#Anyway. Now I am a Warlock main...

[blackwaxidol]

Let it be known I did NOT make Valin with love when I was creating a Warlock for myself. I'd made it to the Farm twice with two other attempted Warlocks but the vibes were off, so I decided to try a new beast entirely and made a Valin. He was originally going to have black hair and patternations but I found it too boring...

The red was garish and I wasn't too sure I liked what I had made but I decided to commit to that horrible beast and he has since grown on me like a fungus.

[midnightwind]

I did the Well of Sorrows and then went to bed, but I am Still thinking about it and getting mad lmao

why the Fuck does Solas disapprove of a Dalish Inquisitor telling Morrigan no, that it's their heritage and history and if anyone is going to drink from it then it should be an elf

why did I only get one option that pointed that out and why did I pick it on accident (thank god I picked it at all) instead of it being a very clear and consistent shut down

why couldn't I properly discuss sending the Ancient elves out to the many Dalish clans desperately clinging to Elvehn history who would benefit so much from what they could share instead of stripping them of their only purpose to either enter the forever sleep or wander purposeless? if I hadn't taken Solas with me, would there have even been a chance to encourage them that there was still a place for them in the world?

why did I have to spend that entire section having Morrigan explain and translate every piece of Elvehn history and myth to me before going "not my clan tho!" like the one time my Inquisitor could have her properly defend and use her origin and I still had to have everything explained to me like a child lmao

Morrigan very justified for being annoyed at me for taking the magic I had no way to understand tho, she did have a valid point there, However

I am elf, elf magic is mine

[bitethedevil]

Am i delulu or does raphael admire tav/durge? I know its him performing, but as gale says "inviting to dine with devil is devils equivilant of serenade and roses" and first scene where we meet him he does eye tav/durge througly from bottom to top. Also he says "im fan of your work" to durge. So idk?? It lowey feels like raphael is fond of us in game but i need proof/ professional analysis. [Ahem you are the professional mouse afterall heehee~]

He Loves Us, He Loves Us Not: What is Raphael’s Relationship with Tav/Durge?

*Puts on my little mouse glasses* I’m glad you asked. I’m summing up a few points that I have also written about in another analysis called ‘Raphael and weaponized mortality’, so if that sounds interesting, you can find it in my reading list.

Everything about Raphael screams wolf in sheep’s clothing (or a cambion in man’s clothing if you will). Here are a few points illustrating this:

Cambions naturally have a really predatory kind of stench to them because they are entirely carnivorous. Yet, he is described as a perfumed trickster who smells of cherries and sulphur, most likely because he is trying to cover up that smell.

Poetry, an art that is very dependent on nasty mortal concepts such as ‘feelings’, is something we know he uses a lot. He’s not really good at it and he even says it’s not his ‘main interest’ to Karlach in the second act. His theatrical nature and use of poetry humanizes him, and I think he is well-aware of this.

When you call him out as a devil in front of Mol, he says something about how she wouldn’t believe them anyway, ‘not with his angelic complexion’. We also know that Gortash’s parents sold him to a ‘warlock’ and that’s how he ended up with Raphael. I’ve seen multiple places that that warlock is supposed to be Raphael himself.

Now this all makes me believe that he usually does not reveal his true nature to his clients unless: 1) they’ve already signed, or 2) they are so utterly fucked that they have already reached the point of no return with him and are forced to take his deal no matter what.

Yet, he reveals his true nature to us from the get-go. Yes, one could argue that the tadpole-gang does fulfill option 2) according to him and that’s why he does it, but I think it could also be something else. I think he knows from early on that we are his best bet, so he chooses to lay out all his cards on the table and tries to build as much trust as he can from the beginning.

This is also the function of helping us with Astarion’s scars. Dealing with a devil when you’ve never dealt with one before? Scary. Dealing with a devil when he has proven once before to keep his word? Much less scary. He’s ‘grooming’ us for trusting him to keep his word with THE deal (and he gets to fuck over Daddy Meph by potentially robbing him of a lot of souls. Win-win.)

I think Gale is right on the money when he says that it’s ‘a devil’s equivalent to serenades and roses’. Raphael is like a bird or something. He’s showing off, charming us, but also reminding us that he is big and scary. Although despite the fact that he is big and scary ‘he simply wants to help us’.

He’s done his research and already knows everything about us, so he knows exactly how to play us. This is demonstrated in the comment to Durge in the beginning and the thing he says in Last Light if you tell him he knows nothing about you: “Don’t I indeed?.

I really think that we turn into an obsession for him at some point and that the lines between the obsession about the Crown and his obsession about us blurs. This seems definitely to be the case in his journals. I mean the poor guy has nightmares about us…

I also am so sure that he is not even trying to trick us into anything with the Orphic Hammer. He truly does believe that the Emperor is a threat to us. See this:

I DO think he admires us or at the very least is heavily rooting for us. I don’t remember the exact quotes, but Korrilla tells us in Sharess’s that her and Raphael made a bet about if we would make it to the Gate, and Raphael won that bet because we had. He really believes in our merry little band of idiots.

His reaction if we betray him is also very telling I feel like. Notice how his eyes widen for a moment before they narrow and say the ‘You’ line. He seems surprised. In that whole sequence he is obviously pissed, but most of all I also just get the feeling of a man that has been humiliated and who is angry that he had put so much time, work, and trust into us.

He says that ‘he is fond of us, in his way’ and that I completely believe. It might not be out of love or affection or anything like that, but he is as fond of us as a cambion can be of someone. We’ve grown on him, and he sees potential and use in us. We fascinate him and I’d even go as far to say that he respects us. I feel like even if you give him the Crown of Karsus and he gets to rule the Hells, he will not forget the people who brought him there. He would not flaunt the fact that he had mortals help him get the Crown, but I think that when he goes on his spree to fuck up the realms outside the Hells, Tav and gang would at the very least be spared or even given privileges in that new world order. Is that a bit fucked up? Yeah…But we have to remember what he is: a devil.

(Thank you so much for the ask <3 That became a long answer. I love to yap lol)

[onelastskip]

reject canon, embrace delusion, the keyframes cast WILL PLAY D&D AND THEY WILL LIKE IT!!! (jokes, all love, so much love, I dearly love them and am happy with my headcanons blank house please don't hate me)

edit: i painted over some stuff the original is below still

context:

some rambly thoughts about keyframes and dnd below the cut:

you mean to tell me, Mr Percy Tozaki, lover of story based videogames, would not like DND??? Blasphemous.

Anyway between their individual lives and Deja's SGB duties, they don't have much time for DND, BUT WHEN THEY DO!!! it is so very lovely, oh I have so many thoughts on this,,,

Deja,,, my shining star,,, she would love dnd combat,,, I just know she's scouring the book and pulling off crazy combos and minmaxxing and subclassing and everything,,, can't even narrow her down to a class coz she'd be too good at all of them

AND PERCY!!! I hc him as playing a warlock coz personally I find them to have the,,, not the easiest,,, but like,,, when you run a campaign with a warlock you're basically required to weave their patron and their story into the main story,,, like in my opinion... so yeah they're the class for actually writing and playing out lore,,, plus they're just really fun to roleplay as,,, percy charisma spellcaster realness,,,

Jamie!!! We already know he likes mystery and convoluted magic systems and just all that stuff, he would have so much fun in dnd where the homebrew potential is endless??? IDK I just love ttrpgs so much a good GM can like just give enough stuff away to engage the players who are interested in learning about the world and still keep stuff hidden and and being able to improvise and oh my god I just love the genre so much,,, anyway I think he'd play a wizard or some other type of spellcaster

Cam!!! I just know they would have so much fun designing a character and maybe even,,, roleplaying??? perhaps,,, they do have a flare for the dramatic y'know? (the anime foam pit fight),,, idk just some thoughts,,, plus cosplay!! I could see them loving that,,,

Elio,,, oh my boy elio,,, now,, perhaps at first glance there isn't as much of a hook for him,, but y'know what I think he would simply enjoy being able to hang out with his friends and maybe his competitiveness would have him building his character in cool and unexpected ways idk,,,

now I do think perhaps there would be a bit of strife between the minmax combat group and the lore story group but this isn't real life so Chi can be an expert GM who's good at managing that stuff,,, okay? everyone's happy :)

Ahhh and I would've drawn Reynah but even in my delusions I know there's no universe where she has time to join a long running dnd campaign,,, it's the sad sad truth,,,

[teecupangel]

Been holding a thought on my brain for too long abt putting Desmond in Situations: have you watched Dimension 20's The Unsleeping City? At least s1. Bc 1) watch it, it's so good & 2) I specifically in this situation think abt Bad Weather being the normal version of the bar in Broadway that Kingston & Misty go to. Pre-canon Desmond seeing past the Umbral Arcana & getting involved in magic shenanigans..... Yeah.

You know his latent Eagle Vision is peeling out & seeing the magic shit happening in New York City. You KNOWWWWW. Please tell me one of your followers has been thinking this too.

I have good news for you, nonny, because I have just started watching Dimension 20 this year but I am a slow watcher so I’ve only gotten as far as the first 3 episodes of Unsleeping City season 2 (atm, I think my fav D20 moment is with the Bad Kids’ “Spring Break, I believe in you!” XD). I’m one of those few people who’s pathway to D&D and TTRPG is Oxventure→No Rolls Barred/Chaotic Neutral→Mystery Quest so I am absolutely late to the party XD

Anyway, for this one, we need to do a bit of housekeeping.

I’m basing this on the title of the opening theme New York 2006 because I think that’s the year Season 1 was set (feel free to correct me though)

This means that Desmond would be 19 at that point and we can push it that he’s already working in Bad Weather.

Now, I like the idea that Bad Weather is the normal version of the bar that Kingston and Misty goes to but, may I suggest an alternative?

An earlier possible way to add Desmond to all these shenanigans is to make Bad Weather one of the bars Sofia and Kugrash go to for their ‘hairy baby free drinks scam’.

Towards the end, maybe the last bar they go to, Desmond walks up to Sofia and requested that they leave because the big rat pet she had would make other customers uncomfortable.

Sofia and Kugrash are already drunk at this moment but they hear Desmond call Kugrash a rat and are like “you can see him???”.

Kugrash immediately remembers Desmond as one of the homeless kids he helped when Desmond first moved into the city and had clocked him as ‘strange’ because there was something about him that felt... not exactly magical but almost magical-adjacent.

This ends with Sofia and Kugrash inviting Desmond to their new party as a recruit (with Sofia thinking both (1) this boy needs someone in his life to take care of him and now I’m trying not to cry because my cheating (as far as she knows) husband and I never had kids and (2) maybe he and Pete can get along as newbies with me)

And that is how our Intrepid Heroes managed to recruit an Assassin Rogue who may or may not multiclass to Gloom Stalker in a different playstyle to Liam Wilhelmina.

.

Unorganized Notes:

This is a Desmond who doesn’t know about his destiny or his ancestors but his training on the Farm is so ingrained into him that it makes him a Rogue.

Because of his lack of knowledge, we can argue that he could turn into a Thief Rogue instead of Assassin in this one because he had never assassinated anyone before.

In terms of playstyle, he’d actually be more a close combat attacker that uses some kind of switchknife with sneak attack being part of 'bonus action: hide -> main action: sneak attack')

Another suggestion I have is for Desmond to subclass as Phantom, more because of ‘Whisper of the Dead’ where every short or long rest, he can gain one skill or tool proficiency and the flavor text describes it as one of the ghostly presence shares its knowledge to the user. Desmond has no idea what this means because this is pre-canon but this is actually his ancestors managing to create a link to him in some form thanks to the Umbral Arcana mixing with his ‘destiny’.

If you want Desmond to be given the illusion of choice and not be a Rogue, we can make him a Warlock ‘worshiping’ an unknown Fathomless. In this setup, they don’t know who Desmond’s patron is and Desmond himself just shrugs because he can do magic so that’s nice. Part of his deal is that he receives messages from his patron in the form of texts on his phone. They all come from an unknown number he can’t call and the texts are always like ‘The Scholar is pleased with your desire to learn about the history of this place’ or ‘The Prophet is worried of your health and asks that you requests your companions for a rest’ or ‘The Hunter suggests you still find a weapon even if you are using magic’ and this is some weird shit even for Kingston because it seems like Desmond has multiple patrons or maybe even an entire pantheon of unknown gods/beings.

Abstergo is going to be so fucked in this one because, by the time they try to kidnap Desmond, he’d probably be around level 10~12 and maybe even living with Pete in his apartment.

And yes. Desmond absolutely knows Ricky as Mister March as well XD

[dilly-dahlia]

I am absolutely loving all the lore for your rewrite so far, I am absolutely eating this up! But I just had to ask:

What about Dante?

You've done analysis on how you are rewriting Laurance and Garroth, that's 2/3 of the main guards. But I haven't seen anything about Dante (or most other characters for that matter but I'm speaking PD guards here (also I have a current Dante hyperfixation so the boyo is corrupting my brain))

If you don't have anything right now then that's fine, I was just curious about our beloved blue haired guard

listen. first of all shhh about the fact that i haven’t analyzed/rewritten a lot of characters because let me tell you. originally i had a hierarchy of the order i was gonna do these characters in and it looked something like this

and then it started getting confusing when I got to Gene and Sasha so I did in fact give up with the hierarchy and started freeballing. but that’s irrelevant ANYWAYS-

DANTE ACCARDI!! that’s the last name I gave them. i don’t have a lot for him yet tbh :( but here’s what I have so far!!

so he’s like, seven years younger than Gene (his mom had Gene young, and soon after having Gene his father died in this timeline so Dante is only Gene’s half-brother). and when Dante was younger (I mean like 4/5 young) he and Gene were super duper close. like Gene loved that kid with all his heart and actually ended up wanting to become a guard to protect the little guy

and another reason Gene wanted to protect Dante initially is because most of the population in Borobos is a magicks user or witch or warlock or mage or something divine. everyone has some form of something and a very very small percentage don’t. Dante is part of that small percentage, and because of that he got bullied A LOT. Gene would help by erasing/changing Dante’s memory of it, but obviously when he went to the guard academy he couldn’t do that

not to say that Dante’s parents were neglectful but uh… they did focus a little more on Gene because not only did he actually possess magic but he was a brilliant fighter (like he was head guard of Borobos after graduating the academy in no time). I feel like there’s a specific phrase or word for kids in Dante’s position but the only thing coming to mind is glass child but I know that’s not it anyways

so because Dante was sort of like unintentionally pushed to the side and bullied, he spent a lot of time by himself once Gene had gone off to the guard academy (in my rewrite children typically go just before they turn 13 and stay until they graduate at 18/19. they will come home maybe once a year. there are a few cases in which teenagers (14/15) are accepted, and their graduation is based on how they do) and to sort of occupy his time and distract from the loneliness, Dante poured his entire self into school and reading and became very book smart in an attempt to garner his parents attention

(side note but his parents are the married couple that should have been divorced.)

at some point Dante started learning a couple tricks to stun anyone that tried to jump him, so he was always covered in bruises. and when Gene came back, Dante had that extra layer of protection again. Dante was like 10 when his brother came back

I’ve kept the backstory regarding their falling out mostly the same from what I remember (I haven’t reached that part in my rewatch quite yet), but I did change a couple things

so let’s talk about Gene for a second. Gene is very headstrong and passionate and very one track mind. like once he gets an idea in his head, he does whatever it takes to get what he wants. (he’s also like, misogynistic but that has nothing to do with the incident with girl he fell in love with, noooo (sarcastic)) so like at first it was protecting his little brother, and then he put his heart and soul into the guard academy and becoming head guard of Borobos, which happened when he was about to turn 20 (he IS the youngest head guard in recorded history). so when he came back, Gene put his entire heart and soul into dedicating himself to his village, and Dante looked up to that, and decided he wanted to become a guard as well

now, remember when I said Gene does whatever it takes to get what he wants? so basically when he falls in love with the lord’s daughter, he starts telling Dante all about it. like she could literally just pass by them in the plaza and Gene goes

“That’s my future wife. Perfect as always. Irene, she’ll be the perfect mother and wife, don’t you think, Dante?”

and like Dante’s always been weirded out by these comments because like… it’s weird to him, especially with the possessive tone Gene takes on when talking about her. think like Gaston from Beauty and the Beast

and like two years go by, Dante is 12 and about to enroll into the guard academy, and then it all goes to shit

so I haven’t really touched the stuff where Gene went to change the girl’s memory and i don’t really plan to? because I kind of want Dante to like idolize his brother and then Gene goes and does that and Dante’s world comes like crashing down

but anyways Gene dies :) Dante is devastated for a little bit because Gene was actually like, one of the only people that ever really paid attention to him so now Dante feels like he’s ALONE alone, but it’s okay. because Dante’s going to go to the guard academy soon and then he’ll be a fantastic guard like his brother right?

WRONG! basically what happens is Gene comes back. same shit happens. Gene erases and changes everyone’s memory of Dante, and Dante is forced to run off to his uncle. he spends longer in the woods than he intended because he forgot the way there, and he finds himself in a different village where he catches a ride in a caravan to his uncle’s village (when he’s older, Dante realizes how lucky he was to have come across good people)

and remember how he was about to go to the guard academy? yeah, he doesn’t end up going. he’s so distraught over everything he goes into a dark pit of depression for a while, and it isn’t until he has a nightmare about Gene that he decides to enroll again

Dante is a very rare case for the guard academy. he started attending when he was almost sixteen years old and graduated on the Jury List only three years later just before he turned nineteen. initially, the academy was very hesitant to accept him because he was older than most new students, but also because he had no record of a life before he was thirteen. so they wondered if this kid just appeared out of thin air? what’s his deal?

but they decided to take him in. Dante already knew a couple combat techniques because Gene had taught him, and that definitely helped boost him higher in the program. not only that, but Dante also just had incredible intelligence for the written exams and passed nearly all of them with a perfect score. he was a quick learner and able to easily and quickly adapt to the changes around him, and soon enough Dante was the quickest graduate the academy had ever seen

(another side note, but Dante always had the ability to be stronger than Laurance and Garroth before the 15 year skip, the only thing holding him back was inexperience. when he shows up in my rewrite, Dante is 20 whereas Garroth is almost 29 and Laurance is 28, so they both have nearly a decade of experience over him. not to mention they both actually followed the normal schedule for guard academy graduates)

that’s all I have for his backstory right now. i’m also still coming up with his hairstyles throughout the series (hair symbolism is a very big part of my rewrite in letting the reader know where the characters are at mentally) but I do have a couple just stray headcanons and things i’m changing so here they are:

Dante develops a fear of passing time after Aphmau and them disappear into the Irene dimension. he’s scared that he’ll die before knowing what happened to Aphmau, who he came to consider a sister, and everyone else that went with her. he stayed in Phoenix Drop all those years but it was a very big debate with himself about whether or not he should leave just so he can let go. and after Aphmau comes back, Dante still has a fear of time and hates being late to anything—he’s always early

he and Nicole actually did get married. the two made a short trip to Meteli and got married under Cadenza’s ministry (many lords, head guards, and second in commands hold the power to officiate marriage, especially if the village is small). they were only married for a short time, though, before Nicole received notice of her father’s death. it was after she found out that she had to go back to Scaleswind to inherit the city, but Dante just couldn’t go. the two never officially divorced, but they don’t consider themselves to be married after Nicole leaves

okay thats fr all i got now i hope you enjoy this and eat it up as much as you did my analyses of Garroth and Laurance 🫡

and if y’all want more on specific characters just drop an ask i will gladly answer because it forces me to think about it

[sincerelystesichorus]

me becoming a gortash apologist apparently

i never thought i'd say this. i am thinking about Enver Gortash. i'm usually not one of his apologists but... i've had brain rot for my Durge lately, and i think a big moment of developing your Durge is how you react to meeting Gortash again, yeah? you may or may not be close with Karlach but the party and Durge especially have all faced similar trauma of betrayal and exploitation nonetheless (and so has Gortash), he's already been introduced vaguely at the end of Act 2 as a threat/main villain, he worships Bane, he has general edge lord vibes (remember that bit where I'm usually not a Gortash apologist djdjdjd); what i'm trying to spit out, is there's a lot to sway you against Gortash in that first meeting. and I'd argue even a little further, as someone that followed Orin's plans of betrayal against him in my first Tav run, (just because her audacity is so damn funny.)

But anyway. Meeting Gortash. Finding out you used to be close. Perhaps homoerotically, perhaps in a strange platonic manner, or some other third thing, but nonetheless, Durge is assumably the only person Gortash has ever truly liked. He just really goes out of his way with praise at meeting again, the use of the word favorite is notable, and if Gortash had anyone worth elevating, he would, right? That was how Ketheric got here, Orin wants more credibility for herself and the Bhaalists, and Gortash... just enslaves his parents in their old home/business. But he liked you. He's really so similar to Astarion (it's nothing, you're just the only person I've ever truly cared for); he's just already a touch too far gone in his power hungry search for security. He's already repeated the cycle, years and years ago with Karlach as the main example and just the inevitability of being Bane's Chosen. And yet - Durge comes marching through the door again with this band of misfits and his old lackey he wronged, and he's willing to make a true bargain.

And I know it's just in Gortash's character to scheme, but l think playing as reformed Durge makes Gortash's potential deal all the more devastating, since he will truly follow through on his word (or, at least he would.)

It's so funny to show up dating Astarion or Shadowheart, and imagine them teasing you later that night, saying they thought you'd have better taste. Or the bitterness of being with Karlach, knowing that you seemed to be in such deep kahoots. And so on. The point is not valuing that past relationship with Gortash. Focusing on the shiny and new.

And like whatever. Gortash isn't ever going to publicly present that his feelings are hurt but like... wouldn't they? Your past lover or at the very least, only close friend struts in, now thinking they're some big shot, so beyond everything you two had ever done... when you always lived in their shadow beforehand, frankly. Gortash adores how this flawless plan was majorly Durge's, critiques Orin's sloppy manner of filling your place, how Ketheric was just a means to an end. But he liked you. The person who helped him raid Mephistopheles' vault, in turn helping him spit not only in the arch devil's face, but his past captor, Raphael's too (since Raph lives chronically in the shadow of his father, imo.) The person who thought they could formulate and enact this whole plot, and the only one he was willing to follow, to be an equal with, now coming to tell him what everyone always does, inevitably.

A final fuck you, or some form of betrayal, the same thing that caused his mess all those years ago when sold off to that warlock.

It would have to hurt, and while it's funny to imagine my little gnome Durge dying inside and cackling to the party about sleeping with an enemy and technically being the enemy... a little obssessed at the angst you could perceive of Gortash somehow falling for any crazy Bhaalspawn, nonetheless Durge, who was never one for morals, coming back renewed and not to come get him or work things out... but to slay him or turn against him. I'd send the Steelwatchers after our asses too.

In conclusion, Gortash, probably:

sigh. my bias against greasy little guys could never truly make me hate you, enver gortash. look at you, the man that you are.

[yellowasasunflower]

Under Raven Wings (LaDS x BG3) - Chapter 1

Omg I can’t believe I’m finally sharing this. I’m so nervous

Please read the author’s note

Here’s the drawing of elven warlock Caleb! I am by no means a character designer, so if you hate it, by all means imagine him differently. Honestly, I’ll be revising this drawing over the next few days. (I kinda hate it myself, [I think it’s the red of his shirt that bothers me?] but I was getting tired of holding on to the completed first chapter)

Anyways, onto the stuff that’s actually relevant to the fic!

———

18+, Minors do not interact!

Pairing: Caleb x MC/Reader

Synopsis: One moment you’re getting groceries with Caleb in the Lower City of Baldur’s Gate, the next, you’re waking up on a mindflayer ship with a tadpole in your head. Your main goal? Get the damn thing out of your head. Secondary goal? Find Caleb; he has to be out there somewhere, right?

Word count: 4.3k

Content Warnings: Nothing in this particular chapter (everything else starts in later chapters)

Author’s Note: To start with, I’d like to thank everyone who put up with my poll spam, regardless of whether or not you partook in them. Special thanks to everyone who did; knowing there were so many of you who were interested in seeing this concept be brought to life helped me find my footing. I hope I don’t let you down, and thanks for coming along this ride.

If you were hoping for another LI, fret not! He’s totally present in this fic; all the LIs have a very important role here, even if they aren’t the main romance! On top of that, the LI for the next fic will be determined by popular vote; I just wanted to start out with the character I was most familiar with.

Don’t forget about the poll at the end of the chapter! It will dictate the events of the next chapter.

And if you can, please comment! I’d love to hear your thoughts!

———

A tentacled ship traverses the skies of Faerun, containing rather invaluable cargo; a veritable wellspring of mindflayer tadpoles, ripe for the making of fresh illithids, and the rather unfortunate souls who would soon be, or already were, their hosts. A tentacled ship traverses the skies of Faerun, containing rather invaluable cargo; a veritable wellspring of mindflayer tadpoles, ripe for the making of fresh illithids, and the rather unfortunate souls who would soon be, or already were, their hosts.

Red dragons, fierce as their dangerous riders, swarm the ship, tearing through its exterior walls and turning its fleshy interior to naught but rubble and ash. The ship, jostled and in great disarray, is set alight before jumping realms.

Your waking moment is brutal and sobering as you fall from the foreign pod which contains you. With bleary eyes and weary body, you lift yourself from the wreckage. It is no easy feat to detain you, or so you had once thought, and you could now feel the consequences of your earlier struggle in your worn muscles. The time spent helplessly screaming and slamming your now bruised knuckles against seemingly unbreaking glass does you no favors now.

You suppose it was not unbreaking after all, what with the various shards strewn about.

A dull ache behind your eye pulses, and you reach to cup your afflicted eye. Something is there that does not belong. Your body betrays you with an involuntary shudder as you recall the misplaced thing squirming in your skull.

The thing—the tadpole—is there, and there is little you can do about it. For now.

In the meantime, you observe. Your first priority is finding a way off this damned ship. Dust and smoke drift through a hole caused by the earlier Githyanki assault, and your hair whips about in the hot, dry winds of Avernus.

At your back is the pod you’d been violently freed from. With slow, calculated steps, you walk around it while taking care not to touch it. You determine you’re wasting precious time; you don’t know the first thing about where you are, all you need to know is how to escape.

This room, full of pods which are either empty or full of death, is eerily silent. You walk on, passing by an unmoving body, a feeling of dread sitting in the pit of your stomach. Uncertain, you nudge it with your foot, rolling it over onto its back. Upon seeing its ghastly face, you stumble back. Its charred purple flesh and bulbous head, the tendrils which cascade down over its maw, which hides various sharp teeth, tell you precisely what it is. A mindflayer.

Opposite the putrid creature is a bowl-like structure full of… some sort of brine?

Your eyes narrow at the concoction inside.

As your feet carry you closer, your head throbs. Upon recognizing the dead tadpoles within the pool, you realize you are looking upon an illithid nursery. Something about it compels you; it draws your hand nearer, but you break away from the shallow temptation and pull away just before your fingertips come into contact with the liquid. You linger for a beat, staring silently at the pool before you remember yourself.

Now is no time for pondering.

You carry on, searching for a way out.

Cerulean lights catch your attention, bright and glowing, and… strangely comforting? This time though, you cannot resist the urge which draws you toward it.

It’s cool to the touch, and all its light fades. You are reinvigorated. Your mind clears and your body is wired. It is a breath of fresh air; the waking moment after a long nap, or perhaps… your heart squeezes as you remember Caleb. Where is he? You had been together before… before…

You swallow thickly, shaking the thought from your head.

He is fine. Surely, he is fine. He is strong; you will return home to Baldur’s Gate, and you will find him there with open, waiting arms.

You purge the rushing thoughts of him from your mind, turning your attention to a glow which directs you towards a fleshy wall. Soft whispers for help float through the wall and you tentatively reach out to touch it, reeling back as it opens with a squelch, allowing you entrance to the next room.

Now on the other side, the whispers grow louder, and your attention is caught by a dead goblin, a brain floating in a jar, and glowing red tendrils with a red orb at its center. Your gaze keeps to the goblin as you pass by, stopping before the peculiar device in which the orb and tendrils resided.

You reach to touch it, unsettled when the ground beneath your feet raises.

When it reaches its peak, you find before you the source of the whispers. A scalped body with an exposed brain speaks to you, whispering softly for your help. For freedom.

Approaching slowly, you survey the scene. More brains in jars… Many more brains in jars. You suppose they were mindflayer food.

At last, you reach the whispering brain. The body convulses as you look upon it, evidently long-dead. For a moment, you wonder just how long, but it does not matter. Not now.

”Yes! You’ve come to save Us from this place! From this place you’ll free Us! Please, before they return. They return.”

”Who am I talking to—a man or a brain?”

”A newborn. Born new from this husk.” You know what it is, thanks to Caleb’s favorite horror stories. You are speaking with an intellect devourer. It serves the creatures which had abducted you.

And yet… it did not seem to recognize you as an enemy, or as a prisoner…

You watch the brain pulse, squirming in the head of its captive body.

”You sound afraid. Why?”

”The enemy. So many enemies.”

Your mind races with indecision. Would it be wise to set it free? An ally, however temporary, could be a great help… but to later be faced with another enemy in a place already swarming with them?

“What should I do?” you wonder aloud.

“Remove Us from this body—from this case free Us. Please!”

It strains against the skull, swollen. You’d heard Zayne mention this once. Oedema, he called it.

You carefully prise the brain from the casing which once protected it, mindful of the swelling.

You wince as you hold it in your hands, blood seeping between your fingers.

It leaps to the ground, launching itself from your hands.

”We are free. Our freedom is ours. Friend.” It pauses, and you feel a squirming behind your eye. “We must go to the helm. At the helm we are needed.”

You swallow thickly. You hope freeing it wasn’t a mistake on your part. “What’s at the helm?”

”Do you not hear it? We will not survive here. We are needed to navigate—we are needed to leave this realm.”

It’s right; even if you escaped here and now, you wouldn’t know where to go next. And who knows what dangers lurk in the hells? “What should I call you?”

“Us. We are Us.”

”All right, let’s go.”

”To the helm we go. We are going to the helm.”

You follow behind Us, observing its clawed feet and the tendrils upon its… back? When had they sprouted? They weren’t there when you’d plucked it from the skull of the poor elven man.

You pause, returning to the body to close his eyelids. “Rest in peace,” you mutter under your breath.

Stepping back onto the platform, you look to Us again. And then you go down.

You pass by more of the ship’s flaming flesh, the scent burning your nostrils. Red dragons fly overhead, their githyanki riders mysteriously missing, blasting at the ship.

Your head throbs and your skin tingles. Images of a great knight flash through your head, and fire. So much fire, and it… it burns. You sink to your knees unbidden, your fingers mindlessly clawing at your head. The knight takes you in her arms, rescuing you from the beasts which invaded your home. And then it ceases; your body is your own once more, and you catch sight of a human woman.

Her eyes are wide and fearful, and her sword is pointed at you. You hold your hands up.

”You… are not one of them?” She asked, voice trembling.

”One of the…?”

”You’re not!” She takes in a deep breath, looking less unsettled but no less afraid. “We might be able to survive this together!”

”And you are…?” You lower your hands, rubbing your wrist.

”Oh! You can call me Tara.”

”Why did you think I was one of them?”

”We have mindflayer parasites rooting around in our heads. You could have very easily been a thrall.” She pauses, putting her sword in its sheath. “If we’re lucky, we have days before turning. If we’re not, hours. Whatever the case, I don’t wanna be around when that happens.”

”Well, let’s not stand around and wait for it to happen. Let’s put an end to those imps, and then take control of the helm.”

”Right!”

She follows close behind as you ready a magic missile, charging into battle.

Two of your missiles hone in on an imp, killing it in an instant, and the third sinks into a second. It staggers back at the force, and turns its attention upon you.

You point Us to the injured imp, and you watch as Us’ claws tear through its bright red flesh, and it collapses.

Tara pursues the third and final imp, ending it in a quick and decisive blow.

”We really might be able to survive after all,” she says, grinning to you.

You pause, catching sight of a familiar cerulean blue glow. You approach it, basking in its restful light. With a reinvigorated sigh, you carry on.

”What was that?” Tara asks, flexing her fingers.

”I don’t know, but it did what we needed it to.”

The ship trembles under dragon fire, jostling you and Tara. She nearly falls, but you catch her arm.

”I don’t think this ship can handle another dragon attack… we need to find a way off.”

”Right.”

She scrunches her nose as she watches you climb a fleshy web.

”This place is so…” she pauses, “I don’t have to be nice. It’s disgusting! Our kidnappers are going to pay for this!” She gags when she watches you open another fleshy wall. “Eugh.”

She gasps upon seeing two unconscious bodies, somehow connected to something which beats like a heart at the center of the room.

”These people!” She approaches one, waving her hand in front of his face. She walks to the other, lifting his hand and letting it fall back to his side. “They’re entirely unresponsive…”

”Hello?” You hear a familiar voice call out. You look from the unconscious bodies to another half-elf slamming at the interior of a pod, just like the one you’d been in earlier.

“Zayne!?”

You rush to the pod, looking for a latch, or a release switch, or… something, anything!

”You know him?” Tara asks, looking at the cleric in the pod.

You don’t respond, assessing the magic at play. Warding runes. “They’re connected to a nearby console…” you think aloud, looking at Zayne. “I’ll get you out of there!”

He simply nods at you. Somehow, he is still calm. Calmer than you, at least, in your mad dash to free him.

The console is dormant when you approach it, but you won’t let it remain that way. You inscribe the glyphs you’d sensed from the pod’s warding runes, and it hums to life. As you examine the console, it occurs to you that it is more organic, fleshy parts than mechanical. In humming to life, it is… truly alive.

It doesn’t matter, though. All that matters is setting Zayne free, and then finding a way off.

You place your hand on the console, and the discomfort of the earlier squirming in your head returns. You stagger, but the sensation fades, quickly replaced by another. Connection. Authority.

You will Zayne’s pod to open.

The biomechanical brain of the console processes your command, and heeds it. You feel… sated.

Zayne stumbles from the pod, barely catching himself.

”Thank you,” is all he says.

”Are you alright?”

Your mind lurches into his memories. You see a proud tree, its snow-covered canopy reminiscent of clouds. In its shade is an umbrella. It shifts, changing to shackles of ice on a frozen throne, and a white flower growing between the bricks atop a snowy tower. That vision dissipates, turning to frostbitten fingers and scarred arms. It’s trembling hands holding bandages, caring for the undesirable patients of Baldur’s Gate. Cold floods your senses, incomprehensibly unfamiliar. You cannot remember ever feeling cold; you’d been resistant to it since your youth. It was an inherited trait from the white dragon that was somewhere in your bloodline.

You tremble as the last of his thoughts fall away from your mind.

“Fine,” he replies. “Any wounds need healing?”

”…Not at the moment.” You almost reached out to his mind again, curious to touch the snow and eager to feel the cold… but you resisted the urge.

You stand closer to him, closing your eyes and indulging in the familiar scent of jasmine. A piece of you wants so desperately to throw your arms around his neck and to hug him so tightly he might never breathe again, but you hold yourself back.

If he saw any of your thoughts or memories, he didn’t seem to have any reaction.

He simply nods.

Another fleshy door opens to your touch, and Tara’s “Eugh” comes quicker now. Zayne, though, says nothing.

The sounds of battle tell you that beyond the next door is the helm. Vicious grunts and a clang of steel were plain as day.

You swallow thickly, turning to your companions. “Are you ready?”

”We don’t have time not to be,” Zayne says. “I’ll follow your lead.”

”Right…” You turn to the door, taking a deep breath, and then you open it.

You witness a mindflayer wrap its tentacles around a cambion’s head, shredding its scalp with its vile teeth, rending its skull to naught but shards of bone, to feed upon its brain. Swiftly after, it is slashed by the piercing claws of imps and perishes from the festering wounds inflicted.

Another mindflayer, unfazed, calls out to you through your tadpole. ”Thrall. Connect the nerves of the transponder. We must escape. Now.”

”We’ll play along. For now,” you tell your companions, readying your quarterstaff for a fight.

Despite your readiness, you want to avoid the fight as much as you can. Your focus lies on the transponder and the hope to free yourself from this mess.

You direct your companions to only fight any creatures that approach. The helm comprises imps, hellboars, and the main fight between a cambion and mindflayer.

You shoot a ray of frost at an imp as you pass it by, freezing it to death. Zayne and Tara mirror your actions as you work towards the transponder.

You blast your way through, relying on cantrips to not wear yourself out.

Additional imps fly in overhead as you draw nearer to the device.

When you take a claw to the shoulder, Zayne is not far behind with a healing word.

At last, you reach the end of the helm. Standing before the transponder, you grab a pair of nerves and fuse them together.

You pluck the connected nerves just as a red dragon rears its head into the overhead opening of the helm.

In moments, the ship begins its realm jump, lurching in what feels like a nose dive, sending you crashing into one of its fleshy walls just near an opening.

Your eyes meet with a mindflayer’s, but there is no soul. It is hollow and empty and… hungry.

Vicious wind whorls past you, reminiscent of thousands of needles poking and prodding your skin. Moisture is pulled from your tear ducts and you grit your teeth, clinging to anything and everything that’s around you.

As you enter another realm, a piece of rubble comes loose, crashing into your head and knocking you from the ship. You’re limply falling. Falling, falling, falling… until you’re not. The speed at which you fall slows as you near the ground, until you stop completely, hovering mid-air. And then you’re dropped to a sandy beach.

Ash descends upon your face, and as you wake, the tadpole squirms in your skull. Your first thought is to check yourself for injuries. Other than the infection, you’re more or less intact, by some miracle. But it will all be for nothing if you don’t find help soon. The tadpole is a death sentence, and the clock is ticking. You’ll soon need a cure.

You then orient yourself. The chaos of the crash site confuses the landscape, you’ll need to find a settlement or landmark. And you’ll need to do it quickly.

It is fire all around you, and the sprawling tentacles of the dead ship are limp in the water around you. Water. Fresh water. You catch sight of fishing nets, tangled with rubble.

There must be a settlement nearby.

And it occurs to you now… You are alone. It doesn’t take long to find Zayne, however; he is not far from where you wake. But as you approach him, you find a dead man along the way. He is in a pool of his own blood, and what remains of his clothes is tattered. He was likely the source of the fishing nets.

You search his body for some way to identify him, but all you find is his small stash of gold. Guiltily, you take it. Gold is of no use to the dead, after all. His eyes were closed without your interference, at the very least.

You sigh, turning your attention to Zayne.

He looks restful as you kneel beside him, pressing two fingers to his neck. He is breathing without issue. You purse your lips as you wonder how you should wake him, though you soon find that to be a non-issue.

His eyes flit open, and you withdraw your hand. He casts his gaze about the crash site, and you can see him assessing the situation in his head.

”Zayne, are you alright?”

”That is… complicated. I’m as right as I can be. What about you? Any injuries?”

”No, no. I’m fine. Or… like you said, fine as I can be. Um… alive. How are we alive?”

”It’s strange,” he said. “By all accounts, we should be dead. Or mindflayers, at the very least. Ceremorphosis should already have happened and yet, here we are…”

”I remember the ship, I remember falling… then… nothing. Any idea where we are?”

”It’s unfamiliar to me… but it’s certainly better than where we were. Any idea where your human friend disappeared to?”

“She’s probably somewhere around here. She can’t have gone far, right?”

As you venture on together, you encounter more bodies. Local fishers, like the first, by the looks of it. You also find a dead intellect devourer. You wonder briefly if it’s Us, but determine the answer unimportant. In a nearby backpack, you find a kit of tools. A lockpick, as luck would have it. Not that you had any clue how to use it.

Zayne is searching the beach for other resources, and he calls you over upon finding a door. The rotten wooden panels are embellished by rusted metal, and the handle fares no better. It’s clearly been abandoned for… well, who knows how long?

The stone of the building around it is decrepit, chipped and covered in moss and vines.

”I doubt that will open for us,” Zayne says.

You shrug your shoulders. “Worth a shot, right?”

You haphazardly stick the lockpick into the keyhole, wiggling it about until you hear a click. You look to Zayne with a side-eye, surprised.

”I think… I got it…”

He shakes his head. “Of course you did.”

Rust chips off into your hand as you reach for the handle, and the door creaks open. “Let’s find Tara before we go inside.”

“Okay.”

You’re careful as you pass by flaming brush and rubble, covering your mouth and nose in the thick of the smoke.

You traipse through the wreckage, relishing in the destruction of your kidnappers. You blast through the intellect devourers that leapt into action on sight.

The wreckage of the ship gave way to a dirt path surrounded by lush flora, save for a single pod and its surrounding smoking brambles. A shock of white hair comes into view as you near the pod, and the way his red tail wags is so slight, you almost hadn’t noticed. He’s toying with some object; it’s made of a blackened iron, engraved with pulsing runes. You don’t see much more of it before he tucks it out of sight.

The tiefling’s head turns, and sharp red eyes meet yours. The object in his hands is hidden away, and a dangerous look flickers briefly across his face, but ultimately gives way to a charming smile.

”Hello, Kitten. Kind enough to assist a stranger?”

You start to approach, but Zayne grabs your arm, giving you a look.

”Oh, come now. Is it so wrong of me to ask for help? I saw you fighting those… things. I think there’s another one in the bushes.”

You place an assuaging hand over Zayne’s. “It’s fine, it won’t hurt to check, right?”

He swallows, rescinding his hand.

You approach him, hands held out to show that you mean no harm. It would mean little if he knows you are a sorcerer, but you do it all the same.

“You look plenty capable. What is it you need me for?”

He haphazardly shrugs his shoulders. “Did it ever hurt anyone to ask for help?”

”I suppose not. Stand back, I’ll handle it myself.”

You walk nearer to the bush, quarterstaff at the ready, only to see a boar dart away. You’re relieved, until you see the flash of a dagger. You’re quick to rip it from his hands, and you barrel into him in an attempt to send him off balance.

It works better than you’d anticipated, as you fall down on top of him. You right yourself quickly, pinning him down with his dagger in your hand, raised over his chest.

”And here I thought you were claiming to be an innocent stranger,” you sneered.

“I don’t think I ever claimed such a thing. In need of help, yes…” he ripped his hand from your grip, holding his hand over the one you held the dagger in. He guided your hand from his chest to his neck. “If you mean to kill me, here would be the easiest place.”

“And what if I don’t mean to kill you?”

He chuckles. You can almost swear you’re hearing gold pieces clattering in the laugh. “You’re quite a bit weaker than you look, so you should use every piece of advice you get.”

”You’re not going to kill me, then?”

”I suppose not.”

You pull yourself off of him, and you glance back to Zayne. He’s got a guiding bolt at the ready, but when he sees you’re unscathed, he relaxes.

”I just want answers,” he says. “I saw you on the ship, wandering about without so much as a leash…”

Your mind twists. You’re flying above an ivory city, razed to the ground. It is bittersweet, and you feel… You don’t know how you feel. It’s all so blurry… It fades away, blending into the roads of the Lower City. You’re looking out of unfamiliar eyes, prowling the darkest corners of Baldur’s Gate. You see gold, and murder, and ruthlessness. You try to peer further into the memory, but it fades just as quickly as it entered your mind.

”You’re…” you hesitate, not sure if you’re right.

“What was that?” he interjects.

“The brain worms. They connect us.”

”Of course. That explains it. And to think I was ready to slice your throat and leave you for dead. Apologies.”

”Glad we’re all caught up now.”

”You can call me Sylus.”

”Right…” You were right. You were right. You’d heard his name before. He is no innocent man; he’s the leader of Onychinus, the largest smuggling ring on the Sword Coast. No, all of Faerun. And you’d passed by him once, in Baldur’s Gate… if memory serves you right. Not that his is an easily forgotten face.

“I was in Baldur’s Gate when-“

”I know who you are.”

”Well, I still don’t know who you are,” he tapped a finger against his temple, resting his elbow on his other hand. “Maybe you should tell me. I’m not fond of being known without knowing.”

You introduce yourself—sparse on the details, of course.

”Back onto our more important dilemma… Did you learn anything while wandering the ship?”

”Only that we’ll be turned to mindflayers.”

”Of all the dreaded…” He sighs. “What else did I expect?”

”It hasn’t happened yet. That alone is bizarre enough.”

”That’s true enough. Then there must still be some way to control it…”

”You should join us. Our odds are better together.”

”You know, I was ready to go it alone, but I suppose that’s not such a bad idea.”

”Isn’t it, though?” Zayne asks you under his breath.

”I think this journey is going to be more than we ever asked for. The more allies, the better.”

He nods. He knows you’re right. At the same time, bringing a man who already threatened your life along? You know he won’t rest well tonight.

”What now?” Sylus asks.

You ponder your options.

[lil--nuggett]

Hey guys, so if you know Baldur's Gate 3 this is an AU for that with Hardenshipping but it's really fucked up. I will explain why it's fucked up below the cut.

Maxie is a High Half-Elf Warlock (his patron is Groudon), and Archie's a Human Fighter <3

Also I just realized this is the first time you have seen me draw Archie seriously lmao my bad guys I'll try to draw him again soon

I took a ton of inspiration for various things for these designs, including Guile for Archie's armor bc I love Guile sm!!

(More info and our dumb AU lore under here - No BG3 Spoilers I promise <3)

I'm going to tell you this now... this gets really fucking crazy and honest to god I know I'm going to have a hard time explaining this. It WILL be quite long and I WILL be yapping.

This AU is really just something we did on impulse and it's really fun to mess around with, so I'm hoping you all will enjoy the concept as well :)

I'll try to explain it simply as I can. I thank you in advance to all who sit here and read this ily sm if you read it all <3333

Anyways, okay so imagine how one could do a bg3 AU for these two fuckers...

And throw it right out the window because you'll never guess how me and my friend have done it.

The Backstory:

This all started when my friend decided to play BG3 for the first time, and he jokingly said to me "Should I make Maxie our main character??" and I replied "I you want, but I won't force you" and thus BG3 Maxie was created, and his misadventures began.

Now your probably wondering (if you've played the game) what about the guardian?? Who did we make the guardian?? Well, we made Archie the guardian. However, I did not know just how wild this idea would get within the next few days.

So, eventually we realized how crazy the BG3 lore actually is (it's a like fucking DnD campaign idk how we didn't realize this beforehand), and so, we jokingly started our own "AU Lore" that ties in with the BG3 Lore.

If you really want to know, I have an entire note in my notes app dedicated to keeping track of what happens. It is very long.

The Parasite:

Now, if you've played the game or know anything about it, you know about the Mindflayer parasites. Well, one fateful day, me and my friend joked that the Parasite in Maxie's head was this little freak who looks like Archie.

The two have no correlation other than looks, its completely coincidence and it's not a mimic situation. The Parasite "Archie" does nothing but talk nonsense to Maxie all the time, and initially the bit was that he only talked about Fortnite. All because I made the joke that the dream realm in game looked like a fortnite update. By now, that bit has fallen off (thank god), replaced by just general nonsense and lies.

Also he fucking looks like this:

Weird little freak. This is just one of his talk sprites I have, this is just his neutral expression.

So basically it's:

- Maxie was supposed to be on a Geology research trip, but instead he got dragged into the Parasite issue with the rest of the companions. He really just wants to get home to Archie.

I am the one who handles everything for Maxie in this AU, I do his voice, I handle his lore, etc.

- Parasite Archie is this 1 foot tall, neco arc-esque version of Archie that sits on Maxie's shoulder and tells him nonsensical things. He also says Maxie's name wrong, he says Maxie's full first name and pronounces it as "Maximilliam" instead of the "N" at the end. For Maxie it's like handling a toddler but the toddler fights back, doesn't shut up, and threatens your life. He also has a ton of his own lore that my friend continously adds on to, so I can make another post with just the parasite's part of things.

My friend handles everything with the Parasite himself, comes up with the lore, does the voice, etc. I simply keep track of it.

- The "dream visitor" version of Archie is not real either. It's linked to the Parasite in ways that if I get into it, I will spoil a good chunk of the game. Sorry. Just know you can consider this and Parasite Archie kind of as one in the same almost.

- The REAL Archie is still at home, completely unaware of what's happening, while Maxie is fighting for his life. He does miss him, though, and hopes he gets home soon. He and Maxie are only boyfriends, they haven't gotten married yet. (They also haven't been through their rivalry yet, as this all takes place before that happens.)

Sorry for the convoluted yap sesh, I just have more art planned for this stupid AU and- God I cannot possibly just post this shit with no context. Like, I'd have to explain it eventually so I might as well do it now beforehand yk 😭😭

I might do separate posts with our HCs and some silly conversations that have happened between Parasite Archie and Maxie if you guys would want that :)

Also, I do have all of the sessions from where my friend plays the game recorded and I'll be sure to post some clips of what Parasite Archie sounds like eventually, possibly with snippets of my shitty Maxie voice in there as well. You'll get to see the talk sprites in action with that, too.

[veilody]

Shhhh super relaxed sketch with Karlach and my Azúcar

My brain is obsessed with them right now aaaa— even made up 2 cute shipnames for em

1. Faerie Fire

2. Caramel

Faerie Fire is a far more obvious one since Azúcar is a Faerie bond Warlock and Karlach… Self explanatory. Also just love that it’s a move you can make.

Caramel is less obvious since it’s a little about me and the campaign I have in BG3. Azúcar started out as character inspired by the Mercy (Overwatch) Skin „Sugar Plum Fairy“ as I play with 2 people in my campaign that I used to play with OW (in the good old days) and we all were support mains (or flex) but the sugar plum fairy was my personal trademark when I chose Mercy. And the jokes were amazing. I was our „Zückerli“ which is a cutified version of the german word for „Sugar“ and uh— Azúcar is „Sugar“ in spanish (unless I swap things in my mind again) and if you heat sugar you get Caramel.

That was a whole lot of information nobody asked for gngfs

Anyways, I am happy that Azúcar became a lot more special than just being a nostalgic and fun memoir of past times with a game I don’t play anymore. She’s become rather precious to me and I really really love Githyankis thanks to her. They’re so much fun to play.

[makoredeyes]

I don't feel like I've seen this before, sorry if it's been asked already 😅

What's your favorite class to main; and within that class what's your favorite exotic armor piece?

If you don't have a preference play-wise, what's your favorite aesthetically?

Oh this is complicated 😅 I’m still identifying as a Titan main that was my first class and probably fits my personality and play style best and I played Titan exclusively for my first 3 years but one day I got brave and made a Warlock and uh. An OC jumped out at me and I Immediately fell in love with him and I play Warlock almost exclusively now. Especially all my endgame content. If I want any chance of surviving it’s Warlock or bust.

I am not a quick learner either so both classes I am almost exclusively Solar or Void

Exotics for Titan are typically Hallowfire Heart or Synthocepts, Warlock it’s, in reverse order of use, Swarmers, Necrotic Grips (boy’s a nasty man), or… ya’ll’re never gonna guess… Felwinter’s Helm 🤣 (yo that thing is NASTY with Monte Carlo)

I uh… did actually build a Hunter finally but I’m. I lost the manual on how do Hunter >.>

Anyway here are my boys Mako-7 and Damien-14

[songs-of-future-past]

D2 Fashion

New news article, and I felt like it. I'm looking forward to Heresy and actually opened the TWID for once.

Scarabshell Mercenary: Sounds like the chitin armour from Skyrim to me. Neat. 7/10

Street Artist: Wasn't this what they tried doing for the 30th anniversary street set? We'll see. If it's as sleek as they claim I'll be interested. 3/10

Bioengineered Behemoth: Not a fan of bulky stuff, but MUSHROOMS. Either we'll end up with Mushroom Man or we'll end up with mouldy Hulk. I'm guessing mouldy Hulk. 2/10

Bioluminescent Predator: PLEASE I NEED THIS. Glowing lures, fins, glowing accents... Ughhh I will be so mad if this gets fumbled. 11/10

Futuristic Healer: Oh, I can do something appropriate for my solar Well build. Cyberpunk TF2 Medic sounds fun. 5/10

Digital Desert: Stillsuits? Can we get an actual Mars explore zone? We need our Arrakis planet! SHOW ME THE WORMS!! 8/10

Hoplite Tech: There's not much I can say here? If you know me you know my love of greek mythology, so it's weirdly nostalgic with a futuristic twist. Like going to Taco Bell nowadays after growing up with its formerly southwestern theme. 9/10

Obligatory notes on the rest of the article under the cut:

The new Heresy weapons look awesome! Not sure if I'd want to put shaders on them, they look awesome as is. Perks sound fun too. Glad to see the Arrivals weapons coming back, excited to see what new perks get thrown into the pool. I'm also SO glad the GoS weapons are getting updated. I get yoinked into that raid far too much to not be excited about it.

I'll have to go into the unholy cess pool that is Trials for that armour. I don't play Titan (ever) but I'll definitely go for the warlock armour. Not sure about the chest armour for hunters, but I love the helmet and class item.

The new exotics look fun. Barrow-Dyad looks like a chakram, and I wish the catalyst will let us throw it like the glaive from Krull. I can guarantee that it won't, but it'd be funny. I'll definitely have to play around with Lodestar, but a primary ammo trace rifle sounds fun and I want to play laser tag in Kingsfall.

The lore for the new seasonal artifact? The IMPLICATIONS of carrying a Tablet of Ruin around (if I remember correctly that's what it is)? Gimme the lore. As for the buffs, it's awesome to see glaives getting a buff. Works great for my barely-warlocking warlock. The strand focus is gonna be fun, and I'm definitely gonna have fun being an asshole with my prismatic hunter.

I don't have the dungeon key so I'll probably be popping around my clan and being a tattle-tail, so I'll probably have multiple streams open at once. Let me know if you catch any mechanics! If you're participating in the race and not playing spy, have fun and good luck =^•^=

As for the SAG-AFTRA strike, I am not an authority here, I'll keep my mouth shut. Definitely glad we can use the subtitles to keep track of what's going on though.

I also can't say much about the Fireteam Finder stuff. SGC is massive, so I just... Don't use the in-game FTF. I ping a few hundred people on discord and end up with people I can be pretty certain will know what they're doing. I'm salty about FTF because I'm now having to relearn a couple raids because I was taught that poorly by random blueberries.

Not much to say about G2G. I don't get anything from it, but still: if you don't hate sick kids, go donate. Bungie has managed to raise a whopping 1.7 million dollars of tax write-offs, but ignoring the tax jokes there's a lot going on, and it's helping a lot right now. Also, there's another livestream on February 6th, go say hi.

Congrats to the Scorgan Musicians! Go check them out from the main article, they all did an amazing job.

Thank fuck the monolithic emblem was (hopefully) fixed this time. Now how the hell did the cryptarchs get those?

Again, congrats to the artists of the week, lovely work from all the winners.

Anyways, back to hiding from Lord Shaxx. Only Lord Salad Daddy can make me do straight PvP with his Iron Banana, thank you very much.

[rubyvroom]

BG1 playthrough 1 ending: excellent, no notes. okay some notes.

My blundering first playthrough gets funnier and funnier the more I get into the second playthrough and realize all the mistakes I made. For example:

I did not save anybody from the fire at Wakeugan's Rest. XD I thought I had time! I did not!

Did not save the kid from the Harpies! I thought I had time! I did not!

Did not realize there was a faerie in the lantern. I thought the game was glitching because the little voice came up right after the kid was snatched up at Last Light.

WHY DID I NEVER USE TALK TO ANIMALS SPELL ON SCRATCH. I COULD HAVE BEEN TALKING TO SCRATCH THE WHOLE ASS TIME. I did this accidentally on playthrough 2 and I just about fell out of my chair.

Zevlor and a bunch of the Tieflings just disappeared and I never got them back. IDK.

In retrospect, I should have reloaded when Jaheira died storming Moonlight Towers. I didn't know I would be able to keep her!

Apparently I should not have murdered Minsc? Boy was I surprised to learn he can be a companion. With no Jaheira that was not at all clear.

Ditto Minthara, although really I can't imagine recruiting her. I don't want to destroy the Emerald Grove and my tiefling bros

Did not grasp that you can change classes for the origins characters. Which I am immediately doing for my next playthrough because some of the character class choices are... weird.

I can learn new spells from scrolls? Whoops. I think I knew I could do this but I never saw HOW so I just used them up at random.

I super did not do enough long rests, I missed a lot of cut scenes. I thought there were a lot more timed quest consequences than there actually are.

And yet! I still got the "good" endings for all the companions I think. Selunite Shadowheart, not-exploded Gale back with Mystra, Karlach and Wyll adventuring through the hells together (aw), Asterion non-ascended but kind of self-actualized, La'zel working as a diplomat for Orpheus. It leaves me sort of wondering if my second playthrough will be satisfying, since I can't imagine I'd want to get different endings for any of the above. I might like to not end up transforming into a mind-flayer next time in order to defeat the uber-brain? That was a little bit of a bummer even though it was perfectly in character for my paladin.

Despite getting the "right" endings I clearly didn't get anyone's approval up very high, and in fact I didn't know on my first playthrough where to even FIND the approval levels, which explains why I couldn't get anyone to romance me except Halsin. Which turned out fine - Halsin is great. A huge beefy elf druid who turns into a bear? Yes please!

Anyway I am already getting all these extra character moments this time through because I figured out to have a Mean Girls party (Astarion, Shadowheart, Laezel) and a Do-Gooder party (Karlach, Wyll/Gale, Halsin) depending on the quest. Now everyone loves me. This should result in some extra quests I imagine? This time out my halfling is romancing both Asterion and Shadowheart. Already turned down La'zel and Gale. She may be short but she got game.

(I tried to start a Durge playthrough but I wimped out on being evil very quickly. Maybe next time. I want to romance some of the party members before I start accidentally killing them, yes I've read the spoilers now that I finished. )

Also playing on higher difficulty this time and it's a lot easier now that I understand how the game works. The learning curve is a little brutal if you are new to this series, but I got there. For playthrough #2 I am classing like this: Karlach is a Monk which is hilarious. Will is going to be a Warlock/Ranger once he gets one more level. Dual-wielding shadow assassin Astarion is very fun. Shadowheart will take on sorcerer soon I think. La'zel is still just a fighter but that's fine, she's a beast given the right equipment. My main is a bard/warlock so extra squishy but the rest of the party steamrolls every fight.

Anyway, thats my BG3 experience, I am unblocking the tags now that I'm not avoiding spoilers.

[ghostlycoyote0]

Two fandom blorbos and two oc blorbos. Still holding that gun.

Oh, easy. Spoilers for the end of Skulduggery Pleasant book 3, and much vaguer spoilers for book 7 (just scroll until you see the Drow in the green cloak to skip them)

Fandom first. Skulduggery Pleasant and Valkyrie Cain, the main duo of my absolute favourite book series, Skulduggery Pleasant. I’ll assume you know nothing about them because that lets me ramble even more

At the start of the series, Valkyrie is 12 and her uncle just got murdered as part of a plot to bring back ancient eldritch gods (of course, they don’t know that from the get-go). She meets Skulduggery when a nameless henchman (who I later found out from the wiki is called Vindick Leather) breaks into her uncle’s house while she’s staying there for the night and attacks her; Skulduggery then uses air magic to blast the front door off of its hinges, sets the guy on fire, shoots him in the shoulder, and loses his disguise in the fight therefore revealing that he’s a skeleton

Long story short, she takes his hat hostage and threatens to trample it if he doesn’t let her tag along, and now she’s his partner in crime

Sorcerers choose their own names by the way, so Skulduggery literally named himself Trickery, and this happened before he became a skeleton and it also became a pun. Valkyrie named herself partway through their first case

Great, context and exposition out of the way! I LOVE THEIR DYNAMIC SO SO MUCH!! They shaped pretty much my entire sense of humour, I love them, I’ve loved them since I was 9 or so and I wanted to be like Valkyrie when I grew up. The way they bounce off of each other, the way they’re perfectly in sync, the little codes and recurring phrases they have that only have meaning to them (“the sparrow flies south for winter”, “doors are for people with no imagination”, and “until the end”). I just love them both so much

The fact that Valkyrie was willing to open the portal to the home world of ancient eldritch gods who despise humanity, just on the very slim chance he would be alive and have even the smallest shred of sanity left, after having been dragged there a year prior. The fact that Skulduggery was willing to go into complete and total isolation for eternity to protect her in the magic equivalent of cryogenic sleep if it came down to that. They would do literally anything for each other. I think I’m running out of ways to put how much I adore their dynamic into words, so I’ll sum it up as the ideal example of platonic soulmates. They’re very, very special to me

I mostly just talked about the serious side of their dynamic because I have no clue how to put the more lighthearted side into words without rattling off quotes. Rest assured, they are also hilarious

Skulduggery is also very quotable, too

Right, OC time. I have a limited selection; most OCs I made have been lost to time, either because they got attached to bad memories (like Kai Zoku, who I am only mentioning because I still think his name is great; it’s literally just the Japanese word for pirate and he was the Ultimate Pirate Captain. It’s an Ace Attorney level name pun, I love it), or because the D&D campaign they were made specifically for crashed and burned and I never found somewhere else for them to fit (looking at you, Myra.. at least I could recycle her name into my GW2 character)

Anyway! This is Kyrae, my Drow Warlock. Her campaign has been on a cliffhanger for two years and is officially coming back next month! This is a picrew, but I edited all of the colours myself. It’s not 100% accurate, but it’s the best I can do

Kyrae (no last name) is from the jungle region of Xen’drik, a continent where dinosaurs still roam and everything is shrouded in disorienting, cursed mist. Her campaign is in Eberron, a lesser-used official setting, and Eberron Drow are split into three main cultures; the Sulatar, the Umbragen, and the Vulkoori

Kyrae is Vulkoori, a culture of many tribes - some more nomadic than others - who all worship the scorpion god Vulkoor, all in different ways. In Kyrae’s tribe, he has the epithets Vulkoor the Hunter and Vulkoor the Wrathful. They honour him via skilled hunting, and when given a reason to, being so ruthless and brutal that they’ve gained a reputation as bloodthirsty. That reputation came from their enemies, but they’ve never corrected it. They’re mostly isolated, with a few good allies to trade with

Her cloak was a gift from her best friend, Ryzul, who was stung by a scorpion while they were out hunting together. He was dead before they got home. Kyrae overheard a discussion about what to do; this was clearly a sign that Vulkoor was angry with the tribe, so maybe a sacrifice would appease him. And who better, than the victim’s closest friend, who was with him at the time? It’s been implied that there was another reason for that decision, but that was said out of character, so she has no idea

She ran when she heard that, and didn’t stop until she bumped into a shadowy figure wearing a smooth, white mask, with nothing but three black crescents in the shape of a smiling face. An Archfey. He seemed surprised that she could see him, and they struck a deal. She clearly needed help, and he was incredibly bored, so he would provide that help and she would provide a good story to watch. He helped her find the only port, and she boarded a ship to Korvaire, the continent the campaign takes place on

Fast forward maybe 20 minutes after stepping off of the boat. Kyrae caught a goblin child pickpocketing her, which lead to a guard attempting to throw the goblin off of a ledge, which of course lead to combat. Kyrae wasn’t having that, no harm had actually been done. For her first turn in the first combat in her first hour of being on this continent, she had her familiar, Vanguard (a winged mongoose who was summoned on the boat ride, more on him later), barrel into the guard and send him hurtling off the ledge. The rest of the party saw the fight break out, helped her, and she just kind of started following them because no one objected. They’re her tribe now, and her entire sense of identity, morality, and purpose is based on them, what she thinks they would or would not approve of, etc

So, Vanguard. A winged mongoose. The wings don’t have much significance, I had a choice between a familiar that can fly or a familiar that can swim really fast. They’re feathered, but I was so indecisive about what they actually look like that I ended up deciding they’re from a different bird every time he’s summoned. Now, the other half of his description is way more important, and I spent SO LONG deciding on it. I didn’t concern myself with specific species because then I would have never settled on one and he’s technically a Fey anyway, but. A mongoose is not only an animal Kyrae could have reasonably seen before, but they’re known for resisting venom and fighting venomous animals. Kyrae just turned her back on a scorpion god. It’s simple, but I think I’m clever. This art is, as always, by @prince-frederic

LOOK AT HIM. I LOVE HIM. MY SON

I could also talk about everything Kyrae is now dealing with and the trauma that’s happened, but I think that’s enough paragraphs about her for now /lh

I’ve already explained Sigurd’s full backstory once or twice here, so I think I’ll pick Vivian for my next OC

This is Vivian Harker, a Bloodborne OC! The token is a picrew that I did the colours for again, and the art is once again by Milo

I’ll pull back the curtain a bit here; she was inspired by Hammerlock! More specifically, it went like this:

Hammerlock would be really fun to have in Bloodborne, but I obviously can’t just take an existing character and use him in this TTRPG. It boils down to someone having the time of their life fighting the horrible monstrosities and maybe writing things down about them - can’t take cool trophies when you need to stay mobile. How do I justify that in such a dark setting? Maybe their dad was a hunter and they’ve grown up hearing stories about it, but they have no idea what they’re actually getting themselves into!

The end result is Vivian, who’s thrilled to be playing out the stories she’s grown up with now, and is filling out a sketchbook (with suspiciously red ink) along the way. She became a 16 year old white girl because she was made for a TTRPG campaign, and I can’t change my voice very much. She has no idea that when her father told those stories, he left out the traumatic parts

Daniel Harker was a fairly accomplished hunter. I say was, because this time, he refused to leave home to hunt. That was the first sign that something wasn’t right. The rest were little things, like teeth that are slightly sharper than before, eyes that reflect light like a cat’s. Little things, that indicated some kind of transformation was coming

Vivian could tell. She knew that the monsters used to be people, that hunters get affected the worst of all. She couldn’t get answers, though. So she took his equipment - the clothes a little too big for her - and left only a note to explain where she had gone

She’s thrilled to be here, to actually be fighting these creatures she’s been told about so many times, to be slowly filling her book with sketches and notes, but time is limited. She just doesn’t know how limited

The other, crucial thing she doesn’t know, is that there are no happy endings to be had in Yharnam

AND THEN THE DM GHOSTED ME SO SHE NEVER HAD A CHANCE TO DEVELOP OR ACTUALLY EXIST. SHE WAS OLDER THAN ME WHEN I MADE HER. THAT’S HOW LONG SHE’S BEEN IN STASIS

Anyway. Two fandom blorbos and two OCs!

[coffeeandbatboys]

My thoughts on Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3

Spoilers!!! I'm putting a cut right here so proceed at your own risk!!!

Ok so I am in an 80s phase right now, and this...this was just a movie that I loved. Fun, humorous, yet still having the ability to be emotional and, let's face it, dark.

Guardians has, for a long time, been my favorite series in the MCU. Not necessarily comics but definitely MCU. So even though this was only my second Marvel movie in the theater, I still had to go see it.

There were several parts where I actually thought every main character was about to die. If i were to liken it to any 80s movie, it would be Back To the Future 1,2,3. The way it ping ponged between victory and defeat kind of reminded me of that.

Also, I would have loved to hear Rocky Raccoon by the Beatles just once.

Oh well.

Adam warlock being this indestructible comedic relief who ends up having an inevitable character arc, taking to Blurp, and then saving Peter. The only thing that threw me off is, I'm a Narnia fan. HOW IS THAT THE SAME DUDE WHO PLAYED EUSTACE. CLARENCE. SCRUBB?

I know Floor and Teefs were supposed to be cute??, but idk I couldn't get into it.

There's some lovable villains, sure.

Holy $#!% I wanted to rip this mf's face off myself.

I think I hated him more than Thanos.

Which is saying a lot from me.

Anyways moving on I don't wanna talk about him anymore.

The uncensored F bomb was definitely surprising, but not unexpected. At some point it would either be Tony Stark or Peter Quill, and it ended up being the latter.

I liked the new lineup of the Guardians, and how retired guardians were able to be written out without getting killed off (I'm so friggin glad nobody died omg I was scared). I would like to see Mantis and Peter back together at some point, just so see more of their sibling dynamic, but go take care of yourself first, girl.

And I know everyone has their own opinion, but I'm actually kind of glad that Peter and Gamora weren't right back where they were before her death in IW. It kinda broke the mold of 'everyone gets a happy ending and everything is perfect'. We still got both closure and an open ending if they were to bring that relationship back, which I'm fine with either way.

It was refreshing to see a movie with a realistic, albeit bittersweet ending.

Overall, I loved this movie.

I also have a few things that could be linked to religion, but I'm not sure if this is the platform for that.

I would highly suggest going to YouTube and checking out New Rockstars' breakdown videos of the movie, cause Eric Voss made some really good points and predictions.

Little bits of the movie that I live for and cry about.

Baby rocket. Just, baby Rocket.

Baby Rocket's 'Hurts'.

Kid Rocket's wail after Lylla dies.

Peter and Gamora smiling at each other (whild holding Blurp) before their craft literally blows up and Adam Warlock still didn't die.

Yondu's Marvel force ghost.

Kraglin finally saying that Cosmo is a good dog. (He knew it all along.)

Rocket saving the kits and realizing that he is, in fact, a raccoon.

Mantis' cry for Peter as he's dying.

The fact that Peter just had to go back for the Zune to give it to Rocket. Like, baby you can't give it to him if you're dead.

Adam's awkward contribution to the group hug.

"I bet we were fun."

Nebula finally not being a vengeful outraged blue meanie.

Drax adopting like 200 children.

Jason immediately recognizing his grandson.

Come and get your love.

Space husband in a normal earth house eating cereal was something I didn't know I needed. But I live for it.

[repressed-n-depressed]

i am once again asking where the queer WoW RP scene is nowadays. looking for a chill group of LGBT+ folks to be gay and do crimes with.

rambling a bit about who i am / what i like beneath the cut, so you can skip by if you're not interested~ <3

i'm a chill af thembo, Pacific timezone based (but trending nocturnal), who just wants to have a good time telling stories bopping characters together like action figures and seeing what happens. i'm more interested in character drama than sweeping adventure stories, but when one leads into the other that's pretty darn cool. I'm also not really into the tavern scene as a main draw, though it's fine as a sometimes food. I'm fine with mature (and adult/"spicy") content and dig darker themes like crime/cult stuff. While I'm pretty dang versed in Warcraft lore -- outside of whatever the hell happened in SL and beyond anyway -- I also think headcanons/riffing on things is cool and good, and definitely have a few of my own (mostly around religion and warlock stuff, having spent my full WoW career maining a priest and a warlock).

I'm primarily a horde kind of person, but I'm open to whatever if the vibes are right. I have a ton of fun characters I'd love to explore of all classes and backgrounds! Some of them might come with... a bit of history; I've had a few of these pals for nearly 20 years now (ouch i'm old), but my favorite part of roleplaying is seeing how my characters grow and change with every new interaction and scene. But I also have some new or less-loved characters I'd love to finally get a chance to play for the first time.

My RP style is "literate, but brief"; I can do multi-para if it's called for, but generally, I'm just not into florid language or words for the sake of words.

Currently playing on Wyrmrest Accord retail, but I'm open to other servers -- or even private servers like Epsilon, which I've poked around at in the past.

Tell me what your scene is like and I'll throw a couple of back-of-the-book blurbs at you for my guys to see if we're a good fit!

If you read, thanks for reading. <3