🧙‍♂️🪄✨️😈BY THE LIGHT OF THE STARS, BY THE EDGE OF THE SWORD😈✨️🪄🧙‍♂️

🔮🧿🚘🏳️‍🌈TURN THIS BITCH INTO A HONDA ACCORD!!!!!!!!!!!!!🃏🎉🪄🐈‍⬛

OC-tober day 6 - symbol

These two freaks.. caduceus ft some assorted article clippings! Transcripts of said article clippings under the cut :]

1- top left

"Caduceus as a symbol of medicine

The caduceus is the traditional symbol of Hermes and features two snakes winding around an often winged staff. It is often used as a symbol of medicine, especially in the United States, despite its ancient and consistent associations with trade, liars, thieves, eloquence, negotiation, alchemy, and wisdom."

2- top right

"The author of the study suggests that professional associations are more likely to have a historical understanding of the two symbols, whereas commercial organizations are more likely to be concerned with the visual impact a symbol will have on sales."

3- bottom right

"Wing clipping is the process of trimming a bird's primary wing feathers or remiges so that it is not fully flight-capable, until it moults, sheds the cut feathers and grows new ones."

4 & 5- behind everything, the long ones

the one on the left is a snippet from the Declaration of Helsinki, while the right is a snippet from the Hippocratic Oath, as written by Louis Lasagna. I don't believe said snippets have been chosen with any particular care but who knows really.

I know I used to liveblog a lot more but what can I say, I’m mostly just chilling and leading a 24/7 Caduceus Clay appreciation life over here, I’m good, my crops are growing etc

Could you elaborate on that Orym-grief post? I find it interesting and I love ur character meta

Sure! The main thesis, is, well, the post: Orym has a healthy attitude towards his own grief and deals with it well, but isn't good at handling how the party feels. And, secondary to that, the fandom tends to flip this around in their perception of Orym.

Orym is very aware he is grieving and that this will be a life-long thing. He misses Will and Derrig very much and their absence is a hole in his life. He also has built a life around it. It's a process, certainly, but a process he trusts. He allows himself to feel his feelings (the gravesite sequence in Zephrah), but he also very much wants to live out his life (the feeling of failure when he died, his general enjoyment of things). He's a relatively subdued and quiet person, but he clearly finds a lot of joy in life.

The thing about grief is that it's a unique sort of pain, because there's really nothing to be done about it, and it is, typically, something that will always be there. The process is to find a way to live with that absence and make space for it while also making space for new things. It's an important lesson! It's also not how you should deal with other problems, because it's not really solution focused (or rather, the solution is "it is what it is, and it really hurts, and eventually, time will make it hurt somewhat less though it will flare up in specific situations.") For more on this: Caduceus covers very similar territory; his understanding of grief is incredibly strong, and his understanding of other problems often falters.

With grief, the answer for the living is ultimately "keep going," and that's the thing with Orym: he sure does keep going. But I think it leads him to push past things without stopping to unpack and solve them, because in his case (a guy with a great mother, a happy upbringing, a career he enjoyed, and a loving marriage, who then experienced a devastating loss) the answer really was "yeah, it really hurts that my husband and his father, who was essentially the only father figure I had, were senselessly murdered in an attack on my home. But let's put one foot in front of the other."

However, this is not actually great advice for much of Bells Hells. Several of them genuinely have conditions that lead to a complete loss of control and self that could harm or kill others, and they are at varying levels of dealing with it, potential to the peril of others. Orym notes that Fearne's impulses might put the party at risk, but he never does anything to address it other than say "hey, we need to work together." He even skirts around it himself! I think it's valid for him to approach Fearne to have a backup plan about Imogen potentially joining the Vanguard, but he says his piece and then goes and does that in private instead of fully hashing out why she'd say this in front of the people who were murdered by them, which means the root causes are never addressed. A lot of this party needs to be told both "hey, your feelings here are really valid and you should express your anger" and "hey, get your fucking shit together once you've done that." Orym tends to treat them either like they're grieving (a gentle "hey, we need to keep going, we need to get back"), or treat this like a group endeavor without delving into the individual.

I really suspect the reason we are having such a massive blow up right now is in part because this party has, for so long, been told "hey, your shit? It could ruin it for the rest of us, and we're a team," and Ashton very much went against this. I would not, frankly, be surprised if Imogen (for example) is angry not just only Ashton, but also generally, that she pushed down her stuff and maybe didn't make more efforts to contact her mother and work through that.

Essentially, Orym is really good at smoothing things over just enough to keep everything on task, but eventually, if the gear is broken, no amount of grease can keep it from jamming, and that's what just happened here with Ashton. This is what only repeated quick fixes and no preventative maintenance looks like.

(As for why the fandom thinks the opposite? I personally blame that most putrid - in several senses - belief, that conflict is always to be avoided, mixed in with a longstanding really toxic and genre/medium-ignorant attitude towards death and grieving. I think this goes hand and hand with the really pervasive attitude early on that Bells Hells were so open and honest instead of the truth: it was just a pleasant veneer.)

taliesin and laura remain truly so fantastic at making characters who… don’t necessarily have something extremely and inherently in common but do have experiences that were caused by similar sources and that lead them to have quite different opinions/ideas about things but in ways that are typically very reconcilable? which is a lot of qualifiers but it’s a through line of vex/percy with nobility, jester & cad with loneliness (and also god stuff but in a different post maybe someday i’ll talk about how actually their god stuff is intensely related to their different experiences of loneliness), and now imogen & ashton with being left behind.

like vex was this character who technically had a claim to nobility due to her blood but at the same time was burdened because of that same claim. and percy who was born into and raised by nobility but that nobility ended up making his family the targets of a massacre. and then vex who lets down her walls and Do I Look Like I Come From Money? and percy giving her the title grand mistress of the grey hunt because it has nothing to do with blood, or his love for her, or anything aside from the fact that it’s something she can prove herself worthy of simply by virtue of who she Is, not who someone makes her. and percy and vex’s conversation about forgiveness and it’s necessity for growth as probably two of the characters most inclined to hold grudges.

and caduceus clay who gets left behind with nothing but his Belief while his family goes off into the world. and jester lavorre who gets shut inside with no company except her Belief as her mother protects her from the world. and they both get the burden of loneliness and the understanding of love’s nonmalicious imperfection. and caduceus having a panic attack on a ship and jester telling him that the world is a lot bigger than his cemetery and that means he has to break out of his comfort zone to find his path. and caduceus telling jester that he doesn’t think she gets as much credit as she ought to and she deserves more pastries. and jester thanking caduceus for showing her how cool it is to actually heal people and caduceus asking if she wants to use his shield while he doesn’t need it.

and ashton who was left broken and dying on the ground and was given inescapable pain as their means of survival. and imogen who was left behind by the only person who could provide true understanding of the pain she’d one day come to feel. and ashton who’s a barbarian, who wields their rage casually and unapologetically and who sees the Shittiness of the world but is unrelenting in his version of optimism. and imogen who is weighed down by pessimism she doesn’t Want to have but hasn’t cracked how to undo and who doesn’t admit her anger until it comes up again and again and again and carries it like a burden or like guilt, who we only see really Grasp and feel Confidence about her anger being something good in front of others when she has those conversations with ashton. and like. ashton who looks at imogen and sees a superhero. imogen venturing through ashton’s mind and holding his bleeding and exhausted head and saying i’m sorry. i’m sorry. and imogen who looks at ashton and sees someone special. and fucking “we got him killed.” and “no, we didn’t. don’t you dare. […] we are not what fucking killed that man. […] we are his eventual victory. we are his fucking revenge.” and “i’ll be his revenge.” and “i have no fucking doubt.”

and in general rp wise they both tend to make some of my favourite characters (also typically the ones i find most frustrating) because they both tend to make flaws that are easy to hate and they make those flaws very central to their characters but i think that’s also what makes their character interactions so deeply compelling because so frequently it’s like. yes yes these two characters have like. a helix of things they have in common but also things they deeply disagree on but they’re going to spider-man point at the things that are the same and they’re going to honour their differences while doing so. and it’s just. i always enjoy it so much and i was psyched when i heard about an imogen and ashton side pit stop in last nights episode and i was not let down when i watched the episode today.

Been rewatching some of the Mighty Nein campaign cause I was missing them and also I'm excited for their one shot soon! I've seen a few people speculating about the one shot so thought I'd put my thoughts out into the void as well.

I honestly don't know at all what to expect from this one shot. I don't even remember what the description was beyond that it has to do with the apogee solstice stuff. I haven't kept up much with campaign 3 for my own reasons that I don't need to get into now. However, I did actually watch a couple of the episodes during the solstice and got lucky with watching the ep with beau and caleb in it. But otherwise, I barely know what's going on. I have no idea what the M9 will be dealing with. My theories include anything from getting Beau and Caleb back and dealing with cultists along the way to dealing with the Cerberus Assembly's/Ludinus' attachments to this whole thing to stopping Tharizdun or some other entity from doing some fuck shit. Honestly, I don't fucking know man. I don't even really think any of that shit will happen.

I don't know if it's been confirmed that Caduceus is gonna be the one in this one shot but I really hope it is him. One of the things that's been bothering me about this arc from the BH perspective (at least that I've seen) is that none of them or any that they've come across has been able to argue for the side of the gods and the good that some of them can do. As someone who really likes the worldbuilding and rp that gods can bring to settings like this, not having that perspective represented has been disappointing for me. (This is not the fault of the cast or their guests or anything like that, that is not what I'm saying. It is their choice what characters they play and it is Matt's choice as the DM which NPCs/areas they come across in wherever they decide to explore. I'm just mentioning my own preference and feelings as it pertains to the one shot which is what I'm talking about). Anyway, I hope it's Caduceus because I think he will bring an incredibly interesting perspective on this whole thing. And I think Fjord will too but not to the extent that Cad can since Cad and his family grew up as worshippers of Melora.

We don't know the fate of Beau and Caleb and while I don't think they're dead, I really hope they aren't gone for most of this one shot. Beau is my favorite character in any media ever. I fucking love Beau so much. And Beauyasha is my favorite couple, I love them. I will be literally so sad if Marisha isn't playing Beau for this one shot. Like I'll understand but also I will indeed be devastated. Beauyasha is like my Roman Empire (this joke will be aging this post LMAO but its a good comparison honestly), I think about them A LOT. I want to see more content from them. I was at SDCC, I was there when Ashley said she felt like she wasn't fully finished with Yasha and that's exactly how I feel. The Mighty Nein's story was so good but the way it ended felt so long and then so abrupt (but that's another post). I will always be wanting more of Beau and Yasha's story. I want to know as much as Marisha and Ashley are willing to give us. So I hope the one shot starts with Beau and Caleb and how they reunite with the Nein and then get to business. Or even better, with them already reunited for maximum Nein time.

Those are my main two thoughts for now. I actually need to go to bed cause I got work in the morning and it's been kicking my ass these last two weeks so imma cut it there and check back tomorrow. If you somehow see this, I hope you enjoyed my ramblings lol

Am I a Good Angel? Am I a Mad Angel?

Here for the Occult Stuff

(Intro, part 1)

Last time we explored who The Metatron was among scripture

This is actually going to be like a miniseries within this ongoing analysis of the Metatron because this post and the next were supposed to be one however I recognize this part is pretty out there so it's getting its own part.

Like I know, I understand - this is just to explore and have fun

But join me down this rabbit hole if you want - with an open mind

Not One but Many

There is one interpretation of the Metatron I left out of the last post and it has to do with Éliphas Lévi.

Éliphas Lévi was a French Occultist in the mid 19th century and his works were highly influential in occult circles

When it came to the Metatron he didn’t believe him to be one specific angel but rather an honorific for an enlightened existence. That they are the Chief of Souls on Earth who do not die and instead rise alive to Heaven. He gave them the title Metatron Sarpanim, or Metatron: Prince of Lights.

Here is quote from him

"All Metatrons must have two reigns and they return to earth after having traveled through all the globes of our solar system. This is why the return of Enoch and Elijah will precede the second coming of Jesus."

His ideas are obviously pretty influenced by Enoch but the fact he seen Metatron not as an angel or human but rather a job, or position, is pretty interesting considering how in the show their names seem to be intrinsically linked to their position in Heaven.

Also back in season one there were a few instances of him using “we” - which is probably just referencing Heaven as a whole or perhaps even just God and Himself - just interesting nonetheless

I was going to include that in the next part as a merge between the two. Except because I’m totally normal I decided to keep looking into his works and oh boy…just hear me out

Another Face

If you didn't recognize Lévi by his name you may recognize some of his drawings

some of these will come into context in a future, separate meta about Agnes Nutter. But you have the seven seals and probably his most recognized drawing, Baphomet - who we are going to focus on here

Stay with me - I'm not trying to say they are one in the same, just some parallels

So let’s break down elements of this drawing

The androgynous nature - with breasts and a phallic caduceus - that represents the union of male and female

Male is meant to represent good and wisdom while Female is to represent evil

The wings which represent spirituality and ascension

The goat head representing sin and animalistic nature of humans

The four elements - wings = air, scales = water, hooves = earth, torch = fire

The gesture which represents "that which is above is like that which is below” - in which "above" is the universe at large or divine realms and "below" is life on earth or the human body

The words on said arms "solve", or to separate, and "coagula", or to bring together

The torch representing intelligence, divine knowledge, and enlightenment - the soul over the body

The pentagram is upright on the head putting spirit above matter

The white and black moon represent the sephiroth Chesed and Gevurah (respectively), therefore the qualities of mercy and severity (respectively).

The caduceus representing magical power, healing, bringing together of opposites, and eternal life

The circle behind the caduceus is reminiscent of the Ouroboros, representing the Principle of Mentalism — all of the universe is in the mind of God.

The image as a whole is reminiscent of the Tree of Life - which if want to learn more about here is a video on that

Baphomet in itself is primarily a symbol of balance, of the goal of a perfect social order. Also has been seen as a symbol of wisdom.

In his writings Lévi says that Baphomet is associated with the nature forces that are explained in his theory of Astral Light

Astral Light - honestly I'm not going to into detail about this because my brain hurts, just pointing out what is relevant I guess

In his book Dogma and Ritual of High Magic he describes it as this blind, amoral, universal force that sweeps all before it in a perpetual and restless search for equilibrium

That it was created when God said “let there be light” and is "indifferent in itself” - can be used for good and evil

He also notes "it is a kind of universal record keeper that registers all of our desires, intentions and, acts.”

Honestly there is a whole history between Baphomet, Templars and the Freemasons - largely due to them being falsely accused of worshipping them, or so it is said. Plus Aleister Crowley thrown into all this. It’s just a lot but if it’s wanted I can go into further detail about it.

If have been following along with this series though some of these things might have set off some alarm bells in relation to the Metatron

It’s just something about an Angel dressed in dark clothes that hints at a duality, a balance, who is primarily remembered as a head - a head that holds knowledge - a human head with a goatee 

Something about him giving the “choice” of bringing together Aziraphale and Crowley as angels or completely them ignoring him and staying together on Earth except was that ever an option really? or to separate - with a coffee that he lifts up to offer while keeping the other hand below.

Something about an Angel that seems to come after four angels. Something about him having a connection to Wisdom and the Tree of Life.

Something about the portal that looks similar to the light that Aziraphale called down with “let there be light” and it being used to discoporate demons and angels

Something about him sweeping into the bookshop and sending the remaining angels away only to beeline it to Aziraphale.

Something about an Angel who is connected to the Book of Life - that keeps a record of all good deeds and transgressions in Heaven and on Earth

Something about an Angel whose primary goal is to bring about the Second Coming, or Heaven on Earth. From his point of view would be a perfect social order.

an Angel that is supposed to be on the side of good, and is probably in charge of all the “good” rhetoric and in charge, or responsible for how Heaven is set up but that’s a whole other thing, but really his motivations and actions (from what we can see as an audience) prove to be the opposite

(it’s giving “The Greater Good”, my lord the dumbledore flashbacks)

Can you see my point? It’s just a few parallels I noticed and this series is pretty much just about exploration

Look I know it’s a little out there - it’s on its own for a reason.

But tune in next time for some symbols, numbers, and tarot cards - or yknow what this post was actually supposed to to be - here in part 3

Essek and Favors/Debts

Caleb, c2e62: This is a great.. gift? Essek: Remember it, there may be a time where I need to call a favor back in.

Caleb, c2e70: I would very much like to speak with this person again, even in your presence, if that makes it more conducive. Essek: I'll see what I can do.

Essek, c2e74: I think I figured it out. Caleb: Sometimes the simplest solutions escape us. I'm in your debt again. Essek: Mm-hmm.

c2e74: (After teleporting to the dragon den) You skipped a shit ton of possible encounters there. Earned some more in Essek's debt by doing so, but you managed to avoid a lot of possible dangers so well done.

c2e75: You called in an additional favor with Shadowhand Essek, teleported northward to Mythburrow.

Essek, c2e77: Good, so you are now in a place to call in some of the debt. Caleb: Indeed. Essek: Good. There is indeed one beacon that still remains in the grasp of the Empire. We have.. numerous ways of pushing towards that goal. However, should you have been careful in your dealings, you have a little more reach within the Empire than someone such as I would, of course. I would request, on the behalf of the Bright Queen, to see if you can discover where this beacon is being held.

Jester, c2e77: Could you put that chair back in the air? It's just really cool up there.  Essek: Your friend Caleb is able to do that now. It is uh.. not inexpensive. Jester: Oh. Okay. Essek: Do you have 25 gold to pass along? Jester: Well, I mean, yeah, but I don't know if a chair in the air is worth that.  Essek: That's.. exactly what I mean. But maybe you can convince him.

Essek, c2e78: I trust that your interests are forthright. I'll need your help soon anyway. Jester: He said he would need our help soon.

c2e79: [You made an additional deal for rapid transportation with your sponsor, Shadowhand Essek Thelyss who agreed, begrudgingly, for the very last time to do this.] Liam: The last, last time. Marisha: He keeps saying that. Travis: He can't say no. [Wow he's just racking up the debt points with you guys. He's going to make you do some fun stuff down the road.]

Essek, c2e79: Well, I do not consider this payment. A favor for a favor and I'm certain I will call these favors in at some time in the future. But for now, just go ahead and hitch them to the exterior of your home and we'll be on our way.

Beau, c2e79: We haven't forgotten that we owe you a favor and that you wanted to talk to us about needing something. So hey, you're at the top of our list as soon as this is done. Essek: A number of favors, I have not forgotten.

Jester, c2e91: We owe him some favors. Beau: Hey, yeah, let's do that first. What do you mean by that? What favors? Essek: I don't know. Perhaps some of my research at some time might require more hands than those I have myself.

Jester, c2e91: Can you just turn this body into a different body? Essek: I do not know of such magic myself, unfortunately. ... But if I hear anything, I will let you know. Nott: If we hear of something, could we ask your aid? Essek: If I can. Nott: In deciphering it? Essek: …If I can.

Nott, c2e91: He's been studying something to help me lately. Working on equations.  Caleb: I've been noodling about with something. Essek: Perhaps I can offer some aid.

Jester, c2e91: Yeah, if you ever feel like ditching out here and traveling with us, just let us know, you know? ... Essek: Well, if I can be of help in some way, perhaps with your (Nott's) predicament as you were requesting, let me know.

Caduceus, c2e91: I have been on a quest, sent by my goddess to fix my home, to bring it back to life, to replenish it. ... Essek: If there is any way I can be helpful, you know how to contact me. [He looks knowingly at Jester]

Beau, c2e91: I'll trade you a secret if it crosses off one of those favors.  Essek: It better be one heck of a secret.

Caleb, c2e91: (holding dunamis potion) Let's call this one favor.. taken care of. Essek: That. Would be a favor accepted. Jester: Ooh, he didn't accept your secret!

Caleb, c2e91: Well, we'll come back later and compare notes. Essek: I'll be here. Perhaps I can provide breakfast as a thank you.

Caleb, c2e91: We work well together. We should explore other things. Other things. Essek: I have some ideas. There are favors owed still. Anyway, let's get back to the rest of your friends.

Essek, c2e92: [As you're about to leave, Caleb, he grabs your shoulder for a minute and is like] If at all possible, because I helped author with the completion of this, would I be able to make a copy of this for my own records? Caleb: Of course. I would not have been able to do it without you. Essek: Wonderful.

Essek, c2e94: It prevents me from some of my capabilities throughout the day each time I do this, so while I'm here in my home and things are not requiring me to be elsewhere rapidly, thankfully this is a moment in time in which I am more useful here in the city. Fjord: It's greatly appreciated. Essek: I'm sure we'll find a way to balance the scales sometime.

Jester, c2e97: You're not going to betray us again, Essek. You're not going to, like, leave here and tell everyone that we know and then get us killed. Essek: Well, that depends. You show me a kindness. Jester: We've done nothing but show you kindness. Essek: You're not wrong.

Essek, c2e97: I cannot be here. Cad: We have to know what's coming, we need to know what you paid, what you've set in motion. We're going to have to take care of it.  Essek: If I tell you, will you let me go?

Essek, c2e98: I am just contemplating.. what is to come. I appreciate what sliver of trust allowed me to leave. It's not forgotten.

Jester, c2e99: Hey, when you come here tomorrow, will you bring some, like, pastries because you'll be- you'll, like- something good? Will you bring us a present? [Persuasion check] Eight but you like me, Essek, come on! Essek: Things are a bit tense for me to head to a bakery? But should all things go well, maybe another time. Nonetheless, I will take my leave for the night. Thank you for not throwing me into the water.

Essek, c2e131: All right. Have you decided? Caleb: Yes, Essek, we are going to stick with you. We feel we can trust you more than my old teacher. Essek: I'm thankful for the trust you put in me. And I hope to.. make this.. up to you. Anyway, I'm bad at such discussions.

Essek, c2e136: Well, I guess it's more important that you keep everyone alive. [He casts fly on Cad] (he's wading through the water and he's like) Don't forget to return the favor!

Essek c2e141: What have you done? This world was so much easier when it was black and white. Beau: But it's so much more beautiful in all the shades of colors. Essek: Thank you, Mighty Nein. I can never return the favor for what you've done for me.

lore and character/class updates from tonight's episode:

Caes Mosor still stands as a massive, 11-story structure in the middle of the ruins of Molaesmyr. The cracks and fissures that run through the streets appear to emanate from it.

There are still bodies here, entangled with roots and mostly skeletal. They have been reincorporated with the voluminous, thriving corruption, creating twisted, almost beautiful murals and sculptures.

UNDEAD TREES!! (note, because I had to look it up: the trees that Caduceus encountered in the A2 crash site did not register as undead when he used eyes of the grave on them.)

There are also spores that permeate the air around the city, all coming from these twisting, vibrantly red trees that have bits of bone protruding from them. Their branches form hands, the bark has a semblance of eye sockets and a mouth. The Bells Hells can't tell if the trees are mimicking corpses, or if they once were corpses.

Frida knows the decompose cantrip!

FCG casts divination, and it appears to work. They hear the wind pick up, and it clears a path through the fog toward Ludinus' tower. Now, divination was among the spells listed by the Vellum Steeple as one that was tried unsuccessfully -- so are the gods settling into a new defensive position, and therefore mortals are able to contact them because they're stationary again? Or is it just that FCG in particular is being shown favor by the Changebringer? And if it's the latter, what does that say about the gods' favor to player-characters, and what does that say about fate and destiny when metaknowledge is considered?

The ghosts are doing a weeping angel thing, closing in on the group whenever they're not being looked at. They are elven in base structure -- angular features, long ears -- but their features are twisted and elongated.

Empathy domain clerics get divine strike instead of potent spellcasting at 8th level, implying that the subclass is more melee-oriented than range-oriented.

A winged creature watches them from Caes Mosor. Frida and Deanna see a creature with thin, leathery wings, with ribbon-like strands that trail from the 35-foot wingspan. Many, many taloned legs extend from the body, and there is no head -- just shoulders, a torso, and a bunch of legs.

The symbol of Molaesmyr is of a white tree, whose branches extend to the sky and whose roots encircle a white sun-like thing that's subterranean. (I'd put money on this being a depiction of a Luxon beacon.) The upper part of the crest is almost identical to the "elven" half of Uthodurn's crest.

Apparently "talking through some stuff" during a short rest can restore FCG's stress points.

Seething Storm is a reskin of either hunger of hadar, storm sphere, or conjure volley.

Dire wolf-like creatures are chasing the party, but their features and faces are elongated, almost like a mole. Their torsos and hinds extend into a serpent-like body that conjoin 30 feet later into one pair of hind legs, like a chariot pulled by 5 wolves.

Wait, Imogen have "infinite sending"? How, and since when?

Regardless, an 89 on a d100 allows the message to go through despite the leyline interference, due to the close proximity between her and FCG.

Deanna summons a spiritual guardian to protect the path they're taking as they climb up the Guildhollow Tower, and it looks like a big, angry, werewolf Chetney.

OHHHHH that creature is a "wolf king," like a rat king!

The inside of Ludinus' tower — the Guildhollow Tower — is mildewed, old, musty. Like the rest of the city, it's been picked through and looted by many, many people over centuries; there are bodies here, the remnants of a camp, all sundered, and much newer than the tower itself.

Has anyone written an academic paper about Matt's use of music in Critical Role, especially in mid-late C2 and C3? and if so, can someone write that? because there's so much mastery there it's insane

Even through the damage this room has sustained, there are elements of very expensive furniture and decoration, as well as patterns and designs that match Ludinus' vibes.

On the next floor, it appears that everything in here is crooked and tilted not because of someone throwing everything against the door, but because things were displaced in the blast. But again, the entire floor has been thoroughly looted.

Despite that, Chetney finds pieces of paper and cloth with elvish writing on them, mostly obscured by the root growth. Some has been torn off and taken, so it's broken up, but Deanna begins to read.

One cloth scroll is notes, self-written annotations, bullet points. "Patterns of arcana across cultures and time, Exandrian calendar patterns, repititions of magic, fonts of arcana that overlap with celestial events... noting where things continue to recur over long and short periods of time." This proves that Ludinus was studying the exact same thing in Molaesmyr as he is today: the movement and cyclical patterns of the leylines. It also bears resemblance to Ryn's research that the M9 found.

Another details "historical specialists, people to reach out to... names like Vatora, doesn't ring a bell; Laerryn, doesn't ring a bell; Vishtaron, doesn't ring a bell... there's also part of a small journal, a series of vellum pages torn from a religious tome. There are circles and notes talking about temple propaganda, inconsistencies and elements of religious rites that are contradictory and in of themselves proof that there is no real truth or plan in what the gods present. It looks like someone is preparing a speech, almost like an Exandrian TED talk, on what is wrong with the religious rites... you notice a heavy emphasis on the Matron, a lot of self-written notes about 'what's her name? I have to find her name. There is power in names.'"

Chetney finds a weird part of the wall, and by casting light at it, Deanna identifies it as an arcane lock that needs magic to open. This is very similar to the locks we saw on doors in Aeorian crash sites in C2. Frida vaguely recognizes the type of lock, but can't remember how to open it.

Chet climbs upward and plants his hand directly into a crimson cocoon, and the entire party watches as something pinkish-red begins to emerge, like an ooze of skinless flesh, a molasses of muscle — faces emerge from it, bestial maws that stretch out from it as it slams onto the stone in the center of the chamber. It has no form, like it hasn't decided what it wants to be yet... "it's drawing inspiration from you and whatever denizens of this city has walked its paths as these arms and tendrils and teeth begin to take form in this mass of chaotic, hungry, insane life that wishes to say hello to the new occupants of this tower."

Mighty Nein playing Stardew Valley

yall REALLY liked the bells hells one, so i thought i'd do it again! Asks are open if you want to suggest any cosy headcanons, but i hope you like this one😊

Caduceus - Ok caduceus would be obsessed with this game. Forest farm, absolutely despises joja, wants a junimo hut because he loves the junimos but doesnt get one because he wants them to be happy in the spirit world. His farm is filled with trees and beehouses, and he roommates with krobus because they're cool!

Jester - Jester, like cad, is obsessed with this game. She loves to play co-op with anyone whos available, and spends WAY too much time on the character customisation (tbh i think thats just laura) she has multiple outfits for every occasion, and is invested in marnie and lewis' secret relationship. She keeps the pants, obviously. Also she has an *interesting* looking flower garden.

Veth - Absolute chaos. As soon as she learns how to craft bombs, she goes ham fluffernuttering the mines. Honestly forgets its a farming game. Just loves to mess with people and cause chaos.

Fjord - Fjord chose the beach farm. After spending ages gathering materials to craft sprinklers, he realises he cant use them on the beach farm. Cries and joins jester's co-op farm because she knows what shes doing. They end up getting married in game but jester gets annoyed because he forgot to change into his wedding tuxedo before the ceremony.

Yasha - Yasha kind of does her own thing. Doesnt really realise the community center is a thing, she just goes to the mines and keeps a nice flower garden, when shes not playing co-op with beau, she will marry leah. But obviously she will marry beau when she can.

Beau - Beau is a minmaxer. Checklists and charts everywhere to get the maximum amount of money. Shes the type that watches stardew iceberg videos. It takes a bit to help yasha understand the game but shes content to water the crops while beau tries to complete everything as fast as possible.

Caleb - Realises he can get a cat in the game, spends a week trying to make frumpkin's area as nice as possible. Just uses stardew as a break to just chill out. Favourite season is fall and really wants shane to get better. Hes really just an averagd stardew player.

Essek - Essek actually got caleb into stardew. They have a really nice co-op farm together which they have spent far too much time on. He really wants to download stardew valley expanded but caleb is content with the amount of stuff there already is in the game.

Kingsley - if im being honest i havent caught up on mighty nein reunited, but lets just assume theres gonna be chaos. A lot of chaos.

As always feel free to say what you think or suggest some more cozy headcanons!

Go fuck yourself tumblr year review account. Actually go fuck yourself

She’s not stupid, okay. She knows that no one trusts the Traveler—Artagan, whatever— no matter how much they all say We’re with you, Jester. She’s seen them in their little worried huddles off to the side, Beau and Fjord and Caduceus, and she knows when they’ve been talking about her and the Traveler because they all have That Expression on their face. That pursed-lips Mmmm I don’t like this but I am keeping my mouth shut right now expression. That Mmmm my god is a real god and a lot better than Jester’s fake god expression. (And of course the Traveler is still basically a real, almost-god, even if he doesn’t want to be as much of a god anymore! Jester just knows that that’s kind of what they’re thinking when they have That Look on their faces.) 

And they’re her friends, and Jester loves them, and she knows they love her and they want her to be safe. 

But. But. The Traveler was Jester’s first friend, and her best friend, and for a long time her only friend, so it hurts that the rest of Jester’s friends don’t… see that.

And Fjord’s one to talk, too— wasn’t he doing stupid things for Uk’otoa (Uk’otoa) not too long ago? But he follows the Wildmother, so obviously he knows everything now!

All right, Jester knows that’s a little mean. She remembers him promising her Mama that he would protect her. He just wants to keep her safe, and he’s said as much; he’s been burned by his own experiences and he doesn’t want her to get hurt the same way. 

(And she has been hurt. Is hurt. There are a few things that she’s never going to draw out in her sketchbook, the kind of things that she just wants to cry out while curled up in her Mama’s lap like she’s little again. The kind of things that she can’t even tell the Traveler, because right now he needs her help, so he needs her to be strong and he needs her to be happy.)

But even so, she KNOWS the Traveler, knows him better than Fjord ever knew his stupid snea snake, even if she didn’t know him as well as she thought she did. He may be tricksy, but she still trusts him, because he’s promised time and again that she is his first, his favorite, and he will not leave her, not forever. And none of her friends seem to believe her when she tells them this!

“I’d like to be there to help you walk the path you’re on, and…keep things from getting out of hand,” says Caduceus’s slow, deep voice.

“Sure, Jester,” says Beau, “but you know you’re the one who does all the amazing stuff, right? Not him.” 

“Arch means evil, doesn’t it?” Nott’s worried, reedy voice says. “It’s only used in bad things!”

The silence from everybody but Caleb after the Traveler says, “As long as you have her around, you’ll have me around,” speaks volumes and volumes. A whole Cobalt Soul library. 

And that hurts just as much. 

If Artagan told her, right this second, that he was going to go off to travel through the planes and he wanted her to come with him… 

She isn’t sure she would tell him no.

👀 ? B)

Here's a snippet of my What If Beau And Caleb Got Too Many Somnovem Eyes fic

They try everything they can think of to block the dreams. Beau helps Caleb meditate.  Caleb teaches Beau about lucid dreaming.  They ask for a Hero’s Feast at night.  They ask Caduceus to bolster their resistance before they sleep.  Caleb keeps studying that new spell he’s been on about ever since he saw Trent again, and Veth has been saving her energy to cast Intellect Fortress on them both as often as she can.  They try every method they can think of to fortify their will. But every night since they escaped the Tomb Takers, it’s been the same: Caleb and Beau go to sleep, they fall into the dream, and the eyes are waiting. After a while, the two of them stop being so quiet about their anxiety, not bothering to go off into a corner away from the group to discuss it.  They speak more boldly, more bluntly, about the dreams.  About the odd sensation of being watched.  Being changed. By the time they recognize that they have been given… abilities, Caleb already has seven eyes and Beau has six — the benefit, she says, of having spent some time panicking in the Happy Fun Ball instead of sleeping in the Elemental Plane of Fire. First it’s the dark vision that clues them in.  Beau realizes that she forgot to put on her goggles, but that she can still see everyone perfectly fine.  Then Caleb mentions that bit about Sprinkle whispering to Jester and everyone gets rather distracted for a few minutes (and understandably so). Soon enough they realize they can send messages telepathically, without any material components (or prior ability to cast spells at all, in Beau's case). Jester tries to turn this into a game, testing out the range of their telepathy, pass-it-on and having them think ridiculous things to each other. Then two of them become far more perceptive than usual, able to hear — no, somehow able to sense the presence of other living beings from a good distance away.  This saves them from more than a few monsters, though none of the Nein look particularly happy about it. “Y’know it’s actually worse with the lucid dreaming,” starts Beau.  “For me, at least.” “Ja, I see how it could be,” Caleb responds with a nod.  “You know, I, ah…” Caleb keeps nodding, his face twitching with emotion, his hands occasionally moving in small gestures.  Beau nods back after a moment, and then looks at him, puzzled, concerned.  Then her face turns sympathetic.  Caleb looks uncomfortable, that way he always does when people sympathize with him.  He doesn’t meet her eyes.  Doesn’t want her sympathy. Jester’s voice breaks through the silence: “Wait, are you guys talking in your heads?” Caleb makes a face, looks at Jester, then at Beau, who also looks skeptical, before both of their faces fall as they look at each other’s mouths. “Fuck,” says Beau.  Out loud. “Ditto, kiddo,” whispers Caleb, before clearing his throat. “I’ll take that as a ‘yes, we were communicating telepathically,’ then?”  Veth somehow maintains that flat expression that manages to be both playful and sardonic at once, and it makes Caleb smile a little. “Yes, Veth.” “Okay, but, like, you guys know that was kinda rude, yeah?  We want to be included, I want to know your lucid dreaming stuff—” “I don’t think they were doing it on purpose, Jester,” says Caduceus from where he’s still wrapping the wound on Yasha’s arm. "Oh?" Yasha looks ponderous for a moment before her face falls. "Oh. That... that's bad, probably." "Probably?" Beau lets out a breathy, desperate attempt at a laugh. "Ja. Probably," Caleb whispers to himself.

send me a 👀 and I’ll post a snippet from a WIP that I never got around to finishing this year.

Regarding your tags: do you mind elaborating on the Rumblecusp thing? I caught up to streams during the Aeor arc and didn't really see fandom stuff earlier, so I'm a bit curious what you meant by that? Thanks in advance!

(in reference to this post)

Not at all! Basically, during the Rumblecusp arc, there was a lot of back and forth of who was Ackshually Supportive of Jester And Her Choices, and, with the admission that I myself am not a neutral person in these discussions, they all conveniently aligned with the decisions of the character they most shipped with Jester:

Caleb generally let her do whatever and stayed out of it, which was interpreted by people who shipped him and Jester as him supporting her (because he lets her do whatever), but leaves out the context of Caleb's whole canonical deal of feeling he cannot judge other people or tell them what to do in their own personal matters because he feels he has no moral position to do so; ie, this is not explicit support of Jester but rather how Caleb interacts with basically anything in which he is not directly involved. Do note also: Caleb tries but fails to have Cat's Claw grab Jester when she holds on to Artagan; there is, clearly, a point where he will oppose her choices.

Beau was pretty against Artagan the entire time. Honestly I think Beau punching him was very funny and she did, to her credit, ask permission first, but anyway, this was interpreted as Beau protecting Jester from The Traveler's malice. And, to be clear, he did bring them to Memory Loss Island on purpose, and while he promised Jester he'd have helped her, it's fair to have concerns about that. But Beau - understandably, since she frankly doesn't have good relationships that date back to early childhood the way Jester does - never quite seems to grasp how important Artagan is to her, and that you can be frustrated with him (hell, Jester is) and worried about Jester while still acknowledging that cutting off Artagan entirely will never be on the table. (Given Beau's mechanics, she is unable really to interfere with Jester being pulled up into the sky so I can't judge her on that).

Fjord ends up in the middle. Jester specifically seeks out his opinion, and he essentially says "look, we will support you as long as you're not being forced to change yourself to suit Artagan." He and Beau also agree to intervene with the Traveler as needed. When Jester is being taken, he goes up there with her and tells her to please let go and that the party will catch her. Eventually, Artagan takes the choice away and kicks Jester (and Fjord) off.

Now for what it's worth, I do think talking through these three approaches is interesting! All three characters are, canonically, people who care about Jester and harbor romantic feelings, and all three are approaching this in real and interesting ways consistent with their characterization. The reason why the discussion was eyerollingly stupid to me is not that it existed; it was that first, it really only centered around those three and either ignored or excused non-romantic faves (Caduceus is very suspicious of Artagan and the judgiest man to ever exist (affectionate), but people arguing in favor of Caleb's laissez-faire attitude who liked Caduceus often gave Cad's judgment a pass while calling Fjord and Beau awful. They also largely ignored Yasha and Veth, who both had imo approaches not dissimilar to Fjord's, though more subtly borne out in that they did not explicitly talk to her about it.)

Second, and more obviously, it was all "what does Jester want" until she decided she wanted to kiss someone they didn't want her to, and then suddenly she's a dumb bitch and her choices are bad, so, you know, was it ever about respecting her choices, or was it a constantly shifting goalpost of what supports the ship. (sidebar: if the goalpost is constantly shifting for your ship? does not bode well for the ship, typically.)

Anyway the two points I'm getting at here are:

I think you can love someone unconditionally in that you care about them as a person regardless of what they do, but that doesn't mean you can't judge them or encourage them to make different choices. It's like a twist on the old saying: if your friend jumped off a bridge, would you follow them? Except it's "if your friend was going to jump off a bridge, and it was their choice, would you stop them?" or "If your friend were going to push a ton of innocent people off a bridge, would you stop them?" There is a difference between "I want you to have agency in your life and be happy" and "I'd rather let you destroy yourself or others than push back even a little on your choices". There's something selfish, in being so scared to lose someone before the fact that you risk losing them far more permanently; and something deeper and more selfless in saying "I love you so much that I'd rather you hate me and live, than that you die or commit atrocities." Like, you should be there for them, but you don't need to validate things you believe are harmful just to support them.

The core principle of literary analysis is basically "any interpretation is valid provided it is evidenced by the text." You can watch through the lenses of shipping goggles and enjoy yourself; but often those are not supported by the text. And that's fine! I know I tend to sound condescending towards this and I will admit it's because I see absolutely no appeal in it, but if you want blorbo 1 and blorbo 2 to kiss and want to watch a show that seems to be driving to that end point regardless of canon, then that is your right and I am not going to stop you. However, no one else is under any obligation to find validity, let alone agree with that interpretation. Indeed, just as it's valid for you to watch with shipping goggles, it's valid for other people to vocally disagree (provided they're not harassing you and are doing so in a place you can choose to block out), particularly if it outright conflicts with canon or is hypocritical in the context of your other interpretations.

do you ever feel like people overcompensate making caduceus a jerk when trying to pushback against him being infantilized? i do like different takes on him, but i feel like an annoying amount of people are like "he's a judgemental prick and would insult someone to their face if they do something he disapproves of" which seems even moreso out of character for him.

oh hm. . maybe? i feel like the example you gave is probably just people who straight up don't like him lol, but ye i do sometimes see people i know really do like cad talking about how much of a bitch he can be, and like .. i also do this but at least with me and my friends it's kinda jokey yknow? so i kinda read other cad enjoyers saying it as half-joking too.. like he absolutely has bitchy moments ("sleep well with your bad decisions" was so funny and rude.. like my guy you can't be doing that akjnksjnfkja.....) and absolutely crosses lines sometimes and is judgmental in ways too. most of the time its like genuinely he doesn't mean wrong by it though, is the difference, so it's a character flaw and kinda changes throughout the show as his worldview changes. like, keep in mind this guy hadn't even rly left his house before meeting tmn so he doesnt really know how to act out of very specific interactions with his family and the mourners. and i definitely don't think he'd insult someone to their face because he disapproved of something. .at post he'd like , roll his eyes and grumble abt it (unless its someone mega evil like ikithon who’s actually hurting people). . idk. there's lots of fun flaws and things to talk about (ooough the saviour complex part of his character is so fun. the lack of social skills from his weird upbringing and how that effects how he treats people as 'projects' not necessarily in a way that harms them but more so that he has a role and a purpose), but yea, people seriously posting totally not-nuanced takes abt how he's actually a shit person is just kinda boring and simplifying. .. also for sillies i will say :-3 his autistic swag of being very blunt perhaps plays a part. like my guy absolutely does not know he can't just be saying stuff to people sometimes .. tmn even comment on it and call him "blunt and abrasive and awkward" (paraphrasing but it's those words). . like cad's a weirdo and sometimes that is simply in a way that is off-putting. also its hard for u to think you're wrong about stuff when youre literally getting messages from god about the Correct things.. so, lol. . i love him he's just a silly little guy 

I know most people now draw the Greek gods woth whatever way they like it but i think there are some traits that made the gods recognisable and it goes all the way back in Ancient Greece.

For example in statues and vases some gods would wear items that highlighted them who they were. Athena has her gorgon armor, helmet, spear, shield and owl. Hermes his wig sandals or even in his helmet and his caduceus. Zeus's thunderbolt, Poseidon's trident, Artemis's bow and arrow.

No matter the retellings some make they can't deny that the Greek gods had specific characteristics that made them stand out from the rest.

The artists who draw gods in whatever fashion and without their symbols and say "this is Athena/Zeus/Demeter" etc without context have missed a very fundamental artistic element of Greek culture and most other cultures on earth. Of course, gods in different media (like, a setting where gods are in the modern age) are not always with their symbols. But most often they should be drawn with them, in my opinion, because if they look like me and you, they don't look at all like gods.

Even worse, some artists draw the Greek gods with symbols of other cultures - usually random symbols they just think look cool, and there's no connection to the deity - or unrelated stuff on them, while they also strip them of their symbols and my brain goes ???????????