#you have Laura Lauraing up a Laura with that imogen emotion work she's pulling and then you have Ashley Ashleying up an Ashley At Her WHAT | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

thequeenofmyownscreen · 1 year

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I was rewatching CR3E49 and Imogen’s dream of her mother, and the moment where it is revealed Imogen’s mom is believing what Ludinus says. It hit me hard once again, and prompted this mess of thoughts that I had to write :

Gods, Liliana showing Imogen these visions of… ? what ? I guess, yeah, what Ludinus has told her will happen once they release Predathos, and what she imagines it will be like... The silence of history, the destruction of fate. And the first reaction in Imogen, once they wake up, is to say “What if it’s not that bad ? What if what we'ree doing is just fighting change ?”. A few weeks ago, Imogen already considered – in passing, in a matter of seconds – that maybe they shouldn’t stop Ludinus ; but I'll admit, I dismissed it quickly because, urgh, Ludinus is creepy so how could anyone think he’s right ??? But now, I command and applaud Laura on this choice. Because it’s horrible but true, why every kind of indoctrination works especially well in families : the simple truth : they’re your parents, and you believe them. The small step of a well-working system of indoctrination. It's insidious. And even though Imogen’s a grown-ass woman, she was clearly not expecting her mom to be a true believer. That caught her off guard. The second she started to say basically “What if we are the ones who are wrong ??”, THAT second was a knee-jerk reaction to a system of indoctrination that works on the back of this kind of relationship, when there is inherent trust between a parent and a child (no matter what the age), a system that corrupts that trust deeply. And THAT is why Orym’s immediate reaction of shutting that down immediately, with emotional ties, in a small but so so powerful phrase (“Well, Imogen, I wish my family didn’t have to die for her brighter tomorrow”) is so, so important, for Imogen to pull out of the small second where she was tempted to align with her mother*.

* did it work ? Is Imogen still believing that what the Bells Hells are doing is right ? or could she be swayed once more if she’s subjected to more imagery and visions of a “brighter tomorrow” ? I’m not against exploring this AT ALL, it could be so interesting. Or did it work ? Is Imogen further convinced and reassured, especially when we add to that her talk with Laudna ? It could also be interesting to explore, to see that what is truly grounding her is her friends, especially Orym and Laudna. Or is she still not sure, and did the talk with Laudna, where Laudna said “I will follow you no matter what” did further rattle her trust in what is right ? I don’t know, and I’m excited to see. After all, exploring the possibilities is just what Fearne and Orym were preparing for…

I will say, the hardest part in hearing that Imogen’s mom is a Ruby Vanguard fanatic is imagining what could happen… Because once again... unfortunately we’re all seeing this kind of indoctrination in today’s shitty world, in religious and culty groups and so-called political groups, or even anti-s’ of so many kinds and whatnot, and so I can imagine how this may work... If Liliana truly believes what Ludinus says, and Imogen truly believes what the Bells Hells are doing is right, she and Imogen will have a moment of confrontation. And if the Ruby Vanguard wins, Liliana may lose Imogen, and the hardest part is… I’m not even sure that even then, she will understand that she was wrong. Because that’s how insidious indoctrination can be. Even when you’re confronted with a fact that 100% proves you wrong, you will always find a way to justify that you were right.

#I feel fascinated (and a little grossed out but only because I fucking hate cults of any kind) by this confrontation #hope my thoughts makes sense ?? I'm not even sure what the point was #I wanted to write is all #critical role #cr spoilers #cr campaign 3 #CR3E49

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redjademilktea · 7 days

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For the CR ask game questions: Dwarf, rogue, and barbarian! ☺️

HI HI thanks for the ask <3

dwarf: what is your favorite one-shot

It has the be the Elder Scrolls Online three parter they did before campaign 3 kicked off!! Does that count as a one-shot? I'm counting it as a one-shot. I already love the setting of Tamriel, but there was something so charming about the low-stakes "Hey, we're just trying to run a tavern here" vibe of the characters and plot. I still think about Sam reading off that incredibly long-winded order full of restaurant slang before rolling a natural 1 to finish off the episode xD

Oh, and Laura was playing a barbarian that was wonderful too!!

rogue: what was a moment that made you cry

You know this more than anyone, but Laudna dying was probably the most devastated over a fictional death in a long, long time. There was the inherent teseness of the emotional stakes in the moment (that Otohan fight, like the more recent one, was BRUTAL), of course. But, after the dust settled (both literally and figuratively), the tragedy of the situation regarding Laudna and her story really set in for me. That moment really clarified for me how much I love that spooky dead tree lady!!

barbarian: who is your favorite villain

Oh! Tough one!!! Can you count Liliana as a villain? I guess that's the really compelling part of her character because I can see the argument in all its facets. There's that tweet that always gets brought up about how Imogen has all the makings of a classic villain, motivations and all, but actively chooses to be good. And I think it's a wonderful story choice to have Liliana serve as that foil for her.

Liliana misses tending to the horses too. Liliana also dealt with the trauma, isolation, and loneliness brought upon her via her Ruidusborn nature. Liliana's only crime up until the point she joined the Ruby Vanguard was - much like Imogen - simply being born when a cursed moon housing an ancient god killer decided to flare.

It's these parallels that make Imogen's struggles with her mother so visceral. Imogen understands Liliana's motivations. She understands her struggles. But, most importantly, she simply can't understand the choices Liliana made regarding the Vanguard, working with Ludinus, etc. Why can't she just leave? Push back against the pull of Predathos? Why can't she see the harm she's causing, especially to someone she supposedly loves? Imogen can and has. What's so different about Liliana's situation? What is piece is Imogen missing from this puzzle?

It's no wonder why Imogen has those same feelings of abandonment trudged up every time Liliana - in Imogen's eyes - makes the choice to stay. Further, it's no wonder why Imogen can never fully let go of the prospect that her mother could be saved.

They are so similar after all. If Imogen could just figure out the right words to say. Find the right time to say them. If she just knew what thing she could do to hammer home the fact that the daughter she's so desperate to save is right there in front of her. A daughter that wants nothing more than for her mother to come home.

(Well, other than a dead lady who spookily animates random objects as a girlfriend, but she already has that).

I'm excited to see where the story goes regarding Liliana. Regardless of how it plays out, it's bound to lead Imogen to such fascinating places on a character level, and I can't wait!!

#ask games

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