One of The Mighty Nein‘s most anticipated Easter eggs has OFFICIALLY arrived. It’s sexy. It’s steamy. And it’s a deliciously good time; it’s The Mighty Nein‘s in-universe romance novel, Tusk Love. Tusk Love‘s appearance might arguably be the most anticipated Easter egg of all when it comes to The Mighty Nein. After all, Tusk Love is such a beloved entry into the Critical Role universe that it exists in THREE different realms. That’s right: Tusk Love was a feature of Critical Role‘s original Campaign 2; it then became a real book you can read in our world, and now it has appeared in animated form in The Mighty Nein episode six, “Many Gifts.”
That’s a lot of accomplishment for one little romance novel. We bet every Jester out there is incredibly proud. But how do we see this Critical Role Tusk Love Easter egg in The Mighty Nein series? We break it down.
Tusk Love Appears More Than Once in The Mighty Nein Episode 6, Doing Justice to This Fun Easter Egg
In episode six of The Mighty Nein animated series, our gang of misfits makes it to Zadash. Long-time Critters will know that Zadash is the home to Critical Role Campaign 2’s bookstore, Chastity’s Nook, which, as the name suggests, contains all kinds of romantic, read smutty, novels. We don’t actually see Chastity’s Nook named in The Mighty Nein animated series. But we do see Jester stop by a well-stocked bookstore to pick up the Tusk Love book as The Mighty Nein walk through the streets of Zadash, bringing this Easter egg to animated life.
When they find the book, the team is looking for the appropriate gift to bring to “The Gentleman,” a character played by Nathan Fillion. The Mighty Nein hope to trade this gift in order to procure another protection amulet for Caleb, so his Volstrucker assassin brethren can’t find him. Molly says they’re looking for a sophisticated gift, and Tusk Love fits the bill for Jester. In the The Mighty Nein animated series, Tusk Love is described by Jester as “the steamy love story of Oskar and Guinevere” during its first appearance.
Tusk Love IS a Sophisticated Gift After All
In the end, Tusk Love is more than just a fun Easter egg on The Mighty Nein. Instead, it’s the gift that comes in at the clutch. The Gentleman is not very impressed by Molly’s wine or Beau’s golden goblet. But he does very much like Jester’s offering of steamy erotica. Together, they agree that Tusk Love is “the tantalizing tale of hidden romance and forbidden lust!” Yes! The Gentleman agrees that Jester has fine taste, though he will require a little more in exchange for a protection amulet. Still, it seems like without Tusk Love, The Mighty Nein wouldn’t have gotten to their next task.
We have to say, we love this rendition of Tusk Love‘s cover in The Mighty Nein animated series. We expect an animated series universe version to be published in our world any day.
Tusk Love in Critical Role Campaign 2, The Mighty Nein and Other Critical Role Role Properties
Critters will know the provenance of this The Mighty Nein Tusk Love Easter egg. But just in case you need a refresher, Tusk Love first appeared during the eleventh episode of Critical Role campaign two, “Zemnian Nights.” (Which you can watch in full below.)
Like in The Mighty Nein animated series, Jester can’t resist buying this romance novel at Chastity’s Nook, the aforementioned well-stocked bookshop in Zadash. In the campaign, Tusk Love pops up again and again throughout the series, and even appeared in the animated series adaptation of The Legend of Vox Machina as well. (Although it had a different-looking cover!)
In Critical Role Campaign 2, The Mighty Nein‘s Jester has a very personal connection with Tusk Love, comparing the orcish romance in it to her relationship with Fjord, a half-orc man with whom she falls in love. We bet we’ll see Tusk Love return as an Easter egg on The Mighty Nein animated series as well, especially as Jester and Fjord’s relationship deepens.
Read The Mighty Nein‘s Tusk Love in Real Life!
If a “tantalizing tale of hidden romance and forbidden lust” between a grumpy and sunshine couple sounds like your cup of tea, you too can actually read The Mighty Nein‘s Tusk Love in full. Yes, Tusk Love is a real novel that exists in our world, brought to life by author Thea Guanzon (at the behest of Critical Role’s Jester Lavorre). At Nerdist, we even have an excerpt from Tusk Love that you can read right now, which details the meeting of Guinevere and Oskar. Let’s just say, it’s explosive.
The synopsis of Tusk Love shares, “TUSK LOVE is a heartwarming grumpy/sunshine romance between the well-mannered daughter of a wealthy merchant, Guinevere, and an aloof half-orc, Oskar. Despite his cold exterior, Oskar is brave, thoughtful, and unlike anyone Guinevere has ever met. And while Guinevere may be sheltered, she brings out a softness in Oskar that he has never dared to feel before. While traveling together, the flames of their passion grow, and they realize that soon they’ll need to choose between their blossoming romance and their final destinations.”
We Can’t Wait to See More Tusk Love Easter Eggs on The Mighty Nein Animated Series
We’ve loved many Easter eggs from The Mighty Nein‘s animated series so far, but Tusk Love has a special place in our hearts. We can’t wait for it to pop again in the show. And we can’t wait to get our hands on the gorgeous show version of the book in real life. Man, that little book gets around.
The Mighty Nein is now streaming on Prime VideoOpens in a new tab. Its first three episodes are now available to watch. New episodes release on Wednesdays. We can’t wait to swoon over more The Mighty Nein adventures soon.
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