#laura and travis brotp rights

[freuleinanna]

postcards

Characters: Travis Hackett Chosen ending: The Hacketts are all dead except Travis, Laura survives Short summary: Travis is trying to cope with the trauma of losing his family as best he can (which is not good at all). At the same time, unsigned postcards start to arrive. Words count: 2595 (trauma, healing)

Tags: @b33barlowsstuff, @imperfectjam, @sera-wonderland, @strawberryoverkill, @hrefna-the-raven (tagging my Travis squad, though it's ok if this one's not to your liking)

(I don't pretend to write master psychology or trauma, so I'm sorry if you hate it, but a Travis!meta thought wrote itself into a fic, plus I'm still on my Travis x Laura enemies-to-slightly-less-enemies-with-connection bullshit, oops)

September, 26 This feels stupid.

(no date)

fix the fence

buy coffee

start those quarterly reports !

check podcast  nothing new

(no date) No, I know, it ain't it. I'll try tomorrow. Can't think of anything worth saying.

October, 6 Here's the thing. Chris used to keep a journal. He said it helped, and I owe it to him to try. Just gotta write whatever's on my mind or stuff that happened. So. Drank a beer. Took another patrol shift. Way behind on the quarterlies, really gotta start on them now. What else?

God, what a load of crap. Chris is dead. Bobby's dead. Caleb's dead. Kaylee's dead. Dad's dead.

That's what's on my fucking mind.

October, 7 Ma is dead. There, I wrote it. Feels good. Not that she's    I don't mean fuck

October, 19 Full moon yesterday. Didn't know what else to do, so I started packing. Unpacked around dawn. I don’t need silver bullets anymore.

October, 27 A postcard came from NY. Weird. Nothing but the sender's address. Threw it out.

October, 31 Fucking habits.

I was patrolling, and drove to the camp site. Didn't mean to, just sort of ended up here. Sat in the car like an idiot looking at the windows. Usually, one would be lit. I'd get out, come in, we'd crack a couple of cold ones. I can’t bring myself to //

A bunch of kids just tried to break in on camp's grounds. I think they were looking for a place to get wasted on a Halloween night, which I completely forgot about. One of them was dressed as a werewolf and kept howling. For a moment, I thought Anyway. Scaring the shit out of them felt good. Shouting, too. Disrespectful assholes didn't have any right to be here. Not here.

PS. Almost called Chris to tell the story and have a good laugh.

November, 14 Sent in the quarterly reports last week. WAY overdue. Things kind of  lose their importance, even I know it’s not a good sign. Everything that happens swooshes right through my brain, in and out, like a bullet. Maybe a bullet is what I need

That last part came out of nowhere. I'm not really thinking it. I mean I wasn't, but now that I wrote it, I obviously am. Shit! This whole journal thing is fucking my brain up. Great advice, C. Real nice. It should be helping, not making more mess. How am I supposed to figure it out?

No, fuck that. Ma raised us better than self-pity.

But then, Ma also raised us to protect the family.

November, 19 Full moon. I still measure time by calendar marks. Three moons ago they were all alive.

December, 18 Full moon.

December, 26 Another postcard came. Obnoxious Christmassy stuff, with one snowman sneezing the carrot out and another dodging it and shouting 'I'm okay!' Nothing more, nothing less. Someone must have screwed up the address. This had better stop.

Anyway, this past month. Nothing much to say, I was clearing out the house. Couldn't be there with all of the rooms untouched, so. Yeah. That's it. Done the job.

(later) No, I shouldn't lie, should I? What's even the point.

It smells empty now, the house. Desolate. Like a place where people haven't lived for a long time, even though I've literally been there. I can't seem to fill it up on my own. I'm not enough.

Many things there. Memories. Found Bobby's old book about horses. He fucking loved horses, that kid. Couldn't remember where he put his shoes but recited dozens of breeds by heart. He dreamt we'd turn the house into a ranch. It was that one year when our folks shut the Quarry down cause Bobby was getting bigger, and more and more different, and he needed more attention instead of less. He was obsessed with the idea for months, driving Ma insane. Chris finally had to step in and say, 'Hey, I'll do you one better. We'll reopen the camp, and you'll have lots of kids to play with, how's that?' Bobby almost shat his pants with happiness. Poor lonely kid. I was too grown-up and off to college, and Chris was too… I don’t want to say normal, but maybe he was. He had his own friends. Bobby was with Ma most of the time and Ma was… well, she was Ma. Out of us three, Chris was the only one who had his special way with her. So they decided to reopen. I don't know if Bobby ever remembered the ranch idea again because I think, from then on, he slept and saw himself with a bunch of kids playing together on the camp's grounds.

Spent half an hour on the floor with that goddamn book, nearly crying. We should have got the fucking horses.

January, 17 Full moon. Don't know why I keep doing that.

January, 27 Moved into the station a couple of weeks ago. With all that space in the house, there's just too much, well, space. I'm used to having a big family, that’s the thing. Another habit. Anyone who grew up with one would know, it sinks it teeth in and doesn't let go.

Even C. and I, we went away for college only to come back home. I think, by then it had already been late. That's how Ma rasied us, always keep close to your family and care for it as best you can. We learned it with Bobby, and then with Chris's kids when they came along. We had been a wolf pack long before half of us turned into wolves. The house is cracked in the corners and crooked all over, and we were, too, with our issues and complicated relationships. It was never simple. At least, I knew who I was when I was there. A son, an elder brother, an uncle, lots and lots of strings upon strings. I don't really know who I am now. A survivor, I guess. I survived my family. Any one of us would say that's worth a gold fucking medal.

February, 3 Apparently, in order for it to help, it's supposed to hurt. Catharsis.

Don't have much time to write, but I got on one of those websites for people who lost someone. There are therapists there, too, so you can talk to them if you need to.

Long story short, after a few false-starts, I found Doc Morgan. She was okay. Talked to me for a while about loss, about myself, too. How I’m eating, how I’m sleeping, agitations, fixations. There was, surprisingly, a lot to say. That’s when the catharsis thing came up, I was talking about how Chris was writing and I was trying, too, but it wasn’t working. Then she started asking questions about my family and how I lost them, when it happened (this I could answer) and how (this I couldn't), so I had to drop it.

Before that, she also said I 'harbor a lot of guilt'. No shit, Doc. I wish there was someone to talk about it with. Someone who knew the truth.

Catharsis, huh? Shit.

March, 8 Thirty-five years on the force, and that’s the first time it happens. Got shot on the job. Nothing deadly, a bullet in the arm. Had to wear a cast for a month, so writing is more of an exercise now. Some punk was trying to rob the petrol station, things went south, and I got a bullet, that’s it. Guess hunting werewolves makes you cocky enough to underestimate an ordinary dick with a gun.

Anyway, the whole thing blew out of proportion, and I got handed an award and got my picture taken. Sweet fucking Jesus. I bet they knew there’s no other fool who’d agree to patrol this god-forsaken piece of land, so they were sucking up like hell.

Two new postcards came. This is getting annoying. Haven’t had a look yet, just noticed them in the mail box.

February 16 was the full moon. Still restless.

March, 9 ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME.

The postcards. Almost forgot about them again, but went to take a look.

One looks kind of vintage, with two dogs sharing a bone and the ‘I don’t have a bone to pick with you’ phrase in a heinous font. The other is a goddamn get-well card sent by post.

I looked the address up, should have done that long ago (some cop!). It’s a dorm address, for the NYS College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University. A vet college.

I don’t know if I’m tired or pissed. Both. Pissed, more. Who does she think she is sending me postcards? Why? Is this a joke, does she think we’re friends? Why would I ever want to hear from her? What in hell are those writings? Got a hold of the previous card, the Christmas one. ‘I’m okay’. And now, ‘I don’t have a bone to pick with you’. God, and the get-well one, too. She must have checked the local papers to see that article. The sheer ARROGANCE. Should have left her right there in that basement with Chris.

(later) Got so wound up that I drove to the nearest post office. Picked the one white card there, the one you’re supposed to draw on to make it personal. Left it blank, wrote STOP IT on the back, and sent right away. This has got to end.

March, 18 Full moon. Up all night again. This, too, has got to end.

March, 26 Went patrolling again and drove to the Quarry by the end of the shift. There’s nothing horrifying on uneasy about it in morning light, just a bunch of wooden cabins with sun shining on the surface of the lake. Almost peaceful. Walked around for a while there, thinking. You’d never guess how close to the earth lie the dark secrets hidden all around.

I don’t know what to do with it. The main cottage is ruined, and I don’t exactly have the time or money to repair it. Even if I did, I certainly can’t run it on my own. Chris knew his way around, he loved it. Really, loved it. Spent hours designing improvement plans, or getting the best deals for food delivery, or talking with kids. He was a natural. I’m no Chris. I can’t really fill his shoes, never could.

I’ll probably have to shut it down or resell. The thought doesn’t sit right. I’m on the verge of the right, reasonable decision but can’t make it for the life of me. It’s all wrong.

April, 4 A postcard came. Of course. I guess I felt it in my guts that it would.

A profound-quote kind this time, the type that’s used for aesthetics, not for actual posting.

Stood by the mail box for a good minute. I think I understand now.

Catharsis.

April, 13 It’s time now, makes no sense to postpone it any longer. In order for it to help, it’s supposed to hurt.

I have always, all my life, tried to be a good person. Do the right thing, make the right decisions. I am a police officer, for God’s sake, have been for thirty-five years. I swore to protect people. But Ma also raised us to protect the family. What does one do when being a good person contradicts being a good brother, a good son?

I harbor a lot of guilt, Doc Morgan said. Damn right, I do. Good people, innocent people died, because I made a choice. All it takes is one broken oath, because once you break it, there’s no going back. There’s no clear path, nowhere to put your loyalty. All you can do is keep going, further and further into the woods. And along that road, there’s always a choice. People you don’t know, whom you’d sworn to protect, or your family, whom you love. Who do you protect? Whose life do you save? They don’t have answers in the police academy. It’s like that ethical problem where you’re riding a trolley without any sort of brakes, and if you keep on your track, you’ll kill a bunch of people, but if you make a choice to pull the lever and switch the trolley to another track, you’ll only kill one. They say the answer is often ‘don’t switch, don’t take that responsibility, let it ride’. Here’s where the catch comes in. What if those people are your family? One stranger seems like a reasonable enough sacrifice to save the ones you love. Here’s another catch. What if this situation comes up over, and over, and over again? And what if you pull the lever so many times that the pile of bodies grows out of control? Does a good person still do it? Does a good son?

He does, it turns out, because no one ever says: enough. Not one damn person. Dad didn’t say it, Ma certainly never did, not even Chris. The good son, the golden son. I can’t hold it against him, really, we all loved him. He was the kind of person who made everything better simply by showing up with his broad smile and stupid jokes. It just so happened, that the choice was mine, and there were always switches, and Chris was always on the tracks. His children, too. Ultimately, all of us. And once I stopped making that damn choice, the trolley rode right through.

‘Guilt is a ravenous creature,’ that’s what it said, on the postcard. It is, indeed. It’s the never-ending tear between ‘what if I never pulled the lever’ and ‘what if I pulled it just one more time’. It’s people you swore to protect but didn’t, and family you were raised to protect but didn’t. The guilt of not being a good person and not being a good son.

I’ve split myself over it so much I can hardly feel the halves, so I’m saying: enough. I’ve done enough. I’d loved them and protected them as best I could but the truth is, the most important choice is to stop sitting in a crashed trolley contemplating your choices. One person with a rope can’t pull everyone else back from the well. At some point, you’ve got to decide to cut the rope. I’m doing just that. I’ve spent enough time being a good brother and son. Maybe I can try being a good person again now.

April, 14 Went to send a postcard. I don’t know what she’s gonna make of it and if she understands at all. The whole thing is just too hard to explain. Catharsis.

For a second, I even thought of tearing out the last entry and sending it as a letter, but shit, the drama. So I went to the camp and took one of the Quarry postcards instead, from the souvenirs stand. Didn’t know what to write. Then just wrote THANK YOU. Maybe it helps her guilt, too, the one that’s been making her send those cards.

I hope so. God, I hope she understands.

April, 17 Full moon yesterday. Slept through it.

May, 1 The answer came. LIKEWISE. She did understand.

//

//

//

P.S. July, 7 I didn’t plan on writing anything else, but then another card came. A happy-birthday card, an absolutely idiotic one, with printed cake, and candles, and confetti.

I’m not even gonna ask how the hell she knew.

But then again, I could always send a postcard and find out.

[elliesgaymachete]

Yaz and Imogen for the character ask

Ah yes two of my favorite characters rn 🥰 thank you!

Yaz

favorite thing about them - how she’s just genuinely caring and wants to help people. It’s my favorite feature in any DW companion, when they’re so similar to the Doctor because they just want to do good

Least favorite thing about them - girl needs to look out for herself more. She literally puts everyone before her and gets pushed around by the Doctor sometimes she needs to stand up for herself

Favorite line - “You have a lot of ex girlfriends. They’re all still alive, right?” I just thought that moment was so funny it was like cop yaz jumped out lol. I also really liked when she told the doctor “it’s ok to be sad” after Ryan and Graham left

brOTP - I love Yaz and Ryan reconnecting and just being bros, and I love fics where Ryan’s dating her sister lol

OTP - Yaz and the Doctor 🥺

nOTP - Yaz and Dan. I’ve seen a little shipping of them but they’re bros and I def see Dan as being like protective older brother sort of thing

random headcanon - I don’t think it’s been confirmed in the show but I think she’s left her job and I can’t see her going back to it ever, especially after Flux

unpopular opinion - honestly can you hear me isn’t really one of my favorite episodes. I love the yaz backstory and seeing her struggling with depression but I never really liked that she was a cop so I didn’t really like the implication of how she ended up there. The whole episode also felt a little preachy/not very genuine which is a problem I had with a few s12 episodes.

song i associate with them - 1000 Times by Sara Bareilles

Favorite picture of them - I’m gonna do favorite fanart and I gotta say this one

Imogen

Favorite thing about them - the thigh dagger 🥵

least favorite thing about them - nothing she’s perfect

favorite line - “You’re gonna make me cuss” after she has said fuck multiple times

brOTP - Imogen and Dorian have such a FUN dynamic of like gay theatre kids with social anxiety and I loved it

OTP -Imogen and Laudna we know this 💛

nOTP - I’ve seen people like jokingly ship Imogen and Chetney and I know Laura and Travis are married but that’s not my thing At All

random headcanon - modern au Imogen wears overalls

unpopular opinion - ok idk if it’s unpopular or what but ok the one thing she does I don’t like is how her first method of communication with someone even if she doesn’t know them that well is the telepathy. It’s an interesting choice and something that has probably complicated a couple of situations, but a definite invasion of privacy even if she can’t really control the fact that she has that telepathic connection in the first place but yeah it’s interesting and I wish she wouldn’t do it but I’m curious about the character reasoning behind it

song i associate with them - overwhelmed by Royal and the Serpent

Favorite picture of them - I just love the style of this one it’s so cute

[justalittlebluetiefling]

Absolutely adore your takes on Jester, and wanted to get your opinion— Jester has been questioning the Traveler a lot recently to different responses, but her convo this week with Fjord stuck out. Objectively it seemed like Fjord said all the right things (I don’t want you getting hurt etc) but Jester seemed to be putting up walls anyway—the whole dynamic between her questioning and reassurance is fascinating— does she want them looking out for her? reassurance? im curious as to your perception

You come to me, a known Fjorester shipper? No no no no I’m kidding I’m kidding I love this question, even not as a shipper. I’ve wanted to talk about this, but I know I’m pretty biased when it comes to their interactions. I think most of this can be interpreted under either brotp or otp guidelines, though!

Thanks so much, anon.

Do you guys even come here for long rambling answers? I’m so sorry. Below the cut, because I decided to pull exactly two screenshots from the conversation and it’s like 1700 words. Also, I swear I get around to answering your actual question lol. Maybe? I don’t know if I actually answered it. I just love Jester a lot.

So, first, I’m going to say something I know I wrote yesterday, but it bears repeating going into this. Jester is not stupid. She’s really silly, so it’s easy to get into the mindset that she’s “dumb”, but she’s not. And this girl has a 20 Wisdom. She’s insightful af. That’s part of what makes her so dangerous as a Trickery Cleric. She knows exactly what prank she can play on you to promote the most chaos.

Anyway. My point with that? Jester knew why she was asking. She knew what his answer would be because it’s something she’s been thinking about since the reveal that the Traveler isn’t actually a god. Well, maybe she didn’t know what his answer would be. Maybe the right thing to say is that she was afraid of what his answer would be. And having Fjord say things like this out loud when she has been trying to find a way to maintain her faith in the Traveler is terrifying.

Exhibit A:

This is like... literally 5 seconds into her starting to ask Fjord about this. I mostly want you to look at her hand and the way she was gripping her chair. (Yeah, I know that’s Laura, but she’s a really good actress, so she’s Jester right now.) She did that throughout the entire conversation. I just wanted to point out that thing about her hands. It really stuck out to me in the moment and it still sticks out to me now. She is nervous. 

So... okay. I think you’re right. Fjord did say the right things in this conversation, because he stayed honest. He didn’t shy away from the point. But the really important thing is that Jester initiated it. He’s been worried about this for a long time, but he never pulled her aside to say, “hey, I’m worried” because I think he may have assumed he was projecting. Fjord was being used by Uk’otoa. Maybe he was reading too much into this. Because, when all is said and done, Fjord trusts Jester. He trusts her judgment. If Jester had come straight out during this conversation and said, “No, you’re wrong, he’s not using me,” Fjord would have nodded, said “Okay, cool, let’s do this,” and they would have moved on. The only way I feel like I know that’s the case is because when they were in Vokodo’s lair, he fucking gave up the Star Razor. 

Yeah, yeah, he assumes giving it up is temporary (let’s hope it really is), but before he did it, he looks to Jester. He asks her if she’s sure that the Traveler is coming. “Jester, you’re confident that the Traveler will want to come and meet Vokodo? ... Well, then, I don’t mind handing this over.” He’s so confident in Jester’s judgment that he hands over his fucking sword.

And so, what I’m about to say next could be interpreted as shipper eyes, I guess, but I really don’t mean it that way. It’s something I love about their dynamic in general and it is part of why I ship them. But I adore their friendship regardless, because Fjord is the one person in the group that I’ve noticed Jester testing with her vulnerability. And by testing, I mean she’s testing him to see if she can trust him with it. That’s a weird thing to say. I hope it makes sense.

My opinion on this conversation has shifted after watching it like 30 times. When I first watched it, I also interpreted it as Jester slowly getting more closed off through the conversation. But I changed my mind while I was writing this thanks to this screenshot from the end of the conversation:

Laura is an expert RPer. She puts her entire body into it. So, she’s still gripping the chair, but her body language hasn’t closed off from him at all. She’s turned to him. Her shoulders are a little low, because she’s sad, but they’re also open. They’re actually mirroring each other here and maybe that’s because they’re irl marrieds, but I don’t know. And it’s impossible to capture in a screenshot, but she gave him this little sad smile right before this when she thanked him. I really think she appreciated him telling her the truth about his opinion. I’m not sure what she’s going to do with it though.

Jester is scared and she hasn’t stopped being scared for a while. There’s a lot of things for her to be scared about. I think she was looking for a second opinion and I think there is more than one reason she had this conversation with Fjord instead of anyone else. One is the whole one-sided lowkey rivalry she’s feeling with Caduceus right now. She doesn’t want to go to him while she’s questioning her faith, because in her mind, he’s already a better healer than her, so if he has a better relationship with his god, too, than what does she even have? Another is that I think that she really wants to be able to trust someone who isn’t the Traveler with her feelings. And I think she does notice Fjord’s actions and the way he’s been trying to back her up lately. Like Travis said, Jester’s been there for Fjord every step of the way and now he’s trying to return the favor. I think she could use a blatant reminder that it’s what he’s doing, but I really think she sees how he’s been worried about her, worried about her mom, worried about making sure she had a chance to talk to the Gentleman. Even if she doesn’t know why he’s doing these things, she knows he’s doing them.

I also don’t know if she was actually looking for reassurance here. The sad thing is, she expressed her doubts and then as soon as Fjord started to express his own, she started to defend the Traveler again. God, this conversation was so interesting. 

Right, but didn’t you also say the Traveler’s not a god either? Well, no, I know.... Right. He’s not. Right. Is that a problem?

Okay, so I’m not sure Jester even heard Fjord ask if that was a problem. And this is when Jester starts to ‘defend’ the Traveler by saying that he’s still really powerful and stuff. And that sort of answered Fjord’s questions about whether or not it’s a problem.

Overall: The Traveler not being a god is a problem for Jester.

When she’s closing herself off as this conversation goes on, I don’t think it’s closing herself off to Fjord. Ugh I said this yesterday I’m sorry it’s repetitive. It’s that she’s grappling with the fact that this is a problem for her and she doesn’t want it to be. She’s already afraid that the Traveler is using her and that maybe he’s not telling her the whole truth. Her saying all this to Fjord is the first time she’s come close to voicing any of those fears to someone else. I think that a part of her was hoping that Fjord would say she was being silly and that of course the Traveler isn’t just a druid. Which is something I think some of the other party members might say just to try to make her feel better. But she doesn’t necessarily want to feel better right now. She wants to know where to go from here.

The thing is, she values Fjord’s opinion. So much. It matters to her that he agrees with her biggest fears. And it hurts. It’s not Fjord that’s hurting her though. It’s that she’s trying to figure out if she can continue to latch onto these old dreams from childhood. It’s the way she says why would he do that when Fjord says he’s worried the Traveler is telling her something opposite of what he’s having her do. Like... she values Fjord and the Traveler in two totally different ways. The Traveler was her only friend growing up, right? But Fjord is her first real-world friend that she made on her own. They met and agreed to help each other out and over time, she’s grown to care about him a great deal. And vice versa. Her relationship with Fjord, friendship or not, is a huge deal. 

So I guess... this conversation was a huge deal to me as a Jester stan, because she doesn’t talk to anyone about her problems. The fact that she finally opened up to someone and voiced her fears out loud is huge and it makes sense to me that she would talk to Fjord about it. Because... he definitely said the right things in this conversation, but he does not have a track record of always saying the right things to the Nein lol. I think she was looking for honesty. I think she was hoping that she’s reading into this too much, but knows that she isn’t. And she knows that Uk’otoa was using Fjord, so he is a good person to talk to, because maybe he can recognize the warning signs. 

Sorry this was so long. I could honestly go on about this conversation way longer I think. I hope that this made any kind of sense in the end. And thank you for asking! This is helping me a lot, because I was in that weird spiral about Jester and the Traveler yesterday and typing stuff out like this is helping me figure out where I sit with it.

[cadaceus]

C2E118

Hello, all! After my own brief hiatus due to just holidays and school and new job and lots of dreadful and exciting things... I am back! To watch Critical Role! And oh my it is so good to be back! Here are my thoughts and liveblogs for Episode 118 (with some spoilers involved, so beware!)

- RIGHT OFF THE BAT WE GET THE FOUR SEASONS SHIRT MATTHEW MERCER

- Oooh, new art!

- “What’s the weather like?” “Frightful.” also Fjord taking the scruff of Cad’s outfit and pointing him in a direction to Perceive Things dfghjk this episode is so funny already 

- Beau: looks for flowers My Beauyasha loving heart: I’m fine.... this is fi ine i’m fin how are you

- Luc has a crush???? On whomst???? Forget the Eiselcross mysteries and Eyes of Nine, this is the new biggest mystery of the campaign I WANNA KNOW EVERYTHING

- Matt: “Jester, an unfamiliar voice creeps into your head...” Sam, aptly described by the CritRoleCaptions crew as an exaggerated Italian accent: “It’s me, Tony!” STOP LMAO GFDDHDJKDL

- Jester saying to Caduceus “You never ask me to send messages and I got it all wrong :(((” and Cad reassuring her is literally so cute noooo bby you did wonderful I’m sure Calliope loved your message! Also I am once again saying that Team Clerics Underrated Brotp

- Aww, I miss Kiri so much! Precious love

- Wait those statues took some of Jester’s life away?  😭😭 Nooooo  😭 This episode got so dark so quickly, also I know that Jester likes to pretend things don’t affect her but I really hope that she lets herself mourn this loss  😭

- Caleb making this just about Jester’s looks, Caleb I love you but it’s deeper than that and as someone who also feels like he lost out on years of his life I know that you know thattttt 

- Wait if powerful, rare magic can reverse the magical aging........ maybe Essek has powerful dunamancer friends? He owes them a favor now so maybe he can call it in by helping out Jester

- ~*One month later*~ and I am finally returning to this... I’m so sorry y’all, holidays and school season got me so busy but your girl is back and more excited than ever!

- Somnovum are the minds(?) of Cognoza?? Wait slow down I need to take notes (I say as I keep the episode on 1.25x speed)

- The Somnovem(?) had to escape from Aeor?? WHAT HAPPENED TO AEOR HOW DID IT FALL

- Caleb: Well I don’t know if we want to tell a wizard who helped to start a war for the sake of knowledge about a dangerous and potentially evil ritual that would reveal all the secrets of the universe asdfghjkldkj this is so funny but he has a point... or maybe it’s funny because he has a point

- “Can I kiss you?” FJORESTER LOCKDOWN IM  😭😭😭

- TRAVIS IS SO RED LMAOOO I love him

- Ohhhh okay so Cognoza Ward was a part of the city of Aeor (”a neighborhood” as Sam put it), and the Somnovum were like the council of mayors or something, that makes sense

- Beau and Yasha carrying the puny wizard on their shoulders as he ritual casts Identify is such a funny visual help dsfghdjkl

- biological weapons research???

- I love how Sam, Travis, Laura and Liam are living in their own hilarious little world of Veth and Fjord looking like each other dfghjk

- This thing genuinely looks like an eldritch horror oh god help them !!!

- And on that note... good night, folks! Thanks for being patient with how long it took me to watch this episode, and I hope you all are doing well. It’s so good to be back with these characters and this world <3

[cadaceus]

c2e41: A Pirate’s Life For Me

So, I finished Campaign 2, Episode 41 of Critical Role: A Pirate’s Life For Me, and uhh…. they really went full send, all chips into the center of the table here They’re officially pirates now, and honestly my little consumer-of-all-things-piratey self is not mad about it! Liveblogging thoughts/notes below the cut! (And no, I could not resist another Pirates of the Caribbean gif header. There may be several more before this pirate arc is over.)

- Matt shaming Fjord for sleeping with Avantika when Travis isn’t even there yet... listen sir you had just as much a part to play in this, it takes two to tango as it were

- Jester asking Nott “Have you ever kissed a boy?” in a very adorable voice and Marisha quietly going “That was the cutest” in the background, and Liam whispering back “That was pretty cute” sdfghjk mood :((

- Caleb checking in on Nott (after she completely obiliterates a cannon on their own ship with a Natural 1), and then their little thumbs up to each other afterward is very sweet, once again they are like... my top brotp I love them so much

- Okay Fjord and Beau is another brotp of mine, Travis’ facial expressions when Beau is talking to that guy on the other ship who attacked them are gold

- Soma: “You’d be surprised at how much of an industry revolves around just that.” / Caduceus: “Yeah, you know I would!” asdfghjk Protect Him

- “You are definitely the strangest pirates I’ve ever heard of.” Ah, but you have heard of them!

- Beau talking about how she wants to get a tattoo in honor of Molly.... I’m not crying, you are 😭

- Giving Jester the paint that can make things you draw come to life..... so much power

- Taliesin and Laura humbly saying “Well...” at the same time when Team Clerics is offered the shield and Travis’s “Aww” face :( Mood, that was cute

- Beau: “How do you feel about floating dicks?” / Fjord: “I’m not opposed.” Uhhh Mr. Fjord ???

- “I’ve always been like that. I have a very good memory. I remember everything.” Caleb’s face and too-quick blinking when he says that... oof. Y’all know he’s not talking about books and trivia right now. It’s 2:30am and I am crying in the club over here.

- That was such a heavy conversation between Caleb and Fjord, I don’t know why it made me so tense/emotional, but it actually kind of did. I could feel some of Caleb’s kind of disassociated state throughout it, or his slight anxiety.

- That Traveler convo…. I dunno how I feel about him yet, but I am always weirdly hyped for his talks with Jester!

- Fjord calling Cadueces “Duece-y” as a nickname is cute, don’t @ me 

- “I serve nature. I’m a maker of fine graves.” That is... a sufficiently badass way to introduce oneself, yeah.

- This entire pirate island scene(s) felt so intense and cinematic, this is the stuff I signed up for y’all!!! I’m really excited to see where it will go next!