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centaurianthropology · 6 months

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My thoughts on C3E77

So apparently this one was controversial?

I'm going to say right now, I really loved everyone's decisions. They all fit the characters, but more they fit the players. I know that there are claims that Tal ignored all the warnings, but I actually think Matt may have misjudged the situation going in.

Ashley made it clear on 4SD that she did not want the shard. I think she's not really feeling the Dark Fearne storyline (and that's fair), and Matt seems to have missed that she genuinely didn't want to go down that route. Maybe he thought she was playing coy? Maybe they've been playing together so long he thought he knew a story she'd enjoy and missed her signals that she wasn't into it. I've done that before with some of my long-term players.

However that went down, Tal and she had a conversation after 4SD about what they wanted to do, and it was clear going into the episode that they at least had it planned out who was taking that shard, and it was going to be Ashton from the off. The fact that Matt was not expecting that somewhat surprises me. As Taliesin said: he put a big red backstory-shaped button in front of Ashton, and Ashton is terrified of losing people. If Fearne didn't want the shard, Ashton was going to dive on that grenade head-first. And part of Ashton wanted it. They are told they can't do something, and they will go about proving that old tree and everyone else wrong in the most self-destructive way possible. They are intensely punk in that way.

Matt may have designed the shard for Fearne, but this is not the first time that an item meant for one player ends up with another. Deathwalker's Ward was made for Percy, but through the events in the Sunken Tomb, it ended up with Vax and led to a hell of a story. And now something meant for Fearne goes to Ashton, and I have a feeling we're now in for another hell of a story. Because Ashton is now, essentially, a lava genasi, with three impossible things crammed into their broken body. Will they survive the campaign? I have no idea, but it has become clear that they don't expect to.

And honestly? This may well be what the Hells need, not in terms of power, but in terms of really realizing how self-destructive they all are. Marisha may say that no one loves a martyr, but Laudna was very much ready to play that role earlier this episode. Imogen is very self-destructive. So is Orym. So is FCG. The only two who have shown any degree of self-preservation are Fearne and Chet. The rest are bombs waiting for the most poetic moment to go off.

And today one of them did for a moment. They finally saw the end result that their self-destructive tendencies get them: Ashton blown into a thousand pieces, scattered across the top of the ziggurat. Deanna's ring saved him. Fearne's Aura of Life and FCG's Aura of Vitality saved him. Ashton could only roll and take damage.

Matt may have not designed it this way, but this was absolutely Ashton's 'where do you get your strength from' moment of the campaign, but in a very different way than Grog or Yasha experienced them. Because Ashton might just need this realization slapped into them by all their friends: this was dumb and they would have died because they didn't trust their friends. Because their strength and their salvation truly came from the people that love them.

Ashton has been, up until this point, a bit gung-ho to die for his friends. Honestly, they all are, and it's about time he and all the others learned how to live for their friends.

Anyway, hell of an episode, and a brutal but thrilling last hour. I was grinning right along with Sam. The mad fucker pulled it off by the skin of his teeth and by the grace of two friends dumping every bit of healing they had into him.

#critical role #ashton greymoore #taliesin jaffe #I love how this complicates everyone's relationships #and may actually make them talk about self-destructive bullshit #good #this was needed #and honestly good for both Ashley for sticking to not wanting a storyline she wasn't jiving with #and Taliesin for taking that lack of interest and running with it #cr spoilers #Ashley Johnson #Fearne Calloway

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dainesanddaffodils · 6 months

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fun callowmoore notes upon rewatch, regarding The Shard

Matt gives Taliesin this long explanation about how there is something in the shard that Ashton is drawn to, that there's something in it that is a key to unlocking both it and them. Ashton's immediate next move it to hold it out to Fearne. (not even for her to take, he just shows it to her and asks 'what do you think?' like this is The Biggest Deal for him and he wants her input on it and that makes me want to scream)

Fearne doesn't seem keen on taking the shard largely because she doesn't believe it's meant for her to take. She thinks its his and she doesn't want to get in the way of his journey. When everyone is mentioning how it might kill him, she's arguing why it wouldn't and why it makes sense that he has it.

She also only holds the shard in the first place after realizing Ashton is still taking damage from it. She doesn't want it for herself, but then Fearne has never been one to want More Power, but neither does she want it to hurt him

anyway I'm insane about them forever thanks

#critical role spoilers #callowmoore #ashton greymoore #fearne calloway #cr #cr 3

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dadrielle · 7 months

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Genuinely don't understand why I keep seeing so much posting about the Laudna and Orym situation like it's a WHO IS THE ONE ENTIRELY RESPONSIBLE, PITTING THEM AGAINST EACH OTHER situation. Like, obviously it's more nuanced than that?

It's not that her killing Bor'dor is his fault and something she has no fault in uwu, it's that as her friend he didn't step in when she needed him to do so. Marisha specifically said she was looking to them to step in. That doesn't make them enemies nor does it mean Bor'dor's death his fault, but it does mean he is not the person she can trust to think about her well being first in a situation where her slipping gives a tactical advantage. Liam said as much on 4sided dive, that he was cognizant of what killing Bor'dor meant for her but specifically gave her his approval anyway, and he specifically pointed it out to be like "hey let me make this more tragic for you." She was ultimately not his first priority in that situation, and maybe he regrets how Issylra shook out, maybe he doesn't, but until another situation likes that arises, it's perfectly reasonable for her and for fans not to trust Orym to not enable her destructive impulses. That's not hating on Orym, that's just recognizing that he's not the guy you want next to her when Delilah is pushing her buttons. Which doesn't make him the enemy, just maybe not the best friend she has.

Ashton's turning away in that situation is a little different because it was motivated differently. Still sucky, but Taliesin said he viewed it as an inevitable break and that it was a better moment for it than at some more dangerous time. I don't think Ashton was RIGHT in that instance, but he was still guided by care.

Everyone was deeply traumatized and not fully to blame nor fully innocent! It's all very tragic! That's why it's interesting. Particularly since the nature of the whole situation is such that it is very, very likely to come up again.

#critical role #laudna #orym of the air ashari #they all need therapy soooooo bad

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d3sertdream3r · 1 year

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I’ve noticed a lot of rancid takes about Taliesin’s characters that are annoying me, so I’m going to rant for a minute.

Tal has perfected the art of creating paradoxical characters, and I think a lot of people end up getting lost and confused in the layers. This is not a “if you don't get it, you’re dumb” type of thing. It’s just that I wish people would truly ponder his characters and why they’re the way they are because they’re not the stereotypical protagonists that North American entertainment focuses on. They’re not strictly kind and generous, intelligent and charming, or hateful and arrogant. They’re all of the above.

A lot of western media features characters that are fairly cut and dry and easy to understand. There isn’t a ton of complexity happening, and from what I’ve seen, the majority of the people hating on his characters and role-play style are from areas where they aren't used to Tal’s type of character. They’re not used to characters having multiple characteristics that seem to contradict each other all at once (even though that’s how people are in real life). I’m guessing that’s part of why they don't like them, but who knows.

Caduceus is the least paradoxical of his characters, which is why I think most people say he’s their favorite of Tal’s characters. He is the personification of a fluffy blanket and a warm hug. What’s not to love?? Percy, Molly/Kingsley, and Ashton on the other hand, are all much rougher around the edges. The point of them is to provide the opposite of comfort for the audience; they're meant to make people a little uncomfortable. They hold up a mirror to the audience and force us to look at the parts of humanity that we try to avoid. Not the pure evil of mankind that Matt’s villains often show, but something even more sad and hard to swallow.

Audiences tend to like characters that deal with trauma through humor and/or charm. People benefit from these types of characters by laughing at them or lusting over them. There’s nothing wrong with this by any means; that’s all part of the fun of fandom! However, characters that deal with their trauma in ways that are more raw and painful tend to be disliked.

Percy is filled with constant fear that his past will haunt his future. He is convinced that wherever he goes, the darkness will follow and the pain awaits. He has horrible nightmares and lives with incessant paranoia, yet faces the deadliest monsters, demons, gods, etc with nothing but his wit and a gun. He can't stop inventing, not just to glorify himself but to protect everyone. He’s so many things at once, which is what makes him so real and complex and fascinating.

Molly/Kingsley’s story is about wondering who you truly are and not meeting expectations of those you care about. Imagine that you’re not the only one comparing yourself to someone else; all your friends are too. You’re trying to figure out what defines you while feeling like everyone you know wants you to be someone else. His story is also filled with questions about nihilism and whether or not anything truly matters, including identity.

Ashton represents the endless loneliness of abandonment and feeling like no matter what you do, those you love will never care about you as much as you care about them. He pushes people away and acts like he doesn’t have a care in the world while simultaneously doing everything he can to grip onto his friends. He is jealous of Laudna for the way she died because it showed how loved she was, and how sick is that? To be jealous of someone’s death? To try and force someone to admit that they haven’t gotten over their issues because you can’t accept that it’s possible to overcome yours? What's wrong with you? If it’s possible for people to do that, why can't you? What’s wrong with you? Why is it so hard for you when it seems so easy for others? What’s wrong with you? They represent not just the physical, but the emotional chronic pain that most people don’t have to think about every day.

I have so much more to say about these amazing characters, but that would take an entire novel. They emotionally bleed all over the place. While they can still be lighthearted and humorous at times, they’re often really messy in various ways. But that doesn’t stop them from being so loving and wonderful at the same time!

TL;DR, Taliesin’s characters are incredible and I’m so grateful that he is willing to play them in such a raw and real way for those of us that aren’t always funny or charming enough about our trauma to make society like us.

#I had to get this out of my system #It's so long and I cut so much out #TALIESIN JAFFE I LOVE YOU #critical role #percy de rolo #mollymauk tealeaf #kingsley tealeaf #ashton greymoore #look at my lovely little blorbos #taliesin jaffe #his characters are always my favorite

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lunarrolls · 6 months

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matt when watching the party retrieve the shard of rau’shan: okay i didn’t really have a solution in mind and they were a little hesitant about what to do there so i better send taliesin and ashley a little sign that they did good. it was fated. they’re meant to be there, you’re fine :^)

matt, shell-shocked, sweating, shaking, watching taliesin bestow the shard of rau’shan on the one person he was explicitly told not to: um. UM. UMMMMMMMMMM,

#cr #cr3 #cr spoilers #IT’S SO FUNNY TO ME #matt the first time was like you were both meant to be here #snd i BET he had something planned like that for when the shard went to fearne #but NOPE they did the MOST INSANE THING HUMANLY POSSIBLE #none of that shit was fated you stunned the utmost authority on fate #it was sick as hell and also hilarious

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pstelwitchcraft · 6 months

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I've had a little bit of time to think on this, and I think I understand now why I'm so pissed with Ashton most of all (do not get Taliesin into this, I will maul yall with my own hands, this is STRICTLY character stuff) is that the way they set up everything, they were supposed to be dead and would have taken Fearne with them.

If Imogen hadn't decided to follow into the shield, there is a HIGH chance that Ashton wouldn't have made it (so high it's extremely unlikely) and they would've taken Fearne with them. Like I cannot state this enough, they wouldn't have just died on their own. Ashton, if they rolled even once under the threshold , would've taken Fearne, FCG and Orym with them and possibly everyone else too, if Laudna hadn't pulled Imogen and Chet away.

I totally support this decision from a character perspective but boy oh boy do Bell's Hells need to have a conversation about this. Because in their recklessness and eagerness to be the hero, Ashton put the very people he was doing this for in massive, massive danger and while many will argue that there was no other option, damn it, did NONE of these people deserve to be pulled into that with no warning, no discussion, no nothing. At the end of the day, Ashton (even if unknowingly and totally innocently) weaponized the care bells hells has for them, they wouldn't have made it without them and the rest of the hells wasn't going to leave him to die without exhausting every possibility first even if it meant they would at the very least taken massive damave while RES magic is off, at most be TPK'ed. They HAD to either intervene or watch them die by the time they made it into the ziggurat.

What I see here is someone who is desperately wanting of a family but who absolutely DOES NOT know how to even function in a team and who betrays themself in their self-sacrifice by having fearne in there in the first place and by eventually putting their friends through 10 rounds of nuclear russian roulette to the point where its not just their sacrifice anymore and half of bells hells are about to sacrifice their own lives to see this through. They deserved to have a say in this, or at least a fucking heads up!

Say what you want about who the shard was supposed to be for or whatever else, I think decisions were made and am nothing but excited to see the repercussions for them but you best believe if I were Ashton's friend and they just put me through that, they'd be getting the tongue-lashing of the century and I'd never trust them around anything powerful ever again.

#critical role #cr spoilers #cr3 #critical role spoilers #bells hells #critical role c3

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zeephyre · 11 months

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CR3: EPISODE 62 RANT

Spoilers Below, duh.

All in all this episode was really fun. I really enjoy episodes that include a journey towards a destination and I love when each player has to roll for an outcome.

I liked the quiet moments between all of the characters as we're getting further into our time together and are becoming somewhat friends.

prism I think is the most likely to stay with the group (if that will ever even work out, like marisha said idk how they're gonna pull that off but i really hope we get a huge ass table full of players). bor'dor, who i am still incredibly suspicious of, seems genuinely distressed by his brother not being there and i think they brushed off the possibility that he got yeeted too quickly because it's honestly more than likely that it did happen. or he doesn't exist and bor'dor is a dog (I don't even like that theory it's just funny). denise seems like she just wants to find dariax, kick his ass and then get married and run off where ludinus can't touch them. i don't think she thinks that's possible but i really don't want her near the fray. dariax and the crown keepers seem like they're in the shit though.

orym didn't react to ashton bringing up the ashari (and i don't know if taliesin meant to say hishari but whatever) and (idk if i just forgot) but im pretty sure they still haven't talked about that since laudna encouraged ashton to speak with orym about it. i kinda remember orym not knowing about it but i could be misremembering though. either way, i think this particular episode ashton is... really desperate to figure themself out.

between asking orym to help him meditate on rocks (which was a really cute scene) to his interest in the skeleton embedded in the stone (plus the cool new shiny ring they got out of it) and the crystals at that creepy ass cavern -- i really hope he gets some answers soon. i have a feeling this might be the place to get it though, idk.

bor'dor seems to have the impression that the hellians think they're strong enough to stop the god eater but they don't even think they're strong enough to stop ludinus. they couldn't even beat otohan thull. they're not fighting because they think they can win, they're fighting because not fighting is no longer an option. there's nothing to do BUT fight. they know too much, and they have too much at stake to leave the battle.

imogen and orym especially. and there's no way in hell any of the bells hells will try to pretend to be okay with anything ludinus has done or will do. they know what he and his cult are capable of. I'm glad they got to express a bit of that though.

laudna called Imogen her sister but i lived through a time where dean winchester called the angel who is in love with him his brother so i didn't even flinch.

ashton got a massage from orym. it was appropriately sweet and hilarious. i think... orym might be one of the only people who consistently has touched ashton. i can't remember anyone asking explicit permission to touch him. i am so jazzed that they ENCOURAGED orym to touch them.

i think ashton has some of the best moments in their ability to create moments where between PCs where rp is at its finest. we haven't gotten another round of "what the fuck is up with that?" yet but that pipe was inspired. i love the little moments between him and prism. whenever ashton does something incredibly thoughtful they act like it's uncommon or a fluke and it's such bullshit cause he's SO consistent with his empathy. he's not a fucking public speaker by any means, but he has an energy around him that is unironically great to be around.

on a lighter note, my favourite moment (aside from the ashrym massage) from this episode is either orym praying to the wild mother or orym fucking hang gliding a eagle sized raven down a ravene. he's such a cutie.

i can't wait for the next episode. team issylra seems to think abadina betrayed them but i think the dude they're supposed to meet has been murked by whatever is in entombed. maybe it was set free by the same sort of dispelling magic shit that hit uthodurn and unpetrified the bull. if that's the case, hopefully this ends with the power of friendship prevailing as well.

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lillxart · 12 days

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Snip from CH 9

“I never asked before, but why do you think Elenwen would want you dead? I mean, you’re really good with magic and you’re efficient with killing things.”

“HA! That’s certainly one way to put it. I imagine from an outsiders perspective that’s all the Thalmor would need from an Altmer.” Taliesin gave a dead chuckle and leaned back into his seat. Eventually she shrugged. “It could’ve been any number of reasons really. My brash attitude, my candid inability to hold my tongue–”

“–You do seem to be quite the quippy quipster 0v0”

Taliesin stopped and looked at her. Just stared at her face for a long time. Then his mind went back to the brilliant notes he just read, and then he looked back at her face again wondering how the person who wrote such notes and the ditzy Breton were the same person. “Do you have an alternate personality by any chance?”

“Wuh? 0<0 Nooooo, why? :>” There was nothing going on behind those eyes of hers.

“No reason.” Taliesin rolled his eyes. “Anyway, to put it plainly she wanted me dead because she doesn’t believe I’m a good Thalmor. I’m not a reflection of the Altmer people, not the pinnacle of bigoted lesser elf hating nationalists all the other members of the Dominion back home are.” He huffed. “Those of us sent to Skyrim are meant to shine in her own image, to make Elenwen look good… Apparently I didn’t make the cut.”

Snow White silently took in the explanation. She put her alchemist's tools down and lowered the heat of the beakers so nothing would explode. The witch found herself thinking of her own people, how she would never make the Spring Elves have to ‘shine in her own image’ and kill them if they failed. The weight of such a concept made her shoulders ache and her stomach curdle. It was beyond unfair and she hated it. Snow White looked back at Taliesin, who was staring down at a book, but not quite reading it. His brows were furrowed and he was clearly thinking about what he just told her, and of course what that meant for him. The high elves are an esteemed and prideful people. Being told that you’re not ‘good enough’ when your whole culture is based around perfection…

…it leaves a scar.

“H–Hey…! What are you doing?” Taliesin startled at the Breton making herself comfortable on his lap. “Erm–ever hear of personal space? You could at least give a little warning first!” He raised his hands, panicking a bit and not sure where to put them.

“Oh stop it -3- I promise this filthy halfbreed Breton won’t do anything to you. Just wanna have a looksee…” Snow White placed her hands on the side of his face, tracing her thumb down his cheekbone and using her index finger to trace the arch of his brow.

Taliesin’s posture went completely stiff, eyes hyperfixed on her every motion as she studied him. His mouth was twisted into a nervous frown, very unsure how he should be reacting to her invasion of his personal space. Ordinarily he’d like some–warning before someone gets too close to him, his instincts from the war making him prone to skirt away or shove anybody that could be a threat. But the Altmer really had no idea what Snow White was doing. He cleared his throat, hoping to bait out an explanation from her. To no avail, since she remained quiet which only caused his face to go red at her continued proximity.

Once Snow White had examined every part of his face she settled back gazing into his eyes. Taliesin averted his stare, acting nonchalant about the deepness in her somewhat simple actions. “Are you done whatever it is you’re doing yet? You’re quite heavy.”

“No I’m not -o- I’m tiny and light. Shut up and look at me!”

“Well that’s a polite way to ask for attention isn’t it?” Taliesin had never seen her eyes this close and for the first time noticed there were little…fractals of light deep in the grey. It would be wrong to describe them as gold, or green, or blue, but it was a mixture of all those colors. Just pure light. He found himself hypnotized by them. Since when could humans possess such a color pallet? They look like…diamonds. Seemingly satisfied, Snow White gave a hum and hopped off his lap. Taliesin felt like he could breathe again. “Do you crawl onto the lap of every man you meet, or am I just lucky?”

“You look like an Altmer to me! :D” Taliesin glanced back at her and tried to pick apart that statement. When it was clear he couldn’t make heads or tails of it, Snow White giggled and poked his forehead. “I looked over every inch of your angular face! You have a pointed nose, ears that stick out like a sore thumb, that typical tired scowl high elves have, arched and well groomed eyebrows…”

“Am I supposed to be taking this as the strangest compliment I’ve ever gotten or are you spouting nonsense again…?” He rolled his eyes mildly insulted, though still a bit flushed.

Snow White only smiled brighter. She leaned back down and traced the rims of his eyes, continuing on her little tangent. “…you also have some of the most beautiful eyes Nirn has ever seen…” Taliesin found himself blushing, heart skipping a beat and mind not even processing that she could actually mean that.

What?

Snow White took a step back. “Soooooo, you’ve got all the attributes of a high elf! >W< Which means Elenwen is stupid!”

“Poft–! What? Did you; you stuck your grubby little hands all over my gorgeous face just to mouth off Elenwen?” Now he was really lost.

“Well I had to make sure you were an elf! And you are! You’re all elf! One hundred and ten percent organically grown Altmer from the Summerset Isles! >v< If Elenwen can’t see how you’re not a reflection of the Altmer people when you are an Altmer then she must need glasses!” She pointed a finger up like a scholar at the end of their thesis.

After a moment of thought, and soothing his rapid heart from the bizarre touches, Taliesin found himself smiling at her decisive; although naive way of putting it. He found himself quietly laughing, both in bitter irony and maybe even a little melancholy. He looked down at his gloves. The clothes of the Thalmor Dominion, the shell that covers him. “It’s not as easy as simply having the ears, the eyes, the skin of an Altmer. In the Summerset Isles if you aren’t the kind of elf they want you to be then you’re no elf at all. Death is merely the fitting reward for being sub-par amongst the expected standard…”

“Taliesin. No one has the right to tell you what you are except yourself.” Her back was turned to him, going back to check on her beakers. Her voice was serious, the certainty in her tone something he didn’t expect to hear from someone of her childish persona. It made her words more raw, and made Taliesin all the more discouraged.

“Are you trying to cheer me up?~” Taliesin deflected how he felt with humor, smirk on his face.

“Just stating the obvious! ^v^” Her brew started to bubble, she decided to focus on the milk. “Ohhhhhh OoO”

Taliesin took the bait and went back to reading her magic notes, the audio of her excited giggles and the scrawls of formulas on parchment no doubt similar to what he was reading right now. After a moment to himself, Taliesin softly smiled.

“No one has the right to tell you what you are except yourself.” It’s not that simple…

…It was…a nice thought from her, though.

#skyrim #elder scrolls #tes v skyrim #oc #elder scrolls oc #skyrim custom followers #fanfiction #skyrim taliesin #taliesin mod #snowwhitethedagonborn #lorkir #snow white is lorkir #but this is like the second timeline #this isn't abandoned but I'm working on something else rn #motivation #I just love Taliesin so much #I promise I will wash his hair and shower him with the love he deserves

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wellthebardsdead · 10 months

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Clockwork heart pt14

Part 13 here

———

Wyrm: *seated in the Vilemyr inn writing down what his new companions want to order as they pool their coin* I don’t know if they’ll have Horker this far inland but I’ll ask, if they don’t will beef or venison do?

Kaidan: aye, honestly anything will be an improvement from the mouldy bread they force fed me…

Wyrm: *feeling queasy at the mere thought of it* I-I’ll ask to make sure the bread here isn’t mouldy. Tali you just want a baked potato and some leaks with slaughterfish if they have any?

Taliesin: *combing out his hair after a bath* yes please I’m starving after fighting off all those bandits.

Kaidan: I can’t imagine you fighting off anybody without crying over a chipped nail.

Taliesin: Oh yes and who saved you from the thalmor again? The thalmor that managed to capture you? That’s what I thought.

Kaidan: *huffs* I was asleep when they jumped me.

Wyrm: *ignoring their bickering, in truth not even registering their distaste for each other as he picks up the paper and the menu before walking over to the counter* m-mr wilhelm?

Wilhelm: *back turned to him talking to the bard* Lynly I told you to stay away from that accursed place for a reason! It’s haunted! I promised to protect you…

Lynly Star-Sung: I know I know I just wanted to see if the rumours were true I- *pauses seeing Wyrm waiting* oh I’m so sorry.

Wilhelm: *turns to see the small pearl eyed dunmer staring at them* Oh uh, forgive me sir I didn’t see you there. How can I help you.

Wyrm: *offers him the paper and menu* I-I’d like to order now please. What’s haunted?

Wilhelm: I, Ah, it’s… the barrow. There’s a ghost terrorising the village from it, at night you can hear the most dreadful of sounds and see it walking behind the stones.

Wyrm: a-a ghost? *looks at the bag of coin in his hand, having counted only enough for their stay at the inn* m-maybe I could investigate it for you?

Wilhelm: y-you will? Are you sure? I’d appreciate the help but please be careful.

Wyrm: *nods* I’ll talk to my companions about it.

Wilhelm: Thank you, *takes the paper and menu, reading his note* ‘Fraid I don’t have any horker available but I can make a sandwich with deer if that’s alright?

Wyrm: y-yes that’ll be fine. Thank you. *hands him the gold before walking back to the table*

Kaidan: it go well?

Wyrm: there’s no horker.

Kaidan: damn shame.

Wyrm: how do you guys feel about catching a ghost?

Taliesin: *chokes on his wine* excuse me?

Wyrm: a-a ghost is haunting the barrow. The innkeeper asked me to investigate it.

Kaidan: Pffft, lot more than just ghosts to worry about in Nordic barrows. I’d be more concerned about the Draugr, an who does he think he is asking you to handle it?

Wyrm: I mean, the Jarl of whiterun asked me to kill a dragon, a ghost seems a-a lot less scary than- *remembers the dragons maw opening up and fire erupting towards him* that.

Kaidan: Has he gone mad?! You got one arm, a rock for an eye and you can’t even swing a sword.

Taliesin: *getting irked at Kaidan taking a jab at Wyrm, unintentional or not* and yet he still obliterated it.

Kaidan: by doing wha-

*sniffle*

Kaidan: *looks at Wyrm to see him visibly trembling as tears prick at his eye* I- hey it’s-

Wyrm: t-teacup- *sniffles and hurries off to the room they’d rented before his hiccups can start*

Kaidan: teacup? *watches him run off* oh fock now I’ve done it. I was only joking- OW!

Taliesin: *stabbed a fork into his hand* He can’t tell, you imbecile. You’re as blunt as you are thick in the head! *gets up and walks off after Wyrm to calm him down knowing the state he’s most likely worked himself into*

Kaidan: … *sighs and gets up grabbing his sword before walking outside and to the barrow*

*a few minutes later*

Taliesin: *brushing out Wyrms hair for him* don’t mind him, he’s more trouble than he’s worth.

Wyrm: n-no he’s right… h-how am I meant to be the dragonborn if I can’t even defend my- *hiccups* self. *rubs his eyes*

Taliesin: You certainly looked like you were defending yourself when you incinerated that dragon. Don’t let him bother you, the only thing he’s got going for him is his muscles and ‘decent’ looking face.

Wyrm: *looks back at him and blinks* y-you think he’s pret-

*BOOM!!*

Taliesin: What in oblivion was that?!

Wyrm: *practically jumps into taliesins arms out of fright* an illusion spell being broken?? *shakily stands up and runs out of the room to see Kaidan stepping back into the inn picking a poison dart out of his neck and holding a now dead elfs body along with his journal*

Kaidan: Turns out the ghost was pretty alive- *grunts plucking the dart out* Oh aye, can I apologise to you now friend?

Wyrm: *staring at the dead dunmer, his mind suddenly going black as memories belonging to someone else swarm and buzz in his brain like thousands of flies bringing a plague. A plague that saw thousands of dark elves turned into mindless ghouls, bloated masses of the living dead, all of them festering in undeath as their walking corpses rotted with the corprus* …T…teacup… *staggers back as blood leaks from his nose and he passes out from shock*

Taliesin: *drops to his knees catching Wyrm in his arms* WYRM?! WYRM WAKE UP!

Kaidan: …oh shite.

*a few hours later*

Taliesin: *sitting beside Wyrms bed, cleaning his face from sweat as the small dunmer tosses and turns in his sleep, visibly uncomfortable and stuck in his own body as nightmares plague him* …

Kaidan: *walks in with their dinner* how’s he-

Taliesin: Shh.

Kaidan: …how’s he holding up?…

Taliesin: he’s not… *wipes under his nose as a bit more blood escapes* he said he’d been suffering nightmares a lot recently… but he’s been blacking out too… whatever he saw when he looked at you or… that body… it set him off…

Kaidan: *frowns looking at him then at Wyrm, watching him tremble and writhe like he’s in pain* …I’m sorry…

Taliesin: it’s not me you need to be apologising too. It’s him.

Kaidan: I know… *looks at the food quietly, not wanting to tuck in and seem insensitive* …what does teacup mean by the way?… heard him say it a lot… he said it when we first met too…

Taliesin: it’s his safe word. He says it, and I come to his aid. To protect him, to comfort him, to fight for him… to let him know I’m here.

Kaidan: …do you love him?

Taliesin: What?!

Wyrm: *whimpers a little*

Taliesin: *quickly quiets down* no, I’m just taking my role as his protector seriously. He asked me to get him home and I am… we just keep running into detours.

Kaidan: you think he’s really the dragonborn then?… that why you decided to take this path instead of going directly to winterhold?

Taliesin: as far as I’m concerned it’s most likely nord superstition, something strange did happen after he obliterated that beast… but I’ve never seen a dragon or a dragon be killed before so who am I to say what he is or not. So we’ll go up this mountain and see what these old men want.

Kaidan: *holds out his plate to him* alright, never thought I’d make the pilgrimage to high hrothgar myself but, there’s a first time for everything.

Taliesin: *takes his food from him and sets it aside as he turns his attention back to Wyrm* hopefully… he’ll be alright to make the climb when he wakes…

Kaidan: …hopefully he’ll accept my apology too.

———

???: lord seht please! Please help us!

???: my son! My son is sick my lord please!

???: my wife! Her eyes! Her face! It took her face!

???: it’s the mountain! It’s coming from the mountain my lord!

???: it hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It H̵̙͚̃̕ũ̴͓̃ͅr̶̪̞̄͛t̵̘̯͘͝ş̸̣̀ ̵̜̥͑͝h̴̲̊u̷̖̔̈r̵̜͛͘t̶͛̏͜s̴̛̲̙ ̶̡̛̉h̷̜̀̿u̸̘͂r̵̫̋͗t̵̗̬͛s̸̺̜͌͌ ̶̡͓͒͗h̷̫̎ṷ̸͗̆r̷̘̮̉t̴̛͉̔s̶͍͛ ̶̧̲͝h̶̏͜u̵̳̣͗̎r̷͕̬͂͊t̶̖̒s̷̼̈́̃ ̷͖͎͊h̸́͂͜ṷ̷̯̇r̸̦̂t̵̰̲̿š̵̨̯ ̸̡̉̃ḥ̷͑ủ̴̦̇r̷̻̃̌ṭ̵̘̐͋s̷̪̙͛ ̸̜̅͛h̷̬̓͗ủ̶͚r̶̖̦͑̂t̴͎̾s̸̛̗ẖ̴͕̀̓u̸͓̦͑͝r̸̠̱͠ṯ̷͆͝s̶̪̔͘h̶͈̻͆̒ù̷̡͇͂r̴̜͘t̸͉͖͆̏s̷͔̖̎̋h̸̡̫͊u̸̢̙͛r̶͓̤̔ṱ̶͑s̷͍̍̆h̸̥̲̏u̵͈̖̓̋r̵̩̝̈́͝ẗ̵̫ș̴̪̑͝ḩ̷͌ͅu̸͚͒r̸͖̮̊t̸̳̉̄s̸̤̞̎h̷͓̆ů̶̼r̶̠̞̈́̈́t̶̺̉̌s̴͈̗͠h̶̢̝͂͝u̸̿ͅŕ̵̻̦t̵̮͊s̵̝̚̚͜h̸̫̦̓̀ų̵̫͝r̷̳͕̐̆t̶͇̖̊s̸̡̼̈́͘h̴̬͚̀u̵̫̗͠r̸̜͑t̷̯͙́s̸̲͑̓ḩ̷͓̏ṵ̷̫͝r̸̻̝̈̀t̸̝̆̅s̴̨͖̑

…

Wyrm: *trembling as he looks around the space before him, only to see a mass of wires connecting to him in an empty chamber, his limbs replaced with metal and his flesh rotting* wh- what? Where- am I- *blinks again and nearly screams as the bloodied skinned face of indoril nerevar appears inches from his own*

“Wake. Up.”

Wyrm: *jolts awake and immediately screams and panics as he’s suddenly grabbed by two gentle gloved hands* LET ME GO! LET ME GO! HELP ME!

Taliesin: *easily keeping him restrained with a gentle hold* Wyrm, it’s me Wyrm! Come back to me…

Wyrm: *blinks and looks around frantically, vision splotchy with white flashes and the memory of nerevars face* Wh-what? I? *shivers feeling a cold breeze brush against him before finally resting his eyes up on taliesins concerned face, the moon reflecting in his eyes… they were outside* what h-happened?…

Taliesin: You were having a nightmare then you started sleep walking… *gently strokes his cheek drying his tears*

Wyrm: I?… I did? I?… *shivers at his touch and the night air blowing through his thin night shirt and trousers* …teacup… p-please?…

Taliesin: *removes his robe and places it around the smaller elf as he lifts him up and takes him back to the inn* shhh, it’s okay, it was just a bad dream. It can’t hurt you.

Wyrm: *hugs onto him trembling* b-but what if I hurt somebody instead?…

*the next day and an extremely long climb later*

Wyrm: *walking from high hrothgar* th-thank you for teaching me Mr Arngeir.

Arngeir: Don’t mention it dragonborn. It is our duty as the greybeards to teach you. But are you sure you wish to leave just yet? It’s very late. There is always beds available in high hrothgar.

Wyrm: oh I w-wouldn’t want to impose- *pauses looking at the steps to see Kaidan & Taliesin practically crawling to the steps, groaning and whining*

Kaidan: just- push me down it I’ll try and steer*

Taliesin: my legs- I can’t feel my legs-

Wyrm: a-actually yes I think we’ll take you up on that offer. G-guys? We’re staying the night!

Kaidan & Taliesin: *both collapse onto each other with a relieved sigh* ughh!

*meanwhile*

Ancano: *skulking about the collage writing his report, nose fixed back into place but now very bruised after being broken by Urag*

???: Out of the way out of the way!

Ancano: …Hm? *looks back in time to see Tolfdir and Enthir running back into the collage, both carrying Urag on a stretcher, the old orc freezing and suffering from hypothermia after getting lost in the blizzard trying to find his son* …Hm. *walks off with a sly smirk on his face, hoping Urag passes away and leaves Wyrm vunerable for him to steal away back to the isles* what, a, pity.

#kaidan skyrim #skyrim taliesin #urag gro shub #ancano #wyrm dragonborn #dunmer dragonborn #sotha sil #Nerevar

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dynamite124 · 1 year

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Hello!

I hope not bothering you but I felt compelled to ask some questions about your guy Taliesin (he looks fabulous btw and judging from your answers to other asks he seems quite sweet). Please forgive me if I'm repeating any questions that have been asked before.

How exactly does the LDB meet him? In the trailer it looks like he was injured...does the Player save him from something/ someone?

He is or was Thalmor and well...they aren't very well regarded because, you know, they're basically Fantasy Nazis. Does he carry those extremist views? The whole "Altmer are hot shit and anyone who worships Talos is a deluded heretical cultist" thing? Surely not to that extent? I did see that he was curious about other races, does he have any specific dialogue for Nords? I'm pretty sure Thalmor Justiciars have dialogue about wanting to enslave all Nords. What does he say? What about Talos? Will he say anything if you bring him near a shrine of Talos? Especially ones that you find in the wild where the Thalmor have massacred the worshippers/ priests there. In fact, what is his whole stance on the Thalmor/ is he still part of the group?

Does he have any specific dialogue about you being Dragonborn? Does he react to any of the DB's dragon friends like Odahviing/ Durnehviir/ Paarthurnax etc? I think it was kinda hinted at that he doesn't like how Delphine treats the DB, or was I reading too much into that/ reading it the wrong way?

Overall he seems very nice, if a little insufferable (meant affectionately). Is he very affectionate towards the Player at all? If I could get Skyrim mods then I would get him and the other Custom followers. Unfortunately I'll just have to watch his tag like a hawk. Maybe you could post more videos of him? 👉🏻👈🏻🥺🥺

I'm sorry for writing so much, I'm just so interested rn. I'd love to hear more about him.

Taliesin has a bit of a "First he's sour, then he's sweet" personality. He's still a smug Mer who's not afraid to tell you how he feels, but he won't openly try to hurt feelings.

I've been waiting for a list of questions like this! (cracks knuckles)

So funny you should mention that Shrine of Talos where people have been killed....because that's where you find him! He got injured in the scuffle and is in a state of shock to heal himself. You'll have to push a bit, but eventually he'll let you help him.

2) So Taliesin's stance on the Thalmor is complicated. He was raised to fear and obey them, joining their ranks was considered a true honor in his family. He doesn't agree with their views, but he follows because that's what is expected of him. Disobedience often resulted in 'reeducation' or 'punishment missions' and he's gone through this a few times. When he's with the player, he's able to drop the act and be himself, he's able to ask questions he's never been allowed to ask. However, some old habits due flare up from time to time, he'll pride himself on his pure Altmer bloodline or huff and remake on why the player brought him to a temple of Talos. But his dislike for Talos is different from what the Thalmor think.

3) The only time Taliesin refers to the player as Dragonborn is during the Main Story quest. A lot of players (myself included) often like to do playthroughs as someone other than the Dragonborn, so I'm keeping it ambiguous for how he refers to the player. He has a lot of respect for Paarthurnax, he views Paarthurnax as a kindred spirit. A being who rebels against his true nature, much like how he does against his home and race being in the Thalmor. And yeah, he does NOT like Delphine at all, especially after sending the Dragonborn into the Thalmor Embassy.

4) I think affectionate is the right word for it. He respects the player after they've helped him, despite him being a Thalmor and them, his enemy. He likes to tease them on occasion as well, such as if you go visit the temple of Dibella or just the Main Story quest in general. It's an amusing ride for him and he wants to see it all!

I can make another video showcasing more of his personality. Maybe a compilation of him being an insufferable jerk! XD

#Skyrim #Skyrim Taliesin #Skyrim Thalmor #Thalmor #Taliesin

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keyleth-clay · 2 years

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Critical Role Character Meta

I just wanted to take a second to acknowledge certain character choices and common themes that I’ve seen the CR cast make with their main campaign characters over the years.

*Obligatory disclaimer that these are just my opinions/perspectives, and not meant to suggest that these recurring themes are necessarily intentional on the cast members’ parts, or that these are the “correct” way to read these characters.Also, feel free to add onto the discussion!

Travis (Grog, Fjord, Chetney) – The biggest commonality here is themes of masculinity and strength. Does your strength and rage define you, and how do you know when to use it. Yes, Grog is a 7.5-8 foot tall goliath berserker barbarian, and fits into the “dumb jock” trope with little difficulty, and it would be so easy to play him as the stereotypical dumb jock, with all of the toxic masculinity that comes with that – hell, Kevdak and the rest of the Herd fit that bill to a tee. But when they beat and pillage and destroy whatever they want, simply because they can, Grog is the one to stand up to them terrorizing an old man and say this is wrong, this is not what our strength is for. “It all comes down to one word, really: family. Before I was a part of this group, I had no family. Pike took me in, I met all of you. And I had a purpose. So before that, I would be down to fuck anything up, anytime, no problem. I still kind of am. But I realized that if I fly off the handle too soon, it screws over my family. That's no good, because I care about you.”

In the same vein, pretty much the entirety of Fjord’s character arc through campaign 2 is gradually unlearning all of the toxic masculinity he learned from Vandran. Now, that’s not to say that all of those ideas were intentionally taught to him, nor was everything he learned from Vandran bad. But he still felt the need to pretend to be somebody else, someone less emotional and less willing to acknowledge vulnerability, in order to be taken seriously and be respected. I couldn’t help but notice, but after Fjord broke his pact with Uk’otoa (U’kotoa) and started talking in his actual voice, he started being more emotive, he actually said when he was afraid or uncertain or even just uncomfortable, instead of just pushing it down and pretending that he wasn’t affected. One could argue that the entire joke of Fjord being weak is only funny because he’s a half-orc and a man, somebody that’s “““supposed””” to be strong.

And then, with Chetney, it’s right there with his lycanthropy. It’s I’ve got this super cool ability that makes me tall and strong and gives me claws and fangs and it’s awesome, except he doesn’t have it as under control as he thinks he does, and he’s unwilling to acknowledge the downsides, even after attacking a teammate – and let’s talk about that, shall we? Let’s talk about this strong, raging creature within him that he lost control over, not long after having a serious and vulnerable heart-to-heart with Orym, and ended up clawing him up. Even while he was in the throes of bloodlust, he was apologizing. Even the “Recognize The Alpha” tattoo/motto, and how it’s based in the (debunked) idea of alpha wolves, and how it also has come to represent the (bullshit) idea of alpha males, but it’s never something he uses to act like he’s better than everyone around him, it’s never a point of ego. Rather, it’s emblematic of the through-line of these characters: that strength is only what you make of it, and being stronger than others doesn’t mean you’re better, it means you have a responsibility to use that strength to lift others up.

Taliesin (Percy, Mollymauk, Caduceus, Ashton) – Taliesin literally talked about this on an episode of 4-Sided Dive, but he didn’t go super in-depth with it, and also I’d already planned on making this post then, so :p.

Honestly, the biggest thread between these four is that all of them scream The Refusal Of The Call. How all of them looked at their backstory and immediately turned their backs on it and powerwalked the fuck away. When asked during the Q&A after episode 4 of campaign 1, Taliesin says that “[Percy] has no interest in going home yet, ‘cause that’s terrifying. So we have not dealt with that.” Mollymauk hears the name Lucien and says fuck that, fuck him, that’s not me, that’s not my life, I want nothing to do with him. Caduceus’ ENTIRE THING was that he was the one that stayed behind, that he even felt guilty for going out and adventuring like Calliope wanted for her life. It’s not quite as clear with Ashton, but they’ve made it very clear that they don’t want to go looking for the Nobodies, he doesn’t need to know anything more of what happened that night or since then. On top of that, Taliesin mentioned at some point that whenever Ashton came into money, he ended up spending it all on booze and gambling – which, when he’s trying to get out of a very steep debt with Jiana Hexum, doesn’t seem like he’s trying all that hard.

Laura (Vex, Jester, Imogen) – The thread that I tugged on for Laura’s characters wasn’t really something that I could sum up in one simple statement. I think there’s two things that really stand out to me. The first is this running theme of loving mothers and distant fathers – but that love is never perfect, and that distance isn’t always intentional or malicious.

Elaina loved her children dearly, and they loved her, but they were taken away when they were only ten, and she died while they were gone. Syldor only cared about the twins because of his own reputation, and that coldness was something that Vex could never fully forgive. Marion adored Jester, and Jester certainly didn’t feel like her childhood was bad, but Marion’s own fears and her business led to her keeping Jester indoors and secret for so much of her life. Babenon loved Marion, and if circumstances had been different he would have loved to be a part of Jester’s life from the get-go, but circumstances were not that kind. He didn’t even know she existed until she walked into his bar, and once she was there, he didn’t believe that he deserved to be a part of her life. Relvin might have been a good father to Imogen in her childhood, but as soon as her powers began developing he pulled away, keeping her isolated from the rest of Gelvaan, and keeping her away from him – Imogen goes so far as to speculate that he’s happier with her gone, because he’s uncomfortable with her seeing into his head. I don’t think a feeling like that comes out of nowhere, especially not when the person saying it can read minds. Unfortunately, we don’t know much about Liliana yet, or why she left, or even if she left rather than being killed or kidnapped or something. But I think that her love and protectiveness of Imogen is clear, considering it’s her that always shows up in her dreams, urging her to run from the storm.

The second thing is the masks that these characters put up. Vex tries so hard to be confident and in control, whether that be in a fight or through snark or while flirting or bartering. At moments she can be a bit bitchy, but never for long and she makes sure to take responsibility for any time that she gets too harsh towards someone. But it’s the moments that that mask of control falls, the “Do I look like I come from money”-type moments, that show her heart. Jester is pretty much the opposite; she’s always big smiles and pranks and goofy stories. She’s light and peppy and energetic, which is often genuine, but also becomes her armour when she’s vulnerable. The way that she forces a smile and pretends to not be crying, during the pirate arc and later leading up to Travelercon, are absolutely heartwrenching because it’s such a departure from how we typically see her. Imogen’s mask is much more straightforward, and much more of a foundation for the character. Because she can read minds, and she has to constantly act polite, act like the thoughts of everyone around her doesn’t weigh on her every damn day. Her mask is the shields she keeps up in her mind, and when she’s around too many people, it is constantly on the verge of falling.

Liam (Vax, Caleb, Orym) – Everyone brings up grief and loss as a major through-line across Liam’s characters, and that’s true, but that’s not what I’m going to dive into here. There’s an interesting theme across these three, of this… sort of question, of characters starting from humble beginnings, and what forces them onto the path to greatness? How does a half-blooded runaway with sticky fingers with a dead mother and a shitty father become a Paladin of the Goddess of Death? How does a small-town farm boy with a love of books end up on the fast track to becoming an elite magical assassin? How does someone who is essentially a town guardsman end up travelling across the continent, across the ocean, and help to uncover conspiracies and end enormous threats and discover long-lost civilizations? It feels like it’s very common for people to go into creating their DnD characters with the knowledge that they’re going to be Going On An Adventure, and that they could very well end up as some sort of Chosen One, or going toe-to-toe with dragons and gods and demons and the like, but it never feels that way with Liam’s characters. They’re all just average people who somehow found their way onto this path.

Marisha (Keyleth, Beau, Laudna) – Marisha’s characters, like Laura’s, have two different commonalities across them. The first is kind of similar to Liam’s, in that they all have some sort of expectations and importance placed upon them that they don’t want and didn’t ask for. Keyleth only ended up going on the Aramente because her mother failed – and she wasn’t asked, she was chosen for it. Beau was literally kidnapped by the Cobalt Soul and essentially forced into monk training, which she very loudly complained about for a long time. Laudna was fucking killed, and then was unintentionally brought back to life, and now she’s got the woman who murdered her in her head, and granting her her warlock powers (which she didn’t really need – remember, she’s a sorcerer, and was already a sorcerer before she died).

The second is that they are all, in some way, off-putting. Off-putting by design, no less. Keyleth’s simultaneous awkwardness and bone-deep, stubborn conviction makes it difficult to hold a conversation with her at times. Beau is brusque and abrasive, and for a long time, kept people at arm’s length. Laudna’s fucking dead – she’s scary and weird and dripping ichor and vomiting bees? And I love that Marisha leans in to that, that she doesn’t make her characters easy to like or overly kind and sweet.

Ashley (Pike, Yasha, Fearne) – The dichotomy of gentleness vs. ferocity. Pike is sweet and compassionate and is a cleric of a goddess of redemption, but she’s also tough as hell and, as we all know, a monstah. Yasha is a barbarian with the power of the Stormlord at her back and rage in her veins, but she also is soft spoken and awkward and collects pressed flowers and her greatest crime was simply falling in love. And Fearne has her soft, breathy voice and wide-eyed “innocence” in this world that she’s not a part of, who steals things because she loves them, but then she also steals things. She can summon a wildfire with a flick of her fingers, she can shapeshift into wild animals, she has her feral side with fangs and claws and viciousness. All of them are soft and sharp at the same time, and neither side is a more accurate version of their character.

Sam (Scanlan, Taryon, Nott/Veth, Fresh Cut Grass) – You know, I was originally going to try to come up with some character trait or narrative element that this fandom hasn’t talked to death about yet, but fuck it. Yes, the biggest commonality here is that Sam makes the most ridiculous fucking characters – the stereotypical horny bard (fun sized), the pompous rich boy who’s never been in a fight, the shrill and alcoholic goblin, the fucking Southern Hospitality Robit. But then he gives them so much heart and soul, so much depth, that they’re no longer ridiculous. He gives them “Well, that's just it. I'm a really good liar”, and “No, Taryon's on the floor, weeping, holding his necklace,” and “They made me everything that I thought I was: not pretty, not good, just not,” and every conversation F.C.G. has had regarding whether or not they have a soul. Sam sees these goofy, fun, ridiculous characters, and decides that they also have a story, and it’s one worth telling.

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blogberthday · 9 months

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Chapter 2 - The Hands of a Healer

To read the first chapter in this fic, click here! -> Chapter 1: Blood on the Shrine

. . . . . . .

She had been working for thirty minutes to stabilize him. The clouds had rolled in, and it looked like it would rain at any moment. Still she pressed on, diligently casting until her magicka reserves were nearly depleted. Meeko remained beside her, keeping watch for passersby and wild skeevers. As she worked over him, the Justiciar's breathing became deeper, stronger. Colour started to return to his face, his pale cheeks regaining their golden complexion.

The mer stirred beneath her, moving his head.

"Easy, easy," she put a bloodstained hand on his cheek, holding his face with a touch that was gentle, yet firm. "You're going to be alright, just keep still."

Someone long ago had told her that she had the hands of a healer. She tried to remember who, to put a face or a name to the voice that she remembered, the words that had meant so much to her - but she was met with the usual mental block. Nothing. She sighed, reaching back with her free hand to brush the loose strands of hair behind her ear.

She swore that at one point, she had known stronger healing spells than this, but if she couldn't remember how to cast them now, what good were they?

Feeling the Justiciar come to, she returned her focus to his face.

If she couldn't find the answers to her questions about her past, she might as well get some answers to her questions about him.

He opened his eyes with a jolt, reaching immediately for whatever was touching him. There was a woman, a Breton, crouched over him, her hand resting on his face. Or was she a Breton? Maybe she was a Nord..? She was human for sure. They all looked the same, with their round cheeks and ears, their small eyes.

"Shhh, shhhhh," she held him more firmly, steadying him. "You're okay. Deep breaths."

Gods. In his final moments, and his dying fantasy was of a human? Not an Altmer, or a mer of any kind? His father was right to have been ashamed of him.

Another bark. He couldn't possibly be dreaming.

"I've done the best I can for now, but I'll need to take a break before I can do much more for you. Can you speak? Do you know where you are?"

The Justiciar coughed, blood leaking from the side of his lip. This human... She was... healing him? He took a ragged breath in, removing his hand from hers and clutching the wound at the side of his chest. "You... You're helping me? For gods' sakes, why?"

"Because you're a person. And you're hurting. Why shouldn't I?"

"You do realize you're aiding a member of the Thalmor, right? No doubt the people of Skyrim would prefer to see us all dead."

"A member of the Thalmor?" She replied sardonically. "Really?! I never would have guessed, with you wearing those oh-so subtle Justiciar's robes."

Offended and delirious from blood loss, he responded in kind. "Sarcastic, aren't we? You have a strange definition of decent attire. With a drab outfit like that, you must have pieced it together by looting the bodies you've slain! No decency, no decency at all!" He coughed again, this time spitting out a chunk of bloody tissue. Urgh.

She softened. "Fair enough. But you can critique my outfit later." Reaching over with the long end of the mer's robes, she wiped the blood off his face. "Who are you?"

He hesitated before answering.

"... Taliesin."

Author's note: fic updated 2023/08/02 with in-fic date and location, along with link to previous chapter. Some minor changes to wording and punctuation. Thanks for reading! 💕

#skyrim #skyrim taliesin #skyrim fanfiction #skyrim fic

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dainesanddaffodils · 4 months

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okay so I think I have maybe like 2 mutuals who are ffxiv enthusiasts, but I gotta yell into the void about my warrior of light and the fact that, in true oc fashion, she went and did her own thing without my consent and now I gotta deal with all the feelings it is giving me

so, my partner finished endwalker last year and Had Many Emotions about it and afterword I said, sure, put me in Character Creation For Fun I Won't Do Anything About It

but then I made a cute little Au Ra and named her Cimorene to reference my fav childhood book series and I was like, oh no I love her I guess I'll have to put her through The Trauma that is this whole game

(I know there is much trauma, again, because I witnessed my partner finishing endwalker and she also would tell me things about what was going on, vague enough - and long ago enough - that I'm not like SUPER spoiled on what I have ahead of me, but like, enough that I know shit is Sad)

but ANYWAY I was still pretty casual about this because, friends, I am not a Gamer. The last game I played, that wasn't a Mariokart/Mario Party/Smash that I've played at a friend's house, was like... on my family game cube 15+ years ago. I want to be a gamer but my brain can't find time for it... until now

so I'm casually trucking along through a realm reborn doin my little white mage quests and meeting the characters my partner has cried about, especially this one guy called thancred - of whom I had heard quite a lot about and my brain had already decided, I want that one.

(he's voiced by Taliesin Jaffe at first, he's a pretty white haired anime boy with trauma, he's got horrible coping mechanisms, what was I supposed to do? to quote Richard Gansey, "Crushed and Broken, just the way women like 'em")

so that was like in the back of my mind because obviously my little baby wol has to go through a lot and he has to go through a lot (most of which I am well aware of) before that's going to take off and even then I already imagine it's going to be a sort of background tension they refuse to actually speak on but both just Know for like, ever (yes my favorite ship is Roy and Riza from FMA why do you ask)

but then I'm like a little over halfway through this first installment and a bunch of awful things happen to my baby for the first time and I'm kinda invested in how she's having a kind of terrible time and the first group of people she'd felt some kind of belonging with are in danger and she feels lost and helpless -

and my partner is sitting next to me watching me play and starts getting excited about the fact that I'm close to meeting another character

that character is haurchefant

and I had never heard them talk about him before so I didn't really know who he was, but he's the first person to be genuinely kind to my warrior after several very bad days. they're in a fortress in an eternal winter and he's still the warmest person she's met in a very long time...

and I thought, oh that's so nice I'm glad she got someone in her corner now after all that shit, anyway moving on

but then, like for the following few days I kept. thinking about it. about how much that would have meant to her, about how lonely she had been feeling before meeting him and how, now that she's found that, she kind of just, wants to be around him

and it hit me that, without my own consent on it, Cimorene had said, I want that one.

so now I have to deal with my baby's first love (which, judging by my partner and her friends reactions when I told all of this to them, is going to be a fucking tragic first love) when I hadn't expected to deal with that at all and now I'm like really really invested in this dumb game

(this got way longer than expected, I just had to Yell. also this is probably a precursor for things to come. I may be reblogging Final Fantasies up in here before long)

#ffxiv #final fantasy 14 #a realm reborn #haurchefant #anyway I hate this I want to write fucking FANFIC #and I'm not even in heavensward yet I have So Much to go through lmao

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sbrn10 · 5 months

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Look, I apologize for being the hyperfixate on Laudna and Imogen all the time person (actually, I don't, sorry not sorry, this is my whole personality now) but:

Marisha has fucking weaponized the phrase "I like/love children" and I want her to stab me with it 37 more times. It's the most fucked up, precisely because her (Before Imogen state) idea of appealing to children is so horrifying, of course they run from her.

Can you BELIEVE that the primary thing standing between Laudna and Delilah's manipulation is Laudna's extremely low sense of self-worth? The fact that Delilah tries to tell Laudna "you deserve it, take what's rightfully yours" and Laudna refuses because it's not meant for her -- nothing is meant for her. Even Imogen isn't meant for her -- after all, she's a dead end, and Imogen should be able to live. The fact that Delilah still doesn't know any other way to entice someone than offering power because it's the only thing she understands -- and Laudna doesn't want it.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make everybody worry. *weak laugh* This is the second time you all have trotted through these woods to save me." vs. "the crippling obligation that [I] feel to everybody for risking themselves to save [me] ... still haunts me." (From fucking e49 when Laudna and Ashton were having one of their "Ashton is projecting their experience onto Laudna super hard" conversations, fucking christ) Excuse me, I'm going to go scream into the night.

"What did he do to you? Did he hurt you? Did he manipulate you?" Laudna's immediate assumption that Ashton somehow coerced Fearne in order to take power meant for her, because she's lived with a voice in her head doing nothing but that for 30 years. I am lying dead in a ditch.

Look, I know everyone has already said it. I know. I know. But. Laudna: Will you hold me? Delilah: Always. "You swear you feel the shadows around you in this corner grow a little thicker, like a cloak of darkness that wraps itself around you." "You wake up cold and alone." Laudna: I miss Imogen. Laudna: Love is pain. But it is also warmth. I was so cold last night. Imogen: I go hug her again. Marisha. Girl. What the FUCK.

Laudna: You can give [the doll] whatever voice you want. Ashton: I'm not good at voices. Laudna: You can find a voice. What if I just died. Right here. What if, Marisha.

Can we talk about Imogen going through Laudna asking her to move on if something happens to her, like she's readying herself to leave, and then she left for real and didn't come back. Can we talk about how fucked up that was for her. Can we talk about how she didn't even get to be angry at Laudna for it because Laudna was visibly fucked up so bad it was something she'd never seen before. Somebody please give that girl a hug, like so many hugs, also my kingdom for Imogen getting to be angry at Laudna at some point (please also read Time Running Out).

Ashton: I thought it would make me better, and I thought a better me would-- [help you]. Imogen: You don't need power to be better, Ashton. Imogen is just so fucking tired, my god. Imogen is the Ben Affleck smoking meme about the people she loves being stupid.

Okay, a few not Imogen or Laudna things: - My god, Travis, what an episode for Chetney. "Plus, if you need it, just say you need it." / "Okay, I kind of need it." That is my emotional support old man and I just want to give Chetney and Fearne so many hugs. - Percy and Ashton being mirrors for each other across 30 years and 3 campaigns: truly the most Taliesin of all time. - FCG was so good at talking Ashton through his decisions and pushing back on the surface-level excuses to dig deeper but also staying open and trying hard to allow Ashton some grace despite it all. Growth dot gif. - FCG as a counselor at Wildemount Wildlings when.

#musings: cr

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fluidstatick · 6 months

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I've finally had some coffee and given myself the chance to look back over the last four episodes of cr3, figuring out how this happened. This got long. Strap in.

In 3.74, Ashton told Evontra'vir "I seek my past, I seek power. I seek to know who I am." Evontra'vir tells them that their father, Evterin, came to ask for power. "He was a broken man of burning purpose. He came to ask me for the golden purpose they felt the world owed them. He claimed visions that promised greatness. He was not wrong. I showed him his future, and showed him the way to the necropolis of Toramunda, where he recovered the final shard of Ka'mort. He thought his destiny was his to embrace, but he was wrong. He was meant to create and destroy the Hishari, and in the process, create you. He could not see beyond his own aspirations, but now you have returned to me seeking another piece of history's sorrow, in the name of finding your own destiny."

Too Flowery; Didn't Read: Ashton contains a shard of Ka'mort, the primordial titan empress of Earth, because their father blew up the Hishari trying to wield it incorrectly.

Evontra'vir vagues for a while about who and what he is, but that's not relevant to this investigation I'm doing. Ashton gives the tree a hit from their pipe of heroism, to try and give insight into who he was. They only get back vague images of the tree collecting souls from the air around him.

Matt's delivery of this conversation is extremely slow, and I found myself easily distracted, so I missed a lot of Tal's microexpressions during this bit the first time. Watching it back again, I note that Ashton is visibly processing the fact that they're here because of their father's big greedy mistake, and that the calamity was a big greedy mistake that created Evontra'vir. The gears are turning, and they're deciding it will probably benefit them to make massive, stupid decisions and create something legendary. They've decided to get suicidally reckless, because to them, that's how creation happens.

In the latest 4sd, one of vanishingly few things that stuck out to me was Taliesin saying, basically, "I've realized that Ashton and Percy hate each other because they're pretty much the same person. They're both stubborn, reckless, broken assholes who make big stupid moves, and they see that in each other, and they can't stand it." Marisha was surprised, but Ashley wasn't. In fact, Tal said to Ashley shortly after that, "we're going to have a chat about this fire shard off camera. But I think we're on the same page."

Anyway, Evontra'vir says, slowly and with much cryptic flourish, that ashton will have to make a few very big decisions and become someone of great importance soon, whether they want to or not. Then the tree splits open to make a portal and says I'm sending you to where the shard is. Hurry, you're running out of time." They hop through the portal into a blizzard. Episode ends.

In 3.75, when they get to the bottom of the cave diving situation, they find a bunch of little fire imps guarding the shard. It's made abundantly clear that the fire shard and earth shard are meant for two different vessels, and if they're put into the same vessel things won't end well. Ashton's eyes sparkle like Oh Really? The party hems and haws for a bit about the safest way to retrieve the shard, but Ashton gets frustrated, says fuck it, and hops into the pool of lava that the shard is sitting at the bottom of. They start taking disgusting amounts of fire damage. Imogen asks telepathically if they're ok, and they just scream back. Fearne says well, fuck this, and dives in after them. They both come up out of the lava, somehow not dead. Their combined lack of self preservation saved both of them. Ashton says "I always wanted a sister." (Mirroring what imodna said about each other earlier in the campaign, basically rigging the callowmoore ship to sail.) Fearne misinterprets this as setting a hard boundary ("that's not where I was seeing this going - never mind.")

But that sets another leg of this awful table. Ashton has swung for the fences, gotten their shit rocked, and Fearne has saved them. The expectation has been set: Ashton fucks up, Fearne runs damage control.

The rest of the party wonders who should have the shard. Fearne doesn't want it, she's cagey about it. The party reconfirms with Matt that letting Ashton have it wouldn't end well. Ashton looks unconvinced; "He said it might be bad, not that it definitely would be bad."

A while back when they said I'm done fucking around, i wanna be a hero, they wanted to believe they were going to become more like Orym. We wanted to believe it too. But their version of heroism isn't being prudent and proactive. It's being hungry, reckless, stubborn. It's who their father was, it's who they are. A legacy of big swings, and even bigger misses, that change that course of history. They'll win or they'll die, and it's not out of love and duty. It's out of anger and self obsession. They care about others, but they don't put in the work to respect others with their actions.

They're not alone in this mistake. Letters is reckless and stubborn for moral reasons (harming laudna repeatedly to prove a point about the changebringer), but Ashton is unique in that they're reckless and stubborn for egoic reasons (get revenge on the bad guys for making them suffer all their life, get famous in the process, and fuck everybody else's feelings).

Taliesin made the right character call. It blindsided everyone because they saw Taliesin first, then the shadow of Caduceus' wisdom, then Percy's sense of justice, and finally just a flicker of Ashton's hypocrisy and bitterness. Matt was upset because he made the consequences extremely clear. But Ashton didn't care about consequences, they wanted revenge and glory, in that order, and if they died first then they wouldn't have to say goodbye to the hells or face the emotional consequences of their decisions.

When tal said "you gave me a big red button," he didn't mean "heehoo spicy plot device go boom lmao." He meant "this was my opportunity to show y'all just how unstable and fucked up the barbarian really is. The possibilities are endless, and that's not a good or fun thing. We're literally all powder kegs and don't you dare forget it."

Delilah encouraged Fearne and Imogen to go dark, and now they're seriously considering it. Orym spent every single dime he had in Whitestone, at Gilmore's and the Slayer's Cake, as a love letter and an apology to VM for what he's about to do. He gave Fearne the spyglass he stole off the ghost ship, because in his words, "now you can keep an eye on me." Implying she'll lose him soon. (he believes he's going to die on the moon, and very probably fail to save Exandria from Predathos, because the group is so disjointed.)

Chet is rolling death checks at disadvantage, hitting on Percy's sister, muttering jokes about how there won't be wood on the moon so he doesn't want to go, and basically hanging back from connecting with anybody around him. He doesn't give a fuck.

Matt's teeing them up with so, so many existential decisions, and they're all leaning in the wrong direction. Laudna is leaning into Delilah. Fearne is leaning into Ashton's hubris and chewing on the possibilities of Dark!Fearne. Imogen is flirting with the idea that her mother's power might not be so morally reprehensible after all. Orym and Chet are marching toward death. Letters continues to play the one song they know, myopically fixated on the gods who have done nothing but ask them for things and show them darkness. And Ashton is finally, textually, metaphorically and literally, melting down in the name of Glory. You win or you die, and it doesn't matter which anymore. Not to any of them.

It stings like a motherfucker, but it's narratively consistent.

#long post #cr spoilers #critical role spoilers #cr3 #this isn't the most concise or eloquent explanation #but i feel less betrayed now that I've chewed on some motivations and flipped some assumptions around

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