#but right now enjoy Fearne

[centaurianthropology]

My thoughts on C3E77

So apparently this one was controversial?

I'm going to say right now, I really loved everyone's decisions. They all fit the characters, but more they fit the players. I know that there are claims that Tal ignored all the warnings, but I actually think Matt may have misjudged the situation going in.

Ashley made it clear on 4SD that she did not want the shard. I think she's not really feeling the Dark Fearne storyline (and that's fair), and Matt seems to have missed that she genuinely didn't want to go down that route. Maybe he thought she was playing coy? Maybe they've been playing together so long he thought he knew a story she'd enjoy and missed her signals that she wasn't into it. I've done that before with some of my long-term players.

However that went down, Tal and she had a conversation after 4SD about what they wanted to do, and it was clear going into the episode that they at least had it planned out who was taking that shard, and it was going to be Ashton from the off. The fact that Matt was not expecting that somewhat surprises me. As Taliesin said: he put a big red backstory-shaped button in front of Ashton, and Ashton is terrified of losing people. If Fearne didn't want the shard, Ashton was going to dive on that grenade head-first. And part of Ashton wanted it. They are told they can't do something, and they will go about proving that old tree and everyone else wrong in the most self-destructive way possible. They are intensely punk in that way.

Matt may have designed the shard for Fearne, but this is not the first time that an item meant for one player ends up with another. Deathwalker's Ward was made for Percy, but through the events in the Sunken Tomb, it ended up with Vax and led to a hell of a story. And now something meant for Fearne goes to Ashton, and I have a feeling we're now in for another hell of a story. Because Ashton is now, essentially, a lava genasi, with three impossible things crammed into their broken body. Will they survive the campaign? I have no idea, but it has become clear that they don't expect to.

And honestly? This may well be what the Hells need, not in terms of power, but in terms of really realizing how self-destructive they all are. Marisha may say that no one loves a martyr, but Laudna was very much ready to play that role earlier this episode. Imogen is very self-destructive. So is Orym. So is FCG. The only two who have shown any degree of self-preservation are Fearne and Chet. The rest are bombs waiting for the most poetic moment to go off.

And today one of them did for a moment. They finally saw the end result that their self-destructive tendencies get them: Ashton blown into a thousand pieces, scattered across the top of the ziggurat. Deanna's ring saved him. Fearne's Aura of Life and FCG's Aura of Vitality saved him. Ashton could only roll and take damage.

Matt may have not designed it this way, but this was absolutely Ashton's 'where do you get your strength from' moment of the campaign, but in a very different way than Grog or Yasha experienced them. Because Ashton might just need this realization slapped into them by all their friends: this was dumb and they would have died because they didn't trust their friends. Because their strength and their salvation truly came from the people that love them.

Ashton has been, up until this point, a bit gung-ho to die for his friends. Honestly, they all are, and it's about time he and all the others learned how to live for their friends.

Anyway, hell of an episode, and a brutal but thrilling last hour. I was grinning right along with Sam. The mad fucker pulled it off by the skin of his teeth and by the grace of two friends dumping every bit of healing they had into him.

#critical role #ashton greymoore #taliesin jaffe #I love how this complicates everyone's relationships #and may actually make them talk about self-destructive bullshit #good #this was needed #and honestly good for both Ashley for sticking to not wanting a storyline she wasn't jiving with #and Taliesin for taking that lack of interest and running with it #cr spoilers #Ashley Johnson #Fearne Calloway

[utilitycaster]

Could you elaborate on that Orym-grief post? I find it interesting and I love ur character meta

Sure! The main thesis, is, well, the post: Orym has a healthy attitude towards his own grief and deals with it well, but isn't good at handling how the party feels. And, secondary to that, the fandom tends to flip this around in their perception of Orym.

Orym is very aware he is grieving and that this will be a life-long thing. He misses Will and Derrig very much and their absence is a hole in his life. He also has built a life around it. It's a process, certainly, but a process he trusts. He allows himself to feel his feelings (the gravesite sequence in Zephrah), but he also very much wants to live out his life (the feeling of failure when he died, his general enjoyment of things). He's a relatively subdued and quiet person, but he clearly finds a lot of joy in life.

The thing about grief is that it's a unique sort of pain, because there's really nothing to be done about it, and it is, typically, something that will always be there. The process is to find a way to live with that absence and make space for it while also making space for new things. It's an important lesson! It's also not how you should deal with other problems, because it's not really solution focused (or rather, the solution is "it is what it is, and it really hurts, and eventually, time will make it hurt somewhat less though it will flare up in specific situations.") For more on this: Caduceus covers very similar territory; his understanding of grief is incredibly strong, and his understanding of other problems often falters.

With grief, the answer for the living is ultimately "keep going," and that's the thing with Orym: he sure does keep going. But I think it leads him to push past things without stopping to unpack and solve them, because in his case (a guy with a great mother, a happy upbringing, a career he enjoyed, and a loving marriage, who then experienced a devastating loss) the answer really was "yeah, it really hurts that my husband and his father, who was essentially the only father figure I had, were senselessly murdered in an attack on my home. But let's put one foot in front of the other."

However, this is not actually great advice for much of Bells Hells. Several of them genuinely have conditions that lead to a complete loss of control and self that could harm or kill others, and they are at varying levels of dealing with it, potential to the peril of others. Orym notes that Fearne's impulses might put the party at risk, but he never does anything to address it other than say "hey, we need to work together." He even skirts around it himself! I think it's valid for him to approach Fearne to have a backup plan about Imogen potentially joining the Vanguard, but he says his piece and then goes and does that in private instead of fully hashing out why she'd say this in front of the people who were murdered by them, which means the root causes are never addressed. A lot of this party needs to be told both "hey, your feelings here are really valid and you should express your anger" and "hey, get your fucking shit together once you've done that." Orym tends to treat them either like they're grieving (a gentle "hey, we need to keep going, we need to get back"), or treat this like a group endeavor without delving into the individual.

I really suspect the reason we are having such a massive blow up right now is in part because this party has, for so long, been told "hey, your shit? It could ruin it for the rest of us, and we're a team," and Ashton very much went against this. I would not, frankly, be surprised if Imogen (for example) is angry not just only Ashton, but also generally, that she pushed down her stuff and maybe didn't make more efforts to contact her mother and work through that.

Essentially, Orym is really good at smoothing things over just enough to keep everything on task, but eventually, if the gear is broken, no amount of grease can keep it from jamming, and that's what just happened here with Ashton. This is what only repeated quick fixes and no preventative maintenance looks like.

(As for why the fandom thinks the opposite? I personally blame that most putrid - in several senses - belief, that conflict is always to be avoided, mixed in with a longstanding really toxic and genre/medium-ignorant attitude towards death and grieving. I think this goes hand and hand with the really pervasive attitude early on that Bells Hells were so open and honest instead of the truth: it was just a pleasant veneer.)

#answered #puffinator-0 #cr tag #orym #posts that are part of my grand theory of cast dynamics

[codeopod]

Is This Allowed?

Post C3E89

Laudna and Imogen get another chance to talk once they are on their split-party mission, and Orym is caught in the middle. Yes this is titled from the vine, I wanted to play with Imodna from an outside perspective cause they definetely get lost in their own little world and romanticize things that are probably horrifying to onlookers, gotta love some untrustworthy narration. Enjoy!

Orym watched as the nerves settled in to each of his friends. The weight of the world would be enough to drive anyone over the edge, not to mention the weight of another smaller -but no less significant- planet.

They all carried it differently.

Fearne’s ears gave her away, twitching and following each little sound. Ashton leaned a little heavier onto his hammer when he stood for too long, and his brow was hardly ever relaxed. Chetney’s hands had developed a slight tremor, evidenced by his increased frustration while carving. FCG was hard to read, but his emotion wheel was nearly always verging on “exterminate” rather than “smiley” which was definetely something to keep an eye on. Imogen and Laudna were an odd pair, one crackling with light and the other weaving darkness, it only ever balanced out when they were touching, which they had been doing less and less of.

“So let me get this straight,” Ashton huffed, “we’re splitting up.”

“Yeah, that way we can cover more ground.” Imogen responded tersely. She had chewed off her pinkie and thumb nails and had taken off her gloves to continue, almost mindlessly as she paced the earthen chamber. They had already ruled out the assassination mission, against Orym’s hope that she at least be there for whatever happened. He, Chetney, Imogen, and Laudna were set on the infiltration mission, while the others were decided to join Ira for an explosive distraction.

“It’ll work out Ash, it has to.” He spoke up, squaring his shoulders. “You guys do what you do best, and we’ll do the same. Play to your strengths.”

Something flashed in Ashton’s gaze before he rolled his eyes with a laugh. “Right, the time-bombs vs the high-strungs.”

“I would say poor choice of words but you literally blew up.” Laudna chimed in, spindly fingers ghosting over her neck, Imogen glared at him from behind her.

“Shit, sorry Laudna.”

“It’s alright, it was funny.” She spoke over Imogens “Not funny.”

Orym sat vigil as Imogen curled in on herself, eyes glazed as she watched the violet flickering orb of her magical light dance between them. Their party had split off that morning to infiltrate and gather as much intel as they could before finally reporting back to Exandria. They were almost done, but the pressure had only increased. Especially now that they needed to spend the night in the underground network of tunnels near their target. They were meant to be back by now, and they would lose their telepathic communication soon without Letters nearby. It was all getting messy, but they had determined that it was safer to take it slow. Somewhere nearby, Fearne, FCG, and Ashton were waiting with Ira for their signal.

They are safe. Everything is stable. He reminded himself.

He had been first to offer to watch while the rest started their nights rest, but Imogen lingered as if her light was a fire that needed stoking.

You wanna talk about it? He spoke directly in to her mind to not disturb the others. It took her a minute to respond.

Bout’ how my momma might be dead right now? How if I close my eyes I might see her walk into that storm? How it’ll be the last time I ever see her. How I could’ve probably changed her mind but chose not to?

You couldn’t have changed her mind, not overnight.

Imogen looked at the ceiling, tilting her head back to suppress her tears.… I know it. That’s the worst part. She never would’ve chosen me over them. Not without a lot of talkin’ and time we don’t have.

War is full of ugliness and pain, I’m sorry you have to experience it, but you aren’t alone. You have us, we may be broken but we’re your family too, and we chose you. He gestured to the weathered grey fur of Chetney and to where Laudna lay curled up further away. Us and your spooky lady. We love you.

She smiled a little at that. Thanks Orym.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, listening to the soft snores of the old werewolf. Imogen’s eyes were noticeably drawn to the huddled form of her girlfriend just at the edge of the purple glow.

Can I ask how it’s going with you guys?

We’re alright. We talked earlier about everything and we probably still need to talk more but it’ll have to wait.

Yeah, I think a lot of us are holding out for a breather to delve into our stuff.

Some things are easier to postpone, my momma not so much, Delilah too, I just wish she wasn’t there all the gods-damned time.

Is it really constant?

Well, ‘ts what Laudna said anyway, she’s been getting stronger, she even spoke out loud to me and Fearne. Imogen grumbled. Cant stand it…knowing that ragged nasty old bitch is whispering horseshit in her ear and watching all our time together. Makes me not wanna do any…private stuff.

Orym snorted but paused and looked thoughtful for a moment. You know that’s exactly what Delilah wants, right?

Us not doing stuff?

Not just that, she needs Laudna to feel isolated…unlovable…it’s much easier to overpower someone with nothing to live for, she would definitely want to separate you two as much as possible.

Orym thanked every deity he could think of that he was friends with Imogen Temult and not at the receiving end of her power as she shot to her feet.

“That fuckin’ cunt.” She hissed out loud, turning to go to Laudna. Thanks Orym.

Orym chuckled and let his head fall back. “Yep.”

The glowing orb trailed after her, shifting its lavender spotlight onto the couple and leaving him in total darkness.

He couldn’t help but watch as they reunited; Laudna jolting upright to check on her, before furrowing her brow and pulling Imogen into her arms. Orym could only guess what Imogen could have possibly said that had Laudna wrapping around her like a spider keen on its prey. The darkness around them drew closer and the warlocks form blurred, growing in size and shuddering as her bones cracked and grew jagged bark. Her shadows licked and played around the perimeter of Imogen’s light, casting a ghostly lightshow accross the cavern wall near them.

His grip tightened on his sword hilt. He still wasn’t used to her unique display of power, and his gut often told him he was in serious danger even if it wasn’t aimed at him. He had started deferring to Imogen in those moments, to gauge the appropriate response.

The sorcerer slipped into the dark embrace without a seconds hesitation. She held on for a long moment before she drew away just enough to pull Laudna’s distorted face down to her own, hands stained black.

He nearly blushed at the raw intimacy of it all. The urge to reach under your partners skin and make a home amongst their bones was usually, he hoped, a purely poetic notion. They were in a unique position, literally, he couldn’t quite make out what was happening so he figured it wasn’t his business.

After a few minutes he glanced back to see imogen blushing and smiling like a smitten teenager, lips smeared dark, as she swayed into Laudna’s -now relatively normal- form. They were still impossibly close, but their magics had calmed, pastel purples blending into shadowy void. He heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing the lilting crone of Laudna’s laugh echo across the cavern. As they settled into their nest of blankets, Imogen’s residual dancing light faded to a dim glow before disappearing altogether, reducing Oryms perception to just his keen ears.

He really wished it hadn’t. It didn’t take long for the pair to start muttering and whispering again. He did his best not to eavesdrop, but it quickly took a tense turn, and he felt a deeply unsettling energy radiating from their direction. The normal darkness turned into something deeper, a chill skirted up his arms, and their whispers distorted to be unrecognizable and nightmarish. He wondered if Laudna had even noticed all the ways magic flowed from her, or if Imogen had grown so accustomed that she hardly took note. He was on his feet and stepping towards them when a voice broke above the din.

“No you fuckin’ aren’t!”

He nearly groaned. They were supposed to be keeping quiet and covert, not infighting. If this came to blows they would be in for a world of problems.

A light flared to life and shot towards him. He froze, preparing for his worst eventualities to unfold, until it stopped just above his head. It was one of Imogen’s, and it swayed slightly, seemingly attached to him this time.

Thanks , uh, could you guys k-

She interrupted him with a frustrated growl.

“Nope. Not messing with that.” He muttered to himself and sat back where he was before. Luckily, things slowly returned to normal, the room regaining its very faint light from the outside, and the couple quieting down for long enough that he knew they were finally asleep. He walked over and kicked Chetney lightly to switch watches with him.

Imogen wanted nothing more than to fall into a dreamless sleep, but she had a point to make first.

“Laudna?…hun? You awake?” She whispered into her lovers mind as she took a careful step towards the slight lump in their bedroll, shedding her outer layers that smelled like ozone and earth.

Laudna shot upright, concern pinching her features. “Are you alright darling?”

“Are you?”

“Can’t seem to close my eyes.”

“Well that never stopped you before.” Imogen teased.

“Imogen…?” Laudna regarded her with caution as the intensity in her eyes sharpened and locked on to her with a faint blush.

“I love you.”

“I love you t-“ The air burst from her chest as Imogen crashed into her.

“I love all o’ you.” She whispered. “Just as you are right now, okay?”

Laudna could only mumble incoherently, balking under the sudden attention as Imogen closed her eyes, happily tucked against her collarbone.

The cold seeped around them, Laudna’s aura enveloping her just before her arms followed suit. “I love you when you’re all creepy and dark.” Imogen took a deep inhale of petrichor and cedar, her hands sliding along the delicate architecture sprouting along Laudna’s spine as it shifted to accommodate her.

All Laudna could do was squeeze her eyes shut and try desperately to believe the woman in her arms.

“All your gore too.” Warm fingers traced ink across pallid skin. “You’re so beautiful Laudna, inside and out, an’ I would know cause I’ve seen it all.” She pulled her down into a slow kiss, hands smoothing her hair as twigs and leaves fell away to oil softened tresses. “I don’t love you in spite of Delilah, I love who you are in spite of her. You’re kind, and joyful, and crafty, and you love kids and you’re always eager to help cheer people up, even when everythin’ is just awful, and I’m gonna sundre that witch for ever thinking she could dim your spark.”

Laudna’s grip on her tightened with a strength that defied her willowy form. Imogen buried her head back into her now-soft skin and pressed a light kiss to her neck.

“I wanna have a farm with horses and two babies with purple eyes and black hair and a dog and some barn cats, and I want the worst thing that happens in a month to be us runnin’ outta eggs.”

Laudna gasped a breath as her ribs settled back in to place, her shock nearly choking her. “Imogen…” she cradled her face gently, dark eyes wide in awe. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Everything is okay, I promise, I just figured some shit out and I wanted to tell you.”

“I-okay.” Laudna wiped tear tracks from warm freckled cheeks as her own dripped from her jaw. “I want that life too. More than anything. It would be my deepest honor to share that with you.”

“Then it’s decided.” Imogen hiccuped and laughed softly. “Did you still wanna sleep?”

“Will you join me?”

“Can I hold you?”

“Please.” Laudna’s voice was small, but her shy smile remained as she bumped their noses and prestidigitated the tears and ichor away.

“Aw.” Imogen mumbled. “I like when it stains me.”

Laudna laughed bright and carefree, pulling Imogen in for another kiss. “You’re strange, my love.”

“Oh I like the sound of that.” Imogen purred.

My love. Mine.

Laudna giggled, delirious with affection, and pulled Imogen down into their bedroll. Imogen rolled onto her back and tugged Laudna’s head to her shoulder, hooking her own legs over Laudna’s, fingers slipping into her hair to scratch gently at her scalp. Her other hand soothed along the arm around her waist until the usual chill had melted away under her careful attention. Laudna sighed again and sunk deeper onto her.

“Alright?” Imogen whispered.

“The children… our children, if we somehow figure out how to have them, rather than adopt, they might be different than you imagined.” Laudna whispered after a moment.

“What like purple hair and black eyes instead? Maybe we’ll get lucky and get one of each.”

“Or a…teifling.” Laudna added.

Imogen held her a little tighter. “Oh! That would be interesting.”

“You’re not opposed?”

“We could always adopt. But, I would be honored to have your little teifling babies, or hells, maybe they’ll be little patè’s- I don’t care one bit darlin- they’ll be ours.”

Laudna clutched at her chest and squeezed her eyes shut. “Okay!” She managed.

“Shit, was that too much?”

“No!” Laudna hid her face in Imogen’s neck. “This all feels like a wonderful dream that will only end in horrid dissapointment.”

“Why would you say that? We’ve come this far havent we?”

“It’s not real .” She began, “I mean -I’m not real- I’m not alive, anything good that happens is simply a nice sentence in my epilogue.” She spoke in a flippant way, whether it was because she believed it, or because it was too painful to say sincerely, either way it made Imogen’s chest ache. A chill traced her spine, and up the back of her neck.

“Don’t you dare say that. I am not a dream.”

“No. You’re far better than anything I could’ve possibly imagined.”

“Don’t get sweet on me after saying this ain’t real.”

Laudna flinched, “I’m a ghost, darling.” She whispered.

“No you fuckin’ aren’t!”

Orym cleared his throat from somewhere in the shadows. Imogen threw a glowing orb his way and turned back to Laudna. “You listen to me. Your heart beats. You have dreams and hobbies and passions. You have a whole-ass girlfriend sitting in front of you, kissin’ on you and talking about making a family. You. Are. Alive.”

“That life wasn’t meant to be mine.”

“Says who? You think you’re just meant to be a hollow shell for a necromancer to puppet? That’s why you were born? You think you haven’t suffered enough to earn a little good?” Imogen huffed and set her glare in the taller woman who was currently curled in on herself. “You think Letters isn’t worthy of love? A family? A future? Just cause his life came about a little differently? Cause he’s two old to feel as young as he does? Cause sometimes he gets the urge to do bad things cause a’ how he was made?”

“Of course not!”

“Well you’re no different.”

Laudna’s eyes darted around, welling up with cloudy tears. “Well, I never thought about it like that.”

Imogen shifted to hold her face, “You deserve this hun, all the good and the weird and the beautiful, you’re just as alive as any of us and shit, you’ll probably even outlive some of us.”

“I should hope not.”

“At least Chetney.”

“…I can live with that.”

They watched eachother in the near darkness, taking a moment to breath as the tension finally faded and the roar behind Imogen’s ears dimmed.

“I’m not letting you go.” Imogen reaffirmed.

Laudna smiled sadly but kissed her forehead. “I hope not, nor I, you.”

“Good.” The last of Imogen’s anger left her in a few hot tears that pressed into cold skin as they hugged and swayed for a long moment.

“Shall we try sleeping again?” Laudna murmured.

Imogen waited until she was almost sure Laudna was asleep before whispering softly. “I’m afraid I’ll see my momma walk into the storm.”

Laudna made a pained noise and cradled her closer. “I’m so sorry dear.”

“It’s alright, really, she’s easier to let go of now that I know more.”

“It’s very much not alright. It’s entirely fucked and horrible. But I’ll be right here the entire time you’re asleep, you won’t be alone for a second, I swear it.”

“Alright.”

#imodna #critical role #imogen temult #laudna #c3e89 #critical role spoilers #critrole #orym of the air ashari #cr orym

[meid4]

Why are Bells Hells

i was thinking about people saying that Bells Hells didn't have any reason to stay together or go on the moon mission so here is me getting some answers to it even if there is more i'm sure !

Imogen :

She started the campaign by wanting to know more about her mother, find her and so even if she has found her mom once, i think she would want to stop her now bc she knows she is with the bad guys. She feels involved.

She gets her powers from the moon, from predathos and she wants to know more about her powers and going on the moon would help her understand who she is more.

She wants to kill Otohan because she killed Laudna who she loves very much and otohan is part of "the release predathos team" so it gives her the want to stop it.

She grew also as a recluse at some point because her own dad didn't talk to her anymore and the town hated her so now that she has met people that understands her, she also tries to make things to work with them.

Laudna :

She has been following Imogen for years now, they have been going from town to town and she just wants to stay with her friend (now lover), someone that accepts her and just be with her wherever Imogen goes.

She always wanted to belong, she enjoys being with a group that accepts her, that she can be herself with and if these people want to save the world, she wants to protect them and stay beside them.

Her life was taken at such a young age and was a recluse for many years and now she is finally enjoying seeing the world and meeting new people, she is always happy when they go somewhere new.

Orym :

Otohan killed his family, he will do everything to stop them and kill them or at least stop their plans.

He serves people, he is a fighter, Trent is a threat to the people he wants to protect and so he will do everything to stop him.

He absolutly grew fond of the people he is travelling with, especially Fearne and he thinks they can help him get revenge or stop the bad guys.

Fearne :

She grew up in the feywild and was only surrounded with fey creatures and Nana Morri, she just loves to be on Exandria (even if i know that she misses the feywild) and explore. She is absolutly fascinated by everything and just wants to have fun.

About the moon stuff, i think her parents involvement peaked her interested about it and it has to spark something in her.

Orym of course is her best friend and she just wants to stay with him. She is also close with the witches and really bond with them. Than her relationship with Ashton, wathever it will be, she likes them.

Ashton :

Ashton always wanted to find a purpose kinda, we've seen it in the latest episode, they wanted to be stronger, find why they are on exandria, to be part of something big.

They always wanted to have a group of friends that would stick up with them, that would'nt leave them behind like the nobody's did, like previous people did and them "fucking up" last time but the group not leaving them has made them like them even more. And they wanna heal, they are trying.

FCG :

They started being there mostly bc they were with Ashton and just have a friend, they had just lost their group, they were grieving. And now finding this new group that again doesn't judge them for what they did and try's to make things work, they love it.

They are absolutly going against what they were made for (harming people) and they want to help people, heal them emotionally and physically. They are trying to make up for the wrong they did.

Their connection with the Changebringer absolutly make them want to help the gods even if there is questionning but they think it's the right thing to do. Their god also gives them purpose.

Chetney :

He doesn't want to be forgotten, he wants to be powerfull, especially. He is scared he will die and that nobody will remember him so Chetney saving the world and go to the moon, would absolutly make him known.

I think he also just goes with the flow, he has done so many things with his life and he has this group now, it's just new adventures, they helped him get to the Gorgynei and to know his powers better. He just has fun with them and wants to see more and have fun.

He thinks going to the moon is bonkers c'mon

Bells Hells are going on this crazy adventure for many reasons that are mainly to finally have this group that accepts them and have an actual happy ending so even they all don't want SPECIFICALLY save the gods, they have other motivation to do what they do. If one wants to do something, they will all help them do it.

They are not perfect and don't always work good together but they are trying and maybe that is enough for now, trying to be better, to stay with eachother and make things work. The most of them were lonely, never had a group of friends, are grieving and them wanting not to lose their bond is normal. And predathos maybe destroying the world is a bit of an obstacles to that.

Also they are having so much fun together c'mon.

It's dnd guys, it's a game, it would be annoying if they were just like "nah i don't care", they can but they love what Matt is building for them, the story. If mostly the players sometimes want to know more and get on the adventure, maybe that's enough. They can just play how they want.

And if they think their character doesn't want to be there anymore, they will just make them leave. Sam already had a character leave the campaign, it can happen again. The players know better what they want for their character.

#critical role #bells hells #critical role campaign 3 #cr spoilers #c3 spoilers #critical role spoilers #just a big rant #and if you stil think bells hells is not a good enough group and stuff #just stop hate watching the show #“it was better before” okay well rewatch the other 2 campaigns than #i just like bells hells guys

[danwhobrowses]

nothing to see here just a crazy shipper guy going crazy over Callowmoore under the bit, if that's not for you then go about your business

So fellow Callowmoores how we feelin' this morning/evening? Because it's evening right now and I'm still bouncing off the walls in my mind

The one post could not keep me contained! No seriously the amount of tags I put in hit a limit and doesn't show them all

I mean yes we didn't get a kiss (yet) but goddamn we got so much, it has possessed me, deranged me, it's leaking outta my brain I gotta talk about it, so either jump out or buckle up because this overflow is gonna be long

First off I just gotta talk about how so many things almost lined up how I imagined them because it just makes it feel like they looked into my head and thought 'hey that's kinda good'. Like, I wanted Fearne to take the shard at Mori's, it was a safer space for her than the Ziggurat which is tainted by bad memories (this and other campaigns), I just didn't expect it so soon, thought they'd at least have a full rest first. In fact I had a whole scene in my mind where in a desperate gambit Delilah took over Laudna while she slept and just knocked on Ashton's door in a form of dread going 'where's the shard Ashton?'. It's key to this I promise not only because I enjoyed the idea of Ashton not taking any of Delilah's shit (plus for you Imodnas out there the mental scene involves Ashton whispering 'Imogen's in danger' to wake her, they also ask where Paté is because they still have that 'Paté is Delilah' theory) but it also expanded on the possible helplessness Ashton would have being unable to assist Fearne with taking the shard

'You're a child, Ashton. A blunt instrument that charges blindly into harm, would you really risk Fearne's life to earn her forgiveness? You know what it can do, what happens when you can't protect her from it?'

Of course, Ashton would never give Delilah the shard, which would frustrate Delilah since she can't manipulate them, but the comment weighs on Ashton a little. Which is when the whole waking Laudna happens and she leaves, but Fearne is in his room (the Vox Machina bathtub scene being inspiration), having asked to sleep there for comfort and asks them if it worries them. Which is where I often got to use this quote

'I don't believe in fate, but I believe in you'

And it sticks with me because it's super romantic, but also on-brand for Ashton, there were variations like the longer 'things only affect our path if we choose to believe they do; fate is complicated, the gods don't give a fuck, and I don't wanna even think about legacy anymore, I don't believe in them, but I believe in you' but then the next morning comes and Ashton gives her the ring, since I forgot about attunement there were instances where it was a sneaky sleight of hand thing, and Fearne completes the process. Of course, with weeks to go on there were a lot more scenarios like Fearne pickpocketing the Ashton doll to practice talking to and putting it back, Ashton seeking Mori for advice, herbal tea visions where Ashton entered their own mind and encounters the empress while on the outside Delilah possesses Laudna to try and drain the power from them, one where the shard having been reshaped through Ashton is less intense on Fearne for the first 4 rounds (since they blew up on the fifth) because Ashton's essence is containing and dissipating the hostile energy, and one where the group secretly vote against Ashton being there for Fearne taking the shard (Imogen, Laudna, and Chetney 3 to 2 against Orym and FCG) but Fearne as the decider pulls them over because she needs them there, stuff like that I'm sure fanfic writers could consume to their heart's content (and are free to, go nuts). But these scenes stood out because it had elements of stuff that are linked to or actually happened in the episode; Fearne does take the shard, Ashton endorses that Fearne is the only one who can take it, Ashton gives her the ring and Shattered Vigor is apparently a thing where Ashton is practically taking Fearne's pain to protect her, that alone is enough to go insane over.

And can we talk about the ring for a moment, because like THE RING. I'm not talking about generically either I mean that this ring has been significant to the shard saga ever since Ashton claimed it. It was found on the corpse of someone infused into stone, into the earth, right between the whole eidolons stuff where Ashton connected with an Earth elemental and then the Grau Dashari stuff with the crystals they merged with their hammer and then the Bor'dor incident, that could've easily been a titan-based punishment. Also, Ring of Volcanic Flesh, like Ashton's stone arm? And if that wasn't enough, what was the first thing Fearne stole from Ashton when they reunited? The ring, the act that broke down Ashton's walls as they let out a most heartfelt 'I missed you, so much' the ring that Fearne stole right off of Ashton's fingers only for them to willingly put in her hand to protect her, because just as they said at the clock tower, everything they have belongs to her. And while legacy and hubris had a part in the shard incident, part of it was also for Fearne. I don't believe there's any situation where if Fearne said she wanted the shard at the clock tower Ashton would've said no; Ashton knows that Fearne was key to the shard dislodging in the lava, they sensed it was in a way key to both of them, but there was no reality where Ashton was gonna force Fearne to take the shard if she didn't want it. And yes it blew up in their face, much like Fearne they saw an image of themselves they didn't want to be, their soul broke with the realisation that they hurt the one person they never wanted to hurt, but thanks to Percy they also realised that they had to change. It wasn't enough to see everyone else having someone at the reunion and internalizing 'if someone has to not come back it's gotta be me' they had to make steps towards being the person the Hells needs them to be, someone who can come back with them.

Which is where last episode started setting it up, and I didn't speak much about it at the time because other than the pretty plain 'I would've rather died than hurt Fearne' insinuation (which in turn was confessed to save Fearne from falling) there was only crumbs that could be interpreted other ways; for instance Birdie's tale with Athion and Olly being somewhat of a parallel to Tevan and Ashton, the formers wooing Birdie and Fearne with temptations of indulgence while the latters drawing their attention by being subjects of intrigue, defiance and kindness, plus they saved the latters (Birdie literally via escaping the prisons and Fearne emotionally and literally), or before the Orym conversation when Ashton takes 'one last look' Taliesin looks towards Ashley last. But I knew there was poetic significance to Ashton failing the communication trial, Marisha sensed the vibe too, but even though Fearne was nervous about guiding Ashton, the fault fell to poor dice rolls (and Liam not keeping shtum and summoning thunderwasps) and once again Ashton in an attempt to prove themselves falls flat on their ass in front of the person they most want to prove it to. And that did break my heart a little I must admit because as poetic as it was who hasn't been there? Ashton's journey of proving themselves has been laden with failure too; being unable to protect anyone from Otohan led to them almost being TPK'd, being unable to keep the group together at the Malleus Key led to the group being scattered, and then Team Trauma's stuff - Orym was despondent and Laudna's a wreck, got a random 'shepherd's boy', a powerful Cobalt Soul teen prodding about the solstice and all of Deni$e here added as mainly combat support, loners but no leaders, Dawnfather angel thinks them insignificant, dark spirits trying to consume their only leads about the Hishari - and the moment Ashton started to trust Bor'dor after the pipe vision what happens? Betrayal, Hunger of the Shadow and Delilah is let back in, Ashton couldn't even keep Laudna safe from herself, they reunite, try to sort out their shit with their past, discover that they might have a destiny to fulfill and end up being too willing to die in place of others, and unable to protect their new family from themselves, because of these recent failures it was important that Ashton proved themselves in the trust trial.

And thankfully they did, there was no way to prove that anyone was a Doppelganger and yet, Ashton still trusted Fearne; twice saving her from the flora even when told to leave her behind. And they were close to another failure when the branch was snatched - after their attempts to keep it safe by throwing it in the pool alone - but they trusted Chet and Orym (father/son duo) to cover more ground while they helped Fearne. And even when FCG told Ashton 'I think it's Fearne', and when Imogen was untrusting of Fearne, Ashton abandoned their held action to save FCG from the brambles because they knew Fearne could be trusted. They trusted Imogen to connect to Ruidus and as mentioned endorsed Fearne to take the shard.

And sure, in my mental scenarios Ashton gives her the shard, doing the same she did for them, but I did say almost like how I imagined. And Ashton still did everything they could, plus Imogen comforted their visible worry, but once it's complete they're just in awe, and then their own spark awakens through her touch, a touch they were unafraid of even at the threat of newfound fire, and now for the first time ever they feel whole. She saved them, and now they finally feel complete, and now this time Fearne is agape, Fearne is in awe, and everything she had hoped Ashton would gain from taking the shard before has come to fruition through her, and it's just, joy, pure incorruptible joy, a kindred connection that belongs to just them. Plus a big piece of paper for all the new powers they are excited to learn about from each other, with each other, and while Matt can talk about there being risks to them because you gotta balance the combat the narrative significance is still there.

But dammit they need to kiss, I've yelled it enough times in my head; like the lava, the clock tower, before and after Fearne took the shard, the only times they did kiss was before the solstice (the forehead kiss) and the ziggurat and both preceded bad times, they deserve a proper one, not one at risk of being a goodbye, something precious, irreplaceable and theirs to have, to share. And I don't know if they should use the patented 'can I kiss you?' or take a tip from BeauYasha and use 'I wanna kiss you so bad right now' or find something else to make their own but I desire it so much, had it happened this ep I probably would've melted out of my seat. They're awkward and nervous but they gotta take the leap, Ashton needs to realise they're loved and maybe even be told that they deserve it even when they feel they don't, and Fearne has to take a risk too, the shard put doubt to her decisions but that doesn't mean she can run from her strong emotions. It doesn't fix everything of course, but sometimes people heal better together than apart. As a currently vorbed half-elf once said 'drink the courage first'.

Curiosity continues to send me after the ep, and while some people are attempting to blemish or rain on the parade (I mean, I try not to speak ill of other ships in general, but if you're gonna be negative about it you can at least do it in your lane, your tags not ours) I am still just riding the high of the possibilities. True, the unknown can make me nervous, and I will admit the group has to give Ashton and Fearne space (they're just excited, and with the bloody bridge hinting to be a final moon-based battle there is that sense of urgency) Imodna had nudges sure but they have been a bit heavy-handed and kinda chaperoned around them, Fearne and Ashton seldom get time alone, one can hope they can get that time with each other next episode.

#critical role #cr 3 #cr 3 spoilers #c3e80 #callowmoore #ashton greymoore #fearne calloway #ashton x fearne #fearne x ashton #rockwild #bells hells #for anyone who read the whole thing props to you I understand I unloaded a lot of crazy onto you I'm sorry #I have questions about the new powers too; does Mister get an upgrade? Can elementals be summoned? Is it like a Sorcerer multiclass? #do primordials have a equivalent to divine smite? Can it be used on other champions or Predathos? #how do the divines react to this? Asmodeus wanted them for the Calamity and Dawnfather does seem to hold grudges...Wildmother not so much #and do the titans themselves feel adverse to stopping Predathos? Since it aids their enemy that essentially colonized on them #I fear fuckery next episode of course but today's a good day and I will not let anyone ruin that #I will ride this high as long as I can though but I do also need to sleep I got a travel weekend to do visiting relatives #I am so consumed by this ship that it rivals my own birthday as the best thing to happen this week #I am absolutely unashamedly not normal about them #tag bonus: matching shirts! Precious/Irreplaceable and Adorable/Ignorant also all the Hells have 'if lost return to Nancy' shirts #taliesin jaffe #ashley johnson

[ratinayellowbandana]

Imodna prompts:

1. Bells Hells are hanging out on a night off, maybe at the casino in Yios, and Imogen keeps distracting Laudna by whispering sweet nothings into her head.

2. Laudna surprises Imogen with a ring since Imogen already got her one and she wants them both to have one.

hi!! thank you very much for sending this in. you were the first one and I honestly wasn't expecting any, so I'm very grateful. I picked the first prompt and had a lot of fun. tbh i was gonna keep these prompts short and sweet and this one uh. got a little longer than i planned. hope you like it!

length 1.2k

some prompt lists if you're so inclined || my ao3

~~~

Imogen reclines on a plush green stool at the edge of the room. The casino is busy tonight. The locals are here, certainly, buttons loosened after a long day’s work, sipping pints and grumbling about shifts over their card game. The skyship docks are full of out-of-towners just like themselves. They’ve unwittingly found themselves among Yios’s elite patrons, though it seems the most important have been herded off being a curtain. Even owning a skyship isn’t enough to warrant high status, apparently. She scoffs, the farm girl in her thinking fleetingly of sleeping in the hayloft and growing her own food. It’s strange how things have changed. 

Some things are still the same. The best things, she thinks, a small knot twisting in her stomach.

Laudna is glowing. With Pâté on her shoulder, she flits from table to table with a broad smile, leaning over patrons to get a better look at each game. Some startle when the neck that extends just a bit too far enters their periphery, but Laudna just grins, even as their eyes go wide when Pâté cocks his little head and his beak falls open. Imogen just chuckles from her position across the room. 

Imogen is perfectly content to watch. Ashton and F.C.G. have found their way to a table playing some sort of card game. The dealer huffs as F.C.G. indecisively flips his Changebringer coin for the third time this turn. Imogen catches a surface thought–something about this being the slowest round he’s ever played, wishing they’d move faster. More mistakes that way, better advantage.  

Orym corrals Fearne away from a group of very drunk half-elves, but already, Imogen can spot a new trinket or two hanging from the faun’s belts that she could swear weren’t there before. A…pocketwatch? and something else shiny Imogen can’t make out from here. She assumes there’s a fair bit more hidden in Fearne’s fur. 

…Imogen? Familiar whispers tap at Imogen’s mind, and she looks back. Laudna peers at her quizzically. It seems she’s linked up with Chetney at a game of dice. Pâté rolls for her. A pretty, exhilarated blush colors her pale cheeks a mottled purple. Are you alright?

Imogen’s lips split into an easy grin. Right as rain. Havin’ fun?

She receives a hum in response. It’s wonderful here, isn’t it?

You’re wonderful, Imogen replies. 

Laudna ducks her head shyly, glances down at Pâté, who’s lifting a dice with both tiny hands. She clucks her tongue at him, and he lets it roll. Chetney whoops and claps her on the back, nearly sending her toppling onto the table. She rights herself and looks back at Imogen with a shrug that almost dislocates a shoulder. 

I haven’t the faintest clue how to play this game. 

Seems like you’re doin’ just fine. 

“Another round!” someone shouts, and Imogen winces. It does not go unnoticed. 

Imogen?

Just surprised me, is all. She waves it off. You playin’ again?

Seems like it. Chetney has already put in for both of them out of Laudna’s winnings from the last game. Pâté seems to be enjoying himself. It’s good for him to let loose every now and then, hm?

For you, too. Imogen adds. Relaxed looks good on you.  

Spindly fingers begin to run through Laudna’s dark hair, where it’s fallen loose from her bun. She looks away again, occupying herself with whatever Chetney is muttering about strategy. It’s a game of luck. Imogen isn’t quite sure how much strategy could possibly be involved, but Laudna seems intently focused. She leans in, back hunching to reveal the vertebrae through her blouse. She continues tugging at her hair. 

Imogen silently sends a mage hand to pull it behind her ear and settle Launda’s twitching hands. Laudna turns with narrowed eyes.

Was that you, darling?

No, Imogen lies. 

Laudna rolls her eyes as Chetney demands her concentration. He’s gesturing, now, in a manner that can only suggest some centuries-old strategy for lucky rolling. Pâté does not seem to get it.  

It’s charming, watching Laudna warm under the heat of Imogen’s affections. The way color pools beneath her skin, and she can’t quite make eye contact. She isn’t used to this sort of attention, Imogen knows, even after their years spent together, and that’s just fine. It simply means Imogen will continue until each moment no longer holds the weight of self-hatred, however long it takes. It’s certainly not a burden, not when Imogen also gets to bask in the warmth that settles low in her chest when Laudna bites her lip and quietly, quietly asks if Imogen really thinks so?

She always does. 

Laudna has removed the rock chisel from her hair and nimbly twists it between her fingers. 

Takin’ ‘lettin’ your hair down’ literally, are we? Looks real pretty. 

It tumbles down Laudna’s back in a wave that Imogen itches to comb through. An image of the two of them, Laudna sat between Imogen’s legs, flashes through her mind. Countless nights of brushing and braiding by candlelight. 

Are you bored, Imogen? It’s asked good-naturedly, a bit flustered, with the subtlest hint of a tease. She’s deflecting. 

Could never be bored ‘round you. 

Imogen, Laudna admonishes, but it’s half-hearted. You’re distracting me.

Me? No. Besides, Pâté’s the one playin’. 

It’s true. Chetney has given up explaining whatever it was to Laudna and has focused his attention on Pâté, who is somehow managing to appear confused despite a distinct lack of facial features. 

I meant it, though, Imogen continues, determined, y’look real lovely. 

Laudna doesn’t respond but adjusts her posture to stand a bit straighter. She snatches the die from where they’ve fallen after Chetney’s attempt that left him swearing under his breath. Imogen’s mage hand flicks him behind the ear, and he whirls, searching for the culprit. Laudna rolls, making no attempt to mimic his technique. Imogen can hear Chetney’s cursing from her spot, and her suspicions are confirmed when the dwarf running the game passes Laudna a small coin purse. Chetney glares at Laudna’s retreating form as she crosses the room to Imogen.  

Imogen reaches out an arm that Laudna does not take.

“Was that your doing?” Laudna pouts. 

“Was what?” 

“Winning.”

Imogen brings a hand to her chest, aghast. “Darlin’, I would never.” Laudna raises an eyebrow. “I would, maybe, distract Chetney so he stops breathin’ down your neck, though.”

Laudna nods sagely, takes Imogen’s outstretched hand. “My hero.” 

“Anythin’ for you, darlin’.” Imogen brushes a kiss across the back of Laudna’s knuckles and does her best to ignore the fluttering in her chest. Imogen huffs out a laugh, stands. “What’d’ya say we get out of here? Head to bed?”

“Sounds marvelous.” 

Imogen sends a quick message to Orym before they make their exit. She can’t see him, but she receives a harried, Goodnight! in response, which can only mean he’ll be here a while yet before herding the others to a room. 

“Our hero.” Pâté corrects, his rough voice muffled from his hiding place in Laudna’s hair. 

“Yes, alright, our hero,” Laudna amends. 

“There’s enough hero in me for two, I think.”

“There certainly is,” Laudna replies with a knowing smile, “You’re very capable.”

#thank you so much! #this was just for fun so not really edited lol #and im so grateful to the folks who sent in prompts #im gonna keept working on them! #critical role #cr3 #laudna #imogen temult #imodna #imodna fic #my fic #critical role fanfiction

[trimmedbushproductions]

so here's my take on the new planar portal discovered on Ruidus, which I will henceforth refer to as Bell's Backdoor.

first, where does it go? well, we have no idea. probably to another plane of existence. possibly to Exandria (if the telepathic bond can't stretch between Ruidus and Exandria, even though they're on the same plane). possibly to an entirely different, completely unknown realm! but for right now I'm going to assume it's somewhere within the known cosmology of Matt's campaign setting.

and with that assumption, we at least know one place it isn't - the Plane of Water. Fearne emerged into a forest lake, whereas the Plane of Water should be... well, entirely underwater.

that means this water source probably isn't infinite. this place has weather (Matt described the presence of clouds and snow), which means it has a water cycle, which means this lake is being filled by rivers and rainfall and it's draining into an eventual ocean, etc etc.

but now we've got a planar portal in the lake, leading to Ruidus. the water flooding Bell's Backdoor isn't coming back out. it is, at least for the water, a one-way trip.

now, I'm no expert on fluid dynamics (feel free to correct me here if you are) but it seems to me that if you've got a lake draining into a one-way portal, the water should continue to flow until:

the lake runs dry

the cavern fills completely

water pressure equalizes between the two

none of these have happened. water continues to flow from Bell's Backdoor, the lake hasn't gone empty, and the cavern hasn't been flooded yet. this isn't what I'd expect from a portal that's been open for many thousands of years. even if some kind of magic is keeping the lake infinitely full, even if the cave hasn't flooded because of the water soaking into the ground or continuing into some vast underground cave network... it's been thousands of years! you can't pour water into an otherwise closed system for that long without seeing some kind of effect, right? this should have caught someone's attention a long time ago.

(please enjoy the mental image of Predathos whining about its flooded basement in the Weave Mind #vent channel)

so, I'm thinking that this portal only opened up when the Vanguard broke the seal on Ruidus. it may even have been a dormant portal that just re-opened; it was found in what seems like a magically-preserved ruin, so I wouldn't be surprised if the original inhabitants either constructed this area around a naturally-occurring rift or used magic to create their own, permanent one.

in any case, the portal is an incredible boon for the Hells and their allies. if they can find a way to reliably get an army through it - really stretch out Bell's Backdoor, let's say - they'll have a huge tactical advantage against the Vanguard.

BUT, if I'm right and the portal is new, they're also going to have to be very careful about using it. because if its existence is tied to the broken seal on Ruidus and the tether provided by the Bloody Bridge, it might close if the Bridge is destroyed. better hope nobody gets stuck on the wrong planet when that happens!

#Critical Role #Critical Role spoilers #Ruidus #Predathos #CR spoilers

[crayistic]

Feeling abit down today for no apparent reason -_-

So I thought i was write a post about last night's CR, so if you arnt caught up there will be SPOILERS ahead for CR3E78.

*

*

*

*

*

Ok so I posted a rant on how I felt after E77 because my mind felt like it was going to explode. I spoke withsomeone about how i was hoping Matt would deal with the situation and as always he went one even better with Ashton rejecting the Shard. In my opinion this episode was brilliant, couldn't have been any better.

Matt having the shard rejected leaves it open to the possibilities of the emperor and empress storyline and if Fearne does choose to accept it, I'm still so excited to see a more powerful version of her, plus I think she deserves it. I know alot of people are getting feels about the fact that she said she didn't want it, but to me i don't feel like she doesn't want the shard. I feel like she doesn't want the possibility of turning evil and the fear of the shard being a catalyst of that is why she doesn't want it. However in the end if she accepts that and still chooses not to have it, then for sure fukl support.

The way Ashton dropped his guard, took responsibly for his selfishness and just down right shitty behaviour wad the best way to go for me. Don't get me wrong, doesn't change that he did a shit thing but I really can't think of a better way Tal could have played it. I still think Ashton is cryptic with the way he speaks sometimes but I do feel like I fully understand where he is coming from. When one of then said to him about being power hungry and he said it wasn't about that it's about being whole, I was sat there watching and said those exact words just before he said them. There is still alit of work to do, but being humble and accepting that gives me alot of hope. I'm looking forward to more conversations between him and fearne to explore what happened more.

Now Chetney... man I bow down to you sir. I adore this little man so much and he really stood out to me this ep so I just wanted to give him some appreciation aswell as laudna and the doll she made for Ashton. They all keep saying how broken they are, but it still doesn't really feel like they know and accept how actually broken you can be. The way Imogen has some crazy immeasurable power yet in the moment Laudna ran off she looks so powerless... one of the best things i enjoy so much watching CR is Laura when she is completely in character but sat there, not interacting with anyone at the time, however you can see her going through the motions. Just brilliance.

I'm just rambling now, this isn't very well put together lol but after last week I just felt like I wanted to say this episode was perfect to me, I love how it went and I can't wait for the next!

#critical role #critters #bells hells #campain 3 #laura bailey #marisha ray #imogen temult #ashley johnson #matt mercer #ashton greymoore #chetney pock o'pea #fcg #fearne calloway #cr3 spoilers #cr3e78

[bestdamnavocxdosatlaw]

I think I'm gonna get off of Tumblr for a bit cause I'm starting to get real pissed at people condoning Ashton actions.

I see a lot of black and white diatribes going around : "you love Ash/Tal" or "you hate Ash/Tal" and there can be no middle ground.

Well excuse me but I love Tal, I greatly enjoy Ashton for the character that he is but it doesn't mean I have to like the decisions he made.

I have a lot of issues with people hating on Tal. His character, his choice, leave him alone.

I do have two issues with people defending Ashton's actions right now :

1 - a shitty background/mental illness is never an excuse for being a colossal asshole. I myself have a bipolar disorder so believe me I'm well acquainted with assholish behaviour and I still believe my bipolarity is nowhere near a good justification.

2 - and that's the point that pisses me off the most - the fact he said he did it "because he has to save everyone" is not cute, is not nice, is not benevolent and again, not a good justification. I live with a person that - even with the best of intentions - makes decisions on my behalf sometimes. What he did was robbing the hells of their own free-will. They can choose how they save themselves, thank you very much. Stop romanticising this kind of stuff. And the problem is not the fact that he took the shard from Fearne, it's the way he did it.

So, again, not mad at Taliesin at all, I understand why he did it but there is a big difference between understanding and actually justifying/agreeing with an action.

Can't wait to watch the aftermath anyway.

#critical role #critical role spoilers #bells hells #critical role campaign 3 #ashton greymoore

[conditionaljewel]

(I hate tumblr mobile. Anyway. Imogen is pregnant. She’s in for a beautiful surprise days before the baby is due. This is completely self indulgent but there ya go. Enjoy.)

Imogen sat in the rocking chair in the corner of the nursery facing out the window, watching as the sun began to set on the day. It was not yet breaking through the horizon, but she wanted to take in as much of the sun and relax as she could, having just spent much of the day decorating the nursery with Laudna’s help.

A set of beautiful oaken furniture that was made by Chetney with his colleagues from Oltgar’s new shop had been delivered by couriers earlier in the day. After paying the group of young half-orcs a rather generous tip to move the several large, heavy pieces of furniture inside and upstairs into the nursery, Laudna was finishing putting clothing and other necessities away into the various chests and drawers they had to offer.

Imogen had mostly provided moral support at this point, using her magic to help where she was able but otherwise very limited to what she could do physically. She was due any day now, so it was just a matter of when this baby was going to arrive. She hoped it was soon, the anticipation and not knowing was killing her.

Laudna finished laying out a purple blanket that she had crocheted on the crib’s bedding and walked over to where Imogen was sitting. She sat down at her feet as Imogen continued to rock back and forth in front of the window, the sun now beginning it’s departure below the horizon. Imogen, sat unevenly in the chair as she was leaning toward one side for comfort, placed a hand on Laudna’s shoulder as the two of them watched the sun go down.

“I can’t believe she’s going to be here any day now,” Imogen said.

Laudna craned her head back and looked at Imogen, appearing upside-down to her. “Any day now,” she said.

(Read more below the cut or on AO3)

They still had not decided on a name. They had a few conversations about potential names, they even took suggestions from their friends but none really spoke to them. Even now, just days before the baby’s arrival, they had nothing. They’d agreed that they would wait until the right name came to them, even if it took some time after the baby was born, but they wanted to pick the right name for her. 

“Maybe after we meet her, she’ll just tell us her name instead,” Imogen spoke up after a moment’s silence.

Laudna chuckled at the thought, before retorting, “perhaps you could just read her mind as soon as she’s born.”

Imogen laughed, before that quickly turned into a slightly morbid curiosity. How would that work? Could you read a baby’s mind? She shook her head of the thoughts, not wanting to wander down that rabbit hole.

“I just want to do right by her,” Imogen said as she sighed. Laudna turned away from the window to face Imogen, putting her arms across Imogen’s lap and resting her head on them, looking at her longingly.

“You’re going to be a great mother,” Laudna said. “You’re very strong, very capable, you’re compassionate, and she’s going to love you.”

Imogen smiled at hearing this. She never got tired of hearing Laudna compliment her, or telling her that she is capable. Imogen appreciated that reminder more than Laudna would ever know. 

“You’re going to be a great mother, too” Imogen said. “Don’t forget that you’re just as much her mother as I am.”

Laudna smiled and winked at Imogen. “Okay, mom.” 

It was not clear just how Imogen became pregnant. That was a question that would be a mystery for the ages, as she’d never had any sort of intimate contact with a person who could have done this to her naturally. The two of them could only presume that one or both of them were afflicted by something during the solstice, or on one of their many trips to the Fey Realm to visit Fearne and Morri, that they were unaware of. All they knew was, after many trips to several Clerics, their baby was going to be a healthy baby girl, and that she would soon be here to grace them both with joy and happiness.

After some time, the sun had finally set; the oranges and reds had receded to deep purples before it all slowly gave way to the dark of night. There was no Catha out, not yet tonight at least, but for now the starlight over their little home here in the outskirts of the Heartmoor Hamlet lit the night sky, numerous beyond count.

Laudna got up from the floor and reached her hand out to Imogen. “Come, let’s go eat dinner,” she said as she helped Imogen to her feet. Imogen was the first to leave the nursery. “I’ll be there in a moment,” Laudna said. Imogen smiled and left the room, heading to the kitchen.

Laudna, meanwhile, headed for their bedroom and walked over to her nightstand. She grabbed Sashimi from where she was sitting and headed back into the nursery as she called out into the house, “Pate?” Entering the nursery, Laudna walked over to the crib and lifted the blanket that she had just laid down not a little bit ago. She took Sashimi and placed her in the crib, laying the blanket gently over her.

Laudna called out again, a little louder this time, “Pate?” It would take a moment before he actually appeared, as he had been floating around the house invisibly out of boredom. She learned this as he came into the nursery a little too fast and flew into the door, causing it to swing open without anything apparent hitting it before becoming visible himself shortly after impact. “Ow,” he said as he picked himself up. Laudna was now standing before him by the door, and she was reaching her hands down to him.

“Pate,” she said as he clamored up into her palms, “once the baby is here, your job is going to be to watch the nursery at night. Do you understand?”

Pate was looking at her very attentively. “Yes ma’am, I can do that.”

“We’re going to practice, okay?” Laudna stood and turned so they could both look into the room proper, glancing particularly at the crib. “Do you see Sashimi there, in the crib?”

Pate had now noticed that his birdhouse mate, Sashimi, was nestled in the blanket in the crib. “Yep, I see her alright,” he said as he looked back to Laudna.

“You’re going to pretend she is the baby. Now,” she paused as she stretched her hands out to the dresser she was standing besides, “don’t make it weird, but you are to pretend like you are watching the baby. Don’t actually do anything, but just get used to spending some time in here, okay?” Laudna looked upon Pate and he straightened his posture at these words, understanding the gravity of the request that she was asking of him. 

“Got it, you can count on me,” Pate said, perhaps a little overeager but Laudna trusted him through watching criminals before, surely he can manage a baby.

“Good boy, Pate. Now, go on,” she said as she patted him on the head before exiting the room. The last she saw was Pate flying over toward the crib, and perching on the side before beginning to sing some horrible nursery rhyme. Laudna was about to stop him, but she thought better of it and let him go for now.

Meanwhile, Imogen had made her way to the kitchen and began to pull out everything for dinner. They’d had a pot of everyday stew on the fire that she figured they could ladle a few helpings out of and into bowls with some potatoes, something simple for the evening. She dug into her extra dimensional cupboard and pulled out the sack of potatoes, finding a few quality spuds and beginning to clean and chop them up. While she got the potatoes on to boil, she began to mix various herbs and seasonings together and prepare the stews when Laudna emerged from the nursery.

She walked over to Imogen and wrapped her arms around her from behind, her embrace enveloping all of Imogen and the baby as well. Imogen craned her neck back so it was at the side of Laudna’s and smiled, giving a sigh of relief. “Do you mind,” she asked softly. Laudna released her from her hug and stepped aside. 

“I would be happy to,” Laudna said. She showed a hand out as if to lead Imogen to the table, guiding her and pulling a chair out before stopping. “Actually, wait,” Laudna said. “Lets eat out in the sun room tonight.” Imogen smiled and nodded, and kissed Laudna’s cheek as she made for the sun room just off of the kitchen. Laudna blushed as she turned and began to tend to the potatoes and the rest of dinner.

As Imogen crossed back through the kitchen an exited out into the sunroom, a modest but spacious enclosed outdoor space, the darkness of the night struck instantly, the starlight not enough to light the room comfortably. Imogen sent her dancing lights up into the space, illuminating the room with a soft dim glow that didn’t otherwise distract from the starlight that was visible. Imogen sat down and put her feet up on the footstool that accompanied the furniture set, and began to relax. 

As Imogen really let her walls down for the day, she opened her mind and began to listen to the silent hums of the world going by. The usual silence and stillness that was present of the wind blowing the trees, of crickets chirping and owls hooting, mingled with the silence that lack of other minds presented to her - other minds except for the soft, sweet melody that Laudna’s mind emitted as she came within “hearing” distance, of course.

In, and out, Laudna’s mind would come and go as she would flutter around the kitchen. Imogen didn’t mind. She loved the silence, but she loved the sound of Laudna’s mind even more.

Laudna’s mind drifted out of range again, this time for an extended period. Imogen let herself just rest in the silence for a moment, feeling the most relaxed she had felt in so many years.

That’s when she noticed it. A new sound was heard amongst the silence. Not suddenly, not immediate. It seemed very faint, fading in and out, but this was the first that Imogen had caught it.

Imogen sat up, putting her feet back on the ground. She peered around the corner, she could not see Laudna. She thought to herself and focused again on the silence. Another soft, quiet, but benevolent melody. Not unlike Laudna’s, but it wasn’t hers. Imogen noted that it was still very quiet. She almost didn’t notice it, were it not that it’s literally the only sound she can hear right now in the silence, and only now that Laudna was well out of earshot, as it were.

Imogen got up. “Laudna?” She began to think, Could it be, but she had to be sure. She peered around the corner, and still no Laudna there.

She walked back into the kitchen, not finding Laudna there. She walked back across the room towards the hallway leading to the stairs when the melody of Laudna’s mind began to become more audible. “Laudna? C’mere,” Imogen shouted once more.

Imogen walked back out to the sunroom, keeping her mind open, hearing only this soft, quiet melody for these few moments until Laudna lingered back into range. “What is it darling, are you okay?” Laudna approached and sat down next to her, taking her hand. “Did something happen? Is it the baby?”

Imogen looked at Laudna and then glanced down at her stomach. “I … I think I can hear the baby,” she said.

“What do you mean,” Laudna asked looking rather puzzled, before elaborating as if the realization was dawning on her in real time, getting her words out with a stammer, “you can- her mind- are you able to hear her mind?”

Imogen was grinning cheek to cheek, tears forming in her eyes. “Yeah, I-I think I can,” she said with emotion coming through now, “I was just sittin’ here, and I could hear you here and there as you were moving, but then you must have gone upstairs and so it was silent for a minute, and that’s when I heard somethin’ new.”

Laudna gasped at this, still clutching Imogen’s hand, as Imogen gave hers a little squeeze “Oh, Imogen, that’s so exciting! Why, I was just joking at first, but … oh goodness, is there anything she’s saying, what can you hear? Is she speaking to you?” 

Imogen’s face lit up as she looked at Laudna. “I can’t hear much, and its not… it isn’t anything coherent, in fact, it’s the opposite. It’s nonsensical, but not in a bad way. She’s not saying anything, there’s no words, but… she’s musical. In fact,” Imogen reached out and took Laudna by the hand, “it sounds like you.”

Laudna’s mouth fell open as she processed this. “She… her… it sounds like mine?”

Imogen nodded, “yeah.” She sniffled now, beginning to cry a little more intensely. “It’s quiet, and just a little discordant, like its still tuning, but, it’s beautiful, and it it sounds a lot like you Laudna.” She squeezed Laudna’s hands once more, Laudna seemingly in a state of simultaneous shock and happiness. 

They both sat there for a few minutes as Imogen shared her telepathic bond with Laudna, and let her listen to what she heard. Much like they had sat together and felt the baby kick, this was a new experience for the soon-to-be mothers, one they had not expected. Laudna pulled a chair close and just held Imogen’s hands for a while as they continued to listen.

“So this is what I sound like to you?” Laudna asked, her heart warmed by the thought.

Imogen, who had had her eyes closed for a little while as they just sat and enjoyed the melody, now opened them and looked at Laudna. She took a deep breath and gave the biggest smile. “Isn’t it beautiful?” 

Laudna smiled in return, leaning forward and kissing Imogen gently. “I love you,” she said.

“I love you too,” Imogen replied.

As Imogen’s telepathic bond wore out after some time had passed, Laudna wiped the tears from her eyes. Imogen closed her mind for the time being, and just looked at Laudna as she in turn looked at Imogen. They both just smiled at one another, before Laudna took a breath. “Dinner?”

Imogen nodded, and moved to get up before Laudna rose and stuck her hand out. Imogen smiled, taking her hand once more, and standing to her feet kissed Laudna one more time before side-stepping her to head back into the kitchen. Laudna smiled and wiped another tear from her cheek as she turned and headed in behind Imogen. 

Time passed, dinner was served and eaten, and Laudna had finished cleaning away the mess of the evening when Pate began to float down the stairs. Imogen had retired to bed by this point, but Laudna was still up in the sun room. Catha had just begun to appear in the sky overhead from their home’s perspective and was now shining her light down rather brightly, filling the space of the sun room with enough visible light that you could almost think it were midday.

As Laudna sat there, she heard a groaning coming from the kitchen, and as she turned she spied Pate coming around the corner.

“Pate,” she said as she stood up to intercept him in his path, “I thought I told you to watch the baby, what are you doing down here?” 

“I got bored,” Pate said with much emphasis on the latter word. “I am not fit to be a babysitter, I’m sorry,” he crooned. 

“Well we’re just going to have to practice,” Laudna said as she stuck a hand out and plucked him from where he flew. “Come here,” she sighed as she shoved him into the scruff of her hair on her neck, draping him over one shoulder very loosely whilst exiting the sunroom. “We’re going to bed,” she added as she then walked through the kitchen and heading down the hall to the stairwell.

Laudna double checked that the front door was locked, and then made her way up the stairs into the now softly lit hallway, Catha’s light spilling into the second floor hallway from the windows at the end. She crept quietly into the bedroom, slowly opening its door when it began to emit a gentle creak in the stillness of the night. Almost immediately, Laudna stuck her finger out and a faint purple glow flashed and sparked at the hinge of the door, before she continued to open it, it now completely silenced by her spell.

She tiptoed over to her side of the bed, inconveniently on the far side of the bedroom, as quietly as she could while passing Imogen, trying her best to not wake her. She crept by carefully, the wood floors thankfully staying silent tonight and not creaking themselves as they’re wont to do. 

Having made it to her side of the bed, she removed Pate from her shoulder and placed him on her nightstand. “Goodnight Pate,” she said as she pat him on the head once more. He hopped down onto the ground and scurried over to the makeshift cot Laudna had made for him several months ago and began to curl up there for the night. 

Laudna, meanwhile, slid into bed and pulled the blankets up over her gently, the final act of her trying to remain as quiet as possible while Imogen slept complete. She let out a soft sigh, believing that Imogen had not stirred as Laudna came to bed, and let herself loosen up, her guard lowered.

A moment passes. 

“I’m still awake,” Imogen said abruptly, and loud enough to startle Laudna considerably. This made Imogen chuckle a little, as she had also heard Pate groan from his cot on the floor before rolling over.

Laudna sighed in feigned disgust, “Every. Time.”

“You could just ask if I’m asleep,” Imogen said as she opened one eye to look at Laudna, seeing the dramatics unfold. Laudna resisted arguing; she hated to disrupt Imogen’s sleep, and Imogen knew this, but truth be told Imogen usually couldn’t sleep unless Laudna was there anyhow. Tonight was a little bit different, though.

“Why are you still awake anyway,” Laudna asked, Imogen’s singular eye now closed again. “You’d gone to bed some time ago, I thought for sure you’d be asleep.” 

Imogen shifted in her position so that she could be more upright, meeting Laudna more eye-to-eye now that she was attempting to keep her eyes open. 

“I just couldn’t stop listening to her,” Imogen said as she glanced down, “and as you came to bed, hearing your mind just mingle in with hers… it’s just magical.” Imogen was looking back at Laudna now, smiling from ear to ear, unable to contain her joy. For so long, she only knew pain and frustration when it came to maintaining the walls that kept others’ minds from being perceived. But now that she was realizing that she had not only Laudna but also their child who weren’t so intrusive in her life — in fact, they were soothing — her emotions swelled and tears formed in the corners of her eyes.

Laudna smiled as she too couldn’t help but get misty-eyed, knowing how long Imogen had suffered with this ability. She placed a hand on Imogen’s, prompting Imogen to turn her hand over and lace their fingers together. 

The two of them continue to lay there as their eyes grew heavy, slowly falling asleep. The night was still and calm, quiet through the house, all except in Imogen’s mind. She let the walls stay down, listening to the symphony that played for her, and only her, as a beautiful angelic voice began to fill in the gaps. It was a soothing, soft velvety voice delivering a glowing aria that filled Imogen with love and hope.

Imogen opened her eyes. That was it.

“Aria,” Imogen whispered under her breath. “Her name is Aria,” she whispered out loud to Laudna as she gave her hand the most delicate of squeezes, unsure if she were still awake. Laudna, still just awake, smiled as she nuzzled into Imogen’s neck and kissed her.

“Aria,” Laudna repeated to herself. “It’s a beautiful name.”

They both squeezed each other just a little tighter as they settled into their slumber. With a new peace and tranquility in her heart, as she held onto Laudna’s hand, Imogen closed her eyes and fell asleep to the most beautiful lullaby she’d ever heard.

#critical role #fan fic #cr fan fic #fan fiction #critical role fan fiction #critical role fan fic #imogen x laudna #southern gothic #imogen temult #imogen #laudna #imogen is pregnant #just a self indulgent piece #imodna #Limogen #fluff #cr fluff #fan fic fluff #critical role fluff

[utilitycaster]

Eh, I doubt this will stop them but I'll cover the alleged hypocrisy since they appear to be harassing other people as well before going to bed.

[description: reblog from harassing-little-hypocrite. The real question is why was the little hypocrite so upset about Imodna in the first place? There is only one answer to that question, and the little hypocrite refuses to give any reasonable alternative. Sure, it made sense to criticize Imodna before, it really left a lot to be desired. But now, there is a new ship that, at best, has all the problems Imodna had. Why is the little hypocrite a fan of one ship but has never stopped shitting on the other? What is different about them, really?]

I assume "little hypocrite" is referring to me, because it was a reblog of my post, but given the URL it might be the poster talking about themselves in the third person like Elmo does. Who can say, really.

Anyway, I agree, Imodna does leave a lot to be desired. I'm not upset; I think it's boring but it also only comes up for like two minutes every other episode.

What's different about Fearne and Ashton: To be clear, I don't consider this an OTP, I don't have strong investment in it being endgame, I absolutely don't expect it to be monogamous, and honestly if it jumped straight into Undying Devotion To Each Other next episode instead of making out and having more interesting conversations I'd be immediately turned off. But right now? They've had a conversation of substance, they discussed their goals in concrete ways, they've had a silly flirty thing going on with the stealing game throughout the campaign (even when I thought the fanon of the ship sucked - which I still do - I felt a hookup would be fun but anything deeper would be contrived), and, perhaps most crucially, they can express frustrations with each other. My issue with Imodna has always been that they have the same boring-ass conversation in slightly different configurations over and over, the two potentially interesting conflicts they had fizzled out like a cheap whoopie cushion, and god, I'm so bored. Fearne and Ashton have conflict. That's the main thing I've wanted from Imodna - I've said that repeatedly - and they've failed to deliver. That's the difference.

Anyone can look through my blog and find plenty of other F/F ships I've enjoyed greatly; I happen to dislike this particular one. There's plenty of straight ships I think suck as well. It's deeply irresponsible to co-opt the language of social justice over stupid fandom wank; you sure aren't helping lesbians in any material way through this, that's for certain, if this is what I considered fun I'd develop literally any other hobby, and it does not really worry me what you think of me given that you don't know me in real life and as such have no basis to pass such judgments with authority.

It's interesting that for a ship where so many shippers seem desperate for more approval from the fandom, multiple Imodna shippers like you are simultaneously out here asking the question "what if I made myself as unpleasant as possible?" (I know you say you find it leaves a lot to be desired, but given that you're specifically mad that I like a different ship more than Imodna...yeah, sure.) Not sure if you're the old fandom bottom-feeder or a new one, but man, people who were neutral on Imodna have begun to sour on it because it's getting a reputation for being the ship of choice for clowns like you, and it's only going to keep getting worse, and people who prefer other things are going to just keep blocking you and write meta and fic for their ships and you'll get less and less.

#cr spoilers #anyway if this person bothers you...sorry about that pls block and report etc etc i'm going to sleep

[masterqwertster]

Hi!

So I love your writing, especially the prompt thing you've been doing recently. I'm super curious on what you think it would look like after the last little fic with Ashton and Orym, since they have no healers.

Maybe #6, #19 or #27, if you haven't done those or are okay with repeats? With Orym having to accept Ashton and Laudna's help until they can find a way to heal him, since it doesn't seem like he can even lift his arms? Or even accepting help from the other three traveling with them right now.

Or maybe for another focus, Laudna being panicked and scared about him being hurt and almost losing them both, but also worried about Imogen, so she's projecting onto Ashton and Orym to feel in control and maybe a little too pushy about helping him heal and making sure Ashton is alright too.

Thanks! 🤗

Alright, last one for this prompt list (for now) Sorry this one took a while. The prompt decided to fight me, but I got that sucker in the end! 6 "Don't move, you're still hurt." 19 "You need to eat something." Gonna pass on 27 "I'm going to carry you, okay?" since I've done Ashton and Orym both separately and together on that one. And since episode 63 was a whole thing, this references that, just the tiniest bit. Also, my brain decided this is a canon adjacent where Orym, Laudna, and Ashton are off on their own having split from their guests. So it's just the three of them in this little fic. A follow up to this one.

Laudna clutches her boys close.

For a bleak while there, she thought she'd lost them. How could she have gone back to Fearne, to Fresh Cut Grass, and told them their best friends didn't make it? That her reflexes hadn't been fast enough to catch them in a life-saving Feather Fall? And what about her, left alone without her family?

Lucky her, they managed to save themselves.

There's even the pleasant surprise of Ashton returning the hug, pinning her and Orym to their chest. Laudna really does enjoy hugs from the genasi when they're willing. Just the reassuring weight to their arms, the seemingly unshakable solidity to their body and presence, juxtaposed with the absolute care and gentleness they handle her with. Sometimes she'd swear there's nothing more grounding than an Ashton hug.

A hiss escapes the group hug, sending Laudna scrambling backwards as Ashton's arms spring open.

With that space, she fully takes her boys in, almost immediately spotting the problem: Orym's arms look a dreadful mess. Bright red and swollen at the joints, and dislocated too, if she's any judge (and she is, with as often as her own joints will pop out of place).

"Oh. Oh, that doesn't look good at all. Hold still, give me a moment," Laudna worries, hands going into the motions for a Wither and Bloom. Healing is hardly her specialty, but this spell can heal. It doesn't have to kill hurt.

And it's not as much healing as what Fresh Cut Grass or Fearne could provide if they were here, but it is some measure of healing. The worst of the swelling reduces, the redness recedes some, and some nasty cracks and snaps indicate that all the bones have popped back into their sockets.

"Wait," Orym pants out as Laudna's hands begin the motions for a second casting. "S-save the magic. We might n-need it later."

Laudna bites her lip. She really thinks Orym should take a second round of healing, even if it does bring her magic reserves down to uncomfortably-low-should-another-fight-occur. Because it's either her magic or one of their few potions to get the halfling into something better approximating working order.

"Heal him," Ashton commands, cutting through the indecision.

Orym splutters as Laudna quickly completes the spell, trying to be indignant about the used resources even as the tension in his body relaxes a bit more from the second dose of healing.

"Can you hold your shit, or does Laudna need to hit you again?" Ashton demands, no room to lie or evade in their gaze.

With a stubborn jut to his chin, Orym picks up his sword and shield. He only slightly fumbles stowing them away on his back, earning a grunt of approval.

"Alright, let's keep moving," the genasi says, groaning a bit as they lever themself back onto their feet.

"Are you okay?" Laudna has to ask. It can be a little tricky to tell when Ashton is vocalizing his chronic pain or a current injury.

"I'm good," Ashton says, rolling his shoulders and flexing his hands a bit, producing a barely audible popping that Laudna’s fairly certain wouldn’t be audible at all if his body wasn't made of stone. "After all, I'm not the one who caught, like, ten times their body weight and still some-fucking-how held on."

"Are you complaining?" Orym raises an eyebrow at them.

"Nah. Just saying you absolutely fucking needed the healing after doing something that crazy," Ashton easily explains, flicking the halfling's ear.

Orym grumbles, but lets it go.

Laudna, for her part, is very glad Orym managed such an impossible feat, even at great cost to himself. Certainly, having Ashton handle their own weight is always the better option, but needs must. And they obviously got around to it quick enough, since Orym's arms are still attached and the boys did haul themselves back up the cliff.

And maybe, maybe, Laudna spends the rest of the day hovering and worrying. Even though her boys are perfectly fine besides Orym's sore arms, Ashton's sore everything and there's really no need to worry. They're quite capable and can handle themselves. She's seen them in action, so of course she knows that. There's really no need-

"Here. Eat," Ashton grunts, shoving a bowl of stew into her anxiously wringing hands.

"Oh. Oh. I'm alright," Laudna demurs, even as her fingers curl around the warm bowl.

"Eat," Ashton demands again. "I know you don't need much, but you still need some. 'Sides, food is energy and you need to regain yours for-" and he wiggles and flicks his fingers at Orym in what is actually a half-decent impression of her casting Wither and Bloom.

And well. When they put it like that.

Laudna eats her stew.

As they settle down for sleep and watch, Laudna hits Orym with another Wither and Bloom, getting a little sigh of relief from the halfling. Then she spins one last one on Ashton as well for good measure.

"Good night," Ashton intones as almost a threat, flipping her off good-naturedly. And they resettle in their seat, obviously feeling some relief from her spell as well.

"Good night~" she sing-songs back, curling into her bedroll. Her boys live (she can hear them breathing), and soon, all of Bells Hells will be together again.

#MQ&A #critical role #ashton greymoore #laudna #orym of the air ashari #MQfic #hurt comfort dialogue prompt

[professorthaddeus]

Your chetney meta is so good, what are your thoughts about his role in the otohon fight?

i'm so honored that you enjoyed my chetney meta(s? i think i've only written one haha), thank you! tbh i think i’m still recovering from the episode and have more feelings than concrete thoughts about it right now, but i can absolutely share those :p

so, one of my favorite things about chetney is that he’s a sentimental softie underneath all those layers of volatile werewolf and cranky old man. we’ve seen this in his moment of genuine connection with dorian, with how gently he sympathized with orym when he was sharing his tragedy, with the way he handled fearne’s postcards (and only commented on how they looked lovingly made when he must’ve realized they couldn’t be from her parents), and of course, with all of the deeply personal gifts he’s been handcrafting for everyone. to me, the way he chose to fight instead of run in this battle feels like a culmination of all those quieter moments of caring, because it goes against his every instinct as a survivor.

we don’t know much about what he left behind in uthodurn, but we do know that something went down that caused him to leave and never look back. plus, he doesn’t seem all that bothered about never seeing his family again. we also know that in this world, living to an old age is no small feat, and he must’ve prioritized his survival throughout his life to have lasted hundreds of years. and we’ve seen that he’s very good at escaping from scraps—i mean, one of his most memorable early moments was jumping out of a window and narrowly avoiding discovery by that guy who was working with ira (can’t remember his name lol sorry). all of this makes his decision to plant his feet and stay in a hopeless situation all the more meaningful.

also, i know that travis’ “i don’t want to be the only one not dead” was mostly played for laughs, but man, that meant so much to me, because that’s huge for chetney, who came to this group a loner wolf. he’s not going to be the sole survivor here, he’s not fleeing to fight another day. these are his people, this is his pack, and he’s standing with them even at the potential cost of his life.

that got real long oops but in conclusion: god i love this crotchety old geezer

#critical role #cr spoilers #c3e33 #chetney pock o'pea #cr meta #sort of?? #i guess i've written two chetney metas now haha #my meta #my ramblings

[deramin2]

Bell's Hells as imposters:

Chetney

Travis would have so much fun. Chetney is always a bit of a wild card and Travis said on 4-Sided Dive that he loves to play by listening to his intrusive thoughts. This could be his ultimate form. Just sew chaos. Travis and Marisha have also recently come out of Candela Obscura dealing with a similar situation. I think they should get a turn at it.

Laudna

Absolutely juicy with their existing fears about Delilah. This is Laudna's nightmare scenario. She's so scared all the time about being untrustworthy but also desperately wants to be trusted and loved. Especially since one of her truths is that she doesn't know where she ends and Delilah begins. And Imogen's truth was that she's disgusted that Delilah is always watching them. (Don't unpack how you actively watch everyone else, Imogen, and took off the circlet deliberately to keep doing that.) Marisha would go absolutely ham with this. Sometimes a highly responsible woman who people rely on all the time just wants to go a little apeshit.

Fresh Cut Grass

Losing control and hurting their friends is something FCG has struggled with that's really fucked up their life and the lives of their (former) friends. They're scared that they can't be trusted, and they never can be. So this just plays right into their insecurities. What happens when their friends really can't trust them. Sam is really good at playing close to the chest. If FCG is the imposter, he's likely to sabotage them in subtle ways they won't recognize until it's too late. He may get things thrown at him (again), and he would enjoy it.

Fearne

Fearne is an agent of chaos on a good day. I think it will be very hard for the group to tell what side she's on no matter what. When she feels threatened she acts more in her own self-interest anyway. Especially when she doesn't know who else she can trust. I'm really looking forward to her either way. I think Ashley deserves to actively work against her friends, as a treat. Ashley didn't get a chance to fight the party as Yasha while she was at the table, so I think she deserves the opportunity.

Imogen

Let's be real, everyone is worried that with the moon stuff Imogen will turn on them. Either because she willingly sides with her mom in a desperate bid for approval, or because the pull of Predathos takes over. Bell's Hells are likely to be highly suspicious of her either way. Imogen's been under a lot of pressure for a while to prove she is still on their side. If she's the imposter she's likely to keep doing that, but also be working against them for real. I think Laura would have a lot of fun really leaning into this.

Imogen and Laudna being the two traitors together would be very fun because they're like 50% of each other's impulse control and it would be entertaining to see them against the world for real.

Orym

Orym is the person the group trusts the most, and who supports and believes in the goodness of the group the most. He also has contingency plans for everyone (hey Batman). I would love to see Orym get to totally snap without undermining the hope and aspiration built into the character. Plus Liam loves horror and fucked up stories and I think we'd get some phenomenal drama out of it. It would be fun to watch Orym hunt them for sport.

Ashton

Ashton probably trusts himself the least out of the group right now and his fuck-up is why they're here in the first place. They were told to their face that their friends don't trust them and that they seem in it for themselves. So I think it would be very entertaining to work through that by leaning all the way into it. Taliesin has fought the party before and it was very fun. *Slaps Ashton's back* This genasi can fit so much angst in him.

Conclusion

Everyone at the table would have a really fun time getting to work against their friends in a safe controlled environment. This is Bell's Hell's worst fear that they've been working very hard to try and prevent. They're scared of each of them turning for different reasons. This is definitely a hag's challenge. This will be so much juicy drama and angst for Nana Mori to feed off of. Whoever pulls the traitor cards is going to be a fun combo. This might break them, but hopefully it will also build them back up.

They're so afraid they can only save the world if all of them are on board and are terrified of failure. This actually lets them test it with lower stakes.

Maybe? We don't actually know what the penalty for failure is because FCG willingly had his memory of the deal erased. They haven't failed an exercise yet. So it could be that nothing happens. Or it could be that if they win all three challenges, she messes with time in exactly the way they want. But if they fail she works against them in a way that makes it more dramatic for her. Is she more a hag with a certain nature, or is she Fearne's grandmother with will protect her from all harm? We'll find out!

#critical role #critical role spoilers #critical role meta #critical role campaign 3 #Bell's Hells #chetney pock o'pea #laudna critical role #fresh cut grass #fearne calloway #imogen temult #orym of the air ashari #ashton greymoore #long post

[mollymauk-teafleak]

1am

I have had. a hell of a time at work lately and wanted to write some fluffy icemav and hangster nonsense when I got home to shield the old brain. This is for the lovely @nb-fearne who is just the best and I love dearly

Please reblog and leave a comment over on Ao3 if you enjoyed this!

--------

It's the early morning and Tom Kazansky's house hasn't been quiet in a long time. 

And he couldn't be more grateful.

--------

Tom used to hate the house being quiet. 

It had happened far too often for his liking, not so much in the early days when they had Bradley over every other weekend and then full time. Back then there would always be the sound of a baseball repeatedly thumping into the back wall or music playing loudly upstairs as he sang in the shower, the heavy footfalls of gangly teenage legs too big for the boy who wore them running up and down the stairs. 

But even then there were the gaps of silence, Maverick off on the other side of the world because he’d fucked up again, Tom staying at the base far too late because he needed to work twice as hard as anyone else, so the rumours about him would fade into the background behind the commendations and medals and career progression. 

There was the heavy silence that came after Carole passed. The silence where her laughter used to be, the gaps where she would have had a dirty joke or some soft wisdom. 

And then there was the crushing silence after Bradley left, the ringing silence that came in the wake of raised voices saying words they couldn’t take back. 

Too many times Tom would find himself standing in the kitchen, in the darkness because he’d come home so late and couldn’t even be bothered to turn on the light, Maverick off in Bosnia or Iraq, Bradley out of his reach entirely. He’d stand there and think sadly of the life he’d always wanted but knew he’d never be able to really have, though that didn’t stop the aching want. He’d think of his sister Sarah’s house or Slider’s, full of laughter and small, running feet and heartbeats in all the other rooms. He’d stand there and sigh and think how much he hated the house being quiet. 

Tom found it kind of funny now. 

The baby had started crying sometime around eleven and she was still going now it was one in the morning. The same wrenching, pleading cry, repetitive and shrill so it drilled right into the heart and stuck there painfully. Tom could sleep on an aircraft carrier where everything clanked and whirred and every slightest movement had an echo, he could sleep with fighter jets taking off a stone’s throw away, but he couldn’t sleep through this. 

Neither could Maverick apparently, his husband rolled over in bed for the fifth time in as many minutes, burying his face between Tom’s shoulder blades and groaning exaggeratedly. 

Tom couldn’t help a smile, “Can’t sleep?”

“Shut up…” Maverick mumbled, voice muffled by Tom’s back, “This is hell. I’m in hell.” 

“They’ll get the hang of it,” Tom murmured, though he had to wince as the crying soared up in pitch, “Eventually.”

“She’s so small, how can she make so much fucking noise?” 

“Well, how do you manage it, Mav?” Tom hummed, smirking sleepily and accepting the light kick to the shins under the covers. He shifted, moving so he could wrap an arm around his husband’s shoulders and press a lazy kiss to the top of his head, “Imagine what it’s like to be her. Everything’s brand new and terrifying, no wonder she cries.”

Mav sighed, relenting the way Tom knew he would, “Yeah…guess everything’s brand new and terrifying to her dads too, huh?”

Tom paused at that, stroking his thumb at the nape of Mav’s neck. It was getting longer since he’d retired, enough that Tom could properly tangle his fingers in it. 

Bradley and Jake, or some combination of the two, had been living with them for the better part of a year now and it had been everything Tom had missed. His grinning, laughing, long limbed kid back where he belonged but now grown into himself and content, even looking to start being a Top Gun instructor himself when his paternal leave was up, in an irony that made his uncles laugh. Jake Seresin too, at first painfully awkward and unsure, a young man who’d been given the one he loved and a life he’d always wanted but had been so scared it wouldn’t actually fit him. Too many times Tom had looked at the young pilot and seen a strange combination of Mav and himself, about twenty years back. 

But, like they had, Jake had softened. He’d stopped glancing around every time Tom and Mav kissed or held hands or leaned against each other as they watched TV, like he was terrified for their safety. He’d stopped stiffening when Tom walked in the room like he was stopping himself from saluting. It had finally sunk in that he was safe here, that he was welcome and wanted and loved. 

Then Bradley had come home and their daughter had arrived so, in the same twenty four hours, everything had pretty much fallen into chaos. 

Part of them being here was so Tom and Mav could help them. The larger part was because of the Californian real estate market, in fairness, but it was also so they could help them.

Tom nodded decisively and kissed Maverick’s forehead, mostly to distract him while he took possession of his arm back, “Be right back…”

Mav made a sleepy noise of protest as he burrowed into the warmth Tom left behind, “Hurry.”

Tom smiled as he pulled on an old USNA shirt and cast around for his glasses. Once he could see more than fuzzy blurs, he left Mav with a kiss to keep him company and headed down. He followed the noise to the kitchen, not just the baby cries now but two voices tight with exhaustion and frustration. 

“You’re supposed to test the temperature on the inside of your wrist-“ 

“I did, Bradshaw, I told you. But you also told me to pass it to you before she hit you in the face again.”

“I can’t give her formula that’s too hot, Jake-“

“I know that-“

Tom stepped in quickly, keeping his expression carefully neutral, like he was just bumping into them on the stairs, “Evening.”

The scene in front of him wasn’t surprising. Jake leaned against the counter, wearing a shirt that was definitely Bradley’s and a harried expression, his hair that had also been getting longer in his time away from Navy razors sticking up in tufts. Bradley’s curls were even worse, making him look like a nocturnal animal startled awake, standing there in nothing but a set of sweatpants, juggling a bottle of formula and a squirming, screaming newborn. 

“Shit,” Bradley cursed, bouncing her but almost dropping the bottle in the process, “Sorry, Uncle Tom.”

Ice shrugged as Jake moved to quickly take the bottle off him before it could fall, “I’m up and down all night anyhow…anything I can do to help?”

Jake sighed, testing the temperature again and pulling a doubtful face, “Not unless you speak whatever language she’s speaking, sir…”

Ice chuckled softly, deciding he could at least make the boys some coffee, moving to get some started, “Jake, it’s one in the morning and I’m in my goddamn shorts, when are you going to stop calling me sir? The Navy’s jurisdiction stops at our front porch.”

“I don’t think the Navy’s to blame for that, sir, you can blame growing up in Texas,” Jake gave a slightly coy smile before looking at Bradley helplessly, “I think it’s still too hot.”

Bradley winced as his daughter’s cries got louder, “Shit…”

“Here.”

Tom didn’t take no for an answer, deftly replacing the crying baby in Bradley’s arms with the mugs, “You get the coffee going, I’ll see what I can do with little miss…”

Bradley looked conflicted, a mix of relief and guilt on his face, “I…are you sure…”

Tom looked at them both, firm but understanding, “You two are running yourselves ragged. It’s okay to take five. Besides, I think I can help, I have a few tricks…”

Bradley opened his mouth, ready to keep arguing with his typical Bradshaw mulishness, but the words got lost somewhere along the way as, for the first time in who knew how long, the crying stopped. Tom had moved her onto her front, tucked up safe against his chest so his free hand could rub firm circles on her back, and finally, miraculously the wailing puttered out like an engine winding down. 

“Holy shit…” Jake blinked, stunned. 

“How,” Bradley just stood there with the mugs in his hands and his jaw on the floor, “Old man, what the fuck kind of magic is that?”

Tom snorted, “You’re lucky both of my hands are busy, Bradshaw. I told you, I have tricks.”

He smiled down at the little bundle in his arms as she squeaked and shifted. Poppy Carole Bradshaw. Her daddy’s mop of unruly curls, her papa’s sloping nose and, even at just a few months old, their stubbornness combined, God help them all. 

The world felt a hell of a lot brighter with her in it. 

“Go sit down,” Tom told Jake and Bradley gently, “Before you pass out.”

They did, collapsing onto the living room sofa like they’d both been through 9 Gs each. Tom finished off the coffee one handed, Poppy grumbling every time he stopped though he gave plenty of apologetic kisses to the top of her fluffy little head. Before too long, his boys were clutching warm mugs and his granddaughter was greedily feeding from a bottle that was finally the right temperature. 

“Seriously though,” Bradley cocked his head, sunk deep into the sofa with Jake resting on his shoulder, “How come you know all this stuff? Baby stuff?”

Tom looked at him wryly from his armchair, thumb stroking careful circles on the crown of Poppy’s head, “Ah. That would be a classic Uncle Tom story that sounds innocuous but ends up pretty miserable.”

Jake raised his eyebrows and mumbled sleepily, “There’s a lot of those…”

“Glad you’re already picking up on that,” Tom chuckled roughly, rocking Poppy gently, looking down at her so the words would come that little bit easier, “I used to look after my sister when she was as small as this. I mean…wasn’t like anyone else was going to do it and I couldn’t let her down. So I read every book in the library on looking after babies and got to work. Sarah was a stubborn little gremlin too, if it makes you feel any better.”

“So…you worked your ass off at school, got top grades, played star quarterback and raised your baby sister because your shitty parents weren’t going to do it?” Bradley’s gaze wasn’t pity but pride and Tom knew it would be so he glanced up to meet it.

“Not bad for a closeted gay Jewish kid with a Russian surname in the fifties, huh?” Tom chuckled roughly. 

Bradley laughed and Jake had that look on his face he often got around Tom and Maverick, a slightly bewildered delight, like he’d been going around speaking another language to everyone else and finally stumbled on someone who could understand him. It was achingly familiar. 

“No. Not bad at all, Admiral,” he smiled.

The boys were clearly falling asleep, even with their half drunk coffees, and Tom wasn’t about to stop them. He was perfectly content sitting in his armchair with his granddaughter finally dozing off in his arms, in almost the same instant as her dads. For a moment, he wanted arms big enough to hold all three of them. 

Tom wasn’t surprised when he heard soft footfalls creeping carefully down the stairs, trying to avoid the creaking floorboards and cursing softly at the ones he stumbled on, making all the more noise for that. He was grinning when Mav eventually poked his head around the door, hair fluffy from sleep and blinking owlishly. 

“Lucky for you, they’re completely passed out,” Tom murmured softly. 

Mav yawned, padding over to perch on the arm of Tom’s chair, something he’d done so often the leather was worn, “Knew you could do it.”

Tom shifted for him, letting him rest his cheek on the top of his head so they could admire their sleeping granddaughter, their pair of crashed out pilots. Their little family. 

“Hey,” Tom murmured softly, glancing up at his husband, saying it just because he could, because the others would have to wait until the morning but he could say it to Pete Mitchell now, “I love you.”

Maverick reached down to stroke Poppy’s curls and kissed his wingman’s silvered hair, “I love you too.”

Tom took a breath, leaning into his husband’s arms. 

He remembered when he used to hate the house being quiet. But he was learning. 

#icemav #hangster #fic #family fluff #iceman #tom kazansky #maverick #pete mitchell #rooster #bradley bradshaw #hangman #jake seresin #top gun #tgm #top gun maverick

[vinyliscomfortfood]

alright just stared the campaign 3, I'm watching episode 5 right now.

So, currently I rly like Orym and FCG the most I think.

Imogen and Dorian I rly like them but not the most...

For Fearn my feelings are kinda of neutral atm.

Ashton and Laudna, I think I'm just not understanding their personality yet. But just yet tho

And last but not least, missing Travis playing as well too much

The storyline, I think I might be enjoying more this beginning than the beginning of c2...? idk, things are maybe just happening faster I think? And I like it!

(just for the record, I think Travis's character did know they would die and that's why they didn't get too involved during the fights and than later that night they went out on a night walk alone and utrally drunk while being chased by an assassin that the party didn't got to kill yet) but that's just what i think tbc

That's it for now mates, I'll come back soon to keep commenting critical role cause I am a big nerd on vacation..

#critical role #c3 #bells hells #middy's cr c3