#aylin doesn't need one

[justanotherignot]

Moon Lesbians in Camp Clothes

[katyusha454]

Look when I said "I want to be Shadowheart" what that means is "I want Isobel to hold me down while Aylin fucks the depression out of me".

[deer-with-a-stick]

on one hand, if larian gave us raw rules for revivify/raise dead, you could do things like save Duke Ravengard without Mizora (ignore her, go to Iron Throne where he's going to be dead for some stupid reason, cast Raise Dead with a diamonds and boom. you can't tell me that he's been dead for more than 10 days when you find him) or just revive random NPCs for fun but on the other hand dear god the chaos

[slverblood]

One day I'll actually write a post about Erlona and Meadowlin instead of throwing random tidbits on the dash. Very invested in these two people I pulled from a brief mention in a short book summary you find at random.

[normal-thoughts-official]

it always struck me as kind of hilarious that you have to pass a 30DC check to convince shadowheart not to kill dame aylin but if you're just like "sure do whatever lol" she chooses not to kill her anyway. tsundere ass fuck. killing is bad unless it's out of spite. i have morals unless you try to tell me what to do

but i just got to that scene in my new replay and it made me realize that that's not what's at stake at all

because the persuasion check isn't "don't do this". the persuasion check is, your life is whatever you make of it. you don't have to do something just because your goddess tells you to.

convincing shadowheart not to kill dame aylin is easy. she knows it's wrong, and she doesn't want to, not really. if given the choice, she is literally unable to go through with it even if she clearly wants to, or wants to want to so badly she can't tell the difference

the problem is convincing her she has an option in the first place

the problem is convincing her that her life is her own

shadowheart has never belonged to herself since she was captured. not in body, not in soul, not in mind, not even her memories. she quite literally doesn't know who she is in more ways than one. she doesn't know her past or her family, she doesn't know who her loved ones are (including the sharran loved ones, like nocturne), all she really knows about herself is a fear of wolves that's been implanted into her by lies and an attachment to a flower she can't remember the details of. and a mission. always a mission. the will of someone else she has to carry on, that is not for her to understand or question or think about. she can't even want to serve shar, because she isn't allowed to pursue her intention to become a dark justiciar. she is supposed to be well and truly nothing, empty as the sharran doctrine

(oh, and pain that she doesn't know the reason of. no matter what, she must bear the pain)

how can she see herself as more than her goddess, when she quite literally doesn't know anything about who she is other than her devotion to shar? how can she choose her own destiny, when she couldn't even choose how to devote and give herself over to her?

she can't, which is why, unless you have infinite rizz points and/or roll a nat20, shadowheart attacks you. not dame aylin. you. and she never argues about whether or not it's the right thing, because she knows. what she's rebelling against isn't the idea of letting dame aylin go. what she's rebelling against is the idea that she could leave her cage and belong to no one but herself. because the idea is scary and she quite literally doesn't know where to begin. which is why her obsession becomes to find her parents, even though she doesn't remember them at all. because maybe they can tell her who she's supposed to be, and she can have the comfort of having her path laid out before her again

(which is also why she has to kill them. not because of some hand hurty curse bullshit. but because she just wants them and selûne to become the new shar, and she has to let that go if she truly means to claim herself again)

and now im sad. because it's easier for shadowheart to do turn against shar and everything she's ever had on the grounds of saving someone else than on the grounds that she deserves better than to be a puppet. even if you do nothing, saving dame aylin, to her, is easy. saving herself is a wholly different matter, one she's not sure she has any right to, or wants to, even if it's what she really needs. accepting a selûnite's humanity is easier than accepting her own. losing everything is easier than gaining her own autonomy. and she will fight tooth and nail to be allowed to stay in her own, metaphorical soul cage

[whatusername00]

Which Baldur's Gate Characters Know How To Lace Up Their Clothing - Camp Edition

I got this idea because I noticed Gortash's shirt isn't laced properly, and then noticed Astarion's shirt isn't laced properly, so now I need to look at as many characters as I can because I can't stop noticing. And I'm about to spend too much time on this for it to stay in my brain. Starting with all characters who appear at camp (main party + others.)

Shadowheart, Lae'zel, Gale, Withers, Aylin, Mizora, Duke Ravenguard, Emmaline, and Arnell don't have lacing on their camp outfits.

Starting with the default clothes for Tav. Yes, they know how to lace their shirt. Good job. This particular Tav is Durge, so it's good to know he didn't forget how when his brain got Swiss'd. However, it's not perfectly consistent because on the bottom 2 sets of eyelets he threads from the outside, but the third set he threads from the inside. Though this is probably intentional so the lacing doesn't hang on the inside of his shirt, so 9/10.

Astarion, baby boy, you were so close. But unfortunately there are two pairs of eyelets where he threads one side from the outside and one from the inside. For someone who wants to appear so put together, you think he could take the two extra braincells to lace his shirt consistently. 7/10.

Threaded consistently the whole way through...with one side. Why didn't you finish lacing your shirt? Why even lace one side if you weren't going to lace the other? Why isn't the lacing that you didn't finish shorter than the one that you did finish? All questions I can't answer because I cannot ask. 7/10 at least it's consistent.

I couldn't get a good in game screenshot of Karlach since her lacing is on her pants, but I found a texture rip so I can work with it. So the lacing here is the same all the way through, super consistent, *mwah*, but...it's sneakily unnecessarily complicated. Typically, the lacing that laces from the inside to outside would sit on top, but it's not that way on her pants. She pulls the lacing through the eyelet, then threads it under the other part of the cross, then threads it through the top of the next eyelet. And with as much lacing as her pants have, this must have taken forever for no extra benefit. It would have been easier to let it sit on top. 8/10 its pretty though.

Halsin. Beautiful. Gorgeous. I choose to believe the knots are hidden on the inside. No other notes. 10/10.

I've never actually recruited Minthara so I took a picture from the BG3 wiki. Just like Halsin, beautiful. Again, I choose to believe the ends are hidden on the inside. 10/10.

Jaheira's pants lace the same way Halsin's shirt does: perfectly. Though if the knot is hidden on the inside, I feel like that would be more uncomfortable, so I'm gonna headcannon that it ties at her waist under her shirt. Other than that, 10/10.

Minsc's shirt uses the same model as Wyll's so everything I said there applies here, though I feel like it makes more sense for Minsc. My real gripe here is that Minsc is a liar. Talking 'bout some thrice laced pants, but I didn't see any lacing on those pants. How dare he trick me in this way. 6/10 I don't like being lied to.

Yenna's mom may be dead, but she made sure her baby knew how to lace her shirt before she did. She may have gotten kidnapped by Orin, but she looked put together while doing it. Perfect 10/10. She deserves it after what she went through.

After being dead for 100 years, Isobel didn't forget how to lace her armor. Gotta be put together to see her girlfriend again. 10/10 Isobel can do no wrong.

Volo...I don't know what you've done to the front of your pants but it doesn't look good. Some of those crosses are missing. It looks sloppy. What is this. This is something I would do as a joke to see if anyone noticed. Well I noticed and I hate it. 2/10 it keeps your pants closed I guess.

That's it for the camp. I'll link other sets of characters below as I do them.

Tieflings

[visualtaehyun]

MY GIRLS ARE FINALLY ON AIR

Disclaimer: not a native Thai speaker, still learning 🙏

Ongsa and Sun

At first, Ongsa wrongly assumes that Sun is older so she calls her พี่ /phi/, speaks respectfully and wais her:

ขอโทษค่ะพี่ /khaaw thoht kha, phi/

Then they settle into these pronouns:

☀ Sun: เรา /rao/ -> Ongsa (calls her เธอ /ter/ once when she asks her name)

🌐 Ongsa: เรา /rao/ -> Sun

-> เรา /rao/ is an informal 1st pers. pronoun that pretty much all the students in Ongsa's class seem to use

Later, when they're texting, it takes Ongsa entirely too long to catch onto the fact that Sun thinks Earth is a guy because-

คุยกันมาตั้งนาน เรายังไม่รู้เลยว่านายชื่ออะไร /khui gan maa dtang naan. rao yang mai ruu loei waa naai cheuu a rai/ -> นาย /naai/ is a male 2nd pers. pronoun

While we're talking about their texts, the subs have this weirdly mixed up:

1 - ฝันดีนะ /fan dee na/ = lit. dream well/good dreams, 'Sweet dreams' 2 - ราตรีสวัสดิ์ /raa dtree sa wat/ = formal, 'Good night' 3 - Similarly, Sun's มอนิ่งนะ /morning na/ is a more informal 'Good morning' compared to formal อรุณสวัสดิ์ /a roon sa wat/ or polite สวัสดีตอนเช้า /sa wat dee dtaawn chaao/

When Ongsa isn't gay-panic hiccupping, she's actually really clever and witty! I'll get to her ig posts in a second but there's also this moment:

ยังสวยอยู่เลย /yang suay yuu loei/ สวยจะ หมายถึง ซวยอ่ะ /suay ja- maai theung- suay a/

The difference in pronunciation between these two words is just the tone - สวย /suay/ (rising tone) means pretty vs. ซวย /suay/ (middle tone) means unlucky

from.the.earth__

ถ่ายรูป ด่วน สี-ขาวดำ /thaai ruup duaan see khaao dam/ = urgent/express black-and-white photography caption: ยกกล้องมาถ่ายแทบไม่ทัน /yohk glaawng maa thaai thaaep mai than/ = almost didn't raise the camera in time to snap this

caption: เงา-เหงา /ngao-ngao/ = shadow-lonely -> เงา ๆ /ngao ngao/ is an expression that means indistinctly, faintly

The difference in pronunciation is, again, in the tones - เงา /ngao/ (middle tone) means shadow vs. เหงา /ngao/ (rising tone) means lonely

caption: ว้าว! ปลาทับใจจัง /wow! bplaa thap jai jang/

I love this SO much omg It's a pun on ประทับใจ /bpra thap jai/ = impressed, but also a visual pun!!

ปลา /bplaa/ = fish + ทับ /thap/ = placed on top of + ใจ /jai/ = heart

caption: สู้ ๆ นะ เป็นกำลังใจให้ /su su na. bpen gam lang jai hai/ = Fighting! Rooting for/encouraging [you]!

Another visual pun! This one's only funny if you know what peaches are called in Thai: peach = ลูกท้อ /luuk thaaw/ - but the word ท้อ /thaaw/ in there? It means discouraged!

Alpha, Aylin, and Luna

🔝 Alpha is Ongsa's older sister: พี่ /phi/ (used as a 1st pers. pronoun) -> แก /gae/ (informal 2nd pers. pronoun)

👽 Aylin is their cousin, in the same grade as Ongsa, and speaks pretty curtly, almost like someone would on two-way radio: she doesn't use any pronouns apart from this once-

แกกำลังบุกรุกที่ของฉัน /gae gam lang book rook thee khaawng chan/

Omitting pronouns is possible and not uncommon in Thai but doing so constantly, combined with her monotone speech pattern, low voice, and mostly a lack of ending particles, it does stick out! It doesn't really come across in the subs tbh (apart from including the way she refers to people as humans = มนุษย์ /ma noot/):

ไม่ต้องแคร์ใคร /mai dtaawng care khrai/ = Don't need to care about anyone.

🌙 Luna, Alpha, the two bullies, and Mawin all seem to be in the same grade because all of them use the impolite pronouns กู/มึง /guu, meung/ (=I/you) amongst each other - how very fun to finally hear some GMMTV girls talk like this :D

I love Alpha and Luna teaming up to beat up scold these two dipshits:

Alpha: พวกมึงสองคนแกล้งน้องกูออ /phuuak meung saawng khohn glaaeng nong guu aaw/ Mawin, trying to defuse: พวกเธอใจเย็นก่อน /phuuak ter jai yen gaawn/

While the girls are furious, the guys are clearly fearing for their lives, wai'ing endlessly 😂

Lastly-

Sarah Salola

I gasped when I saw her name in the credits!! She's this handsome singer-songwriter with a lovely voice who's queer herself - she's talked about her sexuality and style before (interview is in Thai) but this Valentine's she revealed her partner :)

Here's a cover of Nont Tanont's รักแรก (First Love) she did with Jan 💕

Needless to say, I can't wait for her OST and the accompanying MV that's surely gonna be super cute!

[oathkeeper-of-tarth]

So, I'm curious: What's your take on Aylin's experience after/if she kills Lorroakan?

Allegedly, there's some information floating around somewhere that said Aylin was angry with Selune after she killed Lorroakan, but I can't find where this info is.

If you saw posts about that here on tumblr it was probably posted by @justanotherignot! I've actually been meaning to gather up all the devnote tidbits about Selûne from Aylin and Isobel for a while now, so thank you for the excuse to do so and ramble a bit.

Player: I was just wondering what it was like in that cage of Balthazar's. Aylin: Let us not dwell on those dark days. Their memory is a vortex within my heart that leads directly to the Hells.

What is happening is, well, it's the century of unthinkable horror catching up to her. It's the Trauma(TM) - in one of the conversation options she's literally triggered by the mention of someone being run through repeatedly! It's the growing awareness that although she's been freed (and possibly reunited with her love), the secret is out and there are always going to be assholes gunning for her, aiming to use her as an "artefact" and power source to fuel their ambitions, without any regard for her, you know... basic personhood and well-being. Also, Lorroakan was blatantly lying. He didn't find any super special way to siphon her immortality with "no harm, no pain of any kind", he was just replicating Balthazar's soul cage (you can even find a letter from Ketheric to him, showing Lorroakan was pestering them).

On to the stuff from the game files! First, the conversation with Aylin directly after the Lorroakan fight in the tower. I'm going to be putting the context notes in square brackets next to the lines they apply to. I also plucked some audio out from the files for some of these because I love the delivery.

Aylin: The fire-haired fool is dead. Yet as I stare upon his corpse, I feel… sadness. Why? [Slow and curious, angry and confused by all that has happened.] Player: What kind of sadness is it? / I know something of sadness - or at least the ballads do. What does it feel like? Aylin: A gripping in the chest. As though I'd lost someone, something. [Lost in thought for a moment; confused.] Aylin: A paladin's fatigue, no doubt. You were excellent in battle, as is your way. And I am proud to fight at your side. [Remembering herself. She is Dame Aylin.] Aylin: I will catch my breath, then to camp I will bring my bones. Moonmaiden be with you. Player: Smiting is a weighty duty - sometimes it can be tiring. / Perhaps smiting has lost its pleasures. Aylin: Say it can't be so. For I am Selûne's sword. And ever must be. [She means it, but on the periphery of her consciousness is a tiny crack. Wondering about her fate.]

The above never fails to get me - she is Dame Aylin! Sword of the Moonmaiden! Glorious immortal paladin, champion of a righteous cause! She smites evil-doers for breakfast, that's, like, her whole thing! What do you mean she can't just pick up where she left off and go about her merry smitey way? What do you mean the thing that is supposed to be the literal core of her entire being (forever) doesn't feel good and glorious anymore, but just makes her feel sad and empty? No, no, no, we can't have that.

Player: One of the greatest tragedies of revenge is that it can only be taken once. / Because you won't get to kill him again? Aylin: Perhaps. Yet if I could run him through a thousand times, I wonder-- [Lost in thought, she's been triggered to remember her own fate being run through over and over.] Aylin: Battle has tired my mind, made me susceptible to flights of fancy. You were excellent in battle, as is your way. And I am proud to fight at your side.

Aylin: I will return to camp shortly. I just need a moment to… to… [Lost in thought.]

She so very desperately needs some rest and a chance to come to terms with everything that happened and that was done to her. And it's clear it's going to be hard because she is defaulting to trying to deny anything is wrong, is clearly trying (and failing) to just be her old self immediately, has blatantly internalised a lot of that classic I Am A Sword stuff on top of everything (even though her mother is huge on free will and choice!), and is just really not well-equipped to handle any of this at all.

Next, this is the post-Lorroakan convo you get if you have both Aylin and Isobel in camp.

Aylin: Ah. Ally mine. We are reunited once more. [Warm, but drained. She's not feeling like herself.] Aylin: I was just regaling sweet Isobel with tales of our prowess. Isobel: Very impressive. Thank you for helping Aylin - that wizard sounded absolutely dastardly. [Good humored. Soft in tone. A little uncertain - she's not sure why Aylin isn't herself.] Player: My pleasure. He had it coming. Aylin: He did, and it came. Now, my friend: bask in your victory. I will do the same. Aylin: But fear not: when the time comes for you to face the foe of foes, Isobel and I will stand by your side. [Rallying her soldierly spirit, but still a little drained.] Isobel: We wouldn't miss it. Not for anything. Aylin: Go well, friend. We will see you soon. And with our great powers combined, this city will be saved. Player: Hopefully he'll be the last. Aylin: There are always more bastards behind bastards. But we will run through them all, each by each.

Player: I hope you can rest easy now, Dame Aylin. Aylin: I always do, with darling Isobel by my side. Aylin: Enjoy the spoils of your victory. Spin memories of Lorroakan's death in your mind like silkfloss.

If Isobel isn't there (meaning she died in Act 2), you get this version:

Aylin: Ah. Ally mine. We are reunited once more. [Warm, but drained. She's not feeling like herself.] Aylin: I was just reviewing our fight against foul Lorroakan; your moves and mine. The victory was soundly won. Aylin: Don't you think? [Uncharacteristically, Aylin is seeking input. She's usually so confident about everything, but killing Lorroakan has not had the intended effect on her.] Player: Indeed I do. Let his demise serve as a warning to anyone else who'd seek you out. Aylin: Let him be the last. If my dear mother has any mercy, she will ensure it. [Trying to stay her usual self, but her mask is cracking a tiny bit here. Privately, Aylin is dealing with a great deal of anger toward her mother, the goddess Selûne, But she's not yet willing to face it. How could her powerful mother let all this happen to her?]

Player: We fought well - though I was a little worried about you afterward, in truth. Aylin: Set your mind at ease, my friend. Dame Aylin is more well now than she has been this past century. [Good humored. Soft in tone. A little uncertain - it's true she's better now than she has been, but why does she feel so shitty, then? (She's in the beginning of reckoning with the trauma of what happened to her).]

Player: I hope you can rest easy now, Dame Aylin. Aylin: Yes. I wish for the very same. Aylin: Enjoy the spoils of your victory. Spin memories of our prowess in your mind like silkfloss.

So, a few things pop out for me here. First, you get the more explicit anger at Selûne if Isobel isn't there, as opposed to the "hahah, I will smite all the bastards who dare come after me, no matter how many there are" line. "How could her powerful mother let all this happen to her?" just... damn, hits hard, even if you subscribe to the theory that Selûne simply could not intervene in the Shadowfell imprisonment beyond sending those poor people whose graves you find in front of the mausoleum.

And here Aylin really lays it on thick with the denial that there's anything wrong at all. Combined with the letter you get from her in the epilogue if Isobel is dead, it just paints such a bleak, sad picture. I can just see her going all out on the Sword of Selûne duty-bound paladin side of things, no rest, no healing, no stopping even for a moment, no dealing with anything at all, from the trauma to the bitterness towards mum. Until whatever horrible breaking point comes, a year or a century from now. The need for Isobel's humanising influence is so clear. I've touched on Isobel's side of things here.

Speaking of having a bone to pick with Selûne, if you're playing as a cleric/paladin of Selûne, you can get some extra very honest dialogue with Isobel in Last Light:

Player: Why has the Moonmaiden waited until now to take an interest in this curse? Isobel: Maybe she was waiting for one of us to find this place ourselves. Free will, and all that.

Isobel: Though if it were my place to ask why she let Ketheric turn; why she allowed this village to rot at his hands - believe me, I would. [A cold edge in her voice]

Player: Are you faring all right? It can't be easy holding a lone candle in such darkness. Isobel: All things with her strength. You know the litany. [A little sarcastically. She's got a bone to pick with Selûne but isn't being too overt.]

Side note: the amount of devnotes for Isobel's lines that say she's delivering them "with swagger" and being "cheeky" makes me smile every time. Love her. Love her snark.

Also, to get it out of the way: no, I'm fairly sure Aylin did not break her oath. I see this brought up a ton and I just see no way for it to be the case. There is nothing to suggest this outside of a wording similarity and it just makes no sense. Girl is clearly some flavour of Oath of Vengeance (she uses Abjure Enemy, so this is the case even mechanically, even though she's obviously an NPC and not a standard player-build paladin) and she killed a very shitty guy who was also explicitly after her in godawful ways. You can do far worse things in the game than her dramatic speech and backbreaker and not break your OoV.

[drainbangle]

for day 5 of agnekari week: bewildering grace! ❤️🧡 you are challenged by young couple hikari and agnea‼️

pkmn nicknames and explanations under the cut:

Hikari

Suiren (Samurott): One of Hikari's first Pokémon. Evolves into a Samurott when he fights Mugen.

Explanation:

"A master of a sword-drawing art called iaijutsu, Samurott settles its battles with a single swing of either large sword sheathed in its foreleg armor." "Hard of heart and deft of blade, this rare form of Samurott is a product of the Pokémon's evolution in the region of Hisui. Its turbulent blows crash into foes like ceaseless pounding waves." Hisuian form is used as a reference to Shadow Hikari.

Aylin (Sceptile - Mega Evolution): One of Hikari's first Pokémon. Named by Kura. Can Mega Evolve. Evolves alongside Suiren during Hikari's battle with Mugen.

Explanation:

"The leaves on its arms are as sharp as swords. It agilely leaps about the branches of trees to strike its enemies." Also. Um. Have you played PMD2. Grovyle is there.

Chizu (Skarmory): A common Pokémon seen in Ku. Guided Hikari to safety when he ran away from home.

Explanation:

"People fashion swords from Skarmory's shed feathers, so this Pokémon is a popular element in heraldic designs." Trainers in Ku admire Skarmory for its strength and steel feathers!

Kosei (Clefable): Caught in the Crestlands on the way to Montwise as a Cleffa.

Explanation:

"Some scientists believe that it gazes intently at the sky on nights with a full moon because it's homesick." Found by Hikari as a Cleffa and grew strong through his caring approach to Pokémon training.

Haruto (Gallade): Caught near Wellgrove as a Kirlia.

Explanation:

"The blades extending from its elbows are sharper than the finest swords. Its swordsmanship, albeit self-taught, is astonishingly impressive." "When trying to protect someone, it extends its elbows as if they were swords and fights savagely." "Sharply attuned to others' wishes for help, this Pokémon seeks out those in need and aids them in battle."

Shimo (Mudsdale): Caught on the way to Stormhail.

Explanation:

"It remains calm and unmoving no matter the situation. It mixes dirt with the saliva in its mouth to make a special kind of mud." Also Hikari is 100% a horse-loving guy… Not giving him a Rapidash though, I imagine he has an aversion to fire.

Agnea

Joy (Brionne): Agnea's first Pokémon. A child of her mother's Primarina.

Explanation:

I mean have you seen Brionne. "It gets excited when it sees a dance it doesn't know. This hard worker practices diligently until it can learn that dance."

Gala (Tepig): A rampaging Pokémon that Agnea calmed down before a festival.

Explanation:

The Duorduor from CH1.

Hope (Hisuian Lilligant - Shiny): Caught in New Delsta as a Petilil.

Explanation:

"I suspect that its well-developed legs are the result of a life spent on mountains covered in deep snow. The scent it exudes from its flower crown heartens those in proximity." Attacks with strong kicks, like Agnea.

Merry (Altaria - Mega Evolution): Hatched from an egg given to her by Garud. Born in Tropuhopu, shortly after Agnea decides to go to Merry Hills. Agnea receives a Mega Ring upon winning the Grand Gala.

Explanation:

"Altaria sings in a gorgeous soprano. Its wings are like cotton clouds. This Pokémon catches updrafts with its buoyant wings and soars way up into the wild blue yonder."

Glimmer (Glossifleur): Caught in the Brightlands while Agnea was journeying to Merry Hills.

Explanation:

"It anchors itself in the ground with its single leg, then basks in the sun. After absorbing enough sunlight, its petals spread as it blooms brilliantly." "It whirls around in the wind while singing a joyous song. This delightful display has charmed many into raising this Pokémon."

Jubilee (Flygon): Caught in Ryu as a Trapinch during D&W1

Explanation:

"Flygon whips up a sandstorm by flapping its wings. The wings create a series of notes that sound like singing. Because the "singing" is the only thing that can be heard in a sandstorm, this Pokémon is said to be the desert spirit."

[chainsawmascara]

Figuring out where every companion fits in my Suddenly A Thing art school au doodle world is. Going to be interesting.

God's favorite princess who started it all is in general fine arts. She loves charcoal, painting feels like a necessary evil but it's secretly what she's always wanted to do.

Lae'zel is clearly in metalworking/sculpture.

Astarion is in textiles, specifically embroidering and fashion design/history. He has an entire brand built in his head. He works at an upscale fashion store part time. He judges EVERYONE.

Wyll???? Wyll's studying art history and debating going into curation. He's a trust fund kid and his father is deeply disappointed THIS is what he's doing with his college fund. He spends free time in the dark room. Darkroom photography has no place in the world these days, but he loves the classics and waxes poetic about 35mm film and its versatility - he does some oil painting over certain photos for flourish. It's phenomenal. He doesn't think it's that great. Everyone disagrees.

Gale is. Gale is the english major from the sister university who decided a double major is a good idea (it isn't, he is suffering) and hurled himself into abstract/surrealism. (It works very well in his favor when tara steps in his paint and walks on the canvas. He had a three hour anxiety attack and decided he did it on PURPOSE.

(Part of me wants to slam him into dark room photography and i will not elaborate. Maybe he sneaks in to hang out with wyll. He cannot be good at everything but he NEEDS TO BE GOOD AT EVERYTHING. He's a recurring subject of wyll's work.)

Where the FUCK do i put karlach. She's on a roller derby team outside of school. But what does she DO. She's in there somewhere but WHAT DEPARTMENT.

Dammon shares classes with Lae'zel bc that's The Most Obvious Thing. He's a natural.

Isobel? Pottery. Aylin doesn't go here. She's just The Girlfriend also on the roller derby team and hangs around.

Rolan is obviously into impressionism. He's the manet of the school, trying every artist's style in a desperate attempt to find his own despite cal and lia both knowing he HAS his own style and it's GORGEOUS but he just can't see it himself.

Alfira is also in the textile department. Astarion hates everything she makes. She plays music at local clubs on the weekends. Lakrissa is her bartender girlfriend who studies sequential art.

I need to keep this going, I'm on to something here.

But where the FUCK do i put KARLACH.

Edit: 9 fingers is the drug dealer. I went to art school, i promise you there are so many gatherings based solely around that, she'd be there constantly. Jaheira and Halsin are figure study models. Jaheira probably has her hand somewhere else in the school, she'd definitely have something to do with installation pieces, I'll get there let me cook on that one. Minsc is. Fuck. I need to figure that out. We're GOING SOMEWHERE HERE, WE'RE MAKING THIS HAPPEN.

Someone is in the jewelry department it's someone it's SOMEONE maybe lae'zel dips into it bc metal casting NO IT'S MINTHARA. MINTHARA. YES. I WILL JUSTIFY THIS WHEN IT'S NOT 2AM BUT TRUST ME IT'S MINTHARA. Intricate wire wrapping with gem stones she gets from 9 fingers, she has 5000 tools for it and no one realizes how violent whitesmithing tools are but I've BEEN THERE TRUST ME and the wire wrapping gives big spiderweb vibes, it's perfect, i love it, yes, she's in cahoots with astarion on a future design house and the bickering is CONSTANT.

[heretherebedork]

I hate how the show is entirely blaming Aylin for what happened instead of discussing how Ton got in her face, refused to back off despite her body language and clear attempts to leave and that instead it's about her being wrong for not being social enough rather than about how no one is taking the time to accept her as she is and is constantly trying to change her instead.

Luna might love how weird she is but she doesn't accept her, not truly, not Aylin as herself. And everyone else cares but they're not doing the first thing to get to know her at all, just trying to solve her problems for her without involving her or really thinking about her as person rather than a problem to be solved.

Aylin is a person and she deserves to be able to be herself. And Ton needs to learn a lesson about backing the fuck off. Goddamn, why is the person defending herself always the one punished?

(And why is this about her expressing herself rather than about the fact that everyone is constantly pushing her to be someone she isn't?)

Aylin deserves more than this. She deserves her own respect and her own space and the fact that she is not just being blamed for what happened with Ton but that Ton is simply being rewarded and defended by everyone around him is a sad statement.

I want to promise her it's okay to be different and it's okay to want time alone and it's okay to need space and it's okay to smash rice in someone's face when they're being an ass.

[moghedien]

I hadn't really considered it until now, but Jaheira's reaction if you confront her about Isobel being Ketheric's daughter is such good foreshadowing to her relationship with a redeemed durge

like the second you try to bring up the speculation to her parentage, she shuts down any possibility of it by telling you outright that she is in fact Ketheric's daughter and she hasn't told you before because 1) it isn't her story and 2) it doesn't matter. she doesn't let you speculate on whether Isobel can be trusted or not and makes it clear that she is not holding Isobel's parentage against her. Isobel showed up offering help when she didn't have to do, so Jaheria trusts her. Nothing else matters.

And compare this to her reactions to a good durge in Act 3 when she’s a companion. Durge or not, if you offer aid to her in her quest without really hesitating, she’ll comment in sort of stunned appreciation/admiration that you’d help just because she asked you to and for no reason at all. In my previous durge playthrough this happened actually right before I long rested and got the Bhaalspawn reveal and then Jaheira confronting me about it so it was like thematically great

But at the point where you’ve discovered youre bhaalspawn and Jaheira confronts you in the middle of the night about it, you’ve already helped her and all of the people trapped in the shadow cursed lands. You’ve saved the shadow cursed lands. If you've done all the typical good person thing, you've done more than that. You’ve saved Aylin. You’ve saved the tieflings and the gnomes captive in Moonrise. Jaheira has seen you do all of this, and sure some of it you would have had to do out of necessity, but not all of it. You didn’t need to save everyone. You didn’t need to go out of your way to help people. But you did, and Jaheira saw you do it and THEN she found out you were bhaalspawn

And when she confronts you about it, she is the first person that really offers you any kind of hope that you can be good person at the end of this. She can see that you’re already being a good person.

And she’s the first person that doesn’t just give you answers to what curse has been plaguing you since you woke up, but she’s the first person that gives you evidence that you can be free from it and an idea of what you need to do.

Depending on the timing of how these events trigger, she’s probably the first one who knows what you are and the horror of what that means, and she makes a point of showing that any fear of you isn't justified. And she will go out of her way to help you.

Ketheric attacked her people to get his daughter under his control. Bhaal is doing the same with durge. In both cases, sure, Jaheira needed Isobel to protect the Inn and she needs durge to end the Absolute. But she said with Isobel, she chooses to trust, not just because she has no other choice.

Isobel held out her hand and Jaheira chose to take it. The same applies to durge now, but its more obvious with durge that Jaheira is doing her best to help through whatever issues they have with being Bhaalspawn and what that means. You offered your hand and she took it, but holding hands goes both ways

[lanafofana]

Colossus

Day #7! I spent the majority of the weekend writhing in unimaginable pain so it doesn't count as late. Those are the rules I've just made up! Pairing: Halsin/Tav(f) Summary: He's just so...big Rating: Explicit. Minors DNI Warnings/Tags: Porn, Smut, Cunnilingus, Size kink, Hand job, blow job, foreskin play, inappropriate use of colossus elixir, shotgunning No beta we die like Yonas (RIP Yonas) And the AO3 link, with love Special note: Hysterically this is colossal compared to the others I've posted for HalsinTav week. Additional note: I'll eventually post the one i started writing for Day4 (?). I took the prompt "wildshape misuse" in a completely different direction and it's taking me longer to write because it's more angst than romance. Probably no romance at all but we'll see. Enjoy!

Halsin was a big guy. Like a really big guy. 

Until she met Halsin, Tav had not been aware that people even came in sizes that large. It did not help that he was as thickly muscled as he was tall. No part of him was too skinny or unproportionate which always sent her dirty mind tumbling straight into the gutter wondering just how proportionate he was where she couldn't see. 

All of this was just harmless thinking on her part, she knew how to mind her manners and keep her hands to herself after all. He was a great ally and becoming an even greater friend so, despite the turn of her lustful thought from time to time, she’d never overtly act in any way to make him uncomfortable.

That didn’t stop her from laying in her tent late at night, calloused fingers strumming her sex, brain full of how’d she’d whimper and shake trying to take his thick cock. What if he was too big? The thought drove her wild, picturing him tensed up beneath her while she used her hands, her tongue, to bring him to release. Pussy drenched, skin flushed, breathing thready; the thought of how he’d stretch her near to breaking always pushed her over the precipice of her climax, choking back her moans while she writhed with her desperation. 

All of this was fine, probably a healthy outlet all things considered, and a welcome distraction from the horrors of their day to day adventuring. She was completely content with keeping her own company and it seemed unlikely her fortune in that regard would change any time soon. 

So if his larger than average hands brushing hers when she handed him a plate of dinner set her stomach fluttering. Or when he towered over her just slightly too close and she felt dizzy with fantasies about that large frame fucking her to the feywild and back, well, nobody needed to know it but her and her hands late at night in her bedroll. 

Things might have continued in this fashion till the conclusion of their little adventure but for one critical incident. 

The fight with Ketheric had been awful in more ways than one but when the avatar of Myrkul threatened to completely devastate them Tav had pulled out all the stops. Her focus had narrowed down to each fighter, her desperation providing her with all manner of tricks up her sleeve to, if not turn the tide of the fight, at least tread water till Aylin could finish smiting him to death. Or undeath. 

When she had spun on her heel and thrown the elixir to Halsin she hadn’t really been thinking too much beyond the immediate threat and how to keep her companions alive. Hadn’t been thinking about what the “after” of their fight would leave her with. So when the fight was over and that line of thinking evaporated she was chagrined and thrilled to realize what she was left with was a druid of colossal size and embarrassingly damp panties. 

Halsin had been huge before but now the sight of him was enough to break her brain a little bit. 

His hand could completely engulf her head and the thought alone was enough to have her lashes fluttering, her breath whooshing out of her in a pained sigh. And when she imagined his enormous cock, well, it was best she didn’t think too hard about that till she was safely ensconced in her tent that was for certain. 

Her companions may have joked from time to time about climbing Mount Halsin but actually seeing him so…engorged, had even the wittiest among them speechless, tongues dry behind their teeth. He was very good natured about it of course, the man didn’t seem to let anything phase him. He excused himself after they decided to camp for the night, the tenor of his voice deeper than usual and each step as he left camp was like a gentle tremor that climbed up her legs and tapped insistently at her clit. 

When her companions scattered to their own bedrolls for some much needed rest and he still hadn’t returned, Tav's mind began to worry. It wasn’t like anything out in the wilderness would be a challenge for him to deal with in his current state but still the worry gnawed at her. Isolation could be just as dangerous to one’s mental wellbeing as an enemy was to the physical form after all.

With this thought in mind she shoved her lust to the side and went to find him. It didn’t take her long. Halsin was down by the water’s edge, sitting on the sand and gazing out at where Tav was surprised to see stars twinkling down from a nearly cloudless sky.  

When he turns to see her a kind smile breaks across his face and Tav’s worry dissipates in its warmth. 

“It’s late,” she says chidingly when she’s close. She climbs a large rock to put them on more even ground, sitting on the edge of the damp stone closest to him and letting her legs dangle over the water. 

Halsin hums in agreement. “I find myself overwhelmed,” he says softly. “Overwhelmed and grateful for this chance to see these lands begin to heal. For once I think my rest will not be found in my meditations but here, watching the fruits our labors unfold.” 

Gods, even the way he spoke had a sexy appeal that left her heart hammering in her chest. “Right,” she says skeptically, “I guess. You could just say you’re too excited to sleep. Or trance or whatever.” 

Halsin laughs and shrugs. “I suppose I could.” When she meets his eyes there’s something in them she doesn’t recognize immediately but it warms her clear down to her toes. “You have a gift for seeing to the heart of things. A trait you share with Karlach I feel. One could learn a lot from seeing the world as you do.” 

Tav feels herself blush though she’s not sure why. She coughs. “Ah, right, well. Thanks. Myself, I quite like to smoke a little flower to help me relax if I can’t sleep. Something I’m sure you’re acquainted with.” 

“Indeed,” he agrees. “The stresses of leadership can take their toll and as Archdruid I became well acquainted with medicinal herbs to soothe the mind when rest was beyond my reach.” He gives a thoughtful hum. “Pity I left my pipe behind.” 

“Oh I don’t know,” says Tav slyly pulling out a familiar pipe from the small pouch at her hip. 

Halsin laughs, a booming thing that vibrates low in Tav’s belly. “How did you–?”

She fans a hand out and wiggles her fingers with a grin. “Sticky fingers I’m afraid.” She digs in her pouch a little more until she pulls out a little snuff box the size of her thumb and a match. “I snagged it after talking with Lettie, I honestly didn’t have a whole lot of faith you were still alive.” 

With the skill of someone who is well acquainted with the action she packs and lights the pipe, sucking at the stem till she feels the familiar curl of smoke burn in her throat. She turns to offer it to him but realizes his predicament in the same breath he declines with a rueful smile.  

“Too small for these fingers,” he tells her. If he notices how her dark eyes seem to zero in on his hands for a beat too long he is gracious enough not to shame her for it. 

Tav, as is her nature, puts zero thought into the consequences before she offers the easiest solution that pops in her tadpole’d brain. “Come here then. Let me show you how it’s done in the Gate.” 

Halsin stares at her but she beckons him closer impatiently until he complies. 

“Come on, scaredy cat.” She sucks at the pipe for a long moment before she pulls his face close and puts her lips close to his, tapping at his bottom lip till he opens his mouth and she breathes the smoke between his lips. When he sucks it in her lips graze his, only lightly, like the brush of a feather. 

She lingers then, checking his expression and the moment seems to slow down and draw out as if they’re locked in a slowing spell. This close she gets her first real look at the peculiar shade of his eyes and what was once a harmless way to share a little smoke between friends turns into something heavier, charged. 

Leaning back she sucks at the pipe again, a shorter puff to give herself something to do before she opens her fat mouth and says something insane. Halsin breathes out the smoke slowly, turning his gaze from watching her to instead watch the curl of smoke twist and dissipate in the evening air. 

“Inventive,” he says, voice a tad rougher than he normally speaks. 

Humming in assent she smiles, enjoying the pleasant buzz that hums along her frayed nerves, soothing the disjointed clamor of her thoughts. “I wasn’t sure about you,” she confesses after a beat. He looks at her with interest. “The other druids in the grove were so…” she trails off, weighing her words. She settles on frankness. “Rude. Possessive of their time, their grove. Willing to follow Khaga rather than risk speaking up against each other. Even after you came back I tried talking to them but besides the few that were relieved most were more than glad to see the back of me and ballsy enough to say it to my face.” 

Halsin frowns but lets her continue. 

“I was worried you were going to turn out to be the same. Sure, you accepted the tieflings and all but, still, I wondered when your patience was going to snap. We’re not exactly the most cohesive group on our best days. You surprised me though. You take everything as it comes and never lose sight of what you want while sticking to your scruples. It’s admirable.” 

Maybe it’s the way the moonlight shines in his eyes or maybe it’s the flower working its magic, untangling her tongue but she pushes on, a light flush suffusing her cheeks. 

“You’ve become something of a hero to me. Someone I can aspire to be like, especially now. With the bloody cult and all. Gods and curses and monsters. You’re someone I can look at and be reminded that, even against these absurd, impossible odds, I don’t have to lose sight of myself. You look at me and it’s like you really see me. See the me that I want to see in myself. I, uh, I’ve never had that before.” She breaks off with a rueful chuckle. “Sorry, I just had to say it. It’s just…I’m really glad you’re here is all.” She rubs the back of her neck and looks away from his stare. 

A finger as large as her wrist brushes her chin and her gaze snaps back to his in surprise. 

“I feel the same.” He swallows and Tav tracks the movement before meeting his eyes again, feeling something like anticipation welling up within her. “About you. Before you came to the grove I had all but lost sight of who I was. Being Archdruid consumed me so entirely I had…cast off who I was. It didn’t seem to matter, not when so many things needed doing, people needed the skills and diplomacy of the First Druid, not me. It’s been a long time, longer than I like to think about, since I had a…friend. Someone I could just enjoy the company of without the distance of my station playing some role.”

“Sounds lonely.” 

“Yes. It was. You pay me a high compliment, calling me a pillar to look to but it is you, my friend, who has been my guiding light. You showed me that ‘Halsin’ still has value, beyond the title and everything else. It means a great deal to me, what you’ve given me. You mean a great deal to me.” 

Tav shrugs a shoulder, lopsided smile bashful in the face of such open praise. “Flattery will get you everywhere.” It’s a crude attempt at brushing off the heavy feeling that has settled over the moment but Halsin’s eyes crinkle at the corners, charmed. Producing another match she gestured with the now-cold pipe, “Another hit?” 

Halsin’s chest expands as he takes in a slow breath, as if conflicted and thinking too hard about it. Tav, who has perhaps never thought too hard about anything in her entire life, ‘tsk’s’ with a teasing smile and lights the pipe, sucking on the lip of the stem. Holding the smoke in she gives him a challenging look, smirking when he draws closer. 

Emboldened by the lingering intimacy from their conversation and her own burgeoning tangle of feelings and lust, Tav grasps his chin with both hands and plants her lips against the seam of his firmly, releasing the air and smoke from her lungs into his mouth when he sucks in a surprised gasp. She lingers there, eyes shut and consumed with the warmth of his lips against hers before reluctantly pulling away. 

His eyes are shut tight and she feels a twinge of guilt for the way he holds himself so still and tense. “Was that alright?” She asks quietly, wondering which would destroy her first, the rejection or the disappointment. 

But the druid surprises her. “Yes,” he utters, eyes opening at last. “I am only disappointed my current form is not well suited for returning the gesture.” 

Tav has a sudden vision of being suffocated by those lips. A warm wet tongue the size of her face gliding over her body and she shivers with want. Her tongue darts out to wet her lips and his eyes flick to her mouth to watch it closely. “I wouldn’t say that.” 

A muscle in Halsin’s jaw twitches as he clenches his teeth together, the pupils of his eyes swelling and she breathes out slowly, suddenly acutely aware of their proximity. 

“You’re not shy about what you want,” he breathes with a smile. “I like that.” 

Tav’s expression turns wry. “You say that now,” she mutters. 

Before Halsin can think of how to respond to a loaded statement like that she leaps off the boulder she’d been sitting on and approaches him. She doesn’t hide the way she stares at his body. The way her eyes trail along his massive legs while she steps between them. The way they linger on his hands, the expanse of his chest, and trail scorchingly up his neck to his face. 

“The pipe is nice but I know of even better ways to relax.” 

Halsin’s chuckle rumbles in the night air. “An intriguing if unwise notion.” 

Tav’s expression turns coy, her smile sly. “Is it so unwise to embrace the unexpected opportunities we’re afforded? I’m just ‘seizing the moment’.” The look he cuts her at parroting words he once spoke to her sizzles along her skin. 

“I had hoped to take the time to broach the subject of my affections for you before we–”

“Oh, we’re past broached, Halsin.” 

“I could crush you.”

“You won’t,” she says dismissively and then, “I’d very much like to touch you. If you’ll allow me.” 

His stomach clenches with equal parts anticipation and uneasiness. He nods. 

She trails a hand along his thigh. It’s so small but burns through the leather of his trousers and he shifts, releasing a sigh. It takes her less time than he’s expecting to reach the apex of his thighs and when she runs her palms down the straining seam of his pants where his cock lies trapped and swollen he breathes in sharply. 

She checks his expression and must see the reservation in them because she stops, removing her hands. “Do you want me to stop?” 

“I don’t think y–”

“Yes or no, druid. I won’t be offended.” She cants her head to the side in thought. “Disappointed maybe.” 

The muscle in his jaw jumps again and when he swallows the bob of his throat sends a thrill up her spine. She’s definitely playing with fire but she’s never been particularly good at denying herself when she has her mind set on something. And burying her face in the slit of cock is very much on the forefront of her brain. 

“No,” he says finally. 

Tav grins. “We can stop anytime you wish.” Tugging on the laces of his breeches she pulls the leather away and she comes face to eye with the largest dick she could have ever imagined. To call him proportionate would be doing him a disservice, he was clearly very well endowed, colossus elixir notwithstanding.  

Using her hands to ease him from his breeches completely she feels her cunt give a needy throb at the weight of it. Holding it with both hands the girth is wider than the fattest part of her thigh and she runs her hands from the base to the tip experimentally. His foreskin is impossibly soft and loose enough she adds more pressure to her grip and salivates as it glides down easily revealing the flushed head of his glans. 

He shifts, his breathing turning heavy when she lowers her face and licks at the slit. She probes and suckles, moving across the smooth skin eagerly while she caresses and strokes the shaft. When precum beads at the tip she licks it away and hums appreciatively at the salty taste. His musk is overwhelming, intoxicating. 

Sucking his loose foreskin into her mouth, twisting her tongue against it, running her hands over every exposed inch of him she smiles against his erection when he groans, gasping and needy. It resonates in the air and she flexes her thighs together to ease the wet need that beats between her legs. 

He allows her to indulge herself for only so long before, trembling with immense effort, he asks her to stop. Immediately removing herself she backs up a step but gives him a searching look.“Are you certain?” 

Running a hand down his face Halsin works at controlling his erratic breathing. “I am. My control is…not what it should be. In my current state, I cannot promise to be able to contain myself. I will not risk your safety, no matter how your touch ignites me.” 

Wiping a slick streak of precum from her chin and licking it from her finger she almost misses the way his eyes flash gold while he tracks the movement. “Another time then,” she says with an easy smile. “Whenever you’re ready.” She turns, as if to leave, but Halsin can smell her arousal. The scent of it makes his mouth water. 

“Wait. Do not suppose I am an inconsiderate lover. I would taste you tonight, beneath the light of the waning moon.” 

Tav cannot help the gasp this pulls from her, nor the throb of desire that starts at her cunt and spreads like branching roots through her body, lighting every nerve on fire. “I would like that.” Her voice thrums with want. “Very much.” 

“Then come here to me,” he beckons. 

She steps closer and nearly swoons as the palm of his hand scoops her up. He is gentle as he brings her close and with his other hand he gently thumbs open the clasp of her robe. Underneath she is bare and the cool night air prickles at her skin, pebbling the dusky mauve of her nipples into stiff peaks. 

“Perfect,” he murmurs and the intensity of his gaze sends the blood rushing to the surface of her skin in a hot wave. 

He holds her to his face, running his nose from the thatch of dark hair between her legs to her chest. When he slots his mouth over her bosom, the warm wet mass of his tongue flicking and curling against each breast she moans, letting her head fall back. She holds his face and presses further against his exploring touch with wanton abandon. 

When his tongue retreats she whines, her legs falling open desperately. He smiles through the blazing hunger and takes his time mouthing her soft flesh with careful attentiveness. Halsin’s tongue swipes down one leg to her feet and she feels her mind go brittle at the edges when he sucks the entire foot into his mouth. Engulfing her foot he continues to sup and the suction of it has her writhing and eager in his hand. Treating her other leg to the same treatment is too much and her hand dives between her legs to sooth the apex of her desire. 

Halsin’s eyes, black as the night sky behind him flash gold and for a second his teeth look sharper, his expression wild. He plucks her hands away and this time when she widens her legs her cunt is met with probing wet warmth of his tongue and she cries out, shrill and breathy. 

Possessing an infinite amount of patience he laps at the damp lips between her legs at a slow, rhythmic pace driving her feral. The heels of her feet find purchase on his forearm and at the next swipe of his tongue she thrusts her hips to meet it, groaning when it presses against her clit with an insane amount of pressure. 

Her breathing comes in gasps and pants, her eyes half lidded with need. “Please,” she babbles, nearly sobbing. “Please, H-Halsin, m-more, please!” 

Holding her against his mouth firmly he swirls his tongue between the lips of pussy and she keens, roughly palming her own breasts and arching her back. It’s too much, it’s not enough. Her orgasm flickers in and out of her reach. With the rough flat of his tongue he licks and gently suckles and her body shakes. 

“Gods!”

Pressing the tip of his tongue to her cunt he rolls the muscle there in a continuous undulation that has her gripping at her own hair, her back bowed. 

The taste of her arousal, the scent of her musk, the salt of her body pulls an appreciative groan from his throat. The vibration shivers across her clit and she reaches her climax with a lust drunk wail that cracks through the night air. 

Removing his mouth from her body she lies limp, flushed dark and muscles trembling.

“Fuck,” she whimpers, voice rasping. “That was,” she struggles to return her breathing to something approaching normal. “That was incredible.” The look she gives him is awed, sated. “You are incredible.” 

Halsin grins. She thought he might set her down but instead he brings her to his chest and she leans into the heat of his body gratefully. Exhaustion tugs at her but she’d rather bask in the bliss, snuggled into him. She nuzzles at his neck, reaching up a hand to run the flat of her palm against the edge of his tattoo that curls around his throat.     

“Sleep,” he murmurs, the sound of his voice as lulling as the steady beat of his heart against her ear.

“I don’t want to miss this,” she complains, turning her face into his bare skin and pressing a kiss there. 

He chuckles, warm and rich. “We have plenty of time. Rest.” 

So she does.

That's All Folks!

[fangsandfeels]

Maybe I was doing something wrong or missed some dialogue options, but I feel like we lack interactions and insights from one of the most interesting camp residents -- Dame Aylin. Like, not only she is an immortal divine being (and I have so many questions), but she is also a divine being with severe PTSD. Isobel keeps referring to her state of mind and her need for rehabilitation, and I can only imagine how wild can it be when the whole camp is dealing not just with a traumatized POW, but a traumatized POW with godly powers.

And how all the camp is grateful that Isobel is here because whenever Aylin has a nightmare or an episode where she thinks she is back in that place or goes through a vivid memory of Balthazar ripping her wings off, Isobel is the only one who can get through to her, while anyone Aylin doesn't recognize risks getting four-degree moonburns.

Also, it raises an interesting point to explore - an immortal, a transcendent being who was previously unfamiliar with such concepts as time and mortality, now is faced with a whole bunch of burdens (good and bad) mortals have to bear. It all started with loving a mortal woman, then mourning her death -- and then, along with the happiness of getting reunited with her lover, Aylin also deals with pain that doesn't simply go away. She is her mother's warrior, her will was never broken, and she is as strong as ever. But at the same time, she is hurt and scarred, and for some reason, striking down another greedy wizard craving her immortality made her feel tired rather than triumphant. How confusing it must feel to someone like her. Scary even. It's all too complicated for immortal beings -- and, what's interesting, Aylin has no regrets despite it all. She accepts these fragments of mortality, even though they cut her till she bleeds, because it brings her closer to Isobel. Somehow, I imagine she will no longer be taking month-long walks, acutely wary of every minute she spends with her love.

[mendellyill]

Baldurs gate 3 spoilers about gale (and rolan kinda) under the cut

If you take gale and karlach with you to the counting house in the lower city, they have a conversation about how neither of them have ever had much money and I find that for gale, that provides some fascinating context for his life.

How much did his mother sacrifice to send him to university? Of course hes a mama's boy, getting him into magic college was probably her main priority for most of his childhood. How difficult was it for him to get learning materials? Gale loves libraries, which is a standard nerdy thing but as a kid whose family might not have been able to afford the books he needed to learn about magic? Libraries would have been his one connection to the world of magic. Every scrap of magical material would have been precious and hard won.

Mystras attention would probably have been absolutely life changing for him. If he doesn't have a fortune to fall back on, like lorroakan, having the attention of the literal embodiment of the weave is probably the only way he was ever going to get anywhere in his field. Speaking as someone who works in academia, it doesn't matter how smart you are if you can't get funding. Their relationship is already deeply one sided, but man if gale feels like his opportunities for success are because of her? Fuck.

We see a sort of similar (please for the love of God bear with me) situation with lorroakan and rolan. Rolans poor, reasonably talented, and loves magic more than almost anything besides his family. He was, up until the enslaving dame Aylin plan, willing to put up with lorroakans abuse and whims because he wanted to be a wizard so bad. Now gale has several in universe advantages compared with rolans situation, but it's clear that the Wizarding profession is not a profession you can easily get into if you don't have funds or a very rich patron.

Not really sure where I'm going with this. I saw a post about gale joking about how his tower was never cleaner than after he lost the orb and I just. For a kid who grew up in a low income situation, his tower is 100% a point of pride and something he identifies with very strongly. To have had to literally devour his tower to stay alive, to have had to literally destroy everything in the life he built for himself as a result of the orb. That must have been horrifying for him.

[lepusrufus]

I'm so in love with the idea of Sceleritas Fel not dying because he's actually some kinda ghostly butler forever bound to Durge or something so he's gonna be around for the rest of Lyall's life but the catch is that he can't act against her wishes so he's just very salty all the time about her non murderous lifestyle choices.

Lyall: pass me that axe will you?

Sceleritas: for murder I'm certain!

Lyall: haha no, Shadowheart asked me to get some extre firewood to get a big stew going

-

Lyall: okay keep that curtain in place

Sceleritas: ah your old room used to have similar decor, the red makes washing so much easier!

Lyall: they're actually so sunlight doesn't get in and turn Astarion into a well done steak in his room, thanks for the tip though

Shadowheart's parents are just kinda concerned at the beginning wondering why there's this weird little gremlin following their not yet daughter in law and calling her names. They later discover "wretched" "atrocious" "horrible" are just his way of complimenting her. They're no less confused.

Sceleritas: ah master! A gnoll! A fearsome servant for sure!

Lyall: nah he just needed a new home

Sceleritas: *this close 👌 to chewing on his hat*

Minthara tags along too and she's kinda annoyed she doesn't get a butler. He sorta meets Aylin and Isobel too eventually and Lyall has the mercy to keep the fact that he was the one asking her to kill Isobel a secret. Isobel has her suspicions. Karlach thinks it's the funniest fucking thing in the world.

Sceleritas cannot contain his glee when the party has to gather up once again to solve some shit. They may be doing it for good but there's bound to be bloodshed on the way.

Besides, his master finally seems happy.