#laudna book

[overnighttosunflowers]

ok now that a few more copies of the laudna book are out in the world I will say that I have read it and it is so, so, so, so, so wonderful and if you haven’t yet preordered it then doing so is the greatest gift you can get yourself. cassandra khaw outdid themself, and if you think you have already reached the maximum amount of laudna love a heart can hold, you will soon ascend to levels heretofore unknown. it is an outstanding media tie-in, an outstanding prequel, and an outstanding book with such care and love and craft in every line. it is truly, truly, truly that good.

[dadrielle]

[thewhalelord]

“I just want you here, that’s all. Next to me.”

[musicinherhead]

I am speechless after this book. There are just.. SO MANY THINGS I CAN TOUCH IN WITH THIS.

[Overall book spoilers, please read only if you read cover to cover<3]

• If Delilah Briarwood has no haters I’m dead.

• I didn’t expect the banquet and Sun Tree narrative to get worse. But it did. My therapist will be hearing about this.

• I did NOT anticipate the double edged dagger to the heart in Kymal with the “Fun Scary” to “Scary Scary” pipeline. That was— again my therapist will be hearing about this.

• Sharing a name with Laudna’s very first human friend was a very unique and personal experience I wanted to cry that entire timeline.

• Speaking of Bella, it is WILD TO ME how she and Imogen are the same age and probably have the same birthday— and Bella was implied to be a Ruidisborn, which tells me we get a reunion cameo soon I hope. I don’t know if I’d rather it be in a friendly way, or a villain way but I reallllllly hope it happens.

• Speaking of Imogen— how in the many planes of existence did they not kiss sooner?????? I never read something more romantic than Laudna’s thought on meeting Imogen and Imogen’s flustered reactions to Laudna. The blushing. The stammering. The devotion?????? I love them so much, they are so so special to me

• I adore Pate de Rolo with all my heart. His creation was so beautiful. Laudna making Delilah talk to and acknowledge him gave me joy.

• I adore the name Adorabelle so so much

[rjl11898]

Nothing gets me crying in the club faster than these two specific lesbians 🥹🥹🥹 their fate is INTERTWINED and they are eachother’s HOME UGH!!

[soup-bender]

I don’t have a single idea how to Art properly but this thing pulled me out of blank page syndrome and came at a too great cost not to share (i took about 3 sips of watercolor paint on accident)

Anyway this is just a colorful splotch of colors based on this fic by mastermind @lespetitesmortsde that you should totally read or re read ⏬

some process shit under the cut because i felt fancy

Started with just a little dumb sketch of them having a chhhhleepover but then I was like hm.

Decided to line art it and started a digital draft but then my pc died so thats for later

Cleaner version of final imagen alt with no background. Anyway, kisses on the left buttcheek and all.

[ms-hunybunny]

woah so I’m new to tumblr so I guess I should introduce myself 

1: hi I’m huny bunny I am a multi media artist

2: my art takes inspiration from Mike Mignola and madoka magia

3: I am working on two big projects atm, a novel called “Dance of the Raven” and a comic (transformers fancomic, currently unnamed)

4: ask any questions you’d like

[pocketgalaxies]

"i like her" "like isn't enough though, poppet, much as it should be. it won't let you tether a soul to the world, just makes them feel worse on the way out" just such a crazy thing to read in a book about laudna criticalrole knowing what's (who's) in her future. just so fuckin crazy

[distant--shadow]

just finished reading my 5th book of this year😊 I know that sounds pretty tame, but in the last 20 years I had only read 2 other books front to back and for my own enjoyment, and one was a book about mushrooms (entangled life is very good) and a reread of the hobbit caus I was in a certain headspace.

I was in special classes for reading and that in school caus I wasn't up to par, it feels really good to be figuring out how to enjoy it and not be stressed by it and on my own terms, looking forward to reading more stories and being transported to more places. it's cool.

[ratinayellowbandana]

the part of what doesn’t break where laudna befriends the rats was written for me, personally I think. if we learn pate was a pet first I’m walking out bc I was the first fic author to write that back in January 2022

[shorthaltsjester]

reading what doesn’t break and many thoughts but the line in the epilogue “laudna shrank back, wishing she’d left a window unbarred, but she’d been so hell-bent on reinforcing her solitude, she had not considered needing to keep it from becoming her tomb.” cassandra khaw you have all my respect that line is such a phenomenal summation while also being heartwrenching

[overnighttosunflowers]

[theoutcastrogue]

Prism: I'm gonna become a book thief. Folio filcher. Parchment pilferer. FCG: A literary larcenist? Prism: Yeah! That's right, when I'm done reading them, I'm gonna set them on fire! Laudna: No, that's an arsonist. Prism: Oh. FCG: Maybe you need to read some more books. Deanna: We got to steal you a thesaurus, baby girl.

— Critical Role C3E64: "Reunited"

Humble suggestions for the Criminal Nerd:

bestiary burglar

codex cracker

compendium cribber

document desperado

grimoire grabber

hardcover heister

leaf lifter

letter looter

library liberator

manuscript moocher

octavo outlaw

page pincher

paper plunderer

paperback purloiner

paragraph picker

scroll snagger

sexto snatcher

spellbook swiper

tome taker

vellum villain

volume varlet

BONUS: anthologist

Some of these would also be formed as *clears throat* exocentric verb-noun compound agent nouns (like "one who picks pockets" is a pickpocket, rather than a "pocket-picker") : liftleaf, lootletter, pinchpage, snagscroll. And these could also be proper nouns, family names (for a certain kind of family, heh) or nicknames or criminal aliases or even tiefling virtue names.

[utilitycaster]

The answers Marisha gave in this 4SD felt a lot more realized than in the past, which is good! But it still makes me feel like this character concept is incredibly ambitious and when juxtaposed with the various "I don't want to think anymore"/"go with the flow" statements I'm not sure she realized that.

The biggest example is that Laudna has two conflicting traits: she is extremely sensitive to betrayal, and she is very quick to trust even after experiencing a number of betrayals in her life. And when I say "conflicting" I mean that they are in conflict with each other, not that it doesn't make sense for a character to be a complicated person with traits that frequently work against them; in fact that's in my opinion a fantastic way to create a compelling character. But it feels like the why is only just starting to get explored in any capacity, and because of that even good choices raise more questions: why is this only coming out now; why so young a regression; why has it peeked out so weirdly and inconsistently in the past; why haven't the repeated betrayals in the past two months affected her mindset and made her more closed off. It once again makes me really wish we'd gotten a sustained outburst after the party reunited, because that would have made far more sense - a fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me situation.

I agree with the opinion that Laudna conceptually just fits far more with being an actual child herself - her desire to befriend children frankly comes off slightly weirder (not line-crossing or anything, just a little off) than it would had she died younger, as does her approach of dolls, and her failure to do anything with Delilah would make a lot more sense if she was at an age to be much more reliant. It would also make her inability to just blend into a city much more reasonable; no one is going to rent to a lone 11 year old. It really does feel that when the creepy child idea was rejected - which is a valid choice - it wasn't reworked sufficiently to fit someone who died in her late teens or early 20s.

I also don't really get the idea of her childlike nature being without malice. A pretty consistent theme for the various traumatic childhoods the characters of Bells Hells (and, tbh, past parties as well) has been the cruelty children are capable of - Ashton even says it in 3x78. Delilah being stuck with someone without malice would honestly lead to a situation in which Laudna was very trusting of her, which isn't the case, which again goes back to the conflict of betrayal as a trigger vs. being so quick to trust. Given that Laudna was frequently bullied and rejected as a kid, one would think she'd be aware of this. The specific example of Delilah calling Ashton a child and Laudna making him a doll still works wonderfully, but the overarching theme falls apart in places.

I think things have been on an upswing as of late, but ultimately we're at a point where, without some retcons I don't think Laudna will ever truly make complete sense because it's just such an intensive concept that did not get the work that required, and still feels reliant on a now-rejected premise.

[dent-de-leon]

Makes me sad to think that King Tealeaf could have met Laudna ; ;

[nellasbookplanet]

Laudna book acquired! I won’t have the time to start reading it until next week but I'm excited!!