CICADA

continuing living with the hope of molting from this body to one with wings that sing each summer until I die

[fishmechs]

[ccattnipp]

wizard boyfriendssss

[ccattnipp]

they’ll still be kissing in seven, ten, fifteen—many, many years

[ccattnipp]

give me an elf and i’ll turn him into a dress-up doll

[rhythmiccicada]

I AM OBSESSED WITH HIS COMFORTABLE FEMINIZATION!!! Trans masc Essek will always be in my heart and these drawings are so perfect and gender all-encompassing. He’s much more of a gender envy for me now <33

[ccattnipp]

good night

[ccattnipp]

can i add a little spice? i think yes wip

[quiddie]

*deep breath* If the antifascist (esp. American-centered) art you make or consume refuses to acknowledge the truth that framing this time period as the "sudden rise of fascism" along with its supposed volatility (i.e. "it can't last; that's not how its built") is just a comforting construct to keep white Americans from reckoning with their literal centuries of active and passive participation in this country's fascist, genocidal violence against Indigenous and Black people, your art isn't just wrong...it's worthless. How can you imagine dismantling unjust systems without seeing the blood on your own hands? How do you comprehend the size of the fight for mutual liberation without seeing that the scale of the threat is exponentially larger than your personal experience of the danger of state violence; or is your envisioned win condition only as shallow as the return to your previous sense of safety?

Ignoring the complexities and well-established enmeshment of fascism in Western culture for the sake of simpler stories to inspire rising to this moment in history only builds fair-weather fighters ill-prepared for the rigors of revolutionary action. It also widens the rift between those newly awakened to the struggle and their neighbors that have lived it for generations (and have built and maintained systems of community support and resistance that have protected them for just as long).

If antifascist art doesn't first demand you turn the eye inward, it is only escapist fluff.

[lomakes]

bite your local wizard

[rhythmiccicada]

THEYRE WEARING THE NEW MERCHHHH

[mortuary9]

late night essek

[rhythmiccicada]

hi so I had a dream last night that Kattigan and Teor had a Moment and Kattigan was rubbing all over Teor’s chest and like petting him and trying to make a move on him bc he hadn’t realized they were Battle Buddies as in Bros as in Yes Homo. So they had their moment after Tyranny mentioned it to Kattigan and their relationship became canon.

And the rest of the cast was thrilled and all hiding under the table with their faces peaking out excitedly trying not to ruin the moment.

[wolfythewitch]

Have you ever seen three ducks try to grab onto one piece of bread

[mortuary9]

only essek on my mind lately

[rhythmiccicada]

something about Essek growing his hair out when he’s married to Caleb, when he hangs around the Nein and they feel like family.

then he cuts his hair short again after Caleb dies and maybe never grows it out again.

[greelin]

“body horror” not to me. Not if it’s you

[ravennowithtea]

goodest bois adventuring duo 💕

[hekuuu]

[anutzica]

i absolutely love how intertwined essek and caleb's stories are this season. these moments in particular capture the essence of their journeys thus far: accepting the death that they have brought upon their families. the broken expression on their faces, the shaking hands as they reach out to who is now lost forever; these men could not be any more similar.

essek, whose primary motivation for stealing the beacon was to find a cure for his mother, failed in his pursuit, was forced to kill her with his own hands, and has lost her soul forever. caleb, whose primary function was to brutally assassinate empire traitors, was so heavily indoctrinated that he believed that damning his family to a fire of his own making was an honor. while essek and caleb were both pushed to these circumstances by their nations, either through an oppressive religion or extremist propaganda, it was ultimately their decisions that caused their families' deaths, their hands that took their lives, and their eyes that watched them die.

essek and caleb are seemingly irredeemable, their truest sense of self now buried beneath their rage and suffering. if season one captured them at their lowest points, then season two will show us if they will choose to descend deeper into the pain caused by their own failures or if they will choose to claw their way out of it and remake themselves anew. their journeys moving forward will be fascinating to witness.

[shiximi]

Mighty Nein - Part 2 > Done for Critical Role and most recently featured in their 10th anniversary trading card collector's box.