#i can't stop thinking about it.

[realtalk127]

alright fuck it. i can't sleep and i need to talk about this scene from the last episode of critical role.

because holy shit if this ain't some of the best rp – nay, storytelling in general – that i've ever seen. (buckle up, it ain't gonna be short.)

laudna: i made you a doll. because dolls are for children. and you're a child.

the way she says this is not nice! it's biting, it's snarky. she definitely seems to mean it as an insult – and she probably does! – at first. but laudna's idea of a child is much more expansive than just a cheep insult, as she makes clear shortly.

then ashton's response: i've never had a doll before. this is the nicest thing anyone's ever given me.

i don't know if this reaction melts laudna a little (if it does, she doesn't show it visibly), or maybe she was already coming to the conversation with a more nuanced definition of 'child', but either way, the conversation shifts immediately – and the next two sentences clarify where they're both coming from here.

laudna: i like children. // ashton: i don't.

she likes children! and we knew this, of course. marisha, the god of intentional rp showed us this within the first few moments of laudna's screen-time way back in episode 1. but still! it's worth repeating. despite the bite of her initial comment to ashton, she doesn't necessarily mean it as an insult. i don't know that we could entirely call it a compliment, given the context, but at the very least, i think she intended it as a point of connection.

after all, our data re: Laudna And Kids is not limited to that one scene from episode 1. there's also the parallel scene that mirrors it (with a happier ending) back in episode 38, when laudna first visits the sun tree after her resurrection. we also know (via a 4sd episode that i don't care to dig up right now) that laudna had another friend before imogen, who was a little girl.

and i think it's that little girl that's the most important piece here. we don't know anything about that story except that she exists, but i'm willing to read between the lines and make an assumption that laudna – on average – has better luck getting children to be kind to her (when they've not yet been taught to be cruel) than with adults. there is an innocence there that laudna needs! she needs people who haven't been hardened by assumptions and pre-judgements and all that bullshit. for laudna there is safety – both emotional and literal physical safety – in a childlike perspective.

ALL THAT TO SAY: laudna's associations with childhood are, generally, positive. for a variety of reasons.

but!

ashton's are NOT.

ashton's childhood sucked. from the jump. he was a part of a shitty cult that he barely remembers, and after that they were in an ophanage. their associations with childhood are overwhelmingly negative, and likely associated with feelings of helplessness and loneliness.

whether or not laudna intended that original comment ('you're a child') as an insult, we can pretty safely assume ashton took it as one.

they continue:

ashton: they're awful. // laudna: they're not.

NOW, we're getting into the meat of it. where before they were dancing around a metaphor, it becomes immediately clear what's really being talked about here. ashton is saying 'i'm awful', and laudna is emphatically saying 'no you're not.'

which! first of all, is so insanely generous of her. after what ashton just put her through less than 24 hours ago, laudna has every reason to affirm ashton's assertion that they are, in fact, awful. but she doesn't. ashton knows this, which is why he amends his original statement:

ashton: they can be.

they're saying: perhaps i can concede that i am not always awful, but let's at least agree that sometimes (like specificaly, oh, i don't know, LAST NIGHT) i can be.

laudna: you should remember what it's like to be one.

ashton: i do. it wasn't great.

the LAYERS, y'all. the LAYERS. the important thing here is that it's all in the context of that first comment: you're a child. which is, critically, a statement made in the context of ashton's decisions the previous night. they're talking in generalities here, but they're mostly talking about last night.

so!

when laudna says they should remember what it's like to be one [a child], she also means: you were a child last night, but not in a cool, whimsical way, just in a shitty, immature way. AND! when ashton says they remember, and that it wasn't great, they're saying they know they fucked up last night, but all they know of childhood is an overwhelming helplessness, how can that possibly be spun to a positive?

and this, really, is the crux of their two differing worldviews. these two have a lot in common – much has been said about that in game and out – but this point is where they split. laudna has survived, by embracing her childlike nature (admittedly, to a fault, at times). how to keep from being hurt? just keep everything fun and whimsical! nothing to worry about here, it's all just a silly little game! and she has also needed people who share that perspective. people who are willing to take her at face value and without any of the negative assumptions and prejudices they may have picked up along the way.

ashton, on the other hand survived by growing up immediately. they got through their own shitty childhood by becoming an adult (or acting like one anyway) as quickly as possible and STAYING that way. ashton needs to have a tough exterior (there's the made-of-stone thing again) to feel safe. (admittedly, from an audience perspective, this veneer is basically see-through. but ashton doesn't necessarily know this. they're trying their best. so from their perspective, the tough guy thing is Working.)

laudna: you should find more joy in your inner child.

she's saying two things here:

(1) you can be soft and be safe. those can co-exist, aND!

(2) i need you to be soft for me to be safe. when you have this false tough exterior, it hurts people. it hurts (hurt) me.

which is certainly a resonant metaphor to play with for the literal ROCK GUY who just got literally MELTED into LAVA 12 hours prior.

ANYWAY- that's what i've got for now on this scene. i'll probably never stop thinking about it, and there's even more good shit from later on in the scene when they talk about the doll, but that's it for now.

#critical role #laudna #ashton greymoore #my thoughts #cr3 #bells hells #this SCENE you guys #i can't stop thinking about it. #it's just THAT good

[bagely]

thinking about how Missa has always been protected for being "weaker" and how Chayanne was basically the first chance he had to prove he could protect someone. He can be someone's protector. He can be someone's hero.

#qsmp #qsmp missa #death family #qsmp chayanne #q!missa #While I'm editing an essay I'm doing #I can't stop thinking about it. #I love them so much #they heal each other

[mythical-illusions]

Thinking about the fact that cannonicly shadowgast breaks up due to Caleb aging and IT'S MAKING ME SAD-

And imagine Essek having to watch him grow old and die bc I could not handle that. 100+ years later and Essek finds one of Caleb's scarves and it's almost lost the scent of him. The he just hugs it to him in sorrow of missing his wizard but is happy he got to know such a fantastic mind

#critical role #shadowgast #caleb widogast #cr2 #essek thelyss #im not sobbing you are #can someone write this as a fanfic #fucking scarves ruining my night #i can't stop thinking about it.

[stressedmonster101]

thinking about tiktok trends. thinking about poetry.

you see a "maybe in another universe" video.

you recognize this trend.

you know it'll end with a black screen.

you see it's only two slides.

you know what the other slide is.

you stare at the first slide.

you already know it's you.

you don't have to scroll.

you know it won't change anything.

you scroll. it's you.

#tiktok #this trend is so #i can't stop thinking about it. #this specific trend. this is something that is so human #the feeling when you know where a book is going but read it anyway. #but this is unique. it gives you so much autonomy. it gives you the option to not do this so much. #but really would it change anything if you scrolled? #you already know it's you. scrolling won't change anything. but it's almost like it's not true until you see it. #but it is. it's trhe from the moment you scroll onto the video. but you scroll anyway. #the fact you always know it's you but always scroll anyway. that's what gets me. #for ppl who aren't aware of tiktok trends: #so itll be something like “maybe in another universe i'm not taken for granted”. and it's a slideshow. #and so it's all characters who are taken for granted saying “maybe in another universe i won't be taken for granted” #but then people started putting black screens at the end #and in tiktok a black screen is essentially a mirror. #so still running with this example it's implying that you the viewer of the video is taken for granted. #but then people started getting rid of the other characters and so now the trend has evolved #and so now it's just a picture of a character and “maybe in another universe i won't [thing that applies to them]” and then a black screen.

[thebrightmillenial]

I can't stop comparing the winchesters to of mice and men.

I don't know if any of you guys even heard of this but Sam gives me heavy Lennie Small vibes - despite being very different from him all the same. And George Milton gives me Dean vibes. George and Dean both looking out for their other [platonic] half, both tasked to kill their other half - but only one succeeds, and is an act of mercy. Tho again, the remaining two end up dying over and over again so not that much different 😭

#of mice and men #lennie small #george milton #supernatural #dean winchester #sam winchester #probably the comparison sucks but #i can't stop thinking about it. #yeah its midnight dont judge me

[maryyyy8]

I can't stop thinking about it.

#The house. The walls. The holes. The blood. The glass. The mess. #I can't stop thinking about it.

[inkedberries]

after patrolling, unwinding in a diner somewhere ...

throw the man a bone batman geez

#a very notice-me-senpai moment #lol idk i just can't stop thinking about this exchange i thought up whenever batman calls supes out for 'showing off' #GAAAHHH I LOVE THEM #superbat #batman #superman #world's finest #my art #fanart #man i just love an oblivious batman

[lazylittledragon]

can't believe we're all adults being forced into the club penguin level of censorship in 2024

#ramble #if you say unalive in front of me i will personally kill you with my hands #you just can't muffle and censor and hold someone's hand through some things #some things are horrible. and they should be spoken aloud and they should upset you. because they are horrible #the second we started kidzbopifying the world was the end of taking anything seriously i think #i'm not even joking i've spoken to people older than me who won't even say the world sex #this isn't the playground you're not going to get in trouble just let us say the word!!!!!! #how am i supposed to listen to you when you won't even say the thing you're supposed to be talking about #yes this is the fault of the platforms with their censorship rules but the fact that we all just go along with it like it's not dystopian #you do know it doesn't stop with cursing right. people are already having to censor queer terms because they get flagged as inappropriate

[eclipsecrowned]

oo im mentally ill. oo im conceptualizing valas and miruna lore to epic. oo they could be so equus n baby coded. oo he coulda stopped the third game 35 years before it started if he coulda raised his hand against the innocent child who grew into his mortal enemy. oo im mentally--

#i can't stop thinking about it. #out of stories

[t-lostinworlds]

PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS — S01E3 | S01E4

"You and I might have more in common than you think."

#percy jackson #annabeth chase #medusa #percy jackon and the olympians #pjo tv show #pjo #pjoedit #pjosource #walker scobell #leah sava jeffries #jessica parker kennedy #percyjacksonedit #tvedit #pjo tv series #pjo tv spoilers #percy jackson and the olympians #mine: gifs #i can't stop thinking about this

[inthedarkofficial]

Homer, Hades 2: Sing, O Muse, of the saffron robed goddess, whose fair countenance was bathed in Selene’s light at the moment of her birth. Homer, Hades: The fire-stepping prince was lifted by Night from the cold ground, where his lord father had discarded him, outside Taco Bell.

#zagreus: shut up old man #I have been thinking of that loki taco bell post for DAYS since starting Hades 2 #hades 2 spoilers #hades 2 #homer #zagreus #melinoe #also I can't stop thinking about how close Mel and Homer are #she realised her life had a narrator and decided to befriend them #meanwhile the same thing happened to Zag and he just decided it was On Sight

[gojoed]

pacing back and forth

#i can't stop thinking about it.

[bagely]

At the end of the day, Philza comes home and her family is there, sleeping. A nap that never seems to end, he gets up and walks around the house, goes hunting for mobs, spends time with his friends, and then returns to the void. Nobody is waiting for him, they are asleep.

It's okay, they are tired, he is tired, but he can't stay in that semi-coma state. Then he wakes up, stays in bed for a moment waiting for them to wake up too, but they don't.

He was waiting for Missa to wake up with their children, but now he has to wait alone. No one is there to fill that silence, he just have to wait for them to wake up.

#angts for free #qsmp #deathduo #i can't stop thinking about it. #can they come back all together again?? #death family #cry is fine #you can blame for your sadness

[hansoeii]

you'll make it back.

#WHAT WAS LOKI GOING TO SAY??????? #these two will be the death of me and I can't believe that first episode gave me everything ive ever wanted #I'm back in the lokius trenches #can't stop thinking about how connected they are through their timelines #how they're each others glorious purpose #and how mobius was ready to sacrifice himself for loki #and all that in just one episode #UGH #loki #loki season 2 #loki spoilers #loki s2 spoilers #lokius #lokius fanart #loki fanart #loki season 2 fanart #loki and mobius #my art #fanart

[mmm-asbestos]

my favorite sopping wet beast

#csm #chainsaw man #kobeni #i can't stop thinking about her she is the definition of scrimblo.... #asb_art

[future-crab]

[I'm Your Man - Mitski // Hound with a Joint of Meat and a Cat Looking on - Jan Baptist Weenix // House of Wolves - My Chemical Romance // The Boar Hunt - Frans Snyders]

(ID in alt text)

#i'm sure this connection has been made before but i can't stop thinking about it so #web weaving #mitski #mcr #my chemical romance #house of wolves #black parade #the land is inhospitable and so are we #i'm your man