Where Every Scroll is a New Adventure
i don't know if this'll make sense but there’s something so poignant about Bell Hells being guests in every space they occupy and having really nowhere to truly retreat to is what I think is going to metaphorically kill them in the end. I mean, dealing with the immense loss of their friend and all they have to go back to is a war encampment with beds offered to them that anyone else could occupy really drives it in
M9 had 1 physical home and 1 mobile home they were able to bunker down in for needed rest and recuperation. plus a couple cities that became complete safe havens for them. Vox Machina had an entire keep gifted to them and then when that got destroyed they upgraded to entire city of Whitestone as their main hub. Not to mention they were allowed an entire year they could live freely for themselves after the terrible heinous shit went down before the more terrible heinous shit started up. there was something so important to these two groups about having a home together that allowed them time to grow together
The hells are a bunch of wayward souls who were all eager to leave their initial homes behind for one reason or another but forgot to find a home together along the way so all they have left to fall back on is “the mission”. something something their growing strength and knowledge of the world only alienates them to it more if they aren't allowed a place to rest and process
guys guys guys, fellow critters, oh my god, everyone please go listen to ‘Strawberry Wine’ by Noah Kahan and think about Caleb and the blumentrio while you do. it’s so sweet and sad and it’s so perfect for them, my heart can’t take it
like? do you hear?? these lyrics?? they so perfectly encapsulate how Caleb thinks of him and Astrid and Eadwulf. they loved each other deeply. they were forced together due to circumstance. he misses them dearly every day. he could never be with them again.
“If I could lose you, I would”
“Strawberry wine, and all the time we used to have/Those things I miss, but know are never coming back”
“If I was empty space and you were a formless shape, we’d fit/But love leaves little runway, and every time we run/Straight over it”
and “No thing defines a man like love that makes him soft” followed by “for a moment, I see you” reminds me so vividly of drunk Caleb mistaking Jester for Astrid, and it makes me wonder how many other times his new family reminded him of his old one.
did Fjord ever laugh like Eadwulf? did Molly have the same taste in drinks as Astrid? did Caduceus and the Wildmother remind him of Eadwulf and the Raven Queen? did he ever give Astrid the same wildflowers that Yasha had pressed in her journal? did he ever wake up curled beside the Nein in the dome and think, for just a brief moment, he was somewhere else, huddled against a different band of ragtag wannabes?
widomauk is heartbreaking to me because it truly feels like Molly always had a little soft spot for Caleb. But I think Caleb was trying to stay distant and didn't really let himself get attached like that, and he just. Didn't realize how much he actually cared about Mollymauk until his Circus Man was gone. And then, in his grief, he just held onto Molly even more, with all his heart.
Burying Mollymauk with his letter, asking Jester if she can bring him back, dropping to his knees to dig up Molly's grave with his own hands. The memorial in stained glass. Making sure there's a bedroom for when the last of the Nein finally comes home.
Caleb trying to convince himself to run, that night before Mollymauk dies. "Look at this one. He's like a walking rainbow. What is this? Why are you with him? It makes no sense. He's a circus performer. He's not going to help you."
And then in Eiselcross, Caleb asking himself why he should stay. Holding the Magician card in his hands, the card Molly drew for him, and admitting, "I know that we're supposed to go where Molly is. Otherwise we wouldn't have seen the things we've seen, we wouldn't be the Mighty Nein." Heading into Cognouza with every intent to save the friend he lost.
And it's this fascinating contrast of Molly falling for Caleb fast, but never taking things further than a little playful teasing. Because he knows how terrified Caleb is of intimacy, is still working out his boundaries, isn't ready to open up like that again. And then he's gone--too sudden, too soon. And in that absence, Caleb starts to spiral and just realize, Oh, I do love these people, this team, this little family.
And maybe he loved Molly, still loves Molly, and nurtures this growing fondness for him in quiet moments, worrying at the lucky stone in his pocket and daring to hope for reunion--
wait wait wait guys have you ever thought about how the Mighty Nein are everything they shouldn’t be upon first glance
no no guys guys listen to me they’re all the antithesis of what they’re meant to be and that’s why they’re such amazing and heartfelt characters
like, Caleb is a wizard who’s afraid of his own fire magic. his own power causes him to falter in battle. his strongest spells are his most dangerous to himself. wizards are supposed to be prideful of their magic, but Caleb’s is the reason he hates himself
Beau is a monk who never wanted to be. her job is one that people normally associate with being calm and collected and Beau was a wild rebellious kid who got dragged into this line of work against her will. she never wanted to be this!! but now she is and she’s gotta deal with it!!
Fjord is a warlock who never wanted power from his pact, which is why you’d think a warlock would make their pact at all. but no. Fjord made his pact because he wanted to live, not because he wanted power. he was a scared orphan who hated his tusks, not a buff, muscled, angry half-orc like people assumed
Nott is NOT, that’s the whole crux of her narrative! she wasn’t pretty, like a halfling girl was supposed to be. she wasn’t a goblin, she was just transformed into one. and not only that, but despite being a three-foot-tall alcoholic kleptomaniac, she’s the mom of the group!
Jester is a Cleric whose god isn’t actually a god and who would much rather bash bad guys over the head with her lollipop than have to stop and heal her friends!! she’s a bubbly, optimistic ray-of-sunshine, but you know when she says she’s gonna change the world with friendship she means it as a threat
Mollymauk is an amnesiac, but he doesn’t want to remember who he was. if you ask him, that wasn’t him! he might be a flirtatious hedonistic carnie, but he’s also single-mindedly devoted to making the world a better and more loved place than it was when he found it. he’s a liar, but he means well. he’s an arrogant fool, yes, but he’s right! he did it! he left it better!
Caduceus seems like he’d be creepy and grim from growing up in a graveyard, but he’s actually the most chill out of the entire Nein by far. he’s calm, he’s sweet, and he’s comforting, more than anything else. you’d think he’d be amazed by seeing the outside world for the first time, but he spends the whole time knowing that one day he’ll return home, that he wasn’t supposed to be the one to leave
Yasha is a barbarian with skeletal wings and a dramatic, monochromatic look, but she’s a complete sweetheart. she’s Molly’s best friend, she was a carnival bouncer, she’s a lesbian disaster who collects pressed flowers in a book out of love for the wife she lost. those black wings were actually hiding soft white feathers
Essek was born straight into the den of politics, he was a spymaster, he literally started a war for his own gain, and yet. he’s sounds irredeemable on paper, but. he’s not!! sure, the Nein kind of have to drag his alignment kicking and screaming into neutral, but they manage it. Essek learns and grows and he overcomes his nature. he becomes good, against all odds
guys guys guys don’t you see it!! look at them!!they’re such compelling characters!! they’re everything they’re not supposed to be!! dude y’all how didn’t I realize this earlier!! they subvert their narratives in the most interesting ways ever and I justhshsbhshshsjnsmshsnhsfn!!