a con artist but not in a mean way. He tried to convince himself he wasn't hurting anyone. Kingsley will apparently figure out an elaborate con to steal a boat and abandon Fjord in order to join the Revelry, no doubt while also gathering a cult of personality around him like he does. He will be "a pirate, but not the worst." A good con artist. A pirate, but not the worst.

The nature of this character remains the same. This character was always about waking up with only vague memories and starting almost completely anew.

"It's not the best thing that happened to me; it's the thing that happened to me. I found peace in building a new person." -Mollymauk, "Fleeting Memories" (Episode 14)

[theroyalsims]

ROYAL FAMILY SET TO WELCOME MORE BABIES!

It's official: Princess Alice is going to be a grandmother - again!

Olivia, Princess Alice's youngest daughter, is pregnant! Zauvuria's PM Khari Chegeya, who wed Olivia a little over a year ago, shared the wonderful news via his verified social media channels, along with a sweet photo (see top photo), captioned:

"And then there were three. We're beyond happy and excited to share that we're expecting our very own little bundle of joy! We can't wait to finally meet our little bean! Olivia and I thank everyone for the prayers and well-wishes! -K"

The "little bean" is Olivia and Khari's first child. Zauvurian press reports that Olivia is due sometime this Winter.

Meanwhile, back here in Brindleton, yet another couple is expecting! Leon and Chloe will soon welcome baby #2, and that means little Nicole is going to be a big sister! News of Chloe's pregnancy first broke last week, but it wasn't until yesterday when the couple was snapped and Chloe was seen sporting her adorable baby bump. In confirmation, the couple's representative released the following statement:

"Leon and Chloe would like to thank everyone for the well-wishes and messages. They are both very happy and thrilled to see their family grow."

Leon is the youngest son of Prince Leonard (the former Duke of Holm) with his ex-wife, Lady Beatrix Collinsworth. Leon, much like his older brother, Lucas, refused titles from their aunt, The Queen. The Holm siblings live private lives, and although deemed members of the (extended) Royal Family, they do not take on any engagements on Her Majesty's behalf.

Similarly, Princess Alice's daughters, Olivia and Emily, are also private citizens. Emily, however, married Rennaux's Duke of Fjord, making her the Duchess of Fjord. Olivia, meanwhile, married her second husband, Khari Chegeya, who happens to be the Prime Minister of Zauvuria.

With their royal cousins popping babies left and right, we can't help but wonder if Anya, Eleanore, Alistair, Nicky, and Ingrid feel any pressure to start their own families? After all, one of the most important tasks royal heirs have to fulfil is to produce even more heirs to ensure the longevity of the royal family.

Congrats to Olivia and Khari, and to Chloe and Leon!

[the-iceni-bitch]

A Birthday Gift

Pairing: Nomad!Steve x fem-Reader

Word Count: 5665 (I know, I know)

Summary:  The nomad crew have been holed up with you for months and tensions are high. Nat, being an unrepentant pot stirrer, decides to arrange a pleasant birthday surprise for you.

Warnings: Explicit language, explicit sexual content, explicit descriptions of consensual violence, SMUT! PORN! 18+!

A/N: Hello my fellow hoes and sluts! My birthday is today and it has me in some kind of mood, so I hunkered down and blasted out this fic. @stargazingfangirl18​‘s lovely Tree Trimming fic has my holes quivering for some hot Nomad sex, so please sit back and enjoy my birthday present to all of you!

You had always hated your birthday.

Fortunately, Nat was completely willing to take your mind off it with a good sparring match. The snow was falling heavy outside of the large windows on the side of the gym, but the minor exertion was keeping you pleasantly warm. You’d been on the mat for almost an hour, but you still couldn’t seem to get your mind to focus.

Of course, it didn’t help when Rogers came in, glowering, to work the bags, giving you a wary look before he settled into his routine.

Nat and the rest of the team had been with you for almost 3 months now. When she had called you after the events in Berlin, to arrange a potential safehouse for her and her compatriots, you of course offered to have them join you at your isolated lodge on the Snæfellsnes peninsula. You were as off the grid as they come, and with the help of your Wakandan friends, still able to provide the modern creature comforts you were sure they had become accustomed to at the Avengers compound.

You had missed Nat, after all. It had been almost 7 years since you last saw her, but the grin she gave you when they landed in the early Autumn made it seem like she’d never left. You got to know everyone else over the months as well. Sam and you bonded quickly after you introduced him to Aquavit and spent the next 2 days helping him slowly move back to solid foods. Vision of course took everything that happened in stride, and while you couldn’t say you were friends, you had developed a mutual respect for each other. Wanda took longer to warm up (understandable after everything she had been through) but when you told her about the time you had spent in Sokovia, she quickly came out of her shell, and the two of you would often stay up through the night reminiscing about your homes. Even Barnes had softened once he got a look at your weapons room and you took it out to the Fjord to test out some next gen tech Shuri had sent you.

The only problem was Rogers.

No matter what you tried, it seemed that every time you got near him his hackles went up. You could feel him watching you constantly, and whenever you met his gaze, he would simply clench his jaw and stalk off like a cat.

“He’s just overprotective.” Nat always said. “He’s a big papa bear protecting his cubs. He’ll warm up.”

You snapped back to the present as Vis and Wanda wandered into the gym chatting idly. She had convinced him to join her out in the snow for a brisk hike, and was now laughing lightly as she brushed a dusting of soft flakes off his shoulders. Bucky was working his way down from the weights level, patting his neck dry with a towel. You heard the pounding on the bags stop, and glanced over to see Rogers unwrapping his hands as he stared at you, but this time he didn’t break eye contact when you met his gaze.

Those deep blue eyes disarmed you, and you lost your concentration for a split second. Nat seized her opportunity and crawled up your back, wrapping he legs around your neck and shoulders to try to get you into a submissive position. You tried to regain your composure, but your instincts kicked in for just a moment, and when you drove yourself back into the mat to break her hold, you landed quite a bit harder than you intended and thought you heard a snap as she gasped out in pain.

“Shit, Nat you good?” You scrambled onto your knees and looked at your friend with concern. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Rogers striding over, jaw clenched and brow furrowed. Vis and Wanda stopped their conversation to glance over and Bucky moved quickly to intercept his best friend with a hand on his chest.

Nat broke the tension with a laugh, and everyone in the room relaxed. “God, Y/N, guess you’re still an aggro bitch. I though I might’ve had you for once.”

“Jesus, Nat. I’m sorry, lemme grab you some ice. Anything broken?”

“Don’t think so, just a bruised ego. Look at you, you haven’t even broken a sweat.”

You tossed a pack to her from the freezer, along with her typical post spar electrolyte drink. She gave you a wink as she pressed the pack to her ribs, and you could only shake your head at her.

“Steve, you wanna take over for me?” She said to the large man who was now leaning against one of the windows, only half listening as Barnes tried to distract him, while glaring at you.

You both snapped your heads around to stare at her and started protesting over each other while she grinned back and forth between you.

“That’s probably not a great idea…”

“Don’t want to hurt her…”

“Oh my god, you two are ridiculous. Y/N, you obviously still have to work out your birthday issues, and Steve, you’ve been complaining for the past 3 weeks that me and Buck are getting too predictable.”

“Y/N, it’s your birthday? We should bake you a cake!” Wanda exclaimed, always the little ray of sunshine.

“That’s ok Wand, please don’t.”

“Should we perhaps sing?” Vision was now adding his two cents to the discussion.

“No singing. Thank you, so much, for that, Nat.”

“She’s right Rogers, you’ve been looking pretty bored during our sessions, change of pace might be good for you.”

While you were eternally grateful to Bucky for getting the topic off of your birthday, you really didn’t think Rogers was going to go for this.

“Fine, we’ll give it a shot.”

You looked at him with surprise, but gave a shrug and nodded. You definitely still needed something to take your mind off the day. You loved Nat, but always felt the need to hold back during your sessions, and it might be nice to take the safety off.

Nat looked like the cat that ate the canary for some unknown reason, as she giggled and clapped her hands before setting down onto one of the stools to observe. Bucky looked relieved as he leaned back against the wall, chugging the contents of his water bottle. Wanda and Vis went back to their flirty conversation, content to let you two do your own thing.

You unzipped your hoody and threw it to the side, stretching your neck and bouncing on the balls of your feet to loosen up. Rogers looked you over, eyes lingering over your tattoos that you realized he’d never seen since most of them were easily covered by a long sleeve shirt. He pulled his own sweatshirt over his head, and you had a hard time not taking a second to appreciate just how good his torso looked in a simple grey tee.

“Jesus, you two, just get to it.”

The look you shot Nat was pure poison. You weren’t sure what her game was, but you’d be sure to break out the vodka later tonight and get it out of her.

You squared up with the captain, keeping a loose stance on the balls of your feet while he brought up his fists and shrugged his shoulders.

His first strike seemed sluggish, and you slapped it aside easily, frowning at him. He shuffled forward, throwing a few more jabs that you also dodged. Was he holding back on you?

The next few shots he tried to take all but confirmed it; he was pulling his punches. You ducked around them easily, starting to get frustrated. You stepped inside his reach and delivered three quick strikes to his abdomen, followed by an open-handed push to the center of his chest, causing him to take two steps backwards.

His eyes narrowed at you. He was just hoping to get Nat and Buck off his back. Nat had been trying to get him to interact with you for months, but there was something about you that set off warning bells in his head. He trusted Nat and Nat trusted you, which should have been good enough, but he couldn’t get over the thought that there was something dangerous about you that he couldn’t figure out. He’d hoped that a quick spar would appease Nat and get whatever was bugging him about you out of his system, but he had expected you to be on Nat’s level of physicality. The contemptuous way you slapped his blows aside, and the way you got under his guard fast, only made him more wary.

You saw him adjust his stance and tucked in his arms, and gave him a small smirk as you stepped back and raised your fists again.

He moved forward quickly this time, throwing a quick combo of punches aimed at your head and torso and trying to get his arms around you for a hold. You still dodged his strikes easily and when he tried to put you in a hold, you delivered a swift knee to the juncture of his waist on his left side, dancing back again.

His long hair had fallen into is eyes at this point, and when he straightened back up, the look of appraisal he gave was laced with frustration.

Your breathing was still even and relaxed, and Nat had been right, you hadn’t broken a sweat at all in the past 45 minutes. You loosely rolled one tattooed shoulder and gave him a grin, practically begging him to try again.

He clenched his jaw and rushed you. You kept dodging his blows or batting them aside but when he brought his foot around suddenly you moved a little too slow and felt it glance off your cheekbone. He took advantage of your brief surprise and moved behind you whip fast, wrapping one arm around your neck as he braced the other around your right shoulder and he tried to force you to the ground. You sprung your legs off the mat, raising them above your waist before swinging them back down as you got your left hand behind his head and grabbed the back of his tee, then used your momentum to fling him over your shoulders and toss him 15 feet across the room.

He shot up fast and turned back to with a look of complete shock on his face as he crouched into a protective stance. He stared at you like that for a beat before clenching his jaw and straightening up, rolling his head to right.

You followed his line of sight, perplexed. Bucky had jolted off of the wall and looked ready for a fight, flicking his gaze between you and Rogers. Wanda was staring at you with surprise, but was still relaxed. Vis looked at everyone around the room in confusion, trying to understand where the sudden tension had come from. The only person who seemed unfazed by what happened was Nat, all doe eyed innocence as she sipped her drink, not making eye contact with you or Rogers.

Poor Sam chose this moment to wander in. “Hey, Y/N, I heard it’s your b-day. You ready for me to drink you under… What happened?”

“Fuck’s sake Nat, you didn’t tell them.” You hissed at her.

“It didn’t really seem important, Y/N. Besides, it’s your secret.”

“Not a secret Nat. Jesus.”

“Someone want to tell me what the fuck I missed?” Sam was still flicking his gaze around the room, trying to figure out what was happening.

“Y/N just threw Steve across the room like a ragdoll.” Bucky said.

“Oh, word? Interesting.” Sam said.

“Someone want to explain this situation to me, slowly?” Rogers was looking murderously between you and Nat, and you honestly could have killed her yourself.

“Oh, did everyone not know about Y/N’s brain implants?”

All of you looked at Vision when he piped up, and he got a grin on his face like he had just solved an especially difficult puzzle.

“Baby, I think it’s safe to say only you and Nat knew.” Wanda whispered to him.

“But wasn’t that why we came here? Y/N has been hiding from multiple governments for years and her expertise has been very helpful in shielding us from both the United Nations and Stark industries.”

“Yeah, honey, just assume that you’re the only one who knows what you’re talking about.” Wanda said exasperatedly.

“Oh, well then, Y/N was part of an experimental program run by HYDRA under the guise of SHIELD during the 1990s where adolescents received brain implants designed by Dr. Emil Zola to increase sensory perception, decrease pain receptors, and specifically, maximize the efficiency of fast twitch muscle fibers via the phosphagen system, allowing use of these muscles for longer periods of time without negative effects. This was of course after multiple failed trials with a new super soldier serum.

“The program’s graduates were deployed at the beginning of the second Gulf War, purportedly to hunt terrorists, but were also used as HYDRA’s own assassination squad in the eastern hemisphere. The program was discontinued at the end of 2007 and it was thought that all the graduates were culled, but Y/N simply disappeared on mission at the Wakandan border. I admit, I was a bit surprised when she greeted us as she’s presumed dead by most intelligence agencies, but I thought her history was the reason we chose this location. Did I miss anything?” Vis looked at you with genuine interest.

“No that’s pretty much it, thanks.” You said flatly, running a hand over your face.

“See, not that big of a deal.” Nat shrugged.

“Well, Vis and I are going to head to bed.” Wanda chirped up, looking nervously between you, Nat, and the two super soldiers who were now staring at you again. She ushered Vision out of the room quickly and shushed him as he tried to ask if he had done something wrong.

“You really didn’t think this is something I might have wanted to know Nat?” Steve had now turned his attention back to your friend, murder written all over his face.

“No, Steve. Like I said, this is Y/N’s business and it changes literally nothing about how much I trust her. I can’t help it that you got your panties in a bunch over some perceived threat when I told you over and over again that I would willingly put my life in her hands in any situation.”

“You should have told them Nat.” You shook your head at her. She was still playing some sort of game, you could tell, but you didn’t know what.

“Ok, fine, I’m sorry. I just didn’t think you wanted the drama, or to have Barnes look at you like some little lost lamb.”

“Aw geez, Buck, stop looking at me like that or I’m going to punch you. I’m fine.”

“Ahm, sorry.” Bucky’s look of overwhelming sympathy would have been heartbreaking if it had been directed at anybody but you, and you really couldn’t handle that right now. “I’m here to talk if you ever need it.”

“Thanks, Barnes.”

“Besides, you and Steve are both in desperate need of a good fuck, and I thought an impromptu discovery like this would give you the push you need.”

And there it was.

“Well, I’m going to have to make it a rain check on those birthday drinks Y/N, look at the time, it’s… 6 PM. Let’s go Barnes.” Sam was now looking everywhere except at you and Rogers as he did his best to drag Bucky, who was doubled over crying with laughter, out of the gym.

You and Steve glared at Nat as she just sat there grinning, looking overly pleased with herself. A flush was creeping up Rogers neck as his fists tightened and loosened. You could see his jaw clenching under his beard and the tendons on his neck stand out in a look of absolute fury.

“You are such a meddling bitch, Romanoff.” You growled at her. Sure, it had been a while, but you were plenty capable of taking care of yourself, which you had told her after she plied you with three bottles of good Russian vodka.

“Yep.” She hopped off her stool and tossed her ice pack into the freezer. “I’m gonna leave you two to it. Talk, fight, fuck, do something. Your sexual tension is bringing down the vibe.”

She easily dodged the kettle bell you lobbed at her head with a laugh as she scurried out of the gym, closing the door behind her.

After about a minute of uncomfortable silence, you and Rogers turned back to each other. His face was no longer bright red as he looked at you, but you noticed something new in his gaze. His pupils were dilated as he peered at you through the hair that had fallen into his eyes. His breathing was deeper as he stepped closer and looked down at you. You were quite a bit taller than Nat, but still only came up to his eyes. He had moved his gaze to your chest, which was rising and falling in a slightly faster rhythm as he took you in, before moving it to your lips, then back up to your eyes.

“Wanna talk?” he asked.

“Nope.”

“Fight?”

“OK.”

You both took several steps back, retreating to your corners. Some unspoken agreement passed between you and Steve ripped off his t-shirt and sweatpants, until he was down to only his boxer briefs. You removed your sweats as well until you stood there in your sports bra and boy shorts. Neither of you examined whether you were doing this to increase your range of motion or for some other, hungrier reason.

You gazed at each other for a beat, drinking each other in. Steve rolled his broad shoulders and neck, bending from side to side briefly as you watched the muscles in his abdomen tighten and relax as he stretched. You reached your arms over your head before folding yourself over to wrap your arms around the backs of your thighs, twisting yourself to loosen your back muscles and feeling his eyes on you the whole time.

After straightening back up, you each gave each other a swift nod then rushed forward wordlessly.

You managed to gain the upper hand first when you vaulted over him as he dove at you, wrapping one arm around his throat as you carried your momentum and brought him to the ground, coiling your legs around his torso like a snake and stretching his right arm out with yours, pinning it in place.

He reached his left arm over his shoulder and punched you in the face.

You let go of him with a grunt and rolled up quickly, but he was able to get behind you and grabbed your left wrist with his right hand, hauling you over his shoulder while his left arm wrapped around your thigh and he drove you backwards into the mat, knocking the air out of your lungs before rolling over to try to pin you.

You got one leg between the two of you and drove your foot into the center of his chest, sending him flying across the room to crash into the free weights. You didn’t give him a chance to recover before charging back into him driving a fist into first his ribs, then his hip and causing him to buckle over before you wrapped one knee around his chest and rolled forward, slamming him into the ground so hard the floor cracked as you went to straddle him.

He caught your knee and carried you into a kneeling position before throwing you into the sandbags with enough force to knock one loose. You landed heavily and grabbed a kettle bell, whipping at him. He barely dodged it as he covered his head and it glanced off his forearm, giving you enough time to rush forward.

He caught you in the center of the mat and twisted you over him until you were pinned; one of your wrists in each of his hands above your head, legs wrapped around your thighs forcing them apart as he pressed his whole body weight into you.

You stopped struggling finally and stared up at him. You both were breathing heavily and covered in sweat. Steve’s hair was falling into his eyes, which were now lust blown as he stared at your lips. You could feel the muscles in his torso twitching against you as he held you in place.

He suddenly released your wrists without a word, and brought one hand behind your head to pull your mouth to his hungrily. His tongue ran along your lower lip and you opened yourself up to him, sighing into his mouth.

His other hand worked its way down your back as his legs loosened their hold on yours and he pressed your hips into his. You felt him start to grind his hardened cock into your mound and let out a low moan. He growled into your lips before releasing your head and started to kiss and bite his way down your neck, drawing soft whimpers from you as he did.

When he reached the tops of your breasts he pulled away from you suddenly to skim one hand up your abdomen before hooking three fingers under the edge of your sports bra and slowly drawing it over your head, eyes boring into yours as he did so. Once his obstacle had been removed, he nuzzled his face into the valley between your tits before gently sucking a bruise there as his beard scratched against your skin. He then moved his mouth to first your right nipple, then your left; rolling them between his teeth and tongue as you pressed your chest further into his face with a gasp.

He continued his downward journey, dipping his tongue into your navel before he reached the top of your shorts. He slowly drew them down your thighs and off until you were laying underneath him, fully bare and wanton, your cunt clenching around nothing as he stared up at you, resting his chin on your lower abdomen as his eyes asked you a silent question and you nodded, almost imperceptibly.

He drew your knees over his shoulders and pulled you down until his beard was flush against your mound. He nuzzled into the soft hair there before kissing the inside of your thighs slowly, his beard scratching the soft skin there as he gently ran the edge of his teeth up to your juncture then back down at an agonizingly slow pace. When you felt him breathe against your entrance, you wrapped one hand in his hair and moaned, and when his tongue found your clit you screamed and arched your back into him.

His tongue slowly circled your clit as he brought up his right hand and brushed his pointer and middle fingers through your arousal slowly, before inserting one finger into your pussy at a deliciously slow pace. You felt him smile against you as you moaned, wrapping your thighs around his neck as he moved in and out, curling his finger against that soft, spongy spot over and over again before adding another finger.

His tongue had stopped drawing it’s slow circles and was now pressing and releasing against you at faster intervals, causing your breath to hitch in your chest as you writhed against his face. He held a third finger at the edge of your entrance and when you pressed yourself into it, he inserted it into your canal, stretching you so good you let out a thin whine. He shook his head back and forth quickly but gently, adding a brand new sensation before he began to suck on your clit.

All the breath rushed out of you at once as you brought your second hand to press his head further into you. His fingers were fucking into you fast now and you felt the tension in your abdomen building as he alternated between sucking and licking at the small bundle of nerves. When he finally latched on, at the same time he curled all three fingers against your g-spot, you came apart around him, screaming his name as your thighs wrapped around his head like a vise as every muscle in your back tightened, thrusting your torso off the mat violently before you sank back down, relaxing as Steve helped you ride it out.

His name was the first thing either of you had said in almost 15 minutes, and he didn’t want to break the silence now. He was afraid if either of you spoke, you’d break the spell that seemed to have settled over you. Instead of saying anything, he gently pulled you down until you were straddling his waist, then nuzzled his face into the juncture between your neck and shoulder before resting his forehead on yours and staring into your eyes.

You looked back at him, blinking slowly as you moved your hands down to his hips and slipping your fingers under the edge of his boxer briefs. You slipped them over his hips slowly, and you felt his legs shifting in between yours as he moved himself to help you remove them, never breaking eye contact with you. You matched each other’s breathing as he shifted his hips and lined himself up at your entrance, his eyes giving you a pleading look. You shifted your hips closer to him, and he slowly breached you with his tip, closing his eyes as he did so and letting out a low moan from the back of his throat. He started thrusting into you slowly, trying not to collapse on top of you as he held himself back.

You brought your face up to his and slowly kissed him, gently drawing your tongue along the outside of his lips. The hand you didn’t have buried in his hair moved to his lower back and pressed him into you further, and you softly whispered against his mouth “Please…”

He let out a feral growl and settled his full weight on top of you as his hands moved from their supportive positions. One moved underneath you to hold you against him as he fucked into you fast, the other buried itself in your hair as he wrenched your head back and ran his teeth over your throat, nipping at the small hollow at its base. His hand on your back tilted your hips so each drive of his brought him flush against your clit, and you started breathlessly whimpering as he drove into you at a punishing speed.

Your second orgasm came almost without warning. You felt yourself flutter around him one moment when he suddenly tilted your hips just right and you were seeing stars, your body spasming as an uncontrollable wave of pleasure crashed over you repeatedly.

Steve still wasn’t finished though. He gave you a kiss like a starving man before pulling out of you suddenly. You groaned at the loss before he flipped you over fast and slammed back into you, causing you to let out a cry as his tip kissed your cervix.

He maneuvered you into the position he wanted quickly; one knee hooked over his leg and brought up close to your side with your other leg stretched behind you. He brought one arm underneath you to wrap a massive hand around your throat while the other tangled itself in your hair and drew your head back enough for him to kiss you hard, shoving his tongue down your throat as he continued to drive into you.

You had another orgasm almost immediately. Your pussy was fluttering and clenching like crazy as your body almost vibrated with pleasure. Steve still wasn’t slowing down and you were having so much trouble catching your breath you were worried you were going to pass out. You couldn’t stop driving your hips back into him though, matching his pace and feeling the tension in your core begin to gather again. You rolled your eyes back in your head and let out a thin whimper as you moved a hand between your thighs, trying to gain some sort of control over your own pleasure before your brain short-circuited.

Steve ripped your fingers from your throbbing clit with a growl and replaced them with his own, drawing harsh circles around the overstimulated bundle as you gasped and whimpered. He moved the hand he had at your throat to cup your chin, and tugged at your bottom lip with his thumb. You opened your mouth to gently nip at the rough pad as you felt his hips start to stutter, and he when he bit into your shoulder harshly you let out a scream and came apart violently, shaking underneath him uncontrollably.

His own release was right behind yours, and you felt his hot spend coating your insides as you fluttered around him and he wordlessly roared into your ear. He collapsed on top of you, burying his face in your neck and breathing deeply as he moved his hand from your face to softly cup your breast, lazily rolling one nipple in between his fingers and you came down from your respective highs.

You felt him softening inside you as you started to untangle yourselves. He slowly pulled out and you let out a small sigh at the loss of him. You heard him groan as he caught the sight of his cum slowly leaking out of your swollen cunt, and he left a slow trail of kisses down your spine before gently turning you over.

You wrapped one hand around the back of his neck and pulled your face up to his, kissing him deeply as your other hand trailed through the hair on his chest before coming to rest on his abdomen. He rested his forehead against yours again as you both got your breathing under control, before he broke out in an absolutely sinful grin.

You both started laughing then, the previous tension completely broken as you buried your face in his neck and he held you close to him, shaking with laughter.

“Oh my god, I really did need a good fuck.” You said breathlessly, tears leaking down your cheeks.

“Yeah, well I’d say we shouldn’t give Nat the satisfaction of knowing she’s right but I doubt she wasn’t listening in this whole time.”

“Jesus, of course she was. She’ll never stop meddling now.”

He grunted in agreement before giving you a brief kiss to the top of your head, then you separated yourselves to stumble around and locate your clothes.

The gym was an absolute wreck. Aside from the crack in the floor, the weight racks had fallen over in a domino effect after you had kicked Steve into one and two of the sandbags were leaking everywhere.

You were both covered in bruises from the sparring session and the stiffness you always felt after overexertion seemed to have multiplied tenfold as you struggled to pull your sweats back on, groaning at how tight your muscles were. Steve seemed to be feeling it as well as he let out a hiss through his teeth when he pulled his sweatshirt back over his head.

Once you were both dressed, he stalked over to you like a cat and wrapped his arms around your waist and pulling you in for one more kiss.

“Guess we should go face the rest of them.” He said, resigned.

You groaned as he dragged you out of the gym, hand in hand, to endure what you were sure was going to be a chorus of cat calls and innuendos, but when the two of you arrived in the living area, it was just Nat curled up on the sofa, giving the two of you a satisfied smirk.

“Where is everyone?” You asked her, looking around to see if maybe they had moved into the kitchen.

Nat threw back her head and laughed. “Oh they all ran out into the snow once you two really got started. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone look as embarrassed as Bucky did in my entire life. He forgot his shoes.” She was crying with laughter.

“Outside, Nat, it’s freezing out there!” The sun had already gone down with how late in the year it was and once that happened, the temperature would drop severely.

“I told them but they couldn’t handle it. Bunch of prudes.”

“Yeah, while you sat here and listened, you pervert.” You and Steve started pulling on boots and coats to head out after them.

“I’m the pervert! While you two had the world’s loudest fuckfest less than 20 feet away from the rest of your housemates, hey!” You had thrown her coat at her face and she caught it to shrug around her shoulders. “They probably had to go out five miles before they weren’t able to hear you.”

Steve growled at her as he ripped the front door open and headed out with you on his heels.

“Oh, you’re welcome by the way! It sure would be nice to get some appreciation for your birthday gift, Y/N… shit.”

Steve had lobbed a snowball the size of a golden retriever at her that she barely dodged at the last minute, cursing under her breath.

Steve wrapped an arm around you as you headed out into the fields to find your poor housemates and apologize, nuzzling himself into your hair with a grin. “Happy birthday.” He murmured to you, giving you a quick kiss before ruining the moment by bellowing “Barnes, get your dumbass back here, you forgot your boots!”

You grinned at him, looking up at the sky where the borealis had started and thinking that maybe birthdays weren’t so bad after all.

[forsty]

random Forest facts because I adore him so much

- his actual name is Ole Skog. When he came to Virginia City people had so much trouble pronouncing “Ole” that he earned the nickname Forest, which he ends up just going by. BUT... the norwegian word for Forest is.. Skog... so his name is just Forest Forest

- Couldn’t ride horses until he was... 19 maybe? He LOVES horses and isn’t scared of them, but learning to ride horses was just never a thing until Joe decides it’s time. 

- Has 2 horses... how does a guy who previously couldn’t ride suddenly end up with 2? WELL LET ME TELL YOU 

- Cleopatra is an old appaloosa mare with a heart of gold and the softest and kindest personality you’d ever see on a horse (especially a mare??). After Forest learned to ride, the Cartwrights brought him to a horse auction where he was supposed to find himself a strong and young riding horse. Instead he picked Cleopatra. A retired circus horse who can’t really be ridden much anymore. Forest just decided that he wanted that sweet old lady to live out the rest of her years in comfort. He never rides her, he just takes her for walks and lets her graze and do her thing. 

- Askeladden (named after a Norwegian fairytale hero) is a norwegian fjord horse stallion who’s a good boy but also extremely mischievous. He was a gift from Joe to Forest. Somehow (with good connections I assume) Joe managed to find a fjord horse breeder/importer and bought one of the foals. Forest went BONKERS. Ask is a good horse, but has ALOT of personality. You never see his eyes, it’s always covered by his fringe/mane and he’s always munching on some grass. 

- The type of person who accidentally wanders into trouble... his head is often in the clouds daydreaming about stuff (mostly about kissing Joe HEHEHEH)

- Became good friends with Joe really early, they’ve been friends since they were 13 (Joe 14 since he’s one year older). Joe took one look at this introverted new norwegian kid (who could barely speak english) and decided HE’S MY FRIEND. Brought him home to the Ponderosa and showed his new friend to Ben like “CAN I KEEP HIM, PA? PLEASE?”

- He falls in love with Joe very gradually over time... probably realizes it himself when he’s around 17 and then 10 long years of pining for his bestfriend in secret begins...... Joe doesn’t fucking realize anything cause he’s oblivious AF, but he’s a bisexual roller coaster 

- Obsessed with fairy tales and folk lore and things like that. He loves telling and drawing things from norwegian folk lore. He once managed to convince Hoss that trolls existed and Hoss spent a few weeks thinking trolls were after him (Joe thought it was hilarious)

- Hopeless romantic and way too passionate for his own good... He’s the type of person to sit under a tree in the woods pulling petals off a flower and going “He loves me...... he loves me not...... he loves me......” 

- Obsessed with animals... he has a raccoon who shows up at his home that he sorta trained and named Francis (Francis being Joe’s middle name in case you didn’t know). He loves to venture into nature to sit down and sketch some animals and Joe often accompanies him (both to keep him company but also to make sure Forest doesn’t get eaten by a cougar or a bear because Forest WILL get so lost in the art sauce and forget that THOSE ANIMALS GO BITEY IF YOU COME TOO CLOSE)

- Was scared of Adam in the beginning, and sometimes still is. (He has tremendous respect for him)

LISTEN I JUST LOVE MY BOY SO MUCH 

[utilitycaster]

Wizard Breakdown Tracker, episode 139

I know not what the future holds, other than more warnings about how if you Wizard NPC too hard you will become a mentally fractured hive mind taken over by a purple bastard Emotions Beholder.

But enough about the eventual fate of Essek Thelyss. Let’s continue tracking the deteriorating mental state that proximity to the Mighty Nein induces in all wizards they meet, much as a changing electrical current induces magnetic fields.

Caleb Widogast, as a PC and member of the Mighty Nein, is not included on this list, even though he definitely is inducing all kinds of problems in himself and others.

Currently sidelined: the Zadash contingent of Pumat Sol and Oremid Hass.

Could an archmage do this? *gets one-shot murdered in a hotel room by the man whose soul she deliberately shattered*

Ludinus Da’leth: could an archmage do this? *probably causes the destruction of Molaesmyr, inserts himself into Empire wizard politics at the ground floor, gladly benefits from the Volstrucker program while paying lip service to the idea that it’s “bad” to Caleb at parties, fails to notice a familiar is spying on his espionage meeting*

Conclusion: still 0/10 because this man’s ability to give a shit about the consequences of his actions died with the city of Molaesmyr

Trent Ikithon: could an archmage do this? *gets left on read by the greatest threat to his power, who leaves for the arctic to save the world, steal paper, eat heroes’ feast, be bisexual, and fly*

Conclusion: still holding at 7/10. I have to wonder what he thinks Caleb is doing though. Like, he still can technically send messages with a decent chance of arrival so

Essek Thelyss: if we have been denied Dark Star because his “potential love interest” cast “dispel magic” to “prevent him from murdering the party while he was mind controlled” MY breakdown tracker is going to shoot up to like, 8 or something, but between the (ironically, extremely dry) soup jokes and the fact that he did not murder the party while mind controlled I think he’s probably in what the productivity articles I sometimes read at work in order to procrastinate refer to as a flow state.

Conclusion: honestly despite seeing horrors beyond comprehension? downgrading to a 7/10. His friends are by his side, they’ve used up a bunch of spells but they’re doing well on HP (and really, Fjord’s been doing decently well with cantrips although that is kind of the whole point of the warlock), and he had his “tis a far, far better thing I do” moment.

Blumentrio-1? Blumenduo? Blumenonion.: honestly I got nothing. Like I love them, but this is your regular reminder that Caleb’s dance with Astrid was less than a week ago in-game. Maybe Trent has stepped things up and is torturing her more than usual. Maybe he’s done nothing and the anxiety is torturing her more than usual. I think all we can say is that Astrid continues to probably have a very bad time, and Eadwulf continues to be a mystery wrapped in an enigma wrapped in some really great forearms.

Conclusion: ???/10. I mean I suspect they probably together average out to around a 6 but it’s anyone’s game.

Allura Vyesoren: could an archmage do this? *is in a healthy, loving relationship and remains a force for good within the world*

Conclusion: 2/10. Lady Kima, none of us deserve you.

Yussa Errenis: could an archmage do this? *gets sucked into an ancient evil city because he decided to send his consciousness into the ancient evil city*

Conclusion: he’s probably had time for a hot bath and a meal, so like, 3/10. We’ve established he does not learn from his mistakes so he’s just like “well that sucked.”

Known Gem Wizard Hotsauce Lutefisk: could an archmage do this? *gets trapped in a gem in a donjon in an astral dreadnought in a room in a demiplane of his own making for a millennium*

Conclusion: as previously established I’m pretty sure he’s already insane. Also I hope that this gem either eventually ends up somewhere even less likely to be found, or that some poor sap decides to grind it up for spell components or tattoo materials and suddenly a crazy old wizard pops out.

[ultimate-marysue]

Oooh, we're airing our Campaign 1 and 2 Hot Takes™???? Because I have a few:

-Whenever Sam's character reveals to not be a two dimensional parody everyone acts like they never saw them as such...but their posts complaining about them being just jokes the week prior are still there. Same for Jester, you just have zero faith in the cast sometimes.

-The fandom baits itself with some queer couples. Like, sure, Shadowgast and Vaxmore had a base. In fact they're both canon (one as an epilogue the other as exs). But the way the fandom took Gilmore (and Essek) and obsessed over them week after week when they weren't even in the shower and then act surprised when Vax moved on is absurd. Sure, to you it was only this morning the last time you read a long meta on Essek's feelings for Caleb, but in game it's been months since they last talked. Stop building your expectations so much and then be mad that the canon differs.

-Tary is underappreciated as fuck. He had a banger of an arc, great story and was super cool LGBTQ rep (a little bit basic, but still great). In fact people always forget him when talking about Critical role's LGBTQ+ characters

-Also, people misgdendering Molly and Kingsley...just why. This fandom likes to be all preachy but at the same time they do this kinda shit. And sure, I'm not going to cancel anyone for a honest mistake. But don't attack the cast for things of the same caliber while denying you've ever done something like that. We all screw up at some point, and if you refuse to admit it, I don't trust you.

-People give Fjord a lot of shit for sleeping with Avantika when he only did it to get some information. While we're at it, I don't like the treatment of that moment in general. Caleb pressuring Fjord into sex with someone his scared of could have been a very interesting conversation on consent, but since Fjord's a dude no one questions that he liked it and done.

-The guests are super lovely and I feel really bad whenever the fandom shits on them for not playing at the same level that the other profesional players at the table. Specially the way people treated Aimee in Exu was wild. She didn't knew the game but still managed to be an excellent roleplayer, not afraid of playing a deeply flawed character as her first (in front of such a massive audience). And people still get mad at her for mechanical details I-

-Fuck all of you being biphobic towards Vax. Not only was he attracted to various NPCs (most notably Gilmore) but he also joked about it in different occasions (most notably, the love potion bit). While we're at it, Scanlan being bi (while part of a joke) was collectively ignored by a big chunk of the fandom, and so was Vex's bisexuality too. Sure, they came out because of jokes, but like so did most of my irl friend group????

-Just, in general the way the fandom treats discourse in general. people act as if every character has to say "hi, I'm Molly, I'm nonbinary and bisexual" for it to be canon. I swear, I will see a post shitting on Vax's bisexuality with thousands of likes and the next one is someone telling a non binary critter to std for saying that it pronouns for J'mon Sa Ord were not the best option. Sometimes you manage to simultaneously speak over LGBTQ+ and POC critters so you can "defend them", while also shutting down their valid constructive criticism.

-While we're at it, criticism. I've seen really cool posts about race, sexuality, gender and feminism from the critter community. This are posts that point out micro aggressions or stereotypes so that the cast can be better. If no one points out something, how the he will you fix it?? They have sensitivity consultants (at least now), but things can always be better.

And then there's that part of the fandom that assumes bad faith from the cast in every single mistake (or perceived mistake). People telling them how they should roleplay their characters and play their game. Bitch, and I mean this disrespectfully, find your own game if you want to play it so bad.

-THE MISOGYNY. Just, wtf. Why do people treat the female cast and the female characters like that?????? The infantilization, the demonization, just the whole deal of judging them differently. I know it is hard to admit that we have this double standard imbedded deep inside us because *society*, but come on. It's just ridiculous and it makes me too upset to even speak about it. I want to make a long post on this someday but, just not today.

-People interpreting things their way (totally valid) and getting mad when the cast had different intentions all along (fuck off). Jesus Christ, just for the love of God and everything Holy, admit you want to play your own game and leave the rest of us alone. Some of you have not played D&D and it shows. It's a roleplaying game in which people do whatever the hell they want. The rest of the annoying crowd is D&D people I would rather die than play with. I don't want to be in a table were people are going to get mad at me when I have different ideas than what they intended.

-Critical Role getting big is not some sort of betrayal. We made them big, now they are big. Easy. If you want to support only the most indie games, go support them and leave us alone.

-Also, stop acting like "being big" means that you can just send hate to the cast. When they answer you always act like they are being super mean because your just a teeny tiny Twitter account and they are famous. Look, if thousands of you keep saying "Keyleth is shit" it's normal that one of you is getting QRT with a "stf" from the cast. They are still people, and you're the one's at Goulet for them not interacting as much ,(which apparently you hate)

-Having said all this, I don't get mad about this shit on a daily basis because I curate my TL to only have people I like and that don't engage on toxic fandom bullshit. If fandom is hindering your enjoyment of the show, use the block button.

[night-filled-mountain]

Captivity and Escape in Critical Role

So this post has been sitting in my drafts for about half a year. It’s about a persistent theme I noticed throughout campaign 2, which I’m sure others have noticed and written about before, but parallels and recurring themes have always been my Thing, and I couldn’t let it go. And with last week’s episode, and the campaign finale airing tonight, and the dominance of this theme being more glaringly obvious than ever, I thought I’d just give myself a treat and finish up a giant meta post. For old times’ sake.

So, just for the heck of it, here’s an exhaustive exploration of a single through-line of campaign 2 since the very beginning: captivity, and escaping or being freed from it.

Let’s start by taking a quick look at everyone’s backstories, the things that happened to them before the campaign even started, and how they were ultimately resolved. 

FJORD: Entered unknowingly and unwillingly into a pact with Uk’otoa, which bound him to perform services he never agreed to in exchange for powers he never asked for. Fjord did not know how he got into this pact or how to get out of it. He makes his escape when he pitches his sword into a lava river and pledges himself to the Wildmother.

JESTER: Spent the majority of her life “locked in her room” (or at least hidden from sight) until the consequences of one of her pranks forcibly liberated her into the wider world. While Jester loves her mother dearly and thinks of her long “captivity” as being for her own protection, its negative effects on her--loneliness, insecurity, a lack of worldly experience and social awareness--were still apparent, and she spends much of the campaign working through them.

BEAU: Her parents had her kidnapped by monks. It could be argued that even before the kidnapping, she was a prisoner to her father’s “over-protective” tendencies and her parents’ expectations when it came to her career, behavior, gender role, etc. But most significantly, she was very much kidnapped by monks, and made her escape from the Cobalt Soul shortly before we met her.

CALEB: Where to start? First he suffered coercion and abuse at the hands of Trent (a form of captivity); then he was made to torture and execute prisoners; then he spent eleven years literally imprisoned in an asylum, and had to kill and steal in order to escape; and four and a half years later, he met Nott when they were both thrown in jail (and had to engineer their own escape once again). Caleb’s ordeals ultimately made him a prisoner of his own guilt and fear, and escaping that prison has been the heart of his storyline.

VETH/NOTT: Besides the aforementioned stint in jail, the catalyst for her entire adventuring career was being captured by goblins along with her family--and then, after engineering the escape of her husband and son, being imprisoned in the wrong body (and subsequently enslaved!). The desire to escape from this second imprisonment was her driving motivation through much of the campaign. With Caleb’s help (and Essek’s, and Jester’s), she ultimately succeeds.

MOLLY: His first memory was of clawing his way out of a grave, which is just about as extreme a form of captivity and escape as you can get. More subtly, he was also a prisoner to the expectations placed on his body--to the life that body once lived, which he could not remember and refused to claim. Arguably (and tragically), his escape from this particular prison is his own death...until Cree resurrects Lucien, Mollymauk fragment and all. Then he presumably becomes a prisoner much like Yasha was, subsumed body and soul by a mind and a will that are not his own. Until last week.

... (incoherent sobbing)

Until last week.

YASHA: She was a prisoner to her clan’s laws and expectations. Her brief attempt to escape this prison through a forbidden marriage ended tragically, and then she was forced to make a second, literal escape (fleeing into the desert)--only to be (presumably) possessed by Obann, imprisoned inside her own mind, and forced to do his bidding until the Storm Lord liberated her once again.

CADUCEUS: When the gang first meet him, he’s literally a prisoner of his own fear (and/or inertia)--though his whole family has left the Blooming Grove, he’s been too afraid or hesitant to brave the corruption of the Savalirwood without companionship, and spent years isolated in the family temple as a result. The Mighty Nein (or rather, Caleb, Nott, Beau, Keg, and Nila) initiate his escape.

***

And that’s just the backstories! Now let’s take a look at each of the places the Mighty Nein have visited since they came together, and the story arcs therein.

***

TROSTENWALD - CARNIVAL ARC: This arc’s entire goal is to free the (future) Mighty Nein and the other carnies from jail or house arrest. (Much later, the M9 come back to pay Gustav’s debt and liberate him as well.) And remember that Beau is especially sympathetic to Toya’s predicament because she, too, was once a young girl held somewhere against her will.

ALFIELD - GNOLL ARC: This arc’s entire goal is to free the citizens of Alfield who have been kidnapped by gnolls to feed to their manticore leader (and to kill off the gnolls and manticore to keep it from happening again).

ZADASH: The Mighty Nein’s first undertaking in Zadash is to kill off the giant spiders in the sewer. In the process, they free a halfling imprisoned in a spiderweb, which leads them to the Gentleman and all his future quests.

Aside from that, their biggest job in Zadash this time around is the High Richter heist--which, yes, is a mercenary/political job that goes terribly wrong, but why does it go terribly wrong? Because Ulog, the M9′s NPC ally at the time, is so furious over his wife being wrongfully imprisoned by the High Richter that he impulsively blows up both her and himself. And arguably the most poignant moment in the heist’s aftermath is Caleb speaking to the next High Richter, Dolan, and ensuring that Ulog’s wife will be freed.

Also, let’s not forget the drow the M9 meet in the sewer. The one they capture, interrogate, and ultimately...let go. Yes, he’s killed shortly afterward and his beacon falls into their hands, but I think it’s very important to remember that the decision they make, when holding a captive terrorist from an “enemy” nation, is to return his stolen artifact to him and let him walk away free.

LABENDA SWAMP/BERLEBEN: The most memorable events during this interlude are: (1.) The M9 literally freeing Kiri from the swamp, where she is stuck in the mud and at the mercy of crocodiles, and (2.) Bowlgate, a.k.a. Caleb and Beau’s tense confrontation over what to do with Calianna, which is once again fueled on Beau’s side by her sympathy for a young woman held against her will. (Caleb proposes that Cali spend the night with the M9, which she did not intend, so they can use spells to determine her truthfulness the next day.)

HUPPERDOOK: This one’s obvious: The M9 fight a deadly automaton to free two gnomes from prison and reunite them with their children (largely to prevent said children from being taken to an orphanage against their will).

GLORY RUN ROAD/SHADYCREEK RUN - IRON SHEPHERDS ARC: ...Even more obvious. The sole goal of the remaining M9 members (and Nila) throughout this arc is to free their friends from slavery. They end up slaughtering all the slavers and freeing several other captives as well.

LUSIDIAN OCEAN - PIRATE ARC: Here’s where things get really interesting. Because this whole arc is also about captivity and freedom, isn’t it?

It’s about whether or not to free a little old captive named Uk’otoa!

I haven’t given nearly enough thought to how this arc fits in with all the others thematically, considering its central lesson is that freeing this particular captive would be a very bad thing. I do think it’s significant that:

(1.) The beginning of this arc, which leaves the whole party feeling so bad and icky, involves them quite inadvertently taking a captive of their own--and one whom they don’t treat very well. (And still don’t, for that matter...poor Marius.)

(2.) Soon after that incident, the M9 are themselves effectively taken captive by Avantika and her crew. This situation doesn’t last nearly as long as many audience members (and quite possibly Matt, and quite possibly the players themselves!) thought it would, because they panic on Darktow, go all Wall of Fire, and free themselves in a huge, climactic, desperate battle. The Mighty Nein do not take well to captivity.

Anyhow, they follow all this up with...

FELDERWIN/XHORHAS - YEZA ARC: ...another very straightforward quest to free a captive. Not only is this arc all about rescuing Yeza from a Xhorhasian dungeon, but after Caleb returns the beacon, after the Bright Queen of Xhorhas offers the Mighty Nein anything they want...all they ask her for is to let them go.

BAZZOXAN & BEYOND - OBANN ARC: ...By now, you know where I’m going with this, right? The entire arc is about freeing Yasha from Obann, who has her imprisoned inside her own body, inside her own mind. There’s a reason That Moment in the cathedral hit so hard, right? “And as you close your eyes, you see yourself breaking the shackles. You see the influence no longer holding any sway over your soul. There's nothing but the storm, vengeance, and hope.”

(Bonus: In the middle of the above arc, we get the HAPPY FUN BALL - RESCUING YUSSA ARC, which, once again, is devoted to freeing a captive.)

KAMORDAH/CYRIOS MOUNTAINS - ISHARNAI ARC: Aimed entirely at freeing Nott from the body in which she was imprisoned. Beau also has a bit of a freedom arc here: confronting the parents who imprisoned her figuratively and literally, turning her back on them (possibly for good), and then confronting a major source of the expectations and superstitions they shackled her with: Isharnai, who is neutralized by Jester’s cupcake.

THE MENAGERIE - CLAY ARC: Aimed entirely at freeing Caduceus’s family, who are imprisoned in perhaps the most literal way possible, being turned to stone. (The M9 also manage to liberate the Stone family while they’re at it.)

RUMBLECUSP - TRAVELER CON: Two great liberations take place here. First, all the residents of the Village of Vo are freed from Vokodo’s influence, their memories restored, their blind devotion dispelled, able once again to choose the course of their own lives. Second, the followers of the Traveler are freed from the deception he’s imposed on them, the cult he’s roped them into. Thanks to the Moonweaver’s interference, they, too, are free to make informed decisions. And I think we can also safely say that Artagan is freed from them, from the false “god” role he managed to box himself into, and he’s happier for it.

EISELCROSS - SOMNOVEM ARC: ...And this is it, folks. This is why I decided to finish this post today. Because I was openly not feeling the Eiselcross arc as an endgame. The hard slog through the elements just wasn’t doing it for me, or the frequent combat, or the increasingly complex lore, or the traditionally heroic quest to save the world from being swallowed by a monstrous city.

...Until last week. Until Lucien’s defeat. And Molly’s oh-so-improbable resurrection.

When I heard all the voices of the Somnovem whispering “Thank you” as their individual souls were freed from the Lovecraftian hivemind...when I heard Jester sobbing that at least Molly’s soul wasn’t “trapped” inside a monstrous Lucien anymore...when Cad’s Divine Intervention succeeded, and Mollymauk Tealeaf opened his eyes--his two plain old natural eyes--unburdened by Lucien and his Somnovem eyes and all of his dark baggage for the first time--I was finally able to embrace this as the ending.

Because it’s not about saving the world. That’s just a bonus. It’s about saving a friend. Freeing a friend. Freeing captives, wherever they find them. Whether from Crown’s Guard, gnolls, and giant spiders, or from royal dungeons; whether from ruthless enemies or from their own families; whether from eldritch abominations or from the forces that chain their own minds.

In the end, the Mighty Nein--and the people whose lives they touch--belong to no one and nothing that they do not choose to belong to. They belong to themselves, to the people they most sincerely love, to the gods and causes they have chosen freely. And that has always, always been my favorite kind of story.

And I can’t wait for tonight.

[critter-genfic-events]

Queer Platonic : A Critical Role Gen-fic Rec List

Hello everyone! Please enjoy these seven amazing Queer Platonic fics that have been recced by the Critter community! Oh, and don't forget to show the authors some love if you liked their work!

Spider Silk Vows by hanap (88103,Teen) Warnings: no archive warnings apply Pairings Beauregard Lionett & Essek Thelyss

Beau and Essek are required to enter an arranged marriage. There's suspicion on all sides, and other forces at work.

Reccer says: It's got some amazing characterization and a developing queerplatonic relationship, plus all of the arranged marriage + political machination tropes I love.

fate (is but dandruff) by Meridas (1794,General) Warnings: none Pairings Mollymauk Tealeaf & Yasha Nydoorin

The Inherent Queerness and Triumph of Cutting Off All Your Hair

Reccer says: There's not enough fic about Molly and Yasha's relationship. This is a post-canon Mollymauk who is dealing with his fractured identity with a little help from Yasha.

Still The Same by The_Singular_Peep (4104,General) Warnings: Alcohol & a very messy hangover Pairings Caleb & Veth

After finding out about Veth's past, the relationship between Caleb and Veth becomes strained. Veth get's drunk and Caleb realizes that there was a misunderstanding

Reccer says: I always love when a fic actually digs into the feelings of "This isn't romantic or sexual but there is definitely love here".

count your blessings (not your flaws) by Enby_Tiefling (2152,General) Warnings: Pairings Yasha & Kingsley, Past QPR Yasha & Molly

She loves Molly, but he isn’t here anymore. Kingsley is.

Reccer says: I have a soft spot for Yasha dealing with her grief for Molly while also trying to be fair and treat Kingsley as their own person, and this hits the spot.

It's a Date by daretodhampir (stardustedknuckles) (2744,Teen) Warnings: None Pairings QPR Fearne/Laudna/Imogen

Fearne takes Imogen and Laudna on something resembling a date and it's just what you'd expect from a fey creature doing her best to be a good friend in a strange new world. And also making it up as she goes, but it's fine. Truly, it's the thoughts that count.

Reccer says: I like that there's definitely different types of sexuality and interest in sex within the triad, and the casual, loving feel to their interactions

Philia, Is That You? by Professor_Rye (2034,General) Warnings: None Pairings Molly & Yasha

Yasha gets hurt and Molly makes sure to take care of her. This causes some confusing feelings for poor Yasha

Reccer says: I like how Yasha works through her confusion and feelings as she accepts that she loves Molly, just not like that

Same Same Different by hummus_tea (1117,General) Warnings: none Pairings Fjord & Caduceus

Caduceus hears from some old friends and has a reunion, and goes on a hike, makes some tea. Fjord is awkward.

Reccer says: I really like Fjord and Caduceus's friendship in Campaign 2, this is a short and sweet fic that's about their relationship afterwards

If you liked this rec list, follow along for more! We'll be posting a new list with a new theme each Monday. And if you would like to make a rec yourself, feel free to reach out to @professor-rye to request access to the submission form! Next week's theme is going to be our first character focused list! We'll be doing a character list each first monday of the month, so stay tuned for those! Next week's list is going to be about our favorite grave cleric, Caduceus Clay!

[fjoresterthoughts]

Your post just reminded me about how much I love Fjord/Travis for specifically using the word “gravity” because gravity can obviously mean “attraction.” and it’s true, nearly everyone is attracted to Jester in some way — she’s pretty, she’s colorful, she can be loud and energetic, so even people who aren’t at all romantically/sexually attracted to her are still going to look at her, stare at her in a crowd, want to befriend her, etc. Even Ludinus Da’leth and Essek (when we first meet him, when he still could have been an antagonist) were charmed by her.

But when I was watching that episode, I thought he meant “gravity” as meaning something grave or serious. I just assumed that Fjord meant that he saw Jester as being important and a significant presence in everyone’s lives, including his own, (which is true) and that his whole conversation with Beau meant that he couldn’t just casually ask Jester on a date or something, because 1. what if he did something wrong and messed up, and Jester’s presence in his life is too important to risk, and 2. when he did tell Jester about his feelings, he felt he needed to do it the “right” way so that he could make it clear to Jester that he respected her friendship and her feelings.

It wasn’t until days later that I realized other people thought he meant “gravity” as in “attraction.” But that the fact that “gravity” in that line can and definitely does mean both “attraction” and “seriousness” is just. Perfect. Flawless. Impeccable. Thank you Travis, because that episode aired over a year ago and I still think about that word choice once a week.

Yes yes yes yes YES to all of this. Travis really picked the most perfect word, didn't he? And you worded this beautifully, yourself.

When I first watched that conversation with Beau, I had originally interpreted "gravity" more as being pulled towards her. There was a force about her that was pulling him in closer. He's always been drawn to her, emotionally, romantically, and quite literally, when you think about all the times he's jumped after her or ran after her.

But I love the way you described it also as having weight to it, because it's so incredibly true. There are real, deep, feelings, not a floaty sort of infatuation. (And interesting note between Fjord and Yasha, one describes their love as gravity when the world beneath his feet kept shifting, and the other who broke her shackles and soars with her love with new wings, but I digress). You can also see it when Fjord tells Jester how he feels in episode 118, because there is so much weight to that conversation. It's romantic and heavy and serious. And to be cheesy, literally pulled to her as well 😉

It's so perfect for the various meanings of the word, but it's also one of those words that has a lot of visual and artistic description in the word. Like the word that describes itself? I don't know. But I love how Travis expressed Fjord's feelings.