#HELP I WANT TO SEE CALEB AND BEAU SO BAD

[revvethasmythh]

You know, Veth often advocates for acts of retributive justice and she's a strong believer in vengeance as a concept. This comes up a few times during the campaign, and I think it's one of the most interesting things about her and she has a line in Episode 20 on this topic that is genuinely perhaps the most fascinating thing she says in the whole campaign (which I don't say lightly). It's a conversation between her and Caleb about his past, which she only just learned about two episodes ago. She assumes outright that what Caleb must want is to go get revenge on Trent for what was done to him, and says that of course they can go do that before dealing with any of her issues, then hits him with this: "The thing is, your story that you poured out to me and Beau, the other day-- it was very sad, and I'm so sorry that you had to go through it, but I have to say, in a way, I'm a little bit jealous. [...] All I'm saying is, I feel like you can get revenge. You can maybe even get redemption for what you've done, and you can become a better person. You can do good to counteract the bad that you've done in your past, and maybe someday there will be an end to your suffering." (Emphasis by me). That connection here between "I'm a little bit jealous," "I feel like you can get revenge," and "maybe someday there will be an end to your suffering" is not lost on me. At this time in the campaign, the idea of getting turned back into a halfling is something relegated so far into the future she can barely see it (and we know Sam was more than willing for it to never happen at all). Just one episode earlier, she was asked to give some backstory about herself and lied out her ass so she didn't have to cop to what had happened to her. She wasn't ready to trust anyone with it or ask explicitly for the help to get turned back. As far as she is concerned in the moment, there may never be an end to her suffering in this form. So she's jealous of Caleb, because he can get revenge and someday maybe his suffering will end.

On the topic of vengeance itself, I think it makes a lot of sense that Veth would be vengeful because she is impotent to achieve it in her own life. What is she going to do, go home to Felderwin and get vengeance on her brothers for what they all did to her? The town for how it treated her? No, she can't do that. She never gets to come face-to-face with the goblins that kidnapped her family, had her killed, then enslaved her during the campaign or after. As utterly fantastic as the blueberry cupcake moment is, she didn't even get to kill Isharnai, the hag who actually, physically held her under until she drowned. Veth has never gotten to achieve personal vengeance, or even really had the opportunity to face the concept of it as it pertains to the injustices perpetrated against her in her life. Like, she is, for sure, a highly reactive individual who jumps to wanton killing often just based on her extreme personality, but there is some real meat to the fact that she can get so fixated on revenge. I think she really wants it for herself, and she can't imagine that other people wouldn't also want it for themselves. She has never gotten it, so she always suggests it. She's jealous of Caleb because he can get revenge on one, simple target that will represent his trauma (even if it's not actually that simple for him), and that's something she can't do. And she never gets to even try. I'd be all hornt up over the concept of violent revenge if I was her, too.

[nellasbookplanet]

I've been thinking about Mollymauk, as I'm periodically wont to do, and the fandom discussion about him as a moral compass. Because the interesting thing here is, Molly wasn’t a very moral character. He was an unrepentant scammer. He had no respect for interpersonal boundaries and would deliberately push and break them. Generally, he was an asshole. As far as actually having a strong moral stance I would say Fjord was the standout of early m9, and to some extent Beau.

But here’s the thing: almost all of early m9 thought of themselves as horrible people. Fjord had been bullied so bad growing up that he still dealt with self-hate from it, and now suffered from survivor's guilt to boot. Caleb had killed his own parents. Beau, while she hated her dad, also had internalized self-hate and on some level thought she’d been such a shitty daughter she deserved his treatment. Nott was stuck in a body she considered monstrous. Yasha had survivor's guilt and knew she’d done bad things in her blank spots. Even when they did good, they didn’t think of themselves as good. Most of them were suspicious and asocial and faced the world with the same kind of distrust they expected to be (and were experienced in being) met with. (Jester was an exception, an agent of neither good nor bad but of amoral chaos)

But Molly was different. He was outspoken about loving life and people. He wanted to spread joy, even to people he didnt know or had even met: he slipped coin into people's pockets, hid a silver in a tree just so some stranger would one day be happy to find it. He openly cared for the party early on; was one of the first to step in and help Caleb when he went catatonic in battle. Above all, Molly had rules: where everyone else would agonize over what was the right or wrong or smart thing to do, Molly loudly proclaimed we don't leave people behind, and we leave every place better than we found it.

But the thing about Molly’s rules was, they were largely a cover. While the rest of the m9 thought they were bad even as they did good, Molly thought of himself as good even as he did bad. He scammed people, but made it a good and memorable experience, therefore thinking he gave more than he took. He charmed Nott and Fjord without consent, and when confronted would claim it was to help them. Out of the group, Beau saw through this, not because she was a better person but because she was a cynic. She saw that he caused harm, just as she did, and was personally affronted that he still thought of himself as good and tried to leave people happy, whereas she deliberately left every place worse than she found it.

I see Molly as a moral compass of the group not because he was actually any more moral than them, but because they made him their template. He was joy and brightness and he died trying to save them because it was the right thing to do, and they all chose to honor him by emulating his rules more than Molly himself ever did, because to them it was more than just a cover, backed up by genuine moral thought and discussion rather than small gestures. He taught them that it was possible to be kind of a shit person and still be good, to still love yourself and others. The idealized Molly they created never existed, and finally died for good when they resurrected him in the end and were met with a stranger, who they welcomed with the same love and care they would've expected Molly to show them.

[burr-ell]

Sometimes Things That Shake Up the Status Quo are Worse

I keep seeing people insisting that Exandria "can't return to the status quo, which was bad", but rarely do they say anything in support of that argument beyond "the Primes pick and choose favorites!". And while I'm not confident the show itself won't try to make that claim, the reality is that it just isn't borne out mechanically or narratively. Laying aside that non-Divine Soul sorcerers exist (like, and I'm just spitballing here, Aberrant Mind Ruidusborn), the gods work primarily through the on-the-ground efforts of clerics and paladins—people who have actively and consistently put in the work to devote themselves to the divine. This is a setting where resurrection magic, which relies on divine power, has been intentionally made more difficult than it is in DnD rules-as-written. Even clerics only get access to Divine Intervention at level 10 (when they've already spent a long time devoting themselves to their deity) and up until level 20 the chances of it actually working are vanishingly small—and level 20 clerics are both hard to come by and ultimately still limited.

In the rare event that the Prime Deities choose to bless someone who isn't a cleric or paladin, it's someone who has a good reason to have gotten their attention. Vax offered his life during a divine ritual in the burial site of the Raven Queen's most devoted champion and then actively committed himself to her cause. Yasha was an aasimar being mind-controlled by a devil who wound up at a divine altar and chose to worship Kord after he freed her. Orym is the devoted widower of someone who is in Melora's realm and was present at a ritual in a temple associated with Melora, and one of his companions prayed at a shrine to Melora on his behalf. Vex was directly in front of Pelor, had taken a leadership position in one of his sacred cities, and had received a vision from him directly—and even then, she had to earn it. Scanlan also had to earn the right to Ioun's favor and complete a trial, and had previously shown qualities and values that she believed were fitting of her champion. Fjord was a companion of a devoted cleric of Melora who had sought her help in keeping Uk'otoa sealed and made requests of her on Fjord's behalf, and Fjord also chose to meditate and then became a paladin devoted to her.

And in Exandria, if you don't want to follow a god, you don't have to. Percy, Keyleth, Grog, Beau, Veth, Caleb, Essek, most of Bell's Hells, the average commoner in the various cities the parties have traveled to—whether they outright dislike the gods as a whole or just don't have an interest either way, they're all capable of thriving with or without them, and indeed their problems are almost entirely caused by mortals. It's especially egregious when you consider that cities like Avalir were around during the Age of Arcanum, when the Prime Deities physically walked Exandria, and people like Laerryn, Patia, Zerxus, and Lacrytia Hollow—openly disdainful of the gods or even trying to create feats of magic to get on their level—were continuing business as usual. The previous god of death not only willingly abdicated in favor of a mortal during this time, but outright helped her do the job!

The Prime Deities can't win. If they didn't give anyone any power at all, they'd be viewed as selfish. If they'd stayed on Exandria after the Calamity, they'd be foolish and reckless. They're simply not capable of intervening and helping everyone, so they're labeled capricious. If they leave Exandria, they're abandoning not only their refuge and home, but also the people who need and rely on them. You can argue that "no one should have that much power" all you want, but I think it's exceptionally silly to take an argument meant to criticize the wealthy and powerful of our world (whose only unique quality is ultimately that they got lucky) and apply it to fictional deities (beings who are powerful by their very nature) who, while flawed, also think they're too powerful. They tried to protect Exandria from themselves and the Betrayers while still using their power to do right by the people there, and for the most part it was working just fine.

The "status quo" from before all this was and still is the best compromise available. No one has managed to sell a better one that doesn't amount to "cater to my blorbos and my self-indulgent idea of revolutionary politics, which may or may not also ultimately circle back to my blorbos". I think that's pretty telling.

[patopq]

Nott & jester supercut timestamps

TLDR: for my first c2 watch, i wrote down every timestamp of every nott-jester moment in the campaign and.. here they are

so, a friend told me we could split work, so now there ARE chances im ever doing this in video form at some point. in the meantime ill just leave them under the cut if anyone wants them at hand.

disclaimer: it WOULD be only timestamps but i left notes for myself so i could find these moments later. there's a mix of spanish and this is not really.. made to be understandable, its a guide for future me but i also find it hilarious.

there are also sam & laura moments

this genuinely helps me as a tool to look up what happens in what episode. its like.. uh when was that moment?? oh right around the time jester and nott send a letter to caleb's ex girlfriend.. i prob wrote that down XD

yes, you can find every nott & jes moment that has ever fucking happened and if theres something missing absolutely tell me so i can add it!! the video is not being made yet (at times i did have to think to myself.. ok maybe this moment isnt worth adding or it'll be TOO long)

TIMESTAMPS:

Ep1 0:37:52 are you guys staying here? "Dont move tiefling can only see movement" Ep1 55:43 look at all these friends we're making here Ep2 3:41:40 Ep2 4:01:13 "it was Ornna" Ep3 1:53:57 good cop / bad cop Ep4 3:54:57 "beau, let the detectives figure this out" Ep5 0:37:35 jester gives nott flowers Ep5 2:55:04 jester cura a nott "oh no nott 😔" Ep7 2:17:34 nott & jester HDYWTDT Ep9 0:36:22 "i was desanitising him" Ep10 0:40:07 nott borrows jesters ring NOTT moment Ep10 46:20-46:26 / 48:09-48:38 Ep11 0:48:21 laura sees sam's cask Ep12 2:22:38 trying to throw a grappling hook Ep12 3:15:20 "i save nott" Ep13 3:49:30 pumat reading tary's book Ep14 1:27:36 Jester's fartsEp16 1:24:35 nott & the rings Ep16 3:49:54 "make out with him" Ep16 3:52:30 "gee, i should take baths more often" Ep17 0:52:44 & 53:42 "ill bet agaisnt her" Ep17 1:38:13 "jester! should i shoot him?" Ep19 0:25:12 & 0:27:18 nott betting for jester Ep20 0:14:31 nott pukes whiskey Ep22 3:07:04 "maybe mermaids rescued you" Ep22 3:09:32 Ep23 1:17:08 "kiri do you want some human jerky" Ep24 0:13:25 jester gives nott a sparkler Ep24 1:01:10 but caleb. We want to dance with you Ep24 1:47:09 J&N macarena dance (drinking game) Ep26 2:36:43 'jester says im a great detective' Ep29 3:43:37-:42 & 44:08-:24 & 44:48 "case closed" Ep30 0:13:58 "case closed" (again) Ep30 0:27:38 "snuggle up for body warmth" Ep30 3:09:14 "afraid? Im not afraid of anything!" Ep31 18:56-21:39 sending a letter to the solstryce academy concerning Astrid Ep31 1:53:38-54:00 & 58:13 & 58:39 & 59:14 2:00:37 N&J sullying a temple Ep32 1:55:35-1:56:55 Nott meets Jester's mom Ep32 1:57:43 "she CAN heal, she's able to" Ep32 2:18:28 J&N draw the gentleman Ep36 0:30:11 "no, you go next" Ep36 0:35:02 J&N interrogan a un pirata Ep37 1:20:51 Laura y sam whispering uk'otoa Ep37 1:43:26-44:41 & 44:53 checking fjord's abs Ep38 0:28:13 nott trying to lie to jester about rubies Ep39 1:30:04-1:30:30 Nott on (fruit) drugs Ep39 2:34:21-36:34 & 38:01-39:02 & 39:58 & 42:04-42:37 J&N awesome shot, fluffernutter Ep39 3:29:11 Fluffernutter shot going off Ep41 0:21:14-26:11 J&N talk the kiss Ep41 2:07:34-48 & 08:30 descubren el potencial del pincel magico Ep42 2:44:32-42 "dont let go nott" "oh im letting go" Ep42 2:51:29-52:40 "are you saying.. that we made a mistake?" Ep44 1:02:33 "auto-tuna" nott moment Ep45 2:08:02 "are we being replaced?" Ep45 0:38:15-39:46 meeting twiggy & the flower in jester's hair Pt1 Ep45 4:33:57 "i think it worked" flower Pt2 Ep46 0:43:04 is he hitting on you Ep46 2:37:16- nott fears going to the water Ep47 1:32:45-33:15 "thanks mom" Ep47 1:57:18 "that's if there's ANY LEFT 🗣️" (money) Ep48 3:18:02 "no, there's people out there he knows, you dummy" Ep48 3:53:26- laura after seeing notts backstory Ep52 1:10:57-11:12 J&N & the minotaur Ep52 3:39:19 J&N ringing 2 bells Ep52 3:47:12-49:21 & 50:43-52:40 & 53:06-:49 J&N talk to that lady "we're a dinamyc duo" Ep54 0:55:07-:32 "so what's yer name, ey?" "Ohhh" Ep54 1:41:59-42:57 "we might need a man to take care of us, fjord" Ep57 1:20:01-21:54 & 23:16-:25 & 23:53-26:07 & 26:31-:44 & 26:50-27:02 & 29:15-30:00 & 33:24-:30 & 35:02-:23 nott reunites with yeza Ep57 3:01:47 "a bone?" Jester tattoos yeza & Nott Ep58 2:34:42-35:58 Ep58 2:37:37-39:24 calling luc (Veth's son) Ep58 2:40:58-41:43 "I LOVE YOU" Ep60 3:46:25 watching yasha, sleeping under leaves Ep61 0:55:51 thinking of a way to humiliate bodo

Ep61 1:03:25-:55 half the party dressed as Bodo and 2nd half as his lover, performing his poem Ep62 1:12:22-14:53 caleb finds out J&N sent a letter to the solstryce academy regarding Astrid 17:18 N&J regret doing the letter Ep63 0:47:11 CYCLE BROKEN Ep64 0:29:28-30:00 bcs you are shiny, blue and beautiful? Ep64 1:05:04 "im real drunk" "oh nott :(" Ep65 2:55:07 jester is rlly bad at sending messages Ep66 1:10:35 jester steals nott's flask (pay attention to laura and sam here) EP69 0:18:58 nott asks about her flask Ep70 2:31:29-32:11 deciding who's talking to the birght queen Ep71 57:50 my sam riegel is showing Ep71 2:23:08-:30 lauras reaction to nott possibly leaving the m9 Ep76 2:46:13-:50 & 47:16-:38 & 47:56-50:03 killing the innocent guard Ep77 2:25:30-26:56 updating yeza on details Ep77 2:28:56-29:18 yeza didnt understand the message Ep77 2:38:04-39:30 checking on ~~the gentleman~~ dad Ep80 0:20:06-:30 & 21:04 who stole the beacon Ep80 0:22:01-:53 J&N try to act normal Ep80 1:34:10-:25 (beau just discovered where the heart that obann is seeking is but jester had said it before) Ep81 1:01:07 jester throws nott into the abbys of doom Ep81 1:15:22-:34 "r u gonna throw me into the abbys (again)?" Ep81 3:26:41-:55 there have been attacks in hupperdook "thats where kiri is you guys" "was" Ep82 is jester in love with the traveler? Ep83 59:27 ask me a question only i would know Ep83 1:12:35 this is essentially a crime scene Ep84 2:56:47-47:00 jester wants to pull fjord aside Ep84 2:58:41 what do you think they're talking abt? Ep84 3:01:26 what do you think they're talking abt? Ep85 1:39:29-40:23 & 40:47 & 43:14-34 discussing if they want to go see the gentleman or not Ep85 3:19:27-20:08 & 20:40 nott and brave lawfirm got mail Ep86 3:59:28-:47 entering the weird ass obann cult, they took nott Ep90 0:25:36 thats what we do best, steal and solce mysteries Ep91 im trying to find my place in the world Ep91 1:21:45 howndis the lady that teansformed nott look like Ep91 1:39:41 what am i doing wrong you guys Ep92 2:43:02-47:27 Ep93 2:37:16 "we're listening to matt" Ep93 2:49:35 sneaking into the hag's hut Ep93 immidietaly after dealing with the hag Ep95 "i mean, how old are you?" Ep96 1:50:49 talking to eremis stone. ep96 3:18:00 "im asking you to open your heart to chaos :)" Ep97 1:40:58-41:35 Ep97 2:57:41 talking to lord dezrain thain Ep97 1:44:16-45:07 & 1:46:30 notts ritual to becoming veth :) Ep98 0:44:12 an advice for jester sendings Ep99 1:02:48 Ep100 0:26:58 no explanation needed Ep101 0:31:11 Ep101 2:14:40-16:08 Ep103 27:13 Ep104 1:46:19 talking to the trees in rumblecusp Ep106 51:30-:34 & 51:56 good use of control water Ep106 1:35:05 the traveler con people are arriving the island Ep106 1:43:17 "we have a probletunity" Ep107 26:34 brainstorming traveler con (oh god) Ep107 1:16:28 about dick-hunt Ep107 2:09:43-10:17 deciding if to go hubt the big or small Trex Ep108 44:47-45:03 whats going to happen at traveler con? Ep108 1:33:33 nott anouncing jessie at trav. con Ep108 3:15:44 "give it to her now!" (the great 108-115 depression. i prob binged so much i forgot i was making this. i had vacations ok) Ep115 49:47-51:48 asking abt dagen's love life Ep118 2:01:49 jester getting used to being 5 years older now Ep119 3:17:17-:24 Ep122 36:58-37:17 & 37:33 Ep123 2:48:29 veth find out about fjorester Ep123 3:09:23 veth gives jester a lil something Ep126 31:31 Ep129 1:17:17-19:10 & 19:34 heavily considering a detective agency Ep131 3:14:07 jesters death wishes Ep133 2:56:40 deadnaming veth Ep134 1:07:56 "i wish i had jester here" Ep134 2:33:30 beau is great tho Ep135 2:27:05 saying goodbye to the aeormaton Ep139 40:01 but you've stolen from me.. Ep140 4:38:57 wanna paint a big dick? Ep141 47:54 sending a message to yeza as veth Ep141 3:46:09 jester, you're the painter Ep141 4:15:21 veth, the one with the giant tots Ep141 4:34:32 detective agency Ep141 5:14:35 tattoo req

shortcuts or stuff:

N&J = nott & jester This is unrelevant to you as a viewer but in case you were wondering what the signs meant, they are a guide for me: [ _:_ - _:_ ] means: 'starts in _ and ends in _' [ _:_ & _:_ ] means: 'starts in _, then it starts pt2 with a gap between those 2 clips' (but its all the same scene. im just skipping unrelevant moments) if there's no "_:_ - _:_" then its bcs i trust future me to have the same train of thought as i did when i wrote down the timestamp, thats why i end up not writing down the "when to finish the clip"; future me will know what to do

[z4ync]

Incorrect quotes

quotes from my friends, family, and teachers but they're characters. TW weird shit with no context I promise it isn't that bad

𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠...

Manchild by Sabrina Carpenter ↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺

♪°•°∞°•°♪°•°∞°•°♪°•°∞°•°♪°•°∞°•°♪°•°∞°•°♪°•°∞°•°♪

So Santa Claus is a communist - Tank

IF YOU HAVE AN UPSET STOMACH AND YOU GO "hey god should black people hold power" AND YOU HAVE AN UPSET STOMACH YOU WILL SAY "I guess that's a no" - Doberman

Santa Claus is the leader of the North Pole communist Party  - Angel

What is Santa's net worth - Asher

NO SHUT UP YOU CAN'T HAVE DAIRY - Casper

hold up, Beth give me the wine - Seer

ZEKE GIVE ME THE FAG FAN - Pride

Bark back at them, fight fire with fire, burn down a building - Tank

That's an attractive sound, make sure to use that on tinder - Honey

What was that? I didn't hear you, can you slap your dick across your mic - Chester

“CONSENT OVER RULES KINK SHAMING” “Your dad is on the phone with your grandfather” “I DON'T GIVE A FLYING FUCK” “THE OTHER ONE IS RIGHT THERE” “HES NAKED” “I KNOW” “AND ON TOP OF YOUR MOTHER” - David and Tank

Shut the fuck up or I'll slut shame your dog - Babe at Caleb

Vehicular hamburger helper - Lamb

🎶not my favourite sweater~🎶- Angel

You look like a Wang doddle with that hair - Boo

It won't dent, he will - Tank

It'll help, probably not up your coochie but, HEY! - Pride

u ain't ain't eren yeager ur just gonna give urself rabies - pack mom

I have a crippled, blonde addition - babe

“What's Your favourite sonic Hedgehog character?”  Hedgehog - BAAABE

She never too young for capitalism - Three piece

Don't put your elbows on the table, *but your tities are fine* - Lovely

Pick a trench and get in it - Frosty

I'm about to bomb ur ass with poison gas - Nyx

I like being fat, it's fun - Beau

Dinner and diabetes (dinner and diatribes) - Asher

I wasn't being a monkey that was me - Specks

I wanna crush somebody. I wanna crush YOU - David

PERFECTLY GOOD EGGS - Sous chef

Do you ever just wiggle your worm in the dark - Knight

I write fanfics withOUT AI - Babe

YPUR biceps WERE So STRWONG - Angel

Put the cocaine back in coke - Nova

This right here is percussion coke - Max

A dog, where? My lunch - Vincent

“huh, he talks about Prometheus” Is that a cloud. - Doberman and Meg

Your to gay to be a victim - Honey

Ur gonna die a straight death - Sweetheart

Lukewarm Christian - Asher at Christian

Tweakanateor 2000 - Gen

I don't want to have sex with my cat - Milo

Alright, listen nerd emoji - Annabelle

It's like regular F but how you feel about someone - Frosty

Chritian I hope that falls and hits you on the head - Tank

Room temperature glizzy - Ranger

Did you mark it? Mark it in blood - Princey

 no one wants to see me naked In Front the bole weevil and no one wants to hear you play a G - V!Synchro

“I think I have sunscreen in my eye” Fantastic. - Gavin and Caleb

Less is Chick-fil-A sauce - Becks

[mooshlovely]

Nein Again Episode 6

(oops I was traveling and got behind)

"Oh my god you killed your whole family" tbh I kind of expected a flinch from Caleb at this. But I guess Liam was distracted (12 min)

The Molly interrogation is interesting cause its such a huge percent lies lol (13)

"We agreed not to put anyone in harms way in an excessive manner" "When did we agree to that?" This is probably why people think Fjord is the moral backbone lol. Also just such a hilarious interaction (17)

Switching the salt and sugar is an underrated prank. I appreciate Jester's tiny bits of chaos so much. It's the sort of thing that I would love to do as a harmless prank, but can't cause once you get older it no longer really seems harmless anymore. (how much food will this person make before realizing? How much food is going to get wasted right after such a devastating battle?) (21)

"I've also been the victim of a horrible attack" well it's not a lie (28)

"I recommend you take it slow" Caleb speaking from experience here, I'm surprised no one asked when he felt like that before. I bet he wished he had friends he could have stayed with after it all went bad (33)

Matt really did an excellent job setting up the conflict between the Empire and the dynasty. He just keeps sprinkling bread crumbs (42)

"Famine, syphilis" ah so this is where it started (43)

"We are very experienced" Caleb stretching the truth a bit lol. Is this him overestimating their capabilities or manipulating Bryce to have more faith in them? (45)

I love finally understanding all the secrets. Jester clocking that the Starosta had been to the Chateaux is such a good detail. And it's even better because no one else knows what she's talking about (55)

Wow Liam's commitment to counting (1:02) Also stealthily under paying

And Nott's alchemy skills coming up :) (1:05)

"..I run and you kill them" (1:08)

"no social graces" is such an interesting comment from Caleb cause it so patently untrue. Is it reflecting his current uncertainty being around people cause he's out of practice? Or is it also manipulation to make people underestimate him? Cause it definitely doesn't reflect his actual skills. It could be the difference between interacting with strangers versus friends, he knows how to charm but not how to be himself (1:12)

Ooo the Fjord charisma coming out to play, got to love it (1:14) Not that it worked lol

And Caleb coming in to back him up (1:16) and also under paying again lol

"Bad news, oh shit, there's a fuckton of them" Amazing line from Beau, also exciting to see Beau investigating stuff (1:21)

"I don't want to, like, make y'all alarmed or anything, but that was kind of fucking efficient" You said it Fjord. I cannot help but like a party that is really fucking good at what they do and the Mighty Nein were scary efficient from the very start (1:42)

I also love the scavenger levels Taliesin (1:47)

I still can't believe Sam made a rogue thats literally scared of everything. And the intentional intoxication right before a combat encounter. I love Nott so much (and obviously Veth is great too, but this is the energy I miss in later episodes) (1:50)

"I think maybe …none.. of us should hold it" Wow Nott really has no faith in anybody. Which is totally justified lol. Fjord once again being singled out as the responsible one (2:10)

I love how this party plays with stereotypical party roles. What does it mean to be 'the cleric' or 'the rogue'. Like of course Nott has no idea how to check for traps, why would she? This whole scene in general is also just so good (2:12)

There's Caleb's weak stomach again (2:38)

Once again singling out Fjord and Caleb as the strategy ones. (2:43)

Love the top table dynamics, literally the whole brains of the operation (2:45)

The ball bearings! Did they ever actually help a situation? I swear every time Beau used them they did nothing or actively made things worse (2:58) and yup this time is no different

Oh yeah a baby in danger would fuck up Nott (3:52) Matt is not pulling his punches

[slippery-soapbox]

Widojest moments with that ran through my head this week

Ep 77 - When Jester grabs Caleb's hands and holds them while they talk about the Scourger after their lesson with Essek about dunamancy

Ep 87 - After the fight in the cathedral, the group is walking through Rexxentruum and Jester holds Caleb's and tells him 'Hey! We're here with you'

Ep 94 - Not a widojest moment but when Fjord casts Major Image and Jester reacts to the young blue dragon showing how much those moments all alone still have an effect on her

Ep 08 and 48- Caleb asks about Jester's childhood, if she went to the park or was read stories, etc. Both times he notices her getting uncomfortable and he changes the subject. Liam has talked about Caleb being a hypocrite but how he'll never say anything bad about her mother

Ep 83 - Related to the moments above, whether it was conscious or not, when Caleb say he doesn't want Jester 'suffering in a little ruby prison' and we all couldn't help thinking of the implications

Ep 91 - 'I'm the transmutation wizard, but you're the one who changes people.' This happened during the first episode I ever watched live and it will be my ship tag for them forever

Ep 77 - When Jester tells Caleb he can talk to her and Liam is tearing up and is barely able to mouth the word 'Okay' in response. You can hear his mouth moving but the captions don't pick it up. This audio and her okays haunt me

(Dani and Liam talking about how good Caduceus' voice is and hugs must be, being able to feel the rumble in his chest as he speaks)

Ep 77 - Jester buys Caleb 300 gold worth of high quality paper and ink for his two new spells, this is what precedes the iconic 'I'll tell you later' that some of us believe was in Zemnian because it sounds like Liam's American accent

Ep 56 - After Caleb was mind-controlled into fighting the group, he tells them the spell made his afraid of them and Jester responds 'Well, we are pretty scary.' She continues to try to make him smile by asking if he has anymore 'itchy fireballs'

Ep 105 - In the Vokodo fight, Caleb uses Disintegrate and on a high roll the spell it could be reflected and hit someone else, after it's pointed out Liam leans into the wizard hubris and potential angst until Matt reveals he rolled a natural one

Ep 92 - 'Do you love her?' The next month was a crazy time to be alive. With all the theories, both legitimate and in jest, Ashley avoiding answering who she was referring to, Liam being asked and originally skirting around the subject until coming around and dropping 'uselessly in love with her', Taliesin claiming he had 'So many opinions I’m going to save for the table'

Ep 94 - Jester asks everyone about their favorite color and Caleb claims not to have one

Ep 110 - This is just one episode that showcases Jester's obsession with Astrid that rivals the one she had about Avantika

Ep 11 - Everything about their first trip to Chastity's Nook and the first reference to cinnamon bear claws, which are called back to in 139

Ep 109 - Jester tells Beau that 'It would suck to be stuck behind books all day.' and then immediately turns and says 'I mean, not that there's anything wrong with books, Caleb. Books are great.' He makes her laugh when he retorts 'You're on thin ice, Lavorre.'

Ep 114 and 115 - Jester complains about Der Katzenprinz being in Zemnian and asks Caleb to cast Tongues on her so she can understand it, she flusters herself with the innuendo

Ep 49 and 94 - Jester asks 'are you secretly in love with me' and 'does anybody have a crush on me', the second being under Zone of Truth, and each time Caleb does not answer

Ep 91 - This also gets its own mention, after Caleb says he thinks the Traveler is lucky to have her, that she changes people, that he sees it every day, Jester asks 'Really' and I'll never forget how those two syllables sounded

Ep 10, 42, and 85 - Or really any time Liam leans in to talk to Jester, she leans in more often but whenever he does it's conspiratorially or when he's being extra earnest

Ep 42 - Jester is fixating on Astrid while in Darktow and says 'You're mysterious, Caleb, you know that?'

Ep 111 - Caleb is extoling the virtues of his friends that he does not possess, he says Jester has 'flair and creativity' but she rebuts saying she wants a new one because he took hers with his obvious skill designing the tower

Ep 82 - They are in the Happy Fun Ball and they are worried about going through the Dreadnought and arcane users getting sucked into the 'Mage's Bane', Jester interrupts Caduceus' request that he not go off by himself and says 'You have to promise, Caleb, you're not going to do that.'

Anyways, thank you @widojestsecretsanta for being the thing that finally got me to publish a fic about this damned couple

[lightdancingwords]

Second Chances - Part Eighteen of Twenty

Pairings: Beau Arlen x Y/N Female reader Series Summary: A chance meeting in a grocery store brings a second chance for you and for Beau. The only thing standing in your way are your respective pasts... and a tiny little roadblock. Word Count: My biggest ever at 11,229! Tags/Warnings: 18+ implied smut, SO. MUCH. FLUFF. A/N: Comments, Likes, Reblogs, Kind feedback are always highly appreciated. Please let me know if you want to be added to the tag list!

🚨NOTE🚨: Y’all are gonna want to kill me, but I promise you, this is not the end! In fact, I’m wrapping this part of the series and continuing it under a new series name! I haven’t decided what to call it, so I’m putting out a poll! Check it out and tell me what you think! Divider: credit to @sweetmelodygraphics

Chapter Eighteen: Slice Of Life

The sun had barely started peeking over the horizon when the house was already in full-blown chaos.

Margaret, still in her robe, was bouncing a very fussy Caleb in her arms, rocking him as she paced the living room. “Come on, sweetheart,” she murmured, rubbing his tiny back. “What’s got you so upset this morning?”

Caleb let out a tiny wail, his face scrunching up as if the world itself had betrayed him.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Eliza was not feeling patient.

“Eat! Eat! Eat!” she chanted, bouncing up and down near the counter, her little fists pounding lightly against the wood.

Y/N, standing at the stove in only an oversized T-shirt and underwear, groaned as she flipped a pancake onto a plate. “Eliza, baby, you need to give Mommy a second.”

Eliza pouted dramatically, crossing her arms. “No seconds… NOW!”

Y/N shot a look toward Beau, who was across the room, hurriedly fastening his belt while still very much shirtless. “A little help?”

Beau, running purely on muscle memory at this point, without missing a beat, reached down, lifted Eliza onto the counter, and handed her a piece of toast.

Eliza beamed, immediately crunching into it like she had personally won a battle.

“Thanks, Daddy,” Y/N muttered, flipping another pancake.

“Multitaskin’ is my specialty,” Beau smirked, finally shoving his gun holster onto his hip.

Emily, standing at the sink, was trying to help organize dishes when she turned—just as Beau grabbed a clean shirt off the back of a chair and went to pull it on.

And that’s when she saw it.

The scar.

A deep, healed-over wound on the right side of his stomach, running just below his ribs—a permanent mark from the shooting that had nearly killed him.

Emily’s body froze.

Her heart lurched painfully in her chest as her breath hitched.

She had known about it, of course. She had heard about it. Her dad had been shot. It had been bad. He had survived.

But knowing something and seeing it were two entirely different things.

Beau, completely unaware of her sudden shift, tugged his shirt over his head, smoothing it into place.

Margaret finally managed to get Caleb settled, his little hiccupping cries quieting as she rocked him. “There we go,” she murmured before glancing toward Emily. “Emily, sweetheart, could you—”

She stopped mid-sentence, noticing the pale look on Emily’s face.

Y/N, who had just plated the last of the pancakes, caught it, too.

“Emily?” Y/N asked gently.

Beau turned, frowning slightly when he saw the way Emily’s eyes were locked on him—more specifically, where his scar had been just moments ago.

“Em?” he said, his voice softer now. “What’s wrong?”

Emily swallowed, shaking her head slightly. “I—I just—”

Her voice caught, her fingers twitching as she crossed her arms tightly over her chest, as if trying to physically keep herself together.

Beau’s chest tightened.

Y/N exchanged a quick look with Margaret, who nodded subtly before taking Caleb into the living room, Eliza now distracted by her toast and very happy with her lot in life.

Beau stepped closer, lowering his voice. “Em. Talk to me.”

Emily sucked in a breath, her eyes darting to Y/N, then back to her father. “I—I just… I hadn’t seen it before.”

Beau blinked, then exhaled slowly, realizing. “The scar.”

Emily nodded, pressing her lips together. “I knew it happened. I knew it was bad. But actually seeing it…” She let out a shaky breath, her arms tightening around herself. “You almost died.”

Beau reached out, resting a hand on her arm. “But I didn’t, sweetheart.”

Emily let out a humorless chuckle. “You say that like it’s nothing.”

Y/N stepped closer, resting a hand on Emily’s back. “Emily, it’s okay to feel shaken about it.”

Emily swallowed hard, looking at her dad, at the man who had always been larger than life in her eyes. “It’s not fair.” Her voice cracked. “I almost lost you and I didn’t even know until after it happened.”

Beau’s throat tightened, guilt washing over him. “Em—”

“I mean, I knew, but I didn’t know—not the way I do now.” She took a breath, blinking rapidly. “And I hate that I wasn’t there.”

Beau pulled her into a tight hug, his arms wrapping securely around her. “Sweetheart, it wasn’t your burden to carry.”

Emily clung to him for a moment before pulling back, wiping at her eyes. “I know. But it still sucks.”

Beau exhaled, nodding. “Yeah. It does.”

Emily sniffled, her lips quirking into something almost a smile. “I don’t like that you’re human, by the way. Kinda ruins the whole ‘invincible cowboy sheriff’ thing I had in my head.”

Beau chuckled, ruffling her hair. “Sorry to disappoint.”

Emily rolled her eyes but squeezed his arm before stepping back.

Y/N, watching them, smiled softly before nudging Emily playfully. “You okay?”

Emily let out a slow breath, nodding. “Yeah. Just… processing.” She glanced back at Beau. “But if you ever do scare me like that again, I will kill you myself.”

Beau smiled. “Duly noted.”

Y/N looped her arm through Emily’s. “Now come on. We’ve got pancakes getting cold, and you know Eliza’s not gonna let you eat in peace if you wait too long.”

Emily chuckled. “Oh, I know.”

Beau watched as they moved toward the kitchen table, a small, relieved smile on his face.

Yeah, the morning had been chaos, but this? This was a life he’d never take for granted.

Breakfast had settled into something calmer—or as calm as it could get with Eliza happily making a mess of her pancakes, Caleb resting in Margaret’s arms, and the faintest tension still lingering in Emily’s posture.

Beau could feel it.

He knew his daughter well enough to know when something was still weighing on her. And sure enough, when the dishes were mostly cleared and Margaret took Eliza outside to get some fresh air, Emily lingered at the table.

Beau, sipping the last of his coffee, met her gaze across the table. “All right, Em. Out with it.”

Emily hesitated, glancing at Y/N beside her before finally exhaling. “Can you… tell me what happened?”

Beau set his mug down. “You mean the shooting.”

Emily nodded, her fingers twisting slightly against the tabletop. “I think I need to hear it. From you.”

Y/N reached over, giving her hand a gentle squeeze before looking at Beau, silently letting him decide how much he wanted to share.

Beau inhaled slowly, rubbing a hand along his bearded jaw before leaning back in his chair. “It was a domestic violence call,” he started, his voice steady but measured. “Husband and wife. Neighbors called in, said they heard screaming, things breakin’. When I got there, I could hear it too.”

Emily swallowed but nodded, listening intently.

Beau exhaled, his fingers tapping absently against the wood. “I knocked, called out, and he opened the door. Had a gun in his hand.”

Emily tensed.

Y/N shifted slightly beside her but stayed quiet, letting Beau tell the story his way.

Beau continued, his green eyes distant, like he was back there for just a moment. “He was angry, but he wasn’t outta control yet. I could tell he was wound tight, ready to blow, but I thought—I thought I could talk him down.”

Emily bit her lip, her heart pounding slightly. “But you didn’t.”

Beau shook his head. “I almost had him. He was listenin’—until the other deputies moved in outside.” His jaw clenched. “He heard them. Saw their shadows through the window. And it set him off.”

Emily’s stomach twisted.

“I went for the gun,” Beau continued. “Tried to wrestle it outta his hand, but I wasn’t fast enough. He squeezed the trigger—”

Emily flinched just slightly.

Beau sighed, pressing a hand to his side, where the scar lay hidden beneath his shirt. “Felt like getting kicked by a damn horse.”

Emily exhaled shakily. “And then?”

Beau tilted his head, his lips pressing together for a moment. “Backup took him down. I don’t remember much after that—just a lot of yellin’, someone holdin’ pressure on the wound, the ambulance…”

Y/N reached for his hand, lacing their fingers together. “You scared us, Beau.”

Beau looked at her, his gaze soft. “I know.”

Emily swallowed, gripping the edge of the table. “I didn’t know it was that close.”

Beau studied her for a moment. “Would it have helped if you did?”

Emily let out a small, bitter laugh. “Probably not.” She shook her head, her throat tightening. “It just—sucks, you know? Knowing how close I was to losing you.”

Beau’s chest ached, but he reached over, gripping her wrist gently. “But you didn’t, sweetheart.”

Emily blinked rapidly, nodding, trying to process everything. “Yeah.”

Y/N squeezed her shoulder. “You’re allowed to feel how you feel, Em. You love him. Of course this would shake you.”

Beau exhaled, his thumb rubbing absent circles over Emily’s wrist. “I hate that you’re carryin’ this weight now.”

Emily sniffled, shaking her head. “I think… I think I needed to know. Not knowing made it feel worse, like I was disconnected from it.” She swallowed hard, finally meeting his gaze. “Thank you for telling me.”

Beau smiled, squeezing her wrist one last time before letting go. “Anytime, sweetheart.”

Emily sighed, rubbing at her face before shaking her head. “Okay. Enough emotional stuff. I need coffee. And possibly a hug from a baby.”

Y/N chuckled. “I think Caleb’s free.”

Emily let out a breathy laugh before standing. “Perfect. Baby therapy sounds ideal.”

Beau watched her go, his chest heavy but full at the same time.

Y/N turned to him, resting her hand over his heart. “That was important.”

Beau exhaled, wrapping his arm around her waist, pulling her close. “Yeah. It was.”

And as he pressed a slow kiss to her forehead, he knew—this was what family was.

Messy. Honest. Unbreakable.

The house had finally settled into something calm—a rare thing in a home filled with small children and a grandmother who had very strong opinions about breakfast schedules.

Beau stood by the counter, finishing off his coffee while Y/N leaned against the sink, her fingers absently tracing the rim of an empty mug.

She hadn’t said much since breakfast.

Beau noticed.

He always noticed.

Setting his mug down, he stepped closer, gently resting a hand on her lower back. “Darlin’,” he murmured. “What’s on your mind?”

Y/N hesitated for a long moment before exhaling softly. “I was just thinking about that day.”

Beau’s chest tightened.

She turned to him then, her eyes filled with something deep, something heavy. “Do you know how hard that was for me?”

Beau thought he did. But now, seeing the way her hands trembled slightly, the way her voice wavered, he wasn’t so sure.

Y/N let out a quiet, breathy laugh—one with no humor. “I had just found out I was pregnant. And I didn’t even know what to do with that. It was… a lot.” Her fingers brushed absently over her stomach, like the memory of it was still right there. “I hadn’t figured out how to tell you, how I even felt about it yet, when Jenny started calling me.”

Beau inhaled sharply, his grip on her waist tightening.

Y/N shook her head. “I almost didn’t answer.”

Beau’s stomach dropped.

“I didn’t know who she was,” she continued, her voice quieter now. “I had never met her. I saw the number, hesitated. And then… I answered.” Her throat bobbed. “And she said you’d been shot.”

Beau clenched his jaw, hating the thought of her hearing that alone.

“She didn’t say much. Just that you were on the way to the hospital.” Y/N let out a shaky breath, rubbing her arms like she was trying to physically shake off the memory. “I barely remember the drive there. I just remember sitting in that waiting room, surrounded by strangers, not knowing if you were…”

She swallowed hard, the rest of the sentence left unspoken.

Beau’s chest ached.

Y/N blinked rapidly, exhaling sharply. “I was going to tell you that night. I was going to surprise you with the news.” She let out a soft, broken laugh. “Instead, I spent the night wondering if our baby would ever get to meet their father.”

Beau couldn’t take it anymore.

He pulled her into his arms, holding her tight, one hand cradling the back of her head, the other pressing against the small of her back. “I’m so damn sorry you had to go through that,” he whispered, his voice raw.

Y/N clung to him, her fingers gripping the fabric of his shirt. “I thought I lost you.”

Beau pressed his lips to her hair, breathing her in. “I hate that you had to carry that alone.”

Y/N pulled back just enough to meet his gaze, her eyes still shimmering. “You scared me, Beau.”

Beau exhaled, cupping her face. “I never want to put you through somethin’ like that again.” His thumb brushed over her cheek. “I hate that you had to go through that.”

Y/N sniffled, but she smiled, leaning into his touch. “You came back to me.”

Beau nodded. “Damn right, I did.”

Y/N let out a small, shaky laugh. “You better keep coming back to me.”

Beau smirked, kissing her softly. “Always, darlin’.”

Y/N wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight, grounding herself in the warmth of him.

And in that moment, Beau knew—

No matter what happened, no matter what life threw at them—

He’d never stop coming home to her.

To them.

A soft but deliberate ahem sounded from the doorway.

Beau and Y/N turned to see Margaret standing there, arms crossed, an amused yet knowing expression on her face.

“Hate to interrupt,” she said lightly, “but unless you two have decided to abandon your responsibilities altogether, you might want to finish up breakfast and actually get ready for work.”

Y/N let out a small laugh, wiping at the last remnants of emotion on her face. “Right. Work.”

Beau sighed dramatically, rubbing a hand over his jaw. “That again?”

Margaret smirked. “Yes, that again.” She glanced at Y/N. “And you, young lady, are still in pajamas.”

Y/N rolled her eyes playfully. “I was getting there.”

Margaret chuckled before disappearing back toward the living room, leaving them alone again.

Beau exhaled, running a hand through his hair. “Guess we should finish up.”

Y/N nodded, stepping away to gather the last of the dishes. Beau did the same, rinsing the plates in the sink before setting them in the drying rack. The movements were easy, familiar—two people perfectly in sync.

But just as Y/N was about to leave the kitchen, heading to their bedroom to get dressed, Beau grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.

Y/N barely had a moment to react before she was against him, his strong arms wrapping securely around her, his body warm, steady, unshakable.

“Beau—”

He silenced her with a kiss.

It wasn’t just a casual goodbye kiss or a fleeting press of lips—it was intense, deep, filled with something raw and unspoken. His hands slid along her back, holding her firmly against him, like he needed her closer, like he needed her to feel everything he wasn’t saying out loud.

Y/N melted into it, her fingers gripping the fabric of his shirt, her heart pounding at the sheer emotion behind it.

When he finally pulled back, their foreheads pressed together, his breath was warm against her lips.

His voice was hoarse when he spoke.

“I won’t love you for the rest of your life, Y/N.” His green eyes burned into hers, full of unwavering devotion. “I’ll love you for the rest of mine.”

Y/N’s breath caught, her heart aching in the best way.

She lifted a hand to his jaw, her thumb tracing along the beard there. “Beau…”

Beau shook his head slightly, his hold tightening. “No matter what happens. No matter where life takes us. I’m yours, darlin’. Forever.”

Tears pricked at her eyes, but she smiled, tilting her head to kiss him again—soft, slow, a promise of her own.

“Forever,” she whispered against his lips.

A knock against the doorframe interrupted the moment.

Margaret stood there again, her expression utterly unimpressed. “You two,” she huffed, shaking her head. “If you’re not gone in five minutes, I’m telling Eliza to jump on you both until you leave.”

Y/N let out a breathless laugh, resting her forehead against Beau’s chest.

Beau sighed dramatically. “Guess we have to go.”

Y/N pulled back, reluctantly, smoothing her hands over his shirt. “But we’ll finish this later.”

Beau smirked. “Damn right, we will.”

And with one last lingering touch, Y/N finally went to get dressed, leaving Beau standing there, still feeling the imprint of her against him, the echo of her whispered forever settling deep in his soul.

As Y/N disappeared down the hall to change, Margaret lingered in the doorway, her arms crossed, watching Beau with a thoughtful expression.

Beau, still feeling the lingering warmth of Y/N’s presence, turned back to grab his coffee—only to notice Margaret’s gaze fixed on him.

He raised an eyebrow, smirking slightly. “What?”

Margaret let out a slow breath, shaking her head. “I didn’t think much of you when I first met you.”

Beau, mid-sip, nearly choked on his coffee. He cleared his throat, setting the mug down with a thunk before turning to her fully. “Well, damn, Margaret. Don’t sugarcoat it.”

Margaret’s lips twitched, clearly amused by his reaction. “I’m just saying—I wasn’t sure about you.” She leaned against the doorway, tilting her head. “Y/N got pregnant pretty quickly after you two started dating. That worried me. A lot.”

Beau nodded slowly, absorbing her words. He wasn’t entirely surprised—Margaret was fiercely protective of Y/N, and rightfully so. But hearing it out loud? It still stung a little.

“Well,” he said, crossing his arms, “what changed your mind?”

Margaret studied him for a moment before exhaling. “The way you look at her.”

Beau blinked. That wasn’t the answer he was expecting.

Margaret smiled faintly. “It’s rare, you know. That kind of love.”

Beau’s throat tightened slightly. “What kind?”

Margaret stepped closer, her voice softer now. “The kind where a man sees a woman—really sees her. Not just the best parts, not just the pieces that are easy to love. But the flaws, the scars, the stubbornness, the fears… everything. And loves her not in spite of them, but because of them.”

Beau swallowed, his chest aching in the best way.

Margaret shook her head with a small, almost wistful smile. “I see it every time you look at her. Like she’s the best thing that ever happened to you.”

Beau exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. “She is.”

Margaret’s eyes softened. “I know.” She nodded, as if finally settling something within herself. “That’s why I changed my mind about you.”

Beau let out a slow breath, letting her words settle deep. He had always wanted Margaret’s approval, not because he needed validation, but because he knew how much Y/N valued her mother’s opinion.

And now?

He had it.

Margaret smirked. “Just don’t mess it up, Sheriff.”

Beau chuckled, shaking his head. “Not a chance.”

Margaret gave him one last knowing look before turning back toward the living room, leaving Beau standing there—his heart full, his resolve stronger than ever.

Because she was right.

Y/N was the best thing that had ever happened to him.

And he’d spend the rest of his life making sure she knew it.

By the time the sun had long since set over Big Sky, Beau was exhausted.

Dragging himself into the bedroom, he groaned as he rolled his shoulders, wincing at the dull ache that had settled into his muscles.

Y/N, already in bed, was sitting cross-legged against the pillows, reading through something on her phone. At the sound of his verydramatic sigh, she glanced up, lips twitching at the sight of her very weary fiancé.

“You look like you’ve been through something,” she mused, setting her phone aside.

Beau flopped onto the edge of the bed with a grunt, rubbing the back of his neck. “You have no idea.”

Y/N arched a brow. “What happened?”

Beau let out a long exhale before tilting his head toward her. “You ever had to wrestle a goose?”

Y/N blinked. “I—what?”

“A goose, Y/N,” he repeated, looking at her very seriously. “A big, mean, furious son of a bitch that had zero respect for law enforcement.”

Y/N pressed a hand over her mouth, already losing it.

Beau rolled his eyes, shaking his head. “Had to rescue a guy who got cornered near the gas station. This damn bird had him trapped, wings out, honking like the devil himself. I tried to step in, thought I could just shoo it away—”

Y/N snorted.

Beau pointed at her. “Don’t laugh. That thing smacked me.”

That was it.

Y/N died laughing, fully collapsing into the pillows as she shook with amusement.

Beau huffed, but his lips twitched as he watched her completely lose it.

“You fought a goose?” she wheezed, wiping at her eyes.

“Didn’t fight it,” he muttered. “Just had to assert my authority. Didn’t work.”

Y/N giggled, sitting up slightly. “Did the guy at least escape?”

“Oh yeah, he ran the second I got involved,” Beau grumbled. “Left me alone with that demon.”

Y/N shook her head, fully entertained. “You really got beat up by a bird?”

Beau groaned, flopping onto his back beside her. “And that wasn’t even the worst part of my day.”

Y/N smirked, rolling onto her side. “Oh, do tell.”

Beau let out a dramatic sigh, draping an arm over his eyes. “Had to break up a fistfight between two guys arguing over the last apple pie at the diner.”

Y/N gasped. “Not the pie.”

Beau peeked at her. “It was serious.”

She bit her lip, trying to contain herself. “Did you win the pie?”

Beau scoffed. “Hell no. The damn cook grabbed it while I was dealin’ with those two idiots.”

Y/N lost it again.

Beau groaned, rubbing his face. “I need a vacation.”

Y/N hummed, her fingers drifting toward his shoulder, pressing lightly. “You’re so tense,” she murmured. “I could give you a massage.”

Beau froze.

Then, with zero hesitation, he grabbed her wrist, his green eyes dark and serious. “Darlin’, if you touch me right now, I will ravage you.”

Y/N blinked. Then laughed softly, shaking her head, utterly in love with this man.

“Oh no,” she whispered, eyes twinkling. “Not ravage.”

Beau smirked, rolling toward her, pressing her back against the pillows, his hands sliding slowly along her sides. “You mockin’ me, sweetheart?”

Y/N grinned, her hands slipping over his broad chest. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

Beau let out a low chuckle before making good on his threat.

And for all his exhaustion—

He somehow found the energy to worship the woman he loved.

The sun was warm over Big Sky, filtering through the trees and casting soft golden light over the yard.

It was Saturday—a day Beau had promised to set aside for just being Dad. No work, no sheriff duties, no last-minute calls from Jenny (who had explicitly been told to only call if the town was on fire).

Which was why he was currently on the ground, sprawled out in the grass with Eliza climbing all over him like a human jungle gym, while Caleb sat beside them on a blanket, blinking up at the sky like he was contemplating the mysteries of the universe.

Margaret sat on the porch swing, watching the scene with deep amusement, coffee cup in hand. “I don’t know, Beau,” she mused, shaking her head. “You might be losing this battle.”

Beau grunted as Eliza plopped onto his stomach, giggling wildly. “Wolf-child, you are relentless.”

Eliza grinned, patting his chest. “Bo-Bo slow.”

Margaret snorted, sipping her coffee. “She’s got you there.”

Beau huffed, reaching up to ruffle Eliza’s curls before tilting his head toward Caleb, who was just sitting there, judging them all in silence. “Caleb, buddy, you wanna jump in here and save me?”

Caleb blinked at him. Then squealed, kicking his little feet.

Margaret chuckled. “That’s a no.”

Beau sighed dramatically, flopping onto his back while Eliza victoriously climbed onto his chest. “Alright, alright. You win.”

Eliza beamed, clapping her hands. “Yay!”

Margaret shook her head, smiling warmly. “You’re a good dad, Beau.”

Beau, still flat on the ground, cracked a grin. “I try.”

The morning sun cast a warm glow over the yard, birds chirping in the distance as Emily and Y/N sat together on the porch steps, their forgotten coffee cups beside them. The fresh air carried the sounds of Eliza’s delighted squeals and Beau’s dramatic groans as he let himself be conquered in the grass by his overenthusiastic daughter. Caleb, meanwhile, was perfectly content on Margaret’s lap, his chubby little fingers wrapped around hers as she rocked in her chair.

Emily had asked Y/N for some advice—woman to woman.

Y/N had been intrigued but simply nodded, letting Emily gather her thoughts in her own time.

Now, Emily let out a slow breath. “How do you know when you’re in love?”

Y/N arched a brow, intrigued by the question. “That’s a big one.”

Emily huffed a small laugh. “Yeah, that’s why I figured you’d have a good answer.”

Y/N smiled, settling against the step. “Well, what makes you ask?”

Emily hesitated, staring at her hands before sighing. “I like my boyfriend. He’s great—sweet, kind, always respectful. But… I don’t know if I love him.” She exhaled sharply. “And I don’t know if that’s normal or if I’m just overthinking everything.”

Y/N hummed, considering that. “Do you miss him when he’s not around?”

Emily frowned slightly. “I mean… I like spending time with him. But I don’t ache for him, if that makes sense.”

Y/N nodded. “It does.”

Emily glanced at her. “How did you know with my dad?”

Y/N smiled—the kind of soft, nostalgic smile that only came from remembering something important. “Oh, I knew early,” she admitted.

Emily raised a brow. “Really?”

Y/N laughed, shaking her head. “We met in a grocery store, of all places.”

Emily blinked. “What?”

Y/N grinned, tilting her head as she recalled the memory. “Eliza was about two at the time, and I turned my back for one second—and she pushed over an entire display of Chef Boyardee cans.”

Emily snorted. “Oh my God.”

“Oh, it gets worse,” Y/N teased. “Because one of those cans nearly hit your dad.”

Emily’s jaw dropped. “No way.”

Y/N smirked. “Oh, yeah. And you know what he did? He helped clean it up—even though he wasn’t the one who caused the mess.”

Emily let out a disbelieving laugh. “That so sounds like him.”

Y/N shook her head, her smile fond. “The part that really got me, though? It was how he instantly clicked with Eliza.”

Emily tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

Y/N sighed, warmth filling her voice. “The second he crouched down to help, Eliza just… took to him. Like he was already her person.” She chuckled. “She even tried to play matchmaker—literally grabbed his hand and put it in mine.”

Emily grinned. “Wow. Starting young, huh?”

Y/N exhaled. “And that terrified me.”

Emily’s amusement faded slightly. “Why?”

Y/N looked at her, her expression more vulnerable now. “Because I wasn’t prepared for that. I wasn’t looking for a relationship—I was barely holding it together as a single mom. And here was this man, who almost got taken out by a flying can of ravioli, and my daughter was already smitten with him.”

Emily absorbed that, nodding slowly. “So what did you do?”

Y/N sighed. “I walked away.”

Emily blinked. “Wait—really?”

“Yep,” Y/N admitted, shaking her head at herself. “I panicked. He was charming, Eliza adored him, and I wasn’t ready for any of it.”

Emily frowned. “So… what changed?”

Y/N smiled softly. “When we ran into him again in the parking lot.”

Emily leaned in, hooked now.

“Eliza had a full-on meltdown,” Y/N continued, shaking her head at the memory. “I was stressed out, trying to wrestle her into her car seat, apologizing to every stranger passing by. And suddenly, there he was.”

Emily smirked. “Let me guess—he swooped in and saved the day?”

Y/N chuckled. “Not exactly. He just stood there for a second, watching, not judging. And then he said, ‘Hey… why don’t I take her for a moment?’”

Emily softened.

“And I just… broke,” Y/N admitted. “I let out this breath I didn’t even know I was holding and said, ‘Yes. Please.’”

Emily nodded, understanding.

Y/N exhaled. “I apologized for how I ran off earlier. He just smiled, told me he got it, and then—” She laughed lightly. “Then he said, ‘Would it be desperate or premature of me to ask you out now?’”

Emily groaned. “That is so him.”

Y/N grinned. “Yep.”

Emily smiled, watching as her father let Eliza tackle him again in the grass, groaning dramatically as she claimed victory.

“That was the moment I knew,” Y/N murmured. “It wasn’t just me who mattered to him. It was her, too. From the very start.”

Emily swallowed, something settling in her chest.

Love wasn’t just about chemistry. It wasn’t just about liking someone.

It was knowing.

Feeling safe.

Being seen.

She exhaled, glancing at Y/N. “So if I don’t know… then maybe it’s not there?”

Y/N smiled gently. “Maybe it’s just not there yet. Or maybe… he’s not your person.”

Emily nodded slowly. “Yeah. That makes sense.”

Y/N nudged her playfully. “You don’t have to have all the answers right now, Em.”

Emily huffed a soft laugh. “Yeah, but it’d be nice.”

Y/N chuckled. “Love isn’t something you should force.”

Emily considered that as she looked back at Beau, at Eliza’s happy little face, at the way her dad’s entire being seemed lighter when he was around them.

She smiled, finally understanding.

And for the first time, she felt okay with figuring it out in her own time.

The day had been full—full of laughter, full of love, full of life.

By the time the sun had set over Big Sky, the house was finally beginning to calm down. Margaret had taken Caleb to rock him to sleep, Eliza had been wrestled into pajamas and was now curled up in bed with her favorite stuffed horse, and Emily had retreated to her room, lost in thought after her conversation with Y/N.

Now, Beau stood in the bathroom, brushing his teeth, watching Y/N through the mirror as she sat on the edge of the bed, absently running a brush through her hair.

Something about her expression told him she was thinking.

And he knew her well enough to know when she had something on her mind.

Spitting into the sink, he wiped his mouth and stepped into the bedroom, leaning against the doorway. “Alright, darlin’,” he drawled, crossing his arms. “What’s on your mind?”

Y/N blinked, glancing up at him with a small, thoughtful smile. “Emily and I had a little talk today.”

Beau arched a brow, intrigued. “Yeah?”

Y/N nodded, setting the brush aside. “She had some… relationship questions.”

Beau’s brows lifted slightly. “Relationship questions?”

Y/N smirked, tilting her head at him. “She wanted to know how you know when you’re in love.”

Beau blinked, caught slightly off guard by that. “Huh.”

Y/N chuckled at his reaction. “That’s all you’ve got? Huh?”

Beau rubbed the back of his neck, stepping closer. “I mean… she’s never really talked to me about that kinda thing.”

Y/N shrugged. “She wanted a woman’s perspective.”

Beau smirked. “Ah. Gotcha.”

Y/N patted the spot beside her, and Beau didn’t hesitate, sinking down onto the bed beside her, his body still warm from the day’s exhaustion. “So,” he murmured, his fingers trailing along her thigh. “What’d you tell her?”

Y/N smiled, resting her chin on her knee. “I told her about us.”

Beau tilted his head, fully interested now. “Oh?”

Y/N nodded. “How we met. The Chef Boyardee disaster. How Eliza tried to set us up before I was even ready.”

Beau chuckled at that, shaking his head. “Smart kid.”

Y/N smirked. “Very.” She sighed softly. “I told her how I knew you were it for me.”

Beau’s chest warmed. “And what’d she say?”

“She listened,” Y/N murmured. “Really listened. And I think… she’s figuring things out for herself.”

Beau exhaled, letting her words settle over him. “I like that she talked to you about it.”

Y/N nudged him playfully. “What, not jealous she didn’t ask you?”

Beau scoffed. “Darlin’, I love my daughter, but if she ever does come to me for love advice, I might just die on the spot.”

Y/N laughed softly, shaking her head. “She trusts me, Beau. That means a lot.”

Beau studied her for a moment, something soft in his gaze. “I’m real glad you two are bonding.”

Y/N smiled, reaching for his hand. “Me too.”

Beau squeezed her fingers, his thumb brushing absently over the back of her hand. “Emily’s a damn good kid.”

Y/N hummed in agreement. “Takes after her dad.”

Beau smirked. “That right?”

Y/N leaned in, brushing her lips against his. “Mmhmm.”

Beau hummed, deepening the kiss slightly, his hand sliding to her waist.

Y/N sighed into it, feeling every bit of warmth and love he was giving her.

When they pulled apart, Beau rested his forehead against hers, his voice low. “Thanks for lookin’ out for her, darlin’.”

Y/N smiled, brushing her fingers along his jaw. “Always.”

And in that quiet moment, Beau felt completely at peace.

His family was exactly where they were supposed to be.

And he wouldn’t trade it for anything.

The house was still, wrapped in the quiet hush of deep night. The only sounds were the distant rustling of trees outside and the occasional creak of the house settling.

And then—

A wail pierced through the silence.

Caleb.

Beau was already stirring before Y/N or Margaret could wake, his instincts kicking in. With a tired groan, he swung his legs over the bed, rubbing a hand over his face before pushing himself up.

Y/N mumbled something incoherent from the pillow, but Beau leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to her hair. “I got him, darlin’.”

Padding barefoot down the hallway, he made his way to Caleb’s nursery, where the baby was going full volume, his tiny fists balled up, his face scrunched with distress.

Beau let out a soft sigh, moving toward the crib. “Alright, little man,” he murmured, reaching down to scoop him up. “What’s got you so riled up, huh?”

Caleb sniffled, hiccupping against his chest as Beau gently rocked him, his large hand rubbing soothing circles over the baby’s back.

“Shhh,” Beau murmured, bouncing slightly on his feet. “I gotcha, buddy.”

Caleb whimpered but began settling, his wails quieting into soft, sleepy sniffles.

Beau smiled, pressing a kiss to the baby’s head. “That’s better. Nothin’ to cry about, kid. You got it real good, you know that?”

A soft creak from the doorway caught his attention.

Turning slightly, he spotted Emily standing there, arms crossed over her chest, hair slightly messy from sleep. She smiled at the sight of him—her father, standing in the dim glow of the nursery lamp, fully in dad-mode, cradling his son with an ease that made it clear just how much he loved being a father.

Beau smiled. “Did we wake you?”

Emily shook her head, stepping inside. “Nah. Just… got up for some water and saw the light.”

She walked over, glancing down at Caleb, who was now blinking drowsily, his little fist gripping onto the fabric of Beau’s shirt.

Emily’s chest tightened at the sight.

Beau was such a dad.

And somehow, despite the years that had passed, despite how different their lives had become, he had never changed when it came to being a father.

She exhaled, rubbing her arms slightly. “Was I ever like that?”

Beau chuckled. “Oh, sweetheart. You have no idea.”

Emily raised a brow. “That bad?”

Beau sat down in the rocking chair, still cradling Caleb, and gestured for her to sit on the ottoman.

When she did, he gave her a knowing look. “You were so colicky, Em.”

Emily blinked. “Wait. Me?”

Beau smirked, rocking Caleb slowly. “You screamed for hours every night. Drove me and your mama damn near crazy.”

Emily’s mouth fell open. “Are you serious?”

Beau nodded, eyes twinkling with amusement. “I ain’t kiddin’, sweetheart. It got so bad that we both had moments where we’d end up sittin’ in the closet, cryin’, just tryin’ to get away from the sound of you wailin’.”

Emily stared at him. “Wait—you and Mom?”

Beau grinned. “Yep. Separately, of course. We didn’t even know the other was doin’ it ‘til I walked into your mama in the closet, cryin’.”

Emily burst out laughing, covering her mouth with her hand. “Oh my God.”

Beau chuckled, shaking his head. “I remember one night, sittin’ in that closet, thinkin’ to myself, what the hell did I get myself into?”

Emily was losing it now, tears of laughter pricking at her eyes. “Dad, what the hell?”

Beau smirked, rubbing Caleb’s back. “That’s the reality of bein’ a new parent, sweetheart. Sometimes, you love that little baby more than life itself, and sometimes, you wanna go hide in a closet and pretend they don’t exist for five damn minutes.”

Emily wiped at her eyes, still laughing. “I feel so bad now.”

Beau chuckled, shaking his head. “Don’t. Because despite all that, Em? I wouldn’t trade a second of it.”

Emily’s amusement softened, her laughter fading into something quieter. “Really?”

Beau nodded, his green eyes warm. “Your mama and I… we were young, we were overwhelmed, and we had no clue what we were doin’. But the second we held you, we knew—no matter how exhausted or frustrated we got, you were ours. And now?” He exhaled, giving her a soft smile. “Now, I get to look at the young woman you’ve become, and I know—every sleepless night, every meltdown, every single second was worth it.”

Emily swallowed, something deep settling in her chest.

She had never thought about it that way.

Sure, she knew her parents had loved her. But hearing it like this? Understanding what they went through?

It made her feel so damn lucky.

She let out a slow breath, shaking her head. “Man. I was really a nightmare, huh?”

Beau smiled. “Oh, sweetheart. You have no idea.”

Emily chuckled, leaning against the chair, watching as Caleb’s tiny fingers twitched in sleep. “Guess you got lucky with this one, huh?”

Beau glanced down at Caleb, his heart aching with love. “Yeah. But I’d still take every second of you bein’ a pain in the ass again if it meant gettin’ you.”

Emily blinked rapidly, caught off guard by the emotion behind his words.

She cleared her throat, nudging his knee playfully. “Jeez, Dad. Way to hit me in the feelings.”

Beau smiled, reaching over to squeeze her shoulder. “Just makin’ sure you know, kiddo.”

Emily exhaled, letting his words sink deep.

Yeah.

She knew.

The morning sun had barely begun creeping through the curtains when Y/N made her move.

Beau was dead asleep, his broad chest rising and falling in slow, even breaths, his arm draped lazily over the sheets. The exhaustion from the past few days had finally caught up to him, and for once, he wasn’t stirring at the crack of dawn.

But Y/N was wide awake.

And she had plans.

She started slow—fingertips tracing lightly over his chest, dancing along the firm ridges of muscle, up to his collarbone, then down again, teasing, exploring.

Beau shifted slightly, letting out a soft, sleepy breath but still verymuch out.

Y/N smirked.

Fine. She could be alittle more persuasive.

Leaning in, she pressed her lips to his shoulder, trailing deliberate, open-mouthed kisses down to his chest. Her tongue flicked lightly over his skin, tasting the faint salt of sleep-warmed flesh.

Beau hummed softly, his brow twitching, but he still wasn’t fully awake.

Y/N let her nails scratch gently down his abdomen, her fingers slipping beneath the sheet, touching him intimately.

That got a reaction.

Beau jerked, a sharp inhale filling his lungs as his body immediately responded to her touch. His hips shifted slightly, and a deep, low groan rumbled in his throat as his eyes fluttered open.

“Darlin’…” His voice was rough, thick with sleep and arousal.

Y/N smiled against his skin, her fingers stroking him with intent, slow and teasing. “Morning, cowboy.”

Beau exhaled sharply, his muscles tensing beneath her. “Jesus…” His voice was breathless, caught between surprise and pleasure.

Y/N pressed a lingering kiss just below his jaw, her lips curling against his skin. “Figured I’d wake you up properly.”

Beau groaned, his hand immediately sliding into her hair, fingers tightening slightly. “You are—” He sucked in a sharp breath as she moved her hand again, her touch wickedly slow. “—an evil woman.”

Y/N grinned, her breath warm against his neck. “You love it.”

Beau let out a deep, gravelly chuckle, his free hand gripping her waist, pulling her against him. “Damn right, I do.”

And then, fully awake now, fully aware of her intentions—

He flipped them.

Y/N let out a surprised gasp as she suddenly found herself beneath him, her wrists pinned above her head, Beau’s weight pressing her into the mattress.

His green eyes were dark, heavy-lidded with sleep and hunger. “You wanna play, sweetheart?” His voice was a low rasp against her lips.

Y/N shivered, her thighs tightening around his waist. “Absolutely.”

Beau smirked, leaning down to capture her mouth in a deep, thorough kiss, his hips pressing against hers, letting her feel exactly how much she had succeeded in waking him up.

And then—

He ravaged her.

The heavenly scent of eggs, sautéed vegetables, and something just a little spicy filled the kitchen as Beau stood at the stove, completely in his element.

He was humming—a low, contented tune under his breath—his movements easy, relaxed, happy. He cracked another egg into the skillet with practiced ease, stirring the mixture of peppers, onions, and cheese together as it sizzled.

A morning of very thorough lovemaking had clearly put him in an exceptional mood.

Margaret, standing nearby, was bouncing Caleb in her arms, gently patting his back as he let out a sleepy little sigh. “You really went all out this morning,” she mused, watching him work.

Beau smirked. “What can I say? Felt inspired.”

Margaret snorted knowingly. “Mmhmm.”

Across the kitchen, Emily sat at the counter, watching her father with a quietly amused smile.

He looked… different.

Not physically, of course—he was still her dad, still the same towering cowboy sheriff he had always been. But there was something else. Something lighter.

She had seen him happy before, had seen him laugh, joke, even relax when they’d go on trips together.

But this?

This was happiness in its purest form.

He was at peace.

And it wasn’t just because of the family around him—it was because of Y/N.

Emily had already known her dad loved Y/N. That much had been obvious from the start. But watching him now? The way he moved through the kitchen, utterly at home, utterly content in this life?

She realized—

He wasn’t just in love.

He was exactly where he was meant to be.

Margaret, apparently noticing the same thing, shook her head fondly. “Never thought I’d see the day where Beau Arlen turned into a domestic husband.”

Beau, flipping the eggs with a perfect flick of his wrist, smirked. “What can I say, Margaret? Found me a woman worth cooking for.”

Margaret chuckled, shifting Caleb slightly in her arms. “Oh, you better keep her.”

Beau’s smirk softened, something deep and certain in his gaze. “Oh, I plan to.”

Emily, watching the exchange, felt a warmth spread through her chest.

Her dad wasn’t going anywhere.

He had found love—the kind of love that didn’t just exist, but thrived.

And for the first time, she realized—

She wasn’t just happy for him.

She was grateful.

Because Y/N hadn’t just given him love—she had given him home.

And watching him now, humming as he cooked breakfast for his family, she knew—

This was exactly what he deserved.

Emily leaned her elbow against the counter, watching as her father expertly flipped the eggs in the pan, his movements easy and practiced. There was something about the way he moved—completely at home, completely himself.

She smiled to herself, then tilted her head. “So,” she mused, “how did you know?”

Beau glanced over at her, brow raised. “Know what?”

Emily smirked. “That Y/N was the one.”

Beau paused for a moment, as if weighing how to answer. Then, with a chuckle, he set the spatula down and leaned a hip against the counter. “Y’ever hear the story of how we met?”

Emily smirked. “Something about a grocery store?”

Beau huffed out a laugh. “Oh, it was a sight, sweetheart.” He shook his head, a fond look crossing his face as he pictured it again. “I walk into the store, mindin’ my own business, just tryna grab a few things, when suddenly—” He gestured broadly, mimicking an explosion. “A whole damn wall of Chef Boyardee comes crashing down right in front of me.”

Emily gasped dramatically, fully entertained. “No.”

“Oh, yes,” Beau confirmed, nodding. “And standin’ there, dead center of the destruction, was this tiny little tornado—Eliza. Just two years old, big eyes, little hands still outstretched like she’d personally declared war on canned ravioli.”

Emily snorted, shaking her head. “That tracks.”

Beau grinned. “And then, just as I’m tryna figure out if I survived an attack, here comes her mom.”

His voice softened slightly at that, his smirk turning into something warmer.

Y/N.

He could still see her, hear her—hurrying over, looking equal parts exasperated and mortified.

And then—

She met his eyes.

Beau exhaled, shaking his head slightly. “She looked at me, looked at Eliza, then looked at the absolute disaster in front of us, and just sighed.”

Emily grinned. “She knew it was coming.”

“Oh, absolutely,” Beau said, smirking. “And then? I joke about how Eliza might need some wranglin’ and Y/N retorts with ‘Either that or a wolf pack.’”

Emily lost it, bursting into laughter. “No way.”

Beau laughed, nodding. “That’s how I learned Eliza’s nickname—wolf-child.” He smirked, flipping the eggs in the pan before glancing back at Emily. “But, kid, let me tell you—” He exhaled, shaking his head. “That was it for me.”

Emily’s laughter softened into something more thoughtful. “Really?”

Beau nodded, stirring the eggs absently. “I don’t know how to explain it, Em. It was like… Cupid shot me right there in the middle of the grocery aisle.” He shook his head, smiling to himself. “I watched this beautiful woman handle her wild little girl like it was just another Tuesday, and I knew—I wanted in.”

Emily’s chest warmed at the way he said it.

Like it had been so easy for him.

Like love had been instant.

Beau chuckled. “I’m pretty damn sure I fell in love with her right then.”

Emily leaned forward, resting her chin in her palm. “So what’d you do?”

Beau huffed out a laugh. “Tried to help clean up. Even though I was the one who almost got taken out by flying ravioli.”

Emily snorted. “That was so your in.”

“Oh, I knew it,” Beau said, smirking. “And then Eliza? That little matchmaker? She grabbed my hand and put it in her mom’s—like she was handing me over.”

Emily gasped, wide-eyed. “No way.”

Beau smiled, nodding. “That little girl claimed me before her mama even had a chance to think about it.”

Emily grinned, but then she noticed—the way her dad’s expression softened even more as he thought back to that day.

“So what happened?” she asked.

Beau sighed, a little dramatically. “Y/N panicked and ran.”

Emily burst out laughing again. “Oh my God.”

Beau grinned. “Yep. Just left me there, surrounded by toppled canned goods, wonderin’ what the hell just happened.”

Emily shook her head, still giggling. “She knew, didn’t she?”

“Oh, she knew,” Beau said, smiling. “And I knew too. That’s why, when I ran into her again in the parking lot, and Eliza was losin’ it, cryin’ her little heart out, I made my move.”

Emily leaned in closer, hooked. “And?”

“And I asked her out,” Beau said simply. “Told her ‘All right then, darlin’. I’d like to take ya out to dinner tomorrow, if you’re willin’’.”

Emily sighed dramatically, placing a hand on her chest. “Swoon.”

Beau chuckled. “And guess what?”

Emily smirked. “She said yes.”

Beau’s grin was pure joy. “Damn right, she did.”

Emily shook her head, watching as he turned back to the stove, stirring the eggs with a contented ease.

And in that moment—seeing him like this, talking about Y/N with a smile so soft it could melt stone—Emily knew.

Her dad wasn’t just in love.

He was exactly where he was supposed to be.

Beau took one last look at the meal he’d just prepared—fluffy scrambled eggs loaded with peppers, onions, and cheese, crispy bacon, and toasted slices of buttered bread—before stepping away from the stove with great satisfaction.

“Alright, y’all,” he called out, grabbing a plate and setting it on the table. “Breakfast is served!”

The response was immediate.

Eliza, who had been playing with one of her stuffed animals on the floor, bolted toward the table, her tiny feet padding quickly across the floor. “Food!” she declared excitedly.

Margaret chuckled, shifting Caleb in her arms as she followed behind. “Alright, alright, let’s get you both settled.”

Y/N walked in from the living room, rubbing her hands together. “That smells amazing, Sheriff.”

Beau smirked, setting down the last of the plates. “Only the best for my family.”

Emily rolled her eyes playfully as she sat down. “Wow. Someone’s feeling cocky this morning.”

Beau grinned, leaning down to kiss the top of Y/N’s head. “What can I say? Got a good start to my day.”

Y/N laughed, nudging him gently.

Meanwhile, Margaret had already secured Caleb in his high chair, adjusting the little tray in front of him before reaching for the bottle of breast milk that Y/N had prepped earlier. “Alright, little man,” she murmured, shaking the bottle lightly. “Let’s get you fed before you decide to protest.”

Caleb made a tiny, impatient noise, kicking his little feet as Margaret guided the bottle to his lips. His hands instinctively gripped at the bottle as he suckled, his sleepy little eyes blinking drowsily.

“Atta boy,” Margaret murmured, watching him closely.

Y/N, in the meantime, had lifted Eliza into her high chair, securing the tray and making sure she was comfortably settled. “Alright, wolf-child, you better eat this time.”

Eliza, already reaching for her food, gasped dramatically. “I eat!”

Y/N arched a brow. “Last night, you ate three bites before trying to feed the rest to your stuffed horse.”

Emily snorted into her coffee.

Eliza giggled, swinging her little legs. “Horse was hungry.”

Beau, already settling into his seat, shook his head, thoroughly amused. “That horse eats better than I do.”

Y/N sighed dramatically, sitting beside Eliza and cutting up her eggs into smaller bites. “Well, today, you are going to eat, missy.”

Eliza, as if to prove herself, grabbed a bite of eggs with her tiny fingers and shoved it into her mouth.

Y/N exhaled, shaking her head fondly. “At least use your fork, baby.”

Eliza blinked at her innocently, then dramatically grabbed her fork with her chubby little hand and stabbed another piece of egg before stuffing it in her mouth.

Beau chuckled, watching his daughter’s antics. “She’s so your kid.”

Y/N rolled her eyes, stealing a piece of bacon from his plate. “She gets her stubbornness from you, Sheriff.”

Beau smirked, reaching over to steal a bite of eggs from her plate. “And yet, you’re marrying me anyway.”

Emily, sipping her coffee, made a mock gagging noise. “Oh my God, stop.”

Beau grinned at her. “What? Can’t handle a little morning romance?”

Emily groaned, shaking her head. “It’s too early for this.”

Margaret, laughing softly, gently wiped a bit of milk from Caleb’s chin as she rocked his high chair slightly. “Let them have their moment, Emily. It’s good for the kids to see their parents love each other.”

Emily made a face, but she was smiling. “Yeah, yeah.”

Beau reached for his coffee, taking a slow sip before sighing contentedly. “Gotta say, this might just be the perfect way to start a Sunday.”

Y/N hummed, nudging his foot under the table. “Even better than how I woke you up?”

Beau choked on his coffee.

Emily froze, her eyes widening. “NOPE. I did not hear that.”

Y/N laughed, clearly enjoying herself.

Beau, still recovering from nearly dying, wiped his mouth and shot Y/N a look. “You are pure evil, woman.”

Y/N grinned, sipping her orange juice. “And yet, you love me.”

Beau exhaled, shaking his head before leaning over to kiss her cheek. “Damn right, I do.”

Margaret chuckled, shaking her head as she continued feeding Caleb, while Eliza was still happily stuffing eggs into her mouth.

Emily, watching it all, smiled to herself.

This was family.

Loud, chaotic, ridiculous—but so full of love.

After breakfast, the house slowly settled into the comfortable kind of chaos that came with a full, happy family.

Margaret had taken Caleb to the living room, rocking him in her arms while he drifted between sleep and curiosity, his tiny fingers gripping at the fabric of her blouse.

Eliza had climbed out of her high chair—with assistance this time, thankfully—and was now waddling around the kitchen, clutching her beloved stuffed horse in one hand and a half-eaten piece of toast in the other.

Emily had been roped into cleaning up the breakfast table, mostly because Beau had given her the dad look when she tried to sneak away unnoticed.

And Y/N?

Y/N was standing at the sink, rinsing off the plates, while Beau leaned against the counter beside her, sipping his coffee like a man who had already accomplished everything he needed to for the day.

“You look far too pleased with yourself,” Y/N mused, glancing at him.

Beau smirked, watching as she moved beside him. “What can I say? Made a damn good breakfast, got a perfect family, and I started my day off real good.”

Y/N arched a brow, smirking as she handed him a dish towel. “You’re never going to let that go, are you?”

Beau grinned. “Never.”

Emily groaned from across the kitchen, purposefully banging a plate against the sink. “Can you two stop flirting for five minutes?”

Beau shot her a look. “Nope.”

Y/N laughed, nudging Beau with her hip. “We could, but why would we?”

Emily rolled her eyes dramatically. “I hate you both.”

Beau smirked. “You love us.”

Emily muttered something unintelligible under her breath, but there was no real annoyance there—just the barely concealed fondness of a daughter who had accepted the fact that her dad was a hopelessly in love cowboy.

Y/N leaned back against the counter, shaking her head at them both before looking over at Margaret, who was still rocking Caleb. “Mom, do you want me to take him?”

Margaret snorted, cradling the baby just a bit tighter. “Not a chance.”

Beau chuckled. “She’s not lettin’ go of that kid anytime soon, darlin’.”

Margaret huffed, pressing a soft kiss to Caleb’s forehead. “You act like I steal him.”

Emily smirked. “Grandma, you totally steal him.”

Margaret scoffed, lifting her chin. “He likes me better.”

Beau laughed, shaking his head as he set his coffee down. “All right, all right. So what’s the plan for today? We doin’ anything or just lettin’ the day unfold?”

Y/N sighed, wiping her hands on a towel. “I have a few wedding things to go over, but nothing urgent.”

Beau smirked, leaning closer. “You mean you’re actually takin’ a day off from wedding planning?”

Y/N poked his chest. “Don’t push your luck, Sheriff.”

Emily snorted. “He’s got a point, though.”

Y/N scoffed, but she was smiling. “Alright, alright. Fine. Today, we just exist.”

Beau grinned, sliding an arm around her waist and pressing a kiss to the side of her head. “Sounds perfect.”

Eliza, apparently done with being ignored, charged toward them, arms outstretched. “BO-BO! UP!”

Beau barely had time to react before Eliza latched onto his leg, climbing him like a tree.

“Whoa there, wolf-child,” Beau chuckled, lifting her easily into his arms. “You tryin’ to take me down?”

Eliza giggled, throwing her arms around his neck. “Bo-Bo big.”

Beau smirked, tilting his head. “Oh yeah? And what about you?”

Eliza grinned, patting his chest proudly. “I bigger.”

Emily snorted. “She’s got your confidence, Dad.”

Beau laughed, holding Eliza close. “Damn right she does.”

Y/N smiled, watching the two of them before glancing at Emily. “You wanna do something today? Just us?”

Emily blinked, then tilted her head. “Like what?”

Y/N shrugged. “Anything. Shopping, grabbing coffee, just hanging out… whatever you want.”

Emily hesitated for a second before a small smile tugged at her lips. “Yeah. That actually sounds nice.”

Y/N nudged her playfully. “Look at us. Bonding.”

Emily rolled her eyes but was smiling. “Yeah, yeah. Don’t make it weird.”

Beau smirked, shifting Eliza in his arms. “Oh, it’s definitely weird now.”

Emily groaned, but she was grinning.

Y/N leaned into Beau, pressing a kiss to his cheek before tugging Emily toward the door. “C’mon, Em. Let’s escape before the men of this house start making fun of us again.”

Emily laughed, allowing herself to be dragged along. “Good call.”

Beau, watching them go, sighed happily, adjusting Eliza against his hip.

Margaret smirked at him. “You got real lucky with that one, Sheriff.”

Beau grinned. “I know, Margaret.”

Margaret chuckled, shifting Caleb in her arms. “So what are we gonna do today?”

Beau looked down at Eliza, who was still grinning at him. “Well, wolf-child, looks like it’s just you, me, and your baby brother.”

Eliza gasped, dramatically placing a hand on his cheek. “Bo-Bo, we adventure?”

Beau laughed, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Hell yeah, baby girl.”

Margaret sighed, shaking her head. “Lord help us all.”

And with that, another perfect, chaotic, love-filled day began in the Arlen household.

With Y/N and Emily off for some much-needed girl time, Beau found himself completely at the mercy of his two youngest children—under the ever-watchful, slightly skeptical gaze of their grandmother, Margaret.

Eliza, perched high on his shoulders, was buzzing with excitement. “Bo-Bo! We go!”

Beau chuckled, adjusting his hold on her little legs. “Gotta figure out where we’re goin’ first, wolf-child.”

Margaret, rocking Caleb in her arms, raised a brow. “Wherever you take them, try to bring them back in one piece.”

Beau smirked. “No promises.”

Eliza gasped dramatically. “Bo-Bo! Adventure?”

Beau laughed, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “You bet, baby girl.”

Margaret shook her head, clearly entertained but choosing to say nothing as they all headed out the door.

Their first stop was the park—Eliza’s absolute favorite place in the world.

The moment her feet hit the ground, she took off, her curls bouncing wildly as she ran toward the jungle gym.

“Bo-Bo! Run!” she demanded.

Beau, still very much sore from a particularly enthusiastic morning with Y/N, groaned but jogged after her. “You tryin’ to kill me, wolf-child?”

Margaret, pushing Caleb’s stroller at a much more reasonable pace, smirked. “She’s wearing you down, Sheriff.”

Beau huffed. “I am in my prime.”

Margaret snorted. “Sure you are.”

Ignoring his future mother-in-law’s brutal honesty, Beau focused back on Eliza, who was now scaling the jungle gym like a tiny daredevil.

“All right, wolf-child, let’s see what you got,” he said, crossing his arms.

Eliza grinned at him from the top of the slide before throwing herself down it without hesitation.

Beau barely caught her at the bottom, laughing as she tumbled into his arms. “That was impressive.”

Eliza beamed. “Again!”

Margaret, still rocking Caleb, sighed dramatically. “Oh, to have that kind of energy again.”

Beau groaned, lifting Eliza so she could climb up the slide again. “I already need a nap.”

Margaret smirked. “Y/N wears you out that much, huh?”

Beau nearly choked on air. “Jesus, Margaret.”

She just laughed, looking way too entertained as Caleb cooed happily in her arms.

After running wild at the park, Beau bribed Eliza with the promise of chicken nuggets to finally get her to leave.

Margaret, graciously handling Caleb’s feeding, watched with great amusement as Beau attempted to get Eliza to take a nap.

“Not sleepy,” Eliza insisted, sprawled dramatically across the couch.

Beau sighed, rubbing his temples. “Darlin’, you ran around for two hours straight.”

Eliza huffed, crossing her arms. “I wolf.”

Beau smirked, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “That you are, baby girl.”

Still, he wasn’t completely giving up. Lifting Eliza into his arms, he settled onto the couch with her, rubbing slow circles on her back.

And sure enough, within minutes, she was out, her tiny breaths warm against his chest.

Margaret, now rocking Caleb in her arms, smirked. “You act like you had to fight her, but she loves fallin’ asleep on you.”

Beau grinned, pressing a kiss to Eliza’s curls. “Yeah, well… I don’t mind.”

Margaret watched him for a long moment, then shook her head, a soft smile on her lips. “You’re a good father, Beau.”

Beau exhaled, adjusting Eliza slightly. “Just doin’ my best.”

Margaret nodded. “Well, your best is pretty damn great.”

And as Beau held his two youngest children close, he knew—

This was the best kind of life.

By the time Y/N and Emily walked through the door, the house was quiet.

Too quiet.

Y/N paused, glancing toward the living room—where she found Beau half-asleep on the couch, Eliza curled up on his chest, while Caleb dozed peacefully in his stroller.

Y/N smiled, leaning against the doorway. “Well, this is adorable.”

Beau cracked one eye open, smirking. “Welcome home, darlin’.”

Emily snickered, sitting on the armrest of the couch. “You look like you survived battle.”

Beau groaned. “I did.”

Y/N laughed, stepping forward to press a slow, lingering kiss to his lips. “You’re amazing, you know that?”

Beau sighed dramatically. “I do love bein’ appreciated.”

Emily groaned, rolling her eyes. “Oh my God, please don’t start.”

Y/N smirked, brushing her fingers through his hair. “How about I properly reward you later?”

Beau perked up immediately. “Now that is an offer I love.”

Emily gagged. “Nope. I’m leaving.”

Margaret cackled from the kitchen. “You chose to marry a cowboy, Y/N.”

Y/N smirked, brushing her fingers along Beau’s jaw. “Damn right, I did.”

And as Eliza snuggled deeper against him, Caleb cooed, and his beautiful fiancée smiled down at him, Beau knew he had everything he could ever want.

And in just a week and a half, it would all be official.

As the day slowly wound down, the house was buzzing with the comfortable energy of a family fully settled into their routine.

After Beau’s hard-earned nap with Eliza curled on his chest, the afternoon passed in a relaxed haze. Caleb had been passed between doting arms, Eliza had successfully convinced Margaret to read her five different books before bedtime (“One more, G’ma!”), and Emily had spent most of the evening texting—which, Y/N suspected, meant her conversation from earlier was still on her mind.

Now, with the last of the dinner dishes drying in the rack and the sun beginning to set, the Arlen household finally started winding down.

Y/N stood at the sink, sipping the last of her tea as she listened to the sounds of the house settling.

Margaret had already claimed Caleb for the night, rocking him in the living room as she hummed softly, while Eliza—having gotten her way—was still nestled against her grandmother’s side, fighting very hard to stay awake.

Beau walked in from the porch, stretching his arms over his head as he rolled his shoulders. “Well,” he murmured, stepping behind Y/N and wrapping his arms around her waist, “I survived another day of chasin’ after the kids.”

Y/N smirked, leaning back against him. “You did good, cowboy.”

Beau hummed, pressing a slow kiss to her shoulder. “You gonna properly reward me for it?”

Y/N laughed softly, tilting her head as his lips trailed up her neck. “I seem to remember already rewarding you this morning.”

Beau smirked, his voice low in her ear. “Darlin’, you spoiled me this morning. But I never turn down a chance for more.”

Y/N bit her lip, thoroughly tempted, but just as she turned to kiss him—

“DADDY!”

Beau groaned, his forehead dropping against her shoulder. “I swear, wolf-child senses when I’m tryin’ to have a moment.”

Y/N giggled, nudging him playfully before calling out, “What is it, baby?”

Eliza stumbled into the kitchen, rubbing her tired little eyes, still wearing her pajamas with the tiny little horses on them. “Bo-Bo,” she whined, dramatically reaching for him.

Beau sighed fondly, crouching down and scooping her up with ease. “What’s wrong, baby girl?”

Eliza sniffled, resting her head against his shoulder. “No sleepy.”

Y/N arched a brow, rubbing her back. “You sure about that?”

Eliza mumbled something against Beau’s shirt, her tiny fingers clutching onto him.

Beau smirked, kissing the top of her head. “Alright, wolf-child. Let’s get you to bed.”

Y/N watched as Beau carried Eliza down the hall, murmuring softly to her in that warm, steady way of his.

Margaret, rocking Caleb, smiled. “That man is so wrapped around her little finger.”

Y/N grinned. “Oh, I know.”

Emily, stepping into the kitchen, shook her head. “I love how he acts like he’s in charge, but really, Eliza runs this house.”

Y/N laughed. “Oh, absolutely.”

Emily hesitated for a second, then nodded toward the hall. “He’s gonna be such a good husband, you know.”

Y/N’s heart swelled.

She knew.

By the time Eliza was finally asleep, the house had gone quiet.

Margaret had turned in for the night, Caleb was fully settled, and Emily had retreated to her room with a final, “Please keep it down.”

Beau and Y/N barely made it to the bedroom before he grabbed her, pulling her against him.

Y/N giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck. “You are relentless, Sheriff.”

Beau huffed, walking them backward toward the bed. “Woman, I have been patient all damn day.”

Y/N smirked, letting her fingers trace down his chest. “And what exactly do you want?”

Beau’s lips brushed against hers, his voice low and gravelly. “Everything.”

Y/N shivered, tilting her head. “Well, since you asked so nicely…”

And then—

The door slammed shut.

And Beau definitely made up for lost time.

Tag List: @spxideyver, @deadlymistletoe, @bitchykittenconnoisseur, @aarpfashionvictim, @stoneyggirl2

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[meadowsofmay]

i don't think you understand (i'm pretty sure you do but please, allow me) how important it is to me to see caleb getting more and more angry, almost shouting, swearing when talking about trent.

for the person who's emotions usually make him shut down, either from overstimulation or being overwhelmed with trauma; for the person who run away from those who wronged him for a long time; for the person who always allowed the others to make of him and do with him what they wanted quite rarely making his true feelings about certain actions be known.

for this person to go yes, i want him dead. and then he ruined my life. and then, visibly worked up he took my life away. to then yell in genuine anger and i fucking helped.

it means so fucking much to me, so much — caleb confronting his past that affects the position he is in right now and does so audibly, in front of everyone. but the thing is, he now trusts these people, more than he ever trusted anyone ever since he acted upon trent's siccing. he is comfortable with these people enough that after an incredibly emotional meeting with astrid he was loud in his distress.

he was loud enough about the fact that he killed his parents. that he wanted to kill them. that he despises the very fact that he had been stupid enough in his teenage susceptibility that he acted upon his very will and that will never leave him.

because caduceus can talk about destiny and the great destinations of the paths that they all are on. beau could have told him, at the very beginning of their journey together, that he should fix it so that it won't happen to others, and caduceus later on would have repeated the sentiment in a much gentler way.

but fjord tried much gingerly before but finally asked upfront if trent was tied to a chair powerless what would you do?

but veth said i don't care about other people, i care about you and i want to do what you want to do for youself, not for her [astrid] or any other.

caleb caved in and talked about himself.

and the thing is, it's not that caduceus and beau are wrong and fjord with veth were right. it's not about good or bad and this or that.

it's about the fact that caleb is a victim, too. because trent ruined him too. and coming to terms with being a victim is a hard process and he is still on his very way about it but he is better at it.

and that is why it's so important to me.

[anonym-potato]

Nein Again - 2x02 "A Show of Scrutiny"

Last we left off - everyone's accents were weird and uneven, we all lied to each other, and then we were wrongfully accused of causing the problem we fixed. If you're a first time C2 watcher, spoilers ahoy!

I believe this is the first recorded instance of Travis shouting "WEPLAYDUNGEONSANDDRAGOOOOOONS!"

I rate this Sam Riegel DnD Beyond Ad a 4/10

Caleb's already gotten more German

In hindsight Kylre the Devil Toad is already so weird

Beauregard "Never Goin' Back To Prison - Aw Damnit" Lionett

Bless Gustav for taking things on during the tribunal. I do get the impression that he really loves everyone in the circus.

I love that the Nein never bother with reasonable, low-key gambits. Something something arm spasm something something adopted sister.

Caleb and Nott desperately rationalizing their decision to stay with the party is so fun. Also, do we ever talk about Caleb apparently wanting to join an adventuring party? He wanted more help, that's why they came to Trostenwald.

"I've seen a LOT of dicks okay." Love you Jes

I also love Nott's old collection of people's canes and things

Her trying so hard to sell the money pot like a bad street magician is so good

Jester harassing Beau with a fork 😆

Oh I forgot Molly's original bullshit explanation for his weird blood power

Beau is so happy to say she's got nuts.

I love Fjord's coaching of her as well.

Wow Tal's rolling really well tonight.

"Our war against the old continues." I think it kinda sputtered out after this, really

I don't think Matt was expecting them to lean too hard on victimology, to be honest.

NPC: is reading a book The Party: "HEY CALEB YOU CAN READ"

Molly talking about how Solitaire is a game for the death-obsessed feels oddly poetic

Thinking about how much of the Nein's story rests on investigation, it's nice to see they had such humble beginnings. They're not very good at this.

"Sometimes the lack of information can be a process of elimination" Beau's already on the way though.

Nott asking Jester if she has a crush on Fjord...do we think she did at this point? I know Laura wanted to romance Travis from the start but has Jester gotten there yet, I wonder.

Ah yes, the three genders - Boys, Girls, and Whatever Molly Is (Fabulous)

Fjord accidentally reverting back to Grog's accent is hilarious

And then, just when they get to the interesting part with interviewing all the circus performers, Jester unravels the whole mystery with one spell. Classic.

In Conclusion: Cats make the best escape plans

[dinomighty]

More Mighty Nein thoughts and highlights as I make my way through my first watch of it.

Kiri is adorable, and has provided me with so many laughs. Matt choosing the best therefore worst sentences from the others to repeat as Kiri as well as his bird mannerisms are amazing. He's clearly loving the chaos and the laughs he can create.

Fjord trying to teach Beau how to be friendly and encouraging. She's so bad at it but she clearly values his advice because she asks him how to apologise. And he gives really excellent advice. He's not doing it just because it'll help the group to have Beau offending less people, he wants to help her with something she clearly needs help with.

Caleb asking Yasha about connecting with people and starting conversations as he's aware he's not great at it and he sees Yasha is an awkward introvert like him too. And her subsequent awkward advice. So sweet.

I'm in awe of how Sam plays so much comedy with Nott but also does serious moments completely seriously. Like we know Nott doesn't want to be a goblin, she was forced to do terrible things by fellow goblins, and it's all serious. And that's as well as being a goblin who can't resist stealing and went to blow up a troll's house without anything to light the fuse for the dynamite.

Someone pointed out that Molly wants to drink everything interesting and try every strong substance and enjoy experiences in every town, no matter how questionable, because he's only got 2 years of personal history. He's trying to cram in as many experiences as possible because he has no memories of any previous experiences. He's not just a hedonist.

Also I'm staying away from Reddit and YouTube comments. It's full of people criticising Marisha and complaining about how bad C3 is (I'm really looking forward to watching it personally).

[revvethasmythh]

you say you think Veth should divorce, could you expand a bit on that if you don't mind? what do you see as a happy ending for her?

To be fair, "should divorce" is kind of a conditional statement. By which I mean, as it stands now, I more think Veth and Yeza need to have a serious conversation about their relationship and start having some open communication about what they both want, and then take things from there--which could end very happily for them! Or it could, theoretically, end in divorce. So, it really depends on how that hypothetical conversation might go that would determine if I actually think they need to get divorced. Tragically, that is much more nuanced and way less funny than just posting #BrenattosDivorceWatch2k24, so here we are.

As for what I think a happy ending for her would be...it's interesting, because I don't think she has an unhappy ending now. I think she is, largely, happy. I would call her ending an imperfect one, and I don't mean that in a bad way--all of Veth's potential endings were imperfect. That was the nature of her conflict in the later campaign, that no matter what she did she was losing in some aspect or another. If she keeps adventuring, she runs the risk of acting the absentee mother to Luc. If she goes home to her family, she's leaving her friends out in the cold and might not be there to help if they need her. Her story was about making a choice and living with the consequences of that choice, which was very much highlighted by her extra-marital feelings for Caleb.

And I don't mean lust here--Veth lusts a lot, famously for Sunbreaker Olomon, which she justified by saying "50/50 chance my husband's already dead, so" 😂. But I mean feelings for Caleb. And I think you'll find that the vast majority of Veth stans are, if not actively on #BrenattosDivorceWatch2k24, then at least more keyed into the marital issues between Veth and Yeza than your average watcher. Because in C2, Veth had what amounted to a long-term emotional affair with Caleb that pointedly did not resolve, and you largely see the general, non-Veth stan audiences fail to acknowledge or engage with that aspect of their relationship and how that, in turn, effected her relationship with Yeza. In c2e85, Veth first hedges that she "used" to have a crush on Caleb, to which Beau replies, "You know, I kind of got that vibe before, thought there might be that feeling." Then, after c2e97, Sam outright stated Veth was frustrated with Yeza and wasn't sure she was still in love with him at all on Talks. In the early 100s, the Veth playlist dropped and confirmed she had romantic feelings for Caleb. In c2e121, Veth and Caleb have an incredibly emotional one-on-one about guilt, how much they love each other, and how much they'll miss each other when Veth leaves, where Veth tells him, "I will always love you." In c2e126, Veth sees Astrid having a breakdown after talking to Caleb and says, "Well, wouldn't you [have a breakdown] if you wanted to be with this amazing young man, and couldn't be because of circumstances tearing you apart?" and then later that same episode tells Caleb "Nothing is more important than you" (to which my good friend, upon watching with me, immediately said, "Umm???? Veth, don't you have a husband and son???").

Then, in c2e129, Luc dies. And from then on out, Veth is wholly focused on finishing out this mission and finally, permanently returning home to her family. Not that this wasn't her goal before, but it's clear that a choice has been made at this point and she's sticking with it. She's choosing her family, which was really the only choice she could make. And a consequence of this decision is that those extra-marital feelings she harbored are never discussed, never confessed to anyone (and I don't mean to Caleb here, I mean, like, to a friend), and fundamentally never resolved.

I said this before somewhere, but I don't think it was a bad choice to avoid finding resolution to this sort of thing in the campaign. It's a bit of a sensitive, awkward topic to noodle around with in your TTRPG. But I do think that lack of resolution to either Veth's frustration with Yeza's easy acceptance of whatever she does or her extra-marital feelings in general led Veth to a place of wanting. Which was always what her story was about to begin with, so there's an interesting symmetry to starting and ending with her wanting something. It was easy to name what she wanted at the start of the campaign--her body back, her life back--and much more difficult to face the idea that you may not be completely satisfied with having all that returned to you, that there's still other things to want.

Though, I actually think the Wildemount Wildlings helped her strike a great balance between the things that she wanted, adventuring and homesteading, just that it was an impermanent solution. Because she's not going to willingly resolve any issues she has with Yeza (nor Yeza with her) because Veth is a terrible communicator who will never outright tell Yeza if she's feeling this way, and Yeza is too passive to really push her into talking, so they just dance around their issues, pretending not to see them while the issues just fester and get worse. That's why I'm a #BrenattosDivorce Truther. Because i HATE indecision and dawdling and staying in a situation where you're not completely happy when it does a disservice to yourself AND your partner and THIS is why I am always the first person in the group chat to say "BREAK UP WITH HIM."

So, yeah, personally? I'd just want that potential for conflict that exists between Veth and Yeza to come to some sort of head. That's my happy ending, vague as it is. But that's far from the only way she might get resolution. Or she might get no resolution, which is as imperfect an ending as any of her options, and I'm okay with that too.

[sldlovescartoons]

One of the bigger crimes of the bulk of The Mighty Nein being kind of stupid, and the giant blind spot Caleb’s Intelligence and Wisdom Scores have towards his trauma is that nobody is there to really logic shit out when it pops up. Like when they first go to Nott’s home town, there’s honestly a lot more clear evidence that Yeza was working with the Assembly and got snatched by Kyrn. The village was recently attacked by Kyrn. Even the letter refers to Trent’s research as separate. Also all the torture was specifically a Trent Scourger Special. The assumption that the Assembly snatched and was torturing Yeza came from a real animal fear place. But Caleb is too zonked on trauma juice to shuffle things out and way too ready to place more suffering at his own feet. And none of the others have the kinds of smarts to be like “Okay, but that was that Trent guy, right? This letter talks like their stuff is separate. I don’t see why they would take him unless he’d done something bad- maybe the simple answer is right one here?” Along those lines. But that one is really minor and understandable because there was a lot going on-

The time where this was the biggest crime was after the dinner with Trent. Because that shit Trent said about sending the woman to heal Caleb is so obviously bullshit if you really scrutinize it at all. Like I didn’t need Matt to say in the wrap up it was bullshit because I knees immediately it was bullshit because it doesn’t make any goddamned sense. Broken Scourgers are held in the Sanatorium for a reason. They are really dangerous to Trent and his operation because not only do they risk leaking his methods to the public, but because if one dies in fact get better, or rather get magical cleric healing, they will definitely want to kill Trent in the aftermath. The built in risk with an operation like his is that he’s also training up his future executioners if any of them turn on him. You know, like they were? As it was, Astrid was going to take his ass out in good time and she’s fully drunk the koolaid, you don’t need a pissed prodigy on your heals too. Trent’s stated reason for freeing Caleb is fucking nonsense, it’s stupid, but none of the Nein have the sort of Wisdom and Smarts to be like “that doesn’t make any sense, though? If he wanted to free you to make you reach your potential, why did he wait so long? It makes more sense to do it sooner. Also, if he has ready access to clerics with magic like that, why doesn’t he just use them to fix all broken scourgers right away? It would increase the number of spies in his network, so either there’s a good reason he doesn’t heal them, or he doesn’t have open access to clerics that powerful and he’s bluffing. This doesn’t make a lot of sense.” And so on. Also just their dumbassery (said with all the affection in the world, I love the Nein. To bits.) they never really get how and why Trent is so scary and dangerous. Not fully. And are thus woefully unprepared to help Caleb with his problems like Caleb helps them with theirs. And it’s not their fault, they are angels and they are doing their best, but boy does it do a number of Caleb not having sort of support. The closest is Beau, and I love her, she’s like my third favorite behind Caleb and Jester, but- Yikes. Just Yikes.

[burr-ell]

Ask game: 6, 8, 13

6. which ship fans are the most annoying?

Imogen/Laudna shippers. They harassed people and whined for years about how if you think the ship is mid you're a misogynist and a lesbophobe, before turning right around and calling Beau/Yasha boring. They insisted that Imogen is good and kind and kind and good and you can't ever criticize her or you're a misogynist, and then the only thing they had to say when Imogen started sympathizing with the gods was to lament that she was too emotional and empathetic. They drove so much discourse—about the gods, about Bor'dor, about the shard, about the sword—because they refused to allow Imogen or Laudna to be viewed as anything other than blameless victims, cute little mousies with no agency to ever cause harm, and then demanded that everyone praise Imogen for every amazing courageous choice she made. (Laudna's choices rarely got spotlighted, probably because she barely did anything in 121 episodes and the choices she did make are the ones her stans had to defend her from.) They fueled discourse that the gods are colonizers and that defending c3 is praxis while doing everything in their power to shield the feelings of two fictional skinny femme white women.

And frankly, I'm not surprised more people don't say anything! Even among people who like it, more than one person has admitted either to me in private or in smaller groups I happen to be part of that they think these shippers are scary, or that "cr twitter" is scary while tiptoeing around any specifics. Imogen and Laudna's own fans are a big part of the reason people who normally write meta stopped writing anything about them—it didn't help that there was rather little to write about, but if you engaged with them as characters in a story and not dolls to keep in their boxes and coo over from a distance, you opened yourself up to either harassment, shittalking behind your back, or both. Considering how much they resent everything else Critical Role does that isn't a vessel for The Ship, I'll be glad to see the back of them once they leave.

8. common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about

Fanon is not sacrosanct just because fans came up with it. Obviously don't harass people about fanon, you are grown, but people are not coming into your house and breaking your tablet over their knee if they say in their own space "this fanart/fanfic trend is dumb".

13. worst blorbofication

I've alluded to the issues with Imogen and Laudna, so I'm going to pick some low-hanging fruit and say that it's incredibly tiresome to still be finding Percy x Reader or OC content in the year 2025. Like first of all that man is not a dom and doesn't want to be, second of all you can have bad taste all you want but at least tag it consistently. Once the M9 show comes out Caleb's tag is going to be a hellpit.

[demenior]

📓📓📓 :)

I see 3 blank books that need to be filled with my ideas!

1. Critical Role: Capitola and I spent time today bouncing a "what if" Fealty au au in which Astrid was the one who left Rexxentrum, not Eadwulf. While the overarching idea is the same: extremely depressed Volstrucker flees Rexxentrum, and gets on a ship with FjordJester and accidentally falls for them, the inner details are SOOOOOOOOO different because Astrid and Eadwulf are VERY different people, despite being so similar! Plot details would be: Eadwulf usurped Astrid to steal her place on the Assembly, and that betrayal drives Astrid from Rexxentrum because she doesn't want to kill Eadwulf in revenge (even though her instincts say she should!!!) Astrid is all about not being seen so she would throw herself into blending in (boobies out for the coast! (The resulting sunburn...)), and actively helping out as part of the crew. She is just as shitty of a sailor as Eadwulf is. She is obsessed with Jester, who loves having a fellow schemer on board and who also delights in baffling Astrid by plotting around her vs brazenly flirting with her and throwing her off her game completely. At first Astrid would think FJ are Out To Get Her (as in: will hold her mistakes against her/be like Trent) but there would be a moment that Astrid sees them as Leaders (Masters) that win her trust and she goes from being an angry cat to wanting to watch them sleep. FJ may or may not understand what happened to cause the change. She makes herself FJ's advisor. What do they need advising on? Unclear. She starts with everything. She probably pushes them to become Plank King(s) or Marquis of Nicodranas bc plotting is enrichment for her. At some point Fjord watches his hot gf make out with hot Astrid and he says a silent prayer to the Wildmother in thanks.

2. Critical Role: I still dream about writing the Scourger legal drama in which the Blumentrio have to gather the Volstrucker to collectively fight the Empire in the courtroom to prove they should be considered people with rights and not weapons of the state (with no rights). The story would be set like within a year after Trent's trial so the Volstrucker stuff and pain is fresh on everyone's mind. The Blumentrio have NOT had any reconciliation between them and are barely on speaking terms until the Empire decides to announce that the Volstrucker are considered weapons and are to lose all of their rights as people and have to come report to jail to somewhere where they can be monitored at all times for everyone's safety (or maybe killed, idk). At this time most of the Volstrucker are still reeling in a loss of identity and so it's up to Caleb to ask the Cobalt Soul (Beau) to help, and has to use Astrid and Eadwulf to aid him to save "their people". At some point Eadwulf betrays them and argues that the Volstrucker are just weapons and don't deserve/shouldn't be people or else they stop being Volstrucker etc etc. It ends with the Volstrucker being people and a chance for the Blumentrio to maybe start over (Eadwulf may end up in Vergessun for a bit. Idk)

3. Critical Role: I have a whole wip in my head about Fjord's backstory (before the origins comic came out) featuring like 13yo Fjord and Sabian stealing money from the myriad running their orphanage and then stowing away on a ship to escape so they can start a new life (with all the big dreams 13yos can come up with). This is of course Vandrans ship, they get caught, and end up joining the crew rather than get thrown overboard. Fjord n Sabian have hidden the money in the ship so no one knows they have it, and some element here is that Vandran (a scary sailor who threatens to throw them overboard like every day) knows they're lying about something so it's like high tension. Come to some port and the myriad show up to inform Vandran that Fjord and Sabian are thieves (and strongly implied they will be tortured and killed, and if Vandran doesn't comply he will likely also die/something bad would happen). But Vandran vouches for them, does some charismatic talking, and protects the boys. In the end it turns out Vandran knew about the money from early on and still chose to protect the boys, and this was the first person who ever stuck up for them so Sabian and Fjord imprint on Vandran immediately. Perfect way to start a family!!

[ludinusdaleth]

hey, i'm new to cr fandom and wasn't there when c2 was airing, may i ask out of curiosity what was the fandom's problem with its ending?

i want to start by saying this post is meant as a personal memory and not an incitement of any discourse. i do not want a lot of asks or replies or anything about this if i can help it. i would also politely ask that no one reblog this as i really just. dont want attention about this when ive discussed it to death on twitter. i also apologize for not having screenshots but i truly cannot bring myself to wade through that again. it was bad enough i still have nightmares about it.

basically, about 3 eps before c2's end, matt clarified on twitter the campaign was coming to a close, and that. did not go well. you see, folk (myself included, though i wasnt part of the following clown show) were very sure c2 would continue a while. it felt unfinished as the empire/trent had to be taken down, and for some of us ludinus was clearly the big bad, etc. so this was incredibly jarring to a lot of folk. and with that came anger. a lot of critique came down to fear of things being rushed, a lack of closure, claims of extreme neoliberialism due to not taking down the empire (i could write an essay on and cite multiple leftist activists who have stated c2 is truthful to the activist tale, not neoliberalism, and also how c3 deconstructs beau & caleb's actions, but everyone is allowed to have their own opinion on it), and that if shadowgast did not fuck in this short timespan the fans were going to kill liam & matt. and threats of killing were the least of what ensued. im just gonna put a tw here for discussion of extreme harrassment and even threat of necrophilia/rape:

people were. atrocious. beyond atrocious. know why 4sd/a lot of q&a events of theirs for a while had no fan questions? partially bc fans were frankly terrible at asking non-ship questions on talks machina, but mainly because folk FILLED their inboxes with insults (and a twitter account was made of screenshots bragging about it) that only the crew would get to filter out, not the cast. know why dani was terrified to show her face on 4sd for a bit? c2 fans would not let up on how it was her cishet fault fjorjester happened. people thought the solution to alleged neoliberalism was to therefore @ travis saying they would defile his veteran fathers corpse. if there was any solid discussion critiquing c2 happening, it was so drowned that actors who had nothing to do with the show told cr fans to stay away if that was how they treated their favorite creators wanting a break. it really didnt help that a certain disgraced talks machina host was firing potshots on twitter when the cast seemed to be just trying to take it all in, so more discourse was kicked up from him. in general besides all of that, you had the average death & even a few rape threats you would expect from the pits of fan entitlement. the way they were hardly the most notable of the insults hurled their way still rattles the mind. and thats just what i saw. my friends have claimed to have seen worse, but if we can help it we dont discuss it in detail, it's that bad. like i said, any idea of an actual conversation about c2 and how someone felt about it from an analysis perspective was not even a drop in the bucket; there was no actual discourse but rather spitting hatred pouring over that mistook personal grievances for excuses to mistreat quite literally anyone around them who didnt agree that threatening to defile someone was funny bittersweet revenge.

the thing is, after the c2 finale happened? i mean, a lot of folk didnt originally like it (i think it's generally pretty well liked now, and i enjoy it), but it wrapped up a lot of issues pretty well. all that terror & terrorizing over a fictional story was really for nothing. and even if it had ended undebateably badly did anything warrant that fallout?

there are of course a few other factors that seperate cast from fandom now. laura also got innumerable threats from tlou fans for playing some antagonist character, twitter is a dysfunctional shithole, and it's just rational the more popular you get to not be buddy-buddy with fans. but that was. a Time, for sure. c3 is a decent campaign but im far from the first person to note that many of its traits are set in trying to find vox machina's fixed story beats so no story beat is left "unturned" and being as un-m9-like as possible, even when they love the m9. a lot of the worst m9 fans now who harrass other campaign enjoyers and lament c2 being "an unloved middle child" are folk who never left the bitterness they held in that time. for as much discourse as c3 has kicked up i really dont think any of it compares to the sheer scale of what happened late may 2021, and im hoping with all my heart it never does reach that level ever again (i think c3 has a slightly smaller (at least online) fanbase compared to c2, and isnt marked by a pandemic hiatus, so hopefully that means something).

i hope i answered your question. i really hate remembering this time but sometimes i think it should be remembered so folk know what the cost of extreme parasociality is. the distance the cast has from fans now is not only earned but maybe should have always been there, so things never evolved to that extremity. but now it's done and gone. i envy people who watch cr on their own merits and didn't get sucked into twitter at the time; it has been fascinating watching folk say they love the travelercon/aeor arcs and the ending. rewatching later c2 really emphasizes how many complaints hinged on extremely online & parasocial headspaces - you definitely wont hear anyone nowadays say liam is a biphobic cishet abusing matt by not making caleb kiss essek yet. i hope new fans have a better time than we did. oh - and get off twitter.