#get to know molly

[godsplatter]

hanniballing

[mell0w0dyssey]

I was a girl until your call.

I've nothing left, I gave you all.

[brenatto-apothecary]

I didn't want to be the one to say it but I think if nott wasn't a goblin explicitly described as ugly people would have much different feelings about caleb having to pretend to fight her and pin her against a wall

[a-most-beloved-fool]

Kira has a nightmare, one night when she's staying at the O'Brien's. Miles and Keiko, sleeping in the other room, don't hear her get up - but Molly does.

And Molly, being clever and kind, knows exactly what to do when someone has a nightmare. (Or, at least, she knows what her parents always do for her.) So she sits Kira down and brings her a glass of warm milk, and sits by her side as she drinks it.

Then, she takes Kira by the hand and leads her - to her parents bedroom. "I always sleep with mommy and daddy after a nightmare," she explains, when Kira stops outside the door. "It helps! Mommy chases the scary things away. And Daddy is warm."

"Molly," Kira says quietly, a little embarrassed, "I don't think your parents want me in their bed. Even if I did have a nightmare."

"No, they won't mind!" Molly assures.

Then, of course, Miles wakes up.

"Molly?" he asks, voice rough with sleep. "Did you have a nightmare?"

"No, but Miss Kira did!"

And now Keiko's awake, too, sitting up and saying, "Nerys? Are you alright?"

Mortified, Kira says, "Yes, I'm fine, I was just - on my way back to bed. Molly brought me here. I'm - sorry for waking you. I'll just be-"

"You can stay, if you want," Miles offers.

Kira doesn't quite think she heard him right. "What?"

"You can sleep here, if you think it might help," Keiko says.

"Or even if you don't!" Miles adds.

Kira opens her mouth, then closes it again. "I, uh-"

Keiko gets up, and takes Kira, gently, by the hand. Her palm is soft, Kira can't help but notice.

"Brr, it's freezing out here!" Keiko says, tugging Kira along. "You'd better get in before you catch your death of cold. Miles is practically a furnace, so you'll be nice and warm with us."

"And, Molly, you'd best go back to bed, too. You've got school in the morning," Miles says, as Keiko bundles Kira into the bed between them.

As Molly makes her way out, Keiko swings a lazy arm over Kira's back. "Sleep," she hums. "We'll be here in the morning."

Kira, feeling warm and cared for and more than a little overwhelmed, does.

[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.

[stardustedknuckles]

It's looking like there's a growing divide between Campaign watchers and Tlovm watchers in terms of like. We're here for the characters. 12-episode seasons aren't. They can't be. I'm already making peace with everything we'll lose in the Mighty Nein show, and I know I will enjoy it for what it is but I also know that almost nothing that made the story so special will translate to the screen, because turning it into a show automatically means (in this day and age) that plot must be the number one priority. They've already come out and told us it's going to be different, the characters we know and love but new stories.

Because that's how this has to work. And I feel bad for campaign one lovers, because while it is certainly the easier of the two to translate to a big, overarching story, even though it's a more "traditional" high fantasy story with easier archetypal characters, the archetypes and the plot aren't what cemented most people's love for the campaign. So much of the love for critical role is stored in the interpersonal dynamics and the payoff that comes from hundreds of hours of tiny interactions that one day become cornerstones of development and even affect or dictate the plot.

There's no room for that. There's no room for Bard's Lament in a story that cannot afford to remove and replace a main character. A lot of tlovm is for people who have been here for all of campaign one. Most of it, however, isn't. It's for a new crowd. While CR may have creative control, you can bet your ass that there were months and years devoted to figuring out how to map a character-focused love of the show into a plot that hits the right beats to be viable in the show market.

And it worked. Tlovm has consistently high viewing numbers, and its popularity has brought and will continue to bring new people into the universe who have never interacted with CR previously. That's not a bad thing - imagine finishing your favorite show and discovering it has another FIVE HUNDRED HOURS of the equivalent of behind the scenes content. That's incredible for these newcomers. But man, it is in many ways a loss for us.

[phizzyfrog]

Idk if anyone has noticed this yet (took me a 3rd playthrough to notice) but at the beginning of the game as Catfish is narrating you can see Huggin’ Molly hidden in the mountain in the foreground of the storybook, she’s watching Lacey as she drives home to Hazel 🥹🥹🥹 and its crazy bc I was wondering post-game how Huggin’ Molly knew that Lacey was in danger but playing the game again with wiser eyes really helps answer some ‘plot holes’ *heavy quotations*

And you know what, thats why I don’t trust game reviews anymore, especially by angry anti-woke white men

Anyway, PLEASE PLAY THIS GAME, and then play it again and again and again; and if you’re playing for free on Xbox Game Pass and if you can afford it, please buy the game!

[midnigtartist]

With the possibility of m9 animated trailer getting dropped any week now I keep thinking how fucking crazy it was that mercer like panic stabbed molly while knowing he couldnt be rezzed (bc thats the lucien activation button) and fucking locked him out of the story for two years bc touching him at all would have triggered end game stuff before anyone else got to do their personal quests.

Like babe could you not have just had lorenzo toss him into the wagon too? Would that not also have been a punishment that made sense?

Anyways looking forward to m9 animated fixing the insane pacing of the plot.

[spirkkock]

Best part of joplittle? They’re both freaks. Everyone who writes them knows they’re extremely horny little freaks with psychosexual problems and they are correct. Thomas’ desire for perfection and servitude is bound up very weirdly with his desire for control and it manifests as neurotic service top behavior. Nedward is perfectly capable but has a deeply ingrained inferiority complex and nearly debilitating anxiety which makes him crave the catharsis of being shamed and belittled in order to square his perception of self. You put them together and it is explosive.

[thoughtfulchaos773]

Always connecting Tiffany and Claire

Every time, Claire is brought into the picture - they connect Tiffany.

Richie and Carmy are foils to each other. As we watch Richie overcome his past and try to find purpose, we're watching Carmy go through the same thing. So, as Tiffany is to Richie, Claire is to Carmy.

Carmy and Richie give the audience the summary of their journeys. Richie is going to find purpose after Mikey's death. While Carmy is going to find enjoyment.

But they have to overcome the past to get to their end goals.

It starts with 2x01 when Carmy is looking at the photos that Richie has spread out. There's Tiffany and Claire in the photos.

in 2x03, When Richie tells his daughter he needs a break from the past. Carmy is, in the next scene, connecting with Claire.

In 2x05 Richie reunites with Claire and instantly asks about Tiffany.

And the very next episode Richie telling Tiffany about Claire and carmy

Of course, there's more in season 3. Richie and Carmy have flashbacks of them. While Carmy avoids Claire, Richie avoids Tiffany.

Until 3x09, Carmy was still stuck calling and ending things with Claire, while Richie was on the steps of officially ending it with Tiffany by accepting the invitation to the wedding.

In season 4, that leaked argument will happen after Tiffany's wedding—because that will be Richie's end of the cycle, and it will be a test for Carmy to end his past with Claire.

Jessie and Sydney, meanwhile, show signs of being part of Richie and Carmy's future.

Jessie shows Richie that she has a purpose in what she does at Ever, and Sydney shows Carmy that their passion can also be enjoyable.

Jessi and Sydney also have similar reasons to staying inspired:

Lastly- I love Carmy and Richie watching Sydney and Jessie Work:

[patopq]

its so wild to think that with some bad rolls MOLLY could have met VOX MACHINA? and actually join them?? (provided they didnt kill him first, i mean.. "the terrible tinkerer of tal'dorei"? you mean their JUST dead friend? you're straight up asking for war, tal)

like i genuinely struggle to think how would that have been like?? to think about molly with anyone except the nein just feels wrongg. molly would not match VM style at ALL

[get-snuck-up-on]

Ayo it's ya girl Sister Molly! And she's back with an ADORABLE new fit!!! <3

[hetagrammy]

It's 1183, and Arthur being the tween menace that he was thought it would be a fantastic idea to have the whole family at Christmas Court. Shall they hang the holly or each other?

[mikodrawnnarratives]

Imagine after Molly leaves and time has passed for Lorelai to go through the stages of their about that fact, when she really and truly faces the consequences of her and her father's actions there's something about the image of Lorelai just not KNOWING how to do anything that would fix the mess around her.

The chores that Molly knew how to do that she doesn't in comparison. The volume of everything that has piled up in Molly's absence. And I think Lorelai would feel resentment to Molly for a time, for leaving them, she's not gonna realize the full extent of everything immediately. It would only be a matter of time, I THINK, where she'd start thinking "shit Molly had to deal with this much..." It would take a while longer to actually say that out loud ofc

Then when she HAS to get up and DO things, there's something just AGONIZING to imagine for me to imagine 17, nearly an Adult Lorelai, crying from being overwhelmed and having to look up YouTube videos on how to do these chores

The stuff where you look up "Mom how do I..." "Dad how do I..." That's the brutal kicker I'm thinking about

[charleemoon]

do u think will really loved molly??? i think there gotta be some part of him that had a fondness for her (i even think that part of him favoured her over hannibal but i appreciate that my truth may not be everyone else’s truth😭🙏)

i think you could say will loved molly if you think will loved abigail.

he didn't. but he believed he did. more importantly, he wanted to. he loved them for what they stood for, for what they could be to him, for what they could mean about him. he loved molly selfishly, and expendably. he held a fondness for her, because she was perfect for what he wanted to make her into. a good wife, for a good husband. a world where he could be her sweet man, kind and unscarred. she was a walking ideal, a molded lie, with sun-kissed blonde hair and a smile with no crooked teeth

i believe the mask will projected as the man he pretended to be favored molly over hannibal. the cling to normalcy, an appeal to traditional goodness, and the endless guilt that festered in his heart. she was perfect, what he should want. everything he should be. it's why it hurt so much to not want her. it's why it was so easy to come home to hannibal. the man he created that held fondness for molly died when he accepted himself. shed his skin, and allowed himself truth

because will had known for a long time that he was long past a normal life, he was more darkness than goodness, more truth than lie. molly was a last fleeting attempt to try and convince himself he was anything other than himself. he was always, always going to go back to hannibal.

i believe they are equally guilty of using each other. their marriage, inherently, was a sham. two people in grief, running to someone they didn't truly know, and most likely never bothered to. molly must've known who will was, the things he had done. will knew he picked her because she would survive hannibal, she could survive what he knew he was going to do to her. they let themselves enthrall in a fantasy, doomed to fail

i don't believe he loved her, and i don't believe he ever tried to. he respected her, he chose her. to survive the brunt of their hurricane. another piece in the game. another vessel of will's projected goodness, his bargaining with god to prove himself a good man while growing ever closer to the eye of the storm. to hannibal, and the nature of their love. not good or evil. it is natural, and it destroys

[lesbianfakir]

Ok I have a confession. I have fallen victim to the classic straightbait once more. Reading the last unicorn like yeah yeah whatever Amalthea and Lír I don’t care… holy fuck schmendrick and molly are insane if you think about it for 2 seconds.

Mostly because I am a Molly stan first and a human being second but absolutely iconic dynamic going on here: hardened, jaded woman—who gave up on her childhood dreams of magic and whimsy after the harsh realities of life steamrollered over her—leaves her man of 17 years to run off with a fuckass wizard who does clown shows for a living. Molly discovers the happiness that has been denied to her her whole life… with the world’s most pathetic magic man. On Schmendrick’s end she’s the first person to ever believe in and encourage him without laughing at his incompetence, and it’s her words that inspire him to find his true magic once and for all.

The best part is they’re not together but they’re not not together. In the sequel story, Molly says he’s the last man she’d ever marry and yet they look and act like a couple to everyone around them. It’s implied Schmendrick is slowing down her aging with magic so they can live out their lives at each other’s sides. They’ve gone everywhere together for decades at least. They never kiss or admit to love, but the care they have for each other is palpable.

Anyways.

Stan Schmolly