#expositor dairon

[criticaldaemons]

Mighty Nein

Expositor Dairon & Themis

[stardustedknuckles]

Sheer speculation, but I do actually think it was a late-game realization for Matt that he had backed the Soul into a corner with regards to Beau’s kidnapping, like. I do not think he had the overall integrity of the Soul planned from the word go. I also think it does not matter because it was very clear his intentions with the Soul by the end and when he put together the implications that came with the violence of Beau being dragged away he set it right as the Soul would have. Yes I think it was a “patch,” no I don’t think it cheapens the story even a little. There is a very good chance that initially the Soul was meant to mirror the Assembly in some ways - people with good intentions and evil and everything in between, people harmful to others but helpful to the Nein, people harmful to a single member of the Nein but overall aligned in the same directions even if for selfish reasons. And at some point the story needed the Soul to be more. Beau’s story specifically needed it. They didn’t need to be perfect, just accountable for their own - willing and determined to always be better. I think it still takes a hell of a storyteller to spot that need and fulfill it, late game or no. It is especially masterful to change the weave of a story around a specific character in a way that makes sense and in some ways brings their arc home. Beau was comfortable mistrusting the Soul as an institution, and that had to change if she was going to find real purpose as an Expositor.

(I've been informed that Matt talks about this a bit himself and maybe I'll even watch it, but also I do get a little tired of "well in the OTHER one hundred-plus hours of content, they said...")

[ariadne-mouse]

Expositor Dairon, having successfully infiltrated the Dynasty at great risk and given information back to the Empire, with the need for stealth paramount as local officials are now aware there may be a spy, seeing their wayward student Beauregard fucking Lionett across the tavern: okay, one fist fight

[essektheylyss]

I need to shout out the Quotations section on the wiki page for "A Tangled Web" (2x77) because reading through these in order literally feels like experiencing a "Previously on" edit that gets put before a major plot episode:

Caleb: (speaking of the captured Scourger) I assume she has not had much empathy offered to her. And thus she offers no empathy, nor will she, anymore. But things maybe would be better for me if there had been a little more empathy, and there was not. Jester: But there is now. Beau: This isn't some sort of a weird masochistic self-projection type of thing, is it? Caleb: Oh, why not both? Jester: (speaking of the Traveler) No, it's not a cult! It's an organized religion. We're very powerful, and there's a lot of us followers, and ... Oh, shit, are we a cult? Matt: (as the Scourger) Good men don't conquer. They die and are forgotten. I'll die and be forgotten, but at least I know some of my deeds will have changed the course of history. Matt: (as the Scourger) "What do you want? Why did you come here? None of this is surprising. What do you want from me?" Caleb: Maybe if I could talk plainly with you and see one inch of change, I wouldn't believe we're all damned. Matt: "I hope this lesson has been very useful." Caleb: It has. You've made what I have to do very plain. Jester: (to Caleb) I walk up and I grab his hands. "I just want to say– I just want to say that I know what you went through today in the cell was very, very hard, and probably didn't go the way you were hoping it would. So if you need anyone to talk to about it or anything, I'm here for you, okay?" Beau: (to Dairon) You told me to seek out the corruption. You told me to trust no one. You told me to find the information. I could be fucking wrong, but I'm doing exactly what you told me to do. What YOU told me to do. Fuck the Cobalt Soul. You're the first person who ever fucking believed that I could make something of myself. I don't know who vouched for me over there, but I'm assuming it was you. I've always assumed it was you. Dairon: "I am proud of you. You are a fine Expositor. Which you now are, because I say so." Dairon: (giving advice to Beau) "Pry. Ask. Demand. Extract."

[critter-genfic-events]

This week, we have nine (nein!) fics dedicated to the beginning stages of friendship. Check them out after the cut, and don't forget to kudos or comment if you liked them!

Unnecessary by chockfullofsecrets (2339, General) Warnings: None Pairings: Yussa Errenis & Allura Vysoren

How Allura befriended Yussa

Reccer says: It features a touch-starved lonely Yussa and a slightly-more-well-adjusted but still a little clueless Allura (and her wife, who can explain things to her).

The Glow and Shine of Rotten Wood by sociallychallengednerd (1664, General) Warnings: None Pairings: Essek&Nott

Au where Essek ends up in that jail cell with Nott the Brave instead of Caleb, and the bond forged there.

Reccer says: I just really love the idea of what their relationship would be like if Nott had adopted Essek like that. There's something about imagining a goblin and a drow running around the empire in disguise that just tugs my heart strings.

Light & Shadow by quinn_of_aebradore (2141, General) Warnings: None Pairings: Reanminere "Reani" & Essek Thelyss

Essek teams up with Reani to fight crime

Reccer says: I loved the idea of this teamup since it was hinted at in the C2 finale, and this one really nails Reani's voice

What to Make of Me When I'm Gone by Angel Ascending (1949, General) Warnings: Casual discussion of death Pairings:

The Hells have morbidly adorable bonding session about what they should do with each other's corpses.

Reccer says: This fic perfectly encapsulates the early bonding vibe of a party, especially one as weird as the Hells and could easily slot into canon.

and each falling star changed the song of the sky by grayintogreen (5967, Teen) Warnings: None Pairings: Background Percy/Vex

A chance encounter changes fates. It's never too late to adopt an adventuring party, after all. (Or Percy and Vex adopt the Tombtakers.)

Reccer says: I liked it

disruption and development by ivelostmyspectacles (4062, Teen) Warnings: gender dysphoria around menstruation Pairings: Ashton Greymoore & Orym

Ashton runs off from the group in the middle of Bassuras, Orym follows, and does his best to help

Reccer says: The characterization for both of them is spot on - Ashton running off without expecting anyone to care or follow, Orym doing his best to protect and help

both my broken hands are true by quothhh (1805,Teen) Warnings: None Pairings: Veth Brenatto & Caleb Widogast

An AU where Veth is running an apothecary; and Bren breaks in one night to rob her

Reccer says: It's spot on characterization in an AU, and I love the aggressive Veth's caretaking is.

we're like a song that ends in major key by friendly_ficus (2920, General) Warnings: None Pairings: Yussa Errenis & The Mighty Nein, Yussa Errenis & Allura Vysoren

The Mighty Nein adopts another prickly wizard.

Reccer says: Yussa is the best wet cat wizard, and I love the little glimpses into Yussa's thought processes and relationship with Allura.

mask of many faces by SongOfWizardry (1638, Teen) Warnings: None Pairings: Dairon & Essek Thelyss, Beauregard Lionett & Essek Thelyss

Long after the Xhorhaus, a (disguised) Essek runs into an (undisguised) Expositor Dairon.

Reccer says: Extremely early on in their friendship, but you can imagine them becoming closer after the fic. I love the way that both of them understand what's going on, even if they're careful enough to not say anything explicit

If you liked this rec list, follow along for more! We'll be posting a new list with a new theme each Monday. Want to make your own recs? Check out the rules, and then use the form to submit!

Next week, we'll be reccing fic featuring Molly, Kingsley, or Lucien! Or all three! They're popular in fandom, I hear, so I think there will be some good stuff.

If you're looking for some more, there's some good stuff in the critter genfic bingo tag! Or you can request your own card and join in on the fun!

[burningdarkfire]

today’s WIP wednesday is a little taste of a little taste ... i’ve had this longfic “the m9 never have their inciting incidents” AU idea in my head literally forever and this snippet comes from a short oneshot glimpse into what that world might look like:

Ikithon didn't have Annexes, not in the traditional sense, but he had—people, of some sort, who showed up at the Archives or met with the Expositors on his behalf. Beau had met with Bren and his little cohort twice, and apparently that was enough for Dairon, who assigned her to meet with him again without a second thought. 

"You two get along," she'd said, which was probably code for you're just fast enough to hit him before he gets up to anything too wizardly, and she'd turned back to her little notebook with a frown deep enough that Beau groaned and went off to sulk alone. 

[waltwhitmansbeard]

Empire Kids + "I won't let them put their hands on you”, perhaps?

25. "I won't let them put their hands on you."

Beau paces. She cannot fight, she cannot run, she cannot claw her way through the marble walls of the courthouse in Zadash, so she paces in this tiny antechamber, round and round and round and round until Yasha claims she is going to be ill and steps outside for some water. Beau just cracks her knuckles and continues, her mind whirring into overdrive with the practice questions the lawyer Yudala Fon had assigned to her gave her to answer. She's probably recited the story of her kidnapping to Yasha, to the bathroom mirror, to the midnight stars a thousand times, and yet every time she imagines herself in the courtroom, telling it just one more time in front of everyone (in front of Zeenoth, in front of her father), her tongue becomes a sailor's rope, knotted and briny.

It's stupid, to be so nervous. She is an Expositor. It is her duty to find the truth, and this is a truth, her truth. If she were to approach this like any report she'd give Dairon or Yudala Fon or anyone else at the Cobalt Soul, her insides might not feel like the deck of a ship on choppy seas.

(But she can't, because it's not a report, dispassionate and stale. This is her life, fucked-up and raw and bruised and hers. And she is being asked to go before all of those eyes and be seen? Fuck, this is worse than being kidnapped.)

There's a knock at the door, and Yasha's adorable request for entry, as if Beau would ever say no, okay, that's a nice little distraction. "Yeah."

The door creaks open, and instead of long, wild white hair, a mop of ginger appears, tired blue eyes and three-day scruff just below. "Are you busy?"

Beau lets out an ironic laugh, and finally, she stops her pacing. "No, actually, just thinking about laying down for a nap."

Caleb must take her sarcasm as an invitation, because he steps inside, closing the door behind him. "Yasha is just out in the hall. She seems...well. Not much better than you seem, if I am being honest."

Beau crosses her arms over her chest defensively. "I'm fine. It's whatever. It needs to be done, so I'm doing it."

"Ja, well, we know that sentiment well, no?" Caleb takes the chair that Yasha had abandoned, and somehow, his eyes feels worse than the dozens of unfamiliar one's she about to face. "This is the worst part, I promise."

Beau doesn't need to ask what he means. He's just come off the heels of his own trial, where he stared down the man who undeniably did worse to him than Zeenoth or her father ever thought about doing to her. Her eyes land on the slightly pushed-up sleeves of his jacket, on the few scars she can see. "I just want it over with."

"I know."

"I just wish I could..." She sighs. "I don't know! Write this shit down and have someone else read it. I don't know why it has to be me."

"I know."

"And why do they have to be there?" She doesn't say who she means. She doesn't have to. "I mean, Zeenoth, whatever, fuck that guy, but my dad? And, shit, I have no idea who else from the Soul is gonna show up, and you know that there are more people involved than just Zeenoth, people who aren't gonna like what I have to say. And...you know, with Yasha there, I just..." She stumbles back to slump against the wall. "I just want to go home."

There is a long silence, during which they stare at each other, these two Empire kids, so much bullshit between them, until Caleb rises and crosses the antechamber to stand before her. "You are Beauregard Lionett." He lays his hands atop her forearms and gently pries them apart, and it's only then that she realizes what a death grip she's had on her own torso. "You are the strongest person I have ever met. I am a very smart man—" She rolls her eyes. "—and I am telling you know that of all of the things that I know, the thing I know the most is how capable you are. And you are capable of this."

She's so fucking pissed at the way her eyes prick. "And what if I'm scared?"

"I said you were strong, Beauregard. I did not say you weren't human."

She runs her wrist beneath her nose with a sniffle. "Yeah. Yeah okay. Yeah, fuck them."

"And do not forget, Yasha and I will be in the room with you, ja? I will not let them put their hands on you. Neither of us will. You may stare down the world, Beauregard, but not alone. Never alone."

And much to her own dismay, she throws her arms around his neck, sinking her weight into this scrawny wizard who somehow, when she wasn't looking, became the closest thing she has to family. "Thank you, Caleb."

He squeezes her tight. "Of course. Now, let me go get Yasha before she tears her hair from her head."

Beau lets out a wet laugh and nods, releasing him. "Yeah, okay." And she watches him head for the door, and for the first time today, she thinks that maybe she's gonna be alright.

[critterfloozy]

Summer Wildflowers Reveals and Recs!

I did less for wildflowers than typical this year - it's the first time that I haven't written more than one fic. Mostly because I'm still gearing up for Critter Gen Week (next week!). But I still enjoyed reading through a lot of them, and here's a couple that I enjoyed. Created with the reccing template I created, small plug small plug small plug

Vicissitudes by firefright (1818, General) Pairing/Characters: Essek Thelyss & Verin Thelyss, Background Caleb/Essek Warnings: none

When Verin and Essek were small, perhaps not even eight yet, their mother took them into the sealed vault that lay at the heart of their den to show them their history. Recced because: I enjoy it when Verin is allowed to have some complicated feelings about Essek's growth, and this delivers

mask of many faces by SongOfWizardry (1638, Teen) Pairing/Characters: Dairon & Essek Thelyss, Beauregard Lionett & Essek Thelyss Warnings: None

Long after the Xhorhaus, a (disguised) Essek runs into an (undisguised) Expositor Dairon. Recced because: Literally and figuratively written for me! I love the little subterfuge and tension between Dairon and Essek, and the amount of double speak going on between the two.

driftwood and light by Windward_wings (3220, General) Pairing/Characters: Fjord & The Mighty Nein, Beauregard Lionett & Nott | Veth Brenatto, Jester Lavorre & Kingsley Tealeaf, The Mighty Nein & Original Character(s) Warnings: None

Tavi's lived in the Driftwood Asylum in Port Damali for as long as she can remember, and there have never been any other tieflings besides her. And today, there are two of them, talking with the Headmaster, and that's how everything begins to change forever. Recced because: It's everything I would want for orphanage heist - the POV character is darling, and the fic is very sweet.

Just Swim Towards the Storm by CitizenMocha (2603,Teen) Pairing/Characters: Fjord & Nott Warnings: None

Fjord takes first watch and Nott picks at her wounds. Recced because: The characterization is just right - both funny and allowing for depth underneath

fata morgana by quanshi (burningdarkfire) (1877,Teen) Pairing/Characters: Astrid Beck/Jester Lavorre Warnings: None

An attack on the Tide's Breath leaves Astrid and Jester stranded, together, alone with their secrets. Recced because: It's got a great dynamic between a serious mastermind Astrid and a trickster Jester. I also love the little bits of worldbuilding in the background of this AU.

And then there's mine:

Sick Leave (2518,General) Pairing/Characters: Caduceus Clay & Kingsley Tealeaf Warnings: None

Kingsley sends Caduceus a message when he's feeling ill. He's the only one Kingsley trusts. Author's note: The prompt was for soft Caduceus and Kingsley, and the Writer's Corner suggested some hurt/comfort to help achieve that dynamic. I think this is the first hurt/comfort I've written? It was fun thinking of reasons why he wouldn't just cast cure disease without making it too serious, plus letting Kingsley have some post-fever/post-migraine euphoria, which is a trip (I got the post-fever version after my last covid vaccine).

[romeoandjulietyouwish]

Empire Sibling Neighbor AU AU Where the Ermundruds escaped (either on their own or with help) and, not realizing who had done it are put into protective custody/witness protection within the Cobalt Soul (maybe the Soul knows it was Bren, but they lost track of Bren when was put in the Asylum) And it's Dairon who sees Beau and Caleb and puts 2 and 2 together at some point, and just sighs. For the most hilarity, having it happen in the Xhorhaus, the house the Nein were given by the Dynasty.

Okay wait that's so good omg

Like Una and Leofric are just like, absolutely the fuck now we're not going into protective custody, take us to see Bren right the fuck now. But the Soul can't find him and Beau doesn't even know that they're alive. Dairon is one of the few expositors who knows that the Ermundruds survived, she has no idea that Beau knows them.

And when she reunites them...when she brings Beau and Caleb to their hidden house, the two of them are holding hands as tight as they possibly can. Neither of them even dare to believe that Dairon is telling them the truth.

But then the door opens and it's real Una just bursts into tears and Leofric can do nothing but stare for a few seconds before they welcome them in.

[isagrimorie]

It just struck me whatever happens in the M9 reunion may or may not directly affect what will happen in campaign 3.

From what I understand Beau mentioned that Cerberus Assembly and Ludinus have been quiet.

Since we’re watching Bells Hells 7 years into the future, we know it’s not true.

And we all know Beau and Caleb are like dogs with a bone, they’re not going to drop it. So now I’m curious what happened.

Is the reason why CA branched out to Marquet is because Beau and Caleb have been hampering operations?

Do they need the power of Apogee Solstice to regain / gain more arcane power?

Or, did something happen to Beau and Caleb? (I hope not!).

I might not have been watching C2 all the way through but I have hunted down scenes where Beau was being an awesome Expositor. So I want both empire kids to succeed

Although, CA being so entrenched is not something that can be destroyed in just 7 years. It’s an institution with a lot of influence and moving parts.

But I also wonder if some more people from C3 will make an appearance to help Bells Hells as a resource, like maybe if not Beau but Dairon?

Whatever happens in the reunion might affect things in C3, and I’m interested to know how.

[gaygoetia]

Stage 1 of the Tumblr Sexywoman Tournament 2023 is complete!! See the results here.

It's time for the finals!

PS sorry for coming back to this so late. Life has been hectic.

*All artwork sourced from the Critical Role Wiki.

[ss117]

🦄 And #️⃣ for the ask game! :D

🦄 Favourite M9 polymorph Jester and Caleb polymorphing into bats with Reani and just being OBSESSED with bread, followed up by Caleb being an Ape desperately checking in on Beau after the fight with Obann.

#️⃣ Favourite episode

I would LOVE to see e86 The Cathedral animated. It has "It evokes imagery you've seen before." Just. All of it. I can't think of any other individual episode, just parts of some. Like 97, the Fancy and the Fooled, with Beau and Fjord. Or Dairon promoting Beau to Expositor in 77, A Tangled Web.

[stardustedknuckles]

The crossed wires on Beau leaving the Soul are so frustrating. That's my girl and the details we have directly conflict. Beau ran away. Beau was expelled. Dairon fought that expulsion. Dairon met Beau when Zeenoth enlisted them to track her down, not before. She'd only barely heard of expositors. Zeenoth had no reason to track her down. She was right. She was doing them (him) a favor bailing when the money stopped.

I choose to believe the later edition of the story (expulsion) because it's the version that had time to bake and take shape but UGH. Such is the nature of improv.

[fwishbone]

gay+trans elves :-)

[essektheylyss]

Trick or treat

hello! since this has been jossed to high hell and back, this was the beginning of a fic I was going to write the wild political and espionage systems across Wildemount, I think before the one-shot was even announced. feat. Oliver Schreiber my beloved, who is the only real thing I could've asked for in the one-shot that I didn't get.

The fading golden sun of the Rexxentrum dusk caught upon the veneer of magic hanging in the air, disappearing into the horizon as far as the eye could see, hanging sharp as a sword’s tip over a single figure upon a nondescript rooftop.

They released a great sigh as a trap door clattered open with little subtlety, and a glowering gnome crossed to stand beside them, already in the process of lighting a cigar.

“Smoke?” came the gruff, monosyllabic offer from the personal aid of a long line of kings, Oliver Schreiber.

Dairon closed her eyes for just one beat. Exasperation was an emotion they preferred to showcase from afar, and she held herself in check. “No, thank you.”

Schreiber shrugged, puffing into the cigar and smashing the spent match beneath the heel of his finely made boot. “Suit yourself.”

Dairon had not smoked since they were a youth, but truth be told, if there ever was a time she regretted disavowing the habit, now was certainly a compelling candidate. “I presume you have similar… concerns to report.”

“Concerns is a fucking understatement.” They’d never heard the king’s aid swear within the boundaries of Castle Ungebroch; he seemed to bottle it up to spew all at once outside of royal earshot. “Half of the gods-damned wards my folks had seem to be useless all of a sudden.”

“Have you spoken with any members of the Assembly?”

“Considering it’s been about half an hour, no, I haven’t exactly gotten that far. I’m sure their calendars are booked out clear through next Horisal if I had to guess, given the run around I’ve gotten from those bastards of late.” The cloying scent of tobacco on the air, wafting up from Schreiber’s rather smaller stature, was alluring. Just that whiff settled Dairon’s nerves for a moment.

She held out a hand, and Schreiber slapped a cigar into it, though they’d barely had a moment with which to identify where he’d pulled it from. Regardless, she held it between her gritted teeth and lit it.

“In any case, you lot having similar problems?”

Dairon’s thumb strayed to a ring on their right hand—rendered useless by whatever the fuck had also destroyed the Rexxentrum Archive’s teleportation circles in one fell swoop, and their sending stones to boot. “Yes. And some of my best people are in the wind at the moment.”

“You and me both,” he grunted, and she shook her head.

“Those in Xhorhas and the Coast will be fine,” they said. “My expositor was tracking the Martinet to the site of what was claimed to be an archeological excavation in the desert of Marquet.”

Schreiber raised a bushy eyebrow for the first time. This must have been the first new information he’d gotten out of the conversation yet. “Da’leth?”

“That would be the Martinet’s name, yes.”

[rockinsappho]

“No, I didn't agree to shit. You took me in because I'm assuming my father paid you a pretty nice sum of coin to make sure that you took me in”

Campaign 2 Episode 04 starts around 2:13:00 || Beauregard, Zeenoth, and Dairon

—

Since the last episode I wanted to compile the moments where Beau mentioned something and Dairon realized something was off with Zeenoth ! :)