Let's Be Honest It's Mostly Going to be About Widogast

There are so many things I so desperately wanted to see played out so I wrote them and then like a bunch like, kind of happened in Episode 110. I’m going to need a moment.

Caleb/Bren and Ikithon discussing the prospect of Bren surprising Trent, and Trent being enthusiastically in favour. Caleb-is-the-favourite-and-everyone-knows-it Ikithon openly degrading Eodwulf and Astrid in front of Caleb because manipulation. Ikithon cares for Caleb/Bren. And is really projecting on him.

I mean like. The only thing I’m missing now is some acknowledgement of the fact that Bren, Astrid, and Eodwulf, killed other likely innocent people before their parents and Caleb hasn’t ever really seemed too bothered by that.

Hardest hitting thing:

Because of course. I appreciate the restraint but my head is thrumming.

Essek: I feel responsible for the death of my dear father D:

It was more like...

Essek: I guess being responsible for the death of my father would be objectively considered a ‘bad’ thing I have done? Social norms suggest his death should be significant to me, so it seems pertinent... He was not a great loss though, not a lot of life goals there.

... Which again I find way more interesting than the sweet/tragic/tortured interpretation, that he is a person haunted by responsibility and loss over the death of a loved one. Being blocked off from most pain or guilt related to the event, or legitimately having little regard for the person who died, is the road less travelled and so very interesting. Essek doesn’t even know if his father was close enough to a beacon to be reincarnated - and from the way he spoke about it, that’s not tearing him up inside. He is perhaps wary about the idea, but mostly finds the possibility academically fascinating. Wow.

A crime was done, so someone must pay, full stop.

Did Essek tell them what actual evidence they have that this dude is guilty?

Just a specific shout out to anybody for whom this time of year is an awful, stressful, scary ol’ nightmare.

If you're having a terrible couple of days and nothing’s gon change that, I hope the days that follow will be better. <3 <3 <3

So, I’ve bit the bullet and put a pin in Strong. Honestly one of the most psychologically challenging things I have written, fanfic or otherwise.

I have written the things I wanted to the most, from active nitty gritty emotional abuse and psychological conditioning to non-hetero families in Blumental. The only big thing I didn’t get to was Bren and Astrid actually breaking up (but that would seriously be a whole other story - and who knows, maybe that is one that can be told with non-tiefling, canon!Astrid). Last chapter is just a scene I had not fit in yet - about a ‘family heirloom’.

Anyway, sorry for the rambling. If you’re one of the little group of precious beautiful people who know me for this fanfic/series... welp. Here we is. And I’m now just considering whether to make a crazy ubermeta out of my reference document.

Chapters: 8/8 Fandom: Critical Role (Web Series) Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Trent Ikithon & Caleb Widogast, Astrid & Eodwulf & Caleb Widogast, Eodwulf & Caleb Widogast, Astrid/Bren Aldric Ermendrud Characters: Caleb Widogast, Bren Aldric Ermendrud, Trent Ikithon, Astrid (Critical Role), Eodwulf (Critical Role) Additional Tags: Pure uncut non-magical indoctrination of teenagers, Why Caleb cannot see himself as a victim, Or Trent Ikithon as a monster, Other canon Caleb-related warnings, TW: substantial gaslighting, TW: physical and emotional abuse, tw: torture, Psychological Torture, Realistic and dark as hell, Non-graphic mentions of 16 year-olds having sex, tw: religious-based abuse, tw: radicalisation Summary:

Lessons learned by Bren, Eodwulf, and Astrid, under the dedicated tutelage of Trent Ikithon. Trent does groundbreaking work, and together these three students, with Bren at the helm, will have the strength to protect the mighty Dwendalian Empire.