Here's the thing: the words we use to talk about fanfic are really geared towards stuff with romantic relationships in the forefront, so they tend to be pretty vague when talking about genfic (by which I mean 'no romantic or sexual pairings', not general audiences). So I've come up with an emoji system that could be used to help explain what's in each of these:
💪A Himbo/Herbo
🕵️♀️A Complicated Lady/Gent
🔍Outsider POV/ Centering a minor character
👶Parenting is hard
💋Relationship Status: Complicated
🌎Worldbuilding and its consequences
😅Well, I think I'm funny
😕It's not Unhappy? (bittersweet)
🗣A long conversation between two characters
The Short (Less than 5,000 Words)
A Reflection or Molding (1,427 words)
Caduceus Clay & Essek Thelyss 💪🕵️♀️😕🗣
Caduceus experiences a loss. Essek comforts him
Amethyst and Flowers on the Table (2,291 words)
Keyleth & Caduceus, Vilya & Keyleth 💪👶🗣
Vilya introduces her daughter to the man who restored her memories, one Caduceus Clay.
Commitment Ceremony (954 words)
Jester Lavorre & Beauregard Lionett & Essek Thelyss 😅🗣
There's no limit to Jester's imagination when it comes to her wedding. Beau brings Essek in to talk her down.
Dog Duty (3,407 words)
Ashton Greymoore & Milo Krook; Fresh Cut Grass & Milo Krook; Milo Krook & FRIDA & Deanna Leimert🔍🌎 🗣
Punk houses don't make for stable living situations. Ashton brings a new roommate home. And after a few more cycles of people coming and going, Milo does, too.
Fertile Soil for New Seedlings (1,565 words)
Yasha & Nila 💪👶🗣
Shortly before the orphanage heist, Yasha seeks out assurances in the Blooming Grove. She finds Nila there.
Fun Scary (970 words)
Laudna & Prism 🔍😅🗣
While on watch, Prism and Laudna have a talk.
Inventory (3,862 words)
Essek & Yasha 💪🕵️♀️🌎🗣
It’s the day before Essek heads out to an expedition in the Savalirwood with Calliope and Reani. Yasha helps him sort out a few things.
Lens Interregation of Verin Thelyss, PD 838 (1,801 words)
Verin Thelyss 💪🔍🌎🗣
Essek disappears from Eiselcross in PD. 837. The next year, scrutiny on this disappearance leads the Lens to interrogate his brother.
Let the River Carry You (2,983 words)
Caleb/Essek 🕵️♀️
Essek knits for the Nein, and for himself.
Not the Needle, Nor the Thread (2,149 words)
Deirta & Essek Thelyss, Essek Thelyss & his father🕵️♀️👶😕
A reborn teenaged Deirta hides with Essek for a few months, and Essek learns who Deirta is when she is not everything that made her his mother. On consecution, and what it means to redefine relationships.
Sick Leave (2,518 words)
Caduceus Clay & Kingsley Tealeaf 💪🕵️♀️🗣
Kingsley sends Caduceus a message when he's feeling ill. He's the only one Kingsley trusts.
Someone Else's Ghost Story (3,429 words)
Kingsley Tealeaf 🕵️♀️🔍👶😅😕🗣
While in Rexxentrum, Kingsley runs into someone from Lucien's past.
The Shape of Her (434 words)
Caleb/Veth, Caleb/Nott, Veth/Yeza 💋
Caleb and Veth, their time spent in liminal spaces.
Summon the Hollow (645 words)
Cree & Lucien 🕵️♀️🔍💋🌎
The dead may come back but they are changed. Cree, on meeting Molly, and after.
Wild's Grandeur (3,741 words)
Caduceus Clay & The Clay Family💪👶😕
For the first time in decades, the Clays could leave the Blooming Grove and celebrate Wild's Grandeur in the Savalirwood. Caduceus would rather stay at home.
With No Lapidary (960 words)
Ashton Greymoore 🕵️♀️🌎
Ashton's hair is requires a little extra work to take care of - much like the genasi himself
The Mid-Length (5,000 to 9,000 words)
A Duet, Quick In Tempo (6,661 words)
Jester & Verin, Verin & Essek💪🔍🌎😅🗣
Verin isn’t sure what to make of Jester’s sendings, but a lot of people aren’t really sure what to make of Verin, either. It turns out those sendings sure do come in handy when trouble arises.
Descriptions of a River Flowing (6,427 words)
Essek Thelyss 🕵️♀️🔍🌎😕🗣
Five known aliases of Essek Thelyss, and one that (perhaps) will be forgotten.
Especially The Lies (7,800 words)
Astrid & Beau, Dairon & Beau 🕵️♀️🔍👶😕🗣
Of the stories Astrid tells, and the truths Beau learns.
No One By That Name Lives Here Anymore (6,500ish words, looks longer due to a commentary track)
Essek & Essek's Dad 🕵️♀️🔍👶🌎😕🗣
A few years after faking his own death, Essek runs into someone he used to know by chance in Uthodurn - A certain someone who had supposedly died his last death in Bazzoxan a few decades before. On consecution, and what it means to live multiple lives
On Your Knees Through The Deserts Repenting (7,346 words)
Essek & The Mighty Nein, Essek & Verin 🕵️♀️💋😕🗣
Five conversations that Essek has on guilt and repentance.
The Shores of Ithaca, Years Later (6,134 words)
Keyleth & Vilya 🔍👶🌎😕
Vilya returns home after forty years. Zephrah has changed, and so has she.
The Long-For-Me (9,000+ words)
All the Paths That Lay Before Us (11,455 words)
Deirta Thelyss, 🕵️♀️👶🌎
Deirta undergoes anamnesis. On consecution, perfect souls, and who is allowed to change.
Another Time, Another Place (9,780 words)
Caleb/Essek 🕵️♀️💋🌎 🗣
Essek Thelyss figured out a way to travel through time and bend reality to his will. Bren Ermendrud, Volstrucker for the Dwendalian Empire, acquired the Shadowhand’s notes, and led history in a different direction.
Only one reality can survive. And yet they circle, caught in each other's orbits. (A very loose this is how you lose the time war AU.)
Festivals of Light (21,207 words)
Various members of the Mighty Nein in turn; 🕵️♀️ 👶🌎😕
A collection of holiday stories for those who have complicated feelings about the holidays.
He Did the Goat Dance Very Well (13,529 words)
Kingsley 💪🔍🌎😅
Five tales Kingsley hears about Lucien and Molly, and one time he tells his own.
Our Endless Numbered Days (32,556 words)
Yasha 💪🌎😅
Yasha learns to settle down in her own way, and what it means to be able to have more than you can carry alone.
The Last Safe House in Rexxentrum (13,266 words)
Astrid/OFC, Explicit 🕵️♀️🔍💋🌎😕🗣
Five years before a group of misfits came together in Trostenwald, Astrid Beck asks a stranger to look into some potentially modified memories.
Even if ICE did up and leave yesterday (they have not) there are people who have not left their homes for two months, much less worked. It's bad out here!
"While ICE wants to disappear us, you are finding us."
-Letter… Sara Huelle needs your support for Critical Rent Assistance for Central Nei
Hey, so this is my neighborhood's gofundme for rent assistance. I'd appreciate it if folks donated.
Your Neighborhood?
Central is a neighborhood in south Minneapolis with the most confusing name. There's a central business district downtown, and central avenue, in Northeast. And then there's my neighborhood. Which I usually just say I live in Powderhorn, because nobody knows what I'm talking about otherwise. It's a little guy, but I love it so. It's very diverse - like, legitimately diverse. Blocks of apartment buildings and triplexes and single family homes and artists and baristas and restaurant owners and Lakota and Somali and Ecuadorian and African Americans and White people who spend too much time on the internet (hi).
It's the neighborhood where Renee Good was murdered, and (very technically) the neighborhood where George Floyd was murdered - 38th and Chicago is the intersection of four different neighborhoods.
Because of the experience after George Floyd's murder (which included the police coming in and teargassing our streets, boogaloos burning cars, all of the gas stations and pharmacies and groceries closing, and a lot of other stuff that seems to be swept under the rug of 'rioters' in public imagination), our neighborhood was pretty quick to mobilize when ICE started their surge December 1st.
But also, because it's so diverse - and has such a large immigrant population - it was one of Metro Surge's first and heaviest targets. I've been hearing car horns and whistles and helicopters multiple times a day for about a month now, and I have no reason to believe it's going to stop soon.
Okay, Why Rent?
My neighbors are afraid to leave their homes, and have been for weeks. Some of them have been avoiding going out since December 1st. Or the breadwinner got kidnapped. Or their place of work is closed - there's a line of taquerias on lake street that aren't opening their doors. Karmel Mall is empty, but so is Plaza Mexico and plenty of other smaller shops. If you're a shop that caters to an East African or Latine population? Good luck getting customers to show up. (neighbors are trying to help them too)
Can't leave the home? Can't work. Can't work? Can't make money.
But rent's still due, and it's hard to pay rent without money. And negotiating with the landlord can be tricky if they're afraid the landlord might get spooked about why they're not working and call ICE themselves.
And there's no eviction moratorium for ... reasons. So we gotta figure out how to pay rent.
Okay, why a GoFundMe? Why Tumblr?
Because I have a tiny platform on tumblr and I don't have one on... I don't know where people have money. Do redditors have money? Does pillowfort? I guess there are people on Instagram with money, but I only use that to game the algorithm into thinking I'm into different niche hobbies.
(and if you're thinking that this is outing me a little bit - yeah. it is. It's for a good cause, though)
Here's the thing about rent that's different from groceries or legal bills or a lot of other expenses: It's both a lot of money, and by doing any sort of accounting, you're announcing where they live. One does not want to tell the federal government 'x person who lives at YYY address is afraid to leave their home' right now. But also, the whole excuse of Operation Metro Surge was Feeding our Future, a scam that took advantage of an unprecedented event (Covid) and loosened accounting measures to steal millions of dollars. So grants and nonprofits are kind of wary!
So we're doing GoFundMe, which is not perfect by any means and has eyewatering fees and a lot of other issues, but also we don't have time to come up with something new.
(If you've seen this GoFundMe before and noticed the amount go up, it's because the first amount was for February only. February is a short month, we have to come up with March rent soon, too)
But I already gave/want to give to another place/don't have money
It's okay. I'm selfish, which is why I'm leading with my neighborhood GoFundMe, but like. There's plenty of other worthy ways to give. It's cool. If you want to give to something with more accountability, I get it!
Please don't give more than you can handle. There are other ways to help. Naomi Kritzer has two good lists - one for folks inside Minnesota, one for folks outside.
But also, one thing everyone can do - one thing that I want all of you to do - is to get to know your neighbors. Even if they're assholes. Say hi if you can. Make sure they know your face. Don't have to tell them why you're talking to them, and expect them to think it's an MLM scam.
Even if you live in the Whitest area imaginable - ICE is hitting exurbs that don't have good Chinese food and small liberal arts college towns hours away from the Twin Cities. What if your neighbor needs their roof done - will the roofers be White? Are all the service workers White? And if you don't live in the US? Still talk to them. I can't emphasize how unimaginable this was ten years ago.
You want to know who you can trust, and want them to know that they can trust you when the time comes. I'm not fucking around with this - I've heard some horrifying stories since this has began, and I wish that they'd been able to come to me sooner. Maybe a couple of hellos might have made a difference.
We're in the final stretch! With FIVE days to go, we've created fifty five works, ranging from messy theses to hockey fluff to some good ol' smut. But! We have plenty of other prompts that have gone unfilled, and I'd like to see if we can do our best to make sure everyone gets a fill this year! So this week, instead of listing all of the unclaimed prompts, I'm listing only the unclaimed prompts that are a) anonymous or b) by prompters who don't have any of their other prompts claimed, either! Let's show them some love and see if we can make things work.
Remember:
You can claim a prompt that someone else has claimed, or even fill the same prompt as someone else. It's great to spread the love around, but if one of the prompts is really speaking to you - go for it!
Likewise, there's no penalty for not filling a prompt you claimed, or unclaiming it. I only ask that if you figure out that you're not going to have time to write a prompt, you unclaim it as soon as possible (you can also claim it later!)
You can claim prompts without adding your own, and you can prompt without claiming any. I'd encourage you to not feel guilty about it!
Go here to claim a prompt!
Campaign One
Prompt: The Briarwood
Prompter: Softlight
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating:
Summary:
Please, I humbly beg for more background on the Briarwoods/the love that broke the world. Literally go wild, I just love evil love.
Campaign Two
otherwise go ham
Prompt: Questioning Voyeur Jester
Prompter: Anonymous
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating: Mature, Explicit
Summary:
Jester comes to the realisation that she's into girls while watching a lesbian couple. Can be Beauyasha or A worker and client at her mom's chateau. Rest of the details are up to you:)
+ Jester touches herself while watching
+ (light) dom/sub kink for lesbian couple
++ Jester afterwards talks about her feelings to Beau
+++ Bisexual Jester
Essek begins noticing some similarities between Caleb's mannerisms and those of the cats he surrounds himself with. Like the academic he is, he decides to test this theory a bit.
I'd love to see just about anything for this! No specific point in canon in mind, and AUs are also welcome (though some amount of magic is preferred), and feel free to include any other characters outside of these two. I had this idea a few days ago but don't think I'm going to be able to do it justice at the moment, so I'd love to see what anyone else can do with it!
Some bonus points:
+ Autistic Caleb (insert "all cats are fueled by autism in their own unique ways" here)
+ Some kind of magic shenanigans that result in cat ears
Feel free to get smutty with it if you so desire :3
DNW: Caleb as an Actual cat
Prompt: Fic - Professor Caleb confronting an old teacher
Prompter: Anonymous
Fic or Art: Fic
Rating: General, Teen, Mature
Summary:
This idea is inspired by several fantastic fic I've read dealing with Caleb and his past professors. I've seen fic where Caleb has to confront old teachers who were, if not actively complicit then at least perfectly content with their wilful ignorance of Trent's abuses, and fic where he speaks to teachers who genuinely didn't know, but the idea that really stuck with me is one where he has to deal with the memory of a teacher he liked, who was kind to him, and realizing she probably knew something and chose to look away. Having to deal with the fact that she did probably genuinely care about her students, probably would have only gotten herself fired at best and killed at worst if she did try to stop Trent, and that not being enough to soften his hurt and betrayal.
The idea stuck with me, and I REALLY want to read a conversation with Caleb and a teacher like that. Professor Caleb being colleagues with this person and intellectually understanding that there may actually have been nothing his old teacher could have done, but not being sure if he'll ever be able to forgive them anyways. Almost more so because they were kind, and genuinely cared, and feel genuine guilt and sorrow over what happened to all of the children who became Volstrucker while they chose not to look too closely.
If it's outsider POV from that teacher's POV? That would be amazing.
I'm open to background canon ships as long as it's not the focus, and am open to as much or as little detail about Caleb's past as you want.
Prompt: His Legacy
Prompter: Nercoma666
Fic or Art: Fic
Rating:
Summary:
Ikithon and Caleb's relationship is very Thanos & Gamora - coded.
The Golden Child with a special nickname, betrayed the evil father, ran off, and was hunted down by an envious "little sister"
I always wondered what would have happened if Caleb stayed and been Ikithon's perfect prize. Or, like some other fics, where Ikithon got to Bren at a younger age.
Bonus if you include Caleb calling Trent "father" (whether to his face or when talking about him)
Prompt: Fjord/Caleb/Caleb Bachelor Party
Prompter: Inanerial
Fic or Art: Fic
Rating: Mature, Explicit
Summary:
Fun, sexy bachelor party shenanigans should be had (with consent from the relevant partners...and maybe their participation).
Some ideas to get you started:
* Jester and Essek have some popcorn and watch Caleb and Fjord bone
* Both Jester and Essek gave Caleb & Fjord to fulfill some long-held fantasies. It's... oddly scary now that they're in the moment.
* The Traveller says you should definitely invite some of your best friends up to the after-reception reception in your bedroom. Jester is very religiously observant.
Your choice, have fun <3
DNW: Cheating, abuse
Campaign Three
Prompt: Imogen & FCG friendship
Prompter: Rennll
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating: Explicit
Summary:
Got the strong impression that Imogen and Fresh Cut Grass subtly gained a deep bond with one another during the course of campaign three.
(FCG was probably the first friend Imogen had with similar telepathic powers, and invented a new spell just to be able to venture into her nightmares with her; the both of them were also invested in the emotional journey of the other, with Imogen often trying to convince FCG that he was more than a machine, and FCG being inquisitive of her feelings about her parents etc.)
Just something that highlights the relationship between them. It could also be a post-death/rememberence work. Other characters are wellcome to be included.
Prompt: Aromantic Fearne
Prompter: stargrimoire
Fic or Art: Fic
Rating:
Summary:
A long time hc of mine. I'd imagine this would go inot how Fearne pursues and navigates relationships and how these impact her sexuality, if at all.
Prompt: Otohan Thull/Imogen Temult - Obsession
Prompter: Anonymous
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating: Teen, Mature, Explicit
Summary:
Something about, "Is she your favorite?" has echoed within me, and anything exploring Otohan's obsession with Imogen, whether it be as proxy for Liliana or by itself, would be wonderful.
Campaign Four
Prompt: Bolaire/Azune/Hal, Bolaire wearing Hal
Prompter: Anonymous
Fic or Art: Fic
Rating:
Summary:
There are a few lovely fics with Bolaire/Azune/Hal, and Bolaire wearing Azune for the sake of physical intimacy. Would love to see a fic exploring how the dynamic would work with Bolaire wearing Hal.
Equally happy with explicit / semi-explicit sex or fade-to-black, but would much prefer focus on the character interactions rather than just PWP.
DNW: any sort of non-con. (I like my throuples all equally into it.)
I just think Wic deserves to explore some things with that lion. And if Tyranny decides to peek in, well, it's educational!
DNW: non-con
Prompt: Julien/Occtis/Kattigan BOTH OR EITHER
Prompter: OfTheDirewolves
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating: General, Teen, Mature, Explicit
Summary:
These three are my faves and I'm currently shipping both Julien/Occtis and Kattigan/Occtis
So I was like why not both.
I do not have the skills so I'm posting it here to see if anyone is interested. It can be art/fic/both
You decide!
As long as the trio is the focus
Prompt: Pre-Canon Thjazi and Thimble
Prompter: stargrimoire
Fic or Art: Fic
Rating: General, Teen
Summary:
I've loved the snippets of them we get through memories, so possibly a pre-campaign fic focused on their dynamic and how it grows? or maybe even just thimble remembering small things and how pretty much everything reminds her of him.
Prompt: Thjazi/Julien, from fighting to sleeping together
Prompter: Anonymous
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating: Mature, Explicit
Summary:
I'm desperately waiting for more Julien content in the campaign. Mostly, I'm wishing for homoerotic fighting flashbacks with Thjazi. So, in the meanwhile, I'm asking you.
Just anything that starts with them arguing or straight-up fighting (bonus: swords and magic) and ends with them in bed together (still hating each other)
<3
Prompt: Thaisha and Murray
Prompter: Anonymous
Fic or Art: Fic
Rating:
Summary:
so, in the first few episodes I enjoyed the casual/comfortable/familiar relationship Thaisha & Murray had, and I've been sad to not see any fics about them, platonic or shippy
I'm open to a lot but first meetings (maybe through Thaisha reaching out to the Penteveral), them being casual FWB when Thaisha's in Dol-Makjar, maybe Murray bitching about Occtis and then Thaisha deciding to take him on adventures, or really anything with the two of them hanging out being the two baddest bitches in the city lol
Campaign Crossovers
Prompt: Percy & Caleb, inventors and organised chaos
Prompter: Anonymous
Fic or Art: Fic
Rating: Not Rated
Summary:
Caleb and Percy meet (however you like, or it's entirely irrelevant!) , finding a kindred spirit and similar passion for tinkering in their respective fields. Perhaps they're making something new, infusing magic and mechanics, lamenting the process of creation and study, their shared chaotic workstations, or just nerding out together!
(Caleb/Essek welcome but not required!)
Prompt: half the players and characters swap places
Prompter: Anonymous
Fic or Art: Fic
Rating:
Summary:
What would happen if just a few of the M9 or VM or the Hells were suddenly in their human player's bodies and vice versa? What would be the worst moment to make the swap? What humor or danger would arise?
DNW: Anything speculating about player's private lives too deeply, anything involving Brian Foster
Something fun, fluffy, and cozy would be nice, but I don't mind a little bit of angst as long as it's not the whole story, y'know? I also do not care about ratings, for the love of god go wild (please keep Cyrus alive)!
Prompt: Keyleth/Vex'ahlia - Unrequited
Prompter: Softlight
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating:
Summary:
There are so many winks in TLoVM about these two, and I think a twist on early TLoVM with Vex warning Vax away from Keyleth for more reasons than she wants to admit would be especially tasty! I'm totally down for polyam, like Percy being aware of Vex's feelings for Keyleth, if that's your flavor as well. Something something, "we didn't let ourselves get distracted by PRETTY things," something something Vex getting distracted by Keyleth, etc. Have fun with it!
Or, if you'd like to flip this prompt on its head and reverse it with Keyleth having feelings for both Vex and Vax, you could take that angle, too!
DNWs: please no incest between the twins!
Prompt: Opal & Lolth - Interactions
Prompter: Softlight
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating: General, Teen, Mature
Summary:
Opal & Lolth fascinate me, and I think all the voices in Opal's head must be exhausting. Anything leaning into the exhaustion of being a champion, of not being in total control, I'm here for. Of trying to offer a hand to help only to get bitten, an offered kindness spat back in your face in the name of your supposed well-being. I do think Lolth cares for Opal, but she cares for herself more, and that's her priorities in order.
Prompt: Veth/ Yeza, bad at kink (Campaign Two)
Prompter: Operafloozy
Fic or Art: Fic
Rating: Teen, Mature, Explicit
Summary:
Veth has some weird ideas about how kink works. Yeza mostly just wants to please Veth. I want to hear about their trials at trying to figure out kinky sex together.
* Can be pre or post campaign
* Bonus: Veth finds out that she's the only one who hasn't at least tried kink (you can exclude Caduceus, but nonsexual kink is a thing)
* Someone (one of the nein, Marion, or whoever) can step in to help instruct, but I want the focus to be on Veth and Yeza
DNW: Veth and Yeza to break up at the end
Interested in filling this prompt? Go here to claim it!
Interested in including your own prompt in the fest? Go here!
Want to know more? Check out the FAQ or Ask on the Discord!
Please fulfill this prompt as part of the fest so the prompter gets to see it!
Hope you had a great new years, everyone! Critmas Wishing Tree is still going strong for a week and a half more! So if one of your resolutions is to create more in 2026 (or even if it isn't), why not start off with one of the prompts below?
Note: This is the last week I'm going to have the unclaimed work in this format - next week I'm going to put special focus on the anonymous prompts and prompts by prompters who haven't gotten a single fill yet for a special lightning round! Let's see how many fills we can manage before the end of the fest!
Remember:
You can claim a prompt that someone else has claimed, or even fill the same prompt as someone else. It's great to spread the love around, but if one of the prompts is really speaking to you - go for it!
Likewise, there's no penalty for not filling a prompt you claimed, or unclaiming it. I only ask that if you figure out that you're not going to have time to write a prompt, you unclaim it as soon as possible (you can also claim it later!)
You can claim prompts without adding your own, and you can prompt without claiming any. I'd encourage you to not feel guilty about it!
Go here to claim a prompt!
Campaign One
Prompt: The Briarwood
Prompter: Softlight
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating:
Summary:
Please, I humbly beg for more background on the Briarwoods/the love that broke the world. Literally go wild, I just love evil love.
Prompt: Wilhand'ildan, Shorthalt-Trickfoot Family Black Sheep
Prompter: CitizenMocha
Fic or Art: Fic
Rating: General, Teen
Summary:
I'm fascinated by this one shy, awkward kid in a very loud family of shit-stirrers. What's Wax's relationship with the rest of the family?
Pike says he doesn't take after his dad but it sounds like he does! He sounds like the young Scanlan we saw in the Red Nose Day 2023 one-shot and I'd love to see how much Scanlan does or doesn't recognize that.
Prompt: Vilya's Aramente
Prompter: CobaltSoulSearcher
Fic or Art: Fic
Rating:
Summary:
I really want to hear about what Vilya's experience was like on her journey! Did she have friends/a group? How did she conquer the earlier trials?
Prompt: Cassandra does "fuck all"
Prompter: thereafter
Fic or Art: Fic
Rating: General, Teen
Summary:
At the end of C1 Taliesin mentions that he and Vex "insist that (Cassandra) leave Whitestone at least once a year for a period of time to do fuck all" and I am curious what Cassandra might get up to during those excursions. Could make a good 5+1 fic! Drabble series! Anything goes!
Campaign Two
Prompt: Caleb/Essek- Minotaur fun and smut
Prompter: montyparnasse
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating: Explicit
Summary:
In the Fjord/Jester wedding one-shot, Essek made it clear that he really appreciated Chadwick the Minotaur (aka Thunderhooves, “a very talented young man,â€) at Hot to Trot, Nicodranas' only Minotaur revue strip show. Let's explore that.
Ideas:
- Essek takes Caleb to Hot to Trot, and they both enjoy watching Chadwick. Do they tease each other with risky touches right there as they watch? Does Caleb whisper things via Message to Essek to get him riled up?
- The boys get a private room with Chadwick. Fun ensues.
- Essek said, “I am a devoted partner. But as we both agreed, it's okay to look.†But Caleb knows the Shapechange spell and can fulfill Essek's fantasy of being with a Minotaur with ease.
- Does Caleb cast that Shapechange spell on himself and then, as a Minotaur, perform a striptease for Essek that's a performance worthy of Hot to Trot's back rooms?
Want to combine some of these prompt ideas? Do something not listed here? Go for it! Have fun. I've put some various ideas in the Additional Tags.
DNW: rape/noncon, scat/watersports, feet stuff
Prompt: Sabian on the Tide's Breath
Prompter: nsfwildflower
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating:
Summary:
I just KNOW there was something fucked-up and complicated between Sabian and Fjord (very possibly sexual/romantic, if you, too, see that). I also know that the idea that you might bully someone because you're secretly attracted to them is OLD and TIRED but maybe sometimes it might be slightly true? They're both deeply intrenched in self-worth issues - and then suddenly they're working on a ship with a supportive captain and a diverse crew. Everyone knows Sabian as a coward, but why? Why did he stop talking to Fjord (and what kind of soul-searching revelations might make him start again?) How does he feel about Vandran taking Fjord so tightly under his wing (and promoting his rank on the ship), and not him? And, if you want to commit to answering this question: what the hell was blowing up the ship about??
Prompt: Veth/ Yeza, bad at kink
Prompter: Operafloozy
Fic or Art: Fic
Rating: Teen, Mature, Explicit
Summary:
Veth has some weird ideas about how kink works. Yeza mostly just wants to please Veth. I want to hear about their trials at trying to figure out kinky sex together.
* Can be pre or post campaign
* Bonus: Veth finds out that she's the only one who hasn't at least tried kink (you can exclude Caduceus, but nonsexual kink is a thing)
* Someone (one of the nein, Marion, or whoever) can step in to help instruct, but I want the focus to be on Veth and Yeza
DNW: Veth and Yeza to break up at the end
Prompt: Beau/Fem!Caleb
Prompter: Anonymous
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating: Explicit
Summary:
I want to see Caleb Polymorphed into a woman by an enemy or an arcane trap. The nein are struggling to find a way to undo the transformation and Beau (ever the raging lesbian) is struggling with her newfound attraction to female Caleb. Eventually the tension breaks and they fuck about it. Whether this cures Caleb's condition is up to you.
I wouldn't mind some dubcon but not required.
Only other requests are Female Caleb is a total bombshell beauty and there is no PIV sex otherwise go ham
Prompt: Caleb/Neo-Somnovem - PWP
Prompter: montyparnasse
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating: Explicit
Summary:
With Mollymauk and Lucien's easy charm and all of that raw magical power, it was like magic catnip for Caleb. With the magical power, that smile, and muscles that put Eadwulf and Fjord to shame, Caleb can't help but, in some way, be attracted to this 20 foot tall twisted shade of his friend Mollymauk.
Ideas:
- Caleb has a horny dream of the Neo-Somnonem; is that all it is, or is some shade of it reaching out to him in his dreams? (Can Kingsley feel it, too? Feel free to explore or not!)
- Widomauk, but Molly transforms into the Neo-Somnovem during their encounter
- Lucien/Mollymauk/Kingsley + Caleb; foursome? Maybe Caleb's partner keeps shifting between the three versions of that body, culminating in the Neo-Somnovem?
- Caleb dreams or fantasizes of the Neo-Somnovem, but just like in the fight, sometimes there are flashes of moments where Mollymauk comes through, too.
Prompt: Caleb/Trent Ikithon darkfic
Prompter: Anonymous
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating: Mature, Explicit
Summary:
I always found Ikithon and Caleb's relationship to be disturbing and very reminiscent of grooming. Then the cartoon had to come out and make Caleb say that his magic was taken by “someone he loved†and that person was Trent Ikithon.
What I'm hoping for is an exploration of their relationship if it had gone into romantic/sexual territory, and how that compounds with Caleb's other trauma. How it may affect his ability to fight back. If it continued while he was in the asylum, did they get married? and so on. I also especially want to see the rest of the nein react to the reveal.
Things can be as explicit or as horrifically vague as you want. All I ask is there is some comfort included with the hurt.
Prompt: Caleb becomes the Neo-Somnovem
Prompter: montyparnasse
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating: Explicit
Summary:
While I have another prompt that is Caleb/Neo-Somnovem, it triggered a thought: what if Caleb was the Neo-Somnovem instead of Lucien, and Caleb undergoes the transformation into a 20 foot tall muscular demigod with Eldritch eye stalks?
Ideas:
- It’s all just a dream.
- AU where Caleb stops Lucien by getting enough red eyes to be a viable alternative for the Somnovem, and it’s Caleb who transforms instead of Lucien.
- Caleb knows Shapechange (and we can fudge the fact that the Neo-Somnovem probably can’t be valid for that spell 🤫) and turns into the Neo-Somnovem, just because he can.
- For some reason, Caleb becomes the Neo-Somnovem and it leads to smut with a guy. (Some ideas in the relationship/character tags).
Bonus:
+++ a smutty plot!
+ size difference focus
++ Caleb purely enjoying himself
+ frottage, handjobs, blowjobs, fingering
+ Caleb exploring his new powers and his new form; how is he different now?
DNW: rape/noncon, scat/watersports, feet stuff
Prompt: Caleb/Essek/Astrid/Eadwulf, polycule game night
Prompter: Anonymous
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating: General, Teen, Mature
Summary:
It's game night for the polycule! Why? Is it the Holidays? A recurring date? Jester forced them? Caduceus forced them? What do they play? Do they play board games? Ttrpgs? Do they play fantasy D&D?
Who is the most competitive? Who is a sore loser? Who has the best strategy?
DNW: explicit NSFW
Prompt: Artagan powerless weight gain
Prompter: Anonymous
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating:
Summary:
After Artagan looses his power, he also looses his fey metabolism and starts packing on pounds. He finds he kind of likes it.
Essek begins noticing some similarities between Caleb's mannerisms and those of the cats he surrounds himself with. Like the academic he is, he decides to test this theory a bit.
I'd love to see just about anything for this! No specific point in canon in mind, and AUs are also welcome (though some amount of magic is preferred), and feel free to include any other characters outside of these two. I had this idea a few days ago but don't think I'm going to be able to do it justice at the moment, so I'd love to see what anyone else can do with it!
Some bonus points:
+ Autistic Caleb (insert "all cats are fueled by autism in their own unique ways" here)
+ Some kind of magic shenanigans that result in cat ears
Feel free to get smutty with it if you so desire :3
DNW: Caleb as an Actual cat
Campaign Three
Prompt: Otohan Thull/Imogen Temult - Obsession
Prompter: Anonymous
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating: Teen, Mature, Explicit
Summary:
Something about, "Is she your favorite?" has echoed within me, and anything exploring Otohan's obsession with Imogen, whether it be as proxy for Liliana or by itself, would be wonderful.
Campaign Four
Prompt: Bolaire/Azune/Hal, Bolaire wearing Hal
Prompter: Anonymous
Fic or Art: Fic
Rating:
Summary:
There are a few lovely fics with Bolaire/Azune/Hal, and Bolaire wearing Azune for the sake of physical intimacy. Would love to see a fic exploring how the dynamic would work with Bolaire wearing Hal.
Equally happy with explicit / semi-explicit sex or fade-to-black, but would much prefer focus on the character interactions rather than just PWP.
DNW: any sort of non-con. (I like my throuples all equally into it.)
Prompt: Thaisha and Murray
Prompter: Anonymous
Fic or Art: Fic
Rating:
Summary:
so, in the first few episodes I enjoyed the casual/comfortable/familiar relationship Thaisha & Murray had, and I've been sad to not see any fics about them, platonic or shippy
I'm open to a lot but first meetings (maybe through Thaisha reaching out to the Penteveral), them being casual FWB when Thaisha's in Dol-Makjar, maybe Murray bitching about Occtis and then Thaisha deciding to take him on adventures, or really anything with the two of them hanging out being the two baddest bitches in the city lol
Prompt: Pincushion/Wulferic
Prompter: CitizenMocha
Fic or Art: Art
Rating: General
Summary:
Hi, please make them Lady and the Tramp spaghetti kiss, I just think it would be very funny, thank you, I love you.
DNW: anthro/gijinkas
Prompt: any ship of the men of campaign 3 - werewolf
Prompter: montyparnasse
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating: Explicit
Summary:
Literally any M/M ship in campaign 3, but one of them is a werewolf. Dealer's choice. Go nuts, and write whatever plot, lack thereof, or ship that you want. I just threw up some ideas in the relationship tags (as many as I could), but feel free to write one not listed there. I've written up at least one spitballed idea for each of the guys, too.
Ideas:
- Kattigan has been awful at hiding the fact that he's a werewolf. Or perhaps there was a method in his madness, and he knew that his being a werewolf would be too obvious for people to believe. He hid right in plain sight.
- Maybe one of Julien's past lovers turned him, and now he and the other party member of this fic are experiencing it. Maybe Thjazi was even responsible for his turning, and that's another reason why Julien hated him so much.
- Bolaire wears the body of someone, not knowing the man was a werewolf.
- Occtis died a virgin. Turns out, his first time having sex ended up being with a *werewolf*.
- Teor talks someone through being in werewolf form while having sex; after all, with his paws, claws, and teeth, he's the best person to turn to.
- Hal was turned long ago, so that he and Thaisha could run in the moonlight together.
- Wick is turned during their travels. Much like with his magic, sometimes things just happen, and he turns unexpectedly.
- Azune kept his friendship with Thjazi secret for years while working in an official capacity. But that wasn't his only secret. Thjazi knew it, though, and now someone else is about to learn it, too… or reveal that they already do.
Bonus:
+ knotting, either in hand or penetrated
+ experiencing/seeing their shift in form
DNW: rape/noncon, scat/watersports, feet stuff
Prompt: Thjazi/Julien, from fighting to sleeping together
Prompter: Anonymous
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating: Mature, Explicit
Summary:
I'm desperately waiting for more Julien content in the campaign. Mostly, I'm wishing for homoerotic fighting flashbacks with Thjazi. So, in the meanwhile, I'm asking you.
Just anything that starts with them arguing or straight-up fighting (bonus: swords and magic) and ends with them in bed together (still hating each other)
<3
Prompt: Anything Vaelus
Prompter: Operafloozy
Fic or Art: Fic
Rating: General, Teen, Mature
Summary:
I miss my ancient murderous baby girl. Please write me something involving Vaelus.
Ideas:
* What was it like when Vaelus's god died?
* Vaelus/Thaisha or Vaelus & Thaisha - omg there's so much there. The stone of nightsong connection, they're both shaped by duty and legacy but from different sides of the war, both being very good at murder and protective of Occtis. More please.
* Vaelus & Occtis - Team no sleep! Vaelus is interested and protective and a little creepy, but also bonding over pincushion.
* Vaelus, like half of the rest of the party, gets very into theater.
DNW: PWP. There can be smut, but I'd prefer it to not be load bearing
I just think Wic deserves to explore some things with that lion. And if Tyranny decides to peek in, well, it's educational!
DNW: non-con
Prompt: Bolaire the badass curator
Prompter: MasterQwertster
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating: General, Teen, Mature
Summary:
An artifact at the Archanade is mishandled, allowing it to possess one (or more) of the archivists and causing a mess and/or bloodbath.
Enter Bolaire, the new curator, who handles the mess single-handedly.
Some ideas to consider:
-Does the artifact try to possess Bolaire? How well does that work if it does? Are they fighting for the actual body?
-Does Bolaire try to save the possessed archivist(s)? Can he? Or is the only way out death?
-How does this success change the way the archivists act towards Bolaire? The before and after, as it were.
Prompt: Bolaire/Hal, Bolaire/Julien/Hal: Bolaire wears Julien
Prompter: bardlock
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating: General, Teen, Mature, Explicit
Summary:
Is it a threesome if there's only two bodies but one of them is actually a mask wearing a body of the man who spat on your brother's corpse?
For some reason, Bolaire goes unconscious. Is it a battle? Is Julien being a shit and trying to get something and knocked Bolaire unconscious? Whatever happened, Julien is foolish enough to remove Bolaire's mask to see what was beneath, and then he looked at the glyph within the mask.
Before he knew it, Julien himself is no more. His body is now Bolaire's. It's fresh. Lean. It has a mane of hair that rivals Bolaire's own wig. Except this hair, Hal can pull.
tl;dr Bolaire now wears Julien's body. Does he fantasize of Hal while wearing Julien's body, or do he and Hal actually get together with Julien's body?
DNW: rape, non-con*, scat, piss
*Both parties are willing, but the fact that Julien did not consent to being killed by the mask wearing him and his body being used for sex might constitute non-con. But both parties (Hal and Bolaire) should be willing.
Critical Crossovers
Prompt: Ashton/Kingsley: hookup at Jester and Fjord's wedding
Prompter: bardlock
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating:
Summary:
Taliesin said that, canonically, Ashton and Kingsley absolutely hooked up at Jester & Fjord's wedding. How? When did they do so? (The day before? During the bachelor/bachelorette parties? The morning of the wedding? Afterwards, during the reception?)
Anything goes plot/activity-wise, but please have Ashton be amab non-binary.
Bonus points:
+ semi-public or risk of being caught
++ both of them absolutely loving it
DNW: rape, non-con, scat, piss, afab Ashton
Prompt: Percy &; Caleb, inventors and organised chaos
Prompter: Anonymous
Fic or Art: Fic
Rating: Not Rated
Summary:
Caleb and Percy meet (however you like, or it's entirely irrelevant!) , finding a kindred spirit and similar passion for tinkering in their respective fields. Perhaps they're making something new, infusing magic and mechanics, lamenting the process of creation and study, their shared chaotic workstations, or just nerding out together!
(Caleb/Essek welcome but not required!)
Prompt: Pumat Sol and Timpani Guff are friendly cousins
Prompter: MasterQwertster
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating: General, Teen
Summary:
Timpani is Pumat's cousin whom he sends a generous allowance to. It can't be for no reason/just because. Enchanting items is an expensive business.
So how do these two get along?
Does Timpani use his druidic skills/power to get supplies for Pumat?
How did one of Pumat's screwdrivers end up in Timpani's aprtment?
Do they go on little supplies adventuress together?
Just give me some fun interactions between the cousins.
Prompt: High Level Highjinx
Prompter: justabrain
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating:
Summary:
Just because our favorite adventurers have lots of cool abilities and gear and Responsibilities(TM), doesn't mean they can't still get into plenty of shenanigans. What are the silliest, most off-the-label uses Vox Machina or Mighty Nein have done with their Level 20 abilities??
- prank war?
- silly divine interventions?
- a game of tag that went way further than anyone thought?
Prompt: Taryon Darrington/Lawrence Darrington (nee Lorelei)
Prompter: CitizenMocha
Fic or Art: Fic
Rating: General, Teen, Mature
Summary:
Just look at that WizKids mini and tell me that isn't the same guy! Come on!
I'm happy just to see anything with this pair. Werewolf shenanigan away! Pre-campaign drama, the 'I thought you were dead for the last fifteen years' reunion, adventures with the brigade. What's your take on what the heck turned Keyleth against Greg Larry?
Or I'd love a meet-the-family scenario, either with Tary meeting Lawrence's siblings or with Lawrence meeting Vox Machina. Or both!
DNW- ABO, PWP
Prompt: Vax'ildan/Caleb/Orym:
Prompter: bardlock
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating: Explicit
Summary:
A Liam O'Brien trifecta tango. Because… why not?
Some ideas:
- pre-Bells Hells Caleb uses dunamancy to travel through time, encountering a young, alive Vax and/or a pre-Bells Hells Orym.
- Orym idolizes Mr. Widogast. Caleb and Orym hook up (not cheating; their partners are fine with it) and Vax'ildan watches and enjoys what he sees.
- Vax, Caleb, and Orym have a threesome. Doesn't have to be anything more complex than that, but you're welcome to flesh it out!
- Double penetration. Your choice as to who the tops are.
Bonus points:
+ using their abilities for pleasure
DNW: rape, non-con, scat, piss
Prompt: half the players and characters swap places
Prompter: Anonymous
Fic or Art: Fic
Rating:
Summary:
What would happen if just a few of the M9 or VM or the Hells were suddenly in their human player's bodies and vice versa? What would be the worst moment to make the swap? What humor or danger would arise?
DNW: Anything speculating about player's private lives too deeply, anything involving Brian Foster
Prompt: Artagan/literally any male PC or NPC: your choice smut
Prompter: bardlock
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating: Explicit
Summary:
Literally Artagan/The Traveler with any male PC or NPC from any campaign. My favorite chaos fey deserves to get some! Feel free to put him any encounter you want.
Some ideas:
- Artagan finally grips and chokes more than just Vax's neck.
- Percy hates to admit it, but he's really curious about what he's read regarding fey intercourse. Artagan is all too happy to participate in a hands-on experimental study.
- The Traveler shows Fjord just how powerful he really is, and how much joy his "tricks" bring.
- Artagan observes Fearne, Orym, and Dorian as they journey through the Feywild and watches as Orym or Dorian (or both?) sneak away to take the edge off. (Does Orym and his high perception eventually realized that Artagan is watching him/Dorian? Does Orym know the whole time? Does Artagan join them?)
- Artagan/Molly's body. Is it Kingsley, on a pirate ship while Jester is distracted? Molly, before his death? Or is it perhaps Lucien, possibly even in his Neo-Somnovem form that can actually rival Artie's near-godhood?
Just about anything goes, this is a blank check for some Artie gay smut. Is Artagan/The Traveler just watching? Is he 15 feet tall like when he revealed himself to the Mighty Nein? Is he topping? Bottoming? Is he just a side, and he's getting someone off with his powers in ways that amuse him? Have fun with it!
DNW: rape, non-con, scat, piss
Prompt: Fearne and Caleb egg war
Prompter: MasterQwertster
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating: General, Teen
Summary:
Fearne wants all of Chetney's wooden eggs, Caleb owns one.
Caleb is the kind of C-POPer to have 1 of the 5 eggs, Fearne has 3 of the other 4.
Who will have all the eggs in the end?
Some ideas to bounce off of:
-Fearne can wild shape into a cat to use the Tower's service tunnels (she just needs to get into the Tower first)
-Caleb's best friend is an impulsive rogue. If Veth steals the eggs for him, will he keep them?
-Ashton and Essek are (more or less willingly) drawn into the mess on the side they love. Or used by the opposition
-Waylon with the steal chair! Or team up to steal his egg
Prompt: Lord Eshteross and The Owlbear meeting
Prompter: MasterQwertster
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating: General, Teen
Summary:
Do whatever weird adventure/meeting you think these two must have had for Eshteross to try and deny the Owlbear's true existence to Ashton.
Maybe they met during the Apex War and fought Otohan together once.
Maybe it was just a merc job in Wildemount for Eshteross.
Prompt: Constance Clay and Vilya, Adventuring Narrative Moms
Prompter: Operafloozy
Fic or Art: Fic
Rating:
Summary:
Constance Clay and Vilya are both mothers that left their children home as they went on a quest, ended up being trapped for years, and had their children take up their quests in their stead.
They probably have something to talk about! Cad can introduce them.
Y'all see that ending of Season 1?? What happens after Ikithon finds Essek in his tower?? Does he take him hostage? Is there more emotional manipulation involved? Torture?? How does Ikithon react knowing how powerful Essek really is, that he's been only sharing a fragment of his dunamantic power???
Feel free to make it as tame or fucked up as you'd like >:)
Prompt: Circle of Needle and Thread. Christmas in Newfaire (Fic) (Art is optional)
Prompter: Nerdyauthortheatrekid
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating: General
Summary:
It's Christmas time in Newfaire and the Circle of Needle and Thread is celebrating! There are gifts to be opened, a tree to decorate, food to be eaten, and much, much more! There will be laughs, jokes, maybe some tears, and a lot of feels.
If you want a description that's less like a movie trailer: The Circle of Needle and Thread gathers together for Christmas. Sean misses his family, and the rest of the gang helps.
Okay, so technically, I don't think Newfaire celebrates Christmas, so if you have a holiday in mind for this, share it! Stretch your worldbuilding skills.
Things on my Christmas list (AKA, some of my favourite things):
Horses (There's a horse that Sean has in episodes 2 and 3).
Hugging.
Found family feels.
Singing.
One small thing: My preferred ship is Marion/Jean.
As always, can't wait to see what you guys cook up! It will be fantastic, I just know it!
Have a great day! :)
Something fun, fluffy, and cozy would be nice, but I don't mind a little bit of angst as long as it's not the whole story, y'know? I also do not care about ratings, for the love of god go wild (please keep Cyrus alive)!
Prompt: Trist/Emhira or Everlight/Matron Romance
Prompter: CobaltSoulSearcher
Fic or Art: Fic
Rating: General, Teen, Mature
Summary:
I'd love to see the love between these two because I think it is so juicy! I mean, come on, the goddess that used to be mortal and the goddess that truly became mortal? I would be happy with basically anything, doesn't have to be Downfall centered.
DNW: Non-con, villainizing the Matron
Prompt: Keyleth/Vex'ahlia - Unrequited
Prompter: Softlight
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating:
Summary:
There are so many winks in TLoVM about these two, and I think a twist on early TLoVM with Vex warning Vax away from Keyleth for more reasons than she wants to admit would be especially tasty! I'm totally down for polyam, like Percy being aware of Vex's feelings for Keyleth, if that's your flavor as well. Something something, "we didn't let ourselves get distracted by PRETTY things," something something Vex getting distracted by Keyleth, etc. Have fun with it!
Or, if you'd like to flip this prompt on its head and reverse it with Keyleth having feelings for both Vex and Vax, you could take that angle, too!
DNWs: please no incest between the twins!
Prompt: Den Thelyss Reactions Post S1
Prompter: Operafloozy
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating:
Summary:
So what's the rest of Den Thelyss thinking about the events in Season 1? Was anyone else in on Essek's 'traveling with mom' plan? Are they aware that Deirta is dead-dead now? Who is in charge here?
Prompt: The Terrible Tinkerer of Tal'Dorei and the Archmage of Civil Influence: a diplomatic encounter (Critical Crossover)
Prompter: thereafter
Fic or Art: Fic
Rating: General, Teen, Mature
Summary:
At some point these two complicated people must have had some kind of diplomatic encounter after Astrid took over Trent's gig. They both basically run spy networks on different continents. They both have complicated pasts. They both have complicated feelings about those complicated pasts. With Percy's past made public in Scanlan's book and Astrid's past made public in Trent's trial, they know enough about each other to make a spymaster vs spymaster exchange quite interesting!
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An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 7/7
Fandom: Critical Role (Web Series)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Beauregard Lionett & Essek Thelyss, Essek Thelyss & Verin Thelyss
Characters: Essek Thelyss
Additional Tags: crossover of sorts, Conventions, Murder Mystery, background Shadowgast, POV character is not 'our' Essek, but our Essek is a main character
Summary:
Essek is invited to a multi-reality Essek convention. An Essek Thelyss Dies. An Essek Thelyss investigates.
On possibilities, and confronting what could have been.
Before you read any further, you should really read the above fic! For one thing, the fic notes will be a lot more interesting once you read it!
First thing I feel like I should make sure everyone knows is that the murder mystery at a multi-universe convention came from the short story And Then There were (N-One), which is free to read here and everyone should check out. I had the idea to write a fic using that fic as a basis since 2021 or so, but could never really figure out what to do with it. Clearly, this is a Caleb or Essek deal, but I couldn't figure out the story from there - especially considering the idea of getting a bunch of Caleb/Brens in the same area seems like a good way for it to be a complete bloodbath. What is Essek finding out? That he has regrets? I think he already knows that. I had it on my Critmas prompts for a few years, but left it at that.
Eventually, I figured out that this made more sense if I made it about a 'good' Essek finding out exactly how shitty he could be. So, I used Kes, who is essentially the same guy as the Cobalt Soul Essek who shows up in my other multi-universe based on a literary work featuring Essek, Another Time, Another Place.
About Kes's timeline:
Essek still spends some time at Shadowhand, but he defects right before the beacon theft. He joins the Cobalt Soul a little before Beau, and they become rivals. Essek can't believe that Beau keeps on trying to run away from this thing that he just blew up his entire life to gain, Beau can't stand this little arrogant smart-ass who can't see the obvious hypocrisy of the Soul. But because Essek is paying attention, he figures out what's up and eventually convinces Dairon to look into it (Dairon takes a little while to trust him because of her canon anti-Drow sentiments). Then, frands.
There is still a beacon theft and a war - it's just that Da'leth focused on Adeen instead of trying to get Essek. Seth-19 assumes that the beacon theft couldn't have happened without him, because he's still an arrogant ass (affectionate). Beau is conscripted by Dairon to look into the beacon theft, with Essek acting as backup. She runs into the Nein in Zadash, then again in the Dynasty, where she barters the Nein for access to Essek so she can join their group. They still investigate the cults and head up to Baxxozan, but instead of narrowly missing Verin, Beau demands to speak with the manager. Because she's still new to the nein, nobody clocks this as strange.
Because Beau isn't around for the entire time, Caleb went much longer without confessing his past - Nott doesn't even find out until after Beau meets back up with them in Xhorhas. And the Beau that Caleb meets is a Beau that's less abrasive and less invested in making the Nein come together, so she doesn't push Caleb the same way. So Kes's Caleb never gets to the point of confronting Trent, Astrid, and Eadwulf the same way. Astrid kills Trent and seduces Beau (Beau would say the seducing was mutual). Essek and Beau expose Da'leth's plans before the Solstyce.
Caleb and Essek have their same sort of flirtation over magic, but Caleb is the better wizard. Kes does regain some levels of wizardry, but by the time of the fic, he's still closer to level 5-7 than Seth's level 20. Part of the issue is that he's been too proud to ask Caleb for too much help, though I think the convention experience could change that. He's also a level 13-15 monk, so like. He's not doing too shabby.
Yasha died, probably after getting controlled by the Laughing Hand. Beau never stops being a little bit of a fuckboy. I don't actually know if Molly is alive or not, but they do find Caduceus, so my guess is no.
In general, I didn't want Kes's worldstate to be notably better than canon Essek's. Like, if only if you were good, the world wouldn't have suffered. Because Kes wasn't intrinsically better - he just missed that temptation. And the world doesn't work that way, and implying that it was seemed to be going against the grain of the fic's themes.
Last bit: Kes's Dwendalian persona is a nod to Columbo, with Caleb and Beau sharing the brunt of Columbo's Wife's many hobbies.
The other Esseks:
Seth-19 is Canon Campaign 2 Essek, with the only change is that he's contacted by the convention organizer.
The Convention Organizer successfully got away from the Nein when they tried to confront him in Nicodranas, then murdered the nein to cover his tracks. He felt real bad about it later.
There's a Nonagon Essek (who worked with Vess Derogna instead of Da'leth), a Rumblecusp Essek (who has presumably regained some memories), the paranoid Essek (where the Nein die by Astrid's hand after the Vergesson Heist), a Shadowhand Essek from the world where Caleb doesn't pull out the beacon, so the Kryn find it in the bag of holding. I also had an Essek that followed the Traveler in the interrogation scenes for a little while, before figuring he caused more issues than he solved (and that the math for getting 350ish people through a zone of truth with only a high level paladin and cleric worked out, as long as you were very systematic about it).
The Lolthsworn Kes was targeted by the Children of Malice instead of Da'leth, probably at an earlier age. I think of it as the same way that the alt-right targets teenage boys - part teenage rebellion, part promising a supremacy that was 'taken' from them.
Is the Lolthsworn Kes really just Minratha? Maybe. She's fun. She might just be my favorite of the non-canonical Esseks.
The murder mystery:
Writing a murder mystery is hard. There's so many exposition dumps! You've got to leave clues! You've got to leave red herrings! And you've got to impart it all in a way that doesn't make it clear what's a red herring and what's a clue, and hope that you got the right amount of each hidden in there so that the readers don't figure it out on the first page and are just bored for the rest of the time. Also, this is a pretty short format - every time you stuff another clue or red herring in there, you've got to cover it in more exposition and a few more details so it doesn't stand out too much, and then there's a few more thousand words that may or may not have anything to do with the central theme or what the readers are really here for - the Essek convention.
Plus, I wanted to give hints about Kes's worldstate and how Kes differed from canon Essek, and then wanted to keep on bringing up how he was thinking about his past and Verin - his central emotional conflict.
Anyway, if one does want to write a murder mystery, I'd suggest not starting with one that has all of the characters named the same thing. And then, when you assign the characters nicknames to make it easier, give a pair of them the same nickname for shits and giggles.
There's two reasons why this fic is written in the first person: the first is because it's a murder mystery, and murder mysteries tend to be written in the first person. The other is that I could have never gotten away with having the Lolthsworn Kes and the Cobalt Soul Kes otherwise.
I don't think this is a very complex murder mystery - there was a version of this story that had an extra chapter that focused on the Nonagon Essek that was a better mystery, but a worse fanfic. The nonagon Essek had a weird answer to whether he was Essek, Kes questions him and finds out he has an alibi, we continue on to dinner. Kes has more time to contemplate how the other Esseks are kind of fucked up, but Seth is not there, and there's no real reason to mention Verin. Qos wants to keep the pressure on the Esseks who worked with Da'leth, but also off of himself. But here's everything that I had:
* The first thing that we learn about the consecuted Essek is that he speaks in an old fashioned dialect, and then right after Kes lets us know that consecuted people will sometimes change their names to honor their new parents.
* There was an outline where the Nonagon was the murderer, since he could be Essek and also not be Essek at the same time. That didn't work as well thematically as the idea of a judgey Kryn refusing to let Esseks do something good (and I had a hard time figuring out why one of the Esseks wouldn't have figured it out pretty quickly). But the paranoid Essek does ask about other forms of mind control, and is dismissed.
* Kes doesn't actually tell the readers what he did between the hours between the opening ceremony and when Seth tells him about the murder, leaving it a possibility that he is the murderer. Seth also has his moments of not fully trusting him.
* Qos is only known as the Consecuted Essek or Qos, instead of taking a nickname. All of the rest of the Esseks choose one of the same half dozen nicknames, and Qos does not - because if he did, he wouldn't choose the same nickname and he isn't used to answering to a different name. (the only other one who does not is the paranoid Essek, who doesn't introduce himself at all to anyone)
* Other things that set Qos apart from the other Esseks: he presumably has a high wisdom as a cleric, has no flair for drama, and is a lot less methodical. Everyone else immediately gets that just saying that someone wants to double check to make sure everyone else is who they say they are will work.
* We find out that Seth and the Convention Organizer tried to define their search to only include Esseks on their first lives when the Paranoid Essek tries to grill him on it. But later Kes remarks that the gaps in arcane security are usually issues with the caster's definitions of the spell. Seth is overconfident with his (and the convention organizer's) spellwork, and Kes is too embarrassed at his own arcane abilities to double check them.
* The Paranoid Essek also had some great points, but he was so over the top with them that Seth rejected them outright.
*People seemed to catch on that Qos messed with the Speak with Dead on purpose, but honestly - it was less that he wanted to make sure the questions were bad and more that he thought it was kind of pointless and he wanted it over with. Kes undervalues his abilities as an investigator and librarian - he feels inferior because he's not as good of a wizard as a lot of the Esseks, but doesn't give much thought into what skills he's developed instead. The questions that Qos was asking - how did you die, who killed you, confirming the identity, where did you die - those are all pretty standard questions for a D&D party to ask a corpse with speak with dead. Kes just has a lot more experience with formulating the questions. (I also love that's one of those moments where Kes's Essek-ness shines through - he just does not have the patience to deal with incompetence)
Qos did object strongly to the Lolthsworn Kes casting spells on him to try to get out of the Zone of Truth. He eventually went with her because he thought that he had a better chance of pinning the blame on her if she tried to call him out.
* Red herrings for the Lolthsworn Kes: she states that she's only participating because she doesn't want to be blamed, she's trying to throw the Cobalt Soul Kes off his game and potentially successfully avoids the Extort Truth, so could be lying. She also (as pointed out later) has enough hit points mechanically to take the full brunt of the geas and heal herself back to full. She's also very clearly evil and would have no issues doing a murder or five for funsies (she planned her spell list just in case she did have to kill someone!). She knew it was probably the consecuted Essek the second she heard about the murder but didn't want to be bothered with the explanation or see the need for proof before confronting him. She just knew she couldn't get away with killing him before the other Kes and Seth were convinced, so waited around for them to catch up. The Lolthsworn Kes could have easily been the killer, she's just not killing because she hates Ludinus more than she likes murder.
* The couple of times that Kes tries to suspect Seth, Seth treats him like he's being an idiot. I purposefully tried to overdo it just to see if anyone would think our Essek might have killed him, because all of the reasons why Kes thinks it's not Seth are circumstantial, and one should always be suspicious of the one who raises the alarm.
* Qos doing the same breathing exercises as Kes's father was supposed to also trying to tie him in with the other Esseks, but of course - he trained Kes's father and taught him those exercises. Qos was also telling the truth about teaching Verin how to use a glaive - Kes doesn't follow up on why in the world Qos would have had martial training, just because he doesn't want to think too much about Verin at that moment.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 7/7
Fandom: Critical Role (Web Series)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Beauregard Lionett & Essek Thelyss, Essek Thelyss & Verin Thelyss
Characters: Essek Thelyss
Additional Tags: crossover of sorts, Conventions, Murder Mystery, background Shadowgast, POV character is not 'our' Essek, but our Essek is a main character
Summary:
Essek is invited to a multi-reality Essek convention. An Essek Thelyss Dies. An Essek Thelyss investigates.
On possibilities, and confronting what could have been.
Chapters: 5/7
Fandom: Critical Role (Web Series)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Relationships: Beauregard Lionett & Essek Thelyss, Essek Thelyss & Verin Thelyss
Additional Tags: crossover of sorts, Conventions, Murder Mystery, background Shadowgast, POV character is not ‘our’ Essek, but our Essek is a main character
Work Summary:
Essek is invited to a multi-reality Essek convention. An Essek Thelyss Dies. An Essek Thelyss investigates.
On possibilities, and confronting what could have been.
Chapter Summary: In which Seth and Kes do paperwork and reminisce.
(If you missed yesterday's chapter - where four very different Esseks try to agree on something - make sure you check it out!)
You can tell that all of these players are theater kids because everyone is falling in love with the theater and that leading them to huge life choices: Wicander, Bolaire, Thaisha
Either that, or Campaign 4 is not only scripted, it's gunning for an oscar
Plan is that I'll post a chapter a day for the next five days.
Thank you @cobaltsoulsearcher for the speedy beta!
A Murder of Essek(s)
Chapters: 3/7
Fandom: Critical Role (Web Series)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Relationships: Beauregard Lionett & Essek Thelyss, Essek Thelyss & Verin Thelyss
Additional Tags: crossover of sorts, Conventions, Murder Mystery, background Shadowgast, POV character is not 'our' Essek, but our Essek is a main character
Work Summary:
Essek is invited to a multi-reality Essek convention. An Essek Thelyss Dies. An Essek Thelyss investigates.
On possibilities, and confronting what could have been.
Chapter Summary: In which the last sentence of the last chapter is expanded upon, and we get a glimpse of the admin side of the convention.
We're off to an amazing start, with about half of the 83(!!!) prompts claimed by at least one person! But that does mean that half of the prompts so far are unclaimed. So, to make it easier to see some of those unclaimed prompts, I'll be posting a mostly up-to-date summary on Saturdays to see if we can find these prompts a home.
There's still a lot of prompts to go through, so I've done my best to categorize them by campaign (but keep in mind that there are a lot of crossovers!). If you want a more efficient way of checking to see if anyone has requested your blorbo or OTP, I'd go here.
Remember:
You can claim a prompt that someone else has claimed, or even fill the same prompt as someone else. It's great to spread the love around, but if one of the prompts is really speaking to you - go for it!
Likewise, there's no penalty for not filling a prompt you claimed, or unclaiming it. I only ask that if you figure out that you're not going to have time to write a prompt, you unclaim it as soon as possible (you can also claim it later!)
You can claim prompts without adding your own, and you can prompt without claiming any. I'd encourage you to not feel guilty about it!
Go here to claim a prompt!
Campaign One
Prompt: Percy/Vax'ildan: kissing (and more)
Prompter: bardlock
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating: Explicit
Summary:
My best friend has removed the blinders from my eyes to Percy/Vax as she's been reading a lot of fic of them, so you know what? Let's add to the pool of fics for her to read!
Percy/Vax smooches - and more? Would love to see it!
Some ideas:
- Drunken kissing leads to more.
- Percy accidentally kisses Vax instead of Vex. Does Percy think about it? Does he fantasize doing more? Does he allow them to go further than kissing?
- Is Vax trying to trick Percy into accidentally kissing him instead of Vex? Is it some bet he has with Scanlan or Grog, perhaps?
- A literal dick measuring contest. Does that lead to kissing while they have their dicks in their hands? Mutual masturbation? Docking? Frottage?
tl;dr Percy and Vax kissing, with huge bonus points if it leads to smut real or fantasized.
DNW: rape, non-con, scat, piss
Prompt: Wilhand'ildan, Shorthalt-Trickfoot Family Black Sheep
Prompter: CitizenMocha
Fic or Art: Fic
Rating: General, Teen
Summary:
I'm fascinated by this one shy, awkward kid in a very loud family of shit-stirrers. What's Wax's relationship with the rest of the family?
Pike says he doesn't take after his dad but it sounds like he does! He sounds like the young Scanlan we saw in the Red Nose Day 2023 one-shot and I'd love to see how much Scanlan does or doesn't recognize that.
Campaign Two
Prompt: Sabian on the Tide's Breath
Prompter: nsfwildflower
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating:
Summary:
I just KNOW there was something fucked-up and complicated between Sabian and Fjord (very possibly sexual/romantic, if you, too, see that). I also know that the idea that you might bully someone because you're secretly attracted to them is OLD and TIRED but maybe sometimes it might be slightly true? They're both deeply intrenched in self-worth issues - and then suddenly they're working on a ship with a supportive captain and a diverse crew. Everyone knows Sabian as a coward, but why? Why did he stop talking to Fjord (and what kind of soul-searching revelations might make him start again?) How does he feel about Vandran taking Fjord so tightly under his wing (and promoting his rank on the ship), and not him? And, if you want to commit to answering this question: what the hell was blowing up the ship about??
Prompt: Caleb/Essek Oviposition
Prompter: Tial
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating: Mature, Explicit
Summary:
Either wizard fucking some eggs into the other. That's it. Total freedom for the rest of it.
Bonus points for:
+ Mer!Caleb or Drider!Essek
++ Language Barrier and/or Dubious consent
Prompt: Artagan powerless weight gain
Prompter: Anonymous
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating:
Summary:
After Artagan looses his power, he also looses his fey metabolism and starts packing on pounds. He finds he kind of likes it.
Prompt: Jester tries to write a drabble
Prompter: CobaltSoulSearcher
Fic or Art: Fic
Rating:
Summary:
You know how hard a time Jester has with 25 word Sendings? I wanna see what kind of story she would write if she had to do the classic exactly-100-word drabble.
Prompt: Veth/ Yeza, bad at kink
Prompter: Operafloozy
Fic or Art: Fic
Rating: Teen, Mature, Explicit
Summary:
Veth has some weird ideas about how kink works. Yeza mostly just wants to please Veth. I want to hear about their trials at trying to figure out kinky sex together.
* Can be pre or post campaign
* Bonus: Veth finds out that she's the only one who hasn't at least tried kink (you can exclude Caduceus, but nonsexual kink is a thing)
* Someone (one of the nein, Marion, or whoever) can step in to help instruct, but I want the focus to be on Veth and Yeza
DNW: Veth and Yeza to break up at the end
Prompt: Caleb/Neo-Somnovem - PWP
Prompter: montyparnasse
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating: Explicit
Summary:
With Mollymauk and Lucien's easy charm and all of that raw magical power, it was like magic catnip for Caleb. With the magical power, that smile, and muscles that put Eadwulf and Fjord to shame, Caleb can't help but, in some way, be attracted to this 20 foot tall twisted shade of his friend Mollymauk.
Ideas:
- Caleb has a horny dream of the Neo-Somnonem; is that all it is, or is some shade of it reaching out to him in his dreams? (Can Kingsley feel it, too? Feel free to explore or not!)
- Widomauk, but Molly transforms into the Neo-Somnovem during their encounter
- Lucien/Mollymauk/Kingsley + Caleb; foursome? Maybe Caleb's partner keeps shifting between the three versions of that body, culminating in the Neo-Somnovem?
- Caleb dreams or fantasizes of the Neo-Somnovem, but just like in the fight, sometimes there are flashes of moments where Mollymauk comes through, too.
Prompt: Polynein + Essek 'Welcome to the Mighty Nein' Orgy
Prompter: Tial
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating: Explict
Summary:
Would love some more Polynein with Essek being the centre of attention cause the man deserves some love â¤ï¸
No sexual stuff between Yasha/Beau and the men or Cad and anyone else but platonic kisses and cuddling are fine.
Bonus Points For:
+ Fjord fucking Essek's ass, while Caleb fucks his face
Prompt: Caleb/Essek Noncon Master/Pet
Prompter: Tial
Fic or Art: Fic
Rating: Explict
Summary:
Either of the wizards being locked up and treated like a pretty little pet for the other.
Fucked up, noncon. No serious injury or physical harm (outside of spanking/etc).
Victim POV
Bonus points for:
+ Cat ears/tail butt plug
++ Collar
+++ The 'pet' is starting to love/grow fond of their 'master' despite the situation being clearly fucked.
Campaign Three
Prompt: Opal and Leylas and Lolth - white haired hate squad
Prompter: Operafloozy
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating:
Summary:
I'd really love to see more with this trifecta!
* Llolth hates the Kryn, Leylas still remembers being under Llolth's control, and Opal wants to kill baby Llolth. Leylas would think that murdering baby hitler would be a good idea, but Leylas is also rumored to be getting a little murdery herself these days, how much is she going to trust someone who was Llolth's champion?
* Opal is like sideways consecuted - can Leylas tell? Do the Kryn know about the Aevilux? How does Leylas feel about Opal being Llolth's champion?
Some possible ideas:
* Opal thinks that Llolth was born within the Xhorhas. She meets with Leylas to try to track her down
* Llolth sends Opal visions of Leylas being tortured long ago as a threat.
Prompt: Otohan Thull/Imogen Temult - Obsession
Prompter: Anonymous
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating: Teen, Mature, Explicit
Summary:
Something about, "Is she your favorite?" has echoed within me, and anything exploring Otohan's obsession with Imogen, whether it be as proxy for Liliana or by itself, would be wonderful.
Prompt: Ashton/Orym: strength and size
Prompter: bardlock
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating: Explicit
Summary:
Ashton canonically finds Orym very attractive, in both looks and physical abilities. Orym, in return, really appreciates Ashton's muscles, and very obviously has a thing for guys that are at least twice his size. With that in mind, what would them getting together look like when they both love how strong the other is and love the size difference?
Bonus points for:
+ Ashton's titan elemental transformation (which gives them +6 Strength and makes them size Large), either discussed or activated
DNW: rape, non-con, scat, piss
Prompt: Ashton/Laduna
Prompter: CitizenMocha
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating: Teen, Mature, Explicit
Summary:
Ashton is hurt by soft touch, but Laudna's strength score is 5.
Laudna dislocates her joints in a stiff breeze and Ashton is made out of rocks.
Navigating sex and physical intimacy with such contradictory needs is sure gonna be a challenge. Is it worth it and they push through? Embrace the inherent painplay? Or are there some creative solutions to be had here?
This was supposed to be a smut prompt when I started typing but partway through it did occur to me it might also lend itself to some fluffy nonsexual intimacy so whatever speaks to you.
Prompt: Ashton goes to Terrah or Hishari
Prompter: MasterQwertster
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating: General, Teen
Summary:
I really wish Ashton could have done more with his titan stuff and/or past in campaign.
So roadtrip time!
Send Ashton on a trip to Terrah or Hishari to get a better understanding of his titan shit. Send whatever friends you want with them.
Some ideas to bounce off of:
-Do the energies from the Elemental Plane of Earth affect Ashton? If so, how?
-How much negotiating did Keyleth have to do to get Pa'tice to allow Ashton to visit Terrah? Rules and restrictions (will Ashton break them?)?
-Ghosts in Hishari? Angry Efterin dad ghost to fight?
-Finding/talking to former members of Hishari. How do they take the unintended "success"?
Prompt: Winter's Crest at the Krook House
Prompter: bluegreenamber
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating: Mature, Explicit
Summary:
I recently re-listened to "Nothin' Under the Tree" from the CR holiday album, and it definitely made me wonder about what kinda drunken Winter's Crest antics Ashton has gotten up to with their friends. Specifically, I'd love to see Ashton and the other Krook House residents (plus guest cameos from Bells Hells or other characters in c3, if you'd like) getting up to holiday season shenanigans and being cozy in the cold weather together. Can be set pre- or post-c3 or in an AU/canon divergence (including an FCG Lives AU), can include any combo of the Krook House characters even if not listed above
Bonus points:
+ I'm a sucker for Ashlo shipping, and I welcome different interpretations of their dynamic as long as it's queer af
+ Poly vibes everywhere! Polyhells, the Krook House as a polycule or queerplatonic partners or just a bunch of fellow relationship anarchists happening to co-habitate together
+ While I was initially imagining very fluffy holiday times, I'm very much a whump, angst, and hurt/comfort person at my core, so feel free to add some spice to the sugar ;)
+ Speaking of spice, I'm also down for some holiday smut shenanigans as well, but that's by no means required or expected
DNWs: alloromantic Ashton, naming non-Exandrian holidays or religions in the work; specific kinks: unsanitary, feeding, tickling, ageplay
Prompt: Ashton and The Nobodies reunion or history
Prompter: MasterQwertster
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating: General, Teen
Summary:
Always happy to see more interpretations of Ashton and the Nobodies.
Ashton finding one or some or all of the Nobodies post-campaign. Maybe doing a job with them.
Or some adventure from before they split. Even as early as the Greymoore Home days.
Some ideas to jump off of:
-A found Nobody being jealous of how "well" Ashton's ended up after being left for dead
-The Nobodies leaving Greymoore. Did they age out? Run away?
-(mis)Adventures crossing the Hellcatch to the Oderan Wilds and Jrusar
-first job/meeting Milo
Campaign Four
Prompt: Julien and Aranessa Growing Up
Prompter: Anonymous
Fic or Art: Fic
Rating:
Summary:
I'm just interested in the relationship these two have especially before Aranessa married Thjazi, the time during which she was married to him, and during/after the Rebellion, and how all of this has affected their bond. This can take place at any or all of these points!
Prompt: Art OR Fic - Hal/Thaisha/Bolaire - consensual voyeurism
Prompter: Poetry
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating: Explicit
Summary:
Aegosexual!Bolaire: Bolaire is not interested in having sex, but he's definitely interested in watching Hal have sex. Thaisha is a little nervous, but down to give this a try.
Possible add-ons:
- Bolaire watching from very, very up close
- Bolaire being an insufferable theater critic about the sex
- Thaisha teasing Hal and Bolaire
DNW: non-con or dub-con.
Prompt: Murray's Boobs of Holding
Prompter: MasterQwertster
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating: Teen
Summary:
Murray does the big titty woman thing and uses her bra as a purse, to others' interest and/or embarrassment.
Better yet if she's stuffed a Bag of Holding in there for super storage titties.
Some extra ideas:
-Thimble will not be deterred from stealing by this choice of storage
-Murray's hands are a bit busy, could someone else grab a thing out for her?
-No one expects the sudden [weapon/thing] from the cleavage!
-Spell components? They're in the boobs
Prompt: Thaisha and Murray
Prompter: Anonymous
Fic or Art: Fic
Rating:
Summary:
so, in the first few episodes I enjoyed the casual/comfortable/familiar relationship Thaisha & Murray had, and I've been sad to not see any fics about them, platonic or shippy
I'm open to a lot but first meetings (maybe through Thaisha reaching out to the Penteveral), them being casual FWB when Thaisha's in Dol-Makjar, maybe Murray bitching about Occtis and then Thaisha deciding to take him on adventures, or really anything with the two of them hanging out being the two baddest bitches in the city lol
Prompt: Foot of the Gallows Marriage
Prompter: Anonymous
Fic or Art: Fic
Rating: General, Teen
Summary:
Someone else goes down with Thjazi Fang. In a desperate, last minute bid to save their life, one of the other party members throws out a hail Mary bid: a foot of the gallows marriage. Maybe Thjazi can't be saved, but the Torn Banner isn't losing two members tonight. Now with the guards and the Sundered Houses watching their every step, how are they navigating married life?
I just think Wic deserves to explore some things with that lion. And if Tyranny decides to peek in, well, it's educational!
DNW: non-con
Prompt: any ship of the men of campaign 4 - werewolf
Prompter: montyparnasse
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating: Explicit
Summary:
Literally any M/M ship in campaign 3, but one of them is a werewolf. Dealer's choice. Go nuts, and write whatever plot, lack thereof, or ship that you want. I just threw up some ideas in the relationship tags (as many as I could), but feel free to write one not listed there. I've written up at least one spitballed idea for each of the guys, too.
Ideas:
- Kattigan has been awful at hiding the fact that he's a werewolf. Or perhaps there was a method in his madness, and he knew that his being a werewolf would be too obvious for people to believe. He hid right in plain sight.
- Maybe one of Julien's past lovers turned him, and now he and the other party member of this fic are experiencing it. Maybe Thjazi was even responsible for his turning, and that's another reason why Julien hated him so much.
- Bolaire wears the body of someone, not knowing the man was a werewolf.
- Occtis died a virgin. Turns out, his first time having sex ended up being with a *werewolf*.
- Teor talks someone through being in werewolf form while having sex; after all, with his paws, claws, and teeth, he's the best person to turn to.
- Hal was turned long ago, so that he and Thaisha could run in the moonlight together.
- Wick is turned during their travels. Much like with his magic, sometimes things just happen, and he turns unexpectedly.
- Azune kept his friendship with Thjazi secret for years while working in an official capacity. But that wasn't his only secret. Thjazi knew it, though, and now someone else is about to learn it, too… or reveal that they already do.
Bonus:
+ knotting, either in hand or penetrated
+ experiencing/seeing their shift in form
DNW: rape/noncon, scat/watersports, feet stuff
Prompt: Wicander/Occtis: light and shadow, life and death
Prompter: bardlock
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating: Explicit
Summary:
I know there's not even a ship tag for them, but I just think that there could be something very interesting with the two characters who are less experienced and visually/thematically represent such opposite things. Light and shadow, life and death.
What the interaction is specifically is totally up to you! Have fun, go wild.
Smut not necessary, but a very welcome bonus! If you're inspired to write a character study, have at it. If your idea drags these boys into the gutter, excellent. Anything goes!
DNW: rape, non-con, scat, piss
Prompt: Pre-Canon Thjazi and Thimble
Prompter: stargrimoire
Fic or Art: Fic
Rating: General, Teen
Summary:
I've loved the snippets of them we get through memories, so possibly a pre-campaign fic focused on their dynamic and how it grows? or maybe even just thimble remembering small things and how pretty much everything reminds her of him.
Prompt: Bolaire/Hal, Bolaire/Julien/Hal: Bolaire wears Julien
Prompter: bardlock
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating: General, Teen, Mature, Explicit
Summary:
Is it a threesome if there's only two bodies but one of them is actually a mask wearing a body of the man who spat on your brother's corpse?
For some reason, Bolaire goes unconscious. Is it a battle? Is Julien being a shit and trying to get something and knocked Bolaire unconscious? Whatever happened, Julien is foolish enough to remove Bolaire's mask to see what was beneath, and then he looked at the glyph within the mask.
Before he knew it, Julien himself is no more. His body is now Bolaire's. It's fresh. Lean. It has a mane of hair that rivals Bolaire's own wig. Except this hair, Hal can pull.
tl;dr Bolaire now wears Julien's body. Does he fantasize of Hal while wearing Julien's body, or do he and Hal actually get together with Julien's body?
DNW: rape, non-con*, scat, piss
*Both parties are willing, but the fact that Julien did not consent to being killed by the mask wearing him and his body being used for sex might constitute non-con. But both parties (Hal and Bolaire) should be willing.
Crossovers
Prompt: Caleb and Essek meet Milo
Prompter: justabrain
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating:
Summary:
The wizards would be fascinated to meet the one who put the dunamancy in Ashton's head to begin with. How does that meeting go?
Prompt: High Level Highjinx
Prompter: justabrain
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating:
Summary:
Just because our favorite adventurers have lots of cool abilities and gear and Responsibilities(TM), doesn't mean they can't still get into plenty of shenanigans. What are the silliest, most off-the-label uses Vox Machina or Mighty Nein have done with their Level 20 abilities??
- prank war?
- silly divine interventions?
- a game of tag that went way further than anyone thought?
Prompt: Constance Clay and Vilya, Adventuring Narrative Moms
Prompter: Operafloozy
Fic or Art: Fic
Rating:
Summary:
Constance Clay and Vilya are both mothers that left their children home as they went on a quest, ended up being trapped for years, and had their children take up their quests in their stead.
They probably have something to talk about! Cad can introduce them.
Other adventuring moms (Nila, Veth) can come too.
Prompt: Fearne and Caleb egg war
Prompter: MasterQwertster
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating: General, Teen
Summary:
Fearne wants all of Chetney's wooden eggs, Caleb owns one.
Caleb is the kind of C-POPer to have 1 of the 5 eggs, Fearne has 3 of the other 4.
Who will have all the eggs in the end?
Some ideas to bounce off of:
-Fearne can wild shape into a cat to use the Tower's service tunnels (she just needs to get into the Tower first)
-Caleb's best friend is an impulsive rogue. If Veth steals the eggs for him, will he keep them?
-Ashton and Essek are (more or less willingly) drawn into the mess on the side they love. Or used by the opposition
-Waylon with the steal chair! Or team up to steal his egg
Prompt: FIC or ART - Artagan/literally any male PC or NPC: your choice smut
Prompter: bardlock
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating: Explicit
Summary:
Literally Artagan/The Traveler with any male PC or NPC from any campaign. My favorite chaos fey deserves to get some! Feel free to put him any encounter you want.
Some ideas:
- Artagan finally grips and chokes more than just Vax's neck.
- Percy hates to admit it, but he's really curious about what he's read regarding fey intercourse. Artagan is all too happy to participate in a hands-on experimental study.
- The Traveler shows Fjord just how powerful he really is, and how much joy his "tricks" bring.
- Artagan observes Fearne, Orym, and Dorian as they journey through the Feywild and watches as Orym or Dorian (or both?) sneak away to take the edge off. (Does Orym and his high perception eventually realized that Artagan is watching him/Dorian? Does Orym know the whole time? Does Artagan join them?)
- Artagan/Molly's body. Is it Kingsley, on a pirate ship while Jester is distracted? Molly, before his death? Or is it perhaps Lucien, possibly even in his Neo-Somnovem form that can actually rival Artie's near-godhood?
Just about anything goes, this is a blank check for some Artie gay smut. Is Artagan/The Traveler just watching? Is he 15 feet tall like when he revealed himself to the Mighty Nein? Is he topping? Bottoming? Is he just a side, and he's getting someone off with his powers in ways that amuse him? Have fun with it!
DNW: rape, non-con, scat, piss
Prompt: Ashton/Kingsley: hookup at Jester and Fjord's wedding
Prompter: bardlock
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating:
Summary:
Taliesin said that, canonically, Ashton and Kingsley absolutely hooked up at Jester & Fjord's wedding. How? When did they do so? (The day before? During the bachelor/bachelorette parties? The morning of the wedding? Afterwards, during the reception?)
Anything goes plot/activity-wise, but please have Ashton be amab non-binary.
Bonus points:
+ semi-public or risk of being caught
++ both of them absolutely loving it
DNW: rape, non-con, scat, piss, afab Ashton
Prompt: Taryon Darrington/Lawrence Darrington (nee Lorelei)
Prompter: CitizenMocha
Fic or Art: Fic
Rating: General, Teen, Mature
Summary:
Just look at that WizKids mini and tell me that isn't the same guy! Come on!
I'm happy just to see anything with this pair. Werewolf shenanigan away! Pre-campaign drama, the 'I thought you were dead for the last fifteen years' reunion, adventures with the brigade. What's your take on what the heck turned Keyleth against Greg Larry?
Or I'd love a meet-the-family scenario, either with Tary meeting Lawrence's siblings or with Lawrence meeting Vox Machina. Or both!
DNW- ABO, PWP
Prompt: Vax'ildan/Caleb/Orym:
Prompter: bardlock
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating: Explicit
Summary:
A Liam O'Brien trifecta tango. Because why not?
Some ideas:
- pre-Bells Hells Caleb uses dunamancy to travel through time, encountering a young, alive Vax and/or a pre-Bells Hells Orym.
- Orym idolizes Mr. Widogast. Caleb and Orym hook up (not cheating; their partners are fine with it) and Vax'ildan watches and enjoys what he sees.
- Vax, Caleb, and Orym have a threesome. Doesn't have to be anything more complex than that, but you're welcome to flesh it out!
- Double penetration. Your choice as to who the tops are.
Bonus points:
+ using their abilities for pleasure
DNW: rape, non-con, scat, piss
Prompt: Lord Eshteross and The Owlbear meeting
Prompter: MasterQwertster
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating: General, Teen
Summary:
Do whatever weird adventure/meeting you think these two must have had for Eshteross to try and deny the Owlbear's true existence to Ashton.
Maybe they met during the Apex War and fought Otohan together once.
Maybe it was just a merc job in Wildemount for Eshteross.
Prompt: Pumat Sol and Timpani Guff are friendly cousins
Prompter: MasterQwertster
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating: General, Teen
Summary:
Timpani is Pumat's cousin whom he sends a generous allowance to. It can't be for no reason/just because. Enchanting items is an expensive business.
So how do these two get along?
Does Timpani use his druidic skills/power to get supplies for Pumat?
How did one of Pumat's screwdrivers end up in Timpani's aprtment?
Do they go on little supplies adventuress together?
Just give me some fun interactions between the cousins.
Prompt: The Terrible Tinkerer of Tal'Dorei and the Archmage of Civil Influence: a diplomatic encounter
Prompter: thereafter
Fic or Art: Fic
Rating: General, Teen, Mature
Summary:
At some point these two complicated people must have had some kind of diplomatic encounter after Astrid took over Trent's gig. They both basically run spy networks on different continents. They both have complicated pasts. They both have complicated feelings about those complicated pasts. With Percy's past made public in Scanlan's book and Astrid's past made public in Trent's trial, they know enough about each other to make a spymaster vs spymaster exchange quite interesting!
Prompt: Percy &; Caleb, inventors and organised chaos
Prompter: Anonymous
Fic or Art: Fic
Rating: Not Rated
Summary:
Caleb and Percy meet (however you like, or it's entirely irrelevant!) , finding a kindred spirit and similar passion for tinkering in their respective fields. Perhaps they're making something new, infusing magic and mechanics, lamenting the process of creation and study, their shared chaotic workstations, or just nerding out together!
(Caleb/Essek welcome but not required!)
Something fun, fluffy, and cozy would be nice, but I don't mind a little bit of angst as long as it's not the whole story, y'know? I also do not care about ratings, for the love of god go wild (please keep Cyrus alive)!
Prompt: Trist/Emhira or Everlight/Matron Romance
Prompter: CobaltSoulSearcher
Fic or Art: Fic
Rating: General, Teen, Mature
Summary:
I'd love to see the love between these two because I think it is so juicy! I mean, come on, the goddess that used to be mortal and the goddess that truly became mortal? I would be happy with basically anything, doesn't have to be Downfall centered.
DNW: Non-con, villainizing the Matron
Prompt: Keyleth/Vex'ahlia - Unrequited
Prompter: Softlight
Fic or Art: Fic or Art
Rating:
Summary:
There are so many winks in TLoVM about these two, and I think a twist on early TLoVM with Vex warning Vax away from Keyleth for more reasons than she wants to admit would be especially tasty! I'm totally down for polyam, like Percy being aware of Vex's feelings for Keyleth, if that's your flavor as well. Something something, "we didn't let ourselves get distracted by PRETTY things," something something Vex getting distracted by Keyleth, etc. Have fun with it!
Or, if you'd like to flip this prompt on its head and reverse it with Keyleth having feelings for both Vex and Vax, you could take that angle, too!
I know a few people have run into the problem where they can't add the character or relationship tags they would want to for their prompts, because nobody has written those tags yet. If this happens, just submit the prompt without the tags, and make it clear that the character/relationship is what you want in the title and description.
AO3 uses the same infrastructure for prompt memes as it does for exchanges, and with exchanges you typically want to limit the number of tags. So the only options are to allow all possible canonical character/relationship tags or to import a tag set - which would require someone to add all of the currently-in-use tags and the new ones.
I currently have a support request out to AO3 to possibly get the full tag lists for all of the relevant fandoms so I can import them, but it's Yuletide season and I'm just going to assume Support is busy. If I can, I'll add the tag set, but this might just be something to keep in mind for next year.
Sorry for the annoyance! I didn't know about the noncanonical tag issue.
Prompts are now open for Critmas Wishing Tree 2025!
Anyone can prompt! Even if you don't think you'll be able to fulfill anyone else's prompts, you can still submit one. All you need is an AO3 account, and if you don't have one, you can use one of the invite codes here.
Anything that features a character that has appeared on a stream of the Critical Role twitch channel, beacon, or Amazon Prime TV series counts.
Prompts should be specified for Fic, Art, or both
Wondering how to prompt? Read the full rules, or check out last year's prompts!
Further questions about how prompt memes work? Check out AO3's FAQ, or ask us a question here or on our discord!
Have fun! You've got until January 8th to leave prompts, but the earlier you leave them, the more time artists and authors have to fulfill them
