#man the game this would be if they actually explored this with wyll>>>>

[voltaical-art]

HE WAS SEVENTEEN. AGHHH ULDER WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU

[meanbossart]

what was the destiny of wyll in your durge "canon" run? I mean this karlach piece made me really sad (in a good way its beautiful art as always) and got curious of how wyll's story ended. I mean since the "happiest" end we can get to karlach is having wyll going with her to avernus.

(Obligatory disclaimer that shouldn't be obligatory: My interpretations of these characters are my own, and are painted by the types of stories *I* find interesting. I'm not interested in being correct, only in having fun with the fiction.)

Wyll was there! But earlier in the release of the game you couldn't suggest that he join her in Avernus. You either went with her yourself, or allowed her to die - which, to be honest, I kind of like and feel as if that outcome fits in best with the themes of the game, hence why I haven't changed it despite how you're now able to save her that way. That said, this does mean that my Wyll is a man who did not make that offer, which is something I take into account for his character.

He did survive the entirety of the game and technically got everything that he wanted. He broke his contract with Mizora (at DU Drow's behest, bafflingly enough) AND still got to see his father safe and sound. I think he stays behind to help rebuild Baldur's Gate and follow in his father's footsteps - he remains set on his front of heroism but goes on to become more of a politic's man.

DU drow's perception of Wyll is probably the most enmeshed with my own intepretation of his character. Wyll puzzles me. I understand there was some tribulation behind his development which might be at fault, but his one-noteness is so well-performed that it can feel purposeful. I spent the whole game looking forward to that moment in his character's arc when he finally cracked - when he reveals the rogue justiciar's attitude to have been a facade this whole time, and how angry he is that the world (his world - Baldur's Gate, his father) doesn't see him how he sees himself - like one of the protagonists in the story books he read as a child. I wish he told you that, could he go back, he would have set the city ablaze.

But he never does that. He doesn't really go through a ton (if any) development. if anything he feels more and more helpless as the game goes on - which could make for a VERY interesting character, had that been explored.

And, minus the complexities, that's kind of the view DU drow had of him. All bark and no bite and someone who remained so strangely passive before his own fate that it frustrated him to the point of action. Of COURSE you want to break your contract with Mizora, are you crazy? Oh, your dad is here? Okay, fine, we'll get him I guess, maybe he'll talk some sense into you. You believe in some sort of fairy-tale undead dragon who will save the city? Fine, lets go take a look, maybe when you realize that isn't real you will finally snap out of this stupor you exist in.

This of course very much reflects my own desire to see what the hell Wyll's deal was by actually going through with his storyline, but retroactively it did also introduce this aspect of DU drow's character that wasn't there before - of a guy who will sometimes decide to do whats best for you out of spite.

Anyways. They don't get along.

[barbatusart]

bit of thinking outloud but for my current tactician run im doing a special wyll origins playthrough im calling the Evil Wyll Run & it’s given me a lot of food for thought about his character (or at least the freedom of psychological movement + exploration afforded to an origin run!)

wyll spoilers abound we’re entering the wyllenium here

wyll always felt a bit underwritten to me - i know that’s partially because there was that big kerfuffle in the 11th hour with changing his whole story and personality on top of having to recast his VA, and frankly hats off to both original VA lanre malaolu & new VA theo solomon for their hard work - both brought tremendous performances, & i sincerely hope mr malaolu was paid well for his work & time even if his voice wasn’t used in the final cut (i would also say warlock as a class itself felt a bit underdeveloped but im 100% OK with chalking that up to me the player not understanding how to play warlock effectively yet lol im more of a fighter barbarian Hit Stuff guy)

but honestly this feeling of being “underwritten” combined with a character with a long history of heroism in his pocket made wyll really interesting to me even in my tav playthrough. for all his accomplishments he still feels like a blank everyman, or like he’s someone who fully believes he’s the main character who doesn’t “need” to do any extra work on himself - and honestly he feels Very much like he could be The Main Character. once his backstory of the son of the duke was revealed too i immediately got the sense of like, rich boy trying to prove his worth beyond his wealth and status by striking out & becoming that hero, or that Prince Charming. basically that perfect happily ever after somebody. and im of the opinion that you don’t get mixed up with a cambion in the first place unless you’re either the kind of naïve “everything will just work out” immature that tends to comes with his status as the son of a noble, or you’re hungering for power. depending on playstyle he’s very easily both of these things

on the naïve front (ie a good wyll playthrough) if anything he feels very believably immature, & from that perspective the events of the game feel as though they’re the prequel to the actual start of wyll's story where he finally finds himself & learns what kind of man he really is. we just dont get to see it alas, but i really enjoyed the thought exercise of somebody still grappling with overcoming his own immaturity. he feels like someone who can still grow and that his tale is just beginning

Evil Wyll (meaning any time mizora shows up he drops everything to enact her instruction & hasnt once tried to find a loophole out of his contract) which ive come to be far more fascinated by is someone clearly vying for power, which is interesting because his noble status would’ve given him all the power he wants had he Played Nice. to me it speaks of someone who wants to be able to take what he wants from life without it being handed to him, which contrasts in a really fascinating way with entering into a warlock pact at all. maybe he thought it was better that it be a decision he made as opposed to nobility given to him by his family ties, maybe there’s still that pollyanna sentiment of “it’ll just work out & ill live happily ever after.” again maybe both. maybe in a sense the fiend, as he calls himself, is a good excuse to shuck off any poor decision he makes or any genuinely heinous thing he does under mizora’s instruction - an identity he uses as power fantasy (and very much in tandem/interchangeable with the blade of frontiers power fantasy) until it means taking ownership for any of his misdeeds, and then a scapegoat.

may be a bit incoherent but im only now hitting act 3 in my origin run & im Really enjoying this difficult characterization ive cooked up for myself lol

[multi-fandom-imagine]

➤It is you || Rolan ||

A/n: Just a small drabble I've been thinking about for Rolan.*implied smut*

Takes place after the game

It was nice to be back in the very city you saved,plus spending so much time in Avernus with Wyll and Karlach was starting to take it's toll on you so you decided to part ways from the budding romance blooming between the two deciding to take some time to live a quiet life. You did your best to catch up with your former companions and exploring the city since you could actually enjoy it with out something happened but their was one place that was constantly on your mind, the one place that you wanted to visit was Sorcerous Sundries, the very place the held the very man that you had feelings for though you hated it took you this long to realize it.

Following the familiar path and through the very familiar portal you spotted the very Tiefling you were looking for. "You finally got a desk?"

Rolan, didn't notice you at first, the man was too absorbed in the old book he was reading, ond hand rubbing his temple as he concentrated on the paperwork that covered nearly every inch of his desk though it was your voice the broke his concentration as he finally looked up at you.

His eyes flashed with recognition, a flicker of amusement before it quickly turned into a scowl, something you were very familiar with seeing. "Oh... it's you again."voice was flat, still holding that arrogant tone. "What have I done to be honored with the presence of the Hero of Baldur's Gate? Tire of Avernus already."

An airy laugh escaped your lips as you tilted your head to the side. Still smiling you moved to sit on the edge of his desk. You did miss this, miss the banter that you two would often share back and forth.

"That's it? That's all the greeting I get? No hug? No! Oh how I missed you!."

The tiefling scoffed and rolled his eyes as you sat on his desk, causing papers to flutter around. He set aside the book then looked at you. As a smirk formed on his lips as he leant back in his seat. "Well, well, look who finally decided to grace me with their presence! Though I’ll have you know, that I am a very busy man and don’t have time for your whimsical greetings." His expression turned to a pout “But I suppose the feeling is mutual, especially after you saved my life more times than I care to count..."

You barked out a laugh, shaking your head for a moment. You were happy that he was still himself,you weren't quite sure what you would do if the man had changed.

"You look good Rolan....happier now."

The tiefling's gaze lingered on you, his eyes traced the outline of your figure, the soft curves that had filled out.But despite these changes, there was something captivating about you. There always had been.

A smile tugged at the corner of Rolan's lips. "Happier?" He repeated, his voice soft, almost a whisper. He leaned forward, resting his hands on his desk "How do you know my happiness is not an act?"

Letting out a scoff, you still had a smile on your lips as you lent into closer to the man, your eyes sparkling. "You have a twinkle in your eye... that can't be an act Rolan."

It was nice seeing him like this, happier. He and his siblings went through so much."But if it is then maybe you should think about switching careers."

A soft chuckle escaped Rolan’s lips as the corners of his mouth formed into a small smile. He reached out and gently traced his warm fingertips across your cheek. "Ah, I knew you would see right through me, my clever friend. My smile is real, I can assure you."

His fingers lingered on your skin for a moment before he gently retracted his hand. You could faintly see a hint of rosiness on the tiefling's cheeks "You are right though, I am happier now that the Sword Coast is no longer in danger of extinction."

Letting your eyes slip closed, you did your best to ignore the shiver running down your spine from how good it felt from when he touched you. You were embarrassed by how much you hated from when he pulled away.

You enjoyed how warm his touch felt on your skin and you did your best to try not to imagine those fingers gliding else were across your body.

"Thats good, you and your siblings deserve it, after all that has happened."

Rolan felt the shift in you, the way your body responded to his touch. He saw your eyes flutter shut, the shiver that ran down your spine, the subtle hints that you did not want him to pull away. It was all too familiar to the tiefling, a feeling he had tried so hard to ignore.

His golden eyes widened slightly before a hint of mischievousness lit up his visage and played upon his lips. "Is that a hint of desire I see before me? Or am I merely imagining things?" He leaned forward, his voice a whisper of a tease.

You sucked in a breath as your cheeks dusted with pink. "I haven't the foggiest idea on what you're talking about." You muttered, a small pout on your lips.

You couldn't believe that you were caught, you were usually so good at hiding yourself

His smirk widened as he observed your flushed cheeks, that beautiful hue of pink that spread across them. Rolan reached out and brushed his fingers against your cheek, feeling the heat radiating from them.

“Oh, don’t give me that innocent look." The tiefling chuckled, leaning in closer. “I've seen the way you look at me." His voice lowered to a seductive purr as his thumb traced the contour of your lips. “I’ve felt the way your body quivers under my touch…”

Letting your eyes slip closed again, a breathy sigh left your lips as you tried to not arch into his touch though you gave him a crooked smile as another small jolt of pleasure hit you from his voice alone.

"And do you feel the same way Rolan?"

A low chuckle reverberated in Rolan's chest, a sound that sent a shiver down your spine. He moved even closer, closing the distance between them, his golden eyes gleaming with a fiery intensity, a mixture of passion and anticipation.

"Do I feel the same way?" He repeated, his voice laced with desire. "You have no idea how much I've longed to touch you…taste you...devour you completely."

Shifting your spot on the desk, you could feel your heart hammering in your chest. You didn't know how much you longed to hear those words spill from his lips.

"Well what's stopping you Rolan?"

Rolan's eyes darkened with desire as he took in your words. Lust. Affection. He needed you.

"Absolutely nothing."

With a swift and fluid motion, Rolan stood up from his seat, his hands grasping your hips and pulling you closer. He pulled you against his body, his slender frame pressing against yours.

"Gods, you don't know how hard it's been, not being able to touch you this entire time." His lips sought yours, capturing them in a hungry kiss.

Melting into the kiss, you let your eyes slip closed. Your fingers clutching his cloak tightly, you wanted this too, for so long, you didn't want it to end. Your body and mind were craving more, more of him, more of this.

Rolan's tongue danced and tangled with yours, his touch possessive yet gentle. His hands roamed your body, caressing, exploring every contour and curve, desperate to feel more of you.

He deepened the kiss, tilting your head back slightly to delve deeper, to claim you completely. His slender frame pressed further against you, pinning you to the table as his hips grinded gently against yours. A low groan escaped from deep within his throat.

You felt a moan escape your lips as you pressed more into him. Your hips grinding back as your nails dug deep into his shoulders. Your body felt hot, it tingled with desire, desperate as you rubbed yourself into him craving more.

Rolan growled low in his throat as you rocked your hips against his, the friction driving his body wild with desire. His hands grasped your thighs, gripping the supple flesh before slowly sliding up to your rear, cupping your backside.

The tiefling broke from the kiss and pressed his face into your neck, his hot breath tickling your skin. His lips claimed your flesh, showering your collarbone with hungry kisses and love bites.

Arching your neck out, you let your hands drift to his back as your legs wrapped around his hips instinctively rutting into him. Your heart was pounding wildly in your chest, his name spilling from your lips.

A low groan rumbled in Rolan's chest as your legs wrapped around him, trapping him in place. His hips rocked against you, matching your rhythm. The friction sent a wave of pleasure through his body, intensifying his desires.

He pressed his lips to the crook of your neck, his tongue teasing the sensitive skin there. His breath came in hot puffs against your skin as he whispered your name, his voice hoarse with need. "... Gods, you drive me mad, my love."

Doing your best to catch your breath, you looked up at him with wide eyes. Lips swollen as you placed a kiss against his jaw nipping at the skin.

"Please take me Rolan, I need you."

Rolan's breath hitched at the sound of your desperate plea. A low growl rumbled deep in his throat as he tightened his grip on your hips, pulling you closer to him.

"With pleasure, my dear." His voice was a whisper in your ear, laden with a heady mix of desire and need. The tiefling knocked the rest of his papers off his desk as he pushed you down on to the desk. "I can not wait for you to shout my name, be as loud as you want my dear...know one will hear you." He whispered against your neck.

[thewritetofreespeech]

Kissing headcanons for Astarion, Gale, Wyll, Halsin, Haarlep, Dammon, Rolan and, Zevlor?

*exisiting kisses in the game will be shorter due to them already being real*

BG3 Men + Kissing Headcanons

Dammon

His kissing experience is very limited.

Having spent most of his time chained to the forge (both metaphorically with his commitment to his work, and literally from his time in the Hells) there wasn’t much time for partners.

Dammon would be very shy about sharing his first kiss with someone. And a little embarrassed that it took so long.

He would be the type to do more soft, gentle kisses, or quick cheeks kisses on his way to work more than anything.

Rolan

Spent most of his life in study, or looking after Cal & Lia, so he’s been almost entirely celibate his whole life. More important things to do than flop around with others.

There was a time, when they were all younger, that Rolan had feelings for Lia. But when it turned out she only saw him as a brother he immediately squashed it.

When kissing someone, he wraps his whole arms around them. Wanting them to feel close and safe. That’s all he’s ever wanted was for the people he cares about to be safe.

He would be the type to leave a little peck on his partner’s lips after a kiss. Like a little seal.

Zevlor

Most experienced of the tieflings here.

Being a man of honor and position what seems like eons ago, Zevlor has had his share of suitors and partners.

He keeps his affections close, as he considers them a distraction, but will always make time for his partner if he has one.

He would prefer quiet, private kisses where he has time to explore his lover’s kiss; and also not be bothered by anyone as there always seems something to do.

Haarlep

Haarlep’s favorite thing is actually kissing.

He finds it the most intimate of all the sexual acts for its simplicity, dexterity of meaning, and as a preamble to something more….enticing.

Astarion

Prior to the events of the series and meeting his dearest, Astarion never closed his eyes during kisses.

He would always wait until he was sure his target’s eyes were closed, then open them as he never wanted there to be a second he wasn’t aware of his surroundings or that someone could get the jump on him.

Gale

Mystra was Gale’s first and only kiss for a very long time. He was summoned to her as a young man, so never got to kiss anyone before her.

It’s a hard thing for someone to live up to, kissing a man who’s only ever kissed a goddess, so Gale tries not to mention it to his partners.

Wyll

Mizora tried to seal their pact with a kiss, but Wyll refused. He feels that kissing and acts of the like are for people you care about. Not business transactions.

She tried several times after that to persuade him to kiss her, but after being rebuked so many times gave up and instead taunts him for being a sad, lonely virgin (whether the virgin part is true or not).

Halsin

Being a very physically expressive man, kissing is obviously very much a passion of Halsin.

So much so that he even kisses them in their sleep. When they are curled up together in bed, just to sleep or after a night of passion, he’ll ‘sleep kiss’ their head, cheek, shoulders, or back on and off through the night.

[littlejuicebox]

Midnight Chimes 4 / Ringleader

Pairing: Astarion x F!Reader Warlock.

Word Count: 2,415

Summary/Setting: You and Astarion have met before, though you think it meant more to you than it did to him. You are an apothecary shop owner that has recently gained some mysterious Warlock powers; Astarion is, in your eyes, a rake that you wouldn’t trust as far as you can throw him. You two run into one another again after the nautiloid crash.

Preview:

It hadn’t really been you that found the three new party members, after all. It had been your patron. The blasted thing seemed to alternate between completely ignoring you and positively strong arming you into submission.  And it seemed unfortunately hellbent on collecting every straggler along the way of this little adventure. Though you supposed the cleric, the githyanki, and the Blade would likely prove to be more useful additions than the pale elf sitting nearby.  But how could you explain the connection to the celestial being to Gale or anyone else if you did not truly understand the connection yourself? How could you explain they were putting their trust in the wrong person for the job? Gods, you needed to get back to Baldur’s Gate and head to Sorcerous Sundries. Surely they would have some information about this unwilling bond. And speaking of unwilling bonds…

Warnings: eventual smut and gore 18+ / in game spoilers / angst, trauma, fluff

A/N: Finally feeling (almost) 100% back to my normal, healthy self! Thank you for the good vibes and well wishes! <3

The warlock, the wizard, and the rogue.

This little group started off with the makings of some ridiculous fairytale your parents would have read to you before bed.

Though, despite your parents wishes, you hadn’t really been a child interested in fairytales and make believe. Your penchant for pragmatics had developed early on, and before long mama and papa had all but given up on their dreams of a perfect princess daughter. In her place stood some sort of mad scientist… at least in their eyes.

You hadn’t actually been mad. Not then, at least. Though you were starting to worry that between the parasite and your patron, you might truly be going crazy now. No doubt the two were at war, trying to determine who would wrestle ultimate control of your mind.

Should you simply choose between the lesser of two evils, when your fate already feels sealed as it is? 

Gale and Astarion had blindly followed your lead the first day, and remained silent every time you decided to stop and change course, prodded in another direction by the celestial being playing with your psyche. This abrupt switch in traveling plans led you all to Lae’zel, where you convinced the tieflings to let her go, and Shadowheart, as she desperately tried to break open the door of some abandoned ruins. 

Astarion had simply picked the lock of the ruins, earning him some clout among the others for his skill set and further suspicion from you. After all, why exactly did a man like Astarion have any need for a skill like that? 

Subsequently, the five of you explored the dank, dilapidated building. After downing a handful of humanoids and some reanimated corpses, the group happened upon a strange, skeletal being named Withers. He said he would see you again soon.

After a relatively restless night in camp, you all happened upon the Grove on the second day of exploration. Some druid named Halsin is missing, though it turns out he may be the answer to your little predicament, Nettie tried to poison you (stupid, really, to try to poison an apothecary with one of the most basic tricks in the book), you saved a little tiefling thief from death, and then you met Wyll… all in a couple of hours.

The Blade of Frontiers is looking for some devil he’s supposed to kill; he’s also got a tadpole in his head, and like Gale, seems in relatively good spirits for such a grim situation. Those two seem suspiciously well-adjusted. 

The entire journey thus far had only been two days long and exceedingly… well, odd. 

It was certainly a much different experience from your day to day of brewing potions and tending the shop. You wanted nothing more than to return to the comforts of city life. But instead, you were forced to be the unwilling ringleader of this circus, despite your protests on the matter.

You are discussing your concerns about leadership with Gale as the group takes a short rest not far from the Grove. Wyll is gathering the last of his supplies and will meet up with all of you in mere moments. 

“Oh, but you’re doing a fantastic job, Demetria!” Gale exclaims, somehow unfailingly supportive of a woman he barely knew. 

Oh, how you wished to trust anyone half as much. 

“You have such remarkable intuition. We wouldn’t have found Shadowheart, Lae’zel, Wyll, or all this great loot without you!” He continues, before gesturing to a handful of gold and scrolls while positively beaming.

The wizard clasps a friendly hand on your back and then scans the surrounding area. He smiles at you once more, “Now I plan to make myself useful and harvest some flora! If you plan to make use of that newly procured cauldron, I best give you materials to work with.” 

You smile softly and nod at the wizard before he disappears into the shrubbery. Brewing potions was easy; you could craft all the basic ones by memory alone. But leading a group of people through the wilds based on some sort of fabled intuition and instinct? You weren’t so sure about that. 

It hadn’t really been you that found the three new party members, after all. It had been your patron. The blasted thing seemed to alternate between completely ignoring you and positively strong arming you into submission. 

And it seemed unfortunately hellbent on collecting every straggler along the way of this little adventure. Though you supposed the cleric, the githyanki, and the Blade would likely prove to be more useful additions than the pale elf sitting nearby. 

But how could you explain the connection to the celestial being to Gale or anyone else if you did not truly understand the connection yourself? How could you explain they were putting their trust in the wrong person for the job?

Gods, you needed to get back to Baldur’s Gate and head to Sorcerous Sundries. Surely they would have some information about this unwilling bond. And speaking of unwilling bonds…

Astarion is perched on a fallen log, basking in the midday sun’s rays. He’s the picture of relaxation, as if this entire sordid affair is a holiday away from Baldur’s Gate.

Sure, the pale elf had been helpful in battle, and he seemed to have a strange knack for opening locks, but as far as participating in camp efforts went, he certainly left a lot to be desired. You should have guessed as much. With the princely attitude and haughty confidence, it was likely he was merely another spoiled, rich elf. He reminded you of…

Nevermind.

You look to Shadowheart, hoping to pursue a conversation with the woman, but she is a few feet away, resting on her knees in prayer. Lae’zel is also preoccupied as she meticulously sharpens her already deathly blade. You’ve spent almost all day trying to intentionally avoid Astarion and keep any conversation with him to a minimum. But as everyone else seems busy doing their own thing, you’re left with no choice but to take a few minutes of reprieve near the rogue. 

You sigh and nestle yourself on the ground, unwilling to take the empty spot on the log next to Astarion; sitting like an animal in the dirt seemed the better option for your pride. As you lean back to stretch your aching muscles, the warm country breeze picks up, swirling around the elf’s silver curls. You are sitting downwind from the rogue, and the gust pushes a whiff of bergamot and rosemary in your direction. 

You can’t help it. The fragrance angers you. Astarion hadn’t even written to you once, even to send a simple rejection or at least compliment your sample. He’d wasted your time on your last few hours of vacation three years ago. All for what, exactly? 

He hadn’t even gotten to bed you, which had surely been his goal, in the end. 

You glare at him, in all his world-endingly beautiful privilege, as he simply lounges about in the sun as if nothing is wrong.

“It seems you liked my perfume sample enough to procure a rip off of it, but not enough to write.” You state coolly, watching the pale elf as he snaps his eyes open to study you. You notice him thinking, no doubt calculating some sort of smooth response.

“You can save the piss-poor excuses, Astarion.” You sigh, now reaching into your pack, trying to find the small vial of perfume oil you’d had inside your robes when that ship snatched you up. You open the vial and take a deep breath, basking in the comfort of familiarity.

It smelled like home. Like your quaint little townhome, in Waterdeep. Too bad scents can’t transport you back in time… at least not literally. 

There are a few beats of silence as Astarion watches you.

“I do apologize for not recognizing you before, and for not writing…” He begins, slowly, as if trying to soothe a wild animal, “I lost your card. I have a tendency to be… forgetful. And I lose things a lot. But, I did quite like the scent, as you can tell.”

You nod, acknowledging the apology but not willing to acquiesce any further. You cannot decipher if Astarion’s words are the truth or if they are simply honeyed lines meant to subdue you. Your pinky finger presses against the perfume bottle’s rim and you rub a bit of the fragranced liquid behind your ears.

The wind shifts, blowing your thick, dark hair forward around your face, obscuring your vision. You cap the small vial and then quickly tie your hair back. When you are able to see again, Astarion is almost gawking at you, scarlet eyes blown wide in surprise. 

He shifts and recovers quickly, jerking his gaze away and running a hand through his windswept curls. When he speaks, his voice has a manufactured, airy nonchalance to it, “It is quite windy out here, isn’t it?”

You don’t respond, and he turns to face you once again. His jaw tenses for a moment, and then he leans back, assessing you once more. He tries another tactic.

“That is… another lovely scent that you’re wearing.” He murmurs, and this time, the genuine, hesitant intrigue in his voice catches you off guard.

“Thank you,” You begin, and despite yourself, you are flattered by his statement. You truly love when others notice and compliment the artistry of your craft. You shrug and offer the vial to Astarion. Perhaps a small olive branch is due, if the two of you are stuck tethered together for who knows how long. 

The rogue takes the bottle and inhales the fragrance, and then he emits a noise that sounds something like a soft moan or groan. It’s a deep, uninhibited sound from the back of his throat, almost as if he’s absolutely losing himself in the scent. When he focuses on you again, there’s a relaxed look in his eyes paired with a soft, unguarded smile. It reminds you of the way he looked at you in your parent’s tavern. 

“Delicious…” He murmurs, his tone dropping into that salacious one he’d used on you at the tavern all those years ago, when asking if you planned to murder someone with poisons. Something about the way he said the word while staring directly into your eyes, his pupils blown from the fragrance he’d just inhaled, made your face grow hot.

You aren’t interested in a rake, and you won’t be fooled again, you remind yourself. No matter how beautiful the bastard truly is. 

You extend your hand out, motioning for the vial and he obliges with a disappointed tut.

“It’s a combination of lavender, sage, and vanilla.” You explain, tucking the precious vial back into your pack.

“And what else? There’s something else, isn’t there? It’s the same thing that was in the sample you gave me.” He responds, eyebrow cocked in curiosity.

You laugh in genuine surprise, “Good nose. Are you trying to steal my recipe so that when you return to Baldur’s Gate, you can have an exact duplication instead of the lesser version you have now, Astarion?”

You are partly joking, partly serious. 

The elf shakes his head, brows crinkling together in absent thought, “No… merely curious, I suppose. I’ve never smelt anything quite like your concoctions. I have to admit the memory of the scent from that night has… stayed with me. I would have written to you to tell you as much, if I could have. If I hadn’t… lost your card.”

You squint your eyes. There is something genuine in Astarion’s statement, despite the strange excuse about losing the card. Sure, he may have truly lost it. But then, he could have simply returned to the Drunken Dragon and asked your cousin for your address.

The next time you visited your family on holiday, after your conversation with the rake, your cousin indicated the elf hadn’t been by since that night. When you asked about Astarion every year, feigning nonchalance, your family always indicated he hadn’t been seen. 

It was almost as if he were avoiding the Drunken Dragon altogether for those three years.

You’d ultimately assumed he moved away… or perhaps died, murdered by one of his jealous lovers.

“It’s dragonsblood… just a drop.” You admit, eyeing the silver-haired elf with suspicious curiosity.

A sudden bark of laughter escapes Astarion’s lips. And then his head tips back and he positively cackles in a mixture of amusement and delight. He seems to find this information exceptionally hilarious. Your brows stitch together in confusion as you watch the rogue chortle.

Sure, it was an unusual additive. But it wasn’t exactly hilarious, was it? 

“Dragonsblood!” He exclaims, clapping his hands together in front of him as his eyes crinkle with mirth, “How… unique. You are quite the artist, Demetria.”

You feel the flush rise in your cheeks at the compliment while you murmur another thank you. Surely he’s flattering you, trying to ingratiate himself and hoping you’ll forgive his slight against you, isn’t he? 

Astarion’s eyes flit between yours now, and he hums in thought, “You look… different. From my memory at the tavern.”

“Really? Well you didn’t actually remember me at all until the parasite helped you, so I’m not quite sure how reliable your memory of me is. You look the same as I remember.” You deadpan, instantly trying to deflect from his observation. 

You know what he means… the ring hadn’t just affected your mind. It has permanently altered the color of your eyes into a strange purple, reminiscent of the cosmos itself. But you aren’t ready to share anything about your patron or the damn ring with anyone else just yet.

Astarion cocks his head, and he is about to say something more, but then Gale is bursting back through the brush. His eyes are wide with apprehension as he looks between you and the rogue. The concerned expression on your otherwise affable campmate causes everyone in the vicinity to quickly rise to their feet.

Gale grimaces as he addresses his new traveling companions with some level of unease, “I think you all might want to see this.”

And then he disappears back into the brush without another word. Part of you thinks you shouldn’t follow him, but you do anyway. After all, how could this possibly get stranger than it already is? 

Your patron is laughing again. Poor little apothecary, you have no idea.

[woosaaghh]

Spoilers for Wyll's story!

I'm so fucked up about Wyll's storyline. He has quite literally never made a selfish choice in his life. He exudes goodness in almost every interaction the player has with him. His kindness is infectious, his optimism is overwhelming. He spends every moment thinking of how to help others simply because he thinks it's the right thing to do. He's been that way since he was a boy, going so far as to be entrapped by Mizora into trading his soul to save Baldur's Gate. He's 17 years old and has never made a selfish decision in his life, but his father can't give him so much as the benefit of the doubt. He makes a life for himself as a savior of the people, and then gets kidnapped by mindflayers and infected with a mindflayer tadpole and his immediate reaction is "Whelp guess I'd better go help these tiefling refugees near where I crash landed from this spaceship."

In my playthrough I saved Florrick with Wyll, speaking with him made her choose not to give up and hold on to hope, she thanked him for helping her see it wasn't too late. What a lovely interaction. That night we spoke to Mizora and she offered Wyll his freedom, I told him to take it. The next day when I entered the city the same Florrick came and literally spat at my Tav's feet, told me that she was there for Wyll's head because Mizora said he killed his father because he was mad with power. The man who saved her life THE DAY PRIOR.

No one in this damned game other than the tadfools are ever willing to give Wyll the benefit of the doubt, nothing he could ever do would be worth them having faith in him. He accepts his banishment as his father doing what he believed was right and never resents him for it, still loves and misses him. He takes on Mizora's punishment for not killing Karlach without flinching because he knows what he did was right and Karlach deserves to live. At the tiefling party he isolates himself to keep from making others uncomfortable with his devilish appearance. And he's so alone: no mother, his father abandoned him, he has been travelling alone for the past 8 years just helping whoever he sees in need of it. Then, when you go through the steps of saving his father, that ass is willing to make Wyll a villain again, until Tav steps in and shares their memories. You needed a stranger to show you all of this to believe your own child wasn't evil incarnate? Was it not enough to have known him, did you ever even actually see your boy when he was in front of you?? Or was he just something to be molded and thrown away when you thought he didn't turn out right?

As someone who grew up closeted and still am to my relatives outside of my immediate family Wyll's tragedy hits far too close to home for me, the idea that no matter who you show that you are or what you do, the people you love the most, who are supposed to love you, are willing to drop you immediately and take back their love because of a single fact about you, without ever trying to understand more.

Wyll's story may not be as hard of a life as some of the others, but it messes me up in a way I hadn't expected. I wish Wyll had more story, and I wish I could use the tadpole to mentally berate and verbally eviscerate Ulder Ravengard for 30 real life minutes about how no matter how honorable and just he may be seen as in the eyes of the people of Baldurs Gate that he'll always be a failure of a man and a father.

(Also, I understand that they all have grounds in reality: terminal illnesses, chronic pain, indoctrination, physical and sexual abuse. But for the severe lack of Wyll content in the game you sort of have to read between the lines for it to hit as hard as it did me, it just made me wish there was more exploration of Wyll's feelings in game.)

[blackjackkent]

@trellanyx replied to this post:

Personally I like squid!Karlach while Rakha and Wyll go their separate ways. I think the most satisfying ending to Rakha’s arc IS her having to learn to find the peace and identity she seeks as herself, whereas her becoming an illitihid feels like… idk, the game giving her an out? It’d def change her personality, unless you wanna hc otherwise, and I like to think she takes Jaheira’s words of “no you gotta walk the same path as the rest of us and figure it out on your own” to heart. (1/2)

But by that same token, I don’t think going to Avernus would be good for her long term. I guess you could make a case for her continuing to follow both “kill with purpose” and the future she sees through Minsc of being able to turn madness and violence toward just ends. But idk, Rakha’s greatest desire, the core Need of her character, has been “peace”, and I feel like going to Avernus to further embrace violence and killing, even if it’s to nobler ends, wouldn’t make her happy. Maybe after she travels alone for a while and figures out who she is independent of Wyll or the beast, can she make the decision to go with a clearer and surer mind. But similar to the squid ending, I feel like her jumping into Avernus immediately post-game is kinda like a circumvention of what she actually needs. Like how one keeps themself busy with job after job because they don’t know how to handle themselves when they’re idle.

-----

Honestly, I've been starting to lean towards this take for a while but was having a terrible time articulating to myself WHY it seemed like the correct choice. And I love this writeup so much. (I know intellectually that people are reading the stuff I write, but when y'all toss it back to me over the net and draw in all the specific details I've put effort into, it makes me rather emotional. So thank you. <3 )

I think you're right that the way Rakha has evolved, particularly in Act 3, makes both the mind flayer and Avernus endings feel less satisfying than they might otherwise be. There are satisfying ELEMENTS - her self-sacrificing for a greater good, or being with the man she loves, etc. But it's not really a culmination of her overall arc which, yeah, is about her trying to find peace.

And the super-sappy romantic in me wants her and Wyll to have a happily ever after forever but the truth is I think ultimately her relationship with him falls into the same category as Jenna and Thane did way back in my Mass Effect days - I don't think it's a relationship that can last forever. They have been good for each other in this crisis period, supported each other, had each other's back, made each other better. Rakha absolutely would not have made it through the whole ordeal without him, and perhaps even vice-versa.

But she needs to learn to stand on her own feet and figure out who she is. And Wyll, frankly, deserves someone he doesn't have to be carrying all the time. One thing that has frustrated me in writing Rakha's story is that Wyll's particular character flaws (self-sacrificing levels of kindness, etc.) mean that he keeps getting subsumed in Rakha's issues.

Wyll is a good, complex dude in his own right and deserves more exploration than Rakha's story has always been able to focus on; I'll definitely have to find avenues to write more about him separately. (I definitely hope to have some story lines more dedicated to him in "Hellraisers.")

It's not exactly the romance that I wanted to write when I initially decided to do Wyllmance Durge - but Durge is a messy, grown-up story and I guess in some sense it makes sense that it would end up with a messy, grown-up ending as well.

Anyway, this got terribly rambly, but TLDR - I think I might be leaning towards this approach. As usual, nothing's set in stone until I actually walk Rakha through it, and she's been known to surprise me in the past. But yeah... very interesting thoughts here. :)

[brekkie-e]

Me trying to explain why Wyll and a drow lady just hits different.

1. Messed up matriarchal society that values power and violence. Men are a subservient class. Wyll is a classic "heroic prince" type character who simply would not fit in to that society. A drow would have little exposure to a person like him, let alone one that is held in high regard by his culture at large like Wyll is. Plus the “masculine hero” role that he fulfills would be on par with Wonder Woman showing up in our world to fight in World War 1. He doesn’t fit in to what their culture accepts and values, but he’d hold his head high and know his worth which would confound them.

2. Wyll's approach to romance. He wants to be prince charming. He wants to court his love interest traditionally and sweep them off their feet. A drow would not have much experience with a relationship like that. One where they don't need to worry about a knife to their back every other day. One where their lover wants to woo them, give them flowers, dance with them, get married? Treat them like they’re a princess (regardless of gender)? But not because he’s bound to serve them? But because he wants to take care of them? It’s like taking a “traditional” Disney romance and then spinning it on it’s head to make it a culture shock. And if you’re playing a drow that is slowly being de-conditioned and getting nicer through the game, it would be such a lovely story for them to go from seeing him as lesser because he’s a human man to actually wanting to be in this silly little romance he’s worked so hard on. Enjoying the romantic that he is, and getting to experience that kind of relationship for the first time. Going from Lae’zel levels of “this is nonsense” at his heroics, to blushing like a maiden during the dance scene with him.

3. The emphasis on motherhood and female power in drow society vs. the fact Wyll is a male leader raised by a single dad who is a very important political figure in Faerûn. The drow character finding it unnerving or being insensitive when they learn that Wyll never knew his mom. Flipside, their inherent ties to matriarchy making it hard for Wyll to deflect discussing his mom. He has to explore his feelings about her absence in his life because he can’t put his head in the sand and avoid the topic.

4. One of the worst fates in drow society is to displease Lolth and be transformed into a drider as punishment. Forever being marked for your transgressions and bringing shame to your house. Sound familiar? I think that Wyll’s experience would be a very familiar concept to many drow, and it would be an interesting aspect to the dynamic. Maybe it would make the drow re-examine their view on driders after realizing that Wyll was strong to hold true to his convictions. The fact he does not regret his decision regardless of the consequence might baffle them. Flipside, they could initially be disgusted by it because theyre so conditioned to think such a thing is a mark of shame. And they have to have that world view worked out of them slowly.

It’s late and I have more thoughts but I needed to get these down.

[invinciblerodent]

just a biiiiiit more Ionaposting for tonight and I'll shut up

i honestly loved just how different the ways she- and my boy Arvid handled Karlach's whole situation. because they were both rather close with her (she had a lot in common with Arvid, and she's pretty much Iona's best friend, they've been very consistently warm, friendly, and trustworthy presences for each other), but this willingness to die rather than to be stifled is... something that I think Iona just does not understand.

Or, well, she does, but right now, she also doesn't.

I think one of the things about Iona that I enjoy a lot is kind of her moral flexibility. She's done a lot of shitty things for survival, lied, cheated, the works- she's scrappy, she isn't afraid of getting her hands dirty (she is a slippery weasel-woman after all), and she's used to lying in wait and enduring low-grade crappiness for the sake of survival.

Karlach though, seems a bit more stiff in this regard. More idealistic, with some moral wiggle room, but not too much of it. She's firmly good, while Iona is more of a neutral-skewing-good aligned kind of a character.

And I think in this specific thing, due to the emotional component, Iona (though she knows that faced with the same choice of going back to her earlier situation versus death, she would fight until her last drop of blood too) kind of reverts back to thinking the way she did before the game's plot.

Where Arvid solemnly accepted Karlach's choice, prayed with her, and just promised to stay with her when the time comes (like a soldier and healer would accept a fatal injury or an incurable illness), Iona is kind of... almost pressuring her to return to Avernus. She's less a resigned healer and more a fox who'd chew off her leg to escape a fatal trap, and she doesn't seem to be able to accept that her friend made a choice (the choice deep down she knows she would have made herself)- she just keeps asking Karlach to reconsider.

Every time the prompt comes up, I feel like that's the dialogue that feels most natural. The why, why, why won't you just go back, just for a while, just until we figure this out, just a little longer. And she's frustrated too, because Avernus seems like such an obvious solution to the problem (if a temporary one), and it's not like there isn't a place for Karlach to go!!!

I really kind of like how they sort of clash on this, and something tells me that if Wyll wasn't the Blade of Avernus on this run too, I think (regardless of whether Astarion needs her or not) Iona might have offered to actually go with Karlach to the Hells. Offered herself up as a final bargaining chip.

It'd feel appropriate, to kind of almost exploit the very nice and heartfelt "I can face anything as long as you're there, even death" line Karlach gave her earlier- though, yeah, it would be manipulative as hell (true to form I guess), and yeah, it would yet again be Iona choosing to endure low-grade crappiness, at least this time it'd be for the sake of sparing herself the greater heartache of losing her friend for good.

fffffffffff their friendship was so good to explore, and man, every time I see this final Gortash confrontation, I'm just amazed at how Samantha Béart just went NUTS on that monologue. Such an incredible performance.

[thenugking]

1, 11, 13, 20 for Percy?

1. Does your OC have a voice claim, if so who? 

I don’t generally have voice claims for my OCs, but she is Tav Voice Eight. So ig her voice claim is whoever the VA for that is. Apparently Lynsey Murrell. Thanks Lynsey Murrell, sorry I made you play an asshole.

11. What was your inspiration for your OC?

I needed a villain OC to explore more plot, the classic Murder Hobo holds no appeal for me, and I realised I could get some really bad stuff happening just from playing a Tav who was a conflict-avoidant pushover, and oh man is that a fun corruption arc.

I drew on from, uh, certain people I’ve known in real life who self-sacrifice more than is healthy, and then get nasty at other people for having healthy limits and boundaries surrounding what they can do. And added in some religious trauma, and my worries about the kind of person I’d continued believing in the christian god instead of going to therapy.

13. Does your OC have a rival? How did it start?

Pre-game, Percy’s in rivalries with several of the other clerics at the Open Hand temple, primarily Sister Rose the Penitent, who’s a fucking asshole. They just grew up over time, due to Percy being in competition with everyone around her to be the Best, Most Righteous Sufferer. I think some of the other clergy have similar issues going on.

During the game, she kind of builds up an entirely one-sided rivalry with Wyll, who (at least initially) just thinks she’s a nice, if somewhat high-strung person. Percy is Big Mad at meeting someone who constantly puts themself in danger to save other people all the time. And then he has the audacity to tell her that feeding the poor and healing the sick is its own kind of heroism and he admires her too??? Ugh why does he care so much about being the Best Person here? What a fucking asshole. 

20. If they fight, what's their weapon of choice? 

Ilmater is her weapon and her shield uwu.

In game, I gave her the Blood of Lathander because it’s pretty much the best cleric weapon available, but honestly I don’t think she actually knows how to fight with a mace, and would object to using a weapon belonging to the Wrong God. If she’s having to engage in melee combat, she’s using a shortsword (badly). Whenever possible though, she’s going with magic. And very occasionally fangs, after she becomes a vampire spawn.

[ryttu3k]

Gale run is progressing well! We're now in the Underdark, doing well aside from that bit where I accidentally forgot to switch back to Explorer after doing some multiclassing and getting my ass beat by the bulette and duergar. (I never said I was good at this game...)

Boyfriend acquired!

The Rizzard of Waterdeep strikes. Sorry, those two tiefs.

He misses his Mum 😭

Things I legit didn't realise until this run - Withers makes little comments as he wanders around his temple.

Locked books: no obstacle for a knowledge-hungry wizard!

Convinced Rolan to stay in the Grove by virtue of "ehh, I've heard of Lorroakan and he's a hack."

We recruited Wyll. Astarion is Just Thrilled!! at travelling with a monster hunter!

So if you do that first long rest alone, you don't meet Shadowheart until the Grove! Which can get... contentious if you've already saved Lae'zel...

The Rizzard of Waterdeep strikes again. Yeah thankfully I had Inspiration this time XD;;

Failed the check to notice getting robbed! Thankfully the next thing we did was save Arabella, so Mol was happy to hand stuff back. Mirkon, too, and that tiefling up on the ridge near the bugbear. Aside from those first two, all the tiefs are safe so far.

New experience for this run: freed Sazza. Going to try for that achievement!

"Man, why would the Goddess you pledged your life and loyalty to subject you to pain and punishment for something that objectively isn't your fault? [insight check failed]"

Bite Night Bite Night!

Went worse for Astarion than Gale tbh.

"Does this mean you don't want to cuddle?"

Hehe.

I wonder if Halsin carved this?

Friendly reminder that Gale enjoys writing poetry and so probably knows, yeah.

I love this he looks like a proud dad. "I helped! :D"

Girlfriend discovered!! (Not Gale's. Mine.)

The moment Wyll realises he's doomed, and does it anyway 😭

GET HIS ASS BBYGIRL.

He's so good ;_;

Sweet :)

"I would bite you. (flirting)"

And a bomb, don't forget a bomb :)

Just a badass shot.

Troll <3

Listen I know the IC answer is to have Gale 'well actually' the mirror but I want that book.

Image cap reached, more later!

[masckarlach]

OC questions tag meme!

THANK U USER FRAY @bg3 FOR TAGGING ME!!

i will be doing only wren bc ill be so honest theyre the only bitch ive developed

under cut :3

Name:

wren!! chose virtue name harmony but doesnt use it bc she thinks its cringe (subject to change throughout game, not Quite sure)

Nickname(s):

tavernkeeps tend to call them birdie or little bird :p other than that, their older sister calls them spots a lot (due to her little boney growths along their forehead and cheeks)

Gender:

wren doesnt think about gender much other than their chest is a nuisance. they dont think abt it in the sense that being a woman isnt something they necessarily like. see themself as similarly with being a man itslike. nonbinary by virtue of genuinely just not percieving themself and not wnating to

Star sign:

copypasting frays explanation here!! im not so good at lore stuff so my answer will be... off!

this is a little difficult because realms lore has changed on this a lot, if i'm correct in my information. from people being blessed by stars or entire consellations to each month actually having a sign in more recent lore. here is a link anyone doing this for realms ocs (like bg3 ocs) can use to figure this out! the lore on stars and consellations in the realms is spotty at best, but this could be helpful if you wanna go that route!

wren was born at the end of marpenoth, a few days from the start of uktar :3 their sign is praying mantis but i dont know what this means

Height:

just wanted to show wrenlach height giff :3

Orientation:

wren themself isnt too sure of this. theyre pretty sure theyre not into men but they like... havent really explored much outside of flirting with everyone they meet. they dont know but i do. trheyre a nonbinary lesbian.

Nationality/Ethnicity:

wrens an Unspecified Tiefling with a human mother born and raised and living pre Worm Abduction in the lower city of baldurs gate

Favourite fruit:

wren likes apples and pears :3 they think they taste like sand but they like the taste of sand

Favourite season:

wren likes whenever its not too hot and not too cold and not too windy and not too polleny. consitution (8) of a sheltered victorian noble child

Favourite flower:

wren likes potato flowers :3 theyve always been more of a herb person than a flower person truth be told

Favourite scent:

freshly baked bread. when its still soft. a little luxury she afforded herself once in a while whilst in baldurs gate, occasionally given as payment for a days work. wren likes the smell of bread.

Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate:

given the lack of monster energies in faerun lets go coffee. she thinks it tastes like pee pee and poo poo but shotguns it bc it makes her buzz

Average hours of sleep:

anywhere between 1 and 24 hours. roll a dice baby.

Dog or cat person:

wrens an equal opportunities animal enjoyer. dogs maybe. bc wren likes birds and cats keep killing her friends

Dream trip:

wren would like to stay home tbh. adventuring has made them grow as a person bc if they had their way theydve stayed curled up with the artifact in an abandoned house theyd found

Favourite fictional character:

the mermaid from the mermaid smut book wyll, wylls dad and shart have read.

Number of blankets they sleep with:

ideally every blanket in existence. they can make do with 1, maybe even none but they will complain abt being cold and the lack of pressure

Random fact:

wren bites their fingers so her hands are always chapped and bleeding

TAGS!!!!!!!!!!

@bigfatlesbian @oyyokat @orkbutch @lesbianshadowheart @atomicbouquet-heart and anyone else who wants 2 :p

[avvidstarion]

1, 6, 8, 12, and 17 my hater in arms 💕

The character everyone gets wrong

OKAY this is niche and OUTTA LEFT FIELD but my favorite book of ALL TIME is we have always lived in the castle by shirley jackson and the HATE i see for its protagonist is ALL WRONG. It's in the same vein as like Chara undertale hate (another of my fave characters of all time) where peoples see a CHILD that clearly has a lot going on and are like. this person is irredeemably evil. no they're traumatized

6. Which ship fans are the most annoying?

bloodweave sorry bloodweave like. for why. why is it so popular why is it everywhere. like yeah every origin ship is valid and can be canon but like they both have much more interesting dynamics with other charactes. where is the gale/lae'zel art. hwere is the aslach (ass lack) or the aswylllach (ass will lack) art. why is bloodweave the most popular origin ship

8. common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about

okay this doesn't exactly fit bc i dont think it's super popular per se but it's on my mind today. i hate seeing fanart of kakashi and gojo together. people always twinkify them and alwasy draw them like they're about to fuck. 1) kakashi is not hot (dont get me wrong i want to fuck him but not cause he's like. physically attractive.) 2) they are not the same person 3) gojo will never be kakashi gojo wishes he was kakashi 4) kakashi would kill that man

OH OH ALSO THAT REMINDS ME I'LL THROW THIS IN HERE TOO. i don't like kakashi/iruka i think it's unfounded. they hardly ever talk. yeah they both love naruto but like can just be his mentor figures separately they don't have to be married. kakashi is married to guy like they are MARRIED. i feel like kakashi/guy would be way more popular if guy was a prettyboy twink (like iruka)

12. the unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them

i wanna say wyll but like that shit actually makes me fucking angry and not in a silly haha way so i am going to instead say sera dragonage. now. i know there are a lot of sera dragonage haters out there and there are some things about her that i do not like. however i overall love her and i think she is a tragic case of bad writing and wasted potential. why did they have a straight white guy write a lesbian whose character arc revolves around internalized racism. why does the game literally talk shit about her during her romance arc. literally one of her romance quests is "you love sera and wanna get her something to show her how much you care. go ask your friends for gift advice" and EVERY SINGLE COMPANION OR ADVISOR IS JUST LIKE. I HATE SERA SHES SO ANNOYING WHY ARE YOU DATING HER. UGH. ALSO. the game makes you be so mean to her!! so many times the only dialogue options with her are like "stop talking weird i dont understand you'". also the fact that YOU CAN LITERALLY KICK HER OUT AT ANY TIME??? LIKE NO MATTER WHAT THERE IS ALWAYS A DIALOGUE BUTTON TO KICK HER OUT?? here are reasons why you should like sera:

she is fun trickster! solas fucking wishes he was her.

her subclass is just super fun!! throw jars of bees and fire and shit at your enemies!

she is so genuine and cares so much about what she believes in. i wish that was explored more but as i have said the game literally hates her so.

she loves you so much!!!! she marries you!!!!!!!!!

i actualy really like her voice and the way she talks. shes just fun!

she's autistic <3

17. there should be more types of this fic/art

more people should be drawing gale and halsin and karlach fat, for one. also everyone else in the party but like especially those three. larian the fact that you have zero fat people in your game sucks supremely and you should feel bad about it.

actually draw more characters as fat anyway.

[sarcasmisthesecondbestasm]

I did a video game list! Some I've listed because they're my favorite, and some I listed just because I wanted to talk about them, list is in no particular order.

1. Elora, Spyro: Ripto's Rage

Probably my first video game crush, Spyro was the game my mom bought to go with my PS1 and I was obsessed with Elora immediately, I started using her name as a goto name for my own characters in things for years.

2. Odessa Silverberg, Suikoden

With 108 recruitable characters per Suikoden entry plus the non recruitable NPCs, I could probably talk at length about many characters, but Odessa has always stuck with me. Her dedication is something I see in a lot of characters I also admire, but she feels formative to me.

3. Elisabet Sobeck, Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West

I cried through the whole ending of Zero Dawn, what a beautiful, tragic person they had made, and I was not ready for how much more complicated and interesting they would make her in Forbidden West. She is probably one of my favorite characters in media that we never truly meet. Like my favorite in-media legend?

4. Cora Harper, Mass Effect: Andromeda

I played MEA from launch and completed it before the 10 patches were done and I actually adored it at the time and thought a lot of the criticism was very unfair, not about the sad state the game launched in, but about the companions. One person I thought was always treated especially unfairly was Cora. Sometimes you'd see some in fandom insisting that "you should read the book, you'll understand her better!" but honestly, I thought she was perfectly understandable in game. Her character growth was quiet and bittersweet, wrestling with jealousy and disappointment and trying to not take it out on others, but sometimes failing in it, but still trying to make amends? I wonder if how many early reviews actually talked to Cora and explored her feelings. I liked her a lot even before making it to her loyalty mission.

5. Zelda, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

I already enjoyed Breath of the Wilds' itteration of Zelda, I felt like they really did a lot with very little as far as flashbacks go, but oh man, collecting the dragon tears in Tears of the Kingdom, especially watching them in order, I cried so much, I loved her so much, just wow. I don't have any intelligent words for my feelings.

6. Alisae, Final Fantasy XIV

I missed the first time narratively you're supposed to get to really know Alisae because when I started, I was very focused on MSQ and skipped the Coils raids altogether, so I spent an embarrassingly long time thinking of her as "moody Alphinaud". I am very ashamed of my earlier dismissal of her (and Alphinaud as well, honestly) and have grown very fond of her. She really embraces her emotions, positive and negative, in a way not a lot of other characters do, I think, and it makes me really appreciate her when she's in a particular plot.

7. Karlach, Baldurs Gate 3

When I forst started BG3, I didn't know much about it other than it was a D&D game, and watching my spouse be frustrated with the choices their friends were making and failing to make it online at the agreed upon time, much like regular D&D, so as I started meeting the characters, I really enjoyed them, even when they frustrated me. I didn't know Karlach was recruitable and in fact almost missed her, I was backtracking because I realized I had passed Wyll's quest (I had been mostly meandering through the map and not really following the quests closely yet) and when I met her, I was totally taken off guard by her openness, warmness, kindness- she completely subverted my expectations and I thought she was Best Girl right then and there, and then continued to fall in love with her the more time went on.

8. Misty Olszewski, Cyberpunk 2077

I really, really hate Misty's hair, and I'm only bringing it up because it's the only thing I dislike about her, I love her quiet, steady, but very realistic depicted grief, her refusal to be a doormat while maintaining her softness and care. I love her so much, she doesn't need to be a hardass or cruel like so many others in Cyberpunk and does not let that world change her.

9. Adeline, Fields of Mistria

Hard pick for Fields of Mistria, I like nearly every character, but I definitely wanted to bring up one of the ladies from the game I'm playing right now. I have, from you can see from the rest of my list, a special love for women who want to make their community better, and it's so nice to have her optimism and love for her town and people.

10. Lace Harding, Dragon Age: Inquisition (and??)

I saved Harding for last because I am so excited she's going to be a companion in Veilguard! I looked forward to talking to her every new location and getting to know her and was sad we didn't get more of her, and now we are!

Name ten female characters you like, you get zapped if it's jsut a male character you call a babygirl or other feminine nicknames because I can't see people calling Lestat coquette again

[softness-and-shattering]

Why is there an outfit of the absolute in a tollhouse room that seemingly hasnt been opened since the shadow curse? The room with the barred door, that you enter from above, with the super convenient secret door out to the street. Is it an error, or was the absolute around and into fashion 100 years prior? And how old is Halsin still?

So the beach fight was actually really fun, havent had that kind of a crowd control challenge before. I actually failed the first time round, only made it to round three. It took a wall of fire, multiple glyphs of warding and 2x turn undead. Discovered that the fire only lasts a couple rounds and then it turns to fire ground only which was bit weird? And then Wyll died walking over it for idk what reason, after ddciding to run through the wall earlier for some reason. Didnt save him in time and had to ressurect.

I respecced him as a paladin cause I struggle with warlock. He only has one channel oath charge at time? At level 8?? My usual team is my bard, karlach, astarion and shadowheart, and after the first attempt i swapped astarion for wyll, but he didnt do that much. Did smite sone wraiths, that was very useful, I just thought hed have nore turning undead, maybe more area of effect stuff. As it was, shadowheart and bard carried most of the battle and the others picked up the pieces. Necessary support. Idk I just expected more from Wyll I guess?

Super cool fight though. first wall of fire, glyph of warding, and guardian of faith. The guardian looked super cool, unfortunately disappeared the turn before it was needed, because I cast it pre-battle and the Halsin conversation took a few turns/wasnt in turn-based mode. I wonder if i started the conversation, switched to shadowheart in turn based, went back to the conversation if that would work.

Also tried the thing of throwing a healing potion at someone, it never works for me. It just destroys the potion, idk what im doing wrong.

And then shadowheart and karlach were silenced fighting the tollkeeper, for some reason it still thinks karlach is silenced even q long rest later. Ill see if thats still happening when I boot up my game again.

I really like the little area under the tollhouse basement. I wish there was more to explore there, but. Little secret romantic hideout. Who was down there anyway? During the shadow curse? They seemed peaceful. I dont mind skeletons as that kind of environmental story telling. I just find the piles of bones and stacks of shrouded corpses and random dismembered limbs to be no thank you.

I also didnt kill the devil so astarions big mad at me now. Offered my neck up but i forgot to check if its improved his opinion of me. Need my sneaky rogue man! I just dont at all like or trust Raphael. Creepy man. Offered me food that was definitely suspicious.

I started watching someone stream the game, totally new to dnd, so its interesting watching what they do and dont pick up on compared to like, eg I started off knowing to look for a dash option, and about spell slots, and im familiar at least passongly with a majority of spells and feats and things. It is starting to give me that experience of "no one understand my fave like I do", also looking on ao3 for karlach. Its a looot of "tall demon bondage mommy lady" and thats just not her personality at all, shes incredibly sweet and genuine and free spirited and also vulnerable and new to being around people she cares about, to trusting. Shes not a practised dominatrix. Maybe I should also look for lower rated fics and see what comes up too 😂.

Also the funniest thing happened in the tollhouse fight. I had asterion pickpocket the tollkeeper so he had her key. We're in combat, Karlach happens to run past the safe, I get the magic pockets pop up and suddenly Karlach is running on the attack encumbered! So I pull up the inventory, send the chest to camp, and she keeps running. All in six seconds! 😂😂

And I forgot to check what was in the chest!! Ill have to do that, lets be real, probably tomorrow. And then as long as there isnt more to do on the Thaniel quest immediately, on to moonrise towers! And a level up. Hopefully. Im eyeing it. Collecting fifth level spell scrolls, want to learn em already 👀. Gimme those cool spells!

(And the way you specify where you want the wall of fire to be? Very cool and well done).