#explored some shadow druids part though

[vole-mon-amour]

Some people be like: I haven't played Baldur's Game 3, but it's clearly not genius enough to be the game of the year.

Darling... go play the game for 300 hours, replay it, like, 4 times without getting tired of it, and then we can talk. I doubt that many games have this amount/quality of replayability.

Game of the year for real.

[miriamforster]

I had a realization yesterday.

I got the Investigate Kagha quest in the Emerald grove after missing it the first time and I convinced her to leave the Shadow Druids. But Kagha said something interesting after we won. About how she thought power was the solution to their problems.

And isn’t that just the game in a nutshell.

BG3 is all about power.

Why we want it, what we do with it, how much we’ll pay to have it. Can you seek power for good reasons? Is it ever worth the cost?

Every major character in the game is defined by their relationship with power, including the player.

Astarion, Gale, and the Emperor are the obvious ones. The first two have to be talked out of seeking massive power for their own reasons, meanwhile the Emperor is pushing illithid power as the solution to all the player’s problems.

Power is part of the other arcs too though. Shadowheart wants to be a Dark Justiciar, Lae’zel wants to ride a dragon and ascend. Wyll made a pact he hates so he could save people.

Karlach is the only origin who doesn’t really want power, but that’s because the thing that gives her power is literally killing her. It makes it impossible for her to live the life she craves. Power makes her untouchable for most of the game.

Power isolates

For me, every origin character ending (and the player’s) comes down to a choice between power and connection. Do we choose the power on offer and pay the price? Or do we stay connected to our humanity and to each other?*

God, what a great fucking game.

*Disclaimer: this is not a moral judgment about choices in the game. There are valid reasons why some characters might choose power, but even if there weren’t, the whole point of fiction is to explore these kinds of questions in a way we can’t in real life. The choices in the game are there to be played, feel free to use them as you like.

[grailfinders]

Grailfinders #357: scathach-skadi (ruler)

today on Grailfinders we’re building the savior of quick once more, Scathach-Skadi (Ruler)! this time around she’s a Swarmkeeper Ranger / Dreams Druid mix, because we need a school of ice-fish and the ability to turn everywhere we go into an impromptu water park.

check out her build breakdown below the cut, or her character sheet over here!

next up: who ya gonna call?

Ancestry & Background

this is normally the part where I point out putting on a bathing suit won’t change your species or past, and that is still true. we’re a Custom Lineage instead of an aasimar this time because you’re being used as the emergency power source for a theme park, not because of the outfit.

that means you get +2 Wisdom to start, as well as Darkvision because gods are rarely stymied by the shade and the Eldritch Adept feature for a free Armor of Shadows. you might not get the whole castle, but the free mage armor is still super useful for fighting in a swimsuit.

and again, swim suits don’t change your past, so you’re still an Acolyte for proficiency in Insight and Religion.

Ability Scores

despite the class change you’ll still mostly be casting, so your Wisdom should be as high as possible. after that is Dexterity to not die in a swimsuit, then Intelligence to remember the end of your timeline. sorry about that btw. your Strength is slightly above average since you do use your spear in this form, but don’t worry, we’ll get a better option later. that means your Constitution is average, and your Charisma is your dump stat. Sieg could tell you being a living battery doesn’t come with a lot of health benefits, and if you weren’t hanging out with people with much higher charisma scores we wouldn’t have gotten into that mess in the first place.

Class Levels

1. Ranger 1: starting as a ranger gets you proficiency in Strength and Dexterity saves, as well as Animal Handling to manage the fish and Perception and Investigation thanks to your time living in a planetary panopticon.

as a first level ranger you can single out a Favored Foe as part of your attack roll, adding 1d4 to your damage against that creature once a turn for up to a minute, proficiency timer per day. you’ll also deal even more damage as you level up.

on a less useful topic, you’re also a Natural Explorer, giving you and your party plenty of travel bonuses while running around in the Arctic. presumably this is that big land ark you handed off to Guda.

2. Ranger 2: at second level you can pick a Fighting Style. There’s not really one we need, but you can see through snow, so Blind Fighting is relevant. You can tell where creatures are within ten feet of you, regardless of how visible they are.

you can also cast Spells now! Absorb Elements is a pretty generic defensive spell to block out elemental damage, and Zephyr Strike is some flashy spearwork- until you end the spell, your movement won’t provoke attacks, but you can end the spell early to deal extra damage on a hit and gain extra speed.

3. Ranger 3: at level three you get Primeval Awareness, letting you spend a spell slot to sense the existence of extraplanar creatures within 6 miles of your park. Given that you are an extraplanar entity, this isn’t actually that useful. you can also use Longstrider so you or a party member can move quicker. eh? ehhh? see what I did there?

you also become a Swarmkeeper this level- that gives you Faerie Fire for more crits for the party, and Mage Hand to make a fish go grab something for you. a fish from your Gathered Swarm of icefish, I mean. once a turn, you can use your fish to mess with someone you hit with an attack, either dealing extra damage, forcibly moving them fifteen feet if they fail a strength save, or moving yourself five feet in any direction, which doesn’t cause an opportunity attack.

4. Ranger 4: one of your skills is ice cream, so that means we gotta get ice cream. specifically, from the Chef feat instead of an Ability Score Improvement, though this does still improve your Wisdom to round it up. you can use cook’s tools now, and on a short rest you can prepare food for some of your party for an extra d8 of HP added to their healing. by either spending an hour or during a long rest, you can whip up your proficiency modifier in long-term ice cream, which lasts 8 hours before melting. anyone who eats that ice cream as a bonus action gains a couple temporary HP. This doesn’t scale that well, but extra HP is extra HP.

5. Druid 1: as a first level druid, you learn Druidic! it’s a language! you can also cast and prepare Spells now! check your PHB to figure out how many of which spell slots you get, but you can use Frostbite and Shape Water for free.

you can swap out druid spells every day so your exact spell list here isn’t nearly as important, but I highly recommend grabbing Ice Knife. it’s one of the very few ice or water-themed spells we can get that has an attack roll attached to it, letting us use it with all your ranger goodies. throw a fish at people.

6. Druid 2: as a second level druid you can use Wild Shapes, but Scathach doesn’t turn into a deer last time I checked, so maybe just use Wild Companion instead for some free casts of Find Familiar for one special fish. maybe it’s the manta ray, maybe it’s maybelline.

you also become a druid of Dreams this level, giving you the Balm of the Summer Court- sunscreen! you get a pool of d6s you can use to heal an ally as a bonus action that recharge each day, and spending a hit die also gives your target one point of temporary HP per die used.

7. Druid 3: at third level, druids get second level spells! Lesser Restoration will help cure sunburns and swimmers ear, while Barkskin lets you grant other servants swimsuits! for up to an hour after casting, a willing creature you touch gets a minimum AC of 16, regardless of their armor.

8. Druid 4: that’s enough caster shenanigans, it’s time to get that spear. first, use this ASI to bump up your Dexterity for a higher AC so you don’t die the second you enter melee range, then grab the cantrip Shillelagh to turn a stick into a magical spear. (we technically can’t use regular spears bc druids have something against metal, but this is comparable in terms of damage.) while shille’d, your stick deals 1d8 damage and your attack and damage rolls are based on your Wisdom instead of your strength, massively improving your accuracy and damage.

9. Druid 5: fifth level druids get third level spells! I would avoid grabbing literal fish when you cast Conjure Animals, but it’s a great distraction for any enemy that can’t cast fireball. for the ones that can, you can still throw fish at them as a distraction with Sleet Storm. it doesn’t directly deal damage, but it makes the land slippery and can break concentration for anyone standing inside.

we also get our first taste of your Noble Phantasm thanks to Tidal Wave! any creature within the line of water you conjure that fails a dex save gets knocked prone, and knocked around for some damage.

10. Druid 6: at level six, dream druids can make a Hearth of Moonlight and Shadow that helps creatures rest and relax a bit better while on the road. it’s nowhere near a whole theme park, but you’re still recovering from the last one you ran.

11. Druid 7: with your new fourth level spells you can Conjure Minor Elementals or Summon Elemental, so now you can summon fish actually made of ice, rather than the literal kind that just flop around. you can also get that big sunfish that swallows people with Watery Sphere. smack it into people, then laugh as they struggle to get out. if you think quantity still beats quality, you can always use Ice Storm- it’s sleet storm, but with damage instead of concentration nonsense. well, damage causes concentration checks, so technically it’s both.

12. Druid 8: use this ASI to bump up your Wisdom to its maximum for the strongest spells!

13. Druid 9: ninth level druids get fifth level spells, and now you can slap a ton of people with fish in one go thanks to Cone of Cold, or you can use your NP to make a Maelstrom, creating an area of difficult terrain that’ll deal damage and pull people into the center of it.

14. Ranger 5: fifth level rangers get an Extra Attack each turn, letting you poke two people with a stick if you really wanna. they also get second level spells, so you can use your rune magic to Enhance Ability on one person to make them stronger, smarter, or some third thing, and change their class. their FGO class, not their D&D class- that would be a whole other thing.

you also get Web for free, which I guess is kind of like a discount maelstrom? it doesn’t do damage or pull people around, but it does slow them down.

15. Ranger 6: sixth level rangers get another type of environment added to their Natural Explorer feature, but we don’t really need anything for the build! feel free to use whatever’s handiest for your campaign.

16. Ranger 7: seventh level rangers can put down a Cordon of Arrows, plopping four fish into place around you to automatically attack any enemy that gets too close. you can also arrange your fish into a Writhing Tide, which is both a cool pun and lets you spend a bonus action to ride your fish for a 10’ flying speed for one minute. it’s not a lot, but they’re fish, it’s a miracle they flew in the first place.

17. Ranger 8: at eighth level you finally start recovering from your ordeal, resulting in a boost to your Constitution. you also learn Land’s Stride, so any kind of natural difficult terrain is no problem for you! you can also pretty much ignore damaging or slowing plants now too, which explains the state of the flower garden ngl.

18. Ranger 9: speaking of, at level 9 rangers learn third level spells, like Plant Growth. that spell usually doesn’t result in a man-eating garden, but you never know! you also get Gaseous Form for free but w/e you already have a bad way to fly.

19. Ranger 10: tenth level rangers get another Natural Explorer boost we don’t need, as well as Nature’s Veil. you can spend a bonus action to turn invisible for a round, something something refracting light something ice fish, you get it.

20. Ranger 11: our capstone level turns your fish into a Mighty School, causing them to deal extra damage, knock enemies prone while moving them, and give yourself half cover for a round if you move yourself. you’re still not wearing any armor, so that +2 bonus to AC is pretty sweet.

for even more damage, you can also turn your spear into a ice spear with Elemental Weapon! it’s like magic weapon, but for the elements!

Pros & Cons

Pros:

Druids are always a powerful class, even when you’re actively trying not to interact with their core mechanics. turn into a crocodile or something, it’s fine, there’s nothing saying Skadi can’t do that. also check out the rest of the druid spell list, it’s pretty solid.

this build’s great at improving the party, both directly through spells and by shaping the battlefield to best suit your party’s strengths, dragging all the enemies together for the wizard to fireball, or blocking people from getting past the paladin, etc.

and when that doesn’t work you can always rely on gaming the action economy by summoning a dozen fish to swarm your foes like a bunch of frosty piranha.

Cons:

the druid and ranger features don’t play nice together. favored foe and your swarm both require you to hit things with attack rolls, but your druid spells are mostly saves or making creatures to attack for you. shillelagh thankfully doesn’t use up your concentration, but it does eat into your bonus actions, which ranger is already trying to monopolize. also, both your buffs and your crowds use concentration, so you can’t help someone into a swimsuit and have fish at the same time.

like all water based casters, the game designers kind of screwed you over. your explicitly water-based spells deal physical damage rather than any kind of elemental damage, so we can’t pick up any feats that would really help you hurt stuff more. and god forbid you cast any of these within a country mile of people you don’t want to hurt.

natural explorer is almost completely useless unless you’re playing with a DM who is big on travel difficulties. just grab deft explorer instead when you play, I won’t be offended.

[rizardofether]

WoW posting again. I am rotating my new WoW OCs in my head and needed to write about them somewhere. A new updated group picture of the main four. Moru got a new staff and they're all standing now.

I'm playing through each expansion campaign at the same time on different characters, except the first three and the newest one. Need to wait till I can buy TWW. Will have a character playing through that as well when I get it.

Whether they're actually canonically only going through that story or not varies. Crystar and Orkos have only been around since Dragonflight so they only take part in the newest two campaigns. The rest likely go through all the campaigns. Moru and Inzu are together for their parts. Not sure about timelines and storylines, more focused on character personalities so far.

Character infos & which campaign I'm playing through with them:

Crystar - They/He - Dracthyr - Devastation Evoker - Horde - Dragonflight

A weird dracthyr who seems to have an endlessly positive attitude who is not fazed by anything. Joined the Horde because "Its name is funny. I like it!" Has two modes of either talking all the time or being completely silent. Sometimes they just don't feel like talking. Almost always smiling though.

Remoss - He/Him - Worgen - Affliction Warlock - Alliance - Mists of Pandaria

A very intimidating-looking worgen. In truth he's just very shy. He barely talks because of it. He loves demons aesthetically. Even dressing with similar fashion. This only makes him look scarier. Wishes to be friends with demons.

Moru - He/Him - Vulpera - Arcane Mage - Horde - Shadowlands

Vulpera merchant and mage who thinks money is the most important thing. Though mainly a merchant, he does many various things to earn money, anything goes for him. Adventure, mercenary work, crafting and gathering materials etc. Sometimes he even scams rich people. He's pretty vain and thinks of himself as a genius.

Inzu - He/Him - Vulpera - Marksmanship Hunter - Horde - Legion

Moru's hired help. Does various tasks for him. Guarding, scouting, hunting & gathering, combat assistance, whatever is needed. He seems to hate Moru, often insulting him to his face. Moru is unfazed by this behaviour, as he's very used to it. Though if someone else offered to hire him, he'd refuse, explaining that he will keep working for Moru until their contract is over. He says this is for his reputation, though in truth it seems he really does enjoy being with Moru.

Ocdiir - He/Him - Draenei - Elemental Shaman - Alliance - Battle for Azeroth

Ocdiir is very kind and caring. He cares for everyone, even total strangers. Very quick to call new acquaintances friends. He tends to not have much of a concept of personal space. He tends to go for hugs and other gestures without thinking.

In the part where he and Jaina were being escorted by the Kul Tiran soldiers, I imagined he'd try to shield Jaina with his arm from the onlookers. That scene wouldn't leave my head, he's just such a protector. He'd be a paladin but he didn't have the aptitude for it.

Verne - He/Him - Kul Tiran - Feral Druid - Alliance - Warlords of Draenor

Druid who always stays in animal form, preferring the "cat" form the most. Actually dislikes his human form and wishes he were born as any kind of animal instead. He left his home to explore the world and see its wonders.

Orkos - He/They - Dracthyr - Shadow Priest - Alliance - The War Within (eventually)

Haven't really thought of characterization for him yet since I haven't really played him yet. Planning to use the level boost from buying the expansion on him when I get it.

Bonus character I also really like and have played a little:

Ramise - He/Him - Dracthyr - Fire Mage - Alliance

I played through some of the mage campaign in Legion, enough to get the weapons at least. Loves magic and fire is all I've got for him. Idk if I'll play him much since I already got all the assigned campaigns and not planning to play the earlier ones. Maybe I'll bring him to the next expansion that releases, though who knows I might make an entirely new character for it.

[ryttu3k]

BG3 update, exploring Reithwin, a new team member, to about midway through Moonrise Towers!

Little snippety bits, team banter, etc that I've smushed into one image because I have a limit here:

*eyeing that 'unknown elf' listing* Also I love how Astarion is genuinely bullshitting in the blood-taste bit because we know he hasn't been drinking thinking-peoples blood aside from enemies and, once, Tae.

Anyway. To Reithwin! Delightfully spooky, honestly, the atmosphere here is fun. Managed to talk three enemies to death - the tollkeeper (who reminds me of corrupted No Face in Spirited Away?), the absolute creep in the House of Healing, and, after the world's grosses drinking game, the bartender. More on the latter two later!

At the cemetery, we meet Arabella! Who has... picked up some new skills.

Of course she can stay at camp while we look for her parents!

Into the bar for the world's worst drinking game. Plus side, got a boatload of approval from Astarion, Shadowheart, and Lae'zel from it! And some... really nasty mental images!

"Really? Right in front of my drink?"

Stopping to camp for the night. Getting some much more genuine Astarion when asking if Cazador has other spawn. Larian let me hug him as a friend.

Karlach brings up the whole... Gale thing. Which I still feel bad about tbh.

On a more depressing note, telling Arabella about her parents hurts ;_; Apparently not everyone gets the scene that follows, so I'll include a Youtube link to it here! Man, given Withers'... everything, I have to wonder just what that destiny will involve!

Honestly, though, I goddamn adore him as a character. Even if he does warn Tae not to get distracted by Karlach XD;;

Not the only intriguing camp companion we have, apparently!

Speaking of companions, visiting the House of Healing and retrieving Art's lute allows us to progress with starting to end the shadow curse, and properly recruiting Halsin!

I really like when you can let companions speak for themselves, you get so much more lore, like letting Lae'zel speak at the creche.

Once Thaniel is restored, Halsin officially becomes a member of the Brainworm Squad, albeit minus a brainworm! The companions have assorted things to say about him (including Wyll calling him a 'thick hunk of an elf'), and Tae gets to know him better. He likes honey and knows it's funny! He likes whittling! He likes whittling ducks!

"I like ducks :)"

(Tae has officially decided he's their new grandpa now. The other companions have... less familial views, apparently!)

Back to the mission! Heading to the Thorm mausoleum, and oh dear, look what the cat dragged in...

After getting some good advice to skip the mausoleum until prompted to go there later, we turn back, and this time, make for Moonrise Towers itself! (Minus Halsin, with the narrator very helpfully reminding me that, hey, may not want to bring someone without a brainworm there.) Discover some... concerning cargo:

Yeah, we, uh, took the canister and now it's just. Sitting in the traveller's chest. What do we do with it?

Into Moonrise Towers, witnessing a group of goblins attempt to kill Ketheric and. Completely fail. That's concerning!! Tae is instructed to deal with the remaining goblins and opts to let them go, because who knows? Maybe they'll return the favour one day. Karlach hears from an old 'friend', Florenta the Garrotter, a cambion from her Avernus days, and gets given some soul coins (albeit with a story attached to each).

Lots and lots of concerning bits of evidence, all pocketed. Stuff on recruiting drow, shadow druids, goblins, et cetera, invasion plans for Baldur's Gate, and - what have we here? Collaboration between Ketheric Thorm and Gortash!

We meet Araj. We meet Tae's extreme urge to punch her in the face. We meet Astarion's genuine surprise and gratitude at someone giving him a choice on what he does with his body for possibly the first time in two hundred years I'm gonna fuckin' cry. Larian let me hug him as a friend, part two.

We meet Steelclaw. Steelclaw I would die for you. ...Can we recruit her for the final battle?

That done, time for a prison break!

I don't like him much. Barcus sweetie you can do so much better. The tieflings are much happier to see us! (Lia: "Oh, you clever bastard. I could kiss you!" Cal: "Not in front of me, please. I've suffered enough.")

After the successful prison break, it's time for a rest. Is it weird to find, like, a 'realistic' place for them to rest? I used that office/tower in the middle of the prison, in the upstairs bit, where anyone awake could watch out for anyone approaching. Anyway, Gale has set up a hologram kind of... thing to invite Tae somewhere, finding him in a Weave illusion and in a... very melancholy mood.

Understandably.

Was definitely concerned this would lead more romantic. Thankfully, the game allows it to be played completely platonically, which is good as! Gale is a friend! A friend who's hurting and terrified and needs support and anyway Gale haters can fight me.

Genuinely beautiful scene, and I absolutely got misty-eyed.

Fight me, Gale haters.

Back to Moonrise. We do some more exploring, finding the third part of the tale of Orpheus. Lae'zel is... not impressed in the slightest. We also meet Ketheric's dog :( And private chambers. And stuff relating to his dead wife, and their daughter, who I have definite suspicions about. (It's Isobel, right? Isobel is Ketheric's daughter, right? Don't tell me either way, but that definitely seems to be the vibe I'm getting.)

We meet with Disciple Z'rell, and get a new mission - go to the Thorm mausoleum, and retrieve the artefact for Thorm. Now we can go! Also, at the least, she seems to trust us?

Back to the Last Light for some happy reunions! Alfira is ecstatic to have Lakrissa back (who proceeds to flirt with Tae, Lakrissa please their girlfriend is standing right there), Barcus is so excited to see Wulbren again... who doesn't appear to feel the same way.

Do you think Barcus would mind overmuch if Tae stuffed Wulbren in their pack and threw him back in a cell? Just saying.

Then back to camp for a rest, and a conversation with Astarion that punches me in the emotions!!

Full scene (including the initial confrontation with Araj) available here. The options I picked were, "Why has she upset you so much?", "Have you even enjoyed having sex, in these last decades?", and "You aren't a slave any more, Astarion, you're free."

Anyway that scene emotionally kicked my ass and I still couldn't even hug him. Larian let me hug him as a friend, part three!

[verai-marcel]

Another Chance (Astarion x Tav/OC, BG3 Fanfic, 18+, Part 1 of 2)

Summary: Phaedra Tiernan, a drow druid, savior of Baldur’s Gate, had not returned to the city in fifty years. When she returns, she meets up with old companions and renews a friendship… And perhaps, something more? 

Author’s Notes: Is this some Tav/OC x Astarion bullshit that I’m about to write? Sure is. This is 100% based on my first playthrough of BG3, so my drow druid had romanced Gale, but her outfit matched Astarion and he was always in the party because I had multi-classed him a rogue/monk/fighter, and he was damn near unstoppable.

Tags: Gale x OC, Astarion x OC, angst, tragedy in the beginning, time skip, post-game content, friends to lovers, porn with feelings, prone bone, other positions probably

Word Count: 4099

AO3 link is here, sweetness.

--------------------

Chapter 1 - An End and A Return

Fifty years. 

Fifty years since the defeat of the Absolute.

Fifty years since Gale had asked her to marry him.

And fifty years since Phaedra had been back to Baldur’s Gate.

Sure, she had sent letters to friends, met up with some of the others in Daggerford, a small town just south of Waterdeep, or invited old friends to visit the tower in Waterdeep proper. But she had never ventured back to the city she helped save.

It wasn’t as if Gale had kept her away; no, far from it. Gale had always asked, “Phaedra, my love, would you like to visit once more?”

She had always put it off. “Perhaps some other time,” she always said. There were always new lands to explore, after all.

But she could no longer say that to him.

Phaedra stared at the simple, yet beautifully decorated tombstone, Tara by her side.

“It was his time, dear,” the tressym said. “But I do miss him.”

Being a drow, Phaedra knew she would outlive Gale by centuries. But having to face that fact now tore at her heart. The only thing keeping her from spending another month crying in the tower was that Gale had given her one final mission. 

Gale, the sentimental fool, had written a bunch of letters to their mutual friends, for her to deliver in case of his death. Perhaps he had guessed that she would need something to distract her. 

No, he knew she would need the distraction. A final, farewell gift to show that he understood her. That he cared about her. That he loved her.

Phaedra swallowed the lump in her throat. “I miss him too, Tara.” She hefted the stack of letters in her satchel. “But I know for a fact that he doesn’t want me to stay still for too long. He knows… knew me, all too well.”

Tara wanted to stay behind and watch over the tower until she returned, or if she didn’t, wait for one of Gale’s apprentices to take over the tower, if she judged them worthy. That left Phaedra free to travel to Baldur’s Gate and hand deliver the letters to each of her fellows. 

Her first stop was in the former Shadow-cursed lands. Halsin had greeted her warmly, hugging her tightly and seemingly unwilling to let her go. She spent a night there, entertaining his plethora of adopted children and touring the town, which has grown quite large in the fifty years she had been gone. The original children she had remembered were all grown up now, and these new children were either recently adopted, or children of the original war orphans who enjoyed spending time with ‘Daddy Halsin.’ 

Though reluctant to let her leave so soon, Halsin bid Phaedra farewell after wrangling a promise to visit sooner than fifty years. She traveled along the River Chionthar to find Shadowheart and her father, still taking care of their menagerie of animals and their farm, living a quiet, simple life. Phaedra gave her respects to her mother, who had passed long ago, leaving a small bouquet of wildflowers on her gravestone. 

“I need to find Lae’zel somehow as well,” Phaedra said, staring at the letter that Gale had written for her.

Shadowheart held out her hand. “I’ll give it to her.”

She blinked. “R-really? You know where she is?”

The cleric shrugged. “She visits me from time to time, when she is able to take time away from her duties in the Astral Sea.”

Phaedra smiled. Wow. I’m glad they still see each other, to be honest. She hardly ever came to see me. “So how is she?”

Shadowheart shrugged. “She looks nearly the same as she did when she left. Apparently one doesn’t age in the Astral Sea.”

“Ah. Well, give her my best. And tell her to visit me, dammit.”

Shadowheart smiled. “Of course.”

Phaedra handed over the letter, had a pleasant dinner, and spent the night in the barn with Scratch's great-grand pup and the owlbear for old time’s sake. The next morning, she bid farewell and traveled onward towards the Gate.

Along the way, she stopped by the old ruins where they had first run into Withers. Though the tomb was empty, she left Gale’s letter for him on the sarcophagus and camped outside for a night. The next morning, she went to check again and saw that the letter had disappeared.

It didn’t take long for her to find Jaheira, though when she asked about Minsc, the High Harper only shrugged and would speak no further. But the shielded pain in her eyes said enough. Phaedra handed both letters to her and wished her well before visiting her next two companions.

Tucked away in the lower city, a small house with flowers and a signpost above the door, decorated with flames and two crossed swords, brought a smile to Phaedra’s face. She knocked on the door and waited.

A crashing sound, followed by the pounding of feet, made her cringe, but she managed to put on a smile right before the door swung open.

“Aunty Phaedra!”

A young tiefling woman immediately grabbed her and pulled her into a huge bear hug, lifting her off the ground and swinging her back and forth.

“I’m glad to see you too, Rieta,” Phaedra said, squeezing the woman in return. About two years after being forced to return to Avernus, Karlach and Wyll had found a way to fix her engine and they returned to Baldur’s Gate, as the Twin Blades of Avernus. They had made a good life, and though they didn’t officially retire, they had left most of the adventuring and fighting to their daughter while they helped train Flaming Fist soldiers.

“Soldier, it’s good to see you,” Karlach said as she came outside. She looked just as brilliant as she had the last time she had seen her ten years ago in Waterdeep. “Took you long enough to come back.”

As Rieta dragged her into the house, Phaedra smiled sheepishly. “I’m sorry that… certain circumstances brought me back.”

Sitting at a dining table with Wyll, Karlach, and Rieta, Phaedra handed them the letters. “Gale… wanted me to hand deliver letters to everyone…”

She swallowed. She felt better with each letter she gave, as if the physical weight being lifted was lifting the weight off her heart as well. But it still hurt.

Fortunately, Phaedra was quickly surrounded by hugs, and they had a good evening of conversing about the past and catching up about the present.

“So who else do you need to visit?” Wyll asked, sitting with Karlach and Phaedra by their fireplace. Rieta had gone to bed, to be ready to wake up early for a mission in the morning.

Phaedra pulled a letter out of her satchel. “Well… just one more now.” 

“You can probably find him at the Elfsong,” Wyll said. “He’s… changed.”

She tipped her head. “In… a good way?”

Karlach and Wyll shared a smile. “I’d say so,” Karlach said. Then she frowned. “Didn’t he send you letters too?”

“He did on occasion, but they were… not very descriptive. Mostly a ‘I’m doing great, murdering the bad guys.’”

They laughed. “Sounds like him. When you find him, maybe ask him more about it. He’s more of a talker than a writer,” Wyll said.

Phaedra nodded. Interesting.

***

The next morning, Phaedra went with Wyll and Karlach to help train the new recruits at the Flaming Fist. There were certainly some wide-eyed recruits who asked a million questions once they realized who she was, and she weaved them a tale worthy of a bard’s approval. After doing some actual training, she spent the rest of the day walking around the city, looking at all of the ways the city had grown, and reminiscing at the things that hadn’t changed. 

And once the sun began to set, she made her way to the Elfsong.

Nursing a drink at the bar, she immediately sensed a certain someone making their way toward her.

“Darling, you’re a sight for sore eyes.”

Turning around, she expected Astarion to be his usual fabulous self.

Instead, she was surprised to see him wearing a dark blue shirt and leather breeches, simple adventuring gear. And yet somehow, it still looked good on him. Ridiculously good, in fact. “You’re not looking too bad yourself.”

He flipped his hair a bit with his hand and turned around to show Phaedra his outfit. “I look good in anything, my dear. But you already know that.”

She laughed. Gods, I didn’t realize how much I missed his sass. “Right, right.” 

“But I’m sure you’re not here just to look at my clothes.” He looked around. “Where’s your other half? I’m sure I would have heard him lecturing me by now.”

Her lips trembled.

It only took a moment for him to realize it, and he frowned.

Ever since Phaedra had helped him kill Cazador, she had noticed that Astarion looked at her with a kinder gaze. He spoke with her more often, shared his thoughts with her more openly. They had become friends after everything, and she truly cared about his happiness. 

After he had run off to hide from the blistering rays of the sun on the docks that fateful day, she had tried to look for him, but he was very skillful in hiding. She knew that, of course. It wasn’t until Withers’ banquet six months later that she saw him again, hugged him, and told him she had missed him. She had been pleasantly surprised to hear that he had become an adventurer and hero in his own right, dispatching criminals in the night.

“See you later, darling,” was the last thing he had said to her.

And now, he stood before her, close enough to see the kindness in his eyes once more.

It was enough to bring out her emotions once more. Shakily, she took a breath. “I… I have a letter for you, from Gale.”

Astarion stepped closer, not quite crowding her, but close enough so they could speak quietly. He took the letter gently from her grasp. “I am curious. Do you mind?”

Phaedra waved her hand. “Go ahead. I’ll just finish my drink.” Turning away to sip her mead, she subtly watched him as he read the letter. His eyes widened slightly before his expression went back to being neutral. When he finished, he tucked the letter away in his pocket. 

“Thank you for delivering this, my friend.” Taking her hand, he squeezed it gently. “Did he have you deliver letters to everyone?”

She nodded.

He sighed. “That man.” Putting one hand on the small of her back, he led his drow friend away from the bar and into the moonlit night. “This can’t be easy for you.”

Phaedra shook her head. “I knew I’d outlive him. But… I wanted to hold onto him for as long as possible.” She stared up at the sky. “He talked to me before”—she swallowed—“before he passed, about how much I meant to him, and how much he wants me to be free after he’s gone. To go on living and loving with vigor, because that was why he fell in love with me.”

She realized that Astarion was walking quietly with her, taking her along well lit streets, letting her speak. “I think he knew that I would need this, to go on a journey, to see our old friends, to reconnect with the world.” Phaedra turned to him, a wry smile on her face. “I spent a whole month holed up in his tower, not doing a damn thing. That doesn’t sound like me at all, does it?”

Astarion laughed. “No, it doesn’t. I would have thought you were a changeling, if I had seen you like that.” His eyes traced the shape of her face. “You’ve grown your hair out since I last saw you. You always kept it to such a short length before.”

She shrugged. “I, erm, didn’t really… pay attention to much of anything, after Gale passed.”

He watched her for a moment, clearly thinking. “Would you, perhaps, like to help me with something tonight? If you’re up for it.”

“What am I helping with?”

“Oh, just a small problem.”

“I know how ‘small’ problems suddenly become larger with you, Astarion.”

He chuckled. “Alright, well, there’s this group of ruffians…”

***

It was invigorating, being in the fray once more, fighting the good fight, helping folks in need. Phaedra finally felt like she had come back home, after six months of staying in Baldur’s Gate. She was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to distract herself with helping others, and in a way, giving her purpose. 

She missed Gale, of course. She missed being in their tower, sitting on their favorite settee on the balcony, watching the sunset and sharing a book. She missed helping Gale with magical experiments, practicing her druidic arts in the yard with him taking notes, taking short trips to the surrounding areas to explore new sights, collect new herbs, and maybe help a few people along the way. It had been a lovely, idyllic dream.

Now, being back in Baldur’s Gate, she had a new dream. A dream with friends who were close by, that she could see every day if she so wished. She split her time helping Karlach and Wyll train the Flaming Fist, assisting Rolan at Sorcerous Sundries, accompanying Rieta on some of her missions, and even taking breaks to visit Shadowheart and Halsin. 

But she spent most of her time with Astarion. Every night was a new adventure, whether it was breaking up a bar fight, getting chased by the guards of an illegal underground gambling ring, or reverse pickpocketing a small child who was begging for money in the alleys.

“So has this been your life for the past fifty years?”

“Has that much time passed?”

“I suppose it’s not long for us elves,” Phaedra said, huffing slightly in the cold night air. They were sprinting away from the Undercity, trying not to let the Zhentarim thugs on their heels catch up to them. However, the jangle of gold in Astarion’s pouch was giving them away.

“Well, it’s a drop in the bucket for me, since I’ll live forever.”

“Lucky you.”

“Perhaps.”

Phaedra glanced over, surprised at Astarion’s bittersweet tone.

But soon she had no time to ponder it, as they found themselves at a dead end.

“I thought you knew the Undercity!” she hissed.

Astarion shrugged as he pulled out his dagger. “Look darling, I don’t know every tunnel in this place. Especially since people keep digging new ones.”

Phaedra rolled her eyes as she got ready to wild shape. “Pick one.”

“Hm, I haven’t seen your owlbear form in some time.”

“Good choice.” Turning to see the thugs brandishing their swords, Phaedra grinned as she stomped on the ground, feeling the wild change take over her body. “Let’s go.”

***

Adrenaline running through her veins, Phaedra ran alongside her partner in not-quite-crime, laughing into the night air. She followed him back to his home, a simple townhouse in the lower city with a ground level and a large, windowless basement. 

Just as she was about to part ways, Astarion cleared his throat. “Do you want to come in?”

Phaedra was a bit surprised. After six months, this was the first time he had invited her. “Sure. “I’m curious what kind of place you’ve been living in all this time.”

The ground level merely consisted of a vestibule with a small sitting area, a door to a small guest bedroom that was minimally furnished, and another door leading to a stairwell. The basement was very lavishly decorated, and she could see three doors that connected to other rooms. It also had an emergency exit into the dark alley behind the building, just in case.

“Gods, did you see the look on their faces when you transformed?” he asked as he led her into the living room in the basement. “I got a free hit on them, they were so dumbfounded.”

Phaedra cackled. “Good. Hope they dream of me beating their faces in while they’re passed out.” She dropped her gear on the table in the basement living area. “I’m surprised you didn’t kill them.”

Astarion shrugged. “I fed on one of those other thugs earlier, no need to murder all of them so quickly.” He sat on a luxurious armchair, taking out a rag to clean his daggers. “Have to keep some of my blood supply intact for the future, after all.”

“Wow, you really have changed.”

He laughed softly. “I’ve learned to enjoy life with a little bit of planning. Something I learned from the rest of you.”

Phaedra smiled as she looked around Astarion’s living room. There were classic paintings, some she recognized as loot they had taken from various heists around the city back in the day.

“Didn’t you steal that from Lady Jannath’s estate when she was preoccupied with that artist?”

“And you provided an excellent distraction. I never thanked you for that.”

Phaedra shook her head. “I probably would have told you to put it back.”

“And that’s why I never mentioned it.” He finished cleaning his daggers and put them aside as he got up. “And now it’s here”—he gestured towards the painting—“splendidly adorning my wall.”

She sighed. “Well, I suppose no one has missed it since then…” Getting up to join him, she admired the colors, the paint strokes, the whole composition. “I have to admit, it is beautiful.”

“Mmm-hmm.”

Phaedra looked over at Astarion to see him watching her, a curious look in his eyes. Wait. That look. “Astarion?”

He stepped closer to her. “Yes, darling?”

“What are you doing?”

“You have some debris in your hair,” he said, reaching up to pick out bits of dirt from her snowy white hair. His fingers trailed down to the tips of her hair before he softly caressed her cheek with the back of his knuckles, his gaze softer than she had ever seen.

“Um, thank you.” Phaedra stepped back, suddenly shy. He’s been doing this more often as of late. It’s not unwelcome, but it’s certainly an odd development. “This is the first time I’ve been to your place,” she mumbled, changing the subject awkwardly.

Astarion stepped back, and he was suddenly his usual self again. “Well, let me give you the grand tour.”

It was only three rooms, but he chattered away as he showed them to her. The luxurious powder room had two sinks and a tub large enough for two, with a door that connected to a grand bedroom with minimalist, stylish decor. There was a king sized bed covered in black silk sheets, and night stands on either side with two drawers each, clearly stuffed with knick knacks and jewelry.

The last room was a classically styled office, with an ebony stained mahogany desk, and bookcases along all of the walls, floor to ceiling. They were all filled, and there were even a few stacks on the floor where extra books couldn’t fit.

“That’s… a lot of books.”

Astarion shrugged. “There might be a few duplicates in there, I’m never quite sure.”

“Did you pilfer these too?”

“Perhaps.”

Phaedra grinned. “Do you want me to help you pick out the copies? We could donate them to the library.”

“You’re always so… nice.”

“Those thugs we clobbered underground may not agree with you.”

He laughed. “No, I suppose they wouldn’t.”

They were back in the living room, Phaedra staring at her pile of loot and her quarterstaff leaning against a chair. “So, I guess I should head back to the Elfsong.”

“You’ve been staying there for the last six months. Why didn’t you take Karlach and Wyll’s offer to stay at their place?”

Phaedra shrugged. “You know me. I don’t want to inconvenience anyone, nor outstay my welcome.”

“You could stay here.”

“Did you not hear me?”

“I did, and I’m telling you that it’s more of an inconvenience to me, having to go over to the Elfsong to find you.”

She snorted. “Alright, that’s fair. But you have to help me move my stuff.”

***

Phaedra piled her stuff into the guest bedroom upstairs. It was a modest little room with a small night stand, a twin sized bed, a chest of drawers, and an empty bookcase. 

“It’s like you didn’t even attempt to make this look lived in.”

“Why? No one comes here. And I’ve laid traps on all the entrances and windows. A thief would have to be extremely talented to get past all of that.”

She could only nod as she put her things away. She paused when she pulled out a small, dark blue brocade pouch. 

Peering over her shoulder, Astarion hummed. “Is that the necklace I gave you back then?” 

Phaedra nodded as she opened the pouch and pulled out the delicate silver chain, studded with small sapphires. It was an elegant and minimalist style, designed to be more like a choker. “It was so pretty, I couldn't bring myself to sell it with the rest of the loot.”

Her memories came bubbling up from deep in her mind.

“Where did you find this, Astarion?” 

“Does it matter?”

“If I wear it and someone recognizes it, then yes, it matters.”

Astarion shrugged. “No one will recognize it. Just take it. When else will I ever be this generous?” 

“True. Oh, did you need my blood tonight?”

His gaze was heated as he smiled, his lips curving perfectly. “Darling, I'm always up for a little treat.”

“Yes, yes, now put your seduction face away, you know it doesn't work on me. And Gale will get mad.”

Astarion laughed. “We wouldn't want that now, would we?” His expression softened as he stepped closer, placing his hands delicately on her shoulders. “I know I don't always say it, but it's a gift every time you let me taste you.” Dipping his head down to her exposed neck, he whispered reverently, “Thank you,” before taking a bite. 

Astarion could tell Phaedra was spacing out, so he gently took the necklace from her hand. “Hold your hair up, darling.”

Phaedra came out of her memories and did as he asked. 

His fingers glided along her skin as he carefully clasped the necklace around her neck. Staring down at her neck, Astarion felt the urge to hold her close and bite down, but he restrained himself. It had been so long since he had tasted her, felt her slight tremor as he drank. He knew she had fed him as a friend, but he still craved the closeness those few precious moments offered him.

Reaching up to run her fingers along the necklace, she turned around and tipped her head curiously at him. “Well? Does it look good on me?” 

“Of course it does. I picked it out, remember?”

Remembering the myriad times he had pilfered a piece of jewelry or some other knick-knack that ended up being worth a sizable amount, even as they were trying to survive the onslaught of the Absolute and everything in between, Phaedra laughed and batted at his arm. “You always did have good taste, even if it got in the way of our work at times.”

She noticed that Astarion had stepped back. Looking toward the only window, she realized a faint sliver of dawn light was seeping through the blackout curtain.

“Oh. Right. Better get you back downstairs.”

He nodded. “Get some rest, darling. I’ll see you tonight.”

“Good, uh, well, have a good rest, Astarion.”

Smiling at her, he winked before heading back to the basement.

Phaedra remained unmoving until she heard the basement door close. Then, without really thinking, she plopped down on the bed and fell into reverie, letting the memories wash over her.

***

Astarion climbed slowly into his grandiose bed. Normally he’d revel in the feel of the silk sheets against his bare skin, but today, he longed for something else.

He longed for her. It pained him to have her so close, and yet she felt just as far as she had when she was in Waterdeep. He wanted her in bed with him, to feel her skin next to his. To touch her. Not even in a lustful way, just… skin to skin, laying beside her.

Sighing heavily, he fell into a trance, but his mind tortured him by remembering all of his interactions with Phaedra. 

He'd be lying if he said this wasn't a common occurrence. 

------------------------

Let me know what you think in the comments!

Chapter 2 Here.

[findmeinshattrath]

The War Within and the Worldsoul Saga Reveal

Some thoughts on the new expansion(s)

Not my favorite cinematic, but I liked it for the most part. Appreciated the more calm and intimate approach. Dialogue could have been better at some points though.

Anduin is a little generic looking for my tastes. He doesn't look bad, I just feel like you could toss him into most fantasy settings and he would fit. It's a very default protagonist look. Honestly, also reminds me a bit of the Warrior of Light they use in FF14 cinematics.

Alleria's going to look damn good though

Would not have guessed we'd be going all Journey to the Center of the Earth, but I AM FEELING IT!

The Shadow Priest's ex-knife returns and I am for it! Can't help but love the "edge of a knife" line in the trailer

All the new zones look damn interesting

Eager for the Nerubians, love those guys and I am expecting some friendlies. Somewhat mixed feelings on the look of the "evolved" Nerubians, but I like them overall

Isle of Dorn is intriguing. I love the Earthen and was expecting Titan-forged based on lore tidbits we've seen, so nothing shocking. Really enjoy the look of their buildings, it's a great take on the Dwarven aesthetic. Little bummed we don't seem to be getting anything that looks like the Northrend & Deepholm Earthen stuff.

New gryphons look dope

Earthen as an allied race is unexpected but very welcome! Would not have guessed they'd be neutral, but I am very grateful for that. May not be the most unique addition Alliance-wise, but seeing them in the Horde really gets me. Will probably elaborate on why in a later post.

Like the gemstones and SHOCKED Blizz actually gave the female Earthen beard options (love to see it)

Disappointed but not surprised that they don't get druids. Come on! Vrykul have them! Plus, could have had an Eonar connection

Ringing Deeps will probably be cool, but it kind of excites me the least for now. Do love the whole "underground cavern, pierced with sunlight from above, covered in plant life" thing though

Hallowfall caught me the most off guard

Underground neutral human civilization, descended from the Arathi, big light crystal, underground sea of monsters, air ships, Holy Fire, intense (and potentially dangerous, at least for us) faith in the Light. Goddamn. Might really have something here.

I am always in favor of potentially exploring different human cultures outside of the Alliance. That said, kind of a bummer that it's just another flavor of fantasy Europe like we always get.

Dragonriding coming to other mounts was expected, but nice to get confirmation

Hero Talents are very intriguing. Looking forward to seeing if they pull them off. If nothing else, the archetypes that come out of it will probably be fun to mess around with. A lot of the classes don't really have super unique "Hero archetypes" firmly established, so it'll be fun to see what they come up with.

Announcing 3 expansions at once is pretty ambitious, gotta say

Going back to Quel'Thalas to defend the Sunwell is gonna be cool. Lots they could do story and world-building wise.

Gryphon mount now, maybe dragonhawk next?

Curious and nervous about how Zul'Aman might fit into things (I'm really worried that they'll end up allied with the Void or just flat out destroyed)

Since we're probably going to kick Titan ass, I hope at least Eonar ends up on our side.

I wonder how Sargeras will fit into it

When I first saw the thing about warbands, I thought we were getting some sort of interactive companions/party members, like an evolution from followers and champions. Account wide stuff is nice though.

[flowersdaggersviolasandblood]

Flower Girl

Name: Pero Ophiin (She/Her)

Race: Wood Half-Elf

Class: Druid (Circle of the Land)

Background: Outlander

WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD!

So to officially start our Out-of-ACT-1 phase, we'll go into Pero first. Technically, I did Admaer first, but that was mostly me just exploring mindlessly and seeing what it looked like. Once again, Pero decided to go above to reach Moonrise Towers. Because I unequipped Lae'zel from my party, I didn't get the prompt where she discovers the trail the Githyanki left behind to the monastery. Now, whether or not Lae'zel will stay in the party, who knows. But for now, she's still here.

After fighting some undead, we found a note referencing Wyll's father and his kidnapping to Moonrise Tower. On our way there, we met fucking Eliminster Aumar, a world famous Wizard who is apparently 3 centuries old!

Now, I'm no Forgotten Realm lore whore, but I have seen his name before when I was still playing D&D with friends. So seeing him in the game still got me giddy. The way he talks too is exceptionally great. I love that Larian really committed to him have an even older way of speaking compared to other characters in game. It made it so fun to watch him as he expressed his large appetite. Despite this, Eliminster is not here to serve as a cute cameo for the lore-knowers. Eliminster came to this neck of the woods to tell Gale that Mystra has a mission for him. In exchange for silencing the netherese void within him, she asks that he blows himself up when he reached the heart of the Absolutes' cult. Pero, and pretty much the majority of the camp, are appalled by this sudden suggestion by the literal goddess of magic.

Pero I would say recognizes the gods and their role in the world, only really paying much reverence to Silvanus and Chauntea, goddess of agriculture and plant cultivation. And knowing Mystra's involvement in Gale's situation, although she didn't at all ask him to do the actions he did in the past, is shocks Pero to her core that Mystra's only solution to not only Gale's condition but to the whole Absolute issue is to have him blow up. It left a sour taste in her mouth and it breaks her heart that Gale has solemnly accepted his fate.

Upon entering the Cursed Lands (that's what we'll call this area going forward. No I will not take a second of my time to find the proper name), we were greeted with a Goblin who asked if we were True Souls. Having learned her lesson the first time she was asked this, Pero goes along with the act of being a True Soul. Picking up a torch in one hand and following the little bugger, she was able to meet a small group of Absolute cultist who were looking for Minthara who would come with a particular lyre that would summon the guide. Fortunately, I was able to catch the Lyre because I didn't let her fall in the chasm lol.

Before we continue with this, I wanted to mention the companions for a moment. While lurking around in this shadowed land, Wyll and Karlach get another visit from Mizora. She returned back demanding that Wyll goes and rescue a captive fiend for her, something that wasn't part of the deal. However, Pero was able to sus out that Mizora is currently in a tight spot as she can't afford for Wyll to fail this mission. Because of this, Pero made a proposition in exchange of going forward with this plan. IF they were to get this Devil release, she too would release her hold of Wyll. Though Mizora agreed, with the fact that she's asking Wyll to perform something that was SUPPOSED to not be part of his contract, there might still be hope for an alternative way to get him out of the deal while also maybe not releasing the captive fiend. Especially if this ends up being another Karlach moment.

Shadowheart also expresses wonderment as she's not greatly affected by the shadow curse that plagues the Cursed Lands. This makes her believe that she's been blessed by Shar and that there must be more to the Dark Justiciars trip to Moonrise Towers.

Finally, Pero asked Halsin further about the shadow curse.

Halsin explains that the lands of the Cursed Lands was under the protection of a fey creature by the name of Thaniel and that Halsin hasn't felt their presence since the curse began. He begged that if Pero learned anything about the boy in the forest or even anything about the Shadowfell that she come find him immediately. Pero also asked Halsin if he was comfortable in her camp, and while he did have his opinions, he felt homey with the party. Even "HINTING" that there's a chance for him to relax and wind down once he has dealt with this shadow curse guilt, he's start to feel like himself again.

Pero also got another visit from her Dream Guardian, a visit that has gotten her worried. This time around, they're dressed down, looking a lot more like their appearance in the EA release, but they're starting to show weakness in their current state and starting to express some mild doubt. This causes Pero to even doubt her decision to not consume any parasite they found along the way, mostly giving them to Astarion since he's currently the only eager one in the party. We'll get back to this later.

Back to the Curse Lands, after playing the lyre, we meet the spiderman!

The party was able to travel a short distance with the guide, especially since he currently holds a magical source of light that keeps the darkness at a greater bay. However, the are ambushed by the Harpers who came to take that magical light from them. Pero opted to betray the Absolute cultist and help the Harper, gaining her respect and learning of the inn that they currently reside in.

While getting to the Last Light Inn, we encountered a horrible sight. Like, deadass it nearly made me cry. We found the corpses of the Tieflings we saved back at Emerald Grove. It wasn't every single Tiefling, but it was enough of them where, if you paid attention to who was who at the grove, you'd recognize at least one of them. Reaching the Last Light Inn, we finally meet Jaheira, a legendary Druid/Fighter character whom, if you played the previous Baldur's Gate games, she once looked like this :D

Now she's, reasonably, a much older Half-Elf now. As shown a long time ago in one of the Panels from Hell showings, Jaheira entangles Pero and was close to starting a fight since, regardless if Pero herself ate a tadpole, the parasite still recognize one of its own. Thanks to Pero's honesty and her knowing that Jaheira would be a great ally to have by her side, she truthfully came forward about her condition along with the artifact that's been protecting her and her friends. This along with one of the Tiefling kids, Mol, coming to her aid and the other Harpers expressing how she assisted them, Pero was able to gain the Harpers trust.

Jaheira explains her and the Harpers reason for coming out to the Cursed Lands, even explaining that they currently have a powerful spellcaster that has protected the area. She too is familiar with the figure, Ketheric, though this time around, it sounds like he's an undead as no matter what damage they dealt him, he would just get back up. Because we're not fully influenced by the parasite and have the artifact that protects them from the Absolute, Jaheira asks that Pero and the gang sneak into the Absolute's ranks, posing at a True Soul and deal a killing blow from the inside.

Before ending this, let's do some mild side stuff! So that strange cow you meet back at the Emerald Grove is here as well. Initially, I discovered that this cow was actually a slime-like creature who posed as a animal, wanting to live a life as a farm beast. While I was able to kill it...Dammon got killed after the fact because the MOTHERFUCKER DECIDED TO RUN INTO THE SHADOW CURSED LANDS AND CAME BACK AS AN UNDEAD THE STUPID FU-

Speaking of Dammon! Because we found him again, I immediately had him provide an upgrade to Karlach's infernal machine. Not only that, but he also provided a flaw Infernal Armor (heavy armor so I can't wear it) and said that they could provide more like it in the future. Pero was also able to speak with a few Tieflings who survived the attack and learned that not every Tiefling refugee was slaughtered, as some of them were kidnapped and sent to Moonrise Towers. Although Pero promises to go find these missing individuals, Pero is filled with mild guilt, Especially when Rolan starts placing blame of Pero for the reason why his friends/family got killed or kidnapped.

Pero also met Raphael again! Before going forward, Astarion asked Pero that if they happen to run into Raphael that he be there to speak with him. Pero was at first worried that Astarion has made his decision to take up Raphael on his deal, but this is actually the part that Pero learns about his scar since she didn't start a romance with him. Little side rant, but goddamn Larian really utilizing the fact that Astarion is one of the favored companion in BG3, because they didn't need to strip him down like that lmao. Now in all honesty, this half nudity isn't necessarily for fan service reasons since it relates to the scars on his back, and HOW ELSE are they gonna show it without taking his shirt off...BUT GODDAM-

Pero also finally got her dance with Wyll as she initially watched him perform alone before joining him. Pero rolled a Nat 1 on her performance, which sounds very on par for Pero lmao. This is also the part where Pero could establish a relationship with Wyll, but I decided for Pero to face away from him. Gotta keep the harem strong bby!

Before we end this chapter in Pero's story. We gotta get on Astarions ass again. Pero and Astarion have a brief conversation together about the parasite. Astarion believes that Pero has potential and that embracing the powers of the tadpole could further this. Astarion continues to bring back in the possibility that they could control the tadpole, which is something Pero discouraged...But then this man had to say this!

Now, from what Pero has seen and experienced: The dream Guardians' powers are seemingly wanning, probably due to the fact that she herself hasn't consumed a single parasite. The Tieflings were killed and some of them were kidnapped, and while that was out of her control, the guilt is getting to her. Then there's Pero's desire to just save her friends, not so much from the parasite itself, but from their own personal fuck ups. Wyll and his pact with Mizora, Gale and this netherese shard within him, Astarion and his relationship with Cazador, Karlach and this infernal machine that might even burn her to a crisp. All of this that has happened practically all at once for Pero is starting to weigh on her and her desire to simply help people is making things worse.

Then Astarion decided to, intentionally or not, play with this fact and use it against her by suggesting that these Mindflayer powers could potentially help her not only destroy the evil it's causing, but also help her friends and those around her. Now, she has no one else to look to for why this is a possible bad idea than Wyll. Wyll got himself into a pact all because HE wanted to help people so badly and didn't know where to start and how to be powerful enough to do it. And he never regretted ever getting into the pact. And while Pero should be able to ascertain that based on the experiences of her peers, she is a emotional person and has a bleeding heart.

The next time we find a parasite...She might be tempted to eat one.

[bruinescence]

do whatever you need to do ,  hurry .

He could see why one might take the lapse in action as hesitance on his part, especially after the golden flash of light that so often foretold of a coming transformation settled heavy in the wood elf's guarded gaze. Only this time, instead of the transitional phase of gnarled limbs and the cracking and resetting of bone structure- only subtle as it was brief, Halsin remained rooted to the spot he'd taken up in one of the four doorways leading from the temple corridor to one of what he could only assume was of many inner sanctums. Four entry points on roughly the same plane with no discernable exit point from behind seemed a rather odd choice as far as architecture went, though it was not his place to ponder on the meanings behind ancient, Sharran dwellings. Granted, he wouldn't have the means to ponder on the idea much longer even if it would have settled in like the dust about the place after they'd made a hasty retreat into the odd nook once the then floor (now ceiling) had crumbled beneath their feet.

Well...'their' as in both he and the unfortunate tail-end of their line of explorers, and 'unfortunate' if only because the front of the brigade had possession of the moon-lantern whose light did not seem to want to follow the two that the earth had swallowed. The shadows would not complain about that. "Quickly-our backs to the enclosure!" He had not delayed a moment in stirring upon impact even while still finding his footing in the rubble of the lower floor, knowing too well how quickly the shadows of the curse could take hold like roots pushed up from the ground and eager to snag any attempt at retreat. From what he recalled upon their plunge into the shadow-cursed lands thus far, it was Shadowheart who seemed thoroughly unbothered by the dark hunger within the curse most, and yet for all of her grace, it would not serve to shelter the storm of the shadows that wished for his blood to finally join those he had failed to bring home some odd century ago. "-I must shut them out before they take hold-" The others would find them, to that he had little doubt...but there simply was no time to wait on a rescue mission lest he be torn to shreds from darkness that would seep into veins and then painfully razor outwards.

Once within the enclave of many doors, he briefly focused on her command that stood out amongst the emptiness he'd welcomed to invite full concentration to the matter at hand. There was a temporary way to protect himself from the curse outside of the light...the same manner in which his misguided successor had sought to shield the grove in her delusions, though on a less permanent scale thanks to him being the only druid in the room. Doing so alone and with no guarantee of rescue would be a death sentence. A steady exhale and a twitch of shoulders was about the only response he could muster to the cleric as his eyes continued to glow golden in the dark like the many flashing gazes of nocturnal beasts. The ground rumbled questionably, but he remained rooted to the spot as the magic within his chest swelled with each concentrated effort. Think of nothing...be nothing - nothing but a way of closing this space off from the world. Hide it from everything and hide within it. The druid's thoughts pulsed as mindless as a heartbeat that from one final, throbbing pulse- emerged a great row of thorns and vines erupting from the cracks in the floor about his feet and spreading into a wall that spanned all four doors.

"Spinae rituale-"

Though, unlike a regular wall of thorns, this particular wall kept spreading wider and thickening to fill each door frame twice over and more with vines as thick as the Archdruid's arms. Together, they wound round each other in intricate knots that sought to choke out every bit of air and space and hints of light between them. There was no stepping back from the spreading Oaken Father's embrace either seeing as its source of evocation had already sealed his feet to the floor with the first layer of vines. Though, when the stake like thorns began to erupt about to help solidify the room's defenses, Halsin did not move even when sharp edges speared at him and ripped parts of his druid gear with wooden daggers. The portions of flesh revealed along with the journey from his neck to his jawline were of a stiff, oakish gray bark that only further helped stabilize him in the midst of the thorn rite.

By the time the burning, black flames of the curse had begun nibbling away at the outside of the barricade of thorns, Halsin was already fully integrated into the living wall, though the glow in his gaze dulled ever so slightly as he stared ahead at some fixated point beyond the gleam of her armor. Until the others came with the lantern, he could hold steady against the curse eating through to him as an apple core did against an inchworm. Perhaps the rite would outlast a short rest or even two.

The vines continued to squeeze tight and wrench against themselves to the creaking and grinding whisper of a thought grown over and sealed in a thicket's shadows: 'who am I in your temple?'

[headraline]

"There you will meet Khalid and Jaheira. They have long been my friends, and you can trust them."

This Gorion quote lives rent-free in my head.

I recently went to Jaheira's safehouse with my og Tav and.

My god, the punch in the feels.

BG1, by nature, didn't go that deep in the interpersonal relationships aspect, it was the 90s and the important bits were "your mentor died and you need to find out why" and "the plot twist is that you're part of the progeny of the God of Murder, surprise, you have to save the Sword Coast and possibly the world".

There was no such thing as "companion approval" - or rather, there was, because depending on things some companion would get pissed and fuck off forever, but we were all just guessing based on a few key elements in the character profile, and it was only in BG2 Shadows of Amn that romances were even a thing.

So back then, in the long long ago, Khalid and Jaheira were the "quirky trope of subverted stereotype: strong combatant wife and meek soft spoken husband, instead of the traditional 90s couple".

However, it was very nice that once they were in your party, you could not have one without the other - if you removed one, the other would follow.

That was the seed of their deep commitment to each other.

Then BG2 came out and I remember being FLOORED that within the first hour of gameplay we find Khalid's cold, dead body -no means to Revivify, impossible to Resurrect even if you did have the means, not only because of the gruesome circumstances of his death, but also for the horrible mauling of his very essence perpetrated by Irenicus' experiments.

In the starting chapters of BG2, Jaheira refuses to mourn properly, it takes a hot second for her to truly make peace with Khalid's passing, and her battle cry of "for the fallen!" rings much much stronger after that.

On a side note: I'm lowkey disappointed that in BG3 it's not a battlecry, but a soft, almost absent reminder, but I see the stylistic choice. Older, wiser, bone-tired Jaheira doesn't feel like shouting at anything close enough to stab... and she's now also experienced enough and legendary enough that she doesn't need to raise her voice, bitches be shaking on sight.

But anyway. You get to the safehouse, you find the little found-family refuge, and explore the secret room. And Jaheira tells you about Khalid.

My god did Tracy do an excellent job. Jaheira sounds a bit wistful, her voice breaks at a couple points where she gets choked up, but throughout she is so, so fond. So full of love still for the only true life partner she had. And I love that she addresses the way history did not do Khalid justice, she mentions that the bards and Harpists alike only remember him as a meeker counterpart to her, but she has a fantastic line for his legacy (paraphrasing because I don't remember it exactly, and when I do these posts I go off the top of my head, I usually write by memory only):

"You'd never see a warrior who despised violence as much as Khalid. Which meant that the fights he did pick where usually the right ones."

This is super important, because in the very first game it doesn't look like Jaheira puts that much consideration in the things Khalid says, but to remember him for this, it means she actually respected and trusted his values and his judgment a whole lot.

Even though they did occasionally disagree and bicker about things.

Gods, but they were the perfect couple. And then Khalid got snatched away -he became the subverted equivalent of the fridge wife: dead in order to let Jaheira's character develop through suffering.

AND THEN you find the "scroll" for Timeless Body.

Now, Timeless Body is a feat in 5e, not a spell (and I do not remember how it worked in 3.5, and my only experience in 2e is with the older BG games and it was never relevant there, so don't come for me): by taking Timeless Body, a druid or monk ages 1 year for every 10 that pass, if I recall correctly. There are other properties too, but essentially you make yourself long lived to the point of time losing importance, hence the name.

When you speak to Jaheira about it, she tells you that she no longer thinks she's powerful enough to achieve it, but she had started researching it because she (in so many words) wanted to continue fighting the good fight, as long as possible.

(And this is validation for my estimate of her age, because with elves living up to 750 years, it'd make sense for her to only recently have come to terms with any sort of sense of mortality if she is, as I suspect, around 530 years old.)

(Edit: I was way off about the age thing, because her and Khalid are half-elves, which threw me for a while because I was sure they were full elves, but they're not so effective age would be more around 150ish, depending on timeline fuckery.)

HOWEVER. She readily gives the scroll to you and tells you to try and see if you can achieve it yourself, instead. I don't know if you can try to persuade her to keep it, and I don't know if it would work, but it would track, with her personality, that having found someone "worthy" to whom pass the torch, she now prefers her mortality very much like it is -so that she might, when the time comes, join Khalid within the grace of Silvanus.

It never properly shows in game, and it's not supposed to ping your brain unless you really think about it because she is lowkey hiding it because She Needs To Keep Her Cool In A Crisis At All Times, but it cuts really deep that compared to the previous two games, Jaheira is so, so very tired.

But she keeps going and she keeps fighting, because Someone Has To Do It -and Khalid is probably watching over her, bragging to any and all spiritual entities about his badass wife.

Jaheira is such a fucking inspiration, absolute MONOLITH of a woman. And Khalid too, sweet, brave, selfless Khalid.

[taleswrittenmoving]

Halsin's smile is contagious, with the added feeling of Halsin's lips kissing the back of his hand so sweetly there, it makes Astarions own lips curl into a smile. He's still a little confused with intimacy, a little hesitant, if only because he doesn't know how to react to it. He's lacked it for over 200 years, it's still hard to accept sometimes.

But, that doesn't matter right now - not when he is so hyper-fixated on Halsin and his needs. Halsin has always taken such good care of him that he wants to return the favor. There is no forcing himself to do this, though he understands Halsin's hesitance with the way he's been known to dissociate but that's not what this is.

It doesn't take much more convincing on Astarion's part, the druid seems to realize that Astarion isn't backing down in the least. He watches intently as Halsin kneels down to the ground, playing with the lilac bloom.

His undead heart flutters around in his chest as Halsin talks about how the color reminds him of Astarion, how he plays with his hair that has Astarion wanting to lean into that touch and further crave his hands all throughout white curls. There will be time for that later, though.

He wants to repeat that he trusts Halsin but it seems repetitive and he's worried if he says it too much, it will lose its meaning. Halsin seems to have relaxed, seems to trust his words now, and that is all that Astarion can ask for.

"I must admit, I didn't realize druids have ruts." It makes sense, however. Druids always do seem to have animalistic features, there are times where Astarion has noticed it. It intriges him, he likes it, even if he hasn't actively said it out loud.

Allowing Halsin to guide him, he follows behind with ease. If Halsin were to let go of him, he'd have no problem climbing over the rough terrain. He's a rogue - he's dexterous enough for it but it's sweet that Halsin wants to make sure he doesn't lose his balance and fall.

Interesting. Astarion does not remember this place when they'd explored the shadow lands the first time around. Perhaps some places were concealed with the shadow curse. If they weren't so desperate to go to baldurs gate, perhaps he would have liked exploring the lands. Another time, maybe, when everything dies down and he and Halsin can simply be.

After following Halsin in, Astarion glances around at the cave. A rather comfortable space, it seems. He wonders if anyone else knows about it. The site of wood figures, some unfinished, some finished - he notices a duck in particular and is reminded of the time Halsin had told him that tidbit.

Astarion finds it cute.

He waits, standing around a little awkwardly while Halsin meditates. He doesn't want to interrupt but he doesn't know what else to do either so he simply waits, watching Halsin in interest. One day, he'd like to know more about his rituals.

"Aestar?" Astarion questions, once again his heart flutters in his chest and he inwardly curses himself for it. Look at Halsin, making him feel things he had never been able to feel before.

Astarion almost instantly crosses the distance between them, placing his hand into Halsin's. He remains standing, though, unsure of what to do - what Halsin needs him to do.

This is new, after all.

Are there certain things he needs to do? Are there more rituals Halsin has to go through? Nervous is not something that Astarion feels often but in this moment, he is nervous. Not because he's worried about Halsin losing control and hurting him but because he doesn't want to mess this up.

"I know." He shifts a little closer, his free hand coming up to cup Halsin's cheek. He runs his thumb over Halsin's cheek in a circular motion, hoping to soothe and further prove that he knows. "I know. You have made me feel safe with you on more than once occasion, that hasn't changed simply because you've gone into a rut."

When Astarion speaks next, it is after a pause of hesitation and slight nerves. "What do I need to do? Tell me and I will do it, darling."

The touch from Astarion grounds him and Halsin looked down to see their fingers laced - it was a small thing, sure, but Halsin couldn't help smiling. He leaned down as he brought their hands up, pressing a kiss to the cool back of Astarion's hand. Astarion was choosing this - choosing him even in all of his prickly nature, when Halsin realistically was worried that his more animalistic tendencies might cause Astarion distress.

Halsin didn't bother to try and hide his grin then because Astarion liked his marks. Halsin particularly liked the entire process - feeding Astarion, knowing that it was his own blood that made the marks bloom against the pale of Astarion's skin. "I think it is something with the land." Halsin admitted, giving a soft sound as he looked around. For a moment, he stopped moving and crouched down, chuckling lightly as he gently guided a cluster of grass out of the way. "Look," He said it softly as his thick fingers grazed the edge of a soft, small lilac colored bloom. "I think of you when I see this color." Halsin said as he reached up to toy with a strand of Astarion's hair. "Beneath the moon's glow, your hair is almost this shade." He said before he stood again. He still felt himself, thankfully, his head clear enough for thoughts like that.

Astarion said he'd speak up, that he would tell Halsin if something was too much, and that was a comfort all itself. "Thank you." Halsin did need reminding that Astarion wasn't glass - whatever the vampire was made of, it was innately more resilient. He was woven by the stars themselves, if Halsin had any thoughts towards whatever forces had guided Astarion's life so far. He was infinitely more precious. "I will.....try not to be too.....hm." The druid considered the word, because he could smother, and nag, and mother hen far too much, but all of those things felt rather different to the way that he felt about Astarion. "I will try to keep my head about me." He settled after a moment. "I already feel that I want so much of you - but you have done so well in telling me what you want." Halsin had to trust what they'd both been working towards. Communication was so hard but so vital.

"The last rut I remember was....well. Before the Shadow Curse overtook the lands, I assume because the lands are waking back up, so is my body." It was a fair assumption, with the way he'd always been in tune with the lands. "I think I may know somewhere." Somewhere that might have been more secure at least. Somewhere that might not be crawling with Harpers and the few souls that had stayed around to loot and pillage. Guiding Astarion there wasn't too hard - he followed the route of a small creek where it met a twisted and gnarled tree, the roots wrapping themselves into a nasty tangle. He kept hold of Astarion's hand, helping the rogue cross over the areas. "Ah! Here." The surface of the rocky wall seemed like it was just another ledge, but Halsin felt for it, extended the hand that wasn't still wound in Astarion's. The earth itself shifted for him, the druid's eyes closing just for a moment as he sought out the space in the earth. "I used to come here when I was younger," Halsin explained as he pulled aside the hanging vines to reveal an enclosed space inside.

The shelter itself wasn't anything special but had evidenced of his younger days - older whittling projects in various stages of completion, diagrams and drawings of various things strewn about, the evidence of a lifetime ago when he was far more carefree. "It's not much," Halsin said after a moment of drinking it all in again. "But I would rather not have the Harpers interrupt us." His grin was feral then as he met his lover's garnet gaze. No, Astarion was far too precious for him to want others around. While he would honor Astarion's wishes ultimately, even Halsin Silverbough had his limits, and to push them during a rut would be flirting with disaster.

Halsin let Astarion's hand go to set both their packs down and settled on his knees in the circle of daylight where the ceiling wasn't solid, hands resting on his thighs with his palms up. A moment of meditation, old prayers recited before he felt for the ground. A soft bed of clovers rose up, at least something to start with. Halsin expected he would have at least the rest of the day to prepare better, and he would want to ensure that he had whatever provisions to last them both. "Come here, Aestar." Halsin requested, turning his gaze again to Astarion as he held a hand out. "I promise to you, Astarion, that I will listen and honor your wishes. You have control here, always when you are with me."

[the-ferocious-kittyrose]

Rewriting Haggar/Honerva’s redemption arc

One of the many things that bothered me about VLD S8 is Honerva’s redemption arc. While I was never fully against the idea of Honerva getting a redemption arc, I just didn’t want VLD to do it because I knew that they would fuck it up if they tried. And low and behold, I was right!

But yeah, I wasn’t against the idea of her being redeemed. And I don’t mean “redeemed” as in “all is forgiven and she’s just a good guy now,” but more like a Darth Vader, “the things she did were inexcusable and she would never be able to right all her wrongs but she goes out on one good act to show that there was still good in her deep down and she at least had the potential to change.”

I know a lot of people don’t like the whole, “redemption=death” thing, which I understand, but I personally never had a problem with it.

Ok, so why didn’t Honerva’s redemption work? Well there are a few reasons but the one that baffles me the most is that, instead of trying to make her more sympathetic, season 8 seemed to go out of its way to show her being more evil and vile than ever.

And because I have nothing better to do, I’m gonna go through Honerva’s story in VLD and explain what I would change to make her redemption more believable.

(Keep in mind I am not a writer, this is just me ranting about my favorite character and how I personally would’ve written her.)

1. Realizing she’s Altean

I always thought it’s was weird that when Allura said “you’re...Altean!?” In the S2 finale, Haggar didn’t seem to react at all, she just kept attacking. It’s as if she didn’t care or already knew, which doesn’t make sense considering in the S3 finale and S8E2 it’s established that Haggar has no memory of who she was before she died. And in S4E3 she seems shocked by her Altean face (which also doesn’t make sense because her blue skin isn’t camouflage that’s just how she looks after the rift) so it seems like she didn’t know.

Wouldn’t it have made more sence if after Allura said “you’re...Altean!?” Honerva looked confused/shocked? If she became defensive and said Allura was lying/trying to insult her? There’s def anti-Altean propaganda in the empire so it would be considered an insult.

After that she starts questioning Zarkon. And when she looks into his mind, it’s out of genuine curiosity and desire to know the truth, not because, “the empire needs him” or whatever that meant.

And isn’t it a bit odd that she doesn’t seem betrayed at all when she finds out Zarkon has been keeping all this from her? She’s just like, “oh, you’re my husband? Cool.” Wtf???

2. Her past relationship with Zarkon

Okay, I love Zonerva, but if we’re being honest, Zarkon was not the best husband. He enabled the shit out of Honerva, even when it was obvious that the rift was doing serious damage to her physical and mental health. To me, it seems like Zarkon was so blinded by the power the rift gave him that he didn’t realize/ignored the negative effect it was having on Honerva. In the same way he downplayed the negative impact the rift had on the planet.

I think that should’ve been explored more. Maybe Honerva notices that she’s been acting differently and is worried somethings wrong (think S5 Kuron). And Honerva tries to tell Zarkon that she feels strange and Zarkon just brushes it off.

And later, when Alfor visits Diaibazaal years later. Things are pretty much the same except when we sees Honerva, she is very obviously pregnant and Alfor’s there when Honerva falls and goes into labor (instead of a random quintessence seizure). Alfor and many Galran doctors try their best to save her and the baby but she dies in childbirth.

Zarkon goes ballistic. He’s yelling, throwing doctors across the room, and Alfor turns to the doctor holding Lotor and tells them to get the baby to safely, fearing Zarkon will take his grief out on the baby.

Zarkon turns on Alfor, blaming him for Honerva’s death and accusing him of letting her die so that he could get his way and close the rift. He lunges Alfor and roars at him to leave.

He spends the rest of the night grieving at Honerva’s bedside, when Kova jumps on the bed and starts gnawing on her finger trying to wake her up. This is what gives him the idea to bring her back with quintessence.

3. Her current relationship with Zarkon

I think it’s pretty safe to say that they’re relationship didn’t get better after the war began. Zarkon hid her identity and her child from her for 10,000 years and essentially used her as a tool of war. It’s pretty fucked up.

I know it’s pretty well established that Zarkon treats Haggar with more respect than his other underlings, but I feel like it would be interesting to see that change overtime. We see that after Voltron comes back, Zarkon becomes very obsessed with Voltron/Black, and he and Haggar start disagreeing more and more.

Remember the moment where one of Haggar’s druids told Zarkon Haggar said he needed to rest and Zarkon hit them with his bayard and told them, “remember who your master is”? What if, instead of a random druid, it was Haggar who he hit?

I feel like that would be a good way to show Haggar and the audience just how much Zarkon’s obsession with Voltron is affecting him, and make the audience feel a tiny bit bad for her.

Then later in season 4, when Zarkon wakes up from his coma and finds out Haggar brought Lotor back to take his place he gets pissed. He puts a price on Lotor’s head and has Haggar arrested for treason. She steals a ship, escapes, and later on meets up with Lotor’s generals.

Her and Zarkon are officially broken up and her quest to reclaim her identity and get her son back begins.

4. Oriande

I never liked the concept of chosen/sacred Alteans. The idea that some Alteans are just born more powerful than others just feels iffy. My idea of Oriande is that it’s an Altean holly land, any Altean can enter it just depends on whether or not you can pass the White Lion’s trial. Passing the trial proves that your intentions are pure and and the White Lion will bless you with power.

I didn’t like how Honerva seemed to force her way into Oriande, I think it would be more effective if she had gone through normally because, at this point, her intentions were pure. She was going there to purge herself of the dark magic corrupting her and reclaim her memories so she could go get her son back.

I also like the idea that Oriande is a sorta link to the Altean after life, and you can speak with people you’ve lost. Allura gets to speak with Alfor, and Honerva speaks with her mother.

You could also have her be confronted by the spirits of the Alteans she helped destroy. Have the weight of her past actions bear down on her. An important part of any redemption arc is acknowledging the terrible shit you’ve done in the past, and that was severely lacking in Honerva’s arc.

Another interesting thing you could do is have Honerva talk to her younger self. The one that died 10,000 years ago. This kinda thing actually happened in 80s Voltron, young Haggar appearing in Haggar’s head trying to convince her to be good again.

5. Her relationship with Lotor

Now this is where the redemption arc really falls apart. I forget who, but one of the writers said after S5 that Haggar/Honerva was motivated purely by love for her son, but man did they do a bad job of showing that.

And it would’ve been so easy to fix that problem, just have her not be horrible to him. Have them have actual civil conversations, have her protect and defend him. Don’t have her reject him as a fucking baby!

Imagine if, after Zarkon destroys Lotor’s planet, instead of immediately deciding to

exile him, Zarkon says that this is the final straw and he’s going to have Lotor executed. But Haggar speaks up to defend Him. There’s actually a scene in DOTU where Zarkon tries to kill Lotor and Haggar gets on her knees and begs for him to be spared. (Though the scene was mostly played for laughs.)

she asks for mercy and justifies it by saying it would be unwise to kill his only heir. It’s a weak argument, Lotor’s a half breed and couldn’t realistically take the throne, but Zarkon does concede, he still loves her after all, and has Lotor exiled.

And Haggar isn’t spying on him because she doesn’t trust him, but because she’s concerned for him. When Lotor confronts Haggar about sending her cronies after him, she says she knows he’s hiding something. Lotor asks if she’s threatening him, thinking she’s going to rat him out, but she says no, she’s not threatening him, she’s just trying to warn him against doing anything stupid because, with Zarkon seemingly on his death bed, the empire needs Lotor’s leadership.

At this point in the story, Haggar is questioning her loyalty to Zarkon, so I feel like it would make sense for her to be silently supporting Lotor from the shadows.

Then at the Kral Zera in season 5, It was weird to me how she was helping Lotor through Kuron while also telling him he couldn’t be emperor and trying to put Sendak on the throne. I feel like it would’ve made more sense for Sendak to just show up on his own without Haggar.

Haggar wouldn’t even be at the Kral Zera, she would just watch through Kuron.

And then we get to S6 when she actually reveals to Lotor that she’s his mom. This scene was just so poorly done. She never actually apologizes to him, she’s just like “yeah I forgot you were my kid and I never loved you, but were cool now right?” I remember when I saw S8E2 and it shows her after Lotor rejects her and she looks like she’s about to cry, I was just thinking, “this would be very emotional and sad IF she had actually apologized and made it clear that she genuinely loved him.” But she didn’t and I don’t know why!

And then we get to season 8, and of course everything in S8 is bad but Honerva’s story is particularly bad. She’s supposed to be motivated by love for Lotor yet she doesn’t act like she actually cares about him at all.

She manipulates his corpse and when she sees his gross melted body, she doesn’t even react that much. When a mother sees her child’s mutilated corpse, how do you think she reacts? Screaming? Crying?? Hurling??? But no. She’s just like, “...”

And then when she goes to the alternate reality and meets baby Lotor and he rejects her, her reaction isn’t disappointment or sadness, it’s anger and entitlement. She immediately decides, “ok, fuck this kid. Let’s destroy this reality.”

It just doesn’t make sense! This is the season you’re trying to REDEEM her! Why are you going out of your way to make her so vile?

6. Her S7-S8 plan

(Keep in mind I haven’t watched S7/S8 since they came out and barely even watched S8 to begin with, so I don’t remember some things and I can’t be bothered to rewatch them.)

Okay, starting with S7, she’s not in this season at all but in “The Ruins” the druid dude says that her final order was to hunt and destroy the Blade of Marmora. I guess it makes a certain amount of sense because she saw that it was Keith who brought Lotor’s actions to light, but that whole plot was really pointless in my opinion. (Was anybody really hoping for a rematch between Keith and that one random druid?)

If you want us to forgive Honerva for her crimes, you really shouldn’t keep adding more unnecessary crimes. It’s established that there were a lot of Galra war lords vying for power and pirates looking for money, just have it be that Kolivan got kidnapped by one of them.

Then you have her season 8 plan and I’m gonna be real with y’all, I have no idea how to fix this mess.

I feel like the basics of her plan could work. She tries to get Lotor and Sincline out of the rift but when she gets him he’s a melted corpse so the plan then becomes to use sincline to go to another reality to find a living Lotor, but opening all these rifts causes problems and the paladins have to stop her.

But all the shit with manipulating the colony Alteans, killing the White Lion, desecrating Oriande, and destroying Olkarion and entire realities, it was all so unnecessary.

Personally I would cut the colony Alteans from the story all together, there are other ways for Lotor to betray the team. It was a lazy way of making Lotor 100% evil and having Honerva manipulate them is unnecessarily cruel, especially in the season you’re trying to redeem her.

Here’s a very basic outline of how I would do this plot.

If we’re going by season 8’s logic that she needs a sacrifice to bring back Sincline, I would’ve had the Galra she killed at the Kral Zera be the sacrifice, not the White Lion. She stands on the pyramid and talks about how the empire stole her life from her and she wants revenge as she absorbs their quintessence into herself and then uses that to bring back Sincline.

Then when she finds Lotor dead she takes Sincline and uses it to go to another reality where she can be with her family.

The danger comes when she opens rifts to the other realities and rift creatures start coming out and causing damage. The paladins fight them and follow her into the rift to stop whatever evil plan she may have. Because the paladins don’t know that Haggar is now Honerva and all this is just to get Lotor back. They think this is all some plan for multiverse domination or some shit.

Meanwhile Honerva has just been rejected by little Lotor and seeing Voltron show up pushes her over the edge and they fight.

But when they find out the real reason she’s doing all this they start trying to appeal to her and convince her to give up and close the rift peacefully. And similarly to how the paladins had to sacrifice the castle to close the rifts created by the fight with Lotor, Honerva has to sacrifice herself to close the rifts.

In the end, I feel like a Honerva redemption arc could’ve worked if the writers were actually competent and actually made an effort to have her be sympathetic, but In canon, her reasoning, “If I can’t indulge in the simple joys of life, why should anybody else?” just doesn’t cut it.

It’s disappointing. VLD had so much potential. I’m thinking of just rewriting the entire series from the beginning. Hopefully putting all my thoughts out into the universe will help me move on.

[quirkquess]

BNHA Fantasy AU Class 1-A Collection + Extra │ Part 1•2

Finally finished that class 1a piece lmao took years. Since I had the linework done before changing some of the designs, maybe I’ll do a redraw one day

Some headcanons:

Aoyama hails from a line of good-aligned nobility known for their powerful magic. However, due to health complications, his magic is a double-edged sword. He seeks to prove himself and make a couple friends along the way

Mina is axolotl dragon living near the Southern Salamander Lake surrounded by rocky mountains. Adventurous and energetic, she isn’t afraid to take risks. She left her home in search for adventure and eventually met the Bakusquad though Kirishima

Asui is an amphibian humanoid. She worked hard at her family’s establishment, meeting various people from different backgrounds and status. She is well connected and an extremely good negotiator

Iida is a paladin from a proud noble family spanning generations. They are known for their generosity, chivalry, and bravery. Following in his family’s footsteps, the second heir seeks to gain experience in leadership and combat

Uraraka was sent to distinguished magic school at a young age after finding her affinity with gravitation magic. Despite being born into a poor family, through her hard work, she graduated with a wealth of arcane knowledge

Ojiro is born as one of many sons of an assassination guild. However, after seeing his martial prowess, his family sent him to a temple to train as a monk. He is quick, steady, and deadly but has no real desire to kill. His sensibility has saved him and his comrades numerous times

Kaminari was from a very minor aristocratic house before he left in pursuit of glory. He wasn’t going to be an heir anyway with his brains and the call for adventure was louder than paperwork. His sociability saved him as many times as it landed him in hot water. Despite his lack of academics, a lifetime of doing odd jobs here and there granted him many close friends

Kirishima is a courageous earth dragon who ate crimson beets to look like his hero, an earth dragon with gleaming crimson scales. But before he was a cowardly little thing. He met Mina after he saw how “manly” she was exploring territory outside her own despite being so young. After being defeated in battle, he vowed to be Bakugo’s first friend!

Koda is a gentle druid humanoid. He is always surrounded by little critters and seemingly can get along with any creature. He has a bit of fae blood in him which allows him to control animals but rarely uses the power outside of hostile situations

Sato trained as a monk before leaving in pursuit of the culinary world. He seeks to create delicious food made from ingredients outside of civilization. Danger flavour, baby! Thankfully, his training helped him throughout his culinary journey

Shoji is from the deep sea. His appearance frightened those not used to deep sea dwellers as they are often thought of to be sadistic and evil-aligned. Instead of falling for such taunts, he seeks to help those in need

Jirou is a bard travelling with Momo. They met during a royal gala where she was invited to play not only because of her parents’ reputation but also her own hard work. She decided to travel with Momo to seek her own path outside of playing for nobility

Sero was the son of a travelling inventor and engineer. After helping a debt-bound Kaminari, they travelled together in hopes of landing some gold for his next invention. He’s nearly lost his arms twice after an invention gone wrong. Specializes in woodworking.

Tokoyami is an infamous kenku with a symbiotic relationship to his familiar, Dark Shadow. His abilities as a warlock rogue has given him no shortage of shady clients. He serves under the name of a dark mistress in hopes that he will be granted her favour in death

Todoroki has no shortage of names: the cursed prince, the runaway prince, the abandoned prince. It is rumoured that his mother cursed him as a payment for his father’s sins. He seeks a cure quickly before his wrath replaces his sanity but how can one be rid of a demon when they were made from demonic flesh and blood?

Hagakure is the exemplary assassin, an invisible stalker with high dexterity, if not for her affability. After hearing about Ojiro’s departure, she quickly followed him as an excuse to leave her family name and meet new people. Although many give her strange looks, they quickly fall for her charms

Bakugo is the proud barbarian of a powerful tribe of warriors. The only thing that barred him from leading the tribe was his own mother forbidding him until he learned some damn leadership qualities. Misunderstanding what she said, he left to defeat the strongest warriors known by name to carve out his own legacy

Midoriya is an ordinary boy from a small quant little town just off north to the Bakugo’s territory. He dreamed of becoming a hero like the All Might of legend despite his lack of magic or physical skills. But after a chance meeting, perhaps fate has more in store for him

Mineta has been sealed in an arcane chest. Although no one knows exactly why. Seen enabling Kaminari’s bad decisions before Sero came around

Momo is a magic knight. Born into one of the most distinguished noble families, her affinity with spatial magic makes her a powerful fighter. Get that inventory space limit outta here, she IS the Bag of Holding!

Shinso is a deep sea siren feared by many due to his hypnotic voice. “Birthed by a sea hag,” they whispered. Running away, he stumbled upon a weakening forest called “Cloud Nine” and met the forest’s guardian, an elf named Aizawa

Eri was a prize to many – a docile unicorn foal blessed/cursed with powers from the goddess of mortal time. She was later saved by a group of heroes who took her to a forest full of mist and magic where she would feel safe and loved

Aizawa is the last guardian of Cloud Nine, the forest with fading mist he took care of since the death of the last guardian, Shirakumo. A forest elf who did not take kindly to “visitors” was suddenly saddled with the company of many beings who sought safety and guidance

Yamada, or “Present Mic” as he’s more popularly known, is a banshee who said “fuck this wailing shit” and went to go party with bards and minstrels. He tries to stay within the moment as it could be taken away from you at an instant. Self-proclaimed BBF of Aizawa Shota

Nemuri is the siren empress, the great matriarch of her clan. Her bewitching beauty and voice led to many deaths of horrible mortals and an escape for those who need it. Her clan is a safe haven for the lost, afraid, and lonely

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[dulcepcriculum]

*    †    [  tuppence middleton ,  she/her  +  cis woman  ]  :  is  that  LENNOX FAIRFAX  wandering  around  ?  under  these  neon  lights  i  swore  they  looked  like  a  DRUID,  but  in  actuality  they  are  a  FIXER / PRIVATE  INVESTIGATOR.  the  THIRTY FOUR YEAR OLD  is  known  to  be  CHAOTIC  and MISGUIDED,  albeit  HEAD STRONG  and  AMBITIOUS.  after  spending  TEN YEARS  in  sin  city,  their  favourite  song  to  hum  is  CLOSER  by  CLANN,  though  people  often  associate  them  with  a harsh street lamp discolouring leaves in the night / blood, ash, and honey smeared over pale lips / flowers blooming from a decayed rib cage, dark ichor still seeping from the bone / blackened fingers digging into white wax.

i. basics.

name: lennox elizabeth fairfax.  nickname(s): len, lenny.  age/dob: 34 / july 1 1988. birthplace: chelsea, london, england. species: druid. hair color: platinum blonde with a streak of blue. eye color: hazel. height: 5′ 7″. build: slim. gender, pronouns & sexuality: cis woman, she/her, bisexual biromantic. relationship status: single. occupation: fixer / private investigator. spoken language: english, greek, latin (written-based), basic arabic, basic icelandic. summation title: the hellion. traits: (+) ambitious, head-strong, resourceful.  (-) chaotic, misguided, mistrusting. character comparisons: jules vaughn (euphoria), floki (vikings), willy wonka (willy wonka & the chocolate factory), fox mulder (the x-files), audrey home (twin peaks), klaus hargreeves ( the umbrella academy), clementine kruczynski (eternal sunshine of the spotless mind), river tam (firefly + serenity), mia wallace (pulp fiction), mystique (x-men), sabrina spellman (chilling adventures of sabrina), powder (arcane).

ii. about.

(tw for death)

neither well off or poor, the fairfax family lead an average life in the eyes of friends and neighbours. lennox and her older brother were average students as good as the next kid, as deviant as the one after, but were connected to the hip when off on their own. maybe it was the large gap in age between the two that brought them closer together--- finn being an only child for so long that when she came along it meant he had someone to show all of his interests to, all of his hobbies and friends. wherever he went, his kid sister was beside him exploring the streets of london.

behind closed doors, however, he was teaching her everything he learned in the ways of magic from their parents and then more, methods and information he picked up on his own. he was the watchful eye to make sure she didn’t do something rash on a playground as well as ensure that despite the druid lineage she remained connected to the outside world and a part of it. while both of their parents were present in the home, did what they could to be involved in their children’s lives, finn was more of a parent to her than either of the taller shadows looming in the background of every memory.

it started with a birthday gift, a film camera that their parents said was too mature for a newly turned seven year old to have without breaking it. the camera was a staple around her neck on every adventure she had with him, any family outing or holiday. she ran out of film constantly, procured more through questionable means (stole) when it wasn’t immediately replenished. it fell once, for the record, by no other cause than pure accident she couldn’t be blamed for. finn went out the next day and replaced the lens without a complaint toward expenses.

the hobby, passion, turned into the beginning of a career. lennox applied to university programmes for photography and photojournalism will a portfolio over a decade in the making, some featuring being who inspired her. by then she had the full support of her family knowing well she couldn’t be separated from her ambition, never could be convinced out of an idea. too many scars and bruises were acquired to get the right shot that to tell her it wasn’t a profitable career meant more bruises would be made, that if it was better to stay close to home she’d sneak away in the night. so with a blessing and an expectation to come back over break, she went to scotland for school.

she was beginning her postgraduate classes when her parents called--- and that should have been enough of a sign to know something was wrong. a part of her wondered if she missed signs in the ether, if her talent with the elements waned from being distracted by the human world. nothing, nothing gave warning that finn was murdered before she heard the words from her mother. 

lennox immediately came home. all they knew was he was coming home from work in the city, that he’d been attacked. her parents insisted to let the police handle it but len turned toward spell casting for answers. she was warned in her frantic search that turning to dark magic, that delving into the world of the dead would get her kicked from their home. within a week, the fairfax family lost both of their children.

it didn’t matter the means, lennox eventually found the answers she wanted. they were underwhelming and left more questions to her already shattered and scattered heart. and with no home left to return to, she decided england itself couldn’t be a home either and travelled to the united states instead. death seemed to follow her, already waiting for her in the city crawling with creatures that looked the other way for their own survival or encouraged it with so many loved ones begging for the same answers she was in her time of need. lennox decided to change her profession to getting such answers for anyone who asked.

years of living in las vegas, of being on her own, has made her more understanding to the circumstances of some of the violence within the city, some. it can be necessary at times, unreasonable and for pleasure at worst. because of various sources, lennox has opened her practice for various necessities as well, knowing well that the druids within the city might not understand that discouraged practices are sometimes needed for the best of intentions. she is no longer one to judge, only one to help by whatever means is required.

will be edited as information is discovered through muse or plotting.

iii. possible connections.

clientele: true to the druids of las vegas, lennox offers whatever one might be looking for, but without limitation or warning. the possibilities are limited to one’s imagination ( and physical exertion, of course ) and lennox has no qualms with indulging.

targets: and it’s very possible you didn’t hire her but she’s lingering around more than you’ve seen her before. perhaps a long lost sire wants to keep distance and requested information or someone knows what you’ve been up to and she has a camera ready to confirm it. are you hiding anything important?

associates: even practicing druids need suppliers for their craft and lennox is constantly in need of ingredients more questionable in nature. arrangements can be made, favors to be owned or simply money to be paid. are you willing to supply?

friends: the chaotic mess that she is, lennox is still very sociable and amicable, easy to care for other people who quickly resonate with her. however it is a connection that begins as a thread and must be reinforced over time; she is hesitant to trust even those whom she believes she can. once that reinforcement is settled, there’s nothing breaking that tie.

the hive minds: lennox uses whatever means necessary to achieve what she wants, but her work and methods can and have stepped into the worlds of the various hierarchies. her skill and expertise could be valuable to any of them ( especially to her own kin ) that a whisper in her ear to join might eventually encourage her. might. alternatively, her methods are not kosher or encouraged among many which might bring tensions or enemies to her doorstep. where do you stand? 

more to be written...

iv. fun facts.

(tw for illness and injury)

pressing all buttons and pushing boundaries has its drawbacks and some are beginning to physically take a toll on her. it wouldn’t be the first nosebleed lennox had from exertion, or perhaps coughing up questionable colours after indulging in a darker magic. however, the tips of her fingers blackening with necrotic damage is new. only a few digits and barely noticeable for now. for now.

there are artistic photographs hanging around her small office. all of them were a part of her original portfolio when applying to studios.

has a pet skeleton tarantula named tau.

of her various cameras and surveillance equipment, her favorite and most used is her fujifilm x100 camera. if anything should happen to it, dark magic will be dealt.

more to come...

[witchyfictional]

Week 4 (SPRING 4/13)

Professional Log of Harper Tobin, Journeyman Witch

Patient: For once, not Kiara! This time I was called upon by one of the Bacchae adventurers, Maddi Windwake the druid.

Ailment: Phodothropy [curse*] [hair*] (T6) Got bitten by a cursed hamster while she was trying to befriend it. She spent the last full moon as a giant hamster, gnawing on the wheels of her party’s loot cart.

Recommend: Skeleton Dust to banish the hair, Glittersnow or Fairy Dust to break the curse

Field Notes:

I readily found the Skeleton Dust I needed in Hero’s Hollow, after all the exploring I’ve been doing. Said hello to Bap for a little while, as well. They seemed tired today. On my way out of the dungeon I stopped in an ancient library and took some time to read a few dusty but useful old books, which were able to instruct me as to how I might collect some Ghost Goo. They were accurate, to my excitement!

I next traveled up the mountain to gather Glittersnow, and was startled by the approach of a hot air balloon. It landed directly in front of me, and inside was a strikingly dashing individual who introduced themself as Nikola Skywode. Without any further detail they immediately invited me into their balloon and offered to take me wherever I wished. On the one hand, this could have easily been a kidnapping….but on the other hand, I’ve never flown in a balloon before, and they were very dashing (if eccentric).

I accepted. We had a thrilling time, the details of which will remain private.

I meant to direct us straight back to the Apothecary cottage, but I admit I got a little too distracted by the beautiful view(s), and we ended up landing in the Glimmerwood instead. I was too embarrassed to correct this, and said my goodbyes - I figured it was close enough to walk home anyway. I also realized that Fairy Dust might be a little more appropriate for Maddi’s particular ailment anyway, so I set to finding some before I left. Just as I finished, however, I got hit with sudden vertigo, my vision went blurry, and a strange voice I couldn’t understand whispered like echoes in my mind. The next thing I knew, I was waking up in the middle of a fairy ring in a completely different part of the forest. It was disorienting, but I was unharmed, and apparently the fairies weren’t too offended because they allowed me to keep my dust. I had to book it back to the cottage to keep good time, though.

“Fuzz-Away Dust”

Crush the skeleton dust into a fine powder

Mix thoroughly with raw Fairy Dust

Apply the mixed dust gently with a powder puff to the face, and inhale

Paid: 20 silver Maddi left looking as sparkly as crushed mica, but free of fur and free of the urge to chew on furniture.

Additional Notes:

This week I went to the Loch to visit Calliope Trippin & had lunch with her family. Afterward I did a little foraging - Shadow easily snatched the wig off a wigfish showing off in the shadows, while I explored a sunken wreck a little deeper in the water. I found a skeleton clinging to a treasure chest, but this one was definitely dead. After prying its prize away and dragging it to shore, I found a number of absolutely beautiful paintings inside. I gave them to Calliope for safekeeping until I decide where I want to put them.

I also found the sock that possibly belongs to the giant who lost the shoe, mostly buried in the sand along a very long stretch of beach. There were Dentist Crabs all over the site, and it was easy to gather a good amount. I then found some odd footprints, which I tried to follow, but before I found where they led I was harried by a flock of gull-drakes and had to retreat. They made me lose all of my Dentist Crabs, which was frustrating, and I backtracked to the site of The Sock to gather some more. This time I noticed part of a seemingly endless rope also half buried, which I first took as one of those huge sailing ropes, but I now suspect it might have been a shoelace.

OOC: Rep – 9 [Novice] Silver – 92 Tools – basics Familiar skill – Hunter (-3 Animal reagent rarity) Upgrades – garden plot (x1; Surgeon Sap)

Surplus reagents: ** Surgeon Sap [wound] [burn] [+1s]  — (freely available) ~Candy Rock [+4s] — (x1) ** Dentist Crabs [teeth] [mouth] [lungs] [infection] — (x1) *** Fossil Fish [time] [magic] — (x1) *** Ghost Goo [spirit] [curse] — (x1) ** Glittersnow [curse] [magic] — (x1) * Hermit Snails [wound] [bones] — (x1) *** Innocent’s Suffering [pain] [sleep] [nerves] [wound] — (x1) ! ** Milkstone [teeth] [pain] — (x1) * Scramble Bramble [mood] [senses] [+1p] — (x1) * Silverleaf [infection] [rash] — (x1) * Skullcap [poison] [pain] — (x3) *** Wigfish [mood] [sleep] [hair] — (x1)

[beercan1145]

Ok so, I’m rewatching Merlin and this show is...IDEK. For context, I watched the show during its ORIGINAL RUN which ended when I was thirteen. I missed a LOT of messages. So seeing it eight years later is already a trip and seeing it RIGHT NOW? Like, it’s...I just. There’s SO much going on. The way magic is outlawed and those who practice it are members of an oppressed class that is hunted and killed for something they were born with and can’t change. I mean, it’s just rife with symbolism and allegory that would require an extensive semiotic analysis to unpack (maybe several) and I think I lack both the will and intellect. But also it’s weird because the members of the oppressed class are constantly villainized for fighting back, and by like the third season it feels ridiculous that Merlin keeps trying to stop everyone from killing the tyrannical ruler and I can’t help but wonder why, when it’s like: at this point, Arthur was ready to take the throne and every day that Uther sits on it is another day that magicians are in danger. I liked “The Sorcerer’s Shadow” where his complicity in the continued oppression of his people was explored because he was confronted by this magician who calls him out, but it doesn’t really go anywhere. And, sure they give him this emotional conflict like once every few episodes, but it just rings hollow at a certain point. Like, let Uther die. Yes, Arthur will be sad for a while but is avoiding that worth people’s LIVES?

Also can we talk about how in The Coming of Arthur Part 1, Arthur holds a sword up to a Druid boys throat unprovoked and refuses to let him go until he has the cup of life and no one says he went too far? Merlin should’ve called that out more. Even though he tried to tell Arthur to chill in the moment, he says nothing when Arthur won’t listen. And everyone is just still going on about how great of a man he is and how he’ll make a great king. I think the fuck not. Also Morgana was shown to really care about the plight of magicians early on, and have a strong sense of justice, but they didn’t really give her that nuanced of a portrayal by the end. (I feel like I would need another post to talk about how they skipped steps in her descent to villainy in terms of characterization) The FIRST thing she should have done when she became Queen at the end of season 3 was unban magic. Like imagine if they had actually allowed her to be good for Camelot in some ways, complicating the ideas of this power struggle instead of her representing doom and gloom and showing that a magician couldn’t handle sitting on the throne, because they’d be driven mad with power and the hopes for revenge and domination or whatever. But I guess that wouldn’t have necessarily been satisfying because Arthur/Uther would have probably vetoed the shit out of that once they were back in power, and the idea that she could be good for magic didn’t fit the narrative of the show, even though that didn’t make sense. WAIT, AS I’M TYPING THIS I’M EXPERIENCING AN EPIPHANY. They (inadvertently, im guessing, but who knows?) were sending the message that having a supposed “ally” of an oppressed class in power would be more advantageous than actually having a member of that group in power. Like why the fuck was it prophesied that fucking ARTHUR (I’ll take daddy’s blunt instrument for $400) would be better for magic than Uther’s other heir who actually HAD magic? The fuck, why can’t the minorities represent their own interests?

Which brings me to the point that Morgana’s demonization could also relate to her being a woman, another difference between her and Arthur. From what I remember we have never seen a queen in her own right ruling on the show... honestly I’m not even sure we’ve actually seen a queen by marriage. (I mean, I know we get there EVENTUALLY, with ONE character, but what the heck) When I think about it, powerful women are often demonized on the show, which I know men are also their “enemies” sometimes, but when so much of the main cast is made of powerful men, many of whom we’re supposed to root for, even in indirect ways when they’re shown to be wrong (like Uther, we’re supposed to hope Merlin can save him every time because that’s our hero’s goal at the time) it’s like... there’s an imbalance. Come to think of it, I can’t think of a female magician who wasn’t villified/killed on the show... It was unclear to me whether Freya had any magic or was just cursed, but even if she was an example, she got killed... by ARTHUR, SHIT, I forgot that he struck the mortal blow. And Merlin harbored no resentment over that (I’M GONNA HAVE TO MAKE ANOTHER POST ABOUT THE SERVANTS’ LOYALTY AND HOW THEYRE SHOWN TO LOVE THEIR OPPRESSIVE RULERS) I have so much more to say but I don’t want this post to go on forever, so yeah that’s just some thoughts on Merlin (I’m on 3x13 as of this post)