#widogasts web of words spoilers

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

Spider

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/RcLwmxY by The_Penitent -- Not a compilation of one shots, this is a crossover fic -- The intertwined story of teenage villain/vigilante Gwen Stacy and teenage Ward Miles Morales as they try to unravel a series of mysteries and save the people they care about most as New York, and maybe their entire universe, crumbles around them. -- This is a first person AU fic, following Undersider Gwen and Ward Miles, who alternate as Protagonists each arc (Gwen odds, Miles evens). It takes place in the world of Worm, but every named character in Worm has been replaced by a different character from one of the sources in the tags. I explain a lot about sources in the text, only vague familiarity with Gwen and Miles is recommended, everything else is explained, you don't need to know all the sources to follow this. To see a full list of characters in this fic, go here, beware of mild spoilers: https://ift.tt/QSaJxwC Words: 10261, Chapters: 2/?, Language: English Fandoms: Parahumans Series - Wildbow, Spider-Man: Spider-Verse (Sony Animated Movies), RWBY, Invincible (Cartoon 2021), Life is Strange (Video Game), The Legend of Vox Machina (Cartoon), 重返未来：1999 | Reverse: 1999 (Video Game), Critical Role (Web Series), Red vs. Blue, Nemesis - April Daniels, Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika | Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Batman (Comics), Marvel's Spider-Man (Insomniac Games Video Games) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: F/F, F/M Characters: Gwen Stacy | Spider-Gwen, Miles Morales, Ruby Rose (RWBY), Maxine "Max" Caulfield, Percival "Percy" Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III, Agent Texas | AI Program Beta, Mark Grayson | Invincible, Peni Parker (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse), Agent Carolina (Red vs. Blue), Danielle "Danny" Tozer | Dreadnought, Rachel Amber, Tim Drake, Keyleth (Critical Role), Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, Yang Xiao Long, George Stacy, Jefferson Morales (Earth-1610), Rio Morales, Aaron Davis (Earth-1610), Ganke Lee, Peter B. Parker (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse), Omni-Man | Nolan Grayson, Bruce Wayne, Hobie Brown, Caleb Widogast, Salem (RWBY), Miguel O'Hara, Ludinus Da'leth, Wilson Fisk, Adam Taurus, Dick Grayson, Anna Ripley, Vertin (Reverse: 1999), Schneider (Reverse: 1999), Leonard L. Church | AI Program Alpha, Vex'ahlia (Critical Role), Atom Eve | Eve Wilkins Relationships: Miles Morales/Gwen Stacy | Spider-Gwen, Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee, Percival "Percy" Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III/Vex'ahlia, Leonard L. Church | AI Program Alpha/Agent Texas | AI Program Beta, Schneider/Vertin (Reverse: 1999), Atom Eve | Eve Wilkins/Mark Grayson | Invincible Additional Tags: Crossover, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Slow Burn, Angst, Secret Identity, POV First Person, POV Multiple, Moral Ambiguity, Domestic Violence, Adam Taurus Being an Asshole, Trauma, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Not A Compilation, Worm-Inspired, Undersider!Gwen Stacy, Ward!Miles Morales read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/RcLwmxY

[qfantasydragon]

So its the end of the semester and I have been writing Too Many Essays of academic bs and am probably over-analyzing this but its been bouncing around in my head all day so now y’all get to look at it so I can think of other things

Last night I was watching critical role’s narrative telephone and got to Widogast’s Web of Words and after about five minutes of laughing as the other cast members retold the story I had a lightbulb moment spawned, as I said, by too many goddamn essays

“Hey wait a minute. This seems suspiciously Caleb-as-a-volstrucker related.” And the more that thought bounced around my head, the more connections I found, so hear me out:

First off right at the beginning the story, he says “most think of it as a fairy tale to frighten children, but the wise know better.” We know from previous in-game discussion that the voltstrucker are mostly regarded as a spooky story or urban legend within the empire. Exactly the kind of thing you would use to entertain kids. But the smart and the higher up would know that the voltstrucker exist.

So my theory: the three children are Caleb, Astrid, and whats-his-face, Eadwulf, and boy does it mushroom out from there.

The parents told the children to “say their prayers, serve their king, and always walk in the light of the sun” (Liam). We don’t know a ton about Caleb’s parents, but we do know that they were very patriotic. There’s also a lot of talk about the Dawnfather, Pelor, in the first bit, who is neutral good according to the critical role wiki (thanks guys) and one of whose commandments is “deliver the light of the Dawnfather...with kindness, compassion, and mercy” (the wiki). He is also the god of agriculture and a popular focus of worship of the common folk (the wiki). So this is Caleb and classmates before Ikithon, living small town, commoner lives, still full of empathy/kindness/etc.

Then comes the leaving their prayers and going into the dark woods bit, which to me sounds like leaving home, and the way of doing things there, to go to Rexxentrum. Stepping away from the Dawnfather, away from the empathy/kindness thing and the common folk way of life. But at the moment it is still possible for them to return home, unharmed, unchanged. The line describing the woods, “so vast and full of mystery...the desire for knowledge beckoned them. They no longer walked in the light of the sun” sounds like Caleb wanting to learn more about magic and diving headfirst into Soltryce Academy, starting to lose sight of what morality his parents taught him.

Now the children are linking hands as they go through the woods, i.e., Caleb, Astrid, and Eadwulf becoming friends at the Academy. The counting-their-steps-as-they-go thing..well. I couldn’t find any information, but I personally would be very curious how many years the average student spends at the Academy and at what year Ikithon started training them.

Now the children meet the hag, who is described as being the land and is hungry. The being the land bit would mean the hag is representative of the empire, and the fact that she is hungry could represent the Empire’s hunger for power. She says she must eat in order for the land to thrive, i.e., the Empire must gain power in order for it to thrive. This can be done through straightforward battle (eating one of the children whole), but that would eventually cause unrest throughout the empire (our parents would surely despair). That leaves espionage, which is the route the hag symbolically takes.

(Campaign 2 spoilers and interesting side note: who have the might nein recently met who strikes harsh, terrible deals in exchange for double-edged results? a hag. who does Caleb choose to represent what’s going on with the volstruckers? a hag)

The children are frozen in fear (?) (i don’t speak german and the word used sounds like angst and it makes sense so im rolling with it), or the children are restrained as the hag steps forward with her “stone knife.” Hello Caleb being pressured by someone more powerful than him, strapped to a table, and crystals shoved in his arms, how you doing today?

Now the children start losing bits of themselves-- the first his brain, and his thoughts “were no longer his own.” This is Ikithon breaking one of them, im going to say Eadwulf for drama reasons, so that they where were nothing more than a tool, a weapon to be used as Ikithon saw fit.

The second child, and Liam uses female pronouns here and it makes sense so this is Astrid, loses one of her eyes and she “never saw true again.” This is fun because (campaign 2 spoilers) at this point Caleb has already spoken to Astrid and found her viewpoint completely in line with Ikithon’s, with ambitions to take his place one day. Loosing an eye messes with depth perception, or perspective, so Astrid’s perspective is wrong, but her thoughts are still her own as she still has plans outside of what Ikithon wants from her.

The last child looses his heart and “he never knew love again.” Liam uses those exact words and that is important. Its not ‘he could never love again’ which is what would make sense with the loss of a heart, its “he never knew love again”. It is Caleb’s own self-loathing talking. The lost heart is Caleb’s deceased family and all the trauma that came with that loss. Caleb, of the three of them, sees Ikithon clearly and his thoughts are still his own, but he no longer believes himself worthy of love and is a terrified to form relationships, to love, because of how badly that burned him (haha puns) last time.

Another interesting note: This scene occurred in a forest. The Vergesson Sanatorium, where Caleb and crew trained and where Caleb was imprisoned/held was in a forest. (Coincidence? I think not)

The hag says now the land will flourish and the wheat will grow. In other words, thanks to the sacrifice of the children, the empire will flourish and the common folk, the wheat, (see: connections to Pelor, god of the common folk, agriculture, light and goodness) will grow. She releases the children on the condition that they send her their children, and their children’s children and on down the line. Or, more children join the volstruckers, more children are warped and twisted and maimed so that the land, the kingdom, the empire will continue to grow. So that the common folk and the people of the light can continue, unaware that it lies on a foundation of blood and bone.

Throughout the story there is a recurring emphasis that these are children. That they are young and foolish, and yes they messed up but they did not deserve to meet the monster they did. They did not deserve what happened to them. Again, that is Caleb, at his core angry about what was done to him and his friends, and willing to do whatever it takes to set it right.

....

Like I said! Too many goddamn essays. I don’t know if other people have already made this connection or whether Liam O’Brien has confirmed it but I wanted to yell about it for a bit.

If it was intentional, that’s a lot of symbolism in two-ish minutes, and its amazing and incredible.

If it was unintentional, that was an amazing grim-brothers-esque fairytale and I loved it.

If any of y’all have actual social media and know the answer let me know please.

[freawaru2020]

Widogast’s Web of Words

Narrative Telephone Ep. 4

Every Junge and Mädchen of the Empire knows the story of of the dreaded Waldhexe. Most think it is a tale to frighten children, but the wise know better.

Once there were three good children who walked in the light of the Dawnfather. So noble were they their parents could not help but look upon them with stoltz in their hearts.

“Stay close to us Lieblings, say your prayers, serve your king, and always walk in the light of the sun.” 

And so they did for a time. But children are children, and one day they left their prayers and wandered to the edge of the wood so vast and full of mystery. And though their parents had warned them from ever setting foot in the wildnis, the desire for knowledge beckoned them.

Now they no longer walked in the sun. Soon they could see almost nothing. Linking hands, they began to count their steps: eins, zwei, drei, vier, fünf.

And then in the darkness they heard a voice.

“Hunger.”

There before them limped a spindly old crone, hair matted with dirt and twig.

“Who are you, Großmutter, and what are you doing in these woods?”

“I am these woods, Kind. I am the land and the mountains too, and I hunger. So I think I will eat one of you!” 

“Oh please, Großmutter, our parents would surely despair!”

 “I must eat for the land to thrive. If I am not to eat one of you then I shall eat part of all.”

The children, frozen in angst, watched the Waldhexe step forward, stone knife in hand. From one boy she cut out much of his mind and ate it, and his thoughts were no longer his own. From the second, a girl, she cut out one eye, and this too the Waldhexe ate, and the child never saw true again. And from the last she swallowed his heart, and he never knew love again.

“Now I am fed, Kinder, and the land will flourish, and wheat can grow. You may go, as long as you send me your children and their children after them. Thus will your blood and bones nourish the land, and your kingdom can continue to grow.”

And so it has for years upon years...

...unto this very day.

[catalists]

RATING: T ARCHIVE WARNINGS: No Archive Warnings Apply CHAPTERS: 1/1 WORDS: 2,522 RELATIONSHIPS: Essek Thelyss/Caleb Widogast CHARACTERS: Essek Thelyss, Caleb Widogast ADDITIONAL TAGS: Conversations, Plans For The Future, Angst, Spoilers for Episode: c02e140, Canon-Typical Fatalism, Essek Thelyss Needs a Hug, Caleb Widogast Needs a Hug, One Shot, Canon Compliant            

FIC SUMMARY:

“What happened to there is always a way, Essek Thelyss?”

---

In the Blooming Grove, Essek and Caleb talk about the future, or lack thereof.

[defilerwyrm]

The farther I fall I’m beside you

By Defiler_Wyrm

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply Category: M/M Fandom: Critical Role (Web Series) Relationship: Essek Thelyss/Caleb Widogast Characters: Caleb Widogast, Essek Thelyss, Caduceus Clay, Beauregard Lionett, Jester Lavorre Additional Tags: Spoilers, Getting Together, Fluff, Canon-Typical Violence, Love Confessions, Existential Crisis, Canonical Character Death, canonical resurrection, First Kiss, Social Anxiety, Essek “Useless Homosexual” Thelyss, No beta we die like tieflings Language: English | Words: 1896 | Chapters:  1/1

Summary: In the Blooming Grove, Caleb contemplates death, and life, and what he wants from them.

[ao3feed-shadowgast]

The Shadowhand Becomes A Baker

by eeveev

A drabble that became a little more than a drabble, based on Essek twitter’s reaction to our new favorite c3 NPC.

Minor spoilers for c3e4, so you might want to watch that first. It's not strictly necessary, but it will provide some added context for the running joke.

Words: 2170, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Critical Role (Web Series)

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: M/M

Characters: Essek Thelyss, Caleb Widogast

Relationships: Essek Thelyss/Caleb Widogast

Additional Tags: Minor Campaign 3 spoilers, Like very minor, it's mostly a silly theory but, You Have Been Warned, Campaign 3 Episode 4, Crack, Kinda?, but also soft, Domestic Fluff, Essek is a closet romantic, love is stored in the pastries

source https://archiveofourown.org/works/35107072

[potatoesandsunshine]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Critical Role (Web Series) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Caduceus Clay & Caleb Widogast Characters: Caduceus Clay, Caleb Widogast Additional Tags: Spoilers for Episode 130, Friendship, Angst, Dialogue Heavy, Missing Scene, like... it COULD have happened, Caduceus Clay Needs a Hug, glad to see we have a tag for this. anyway, caleb in the role of "how to tell your friends you love them without saying the words", caduceus in the role of "had a no good very bad day" Summary:

“I cannot offer any advice, when it comes to family.” “I know.” “Ah, but I am something of an expert when it comes to falling apart.” (Beau stares blank-eyed at the gravestone. Above the dome, the rain falls.)

[karinamay]

Pairing: Caleb Widogast/Jester Lavorre (Widojest) Rating: Explicit (for explicit sexual content. a lot.) Word count: 1480 (a short one before I bow out of this series of filth)  No spoilers

"Good morning, handsome," Jester said, grinning. "Morning," Caleb managed. "Have I ever told you you look really hot when you've just woken up?" Jester asked, brushing his hair out of his face. Caleb chuckled. "That's a lie."

In which Jester finds creative ways to wake Caleb up.

[autistic-caleb-widogast]

I posted 1,212 times in 2021

16 posts created (1%)

1196 posts reblogged (99%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 74.8 posts.

I added 409 tags in 2021

#cr spoilers - 296 posts

#dimension 20 - 34 posts

#taz - 28 posts

#critical role - 14 posts

#exu - 8 posts

#alex watches critical role - 8 posts

#c3e1 - 7 posts

#god tier designs op - 5 posts

#caleb widogast - 5 posts

#wizards my beloveds - 4 posts

Longest Tag: 138 characters

#didn't expect them to suddenly become anarchists but if the characters themselves were not bound by the casts politics...just let me dream

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

hi!! 🔥🌸? if you'd like to

Oh dear, would I ever! Favourite Caleb Moment. You want me, tumblr user autistic-caleb-widogast, to choose my favorite moment of my favorite character out of truly more than 500 hours? You get how this is an impossible task? Lol I will try though!

From the top of my head, there are the accent bits. Eldritsch Bläääst. Of course. But now for (probably wayyy too many) top hits in roughly chronological order:

I truly love the hand flapping and happy excitement at Notts first message! Iconic!

His absolutely flat monotone delivery of "I'm gonna tell you the story of how I murdered my mother and father", and Notts little "oh" ... OUCH!

The "We all have extreme syphilis"... Iconic.

Winning the drinking contest and being a silly drunk!

The HDYWDT against their first big bad, Lorenzo! At a live show! With a cantrip!!!! I-con-ic!...

"I'm tired. We're all tired. Buuuuuut... I'll get to work if I have to" Iconic.

The nat 20 for deciphering Avantikas coded book! Iconic!

WALL OF FIREEEEE!!!!!! COUNTERSPELL!!! need I say more! What's sexier than wizards! Nothing!

Getting shaved by Yasha with her anti-magic-user sword!

"Light them up, pretty"... Setting his party on blast while mind controlled and almost dying during the fight... Blood effects on max... (I actually tracked his health during that fight and wowie I almost passed out right along with him it was so stressful. Definitely my favorite fight of the m9.)...

HANDING OVER THE BEACON!!!! CLUTCH!!! WHAT A MOVE OH MY GOD!!!

"making vulnerability look easy" when Beau needs to rest but does not want to say so and he pretends he needs to...

The scourger interrogation "Some of us get tired of macabre fairy tales. So enjoy your mouthful of lies before they choke it out of you"... Getting slashed and allowing Essek to crush the scourger...

Initiating the entire party piling all their magical objects on depowered Fjord...

"I wanna roleplay Fish and chips!"

Getting 3 spells from essek on a 13 persuasion... Sexy.

HDYWDT on the laughing hand by Widogasts Web of Fire!!

Seeming shenanigans with Fjord and a robe.

"I'm the transmutation wizard, but you're the one who changes people"!

Making the spell for the ReVethification with Essek and Nott!

The Essek confrontation... "You were not born with venom in your veins" "Maybe you and I are both damned, but we can choose to do something and leave it better than it was before" STANDING OVATION! (I watched that one live and it was extremely good. 97 is probably my favorite C2 episode.)

Putting on a show for Traveler Con!

Blasting his friends into snow drifts!

This nine sided Tower can fit so much love for Caleb's friends in it!

Der Katzenprinz!

Gravity Sinkhole! At the Sanatory. Such a nice quiet inconspicuous spell.

Generally, Caleb going feral during that fight lol. (loved that ep.) Nat 20 counterspell against Trent!!!

The fact that he didn't die until the final fight! Like... Try keeping a wizard alive that long lol, it's hard!

Overall I love his growth! In his relationships with the m9, especially Beau! Being practically unable to talk a few words with her without a heavy misunderstanding, sharing awkward apology hugs, to sharing whole conversations and building each other up... being the empire siblings... Going from being alone and unattached and privately afraid and hiding from Ikithon, to begrudgingly accepting he has real friends now, who he can't save from his backstory, and who are ready to fight for and with him... And saying he is back on his feet... Dare I say poetic cinema.

As for Caduceus,

his divine interventions PLURAL,

him dropping absolutely raw lines on Trent Ikithon,

him being cute with Luc,

and his journey with Fjord, mentoring him and converting him to becoming a Paladin of Melora.

Sorry there's not a thousand moments like I did for Caleb, I love Cad too, but I'm a Caleb Stan first and foremost.

If you don't wanna read all this I understand lol, but hey. You ask a Caleb Stan account about their favorite moments, this is what you get lol

29 notes • Posted 2021-06-02 20:59:04 GMT

#4

43 notes • Posted 2021-03-26 15:53:51 GMT

#3

Laura to Taliesin: ahaa don't be sad king, your dice are sparkly and your damage is huge

74 notes • Posted 2021-01-29 13:11:23 GMT

#2

Holy shit the peak ND energy of making a joke that's only perceivable as such via insight check...

104 notes • Posted 2021-05-21 08:57:36 GMT

#1

Episode 13: the gentleman (a powerful, dangerous slave trader) intimidates the m9 into giving him their blood

Episode 130: jester gives the gentleman (her father) fashion advice after parent trapping him

457 notes • Posted 2021-03-19 02:32:47 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

[arcane-cosmetics]

Rating: T (liable to change)

Fandom: Critical Role (Campaign 2)

Relationship: Nott | Veth Brenatto/Caleb Widogast

Additional Tags: Mutual Pining, Minor Yeza Brenatto/Nott | Veth Brenatto, Luc Brenatto mentions, chapter 1 Veth character study, character death mention, spoilers for Nott backstory, Canon Divergent, spoilers up to 2x97

Summary:

Caleb had imagined every way this interaction could logically go, calculated every move and every word in the overly practiced speech he had prepared, planned for any and every reaction Veth could have. Now, finally standing here with her, as Veth stared up at him—his mind drew a blank.

Read it on AO3

“Oh.” Caleb’s voice hung suspended in air for a moment. Time seemed to stop. He felt as if all the breath in his lungs had been punched out of him when the door swung open—the door he had been standing in front of for exactly 1 hour 28 minutes and 42 seconds.

Caleb rubbed his forearms and ran his hands through his hair, stalling, before finally breaking the awkward silence that would understandably follow finding a man standing outside a woman’s room unwarranted at 3:14 in the morning.

“Ah, Veth, I am—I am sorry to disturb you. May—may I come in?”

“Oh! Oh, of course! I’m sorry, please come in!” Veth’s eyes were wide and ringed in dark circles, making the yellow of her irises all the more stark. She stood unmoving a second longer before suddenly realizing her inactivity and quickly opening the door wider to allow her visitor access.

Caleb nodded solemnly before briskly stepping into the room, eyes forward as if walking into battle. The door made a soft click behind him and the barely audible sound of small feet padded up beside him. Caleb had imagined every way this interaction could logically go, calculated every move and every word in the overly practiced speech he had prepared, planned for any and every reaction Veth could have. Now, finally standing here with her, as Veth stared up at him with concern and confusion written across her brow, clad in a delicate nightgown he had never seen her in and—scheisse, the room even smelled like her—his mind drew a blank.

Veth’s raspy voice broke through the white noise that had overtaken his brain. “Caleb? Is something wrong? You don’t look so good. Do you need some water? Do you need to lay down?”

She reached for a pitcher of water and a glass from her bedside table. Caleb interrupted, much louder and harsher than he meant to.

“Nein. Nein, I am okay. I just—” He took a deep breath. “Never mind that. I came to speak with you, Veth.”

Every muscle in his body was tense in expectation of her telling him to go, saying how inappropriate it was to be in her room so late at night, especially with her husband right down the hall. Caleb could not look at her. His eyes were instead fixed on the nightstand at her side. He was afraid if he saw her he would lose his nerve, that all of this would become real, that—that tonight was the last night he would see his best friend, that when morning came he would never be able to call her name again. That tomorrow he would finally reunite her with her family, and for the second time in his life, destroy his own.

“Oh.”

Caleb’s vision shot to Nott—Veth’s—face. He had barely heard her speak, her voice was so quiet, with a softness tempered only by her surprise.

“Well, alright Caleb. What’s up?”

She sat on the edge of the bed, her gentle surprise hardened once again into concern. Something else, a different emotion, played along the edges of her mouth which pressed into a thin line. Was it fear Caleb saw there? Was she scared of him? Of being alone with him? He should not have looked at her so directly. His thoughts were swirling—an unfathomable cacophony of self-doubt and loathing.

Again, Veth’s voice is able to cut through the tumult of his mind.

“Caleb, are you sure you’re alright? Why don’t you come sit down?”

Caleb took a deep breath and straightened his shoulders. He marched over to the bed, a foot or so away from where Veth sat. His posture was rigid as he sank into the soft down mattress. He was starting to get a headache.

“I—I have been meaning to have this conversation with you for a long time now. The timing never seemed right; there were always more pressing business to attend to, it seemed. Or so I told myself. Now, though,” He gave a half hearted chuckle. “it is the eleventh hour, so to speak.”

Veth’s eyes fervently searched his face. Caleb had been looking at his hands while he spoke, clamping them together so as not to pick at his scars. He didn’t need to look up, though, to feel her penetrating gaze burning into his skin.

“I have been scared of this conversation, of even acknowledging the need for it.” Caleb was well aware he had not stated what this conversation was about yet. He wasn’t purposefully trying to stall, but the words stuck in his throat, on the verge of choking him. “I was afraid if—if I told you my feelings, everything would change and it did not seem fair of me to push my feelings onto you. It would seem that change is coming whether I like it or not. And I do not want to have been dishonest with my very best friend.” Caleb takes one of her hands in both of his own. His long, pale hands were such a contrast to her small green claws. Veth’s hands had a comforting warmth against his cold palms.

“Everyday since I have met you has been better for it. More full of joy and laughter and—and life than I ever thought would be possible for someone like me.”

Veth opened her mouth to protest what he had just said, probably to say he deserved all those things or that he should not be so self-deprecating. But he could not stop, it was all spilling forth now, like a dam had broken inside him and he could not halt the rushing of the oncoming tide, even if he tried.

“Please, Veth, I—I need to get this out before I no longer can. Please. I cannot imagine who I would be without you. You have very literally kept me sane. You have encouraged me and believed in me when I was a broken shell of a man who did not have a penny to his name. Who was so racked with trauma he could barely speak. I could not have made a good traveling companion and yet—you stayed. We slept on the side of the road huddled together for warmth, and then slowly that convenience changed to comfort and routine. You showed an interest in what little magic I could do, and it lit something in me that had been dormant for so long. A passion and an excitement. To me it was obvious how smart you were, even then. How capable and how much potential you had. Your hunger for knowledge was something I could relate to.

“So much has happened since those days. When I saw you die while we were in The Folding Halls of Halas, my world shattered. I held your lifeless body in my arms. A million thoughts ran through my mind in that instant of how I could get you out of there, how I could bring you back to me. I could not do anything to save you! If Jester had not been able to bring you back, I—ah scheisse—”

Caleb took in a shuddering breath to calm himself. He could feel Veth rubbing comforting circles into the back of his hand.

“I would have been completely lost. I am a selfish man, Veth. I have no right to say any of this to you. You have a husband and a son that love you very much. Who I will return you to no matter what the personal cost. I will not ask you to feel as I do, but please know, I would not be Caleb Widowgast without you. You have stoked the fire inside me that I had long thought burnt to ash and blown away in the wind. I am forever grateful to you. Everyday we are together I am closer to the man I want to be. For myself and—and also for you.”

Caleb’s eyes connected with Veth. Electricity instantly flowed between them. The room felt as if a single stray spark would set everything ablaze sending the Chateau burning down around them.

“I love you, Veth the Brave.”

[thatsparrow]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Critical Role (Web Series) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Relationships: Astrid & Eodwulf  Characters: Astrid, Eodwulf, Trent Ikithon Additional Tags: Implied/Referenced Torture, Spoilers: Episode 128, Past Astrid/Caleb Widogast, Words: 3,470

Astrid and Eadwulf are together when the message comes through, Trent's voice a sudden presence among her own thoughts in a manner that used to startle Astrid when she was younger and only sends a ripple of annoyance through her now.

Bren came to Vergessen today. I'd like a word with him, but you remember his stubbornness. He's bound for Nicodranas — meet me there. 

[spoilers: episode 128]

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

Spider

by The_Penitent -- Not a compilation of one shots, this is a crossover fic -- The intertwined story of teenage villain/vigilante Gwen Stacy and teenage Ward Miles Morales as they try to unravel a series of mysteries and save the people they care about most as New York, and maybe their entire universe, crumbles around them. -- This is a first person AU fic, following Undersider Gwen and Ward Miles, who alternate as Protagonists each arc (Gwen odds, Miles evens). It takes place in the world of Worm, but every named character in Worm has been replaced by a different character from one of the sources in the tags. I explain a lot about sources in the text, only vague familiarity with Gwen and Miles is recommended, everything else is explained, you don't need to know all the sources to follow this. To see a full list of characters in this fic, go here, beware of mild spoilers: https://ift.tt/QSaJxwC Words: 10261, Chapters: 2/?, Language: English Fandoms: Parahumans Series - Wildbow, Spider-Man: Spider-Verse (Sony Animated Movies), RWBY, Invincible (Cartoon 2021), Life is Strange (Video Game), The Legend of Vox Machina (Cartoon), 重返未来：1999 | Reverse: 1999 (Video Game), Critical Role (Web Series), Red vs. Blue, Nemesis - April Daniels, Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika | Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Batman (Comics), Marvel's Spider-Man (Insomniac Games Video Games) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: F/F, F/M Characters: Gwen Stacy | Spider-Gwen, Miles Morales, Ruby Rose (RWBY), Maxine "Max" Caulfield, Percival "Percy" Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III, Agent Texas | AI Program Beta, Mark Grayson | Invincible, Peni Parker (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse), Agent Carolina (Red vs. Blue), Danielle "Danny" Tozer | Dreadnought, Rachel Amber, Tim Drake, Keyleth (Critical Role), Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, Yang Xiao Long, George Stacy, Jefferson Morales (Earth-1610), Rio Morales, Aaron Davis (Earth-1610), Ganke Lee, Peter B. Parker (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse), Omni-Man | Nolan Grayson, Bruce Wayne, Hobie Brown, Caleb Widogast, Salem (RWBY), Miguel O'Hara, Ludinus Da'leth, Wilson Fisk, Adam Taurus, Dick Grayson, Anna Ripley, Vertin (Reverse: 1999), Schneider (Reverse: 1999), Leonard L. Church | AI Program Alpha, Vex'ahlia (Critical Role), Atom Eve | Eve Wilkins Relationships: Miles Morales/Gwen Stacy | Spider-Gwen, Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee, Percival "Percy" Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III/Vex'ahlia, Leonard L. Church | AI Program Alpha/Agent Texas | AI Program Beta, Schneider/Vertin (Reverse: 1999), Atom Eve | Eve Wilkins/Mark Grayson | Invincible Additional Tags: Crossover, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Slow Burn, Angst, Secret Identity, POV First Person, POV Multiple, Moral Ambiguity, Domestic Violence, Adam Taurus Being an Asshole, Trauma, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Not A Compilation, Worm-Inspired, Undersider!Gwen Stacy, Ward!Miles Morales via https://ift.tt/RcLwmxY

[ao3feed-widobrave]

by J (jaywright)

"The tower lets me into your room. Did you know that?"

Words: 4645, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Critical Role (Web Series)

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Nott | Veth Brenatto, Caleb Widogast

Relationships: Nott | Veth Brenatto/Caleb Widogast

Additional Tags: C2E123 Spoilers, Sharing a Bed, Cuddling & Snuggling, Additional Secondary Pairings Mentioned in Notes

[sky-scribbles]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Critical Role (Campaign 2) Rating: Teen and up Relationships: Essek Thelyss/Caleb Widogast, Essek Thelyss & the Mighty Nein Tags: Soulmates, Developing Relationship, First Kiss, The one where you can't lie to your soulmate, Angst followed by softness, Soulmates as a result of consecution, Demisexual Essek Thelyss, Demiromantic Essek Thelyss, References to emotionally abusive parenting, Time Skips, C2E97 Spoilers Characters: Essek Thelyss, Caleb Widogast, Jester Lavorre, Fjord, the Mighty Nein Warnings: None Words: 4742

Summary: He has a soulmate, and he must manipulate them and use them. He has someone whom he cannot lie to, and he must deceive them.

He has someone he might be happy with, and he tore that chance asunder three years ago, when he slipped two Beacons into his wristpocket and teleported away to the Empire.

(In which you cannot lie to your soulmate. Which makes things difficult, if you are Essek Thelyss, and you were raised a liar.)

[definitely-not-gremlins]

!! Spoilers for my other fic (Attraction is just a form of Gravity)!! Title: A moment to discuss Relationship: Essek Thelyss/Caleb Widogast Characters: Essek Thelyss, Caleb Widogast Rating: Mature Archive Warnings: None Apply Words: 17589 Chapters: 1/1 Summary: Essek and Caleb had hooked up. And it was time to figure out what they were going to do about that. And to discuss what both of them really wanted. - Hello. So I’ve done a bit of a POV swap for pieces of the above mentioned fanfic. It technically spoilers some things up until chapter 23, though the spoilers are relatively minor in relation to the actual plot. Bigger spoilers for everything up to chapter 3, which is when this bit takes place.

(If you’ve read the initial fic, let me warn you that the POV swap is the meat of this, there’s only about three new lines of actual dialogue.)

[cadykeus-clay]

Chapters: 7/7 Fandom: Critical Role (Web Series) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Jester Lavorre/Caleb Widogast Characters: Jester Lavorre, Caleb Widogast Additional Tags: Undercover as a Couple, Party, Mutual Pining, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Ballroom Dancing, this fic is rated teen for a collective 69 nice uses of the words penis and pussy, (none of the uses are in a sexual context), spoilers thru c2e99

Summary:

The Mighty Nein need information on the Cerberus Assembly before they launch an infiltration attempt to get back the second beacon, and as luck would have it, an alumnus of the Soltryce Academy is throwing a huge ball for wizards from across the Zemni Fields.

Caleb and Jester have been nominated to attend, under cover, as a couple. It's totally going to be a focused and productive mission. It will not awaken Anything in either of them.