things about caduceus clay that i want to talk about
he’s young in firbolg terms, sitting somewhere between jester, beau, and veth in terms of the m9′s age levels. he’s like. 24-ish. if/when the nein internalizes this fact, they will handle it ridiculously.
he just quietly gave out an i love you guys to the nein during Dome Therapy and it was a lot. specifically this was during fjord needling beau about self-preservation. it was cute.
he’s loves WORDS. he latches on to words or phrases that are new to him (”ichor,” and “worth one’s salt”), or tries to emulate his parents and his aunt when he’s trying to Command Authority (”i will TURN THIS CART AROUND (i don’t know if you’re actually arguing i’ve just always wanted to say that)”). and metaphors, too, he LOVES a good metaphor. or a bad metaphor. or an incoherent “metaphor.”
this ties into his love of STORIES–he loves constructing narratives, the first real “backstory dump” we get from him is in the form of a fairytale! he is a huge fan of ghost stories and the like, and he’s firmly under the impression that Everything Is Important. every weird rock he sees is a chekov’s gun unto itself.
he doesn’t drink because he hates the taste of alcohol and hates hangovers, but the one time recently that he does drink a large amount of alcohol, he gets crossfaded and starts flirting.
he’s CRAFTY. he was so excited to make a garden in the xhorhaus! and he’s always trying to renovate the hot tub! and he tried to figure out how to bake a cake at sea! he and his siblings made art with bones when they were kids! he helped design fjord’s holy symbol! he carves his own earrings! what a dude
he’s also STYLISH. he has an aesthetic, and that aesthetic is Pastel Swamp Witch, and he is Committed To It. he redesigns his new shield so it still matches his armor. he likes to look nice when he’s out and about. he dyes his hair!!! and he understands the others’ styles, too–he was one of the two people that picked out the Fancy Nein Outfits!
speaking of that… he shows affection through gift-giving, and t’s very sweet. he also gives gifts to make a point–see the gustav incident. his whole talk with fjord during that commune they did together about gifts was just… fascinating.
he’s SILLY. he loves jokes and pranks, but as his social skills kinda atrophied in his isolation, so did his talent for goofing. he’s working on jokes though!!! and it’s very sweet
speaking of his social skills. he’s tied with caleb for the second highest charsma in the nein. in spite of this, he is wont to panic when he speaks. he’s just plain old Likeable. that’s his charm.
things that make him openly angry: people who don’t pull their own weight and the sight of fjord, dead.
he cried when they lost yasha….
he is probably the highest-level member of his family, in D&D terms, as his parents and Calliope didn’t have access to Greater Res, and the highest level spell we know that anyone else in his family has cast (probably Corrin) was a level four spell
he was alone for almost a decade and it kinda fucked him up but he’s dealing!!! he’s dealing.
he thought dying was fascinating
he really loves meeting new people
he’s the main contributor to most successful talks with the bright queen
