#hcs: narga

[symunuk]

Today's musings - Who would Symon's family romance if they were in the "Tav" seat? (+ Symon's romance as per game + subsequent expansion/personalisation)

There's a lot of detail behind this so here's the highlight, with explanation for each below:

• Narga: Shadowheart (or no one, driven by herself)

• Ob'rag: No one (mutual lack of interest/active disdain)

• Durz: Gale (also part of "Symon tav canon")

• Symon: Astarion (canon to his playthrough; Karlach in another universe)

• Ikkath: Karlach (or no one, within the timeline of the Absolute Crisis)

• Hogarth: Wyll (easiest decision on this whole list including Symon himself)

A lot of the below is very... oriented around a throughline of how each family member handles/is processing their own family-originating trauma because it's easier to explain that and how that impacts relationships with the core 6 than "look they would just work" lol. Nothing explicit but a heads up on that.

Narga: Shadowheart (alternatively: no one)

She was the second trickiest to figure out after Ikkath, with a gulf between her and the rest of the choices.

Initially I was going to say "she wouldn't have a romance in this context". Narga's been through a lot when it comes to being vulnerable which I feel would deeply impact her comfort being intimate with people she hardly knew, especially with her coping mechanisms being shouldering too much and significant co-dependence with Ob'rag, who would come first over any romantic partner 100% of the time.

However, I think she'd be pretty compatible with Lae'zel, Karlach or Shadowheart as she'd appreciate and vibe with their personalities and how they manage their own traumas. Lae'zel and Karlach I think this would be more "inspiring" or "relatable" (respectively) so likely this would be a more platonic bond. Shadowheart however is just far enough removed whilst having a demeanour that Narga would find endearing I think. And given what Shadowheart can express re: attraction to Karlach, she's got a leg up lmao.

I think this romance would be a lot slower than the game's rough timeline - certainly any inclination to act on her feelings wouldn't occur until post-Nightsong and also dependent on Shadowheart's decision. I don't think she'd dislike DJ!Shadowheart or disparage her decision, but she wouldn't feel any further romantic feelings after that outcome.

I think she'd love Shadowheart's terrible joke deliveries, her love of animals, and go absolutely crazy for the middle of the night hair-cut-and-dye job because she did that as a teen and thinks it's incredibly cute she's doing that Now. Narga and Shadowheart are actually both half-elf (though obviously the other half is orc in Narga's case) of a similar age too! Fun stuff.

Ob'rag: No one

Much like Narga, Ob'rag is not someone who handles being vulnerable well. Unlike Narga, he also does not handle the vulnerability of others well either. They're both pretty deep in it, but Ob'rag is more reliant on Narga than she is on him as she was his protector before he was capable of returning the favour and frankly I don't see him valuing romantic relationships at all. Not quite aro, but more "so romance repulsed/neutral there's functionally little difference" As said above Narga is not overly inclined either but if she was physically separated from her family the way any Tav would I could see this slowly shifting. Not so much for Ob'rag. I can foresee him taking Lae'zel up on her offer for rough sex in her first triggered romance scene but it would be a lot more... Mutually rough than the one in the game, lol.

Frankly I also wouldn't want to subject any of these guys to Ob'rag beyond necessity. He wouldn't disrespect... most of them, and would even respect Lae'zel and Karlach in particular (and maybe some parts of Wyll's ethos, though potentially a little more secretively when it comes to his inclination towards protecting others and what he believes is his duty to Good). He's all about fighting, fighting, and fighting harder for your life and the safety of loved ones and even more about doing that in the most unhealthy ways possible. (Maybe the hesitance with Wyll is more "I think that's me in that funhouse mirror reflection and I don't like it").

I think if he did find interest in anyone, they wouldn't like him back unless they were leaning in an "evil ending" direction. Which he in turn would not like. Incredible.

Durz: Gale (true to Tav!Durz and Tav!Symon canons)

This was a joke for all of 0.5 seconds until I realised it was actually rather sweet, and in terms of Tav!Symon's deviations from the game I'm rather attached to this as an outcome (it would be late in the game/post BG3 since Durz is. Indisposed by brainworms in early Acts). Durz isn't a particularly talkative or expressive individual and comes across as dour, uncaring, or even judgemental pretty easily. But! He isn't. Which becomes clear if you can coax a proper response from him or complain that he feels that way.

It's difficult to put into words but I can see them both just sort of clicking? Durz would enjoy Gale's verbosity and inclination towards sharing for how it gives him a reason to just sit and listen, and Gale's thus got someone he can talk the ear off of without worry of driving them up the wall. Durz would see Tara as perhaps the most respectable and dignified lady he knows. And since he has been questioning his faith and wavering as a Cleric, someone with experience with arcane magic would be more intriguing to him vs someone with divine or natural magics around them. He'd probably find Gale's experiences with Mystra and the fallout with the orb and how it was handled pretty alarming and their mutual figuring-out of who they are as people with this massive part of their identity recently rocked would make a pretty great foundation imo. There's a mutual struggle to see the self under what they can Do within both of them I think.

Arguably he might share something similar with Shadowheart, but for him the faith-crisis is less "I have been personally abused by an evil god(dess) or a vindictive follower, also maybe I am not down with the Evil" (he's not particularly bothered about where Gruumsh is at morally and doesn't have the same watchful connection as SH does with Shar) and more "who even am i without all of this". Shadowheart lacks this understanding of herself away from Shar because of literally not remembering of course, but I think Durz would see that as "you had your identity taken, I never had one" and not connect in the same way he would with Gale.

Symon: Astarion (Canon to Tav!Symon run)

It's hard to elaborate on this without going into too much detail (yes, more than the previous ones) but we're about Charlatan x Charlatan shipping. Also there is a specific razor-wire Astarion balances in Symon's heart that the other companions tend to fall either side of (not necessarily in a bad way, just in the romantic sense).

Symon.... is also not a particularly "committed" romantic generally. He'd call it his right as a bard to party I suppose, but really he is incredibly skittish and flighty when it comes to feeling threatened - which the vulnerability and intimacy that a long-term partner would require to last would trigger. Astarion's got the in for how his initial approaches go - playful but direct, and no implied emotional-strings attached. Others at camp either start with openly seeking commitment (Wyll), are to intense (Lae'zel, but also Gale with Everything Going On), are looking for intimacy with very emotional context (Karlach & lack of touch, Gale) or just.. like the vibe is kinda wrong (Shadowheart inspires more of a familial feeling in Symon, idk). But beyond that the journey to Astarion opening up and sharing his original motivations is slow enough and happens at a point in Symon's journey where he's unable to be anything but vulnerable with everyone if he's to not go entirely mad (following the death of Ikkath). The mutual precarious position would be... oddly reassuring.

They're not dissimilar in how they mask either (we love a good lie) or the darker parts of their humour or the buttons that can be pressed to wind them up during gentle ribbing.... man there's a lot let's move on--

Ikkath: Karlach (or no one, at least until after BG3's pre-epilogue timeline)

Ikkath has been so hard to pin down it's laughable. It's easy to strike a few companions of his list (my god would he hate both start-of-game Astarion and Gale and probably Shadowheart too) but it's equally hard to put the rest on list. He would get along well with Wyll but be slightly too uncomfortable about the way Wyll doesn't or magically-cannot enforce his own boundaries or prioritise himself over others to get close to him. His own journey with adjacent problems is still ongoing and the shame is raw.

Karlach though... she's so hard not to fall for, so supportive of Wyll choosing himself over returning to his pact, so vocal and active in her support of others and grateful for help on her own journey that I think Ikkath would just be... relieved. And in being so be relaxed enough to have and process some romance and sexual attraction for once in his life. Frankly he'd be just as excited about what'll happen between them once she can touch again as she is, if he doesn't die from melting on the spot from the conversation where she talks dirty with you lmao. He's not a guy who's had a lot of pleasant touch in his life and he's definitely just as starving for it.

And if he didn't make any move in the game, he's definitely offering to go with her to the Hells to save her life. With that being how it clicks what he's been feeling if they haven't already boned halfway to the sun and back.

Hogarth: Wyll

Hogarth is angry and brattish and unlearning a lot of bad lessons but above all he's a secret sweetheart who would be so immediately charmed by Wyll, his values, and every little flirty complement and advance Wyll makes in the game. If he manages to get a kiss at the tiefling party he's going back to his tent and kicking his feet from excitement.

And even though he tries to disguise it, he's so obviously earnest I think Wyll would be endeared in return. Hogarth would be so down for the commitment and even excited by the wait to take things further.

It's a simple overview to end on because... well Wyll is so self-evidently lovable I'm side-eyeing the rest of my ocs for him not being their choice lol but also Hogarth just is sort of simple. He's dealing with the least baggage (still more than anyone should be comparatively to this messed up family...), but the little he's dealing with is also something Wyll is dealing with - a family member you trusted casting you aside with callousness. Hogarth would be especially vocal and stubborn on this if he learnt it about Wyll - it might even cause some friction at certain points since I imagine Wyll wouldn't appreciate the "let the fucker rot what as he done to deserve your sacrifice" sentiment in the blunt way Hogarth would put it, but it would be obviously from a place of protectiveness and I think that'd help through any rough patches.

This became an absolute essay but! There we go!!