#let's go laura bailey

[criticalbeauregard]

thank you laura bailey i owe your absolute inability to have a failed dnd relationship my life

#she won’t let go LITERALLY #marisha you are killing please stop trying to end my life #this is all jokes i respect all their choices of course and i think it’s all very interesting #critical role #cr spoilers #c3e89 #cr laudna #imogen temult #imodna #marisha ray #laura bailey

[nikolailantsovhoe]

#stray gods: the roleplaying musical #stray gods #stray gods pan #pan x grace #laura bailey #khary payton #critical role #summerfall studios #this is like my otp at the moment #ahhhhh #let's go

[paperglader]

imogen: *is known to have suicidal tendencies*

Me, as of late, whenever she shows any glimpse of those suicidal tendencies: NO BITCH YOU STOP THAT!! YOU STOP THAT RIGHT NOW!! YOU HAVE TO LIVE MF!! YOU HAVE TO LIVE FOR ME!!

(i love her with my whole entire heart)

#to the point where I’m even getting annoyed with myself #like i have to remind myself hey she’s a character let her go through her storyline this makes sense for her #and it’s like yes I know that is correct but also SHE CANNOT DIE NOT ON MY WATCH #which is a struggle when it comes to imodna cause their respect for each other’s agency truly is all encompassing #and they’re very adamant on permitting the other to die on their own terms and like yes given the context that’s so important #but also #fully not ready for that heartbreak #imodna #southern gothic #imogen temult #laura bailey #critical role #cr #c3 #bells hells

[sparring-spirals]

choosing to think that Imogen rolling poorly is because of an unknown, extradimensional Bailey Effect. Somewhere out there, unbeknownst to her, Jester Lavorre is accidentally siphoning away all of her good luck and universal wiggle room for things like 'inventing unicorn hamsters" "slightly altering the fabric of space and time to dunk on an enemy" "putting hats on the unicorn hamsters". and thats why, in the meantime, sometimes when imogen does her dang best to cast a spell she falls down a flight of stairs. or turns blue.

#i like to think that in parallel with imogen Going Through It jester lavorre is somewhere out there using the universes favor for the most #arbitrary thing. like its very specifically NOT about the magic its about the universe deciding to give wiggle room or let things slide #imogen is pinball-machining thru space and time . meanwhile jester is forcefully reworking some spell laws for a funny lil prank #critical role #ill watch the rest of the last episode and scream about it i promise. but in the meantime. i will continue dunking on imogen. bc of course. #:) #jester lavorre #imogen temult #laura bailey #spar speaks #shitpost

[pocketgalaxies]

here we are again

bonus laura

#marisha: *makes a shitty steam sound when they let go* #2h5m c2e62 #sc #critical role #cr2 #cr lb #c2 top table #travis willingham #marisha ray #liam o'brien #travis & liam #cr things #laura bailey

[uncreativeblob]

Currently going absolutely feral over Laura Bailey dressed as Delilah Briarwood

#critical role #critrole #cr1 #delilah briarwood #laura bailey #im going feral #BARK BARK WOOF WOOF #AWOOGA #GRRRRR RUFF BARK ARF #id let her emotionally wreck me ✨️✨️ #or physically #woof

[vestigesofperversion]

“You CARRY her to Joe’s”

Is when I took 6 Tums & the other half of last week xanax

#the ugly crying had JUST stopped #then you go and do that to me laura bailey #critical role #cr3 #cr3 spoilers #cr3 ep34 #bells hells #cr shitpost #*ashton tosses a black and red* #*kleenex into the air* #*lets it land on their shoulder* #cr3 key moments #roll a death save

[retrokid616]

24!

#whispers #lets gooooo #imogen temult #laura bailey #cr spoilers #live blogging #bells hells #campaign 3 #24 jack bauer #lets go #critical role

[sourslip]

I'm still reeling from that reveal/scene (like most of us, apparently) so bear with the chewing-on-glass scatterbrain but I think the surprise has actually made me appreciate Laura's RP choices even more

going into that scene set up my expectations for some comforting, maybe some discussion of what Laudna was going through post-party split, but overall I was expecting - at most - some cute and friendly intimacy reaffirming they are Very Good Friends

AND THEN ITS LAURA BAILEY WITH THE CHAIR!!!

"Can I kiss you?" felt like it came on so fast without any specific queues (like what we've seen in previous romances where one or both PCs will name their desires in conversation with someone else before acting on it) but it also made perfect sense in retrospect

ever since Laudna came back, Imogen has been sitting on something, always seeming to hold back some burning comments here and there. she was also insistent that Laudna would get to choose everything going forward, and part of that I think meant Laudna having the freedom to think on a response to any question of further intimacy without even a chance of Imogen overhearing. Laudna could have the freedom to wonder if she did want to get in touch with "that part of her mind", to think about how painful, scary, or awkward that might be after decades of being shut off to it.

Laudna has some pretty intense self-image and self-worth issues to work through, but she's also had 2 years of Imogen in her head able to pick up on her wants without having to ever voice them and, ultimately, without having to accept that she does have her own wants independent of the people around her. Laudna seems to have only just started to get in touch with her anger, and that kind of repressed emotion that comes out in the healing process is one of the less intentional ones! Girl hasn't felt safe enough to actually think about her wants, let alone try communicating them!

Imogen and Laudna reconnected after their time apart and discovered that they - as Marisha pointed out in 4SD - have grown into different people, and that resulted in the tension of the first moments in the scene where they kind of made quasi-small talk. They were figuring out how to connect with each other again but, rather than return to their old dynamics (that kept them stagnant), Imogen set them up to try exploring something new and maybe a little healthier with communication going forward.

I think Imogen has been working towards this for a while, and while the circlet was the last "thing" she needed to help force them to communicate better, having the time apart gave them an opportunity to try something new.

Imogen has held a lot back before because she's too tuned into other peoples thoughts, and Laudna held off exploring her own wants and desires for too many reasons - but she is starting to get more in touch with her self-interested emotions. So they've both been tip-toeing towards a change for a while, but change like that can sometimes be like getting into cold water; at a certain point you just have to commit and jump in the rest of the way.

So to me, not only was Imogen trying to give Laudna the freedom to make her decision without an audience (the talk about the circlet), but she also made the most of the new distance between them to push them both towards a change, one that challenged both of them to be more honest with themselves, each other, and about what they want from their relationship.

Laura Ultimate-Romancer Bailey everyone

#critical role #critical role spoilers #imodna #imogen temult #laudna

[immeasurable-depths]

Obsessed with the cold slow realisation coming over Imogen as Delilah tells them about her desire to outlive history and it really hitting home that Laudna is her conduit for that. That even if they manage to defeat Predathos, Laudna is still going to be frozen in time, ageless as Imogen grows old without her.

And that grim determination that she won’t let it happen, whatever it takes she is going to sunder Delilah again so Laudna can be free.

‘I don’t accept it - not from you, Laudna’

Laura.

Bailey.

#critical role #imodna #imogen temult #laudna #laura bailey #critical role spoilers #marisha ray #c3e77 #fuck you delilah #god I love her as a villain

[tlumeti]

if getting rid of delilah means getting rid of you, I don't think it's worth it / i will never let you go, and you if need her then that's my answer

once again, laura bailey i owe you my life

#critical role #critical role spoilers #c3e89 #imodna #crying in the club (my living room) #AND THEN THEY KISS

[quietblueriver]

Sorry, just—did Laura not hear Marisha say she didn’t need to breathe for long periods of time? With, like, a very heavy-handed ongoing cave metaphor right there for the taking? Are we just…letting that go?

Oh, actually, yes I do hear all dialogue and wonder if and how Laura Bailey might employ her amazing 12 yr old sense of humor to pervert it. Why do you ask?

#imodna #critical role spoilers

[hirosboard]

Finally watching 4 sided dive and LAURA BAILEY CONFIRMS LIKING GLASSES IMOGEN LETS GO

#critical role #imogen temult #bells hells #laura bailey #4 sided dive

[mehoymalloy]

Again, this deliciously tense Imogen & Otohan moment in the final battle was for me specifically:

-

Otohan attacks Imogen, knocks her prone, then stands over her with their sword poised to go come down on her.

Still prone, Imogen's eyes flash white and she uses telekinesis to rip the pack off their back. Otohan glances down just in time to see the straps begin to snap. They try to apparate a few echoes at the last second, but the shadows disappaerate as the pack is sent flying into the ceiling and across the room.

Growling in frustration, Otohan snarls, "Ohh, you bitch!"

Imogen pushes herself to her knees (later retconned to standing so she can be flanking but let me have this) and grabs Otohan's hand in hers.

"Aw whatsa matter?" Imogen asks, pausing as Otohan again grunts in frustration and glances back one last time at their disappearing echoes. "Feeling a little weak?"

Imogen casts Shocking Grasp and Otohan grunts in pain before they snap, "Is that all you got?"

Imogen (Laura lol) giggles and says, "Kinda."

-

I thank you profusely for your service, Laura Bailey!

#it's literally my one comfort after the last episode lol the last of a grand total of THREE interactions between my faves #critical role #cr3 #imogen temult #otohan thull #c3e91

[burr-ell]

On the Matter of Trinket

So I had a lot of good things to say about Vox Machina: Kith & Kin, and I stand by them, but I do have one sticking point—the story of how Vex got Trinket. Since this extends beyond Kith & Kin and to canon as a whole, I thought it should be its own post.

So here's what happened, per stream canon in 1x65:

VAX: What's the dagger [that Saundor was referring to]? VEX: Oh, that. Yeah, I killed a couple people and I saved Trinket, that's all. VAX: When? You'll have to be more specific than that. VEX: Do you remember when I brought Trinket back to camp? VAX: Originally? VEX: Yeah! All those years ago? VAX: Yes! I thought it was a terrible idea. I was dead wrong. VEX: Well…turns out, I found him in a camp where I'd been taken. VAX: What? VEX: Yes, and there was some really dark people there, and they had harvested Trinket's mother. [...] I did what I had to do, and I killed them. VAX: The people that took you. VEX: Yes. I did. VAX: The people that took you from me? VEX: Yes. And I saved Trinket that night, and that's what Saundor saw. More than anything I just… I don't know how he saw it. VAX: Are you just creeped out because he knew or because of what happened? Why are you upset? VEX: I'm not. VAX: Well, listen. I wasn't there. I don't know what happened, but… you came back to me, so whatever happened can't be wrong.

This incident is recounted in full by Laura Bailey in a short story she wrote from Vex's first-person perspective explaining to Matt why she was so protective of Trinket, which can be found here. Even if you lack that context, though, it's clear from this conversation that Vax very explicitly did not know what happened. This is not easily missable, either; there isn't leeway to insert him into that backstory without directly contradicting what's happening in this scene.

In Kith & Kin, however, Vex tells the story of when she got Trinket to a little girl she meets, and says that Vax was actually there and helped fight off the poachers who kidnapped her—not really anything of note that she didn't do herself in the original, but he was there. This could be taken as simply her softening or embellishing the story to make it more exciting for a child, but the narration otherwise notes where Vex has left details out and does not imply that Vax's presence is an alteration. Additionally, later on in the denouement, Vex thinks about everything that's happened and reflects on "two young half-elven twins fighting monsters in a horrible poachers' camp", again suggesting that Vax was indeed there. This is further supported by The Legend of Vox Machina's change to the story, which also added Vax and had him be the one to break Vex out (originally she did it herself), and those two combined together suggests that this is going to be considered the canon narrative going forward.

Now, I'm not inclined to think any of this was done in bad faith, so don't misread me here, but I am disappointed by the change.

The conversation between Vex and Vax in episode 65 is very important for what it says about Vex and their relationship. (It furthermore serves as a parallel to a scene in episode 42, where Vax tells Vex about the circumstances of his joining the Clasp, the secrecy of which is maintained in Kith & Kin). Vex was so traumatized by this incident that it was brought up to emotionally torment and manipulate her years after it happened, and the fact that she never told Vax about it until he asked speaks to how important it was to her to avoid talking about it. Vex is a character who struggles with letting down her walls and taking off her masks, and not only could she not bring herself to explain it even to Vax at any point in the intervening years, but when she finally does, his words of support and reassurance don't even work—she still ruminates on Saundor's words at night following this conversation. That matters for the full context of where she is, and where the twins are, at this time in the narrative.

Now you can make the argument that this change only highlights a different facet of their respective stories: Vex is hurt by this incident in a way Vax is not. The problem with this is that we already have an element of their story that serves this narrative function—Syngorn, where Vex took the elves' racism and their father's abuse much more personally than Vax did. As an adult, she tries to wear a mask of untouchability and contempt for the place, but she did everything she could to measure up and meet their standards in the hopes of one day pleasing them and finding acceptance, while Vax pushed back against it at every turn and openly rebelled and caused trouble. Vax's disdain for Syngorn is straightforward; Vex's is much more complicated, and it feels redundant for the Trinket incident to repeat this pattern. It also robs the characters of the much more interesting story from the stream, where Vex keeps this to herself and doesn't seem to feel better even after Vax tries to comfort her.

As I've said, I do really enjoy Kith & Kin and TLOVM, and there are changes made in the animated adaptation that I really enjoy or even think are better than stream canon, but necessary changes to adapt a story to a different medium are different from an important character moment being undercut in canon supplementary material. Not only does Vax's insertion into this incident fail to substantively add anything to it, but it actively detracts from both his and Vex's stories as a whole. And as someone with a lot of love for Campaign 1, the willingness to do that kind of retcon unsettles me.

#critical role #cr meta #vex'ahlia #vax'ildan #long post

[notori]

On a more genuine note from my previous post though: I do not think Imodna will go the same way as Vaxleth for a few reasons.

Vax's story was very personal to Liam. It always frustrates me when people act like the Raven Queen 'took Vax away' (and thus she is a bad goddess) when in fact she answered his prayer and granted his wish. Vax's story is about "Take me instead!" - not some kind of "Don't let Vex die!", and certainly not someone who was raised from the dead without their consent and bound like a puppet. Unless such an ending is expressly what Marisha wants for her character, I don't see it being narratively satisfying. Even if Laudna dies in sacrifice to save the others, because of the breadth of Delilah's power, it would be more of a general "I'm dying to save everyone" and less personal (and impactful) than Vax's trading his life for Vex's.

I joked about how this is Delilah Briarwood vs Laura Bailey again, so don't sweat it, but it's true! The players play their characters differently. Liam loves tragedy and plays it well; Laura loves romance and plays it well. Percy also had a dark streak with a hunger for power, and Vex would not let him go. I see more parallels with themes like: "I feel cruel, but in control." and "Take the mask off." Meanwhile, Imogen and Keyleth are different characters and their love interests have different relationships with death. In the end, the reason Keyleth could not do anything against the Raven Queen isn't because she's a god and Keyleth is not, but because Vax - as a paladin - chose to honour his faith and uphold his end of the deal. Imogen is not in that position because Laudna is not in that position. Laudna may see herself as just a puppet, or a risk, or a dead end - but we the audience, and Imogen, know that she is not (maybe a bit of a calculated risk). If anything, I see us on the precipice of an arc of Imogen inspiring Laudna to fight for her independence again and figuring out a way to do that (this is a world of magic after all).

And that theme of fighting for independence is something that has been there since the beginning. We have seen it both in analysis and confirmed on 4SD that Laudna's relationship with Delilah is in many ways similar to struggling with addiction. And now, into year three of C3, we are really seeing that take form when things get rough. When things get out of control, when you get desperate, that's when you grasp at anything to make it easier. It would be a real kick in the teeth to have her not overcome that struggle. Of course, there's the possibility that she does overcome that struggle by getting rid of Delilah and dying as a result. But out of game it has been referred to more in line with addiction that is constantly managed rather than addiction that is ended cold turkey - which for some people is the only way. I'll admit this one is more a personal preference but I do see it overall leaving a bad taste if Laudna were to die from Delilah in some way (again). Presuming they resolve issues with the solstice and resurrection spells, True Resurrection does exist and I'm certain the Hells would work off a 25k GP debt to bring Laudna back for good (which I see as more of a final episode/epilogue/post-game situation).

Regardless, it's a beautiful story and I'm sure that whatever happens will be what the players want. However, in this case I genuinely don't see them repeating something they have done before. Although we saw many parallels last night, there is still much which sets Imodna and Vaxleth apart narratively.

#imodna #critical role spoilers #critical role