#I have. many many thought on how laudna will see it all too.

[caeslxys]

Something I think is extremely interesting thematically when it comes to connecting what Downfall and the ideas it tackled to the overarching narrative of campaign three is that the things Downfall made a point to showcase of Aeor—Cassida, Hallis, the visual of an aeormaton proposing to her partner, the specific and intentional decision to shed light on a far from insignificant amount of the population being civilians or refugees—is that it plays in perfect parallel across from what is happening (and, really, has been happening) to the ruidusborn on Exandria in present.

Bear with me for a moment. Aeor is ultimately a city that was collectively punished for the decisions of its leadership. We could (and, judging by the amount of discourse around this particular topic already, probably will) argue about what the Gods’ motivation for all of this was—whether it be that they could not, in the end, bear to kill their siblings or that they were terrified at the prospect of mortality—for me it is a very healthy dose of both—but for this I am much more interested in the latter. They were scared. That, really, is the driving force behind both this arc and their role in c3 as a whole.

Why I point this out is: It is far more interesting to me, especially as we go back to Bells Hells this week, to dissect the Gods and their decisions not purely on sympathetic motivation alone but as beings in the highest seat of power in the highest social class in Exandria.

So, having established that the Gods (in relation to mortals) are more a higher social class than anything we could compare to our real life understanding of divinity and that Aeor was eviscerated largely because of their fear—what is the difference between those innocents in Aeor caught in the trappings of their autocratic government leadership and a divine war on the ground, and those of the ruidusborn being manipulated both by Ludinus and by the very thing that inspired such visceral fear in the Gods to start with. I would argue very little.

I think of Cassida, doing what she genuinely thought was right and good and would save people, her son, and the object of her worship—and how that did not matter enough to any of them to spare her because of the fear they held at the very concept of mortality. I think of Liliana and Imogen, one of which we know begged for the gods to help her or send her a sign for years on years, and how every single one of their largest struggles could have been avoided had the gods loved them, their supposed children, as much as they feared what they could be. I think of how the thing that did save Imogen, in the end, was a woman who herself existed in direct defiance of the gods will. I think of that young boy, sixteen years old, that Laudna exalted on Ruidus.

I think it’s completely fair to judge Aeor’s overall society as deeply corrupt—it was!—but its leadership and police force are not a reflection of every one of its citizens. Similarly, it is fair to judge the Ruby Vanguard as corrupt—it is!—but its multiple heads of leadership and even the god-eater further are not a reflection of every one of its members.

Notably, and what I think the Hells will latch onto, this did not matter to the Gods. It did not matter that Cassida was trying to help. She was still too much of a risk. Will it matter, what Imogen does? Will it matter, if that young boy is in the blast radius when they decide to take no further chances?

I’ve seen a lot of people say that the Hells will side with the gods and I don’t think I agree. Especially as Imogen has been scolded and villainized over and over for daring to try and save her mother—who herself has been seen by some as an irredeemable evil in spite of her drive being the exact same—her family—but when it’s the Gods it’s justified? When it’s the Gods, it’s sympathetic? Too sympathetic to criticize further than “they’re family”?

I obviously do not think the Gods should die or be eaten or what have you, and I certainly don’t agree with Ludinus (though I find him much more compelling than just a variation of hubris wizard), but when talking about the Gods in Aeor and in present it isn’t really at all about their motivation or their family. It can’t be. Too many people, including our active protagonists, lives have been effected for it to be as cut and dry as “they’re family”. These are your children. They are your family, too.

[ittybittyremy]

"That blade's bigger than you. We can all see you taking Otohan's blade"

Genuine question: When you FIRST heard that line (before everything else happened), how did you interpret it?

Because I've seen so many people saying that Laudna was OBVIOUSLY trying to start a conversation. I'm starting to wonder if people have hindsight bias (perceiving past events as more predictable than they were) or if I'm just that bad at identifying tone.

When I watched the latest episode live, I initially thought that was a jab at Orym's height and him not being subtle (even though he wasn't trying to be) about taking the blade. I took it more as a funny jab than a serious jab.

When I looked back on that quote after the episode, I thought Laudna's saying that was her being passive-aggressive. I did not take that as a conversation starter.

BUT THEN when I went on the internet, I saw many people saying THAT was an attempt at a conversation—an attempt at communication that Orym ignored ("I hear her as I go down the stairs").

Maybe it's my autistic self being bad at identifying tone, but I wouldn't have noticed that. I would've ignored her too.

Don't get me wrong, Orym didn't communicate but neither did anybody else. NOBODY tried to explicitly communicate what they were feeling (about the blade and him taking it) before that all went down (that night). There was no conversation before he left, and there was no conversation before he went to bed.

[topaz-mutiny]

I think the fans are underestimating how differently people can process things.

I am consistently seeing posts say "Ashton/Tal were repeatedly warned the shard was not for them/will 100% kill them", when this was absolutely not the case, and, more importantly, it is very likely for groups of people to completely misinterpret the warnings. Even if they've known each other and loved each other for a decade.

I certainly thought the warnings were not clear or frequent enough so I was shocked like lightning in the latest episode that they were meant to be absolute death flags.

Please note that I'll mostly refer to the fictional characters, I don't want to bring the people behind the characters too much into this.

First, I would like to point out, the show takes place over weeks and months with plenty of breaks and interruptions. That is plenty of time and opportunity for memories to get faded, muddled, crossed-over with other memories, etc.

The "warnings" happened two weeks to a month ago. And even when they were fresh on the cast's mind, here are the warnings verbatim (bold is my emphasis):

But be warned, holding the strength of the two in one vessel might sunder it. You bear the dormant strength of the empress. Find and bestow the might of the emperor.

- Evontra'vir, episode 74, aired October 5th. The conversations move on to unrelated things with no followup.

Ashton: He also said it might be dangerous for these two shards to intermingle. Or he didn't say dangerous, he said that-- it could destroy me. Orym: --A chance the vessel could break. Laudna: --The vessel <air quotes> could break. Fearne: Wasn't there something if you put them together with the right thing that it'll be okay? Ashton: It might come together and be okay, yeah. -- Dancer: Maybe if it were to meet one of its own ilk, it could awaken. Allura: What you said as a point of warning likely is true. To have both within a singular vessel, it's possible one could survive, but it's also highly possible that it would rend you into a thousand pieces. -- Allura: We're in a strange area of experimentation and unknown knowledge. -- (after finding out Ashton has a fascimile of a Luxon beacon in their brain) FCG: So he's got two things in him or them? Allura: It would seem, which is why I'm a bit--Well, you're either the greatest weapon we could hope for in this time, or will be our end. I couldn't tell you. Orym: Boy, maybe we don't add a third thing. Ashton: I was put together by bits and pieces. This was not an intentional thing and it, I honestly shouldn't have survived it. It was, literally, I was put together with junk. Allura: In an odd way, your fragmented nature might be what keeps all of this in check. ... Perhaps we don't put another powerful entity within your form.

- Various, episode 76, aired October 19th.

To me, these warnings were not clear in the slightest.

To me, these warnings were interspersed with so many words like "possible", "might", and "chance" that I completely misinterpreted the situation as "For Ashton it is dangerous but doable" instead of "The Game Master is telling you Ashton's character sheet will be ripped up."

This is the problem with using in-character voices and using descriptors that imply chance or flexibility. They can drastically weaken the meaning of a phrase such that people like me will mistake it for something else.

Because that's how my brain works. "May", "chance", "perhaps" suggest to me a reasonable set of odds for an action and does not come across as the grave warning a game master would want.

And as a reminder, these muddled warnings were weeks apart and weeks away, which can make remembering the meaning even worse if you've already misinterpreted them. That's why I was 100% on board with Ashton taking the shard. It seemed reasonable but dangerous, so when Matt said "I warned you." in that grave tone and with that grave look I was thrown for a loop. I went "oh no! those were serious warnings!?" and the panic started setting in.

Also a contributing factor was the pressure and lack of communication from Bells Hells.

Fearne did not want the shard, and finally stated that thought aloud to Ashton. For Fearne and Ashton, that meant the only choice left was Ashton, because, for one reason or another, the 5 other people in Bells Hells repeatedly assumed and pushed the shard onto Fearne and wrote themselves out of the equasion. FIVE characters absolved themselves of being active participants. Once the idea of Fearne came to mind and this Emperor Fearne/Empress Ashton/Callowmoore shipping dicotomy, Bells Hells just stopped talking about it and never once considered if any of them should take the shard should Fearne refuse.

So... yeah that's how my brain works.

[randoimago]

Hi! A little while ago you got a request for Orym and a reader who is really awkward but is really trying to be friends. Could you please do the same prompt but with Ashton, Fearne, Laudna and Imogen? Thank you!!

Fandom: Critical Role

Character(s): Ashton, Fearne, Imogen, Laudna

Note(s): Here you go!!

Ashton

Making friends isn't his thing. He's hotheaded and blunt and just doesn't care about many things. Caring is hard and most things he cares about end up breaking so he doesn't like adding people to the list.

The stares you give him and fidgeting you do makes him fidget and start overthinking. He'll bluntly make a comment about you "taking a picture, it'll last longer". He just assumed you were staring cause he's weird looking (something that he doesn't take offense to because it's true).

But you aren't completely scared off by him and so he decides to talk because that's something normal people do. Honestly finds it hilarious that you'd want to be friends with him, but whatever. Ashton ends up mad at himself that he adds you to his list later.

Fearne

Fearne sees you staring and looking like you want to say something, so she's already in your space. Like Ashton, she assumes you're staring for a reason. Unlike Ashton, she thinks you're staring because she's hot.

Fearne talks to you, being playful and asking what your deal is. And then she learns that you're trying to figure out how to be her friend.

She's very touched by your words and finds it adorable. But she's Fearne and she can't help saying, "Why would I want to be your friend?" Before laughing it off and saying "Just kidding." She actually means the just kidding this time.

Imogen

She's used to the stares and uncomfortable vibes other people have around her. She's honestly tempted to open her mind to hear what you're thinking, but also doesn't know if she should in case it is more negativity. Eventually gives in and listens to your surface thoughts.

Imogen feels bad as she hears you contemplate how to talk to her and seem cool. She thought you were thinking bad about her, but you're just wanting to be friends.

Thing is, Imogen can be awkward with approaching people too. But she still does, giving a small "Hi." and then trying to figure out what to do. Should she compliment your shirt? Talk about the weather? You're both just awkward together, she's tempted to bring her extrovert friend into the mix.

Laudna

Laudna is pretty much the same way. She's so awkward, but that's not going to stop her from making friends!

Will introduce her dead rat to you. Will show you the fun/scary dolls she has. Ooh maybe you'll like to hear a joke! It's a classic from Whitestone. A real tree-t (treat), if you will.

And she wants to hear all about your hobbies too. You don't even get to be quiet or reserved as she is in your space trying to become friends. She just hopes you don't notice her quick glances to Imogen to make sure she's getting a thumbs up that she's doing a good job.

[zeephyre]

CRITICAL ROLE CAMPAIGN 3 EPISODE 85 SPOILERS

IM LITERALLY ABOUT TO LOSE MY MIND YALL

Where do I even ??? start ???

I haven't been posting c3 as the episodes dropped in...a while actually, like right before they went to the feywild. i have many thoughts and many feelings about so many things that have happened since then and I'll summarise them so I can get to THIS episode.

fearne and ashton - love their shard powers, they're literally royalty and terrifying, and i want them to make-out. i can't wait to see them go full primordial again in a real combat situation.

imogen - save her. literally save her. free her, even. i love everything about the call of ruidus when it comes to imogen on a narrative standpoint, but...God I get so worried that we're gonna lose her. I don't mean she's gonna betray the hells, but...ruidus could take her and then i would simply perish.

laudna - before i really get into wtf went down this episode with her and she who must not be named, i gotta say... im worried. very very worried. however, that fireball was objectively the best shit ever.

fcg - i can't even really remember anything stand out abt fcg except what Sam pulled last night so.

chetney - still the heart of the team, still my baby girl, still my favourite. love him to bits.

orym - i think laudna is going to beat his ass one of these days and im... even more concerned about that after this episode. his nana morri powers are cool as fuck tho... does that make him a warlock now? i know he isn't multi-classing but wouldn't that be cool

ANYWAY WE'RE ON THE FUCKING MOON AND WE GOT MOON LORE AND EVERYTHING WAS SHITTY THEN FUN THEN SHITTY THEN FUN AGAIN THEN REALLY FUCKING SAD THEN IT ALL WENT TO SHIT AGAIN.

the moment imogen reached out to ruidus and matt mentioned that she could sense where other ruidusborn were i fucking knew that otohan was high tailing it in their direction, and i thought they instinctively knew that too but they probably got so distracted.

we were travelling for hours and had a huge fight that almost got them captured (not to be confused with the OTHER two fights that almost got them captured) and I was begging and screaming and crying for them to get a long rest safely hidden away AND THEN THEY SPLIT THE PARTY WITH BARELY ANY SPELL SLOTS OR HIT POINTS AFTER BEING DRAINED FROM ANOTHER BATTLE WHAT IS WRONG WITH THEM

(Sidenote, the willmaster really opened up the door to the further increase in moral pondering in a certain number of hellians. i do think using the harness is disgusting and hypocritical, but i don't condemn them for it, it just...makes me wanna vomit thinking abt what ludinus did with it. not to mention the HUNGER parallels between laudna and ludinus...its just not good yall. also??? objectively funny that fcg seemed weirded out by the idea of killing the willmaster, not just with the harness but in general, considering how many people they've killed up to this point)

idk if its just the inherent terror that an evil old hot lady can inspire that makes otohan so much more terrifying to me than ludinus. like, objectively, ludinus is a worse threat and could wipe them out EASILY but jesus otohan is like the damn reaper to me. it's the trauma from the laudna, fearne, orym massacre mixed with the underlying little drop from their uthodurn romp that let us know that resurrection spells are NOT working and idk if that got fixed bc of time passing or distance from the leylines but i really did not want to test that shit out in real time

thank...god that sam riegel is a damn genius player, that banishment of fcg and fearne was the ONLY reason fcg survived. and thank GOD FOR KEYLETH BECAUSE WITHOUT THAT CLOUD SPELL BELLS HELLS WOULD BE VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY DEAD RN.

God, "otohan has us. run." is going to haunt me just as much, if not more than the almost tpk. it just...shot me straight back to bassuras and the plan to run that just...immediately fell apart.

god fcg truly could have died there. and fearne would be captured. i know the hells would be too stupid and too brave and too loyal to leave fearne with otohan in their cloud form but can you imagine a world where fcg was gone, fearne was captured and the hells had to switch from recon to rescue... itd be stressful but pretty fun.

thankfully it didn't come to that and some good came from the shit.

ruidus is so beautiful. i was worried they'd end being trapped under ruidus while they explored (not that I wasn't on board with the detours, I wish this wasn't a time sensitive mission), but matt's imagery of the fossilized elven structure and garden made me sad but also happy that we got to see it.

i cannot believe that the stupid plan to shove fearne up a water hole happened AGAIN and it ended up with us FINDING A BACK HOLE TO RUIDUS GOD I LOVE THESE CHUCKLEFUCKS WHEN IS THE NEXT EPISODE MATT YOU CANNOT DO THIS TO ME. WHERE EVEN ARE THEY??? IS IT EVEN EXANDRIA???? WHAT DO WE DO IF IT IS EXANDRIA??? WHERE DID THIS HOLE EVEN COME FROM???? DOES IT CLOSE AND REOPEN??? IS IT STAGNANT?????? IS IT FUCKING STABLE?!?!?!?!?!

God...we could go back to keyleth and the others and actually invade ruidus without encountering the ruby vanguard. (that's if they're alright because otohan did go out onto the battlefield and we don't know what fhe fuck she did when the illusion fell through)

GOD. IS IT THURSDAY YET??? WE HAVENT EVEN FOUND THE RESISTANCE????

[somewhatsentientspellbook]

It has been such a pleasure over the last few episodes, seeing Ashton embrace the title of ‘hero.’ The moves that they are making are really cementing themself as a leader with a desire to positively affect the world. I love this shade on Ashton, and I can’t wait to see where it goes, though I have been struck with a somewhat worrying/exciting thought.

Not too long ago, I was reminded of Taliesin’s original plans for Percy, that plan being that his story would end tragically. Of course, we know that the story didn’t turn out that way, and Percy is now living in Whitestone with his wife and children. But it got me thinking that Caduceus’ character wasn’t designed with classic tragedy in mind, and also achieved a happy ending. Then I started to consider Mollymauk. Did Taliesin intend for the tiefling to have the tragic end he got? My gut instinct is to say no.

That's how this table came into existence:

We’ve got a missing spot, don’t we? We’re missing a character that successfully achieves its predetermined tragic ending.

Taliesin has a love for creating characters with questionable and self-destructive coping mechanisms. Percy and his affinity for making deals with demonic entities and creating weapons capable of untold destruction, Molly and his hedonism and indulgence of drugs, alcohol, and mischief, and even Caduceus’ repression and ignorance towards anything that makes him uncomfortable. Ashton Greymoore is no exception. Their anger, gambling and alcoholism are all one big coping mechanism for their childhood and chronic pain.

Part of me believes that this hero mentality has become another coping mechanism for Ashton to abuse. By stepping up, Ashton has been lifting the burden of leadership from other party members, the notable cases being Laudna, Orym, and FCG. He’s been encouraging them to explore their emotions, and ever since the Solstice, he has made himself the person they can lean on for support. Ashton wants to be a hero, even if it’s at the expense of their own well-being.

Ashton has made it clear on multiple occasions that their chronic pain is handled better under greater pressure, and soft, delicate touches cause them far more discomfort (even if the softer touches lead to less trouble in the long-term). But the problem with becoming a ‘rock’ for others is that Ashton must put himself under immense emotional pressure. While they may handle it far better in the short-term, that tactic is going to cause more damage the longer they indulge it. I feel like the lyrics of ‘Heroes' by Emmy Curie best describe my feelings on the matter:

"But you’re forgetting the thing about heroes, kid, they always have to fall"

(For the record, the song is simplistic but pretty, and I highly recommend listening to the whole thing. The lyrics apply to so many characters, and not just from Critical Role)

While I love this arc for Ashton, part of me is left wondering if Taliesin has been building up this character for the purpose of falling even further. Is Ashton going to achieve the tragic ending that Percy was deprived of? Will he be the one to occupy the final quadrant of that table?

[utilitycaster]

I'm curious what your thoughts on the (non-)resolution of the group talk in the beginning are. How do you think this will impact the group in the near future? Personally I'm really disappointed because the talk between Laudna and Imogen was so strong but then nothing else happened. The whole situation feels unfinished and unsatisfying like this.

So on the one hand I agree the part with Imogen and Laudna was fantastic and the rest was like ok this has lasted way too long and involves so many false comparisons (Orym and Dorian are not imo ticking time bombs; Fearne and Ashton are just people with terrible impulse control at times but are unlikely to be taken over by anything but their own poor decisions; Chetney and Imogen's likelihood of being taken over is highly situational and they have both taken steps to control it) in the service of like, this is a D&D story and you're not going to be like hmmm maybe you SHOULDN'T go to the arctic under the influence of Delilah Briarwood.

However, "this single conversation was kind of unproductive since, demonstrably, love and togetherness are not working" does not to me equal "unsatisfying." It's an ongoing campaign! I'd love to see this blow up in their faces! If Delilah does represent a ceding of agency and Laudna's giving her more and more, then what happens when she attacks someone else in the night, or turns on them in combat, because she's wielding the most cursed weapon of all? Laudna said she'd take it from there when they've gotten Ludinus, but that doesn't mean the Vanguard or Predathos will be stopped by then, and I don't think she has a plan, so are we just delaying the inevitable?

I suppose what I mean to say is that, while the talk with the rest of Bells Hells was definitely...well, see my WBN posts, I'm not a touchy-feely person both for abrasive northeasterner reasons and also because I genuinely believe people often use warmth and softness and "we're all friends here" to hide a lack of stern but genuine kindness and goodness and this felt like that kind of situation, I also didn't expect this to be resolved in a way that actually fixed anything in one episode. The options really are "we go to Aeor having decided this is a risk we're willing to take" or "we go to Aeor having decided we have to, but everyone's mad at each other" and both leave room for conflict and Delilah fuckery wide open.

[lightningtitties]

i have to talk about my imodna thoughts with someone and this seems like a great option: it's WILD to me that laura and marisha set out to be only best friends from the start of the campaign. because every episode since the first, I love to watch laura's body language and microexpressions, and sure, I can see what I want to see, but there are so many times I could pinpoint that laura was so immersed that even SHE didn't understand that imogen was pining for laudna in minor and random passing moments. i love it. i love it so much. it really did come organically.

hi yes, all imodna thoughts are welcome here!

it is SO insane and incredibly funny to think about how they didn’t plan it yet created one of the most beautifully compelling romances i’ve ever seen. I absolutely love the fact that it developed organically too. laura really experienced all of that gay panic through imogen in real time and then proceeded to make the most deranged gay choices she could make for the rest of the episodes.

[mareastrorum]

Others have said this more eloquently, but it’s been eating at me that so many things feel late in C3. That’s such a strange feeling given that only about 3 months have passed in game. I think one of the issues may be that so much of the information the Hells want to find is incredibly niche. Who would know about XYZ and be willing to share it truthfully? How is that reconciled with the fact that more powerful and well connected people didn’t find out first?

But Matt already fixed that: each of the Hells is tied to plot-relevant stuff in their backgrounds. The actual problem is almost all of them resisted exploring it.

Laudna’s patron is Delilah Briarwood, the necromancer who helped a lich ascend to godhood and who personally knew Ludinus. Did Laudna ever meaningfully press for info on that? No. Laudna is not a curious person, and her view of power doesn’t lend itself to the idea that it needs to be understood to be wielded, so she doesn’t bother.

Ashton was a member of a cult obsessed with the power of primordials and returning to that origin. They turned him (an aasimar) into a titan of blood. Did he seek out more info about the Hishari once he realized he’d spoken to a former member? No. Ashton also has dunamancy glass in his brain. Did he ask questions of the Bright Queen, the oldest living and most devout worshipper of the Luxon? No. Ashton spoke once to Keyleth and Essek (each skeptics of their respective counterparts) and sought no further info. After all, Ashton prefers that sort of attitude to sincerity.

Fearne’s father had allied with Ludinus and intentionally sired her to be a Ruidusborn vessel for the Predathos-in-a-can plot. We only just got to her having a conversation with him last month when he had been searching for her the entire campaign. Honestly, I think Matt had been intending for this confrontation to happen sooner, but the Hells were too good at preventing the abductions that would have led to it. She also hesitated to approach him until he was turned into a tapestry. I wish the Hells had been more incompetent for a bit, just so we could have gotten that earlier.

FCG was an aeormaton revived by Devexian. Holy shit, what would D have known about Downfall, Dominox, or the Malleus Hammer? We’ll never know because FCG wanted to avoid seeing Devexian as much as possible. That’s not even getting into the comparisons between gods making mortals what they are (instead of endlessly reincarnating souls) and mortals making aeormatons with souls of their own while designing them to be controllable. And then D gave those he revived free will and left them alone—similar to the Matron’s reasoning of the last episode. That perspective would have been phenomenal 50+ episodes ago.

Orym personally knew Keyleth, but he didn’t want to bother her. Like, that’s it. He thought “I’m just a bodyguard” so hard that he delayed any interaction with her by several dozen episodes. Yeah, yeah, wizard hubris, but humility is a slog for pacing in D&D. Resisting the call isn’t just “I don’t wanna” it’s also “of course it couldn’t be me” and man did Orym commit to that.

Out of all the Hells, Imogen was the only one actively seeking out information about her background at all times, but she also struggled with whether she wanted to be a leader and what that meant (control versus direction). I think that was a good balance, and honestly, her arc is the only one that feels satisfying.

Chetney didn’t shun seeking info out, but it didn’t seem immediately relevant. It makes total sense that Travis wouldn’t presume it would have mattered. There’s only so much his background could offer given that he is not Ruidusborn, some kind of mage, nor meaningfully connected to a Big Bad. That said, once he dug in, we got good intel from the Gorgynei and Molaesmyr, both due to Chetney’s connections. Travis has also been a fantastic source of info with grim psychometry. But that’s also history, not personal connections, and so that feels a little removed from the story.

I adore that Braius has decided that he is here to do a job, and he’s going to do it, personal conflicts aside. He’s gonna kill Ludinus. Maybe for the Lord of the Hells, maybe for the Platinum Dragon—fuck it, maybe for the Moonweaver and the rest of his presentation is a prank. But he’s gonna do it, and that’s really the type of bullheadedness the Hells need. His crisis of faith also brings in a perspective that not liking one god doesn’t mean needing them to die. He’s just decided to fuck with them, and they decided to fuck with him right back. Here’s plate armor of truth to help you save the world, you lying sack of shit, enjoy.

Take this as a lesson: don’t make a character who lacks interest in the world or what happens to it. Even NPCs care about something, so this isn’t a “NPC party” problem. It’s like the cast looked at Percy (single-minded and meant to be unredeemable) and Molly (idiot who was going to resist the call and get the Big Bad chasing him down) and a majority decided to try one or the other. Which, like, that would have worked with one or two on the team, but not a majority.

I could rant forever about this, I think, but it’s not worth the time. This campaign highlights why I tend to prefer villain stories: they know what they want, and they work toward it. Characters like the Hells are just too spineless most of the time. Indecision isn’t entertaining; I only tolerate it because I expect consequences to follow, and that’s fun.

If there’s one thing I can expect from Matt, it’s consequences.

[ratinayellowbandana]

this is probably a little too on the nose, but as soon as I saw "color prompt" I thought purple- bc.. well. you know. Though actually reading the prompts under purple all of those have imodna vibes so I think that means it was meant to be

if you want a specfic one, i like 1. "You know you're my best friend, right?", but any of the ones under purple would be cool!!! hope you have fun writing!!!!

woo! this one was very fun and tbh i needed the fluff.

length: ~500 words

~~~

Imogen is drunk. 

It’s only natural, Laudna supposes, after the shitshow of a week they’ve had that they might have a little fun. Imogen has her circlet now, after all, and it has been a gift. The defensiveness that has been ever-present across all the years they’ve known each other has faded from Imogen’s brow. She is at ease here, surrounded by their friends, talking and laughing and swapping jabs across the table. 

F.G.C. is off searching for another round while Fearne leans casually in the corner of the booth, reclining against the backrest with Orym pressed into her furry side. Mister is perched on her shoulder, nuzzled into her neck. His tail flicks her cheek, and she swats at him, tutting, with a loving laugh. 

A curious conversation occupies Orym’s attention, but he smiles and nods at Chetney, who is demonstrating a new-old carving technique he picked up from the Ashari. A toy sword rests in his lap, and he chisels away with impossible speed. Wood shavings cling to his hair and clothing, but he manages to avoid the table, accumulating an impressive pile of dust under his seat instead. Laudna makes a note to tidy it before they move upstairs for the night. 

Imogen is warm against her right side, engrossed in an animated argument with Ashton, who humors her with a smirk and raised eyebrows, nodding along to the point Imogen is making the way you only can when addressing someone who is well beyond your level of inebriation. 

Does Ashton get drunk? Laudna thinks suddenly. If his outsides are made of stone–or titan? Is that a thing one can be made of?–does it affect his insides, too? Can insides be made of stone? Would they absorb alcohol? He eats, certainly, but…

She has a vague notion of asking, but they might not even know, she realizes wondrously. How many people have seen their own insides? Her mind conjures gleeful images of splitting him open to see, revealing stoney intestines and a rock-shelled heart. 

With consent, of course. 

She’s only curious. He might be curious, too, after all, and she doesn’t want to hurt him. 

Imogen squeezes her thigh and draws Laudna back to the present. “Y’alright?” She asks, eyelids drooping ever so slightly.  

“Oh, yes,” Laudna affirms brightly, blinking owlishly, “I was only thinking of Ashton’s insides.”  

They raise an eyebrow. “Gods, you’re weird,” he guffaws. 

“Thank you,” Laudna replies, lips splitting into a broad grin. A conjured drop of ichor falls from the corner of her lip, trailing down her chin for dramatic effect. 

“Damn, I’m glad we’re friends.” He wags a finger and takes a swig from his tankard, shaking his head. 

Imogen leans further into her, and Laudna has to stabilize herself against the edge of the booth. 

Imogen hums, looks up at Laudna, “Y’know you’re my best friend, right?” 

“Alright, asshole, I’m not trying to steal your girl,” Ashton scoffs, rolling his eyes. 

Laudna ignores him. “I should certainly hope so,” she murmurs, pressing a kiss to Imogen’s forehead. Imogen beams. 

“Gross.” 

“Shut it, Ashton.”  

[unicyclehippo]

Grotto

it’s a little silly, how scary it is to be in love.

imogen imagines herself standing on a cable stretched between two distant points; her stomach churns as the wind buffets at her, tugs at her clothes. the spire she left was herself, solitary, and she moves toward laudna. she has been moving toward laudna this whole time, she knows, has been walking this cable the whole time. it’s just that now she can see the fall, the drop below her. and she’s fucking terrified. but the drop isn’t real—it is, she supposes, rejection or uncertainty or loss, something like that, or all of it. it’s normal, allegedly. not knowing someone else’s mind and what they feel and what they really think of you. she’s never had a problem with that before. and she doesn’t truly have a problem with it now.

imogen opens her mouth. she wavers on her cable and as the sway hits her stomach, she sets her sights on laudna. ‘how much do you care about me?’

laudna lights up like the sun. a cheeky smile crawls across her lips. ‘is it terrible of me if i say to the moon and back?’ she chortles when imogen swats at her shoulder. captures her hand in a light grip. ‘the affection i have for you is truly immense,’ she says. ‘i cannot think of what i wouldn’t do for you.’

‘will you…sing for me?’ imogen asks. she steps closer on the cable, fears easing; she steps closer on the street, curls her arms around laudna’s waist.

‘any time you wish.’

‘dance with me?’

‘always,’ laudna agrees, and proves it, sliding them into what she recalls of a waltz. there’s no music here but they don’t need it. there’s the patter of imogen’s heart, and the thud of laudna’s, and that’s more than enough. ‘we can go to a dance hall, if you wish. it should be nicer now that you don’t have to worry about all those minds.’ her fingers graze the circlet, attention fond as it is sad. ‘i’ll build a house for us,’ she says, as they sway in the middle of the street. the traffic parts around them; irritation never touches them, grumbles ignored. ‘it’ll be far enough from any town that you won’t hear anyone else and you can take this off. you can make a house inside my head,’ she muses, eyes bright, smile bright.

‘you still want me in there? even though i don’t have to be?’ the cable - the heights - the lurch, the worry. laudna, safe and solid ground.

‘i love to have you in my mind,’ laudna says, easy, earnest.

did she mean it? what is the distance, imogen wonders, between her version of love and laudna’s? would that she could let herself into laudna’s mind and walk it. find the edge of her devotion and see if it aligns with her own. did she ever worry, as imogen does, that she loves too much, too hard, too much teeth and gristle and hunger?

‘you’re in mine all the time,’ imogen confesses. ‘i think about you all the time.’

‘oh?’

‘ashton took me to this grotto and i thought, laudna would love this. i spoke to this alien mind thing and wished you were there to see the skeletons. everything i see reminds me of you. i feel like. every time i think i know how much i love you, it gets bigger.’

laudna’s eyes glint. ‘first of all, that’s what she said. and second, darling imogen, my dearest,’ she croons, and kisses her. imogen’s cable vanishes and she is reminded quite sweetly that she can fly. the nerves remain, fluttering in her belly. she embraces them, and laudna. ‘for all that i despise her, delilah has taught me many things. she persists in love undying, a devotion beyond life and death and sanity.’ laudna smiles down at her. ‘when i had lost all else to death, i could speak your name. does that answer your question?’

[captainofthetidesbreath]

I feel like this moment from episode 6 where Imogen talks about Relvin might be a useful one to think sbout right now, especially with all the commentary on their relationship and what they think it means and what happened between him and Imogen:

[Laudna asks Imogen about giving Relvin's name to the Corsairs as collateral. Imogen assures her that it is fine.] Laudna: Do you think he's doing well? I know we left in kind of a hurry. Imogen: Yeah. I think he's, you know, it was probably a long time coming. He was probably happy that I'm gone, and he might be doing a bit better now that I'm not there. FCG: What the fuck's up with that? Ashton: I feel like there's some context necessary for this. FCG: What happened? You have a falling out with your pa? Imogen: No, no, no, my dad's great! He tried, you know, when things started happening, and it wasn't like that growing up, you know, I didn't have all of this. I don't know why it started. It was hard for him, you know? Because I didn't want to be around very many people, and... he just kind of— distanced himself because he knew it made me more comfortable, and... you know, the people in town started talking, and I think he tried to distance himself socially as well for a while to try to, you know. Not his fault, totally. FCG: From you or from the people in town? Imogen: A little bit of both, you know.

Personally, I find it noteworthy just how different "he was probably happy that I'm gone, and he might be doing a bit better now that I'm not there" sounds after her explanation that he distanced himself from others in the town too, that it was motivated by a desire to make her comfortable (and that she knew this was the reason), and that she suggests his attempt to make considerations for her comfort around people was just as isolating for him as it was for her (and it seems there is a suggestion she believes distancing himself from her was difficult in both directions).

Imogen said he dislikes having his thoughts read.* This is interesting alongside another comment about Relvin having never spoken about Liliana from episode 12, one also useful to keep in mind right now:

Imogen: Talk about her? Never. Any time I tried to bring her up, it was like he just turned off. Part of me thinks that's one of the reasons he stopped coming around me. Once everything started changing, it's almost like he knew that he'd give something away. I just thought he was uncomfortable. I didn't know— I don't know.

In addition to the first remark, Imogen speculates that Relvin refused to talk about Liliana to stop himself from giving anything away and wonders if part of the distance was to better keep information about Liliana secret. This seems to mesh well with how he dislikes having his mind read. (Generally, outside of keeping secrets, not wanting your thoughts read is always a valid desire as it is a right to privacy.)

Generally, I think these moments are really useful for and important to understanding their relationship as it is and help contextualize and frame the interestingly very little they both say.

———————

*She says this is why she believes he wouldn't want to see her, but that didn't strictly turn out true, at least from what it seems in the latest. He wasn't thrilled to see her, sure, but he wasn't upset or unhappy either, which feels different from what she seemed to expect. He notably expressed apparently sincere concern that people angry with her would notice she's here and find her. This worry is explicitly the motivation for advising her to leave town quickly, so it therefore seems to be the primary motivator for his asking who saw her enter town—that he's worried people who still harbor ill will against her may come for her if she is seen and lingers too long. At least, that's what it seems to me when taken all together.

[paperglader]

CR C3 EP55

Thoughts: no thoughts, head empty, just robots KISSING AND HOLDING HANDS!!

First kiss of the campaign!!!!! Insane. Just insane. I'm so freaking happy. I love FRIDA so freaking much. FCG🥺 I just love romance so much and it makes me so excited cause I love these characters a lot and I'm so invested in their stories, I love watching them grow and find meaning. Just, ugh, I love it.

So much info dump in one episode, don't know where to even start. The solstice is perpetual. Kay. No revivify, totes cool. Ludinus just keeps becoming shittier (no surprise there).

NEW OUTFITS!!! I love them. Imogen's particularly... the leather, the see-through sleeves, the symbolism... I adore her. AND CHETNEY'S TRACK SUIT? he's gonna be a wolf with a hoodie 🥺 so cute. ALMOST FORGOT ABOUT THE CORSETS. Thank you, Laura Bailey.

Which brings me back to: Imogen. She's never felt better and she's never felt worse. I want to read the mind of that mind reader so much. She's constantly running away from vulnerability whilst also being a bit shit at hiding how she feels. She's such a bleeding heart, she's been doomed, she's been saved, and she's learned how to grow over the last few years little by little. Now she's standing so much taller, and it's so wonderful to see. I'm just so proud of my little fictional character 🥹 and I want her to reunite with laudna so bad, so everything's a bit better for her.

Which only reminds me of: I miss the dead lady. I miss the dead lady a lot. No, truly, it's just that this new arc has been so much fun and I keep thinking of her and how I just wish she was a part of it. I know I'll be the same with imogen as soon as she's gone, though :(

I feel like our main characters have grown so much together, and it's like we're getting a moment of quiet to actually get to see it. Cause growth often happens very quietly and sometimes we don't necesserally get to see it until after the mess is over. I feel like there's a new-found sense of maturity in them. I think you can see it on Fearne, Ashley's been really great at the little moments, little reactions that she has that are different than before and are also evidence of what she's been through. I love when whimsical/agents-of-chaos-type characters get moments of seriousness and we get to really see what's going on with them. I feel like FRIDA has brought some sense of peace to FCG that I wasn't expecting, and that they weren't expecting, but had certainly been looking for for a bit. It warms my heart, and it sort of seems like there's a bit of a theme there ( or maybe we're all just wandering around on earth, waiting to be understood and find someone that makes us feel at ease). Particularly, though, just like with imodna... It just hits different when you're someone that has dealt with that anger and loneliness for too many years and finally get to find that person that just sort of creates a new meaning of home for you, the sort of thing that makes the noise grow quieter or stress-induced ticking bombs become calmer. It's just a hopeful message to continue to go on by… That regardless of how doomed you feel like you are, there might still be more if you can stick around. Love how Deanna grounds Chetney, too. She's so wonderful and I'm just a sucker for people that are so heartbroken and yet still find it in themselves to love so fiercely. She's amazing and I just want good things for her. I think that right now they could be good for one another, and I love the divorce storyline, obviously.

[noelwho]

Ultimate Chronological Order Imodna Playlist!!!

Hello! I feel like I have to introduce myself ‘cause I’m barely on Tumblr. I’m still learning how to use it, I posted a couple of fanarts and they went really well, so I want to try and make myself a spot in here. My name is Noel (they/them) and I’m a big fan of Critical Role. I started watching a few months ago, with Exandria Unlimited. Once I was done I went ahead and started Campaign 3. I’m currently on episode 49 (I know, I have a lot ahead yet). I also watched the first season of Candela Obscura and a couple of One-Shots.

Today I’m here to talk about the Lesbian Southern Gothic Witches. Earlier this week I started to obsess over a playlist. An Imodna playlist, to be more specific. It started with me listening to one I found on spotify (I will credit below because it’s been a huge inspiration for this project) and I got the urge to make my own. At the beginning it was something chill, something normal…until it was not. Over the course of the last 3 days I haven’t thought about or listened to anything else. I got the idea of making the playlist in chronological order and I started to take it very seriously. I divided their history in 10 different chapters and assigned each song to the correct time period. At first it was just gonna be into chapters, but then I started to put them in order inside the chapters too, and it became very personal. For real, this playlist has been the one and only thing I wanted to talk about for days. Last night I finally finished it. I’ve played it for run tests several times and I think it’s finally ready to see the light (kinda feels like the project of my life even though I only spent a few days working on it).

After all this brainrot it didn’t feel right to just tweet a link to the playlist, I wanted the world to know everything that went through my head in the process of making this. I also don’t have many people around who care about Critical Role, and I thought it was a good opportunity to connect with the fandom. So all of this took me here, to tumblr. All of a sudden it became very clear that this was the perfect place to set my baby free.

There’s some things I wanna make clear before you start reading, the first being the classic: english is not my first language. Sounds like a joke at this point but for real, it’s very likely that this thing is full of grammatical mistakes and I want to apologize in advance (specially about the in/on/at situation, I’ve been having lots of trouble with those for some reason) This is also the first time I do something like this so it may not be perfect. The second thing is that this will obviously be filled with spoilers. In fact I actually haven’t even got to The Scene, I saw it around on Tumblr and Twitter (impossible to avoid that spoiler, but I don’t really care). I’m aware that there’s a lot of Imodna moments that I haven’t seen yet, but I couldn't wait to start this playlist. I don’t know if the episodes I have left to watch will translate into new chapters or into new songs for the chapters I already have but either way, I will keep this post and the playlist updated.

With that being said, welcome to this ride through an unhinged mind. Fasten your seatbelts and enjoy!

The tether scene is one of my favorite ones. I love that metaphor with a passion. That’s why I chose this name for the playlist. With the photo I wanted to make an allusion to the red thread myth given that Laudna herself carries around a spool of red string. I even edited the picture so the hands on the right are slightly gray like Laudna’s.

There’s not just one specific vibe to this playlist, but I find it to be a very calming one, with the exception of some specific moments that we will talk about later. I tried to avoid strong and distracting beats so I could keep it a little ethereal. Lots of acoustic guitar (which I love). I’m not going to talk about every single song because some of them have pretty obvious meanings. Usually the songs aren't a 100% match, but they do have a part to it that speaks to me and to the story on a certain level.

× Imogen and Laudna’s separate lifes ×

At the beginning of the journey that is this playlist, I wanted to introduce the characters. Intertwining their songs, we get to know Imogen and Laudna’s pasts, before they have each other to face the terrors of being witches in a world that doesn’t quite understand them.

Delilah - Florence + The Machine (Laudna)

I sometimes wonder if Marisha has ever listened to this song, because oh my fucking god. I wanted to start the playlist with Abbey, I didn’t because with the intertwining I couldn’t make it fit, but this one is a very good start as well. This song shows perfectly how it must have been being brought back by Delilah and having that power all of a sudden.

Abbey - Mitski (Imogen)

Matilda - Harry Styles (Laudna)

Imogen - Nick Mulvey (Imogen)

Laudna's lullaby - Ginny Di (Laudna)

Time comes in roses - Bess Atwell (Imogen)

The Tradition - Halsey (Laudna)

Burn it down - Daughter (Imogen)

There’s several songs from this album on this playlist. It couldn’t fit better. It reflects perfectly the moment Imogen started to develop her powers. It even refers directly to the way she parts ways with her town (which doesn’t happen for a few chapters but still I felt this one belonged here). Her fear of being a disappointment, her father becoming absent, the feeling of being cursed. It’s all here.

The hanging tree - The hunger games (Laudna)

Still I wait - Anna Leone (Both)

Even with everything they had to go through, they both still wait and cling to hope.

× Imogen and Laudna meet ×

Finally, their paths cross. They experience the feeling of warmth for the first time in a long time. They both feel the need to keep the other one close and begin to appreciate the little things in life, learning how to be taken care of. Goodbye loneliness.

Season of the Witch - Lana Del Rey

I'd like to walk around in your mind - Vashti Bunyan

How important is this song knowing what Imogen can do…

Comfortable Silence - Bella Porter

Without you without them - Boygenius

A hole in the earth - Daughter

That Moon Song - Gregory Alan Isakov

Love brought weight - Old Sea Brigade

That distant shore - Steven Universe

Sick of losing soulmates - Natalie Dawn

I Hear a Symphony - Cody Fry

Sidelines - Phoebe Bridgers

The bug collector - Haley Heyderickx

Sometimes I feel that it’s always Laudna taking care of Imogen, as if she didn't have anything on her own plate. It can't be easy to live with a voice in your head and paranoia. This song shows how Imogen is there to hold Laudna too when it becomes too much.

Look up - Joy Oladokun

If the last one was an Imogen’s POV, this one is totally a Laudna’s POV. Her and her silly little pep talks. “You’re so capable”.

Daylight - Taylor Swift

I love the idea of them learning that life can be good if you find someone to share it with. This song encapsulates that perfectly.

Spell - Dora Jar

I wanted this one to be the last one of the chapter because it introduces the idea of leaving together.

× Imogen and Laudna run away together ×

“Would you run away with me?” They learn what it’s like to have a home that’s not a place, but something entirely new. The past still follows but they’re no longer crushed by it, because they don’t have to sustain it on their own.

Departure - Daughter

Second child, restless child - The Oh Hellos

Just the two of us - Grover Washington, Jr.

I really like to imagine Imodna slice of life scenes when I listen to this song.

Dandelion Wine - Gregory Alan Isakov

Homesick - Dwara, Khotton Palm

Graceland Too - Phoebe Bridgers

When I realized how much of a Laudna's POV this song is, I almost cried.

Telepath - Manchester Orchestra

I really really like Manchester Orchestra, it's one of my favorite bands. I never let go of the chance of spreading them around, and this one is the best song they have. Laudna's POV for sure.

everything i wanted - Billie Eilish

With songs like this one and Intertwined, I wanted to introduce the idea that even though they're definitely better off now that they left the town, that doesn't instantly solve all of their problems. As I said before, the past follows, but they're no longer alone with it.

Savior Complex - Phoebe Bridgers

Intertwined - Dodie

Nothing else matters - Phoebe Bridgers

As long as they're together, nothing else matters.

× You lied ×

Even though I only have a few songs for this precise moment of the story, I thought that it was very important to include their first fight. The gem is broken and Imogen feels betrayed. Laudna is left abandoned and thinks she deserves to be punished for Delilah’s wrongs. We explore jealousy for the first time.

Witches - Daughter

The silence at the end of this instrumental song represents the loneliness that Laudna felt when Imogen left her alone after her incident with Delilah

Landfill - Daughter

There are two possible ways of reading into this one. This is in my opinion a Laudna's POV. She could either be talking to Imogen, expressing her deep rooted desire for a punishment for what she’s done; or to Delilah, alluding to the attachment she has to her own powers (that at least as far as she knows are there because of Briarwood) opposed to the hatred she feels for her and for herself for wanting those powers (this is a theme that they explore later on future chapters)

Are you okay? - Winnetka Bowling League

Afterglow - Taylor Swift

The archer - Taylor Swift

× Laudna’s death ×

Otohan Thull relentlessly kills three members of Bells Hells. A coin is flipped and Laudna is gone, again. What awaits beyond the afterlife? Perhaps a little girl, a monster and a tree.

DVD menu - Phoebe Bridgers

If death’s not exactly DVD menu by Phoebe Bridgers, then someone tell me what’s like because I can’t imagine otherwise. I freaking love how this song connects with Daffodil.

Daffodil - Florence + The Machine

Death with dignity - Sufjan Stevens

Bells in Santa Fe - Halsey

I like to imagine that Laudna didn't appear in Nightmarish Whitestone immediately. Up until this point, she's in a limbo, accepting her own death. Bells in Santa Fe marks the moment she sets foot in that Upside-down kind of world. The constant repetition of “All of this is temporary” is like a mantra for her, the only hope she has of getting through it with her sanity intact is believing that this will also end and she will finally find peace.

Willow Tree March - The paper kiss

Hard times - Ethel Cain

Tether me - Galleaux

With this song and the next one, I wanted to express desperation. We don't get to know in the series how she feels throughout all of this, but I can only imagine how terrifying it must have been. There's a point where anyone would have started begging for help.

Matilda - alt-J

× Imogen’s grief ×

“Is she your favorite?”. Imogen feels deeply guilty for what happened. The possibility of bringing Laudna back is the only thing that’s keeping her from losing it completely. All the regrets, all the words she wishes she said before, all the times she didn’t approached her when she wanted to, come afloat. Grief, disassociation and sorrow.

Words - Storefront Church, Phoebe Bridgers

This song is meant to represent the exact moment of Imogen floating and losing control, with Otohan in her head pushing her to let go.

Goner - Twenty One Pilots

No other song in existence can express better the moment Imogen realize Laudna's gone for good.

Lanterns lit - Son Lux

True Faith - Ashley Johnson

Hurt for me - SYML

Carry you - Novo Amor

My love - Florence + The Machine

Lucky for you - Novo Amor, Gia Margaret

Killer + the sound - Phoebe Bridgers, Noah Gundersen

Should have known better - Sufjan Stevens

Ya'aburnee - Halsey

Show you a body - Haley Heyderickx

Imogen (even Laura) loses hope for a moment during the ritual they do for bringing Laudna back. The end of this song summarize this repeating a lyric over and over (you can clearly see through this playlist how much I love repetition).

× Back together ×

After Bells Hells confront Delilah at the Upside-down-Whitestone of Laudna’s nightmares, Pike manages to bring her back to life. Imogen and her are back hand by hand, and nothing can ever tear them apart again. Here’s where I think something awakes inside them, but they are far from realizing it.

I am the Antichrist to you - Kishi Bashi

Like an angel “fallen from the sky with grace”, Laudna’s back on Imogen’s arms.

Darling - Halsey

This love (Taylor's Version) - Taylor Swift

Now that you're home - Manchester Orchestra

Lose you again - Manchester Orchestra

Halloween - Phoebe Bridgers

But not kiss - Fayer Webster

Like I said, something changes after this. What they’ve been through is not nothing. This song is here to show that something is born deep inside them, on their subconscious far from their reach yet

× Back to Gelvaan ×

Same as with the “You lied” chapter, I felt that this one was important even though I just have one song for it. It just matches perfectly. Imogen and Laudna visit Imogen’s hometown and the place where they met, searching for answers. Old wounds, some closure and an emotionally absent father.

My tears ricochet - Taylor Swift

× Tethered ×

In this chapter the platonic bond is peaking. It takes place right before The Unraveling, giving in to the “Can I kiss you?” phase and becoming romantic. They’ve been through hell and back just to stay together. This is my personal favorite bit of the playlist, everything is extremely intense but not yet explicit.

Tethered - Sleeping at last

I Will - Mitski

Anchor - Alli X

Don't let them see you cry - Manchester Orchestra

Crosses - José González

Quietly - Manchester Orchestra

Francesca - Hozier

Moon song - Phoebe Bridgers

Capital Karma - Manchester Orchestra

Everywhere, everything - Noah Kahan

In a week - Hozier

Monster - King Princess

j's lullaby (darlin' i'd wait for you) - Delaney Bailey

I will follow you into the dark - Miya Folick

I wouldn't ask you - Clairo

× Can I kiss you? ×

Finally, the moment we’ve all been waiting for. The beggining of something new, the next and most logical step of this journey. The platonic becomes romantic and they get to truly explore the feelings they always had, and some novel ones. This is the moment I know less about, but I’ve used my imagination and my own headcanons.

Can I - Genevieve Stokes

I debated a lot whether to put this one at the end of the last chapter or the beginning of this one because I don't know how relevant Laudna's death is up to this point, and there's a huge reference to this in this song. I know for a fact that the Delilah’s plot is not over and things will change, but I couldn't resist the urge to put it in here, given the name of the song and its obvious connection to the chapter.

We'll never have sex - Leith Ross

Wading in Waist-high Water - Fleet Foxes

This is the last time - The National

All my ghosts - Lizzy McAlpine

Prière pour la nuit - Barbara Pravi, November Ultra

Chewing Cotton Wool - The Japanese House

Bandages - Rachel Bobbitt

This is it, this is The Ultimate Chronological Order Imodna Playlist. I don't know if I'm the first one doing this, probably not, I don't know if this has any value to anyone beyond myself, but I had a hell of a lot of fun. If only one person were to read this till the end I would be more than satisfied.

I’ll link here the playlist that started all of this. Massive respect for this person whoever it is, I took lots of the songs from here

Infinite thanks to anyone who gets here or saves my playlist, feel free to respond with any song that you think adds to the story!! Something tells me this isn't the end of my Imodna brainrot so,,,, more things could be on their way (a fanfic, perhaps?).

No idea how to end this so… long live Lesbian Southern Gothic Witches!!!

[cringefaecompilation]

imogen, orym, and fcg!

imogen

First impression

oh she's cute, i love her hair and accent!

Impression now

Favorite moment

"my mama's here. i'm coming to visit her" top ten imogen quotes of all time to me

Idea for a story

god i want her to fucking rest. send her to a state fair and let her pet the fucking goats oh my god get the weight of everything off her shoulders

Unpopular opinion

imogen isn't a mean selfish bitch and her story isn't meant to end with her turning evil. she isn't abusive towards laudna nor does she refuse to see laudna has flaws. she doesn't hate orym or mock his trauma. she doesn't hate ashton and mock their trauma. why is this such a common theory/concept. i understand it's died down now that she's told ludinus to kill himself but i can't understand how so many people will joke about how keyleth was bashed for stupid reasons and then turn around and bash imogen for very similar stupid reasons, and when you point this out to them they'll whine about how you're "girlbossifying" her.

Favorite relationship

her and everyone in bh except for chet, dorian and braius. sorry guys. nothing you have done with her yet has jumped out at me as the rest.

Favorite headcanon

imogen likes hatch chiles. irony as she is cast

orym

First impression

ngl i thought he was one of the most boring characters in exu. not that he was a bad character, he just felt like he had barely anything going for him compared to the rest of the team and only existed to be the least weird out of them

Impression now

after finishing exu i went into c3 27 episodes in like "this is just beauregard if she was a guy and played by the rules instead of broke them. okay i like him now lmao" which morphed into "oh god you need someone to tell you to stop, you are going to die if you keep this momentum up." i like him but he needs severe help that isn't solely positive reinforcement

Favorite moment

him hugging imogen and telling her he's proud of her and cares for her and him apologizing for being so objective towards her and her mom.

Idea for a story

i wanna know how him and fearne met. please tell me she saved him from a monster or something, that'd be cute.

Unpopular opinion

as someone who has seen legitimate hatred and extreme bad faith criticism of orym, i don't like him being whiteknighted because he's biased in a "good" way. yes, he's objectively correct, but that doesn't account for him being so stubborn about it and i hate it when he's used against his friends.

also yeah it's increasingly obvious he self-harms and i don't like that it's either ignored or even encouraged by the fanbase.

Favorite relationship

every single platonic situationship orym has had with a woman has altered my brain chemistry in ways that scientists do not have a word for so yet thanks liam. (imogen, fearne, opal, laudna, keyleth)

Favorite headcanon

he's mixed and has ocd!

fcg

First impression

"but... why does the robot have a southern accent...?"

Impression now

gods bless you letters, you were taken from us too soon

Favorite moment

IS IT D OR IS IT DANCER for a silly bit, and who wouldn't say their speech and sacrifice to save the hells?

Idea for a story

i've had time to dwell on it and i really don't want them to be wholly revived or reincarnated at the end of the campaign because it'll feel weird, but i do want like, a dalen's closet moment where everyone gets to talk to them one last time.

Unpopular opinion

he should have gotten the shard. also i refuse to believe he should have gotten legs. let them keep their wheel, dammit.

Favorite relationship

him and ashton (cute) and fearne (many thoughts brain making whirring noises). loveletters didn't really do it for me, sorry.

Favorite headcanon

the flat exandria thing was a bit in-universe too. they see the hells talk about keeping up the theory in his honor as a ghost and keep trying to be like WAIT NO NO NO I WAS KIDDING from beyond the veil

[lauranthalasah]

Fuck... I'm an idiot, I think I got why so many people felt Orym's nod to Laudna over Bor'Dor so bad.

This is a long one...

See, Orym has been painted as the "good one" by the group, the moraly upstanding, let's say. "The dad friend," the fandom said. And he kinda is, compared to the rest, he has more internal rules, which tend to kindness, respect, etc., and the others clocked it (not saying the other's don't have their own morality, just that Orym seems to have more lines he will object to be crossed).

For a long time, his actions proved this side of him to the Bell's Hells, but what is more important, I think... they start relying on it! Many PCs had done that, from EXU, to C3, to even guest players, somebody said something in the lines of "I look at Orym, if Orym it's okay with it, then I'm good" (I think it was a guess star). The group relaxed over their own process of decision making because they started counting on Orym to call them out if they went too far!

The key thing is... Orym never asked for it! As a mom friend, let me tell you... it's frustrating as hell to have to "parent" people who are my age or older, I do it only because I love them, and I don't want them to die! And Orym showed us his frustration with them a long time ago!! Remember when they all were rising hands over who thought they would all try to kill each other? Remember how Orym just stand up and fucking left?! That's what you do when you are tired of trying to be the voice of reason in a group in which at least four of them are older than you and the other two are adults as well! Hell! Ashton noticed it!

Orym never asked for that position, no one ever does, you just fucking fell into it, and then you care too much for the idiots you call friends... even if you want to killed them yourself half of the time (that's me). In fact, Orym reaaaaly doesn't want to be any kind of leader, not even a "moral" one, but he keeps falling into Chaotic groups, sorry man!

Now, something else the group as a whole fails to realize in its full meaning is that Orym is a soldier in a mission. He has always been, and they know it, intellectually, but they failed to understand the implications of it. Fearne understands Orym, that's why she goes to him when she herself has doubts over Imogen, because she knows what Orym did with Dorian, so she knows Orym must be thinking some strategies just in case, and I'm not sure if she goes to him only because she is worried or also because she wants to show him her support, whatever it is... it's one of the best shows of not only that Fearne loves Orym, but that she actually understands him more than one could think. But Bell's Hells don't have the knowledge that Fearne does, they don't know how lethality serious Orym can get, how he will do things he hates because he things they must be done, they've seen glimpses, but Fearne saw it in all its cold steadfastness when Orym pulled his sword on Dorian, she knows, the rest are going to find out little by little.

So we have Orym trying, for a long time, to understand the enemy, what motivates the members of the Ruby Vanguard, trying to keep seeing them as people, not just "enemies." But he also recognized that he can not be impartial with them. We saw how he left another "should gods live or not" discussion because he is tired of it. Even if he thought (which he doesn't) that all the Gods should died he would not help the Ruby Vanguard, they will always be his enemies. He has been saying it is personal to him since his chat with Chetney. The philosophical conundrum, it's in the end, pointless to him, if he can stop the Ruby Vanguard he will, just for what they did to his people. And even with this as a known factor... he still tried to understand the members of the RV, they were people who have been hurt, even after they killed him, Fearne, and Laudna, Orym still tried to keep that openess of mind and heart.

Until Bor'Dor.

Bor'Dor attacking them after they offered him kindness and friendship, but even worse, I think... it was Bor'Dor attacking Prysm and Deni$e, who had nothing to do with Bell's Hells and their attack to the RV, just because they were there, and he wanted to hurt Ash, Laudna, and Orym. That proved to Orym once and for all that the RV were too dangerous, too cruel in the pursuit of their goals, simply put... they don't care how many innocent people they have to kill to reach their objective. At that moment, Orym went to war, at that moment he became completely the soldier he could be. At that moment, he thought, "He has to die".

And in the middle of this storm we have Laudna on her own, and she looks up, she looks at Orym, hopping he will maybe stop her, the friend that has always stop them from going too far, and she doesn't realize that what she sees is an aspect of her friend she hasn't fully met yet, and because she is used to rely on his instincts over this things... she lets herself go.

So later, when things get a bit calmer, it kinda feels like a betrayal, doesn't it? Why? Why does the friend who always stops us from doing stupid things didn't stop me?! WHY? And the answer is, because he couldn't stop himself.

He didn't betray Laudna, he fails her in the rol SHE had assigned HIM, now they will have to rework their friendship.

This moment weighs in the three of them, Ashton, too. It's obvious in the way he and Orym tell Laudna to take a moment for her. They are trying to help her now. Nothing changes what happened, though.

This is going to be interesting because it's clear that that aspect of Orym's personality, the cold soldier, is quite on the surface now. He is angry, really angry, angry enough that he might not have the strength to keep being the "dad friend", because he might be too focused on keeping himself at bay to be the person who helps the others to do that as well. Like I think he will keep trying to be there for his friends, but his own mental and emotional state makes him less reliable to what the group is used to.