#is the way mizora talks to him fucking uncomfortable

[gumheel]

i do like bg3 i do love getting to play out my 5e fantasies in a single player rpg and i think it's pretty polished for how huge it is but i cannot empathize with people treating the mains tory or the companions as masterworks of storytelling. the main story i can give a pass for needing to be massive to accommodate the size of the game and i do genuinely think the main three villains there are fun and i like them but for a game that identifies one of its draws as the unique companions and quests it is like... heartwrenching to see just from the volume of content which characters they liked and which they didn't care about

[wheretheresawyll]

The takes I keep seeing about Wyll at the tiefling party drive me insane. Like:

it's not a party full of devils! It's tieflings! Tieflings who lost their home to an infernal conspiracy by devils, and were blamed for the actions of devils. If Wyll is with you after his transformation and you go to talk to Zevlor, Zevlor is taken back by Wyll's appearance because Wyll has become a devil. Even Zevlor, who speaks highly of Wyll and what he's done to help him and the refugees, is uncomfortable by seeing Wyll. Wyll is RIGHT! It's not until Act 2 that Zevlor's reaction can be different.

And putting that aside, why shouldn't Wyll be uncomfortable about his appearance? He was DRAGGED through the layers of HELL! His body was painfully remade! He was PUNISHED for refusing to kill an innocent! Every time he looks in the mirror he won't see who he used to be! And Mizora did it knowing that the first thing others will see now is not a hero, not the Blade of Frontiers, but a devil.

All that being said, yes, there should be more interactions between Wyll and the tieflings (I really wanted Umi to have a reaction, where he looked up to Wyll so much), and Wyll and tiefling!Tav (because you should be able to talk about those features positively and try and comfort him that way!) - but Wyll's fears and doubts are completely founded, and we see people treat him differently (tiefling and not). Wyll is not moping around being a cunt to the tieflings. He is mourning the person he used to be. That's lost forever. There's no going back. It can never be undone. And that's fucking sad.

[absolutehomosexuals]

Baldur's Gate 3 is known for its variety in romance options, allowing you to romance all six of your companions regardless of the player's sex/gender and including the possibility of a non-monogamous relationship with some of them.

While we do think it's an interesting idea in theory, the way bg3 implemented this feature could use some work, especially character-wise.

Something that could've been fun and unique turns, sadly, into a mildly uncomfortable experience if you stop to think about the implications.

While each of the relationships is consensual in theory, the developers chose the most ambiguous characters to develop these storylines with.

We've got Mr. "Oh, is it because we haven't had sex in a while?" former s*x sl*ve Astarion, who's known to drown his trauma in unhealthy coping mechanisms and probably feels guilty for "depriving" his partner of sex during act 2.

Former sharran Shadowheart, whose cult used to push young members to "experiment [with each other]" while ironically considering masturbation a sin.

Literally untouchable Karlach, who allows you to sleep with others for as long as her engine isn't fixed, because she "doesn't want to lose you" – which is obviously not consent and in a perfect world we wouldn't even need to explain that.

It's also worth specifying that the game never clarifies whether your arrangement is a polyamorous relationship (if you also romance Halsin) or an open relationship, but that's probably up to player discretion.

Why is it relevant, you may wonder?

We could argue the characters might be individually attracted to Halsin, which would be true in Shadowheart's case.

For an ex-sharran, an exclusive polyamorous relationship is definitely less on-the-nose than full blown relationship anarchy ; not that there's anything wrong with the latter, whether irl or in a fictional setting, but the case we're talking about is a delicate (and fictional) one.

She also doesn't bat an eye after she catches the MC with Mizora, which – regardless of whether their relationship was already open or not – is clearly disrespectful to their relationship.

Ethical non monogamy requires communication in order to be, well, ethical: sleeping with a demon (and arguably, an enemy to the party) without warning your partner would count as cheating in any universe.

She just gets mildly mad and lets it slide, which is not how you enforce boundaries in this kind of arrangement, leading us to think the cult's beliefs are unfortunately still rooted in her despite her conversion to Selûne.

And of course they would: undoing religious trauma is hard work, and bleaching your hair won't heal it overnight, regardless of what our dear Shadowheart might think.

^ Astarion has an identical reaction, if you wondering.

Many people take issue with this type of take, claming it paints Halsin as disrespectful of other people's relationships and consent.

We are absolutely not saying that: Halsin asks for explicit consent from both the MC and their partner, in order to honour their pre-existing relationship despite his own feelings, which is exactly how it should be.

People can consent to situations they're not emotionally ready to take on, whether they're not right for them in that specific moment of their life or at all.

Furthermore, we're not even necessarily talking about Halsin: the MC has other occasions to live out a non-monogamous arrangement with their partner, such as with the drow twins.

Oh and, speaking about the drow twins, we hope to god you don't think rolling a DC 25 persuasion check on Gale (who explicitly tells you he's monogamous if you try to involve Halsin in your relationship) to get him to sleep with prostitutes is okay.

I sincerely hope whoever romances Gale, perhaps interpreting his former relationship with Mystra as groom*ng (which is a whole other can of worms we're not going to dive into in this post), understands how fucked up and disgusting it is to roll that check on him.

And, funnily enough, the game doesn't even consider it r*pe by coercion! Which it clearly is, to anyone sane and allowed within three feet of schools.

In conclusion, some of the choices Larian made on the portrayal of ethical non-monogamy are questionable, and anyone who enjoys this kind of relationship irl should probably strive for better representation.

Of course we should appreciate that they tried, but the amount of brownie points they're getting isn't nearly as deserved as you might think.

[thelikesoffinn]

Hi Miss social worker!

Help settle a debate: my boyfriend and I are disagreeing on astarion and poly relationships. He says that Astarion just says he's okay with it but doesn't want to disappoint Tav, I say he is okay with it for real.

We both rly liked your analysis, so we figured we'd ask you to help us settle this. So what do you say?

(We really loved your analysis btw, and we agree wholeheartedly! ♥️)

Awww Miss Social Worker!? Melted. Consider me a gooey puddle now.

As for your question: Difficult! I see why your opinions would drift apart in that regard, for I myself am slightly torn on it as well.

On one side, I can definitely see Astarion lying about this topic in order to make Tav happy. Especially early-game Astarion, because that boy is confidently unconfident, at least where relationships are concerned.

However, I do believe that he would, as soon as he's more comfortable with Tav, tell them the truth if he actually was uncomfortable with this arrangement. He's not as good at holding his tongue as he'd like to believe.

So yes, I do think Astarion is actually okay with poly relationships (or even short flings).

His reaction to Tav's walk-of-shame after shagging Mizora is quite telling in that regard. He was as playful and sassy as ever; he was quite humoured by Tav's potential fear of losing him, and I was actually surprised at how relaxed and chill he was with Tav cheating on him. The only thing he wanted to know is why, and once Tav reassured him that it has absolutely nothing to do with him or anything he does, he's completely relaxed.

(Now, on a personal level: I abso-fucking-lutely hated that reaction of his, and to me, this just shows that Astarion has a long way of healing yet to go, BUT that's a whole 'nother issue that I'll happily ramble on about if anyone wants to hear it.)

His reaction when Tav talks to him about Halsin is also similarly laid back. He's joking, he's smug and he seems to genuinely enjoy this conversation. He needs a little reassurance once again, as traumatised babes often do, but then it's all chill, which seems rather genuine and telling to me.

So, to sum it up, I do think late-game Astarion can be trusted when he says that he's okay with Tav dragging another fella into this.

Early game Astarion, however? Yeah, he'd lie just to keep Tav by his side and happy.

Which essentially means I can't break ties here because I agree with both of you in different ways! I'm sorry petal!

[wowowwild]

Who Ace Attorney Characters Would Romance In BG3 (Warning: Spoilers for all acts.)

We're starting with Klav bc I thought of him first. Klav would not romance Astarion. He thinks Astarion is annoying bc he and Astarion have too much in common in an uncomfortable way and he does not want to examine those things about himself. Lae'zel would remind him of Apollo so do with that what you will. I think he'd def be a Shadowheart girlie, she's got his vibe and he can save her from herself. I think he would threesome with Halsin on a Shadowheart run, he is very attracted to Halsin, tell me I'm wrong. A calming chill guy who is hot and fucks nasty? Sign him up. I think he would like Wyll, he'd find Wyll refreshing as a genuinely nice guy who doesn't want anything from him and they are both romantics. He didn't even know Minthara or Mizora were romanceable/bangable bc he always plays good runs. Karlach. Yes. I think he has a 50/50 of trying for Gale bc I think Gale might remind him of his brother a bit, but if he misses any of those possible connections I think he would have fun with Gale.

As a side note for Apollo, he is constantly getting asked out by the ones he's not trying to romance or is accidentally starting something with someone he didn't mean to and is having a mess of a time. Karlach's immediate wanting to ride him line freaks him out, he never romances her. The 'we just met' option was put in the game specifically for Apollo Justice. Lae'zel's boldness also weirds him out but I think he would try it once before abandoning the run or reloading a save. He likes Shadowheart. He does a Shadowheart run. Astarion is not his type, he does get to the bottom of Astarion's character and appreciates him as a character, but he is not romancing him. He does try an evil run bc he gets fed up with helping everyone all the time and I think he would actually like Minthara. He doesn't go for Mizora when she asks, though. Halsin is a little too horny for him, I think. He likes Wyll, though. Wyll would be a fantastic option for him. I think Gale would annoy him.

Maya Fey, my beloved. Wyll is the only guy she'll do a romance with, but she would do a threesome with Halsin. She does one with each of the girlies including Minty. I think Karlach's story (minus the ending) would be her favorite, I think she might relate a little too much with Shart and Lae. She also does the scene with Mizora before reloading a save.

Look, do I think Miles Edgeworth is playing bg3? No. But if he did... He is so into Halsin. He does the bear sex scene. He is blushing the whole time but he's so into it. He tries Wyll bc what's on the label sounds fantastic, but he finds that romancing Wyll just doesn't excite him in the necessary ways. He doesn't try anyone else.

Franziska is pretending she video games are beneath her but she wants to know what everyone is talking about even if she refuses to engage and so she plays in secret, usually in the middle of the night and she does a Shadowheart run bc Shadowheart propositioned her first and as she goes through her story she is just constantly bawling her eyes out, vowing to save and protect Shadowheart. She thinks Astarion is a bitch, Gale is annoying, Wyll is boring, and Halsin is too horny. She might also just be denying the fact that she's not attracted to men. I don't think she does a Karlach run, but she does go through Karlach's story every time so that Karlach can get her heart fixed. She likes that Lae'zel knows what she wants and goes for it, but I'm not sure if she would do a dedicated run. If she does, she also starts bawling her eyes out as she goes through the story. I also think she only ever has the girls in her party until she hits a lock she can't get open. She's playing a paladin btw.

Phoenix Wright. Finally someone who is down for Gale. Tbh his savior complex makes him do a run with each of the main six. I think Shadowheart and Astarion hit him the hardest, but Karlach's endings make him quit the game for a while. He also does Halsin threesome.

Ema is 100% down for Karlach. She likes the other characters (mostly), but she is a Karlach girlie through and through. I think she reclasses Karlach to rogue, though, so she doesn't have to have Astarion in the party. She has Lae'zel there to be the big hitter and I think Wyll would be in her party as well. I think she would be a Lae'zel over Shadowheart kind of person. She is SUPER into the evil run, though and it hurts so bad that she can't have Karlach in her party. On her evil run she takes Lae'zel, Shadowheart, and Astarion until she can pick up Minthara and reclass her to rogue. She doesn't absolutely despise Astarion, hater recognizes hater, but he reminds her of the fop, which is a bonus bc when she tells Klav this he gets huffy about it. On her evil run she does romance Minty.

Kristoph Gavin cannot play bg3 bc he's on death row, everyone point and laugh.

Simon is also a Shadowheart girlie. She's mean and goth when you meet her and stays that way even as she becomes a better person. He's into that. He does not romance Astarion, but he always makes sure to absolutely annihilate Cazador. As a side not he also always does the House of Hope. He likes Wyll, he likes how uncomplicated everything is (compared to the other main 5), he would do a Wyll run, but he would still let Duke Ravenguard get blown up. Athena is side eyeing him for that one. He also does not romance Gale, but he doesn't let Gale blow up, either. I don't think he romances Lae'zel or Karlach, but he does see their stories through to completion. He lets Karlach turn into a mind flayer when she offers. He says he's doing an evil run to seem edgy but then Apollo starts talking to him about things that only happen in an evil run and he starts sweating bc he actually did not do that. So he just says actually he's doing a solo run and he's killed everyone possible and Apollo doesn't believe him and forms wild incorrect theories.

Athena is super into Karlach. She basically only does Karlach runs. She thinks Astarion is funny so she always has him in the party (plus locks). Her last party spot is up for grabs depending on what she's doing. She actually brings each of them out to their story locations instead of doing stuff and telling them after.

Am I suggesting that Maya channeling Mia so she could play a video game makes any sort of sense? No. But assuming she did, Mia does a run romancing each of them. She is super into the poly relationships and threesomes bc I hc her as polyamorous and this is my post. I think she would start an evil run just to see and then be so shocked by what Minthara's character is like (in a good way) that she decides to transition into a good playthrough so Minty can see what it's like to be good. She also does the Mizora scene before reloading a save.

Ok, in the same year Athena is playing bc they are the same age, Pearl decides to try it. She goes for Wyll first bc he's a romantic and is everything she thinks she wants. This is when she realizes she's into women. Shadowheart is the female companion you actually get to be romantic with from the start (Pearl is still a romantic), so she tries that and wow. Yuri.

They do not have bg3 in Khura'in, but they do have planes, so when Nahyuta is in the states they play. They are into Lae'zel and Shadowheart equally, actually, and romancing them is very therapeutic. He tries Wyll for the heck of it, but he's too nice, Astarion is too much of a project, and Gale is... Well Gale is really fun to make fun of, so even though they do a Gale run, they're making fun of him the whole time. They are besties with Karlach. They like Halsin's character but are not interested, and they can't bring themselves to attack the druid's grove and the tieflings so no Minty.

This is not an exhaustive list! lmk if there are other characters you'd like my opinions on! I love having opinions!

[justiceshot]

Alright, fuck it. Let's try our hand at this.

Tiberius, my #bg3 Tav. He is an Oath of Ancients paladin and a Tiefling. His companion quest would be called "The Lost and Found".

At the beginning of Act 1, this man is practically illiterate. His armor is ill fitting on him and despite his clear devotion to nature and life he seems very uncomfortable travelling through the wilds anywhere that isn't the main roads. Tiberius learns pretty quickly that his illithid parasite imbues him with a lot of basic knowledge on how to read various languages and uses it to his advantage to educate himself, pouring through every tossed aside tome or scrap of parchment he can find.

He feels woefully inadequate among a group of companions who all basically 'Lost' much of their power to their parasites. He's among well trained soldiers, clerics -- HELLS, the Blade of Frontiers even! And here's Tiberius in his armor he's not bulked into yet, barely literate. It's Mizora who outs Tiberius to his companions when she shows up to punish Wyll after Karlach joins their party. She titters behind her hand before waving it in front of her face and asking, "My, my! And such Company you keep, pet. The stink of Elturel's slums are on this one."

Tiberius - who named himself after storybook heroes. Who grew up without so much as a loaf of bread to his name and stole to get by with other kids his age. Who was turned away from apprenticeships and had no money for education. Who fled into the woods when Elturel fell.

It was a mountain spirit who granted Tiberius sanctuary in a long-forgotten shrine no longer visited for worship save by a scant few local druids. Who listened when Tiberius admitted he did not want to grow into a criminal but he knew nothing else. Tiberius recovered from malnutrition and his injuries in the little forgotten shrine. He dedicated his life to protecting this place and the life within it. It was then he took on the mantle of the Ancients and became a bby paladin. Only to get spirited away by the Illithid.

As a Companion, you'd first find him staring up at one of a few different signposts put up at crossroads around the Druid's Grove and the High roads, depending on where in the Act you find him. He's squinting up at the signage and then down at a map in his hands. If you talk to him, he mentions that he's trying to get back Home and asks where they are as if the sign means nothing to him.

He's generally pleasant to talk to but if you try to pickpocket him you'll find it's a pretty steep check to do so and more than likely he'll gently take your wrist and give you a sad, disappointed look. He asks if you're struggling, or just a cut-throat. His free hand strays to his sword as he asks.

Manage to not get into a fight with him and the next time you see him will be staring sadly down at a group of dead adventurers. He says he must bring justice to the goblins or gnolls that caused this death and will be amenable to joining your party once it is done.

"Travelling in groups is safer, and I've done enough getting lost for all of us, I'd wager," Tiberius offers you with a toothy self-conscious smile.

Tiberius prefers to set up his Very Modest tent wherever there's trees or near water but in towns he's as likely to hole up by sheds or other small unused structures. He can often be seen on hand and knee trying to copy words from the books you pick up onto parchment in shaky script when he thinks no one's watching or fishing if you're near a water source.

The paladin gains approval mainly by helping those in need or being respectful to flora and fauna but surprisingly he also admires deception checks on those who get in the party's way or sneaking around to avoid an unnecessary fight. He'll bicker with Lae'Zel, Shadowheart, and Astarion from time to time about their more harsh opinions but would rather win an argument through wit than to come to shouting or blows.

To trigger his personal quest you need to find his empty Illithid pod and search the wreckage. You'll find signs of a struggle and tracks leading away toward the swamp where Auntie Ethel's home is. Defeating the Hag and going into her back room if you scan the floor you'll find a discarded knife. It doesn't look like anything special and in fact is even worse damage wise than a basic dagger. Tiberius though will ask you if he can have it.

He cradles it like a second or two before smiling sadly and tucking it away. Later, at camp, he'll have a dialogue option available. Pick it and you'll find yourself on the shore taking a seat next to Tiberius in his meager patchwork camp clothing fishing away the evening. He thanks you for finding his knife.

"It's about the only thing I own," The paladin admits with another chuckle. If you ask him about his past he'll admit to having a hard time keeping up sometimes when you discuss journals or notes you find. That he's never been inside a proper temple. That he grew up a thief in the slums of Elturel. He's not stupid, Tiberius is quick to say in his own defense. Just uneducated. You can pull out a book and teach him how to write his own name, the fishing rod stuck into the sand and temporarily forgotten.

Tiberius is delighted to be able to read and write it, then asks for yours. He'll scratch that out in the sand too and then grin with a full faced beam of a smile and tell you he owes you a drink for this. The rod pulls, and you both whip around to see something pull the line. Together you reel in a large fish and topple back into the sand in a pile. You stare into each other's eyes for a second too long before Tiberius laughs and moves to get up. An apology is on his lips. He holds out a hand to help you up after.

Call him an oaf to lose approval, take his hand to be friendly, or yank him back down on top of you for a quick smooch if going for a romance route.

His personal quest will involve learning what happened to the gang he used to run with growing up, and will culminate in having to stop them in Balder's Gate where it's discovered they've aligned themselves with the cultists.

[anthro-bean]

Im too tired from work to actually work on writing any semi-coherent story so here are some random bg3 headcanons/thoughts/etc. (some not so safe for work because I'm a pervert be warned)

Gale:

Fastidious groomer. Likes to be clean and tidy. Wears cologne, presses his clothes, the whole nine yards.

He's not handling being stranded well. Outwardly? Sure, he's great. Inside? This fucking close, man. 👌

I actually think he's way closer to the edge than people think and it's part of the reason he's quick to deal with Raphael when left in the lurch.

Also, why he's willing to humor (not happily, mind you) an evil Tav. Guy is desperate.

Seriously. First, Mystra. Then the orb. Then his magic. Now he's infested with brain worms, stranded with a bunch of weirdos (one of which is literally a vampire spawn), wrapped in a cult plot, etc. It just keeps getting worse.

It's a lot for a guy who sounds like he had a pretty charmed life up to his big mistake. A super talented Chosen One who had parents who had servants etc. (A few assumptions being made based on his dialogue of course)

Definitely into (and very good at) dirty talk. I bet this guy would be great with a praise kink.

"I like what I see." Yup. That got me. I'm that easy.

I bet he likes a dominate partner. There was no way Mystra was in any way submissive.

Also, a big fan of oral? Just going to throw that out there because why not

Lae'zel

Lae'zel is annoyed by Gale just wanting to talk... at first. I can see her being aggravated at first, then curious, then "dammit why not?" and pursuing him relentlessly.

In fact, playing hard to get seems like a fun angle with her. She has some insecurity I think and the horrible person in me thinks that's adorable.

No negging tho. 1. That's gross but also 2. She'll just beat your ass.

Speaking of which, combat gets her going. Seeing the MC in combat and just killing it? Hot. The MC beating her 1v1? Possibly even hotter.

I totally see her and Tavarti having sparing matches that end with a very horny Lae'zel and a very confused/uncomfortable Tavarti.

She says Wyll is bad at sex but I think its her. Look at those nails.

Wyll

This adorable Disney Prince wannabe.

Cannot spell for shit.

He's probably the most comforting of the companions. Best hugs.

The entire group (Tavarti included) makes fun of him for the "sulphur and orchids" comment.

Did you really fuck a woman who smelled like rotten eggs? And you miss it???

Part of the reason he doesn't judge for hooking up with a vampire spawn. He gets it.

Seriously. He goes after Lae'zel pretty quick. Dude only likes people who are just bad for/to him.

*enter Astarion*

Astarion probably drags his ass for Lae'zel's 1 star review too.

He's actually not very experienced sexually and is pretty willing to beat around the bush and avoid intimacy to hide that fact.

I get the feeling that he embellishes a lot and would not put it past him to simply act the part of stud.

"Hot blooded virgins" indeed

He's definitely a love making kinda guy

Probably didn't help his performance review with Lae'zel.

Mizora seems like a bit of a brat, so brat tamer Wyll sounds like a fun idea.

Brat Astarion and Tamer Wyll ❤

A bard team member and him will team up to make sure the Tadpole Gang has a kickass song and names for everyone.