#(Astarion keeps disapproving of stuff i do.)

[the-potato-beeper]

hello dearly beloved mutuals (and other friends)! does anyone have any beginners tips for Baldur's Gate 3? i am struggling a bit, and would appreciate any help y'all can give!

[e-m-ma-lmfao]

I have a request for Astarion ! What if reader is usually the one being seduced by Astarion (because that's how he is) but reader one day does the very chivalrous hand kissing to Astarion after maybe protecting him from an enemy?

Rizz if you will.

It's Called Chivalry, Darling

pairing : astarion x (gn) reader

summary : astarion makes a point to be chivalrous so you return the favour to distract him from being worried.

warnings :talk about weapons and fighting, reader gets hurt.

a/n: thanks sm for your request :). i tried my hardest to execute this idea, i hope you like it anon :0 (i have not played baldurs gate)

“I think we could stock up there. ” You point to a row of buildings, signs practically unreadable, grabbing the attention of the others in your group. They all hum in agreement before heading off in their own directions. The only store you assume you’ll be needing is a general store, so you head in that direction. 

You reach for the handle but someone else's hand beats you to it, pulling it open for you. Turning to look, you make eye contact with the ever handsome Astarion, smirk tugging at his lips. 

“Why’re you opening the door for me? What do you want?” You point an accusatory finger in his face, causing him to chuckle. His laugh is so soft it almost makes you drop your finger. 

“It’s called chivalry, my dear. You aren’t familiar?” He follows behind you as you enter the store, rolling your eyes at him. The store is mostly empty, besides a few men looking through the wares available. But even with all the open space for him to walk, Astarion seems to tail you as if the store is crowded. 

“Ooh get some more of that stuff, remember you used it on me? It made that cut on my arm feel like nothing.” He points from behind you at a healing balm in a small, glass jar. You stop in your tracks to grab it, causing Astarion to push into your back, and you look back at him with a confused stare. 

“Why’d you stop? ” His brows are furrowed, face close to yours.

“Why are you walking so close to me?”

“I just can’t stand to be far from you, my love,” He places his hand on his chest dramatically, voice incredibly theatrical as if he wasn’t already dramatic enough. You're sure that people in the store are shooting glances your way but, unusually, you can't bring yourself to care.

Not when Astarion is looking down at you with playful eyes and a giddy smile on his face. He looks so sweet like this, so free of worry and attitude, his guard is down. But you can't let him realize your thoughts, so before he could even notice your staring you force your face to remain as stoic as before.

You once again roll your eyes then continue your search for anything the group may need. Once you finish you head towards the door, making a point to open the door for yourself which causes Astarion to grunt in disapproval. 

The group finds each other once more and you head out of town, fully prepared for what might be ahead. At least that's what you think, maybe a stupid thought considering you're never truly safe on this perilous journey.

As you travel along the trail, your group seems to split off into its own smaller groups. Whispering and laughing with eachother, making far too much noise in your opinion. And Astarion, slowly trickling from the front all the way to the back where you're walking, finds his place beside you. 

“Why do you always walk so far towards the back? That’s a dangerous position for someone as small as you, no one to keep you safe from behind.” He chuckles to himself as he notices your brows furrow. 

“There’s nobody to annoy me either.” His hand flys to his chest, pretending to be hurt once more, his pace faltering ever so slightly then catching up with you again. 

“Ouch. How you wound me so with your cold words darling.” 

“Astarion, if you wish to accompany me in the back I’d appreciate if..” Your sentence is cut off with a yelp of surprise as you trip over a dip in the road, stumbling forwards. But you don’t fall very far, Astarion’s hand gripping onto your wrist and pulling you towards him. Your chest hits his, and you take a moment to regain your bearings before taking a step away from him.

He raises your hand, still in his grip, up to his lips and places a gentle kiss on the top of your knuckles, “You must be more careful, darling. Don’t want you getting hurt.” 

You know your face is pink, you can feel it, and the smirk on his face solidifies your worry, but you remain composed and give him a simple nod as you pull your hand away. 

“Shall I hold your hand to ensure you don’t trip again?”

“In your dreams, fangs.” He smiles, it's always so soft during these moments, and the sight alone almost causes you to take back your words and give in to his offer, but you stand your ground and keep your hands close to your hips. Astarion lets out a small laugh at this.

You continue to walk in peaceful silence, Astarion making small quips so the air is never truly silent around you. You've come to realize that Astarion can't stand silence whenever he's around you, and he makes a point to keep the noise level up. But when his tone shifts, and he becomes quieter, you take a peak around. You notice that the group is much closer than before but you don’t mind. Safety in numbers and what not. 

But something feels off. It’s eerily quiet. Not even the whistle of a bird and you swear the wind has stopped entirely. And you think the rest of your group notices as well, perhaps the reason that they had moved closer was so they wouldn’t be caught off guard. Their hands stay on their weapons ready to take them out. 

And then it happens. A group of goblins jump from the surrounding forest and circle around your party. Usually something as small a threat as a goblin would be no problem but in such large numbers they might prove to be a problem. When they initiate a fight, thrusting their blades towards you, you draw your blade. 

Slowly, you pick off goblins, one by one. They’re stronger than you expected and their weapons are much nicer than the ones you had encountered in the past. But you keep your guard up and they’re unable to land a blow on you. It’s when the amount of goblins in front of you is reduced that your guard is let down even the slightest. And your focus shifts. Not the smartest move.

You look around you, realizing that Astarion is no longer by your side.

In your state of distraction, a goblin is able to strike you, leaving a relatively large cut on your arms and cutting the arm of your shirt into a tattered piece. The pain causes you to refocus for a moment, just enough to kill the goblin before you look back towards Astarion.

When your eyes reach his position, your heart drops to your stomach. He is completely surrounded and you're certain that he is unaware just how shitty his situation is. So without a second thought, you leave the goblins in front of you behind, and rush over to him. 

Swinging your blade with as much force as you can muster, you kill the goblins behind him and grab his wrist to pull him out of his unfortunate position. You kill another, after ensuring he is no longer in the way. The two of you pick the goblins off together, standing back to back. And when the fight is over you finally allow yourself a moment to breathe. 

But it doesn’t last long. 

Astarion pushes at your shoulder, causing you to stumble forward, you hardly catch yourself but you do. When you’ve found your footing you straighten up, turning to him with furrowed brows, “What was that for?” 

“Why would you do that?” His tone is so aggressive it catches you off guard, “You could’ve gotten hurt! How could you be so irresponsible? Look at your arm, Gods!"

He holds your arm in his hands, hesitating for a moment before ripping off a piece of his own shirt. Gently, he pushes the arm of your shirt up to uncover your wound and begins to wrap the piece of cloth around the wound with shaky fingers, muttering curse words under his breath.

“You could’ve been killed Astarion! I would’ve gladly gotten hurt in order to prevent that.” You try to keep your cool. The pain is hardly noticeable with the amount of adrenaline pumping through your body. And you honestly find yourself more worried about him being angry with you Obviously, he’s yelling in your face, but it might just be shock getting to him. 

“Why would you do that for me? That is absolutely ridiculous.” He huffs, throwing his hands in the air, then allows them to fall back down to his sides. And an idea suddenly enters you brain. 

Slowly, with caution to not annoy him further, you reach for his still shaky hand. He stares at you, brows furrowed, but he doesn’t pull away. Gently, you place your lips against his bloodied knuckles, making an effort not to hurt his already irritated skin.

“It’s called chivalry, Astarion. You aren’t familiar?” You notice the smallest change in his eyes as they soften, even a small smile tugs at the corner of his lips. He isn’t mad, just worried. And you know that all the annoyance has fled his body at your attempt to make fun of him and his flirtatious remarks. Honestly, he's a little flattered you remember what he said, and flustered from you playing his own game against him.

You take a step closer, placing a hand on the side of his face to pull him in closer, to plant a soft kiss to his cheekbone. His curls touch your fingertips, and you take the opportunity to play with his soft hair for a moment. When you pull away, a pink tint lingers on his skin, allowing color to flow on his beautiful face. “You know I don’t want you getting hurt.”

This time he lets out a soft laugh, “That’s enough, darling. I understand what you’re doing, you can stop mocking me.” He turns away from you, but you rush to his side, wrapping your hands around his arms. You lean into him, resting your head near his shoulder as you look up at him.

“Shall I hold onto you so you don’t trip, my dear?” You mock his usual flirty tone, and he pushes your head away gently in an attempt to hide the color rushing to his face, ruffling your hair up.

“What, I'm not allowed to flirt with you but you can do it to me?”

"That's exactly right, my dear."

[bloodiedrogue]

BLEED YOU DRY (1)

SUMMARY: When you awake to find Astarion attempting to drink your blood, you find yourself making a interesting decision.

PAIRING: Astarion & Female Reader (reads as Gender Neutral but future chapters will be femme focused, just a heads up!)

WORD COUNT: 3,273

WARNINGS: Bloodsucking, that's about it?

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay, so I'm aware I'm way ahead of schedule for this Haunted Hoedown thing but I'm going to be gone for a few days in the middle of it so I figured I'd get a headstart now to make sure I get every day done but also to build the hype? Maybe?

Basically this is going to be a little twelve part miniseries based on prompts from this writing challenge. I'll make a masterpost either tonight or tomorrow with all the ones I chose, plus some other stuff, so you guys know what's going on!

The prompt for this particular day was "I want to watch you bleed."

CHAPTER LIST / MASTERLIST / NEXT CHAPTER

-

The squirming tadpole behind your eye is what wakes you up. Its constant movement, wriggling from edge to edge quickly prompts you to groan and palm your eye, attempting to suppress the feeling as you blink through the darkness. It takes a moment to adjust —to feel that twitch of the creature die down— and when it does there’s a sigh of satisfaction that leaves your lips.

Despite how long it’s been, you’re not sure you’ll ever get used to the fact that you have a parasite living inside your mind. Even after experiencing the insertion firsthand, you often forget it’s there, looming behind your retinas, awaiting use every time you run into another. Normally it’s so still, barely inching out of place; sitting there, incubating within your thoughts. Tonight though, something’s urging its presence. Keeping it awake as you close your eyes again, scrunching up your face once it moves a second time.

Angrily, you sit up and turn your head, suddenly catching Astarion’s gaze, noticing the open-mouthed grin he offers in response. 

“Shit.”

You narrow your eyes, focusing on his teeth. How bared they are; ready to strike at a moment's notice despite the only food lying around being you. “Were you just about to bite me?” you ask and almost immediately he attempts to play it off as if it were nothing, scoffing and rolling his eyes. 

“I wasn’t going to hurt you if that’s what you’re insinuating. I was only going for a nibble.” 

You can feel your tadpole squirm. He’s telling the truth, albeit for reasons that are more selfish than he lets on. Despite seeming otherwise, he only wants to drink from you for strength —for energy. His desire to kill you is minuscule, lingering in the shadows of his mind for a potentially later day but surprisingly such notions don’t scare you. Astarion may be a bloodthirsty creature but for now, he’s an ally.

“And you didn’t think to just ask first?” You raise a brow at him, watching his expression twist into something bordering between confusion and interest. 

“I’m sorry, just ask?” he parrots, exploring your features and how they remain calm despite the context.  

He was expecting you to be angry. To throw some kind of fit and deny. It’s what any normal person would do, but considering the circumstances, offering up a little blood to build up the strength of someone on the same side is worth more than the annoyance that forms across your face. 

“Yes, like a normal person,” you chastise, taking in the scowl he offers in response. 

His brows furrow at the sound of your words, angling upwards to appear as sinister as possible, and you can’t help but snort. Something about his constant disapproval is almost humorous at this point.

“Normal? Darling, I’m a creature of the night. A blood sucking fiend. A—“

“Vampire, yes, we’re all well aware given the teeth.” You poke at your own canine, tapping the enamel with open lips just as he swallows hard and narrows his eyes. 

“Yes, well, obviously considering such details I thought it inappropriate to ask. People don’t typically agree to such perilous sounding terms,” he says, voice light and airy. Casual, you might say, despite the context. 

“So instead you were just going to go for it?” You raise your brow, a smirk playing across your lips as he rolls his eyes. 

“Seemed like the best possible option… at the time.” 

You offer him a quiet ah, nodding your head as the two of you remain still, watching each other. Trying to gauge how the other is feeling without the use of your tadpoles. 

Based on what you know about Astarion you assume he’s too stubborn to ask. Now that he’s caught, regardless of whether or not he needs the blood, he’ll never find himself in a position to be desperate enough to say those simple little words. Being a man of persuasion, he’ll most likely just talk his way into it —make it seem like the whole thing was your idea in the first place before diving right in. 

It’d be respectable if you weren’t the victim. If it were Wyll or Gale and you were to bear witness to his deceptions, you’d fully support it. Encourage it even if he were to ask your opinion.

Since it’s you though, you can’t help but feel a bit frustrated. Astarion and you have never been particularly friendly. Having only been around each other for a few weeks, all you’ve talked about is the Illithid and how you plan to get rid of it —what you’ll do after it’s gone. But even the latter conversations hardly spark specific details. Mostly they’re just brief mentions of wanting to run away. To become hidden after the war is over. 

You assume someone’s looking for him based on the way he speaks and carries himself. When you’re on the move he hides within the pack, using you all as a shield while he looks around. Always on high alert, his ears twitch at any foreign sound, his eyes dart to meet the faces of anyone you may come across. At night, he’s always the one to keep watch and over time you’ve come to realize it isn’t just because he doesn’t sleep. It’s because he’s looking for someone. 

Even now, as he stands above you, you can see his eyes looking past you to focus on the underbrush. The way they narrow with focus, pushing past your face. He can sense something that you can’t —feel the eyes of some foreign presence staring at the two of you. 

You’re tempted to use the tadpole to find out what exactly it is but quickly refrain once you hear the shuffling of branches behind you followed by Astarion’s breath of relief. 

“You alright?”

His eyes shut for a split second. His chest heaves a single breath and in that moment you’re struck with an odd sense of sympathy. The feeling of pity laces throughout your thoughts as you imagine Astarion’s life before all of this. You imagine it isn’t great. Considering he’s a vampire, there’s probably at least an inkling of trauma there after living, dying and coming back as something other than yourself. No sane person would be the same after that, especially when taking into account all the symptoms. Before his transition, he could do mundane things. Enjoy the pleasantries of life like the sun and sleeping and food. 

Nowadays, all it seems he craves is blood and power. Flesh of whatever he can get his greedy little hands on. The upper hand in any possible argument. Both make what Astarion is on the surface, but looking at him now, wondering what else lies behind that thick, defensive coat of first impressions, you know there are other things. Nicer ones he refuses to showcase. 

They’re the details of his life before everything. Traits reserved only for himself, and for some uncharacteristic reason, you’re tempted to find out what they are. 

“If you need to…” Trailing off, you feel your stomach twist at the realization of what you’re about to offer. The consequences are high, maybe even too high, but perhaps the benefits could be deemed higher. At this point, you’re certain no one else will give him what he needs. They’re all too noble or guarded to allow Astarion, regardless of his current allegiance, to drink. 

They don’t trust him. And even though you find yourself in the same boat, feeling the skepticism of your words start to echo in the back of your mind, you know it’s the most logical thing to do. Sure, it may not be the right one. By a long shot, it’s probably one of the worst ideas you’ve ever had, but you know deep down that it’s necessary for your survival. To ensure that, when all this blows over and the potential of you going your separate ways occurs, Astarion doesn’t view you as an enemy.

“If you need to drink, you can.” 

His eyes widen only a bit. Just enough for you to notice the slight shock that spreads across his features. “I can?” 

There’s a reluctance you feel begin to bubble up but instead of acting on it you merely shut it down, nodding your head. “Yes, but only a little. Don’t want you bleeding me dry before this whole thing is all over.” 

Somehow that makes him laugh. “Oh, darling, I wouldn’t dream of such a thing.” 

You force yourself not to smirk as he lies through his teeth. Knowing him, he’d suck you dry if it weren’t for the fact that there’s safety in numbers. “Unfortunately for me this isn’t a dream.” 

“Fair point,” he replies, taking a short step forward. After that he slowly begins to crouch towards the ground, watching you closely —focusing on the rise and fall of your chest as his face falls mere inches from yours. “For now though, I promise to do no such thing.”

“And you’re certain you’ll keep it?”  

He hums, a grin pulling at his cheeks. “For now,” he muses. “In the future though…”

He’s so close you can feel his breath. Hot and heavy puffs pushed through a low, far too sultry tone of voice that has you pressing your lips together in a thin line. 

Out of everyone, Astarion’s always been the most intriguing. The one you’ve had this constant back and forth with, debating whether or not to approach or run. Aside from the obvious vampirism, it’s quite obvious that he isn’t like the others. From what you’ve been able to piece together, he doesn’t have a cause. A God or some sort of leader he’s willing to lay down the law for. He’s not noble like Wyll or faithful like Shadowheart. He’s just Astarion. A bloodied wolf all by his lonesome, following the rest of the pack. 

You’re sure he has desires like the rest of them. Wants and needs that’ll inevitably be gifted to him at the end of this —so long as you all survive. Like everyone else, he has a purpose in mind, but what that purpose is is unbeknownst to you thanks to the charm he offers in replacement of the truth. Because of this, he feels almost like a treasure chest. A trove of untold riches kneeling before you, tempting you to open. 

“I’m sure the future will have us far enough away from each other where that doesn’t happen, so I won’t worry.” 

Almost immediately, he can tell you’re fishing for information. The way his brow slightly upturns and the flirtatious grin across his face transitions into more of a smirk. It makes you internally curse, knowing that no matter how hard you try you’ll never beat him at his own game. His way with words is too precise. Too calculated, even for someone like you who grew up convincing people of your lies. 

“You never know. Perhaps after this is all over I’ll follow you. Linger amongst the shadows until the time is right.” 

You can’t tell if he’s kidding. His voice is too convincing to be completely certain, so you merely roll your eyes. “Yes, well, if you do decide to drink me to death, be sure to make it quick.” 

He clicks his tongue, leaning slightly further in. “What would be the fun in that though?”

There’s an unfamiliar ache inside your chest. A rupture of pain that wreaks havoc against your ribcage, pounding. Now that he’s close to you, you can assume it’s always been there but because he’s so good at posing a distraction you weren’t fully aware of it until now. 

“Fair point,” you repeat his words back to him, deeply inhaling just as the tadpole suddenly shifts in tandem with your chest. Ebbing and flowing across your inner eye in time with your shaky breath, you notice Astarion pick up on it, humming knowingly. 

“You fear me, don’t you?” 

Despite the answer being blatantly obvious, your lips remained sealed. Closed off, regardless of the truths the rest of your body spills. 

“It’s quite alright, darling. It’s normal. Creatures of the night are hardly meant to be trifled with.” 

He’s in your face now, a mere hair’s length away, once again baring his teeth. Against your lips, you can feel the movement of his words pushing through the air, coating you in further reluctance as the withheld breath inside you finally releases. As it hits his face, he blinks and pulls away. Ever so slightly giving you the space you need to recollect your thoughts and swallow back the fear. 

He’s terrifying. Even you have to admit that. Unlike Lae’zel he’s more calculated in his intimidation, opting to pull you in —to make you feel comfortable— before he ultimately strikes. Because of this, his threats feel more authentic. Less like simple tactics used to get you to back off. They aren’t words of warning —they’re promises. Declarations of a moment he’s more than willing to make a reality if given the chance.

“Do you want my blood or not, Astarion?”

Your patience is thin. Your chest is in pain and while the tadpole inside unwittingly reaches out to his, driving you both closer as he instructs you to lie back down and get comfortable, all you can feel is temptation. Desire. 

Upon resting your head, you feel the connection between you grow stronger. Inside, your head flashes with icy sensations that trickle down towards your neck. Small tremors of what’s to come as Astarion positions himself around you. 

When he leans down, there’s a moment where you think of retracting. This is all too sudden, you think. A mistake made in hopes of gaining the upper hand. Just moments ago you were made unaware of the full potential of Astarion’s charms, but now that you’re lying beneath him, awaiting the moment he sinks his teeth into your flesh, you can feel the regret begin to build.

“It won’t last.”

Pulling yourself from your thoughts, you look to see him staring over top of you. Both of his arms are planted on either side of your head, bending at the elbow so that he’s low and close. “I’m sorry?”

“The pain. It won’t last long, I promise.”

Strangely enough, he sounds sincere. Not that that means much when a good portion of the words that exit his lips are lies. Still though, instead of returning to that previous headspace you merely breathe and nod, waiting for the moment the tadpole’s connection vibrates with confirmation and Astarion begins to lean in. 

It’s a slow process. Above you, his shoulders shift, pushing his arm to cup the back of your head and expose your neck. Against your skull, Astarion tightens his grip to steady the endless thoughts that race through your mind as you share a glance. It’s small but important. A moment of recognition that tonight is not the night you die at his hand, but merely a preview of what might come if your paths wrongfully cross. 

At the last second, you give him a curt nod and feel him dip, running the tip of his tongue along your jugular before the presence of teeth poke holes through your flesh. At first, it's painful. The blood that’s sucked through your veins pulsates through the open wound in stinging waves as you feign a soft groan. Then Astarion’s grip around your head tightens at the sound, pushing you further into his mouth. Further into the euphoria he takes as the feeling transcends into something numbingly cold. 

Your eyes flutter shut at his continued feed. The feeling in your hands begins to fade even as you somehow find them moving to Astarion’s back, one of them pressing against his shoulder, the other finding purchase in his locks. At that point, you can feel Astarion moan against you, desperation filling his every cell as his teeth shift further into your neck, prompting your eyes to shoot open. 

He’s going to kill you at this rate. To drink you drier than an insect's husk, so, through half-conscious pushes, you tell him to stop. To let go and to keep his promise as you grip the roots of his hair and pull. 

As it happens you see his eyes shift to yours. They’re blown out completely, the whites of his eyes stained red to match his ruby pupils. For a moment, they remain locked to your half-lidded ones, honing in on the way they start to flutter again before you see them tightly close. Then he finds himself ripping away and gasping for air. Coughing through the thick blood that coats his tongue as he stares down at your neck.

The wound is only slightly gaping. Two well-defined puncture wounds sit side by side, but at the moment you can’t feel them. Instead, there’s still only numbness. A space of nothing that lingers between your head and chest, making you shift to sit up and place your hand there, finding more blood. 

“See? Over before you know it, right?” He laughs but all you do is glare. 

“You almost killed me.”

“Ah, yes, but notice the key word being almost.” 

If you weren’t so heavy-headed you’d punch him in the throat. Maybe strangle him if you could get the right angle. “Yes, fine, you’ve had your fun. Now, do you need anything else or am I fine to pass out now?” 

You expect him to say something else. To make some quip about the safety measures of post-bloodsucking, but he doesn’t. Instead, he merely inches closer, staring at you as he reaches for your bloodied hand and pulls it close. 

Once again, your tadpole wriggles against your will. Throughout your skull, it practically dances as Astarion glances down, taking two of your fingers into his mouth with careful precision. If anyone were to see they’d most likely faint at the mere lewdness of it. Frozen in time, your body refuses to move as he laps the blood off your skin, staring at you through hooded eyes that make you want to scream.

You’ve never been in this kind of position before. Sure, you’ve experienced many kinds of intimacy, both sexual and not, but somehow this feels different. Forbidden, in a sense. As if sharing this moment is not only wrong but also against some sort of ethical code. 

At first, you wonder if it’s because blood isn’t necessarily something that’s given. Always taken. In battle, it’s ripped from your skin through the means of injury. Punctured or sliced out of you at the hands of a sword. No bond goes along with it. No mutual agreement that any life will remain once the deed is over. 

But then you begin to think of Astarion. The elven vampire now infected with the Illithid. Like you, he’s been changed. Subtly shifted into something new. Overall, your transformation isn’t nearly as different as his. Before the infection, you could still enjoy the pleasantries of being human, but still, there’s this connection that draws you towards him. It makes its presence known within the tadpole. Throughout the movements that echo in your minds as Astarion cleans the last of the blood away, looking at you with soft eyes.

“I consider this a gift, you know,” he says, dropping your hand, and moving away to stand without so much as a thought. 

You blink back your confusion, trying your best to focus on the genuine-looking smile that appears as he takes a few steps backwards, never breaking eye contact until he telepathically adds I won’t forget it then stalks away. 

[brekkie-e]

Idk who needs to hear this, but I keep seeing "reload every time Astarion disapproves" memes and felt the need to do a PSA.

Stop.

You don't need to. If you want to be a goody two shoes and help everyone ever and still get the guy, you can. Most of his approval/disapproval stuff counts for like 1 point.

There's really only a couple of major decisions that give the MAJORITY of his approval. And chances are, if you're romancing him youre going to be doing those naturally.

Im sitting pretty at exceptional and have been for two acts. My character argues with him constantly and annoys the hell out of him by helping people left and right.

All jokes aside, you can check your specific approval score by flipping over to the far right tab of the character screen. Your rating will be in () and you can see just how much youre gaining by torturing that bird and decide if it's worth it in the long run XD.

Rivals to lovers with him is so rewarding, don't fear the disapproval. Unless of course you're going villian/villian and in that case hats off to you.

[lucrezianoin]

Interesting approval/disapprovals from Astarion (act 2)

Act 1 is here, and act 3 I will post soon!

ARAJ OBLODRA + CONFESSION

At the meeting with Araj you can immediately see which option is Astarion's favorite, the one where you remark that he is his own person:

Araj Oblodra: I assume he belongs to you?devnote Player: Excuse me? He's his own person.['Astarion 5', 'Karlach 1', 'Wyll 1'] Player: We travel together - that's all. Player: He does what I tell him, if that's what you mean.['Astarion -3'] Player: Yes. All mine (this is the romance version)

Also forcing him to drink the potion doesn't always give disapproval (ex. Player: A potion that powerful could change our fates. Isn't that worth a bad taste in your, has no disapproval), only the option that actually mocks his discomfort gives a -3 of disapproval (so lower than the 5 you get by respecting his choice).

Interestingly, even if the option "A potion that powerful could be useful" has no disapproval and Astarion replies something along the lines of "that makes sense" - the game (and Astarion) will still see it as you forcing him. It is clear that the imbalance is there, and Astarion is allowing Tav to have this control over him, and Tav is pushing his boundaries and his clear "no".

ORTHON

While talking about asking Raphael of the scars, I found it surprising that telling him "Your funeral, why not" gives the same amount of points as agreeing to want to see how this play out:

Astarion clearly does not care if the consequences are on him, he needs support - quest support, practical support.

MADELINE

This is the one thing I really cannot fully understand. If you asks Madeline to stabs herself (punishment for accidentally selling her friends), Astarion will approve (2 points), especially if you never say stop and Madeline keeps stabbing herself. This could be both his needs to see harsh punishment (confirmed by his comment during the trial for the dragon in act 3)... or maybe his desire to see He Who Was stabbing himself? Or just blood? I noticed that some of Astarion approvals seem to be directly correlated to blood.

But both forgiving Madeline and calling her a coward who doesn't deserve forgiveness will give you -1 from Astarion. I have no idea why. Saying Madeline is forgiven might be annoying for him given that he does enjoy to feel power over others.

But telling her that she does not deserve forgiveness? Is it because the punishment is TOO harsh? Not harsh enough? He wanted violence?

I could not find any other interesting approval in act 2, let me know if there is a specific scene that should have some interesting stuff and I missed.

For act 3, I think I will do a separate post for ascended Astarion (if there is anything interesting).

[imagineitdearies]

not a Perfect Slaughter question but Astarion one. you remember that scene in goblin camp where a Loviatar priest and PC can do an impromptu bdsm session? Astarion's reaction always confused me. he seems to be strangely into it for a person who experienced a lot of non consensual sex with physical violence sprinkled on top. like yes, he could be faking it (it's act 1 after all) but he gives a lot of approval points for it.

is it just a case of him being his usual gremlin self? or is he more amenable to the show now when he isn't the one on the receiving end of a whip? also at this point in a game i doubt he cares too much for PC (reminds me abt his remark "i don't like seeing you hurt" or smth along the line).

and more generally, what do you think is his stance on pain play and d/s stuff in the bedroom? anyway would like to hear your musings on this, ciao <3

Hey anon!

I'm no Astarion expert compared to some in this fandom, but this is a scene I've thought a lot about the implications of myself so I'll offer my two (very long-winded) cents. I'd love to hear others' thoughts as well!

I agree that Astarion's big approvals should be isolated to the context of when in the game he's giving them. Based on his smaller approval points in Act I, when Astarion starts out this journey he seems to like watching people get treated how he once was. Just a few really early examples:

Tav* making Lae'zel say please (Astarion begging Cazador)

Tav making Zorru bow (Astarion having to bow in Cazador's presence)

Tav prodding Nettie's injured bird till it dies (Godey flashbacks)

Tav telling Mayrina's brothers they won't help (no one ever helping Astarion)

Tav terrorizing Lorin/entertaining his delusions (☹)

So we could argue Astarion is just leaning into this sadistic trauma response in the Loviatar scene as well. He finds satisfaction, however temporary, in seeing others endure what he once had to, and reassuring himself that he's on the winning/powerful/in control side this time. AKA not the weak pathetic person he feels like he was before. The self-loathing is subtle, but not far under the surface.

Considering he often disapproves of Tav being self-sacrificing and weak in other instances, however (usually when it's on behalf of others), why does he highly approve in this certain instance of Tav submitting to pain and injury for seemingly no good reason?

I think the timing of this scene in Act I makes a big difference, considering it's deep in the goblin camp where the party is usually at least a couple levels into their adventure. So in that case, Tav is the established leader, Astarion's vampiric nature is revealed, and they've survived quite a few encounters together already. Some trust has been built. Astarion is more assured of Tav's strength, competency, and willingness to keep him in the group....but that assurance of Tav's strength could be crossing over to feeling unsafe again.

There's plenty of other chaotic, less-sadistic things that he likes (BAAAA!), but almost** all of his big +5 or +10 approvals come from Tav agreeing to something that makes Astarion feel safe and/or powerful. So perhaps Astarion wants Tav to say yes to the Loviatar pain ritual because he views it as a show of strength. He might feel safer knowing that his leader can not only handle pain, but is so entirely unafraid as to welcome it even in the midst of a dangerous goblin camp--something Astarion's 'weak' past self never would have done (cue the self-loathing again).

Based on how eager he sounds when encouraging Tav, though ("don't you dare say no!"), I like to think that he's playing it off as sexual but in reality wants to assure himself he's not with another Cazador. While Astarion is likely to follow Tav regardless, I think he's more interested in being intimate with Tav--if he hasn't already--after seeing that Tav is okay with not always being in charge and assertive, in control. I think, especially at the start, Astarion craves control after not having it for so long, and this kinky display tells him Tav wouldn't mind him taking over for a little while.

Which, at last, gets us to your question about Astarion's views on "pain play and d/s stuff in the bedroom." I think it's telling that Astarion has a +5 approval during the first sex scene if Tav rolls over and lets him bite, and no matter which final romance scene you end up with in Act III, he's depicted as the top. If he ascends, he quickly jumps into what I'd call a permanent d/s dynamic with spawn!Tav where's he's the one in control, made all the more evident with the new kissing animations for patch 6. Plenty of implications to be had, about his preferences.

Now (and these are entirely my headcanons/opinions from here on out), Astarion just isn't in a place for what I'd consider actual healthy d/s dynamics in the bedroom during or immediately after the game timeline, as his mindset is too rooted in fear, self-loathing, and desperate grabs for control. It's been days, weeks at most since he was tortured and controlled on the regular--a lot of this stuff could be triggers and provoke flashbacks, or at the least reinforce the idea in his head that sex is a tool of manipulation and control. Truly safe, sane and consensual d/s acts just don't seem on the table--he goes through a period of not wanting sex at all, much less intimacy where so much trust is required.

But post-game, with enough time? I could see spawn!Astarion*** eventually enjoying some light bdsm in either role, maybe pain play beyond bites if he was the one giving, not receiving the pain. Which all could be a healing experience for him, with trust and aftercare involved. He wouldn't make it on my list of 'top three kinkiest companions' though 😂

Anyways, this is all very much my personal opinion!! Astarion is a fascinating character with so much nuance, there's endless ways to interpret him. And maybe he was just feeling extra chaotic and kinky that day 🤷‍♀️ "Ah, drink it in - that sweet, sweet chaos. Not that I approve of goblins, of course - filthy little beasts - but I do like a good den of debauchery."

Thanks for the question anon. If nothing else, I hope these ramblings entertained! 💙

*Tav represents Tav, Dark Urge, and origin characters in this post

**The one exception that I can think of is the +5 approval for letting him interrupt during the bugbear/ogre scene. Chaos gremlin indeed.

***Ascended!Astarion's characterization and lore is just a bit too inconsistent and vague (in my opinion, of course) for me to analyze a future for. Press (x) to doubt that he can eventually practice safe, healthy bdsm on the side with spawn!Tav while he does his evil stuff and tries to take over the world, but maybe??? Lol he doesn't make sense to me.

[atsadi-shenanigans]

Feeding Alligators 44 - Dance With the Devil in the Pale Moonlight

Rated changed to E (just in case). Potential trigger warnings on the chapter in AO3. The sadness arc is here.

On AO3.

***

You find some stuff. You leave. Gale blows down the roof. You rejoin the others and wander out of the stink cloud of rot and set up camp. Gale makes food. You eat it mechanically.

Notice Astarion watching you.

Try to focus on the conversation but you can’t. Everyone is talking and their faces move and their limbs gesture. It’s like watching wooden puppets dancing around to an alien performance. Their words make no sense. Their expressions make no sense. You sit there and float on a cloud and do not taste your food.

The sun sinks into the treetops. Dread rises cold and leaden in you.

You can say no. Should say no. You can do it in front of all the others in case it turns out you’re wrong and he doesn’t take it well.

But.

You’ve dated before. Just the once. Ryan Meadows. Nice dude, one of Sasha’s friends. Never raised a voice or a hand against you. Said he wanted to take things slow. A real history buff and he was teaching you to cook more than boiled eggs.

Until he wanted to take it further. And you said no. Because the secular world said you could (no heavenly father or The Pastor to disapprove of you not satisfying a husband, no congregation to hold you responsible for failing your wifely duties). And Ryan had accepted that. He’d been gracious. He’d been kind. He’d smiled at you and hugged you (you hadn’t got to kissing, yet) and told you you never had to force yourself.

Then he ghosted you.

And you realized the secular world was just as much a piece of shit liar as your mother’s. You could, indeed, say no. And the world and the people in it would hold up a mirror so you could see exactly what you were worth if you didn’t open your legs.

Which was nothing.

No call, no text. He even ghosted Sasha (and she’d raged on your behalf for days, which…she meant well. But in all honestly it made you feel worse, taking up her time and attention like that).

You could and did build you some worth on your brains and your learned typing and filing skills. You got your apartment and a credit score. But you saw it in their eyes when you refused coworkers and strangers alike. How you got passed over, left out. How you’d started catching murmurs (never to your face, that would be rude). Ice queen and frigid, nun and sad and what’s her deal, is she gay—shh!

You can say no. And lose every single chance at friendship. If you refuse Astarion, he will drop you quicker than a sack of rotten potatoes, and the others will catch on. Broken goods. Legs padlocked shut. And once they realize you don’t want to fuck any of them, either? Once that option is closed and you make a bad call, ever?

You cannot survive on your own, here. You can’t.

Astarion glances to you again. You’re pretty sure those are what they call bedroom eyes—the half-lidded thing. Shadowheart catches him doing it and it looks like she stepped on a slug with her bare feet.

It’s fine. It’ll be fine. A bit of exercise, once and done, and this time tomorrow, you’ll have had sex, oh goodie.

But what if he wants to again.

Gale looks at you. Frowns, actually. “Are you alright?”

You sit against a tree in the clearing. Your plate is empty (you have no idea what he cooked). You hold a slice of bread in your hand. What remains of one, anyway; you done squeezed it into a hardened ball of dough.

You can’t breathe.

“It’s been a day,” you say and smile. You make sure to keep the edges of your mouth soft, keep your lips from being too rigid. “I think I’m gonna wash up. Thank you for dinner; it was delicious.”

“My pleasure,” Gale says, and he ain’t as good as you at making his smile look genuine.

Karlach ducks to whisper something to Lae’zel. Who gives you a cool once-over. The giant tiefling looks back at you, eyes sparkling. She looks so happy for you.

You force yourself to give her a thumbs up. You feel Astarion’s stare on the back of your neck as you turn and head down to the river.

It’s just sex. A bit of touching, he’ll probably use fingers at first, if he’s courteous. All you have to do is not scream or flinch. Don’t lie there like a doll. Maybe touch him back (oh god) and participate or something.

Maybe you can make it bad? A bad lay is still more valuable than an ice queen.

You take a sharp breath. Flap your hands to try to dissipate the tingles.

It’s just sex. You’ll be fine. It’ll probably feel nice and there’s no need whatsoever to get so worked up about it, stop being stupid.

Your head gets that memo, reads it over, and nods. Your body launches itself into a tantrum you cannot control.

You undress. Try not to feel so exposed as the wind brushes your breasts and between your legs. There will be hands there, soon.

It is literally just sex. It’s fine. You’re fine. This is nerves, is what it is. You said yes. It’s still happening on your terms, even if you didn’t initiate it. Astarion is, well…he’s not actually a good man, is he? He’s an outright bastard. But he’s funny? And there’s something about him you recognize, some connection you can’t name. He’s seen you at your worst, and he’s fine with it.

He jokes about it.

And he wants you. At least for this, at least for right now (lamed gazelle, the most vulnerable prey and what is a vampire if not a predator—)

But that just means you’re going into this eyes wide open. You know he’s not like, marriage material or anything, and he doesn’t see you as such either. You ain’t even sure he’s capable of that kind of attachment (he might be?? You just do not know). He wants sex, just sex, and you can handle that and it’ll secure him to the group and better secure you to the group. That’s what European marriages were: a political alliance forged through genital contact.

A snort breaks free. And it’s the first pebble in a whole ass landslide. You end up crouching in the river, butt-naked, laughing your ass off.

Honestly, you’re probably about to have a better first time than a lot of people—especially the ones with vaginas. Might as well enjoy what you can. You can even make it a funny story, later. “Oh, my first? Got railed by a vampire bareback out in the woods.”

It’s already hilarious.

You get to washing. Well, washing as best you can without soap. Or a razor; you don’t normally shave your legs (wasn’t a thing, growing up) and you never had the time or the spoons for the armpits. Plus, you weren’t looking to impress nobody.

You splash between your legs. If somebody is gonna be all up in there, it only seems polite.

And somebody is gonna be all up in there. Jesus lord, there’s going to be a cock inside you—

The flush is part fluster and part nerves. That’s what you tell yourself. It’s normal. This is normal. You’re lucky, really.

Really.

Absolutely.

Your hands still shake as you pull your trousers on for the walk back to your tent. You got the one clean pair; you’ll change into those.

The rest is on AO3 just in case, and also because it's long.

Previous - Index - Next Chapter

[eff-plays]

Companion!Hiraeth

Still can't believe somebody asked for this, but here it is! What Hiraeth would be like as a companion in the game. I haven't actually 100% finished the game, so it might be a bit bare, plus I have a bunch of stuff in their story that might not be canon compliant with Forgotten Realms lore. But who cares, this is all just for fun anyway!

Questions taken from this ask game by @/paarthursass

Under a cut in case I want to change things later and because I don't wanna clog y'all's dashes. Spoilers ahoy!

General

Where can your Tav be recruited? Are they first encountered on the Nautiloid, or in the Nautiloid crash region? Or are they not recruitable until a later act?

Hiraeth would be recruited at the grove, where the tieflings are, below the platform that Wyll is on and close to Zorru, sitting on a nearby crate and jamming. If you speak to Zorru first with Lae’zel in your party, they will intervene and attempt to diffuse the situation, asking your Tav to go easy on him. They will disapprove (not visible) if you let Lae’zel force him to bow. After the conflict is resolved, they will tell you about ending up here after crash-landing. They’ve spent a little while entertaining the tieflings around here, particularly playing songs for the kids. Like Gale, they will mention ceremorphosis by name, though if you’ve already recruited Gale, you have the option to tell them you already know what it is, which will impress them.

Do the other companions have special comments or reactions upon recruiting your Tav?

Shadowheart: "You want a bard to join us? I suppose there are worse things." Gale: "Ah, most excellent! Perhaps my delicious meals will be accompanied by music in the foreseeable future!" Lae’zel: "Leave them. Song and flattery does not win battles." Hiraeth: "Not with that attitude." Astarion: "You know, a bard is only a step above a clown. But I suppose they can stay, if they’re quiet." Hiraeth: "Not much use for a quiet bard, is there?" Karlach: "Yes! Another tiefling! This just keeps getting better and better!" Hiraeth: "Couldn’t agree more!" Wyll: "And thus another joins the battle. What ballads will they sing of us, I wonder?"

Does your Tav have any comments or advice when you recruit other companions?

About Astarion: "You’re kinder than I am. Let’s hope it doesn’t bite you where it shouldn’t." About Gale: "He seems a sensible sort of fellow. A wizard is like a cleverer but less attractive bard." About Wyll: "The Blade of Frontiers, in the flesh. I’ve heard the tales. Crowd pleasers, but rarely show stoppers. No offense." Karlach: "I have never felt more positive about someone on fire. Let’s cool things down and see what we can offer each other, hmm?"

What sort of general actions raise or lower their approval?

In general, Hiraeth will approve of helpful and selfless actions, but will also be impressed by manipulation and finesse. They are inherently curious, and will approve of you asking questions or using specific knowledge to solve problems. They will particularly approve of actions exclusive to class or background that show your knowledge or expertise. They also enjoy forming temporary alliances with enemies only to stab them in the back. They don’t like cruelty against someone helpless, but won’t disapprove of vengeance or targeted/calculated violence. They disapprove of incuriosity, so if you often immediately start combat with NPCs without talking to them first, even evil/potentially hostile ones, they will disapprove. They are also distrustful, so deciding to trust or rely on others, particularly people in positions of power, will often net disapproval. They are also unwilling to ingest more tadpoles, and will disapprove if you force them to do so.

Are there any instances where your Tav can permanently leave the party, depending on player character actions?

Hiraeth is an expert in talking people down, and thus can occasionally be talked down or convinced into things they don’t like, as well. They will need to be talked into staying if you decide to kill the tieflings, just like Gale, but they will leave the party if you kill the Nightsong.

Do they have any secrets that can be revealed? What are the prerequisites for this secret coming to light?

Once approval is high enough, they will tell you about their family. A warlock player will have the option to make a history check, with advantage if they are a Fiend warlock. If not, Wyll or Karlach will chime in and explain that their family worships Mephistopheles like a god and breeds warlocks and sorcerers like prized dogs, and those that don’t make the cut are culled to strengthen the rest of the bloodline. That Hiraeth is here means they were deemed weak enough to kill but managed to escape. Hiraeth informs you that they may be hunted, but that it’s usually “one or two guys” who are easy to handle, and that you shouldn’t worry too much.

Do they have their own personal quest that spans the course of the game? Can it take different branching paths depending on the choices the Player Character makes?

If you have high enough approval post-family reveal, it will trigger a cutscene at camp where a purple tiefling in ominous-looking robes visits Hiraeth and demands that they hunt down and kill their sister, who’s defected from the family and apparently goes by Sweetness now. If asked about it later, they reveal the man was one of their great uncles. It seems that one of their remaining siblings has also defected, though it is curious that they’d ask Hiraeth to kill her instead of killing both of them.

The player can help Hiraeth track down their sister, and after meeting with her, they aren’t sure what to do and ask for some time to think on it. Later, a devil shows up at camp and introduces himself as the Scribe of Mephistopheles, and the one who handles most of the family’s dealings with the archdevil. He reveals to Hiraeth that their family has become a minor annoyance to Mephisto, and that he’s offering Hiraeth all their collective power if they wipe out every single one of them, starting with their own parents and siblings. Of course, that would also mean Hiraeth’s soul will eventually belong to Mephistopheles, but in return, they will become possibly the most powerful warlock in the history of Faerûn, and finally get revenge on their family. The player can then decide to encourage Hiraeth to kill their sister and begin their revenge quest, or stay their hand and cut ties with them forever, to possibly remain hunted by them for the rest of their life.

Depending on player choice, they will either ask you to help them start hunting down their siblings (and refusing nets disapproval, as you put them on this path and are now shirking responsibility), while encouraging them to break free means you might get randomly attacked by their family and the family's hirelings (though only in Act 3).

The vengeance path makes Hiraeth sharper and less patient, and they start letting their distaste for the player and the party become more and more clear, as though everyone is somewhat beneath them. In a romance, they will imply that they’ll leave the player eventually. If they break free, however, they remain chipper and friendly, though admit they are rather tired of playing the all-loving bard and being on the run.

What do they say when the Player Character asks them to stay in camp? How about when the Player Character asks them to come adventuring again?

PC: "The curtain must fall. Stay behind at camp." Hiraeth: "Did I put too much pep in your step? I can tone it down, or tune it up?" PC: "No. I’ll let you know when I need you again." Hiraeth: "Darn. Back to busking for breadcrumbs."

PC: "I need you with me, if you please." Hiraeth: "Yes, finally! And so the tale continues!"

Does your Tav have any escalating conflicts with one of the other companions, like Lae’zel and Shadowheart’s knife-fight?

Aside from having a harmless poetry-related beef with Astarion that’s limited to one cutscene, no. In the conflict, you can choose to side with one or the other (the one you didn’t side with disapproves), or neither. If you say they're both right they both disapprove, a successful Intimidation check to say they're both idiots gets you approval.

Are there any unique NPCs associated with your Tav that can show up during the course of the game?

Hiraeth’s great uncle makes a short appearance, as well as a couple siblings that don’t get cutscenes but are enemies. Their sister, Sweetness, a pink bardbarian, shows up, as well as Ramses, Scribe of Mephistopheles and Raphael’s younger but more competent brother.

Are there any moments in the game that trigger unique dialogue for your character? (Like Gale’s anecdote about the barfight after you save the goblin prisoner)

When doing the drinking contest with Thisobald Thorm, you can ask Hiraeth to step in for the story sections, or ask them for help (which gives you advantage on your Performance checks). Meeting the Orlith twins in Act 3 with them in the party also triggers special dialogue where Hiraeth reveals they have played at Sharess’ Caress (instruments … wooden instruments … MUSIC instruments), and it always increases tips for the workers there. The twins have not yet managed to convince Hiraeth to sleep with them, but they are adamant. It’s a playful and friendly interaction.

Story Specific

How does your Tav advise the player character when it comes to the Dream Visitor?

“They want you to trust them with an alarming, simpering desperation. That’s always a bad sign. Things that pretty and perfect exist only in fairy tales, to tempt the hero away from their goal.”

How do they advise the player character on Raphael?

“Heh. I know him. Well, I know of him. I wouldn’t be too worried, honestly, but I wouldn’t trust him, either. From what I hear, his incompetence is more dangerous than his ambitions.”

How do they react to Astarion biting the Player Character?

“It’s your choice, dear, but I wouldn’t let him anywhere near my neck. Elves that pretty are never to be trusted. And the vampirism is quite worrisome too, I suppose.”

How do they react to the Player Character letting Abdirak whip them?

If you do the whole thing: “Each to their own, sweetheart. I won’t be tending your wounds, though. I’m not big on messy aftercare.”

If you chicken out: “See? This is why I prefer to do the hurting.”

How do they react to the Player Character taking their first tadpole power?

“You’ve succumbed to the lure of power! Congratulations. Will you balance tip-toed on the edge of corruption, or will you be yet another villain in someone else’s tale? I will watch you with great interest, love. There is a story here, itching to be told.”

Will they stay with the Player Character regardless of siding with the goblins or the tieflings, or is it possible for them to leave the party permanently?

They will need to be convinced to stay if you side with the goblins, but it locks you out of having a romance with them, regardless.

What can they be found doing at the tiefling/goblin party?

They will be jamming with Alfira at the tiefling party, or off to the side bothering Withers with questions about death at the goblin party.

Do they have comments on who the Player Character chooses to spend the night with?

About Shadowheart: "I hear you and our resident cleric have decided to take some time for yourselves. I can’t blame you, you know. She has lovely eyes. Full of irresistible, artful sadness." About Lae’zel: "So, you and Lae’zel? Let me know if you need any, uh, patching up tomorrow. I’ll be discreet, I promise." About Astarion: "You’ve picked the vampire to spend the night with? He is beautiful, sure, but he does have the pallor of a boiled chicken breast. *Laughs* Maybe your escapades will put some color back into him." About Wyll: "I’ve been eyeing him, you know. Wyll. He’s the type you want to corrupt. Help him discover new things about himself. I hope it’s biting." About Gale: "I don’t mean to alarm you, but if Gale says ‘this is where the magic happens’ I’m gonna need you to get up and leave, alright? It’ll either be uncomfortably weird, or dreadfully boring." About Karlach: "I wish I could help you. With Karlach, I mean. I have some interesting salves, but I don’t think any of them would do the trick."

Do they have unique dialogue if the Player Character lets them die when they steal the Blood of Lathander?

“You. Absolute. JACKASS.” -10 disapproval and the player receives psychic damage from Vicious Mockery. They are half offended that you killed them, half that you didn’t even bother trying to solve the puzzle to get it the legitimate way.

How do they react if the PC licks the dead spider in the Gauntlet of Shar?

“I also love to lick dubious meat. Do it again!” You get approval.

What do they say if the PC tries to force them to go up on stage with Dribbles the Clown?

They approve and saunter up, gesturing as if trying to calm down the tepid crowd. In fact, they will volunteer to get up, and will disapprove if you don’t let them. You can override the disapproval by forcing someone else up, however.

Is it possible for your Tav to be kidnapped and replaced by Orin? How is Orin's deception revealed? How do they react to the PC rescuing them in the Temple of Bhaal?

They would not be kidnapped by Orin.

How do they react to the PC either allowing Astarion to ascend or convincing him to spare the 7000 spawn?

They seem genuinely heartbroken if he ascends, saying what a waste 7000 and one souls the whole ordeal was. If the player succeeds an Insight check or uses Detect Thoughts, they realize Hiraeth is potentially planning to kill Astarion. If called out, they will deflect. If encouraged, they also deflect, but say bitterly that they wish you’d come to your senses sooner. If Astarion does not ascend, they mention that they’re proud of him, and that they have offered to join him on his hunt for a cure/to lead the spawn in the Underdark, but that he has yet to give them an answer/he said he has someone to do that with already (romanced player).

How does Tav react to the PC becoming a mind flayer? Can they offer to become one themselves? Does their reaction change if they’re romanced?

Hiraeth respects your choice, but refuses to become one themselves. If romanced, they stay with the player, and make references to being excited about weird tentacle sex.

How do they react when the Dark Urge first reveals their amnesia and murderous thoughts to them?

They are largely nonplussed, and begin trying to figure out ways to sever the connection or lessen Bhaal’s influence on them immediately.

How do they react to the Dark Urge killing Alfira?

They are horrified, and wonder bitterly/sadly if you have something against tiefling bards in particular.

If romanced, how do they react to the Dark Urge trying to kill them in Act 2?

They are sympathetic, and try to soothe them as they struggle by singing.

Romance

Is your Tav a romanceable character? Are there any specific requirements to romancing them?

Medium approval is required to initiate, but high approval is required to make it official.

Does your Tav need to be flirted with to start the romance, or will they approach the PC themselves if approval is high enough?

They will not approach the PC, and will turn down the PC when they first ask, though they will note the PC’s interest and it’ll still register as starting the romance.

Are they a polyamorous or a monogamous option?

Romancing them along with someone else locks you out of their solo ending and many of their more personal romance conversations. Essentially, they are down to be friends with benefits while you romance someone else, but will require monogamy if you want to become serious.

Do they have a special romance scene at the tiefling/goblin party?

Siding with the goblins locks you out of starting a romance with them. At the tiefling party, they will serenade you, and you can help them write their song about you. Later, they thank you sincerely for helping their people, saying that this world makes cruelty easy, while kindness is an uphill battle. If you say that what you did is not a kindness and that you’re sad about killing goblins, or argue that goblins are people just as tieflings, you will get approval.

Does the romance have different branching paths, or just one route to take?

You can either romance them as a FWB, or enter a monogamous relationship with them. An FWB relationship is the same as a platonic relationship, but their nicknames for you change slightly and you are able to kiss/have sex with them when asked. If monogamous, they will open up more about their past traumas, and initiate intimacy on their own accord.

How do they react to the player character breaking up with them, or choosing another character over them?

If FWB: “Oh, sure! No hard feelings! Someone else will come along who wants me to warm their bed in no time, so don’t you worry about little old me!”

If choosing someone else in romance: “Hmm. Suppose I should’ve seen that coming, eh? Go on, then. I hope she/he gives you what I couldn’t.”

If breaking up in romance: “Will you give me the courtesy of a reason? Or am I to stew in my own inadequacies?”

What questions can Zethino ask the PC about Tav in the Love Test?

What is their favorite instrument? “The violin.” + 1 “Their voice.” “That forked tongue.” - 5 “Their clever words.” + 2

What is their greatest dream? “To be loved.” + 1 “To be needed.” + 2 “To be desired.” - 3 “To be famous.”

Where do they belong? “Nowhere.” -5 “Wherever they please.” -1 “In a tavern, singing songs.” “In my arms.” +1 “In the world.” +3

Do they have a reaction to the PC engaging in a relationship with Halsin?

If FWB: “Oh, you want to spice it up, do you? Not enough meat on me to satisfy your appetites? I get it. I’ll cry myself to sleep tonight, thinking deeply of what you two might be up to.” (sounding mock offended but isn’t bothered at all)

If in romance and approached for permission: “If you want a bigger lover, I can just use Polymorph and throw you around just as well as he could. But if you want him for him? Then you and I are through. I will not play second fiddle to anyone again.”

How do they react if the PC has sex with Mizora? The Emperor? Haarlep?

If FWB:

Mizora: They disapprove, because it hurts Wyll and Karlach. They also stop sleeping with you, essentially breaking up with you.

The Emperor: They are neutral on this, and almost impressed. They will ask about it, and refusing to tell them the details nets disapproval.

Harleep: They’re baffled, but won’t disapprove, saying they understand the lure but are too clever themselves to go for it. Good luck, though!

If in romance: They disapprove (-20) and break up with you on the spot.

Will they join in with the PC and the Drow Twins, or no?

If FWB: No, they will not. Your pleasure is not worth losing the (playful) beef they have with the Drow Twins. They will approve if you have sex with them yourself, though.

If in a romance: Yes, they will, but you will need to pass a Persuasion check, and they will disassociate like Astarion does.

What are Tav’s plans for the future? Do they propose to the PC, or is marriage not something they’re interested in?

They do not propose to the PC, but the PC can propose to them, and they will accept if in a romance. However, they outright say they’re not in a hurry to actually hold any ceremony, and they don’t want to settle down yet, so you will either travel the world adventuring, or you will have to let them travel the world on their own and keep it long-distance. If FWB, they will laugh and turn you down, saying you’ve both had your fun but are ready to move on. Warlock!Hiraeth will also demand that you help them hunt down their family members, and break up with you if you don’t agree.

Free space! Share anything from your Companion!Tav au!

Their idle animation has them look over their shoulders before relaxing and striking a confident pose, hands on hips.

If neither Free!Hiraeth nor Spawn!Astarion are romanced by Act 3, they can start flirting with each other in party banter.

Astarion: You know, I have considered taking up an instrument lately. Any suggestions? Hiraeth: You should choose whichever instrument you think sounds loveliest, Astarion. You must play for yourself as well as for others. Astarion: Hmm. Perhaps a lyre? I have nimble fingers. Hiraeth: Oh, I imagine you do.

Hiraeth: Have you decided which instrument you wish to learn, Astarion? Astarion: *dramatic sigh* No, there are too many to choose from. What I need is a good teacher, rather than a good instrument. Hiraeth: Interesting! An instructor-based approach to learning. Then it’s best to choose someone with a wide set of skills. Astarion: How right you are! (beat) Say, are you any good with the flute? Hiraeth: *softly yet coquettishly* It’s one of my favorite instruments.

Their default subclass is College of Lore, their default instrument is the violin, and their starting weapon is a rapier.

Their starting armor is called "Hiraeth's Pricey Eyesore" and the description reads: "A mix of disparate parts of different clothes and armors, all of curiously high quality. The set oozes eclectic charm."

Their casual clothes are "Hiraeth's Seduction Helpers" and are described as: "A fun, breezy set of clothes that walk the line between flirty and quirky. Looks too expensive and tailored to be accidental."

Their underwear is called "Hiraeth's Huggers" and the description states: "An inviting set of slinky purple underwear, enchanted to smell strongly of lavender."

[loquaciousquark]

10, 11, 12, 27 for Tavish Gale 😁

10. What would your Tav consider to be their greatest skill? Is this accurate?

Answered here, so I'll do #9 instead!

9. What was your Tav doing when they were taken by the mind flayers?

She was being taken in by the Fists for petty theft. It's not her first time in jail - she knows some of the guards quite well at this point - but she'd been caught pickpocketing a patriar's son and he was coming along yelling about her moral turpitude. It was all extremely mortifying, and she was honestly glad of the escape. That said, she did feel a twinge of guilt discovering they were all parasited and dead after the crash.

11. What would your Tav consider to be their greatest flaw? Is this accurate?

She would say her greed. Others would probably also say her greed, but not in the same way; she sees it as a flaw because her profound desire to have things causes her to make poor decisions that endanger the party and get her thrown in jail. The companions would say it's her greed because she doesn't understand she'll never have enough Stuff to make that desire go away. I think Astarion in particular recognizes that insatiable hunger and sees where it might lead if she doesn't get control of it, and he (somewhat circuitously and very resentfully) helps her learn to let some of that go.

12. What opinion does your Tav have about the Gods?

Oh, you. <3 For Tavish the gods are like a leather wrapping full of thieves' tools; from your array of prepared materials you pick the right tool for the job. Whether that's sneaking, swinging a sword, or just swearing really satisfactorily, she always keeps a god or two on hand for a quick prayer. She's tacitly religious in the way that anyone living in a world with manifest deities is, but she doesn't ever think she's important enough to gain their real attention. She does feel closest to Tymora (luck, skill, adventuring) and Lliira (joy, freedom), though she drops a coin or two in Waukeen's temples whenever she passes.

27. How does your Tav feel about giving and receiving orders?

Oh my gosh, she's bad at both. Especially at the start of the game, when she hardly has an opinion of her own on anything not directly about to kill her, much less the willingness to enforce that opinion on others; and at the same time, she's awful at obedience and kicks back mulishly for the sake of it, even if the other person's right.

She gets a lot better at that throughout the game, in part because Astarion is so similarly recalcitrant. (See: disapproving of freeing the pixie on principle, then immediately exclaiming with excitement over getting to see a real one in the flesh.) It's exhausting and genuinely frustrating to deal with, and again, she so admires Wyll and Karlach and wants to impress them, so she takes a hard look at why she's being so difficult and makes a real effort to come around. Giving orders does come easier in battle, in part because of practice, though she's never really comfortable helping her friends make major life decisions (Shadowheart's parents, Astarion's ascension, Wyll's pact).

That said, she happily bullies Gale into casting Fog Cloud for her thievery every single time.

[ryttu3k]

Astarion, Wyll, and Shart for the chara meme? :3c

[send me a character]

Under the cut! Spoilers for all three of their arcs.

Astarion

First impression: …tragically, it was "oh hey, he's the dude that fucked a bear." That was where I first learned of BG3. It was… memorable.

Impression now: My baby. What a shitbag. Needs a hug and possibly a slap upside the head. Meet me in the pit, Cazador. Blorbo of the year.

Favourite moment: Discovering the dungeons in Cazador's palace. Dude's going through the first four stages of grief all at the same time and Neil Newbon sells it. …That, or, "W~ell, apPARently there's a limit. Somewhere between a ~nice summer's day~ and the fuLL CONCENTRATED POWER OF THE SUN! *deep breath* [Astarion disapproves]"

Idea for a story: I have a whole list of the fuckers, but one I've been tentatively noodling at is an AU where a god does, in fact, answer him. Namely, Lathander. By the time he meets the rest of the Tadfools, he's been a Cleric of Lathander for about a century, and, yes, is also a vampire spawn. It's okay he and Lathander have an understanding.

Unpopular opinion: He was a Sun Elf. I know they're rare I know he's almost certainly a Moon Elf based on his hair colour and living in Baldur's Gate but I will die on this hill that he was a freckled, gold-eyed Sun Elf for the tragedy, okay. Ties in with the above story idea, too. He just loves the sun 😭

Favourite relationship: I have five OTPs for this jerk. Five.

Favourite headcanon: He's going to discover a talent for creativity and crafting. Embroidery and making perfumes and fragrances, yes, but also he's going to get quite into sketching, origami, all sorts of stuff. Post-game, he'd totally have a craft room.

Wyll

First impression: Designated hero, probably would be the main character without a Tav/Durge.

Impression now: Designated hero, probably would be the main character without a Tav/Durge, complete with all the complexity and fucked-up-ness (positive) that implies <3 He's still very much A Hero but he's definitely more complicated than just A Hero.

Favourite moment: Meeting Karlach face to face and realising Mizora has deceived him. He knows he's going to have to defy her and he's goddamn terrified but he barely even hesitates to do the right thing and keep Karlach safe.

Idea for a story: Ooh man I have one bobbing around about Wyll seeing Astarion's scars and realising he recognises them. Inspiration for wanting to save people, versus the helplessness of being all of sixteen years old at the time.

Unpopular opinion: Honestly I still go back and forward between reconciling with his father. On the one hand, I like seeing them move on and heal. On the other hand, he was seventeen years old Ulder you absolute fuck.

Favourite relationship: With Karlach. Probably due to design since their stories are interwoven, but I love how they just go from like… him being dedicated to killing her, to being so ride or die for each other that Wyll is willing to go to the Hells for her - and that Karlach is willing to go back somewhere she's said she'd rather die to return to, solely because Wyll promises he'll be there with her 🥺

Favourite headcanon: While chatting idly to Volo in the Elfsong, he learns Volo has that prosthetic eye handy. After breaking the pact with Mizora, Wyll approaches Volo and asks if… maybe he could have it, and replaces the stone Sending Stone eye with the Ersatz Eye instead. It's a hell of a relief.

Shadowheart

First impression: The Mean Girl tbh

Impression now: She is baby. Let her grow night orchids and feed pocket mice.

Favourite moment: Reunion with her parents ;_; I goddamn cried. Let her make her own choice and she let them go; when I do a Shadowheart Origin run she's going to choose them to survive and will get so many hugs.

Idea for a story: Got a silly little slice of life thing about getting frustrated at her hair getting tangled so easily in the wilderness, and Halsin teaching her some herblore for hair care. Alternatively, swimming lessons!

Unpopular opinion: Not sure if it's unpopular, but I find her the most unlikeable character in act 1 and a lot of act 2. I know a lot of it is her upbringing, and there are moments of sweetness (like with the night orchid), but otherwise she just kind of annoys me.

Favourite relationship: With Lae'zel. They instantly and immediately clash. They're also extremely similar, in that they both grew up in cult-like surrounds led by dangerous figures, and have to learn to find their own paths after breaking away from those surrounds in absolutely heart-wrenching circumstances. I think once they realise that, they'll start to develop a ridiculously close bond.

Favourite headcanon: She tended to avoid the full moon just because of its association with Selune. The first time she intentionally sits and communes with the moon at night, it'll trigger her first transformation going Full Werewolf and she will be quite surprised.

[rielzero]

4. What sort of general actions raise or lower their approval?

7. What can they be found doing at the tiefling/goblin party?

Might update this with drawings later, since you didn't ask a specific character, I'll assume you're asking Locke this.

For number 4,

Lower approval: Offering free help and declining rewards, negative remarks towards the tiefling children or other urchin characters, throwing alcohol at him, insulting him or other characters for their shortcomings or flaws, taking actions that result in getting companions and allies hurt, picking deception dialogue options towards him or the companions.

Raise approval: Asking for rewards, bullying bigots, goal-oriented dialogue, being a bit of an underdog, being a jerk to npcs you're not allied/friendly with, doing urchin inspiration esque actions. Sarcasm and funny dialogue options towards enemies. Intimidating others (Not companions), Deceiving unallied npcs.

I can't exactly give better examples beyond pointing out things you can do in the game...

Straight up being a good perfect saint, offering help and declining rewards: Yeah he does not like that. While things like selling out Shadowheart or Aylin in act 3 will give you massive disapproval.

Doing stuff like.. Watching Sazza die, kicking the druegar off the ship, he has a lot of similar approval to Astarion with the exception that he doesn't like seeing the tiefling children get hurt, or that he'll approve of you helping the beggar outside of the counting house. Insulting rich people in act 3 would also give you approval lol. Killing npcs that have abused companions or allies gives approval.

For number 7,

Depending on the situations played out before the party (tiefling) He's either sitting near the lake, drawing and avoiding the party, or he's sitting near the camp fire with another companion, just relaxing and trying to enjoy a drink. (Which when talked to, he voices he struggles to taste anything, but he doesn't feel comfortable drinking very strong alcohol.) Trying to approach Sulky Locke will leave him not very responsive, he'll quietly ask you to leave him with his thoughts, which is oddly out of character for him. (He's hyper-vigilant otherwise.) As for goblin party, he's very annoyed and keeping to himself but won't voice his opinion much. If pressed, he'll tell you that he feels guilty for finding the dead tiefling children (they're killed in their cave if you side with the goblins) but he copes by claiming this is for the party's survival, and the goblins were probably the easiest route. Then he'll space out of the conversation.

[mumms-the-word]

As requested my durge boy Amnon. Purple asmodeus tiefling, oath of devotion paladin. He hasn't started a romance yet and the options are all so tempting to me. He's trans and the memory loss seems to only be affecting the last 20 or so years of his life. He's in his forties. Remembers being a kid, running away, taking his oath. He doesn't remember that his oath was broken ages ago and many times over. Or exactly what happened to his parents, all he can remember about that night is blood and fear and rage. So far he's a very helpful nice guy. He wants to help people and stomp out evil and suffering. He's gonna have a breakdown when we hit act 3

Perfect we love a paladin

Dani is happy to have another tiefling around, even a buttoned-up (but also slightly unhinged??) paladin type. As long as he doesn't chide her for doing dubious things like picking rich people's pockets, they'd probably get along. She gets along with everyone, really. If he's stuck on who to flirt with or romance, she would be the one to go to. To flirt with, yes, but also to ask advice. She'd love sitting down with him and playing matchmaker, but all in good fun. Dani's recommendation? Astarion if he's into sharing/trading trauma experiences, Karlach if he wants a healing relationship and a good time, or Shadowheart because cleric + paladin sounds like a pairing from the most romantic of ballads. I wonder if Amnon would remind Shadowheart of Nocturne? Who knows. Dani would tell him to follow his heart and ignore her recommendations if they don't vibe with him.

Ardynn would like him a lot...as long as he can keep control of his urges for the most part. The minute she sees him kick a squirrel, though, she's avoiding him for DAYS. She would be so upset. But she would be sympathetic to his memory loss and want to help. Ardynn will also have a breakdown when they get to act 3, but only because the city is hella overwhelming. They can break down together!!

Freyr would have mixed feelings about Amnon. On the one hand, dark thoughts paladin type. On the other, Amnon seems like the type to resist the dark thoughts, while Freyr is more of an embracer of dark thoughts. And Freyr already has a paladin he'd trust with his life and her name is Minthara and she is the coolest. If Freyr is the lead Durge in the party, he'd probably ignore Amnon until Amnon's better nature leads him to leave the party or until Amnon caves to pressure and becomes dark like everyone else. It's nothing personal. Freyr just doesn't have time for do-gooders. He's got a world to conquer with/for his wifey, Minthy. If Freyr is the companion, he'd just sullenly cross his arms and silently disapprove every time Amnon made a good decision.

Invi and Amnon would get along great. His integrity as a paladin of devotion despite his dark thoughts would impress her. She doesn't have as good a handle on her dark thoughts, so I think the two of them would get pretty close, since they both understand how hard it is to resist. He certainly remembers more than she does. In truth, she'd probably befriend him faster than she befriended any of the other companions in camp. They'd have lots of long discussions about the dark urge stuff, everything they can't say to their fellow companions because they'd look at them weird.

Thanks for the second ask! I hope Amnon has fun! Playing a Durge is such a wild time for anyone who hasn't played it yet.

[tav-marcio-leles]

17, 23, 25

17: How good of a liar is your Tav? How do they feel about lying?

He’s alright at lying, but he doesn’t like doing it. He will outright lie to protect those he cares for.

Most of the time, he will play dumb (within reason) as to avoid hurting someone mostly when the whole camp was trying to confess their love to him, and he didn’t want to be mean

23: What are 2-3 songs that your Tav would relate to?

Kill V. Maim - Grimes

Welcome to Your Life - GROUPLOVE

Eet - Regina Spektor

Lucky - Lucky Twice

(You get 4, because I couldn’t decide between Eet and Lucky)

25: How does your Tav feel about what others think of them?

Really the only thing Marcio prioritizes when it comes to the opinions of others is if they feel safe approaching him or not. As a Cleric of Ilmater, his whole deal is helping lift burdens. If someone doesn’t feel safe enough to ask him for help, he’ll give them their space, but he’ll continue to do his best to help them feel safe (within reason).

For closer relationships though, his feelings are a bit more specific~

Karlach: His best friend! His childhood friend! He cares deeply about what Karlach thinks of him. If she ever disapproves of something he does, he feels puppy getting told “bad dog”.

Gale: He knows Gale adores and cherishes Marcio for all his strengths and his flaws. But Marcio also knows that Gale gets way too excited about ideas he has, and he wishes Gale literally thought more about him (have him in mind) while coming up with said ideas. It’s all good though. Marcio understands how Gale’s brain works, and Gale has always asked Marcio his thoughts before doing anything. He knows Gale has him in mind, just at different parts of his thought process compared to his own.

Astarion: He knows Astarion is a little piss baby who judges people for getting involved in stuff to do the right thing. He wishes Astarion felt safer around him and the party, but he knows with time, he’ll open up. He just has to keep a safe distance while showing him the party can be a safe space. He’s almost there <3

Lae’zel: He loves Lae’zel, but he knows she respects him the most when he’s just doing his thing. He doesn’t need to worry about how she feels 90% of the time (for lack of a better way to word that).

Wyll: He loves Wyll! Wyll is really sweet. Good man in every sense! If anything were to happen to Marcio, Wyll would be put in charge. He cares greatly about how Wyll feels about him, because he looks up to Wyll.

Halsin: Kind of the same care he feels towards Wyll and Karlach, but in the sense that Halsin is so wholesome that if he got upset at Marcio, he would feel like a kicked dog. He’s not super close to Halsin, but he thinks he’s pretty and values his presence.

Shadowheart: When she was with the party, they were not close. She was unwilling to work with the group, so he gave her space—respected her boundaries.

Jaheira: This is the one person Marcio will actively butt heads with in the group. He respects her experience and feels sympathy for her, but half of the things she says, his reaction is just, “What are you talking about? Did you really just say that??? Out loud? With your whole chest?”

Minthara: Dead. Bye. Didn’t even know she could be a companion until after I killed her.

Minsc: Haven’t met him yet.

[limpfisted]

wyll and romance! (spoilers for: wylls romance! its VERY cute. i recommend spoiling urself for it tho unless u plan a whole wyll specific playthru bc there r. very few scenes lol. like less than 30 minutes total.)

so i did not get this on my playthrough bc i felt weird to try to “persuade” wyll to kiss astarion on that save, but the fact that if u do, the next day he has a specific exclusive dialogue where this grown ass man says “my cheeks feel warm. am i blushing? i must be blushing.” with like the giddiness of the debutante ballerina he is, tells me that.

wyll loves when other people make the moves on him n are the “initiator.” he also doesn’t disapprove when ur slightly mean/overtly rude or call him a devil in his romance scenes, which means that, he has a good sense of humor, he likes em mean, or soft, as long as they’re giving him attention n he gets to see them smile and feel joy around him.

i feel that wyll has spent the great majority of his life alone exploring the world. some days mizora was his sole company, n only then thru his seeing eye, n thats not company he cares to keep despite his great yearning for the power she gives him. his experience romancing mostly comes from his teenage years—and while he has stoked his fires at a tavern or two or with a grateful survivor of misfortune, there’s a lot of time spent alone, thinking, playing pretend in his head, fantasizing. not always about romance, mind u—he’s not THAT much of a schoolgirl, n there were powers to master and training to be done even on his own. but under the stars—sometimes he dreamed of the ballrooms, even tho he danced alone.

i think he imagined a great love like the player character would come along. i imagine a part of him wished to be saved, and loved, despite or because of mizora. he’s not used to tender care, used to playing the charming hero, never being protected himself

when he is expressly sought after he gets embarrassed and extra romantic. he swoons when seduced. he can dish it out—see: his banter with SH and lae—but he can barely take “being taken care of”—especially when it’s so genuine, and he’s hurting so deeply, n his passions are stoked by a devil’s cinders…. n by a disgust with himself that only feels fixed, really, when they let him know his body and presence still make them feel “safe.” that he’s not an abomination or a monster—they’re still interested, they still care, he’s worth loving, or maybe, in wyll’s eyes, still turning their gaze upon, a summer setting sun.

he appreciates you so, so much. but also it’s a sistraction from the way his body n mind have changed. one he welcomes. one he craves, but can look upon with wonder instead of guilt. u save him from himself and his wallowing. u let him be a simple, ordinary fairy tale, even tho a devil cannot be a prince. that’s all he wants. maybe some u know, forbidden tomes n noble delights n excess as well, but mostly just a fairy tale. he promises!!!

in addition, and this is random, but i think wyll would be so good to be in a relationship with if u have mental illness. he doesn’t understand some things—like gale’s sacrifice—but he is so kind to dark urge. he knows you are not your intrusive thoughts, u just need help, and u can fight or overcome any feelings or thoughts that would harm u, n he thinks ur so brave for it, n he trusts u completely, like he hopes u trust him. hes no stranger to depression n self loathing n a lust for darkness after all, wyll sold his soul for the stuff, even if it was for all the right reasons tho i maintain the details r sketchy as hell.

if this all seems overly poetic its bc im practicing wyll’s voice here, a mini sample of what shipping would be like, LOL.

and this is with only two romantic scenes. then sixty hours later he proposes marriage with a magic acorn so full of love u can feel its magic warmth beneath the shell. i would love to see romances with player characters (companions included if they are “the player character) where we flesh that shit out! lmao

[heylinhenchman]

BACK INTO THE BALDY GATE w @oflostinfound

Oh it gets a little lengthy now cause we hit plot points and my brain is feeling wordy. Last weeks game.

We last left off at the goblin camp and of course Jurge had to make business with the locals before they got down to the dirty business. Not that trading with the Zhentarim or chats with Abidirak are any less dirty than goblin slaying.

Got Lovitars Blessing. Nearly lost it... as you will come to hear--

Lae'zel and Jurge having a little fling. Jurge considers it more friends-with-benefits than anything else, even if it's a step above what Lae'zel would call it (just satisfying her needs). She is his fighter levels trainer after all, he gets that kinda stuff just stirs that sort of emotion at times. And, hoo, she can lead and he can follow no problem. (anybody who can't gauge exactly what they're up to when they leave camp, get's an excuse of 'extra training').

While doing camp business, Eath ran off and looted the place, much to Jurges surprised & approval. He then also assisted in the looting of the smokebarrel room, giving Eath MAD LEAPS (increased jump distance). Only after knocking out Priestess Gut of course, who Jurge then, also killed while knocked out and Eath wasn't looking. Because that's what they came there to DO is all...

Checked the back room, convinced the guard to let him do as he pleased for a time, discovered some routes, but decided to come back.... later--

Jurges blows up goblin children saving Halsin (and relishes it). And aye Halsins not mad we killed the druids,,, good to know. Minthara was a cinch, though the camp was aggro'd in the lack of consideration for the War Drums (oops). But Eath had a pLAN for Ragzlin.... Which, didn't work out but like, Jurge admires the eFFORT.

A battle atop the rafters was like nothin I've ever played before, I'd never seen Ragzlin also get up there. There was grease, oil, explosions, but rare be it anyone was flung below! Lae'zel rally spams Shadowheart, Shadowheart tanks blows, Jurge uses the lack of attention to assist Eaf in attackin--

Eventually we got em all. Oh but THEN---

Outside it was time for: THE BOYS. THE OGRES. At LAST. Time to USE THEM. But-- Jurge rushed outside and Eaf did not follow. Splitting the party, a cardinal sin. And IT PAID THE BLOOD PRICE. Nearly the whole team wiped, and when Eaf uses Withers to bring us back ah--- loviatars grace is gone. THIS CANNOT STAND. I likey my evil goddess buff.

Reloads. First of the Game.

This time Eath has a sense about stopping Jurge before he runs out. They should camp first, truly. Then ambush the camp from another angle. Lae'zel may whinge, but Jurge is down for a plan if it means he's not going to get As Hurt. This time they attack from the front of the camp, taking secret routes yet unknown to me. THIS TIME, Jack manages to be flanked by The Boys and the camp takedown goes much smoother.

For some reason the bald human true soul guy is just... running back and forth. Jurge thinks he must'a had too much to drink. Jurge is, incredibly disappointed one of The Boys died in battle, but not All-- for they charge him a steep penny to keep them on his side. Hopefully their next summon will end a bit more gruesomely...

Surprise Surprise: Halsin, still isn't mad about the druid slaying? We still get to have a party? Feels bitter sweet. Jurge isn't complaining though. Not like a certain vampire baby.

Made Astarion beg for Jurges 'fun' company before turning him down & got a dual approve-disapprove from Astarion. Fascinating.

Now with the goblin path cleared and Jurge continually looked toward as someone who will violently pull party reigns in a certain direction--- Lae'zel is giving him some serious side eye for saying he wants to take a trip into the underdark. After for so long being on her side about getting to the creche asap.

But Jurge says he can manage the underdark, and they've got double the missions for the detour: One to find some sussr blossoms; two to find this short cut to moonrise. Though he has some of his own priorities thrown in under the table: Finding some noblestalk and maybe the Zhentarim again (if it takes another overground detour though, he'll need better excuses for Lae'zel or... he'll just hang out with Astarion for a bit).

Down they descended into the Underdark from the Goblins Camp, into a powered up Selune Temple. Letting a Minotaur fry itself on the bars (Jurge: mmmmm jerky...), was surprised to learn via Eath once more that: You can STOP THE TRAP? I didn't know that. So much safer than just running through. Of course they did not leave the temple that night, nay, for that's end of the round. Camping in the temple for a quick rest.

IC Round 3 Goals: Find Sussr Blossoms; Find Noblestalk; Find Zhentarim; Hang out with Astarion; Resist Any Other Side Quests besides the ones HeeEEEe Wanted to go on (selfish) unless he's gonna profit; Avoid Lae'zels DisApproval; MaKE MORE SPEED POTIONS OOC Round 3 Goals: OH DEF FIND THE MYCONIDS. Start collecting boxes (they make good pathway blockage in the underdark). Grymforge DIRECTIONS at lEAST. Maybe the Icy Staff. Maybe. I was originally like 'dual wielding is just infinitely based' but now im like 'but yeah Jurge is a pole arm kinda guy, quarter staffs or halberds cmon--' Respec Jack so he is Fighter First & Wizard Second (cause multiclassing only counts secondary classes subclass features not the class features iSNT THAT WILD I want jack to hav armor)

[concrete-beach-party]

BG3 playthrough: where we finally reach act 2

We did it! We reached act 2! I fell a bit behind writing my summaries, so this post is like ... 2 or 3 sessions at once. And I probably forgot important stuff, but who cares, this is mainly for myself.

To start: I knew that "the battle in Last Light Inn" would be the most important thing to happen in this game, but I didn't expect to get smacked in the face by it

Anyways, Isobel is fine (after a reload because we were absolutely unprepared for that).

Jaheira, could you please NOT try to spike my drink? Please.

His Majesty!! Hiss, I say, hiss. I did fuck up his interaction though, so no approval from Astarion :(

My butler visited me again, wanting me to kill ... riiiight, Isobel. How about NO, fucker. (Astarion approves of not killing her, for whatever reason)

Helped a tiefling child beat Raphal in fantasy chess - again, Astarion approves.

Astarion suddenly asked Raphael for help with his scars? Not sure what he's hoping for. If he needs someone who can read Infernal, why can't we just ask Karlach? Still trying to be supportive here though.

The weird ox is ... uh .. a lot like my Durge. That's interesting. His secret is safe with me, I guess? Astarion approves. Guy likes keeping secrets (as do I, I guess).

In another episode of camp drama, Lae'zel wanted to battle my partner's wizard because that's the official gith mating ritual. Yeah, wake me up in the middle of the fucking night, I'd try to fight you too, Lae'zel.

My partner just got themselves a cute gith girlfriend!!

Shadowheart was sad, but oddly supportive of their choice. Welp.

Speaking of "companions waking you in the middle of the fucking night to confess their feelings": Wyll suddenly came to me. I danced with him. Suddenly there's the option to kiss him, I turned my head away and OH MY GOD HE LOOKED SO SAD I'M SO SO SORRY WYLL

Literally like ":("

I will romance you in another playthrough, Wyll

Number of companions who shot me down: 2 (Astarion and Gale)

Number of companions I shot down: 2 (Gale and Wyll)

I guess we're even now?

a creepy tiefling child wanted to play, but I did not get approval from Astarion, but I should have?

Storywise not a lot happened

We did ambush the convoy, sorry Kar'niss (I think that's his name)

the pixie is an asshole and I should have reloaded because she's rude and Astarion disapproves of freeing her anyways

Rescue tieflings (again!!)

find Thaniel (because otherwise Halsin will not come with you)

at least Halsin now has his own tent ...

stumbled upon Arabella, who is now proficient in wild magic and looking for her parents

she's in camp now.

Shadowheart thinks she's so blessed by Shar!! Oh girl, you're in for a rude awakening.

Astarion doesn't want to talk a lot right now. I know that makes sense from a story perspective in act 2, but I hope he'll talk to me once I get his approval up a bit.

(Astarion, I shot down 2 guys for you, please talk to me)

He's got "siblings" though and he's kind of ... worried about them? He was hard to read in that scene, but I think it's some form of worry.

Harpers seemed to torture people, not nice. Still side-eyeing that spiked drink from Jaheira.

Tiefling Sorcerer (oder Wizard?) is very angry with me, because his two friends are missing. IIRC, your plan was to fuck off without the rest of the tieflings, do you really think that your friends wouldn't have been kidnapped if you went alone?

Who's this dude with the white raven? Why does he want to avenge random dead people? He doesn't seem very ... trustworthy.

Sharrans! Sharrans everywhere. And masonry, for some reason.

I intend to boost Astarion's approval today, let's hope it'll work. I heard drinking games are good for that.