#ryseling rambles

[where-skies-end]

sometimes i like to think about the contrast between cyrael and rysel. like physically i made them look really different, but also in personality and how they respond to everything their lives have thrown at them

like rysel was initially meant to be a one off character who only showed up a few sections but i liked the contrast with cyrael he brought to the story so i kept him in and eventually developed him more and more so the contrast is by design but i'm in the mood to ramble

she grew up with very little stability. her parents were adventurers by trade, constantly moving place to place, she was just enough younger than her older brothers that she couldn't quite do the things they could either so she was just kind of left to do her own thing a lot, aside from time to learn how to wield a sword and a bow, make traps and whatnot. it was this being left alone and brushed aside that made her feel the need to prove she could do something useful, and led to her getting attacked by the bear. her parents dropped her with her aunts, who while they cared for her were not prepared to have a gravely injured, emotionally unwell child dropped on them by some random relative who refused to settle down and actually take care of said child. she goes into everything expecting the worst and expecting a fight, she's operating under the assumption that nobody will like or trust her, and her reaction to pretty much any situation is to fight her way out, even when it probably shouldn't be

whereas rys grew up with pretty much every aspect of his life being controlled either directly or indirectly by his parents, especially his mother. he wasn't allowed to be anything, he was expected to be perfect, and his best efforts were never good enough to get him ranked any higher in line for the throne than his actual baby siblings. he's operating under the assumption everyone's going to be disappointed in him, and he's doing absolutely nothing to prove them wrong, because why bother when the effort gets you nowhere anyway? he expects everyone to want to hurt him and most of the time he's just going to sit there and take it, and his few attempts to stand up for himself at the start are largely misguided because he does Not know how the real world works and that trying to pull authority figure card doesn't work on cyrael, who isn't even tied to a single kingdom.

and these two who have pretty much no shared experience or personality compatibility have to work together, because cy has to or she ends up back in prison and rys is at a point where he's going to do one good thing (find and save his sister) or die trying, and without her he most definitely would have died because he has no practical skill surviving or fighting in the wild

and in return after they learn cy is the chosen one, he's got to help her navigate her life flipping over and going from being a nobody to being a "hero," when she's fully convinced she's undeserving of the title. she doesn't know how to handle attention, especially positive attention, because she doesn't really get any

[ryseling]

I know Essek and Caleb are foils ‘cause of all their shared life experiences and blah blah blah but the REAL parallel is when Jester asked Caleb what the shadiest thing he ever did was he said “Nott and I have robbed people for sure...” while when Beau asked what the worst thing Essek had ever done was he said “anger my father to a point where he went into the depths of Bazzoxan and didn’t return,” both immediately skirting around the ACTUAL worst things they’ve ever done

[where-skies-end]

"the hell is going on with precia's royal family"

aka a long ramble that might explain why rysel turned out The Way He Did

i think the really obvious thing to address here is the ranking system. it was designed and implemented probably 500+ years before the events of fallen castles, and the idea was that the current monarch could choose a successor from their offspring who was best suited to the throne, rather than using birth order like the other kingdoms, to give their kingdom more stability and prevent them from ending with a ruler who can't actually rule. noble concept, increasingly poor execution as generations passed and forgot why the system became a thing in the first place

one of the things this system did is encouraged the monarchs to have a lot of kids, with the hope they could get one that perfectly fit what they were looking for to take over after them. unfortunately the other thing it encouraged was for the monarch to play favorites toward the kids who Actually showed some promise

so by the time we get to fallen castles, there's just. massive numbers of royal siblings (14, at the start of the story), tons of favoritism going on, nobody trusts anybody because a lot of them are trying to undermine each other to improve their rankings, all of them are terrified of ruining the Family Image (tm)

which leads into the NEXT fucked up thing, which is the ideals the current king and queen have. image is everything to them. they want their family to look peaceful, perfect, and happy regardless of what's going on in their heads. servants talk, rumors spread, so even in what should be a place of safety none of them can really feel safe showing emotions

rysel is just. not able to handle any of this pressure. the only reason two of his siblings rank below him is because they're literal actual preteens. he's kind of always served as the family scapegoat, to both his parents and many of his higher-ranking siblings. going out and finding the one sister who is actually decent to him and tries to protect him, in his mind is a shot at redemption. and coming back with her dead and warped by demonic energy so badly there's nothing presentable for a funeral, not to mention he's been injured so badly it's hard to ignore he's been tangling with demons, that's just the failure of a lifetime. no matter how ridiculous it seems from the outside, nobody can just get over stuff that's been drilled into them from the time they were old enough to have a personality, which why he's mentally Struggling for so long in the story even after he's healed physically. and really, him getting disowned and stripped of his rank/power in private (this does NOT become public knowledge) was probably the good option, because the queen is not and has never been above ordering her lower ranking children being whipped for fuck ups that can't be covered up like that

[ryseling]

CR episode 98 beat me up in a Denny’s parking lot at 2am, here’s how:

1. “Well, if there’s anything that we are adept at, it’s being careful, and keeping information close to the vest.”

2. “The only thing I’ve ever found that brings closure is when everyone’s finally in the ground.”

3. “Always remember that. You don’t want to punish the people who made you, you want to make sure no one else makes you.” (i’m in a STATE over this holy fuck)

4. Jester & Fjord going back and forth ENDLESSLY over Fjord’s big fancy hat (+chicken noises & a dinner date)

5. #1 Shadowgast Shipper, Jester Lavorre

6. Beau quietly smiling & watching Yasha’s bone harp performance

7. “I want my wife. I don’t want a poem.”

8. Jester immediately drawing a picture of Beau with her new gear

9. “Captain! Permission to pick the lock!” / “...Excellent. Permission granted.”

10. Beau, Jester, & Yasha having feelings convos over craft projects

11. “You are very different from when I first met you” + “I understand you” / “Of course you do” + “I value this family, Fjord, because I killed my own” + “I know you’ve done terrible things, but I see a good man” and that WHOLE CONVERSATION because oHM Y FUCKING GO D

12. “As you stop and your wings gather around you, they are not black, but feathered.” (AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA)

13. FJORD PLEASE TELL YOUR CRAZY EX TO FUCK OFF jesus fucking CHRIST I’m about to having a GODDAMN HEART ATTACK

14. Fjord’s SICK fuckin’ move dropping from the mast, cursing a bitch, & zipping back up the crow’s nest all in one breath

15. Beau immediately screaming, “FJORD!”

16. CLUTCH counterspell from Caleb

17. Fjord is fuckin’ dead!! lmao!! so fun!!

[ryseling]

oh boy oh boy CR episode 101 moments to cheer up sad ghosts

1. “What if every card I pull is a volcano?!” / “I think they’ll agree.”

2. “Plenty of reasonable people I know haven’t killed anyone.” / “Name one.” / *deafening silence*

3. “I love nice, but you gotta have boundaries.”

4. Baby Vandran, Big Vandran, Bartholomew Vandran, Barry Vandran, Bob Vandran, Bonnie Vandran, Bella Vandran, etc.

5. Caleb’s awkward little wave at Jester & Jester waving back - “Good talk?” / “Yeah!”

6. “Is it like... can I punch it?"

7. the entirety of Beau interrogating/corrupting a village child (“You’re a kid. What’s the purpose to life?”)

8. Yasha’s harp performance!!

9. “All a god is, really, is a cult with a franchise.”

10. “How much of your brain is just euphemism?”

11. “I eat it.”

12. poor Caduceus vs. the gross tar pit bug monsters

13. “You’ll always be green to me~”

14. “Help! It’s again.”

15. “As Keyleth, I never had a conversation with a plant that successful.”

[ryseling]

consider:

Jester’s chosen significant other(s) and her dad both trying to give one another the shovel talk simultaneously. It’s a disaster and Marion Lavorre is much better at delivering the shovel talk than either Jester’s sweetheart(s) OR The Gentleman will ever be.

[ryseling]

I saw an ot3 template and immediately blacked out and made this in a fugue state

[ryseling]

self-care during self-quarantine is this collection of moments from CR episode 99:

1. awwww Sam’s little 5 year anniversary song~

2. the whole team gathered around Fjord helping keep him safe while Caduceus revives him, Jester and Beau holding his hands, Caleb propping him up and telling him to breathe, and then when they had to get the orb out of him too

3. “You alright? I mean, aside from no?”

4. “I don’t know, I just vomited a ball, what do you want from me?”

5. “And even in that cold moment of loss, there’s a part of you that believes she would’ve caught you.” (PLEASE,,, I CAN ONLY CRY SO MUCH,,)

6. “Oh, are they boning?” / “...I think he definitely hates her - ” / “So, yes.”

7. “Veth, just so you know, if shit goes down... I want you to pack the good powder. Are we clear?” / “...Yes?” *looks to the others and shrugs*

8. Dezran “Not-Essek” Thain

9. CADUCEUS BAKING A CAKE FOR JESTER JUST BECAUSE HE KNEW SHE WANTED PASTRIES AND IT WOULD MAKE HER HAPPY

10. “He’s made of chairs.”

11. weird awkward empire sibling hugs ( “Do I need an occasion to hug you??” + the rest of the gang cheering/teasing when Caleb reciprocates the second hug)

12. the continued badgering of Marius by the entire M9 ( first mate voice: “Fuck you, Marius!”)

13. “Captain, we’re being followed by a tiny island!” (well, fuck.)

[ryseling]

please consider:

Jester, being the lovely, affectionate person she is, being super sweet and doting to Frumpkin all the time, while Caleb quietly tries not to go into cardiac arrest every time she picks up, nuzzles, gently cradles, or purrs back at his cat

and then Jester unwittingly does it once when Caleb is in the middle of seeing through Frumpkin’s eyes, and Caleb has an actual heart attack

(bonus points if the moment Jester finds out, she redoubles her efforts, and adds in little kisses and ear scritches to her usual Frumpkin-pampering routine just in case it’s Caleb in there at any given time)

[ryseling]

widojest rights is Jester just scooping up Caleb and spinning him around the room ‘cause she’s strong enough to lift him over her head and seeing his face go all red and hearing the way he laughs all breathless and happy when she plants a smooch or fifty on his face is the best thing ever

[ryseling]

I’ve been having lots of fun doing these ship memes so expect even more of them~

*slaps SabiGiyuu* you can fit so much angst in these bad boys

[ryseling]

consider:

Nott/Veth giving Caleb’s chosen significant other the shovel talk, but it’s to the tune of Sam’s innumerable “blasting Astrid” remarks from Talks Machina: Discussing C2E88 - Unwanted Reunions

[ryseling]

my favorite moments from CR episode 95 in actually chronological order this time:

1. Travis’s FUCKING FACE at the “if I left, I’d take you with me” / “Oh, that’s fun! Where would we go?” exchange

2. “Nothing happens for a reason, it’s absolute fucking chaos.”

3. Nott Topic™

4. “I JUST WANNA TOUCH HIM!”

5. “I was a big fan of practical jokes, and, I mean - ” / “You were?” / “You were?”

6. “I really did feel like you were always around. And now I feel like that’s maybe asking a lot of you...” (i’m not crying you’re crying)

7. top table all reacting wildly differently to the “...Genevieve” admission ( “I think that’s lovely” / *cackling* “Genevieve!” / *quiet stare*)

8. that list of unknown Tal’Dorei council members grows ever shorter, huh

9. *Nightmare Before Christmas “What’s this?!” unanimous exclamation from the cast*

10. “We’re on the right track? ‘Cause the trees are made of bones?”

11. “I have one responsibility on this team.” *summons Star Razor to poke some dirt*

12. FJORD USING LAY ON HANDS FOR FRUMPKIN!!! concerned with Caleb’s familiar + bonding with Frumpkin finally (Caleb’s little “you’re with Fjord today” too was super lovely)

13. “Alright, let’s make this fun!” (aka polymorph team~)

14. “These are my people.” HEY NOW,,,,

[ryseling]

scattershot excellent moments from CR episode 100 because we can ask “is it Thursday yet?” again

1. “You made the wizard cry before the game started!”

2. the Mighty Nein invents waterskiing! :D

3. “With us in the water, you’re risking it turning into Godzilla!” / “I think it’s worth it.”

4. “I’m gonna climb up into the crow’s nest. And I’m gonna draw in my journal. A couple’a giant sea dragons... turtle dragons... humpin’.”

5. “LET THEM FIGHT.”

6. “It knows me! It saw me cast spells at it!”

7. “Aw, man, we are broke as fuck.”

8. “It is very specific that you mention the dick statues, that would definitely make me think hmm, perhaps they’re telling the truth.” / “Or perhaps I’m going after that ship.”

9. Consideration by the M9 of sacrificing Marius to the dragon-turtle

10. “You know, we have been traveling together for a long time, I thought you would have gotten used to my accent by now, but...”

11. “I’m not falling for that, but you can poof, it’s fine.”

12. “You have effectively deflowered the plant.”

13. Caduceus parties too hard and dies

14. “We saw a monkey in the trees and all of a sudden we’re on full fucking lockdown.” (note: it was definitely not a monkey)

15. Bad News Bears™ appear!

16. “The thing is... when you come to the center of the world... the rest of it doesn’t matter that much.” (BAD NEWS BAD NEWS BAD NEWS)

17. “Oh, maybe I should be taking notes!”

[ryseling]

my favorite moments from CR episode 96 because BOY HOWDY what an episode:

1. “What’s the range on that?” / “Um. Yes.”

2. Travis struggling to figure out how to pun

3. “Get up, man...” sad but also sweet

4. “DON’T YOU ‘YEP’ ME, MATTHEW MERCER!”

5. CALEB’S BADASS SPELL FINISHING OUT THE FIGHT

6. Jester cackling awkwardly at the first “Stone” they meet

7. ALL VARIATIONS OF JESTER’S PLANS TO FUCK WITH THE STATUES

8. “I have seen her do things with an axe that would make even me blanche, and I am a twisted individual.” (Caleb I have SEVERAL words for you sir -)

9. “It is a blessing I have family again.” JESUS CHRIST I WASN’T PREPARED

10. CHAOS CREW! CHAOS CREW! CHAOS CREW! CHAOS CREW! CHAOS CR- (“yay, temple defiling!”)

11. Clay sibling shenanigans! (a.k.a. Caduceus finally joins the chaos crew~)

12. “I’m disappointed the least in you.”

13. we learn which members of the Mighty Nein go commando

14. “Your parents watch this show.”

15. “I’m asking you to open your heart to chaos.”

16. “Whatever, you’re chaotic and I love you! There you go!” / “...You’re very attractive right now.” / “Thank you.” (Beau’s slippin’ y’all)

17. Jester ACTUALLY sending delivery cupcakes to the hag, because what else could we really expect

[ryseling]

my favorite moments from CR episode 94 in mostly chronological order:

1. group meditation with Beau in the weird zombie forest (“Fuckin’ shut up, Caleb!”)

2. Caleb Hypocrite Widogast “what’s done is done, you can’t turn back time”

3. “And why would we have come running in at the first yelp?” / “...Because we care about each other...” / “Oh, fucking shit, we do? Wow, amazing!”

4. Jester apologizing to Caleb for using Modify Memory (his little “goodnight, Jester” afterwards and the LOOK too, good god)

5. “Yeah, but do you think they made it?” / “No.”

6. “She’s gonna rob us blind as soon as we leave!” / “What do we have in there? A hot tub and a tree.”

7. Sprinkle shenanigans

8. “Jester. You know everyone does.” (aka, Beau covering her own ass)

9. ESSEK WITH A PARASOL

10. Fjord attempting to intimidate the jungle going horribly wrong

11. “She thinks it’s the Traveler, it’s just ‘cause Jester smacked my ass, though.”

12. “That was a test, and you passed!” vs. “That was a test, and you failed!”

13. “I have no idea what I’m doing. And I need your help.” HOLY MOTHER OF FUCK-