#I want to make all the Caduceus stans sad

[joycrispy]

i was considering the implications of the kenku spirit and hurt my own feelings so i wrote a thing about it

CW: Disordered eating and sleeping, Saduceus Clay.

*

Caduceus had found that, by establishing a routine, he could propel the endless identical days along. Each one over and done with was another day closer to the day when they would come home.

So, there were a few things he always made sure to do: tend the graves, gather the tea, check the wards, and so on. Stuff he could do without having to think, too much.

What had gotten away from him a little bit was the timing of it all. He ate when he was hungry and slept when he was tired, but, he noticed, he was getting less hungry and more tired all the time. It was probably fine –at least, it wasn’t a problem yet— but it did mean there were nights like tonight, when he would start awake in pitch darkness, another full cycle of daylight lost without him noticing.

He wasn’t raised to complain. So he skipped breakfast, lit a lantern, and went out to gather.

He was bent over a flowering grave in the moonlight when he heard:

“Help!”

He froze, hand hovering.

Listening was one of the few things he considered himself truly good at. Sure enough, the voice came again, ghostly, echoing across distance. “Help! Help!”

Gooseflesh rippled over him. It wasn’t the situation, really –he was a gravekeeper of the Savalirwood; he’d heard his fair share of desperate screams in the forest (and just as many of those were suddenly, ominously silenced)— but the voice itself. Because it sounded like…

“Calliope?” a second voice called. “Colton?”

He leapt to his feet, knocking the lantern over. The little candle sputtered out, leaving him standing in the dark.

“Clarabelle?!” he shouted at the tree line, louder than he knew was wise.

(Something in the magic of the grove seemed to groan, the way a house groans when its walls expand or contract. His call had caught some-corrupted-thing’s attention, and the wards held it off. Barely. He didn’t care. He didn’t care.)

He felt like something electrified. A tree petrified by lightning, standing so still among the graves, straining his ears for a response.

It sounded further than before, but now he was sure it was Calliope’s voice. “Help!”

And then, unmistakably Clarabelle, and further still. “Lost!”

He bit his lip --and then looked all around, trying to find where he’d placed his staff when he’d had a light to see it by. It was leaning against the headstone. He held it close to his chest in two hands and, with wide eyes, started to walk towards the threshold between the grove and the wood.

Colton’s voice drifted into the grove, making him jump, “Be of service!”

They were all there. They were all right there.

The magical current of the wards prickled his skin. A thousand lessons ran through his head --never abandon the grove, never go anywhere alone, and never, ever enter the woods at night…

But he was gripped by a longing so sharp and immediate it felt more like panic.

“Clarabelle!” he called again, taking another dangerous step forward. “Calliope! Colton! You guys, I’m over here, I’m—!”

Something unseen but large moved in the brush only a few feet away; he stumbled back, brandishing his staff wildly. Once again the limits of the wards seemed to stretch, straining against the intruder –and then shrunk back in again, tight enough to make him gasp, and for a dizzy moment it looked like the trees were rushing in to crush him. Like the entire grove was contracting to an unbearable, claustrophobic point…

The illusion passed. The sense of being trapped remained.

He was beginning to feel like he might cry from frustration, when Clarabelle’s voice rang out again, a little closer than before. But what it said was wrong, “Strange voice,” it said, soft and lilting. “Are you near or far?”

Strange voice?

He opened his mouth to answer, incredulous as he was, but the beginnings of a memory curled into being, and kept him silent.

“Strange voice,” it said again, coaxing. “Are you before me or behind me?”

“I…”

I’ve heard this story, he thought.

And the truth clicked into place.

He let his staff fall to his side, arms limp. 

After a moment, he turned and walked back to the temple. He leaned against the southern-most wall, sliding into a sitting position on the ground, knees pulled to his chest. Pink eyes half-lidded, unseeing.

He didn’t answer the voices when they called for him again.

 *

It was just after sunrise and a cool layer of dew had settled on him when he felt the pop of someone crossing the threshold. Nothing corrupted, nothing dangerous –but no one came in or out without him knowing about it.

Of course, he knew who it was. He’d listened to them searching for him all night.

(He’d listened to their voices searching for him all night…)

A dark shape appeared around his feet. He lifted his head to see what looked like a shadow suspended in mid-air, becoming gradually more solid even as the morning light passed through it. Its beaked head was bowed towards him.

“Calliope,” said the voice of Clarabelle. “Colton. I, I, I.”

“They’re not here,” he said. “They left some seasons ago. It’s just me.”

The kenku spirit didn’t move. Although there were only pockets of darkness where the eyes should have been, he could feel them looking him over, questioning. He sighed, propping up his staff as something to lean his forehead against. He was so tired.

“I’m the other sibling. Caduceus. We’ve never met, but my brother and sisters told me about you. And how they helped you.”

He glanced towards the woods where he knew, somewhere a mile or two out, a pile of kenku bones lay intertwined with flowers.

“I guess they probably used to visit your grave now and then.” Without him. “To perform the rites…and of course Belle would just want to say hi…”

“Caduceus,” his own voice echoed back at him. He tried to ignore the deadened, rung-out sound of it.

“Yeah. It’s nice that you came to check on them.” Actually he could have done without it. “I’m sure you were starting to worry, when no one had swung by in a while. Rest easy, friend—they’re on a long journey, but they’ll be back. In time.”

“Caduceus,” his voice said again. “The other sibling.”

“Mmhm,” he closed his eyes, willing the spirit to be gone when he opened them again.

There was a considered pause. Then, Calliope’s voice rung out, fierce and declarative, “I will defend this cleric charged to my care!”

Oh, boy. What must he look like, to inspire pity from the dead?

“You’re very kind,” he said. “But there’s nothing I need from you. I’m just fine on my own.”

The magic of the grove shivered, so he opened his eyes a crack, to see.

The shade of the kenku was bowing its head, and then lower, shrinking in on itself as it began to fade. After a moment the light streaming through was clear again, unobstructed. He sensed that he was, once again, alone.

Well. He wasn’t raised to complain.

He realized he’d been awake for hours and eaten nothing at all, and just as quickly decided he didn’t care, and that all he wanted was to sleep.

(Years later he would reflect how, when he really compared the two in his memory, loneliness and starvation felt so very much the same).

His chores could wait until tomorrow, too. Let the world –his world, this tiny orchard, and the temple and the dead within it— be the one to wait, for once.

He hauled himself to his feet, using his staff for support.

At the very least, he comforted himself, another day was over and done with. One day closer to the day when they would come home.

[readbythestarlight]

c2e128

On hi Gale!

"Boyfriend? Ugh!" xD

I NEED THE SHIRT IMMEDIATELY

Oh lord here we go.........

Oh Jesus okay here we go

I’m worried about Caleb here. Just, being faced with Trent like this, in this place especially, and being back in a corner

[[MORE]]

Goddddddddd

SHIT

god I’m shaking

Counterspell counterspell

God RUN YOU FOUR RUN

Someone hug him

FUCK OFF IKATHON

HOW IS HE DOING THIS

Using message?

"I don’t know if I’m ready to talk to you yet"

No babes he’s not talking to you

Fuck you Trent

Veth being surprised they actually succeeded Lol

Give one to Essek plz

Attunment sigh

Veth honey do you not have a key to the house

Fuck OFF TRENT

I’m going to crawl through my screen and tear him apart

Oh no

Now the assembly is gonna be after them for sure

Carrots are immune to scrying it’s canon

Also fuck they shouldn’t have gone to Veth’s house

Caleb... babe......

Fuck now he knows about the

Oh no

"I have my theories about where you might have learned" don’t TOUCH my other boy Trent I WILL personally fuck you up

And he knows about Vess too great

YES be worried for Essek

Please check on him

Caleb is shaking so bad

Babe

And now if something happens to Essek Caleb will blame himself for that this is NOT what I want

Okay good, good, reassure him

"I am responsible for your family. And yours. And you."

"And I worry... that I am... the very thing he told me I was."

"Not yet. Not yet."

"You did good. You got what we needed."

Good, reassure him.

Oh no she did talk about her mom to the guard fuck

"He was looking at you with puppy dog eyes?"

"Oh my god Fjord he loved me so much."

Jester is gonna send her to the Gentleman xD

"I think we’ve done enough damage today." Taliesin xD

Okay seriously huh Caleb please

Also I’m Shadowgast trash so I hope something comes from this

One to all family members and then one for Essek good

Hn I get Fjord’s point tho being near the ocean isn’t good for him personally

Veth and Yeza are literally just so wholesome and cute

Divine Intervention okayyyy

Artagan left her on read lol

Awww Yasha talking to the Stormlord

Whatcha so nervous about, babe?

Jester trying to help Yasha out is so sweeeeeet

Artagan is SUCH a dork I love him

Oh no

It’s THOSE crystals

Caleb is fucked UP right now y’all need to take care of this boy

God this is fucked up fucking fuck

Genuinely when is it going to be time to kill Trent

Taliesin xD

I miss whispers pandemic will be over WHEN

Awwwww god I love their reunions

Oh god poor Marion

I hate this

"What have you done?"

Noooooo

"I’m not angry I’m just—I just worry about you."

I’m crying it’s fine

We stan supportive family members

Uncle Caleb

Fjord you dork xD

Be careful Blud buddy

Oh Fjord, what have you done you goober

Anyway I’m nervous about those two

I need to sleep ugh

Anyway can we briefly talk about how Veth is apparently planning to leave the group after Aeor

Not that I can blame her but that’s gonna be SAD

Anyway I’m glad they’re gonna take a calm "let’s talk to them" approach

"Making’ my way downthestairs" I love how they always burst into that song

Ooooo Jester going in disguise as mom, that could be risky

Stop fucking calling him Bren

Wait

Astrid??

Is it Astrid and Wulf??

Holy shit and they’re WARNING him??

Oh god oh god oh fuck

This is bad

"Trent is, um... frustrated" Trent can choke

"And I hope we don’t meet again."

They’re helping him and I’m baffled yet glad

Oh man... poor Jester, she’s gonna be so upset with herself for mentioning her mom

I know Cad doesn’t go for it, but I’m gonna forever believe Wulf has a bit of a crush on Cad

They’re helping Caleb specifically which is giving me some hardcore feelings

Blud should go with them too if he wants, he can help keep Marion safe

Also god I can’t wait for the Gentleman to open the door and see all this happen

Who is it who is

Oh another one?? How are Astrid and Wulf going to lie about being there if there’s a

Mother FUCKER I KNEW IT

Veth honey be careful

Don’t go in don’t go in they WILL catch you

Okay good

Time to GO

I hate the idea of splitting up but time to go time to GO

God I’m so fucking stressed

I hope Yussah is willing to help them

And NOW we go to break

L: "we’ve played this game for years! It’s make believe! I’m so scared!!"

They can track Yeza, and also probably Marion

Please Yussah be willing to help them I’m begging

Wentsworth is a good boy at least I like him

How is Marion?? Is she okay?

Oh sweetie

Hardcore agoraphobia poor dear

Caduceus you’re such a sweetheart

Also Cad is scared too he sounds so tense

He’s in the

He’s out of town?

HE’S GONE DRAGON HASNT HE

He

He went to the WHAT

I love that he’s trying to help I guess but that makes me vaguely nervous

Aw not dragon, what a shame

Oh sure Jester there’s no way THAT could go wrong

If y’all get Yussah’s tower fucked up he’s gonna be so pissed

Using unknown magic is probably not your smartest choice rn

Wait can’t Beau just read any language? I thought that was a monk thing

Okay okay okay

I really wanted Blud to come with them :(

Plane shift oh dear

Y’all don’t need to plane shift how will you get back again??

Can y’all then get back after resting?

And it’s not even big enough for all of them

And also like they could just end up getting stuck fighting things they don’t have spells for

Caleb shut the fuck up

Thank you for putting that down immediately, Cad and Veth

Sewers gross

Why don’t you all just go to the sewers and hide out and get to a ship and go

I don’t like splitting up I don’t like splitting up I don’t like splitting up!!

Like they’d be split up for at least a few days right? And I don’t like it

Hide them in the ball???

I was thinking that, Veth! Not that it’s a good idea but I just so hate splitting up

fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck I’m so STRESSED

oh fuck

FUCK

NO

Who is at the DOOR

Right it’s like reverse Narnia

No Matt now you’re backwards xD

They’ve all confused themselves now with the time ball

So you’re gonna send the family to the fire plane instead??

Fuck fuck fuck GO

Yussah’s gonna be so pissed if someone breaks into his tower because of them while he’s looking for answers for him

Aw Fjord’s and Jester’s little goodbye “be safe” moment

Fuckfuckfuck

I’m so fucking stressed

Can y’all believe the happy fun ball has become such a useful thing?

FUCKING NO

NOOOOO

NOOOOOOO BITCH

Goddddddd

I can’t breathe

“It’s like Rolf in Sound of Music” except Rolf betrayed them

I’m SCARED y’all god like I’m literally so stressed out

Is it Thursday yet??

God I hope Yussah is safe and that the Assembly doesn’t hurt him or steal any of his stuff

And Wentsworth too

[the-kaedageist]

2020 Creator Wrap: Favorite Works

Oops this has been sitting in my drafts for a few days...lol. Tagged by @mithrilwren and @ariadne-mouse! 😘

Rules: It’s time to love yourselves! choose your 5 (or so) favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought to the world in 2020. Tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

I produced more in 2020 in terms of number-of-fic-wise than I did ever before (although NOT in terms of wordcount, haha). Let’s see what I’ve got here! 

Also, warning: I wrote a LOT of romantic fjorclay/cadwulf before the Caduceus-is-aro reveal and I’m not going to shy away from linking it here, so if that is something upsetting to you, please do any skipping this post/avoiding those links that you need to in order to be kind to yourself.

1. no man is an island (but we sure are on one): my absolute favorite fic I wrote this year after a YEAR fanfic-writing drought. This was written during the hiatus and it’s absolutely whimsical and delightful and everything I wanted from fjorclay at the place where it was left. I still love this fic dearly, and it makes me sad that nobody reads it anymore, although I completely understand why. It will always have a special place in my heart!

2. the people bowed and prayed (to the neon god they made): this fic was written in an absolute fever dream after the Lucien reveal, and I LOVE everything about it even though a lot of it has been retconned now. This was everything I wanted from a Lucien arc summarized in 5k words, and it delights me that despite it being absolute gen (with HINTS of widomauk) and being completely AU at this point, it still gets kudos here and there. I’m so glad people are still interested in my interpretation of what could have been. Canon has even delivered on a few of the things I hypothesized, although Lucien having Molly’s memories and just being a different person is not one of them. It was SO fun to write in this verse though.

3. fools give you reasons, wise men never try: ah, remember the Cadwulf three weeks when we all dove head first into this ridiculous pairing? This was my offering to those moments, and I had SO much fun exploring a romantic interlude between these two. One of the best things about this fic is although I didn’t disclaim that I’d headcanoned Cad as gray ace (and used this fic to explore my own relationship with romance a little bit), a commenter replied and said it was so familiar to their experiences being ace as well. What a compliment! Even though I know it’s disrespectful to continue to write alloromantic-ace Caduceus, I’m so thankful for the months I had to explore my own experiences through this amazing character.

4. Ersatz: this was Widomauk written for @ariadne-mouse and I had SO much fun with it. This was written before the Lucien reveal, and I really enjoyed exploring Molly’s feelings of disconnect from the present M9 and how he used unhealthy coping mechanisms to deal with that. Something about this was just a really interesting premise to explore. (This entire list just makes it really obvious that I’m a big ol’ Taliesin Jaffe stan).

5. The fifth item hasn’t actually been posted anywhere yet because I’m still working on it! But I’m in the middle of writing a really cool Jester/Astrid fic (currently at ~3k as of the new year) and I’m really excited about it. However, I definitely need to flesh it out a bit more before posting. Stay tuned!

Everyone who I would have tagged has already been tagged by one of our mutuals I believe, so go wild, anyone who wants to do this!

[cadaceus]

C2E112

This time on Critical Role Liveblogs: I watch an episode live for the second time ever, there is a rollercoaster of emotions that I was not expecting to go on, and I use A LOT of caps lock. This was honestly so much fun, and literally some of the moments had me yelling, or grinning, or taking a walk around my room because ohmygod. Liveblogs and excessive emotions beneath the cut. Spoilers down below, so beware!

- Only my second time watching live, and it’s my first time seeing the chat during an actual episode.... damn it scrolls by quick!

- THE MOLLY INTRO IM LOSING MY MIND IMD VDHJKDL

- SENDING HIM A MESSAGE OH MY GOD JESTER I LOVE YOU (also Yasha’s desperation oh my dear love)

- This crabgrass is so precious but also the fact that Molly was “revived” 50 days ago I’m sadddd what were the Mighty Nein doing 50 days ago, I’m  😭

- Aw, it’s too bad that they left Molly’s cloak, I really wanted Yasha or someone to take it!

- What was that in the painting?!?! Fjord making more and more enemies by the day hjfklhdjkdl

- Molly Lore!!! Tomb Takers Lore!!! 

- “Caduceus, I think you should get your armor, you are our only healer.” CALEB PLEASE FHJKFL

- “Current events are weird” one could say that, yes

- oh my god there was only one bed,,,,,  👀

- WAIT IS JESTER IN LOVE WITH BEAU LAURA’S FACIAL EXPRESSIONDGHJKSDJBDSN 

- THE BEAUYASHA IN THIS EPISODE AND THE BEAUJESYASHA IN THIS EPISODE IM CRYING I CANT BELIEVE THIS WE’RE GONNA GET A BEAUYASHA LOVE CONFESSION I FEEL IT IN MY BONES!!!!!

- “I want to kiss her so bad, but it makes me feel guilty” My emotions Ms. Johnson please  😭 😭 😭

- I love this Jester and Yasha moment so much oh my god I love them I’m grinning so hard right nowwwww

- Wait Caduceus workshopping a poem to write about Fjord right after Yasha workshops her Beau poem,,,,,,,,, mr Clay,,,,,,,,,,, hmmmmmm  👀

- BEAUYASHA DISASTERS MOODBOARD, I LOVE THEM IM CRYING

- The chair, y’all pls dfghjdkld

- Poor Pumat Sol :((((

- Caleb is so determined to keep Veth with them, I’m so sad.... also “Help the Empire, save the world, see your family” oof I bet he’s heard that rhetoric before and is repeating it to Veth now because he can’t do this without her I’m emo :(

- They’re in Eiselcross let’s goooo

- THE OATH OF THE OPEN SEA???? IM SO PROUD OF HIM I LOVE HIM

- Molly has been sliced, confirmed  😭

- Uh oh, why roll a d10???

- Veth rolling a 35, we have to stan!! (Also I feel like there’s been so many Nat 20s this episode!)

- PULLED OVERBOARD???// CLICKING???? WHAT GOES ON

- Wait I 100% thought this would be a cliffhanger but he’s going into combat I’m excited!

- ROLL INITIATIVE Y’ALL LETS DO THIS LETS GOOOO

- Sam what have you done dfghfjkl;d

- “I cast Disintegrate!” LIAM ITS STILL TOO SOON LMAOOO

- wait we know the humanoid figure he said? chat seems to be implying its the uka’toa follower guy again hmmmm

- OH GOD THE VAULT OF AMBER IS GONE BYE BYE FIREWORKS LMAO 

- AVANTIKA????????????????? OH SHIT

- oh god oh no

- ANOTHER NATURAL 20 CLUTCH

- If I had a nickel for every time Matt Mercer ended an episode on a cliffhanger involving an NPC we definitely thought was dead, then I would have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s baller than it happened twice.

- Okay this was such a fun episode. The Beauyasha moments, the arrival at Eiselcross finally, the RETURN OF FREAKING AVANTIKA DFGHDJKLDDJHDJKL. I literally cannot wait until next week, and being all caught up with everyone is so much fun!!! Thanks for letting me ramble <3

[the-enchantress-of-yggdrasil]

What Your Fave Crit Role Character Says About You

This is a looooong post so everything is below the cut! I tried to include not only all the PCs but also the popular NPCs!

There’s also more than one option for each character (kind like AND/OR options), so if one doesn’t apply to you the other one is definitely the truth ;)

Percy

you think the more feral a man is the more attractive he is, as long as he respects women

well-done redemption arcs are like drugs for you

Vex

you stan women characters no matter what their flaws, especially because of their flaws, especially villains, especially gay villains

you want her to top you

Grog

you’re kind-hearted but have a lot of repressed anger and enjoy seeing a character be both kind and gone apeshit

you latch on to any and all himbos in a nearby area

Vax

you’re pretty horny but also extremely sad

angst is your favourite relationship trope

Keyleth

you see yourself in her, and her arc was cathartic

you’re a lesbian

Pike

you just really fucking love ashley johnson

you’re short but you like it

Scanlan

you enjoy fanon more than canon

you are a cishet man

Taryon

meta humour in media is the funniest to you

you hate stagnation and embrace change

Allura

you realised you were gay much later than you’d have liked

you’re really into milfs

Kima

lesbian or protector of lesbians

you’re short and you hate it

Gilmore

you have the biggest brain in the universe

you have the biggest heart in the universe

Raishan

you’re a dragon fucker first and a person second

redemption arcs are for suckers; villains deserve to go out evil and hot as hell

Mollymauk

you don’t care about crit role anymore but you’ll never stop caring about this bitch

your gender is anything but binary

Caduceus

you appreciate goth culture, even if you aren’t goth

you are very fond of family and familial ties

Fjord

you like ocean and coastal aesthetic, maybe even have been called a beach bitch before

you have deep-set abandonment issues

Caleb

most decidedly has a “type” of favourite character

enjoys crying (hey, it’s cathartic)

Jester

would prefer to never ever read or watch something angsty

been called a class clown

Beau

lesbian

you are angry but get good grades and like to see that reflected in a badass woman

Yasha

soulmates are your favourite trope

hates crying but does it a lot

Nott

you have difficulty making decisions

probably heterosexual

Pumat Sol

your mantra for likable characters is “the bigger the better”

you are very behind on crit role but prefer it that way

Avantika

hhhhh woman

you believe that the only good character is one that would kill you with no hesitation

Essek

gay

“being a bad bitch” might not be your number one goal but it’s high on the list

Bryce

you dont know what crit role is but figured the best character was the first confirmed genderfluid one

noble/bodyguard trope is your favourite

[princessamericachavez]

Little Fjorester moments in episode 73

So, we didn’t get as many moments in this episode as I would’ve hoped, but it also makes total sense. Liveshows are always complicated for these things, especially since both tables aren’t sitting front to front to each other, so we get a lot less exchanged looks. Also, we were so well fed last week, that it makes sense that the pace would slow down a little this time around. 

Nevertheless, we did get some nice stuff!

Fjord: I’m... in the back.

Jester: Actually, Fjord, maybe in the middle? Because if something comes up behind us...

And Jester proceeds to stand in the back to keep guard. 

She’s so worried about him being hurt and ready to protect him. 

We stand one protective couple.

Clay: Let’s make a circle.

Jester: Circle up, around Fjord. 

Nott: And Caleb!

SHE’S SO WORRIED THAT HE’LL GET HURT

PUSHING THE PARTY TO PROTECT HIM

Clay: Fjord, you don’t have to stay in the circle, if you don’t want you. If you wanna test out how you feel.

Jester: Don’t do it. Don’t. 

FJORD PLEASE LET ME TRY TO PROTECT YOU DAMMIT DON’T TRY TO BE BRAVE

Jester: *gets bitten by a giant bug nearly killing her*

Fjord: Jester is still in its mouth...

Matt: Yes, grappled and held up in its jaw.

Fjord: Fuck!

Fjord: *runs out of the circle his friends specifically created to keep him safe and takes a swipe against the monster*

HE ROLLED SO WELL AND CONSIDERABLY HIGH IN DAMAGE GIVEN HIS CURRENT LIMITATIONS AND THAT’S TRUE LOVE OKAY??

Fjord: Coming, Jester!!!!! Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.

AS I SAID. 

WE STAN

A PROTECTIVE COUPLE.

THEY ARE ALWAYS DOING THE MOST TO PROTECT EACH OTHER. 

Jester pulling him and Caduceus out of the monster with all her buff strength because she’s so badass.

Jester: *suggests using Pass Without A Trace*

Fjord: Great idea, yeah!

(later)

Fjord: I mean, Pass Without A Trace sounds great. 

HE’S HER NUMBER ONE FAN.

Jester: *offers everyone cupcakes*

Fjord: They are so dark, are they burned?

Jester: no, it’s called black moss

Everyone: *grabs a cupcake*

Jester: Fjord...

Fjord: What?

Jester: Have a cupcake.

Fjord: Ah- uh- no.

Jester: Yes, Fjord.

Fjord: I’m not a fan of dark looking sweets.

Jester: *shoves a cupcake into his mouth*

Fjord (muffled): lovely

Jester: Aren’t they good?

Fjord: *chokes and spits out the muffin*

Jester: :(

LISTEN OKAY OKAY OKAY

THIS MOMENT IS TECHNICALLY SO FUNN

BUT IT’S ALSO SO SAD

Because Jester’s main directive is always making her friends happy. So she buys sweets and is so excited to share them. And Fjord hasn’t been a big fan of sweets from the start, but she insists because sweet makes you happy and she wants to be Fjord to be happy and she just wants to help her best friend in the world okay??

And it backfires and she’s so sad that it doesn’t work. 

Jester doesn’t realize that just by being in herself she brightens his world.

And, even so, Fjord tries. He tries to lie and say “it’s lovely” even if he dislikes it because he’s always trying to make her happy too. 

THESE TWO I SWEAR THEY WILL KILL ME

Fjord: Jester, was there anything you’d like to create as an offering to the All-Hammer as we-

Jester: >:)

Fjord: oh no.

Beau: You knew. You knew.

Fjord: I... forgot. It’s my- my fault. My fault. 

Jester: I’m going to- 

Fjord:

Jester: What would you like me to do?

Fjord: Whatever you want to!

I love several parts of this???

Firstly, that Fjord forgot?? It’s just so funny to me!! Because in Fjord’s eyes, Jester is just dependable and trust-worthy. Like, he knows she’s chaotic, but he fully relies on her being capable and creative and charming- so he literally forgets that she’s a source of chaos and all the caution he should have around her because he lets his guard down around her. 

And then Jester is about to create chaos and she stops??? and asks him??? like, I’m sure if he’d asked for something specific seriously she would’ve complied??

BUT THEN Fjord is like “whatever you want” because he’s not about to stop her? You don’t block the things you love about someone. And he loves her so much, just as she is, that he’d rather step back and let her wreak havoc rather than make her censor herself around him??

Also, his whole facial journey is gold.

Jester: Or- or- or instead of having a person being the distractor, Fjord,  you can just cast your major illusion-

Fjord:

Jester: Or you could just say hi??

Fjord:

Jester: Do you want a cupcake?

Fjord: I’m fine, thank you.

Jester:

DAMMIT LAURA

This moment absolutely broke my heart. 

First of all, just as Fjord has learned to rely on Jester... Jester, too, is used to relying on Fjord. They are team, after all, and she’s only ever known him with his powers.

Just as Laura said on Talks, Jester lets her guard down once she sees Fjord can take care of himself... but that also leads to this foot-in-mouth moment. 

And you can just TELL how distressed she is when she realizes what she just did because the last thing she wants to do is hurt him. 

And Fjord, oh god, every other time someone teased him he would roll his eyes and brush it off as “yeah I’m weak now haha” but when Jester starts talking, before she even realizes what she’s doing, he just smiles sadly... and he looks so sad... and that finally bit, when he assures her that he’s okay, is just so soft but also sad. Like, you can tell he’s not mad at her, but he’s also feeling bad about his usefulness again. 

OH GOD I’M DYING THERE’S TOO MUCH GOING ON

AND SO MUCH MORE TO COME

Also, if they actually fight a freaking white dragon while Fjord is powerless I might lose my shit. So much could go wrong!!! (but, hey, I’ll take every opportunity for angst that I can get!) 

This week’s episode is gonna be so good I CAN’T WAIT

All around Fjord

[tinytieflingdm]

You have some very good points. Sometimes it does feel like people- not just Molly stans, but just the fandom in general- seems to forget Caduceus a lot. I love Caduceus just like I love Molly, and while I love seeing Molly content it makes me very sad that Caduceus doesn’t get nearly as much, despite being a current member of the Nein. Of course, not everyone is caught up, so some people haven’t even met Caduceus yet depending on what episode they’re on, and not being caught up shouldn’t hinder the creation of fan works. But I digress.

I feel like a lot of people don’t talk about the possibility of the others leaving- not even Nott, who honestly might leave even sooner than Caduceus depending on how events occur- because none of the players other than Taliesin have played other characters for this campaign, and even though all of them (other than Travis) have back-up characters, they aren’t ones we know and already love. (Also, as for your Yasha point, I did see someone say that if they don’t get Yasha back before they get Ashley, then it would potentially be possible for her to play Molly if she didn’t have a back-up character, though i don’t remember what post I saw that in)

Personally, I think Molly coming back to the group after them becoming so different than what he knew would make for a very interesting story. It would also force him to actually have some character development- because he never really changed, he never wanted to, even if he’d had the time to- or at the very least, it would force the Nein to stop idolizing him, because no, he would not enjoy it. And that would be the fun in having him back. It would make for a lot of lessons for everyone in the Nein, I think.

Honestly, I feel like at this point Caduceus has more character depth than Molly had the chance to have, and as someone who loves Molly as a character I would love for Molly to come back if we get to a point where Caduceus has to leave, so we can get the chance to see the potential that Molly has in full.

I fully respect all your points and opinions that you have shared, and I’m glad that you’ve been willing to have a civil talk about it (because I have seen much less civil talks in the tags far too recently. It’s sad that the fandom sometimes forgets its love for one another)

people can be so mean about caduceus!!!! there’s nothing wrong with loving mollymauk, or wanting him to come back, but when people start fiercely believing that cad isn’t permanent it starts to feel really mean. taliesin put so, so much work into caduceus and to ignore his explicit love of the character in favor of trying to give mollymauk cad’s place in the nein is so mean spirited. never stop loving molly, but maybe learn to love caduceus too.

[nerdy-ass-voice-actors]

Final verdict:

I was underwhelmed. Found myself wanting to log off about halfway through, but stuck through it. In hindsight, I probably should’ve gone to bed at a decent hour, as it wouldn’t have been the end of the world to catch up in the morning.

I found myself bored. And honestly, most of the cast looked bored, too. (Besides Ashley. Bless Ashley. She always gives her full attention to everyone at the table.) I was expecting waterworks from everyone as they realized this 3 year journey with these characters is now over. I’ve seen them cry for less. Was it underwhelming for them too? Very, very little waterworks or emotions up until the very end. And Matt can cry on command, so I say sus. I don’t doubt the emotion was real, I’m just saying when someone can cry on command I’m always sus if they’re acting or being genuine. Especially since up until that point it was dry eyes all around.

It felt like a checklist. Mark one off, go to the next one. A bit rushed. A bit forced. No heart, no soul. “Let’s wrap up all these loose ends so we can move on.” As a Caleb stan, it feels a bit like he got shafted. But Liam has been a trooper. He crafted a sad solo ending for his boy, but damn if I didn’t want to see him happy and loved. When he hinted about his parents, I thought this episode was about to get 10000% better. “Okay, Caleb doesn’t end the campaign with a partner, but he gets his parents back is SO MUCH BETTER.” But guess what??? Yeah.

I didn’t like maybe....60% of what happened in this episode. I’m not telling them what they should or shouldn’t do, just that I really did not enjoy having to sit through and watch it. Made me feel bad. Didn’t make me feel happy. Did not enjoy.

Things I loved:

- angry grandpa Caduceus!!!

- CALEBS BOOK CALEBS BOOK CALEBS BOOK 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 we found out what’s in Calebs book (if we didn’t already...?)

- Molly giving Beau and Yasha the flowers

- the thematics of Trent trapping Caleb in a burning house

And that’s...pretty much it, actually. A surprisingly few number of things I genuinely liked and made me feel emotions out of a 7 hour sitting. 😕

And this is coming from someone who had a two day breakdown of bursting into happy tears and screaming about how good this show is every hour on the hour after last weeks episode.

[readbythestarlight]

c2e85

Ohhhh boy here we go guys

Liam...?

I don’t

Ah

Ricky and Morty

“The chained oblivion, no big deal” Matt Plz

A dark elf floating six or seven inches from the ground. I don’t like how familiar that sounds.

[[MORE]]

28. Christ.

YOOOOO Pumats gonna fight!

BE SAFE PUMATS

or... not? xD

lol gets up on the counter because the rest of them are

He gonna heal??

He gonna... make them invisible?

NICE made my boy Cad invisible but he had still fight

Pumat looking after his fellow firbolg

I love when they panick go invisible xD

Gonna hide on the bookshelf lol Nott

Ooooo bola shot I like that

Yay bane!

This is gonna be a long slow fight

Nice job Cad, canceling that crit

Ffffuck didn’t cancel the crit fuck

93?! FUCK

NO

MATTHEW

YOU CANNOT KILL NOTT AGAIN

JFC

Oh my GOD I hate everything

Cad getting Nott back up yay!

STUNNED YEAHHHH

Not hang on Matthew STUNNED

Okay okay okay this isn’t as bad as it could be...

Banishing smite?

Oh fuck her

YAAAAS FJORD

BANISH HER TO HER HOME plane

bitch slapped her onto another plane lol

I like Cad’s little defensive stuff. He’s such an excellent support.

Also okay so aside from her high damage attacks this assassin doesn’t seem as terrible as I feared so... what’s the catch? Because something awful is def gonna happen.

PS: “that doesn’t happen every day”

Cad: “it does to us”

I’m glad she left but I do NOT like that she can just sneak up on them at any time

PS: “And now they know where I live...”

N: “You could burn down the store, start fresh?”

PS: “I like where you’re going with that, but I might wanna save that for a last option.”

Pumat has some kind of knowledge about

Pumat can MIND CONTROL?

PUMAT GONNA HELP THEM FREE HER MAYBE?

Poor Laura :(

PS: “not like you burned it down or anything.”

Free shield, nice!

Pumat is a sweet guy I love him and I’ve missed him

Freeloading their way into a short rest lol

Jester for the love of the Traveler do NOT go in there as your mom

FJORD do not encourage this

Beau assuring Jester that she supports HER just not the idea is SO sweet

JESTER oh my god

WHISPERS

Cad’s gonna know before Jester does

Ooh dear their description has gotten back to the other side of the mountains

MOAR WHISPERS

I like how they’re pulling literally everyone they know, pretty much every ally they’ve ever made into this

I’m honestly glad The Gentleman isn’t interested in getting involved. It suits his character well.

EVEN MOAR WHISPERS

Jester’s real sad

Like she really was hoping it was him

(And it still could be, we don’t know what Cad perceived)

Oh god Jester

Oh honey

Poor Jester

xD the Tal’dorea council question strikes again

Aw Jester :(

J: “but if he doesn’t want me then I don’t want him it’s fine.”

F: “....we’re glad to have you.”

J: “I’m glad to be here.”

B: “Sometimes found family is better anyway.”

Shit wait fuck

“You should tell her”

IS HE ACTUALLY HER DAD??

holy shit y’all

oh lord Nott had a crush on Caleb??

HOLY SHIT

BEAU ADMITTED SHE HAS A CRUSH ON JESTER

Oh shit the BeauJester fans have been fed tonight

Laura is laying there giggling lol

That’s super sweet that Beau is crushing on her man

I mean I’m still so BeauYasha but

Oh boy okay who is this

Oh it’s him

Oh my GOD

here we go oh god

Also what if he’s her uncle not her dad? He mentioned having a brother...

Oh my GOD HE IS HER DAD

I CANNOT BELIEVE

GENTLEMAN BACKSTORY

I can’t believe I’m having Gentleman feelings

I wanna hug him

Oh god that’s so SAD

He sounds like he still kinda loves her too HELP ME

I’m CRRYYYYING

I’m really sad man

“She loves you. You should have trusted her. I don’t know... I don’t know how you guys could make it work or anything, but... [missed]. She’s never loved anyone since. Just you.”

Operation: Get Marion and the Gentleman Back Together.

TG: “Jester I’m not your father. Any man can have a child. Any man who isn’t around to help raise them doesn’t get to call themself a father.” Owww.

I think you should tell Marion and let her decide. She hasn’t had any say in all of this, I think it’s time she did.

I cannot believe I’m so emotional about the Gentleman.

Jester has this perfect little fairy tale for her parents and I’m literally just sitting here crying you guys

J: “Hey dad, next time I’m in town? Let’s play some Uno.” Crying and laughing and crying.

I stg if he and Marion don’t get their happy ending I’m gonna be SAD

Time to go after Yasha?

Oh dear...

Okay though if it’s addressed to Nott the Brave it’s not from Astrid

Maybe it’s from Caliana or someone again

The looks all the others are wearing

Like Beau’s face

This recording thing couldn’t possibly backfire at all xD

These hijinks omg

I can’t handle it first I’m worried then I’m emotional/crying about Jester and now I’m cracking up

Oh no oh god

Don’t hurt Pumat Sol Matthew I will not forgive you

oh my GOD MATT that PAUSE

Oh my god wait their lie somehow WORKED??

So she lives in Trent’s little compound essentially.

“Oh god it’s her” lol oh Pumat

I love him man he’s a soft boy

Oh dear...

Caleb getting overwhelmed mid trying to plan was excellent I love that call Liam

WHAT

PUMAT IS GONNA TRAVEL WITH THEM?

No no no what if he dies??

DO NOT GET MY COW MAN KILLED

it’s so sweet that he offered I ADORE HIM

I can’t believe he just straight up planned to come with them he was already packed

Like all these othe powerful allies are like “I’ll look into things while y’all do the actual dangerous work” and Pumat Sol is the one who decides he’s going to come and help

We stan two (2) cow men and they are Caduceus Clay and Pumat Sol

I’m really nervous about this though like heading to Rexentrum? Are they ready for this? Is CALEB ready for this??

Oh no Krynn attack that’s bad

I hope it’s not the Krynn

Call Essek find out

Oh god if they help stop the Krynn tho and it gets back to Xhorhas somehow

They’ll never see Essek again and I will CRY

I’m suuuuuper worried about Caleb

Like SUPER concerned look at his face he’s not at all prepared for this

This is definitely a false alarm there are no Krynn

Oh fuck what if Obann is coming for this Colbalt Soul

I am anxious

Go back down Caleb!

Why would you not go back up with the others

Nott, Nott HONEY

Not now!

It’s not the Krynn I will eat my hat if it’s really the Krynn

“Angel’s Eye” oh no

Cardinal Respa?

How far does this conspiracy spread I wonder

“The thing below and the path to it” fuck

“Diversions are already in place” knew it

Oh fuck

Pelor, the temple of the dawn father?

Oh shit they spent so much time in the happy fun ball that the timeline is messed up and this is happening NOW

Fuuuuuck

Oh god they are in it now

Like man even having warned so many allies it’s too late it’s happening NOW

I thought I was stressed last week but nope

Love you too Matt

IS IT NEXT THURSDAY YET?!

This episode in a nutshell: fighting an (immortal?) assassin; Jester’s dad; mail hijinks; TIME TO STOP THE END OF THE FUCKING WORLD