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#endless mighty nein
counterspelling · 1 year
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Endless Mighty Nein
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augentrust · 2 years
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okay but notoriously suspicious mighty nein meeting essek and just completely accepting that this Random Government Official has teleport prepared at all times... surely this is A Shadowhand Thing... they’re trying to figure out if he floats meanwhile essek is having the longest panic attack in recorded history and is ready to get the fuck out of dodge at any moment... the rosohna arc is actually a comedy with hindsight
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serpent-of-hope · 1 year
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Listen, when it comes to characters, I’m only interested in idiots, walking disasters, rebellious fools, and broken folks. Conventional nice types of charming, smooth-talking suave types need not apply.
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magicaltimelady44 · 1 year
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Ugh no see with the mighty nein series announcement I now just want to dive right back into the beginning of the mighty nein
I have been trying to watch beyond e4 of vox machina for a week
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thechekhov · 5 months
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ECHOES OF THE SOLSTICE (PART 2)
This picks up in the middle of the game! Please read part one first if you haven't already.
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Well. What can I say. I'm absolutely delighted.
In a way, I love the fact that the Mighty Nein never wound down like Vox Machina did. I was sad when, at the end of campaign 2, there seemed to be so much still left to do... but this is somehow healing me. The fact that they have so many chances, still, to come back over and over again and watch these characters grow old and enjoy themselves and go on endless other adventures.
Thanks Mighty Nein! You saved the day again, without anyone knowing about it.
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thebest-medicine · 5 months
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Day 20: Relentless
Tickletober 2023 - Critical Role - Campaign 2 Mighty Nein - lee!Mollymauk
[see my other tickletober 2023 fics]
A/N: Caleb catches up to molly after the events of day 4: weak spot
[read on AO3]
Words: 4.5k
“Mollymauk.” Caleb’s voice calls out within the tower, an unusual hint of mischief to it. “Sooner or later I will find you.”
Molly ducks behind the door of Jester’s room, a giddy smile on his face. He slumps against the door on the inside, takes a deep breath — well, he tries to. His heart is still racing from running, and the giddy flutter in his stomach isn’t helping anything. He can feel the pleasurable ache of the smile wide on his face, no use in fighting it. His tail waggles back and forth anxiously as he fights down nervous giggles in his best attempt to stay quiet. 
A minute or so goes by, and Molly nearly has his breathing back to an easy pace. He listens closely near the door. 
When boots land on the floor of what sounds like the very hallway outside this room, Molly feels the butterflies in his stomach take off and flutter about. He sucks in a deep breath and tries his best to quietly scramble quietly toward the bed - or something, anything to try to hide behind. 
The doorknob jingles. Mollymauk can hear Caleb snort out a little laugh on the other side, amused, no doubt, that Molly’d bothered to lock the door. A whoosh of a spell and flutter of amber light makes quick work of the obstruction, and Jester’s door swings open. 
Molly’s half crouched, backed against the foot of the bed. He flinches, less graceful than usual, shuffling his way up to standing. “Ah, Caaa-leb,” he tries to sound casual, “what brings you to this neck of the– no aha no no wait! Wait!”
He scrambles up onto the bed and his voice raises by an octave or more when Caleb doesn’t say anything in reply, but instead starts into the room - with a determined and satisfied look on his face - directly toward Molly. He doesn’t even bother to close the door. There’s a smirk on the edge of his lips, and Molly notes briefly that it looks quite cute on him - but right now it also feels rather dangerous.
Caleb gets to the bed within a few strides, as Molly scurries backwards, stumbling over the sheets. 
Caleb reaches out and takes Molly’s ankle in his hand. It’s firm, grounding. 
“Oh no, you are not going anywhere - I owe you, for all your many, endless hours of tricks and teasing.” 
Molly lets out a little anticipatory laugh, and he can’t help but smirk, eyes flicking to meet Caleb’s. “And- heh- and all the tickling?”
Caleb’s cheeks flush a bit despite his best efforts. But quickly, he schools his features, narrows his eyes. “Ja, yes, and all the tickling.” He breaks eye contact, looking down to squint at Molly’s foot; he takes a toe between his fingers with the free hand. 
“H-Hey!” Molly snickers and wiggles his toes. 
Caleb scribbles the fingers of one hand up his sole and Molly giggles. 
“But not here. No.” He gives a little tug on the ankle he’s captured, scooting Molly toward him. Molly raises his eyebrows when Caleb barely manages to move him more than a few inches, and then he snorts out a little laugh at the wizard’s expense.
Caleb huffs. “Hmm- don’t worry, Schatz, I’ll give you plenty to laugh about.” He reaches up then and places the free hand on Molly’s waist. 
Molly, who is giddy and nervous and sparkling with energy, wiggles a bit in response. He squeezes at Molly’s waist and brings the other hand up to squeeze his hips and tug him closer, then Caleb clambers his way all the way up on the bed, a leg swinging over Molly’s thighs to keep him in place.
Molly makes a face up at Caleb, looks up and down at the position he’s now in straddling Molly’s thighs, and winks. He tries to ignore how his stomach is swirling and fluttering with Caleb over top of him like this. He tries, “Oh? Bold of you, Widogast. I’m flattered, but-”
Molly is cut off when a finger presses to his lips. He makes an indignant sound against it. Molly could probably push him off, scurry away, put a stop to this without much effort at all, but… well… he is curious about this side of the wizard. 
He wasn’t ever really opposed to being on the receiving end of tickling, but the thought of Caleb focusing on the newly discovered, horrible hotspot that was his tail sent shivers down his spine. Then, his attention shifts to the tingling, tickly sensation at his middle as Caleb pinches the sides of his hips, then he starts tracing fingers in a slow path toward his lower back.
“Mmm- aha- wait, wait- no no, not there-” Molly squeals. 
“Hm. Not where? Not there? I suppose you can give me a good reason?...”
Molly makes a frustrated noise through his laughter. “I- heh, aha that’s just- mehean! No no don’t- Caleb!” He gasps when Caleb’s fingers squirm under his back all the way. “You- you can dish out whatever else you want- eeEE HEHE- I’ll- I’ll be good-” Molly’s rolling side to side on his back, trying his best to protect the most sensitive areas as precise fingers work their way under him and toward his back and tail. “Aha haha and, and I’ll- I’ll give you a break for a few days-” Molly grasps weakly at Caleb’s elbows looking up with pleading eyes, “a- a week? I-” 
Without a word, Caleb scribbles at the base of his tail and Molly pitches forward suddenly with an extra hard laugh turned yell, smacking into Caleb’s chest before curling up into him, fists tightening around the material of his shirt.
“Eheheh- y-you’re going to kill mehehehe.” He whines into Caleb’s shirt. 
“Hmm. No.” Caleb flattens a palm fully on Molly’s back, speaking low and sternly. “And you’re certainly not making any convincing points to deter me, Mollymauk.” He strokes one finger on his other hand gently down the first stretch of tail near his back, now exposed to the air. 
Molly shivers and buries his giggling face into Caleb’s chest, muffling his laughter into it. 
“And when you do things like this…” Caleb grins and pulls him back until he can force some eye contact. 
Molly blinks up at him with a giddy, nervous smile. 
Caleb lets his grin tilt up a bit into a satisfied smirk, then scribbles a few times at the first few inches of Molly’s tail. Molly cackles, keening forward again and nearly tumbling somehow both closer into Caleb and nearly out of his grasp at the same time. “I can see how you get carried away so easily, and so often.”
Caleb takes the tail in a firmer grasp, not tickling for a moment, but Molly knows he’s far from finished. He smoothes a thumb over the lavender skin and feels Molly’s form quiver and shift [shiver and quiff] at each light touch. Another approach then, if bargaining doesn’t seem to be working. “Ehehe- that’s- ha that’s true- hehe yohohohou’re downright ahahaadorable whehehehen yo-you’re out of your- ahaha your gourd with giggles!” Molly teases, cheeky through his growing laughter. 
“Mm.” Caleb charms back. “Something we have in common, perhaps.” 
Electric tingles shoot up Molly’s spine as the wizard’s fingers start tickling along his spine with one hand, and down his tail with the other. They hook directly into his nervous system, and he can’t see Caleb’s face anymore, pressed to his shoulder and chest as he is, but he can hear - feel really - the light rumble of laughter. Molly imagines, briefly, the smug little smile that might still be on Caleb’s face. He kind of wants to look but… Well, he’s a little preoccupied. 
When Caleb lightens his touch on a pass of the tail, he feels Molly tremble and go a little weaker in his arms. His laughter isn’t as frantic, either. Caleb hums curiously. “I don’t think you would mind too much at all if I stayed right here, hm?”
He was right, of course. Mollymauk liquifies further into his arms as Caleb traces delicate, ticklish, blossoming zings of sensation along the stretch of lavender tail. 
The tickling stops briefly, and Caleb gathers the melting, giggling tiefling further into his lap. With one hand he draws him in close and loops his arm around Molly’s back. “Now, now. I’m getting distracted. Where was that spot again?” His fingers scritch lightly against the fabric of Molly’s cropped shirt, teasing at his ribs underneath. “Hm? Not here either.” 
Mollymauk whines through his giggles and tries to bury his face in Caleb’s chest for the— he’s actually not sure how many times he’s done that in the past 5 minutes.
Caleb tickles down the sides of Molly’s ribs, light and teasing, before pinching at his hips and squeezing his thighs a few times. Molly snickers and gasps and curls ever closer. 
“I appreciate the cooperative spirit.” Caleb chimes, voice still light. “Though I am not sure how you will fare when I do find that spot again, where was it, here?” Caleb worms one finger under Molly’s arm and tickles there. Molly snorts into his shirt and continues giggling. 
They play this game a little while longer, Molly giddy and twitchy and worked up from the ever shifting tickles, and the promise of worse to come.
“Oh, wait, I remember now where it was my friend…” He takes the length of Molly’s tail in one hand, peeling it away from the minor safety of where it’s pressed against his back. In response it begins to curl and twist like a snake in death throes. 
Mollymauk squeaks out a helpless little whine as Caleb runs his fingers down the length of his tail again. It tickles. It makes him shiver. It feels really, really fucking good. It makes his breath hitch. It makes his bones melt. It makes his brain blank out for a moment. Instead of figuring out a proper response to the sensation, Molly decides the best course of action is to melt again, and just crumples further into Caleb, laughing against his chest. 
“The end is the really bad spot, hmm? Is it worse the closer I move down your tail?” Caleb smiles at him, teasing but genuinely curious. Molly, though, doesn’t notice as he’s got his face buried and his eyes slammed shut. But, he can hear the damn grin on the wizard’s face. And yeah, he probably- okay- definitely deserves every bit of this. But still-
Caleb’s fingers do just as he said and begin to scamper further along the length of the tail, trailing down in scratches and pinches and wiggles. Molly makes a high, desperate noise in between laughs and flicks his tail as much as he can.
“Hmm. Hold still.” Caleb tsks at him. 
“I- hehehe- I can’t- Aha heh-”
Caleb sighs, lamenting. “Ah, I know I’m not known for my strength but…” He trails off, peeling the wobbly ball of Molly away from his chest. “I think it would be more efficient…” Caleb’s eyes lock onto Molly’s, bright and teasing. “If I could really use both hands, focus a bit better..”
Molly shakes his head, cackling out desperate laughs as Caleb rearranges and then pushes him forward onto the bed, face down. He hears a few arcane words being spoken behind him when he tries to start clawing his way forward a bit. But, it’s already far too late- Caleb’s spell takes hold with ease, a little bondage - well, trap spell - and also useful for getting revenge on a group of people hellbent on making you giggle for your life on the regular spell. Molly feels the familiar coil of warm magic around his wrists and ankles, and another along the end of his tail. He feels it pull his arms and legs outstretched on the bed, tail down between his legs near his ankles. He buries his face in the sheets. “Noooooo-” He giggles into the mattress, helpless. “That’s chehe- cheating.”
Caleb lets out a little laugh. “You are one to talk.” 
He brings his hands down onto the small of Molly’s back, splaying his fingers wide. He feels the shiver and the little hic in Molly’s chest beneath his palms as his hands stretch out. He takes his time, drawing patterns and runes and glyphs and nonsensical shapes all around Molly’s lower back. 
“No- heh nonono ahh hahaa heh ahaha wahahait-” Molly makes all sorts of wild sounds into the mattress, cackling and giggling and squeaking with laughter. The light touches are practically unbearable. He feels like crawling out of his skin. It’s terrible. It’s wonderful. He can’t stand it- well, he can, and he will- there’s not much else he can do right now but take it. But, well, he’s still going to whine and complain (even if he’s having fun). “Gods- Caleb!” Molly shouts against the bed through his laughter. “Ahahaha- s-somewhere else! Something else! Plehehehehease!” 
Caleb hums in acknowledgement. “I will consider it. What do I get in return?”
“I hehe- I won’t kill you ahahahaafter this.” Molly growls cheekily, defiant. 
Caleb laughs. “I see, by something else you meant something worse.” There’s a light pressure as Caleb’s skimming, sliding fingertips glide to a stop. 
“NO-”
His hands press down fully against his back again, and when the next things out of Caleb’s mouth are not in Common, but something more arcane, Molly stiffens. 
“Nonononono ha- ahaha not that! BAHAHA NOHOHOT THAT!” He cries when swirls of light, tingling, warm energy flutter from beneath Caleb’s palms and fingertips to brush along the nerves, dancing beneath his skin. Molly’s arms and legs struggle uselessly in their hold, hands and feet slapping against the bed. 
Caleb picks up one hand to just a fingertip, then drags it, and the swirly, tickly magic, in a path down over Molly’s ass to where it curves into his upper thigh. “Hee HAHAHahaha- NO hehe I- I can’t-” Tingles dance and tickle along his back and the back of his leg, and Molly screams into the mattress between laughs. 
“You know, I wonder how this might feel.” 
Caleb draws back the finger that’s now made its way down to the back of his knee, ticklish tingles emanating in each direction from it. Then, Molly feels it again, right near the base of the spade of his tail. The other hand is still tracing ticklishly along his lower back, and ripples of energy pulse out from there as well. He wails into the bed, feeling a slight dampness near his eyes. He can’t even move his tail properly, let alone the rest of himself. Caleb’s hands are just tracing delicately, not even tickling all that much on their own. It’s- it’s just the fucking tingling, unbearably squirmy feeling of his fucking (wonderful) magic, buzzing just under his skin. He tries screaming some more into the bed to see if it helps relieve any of the ticklish energy building up in his nerves. It doesn’t. Fuck this spell in particular. Fucking cheating wizards. 
“Any thoughts? Notes?” Caleb smirks as he draws his hands away from the skin, letting the tingling, magical tickle fade away. 
Molly makes a disgruntled, keening cry into the mattress. His chest heaves as he tries to stop laughing and catch his breath. 
“Nothing? Shall I keep going?” 
“No wait- wait, I-I just need- ehehe a second-” Molly giggles into the bed, pleading. “Just a- a-”
“How about I give you ten? Hmm? Ten.”
Molly’s eyes shoot open as his squirming starts up with a renewed vigor. “No- please!”
“Nine.” 
“Nohohoho-”
“Eight.”
Molly wails and wriggles his tail where it’s bound magically behind him. 
“Seven.” 
This stupid fucking kinky wizard bondage spell lasts for an hour. He’s not as keen of mind, but Molly’s fairly certain it’s not been more than 10 minutes since Caleb started his (well deserved) revenge fuckery…
“Six.”
“I-I hate you so much.” 
“Five. No you don’t.” 
Mollymauk grumbles something into the sheets. 
“Four.” 
“Yes I do.” Molly shoots back, always the right amount of bratty to make things just a little worse for himself. 
“Three. Why are you lying to me, do you think that’s wise?”
“I’m not!”
“Two. Hmm, well, I happen to know you don’t hate me. Just like I know you don’t hate this one bit.” 
“Oh fuck you!” Molly squeals.
“One.” 
Caleb scritches over the spade of Molly’s tail and the arch of Molly’s foot. The tingling magical sensation from before still emanating from each place pale skin touched lavender skin. 
A beat of silence goes by, Molly’s body tending every muscle, before he’s screaming in laughter into the bed. 
“You’d better quiet down, or you might attract some help - not for you, natürlich.”
Molly’s laugh is loud, desperate, starting to go hoarse. He sounds like he’s trying to say something between his unending bouts of laughter - argue, beg, curse - but he isn’t doing a very good job of it.
Molly’s laughter turns to near silent wheezes as his eyes spill over with tears onto the bedspread. One of the last thoughts he registers consciously in his brain is how he simply must wind the wizard up like this again some time. 
Caleb eases up, drawing back his evil, evil hands once again. He traces one finger ticklishly down along Molly’s spine before fully pulling away, taking the tingly magic fully away.
Molly sucks in a breath, coughs a bit into the bed. Caleb goes to rub his back with one hand, and he flinches for a moment before realizing the wizard’s tickle magic has gone and melting into the bed. 
He manages a few deep breaths before he hears a familiar giggling voice in his head. 
“Oh my gosh, Molly was that you? You just screamed so loud I bet everybody in the tower could hear you! You sound like Caleb!” 
“Shit.” He says out loud, deflating with a laugh.
Caleb knits his eyebrows, taking in Molly, before he’s interrupted by the sweet sound of Jester’s laugh down the hall. 
“Shit. Shitshitshitshit.” Molly starts squirming again with a renewed vigor. “Oh shit. No- no! Fuck.”
Caleb laughs at his expense, whispering to Molly with a grin. “Ohh. Ja, I’m very familiar with that feeling.” He scratches a little at the backs of Molly’s ribs, earning a snort into the bed.
A few seconds later, Jester bounds into the room with a look of mischievous glee. “Sooooooooooooo. What are you guys up to?” She prances over to the bed. Jester grins at Caleb and crawls her way onto the bed on Molly’s other side. She’s laying on her stomach, chin in her hands, kicking her feet as though they’re school age and playing a juicy game of truth or dare. 
Caleb gives her a smug smile back.
Molly turns his head to hit her with his best pleading eyes. He sucks in a few nervous breaths. “T-Tiefling solidarity?” Molly tries with a tear-blurred blink up at Jester. 
“‘Tiefling solidarity’ that’s why I’m going to help.” Her grin widens and takes on a little evil glint. She reaches out to pinch a line down Molly’s side, armpit to hip.
Molly starts hiccuping out little laughs right away. She moves up and down his side slow and methodical, tending to the skin with a sensitive but precise hand. Caleb’s tracing lightly over his back and shoulder blades. And Molly is starting to forget everything except for how much this is starting to really tickle- and they hadn’t really even started yet.. “Nohohoho- no ehehevil- not- not fair- ehehe t-two on one- ha eeehehe.” 
Caleb snorts in what sounds like disbelief. He leans down to catch Molly’s eye. “Are you being serious?” - He is reminded of the many times Molly (but sometimes Jester, or Beau.. or Veth) had gotten practically everyone else involved in trying to absolutely wreck Caleb. - “I should call every other person in this tower over here right now just because you said that.”
“Oh!” Jester chirps. “I can call them!”
Molly whimpers between giggles. “No- no no hehehe please- no I- h  heh eeeeee he hehe I’m sorry-”
“Sorry for what?” Caleb asks, clearly amused, gliding his fingers up to press gently under Molly’s arms, barely twitching. 
“For… hee ehehe-” A little spark of mischief flares up in his chest. “For how bahahad I’m g-going to hahahave to get you both bahaAHAHACK FOR THIHIHIS- SHIHIHIT AHAHAHA NO!” Molly starts cackling wildly again as Caleb starts tickling at the first sign of snark. 
“Hmm. Seems he will need quite a bit more- he’s never this.. mouthy by the time Yasha’s done with him.” Caleb relays to Jester. 
She’s snickering proudly and trying to catch peeks of Molly’s giggling face. His arms strain against the magical restraints - they’re comfortable along his wrists and ankles. His legs and tail wiggle as much as possible (not much). 
Unfortunately, unbeknownst to him, this seems to catch Jester’s eye. He gasps when he feels Jester sit over his knees, facing his feet and- and the tip of his tail. Oh Mother of fuck.
Caleb starts drawing arcane shapes and symbols (or perhaps it is truly incomprehensible nonsense— Molly’s not in a place to pay attention to the details) all along Molly’s back. His shoulder blades, his neck, his spine, around the sides of his ribs and torso, and maddeningly low on his back. Nowhere is spared. Caleb also, of course, keenly picks up on each spot that produces an interesting reaction (there are many). 
Caleb’s hands are making a pass back up from his lower back when Molly feels Jester’s fingers curl against his toes. He snorts through his already desperate, wild laughter. “OH NOHOHOHO- AHAHA!” 
“Hey Mol-ly, do you know which one of your toes is the most ticklish?”
“Nohohoho!” He cries.
“Well.. I think we should find out.”
Molly whimpers again between cackles, trying to squirm side to side for any relief from the electric sensation. His toes scrunch, but Jester’s quick, and she’s already in there. It doesn’t help much. 
She doesn’t start her little experiment right away, instead opting to scratch her nails lightly underneath his toes as much as she can. Caleb’s still hard at work taking him apart inch by inch on his back. Molly feels like he’s about to start seeing stars or hearing colors. 
Jester makes a frustrated sound before the tickling lets up a moment on his feet. Then, Caleb’s own electric touch seems to fade, distracted by not quite gone. Molly gladly takes the moment to breathe. He hears them murmuring something. 
“—so you need to make some little adjustments to your spell okay! For next time!” Jester is happily whispering, her tone almost scolding. “How am I supposed to work with this?” 
Caleb lets out half a laugh. “Okay, let me see if I can help.”
Then, Molly’s wheezing as he feels the weight of Caleb lift off of his back. “Wait- hehe wait- what are you doing?” He manages. 
“I think you’ve earned yourself one of Jester’s lovely pedicures.” 
Molly whines into the sheets, balling his fists and trying again to curl his toes. No such luck. He feels Caleb’s hands move under his ankles to down to where his toes are pressed frantically into the bed. Precise, practiced fingers pull back on his toes. Molly fights it a bit, with a strangled little growl of frustration. 
Then, the tingling, tickly magic from before is radiating from the tops of Molly’s toes, every spot Caleb is touching him. “NOO- hehe HAHAHA NOT FAIR!” 
Jester makes a delighted little sound and starts tickling just under the stem of his big toe, resuming her little game. “Which one tickles more? This one or this one?” She asks more than once alongside other probing questions. All the while, Molly wails and cackles into the bed. He tries to answer, sometimes. When he doesn’t, it just earns him more sparks of ticklish magic flooding his system through his feet. 
A short while later, Jester is confident she has found the best possible location and technique to get Molly screaming into the bed. She wears a proud grin as she starts tickling along the rest of his soles. 
Molly’s on autopilot, laughing and giggling and squirming where he’s held. 
Until, that is, he feels Widogast release his toes. Then a single finger brushes over the skin of his tail, just at the end. Molly yelps. His begging starts up anew. When Caleb’s little tickling magic sparks through the nerve endings there a moment later. Molly shrieks, screaming wildly into the bed until he loses his voice. 
They don’t keep it up for too long — Molly’s crying and babbling and hoarse with laughter, and they don’t want to actually kill him. 
Caleb runs a hand down the length of Molly’s tail, gently tickling. Jester shifts her weight off of Molly’s legs and allows Caleb to run the hand up his spine, then up to his neck, around to cup his chin. Molly purrs into it unabashedly. “Mmmrrrrr- you’re meheehehean-” Molly pouts delightly. “Next time I’m- I’m gonna find out… which of your ribs is the most ticklish…” He mumbles out as he pants for breath. The flickering, magical, grounding restraints on his extremities suddenly fade — not that it changes much. Molly just melts into the bed. 
A hum. “Yes, yes, you’re very intimidating right now.” Caleb smirks down at him. He arranges himself toward the top of the bed and guides Molly’s head in his lap and begins to run fingers through his hair, trace along and massage his horns. 
“I’ll remember tha- Mmmpf-hmmm.” Molly mumbles bonelessly as Jester crawls up to cuddle into his side. 
Caleb pets and attends to him like a lovely, silly cat. Molly rubs into the contact unabashedly, shifting himself so he’s laying more on his back and side. 
Once Molly’s breathing seems to have returned to normal, Caleb speaks up again. “That wasn’t too bad, hmm?” He asks, calm, but a hint of nervous energy in his voice. 
Checking in. Of course he didn’t want to push Molly too far (a hard task to accomplish anyway). Molly’s heart swells at the thought. But before he can think to answer—
“No way! He totally had so much fun- right Molly?” Jester exclaims, interrupting before Molly can think about how to answer. “Look how melty he is.” She squeezes around him in a tight, cuddling hug. “And I mean, come on, he tried to hide in my room.” She snorts. “I think he got exactly what he wanted.”
Molly’s cheeks warm at her answer. “Y- hehe yeah- yeah, rub it in some more, why don’t you- heh- rrrrrr mmmmph-” Molly starts to answer but it morphs into a purr as Caleb rubs at the base of his skull. He has to do this again some time, Molly thinks. He could scheme and ponder when he woke up, though. 
Mollymauk drifts off slowly, glowing, gooey and tethered to the material plane by all the points of contact with his beloved companions.
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waltwhitmansbeard · 7 months
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Tea
20. Tea
When Caduceus returned to the Blooming Grove and the rest of the Mighty Nein scattered to the Wildmother's winds, he could scarcely admit to himself the fear he'd had that he'd be forgotten about. With such grand and heroic adventures still awaiting them, from the crests of the seas to the marbled halls of justice, who could remember the quiet, floppy-earred friend in the woods, tending to his dead folks and reconnecting with his family? He wouldn't blame them for it, even if the thought made his fine fur bristle with some strange internal cold.
But he should have known better. He should have known that the Wildmother would not let these flowers bloom so bright and bold for them to shine for the Clays' eyes only. Caduceus isn't sure how they manage it, but they come, not frequently, but enough to keep the hearth warm.
Jester and Fjord bring him tales of the sea, of pirates and monsters and narrow escapes from the law. He bakes with Jester, and he and Fjord sit and discuss their matron in the quiet hours before dawn. Every time they leave, it takes only a day or two for someone in the family to find a brand-new hand-painted sculpture of a dick hidden somewhere in the house.
When Beau and Yasha visit, the latter rarely comes inside, preferring to spend her time among the riotous flowers of the graveyard. Beau speaks cryptically of her work with the Cobalt Soul, enthralling the rest of the Clays with guessing at what she could possibly be talking about, but Caduceus likes to wander out to sit with Yasha, to speak of the blooms and the bees and the sun, and maybe of loss and regrowth as well. When they go, they take some flowers with them, pressed between the pages of a book or neatly bundled in twine, and Caduceus knows that the brief life they'll live outside of the earth is worth the smile they'll bring to his friends' faces.
For some reason, the Brenattos seem to have chosen the Blooming Grove as their vacation destination, as if they do not live full-time in what most of the continent views as the perfect getaway. Caduceus doesn't mind, is happy to educate young Luc on the various insects he happily uncovers from the tall grasses around the the Clay house. Constance is less thrilled by the errant crossbow bolts that seem to find their way into every vertical surface, but Caduceus can see the way Veth's shoulders relax when she can be somewhere quiet, far from the endless coast of Nicodranas. Each visit, right before they pack up their things and prepare to leave, Veth steps into the sun, takes a long, slow breath in, and sighs happily. "No fucking salt," she murmurs to herself, but Caduceus hears her, and he laughs.
His favorite visits, though, he thinks, are the ones he gets to facilitate between Caleb and Essek. He knows how hard it is for them to meet, how much danger the former Shadowhand puts himself in to be with the one he loves, so Caduceus is more than happy to open the Grove to them, to let the trees of the Savalirwood shield them from those who would harm them. Melora herself has a tempestuous, ill-advised love, so Caduceus likes to think she smiles particularly wide on these two wizards, who even still dance around each other like dragonflies. They take the tea Caduceus brews into the garden, and they sit in the shade where the sun cannot hurt Essek's skin, and they murmur to each other all of the things that cannot be conveyed in twenty-five words or less. They never stay for more than a day or two, and before they leave, Essek bestows a fortune's favor upon Caduceus's brow, but he never uses it. He has all the luck he needs, from the favor of the Wildmother to the endless joy his friends deliver to him with each and every visit.
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aeor-is-for-reccing · 9 months
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Alternative Timelines and Echoes: A Shadowgast Rec List
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Hey everyone! This week we have nine incredible fics that are all about Alternative Timelines and Echoes. Recs under the cut, and as always, remember to comment or kudos if you liked them!
I always figured that I'd be the one to die alone by thesweetpianowritingdownmylife (6443,Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: Choose Not to Warn
Written pre-episode 97, Essek is travelling with the Nein and Caleb summons an echo of himself for watch. The echo version of Caleb is from a world where Essek died.
Reccer says: It's sweet and a little sad
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the better version of our past by KmacKatie (kmackatie) (5840,Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes
While casting the time spell with Caleb, Essek has a moment of glimpsing a number of different futures
Reccer says: I liked it!
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Time Relentless Takes No Sides by PryingBlackbird, sociallychallengednerd, toneofjoy (15260,Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes
A device discovered in Aeor upends everything. Caleb is trapped in an endless swirl of alternate timelines, and there seems to be no way out.
Reccer says: It's very gripping, and the exploration of all of the different Calebs and Brens is fascinating!
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The Refraction of Verisimilitude by marsastronomica (16537,Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: Choose Not to Warn
The second in a scourger AU series, Bren attempts to keep the upper hand as Essek's world is rocked by the presence of the Nein
Reccer says: It's very engaging and textured, with Essek and Bren being matched opponents - plus there is a very good scene involving Essek showing Bren what exactly an echo might be used for
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small works of cosmic scale by mousecookie (2547,General) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes
Essek has a breakthrough he wants to share with Caleb. A breakthrough that apparently includes a snail.
Reccer says: I liked it!
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In all worlds, nothing is immutable by CherryMilkshake (22265,Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes
Essek tries to travel through time, but instead finds himself in a world where he is happily involved with Caleb
Reccer says: I liked it!
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Hang the Hourglass by Luckyowlsfoot (5723,Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: Major Character Death, Graphic Depictions of Violence
An alternate timeline's Essek has to step in to help in Aeor and Cognoza. he can't stay, however.
Reccer says: It hurts in just the right ways
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And two fics each for:
reflections and other illusions of control (series) by atlasarcana (84220,Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: Choose Not to Warn, Graphic Depictions of Violence, Dubcon/Consensual Non Consent
Essek and Caleb have bedroom issues and summon an echo. The Echo is from a timeline where Bren remained a Volstrucker. Soap opera relationship drama and cross-timeline espionage ensues.
Reccer 1 says: I like that it explores the idea of Bren vs. Caleb as different possible outcomes to the same childhood, and Essek vs. Shadowhand-Essek as different possible outcomes to the same adulthood with/without the Mighty Nein. Reccer 2 says: This fic series has everything. It's a wonderful character study through the means of kinky exploration between three (or...four?) people with incredibly tangled relationships with violence, shame and desire. Bren's characterizations is such a delight.
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multitudinous echoes awoke and died in the distance by mousecookie (10003,Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: brief suicidal ideation
Caleb and Essek are summoned to an alternate timeline as Resonant Echoes of their evil selves, and fight to survive and get back.
Reccer 1 says: Cool concept and good emotional moments Reccer 2 says: It’s imaginative, fast-paced, and intense. The atmosphere is tense, and the visuals are really quite good.
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Aeor is for Lovers is an 18+ Shadowgast Discord server. The above fanfic recommendations were pulled from our community for this weekly event. All fics, unless otherwise specified, will primarily feature Shadowgast. Have any questions about what this is? Check out the FAQ! Next week's theme is Babygast, so get ready for some cute kids!
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rosileeduckie · 6 months
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Not So Fast-Travel
No matter the genre or universe, there's always someone in the middle seat of the car.
Yasha and Caduceus find a way to pass the time while traveling, and their friends join in the fun. First piece (yes, on day three; it's practickly tradition for me:) for Tickletober 2023
Critical Role/Mighty Nein tickle fic. Warnings: none.
Word count: 2,928
~*~
She may have grown up in the wastes of Xhoras, but Yasha could find little love left in her for her home. Sure, the cities to the north had been fascinating to explore for the first time, and traveling with the odd bunch that was the Nein made any place entertaining, but the wastes were just as dull and dangerous and endless as she remembered, not to mention her backside was starting to get sore from the endless ride across the bleak plains. Maybe she was biased, but anyone who'd suffered a long rocky upbringing and then one ass-numbing journey on those wastes was justified in finding them bleak.
At least she had a good riding companion. Not that any of the party would be bad to travel with. Still, Yasha was glad she'd lucked into sharing a beast with Caduceus. The firbolg was fuzzy and warm, which gave Yasha all the more reason to keep her arms wrapped around his waist to keep from flying off the back of their beast. With both adventurers' armor pieces lashed to the saddle, Yasha could rest her cheek against Caduceus' back without his usual beetle green chest plate clocking her in the nose, for which she was grateful. His heartbeat was steady beneath her ear, and she could every so often hear vibrations from when he would softly hum or croon in his deep voice to their moorbounder. If said moorbounder's loping gait wasn't so tumultuous, Yasha might have fallen asleep. She didn't blame Clarabelle, though. Hopefully the huge cat-thing was enjoying the exercise.
It had taken a bit for Yasha to become comfortable with Caduceus. Part of it was due to her own solo journeys apart from the Nein, making her miss some of the voyages they'd all bonded more deeply on, even though they'd embraced her back into their midst each time as though she'd never left. But it was also how kind the firbolg was. Yasha had only met one other person with so warm a heart, and she had a hard time trusting that another person so good could cross her path. Through his relentless kindness, he'd worn down her walls, and his courage and wisdom helped her see how genuine he was. Yasha respected that. He was also very warm to sleep next to in the Nein's camping bubble, which Yasha was privy to where the others were not for complaint of Caduceus' snoring. Yasha didn't mind. The thunderous sound was comforting to drift off to. 
"Doin' alright back there?" Caduceus asked, his easy smile visible as he looked over his shoulder. Yasha's hands were folded over his middle, but the firbolg, though thin, was a full head taller than her. Yasha adjusted to look up at him, resting her chin on his shoulder blade and tipping her head back to meet his eye.
The barbarian hummed affirmatively, closing her eyes and offering a tired smile. "Could use a cupholder."
A chuckle rumbled through Caduceus' chest that made Yasha's jawbone buzz, and her smile softened into something fond. "I'll see after this adventure if we make enough to get a few improvements for our saddle, sound good?"
"Yeah. Just think, we could have tea on the road."
"Ah," Caduceus said, grin beaming as he urged Clarabelle onward to keep pace with the rest of the group. "That'd be nice."
Yasha turned to rest her cheek once more on Caduceus' back. The view this way hardly varied enough to interest Yasha, the sky the same ever-dark and clouded and the scraggly scrub grass silhouetted and whistling in the cold late season wind. It was a relief, then, when Clarabelle charged forward, catching up and keeping pace with the two larger moorbounders and giving Yasha the colorful view that was Jester and Fjord atop their bounder. Ironically, Fjord looked green, his arms clamped tightly around Jester's waist and his face buried in the  back of her neck. For a moment, Yasha wondered if the half-orc had somehow gotten seasick from the lumbering, racing stride of Yarnball, Jester's mount, but when Fjord lifted his head, Yasha could see that his features were twisted in embarrassment—brows furrowed and newly growing tusks exaggerating his lower lip as he pouted—rather than nausea. Yasha's wondering then wandered to whether what had flustered Fjord was Jester teasing him or just her inevitable closeness from their riding positions on a single moorbounder, and apparently such musing was easy to read from her soft chuckle because Fjord caught her eye and glared. Meanwhile Jester's smile was just beaming, her shoulders wiggling delightedly and her tongue poking out between her fangs.
At the encroach of sharp-tongued Zemnian, Yasha shifted to rest her other cheek against Caduceus' back. To her left, she could now see Caleb and Beau atop Jannick, the largest moorbounder among the group's. A moment later, Yasha saw Nott, popping her head out from where she was evidently sandwiched between the two humans. Beau's arms, folded and resting on Caleb's shoulders, served as a crown for the disgruntled goblin that boxed her small frame in. Caleb had hardly finished chastising the pair over his shoulder before Nott sent an elbow sharply and bodily backward into Beau's abdomen. The movement jostled both women and nearly unseated them, Beau balancing herself by gripping fistfuls of moorbounder fur on either side of the trio's saddle and Nott flailing for purchase by clawing at Caleb's coat and hanging on tight. Caleb swore again, Nott pulled sour faces, and Beau only laughed. At the sound and the grin Beau threw her way, Yasha prayed briefly and gratefully that Caduceus was too busy driving to notice how her heart skipped a beat and her cheeks warmed beneath her dark eye paint.
"It seems you have some problem passengers, Mr Caleb," said Caduceus, and the wizard huffed.
"Nothing escapes your notice, Caduceus."
Nott relaxed her grip in favor of crossing her arms the moment she had reclaimed some semblance of balance. "PassenGER," Nott said, speaking to the firbolg cleric but with a squinting side glance toward Beau. "I'M not the one causing problems. And how could I be, when I'm the size of a carry-on?"
Beau rolled her eyes and replied with a shove that squished Nott's face into the back of Caleb's coat. "Maybe if you'd quit SHIFTING—"
Before the monk could say more, Caleb, seething to the point of smoke nearly coming out of his ears, barked over his shoulder, "If you won't BOTH behave, I swear I'm feeding you to Jannick the moment we stop to camp for the night."
"See, Cad, Yasha, here's the thing," said Beau, swinging her leg over so as to ride side-saddle and politely face the pair she spoke to and less politely lean an elbow on Nott's head and anchor a hand on Caleb's shoulder. "When we left the city, I, very honorably and fairly, called dibs on not having to sit in the middle. It's Nott who's got a problem with that and making it everyone else's problem."
"I wouldn't have any problems if you'd stop SQUISHING me!" Nott whipped her head back to hiss at Beau and grinned smugly when the monk flinched back momentarily. Only to hiss all the more when Beau stubbornly hugged her tight and pinched her ears.
Caduceus chuckled and turned forward once more as Clarabelle, evidently done with the bickering noise, took a few pounces further ahead of the pack. 
Yasha turned back with a smirk as Nott yelled. "No, Caduceus, Yasha, come on! We need an impartial third party! Ow--! Make Beau switch seats with me!” 
The two women launched back into bickering, and Caleb’s shoulders hunched all the higher until he swore at them and yanked his mount’s reins, prompting Jannick to offer an irritated and deep meow to the collective complaints department. 
Caduceus’ ear flicked toward the sound, and Yasha’s attention was drawn from the squabbling caravan. It really showed how dull the journey had been that Caduceus’ ear, of all things, was suddenly so fascinating a sight to Yasha. But she could hardly nitpick at the odd--at any--entertainment.
Unlike Yasha's which were close to her head and small and rounded and pale, Caduceus' ears were more bovine in nature, long and droopy and covered in thin grey fur (the backs were, anyway, that she could see). They looked soft, and it was not the first time she'd thought so. She may have developed a bad habit of pinching her friend's ears to get their attention. At least, it had always worked on Molly, and, though she hadn't tested it nearly as much, it seemed to be equally effective on the Nein, certainly on Beau and Caleb. Height posed a challenge with some of her friends, so, while she could physically pick up Nott if she needed her attention, Yasha hadn’t given Caduceus many ear pinches. He didn’t annoy or ignore her enough to give her real reason to. They had poked and elbowed one another in the past if they needed to rise quickly from a contented, quiet snuggle, but that was mutual. Yasha didn’t think she annoyed Caduceus. She certainly hoped not, but would have fully understood if that changed after what she was about to do. Lifting her hand, Yasha curled her index finger and gently ran her knuckle along the back of Caduceus’ ear. Yup, she was just deciding, downy and soft as a baby angel’s wing–when Caduceus jolted, twitching forward with a huff. Yasha drew her hand back and furrowed her brow. Huh.
“Don’t tell me,” Caduceus chuckled, looking over his shoulder at her, “you came up with an even better improvement for the journey than a cupholder?”
“Maybe.” Yasha crossed her arms on Caduceus’ back and rested her chin atop them, tilting her head slightly to one side to watch his face. “Are your ears ticklish, Caduceus?” she asked, a crooked smirk rising on her lips.
From her vantage point, Yasha could easily see Caduceus’s mouth tighten into a pinched smile–and, he didn’t blush like some of the other Nein but, Yasha swore she saw tiny flowers begin to bloom in his long pink hair–before he scoffed. “I have siblings,” he sighed, turning to face the road ahead but grinning. “I know there’s no right way to answer that question.”
“Sure, there is.” Yasha’s ears didn’t twitch, but she could still hear when Caleb’s swearing grew louder, either closer or snappier. “You could threaten to feed me to Clarabelle.”
Caduceus snickered and said again, “I have siblings. You’d have to do a lot more than tickle me to annoy me enough to where I’d threaten that.”
Yasha grinned, uncrossing her arms and holding her hands up behind Caduceus’ ears. “I can accept that challenge.”
She didn’t attack right away for two reasons: the first was because she didn’t want to be too mean to Caduceus, in general but, because he was driving, and the second was because she had a funny thought she wanted to test, and doing so would only build up the butterflies of anticipation. (In her earlier life, she hadn’t had much experience with comforting and playful touch, but since finding family in the Nein, she’d become something of an expert in receiving and giving it. And maybe wielding its effects as easily and sharply as her sword.) Moving carefully as she could while on the back of a lumbering beast, Yasha moved her index fingers at a snail’s pace toward the back of Caduceus’ ears, keeping out of his periphery and just shy of actually touching him.
Her head was still tilted to one side as she said, soft and lilting, “Caduceus~”
His left ear flicked back toward her voice, only to brush against her waiting fingers. Yasha grinned as Caduceus flinched forward and gave his head a little shake. When he returned to his previous posture, Yasha didn’t let suspense prolong; she traced her first and middle finger down the length of Caduceus’ right ear. Said ear swatted at her like she was a buzzing gnat while the ear’s owner ducked his head and snorted.
Some combination of boredom and hearing that adorable sound ignited something in Yasha–a fire of mischief, a blazing villainous streak, what have you–and was definitely to blame for her becoming the worst traveling companion for the following few minutes.
Yasha rested the heels of her hands against the base of Caduceus’ skull and, gentle but unyielding, fluttered the tips of her fingers along the back of his ears. She took care not to hold too tight if Caduceus needed to hunch forward and out of reach, and the gentle half-giant tensed under her hands but didn't actively pull away. His body seemed to want to, instinctively, but–because he knew Yasha could be very stubborn or because he also needed some diversion to lighten up their tiresome trip and maybe because he didn’t mind her tickling all that much–Caduceus held firm against that instinct, and, if he couldn’t help but duck his head, he rounded his back to curl closer to her and stay within reach. Maybe such a feat of willpower was possible because his ears weren’t his most ticklish spot. Yasha’s little demon flared up again inside her, and she grinned, fluttering her fingers a bit faster. Caduceus might have been in for a bit of trouble if he ended up next to Yasha in the camp cuddle bubble that night, because she was absolutely going to be searching him for spots that would make him laugh so loud that the Nein would wonder how they ever complained about the volume of his snoring. As of yet, his laughter was quiet, huffing breaths through his nose and the occasional, adorable snort.
“Doin’ alright up there?”
Caduceus groaned, and, when he looked back to glare at her, she could see how big and gritted his smile was.
Though the little demon in her longed to, she didn’t push further. She wanted to be his traveling companion again at some point to get to play this game again, after all. Slowing her fingers, Yasha rotated her hands so she could reach the spots on either side of the jaw that always seemed to carry tension for her, and she pushed her thumbs gently into those points. Caduceus hummed, then coughed up a squeak when Yasha’s fingers curled into his hair, her nails gently scratching his scalp. Her heart seizing momentarily at how cute the cleric was, Yasha thumped her head against his back. How had their journey suddenly gotten so much shorter and so much longer so fast?
Yasha lifted her head at the sound of a delighted squeal–Caduceus’ ears also flicked toward the sound, and she dusted her fingertips along them–and looked toward it, finding Jester and Fjord having loped up alongside them. “Yasha, that’s such a good idea!” Jester clapped. “This trip was taking forever. A tickle fight would definitely pass the time!”
The tiefling wrangled her reins into one hand and reached behind her, fingers splaying and curling dramatically as she grabbed at Fjord’s side. Fjord wasn’t having it. Apparently, however Jester had been teasing him the rest of the journey, he was ready to have equal footing and even, since he had both hands, the advantage. He grabbed her wrist with one hand, smirking, “A fight, huh?” His other hand shot under her arm, fingers wiggling, and Jester crumpled against his chest with a burst of bright, happy laughter.
“Don’t even think about it!”
Yasha looked to her other side, and, sure enough, Beau and Nott were grinning at one another behind Caleb, whose glower now featured a prominent flush and arms pulled tight to his sides.
“It really is a good idea!” said Nott, snickering as she watched Fjord and Jester play atop an oblivious moorbounder. “And I’ve got another one.” She grinned toothily at Beau. “Let’s put Caleb in the middle.”
“Nein–” Caleb snapped, but Beau had already wedged her hands under his arms and lifted him out of his seat enough for Nott to scurry under and claim shotgun.
“Why didn’t we think of this sooner?” Beau exclaimed, hooking an arm around Caleb’s waist to keep him pinned to her front and to prevent him from accidentally squirming himself off of their riding beast from what Beau’s other hand was doing, stuffed underneath the book holsters on his ribs and fingers surely digging in mercilessly, judging by the sudden shriek of cackling, swearing laughter from Caleb. “It’s been a long ride for everyone; our drivers could use a break.”
“But don’t break him,” Nott giggled, taking up Jannick’s reins. “Hyah!”
Their moorbounder leapt forward with an eager yowl, making Nott and Beau join Caleb in wild laughter. “Thanks, Yasha!” Beau called over her shoulder, beaming, and Yasha fought the urge to bury her face in Caduceus’ back again.
Having satiated her own appetite for mischief and inspired enough playful chaos for the moment, Yasha gave Caduceus’ ears a little pinch each and then ran her fingers through his hair, weaving pink braids. “I know you said you won’t feed me to Clarabelle, but I haven’t annoyed you so much that the cupholder is off the table, have I?”
Caduceus chuckled, leaning back into her touch as he urged their beast forward to keep up with the rest of their silly little group. “Nah.” He turned his head to smile down at her. “But you’re driving next time.”
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ravendruid · 6 months
Text
Food, Friendship and Comfort
This fic is part of the @critter-genfic-events Bingo to fulfill the Comfort and Cooking slots. [Check my bingo card and other works here.] Set post-Campaign 2 and Mighty Nein Reunited. Read on AO3
Beauregard Lionett’s days as a Cobalt Soul Expositor are either dreary and dull with endless paperwork or exhausting with back-and-forth trips to Rexxentrum to track the Cerberus Assembly. Today is one of the latter days where she trades a warm, sunny Zadash for a gloomy and cold Rexxentrum. 
Beauregard scheduled to meet her friend Caleb for breakfast this morning, so as soon as she steps out of the teleportation circle connecting the Rexxentrum and Zadash archives, she speeds past the guardians and archivists without a word and exits the dimly lit library onto the bustling street of the capital of the Dwendalian Empire. The feeling is immediate as the cold hits her uncovered skin and makes her curse between her teeth. Beau doesn’t have time to linger, so she follows the familiar cobblestone streets, ignoring the people rushing to and from work, the colorful buildings, and the heavy presence of crown guards in the more seedy areas.
The cottage that appears when Beauregard turns on another crossroad is a sight that makes the corners of her lips curl and her skin tingle in anticipation of warmth. She should have known better by now and brought a warm jacket along. The two small planter boxes out front are still full of tall, green plants, possibly kept alive in the cold by some arcane means from the owner of the cottage, and as Beau approaches, she notices that it either has recently been harvested or is yet to produce green beans. 
Beau knocks at the rustic door, and where the motion would usually be followed by the sound of a chair scraping the wooden floor, it is now followed by silence. Weird. Caleb knew she was coming. Even if he is still in his arcane tower, he would have certainly set up alarms that would have triggered by now. Beau knocks again, louder this time, but still, no answer comes from the other side. She tries to peek in the side window through the small gap in the curtain but can’t see anything out of the ordinary. The house is intact, with no signs of a struggle (or worse, an attack). Beauregard doesn’t want to expend the single use of her sending stone yet, lest it be needed later. However, the cold is bothering her right now, so she does what any good friend would do if they suspected their friend might be up to something or in a difficult situation: she picks Caleb’s lock. What are the chances that he has arcane wards against thieves? Highly, Beau tells herself as the lockpick clicks. Too late now. However, the door opens with a creak, but nothing explodes in her face. Beau sighs in relief as she steps into the musty interior and relocks the door behind her.
“Caleb?” She calls out to the empty house. It’s cold inside. The hearth is full of ash, and there is a layer of dust on every surface as if someone hasn’t cleaned in weeks. Beau inspects every room, each darker and emptier than the one before until she finally reaches the back room where she knows Caleb often tutors children who didn’t get accepted to the academy. This room, too, is empty and dark. Dust covers the desks and chairs, a few pieces of old parchment are spread out, and empty and dry bottles of ink sit forgotten. At first glance, this would be an average room. Messy, yes, but ordinary. But Beauregard knows better. She knows what to look for and finds it in a corner, slightly obscured by a tall bookshelf, a shimmering door that leads into Caleb’s tower. 
Beau is welcomed by a lit fireplace in the study, a spectral Bengal cat rubbing at her legs, and a mess of Caleb lying on the soft, plush couch by the fire, reading a book about Dunemancy. He is alive but looks almost as bad as he did when they first met. Caleb’s shiny red hair is full of knots, although still in a ponytail, his beard is shaggy and unkempt, his clothes are wrinkly, and there are a few coffee stains on his shirt. Caleb is indeed a mess, which can only mean one thing.
“How long?” Beauregard asks in a harsh tone that means she will take no bullshit. Caleb lifts an eye from his book, finally acknowledging his friend’s presence, but he doesn’t reply. “Caleb, how long has it been?” Beau presses on. She strides confidently to where the man lies on the couch and effortlessly removes the book from his hold, closing it with a thud. Caleb stares at her for a moment, then finally greets her with the hoarse voice of someone who hasn’t spoken in days, “Hello to you too, Beauregard.”
Beau does quick math in her head. It hasn’t been that long since they last saw each other, perhaps two months, not even that long. She remembers Caleb saying then that he was waiting for a visit from Essek, but those were usually short and never resulted in a depressive mood like this. Something must have happened during their Xorhasian friend’s stay, and if the empty look in Caleb’s eyes is any indication of it, then Beau is determined to help and comfort him in any way she can.
“Clean up before I message Jester to tell her you smell and look like a hobo again. Just when she was starting to let it go away…” Beau threatens, scrunching her nose at him. Caleb nods and rises from his nest of pillows and blankets with the groan of someone whose joints are stiff from being in the same position for a long time. Beau shakes her head in displeasure and stares at the back of the man’s head as he lifts through the arcane elevator and disappears above the central iris.
Caleb meets Beauregard an hour later, freshly clean and bear-trimmed, in the dining room, where they plan their day over eggs, pancakes, and pocket bacon. Caleb doesn’t mention Essek, and Beau doesn’t ask questions about the state she found her Empire friend, so the only names said aloud are those of the Cerberus Assembly, particularly Ludinus Da’leth, who is up to no good. Caleb shares with Beau the detailed information he gathered since their last time together, information that cannot fit the 25 words of the sending spell they use for their daily reports. Beau is glad he took the official position at the Soltryce Academy, not for his proximity to the Assembly members, but for how much happier Caleb has been since he was allowed to teach and shape young minds.
When they separate hours later at the gates that lead up to the school, Caleb’s shoulders are lighter, and his smile brighter. Beau knows whatever happened is still lurking in the shadows, but she won’t pull unless he wants to push. So, before she turns her back to him and returns to the archives to fill out report after report, Beau throws her friend an invitation, “Why don’t you stop by later to have dinner with Yasha and me? She would love to see you.” 
“I’ll think about it,” Caleb says, but from the look in his eyes, Beau knows he will knock at her door with a bottle of wine and apple tarts. So be it. She waves him goodbye and leaves.
—   
Caleb is happy to find that Zadash isn’t as cold tonight as Rexxentrum. The smaller city’s lights are already sparkling against the dusky sky, and the aromas of food and burning wood fill the residential area around him. He knows he could have teleported directly to Beauregard and Yasha’s house, but he would hate to intrude on them, so Caleb teleported into a narrow alleyway not far from the center of town and strolled to their friends’ abode. The house is just as he remembers it. Not large, but cozy. The garden that Caduceus has been teaching Yasha how to care for is dormant as the first signs of winter approach, but the ivy growing up the front of the house is still there, larger and taller than the last time Caleb saw it. He stops at the iron gate, peering through the open curtains to see Yasha stirring a pot on the stove. He knows she has been learning how to cook from a neighbor, not always successful, according to Beau’s reviews in the few words they share about their day. Meanwhile, the tall Aasimar’s wife is just finishing setting the table for three people. How Beau knew Caleb would show up, he doesn’t know. Maybe she hoped? Perhaps she just… knew. Either way, Caleb is here now, crossing the iron gate, walking down the pebbled path towards the ivy-framed door, and knocking twice.
Beauregard opens the door with a smirk. She is wearing different clothes than Caleb saw her wear in the morning—more casual, comfortable clothes—her hair is still up in her signature bun, and she is still wearing some of her golden jewelry. The woman in front of him is not an Expositor of the Cobalt Soul anymore, but his friend from adventures that have been almost forgotten in time.
“Hello, Beauregard,” Caleb greets her sheepishly. Beau’s smirk gives room to a bright grin as she greets him back and steps away to let him in the house.
It’s a cozy, lived-in house (although a bit too messy for Caleb’s tastes) that smells of stew and sweets, where a small fireplace crackles in front of a comfy couch and a shaggy rug. The walls are adorned with art, paintings done by their tiefling friend of the Mighty Nein and their allies. Caleb’s favorite piece is definitely the large painting above the mantelpiece of their group of misfits, one that includes Mollymauk at one end, Kingsley at the other, and Essek smiling next to Caleb. Caleb has the same painting in his office in his small cottage (Jester painted one for everyone so they wouldn’t forget about them. So they could look upon it and smile, remember the memories of what they have been through, and soothe the sorrow of missing their friends).
“I’m glad you could join us, Caleb,” Yasha greets him, bending to give the man a bear hug. Beauregard must have told her wife the situation she found him in that morning because he sees compassion and comfort in Yasha’s eyes. Caleb merely nods and drapes his coat over the back of the couch. He produces a bottle of wine and a plate of apple tarts—not homemade today, though—that he kept in his private pocket dimension and hands it to Beau, who tuts at the wine label reprovingly but promptly uncorks it nonetheless. 
Dinner doesn’t take long to be served, and it’s not half-bad (a vegetable stew with harvests from Beau and Yasha’s garden with a side of rustic bread also made by the latter). The conversation flows nicely between the three, sometimes pausing to sip on wine or to change the subject. Caleb listens attentively to Yasha’s tales about their neighbor, Martina, who has been teaching her new recipes to use their produce (she was, apparently, the one who taught Yasha the stew recipe they are eating). The conversation changes again to Beau and Caleb’s work tracking the Assembly, and the three discuss and share theories about Ludinus’s plans. Through it all, no one mentions the name of their drow friend, the war criminal who has been running from both the Empire and the Dynasty, which makes Caleb relax. 
Essek doesn’t get the opportunity to visit often, and when he does, it’s in disguise, so Caleb has learned to cherish those fleeting moments. However, things seemed to have calmed down for a while, and Essek’s stay was extended to over a fortnight before chatter began, and the man departed again under the light of the moon. He hasn’t heard from his Xorhasian friend in weeks, which is not uncommon, but this separation has taken a harder hit on him. Beau clearly saw it that morning. She guessed from the state she found Caleb’s house in but didn’t ask, and neither did Yasha. Caleb knows the women will wait until he’s ready to share, and he’s thankful for that. He makes sure to give them a smile to convey his gratitude, and, in response, he is offered a place to stay overnight so he doesn’t have to return to his empty house and empty cold bed. Here, surrounded by two of his dearest friends, chatting happily about vegetables, fertilizer, and power-hungry mages, Caleb is still far from healed but on the mend, and the dark loneliness in his starts to vanish.
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annamaggs16 · 9 months
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I don’t know if people are personally underestimating Marisha as if she doesn’t know her character better than literally everyone else judging her because now it seems to Imodna shippers that if one of the actors of the characters of the ship is personally getting in the way of the ship they’ve wanted since literally episode 1 they just don’t care what Marisha has to say anymore…but this is the same person who played a canonical hardcore lesbian as Beau in Mighty Nein who flirted with Yasha, had a crush on Jester, slept with Keg and Reani, moved past her crush on Jester into a solid friendship, and begun dating Yasha all while never forming romantic interest for Veth.
Some Imodna shippers are really outing themselves with the “sisters” debate that they straight up don’t care about annihilating or reducing Laudna’s characterization to solely being Imogen’s clutch and it’s quite disrespectful to everything Marisha’s created and portrayed with Laudna.
The whole Imodna ship from fans to me feels and seems like it’s to bolster Imogen but restrain and confine Laudna. I like Laudna as a character, and I prefer her character over Imogen’s completely. To me, Laudna always felt like she was vicariously living through Imogen as a mentor through the sorcery connection, trying to provide Imogen a better life for herself since she convinced herself society would never accept her. But boy do I wish every now and then someone would look at Laudna and ask her “what do you want in life for yourself?” It feels like she spent 30 years of her second life with Delilah in hiding doing nothing and that her second resurrection in a restored and revitalized Whitestone (which is so poetic btw) severed her from Delilah (hopefully) and did to some degree heal Laudna as we see with her changed form of dread feature.
It’s fascinating to see Laudna’s third life begin with healing from trauma, comfort from friends, and endless possibility as this is finally her chance for the life SHE WANTS. Not the one her parents forced on her, not the one Delilah stole from her, not the one Delilah forced her to endure, not one lived vicariously through another, but finally a life Laudna will actively choose to chase and follow her dreams. I like this arc for her. I love seeing Laudna mold and branch out forming friendships with others. I love the internal complexity of her character: not accessing the romance feelings of her brain in thirty years, but seeming to be fascinated by Ira to fight Ashton for drinks and conversation first, not having a menstruation cycle anymore but absolutely adoring children every chance she gets possibly mourning a future that was taken from her, confessing after the temple fight that she was angry and the townspeople didn’t need to carry the burden they were privy to. These are all interesting elements of her character that so easily get tossed aside by a large chunk of the fandom because they want her to do nothing but cater to Imogen’s needs.
In my opinion, Laudna and Fearne’s friendship is a much healthier and friendlier dynamic to explore and watch than that of Laudna and Imogen. Maybe it’s just the way I’ve perceived the friendship to be one-sided with Laudna as the Giver, and Imogen as the Receiver but I really don’t like the way Imogen treats Laudna sometimes. I know the rock fight on the Skyship was “angst angst angst” but clearly it was Delilah puppeteering Laudna’s body and Imogen’s first reaction was to blame Laudna and then be mad about it for several days to which she still hasn’t actually apologized about nor ever asked Laudna what happened to her and how she felt about it. And no, I don’t count the gifts as thoughtful apologies. Look at how easily Imogen parted with the ToT holder in the Feywild. And how about exposing her disregarded and forgotten name to the group without permission while Laudna was dead. I personally view that as a bit disrespectful because I’m a relatively private person myself, I wouldn’t want someone revealing personal information about me to people when I’m literally not there to interject whether it’s okay or not.
For me, Imogen doesn’t really seem to care about Laudna’s feelings to the same level that Laudna cares about Imogen’s feelings. Imogen doesn’t prioritize what Laudna wants to the same level Laudna prioritizes what Imogen wants.
Sidebar: If Marisha gave Laura permission about the name reveal, than okay, it’s a story after all. It was resolved in-game anyways even if there wasn’t outside discussion about it beforehand. Do I still personally prefer to have learned about the previous name information differently? Yes. Perhaps from Laudna herself in the way Caleb told M9, yeah. It’s the same view I have with 4SD: information that should be revealed in-game is done so outside of game and then those outside discussions end up weaving back in-game to suddenly everyone knows about Orym’s husband big moon-little moon despite that being a private conversation, and Ashton’s parentage being revealed in a personal vision and despite it not being vocally spoken about between characters all the characters somehow in-game now know he was Aasimar-half elf before being turned earth genasi. Look, your audience knows your characters use the restroom, you don’t need to roleplay that, but Ashton’s lineage feels like a big plot arc being explored that deserves its own reveal respectively. So it’s unfortunate we likely won’t get those moments on screen because for the cast they can blend over the rough groves of meta leaking into their game by saying “that conversation totally happened in private during this-and-that.” Which sucks from an audience character-narrative viewpoint, where we tend to get more of those “changing of the tide” revelation moments in other storying telling narrative medias like books and scripted television that we unfortunately will lose.
Idk, maybe it’s delving into analysis of character love languages at this point, but what I’m trying to say is that I can see and feel that Laudna clearly cares about Imogen while I don’t see or feel Imogen’s side of the friendship being returned or invested on the same level of maintenance. It more so feels that Imogen is afraid of losing her life-raft while out at sea and she’ll have to depend for herself like she did in Gelvaan prior Laudna. So for now, I’m going to take Laudna’s word that it’s on a sibling kin level of her being the big sister/second mom of the household caring and feeling responsible for a much much younger, bratty, spoiled little kid sister who tends to take for granted and neglect those around her until she’s left alone all grown up finally having to fend for herself for the first time in her life and is realizing how she mistreated and used everyone. That makes a lot more sense to me over the concept of Laudna being blindly and unknowingly in utter and complete love for Imogen when she’s explicitly stated her brain hasn’t expressed romantic feelings for 30 years.
Because hey, this is the same cast member and actress that portrayed Beau’s feelings and Keyleth’s epic love story with Vax while having the most Platonic female-male friendship with Percy. And Imogen’s cast member and actress is the same woman who portrayed Vex’s feelings for her brother, her love for Percy, and her short term resentment and hatred turned friendship-sisterly love for Keyleth while also portraying Jester’s crush for Fjord as a wife trying to romance her husband’s character in a silly little game of dnd.
Which at the end of the day, is all that it is. So let’s give the actors credit and respect where they deserve it instead of prioritizing two characters’ shippable aesthetics by knocking and reducing everything else down in the way to get fandom’s fanon canonized as quick as possible for fan validation of “I knew it!” or “I was right!” or god forbid the dreaded “it’s what we deserve!” It’s their story, let them tell it their way and on their timeline. If certain ships happen, they happen. If they don’t, they don’t. There’s no need to attack the cast or scrutinize what they say/do as baiting for viewership ever.
#critical role#cr3e62#critical role discourse#cr discourse#cr laudna#laudna#I think what I’m trying to say with my sidebar is that C1 and C2 roleplay was more anchoring#c3 roleplay definitely feels like a group of friends playing a game and maybe that’s why I personally can’t find a connection to the C3 PCs#which isn’t a bad thing btw. CR paves a path towards a new style of story narration hopefully more people become open to consume#a lot of my favorite memories of CR is ultimately heavy roleplay moments with bittersweet combat that builds roleplay potential#I think my personal preference is roleplay > combat. but I do love mid-combat banter. or combat reveals that lead to roleplay moments#Laudna could be aro/ace and that is a great story to explore#c3 is the first campaign I get to watch live with live fandom reaction#and boy oh boy has fandom altered how I feel about bells hells versus had I just watched#solo with zero opinion input from fandom#like part of being a part of fandom is fan interaction and the shipping side is so uptight majority of the time#I’m a non-shipper for c3 as I was while watching c1 and c2#vaxleth is the only couple I was and have been compelled by#that didn’t make me hate Gilmore or Kashaw. which were moments I actually really liked#characters can be and should more than just their relationship that they’re involved in#maybe I just personally prefer no romance this campaign because it feels like these characters specifically are using dating as therapy.#instead of y’know. getting therapy and healing from their trauma in a healthy manner.#Percy took a bit to heal before getting with Vex officially. Liam and Matt stated Caleb & Essek work on themselves prior to dating#majority of c3 popular ships feel like Pikelan to me. sure they may be cute for a bit but are better off as friends in the long term#and definitely should not be allowed to name children. wilhand’ildan#I hope Wilhand’ildan goes by Wilan/Willan/Willian for short
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counterspelling · 5 months
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Endless Mighty Nein
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the one time I can't catch a stream is when we get the biggest lore drop about the fucking moon, I swear to god---
There are Judicators patrolling around the Yios Seminary, accompanying a representative from Vasselheim. Presumably, their presence -- or the presence of whoever they're guarding -- has to do with the texts stolen by the Grim Verity.
The Judicators are humanoid creatures formed from once-mortal souls transformed by the rituals of the gods to become weapons for them. In peacetime, they are wardens, bodyguards, and hunters in and for Vasselheim's high temples; in wartime, they are fearsome and near-immortal warriors.
Dr. Baryn Vestisho, who specializes in Exandrian history from the times of the Founding and the Schism, was one of the people who stole the documents from Vasselheim. She had discovered a "trail" of information leading to the texts, and assumes that the Judicators are there because of her.
She and Professor Kai are friends with Planerider Ryn, and they -- along with the Hells -- took a teleportation circle to Ryn's place of study in the elemental plane of fire.
"Exaltants" are Ruidus-born people who exhibit a particularly strong connection to the moon, and begin to develop certain capabilities related to it. Imogen's markings are similar to others', including her mother. The Grim Verity was spearheading the development and expansion of the Omen Archive before the Paragon's Call interrupted their funding and shut the project down.
I get the feeling that Ryn would've gotten along great with the Mighty Nein.
Her primary area of study is with the planes and their movements, both within Exandria's cosmology and outside of it. She has discovered inconsistencies in the way the leylines have been moving -- the movement seemed to correlate with bursts of energy that coincided with Ruidus' flares. She also discovered abnormalities in Exandria's parallel planes, the Feywild and the Shadowfell, specifically with things being built and tested there.
The texts -- some of the oldest books in Exandria -- spoke of two deities that have been forgotten by history: Ethedok, the Endless Shadow, and Vordo, the Fate Shaper. The former oversaw the domains of darkness and winter, while the latter was the god of fate and order. They were destroyed before the Schism, but Ethedok was more of the evil-aligned type, while Vordo was more neutral.
The text also spoke of the creation of Ruidus. It was created by the gods during the Founding because they were afraid of something from beyond the stars. They called it Predathos, which resisted their miracles and hunted them, spawning its own twisted life as it did. It devoured the two forgotten gods, and afterwards, the gods struck a deal with the primal elementals to seal away Predathos and send it far into the dark, but it clung to Exandria and became Ruidus; they thought that spinning tales about Ruidus would keep attention away from it, which did work for a very long time, until the flares started happening. This tracks with the information about the "otherworldly influence" that started leaking into the world that was mentioned in Call of the Netherdeep.
Otohan was once an extremely devout follower of the Matron of Ravens, but when the war ended, she lost that faith. She's also an exaltant, a "scion."
Droves of Ruidus-born people are being drawn to Marquet, to the Hellcatch Valley specifically. Kai thinks that, through the Ruidus-born, Predathos is amassing anchors to Exandria, which could allow it to break free.
Liliana was extremely powerful, and the first true exaltant the Grim Verity was able to study and work with; she volunteered to be experimented on and with, but grew frustrated with the Verity's inability to provide answers. Otohan found her, as did the Cerberus Assembly, and her personal need for answers overrode her better judgement.
As Predathos went about its "hunting," it left forms of twisted life in its wake -- Kai theorizes that it has continued to do so within its prison, and life has evolved on Ruidus concurrently with life on Exandria, hence the city.
The Cerberus Assembly and Otohan have been building identical devices in both the Feywild and the Shadowfell, in the exact same place: where both planes overlap with the Hellcatch Valley and Ira's device (the same place the Ruidus-born are flocking to).
That same site is an excavation site that was commandeered and bought by the Cerberus Assembly three months ago (before that, it was a dig led by the Seminary). Underneath it is a pre-Calamity ruin, the site of a ritual during a solstice many centuries ago. The thing was constructed to be a lightning rod of sorts, a channeling point for this solstice energy; it appears to have ties to the Tishtan culture, who were once a nomadic, magic-obsessed, Founding-era society who went around building ritual sites. Not much is known about them because they mysteriously vanished with little record.
Using this information, Ryn has proved that leylines move in a very slow cyclical pattern, rather than randomly.
There are leylines traversing all three of the Prime Material echoes. The Hellcatch Valley is the only place during this particular solstice where a nexus point will overlap in the same place on all three planes. The Exandrian site seems to be the central focus of the Assembly and Otohan, while the site on the Shadowfell is the least guarded of the three (likely because the plane is dangerous enough as it is).
Ryn has heard of Morri. She's a guardian of one of the fanes of the Feywild, a keeper of "one of the hearts of the land." Fearne was left with Morri because the Unseelie Court was looking for her parents, so it's unlikely Morri is working with the Unseelie. However, Ryn notes that Morri is powerful enough to manipulate the time dilation of the Feywild, so if the Hells wanted to go that route it could take them a very short time on the Prime Material Plane.
There are two ways to avoid the time dilation effects of the Feywild: have an archfey grant passage back to the Prime Material Plane (like Vox Machina did with Artagan), or get the help of someone with a "strong enough life-tether to the realm" to facilitate an exit. Morri would be more of the latter.
Sending to Morri: "Hello, Fate-Stitcher. Here with Fearnie bear-cub-banana. She wants to come visit, desperately. On a time crunch. Can you get us back without the wibble-wobbles?" "Oh, well it's nice to hear you, whoever you are. Please tell my little bear-banana baby to come visit. I can help, always." She has a raspy Scottish accent, and a tone very much like Isharnai's.
So essentially, the Bells Hells have three options. They could go back to the Hellcatch Valley and try to figure out what's going on there with Imogen's mother as their "person on the inside" -- the Exandrian site is the most well-guarded, though, and there's the possibility of running into Otohan again (or, worse, Ludinus). They could go to the Shadowfell, and while that's the most lightly guarded site, it's also the most dangerous plane to go to, and they have no way to really get there. Lastly, they could go to the Feywild, where they'd have Morrigan's help to avoid the time dilation and the Unseelie but still run the risk of encountering Otohan, the Cerberus Assembly, or Yu's people.
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critter-genfic-events · 9 months
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Gods and their Followers: A Critical Role Rec List
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Hello friends! Please enjoy these twelve amazing fics featuring the various gods of Exandria and their followers! Oh, and don't forget to show the authors some love if you liked their work!
The Purest Priorities by wtgw (4133,Teen) Warnings: No archive warnings apply Pairings Artagan & Jester Lavorre
Lord Artagan of the Morncrown meets a delightful little creature and feels himself start to become something different.
Reccer says: Artagan's voice here is amazing and I love the concept - of him accidentally tripping and falling into godhood.
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(how could i) look at anything in this world and tremble by Chrome (4539,Mature) Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence Pairings Caduceus Clay & Melora the Wildmother, Caduceus Clay & Fjord & Jester Lavorre
Caduceus is on a mission from god, and forgets that just because he has Melora, it doesn't mean he wouldn't need further backup.
Reccer says: There's a simplicity to Caduceus's devotion to Melora and his thought patterns that's extremely interesting, and I love Jester and Fjord's reactions to him going off on his own.
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Morning Elvis by fruitzbat (1000,General) Warnings: no archive warnings apply Pairings Lucien & The Somnovem
A songfic about Lucien making a pit stop near the end.
Reccer says: It's short, atmospheric, and horrifying
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Gods and Otherwise by sabinelagrande (2381,General) Warnings: No archive warnings apply Pairings Caduceus Clay & Jester, Jester & The Traveler (Critical Role), Caduceus Clay & The Wildmother
Caduceus and Jester have a late night conversation about gods.
Reccer says: It's very sweet and has a very good voice for Caduceus and Jester both. It's rare to see those two interact in fic, and I'd love to see more of that.
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Hope Is A Seed That Blooms In The Heart by Angel Ascending (angel_in_ink) (1744,Teen) Warnings: None Pairings Orym & Melora
One night, Orym reaches out to the Wildmother. The Wildmother reaches back.
Reccer says: I liked it
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Troubled Water by CitizenMocha (1327,General) Warnings: none Pairings Fjord & Melora, Fjord/Jester (background)
With/in spite of most of the Mighty Nein gathered in their new home, Fjord takes a little time to himself to try and reconnect with the Wildmother.
Reccer says: I love fics that spend some time exploring Fjord's emotions, and this fic takes place in the middle of the Mighty Nein Reuninted, so he's having a lot of them.
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Deity Support Group Meeting by YesIAmPlease (1539,General) Warnings: none Pairings Essek thelyss & The Luxon
The Luxon attends a support group for deities after her attempt to claim Essek as her very first champion.
Reccer says: It's absolutely hilarious
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Bitter Earth, Briar Sting by thetickingclock (2407,Teen) Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence Pairings Caduceus Clay & Eadwulf Grieve, Eadwulf Grieve & The Raven Queen, Past Blumentrio
Eadwulf worships death. Eadwulf gardens. It's the same thing, in the end.
Reccer says: I love this in-depth look at how and why Eadwulf worships the raven queen, and how that's changed over the years.
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It Means Puppet by Beauteousmajesty (1677,Teen) Warnings: Major Character Death Pairings Caduceus Clay & Melora the Wildmother
Melora's point of view on Caduceus Clay
Reccer says: It's gorgeously written and has some interesting concepts in there
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Endless Ambition (Athenaeum Finite) by Monarchetype (1434,General) Warnings: none Pairings Ioun the Knowing Mistress & Scanlan Shorthalt, Ioun the Knowing Mistress & Percival "Percy" Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III
A very cynical take on Ioun's thoughts during the events of The Endless Athenaeum.
Reccer says: It's a very interesting idea on why Ioun chose Scanlan over Percy
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and she's breaking my world by grayintogreen (2318,General) Warnings: none Pairings Cree & Jester
Cree and Jester compare minor deities
Reccer says: Jester in particular comes off incredibly well - she comes off as flighty, but it's all setup to rock Cree's worldview. And Cree herself - tragically devoted to Lucien, is very compelling
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Fear of Cold by NKMLN (1525,General) Warnings: None Pairings Vaxildan & The Raven Queen
Vaxildan must become something new, now that he is properly the Champion of the Raven Queen. Its a difficult process, but at least he isn't alone for it.
Reccer says: I just really enjoy the care and compassion that the RQ shows to Vax as he adjusts
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If you liked this rec list, follow along for more! We'll be posting a new list with a new theme each Monday. And if you would like to make a rec yourself, feel free to reach out to @professor-rye to request access to the submission form! Next week, we'll be presenting gen fics about Holidays! Get ready for some divine devotion!
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dsudis · 11 months
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WIP word search game!
I was tagged by @wordsinhaled! Thanks for the tag! :D
My words are: breath, rest, head, once, far, only, hello
breath: (from smol!Dream)
Hob rubbed his tiny back with one hand, and felt Dream relax against him again, felt the motion of his breathing, the body-warmth of a child tucked against him. "Well, in that case, welcome to my home, stay as long as you like. Would you care for a snack? Something to drink?"
Dream took a long breath, and made a thoughtful little hum which was, in his child's voice, perishingly adorable. "I suppose not wine."
rest: (from the Family Man AU)
He didn't have to listen; he could feel Hob's breath on his ear, his cheek, and the little shiver it sent down his spine was a very welcome contrast to the cold numb feeling of the rest of him. He leaned into Hob's warmth--so different from glass, from isolation--and he made a clumsy effort to match his breathing to Hob's. Slower, not so deep. Not gasping as if he had been suffocating for a hundred years.
head: (from Arranged Marriage AU)
Destiny shook his head slowly, and made a little gesture like if they were both entirely different beings, he might have put a consoling hand on Dream's shoulder. "You shall marry, and not to a woman of any sort," Destiny said. "Your marriage will be long, but not fruitful."
once: (from Never Refuse You #5)
Lucienne did not meet his gaze. "The Endless are, as the name implies, without end. But a... an individual instantiation could potentially be destroyed. It happened once before, to my lord's sister Despair. And then--instantly, without any break in the continuity--there was a new Despair, who took up her place as Despair of the Endless once the funeral rites for the first Despair were concluded."
far: (from Mighty Nein Sex Pollen fic)
From somewhere not too far away, Molly put in, "Is that nonsense like, Marry me, Molly, I have never loved anyone the way I love you, or nonsense like, No, and Stop?"
only, hello: (both in one line! looping back around to smol!Dream)
"Hello," the woman said, only barely managing to tear Hob's attention away from his friend. "We've not exactly met, but you are my brother's dearest friend, and he needs looking after for a while."
tagging Uhhhh @moorishflower, @softest-punk, @landwriter, @that-banhus, @karalynlovescake and @cuubism, and anyone else who wants to play!
Your words are: blue, deep, walk, sky, down, heal
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utilitycaster · 1 year
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So I wanted to cover that bit about the "not everyone gets the same amount of Christmas presents" that I mentioned here. The original quote from the EXU Calamity Wrap-up is:
"I didn't want it to be like Christmas where it's like, 'Everyone gets the same amount of presents.' (...) There's some people in this Brass Ring that are up to an asymmetrical amount of shady shit and that's realistic and that's going to create fun dynamics."
I think with actual play, there can be this artificial expectation that every does get the exact same amount of presents - focus, plot, items, etc - that we don't have as much for scripted works. Some of that is that in D&D, a few of these things are objectively quantifiable and some aren't and people struggle to evaluate equivalence (my endless struggle to get people to understand that the fact that some sorcerers get more spells is not game-breaking or unfair is indicative of this). Some is also that I think people take their own experience of playing D&D, in which you are deeply attached to your character and often see them as the main character of their story, and struggle with their favorite PC not being obviously the main character of the story on screen.
Critical Role gets this more than other shows, and I think some of it is that most other shows either have significantly smaller (3-4 people) parties or in the case of D20 are often more heavily plot-driven. Critical Role is also alone among the more popular shows in its lack of editing, so if one player is in focus, there's no way to condense all the little hems and haws and backtracking that is typical in D&D and so the plot focus seems longer. Its particularly long runtime means that a ten-episode arc focused on a character you're less invested in will take 3-4 months in real-time and 40-ish hours to watch. And finally, I think Critical Role's fandom has groups of people with pronounced preferences for certain actors that at least to me have little to do with acting/d&d skill or recurrent themes explored, and I have not seen this phenomenon elsewhere.
Getting to the actual topic though: the fact is, different characters require different stories! I think a prime example is Fjord having a particularly cool sword; he is a hexblade, and having a sword is a fundamental part of that class and serves as a symbol of the source of his powers, and on top of that he grew up having very little and so the possession of a special material item is meaningful to him in a way it wouldn't be to (for example) Beau, whose story is much more about overcoming the self-hatred she learned from her father's abuse; finding a position in the world she loves and in which she can excel; and in finding family in the Mighty Nein, in the Cobalt Soul, and with Yasha. Percy's story is deeply tied to a particular location and enemy such that it belongs in a self-contained arc with largely background development afterwards; Vex's story is a highly internalized one of constant slow progress with notable and consistent beats but no specific clearly defined arc throughout the entire campaign; and Keyleth's arc is a mix of concrete trials and ongoing personal growth. Or, going back to Brennan's original statement, Patia, Nydas, and Laerryn have background information that isn't present for the rest of the party because that's the story being told! It doesn't mean that Zerxus, Loquatius, and Cerrit don't have compelling backstories; it means that they are differently positioned within the city and the story and have their own specialized knowledge. In fact, giving these characters the knowledge that Patia, Nydas, and Laerryn had would significantly change the intent of those characters from what the players had planned.
Which is in fact another part of this issue: overall, I think most characters get a decent number of "christmas presents", but sometimes the fandom response goes further not just to quantity but also a belief that everyone should get the exact same things, too. I still recall people asking me about TLOVM and whether Vex and Keyleth had comparable screentime with each other, or if they had comparable screentime with the men in the story. These remain among the more baffling questions I've gotten - and I've gotten some weird ones - because it's such a profound lack of understanding how stories work. One would hope that all D&D characters get the same amount of development overall, but that does not necessarily mean the same amount of screen time.
Anyway: the questions to ask are not "who gets the most presents" because most people aren't great at defining what a "present" is or which presents are equivalent in the first place; it's "is this character getting developed in the story in a way that makes sense, and is the plot compelling to other characters around them even if it is for the moment centered on them."
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