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revvethasmythh · 3 days

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(You can delete this if you want. I’m just genuinely curious.)

I don’t know if you’ve seen some of the posts but, I’m wondering if you have an opinion on some saying Essek’s appearance is over shadowing fcg’s death? And I’ve seen complaints about matt interrupting the party talking and not giving them time to slow down and process their death. I personally think we might see more of the party talking about fcg when we get to Aeor. Maybe they will find out more details of fcg’s past (if matt wants them to). Idk.

Hey, anon! I have seen some of those posts (though, to be honest, I decided to do myself a kindness this week and protect my peace from most discourse because I was having so much fun, I wasn't in the mood to ruin it). I do actually have a lot of thoughts about this, but they're not very easy to articulate. That said, my opinion here is that if anything interrupted the processing of FCG's death or overshadowed it in the immediate aftermath, it was probably the Crown Keepers cut away, which, while I understand narratively what the purpose of it was and why it happened when it did. wow. deeply unfortunate timing.

And I think the thing about this campaign that has become clear is that time is of the essence. That's an inherent aspect of being in a possibly world-ending war with a rapidly approaching deadline to save everything. I think it would be difficult in any context for them to slow down given the nature of the campaign. I also think processing the death of a loved one is not something that could ever be done in one or two slower-paced episodes--I imagine it will take time for it all to hit, and the party will be dealing with the emotional repercussion of FCG's sacrifice for the rest of the campaign in different and varied ways. And I think the way the cast is handling it right now is very well done, especially Taliesin's reactions as Ashton, and also Laudna, asking about Imahara Joe and letting Ashton decide if Keyleth should tell him or if they'd wait to do it themselves. Fearne telling Ash how sorry she is, and then comforting each other that night. Zathuda's interruption of that is actually something I give a lot of leeway to because a) it was fun, and b) I think it needed to happen then specifically to try and push Fearne to the absolute edge (and to impart some rather important plot details about Zathuda wanting Fearne to be the Vessel).

Essek being in the story right now makes sense considering what they're doing and it's a fun thing for the cast. They're reaping the rewards of everything they did for him in C2! But he's also just propelling a plot that would be propelled anyway even if he specifically wasn't there--it's just extra fun that it's Essek. And you're right, anon, that I expect the Hells will talk about FCG a lot more in Aeor and we'll see more discussion about losing them. But yeah, ultimately, no, I don't think Essek is overshadowing FCG's death or anything. Time is of the essence, the Hells can't afford to slow down, but also if they're roughing it up in Aeor we might get a lot more opportunities for the watch conversations and travel conversations that we've been missing for a while. So, in a way, Essek being there and guiding them to Aeor might actually give them more time to discuss all thing in the long-run.

#like do you feel a lack of emotional catharsis regarding fcg's death? i imagine the hells do too! but they don't have time to #sit shiva and mourn they need to keep moving or the world will end!#this is an unfortunate reality of losing someone in the middle of. well. a war #cr spoilers #anon #asks

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unicyclehippo · 1 year

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This is anon from earlier. I didn't mention Laudna's role because you already had, and I interpreted Imogen as the only one inviting my unhinged input. I simply believed your big beautiful brain had tomes already covering the subject so I stepped back. In fact, Laudna is my #1 favorite CR charcter of all time to the point that talking about her makes me shy?? so even focusing on Imogen that much was probably a good exercise for me. I'm looking at a Dark Crystal art book on my shelf as we speak. The puppeteer concept owns my ass.

yeah that makes sense 👍 talk abt her more! shyness is not being sure if what u say is good or beautiful or funny enough or attention seeking whatever i tell u fuck it up!!!!! yell scream holler!!! this is not just abt laudna it’s midnight for me n im fucking pissed talk loud talk shit make weird art make crude jokes im sick of POLITE im sick of SOFT im sick of every weird thing being apologised for or hidden away loud n proud baby make weird art make weird characters try smth new be messy be in the moment try your best do it loud

anyway i hope i didn’t sound too rude before i was being a little bitch abt ppl not giving laudna enough attention but it wasn’t abt u specifically. here’s a snippet i wrote when i should have been working:

The show is going to be a fucking disaster.

Imogen hasn’t said those exact words out loud yet because if the actors hear her they’ll go into hysterics; she’s considering it still, despite that, because at the moment it feels like she either tells them they’re fucking stupid or she personally strangles someone. No one has learned their fucking lines, or their blocking—despite Orym diligently taping it out for them; FCG keeps trying to find a way to get the flamethrower into the show; the leading man and his understudy got into a fistfight—and Imogen still can’t figure out what the fight was about (except that Fearne was involved, of course), if Fearne encouraged it, and whether she needs to fire these guys or just give them a stern talking to—and as if all that weren’t enough, the set is falling to pieces. That wasn’t the troupe’s fault. Or Imogen’s. The moving company fucked it up on the move from storage when the theatre was getting repaired and after a very, very, very long back and forth, the theatre is going to get some kind reimbursement from the insurance but she doubts very much that the cash will make it to them in time for everything to be fixed by opening night. Basically, they’re fucked.

‘Why don’t we take five?’ Orym suggests, very quietly over his walkie. ‘I can hear you grinding your teeth from here,’ he jokes.

Imogen hopes it’s a joke. She tries to look for him but gives it up as impossible—most likely, he’s backstage or at Props and she can’t see him from her place in the third row. She relaxes her jaw. Rubs her temples for a second before fumbling for her walkie talkie.

‘Might as well. We could take twenty and it wouldn’t fix shit.’ Movement on the stage. Imogen looks over—and locks eyes with big, bright, hopeful eyes. She jams her finger onto the talk button of her walkie. ‘If FCG comes a step closer to me, I’ll kill ‘em.’

‘Roger that. I’ll send Ash to distract.’

Imogen drops heavily into the back of her seat. Scowls as she takes in the stage. She doesn’t notice actors throwing themselves bodily out of her line of sight.

Truth is, it’s going to be fine. There’s two weeks until dress rehearsal, and three until opening night, and—as it has with every show Imogen’s directed—it will come together. The actors will figure it out, maybe fumble a line or two. FCG can be handled, flamethrower drastically underpowered (or denied entirely, as is Imogen’s preference). Fearne…is Fearne. Still more talent than trouble, barely—which was really saying something, since she was maybe the most talented actor Imogen had ever met.

It’s the set that’s the real problem, the real reason Imogen hasn’t been able to sleep at night. Whenever she looks at it, her heart feels like it’s going to crack open. And every bright idea and directing cue she adds to make up for it is just a band-aid barely holding it together. It’s ridiculous to be so upset about it but…

Every year. Every year, the Bertrand Bell’s House of Entertainment, Leisure, and Luxury (most just call it the Bell Theatre) puts on Matilda & Delilah. It’s an old play and a crowd favourite for a reason—performers come and go, costumes change, sometimes a bold director changes the setting to something more modern, but it’s the set that keeps people coming back to see it, year after year. The tree. It’s the heart of the entire play. For Imogen, it’s the heart of the entire theatre. There wouldn’t be a Bell Theatre without it; there wouldn’t be an Imogen without it.

The tree is old and gnarled. One big piece that looms in the back of the stage—when the lights fall on it, just right, it is impossibly huge in the tiny little theatre. The shadow it casts stretches across the back curtain, branches twisting and grasping like crooked fingers, and every year Imogen lives for that moment when the lights shut off—all but the one behind the tree, and those same branches crawl out over the crowd. Menacing them. Trapping them. It’s dark and, when it’s done right, genuinely frightening.

But it’s broken. Half the branches snapped off, and the mechanism to wheel it up and down the stage busted. The cage doors won’t open either, and the colour has bleached in odd places. Imogen half-suspects the moving company hadn’t stored it at all. This wasn’t her tree at all, just some shoddy replica.

#imodna #tagging my stories #you can ignore this #sorry for the rant lol im v tired

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blorbologist · 2 years

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Do you think it was in character for Percy to give/make a gun for Mister? Even if Matt said he’d made toy ones for his kids, when you consider Taliesin saying he was content to never make a weapon again, what do you think? I mean unless, Matt talked it over with Taliesin, then… *shrug* I guess that works out.

Hi anon!

So, first of all - I have a lot of faith and trust in Matt to want his friends to be happy. They wanted to go go Whitestone to see their past PCs and the new de Rolos, so he went along with that. He's a good DM and facilitates telling the stories they want - and part of that would include having a good grasp on the characters.

He also likely had a good idea of a few things that might come up. I mean, we as a fandom certainly did: potentially seeing the quarter elves (Gwen included) and their ages, Percy and Vex's reactions to Delilah and Laudna, how Percy might be curious about an aeormaton... and, yeah, the gun angle was pretty obvious too!

I'm certain he either checked in with them on character sticking points, reread his notes for the Tal’Dorei Reborn campaign guide (I doubt what we got in the book is ALL he was given for the PCs) or reviewed important episodes (I noticed a lot of his behavior was similar to Percy's interactions with Syldor, his reaction to 'the Meatman'/Scanlan trying to get a gun from him, how he broke the news to Cass that Delilah was at a ziggurat). Probably some combination of all three!

And the difficulty lies in the fact these characters are *complicated* (said in the tone of Percy in the Search for Grog)! They don't have many hard, fast lines because they're all human (well, mortal) and their responses change with context. It's been thirty plus years - guns are everywhere, and ones so terrible he likely stays up at night fearing what they can do. A little toy gun - not even something he'd personally use, no improvement on existing designs - hardly means much at all in this modern Exandria. If Fearne had opened asking for a gun? Fuck no, goodbye, get out. If she had tried to steal one and Vex 'passive perception better than a dragon' 'ahlia saw? Likewise, big trouble. But Fearne just contributed to dealing another solid blow to Delilah. She proved she abd her friends could be trusted and were here out of genuine love for their friend. His kids are safe, his wife is safe, there’s a dead rat named after him. Sure, why not, tweaking a child's toy he made some time ago sounds reasonable right about now.

(Because he's not making a new gun from scratch - he's tweaking a pop gun intended for the use of his children. I'm sure Percy had enough sense to design them in ways to minimize the 'MOTHER, FATHER, WOLFE SHOT ME IN THE EYYYYEEE' 'FATHER HE SHOT ME IN THE BUTT ALL DAY IT WAS AN ACCIDENT BUT HE DESERVES IT' *general wailing from the younger two that the game dissolved into chaos*)

And, see, the thing is: Matt hasn't been afraid to say 'no, you're not getting this, it would be out of character' before! Travis (playing a Charisma caster and the Nein's face!) rolled a natural twenty to ask for Holy Avenger from Kima. On a meta level it would have been fitting and fun for him to have the sword, especially given Grog gave it to her in C1.

Kima scoffs at him! And gives the sword to Yasha instead, because lesbian wavelengths or something and it was *incredible*. Point being - if he/Tal thought it would be absolutely against Percy's wishes, he would have made that 21 a 'no, but he can do this for you instead'.

Also, Percy has a powerful 'little shit' instinct. He made a sodium teakettle bomb just to win a contest, and "if they have something nice that makes you feel inferior, we can just take it", and gave Grog a sword he knew was cursed. Though guns are a touchier subject, he's made these pop guns for his kids, added some to Doty and trained the Riflemen on how to make more and their ammo.

Frankly, I think the idea was too facinating and chaotic to pass up.

(And flaming monkey shit is likely far, far less dangerous than a bullet.)

#critical role #critical role spoilers #cr spoilers #critrole spoilers #cr meta #critical role meta #cr percy #percival de rolo #percy de rolo #fearne calloway #little mister #de rolo family

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samuraiko · 2 years

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Could you write something about imogen being upset at fearne and orym because he came back instead of Laudna? Some good juicy angst

Oooh. I'll give it a try, Anon.

"Take It Back"

Imogen sat alone on the floor in her small, cramped quarters aboard the Silver Sun. Behind her on the bed, she'd had Ashton carefully set down Laudna's body so that she'd be more comfortable. With her back to the bed, her legs drawn up against her chest, Imogen just stared blankly at the wall, her mind replaying over and over the horrific images of the Hells' fight with Otohan Thull...

"Is she your favorite?"

Laudna being impaled...

"Is she your favorite?"

A pale hand extending from beneath rubble...

"Is she your favorite?"

"She is!" Imogen wailed aloud. "She's always been my favorite!"

In impotent fury, she pounded her fists against the floor on either side of her, angrily shaking her head so that her lilac hair swished around her face.

"It's not fair, it's not fair, it's not fair! It should have been Laudna who came back!"

All at once, Imogen surged to her feet, whirled around, and stared at Laudna's body with tears spilling down her face.

"You should be here right now! Not Orym, you!" She didn't even realize she was yelling. Imogen began snatching up anything she could lift and hurling things at the wall, shrieking all the while. "It should have been you! I DON'T CARE ABOUT THEM, I CARE ABOUT YOU!"

Then she felt the hair stand up on the back of her neck, and she paused long enough to look toward the door of her quarters, where she saw Fearne standing in the doorway. The faun was staring at her implacably.

"You don't care about us?"

Fearne's voice was deceptively soft-spoken, and under normal circumstances, Imogen would have realized that she was treading on dangerous ground, but caught up in her grief, she was oblivious.

"LAUDNA WAS SPECIAL! SHE WAS EVERYTHING! AND YOU LET HER DIE!" She pointed at Laudna's body, never taking her eyes off Fearne. "SHE SHOULD BE HERE RIGHT NOW, BUT YOU PICKED ORYM INSTEAD!"

"Imogen-"

"I BET YOU LIED ABOUT THE COIN, YOU LIE ABOUT EVERYTHING!"

Without thinking, she lunged at Fearne, but a second later, it wasn't Fearne standing in front of her, it was Orym, shield at the ready, Fearne shoved behind him into the hallway.

Imogen didn't even slow, and she clawed at Orym's face, screaming like a banshee all the while.

"IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN LAUDNA! SHE SHOULD BE HERE AND YOU SHOULD BE DEAD!"

Then she blinked, and saw in horror that Orym hadn't tried to dodge or to block her with his shield, and blood was now streaming down his face from where she'd struck him.

All at once, the realization of what she'd done hit Imogen like a ton of bricks, and her legs gave way beneath her.

"Oh gods... Orym... I... please, I didn't..."

Orym said nothing, but the sadness and disappointment and guilt in his eyes caused Imogen's throat to close up until her words were choked off. She mutely reached out one shaking hand toward him, but suddenly Fearne pulled Orym away from Imogen. Without a word, Fearne turned her back on her, rested one hand atop Orym's head, and murmured something under her breath, and Imogen saw the faint green light of Fearne's magic healing Orym's wounds.

"Orym... Fearne... I take it back, I didn't mean it, I swear..."

Fearne said nothing but started walking down the hallway toward the stairs leading to the deck. Orym stood in the hallway, still staring at her, but then Imogen realized he wasn't staring at her but at Laudna on the bed.

"Orym... please... please, I take it back, please, I..."

She saw the tears slowly begin to slide down his face, then he also turned away from her and walked after Fearne, leaving Imogen alone with Laudna and the echoes of her words hanging in the air long after Fearne and Orym were gone.

#critical role #campaign 3 #bells hells #cr spoilers #critical role spoilers #imogen temult #laudna #fearne calloway #orym of the air ashari #fanfiction #writing #take it back

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chockfullofsecrets · 2 years

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hello it is brains! anon here to chatter at you because i like to chatter about writing

the sunlit metaphor that the whole thing is named for came from me nearly getting caught in a thought spiral because we don't know if ashton runs warm? they have blood? but they're a rock? at which point i went "fuck it, it's sunny, if they weren't warm they're about to be"

also just absolutely taken with the way ashton Is A Brat as a love language and also oh my gosh? this fic received such a response?

and also dorian is SO nervy and SO good for winding up that he was just. the obvious victim. i have it in my head that one day ashton will tickle imogen until she casts shocking grasp on them and then laugh his ass off about it, but they're not there yet. and laudna is a little too fragile for that kind of roughhousing, and fearne IS game, but her idea of play might sometimes involve setting you on fire. something about orym just isn't vibing, i think it's maybe that he'd rather fight fight than tickle fight and ashton's always down to get punched, and i simply CANNOT do chetney. i just cannot get a bead on the man

and FCG!! My beloved!! FCG is, of course, a robot, which is a shame because they'd otherwise be a prime candidate for this sort of thing. Ashton loves them, and they're not built to brawl, but unfortunately they have no nerve endings :(

@sunlitanon i’ve been trying to figure out the C3 gang and i would love to chat about them <3

i don’t know how earth genasi biology works and at this point i’m too afraid to ask but yes Ashton absolutely gets warm in the sunlight and stays cool longer than everyone else in the mornings and this makes them perfect for cuddling in the desert :)) when Laura adopts her obligatory animal companion i fully expect it to snuggle up with Ashton as much as possible

Taliesin embodies his PCs so beautifully every time and brat-with-a-heart-of-gold-maybe-literally? Ashton is everything. i just think! they should get to roughouse sometimes with zero consequences! and play and wrestle and tickle! And speaking of-

lee!Dorian supremacy

i feel like Ashton is kind of in best-behavior mode with the group, but i’m very excited for when they all get more comfortable with each other and they can start trading snark with Imogen bc i think they’d both be very good at it! and every character Laura makes is a terrifying ler in a different way and i think Ashton should have to deal with that

your fic with Laudna getting gentle tickles is so precious and gave me ideas about Ashton helping her get all her bones back into place after battle and not-so-accidentally tickling

“Fearne’s idea of play might sometimes involve setting you on fire” well it’s a good thing barbarians are resistant to lots of damage types :)))

Orym and Chetney! Are very hard! Kind of in the same way it’s hard to write Fjord in C2 because they’re all kind of self-contained and have their problems under control for the moment and so it’s a little harder to make them play well with others, i think. i can maybe see Orym and Ashton brawling when they need to let some steam off and helping patch each other up after and both feeling a little bad about it and play wrestling a bit as a result? And Chetney i see a bit more as a “you’ve been making snarky comments for weeks and i’ve been storing all of that up to tickle the shit out of you in revenge” ler.

i need someone to write a fic about FCG (automaton) and Ashton (a rock with nerve endings) figuring out physical affection and being bad at asking for things that they want. it doesn’t even have to have tickling in it i just want to read it

#critical role #asks #headcanons

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annemarieyeretzian · 2 years

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Good god, finally someone said all the same sentiments on E29. I'm sending this as an ask, cause comments are currently closed (reasonably so). I was honestly more confused than annoyed (but still deffo was) during that whole first half. The 'guest bias' thing? Check. The weird mistrust on mother Birdie? Check (tho I will not disregard their parental trauma, disclaimer). The dEFENDING OF THE SHAPECHANGER WHO TELEGRAPHED THREATENING THEIR FRIEND AND ANNOUNCING THAT THEY'RE AN /ASSASSIN/??? CHECK.

No, the fact that they're not striking anyone and 'being relatively chill' is NOT A GOOD ARGUMENT HERE (*whispers "Chet & chat"*) to keep being stated. They already said they're a killer for hire, what they're doing at the moment that does not involve a 'pointy end' (which by the way their sword is not in their hands, so???) is blatant manipulation all over the place and you all are falling for line, hook, and sinker! Those're exactly their scheme and their tools during that whole encounter (sympathy for the pacifist, manipulation and gaslighting), and it was frustrating for them not to see that, characters and chat. It was so confusing that that was the direction the whole thing took. Heck, I did not even need it to have combat, I just wish it wasn't something as out of nowhere as what happened.

Also, I don't understand why they did not get Birdie's actions, which were coming from a mother as WELL AS A THREATENED TARGET. She is jumping around striking the announced assassin (not at the group, who was also LIED TO BY THIS PERSON) who was threatening to kill them. Like "Lol why are you going off, mama Calloway? Seems like Dusk just wants to have a little tea timechat". Being a devil's advocate (who apparently was the voice of reason during a weird manipulation-controlled discussion already, chat?), a naïve truster of people, and a bruiser can only go so far (I will only tell them off this one episode, don't hate these characters).

Also, I would love to not believe that it was the case, but there really also is that 'guest PC' factor. I was just hoping to see better from them even after being blindsided well by Erika and Matt and know that a guest could actually willingly be a villain and not have good intentions inside. After ya know, going through Arkhan and having these kinds of tensions witg bowlgate before.

My personal annoyance was that one of their arguments is that since Birdie said "6 years" and Fearne said "90 years", they thought it was a lie by Mama Calloway. There were times outside of RP that some of the cast (not an in-character thing) would repeat this to Ashley to bring it up as a reason not to trust /her character's mom/ as this was apparently a blatant lie? LIKE PLEASE LEARN HOW TIME IN THE FEYWILD WORKS BY NOW PLEASE

I will give that I totally get Erika's performance here tho (will appreciate one of Laudna's quips "Wait, listen, they're about to tell us something about ourselves again"), it was so effective that many were actually led to believe her, and I'm glad I was seeing that that was what was happening. But still painful to watch them fall for it.

Seriously, when I was watching the stream, the group/characters and the Twitch chat-- I was very baffled by everyone's reactions ("Yu has a point", "Not trusting Birdie right now...") that I got to the point of even questioning myself "Am I the one who's wrong?" But geez, glad that there are others who share the same frustrations, and also brought to light that some of the actions (Ashton's restraint) really were weird because honestly due to my confusion I did not follow my own thoughts during watching when I already saw those as a bit odd, too.

"The 'guest bias' thing? Check. The weird mistrust on mother Birdie? Check (tho I will not disregard their parental trauma, disclaimer). The dEFENDING OF THE SHAPECHANGER WHO TELEGRAPHED THREATENING THEIR FRIEND AND ANNOUNCING THAT THEY'RE AN /ASSASSIN/??? CHECK." YEAH, ANON. YEAH.

(as someone else has already pointed out in response to my posting these asks: never check the twitch chat. never.)

"glad that there are others who share the same frustrations" DO I EVER, ANON. DO I EVER.

this is a great ask and I want to print it out and staple it to the forehead of every birdie disparager and yu apologist.

#annemarie answers things #ask #anon #critical role #yu suffiad #yu #bell's hells

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likeshipsonthesea · 1 year

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*Slowly knocks* hey! I'm... Kinda new to the CR fandom? Like I'd started only a week or so ago but this idea wouldn't leave my mind and you were one of the first fic writers I read a fic of... So maybe I might be brave enough to come out of anon to elaborate and post it but for now... I just wanna know thoughts?

"Orym" Ashton explodes as he stormed into the room.

"What?"

"What is it with your group and shady figures??"

"Huh?" He asked, decidedly more awake as he sat up.

"First it is Dorian with his Corsairs brother who stalked behind him and now it is some crazy random person who is trying to lockpick your door?"

"When did this happen?"

"Early this morning. Said that you were expecting im but honestly, we would've known if it were Dorian."

"Did they say anything?"

"They mumbled random stuff like... 'the keepers are back' 'the spider apocalypse' 'the winds are sailing' 'the protector is coming' 'Ted's bed' 'and you know where the observer is of you wanna find him.' and gave this letter. Filled with nonsense. I mean what language is this?"

As Ashton continued with his rant, Orym had a glimmer of recognition as he snatched the letter, written in that familiar script from the ruins, and started reading through it.

"I'm going to meet him" he declared with a smile.

"Are you nuts? Remember the last time-"

"No one's stopping you from coming with. But Fearne and I will be going to meet him with or without your permission."

"And here I thought you were the sensible leader."

"That's what you thought. Not me" Orym winked as he nudged at Fearne.

"What is it?"

"The messenger has arrived."

thank you for your message!! love that we got another critter in the mix!!!! i appreciate your trust in sending this to me :))

honestly, i haven;t been keeping up with c3 as much as i should be (i will be catching up soon, i hope) so i may not know ~everything that's going on, but i love what you've written here!! sassy orym is awesome and i love the callback (if it's calling back to what i think it is, i'm hyped!!)

i encourage you to keep it up!! and my dms are always open, though i'm notoriously horrible about checking my tumblr messages i will try to get back to you soon if you reach out!

#i really gotta catch up on c3 #i miss ittttt #also the m9 one shots #gotttttaaaa

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saphirered · 2 years

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Imma follow up on that anon's ask O.o

Would it be oki to suggest something like Tease with Dorian? I've fallen deep for this airhead (pun intended) blue boi, and we already know he gets all flustered with attention. Maybe the reader isn't exactly hiding their secret relationship because they seem to be affectionate with everyone else, but they and Dorian know its not actually casual when it comes to them as a couple?

You've got a lovely style of writing, I wish you all the best xoxoxo

Sorry for the wait. Things have been quite chaotic. I'm glad you like my writings. Always warms my heart to hear. I hope you enjoy this one too! 😘

Breaks are always nice but actual downtime is a luxury. That’s exactly why Dorian doesn’t fully get why you’re still insistent on training when these should be your days off. You’re not currently being hunted by the Nameless Ones, far away from dangers. Yes your merry band of adventurers has expanded from the four of you, to these new people and you’ve faced some dangers with them but all is well. Still you’re here in some forgotten courtyard Ashton found within the city, crossing swords with Orym. Maybe he’s just a little jealous. Maybe. Or maybe he’s just missing spending one on one time with you. But he won’t admit it out loud. Imagine the things it’d do to your ego.

“Come on, Orym. You can do better than that!” You smile as you parry the halfling’s attack. From the corner of your eye you can see Ashton flashing some coin to Fearne, a bet in the making. Orym takes the bait, swings high, and you dodge, strike low but he blocks it with his shield. He goes for your leg in the fraction of time you need to recover from the hit to the shield, strikes you in the knee with the pommel of his blade. Not expecting the blow and having time to deflect you buckle to one knee. He swings for you again, now you’re closer in height and you parry once more, using your free hand to hook around his ankle and yank. Orym manages to keep his balance but you do not let go. He lets himself drop and kicks free from your grasp, rolling over, dropping the shield and holds the blade towards your throat, but you’re equally quick and have yours right between the plates of his armour. It’s a draw. For now.

The way you move is incredible. With grace and speed, the practiced precision is flawless and Dorian can’t help but watch your every move. He can’t help but notice the way your muscle flexes when you swing, or how manage to contort yourself at such angles to dodge strikes and swings and counter, the movement is so smooth and without a hitch it actually reminds him of the flow of a breeze, coiling and turning and bounding back when least expected. He can see the rise and fall of your chest taking deep controlled breaths, the slight gleam of sweat across your exposed skin and the playful determination in your eyes and it never fails to make him feel so lucky to have you, simply because just like with swordsmanship, you carry over these things into your every day life too. He’s grown to admire you for them, and love them as you’ve applied them to what’s going on between you and him. Every time he sees that grace and care, he’s just in awe.

“Kick his ass!” Ashton yells. The fight’s not over yet so you twist your sword in your grasp, swing around and redirect the sword away from your neck. Orym goes for his shield but from your position you just kick out low and trip him up. Before he can land face first on the ground you grab the neckline of his armour and pull him back, interposing yourself between the halfling and his shield. When he looks at you somewhat exasperated, but all in good fun, you wink and he shakes his head with a smile. Orym charges at you but you didn’t expect him to actually go for the tackle and knock you off your feet. You weren’t prepared when the halfling jumped crashing his weight into you. He raises his blade overhead but you reach to the sheath on your leg and draw your dagger, holding it right under his chin before he can turn his sword into a killing blow. You’ve won. Orym groans at his loss.

“Don’t look so glum. It was a good match. Gave me a run for Ashton’s money.” You sit up, putting your blade away and when the disappointed facade doesn’t drop, you just lean in and kiss his cheek and flick his nose. That does it and an amused smile creeps on his lips as he helps you to your feet, as much as a three foot tall man can but you appreciate it no less. Before you know it you’re lifted and spun around by the earth genasi and their new winnings. When he sets you down an arm is kept over your shoulder so you simply pat the hand over your shoulder and lace your fingers together.

“That’s my warrior! Suck it, Fearne!” The faun grumbles something about getting her money back later as Ashton goes into detail about your victory, describing how epic that fight looked and perhaps you two could spar together next. You look around and see Dorian sitting, paying close attention to you, just as he had done throughout the entire fight.

“Another time perhaps? I think Dorian’s feeling a tad neglected.” Your joke makes Dorian realise you’re not the only one aware of his eyes on you as there’s some snickers from the others. He does his best to hide it, plucking at the strings of his lute and perhaps fooling some he was just staring into the aether. He’s got no one fooled. You kiss Ashton’s cheek before unwrapping yourself from their side and strutting over to Dorian, plopping yourself down next to him.

“Any songs brewing yet? Something epic to accompany and equally epic battle?” You grin at him and Dorian gives you the most innocent look possible. Too innocent. Your eyes narrow suspiciously and you lean an arm on his shoulder tilting your head.

“Were you staring at me?” Dorian stutters to formulate an answer, sent in a ramble, entirely caught off guard. He looks at the others, back to you as you dance your fingers up his arm, causing him to stop playing entirely and meet your eyes with a ‘what are you playing at’ expression. Apparently your sparring hadn’t gotten you out of your playful mood at all and he was simply your next victim. Would it be better if you’d picked someone else for your teasing for his sake? Yes. Would he have preferred you having done so? No. But please, gods, may you have mercy on him.

“It was a good fight. I’m sure it will provide plenty of inspiration.” The confidence he tries to exert he was paying attention to the fight in general and not just you is somewhat lacking. It does not help when he sees Laudna lace her fingers together with a wicked grin, as if she’s seeing through it all, or so he thinks. His cheeks feel warm. Why do his cheeks feel warm? You lean in and kiss his cheek with a grin, letting your lips linger just a little longer and Dorian knows he’s blushing. Damn you. Damn him.

“So when should I be expecting my serenade?” You brush away some hairs fallen out of place, back behind his ear. Oh that smirk of yours, he wants nothing more than to kiss it off your face but knowing the company you’re in right now, the eyes following, he simply can’t as you’ve promised to keep it under the radar as to not complicate things. Neither of you would deny your blooming relationship if it were to come out in the open but you’d certainly make no real efforts to expose it either. So it’d become a bit of a game. You, much for casual displays of affection and physical touch towards anyone really, did not set off any alarm bells when it came to the occasional kiss or hand holding. Dorian, a much more reserved individual still trying to find his way in this new group dynamic, someone who’s proven to get quite awkward when it comes to admitting or exposing more intimate relations, despite being a decent liar unless put on the spot, is absolutely terrible at hiding his tells. Absolute shit.

“Well, I-uh-I don’t know? I’ll get to it right away.” Dorian stammers but then he freezes for a second noticing Imogen’s half grin and Laudna turning all the more frightening. “But don’t wait on it. I have other things to finish first, you see. Might take a few days… hours. I don’t know.” He tries to save himself from sounding too eager and not look like he’s putting you in front of other things because that might just make him look a little too involved with you, right? Dammit Dorian. Why does this amazing individual make your knees weak and leave you a mess? Because you’re amazing. That’s why. He loves it. He knows.

“Of course! Many important things to be to be done. Totally get it.” You speak innocently but he knows it’s anything but. You’ve driven him into a corner and he’s fumbling to compose himself; failing miserably. Get it together Dorian. You lean back in your chair and you find a small hand wrapping around one of your own, pressing a cold stone mug into it, patting your hand twice.

“Cheers.” The grumbly voice of the gnome speaks as he takes a sip of his own drink. You return in kind, giving the gnome a wink in thanks and blowing him a kiss. Chetney makes a show of pretending to catch it, clutching it to his chest and ‘fastening’ it to his lapel.

“That’s how you charm a badass, blue boy.” Chetney claims proudly, mocking Dorian who is unsure how to even respond to that. “You gotta get your game on!” The gnome snickers. Dorian tried to form any kind of comeback but his train of thought just flatlines when you laugh.

“Thank you Chet. Your charm is as impeccable as your candour.” The gnome grumbles a thanks and suspiciously lowers his head. You catch a glimpse of a blush crawling up the man’s cheeks. “Maybe you could take some lessons from Chetney, dear? If you’re struggling that is. I’m sure all those years of wisdom will prove useful.”

“Very funny, Chetney.” Dorian calls after the gnome who takes up residence with Fearne and Orym, before the genasi turns back to you. “And you too. Now will you quit your teasing?” You scoot just a little closer to his side with a most innocent look, too innocent. You lean in, lips but an inch away from his cheek.

“No. What are you going to do about it?” You whisper brushing your fingertips lightly along the contour of his cheekbone. To your surprise Dorian rises from his seat, grabbing his lute and taking a step back, leaving you staring up at him.

“Absolutely nothing. Nothing at all. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have things to do. Songs to write.” Dorian manages to pull off a completely indifferent expression upfront but he allows you to see through the mask. This will be payback. You’ll be returned with a favour in kind. He might not be able to make you sweat like you do him when in one of your moods, but there’s something so much better than pushing back and playing your game…

“So many fucking things to do, right Dorian?” Ashton shouts as the bard leaves the courtyard, an amused grin crawling up his lips as he’s out of view.

————

It had taken you a good thirty minutes until you managed to get away from the others without arising suspicion. You even had to bloody sneak into the tavern when the others stuck around to drink. Dorian had been in his room ever since he left and you hadn’t seen him since. You’d poked your head in to see the man on the bed, notebook on his lap scribbling away, plucking a string every so often before he wrote down something again. He had acknowledged your presence, winked at you but nothing more than that. He was so completely and utterly indifferent it’s frustrating. You know it’s part of the game. This is payback for what you did. Let’s see who will break first.

You’d sat down next to him. He even made space for you to do so. When you asked him what he was doing or working on the answer would be a warm ‘just working’ with a smile never taking his eyes off the sheet music. You’d done your usual; lean your head on his shoulder, arms wrapped around his torso, placing the occasional kiss wherever your lips could conveniently reach and while Dorian did not push you away or protested against your affection, he did not return it actively. He just let you do your thing. You noticed the grip around his pencil tighten when you trailed kisses down his neck and he did clear his throat, stifling the moan arising when you really went for it but he wasn’t budging. Even now, it’s time for dinner and the others are gathering. There’s a knock on the door.

“Dorian? Are you joining for dinner?” Orym calls from the other side. That’s when Dorian first makes formal eye contact with you again, save for the previous odd glance.

“I’ll be there in a minute!” He replies, putting his things aside, and away, rising from the bed and leaving the warmth of your embrace. Dorian has to admit, he’d much rather stay in your embrace and return your affection but payback is sweet and he is patient. Dinner should be a blast. Now let’s hope he can keep his act together. He’s ready. He’s ready… He hopes…

“Will you be joining?” Dorian asks, casting a look over his shoulder at you, sitting against the headboard with a slight pout. You look adorable but he’s not going to tell you. Not now or he might just provoke you to pick it up a notch and take great pleasure in whatever this dinner will bring. He can’t really blame you. He enjoys it just as much after all but he’d much rather stand an odd chance of winning and not just postponing your victory. He’ll never hear the end of it if he were ever to admit that out loud. You got him hooked.

“While I much rather stay here, I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” You grin tapping your chin before you get up and step toe to toe with the genasi at the door. You wrap your arms around his neck, fingers tangling in his hair and brushing through, the feeling is almost enough to make him melt and forget everything; the game, dinner, the others. Almost. So Dorian untangles your fingers, grasping your hands and bringing them to his chest, clutched within his own as he leans in and kisses you deeply. Now it’s his turn to leave you breathless.

And breathless is exactly how Dorian leaves you. It’s your turn to almost forget about the game at hand. Now you realise, He’s been playing you all afternoon. Here you are, a kiss leaving you breathless and completely out of mind like some lovesick fool. Dinner is going to be interesting. Dorian is out of the door before you know it. He looks smug from the hallway, taking a few steps backwards only to see your face and the proud teasing expression you carry. He offers you a hand and before he can tease you again, you grasp it, pulling yourself closer into his side. Two can play this game.

#critical role x reader #campaign 3 x reader #dorian storm x reader #dorian x reader #exu x reader #critrole x reader #dorian storm #critical role imagine #critical role fanfic #critical role fanfiction #campaign 3

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ex-textura · 2 years

Note

Hello! I would very much love if you could write something about Orym being his reckless self and the others confronting him about it.... pretty please,, I crave more fics lmao

Hey Anon! I'm sorry I took so long on this, but I've never been a good writer lol.

I didn't beta this so I hope it makes sense <3 and I hope it satisfies your craving somewhat!

[Some assumptions on my part, some characters being OOC I'm sure, some melodrama. Spoilers]

It's loud in the Spire by Fire. Voices bouncing off one another, mugs clattering against mugs in raucous celebration, chairs scraping against well-worn floor, and in the middle of it all they sit.

Surrounding a round table, drinks in battered hands and barely touched plates under bloodied chins they sit in relative silence.

The day has been long, especially for Laudna, Imogen, Fearne, Dorian and Orym. Orym who, trying his best to keep it together, sits with his chin on the table, short enough he doesn't have to bend to do so. Eyes are on him, he can feel it, though he does his best to ignore it. His head is spinning, his eyes are unfocused and his body just wants to rest. But he can't, he knows he can't because these people here. They're here, right now, and if he were to leave he doesn't know what might happen. Maybe he's being paranoid, maybe he's over thinking, but they started their day with loss, and almost added more before it was done. He'll stay, and he'll keep watch, because he can't allow another loss so soon.

"That's not fair," He hears, on the outside of his awareness and it takes him a moment to realize It's Imogen's voice. It takes him a moment longer to realize she's speaking to him and by the way everyone else's attention turns to her apparently it's not in his head.

"I'm sorry..?" His voice sounds as tired as he feels, and he tries not to react to the way it scratches out through his throat. "I don't mean to pry, Orym, but you're thinkin' so loud is all."

Of course...

"You know it's not your responsibility, right? Babysitting us, I mean..."

Her cheeks flush and her eyes are red, dark moons circle them and there's dried blood on her neck and in her hair from where the shade creepers tore her to shreds. The noise of the inn is weighing on her but she meets Orym's gaze and her eyes are earnest. She's worried. Orym doesn't like it.

"It's not like that." Orym starts, and then realizes that yes, it very much is like that and he doesn't know how to excuse it away otherwise. He's the babysitter, he always has been. Keeping people safe is what he does.

"Imogen is right, you know." Laudna. "You took quite the beating back there, too. You don't look like you're feeling any better than the rest of us."

Laudna would know, of course. She was hit just as bad as him by the poison Dugger spewed. He should have protected her better... he could have done more...

Orym shakes his head, sits up a little straighter, a little stronger. "It's just been a long day," He tries. It's true. "I'm just a little tired." He tries to be convincing, he tries to look strong and it looks like the others at the table want so badly to believe him, too, but other than Ashton who shrugs and returns to their drink, no one seems particularly appeased.

Orym picks up his own drink, cup massive in his small hands and he uses it to distract himself from the same blue eyes that have been trained on him since they sat down. Orym knows what he wants to say, but he won't hear it. He can't. Not right now.

Fearne speaks in his place, her voice so soft, but her meaning is firm and Orym doesn't miss it. "He's like that." She says, staring him down. "He's a very competent fighter, but of course we worry about him. He's always just...throwing himself into danger like that." She waves her hand around casually but it does nothing to lessen the sting of her words.

He looks up at Dorian, and immediately regrets it.

Dorian has been silent this whole time, playing idly with his lute and watching Orym closely. Watching over him. Staring through the veneer of strength into the wounds, the poison, the broken heart of Orym. He plays softly, but to the halfling's ears it sounds like dirge.

Their eyes meet, and Dorian continues to play. Fresh Cut Grass speaks in his periphery, something consoling, something to ease the tension in the room but Orym isn't listening and the conversation moves on without him.

(Conversation... it's an intervention and he knows it. These people are worried, they think he's reckless, he's got a death wish but they don't know. They don't understand what drives him, what scares him....)

"You know what loss feels like," Dorian's musical voice rises over the dirge and din of conversation, "You know how it hurts. Why do you wish that on us?" Orym is speechless.

Orym doesn't wish anything on them, let alone on Dorian. Dorian is his friend, his-....his good friend. He would never. He opens his mouth, but the words stick in his throat and Orym realises in his silence that the words seems to have become stuck in everyone else's throat as well.

Everyone but Dorian.

"We take care of each other, Orym. Always. You protect us, you take the hits for us. You were there for Imogen when she went down. Why won't you let us do the same for you?"

They're looking at Dorian, now. But he looks straight into Orym, unphased.

"I can take the hits. It's what I'm good at." "You're good at far more than taking hits. And we're better at taking hits than you give us credit for. What we're not good at is mourning the loss of loved ones. What would we do, Fearne and I, if you were to go down and not get back up? What would I do?" Orym is silent, again.

Dorian waits.

They don't know... they don't know the selfishness that drives him. They don't know that it's exactly that question that drives him to do what he does. That he runs into the fray, takes the hits, goes down time and time again not because he has a death wish but because he doesn't know what he'd do if something happened to them. If Dorian went down and didn't get back up... if Orym lost someone he loved, when he could have done more to protect them, again.

The silence drags on. Laudna opens her mouth to speak, to break the tension, but Imogen touches her hand and she stops. They look at Orym to respond, and he realizes his throat is too tight to speak.

Dorian is still staring at him.

"It's not like that..." Orym says again, and they still don't believe him. "I take the hits because I can. It's what I can do. It's how I keep you safe."

"We don't ne-" "I need to! I need to, Dorian. I need to do this because I can't-" he's almost shouting and only realizes when his voice cracks and he catches himself, bites the inside of his cheek hard, and grips the end of the table. His fingernails turn white under the flakes of red.

"I'm being selfish. I'm doing what I need to do to be able to put one foot in front of the other and keep going. I know you can defend yourself. You're all very capable. But I can't....I can't just stand by and let you get hurt if there's a way I can stop it. And I'm going to, every time, until I physically can't anymore because I need to!"

There's an arm around him, comforting, as Fearne pulls him to her chest. She pets his brown hair and pushes him against her soft skin. His hands shake and his eyes are wet, but they don't overflow when he looks up to her soft, maybe a little bit sad smile. There's a light murmur around the table. Dorian sighs.

"You're too stubborn..." No argument there, "At least give us this one thing? Promise that you will do your very best to get back up again? Do that for us?"

It's a hard promise to make, truthfully. He knows he can't promise not to go down, and there's not much he can do once he has, but he knows Dorian knows that too. He can promise to want to, and he thinks that might be enough. So he nods, smiles.

"For you," He looks to Fearne, around the table to the others, to Dorian, "I will."

For him, he will.

#dorym #orym of the air ashari #dorian storm #fearne calloway #imogen temult #laudna #ashton greymoore #fcg #critical role #cr spoilers #cr fanfic #critical role fanfiction #answered #anon ask

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demigoddessqueens · 2 years

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DJHAVGJHDGJSHG , I HAVE AN IDEA!! Well two to be honest. Character Idea: You are a disgraced noble. Through some sort of act you committed (or whatever you can decide) you were disowned by your family. You were mocked and humiliated for being a nuisance/unfit to your family's line. JOKES ON THEM THOUGH, because later after your departure your city was taken over by cultists obsessed with releasing their deity to rain destruction. Your entire family's legacy was thrown out. Of course, finding out this news was a heavy blow to you, and started to twist you inside out. With the mix of guilt of not staying and the humiliation you faced for years by distant relatives and close family, it all formed into your ruined ego. You on one hand wanted to get your revenge but on the other hand, you wanted to leave that behind you (intense stare at Percy) At a first glance, you can come off as a bit of an asshole. You very much frame yourself to be a stubborn prick. Though there are moments when your cocky facade wavers and you show your more loving side (I can see this showing more once you've made good friends.) Normally you let that torment bubble up inside of you and make sure to push it down with certain stunts. Your mind morphs how people perceive you, making you wonder whether they truly like you or are just keeping you around out of pity. Of course when realizing your connection to the massacred nobles.

PLOT IDEA (Woop woop!!): Due to your stuffed in feelings, this equals to you being cursed with vicious nightmares. Of your family, your appearance, whatever your mind could conjure up. Any soft spot in you your mind space would try to hit. Though they were never that bad, I mean as in you would never wake up a vulnerable shell of yourself, until one night. The flashes of some dreading imagery you couldn't take, it was haunting. You sprang up from wherever you were sleeping, a cold sweat running down your back. The feelings of somewhat dried tears would stain your face.

Thankfully you are able to hold in your cries for help, and you quickly go to scramble outside to take in some fresh air. What if one of the party members heard you scrambling out of there and got the courage to go ask if you were alright. BRING THE DRAMA IM READY!

(Sorry if this was super long, I just need to spread it so bad. Any group is fine!!)

Your mind, anon! Your mind 😳🤯💕👌

I’m gonna do a brief one liner for all three groups, and how the other would react to all your inner turmoil

Percy de Rolo - “I know how those types of days and nights can be. I’m here if you need to talk”

Laudna - “Dearie, you sound frightful. Is everything all right?”

Cadeuces - “Are you ok? I’m here if you ever want to talk”

Vex’ahlia - “Is it a bad night for you, darling?”

Beauregard - “Hey…are you ok?”

Vax’ildan - “If there’s anything you want to say, you can speak freely. I’m here if you ever need to talk or anything”

Jester - hugs you tightly with sweet words “you can tell me what happened”

Fearne - “is it ok if I sit here….? and you can yell if you want”

Imogen - “I know how that feels and all…with how my head feels. Do you want to sit?”

Orym - “Will and I used to talk about our feelings

Pike and Grog - “Sometimes Grog/Pike and I used to talk about our feelings if it got a lot…do you want to?”

Fjord - “darlin’/love you look as pale as a ghost. You know you can trust me to talk, if you want”

Essek - “I’m…not the best at these kinds of things, but I’m willing to…”

Dorian - “I know it might not be much…but I am a good listener”

Caleb and Nott- “I’ve had a many sleepless nights such as yours, but I’ve learned not all have to face it alone”

Chetney - “you’re not a burden, and you don’t have to feel like one to keep it all in”

Yasha - “I know exactly how that can be, more often I would like”

Scanlan - “you know sometimes I use composing to help me…if you want, we could figure something else out”

Mollymauk - “Bad night for you too, eh? I know how that can be”

Fresh Cut Grass - “Keeping your feelings inside for too long may hurt…and I’m a good listener”

Keyleth - “Are you ok? Can I help? Is there anything I can do?”

#critical role #headcanons #inbox asks #inbox answers #inbox requests #vox machina #bell’s hells #the mighty nein #critical role x y/n #critical role x you #critical role x reader #exandria unlimited #the mighty nein x y/n #the mighty nein x you #the mighty nein x reader

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utilitycaster · 6 months

Note

As a fellow DM, weren't you at least a little irritated of how Matt handled the shard situation? He once was so open and receptive when it came down to a players choice influencing the campaign, but now he let Tal roll and even after he succeeded he was like "nope, not gonna happen".

Nope!

It was, and I cannot stress this enough, really clear this was a terrible fucking idea. I know a lot of people started to nitpick how Matt said this "might" and "may" shatter Ashton instead of "definitely will", but like...as I said before, as someone with a severe allergy, I don't eat foods that say "may contain peanuts"; the idea that it was a massive risk was abundantly clear, and frankly the fact that in-world Ashton went “well, I’m built different” instead of “hmmm maybe I shouldn’t do Thing That ‘Might’ Make Me Explode” is highly relevant to the discussion. It's no different to me from how DMs (myself included) will often say "are you sure?" to mean "hey pal, this is a really bad idea FYI.” The successful saves mean “this did not kill you permanently.”

I also strongly suspect that Matt and Taliesin discussed this because Taliesin seemed pretty unsurprised by the top of the episode when Ashton’s Con score was reduced. I don’t know for sure - I’m hoping either Matt or Taliesin will be on the next 4SD to talk about it - but that’s the impression I got. If I had to guess I would say it was a choice between “the powers are somewhat nerfed because you already have a shard in you,” or “hey do you want the opportunity to do a much needed dramatic breakdown,” and I know which one I’d take. I could be wrong, but if this was the case, it would be a very thoughtful way to DM this.

Setting aside any DM-ing experience: I’m interested intellectually in what might have happened had Ashton successfully absorbed the shard, but also, I have watched that first half conversation literally every day since it aired except today, because I am on a train and my internet is unreliable and it’s not out as a podcast yet. I’m an episode 2x72 and C1 Feywild arc girl. I would like to see my favorite character have a complete breakdown at some point in the campaign. This is probably my favorite episode of C3 so far. I think this makes for a far, far superior story than the alternative and is not only giving a much needed shock to the Bells Hells character dynamics on the whole, but is also opening up some room for another character to take the shard and, now, for cool things to happen during the Feywild retreat. If Delilah eats the shard? If Fearne learns some deep secrets? If Chetney makes a deal with Morri? That is going to be because Ashton was rejected by the shard, and I’m far more fascinated by those possibilities than “Ashton gets super powerful, learns nothing.”

To that point: I know as always that it’s hard to convey tone via the written word on anon, but this feels frustrated toward the campaign in general, and while I do have my thoughts about the railroading earlier on, there’s actually only a few points where I really feel Bells Hells were outright shut down and honestly they were relatively minor (I do not personally mind the solstice episode cut scenes; that feels right for an event of that magnitude). I think it’s valid to feel that way, but I guess the best way to put it is that if you’re frustrated on the whole this feels like an odd place to vent it, and if you’re mad because Ashton is also your favorite character, I am interested in my favorite characters in part because of their development and their dynamics with others in the party. I am not here to watch the Ashton Is Super Cool And Everything Works Out Well For Them show; I’m here to watch the Ashton Goes Through It show.

#answered #Anonymous #cr tag

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randoimago · 2 years

Note

Omg may I please request a kiss under the mistletoe with hot boi Dorian?

Mistletoe Kiss with Dorian

FANDOM: Critical Role

Character(s): Dorian Storm

Type of Request: Headcanons, 🎄

Word Count: 445

Note(s): This some good shit right here. Love you for this anon.

Festive Prompts

Dorian

It’s definitely accidental. Fearne is putting it up because Imogen mentioned “having” to kiss under it as a tradition. So the faun thought it held some fey magic to make people kiss and she wanted to see it.

Ashton is telling Dorian that this would be a good chance to kiss a certain someone, causing the air genasi to get all kinds of flustered. They then hear your voice pipe up, greeting them from inside the room that they’re making their way to.

You come over to greet them, Ashton’s eyes drifting up to the top of the doorframe. They quickly push Dorian forward, causing the air genasi to accidentally bump into you, his arms quickly coming up to catch you.

“I am so sorry,” Dorian is apologizing to you but stops as there are “oohs” and “ahhs” around. He looks behind you to see the girls giggling while Orym is giving him a knowing smile. He then looks back to Ashton, who is pointing up. Dorian follows the gaze and his eyes see the mistletoe that is hanging above the two of you.

“W- We don’t have to kiss or anything...” Dorian quickly says as he looks to you, his hands still holding you to keep you steady despite you both standing just fine. You smile at him.

“But the fey magic, Dorian.” The air genasi would roll his eyes in other circumstances but this time he just blushes before taking a deep breath. He leans in to give you a kiss, stopping halfway as he doesn’t want to push it.

That’s when you connect with him. His face is a nice purple now and there’s cheers from the others. Dorian suddenly understood the sparks that all the cheesy romance novels he lied about not liking mentioned.

The two of you pulled away and Dorian realized all the eyes on the two of you. He stepped back from you, almost bumping into Ashton, as his eyes avoided yours. “Uh, m- maybe we should... uh-”

“We could use some more drinks, if you two don’t mind going down to get some?” Orym had piped up to give you two some time together. Dorian gave the halfling a thankful smile as he took that and ran with it.

“Sure thing! Let’s go!” He went to grab your hand, stopping and looking to you for permission. You easily slipped your hand in his and he led you downstairs to the main tavern area. Except instead of getting drinks, you two decided to step outside instead. There might not have been mistletoe, but that didn’t stop the two of you from stealing more sweet kisses from the other.

#dorian storm #dorian storm x reader #critical role x reader

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johnandrasjaqobis · 2 years

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So to follow up on anons Ashton headcanons, heres some of my own!

1: they are a cuddle bug, even if they dont realize it, but once they're comfortable with this group, hes gonna cuddle all of them, I can feel it. Also I imagine they run a little cold compared to most

2: FCG stays on Ashtons left side cause I'm completely convinced hes blind in that eye,

3: they will deny it till thier dead, but hes ticklish, mostly on the hips, feet, back of the knee, and neck

4: honestly in general just has big "dont talk to me or my child ever again" vibes with FCG

this is. very late. but Y e s.

this punk rock is like, literally rock, he definitely runs a little cold. Reaches that thermodynamic equilibrium with Fearne because something tells me as, y'know, a wildfire druid, she runs warm.

and Absolutely if they are not blind in that eye it's at least very damaged. Judging by the area around it and the fact that it's just milky white at this point I highly doubt they can get anything more than vague shapes and/or colors from that side. And It's nice having FCG there because people's footsteps can sound similar, so there's always a chance it's not actually someone you know, but that little automaton has an extremely distinctive noise and as long as they're where they always are, Ashton has gotten to the point that he can be confident no one's sneaking up in his blind spot.

I need. just so much more of those two, tbh, they haven't even known each other that long from what I can gather but What A Relationship already, it's so good, I love them so much

#THANK U FOR HEADCANONS #I THRIVE ON HEADCANONS AND YELLING ABOUT THEM #critical role #ashton greymoore

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hazlouquitefinished · 6 years

Text

A SJPR Case Study: Hiatus to Early 2017

Since the “how do we know that SJPR is really fucking Louis over?” anons have been going around again, I thought I’d make a bit of a timeline/case study with some observations about SJPR’s promo tactics. We all know this stuff has been happening for years, but it’s pretty wild to see everything compiled into one place.

@theyrereallyawful made a great couple of posts that inspired me to look deeper into this arena of thought, so check those posts out if you haven’t seen them yet.

Some of this is going to analyze the 1D promo that happened around the HJPR split, and some of this is going to compare Niall/Louis SJPR promo.

For more of an in-depth post about Louis and Niall’s SJPR involvement, check my other post in this tag. I recommend reading both posts to get the full perspective.

Information/observation dump below the cut! All of this is speculation and shouldn’t be taken as 100% fact - I just wanted to throw some food for thought into the void. This is a really long post, be warned.

Have a happy Louis before you start. Look at that sweet sunshine-y smile!

We’ll start briefly at the beginning!

Early SJPR

On December 1st, 2015, HJPR split up. They were a UK PR firm that represented One Direction, among other acts. The split wasn’t very widely reported, aside from some PR-specific news outlets.

From PR Weekly:

Simon Jones, the “J” in HJPR, took One Direction with him as his client.

I’m going to compare the UK online press from before and after the HJPR split, just for kicks.

All of these screenshots were taken from google.co.uk.

Before the HJPR split, when HJPR had control of 1D UK promo:

September 20, 2015 to October 3, 2015:

A few filler articles, but most of them stick to the plot and talk about the AMF performance and MITAM. Not bad.

Earlier articles from August 2, 2015 to August 8, 2015:

That’s an entire page of the top results, and it only has a single baby article and two Zayn articles. Again, not too bad.

**To clarify: I’m not making broad generalizations of 1D PR under HJPR overall. This is just an analysis of the PR immediately before and after the split.

Let’s look at the post-HJPR-split articles.

At this point, SJPR was the one doing the UK promo for 1D.

December 20, 2015 to December 26, 2015:

As you can see, the top articles are quite a bit different from the ones before the HJPR split. All of them focus on the Simon Cowell & Zayn feud, and Louis’ stunting.

Here’s some from a little while later, after the HJPR split had “settled”:

January 4, 2016 to January 11, 2016:

Aside from the few articles about the Family Guy appearance, most of them are, again, about stunts.

The focus shift is pretty clear from the pre-HJPR split to post-HJPR split coverage. Pre-split, HJPR covered music/career news. Post-split, SJPR immediately began to cover primarily stunts.

Let’s look at the official SJPR site.

SJPR Site

The “news” section of the site is a very interesting place to make observations. This content is directly from SJPR - they publish news on their more important clients, presumably to show how good they are at doing their jobs. (suppress your laughter, I know.)

It’s abundantly clear, however, that certain clients receive much more of SJPR’s effort than others.

I’m going to zoom out on most of these articles so that this post doesn’t get too long - I just want you to get an idea for how much content is put into each article. The lengths differ quite obviously. I’ll link each of them if you want to read the body of the article.

The first article about 1D was posted on December 30, 2015, a month after the HJPR split. It’s about “History” dropping as the new single:

It’s fairly short, only a few paragraphs. In all honesty, it’s the best 1D article that’s posted for the entirety of 2015 and beyond. The rest of them go far downhill, as you’ll see.

It covers the fact that “History” was chosen as the single and throws in an X Factor mention. This is also the only 1D article that has SM links included.

The article was published a bit late, as the single was chosen halfway through December, but maybe SJPR was still having growing pains with the recent HJPR split on December 1st, 2015.

We’ll give them the benefit of the doubt for now, because this article doesn’t seem particularly odd......until you compare it to the previous article, the very first article posted to the SJPR news section.

This article, about Ant and Dec meeting the Prince, is WAY longer than the 1D article. It’s probably three to four times the length.

Sure, Ant and Dec meeting the Prince is a big deal. But it’s a little odd that the final 1D single before their hiatus gets so little coverage in comparison, no?

And besides, it’s not like 1D getting the short end of the SJPR promo stick is a trend, right? Right??

Oh.

1D gets a brief article - literally only a few sentences - for the Family Guy appearance, with no SM links, and Fearne Cotton gets a much longer and more involved article for a new gig.

Okay, so maybe that was just a one-off coincidence? Right?

One Direction, biggest pop band on the planet, gets a three-sentence wrap-up article for the success of MITAM, History, and the release of the History MV. No SM links included.

Meanwhile, Emma Bunton gets a 9-paragraph article for hosting Too Much TV.

The trend continues.

One Direction gets a two sentence article for winning a Brit in 2016. No SM links provided.

By comparison, All Saints gets a far longer article for their single.

So the trend is fairly obvious - One Direction always gets the short end of the promo stick as far as SJPR’s site goes. I get that this isn’t the most earth-shattering information, but I think it speaks volumes if you listen.

Think about it: if SJPR isn’t even willing to put effort into news articles about arguably their biggest client, then how much effort are they going to put into the actual PR SJPR provides?

SJPR and Louis

Let’s go back to the press from the Feb ‘16 time period, and let’s start looking at Louis-specific press now.

Feb 14, 2016 to Feb 29, 2016 - The Brits happen on the 24th and 1D takes home an award with Liam and Louis present to accept. Here’s the press that results, using both “Louis Tomlinson” and “One Direction” search queries.

Yes, that’s a grand total of three articles about the Brits, which could’ve been a really great publicity point for 1D to have early on in the hiatus. The rest of the articles are about the baby, the girlfriend, the baby “mama”... You name it.

Let’s move on to the press that happens later in the hiatus.

Late 2016

SJPR’s 1D/Louis/Niall content in the news section dropped to radio silence after February ‘16, aside from one Niall and one Louis article about Soccer Aid. These two were actually uncharacteristically good - lots of info about the cause, and the only good Louis article in the entire news section.

I assume that’s because Soccer Aid was tied to Niall. In my other post comparing Niall vs. Louis, you’ll see that Niall receives much better treatment from SJPR. This is enforced by the Brits article from SJPR’s site. Louis is tied to Liam, a non-SJPR client, so it was only two sentences long. As long as Louis is directly tied to Niall, he gets Niall’s level of SJPR promo. Otherwise, it’s back to radio silence.

Now, I don’t know if anyone took over for the UK promo from Feb to September of 2016, but SJPR did not cover 1D, Liam, or Harry - they only covered Niall and Louis for Soccer Aid, as I just mentioned.

I’d assume that SJPR just dropped Niall and Louis to “low priority” while the guys’ solo projects were still being completed. They also could have been on temporary management of Louis/Niall while deals were being finalized, so they weren’t exerting as much effort as they usually would have. (I use “effort” loosely, of course.)

This makes some sense when you remember that lots of the big conspiracy articles about babygate slipped through the cracks and gained momentum during these few months of official SJPR site silence. I’m thinking of the Buzzfeed one in particular, which gained extremely widespread publicity and reached a lot of the GP in early April 2016.

On September 29, 2016, Niall signs to Capitol Records and UA’s report that his SJPR involvement will officially continue. “This Town” is released on September 29 as well.

Let’s take a look at Niall’s press from just prior to the single release, just for comparison’s sake. This was before SJPR officially took over again, so they were still possibly on “autopilot” or “temporary” privileges. Most of these articles are driven by other sources that would’ve had their own teams to drive his indirect promotion - Ryder Cup, Shawn Mendes, etc.

September 25, 2016 to September 28, 2016

All positive articles.

Onto the articles from the days immediately after the single release, and therefore the continuation of official SJPR involvement.

September 29, 2016 to October 1, 2016:

There’s no obvious shift in tone here - all positive articles about the single (aside from the “retrogressive” comment from The Guardian), and the stuff that’s not about the single is still positive cross-promo.

SJPR finally broke their 1D radio silence and posted a news article about Niall on the day of the release. It sets the tone for all of their subsequent Niall articles - most of them are involved and well-written, and SM links are always included. More on that in the other post I made comparing Louis and Niall’s SJPR experiences.

As I just stated, there was no obvious shift in Niall articles between pre-SJPR continuation and post-SJPR continuation.

Louis, however? That’s a different story.

His official continuation with SJPR happened on January 7, 2017.

Here’s some of the press from just prior to the continuation - that’s all I’m looking at right now, the press immediately before it, not overall.

November 20, 2016 to December 3, 2016.

Oddly good, right? No stunting to be found, aside from a single baby article that’s from a celeb baby site. There’s even an article about Niall apparently confirming Larry, which we’d probably never see now, lol.

January 7, 2017 - SJPR continuation is made official. Now to look at the press that resulted immediately after SJPR took Louis on as a client again.

January 7, 2017 to January 10, 2017:

Ah. So that’s what a focus shift looks like.

January 22, 2017 to January 27, 2017:

Rather night-and-day from the pre-SJPR news coverage and the “Niall confirming Larry” article, no?

And just for continuity’s sake: later on in the year, the trend was still the same.

April 16, 2017 to May 9 2017:

Stunts galore, and not a single mention of music.

I think the “promo” from Summer 2017 and beyond is still fresh in our minds, so I won’t recap that. The same press trends continue to occur - all stunts, all the time.

Conclusions: TL;DR

One Direction’s HJPR promo immediately prior to the HJPR split was generally good

As soon as SJPR took over, stunting clearly became the focus of UK online promo

SJPR dedicated very little time and energy to 1D accomplishments on their official site, but they seemed to have BUCKETS of energy to spare when it came to their other (far less famous/successful) clients

From Feb to Sept 2016, press control was generally more lax - babygate conspiracy articles gaining widespread publicity - but stunt coverage still continued (this may have tied into one of the prior possible end dates of BG that was likely extended)

Niall promo and Louis promo began to diverge after Niall officially continued with SJPR

There was a brief lapse in stunty content just before Louis officially continued with SJPR, but they quickly made up for it with the months of bullshit he’s been enduring in the UK promo world since then

As I mentioned before, this post is merely a collection of observations and patterns, nothing more. In my other post in this tag, I talk more about how Niall and Louis’ SJPR support clearly differs.

If anyone actually read this whole thing, props to you! I didn’t think anyone would get this far - I genuinely enjoy doing this kind of research and was compiling it more for my own thought process than anything. So if you got through everything, then you deserve another happy Louis:

By the way, if you’re angry - like many of us are - then I encourage you to (respectfully & kindly) tweet the link to LTHQOfficial.com to SJPR and co. It can’t hurt to show them that we have a successful fansite, and it makes me happy to know that his notifs are flooded with fans who promote his client far more effectively than he does.

#PR Fuckery #simon jones #SJPR #louis tomlinson #niall horan #one direction

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