#eodwulf/essek

[esswulf-wednesday]

Spring is in the Air

Hello and welcome to the Esswulf Wednesday Club Tag Fill event for the month of March! We aim to fill out the Eadwulf Grieve/Essek Thelyss tag on ao3 and make our rarepair a little less rare.

Submissions can be fic, art, songs, or whatever else you want to contribute.

You can write or draw whatever you want, but we'll provide themes and prompts for you to use or draw inspiration from.

Post your submission on Wednesday March 29th, 2023 and tag your work with Esswulf Wednesday Club Tag Fill Event. Be sure to send us a link!

To join the Esswulf Wednesday Club Discord Server, send us an ask or a message. 18+ only!

March's Theme: Spring is in the Air

🧺Picnic Date

💐Florist AU

☔Caught in the Rain

💋Spring Fling

😏The Birds and the Bees

🥚Mating Season

🪦Bringing Flowers to a Grave

⛈️Storms

🤒Spring Fever

🧹Spring Cleaning

🐸Amphibian Migration (like all the big monsters in xhorhas? nergaliids?)

🎊Spring Festival

🌸Cherry Blossom

🌻The Zemni Fields Are Blooming

🪴Carnivorous Plants

🎓Graduation

#critical role #critical role fanfiction #critical role fanfic #cr #cr fanfic #essek thelyss #eadwulf grieve #esswulf #shadowulf #wulfsek #happy esswulf wednesday #essek thelyss/eadwulf grieve #eadwulf grieve/essek thelyss #essek/eadwulf #eadwulf/essek #eodwulf grieve #essek/eodwulf #eodwulf/essek

[foxqueen-katarian]

A part of me enjoys the idea of Wulf deciding that he’s not done dating Caleb and just carrying on like the last fifteen years didn’t happen. It’s a little more complicated what with being adults and having responsibilities, and Caleb’s new boyfriend (who Wulf is also okay with dating, if they ever get past the distrustful stage in their acquaintanceship), but he’s willing to put the time and effort into it.

Caleb is completely oblivious to what’s happening, Wulf’s always been helpful and physically affectionate nothing weird about that, and he does sleep better when there’s another person in the room, and it’s very considerate of Wulf to stop in when Essek has to be away, and it’s completely normal to kiss your friends on the mouth with tongue Caleb spent a good portion of his teenage years doing just that, and Oh Fuck Shit Gods Damn It when did we start dating again?

#Essek isn’t thrilled at sharing until the first time Wulf manhandles him into bed #and tells him in Undercommon all of the things he’d like to do to Essek if he would just cooperate #Astrid thinks all three of them are idiots but they’re now her idiots so it’s somewhat acceptable #everyone else is just very confused by the whole thing #caleb widogast #I don’t know what the ship name for Caleb/Eodwulf is soooo

[aeoris4lovers]

watching ofmd and thinking about the potential parallels between ed and izzy’s relationship and astrid and eadwulf’s. the leader and the dog that follows them around. the one all the good guys reach out to, who they make a connection with, and the one who represents everything they want to leave behind, who’s only really allowed to stick around because you can’t just ask a person to give up their shadow. the way eadwulf always looks to astrid, always follows her lead in the end even if he disagrees. “i have love for you.” the way astrid doesn’t notice wulf dying on the ground. “i loved you best i could.” two people who have watched each other being molded into what they are now, who have been through hell together, who love each other as much as they hate each other as much as they don’t know how to be anything else to each other, who can’t stop hurting each other can’t stop betraying each other can’t stop running back to each other, who are fused to each other like a cauterized wound.

#read a fic where essek said something to wulf about how he doesn’t like how she uses him #and ive never stopped thinking about it since #how the flip side of his loyalty is that she doesn’t have to try to get him to stick around #she can treat him however she wants #use him however she needs #and he’ll still be there because where in the world else could he go #who could he go to if not her #and she knows that and he knows she knows that #and neither of them know how fucked up it is because they never learned to be any other way #they just keep going like that forever and ever #hurtling toward an inevitable explosive ending that would have come a long time ago if they were anyone else #GOD i can’t stop thinking about them they make me insane #bonded pair do not separate. do not bother separating. even if you try you won’t be able to find where one ends and the other begins #blumenduo #astrid becke #eadwulf grieve #astrid beck #eodwulf grieve #cr headcanons #critical role

[neinofthem]

critical role campaign two, otherwise known as ‘caleb’s reverse harem feat. beauyasha’

#every single person except the lesbians and the aroace person was a love interest #essek thelyss #jester lavorre #fjord stone #mollymauk tealeaf #nott the brave #veth brenatto #astrid beck #eodwulf grieve #shadowgast #beauyasha #widobrave #widojest #widofjord #blumentrio #widomauk #critical role #cr #the mighty nein #mighty nein #tm9 #cr shitpost #cr2 #caleb widogast

[tangereendream]

flat ass/fat ass is the idea relationship which is why Essek and Wulf are perfect for each other

happy esswulf wednesday!

#happy esswulf wednesday #esswulf #wulfsek #shadowulf #essek thelyss #eadwulf grieve #eodwulf grieve #eadwulf #eodwulf #essek thelyss/eadwulf grieve #eadwulf grieve/essek thelyss #essek thelyss/eodwulf grieve #eodwulf grieve/essek thelyss #critical role #cr #critical role fanart #cr fanart #astrid beck

[blazingstar24]

Thinking a lot about Brennan saying in the Calamity wrap up how he made sure that Zerxus had a moment where his value of redemption helped them. And how Laerryn’s scientific advancement also helped stop a bigger calamity. Because he didn’t want people to draw the hard lines of “redemption is stupid and doesn’t work and wanting to progress to new heights is dangerous” I think back to what Brennan said about how in that one instant it failed. But in another, it succeeded.

And how that relates to this journey from C2 to C3. I’m obviously not the first to point out the glaringly blatant parallels and similarities in Essek and Ludinus. The amount of them are insanely high. But the contrast is also very clear. Essek ends as a great friend to the M9, Caleb’s lover, redeemed in the eyes of our focus characters. Ludinus is currently trying to blow up the fucking moon and kill the gods.

So there’s that recurring idea of something going right in one instance. And going terribly wrong in another.

Where Essek had at least one thing, one person he cherished (his brother Verin, and eventually the M9) other than his goals, Ludinus has no one. Not a single person he would potentially stop what he’s doing for. No one he would feel true regret in disappointing. Perhaps someone did reach out to him like the M9 did for Essek, but it failed to reach him in turn. The ways in which these two characters contrast and end up in wholly different places in the narrative is so striking. One is redeemed and one remains villainous.

There’s this concept in C2 in which no matter how badly you fucked up, if you stop and try to be better, there is hope and a path forward for you. It’s with Essek and Caleb. Astrid and Eodwulf. Molly/Lucien, who get to start again with Kingsley.

C3 with Ludinus is exploring the flip of that. The instance in where this doesn’t happen. In which someone refuses to stop. To keep barreling down that destructive path. Ludinus is the culmination of every stopgap failing. He is what Caleb feared Essek would be, what he could have been. It’s interesting to get the “We’re not so different you and I” villain but the PCs aren’t the ones he paralleling.

But in a way it kind of wraps back around to Brennan’s statement in that these are choices narratively for the audience to ponder. The connections are there for us to see and reflect on. I don’t know if this means anything really but I find it quite intriguing.

#ludinus da'leth #essek thelyss #cr spoilers #cr meta

[ruvi-muffin]

Very important head canons i cannot let go of:

Essek, caleb, beau and yasha all live together post canon.

Essek learns find familiar and summons frumpkin unintentionally bc frumpkin misses them

Eodwulf, yasha and essek are in a club

Wulf comes over for brunch.

Caleb beau and astrid are Not a club, but that in and of itself makes them a club by asociation

Astrid does Not come over for brunch.

#there are sm lovely post canon hcs but these are mine and #try as i might they will be in my head forever #muffin rambles

[hiems-incaelo]

I've been seeing these everywhere, but here's some moments that I would love to see in m9 animated:

- shakäste and his spiritual weapon

- “he's MY boy and I keep HIM safe”

- Caleb's introduction to the luxon beacon

- fjord forcing the eye into his stomach

- cad's panic attack on the ship + jester comforting him

- “your people did this!!”

- fjord kisses jester to save her from drowning

- the giant tree with the roc's nest

- “you need me more than I need you”

- essek and Caleb's tower convo

- sending yussa back from cognouza

- fjord n eodwulf flexing at each other

- “empathize. Empathize. Empathize.”

#Might add more later I'm SO EXCITED AAAA #the mighty nein #mighty nein animated #critical role #cr c2

[gobliiine]

I’m about to abuse this feature

#tell me in the replies if I missed anyone bc I feel like I did #the mighty nein #the mighty nein animated #robbie daymond #critical role

[thequeenofmyownscreen]

Thirty-five things I noted about CR2E141 “Fond Farewells” :

SEVEN. HOURS. LONG. EPISODE.

Ok, fair. The Mighty Nein did deserve that.

Veth multi-classed ! She has one level in wizard !! I love it !!

Oh yeah Essek kinda abandoned his post up in Aeor, huh... what will he do

Caleb : "Thank you, Jester." Jester : "For what ?" Caleb : "Oh, the last couple years... Thank you for being such a good friend."

Jester, to Fjord who is nearly asleep : "Hey, Fjord ? ... I love you. (panicked) Don't say anything ! I'm just going to bury my head in his arms." Fjord, befuddled : "What ??" Jester, regretting everything : "Don't say it, just shut up, go to sleep !"

I will miss Jester's Sendings

Ah, an insight check against a PC, this truly feels like early CR2 episodes !

Ah, there he is. The Irish-accent bastard of a purple tiefling. Kingsley. A person different from Mollymauk, for sure, but still with the accent, the attitude (kinda), and the immediate attraction to Caleb 'magic man' Widowgast.

THE PARENT TRAP WORK ! LOVE IS REAL ! JESTER'S MOM HAS GOT IT GOIN ON !

oh yeah that's right, the Mighty Nein left Aeor : with a robot whose plan was to wake others up, and with a functioning inter-planar portal that seemed to pass right through the Divine Gate (according to Matt's description of their return). I'm sure this is fine

THE BITCH IS HERE - and by 'the bitch' (NOT affectionate) I mean Trent

immediate Sam reaction : "I just got my family here" oh my god is it cruel of me that I kinda laughed, thinking it may very well go like the Fire Plane all over again ?

I'm excited to see what plan Caleb, Beau and Veth had obviously been cooking in the eventuality of Trent Ikithon, because they seem to have a very clear intent

Yes !!!! CHAINED COUNTERSPELL HERE WE GO I love it.

Eodwulf attacked Caleb, and the words exchange had kind of a sexy undertone to them ! I support Liam when he said "Is it hot in here ? or..." just after that. Even Fjord going up to Eadwulf and attacking him right after had some powerful homoeroticism, really enjoyed it

I love Travis' expression of "he's double-bagging it" about Trent having at least 2 shields of invulnerability cast around him, because I now pictured Trent with 2 bags over his head, like he was hostage

oh, I'm sad Laura missed Matt's 'you both have him cornered right there' about Eaodwulf, Caleb and Fjord. She would have snickered like I have snickered !

The Veth and Beau plan was incredible. It has multiples steps, it took a little bit of time (two rounds) but man, the visuals !!!!! Beau pulling out the collar, Veth and Beau hiding behind a tree, Veth gluing the collar, Beau escalading a tree while Veth was pulling out the magic fan, Beau jumping in the air towards Trent and ALMOST MISSING... if it weren’t for the fan !! Like Travis said last episode, I want to see this shit animated, and I will, because the world is good actually.

Oh man, Trent's end... Liam was crying and so did I, when Sam once again flexed his "I'm going to make a simple action so moving you will cry" muscles

How beautiful that Astrid was the one to do it, and help Caleb silence Trent forever

Caleb, to Trent : "You know, for the longest time, I thought this would be impossible. But I still dreamed about it, of taking your life. But death is too good for you. You are to be exposed, humbled, and brought low. Settle into that idea."

Oh, I'm so glad I've seen Beau and Caleb appear in Campaign 3, still fighting and trying to stop Ludinus' plans, because when Beau said this will take time, she was right : this will be a horribly long road for then, and the Cerberus Assembly's machination would prove to run deeper than they, right here in the Blooming Grove, know... But they're still here fighting the good fight !

Awwwwww Fjord said "I love you too" !!! Under the rain he created, like the romantic that he is !!

Caduceus is pissed. Using magic to force empathy on Trent is COLD. Love that Matt basically said "this man can feel no empathy and no magic can make him that's how rotten he is"

Astrid and Eodwulf came back ! They're helping for Trent's case (but not naming the other mages at the Assembly... maybe that's why, decades later, Beau and Caleb are still pursuing Ludinus).

From Caduceus' goodbyes to the end, just imagine me crying the whole time.

Essek : "What have you done ?... This world was so much easier when it was black and white." Beau : "But it's so much more beautiful in all the shades of colors."

Kingsley heard the Mighty Nein had a ship and immediately wants to be a pirate, I love him

ARE YOU KIDDING ME IS THIS THE SIPHYLIS BANDITS ????!!

Oh shit ! Ludinus offered a position within the Cerberus Assembly to Caleb, who respectfully declined (the power !!)

Vandren ! at last

Beau : "Are you wanting to be my housewife, Yasha ?" Yasha : "I mean... I think I would look pretty good in an apron." Beau : "I think you would look fantastic in an apron, especially if you weren't wearing anything under it."

Caleb's time-travel plan was pretty tight. He must have seen hundred of episodes of Doctor Who to avoid time paradoxes and such. But what a powerful image that he ultimately chose to destroy the thing he wanted most at the beginning of the campaign : "I drag some dust up my arm, and disintegrate everything in the room, and burn what's left."

THARIZDUN ??!! (me like the Beyonce ??!! meme)

"A tale of seven friends, who became eight, then nine."

Liam : "Thanks for a good story, Matt." Sam : "It was pretty good." Travis : "Let's do it again." (the callback the callback from Campaign 1 finale ok i'm gonna go cry for 3 hours now goodbye)

#my thoughts #critical role #cr campaign 2 #CR2E141 #it's done #i feel empty #I'm gonna go cry #but not before I reblog a bunch of things !

[technoturian]

THOSE WHO HOLD THE CHAINS - a critical role villains playlist

[ Spotify ]

01. Kylre : Fever Ray - If I Had A Heart This will never end 'cause I want more / More, give me more / Give me more

02. Lorenzo : Friends in Tokyo - Call Me Devil I'll steal your soul / I'll eat you whole / Ain't no other way / They call me devil / And you should be afraid

03. Avantika : Valerie Broussard - A Little Wicked There's a serpent in these still waters, lying deep down / To that king I will bow, at least for now

04. Dashilla : Roniit, Saint Mesa - Martyr These silent waters hide the truth / Upon the altar, I'm in bloom / Open the curtain, pull me through

05. Uk’otoa : Klergy, Mindy Jones - Hide and Seek You hide, I'll seek / Come play with me / Just close your eyes / I'll take what I need / Come out, come out, wherever you are

06. Obann : Chris Cornell - You Know My Name I've seen angels fall from blinding heights / But you yourself are nothing so divine / Just next in line

07. Essek Theyliss : Maren Morris - Kingdom of One All you can give, all you can bear / All that you longed for, nothing compares / When nothing is sacred, no one is safe

08. Trent Ikithon & The Cerberus Assembly : Sam Tinnesz - Watch Your Back Like poison dripping in our blood / Blind devotion's not enough / Can't go on with our eyes shut

09. Astrid & Eodwulf : Imagine Dragons - Natural And you're standing on the edge, face up 'cause you're a / Natural / A beating heart of stone / You gotta be so cold / To make it in this world / Yeah you’re a / Natural / Living your life cutthroat / You gotta be so cold / ‘Cause you’re a / Natural

10. Gelidon : Ruelle - Game of Survival Who's in the shadows? / Who's ready to play? / Are we the hunters? / Or are we the prey?

11. Isharnai, the Hag : The Rigs - Devil’s Playground Brave, are you brave enough to meet / The desires that you seek / Hold my hand, I'll set you free // Welcome to the devil’s playground / You can look and you can touch / It’s a real fine day at the black parade / And I swear it won’t cost much

12. Vokodo : Jemaine Clement - Shiny Shiny / Watch me dazzle like a diamond in the rough / Strut my stuff, my stuff is so / Shiny / Send your armies but they'll never be enough / My shell's too tough

13. Lucien : Mikky Ekko - Who Are You, Really? “Who are you, really?" / "And where are you going?" / I have nothing left to prove / Cause I have nothing left to lose / See me bear my teeth for you / Who, who are YOU?

14. Lucien, Neo-Somnovem : Les Friction - Your World Will Fall I come from a world that only has one pulse / In all worlds nothing is immutable / Our nature is gentle and the divine is mental / And inside this realm of shared understanding / Everyone floats when ideas are landing / Oooh, my love / All you need is what you want, what you want, what you want

15. Astrid & Eodwulf, Revisited : Pim Stones - We Have It All There was fire around us so I should have known why / The touch of his hands were as cold as his eyes / So don't you tell me we weren't hypnotized / The print was so small I didn't understand / He cut our thumbs and placed a feather in our hands / Told us we would see all our dreams and plans unfold

16. Trent Ikithon, Revisited : Woodkid - Guns for Hire Not a good time to lose control / Right as your marionettes cut their strings and run away / You're out of time, make your move / Live or die while the fuse is lit and there's no turning back

#Critical Role #Playlist #Trent Ikithon #Lucien #Isharnai #Avantika #Uk'otoa #don't know why this isn't showing up in the tag #oh well I guess it's just for me then

[foxqueen-katarian]

I think as a rule Wizards should be good at fucking.

All those somantics and the verbal dexterity’s got to translate to more pleasurable experiences.

However given the reclusive nature of your standard Wizard, and the fact that they’re made of wet tissue paper and spun sugar means very few of them ever actually get to fuck.

All of this to say, Caleb with his positive integer Charisma modifier and canonical Wizard polycule, is somehow the sexiest Wizard in Wildemount.

#caleb widogast #critical role #Essek is a hot boi but he has either never fucked before or has only done so once and no one enjoyed it #Astrid and Eodwulf have fucked but only each other #Let’s not contemplate any of the Cerberus Assembly mages fucking they’re terrible

[aeoris4lovers]

an unstoppable force (my desire to cosplay wulf when i go to nycc and get a picture with liam) meets an immovable object (wulf is very large and i am very small)

should i do it anyway? is he even recognizable if he’s 5’3 with no visible muscles to speak of? it would feel very silly but i love him very much

#i was originally planning to attempt an essek cosplay #i am much more essek shaped than i am wulf shaped #but that was. back when i had more time and money #and back before i considered that wulf is An Option #its soooooo tempting bro #in my defense i am very hairy like him. i have that going for me #okay i’ll shut up now. tell me if i should do it or not i need Validation #nycc #new york comic con #eadwulf grieve #eodwulf grieve #critical role

[malaismere]

I am the wildemount job's biggest stan but I think I'll ask for director's commentary on the wedding ceremony in ch 6 of Tower of Shattered Glass, either from "Lord Caleb Widogast, archmage of antiquity" to "Essek wishes that could give him comfort." or the passage right after that until "Best not to dwell on it. In unison, they both step forward, down the center aisle, the line of people trailing after them." Whatever you think is interesting!

honestly, probably for the best, im not sure how much commentary for the wildemount job I’d have beyond “i thought it was funny” (that’s only half a joke, I did put thought into that fic)

I’m doing both because I like rambling, and may as well cover the full wedding. Below the cut!

Lord Caleb Widogast, archmage of antiquity. He’s dressed in crimson red, the trademark of the Assembly, and his bright blue eyes stare back at Essek with a gaze that feels like it could set something on fire, make a lesser man crumble beneath it.

So, the biggest inspiration for this fic is Reputations (as is only fitting for an arranged marriage, volstrucker!caleb fic). In it, Caleb sets his hair on fire as a nervous tic, which everyone (especially husband to be Molly) thinks is intimidating/a sign of anger. Didn’t steal it exactly, but I think volstrucker!Caleb has real rating murder face.

And every time I describe him in the early chapters, I think it’s very important that he looks clean cut, imposing. This isn’t truly Caleb, after all - it’s closer to Bren. Although, he’s not usually in Assembly/blood red, it’s more a public appearance/formal thing. Read into that how much metaphor you want.

Essek matches it, unflinching, keeping the blank, congenial smile on his face.

Of course, resting murder face or not, Essek was raised in courts. I like to imagine that the dens are very much the great houses with all the ruthlessness and only somewhat less murder; you won’t last long in high echelon politics if you can’t handle yourself and your emotions, much less Shadowhand. Essek is very good at not letting anyone know what he’s feeling, especially to not seem intimidated.

The priest begins to read out the sermon - a generic, inoffensive thing, the wording of which had been argued over for hours. It speaks of the strength of unity, the power of alliances, alluding to both the marriage and the peace.

I did not want to write wedding vows.

Although I think it’s important that this isn’t actually vows; neither speak here, it isn’t really about them. This also emphasizes how political - and therefore - how dull - most of the planning was.

“Let Erathis bless this union, and all those that follow,” the priest finishes, and steps back, as the Dusk Captain moves forward to take the place, and, behind Widogast, the third archmage, Wulfric Kirchoff, pulls out the beacon from the case it had been held in.

Erathis chosen as the least offensive deity to the Dynasty and also patron of political marriages and treaties.

Eodwulf is holding the beacon. Our trio of archmages won’t let anyone else even see it without one of them present. Paranoid motherfuckers, aren’t they? Rightfully so, of course.

Wulfric Kirchoff is my excuse to have Caleb Widogast - Wulfric to keep Wulf, Kirchoff comes from Church for his worship of the Raven Queen. Astrid is Isolde Siegrun, for ‘Isa’/‘Asa’ and Siegrun meaning Rune of Victory. Caleb only refers to them by the nicknames when alone, so going forward I want to shift towards that to make it less confusing, but Essek/M9 only know the aliases....yeah this was maybe too much thought. What can I say. I like my canon compliance.

Kirchoff hands it over to Widogast, who holds it aloft, and Essek reaches up to grab the handles, grasping it between them.

This is the core ritual of the wedding and the peace. I wanted to parallel the iconic Caleb throne room scene. But he’s got more power, here, they’re equals - if anything, Essek’s got the lower status, because he’s being shoved into the game.

The last time he held this beacon, he had stolen it, whisked it away to enemy lands to experiment on it, sparked a bloody war, cost the lives of agents and soldiers and civilians on both sides.

Emphasizing that, even without Caleb, this is an Essek who made his heel-face turn.

“The Light shines upon you,” the Dusk Captain says, “as on us all - may it guide us from the dark, unto the truth.”

Counterpoint to the Erathis bit; one to the Empire, one to the Dynasty. They don’t need a king speech about peace and marriage - they don’t really do weddings, after all - they just need the beacon.

Also, to highlight that Quana - and everyone in the Dynasty - is completely unaware of Essek’s treason. It isn’t a jab at his lies. It feels like one anyways.

It would be the easiest thing in the world, to teleport away, right now. At the highest level, the chances of the Assembly counterspelling were low. He could run, run from it all, find some forgotten corner of the world to complete the research.

Essek may be a face, but it’s tempting. Nothing like willingly being handed the thing you conspired to steal. Of course, this plan would likely end in his execution, but realism can’t break the fantasy.

He hands the beacon over to Verin, to place in the case once more, and hopes whatever lapse, whatever hesitation, passes off as mere religious fervor.

A deliberate Eodwulf-Caleb-Essek-Verin chain/parallel here.

If Widogast notices - if he has any hesitation, watching the second, final beacon vanish from his grasp - he shows no signs of it. Essek wishes that could give him comfort.

This line is the core of the fic. I have thought about it, but really...I don’t think I can show Caleb’s POV, not for a while at least, because the question is...who is he? what are the blumentrio really up to? why turn on Ikithon, why hand over the beacon, why end the war? Goodness of their hearts, or another plan up their sleeves?

And, what Essek is most concerned with: do they know his role? Do they suspect? Or is Vess de Rohan the only one who still knows.

The priest steps back to the center, and, with only half a second delay, Essek raises his hands to meet Widogast’s, to hold them. The sensation of skin against his is like a shock - and he’s grateful that his exposure to the Mighty Nine has weaned him of that, that he has no reaction.

Essek is touch starved.

He keeps his eyes on Widogast, as the priest begins to read out the marriage requirements, hands resting over theirs clasped. It’s an inane, mostly symbolic list, but the most important, most binding one, comes last.

“-til death do you part?”

Exandrian vows probably aren’t the same as American. But there’s nothing more dramatic than swearing to the death.

They both have a very simple (well, simple, not easy) way out.

“I do,” Essek says, and it’s no small effort to force his voice to match the volume of the priests, to not catch in his throat.

He repeats the same for Widogast, who answers just as cleanly, an echoing, “I do.”

First words either say. Again, happening to them, not by them.

By force of will, Essek is making sure no one sees any signs he’s nervous or uncertain. Caleb is the same.

“Then, by the powers vested in me, by god, king, and country, I pronounce you - wed!”

Roman pietas was in my head for god/king/country.

Below, the crowds rise, not quite cheery excitement, but the sound of applause filling the chapel. He turns to the side, facing the crowd and looking out at them in full for the first time, bracing himself on the sight of the Mighty Nine, risen and whooping from the front row.

Standing on the dais, it’s just him, Caleb, Wulf, Verin, the priest, and the Dusk Captain. Enough to forget theirs a whole crowd - tight angle, this is just the two of them.

But they aren’t alone, it’s a show. And a successful one at that.

He’s still holding Caleb’s hand - no, Widogast is holding his hand - not gripping it, not tightly, but not letting go, either. It wasn’t one of the things brought up, in the highly detailed description of how the ceremony would take place - maybe a slip, the Empire forgetting that they didn’t do weddings, much less ones of this style - maybe a last-minute choice, trying to better signify unity before the crowds - maybe a personal decision, not wanting to let go for whatever reason.

Neither is quite ready to let go just yet. It’s easier to have someone to brace yourself against, even if you don’t trust them. Not wanting to admit it, Essek justifies. Clearly this is either a Dwendalian tradition they forgot to mention or Caleb making a political move.

Best not to dwell on it. In unison, they both step forward, down the center aisle, the line of people trailing after them.

Or, maybe not. But Essek isn’t going to let himself think about romance. He doesn’t need to like Caleb. He just needs to survive.

#ask meme #tower of shattered glass #cr fic #ficblogging

[your-turn-to-role]

tfw your ex boyfriend is trying to stab you with swords while your maybe boyfriend is behind you casting support spells and over there the girl you kinda wish was your girlfriend is mind controlling your ex girlfriend

#yes im still on the bisexual maelstrom tack bc i think it's really funny #cr2 #cr spoilers #c2e141 #cr liveblog #caleb widogast #astrid beck #eodwulf grieve #essek thelyss #jester lavorre #bisexual maelstrom

[ben-lyintous]

the mighty nein should just do another con on rumblecusp maybe a few months after aeor but this time it's just them and the friends they made along the way

allura tries to politely decline but then she hears from keyleth that she's going with her mom back to the island she was stranded on to meet the weirdos who saved her and kima is game anyway so they do end up going

caduceus drags calliope with him and nila is delighted because she has a soft spot for the blooming grove and all that

keg, reani and calianna are all there. fjord finds himself in a conversation with all the wlws at one point and mentally logs off the moment anything even remotely flirty is said. beau gets a lil awkward when introducing yasha, keg and reani to each other. keg and reani are both low key disappointed at first that beau is taken now but yasha is HOT so they're like yup. understandable. yasha just finds the whole thing very amusing (and so does kima)

cali promises to send EVERYONE gifts afterwards. and she actually does, the absolute mad lass

keg almost has a heart attack upon seeing kingsley for the first time because jester did not mention THAT in her carefully curated sending invitation (but she did mention something about dick hunt 2??? whatever that means)

bryce gets their first vacation in what feels like forever and gets shitfaced the very first night. they get exponentially more '?????' each time they hear another anecdote about the m9's exploits

artie is in a disguise almost the entire time (and keeps glancing nervously at the moon) but eventually reveals his identity to keyleth. very dramatically. and not until the very last moment

shakäste charms the pants off everyone and so do the pumats. they all have extremely chill conversations with orly

astrid and eodwulf show up fashionably late (read two days after everyone else) and only stay for one night. they both get a dance with caleb, mostly to exchange whispers and intense stares

essek arrives armed with a sun hat, a bottle of sunscreen and a poncho on a stick parasol and still gets a sunburn but he's just happy he gets to spend time with the rest of the nein again

dagen is a big fan of the beaurebar and the fact that he's not freezing his ass off for once. he's a bit puzzled by all the stories about the m9 but he already figured they were weird as shit so he's just like ¯\_(ツ)_/¯🍸

kingsley tells everyone wildly different lies about himself and revels in the chaos. jester, veth and artie quietly approve

a few drinks in yussa implies he's about to fuck with dangerous and unpredictable magic again but after a stern look from allura and a flashback to the cognouza ward he promises to reconsider. he's still very curious about caleb and essek's research progress in aeor though

vandren makes himself comfortable at the beach after a while and starts reading a new smut novel that caleb brought him (jester insisted)

bestie isharnai is not invited. jester actually feels kinda bad about that for a moment

kiri is also not there because she's a child and this kind of party is not appropriate for a child (especially one that can and will repeat every swear word she hears to her horrified foster parents). this just bREAKS jester's heart so the m9 absolutely take her to hang out with them in nicodranas afterwards

#beauyasha #critical role #keg cr #reani #essek thelyss #cr dagen #calliope clay #nila cr #blumentrio #astrid beck #eodwulf #vandren cr #allura vysoren #lady kima of vord #calianna cr