#cr what doesn't break

[immult]

oughgh. it's deanna placing her hand on the dawnfather so he knows mortality isn't any less warm and it's laudna hugging a dying writhing being because she doesn't want it to feel afraid of death.

[acebender]

I've been seeing people talking about the gold cuffs in Vex's ears, comparing them to Laudna's, and saying that maybe now that we've seen Vex wearing them it's a trend and that's why Laudna wears them. And babes...

I'll take the little gold cuffs, little pointed ear gold cuffs off. I wear these to hide it, because people get all gagged out about it, but they cut my ears to make them pointy, to further match whatever warning signal that I was. - Marisha, episode 17 of campaign 3

From Marisha/Laudna herself. She wears them to hide her docked ears! Couldn't it be, maybe, that Vex was so moved by the existence of Laudna, a girl that looks so much like her and suffered at the hands of Delilah because of her...

“Don’t forget to dock her ears. It’d be such an utter waste if our darling Vex'ahlia fails to recognize herself.” - Delilah, page 21 of What Doesn't Break

... that she felt inspired to add them to her look? Mayhaps? I wouldn't put it past Laura to do something like that, let's be honest.

[dadrielle]

[nezumidou]

Chapter 3, What Doesn't Break by Cassandra Khaw

[danwhobrowses]

Now that Critical Role's VOD of episode 120 is out and everyone in the fandom's had a moment to breathe, simmer, and adjust to this all. I wanna do a big talk about my favourite idiot punk rock, Ashton Greymoore.

Because over these last few episodes, I've been so proud of them.

Many people have had vocal opinions on Ashton, not all of them positive either; I've seen many berate them and say they're selfish, not a team player, or that they 'don't add anything to the group'. But over the past few episodes, I feel like Ashton has been an unsung hero in the battles with Ludinus and Predathos, with their contributions, oftentimes selfless and cooperative, ending up providing the floor for others to deliver strong and impactful actions.

While Dorian and Imogen will rightfully get the lion's share of praise for their clutch moments - Dorian's Force Cage on Ludinus saving Liliana and defeating Predathos' first stage alongside Imogen's Power Word: Stun setting up Ludinus' death and defeating Predathos' second stage - Ashton's actions were often the prelude to moments that could not have succeeded without them, including these clutch moments. Their attack on Ludinus in 117 prompted the Silvery Barbs that burned up his reaction - which allowed Dorian to successfully use Force Cage without being Counterspelled, their high-damage attack on his neck hole in 118 broke Ludinus' concentration on Ravenous Void - which somehow later got credited to Chetney - which gave Imogen the freedom and mobility to get in range for Power Word: Stun, they got the Insight check whisper on Predathogen in 119 to know that Imogen was physically inside of the body and needed to be pried out - which Imogen achieved herself thanks in part to Fearne reaching her, and recently in 120 they pulled Imogen out of Predathos' maw, abandoning the Hammer synonymous with their character (to the point that Keyleth titled them the 'Paradox Hammer') to prioritize saving their friend, which - following Dorian's healing - gave her the chance to use the Ring of Remembrance for the finishing Meteor Swarm. Not to mention all the other damage they dealt and tanked throughout the four fights, the passive d4 bonuses and advantage they gave the party (almost acting partly as a secondary paladin or a tertiary bard) to buff their damage and saving throws, and accepting the risk of disintegration when Laudna used their Hammer's spell splitter - which forced Predathos to use its final Legendary Resistance.

The Disintegrate moment itself was tense because we all know that Ashton is high among the Hells who would sacrifice themselves to save the group - a mentality most of the Hells likely shared in this fight - but fortunately they don't have to, they'll never have to, and they gained something just as if not more valuable than a heroic sacrifice: they get to live. The person who before meeting these chucklefucks believed they'd likely die face-down in a ditch in some backwater alley and thrown into an unmarked grave AT BEST gets to live, and the people that mean most to them get to live thanks to their efforts, their successes. And that's the most important part; for all the times they couldn't help or save someone because they were unconscious or out of reach, for all the times they let their imposter syndrome tell them they're just a fuckup undeserving of trust, praise, or love, and for every fear they had that one day they'd mess up and this new family of theirs will abandon them like the Nobodies did, this time they were there standing beside their people to the very end - and they helped get them out alive. No mistakes, no carelessness, and no-one left behind.

For that, I am proud of Ashton Greymoore; not Bells Hells' Weapon but their Helm, not a Blunt Instrument but a Protector, and not a Hero who needs to do 'what needs to be done' but a Friend who is saving their people no matter the odds. Under all the hardened and rugged exterior that has always been who Ashton is - the perfectly flawed character they are.

[pocketgalaxies]

i just realized that marisha ray recorded an audiobook with her longtime idol grey delisle. weeping

[paperglader]

one hour into what doesn't break: cried three times, just saw my lockscreen (imodna) and almost started sobbing

[critmaswishingtree]

Fandom: Critical Role (Web Series) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Laudna & Bella, Laudna/Imogen Temult Characters: Bella (What Doesn't Break), Laudna, Imogen Temult Summary:

Laudna was having a ball. She had won the last five hands at Imogen’s guidance, and a stack of chips was beginning to obscure her even better than the shadows. It was delicious, playing the lady. It seemed that with a certain but undefinable measure of wealth, she could cross from being dangerously different and into delightfully eccentric. She schooled her hungry smile into a fox’s grin and bade the dealer to begin another game.

She should have known it would attract the wrong sort of attention.

Laudna and Bella catch up 20 some odd years later after a chance encounter at a casino in Kymal.

This is part of the Critmas Wishing Tree Prompt Meme.

Submit your own prompts here!

Fulfill other people’s prompts here!

Any questions, check out the FAQ!

[nellasbookplanet]

OKAY Laudna book opinions:

Overall I really enjoyed it! It's really atmospheric and has this almost fairy tale vibe to the prose which I think suits Laudna's story really well (also Robbie does an excellent job narrating the audiobook with a similarly whimsical tone). It reads less like an adventure and more like a character study of Laudna discovering who and what she is, the psychological impact of existing in the world but outside community. I also think it does an excellent job of portraying the push and pull that is her relationship with Delilah, showing that Laudna always distrusted her and would sometimes even push her away, but also how easy it was to cling to this one loyal companion when everyone else either left or made Laudna leave. The sense of loneliness throughout was palpable.

The one thing I felt was a poor choice was an overall theme of "young woman in a world that treats women who don't fit in poorly". This is usually an interesting and prescient theme, but in a story set specifically in Exandria, which doesn't align with our gender roles and doesn't have our same misogyny, it felt like an awkward fit, and also not needed. Laudna as a character was already ostracised due to her undead nature; I would rather the story have leaned harder into that.

[thesunwillsingasong]

I've finally got my hands on "What Doesn't Break". I only finished the prologue, and I'm unwell.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely knew what I was getting myself into reading this, but I sat in horror with every word passing before my eyes. I'm tearing up as I write this.

Holy shit. This book will devour me.

[spookydicks]

WHAT DOESN'T BREAK SPOILERS

Laudna's whole epiphany GAVE ME LIFE!!

"And, despite everything, was till the little girl raised to believe nobility meant more than a title, a name, an accident of birth, She caught herself nodding syphethetically until her thoughts snagged again on the memory of her parents dead, butchered."

DELILAH CUT OFF PAPA BRADBURY'S FACE TO USE FOR THE GROG DOUBLE????????????????????????????????????????????????? OOOOOOOOOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO GET ME THE FUCKING BAZOOKA, A LAND MINE, AND A GUILLITINE. THIS CUNT NEEDS TO LEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAVE

"There should have been fear. There should have been the memory of pain. Instead, her anger had burned it down to a singular emptiness, a perfect nothing that Laudna could fill with whatever she wanted, her old life ashes swept away with the wind. Because the worst had already happened.

And she didn't break."

"Because when I'm finally dead, it'll just be you and my corpse." GET, HER. FUCKING. ASS

Laudna feeling so empty and numb that she's laughing

It takes an awful amount of strength to stop in the middle of defending yourself, really think about what her words mean to Bella, and say "I deserve that. It's ok that you hate me. " This puts swordgate and shardgate into SUCH A DEEPER AND DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE

"I want you to promise me I'll never see you again. You'll go away forever."

"If that's what you want, darling, you'll never see me again." "Ever."

"Never ever."

[immult]

"there is the simple beauty of coming to one of many homes that you've called home, especially one as welcoming as zhudanna's." - c3e65 / "a sense of home wound its roots around her heart and anchored her to that place (...) laudna always came back, drawn irresistibly to the cottage and its curmudgeonly keeper" - ch7

[acebender]

The moment Imogen speaks in the book I'm done for

[15lehna]

Covid is homophobic because me getting it the week we got What doesn't break, WBN, Zerxus and the Mighty nein is absolute hell. Did I still read/listen/watch most of them yes was I dying while doing it also yes

[meid4]

I just finished listening to the prologue of "what doesn't break"

Cheesus christ, you guys this is intense ! Of course we knew story already but the details, her thoughts, I am flabbergasted

Fuck you marisha for this, it's amazingly horrible <3333

[inconmess]

Orym is fucking cold tonight and between him and Ashton, the anger is running high? Thems not pulling any punches

That Liliana convo, I just want to bash my head somewhere. I mean, good for you that you want to be an inside man for your daughter but at the same time, stop being wishy washy and open your fucking eyes for once if you want a life with your daughter?

Also, Evarova and the lore...

Air out the feelings tonight man. Air out the feelings

and indeed MFMM indeed. Are we going back to Aeor now? Are we going to see FRIDA soon? We still need to break the shit to them 😭