#text by iris

[worryfornaught]

I’ve only just gotten to c3 e111 and there are so many fantastic little details, but one moment I love is when Veth is trying to be mad at the mighty nein for letting Luc adventure with them and she’s in the middle of yelling about it when she looks over at Caleb, who’s giving her this big smile saying “it was pretty cool,” and she starts stammering and totally runs out of steam. She just can’t be mad at him, not when he’s looking at her like that, with that adoring smile on his face. There is simply no defense against this.

[worryfornaught]

Mighty Nein animated series announcement moodboard

[worryfornaught]

Thinking about how when Liam asked if Nott’s crush on Caleb was something Sam came up with pre-campaign, Sam responded “No, when I stared into your eyes during some of the scenes we had together, it was sort of a natural thing” like that isn’t some of the most romantic shit I’ve ever heard. ‘When I looked into your eyes I knew she was in love.’ Like fuck dude. It wasn’t part of the plan, but it happened anyways. How could it not? Falling in love with Caleb was simple, it was obvious, it was the most natural thing in the world.

[worryfornaught]

Going back through the first half of the reunion and I’m truly losing my shit about how deeply awkward Caleb still is around Yeza. From his sheepish apology for effusively complimenting Veth the first time he and Yeza met, now more than a year later Caleb still shrinks as soon as he starts to taking to Yeza. He instantly hunches over and practically starts twiddling his thumbs, it’s a total demeanor shift! I could make a whole post about how much that says about the guilt he still feels for whisking Veth away, for the complicated and undefinable relationship they have with each other, for this other life and other family that Caleb represents for her… but I also just think it’s really fucking funny how small this extremely powerful wizard makes himself in the presence of the most unintimidating unthreatening man I’ve ever seen in my life.

[worryfornaught]

Threshold day is nearly upon us. Prepare yourselves. Prepare your lizards.

[worryfornaught]

A series of things I learned while listening to the original All Work No Play podcast, ranging from wholesome to deeply cursed:

- Sam assumes every character he plays is gay until told otherwise

- Sam does not read the script ahead of auditions

- Sam’s first pitch for his D&D character was a halfling-goliath cleric-rogue

- Liam insists that if he and Sam were stuck on a desert island, they “would be fucking immediately! Immediately!” Sam thinks they would last at least 48 hours.

- Liam did gymnastics when he was a kid

- Liam was once flexible enough to suck his own dick (yes, he really said this)

- Sam’s childhood dream was to never have a job

- Liam’s first job was cleaning shit out of a sink at age 15

- Sam’s first job was performing dinner theater at age 8

- Sam and Liam‘s “first fight” was about GMOs

- Sam has been in exactly one fistfight, and it was about Dave Matthews Band tickets

- The first role Sam ever played was an Oompa Loompa

- According to Liam, “we’d obviously like to nail Travis Willingham if that was our inclination.” Sam agrees.

- Taliesin’s 2014 New Year’s resolution was to “be a better bad influence on everyone.” Liam suggests that this means he wants to take them to “depraved costume parties”

- Liam is very attracted to Harrison Ford

- Sam was in a doo-wop group in high school

- If Laura could only eat one type of food for the rest of her life, it would be donuts. Travis’ would be pad thai.

- Travis has read every Twilight book

- Liam has discussed barbecue sauce with Adam Driver

- Sam once played softball with Donald Trump, who cheated

- Liam was once an escort for a woman in a Miss Filipina beauty contest (Laura has seen pictures)

- Liam really wants his daughter to learn how to kill men

- Liam can do 90 push-ups in a row

- This podcast was a rollercoaster from start to finish.

[worryfornaught]

Fjord gets his ship, sails the seas with Jester at his side. They make a home together. He finds Vandren, and he finds peace.

Jester brings her parents back together and gets the life she always wanted. She gets to explore the world, and she is surrounded by love.

Beau gets closure, finally. She has earned great respect and roots out the corruption in the Empire. She sees those who have hurt her the most be put to justice. She has come so far. She gets her happy ending with Yasha.

Yasha visits her late wife’s grave at last, and Beau is with her. Beau tells her, “your past doesn’t scare me, it only makes you beautiful.” After all this loss and grief, she builds a new life.

Veth goes home. She gets to rest, to be with her husband and her son. It’s not too long until Caleb is at her side again, too. Together, they teach a new generation.

Caduceus goes home. He tends to his grove, with his family, and waits for his second family, no less important, to return again. They will always be with him.

Molly’s (or now, Kingsley’s) story is a complicated one. He’s not who he once was, but he has a new beginning. A rebirth. A fresh start to forge whatever life and identity he wants.

Caleb fulfills his promise to his parents, and helps to fix his nation. He spends many years with Essek, studying magic and making discoveries together. He returns home. He joins Veth and helps to raise her son. He spends the rest of his life teaching. He is never completely free of his guilt, but he grows, and he lives. He makes sure no child ever has to experience what he did. And he lives.

And Essek. Essek has made the journey from a lonely, selfish man, willing to sacrifice the lives of others for personal gain, to a man who is willing to sacrifice himself for the people he loves. These people who thrust themselves into his life, who showed him kindness, who taught him empathy. He is a man who risked his life to save the world. He is changed, utterly and irrevocably.

They all are. This is the story of seven friends, who became eight, and then nine, and they are changed forever.

[worryfornaught]

I know it’s been almost a year but I’m still losing my entire shit over Veth’s “I want to be with you……… all” to Caleb. The meaning conveyed in that distinct pause. The weight of the split-second silence after the truth of her feelings slipped out. How she knew she couldn’t let those words hang and rushed to cover them back up again, burying her feelings behind an “all.” Because she cares about this group, this family, deeply. Of course she does. But what she feels for Caleb is different. She wants to be with them all, yes, but she wants to be with him.