#HighINTLowWIS

[highintlowwispod]

Hi-lo everyone 🔥it's new episode day🔥 Our fearless adventurers have got all the components they need for their totally-not-copyrighted-at-all spell… somewhere in this city. It's all obtainable somehow — they've at least got the cat now! How hard can it possibly be to scrounge up the rest of the required bits? Who in their party might have easy access to some dank incense? Where can they possibly find blood? Is there even a moon in this fantasy world under whom’s light this ancient and terrifying magic can take place?

And which is the better place to find a ladder: Home Despot, Gnome Depot, or Low’s Halfling Hole Improvement? We absolutely will not promise you that any of these questions will be answered. But we can promise you will have a helluva good time listening to us try to find that out!

Episode 6 “Cat + Drugs + Arson = Girl Dinner!” is out now on your podcatcher of choice! For more info on where you can listen to these most excellent eps, or more info on us in general, go to bit.ly/m/High-INT-Low-WIS

[ontheothersideofthewall]

some people miss their bus by ten minutes and others do squats in the terminal

[amarantheia]

Hi! I get so excited every time I see a new piece of yours on my dash, the way you use the colors of your palettes is absolute genius. Can I request a Caleb? Either dirty hobo wizard or refined studious mage, your choice!

Thanks so much you two 💜 Since I did dirty hobo Caleb with Frumpkin, here’s the fancy Caleb for ya, in the best palette ever too

[kissingagrumpygiant]

I am feeling SOFT today so I immediately jumped on this prompt lmao,,,, perhaps some platonic Team Cleric in 3L?

team cleric 🥺💕 x

[the-kaedageist]

Oooooo how about #13 for a platonic Team Cleric? I believe in you, beat that writer's block! 💪✒️

& marginaliana said: Writing prompt! Caduceus & Jester, 13 kissing someone’s forehead

You both gave me the same exact prompt, haha, so tagging you both here! This was so great and I had a LOT of fun writing in Jester’s voice. ✨

Clerical Work (912 words, gen)

Caduceus wasn’t sleeping.

No one quite realized how much Jester noticed, but she’d been keeping track for awhile. The last three nights they’d spent in the dome, Caduceus had volunteered to take a watch – less unusual on its own – and also spent significant time just lying on his back, staring up at the ceiling with empty-looking eyes. She’d also stumbled across him in the tower kitchen in the wee hours of the morning on a different night, when she’d snuck down to try to get some cookies from one of the cats in a fit of her own restlessness.

As they all bedded down for another evening in the dome (Caleb having used his seventh level spell slot again), Jester waited until Caduceus volunteered to take a watch and chirped out, “I’ll take watch too!” She didn’t look at Fjord, knowing he would be a bit taken aback that she wouldn’t be joining his watch that night, but some things were more important than romance. Fjord would understand. Caduceus was his friend, too.

They were to take third watch, so Jester curled up for bed and made sure to get some excellent sleep first, just to make sure she got all of her spell slots back. They’d had quite a battle that day, and her magic was pretty low. She slept pleasantly until Beau shook her awake for watch. She was completely unsurprised to discover that Caduceus was already awake, seated cross-legged by the edge of the dome away from the sleeping forms of their friends. Jester yawned and rubbed her eyes, stretching a bit before she made her way over to join him.

They sat in silence for a bit as Jester listened attentively to make sure Beau went back to sleep and that none of the others were awake and listening. Caduceus held so much inside himself, it was unlikely that he would feel comfortable talking about whatever was bothering him if the others were listening. Jester had never met such a private person before – Caduceus was so open and friendly, but he also shared less about himself than even Caleb! Jester knew what it was like to share only the soft edges of oneself with the world, keeping the cracked pieces deep inside, but Caduceus seemed to hide both his soft edges and his cracked pieces, almost as though he was afraid that if he had a genuine emotion or opinion, the rest of them would leave.

Oh, Jester realized. Leave him like his family. Oh, that was bad. She would have to be careful with this line of questioning!

“Caduceus,” she began, her voice low so as not to wake the others. He glanced over at her, puzzled. “Why haven’t you been sleeping? Sleep is important for getting all your spells back!”

Caduceus blinked at her slowly. “Oh,” he said after a moment. “You noticed that?” He seemed surprised. He was so silly – he wasn’t the only one who noticed things about people.

“Of course I noticed that,” Jester told him, giving him a soft smile. She leveled her most earnest look at him. “You’ve been so upset by that city and what the Tomb Takers are trying to do, and that forest upset you a lot.”

Caduceus glanced to the side, not making eye contact. “Yeah,” he said, agreeing vaguely in a way that didn’t give Jester any information at all.

“You shouldn’t take this all on yourself!” Jester said. She scooted closer, moving to sit cross-legged right in front of him in a shorter mirror of his own pose. “You’ve helped all of us so much. Why don’t you think you’re worth letting us help you?” She reached over and took one of his furred hands in her own, not looking away from his face.

Caduceus finally met her gaze, and he looked like someone had torn his heart out. Jester wanted to cry in sympathy when she saw how much pain he’d been carrying, how much he’d been hiding from all of them. “I don’t think I’m not worth being helped,” he said slowly. “It crawls beneath my skin. It knows me, it calls to me. I dream about it. The Wildmother doesn’t know what it is or what it wants from me.” He closed his eyes for the long moment between a breath. “If I talk about it, I have to think about it.”

Jester’s heart ached for him. “I understand,” she said. She leaned over and rose to her knees in order to press a kiss between his brow, gentle but firm.

Caduceus blinked in dazed surprise, unused to physical affection from his teammates, and she gave him a soft, sympathetic smile in response.

“We are here for you, Caduceus,” she said, trying very hard to make sure her voice sounded serious. “Please talk to us. At least to me?”

He still looked lost and sad, but he reached over and captured her other hand in his own as well. “Thank you, Jester.”

She beamed at him. “You’re welcome. Next time you can’t sleep, come find me; we can get midnight snacks together! Oooh, Caduceus, you know how to BAKE…that will be so great—” She let her mindless chatter move the conversation onward, sensing Caduceus had already hit his limit for the evening.

It was okay. She would wear him down. Slowly but surely, she would help him learn to open up to them. Maybe then he would even get some sleep.

[sashthesloth]

highintlowwis replied to your post “Now that was a lot, but how are the fjorclays feeling”

We were well fed with some high quality angst tonight

the amount of fuel this is going to give the angst writers and artists,, i cannot wait,, the timeline was all collectively having a breakdown

[joycrispy]

For the character ask, what about Calliope Clay?? She is so good and I need MORE

Sexuality Headcanon:  *watches Calliope’s interaction with Yasha* GAYYYYYYYY.

Gender Headcanon: She’s a lady in much the same way Caduceus is a dude (which is to say, prior to leaving the grove she never thought too deeply on it), but now that she’s a little worldlier she understands the significance of gender a little better than he does. She might take a bit of pride in being a woman in the apparently matrilineal Clay family, and a WLW worshiper of Melora (lesbian goddess).

A ship I have with said character: I would absolutely love it if we hear from the Clays and learn that Calliope seduced Reani on the trip back to the grove. Also, can you IMAGINE Reani marrying into the Clays? Becoming Cad’s sister-in-law? And still calling him Pinkie? Incredible.

A BROTP I have with said character: MAN I think she’d get along with Beau.

A NOTP I have with said character: None that I can think of?

A random headcanon: I think that, while Caduceus definitely considers Clarabelle his favorite sibling, Calliope is probably the one he can have actual unguarded conversations with. They have that middle sibling bond, you know. Since she’s older and tougher I think she probably worries about him more than the others (Colton is too much of a dingus to care, and Clarabelle --cleverest of the Clays-- knows Cad can handle himself).

Also, as I am of the slightly unpopular opinion that not every NPC needs to have a designated dnd class, I picture her as one of the three Clays who DO: Corrin and Caduceus are clerics, and she is a paladin.

General Opinion over said character: I think she’s awesome and I’d love to see her again.

[utilitycaster]

Top 5 favorite race & class/subclass combinations?

I have stated on the record many times and will continue to do so: I could happily play the classic 4 “common” races + half elves forever so this will probably be boring to some but:

Half-elf Bard, aka current character, very classic, very fun, very charming

Halfling Paladin, aka I love Lady Kima and paladins and this is such an unintuitive and delightful combo. I particularly love halflings with unexpected classes (see also Hamid in RQG, a halfling sorcerer) since so many people choose rogue.

Dwarf Cleric. I’ve said before Merle never fully clicked for me, but Zolf definitely did, mostly because I enjoy gruffness.

Human Wizard, because I really like how the general human trait in D&D is kind of okay at everything and also just totally full of hubris, which is very wizard of them.

Thanks to Nott and Riz, Goblin Rogue With Gun.

[viktormaru]

I see an AMA for cr... So we know you love Molly, but would you want Molly to come back at the expense of Caduceus? If he had to leave for Molly to come back? Or is there another way you would like to see him return?

YEA THATS the thing.. I love molly... but I also love caduceus id hurt anyway 

{:’- (((((

I adore caduceus a whole lot and dont want to see him go... but if we were to get molly back... caduceus could just.. go back to his home w/ his family now, so at least he’d be happy and safe. Like, in the ideal world they’d both stay at the mighty nein at once, but we know thats just not possible 

[highintlowwispod]

Hi-lo everyone, and Happy Pancake Day! Do you like racing through the streets while carrying foodstuffs, or desperately looking around for a rickshaw to shuttle you off somewhere where you no longer have to be running also while carrying foodstuffs? Good news! Our latest episode has that ✨and more✨ Now you don't have to join your local Pancake Day Race to experience this, just let Iimish do all that running for you!

Episode 4 "Pocket Snacks and Contracts" is out now on your favorite podcast listening platforms and apparatus. Feel free to give it a listen when you get a chance, and maybe leave us a review if the spirits move you! To quote the belovedly bullied conductor of this Trainwreck: “Give us as many stars as you feel we deserve, or a lot more.”

For a list of places you can listen to our show, check out bit.ly/m/High-INT-Low-WIS

[amarantheia]

Your art is so cool, I love seeing how you use your random color palettes! Out of curiosity, how long does it take for you to do one of these drawings? It seems like you're putting one out ever couple of hours!

Thanks a bunch !! It’s such an awesome exerciseIt REALLY depends, I’m shit at keeping track of how much time I spend on something but it varies, depending on whether I’ve got a clear idea when I start or not - I start by filling the background in one color and sometimes I’ll just stare at that a whole hour waiting for an idea to come 😂 Some palettes are more challenging than others but I can spend a looong time trying to get a face right (I think the longest was Tary, at some point I did his face in orange and I had to stop and step away to laugh and clear my head... it was Bad), and then Marion, Jayne and the Bright Queen were fairly quick to do because I began drawing them with a clear idea, I’d say Jayne definitely took less than 2 hours, same for Marion, BQ maybe about 2 hours because my hella messy style conflicted with the geometrical feel I wanted to go forI’m trying to be as quick as possible for these, I’m sort of making it part of the exercise, to not think too much and just draw and draw and if I don’t like it, simply draw over it, and thinking more in terms of flow and shapes (and general atmosphere for some) in the same specific canvas helps with that a lot ! 

[ithinkthiswasabadidea]

Tell us about your dnd character pls!!!

Hey omg thank you for asking!! And also thanks Riley @highintlowwis for asking too!

The campaign is being created and DM'd by my partner for myself and a couple of his work friends, we haven't started yet but we should be soon 😊

My character, Halthorn Lashfist, is a Bronze Dragonborn Eldritch Knight Fighter.

He used to be a soldier in an army that lost its invading battle in a foreign land, and he was one of a few to have survived to the surrender. As part of his terms of surrender, he was put to work under the people he had once been tasked to kill. This new nation was kinder than he expected, showing mercy when they could have shown violence, and so Halthorn lost faith in the country he once fought for.

In losing this faith, he found himself wishing to prove that he was a better person and had learned to think and fight for worthy causes. A strange fellow watching him work saw his passion and came to speak with him, revealing he knew more about Halthorn than he should have. The fellow helped him escape aboard a ship carrying supplies to a far away land, giving Halthorn the chance to reinvent himself and prove that he is a changed and better man.

Once I know more about Hal, and the campaign starts up, I'll likely give lil updates when fun things happen! I'm so looking forward to it ☺

(Also I sneaked in some little snippets of lore from my own homebrew campaign that I've been working on for a while (with DM permission), into Hal's backstory. Mainly, the land his people were invading is the continent and people of my story, and the fellow who helped him escape is one of my homebrew deities from the world!)

[the-kaedageist]

You'll NEVER guess who I'm going to request for the kiss writing prompt,,,, Cadwulf #2 or #33? Author's choice!

This got so enormously long that I just posted it on AO3 instead of putting it on tumblr. I hope you enjoy!

fools give you reasons, wise men never try (Cadwulf, 5,657 words)

There was something different about walking into the heart of the Cerberus Assembly dressed in his finery, surrounded by Dwendalian high society and conscious of the political currents around them. There was intrigue in the air, and a dark sort of magic that Caduceus could almost taste on his tongue.

[sashthesloth]

Ooooh fun asks! How about #24 and #50? I hope you're having a great evening/whatever time of day it is for you!

#24 what is your favourite scent?

Ohhhhhh strangely enough, for someone who doesn't like coffee, I love the smell of it. It reminds me of the airport and whenever we'd have to be up early for a family trip.

#50 what's the best gift you've received?

Okay this is hard considering I barely remember a lot of my gifts,, but my mom got me the knitted blanket for my birthday last year and it's so comforting and heavy and nice that I almost always have it on my bed.

AAA hope you're having a great day too!!

[joycrispy]

Caduceus and Calliope are identical twins and before Cad transitioned, Colton couldn't tell them apart. This resulted in many shenanigans. Also (for the requested angst) he is purposefully not dyeing his hair anymore to distance himself from his family because he's not sure where he fits in with them anymore

I love love love any Calliope-and-Caduceus-are-twins content, yes please!! Calliope would be older by like a minute but she’ll never let anyone forget. 

(and of course trans headcanons are always baller)

Mmm, thank you for the angst, it is very good (also...might be canon? I would not be SURPRISED, since he obviously has the means to keep dyeing his hair, seeing as he provided some to that shopkeep, he just...doesn’t. Anymore. Inch resting.)

***

send your headcanons about the clerics so we can cry!! (please)

[highintlowwis]

IT IS DONE

This was such a fun lil project to work on! Thank you so so much to everyone who sent me song suggestions, I appreciate every one of you! 

I actually ended up with too many songs to make a concise, descriptive playlist with all of them, so I ended up making two -- one curated and organized by yours truly, and one full of every song I was sent, found at this link, or on spotify under the title Cadwulf, Baby! (Extended Edition):

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0GOzqrCr0d9ILhLgQR7Ore?si=kB6vdwULQMu53FoyM9p6eg

The ones I chose were based solely off of my own interpretations and the vibe consistency, there were a ton of great songs that didn’t make the shorter list just because I couldn’t figure out where they fit. And if anyone has EVEN MORE suggestions for the larger playlist, feel free to send them my way!

Descriptions for each of my curated songs can be found below the cut. Fair warning, I make no promises that my song interpretations are 100% accurate, so if I got something wrong or missed something lemme know! Enjoy!

Me and My Friends are Lonely by Matt Maeson: I’ve said it multiple times before but I’LL SAY IT AGAIN DAMMIT. Both Eadwulf and Caduceus are surrounded by people, but they’re always the ones left out. They’re never anyone else’s first choice. But hey, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to be lonely with someone else…

This Side of Paradise by Coyote Theory: FANTASTIC representation of Caduceus’ perspective! He was alone for so long, and he’s never been truly in love, but now he’s presented with this lonely, handsome man who needs to be guided to something sweeter and happier.

Arms Tonite by Mother Mother: Death isn’t a big deal for either of these kiddos, it’s the most natural part of life! Caduceus isn’t afraid of it, especially if he gets to greet it in Eadwulf’s big, muscular, amazing… arms… what were we talking about again? 

Community Gardens by The Scary Jokes and Louie Zong: Eadwulf has done a lot of bad things in his life, but he sees that Caleb has been redeemed by offering his own heart up, and Wulf hopes he can achieve the same. The second verse calls out Trent and his own arrogance and alludes to the fact that it will be his eventual downfall. (Also I just like the idea of Wulf calling Cad “honeycomb”, it’s so sweet)

Pumpkin by The Regrettes: Neither of them expected to walk into that dinner and meet someone who would become so important to them. Romance isn’t something either has really experienced firsthand, but now that they have had just a taste, they’re hooked.

Dirty Imbecile by The Happy Fits: Both these poor boys try to put on an air of confidence and ‘having their shit together’, when in reality they’re just trying to find where they belong like everyone else. Together, they no longer have to hide their insecurities, and they can lift each other up and grow as people.

Nobody by Mitzki: Y’all they’re SO LONELY. Even if it won’t fix everything, having someone there to hold you makes it easier to push through the hard times. Also they should just kiss.

Sunlight by Hozier: Caduceus is a ray of sunlight that Wulf never expected to reach him, but now that he’s felt it he can never go back. He’ll do anything to be near him, even sacrifice his own well-being. His life would go up in flames, but it would be entirely worth it.

Like Real People Do by Hozier: (This is Tumblr. There was never gonna be just one Hozier song.) “Why were you digging?/ What did you bury/ before those hands pulled me/ from the earth?” GOOD SHIT. What if we were two people who were struggling to figure out who we are and where belong on this planet, and we kissed. And we were both boys.

Ready Now by dodie: the inherent softness of having someone lead you to recovery. Wulf has a lot of work to do, but Caduceus will be there for him, waiting for when he’s ready.