#muse: npcs

[barilleon]

One thing that I've noticed about Baldur's Gate 3 is that sometimes it really does feel like your companions are being piloted by other players. Sure, there's the standard approval system that most CRPGs have nowadays, but there is an even more powerful mechanic at play here: giving the player the option to shut the fuck up.

There are tons of moments when your companions are forced to confront parts of their past they can't shake. You always have the option to speak up for them if you like, but most times you also have the option to say nothing (sometimes the prompt is literally "say nothing," sometimes it's "let [character] handle this."

And this is such an important tactic of playing at the table: turning the spotlight onto to another player and letting them handle it. Because the story isn't just about your player character, it's about all of you.

When you do choose that option, I've noticed more often than not that the character approves of you letting them take the wheel. When you try to speak up for them, they may not express disapproval, but it comes up in the fiction. I tried to defend Astarion once and an NPC was like, "You're letting swine speak for you now?" and Astarion shouted, "I don't need anyone to speak for me!" He's right! This is his moment! Why did I say anything?

Baldur's Gate doesn't have to do this! There's no actual person piloting your companions. And in games a lot of people will say it's usually best practice to keep the spotlight on the players. But BG3 is a video game based on a tabletop game, and I think this is one of the main differences between the two. Maybe it's a tiny detail, but giving the player the option to relinquish the spotlight (and oftentimes encouraging and rewarding it) is such an incredible detail, and faithful to the medium the game is trying to emulate.

It's also a great lesson for everyone who wants to be a good player at the table: if it's not your scene, consider shutting up and letting the spotlit player handle it.

[crystallizsch]

YKNOW I COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT MR ERIC VENUE

and it’s so interesting that they didn’t change his name at all—

[mayhemmaybe]

He had cupcake and icing flavours for him and Shiro to test just a few minutes ago; Belial where did they go?!

[yingren]

stellaron hunter "headcanons" in relation to my version of ren. nothing of what has been written below will ever be forced upon a version of that character, this is mainly from his / my pov and what i try to keep in mind for when ren occasionally mentions the other hunters.

i believe kafka is someone ren respects, though not necessarily someone he looks up to. that’s not to say he looks down on her either. far from it. in ren’s mind, they’re simply too different to be compared in that way. their backgrounds, values, and fundamental perspectives set them apart, and because of that, he sees no need to model himself after her or measure himself against her. it's hard to explain but it's a bit like comparing a swimmer to a runner — they may share mutual respect and sometimes some similarities, but they operate in different worlds, shaped by different experiences. it’s hard to put into words precisely, but the relationship between them isn’t one of co-dependence. i don’t write ren as some obedient guard dog indebted to kafka, nor do i view her as manipulative or using spirit whisper on him with ulterior motives. kafka is elegant, clever, composed, and has her own brand of humor. in her, ren sees traits he quietly admires, even if he doesn’t always say so outright. he doesn’t see her as cold or unfeeling, though he wouldn't claim her to be emotional either. interestingly, following canon, kafka is the only one who can give him a nickname without irritating him. ironically, and in a way that fits his personality, he doesn't have a nickname for her. ren does care about her. he makes an effort to protect what she’s built, believing her work deserves recognition. one example of this is the 'dream' sequence on the train during the amphoreus arc, where he tells the trailblazer not to let kafka down, acknowledging that she sacrificed a great deal to keep them safe. she is also not some motherly guiding figure, at least not in his eyes. in the end, when i write there’s a mutual respect between them. a mutual understanding.

silver wolf is someone ren occasionally finds it hard to connect with on a deeper level. while the fandom often jokes about her slang going over his head or him being "too old" to keep up with her tech-savviness, i still see them as good companions. he once promised to play games with her when his hand healed — though it seems like it never will. the promise wasn’t made to brush her off, the lack of dexterity in his hand is a genuine obstacle. if he truly didn’t want to engage, he would’ve been honest about it. given how much the stellaron hunters rely on technology, ren’s more analog habits stand out. he still prefers paper over digital files, phone calls over texts, and reading books over watching screens. silver wolf is fully aware of these quirks and doesn't mind even if it might be in her nature to poke fun at him for it sometimes. she lets him keep his folder of printed notes instead of pushing for a hundred digital ones on his device. in fact, she's often the one who ends up responding to the rare text sent to his phone, since he barely uses it outside of missions. he trusts her. he finds her curious, even fascinating in her own way. and while they may not always click easily, there’s no animosity between them.

firefly is someone ren might even admit to admiring, if only a little. her hunger for life ( not immortality ) strikes him as genuinely compelling. in that way, they stand somewhat in contrast to one another, but it doesn’t create tension between them. despite their smaller differences, they get along with a quiet ease, rarely clashing or stepping on each other’s boundaries. firefly clearly speaks to him comfortably, and he responds in kind with a calm, almost gentle demeanor. the car scene in penacony is a good example of how they interact. we already know he holds some sort of fascination for the purgatory sam can create. and though some may distinguish firefly and sam as separate identities, ren sort of sees them as one and the same in the way that his respect and care extend equally to both, he doesn’t value one over the other. he would never see her as solely a weapon, nor would he ever underestimate her. firefly, just as the other stellaron hunters, is capable and strong. he finds her overall attitude to be charming in a sense, intriguing too, because they can share different opinions without it causing issues. ren also holds deep respect for life and the natural cycle of it as stated in previous headcanons, this is something he believes firefly to understand too and thus makes their relationship far from strained.

for anyone with a stellaron hunter verse or an oc within that context, you're absolutely encouraged to develop your own headcanons and interpretations of how your character relates to the stellaron hunters. however, if you’re interested in writing with ren, i kindly ask that we discuss and plot things in advance to make sure we're aligned in terms of character dynamics. ren isn’t the most immediately open or approachable person. not out of dislike, but because he tends to withdraw into his own space. it takes time for him to grow comfortable around someone new, especially in one-on-one interactions. he’d often choose quiet over forced small talk, and that’s something i try to reflect in how he’s written. for those writing characters who are meant to have been part of the stellaron hunters before ren joined, pre-plotting isn’t just encouraged — it’s a requirement. i’m not particularly comfortable with canon being altered too drastically, especially when it shifts dynamics between canon characters that aren't being written directly. that’s not to say there can’t be overlap, multiple hackers or swordsmen are obviously more than fine, but i’d prefer to collaborate on how that fits into the existing group dynamic.

[nerditudes]

Basically this is Cerberus in Hades' continuity because I get to edit his canon how I please for my portrayal. They've all got the lil dots for eyebrows-- the middle head is the most expressive. The body type is a stockier bully breed.

They don't so much 'control' aspects of the body they share than it's kind of instinctual. despite each head having their own vibe, they work collaboratively to control the body. Any which head can take control but they usually just passively share it.

Their duty is to guard the Underworld, a job they take seriously. Each head has their own way of following orders, on rare occasions they bicker. If someone ate something they weren't supposed to, the culprit is likely the middle head.

One of these days I'll try to figure out their coat patterning.

[riddlesnap]

So I've mentioned him a few times in previous threads but he is actually a character that appears in one of Edward's comics. That man is George Lesley and there aren't many people Eddie hates more than him, which says a lot given his attitude towards other people. To make a long story short, Lesley used to work at Arkham Asylum and seemed to be a guard which makes sense given his later post at Wayne Enterprises, leading security there. Going back into the story though. It starts off quickly and already you can see there's animosity in how Lesley addresses Edward, calling him psycho after having barged into his cell to confiscate not only his playing cards but also his bedsheets, getting physical with Edward to do so. It seems very unprofessional for a guard to be passing 'punishment' - taking the cards is one thing but to deny an inmate bedsheets seems like a massive breech of authority which leads me think there's a lot more going on between them than we're given credit for. Edward spent 4 years planning on how to get Lesley back for this slight but upon thinking about it further, this was more than about playing cards and bedsheets. Lesley had it out for Eddie from the start, singling him out for the smallest infractions and arbitrarily doling out punishment because who is going to believe the 'crazy guy' over the upstanding guard? Their hatred was mutual but aside from these incidents, Lesley does seem to have a good understanding of security and how to work well, leading me to headcanon that Edward likely threatened somebody that Lesley was close with, probably during the events of Arkham City where he kidnapped emergency personel. Even though this person didn't die, I imagine them nearly dying in one of his traps left a bad taste in Lesley's mouth. To nearly kill somebody he loved all for a game meant that when he began work at Arkham, he'd do everything in his power to make life hell for Edward, which was sadly a decision that would one day come back to haunt him.

[anotherhumanpet]

🫂 can i be greedy and ask for dennis AND jaden? 👀

send 🫂 for three useless headcanons I have about our muses

Dennis and Rin have a habit of always situating themselves to the same side/position. So like, Dennis is always to Rin's left/Rin is always to Dennis' right. It's absolutely meaningless and pointless but whenever they swap sides, one of them will either quietly complain about it feeling weird and-or they'll silently swap back into the correct position.

There has been at least one instance of Dennis sleep walking/talking while Rin was awake at ungodly hours. They had a full blown conversation with each other that was very nonsensical, given how Dennis wasn't actually conscious through it, and just as Rin was beginning to grow concerned about Dennis because of his incoherent answers, Dennis woke up and was slightly alarmed about where he was and what he had been doing.

Whenever possible, Rin tries to brew Dennis' sleepy time tea himself - especially after the poisoning incident. Mostly though he likes the practice in controlling his flames with a small, precise, and contained setting. He can't get the mug too hot or it'll burst, but he's got to get the water hot enough for the tea to seep as well. It's good practice, and Dennis seems to like Satanically brewed sleepy tea better too.

Jaden and Rin's texting history is made up almost entirely of recipe exchanges, cooking tips, and kitchen experiment discussions. It's one of the few avenues they're in sync on and the two of them could pull off some killer dishes if they ever united in a single kitchen together.

Another chunk of their texting history is Rin sending bird images and memes to Jaden, asking if these are his familiars in a sarcastic way. Jaden never responds to or acknowledges these images.

Jaden has memorized the sigil Dennis uses to summon Rin under his command. It's unlikely to ever work for him, but he likes to keep that in his back pocket in case worse ever comes to worst.

[multimusewonderland]

"... ... ..." Staring. "Is that...?"

"... ... ..."

"You're a human teenager."

"...Yeah?"

"...Your energy is so..." H??? "How?"

"I dunno, man. Your guess is as good as mine."

[dulcebot]

no one cares but stumbled upon an old oc graphic post and i miss this kingie

[doctorvenko]

question for the dash. is there anybody out there who is not attracted to their own muse? and i don’t mean that you think you’d be compatible people (me and peter would not). BUT ON THE WHOLE… do we all at least find our muses attractive, physically? psychologically?

[muses0fgracie]

// I wanna talk about the Dough-Baby side muse while I make their icons. They're not gonna get a big bio on account of not being a big muse, but here are some headcanons I have about them anyway.

The Dough-Baby is currently living in the cookie castle with the Gingercrew, they have their own room and everything. It's only temporary however, as they ARE still trying to find the baby a permanent family.

The Dough-Baby has a weird connection to the Beasts, due to being exposed to their magic while being baked in Butter Roll cookie's lab. They can thus 'sense' when a Beast has awakened or is on the move, and will get anxious and afraid if so.

Another connection they have to the beasts is their emotions. If the baby cries, the Beasts' power becomes stronger. If the baby laughs, the beasts' power will be weakened. But this only works if they're within any of the Beasts' vicinity. So I guess the Beasts will know to kidnap them if they ever come to the cookie kingdom now?

Despite not being old enough to possibly have a complete flavour yet, they faintly smell of wedding cake.

Their favourite toy is a Bear Jelly Toy that is kept in the crib in their room!

[schattenmagier]

Show time

Silently, the vigilante watched from a save distance. There is actually nothing very interesting to see. Well, not for her at least. Simply some no-name hero, and villain fighting. Sure, there were a lot of reporters, and civilians watching, but they had no idea that the two were so freaking weak. That they even got the title of hero and villain is a surprise to her.

And usually Schatten wouldn't be watching such a sad, boring fight. But this time was special. And she won't be watching for to long. No, their fight is on the news. Live. And that's what she needs. She needs him to see. To catch his attention. It was impossible to get a hold of him, and all her leads had taken her to nothing. And she knows her ability is going to peak his interest. After all, Lilli knows that he was looking for someone with her abilities. He wants that perfect little weapon again...

And while she knows her action is going to pick other peoples attention as well, it really didn't mattered to her. Ain't like she hadn't been asked to join certain groups before. But they soon gave up, because she hadn't taken their offers serious, and they didn't thought of her strong enough to really keep trying. And that might change soon too...

The vigilante waits for a break between their fight before making her entrance. And that small break, in which both hero and villain caught their breah, didn't took to long to arrive. Just then she gets up from her spot, just to disappear in the shadows, and suddenly appear again between the two... Who were immediately surprised. They also immediately noticed that she wasn't wearing her usual goggles, and mouthmask but... a full face mask? At least it appeared like it.

" The fuck are you doing? This isn't a playground for some vigilante! Fuck off, Schatten! The adults are talking right now! "

The villain hissed, obviously angry that their fight with their so called 'nemesis' was interrupted, and pointed their weapon, a strange looking gun, at her. But Schatten didn't say a thing, nor did she made any move an inch... Silence grew between them, with the reporters speaking in their camera's about the vigilantes sudden appearance, and the rest of the civilians watching curiously, but also confused. The hero just stood there, still out of breath, and not saying anything. Perhaps because they know that Schatten being so silent was very unusual. Maybe they felt that something was off.

The villain on the other hand didn't noticed. They were getting impatient. Lilli would even guess and say that they were suffering under a lot of anger issues. Well, that's going to change soon anyway.

" Damn... You guys sure are fucking veak. It's so boring to vatch you two fight. Even zhough I vould rather call it 'play vith each other' zhan actual fighting~ "

She suddenly broke the silence, making fun of both of them, but also contiuned before they could comment.

" Are you sure you guys are a hero and a villain? 'Cause I have never seen any vho are zhis useless~ "

" SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH, YOU BITCH! Who are you calling useless?!? I will teach ya who's useless! "

The villain shouts, not able to contain his anger anymore, and without hesitation shoots at her with his weapon. The projectiles fly... but never reach her. Before they could, a bunch of shadows caught them, and they simply exploded on the weirdly dark substance without leaving any damage. But that didn't stop them. No, the villain seemed to get even more pissed off, and decided to try their luck in close combat. So they started to run towards her... Schatten though still didn't moved. She didn't had to. Still, the vigilante made the smallest hand move, and the place filled with more and more shadows. But Lilli made sure they weren't blocking the view of the reporters, and cameras. No, no. They are suppose to catch this.

The shadows now surrounded them in the short moment, in which the villain got closer and closer... But they never made it close enough to Schatten to leave damage. No, before they could reach her, spikes erupted from the shadows on the ground, piercing through the villain, and lifting them up into the air, where they were left hanging. Blood oozed from where they had been punctured, and the blood was slowly flowing down the spikes... The villain didn't moved anymore. Nor did they speak. She had nothing personally against them, so she had made it quick... The spikes then retreat after a moment, and the former villains body falls to the ground with a digusting splat sound, and blood splashes on the ground.

After that silence fell other the place again. Everything went so quickly after all. After perhaps half a minute, the reporters were the first ones to speak, and tell their viewers what had just happened. It startled the civilians too, who had just watched. No surprise to her. So far, Schatten had never given a good demonstration of what she was capable of. Sure, she had beaten up a few people here, and there. But nothing else, really.

" Why the hell did you do that?!? What's gotten into you suddenly? "

And finally, the hero found their voice again. Even though she could hear the shake in their voice. Really, if they are immediately scared because of a little killing, then they surely won't make it far as hero. At least that's her opinion. Though the vigilante turns finally towards them. She didn't spoke this time though, only staring at them who was watching her like a hawk.

" I never saw you doing this kind of thing... You never killed anyone like this in the open, Schatten. So what are you planning right now? "

She wasn't exactly sure if they expected an answer. They will get none anyway. But the way the hero looked at her... she could basically see the gears turning in their head. Oh, they were perhaps much more analytical than she had expected.

" Hm. Perhaps zhat villain simply annoyed me enough~ Or maybe I- "

" That's not it. I don't believe that's it. I saw you fighting before. This was nothing like it. You are planning something. And no matter what it is, I won't let it happen! "

They interrupted her, and Schatten leaves a sigh. Why do heroes have to be like this. She didn't had anything against them either. But by how they were standing now, she knows they are going to try to fight her too. Very well. One more display of strength won't hurt. And that hero should see it coming if they attack her... And they do. It barely takes them a moment to start sprinting towards her with inhuman speed, and fist ready to punch. But again, their fist never touches her. Not because shadows stopped the hero like they had the bullets. No. They hit the air, where the woman had been standing a second before, but she had disappeared from sight.

And before the hero could react or move back, the vigilante had appeared already behind them again... swinging a massive scythe made of shadows... which pierced through their stomach in a quick movment of her wrist. It wasn't as quick of a death as the villains. And given that the scythe was still ticking in them, she knows it will take a moment longer for them to bleed out, and die. But they already cough up blood, and she hopes at least that the shock keeps the pain, that they should feel, away for a moment before their body shuts down.

" Sorry. But nothing personal... You just happened to be in zhe vrong place on zhe vrong time... "

She mumbled, before pulling the scythe out of their body, and letting the blood rush from the wound. The hero falls to their knees, before their body follows soon, and falls flat on their stomach with their body now shutting down, and their world becoming black.

Lilli knows she should feel bad. A little at least. But she doesn't. Not really. Or perhaps, a really small part of her does.

Then she turns towards the reporters, who were still capturing all this with their camera's, and microphones as they spoke to their viewers. They hadn't heard what she had said of course. But they had seen enough. Their audience behind the TV's right now should also have seen enough. The still small demonstration of her ability.

Hopefully it will be enough to attract his attention...

And without another word... Schatten, and the summoned shadows disappear again without leaving a trace...

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

[ Somewhere else, at a base hidden at where no one can reach... ]

His eyes widen. And since a long time he feels excited again. An emotion that he had almost forgotten existed inside him still. How long had he searched? How many years have passed? And now, the moment had finally come. He had found what he had looked for. A weapon disguised as a person, with a power that he had researched, and tried to reconstruct, but failed.

Null, how the man called himself, watched over and over again the videos from the TV reports of the vigilante killing a villain, and a hero with that seemed like zero effort. It was exactly like her ability back then. Only this was way more advanced, and controlled. Whoever this 'Schatten' was, she surely had years of experience with that ability. And she had hide it well until this point.

A small grin spreads acroll his face, until someone hurried into his office. A small man. Weak, and fidgety. But at least not all useless. He was good at managing, gathering information, and following orders. When he enters the room though, Null's grin falls, and he turns towards the smaller man. And before he could speak, the villain was already giving him orders.

" Go, and put a bounty on that vigilante... As high as possible. And now matter what, the highest priority is that she is caught alive. Understood? "

The fidgety man stands still, and only nods. Not used to see his boss like this. And not used to have his boss set a bounty for someone. But he did not ask. Mostly because he was way to afraid to overstep a boundary.

" And... I want someone to go look for that vigilante as well. Just in case. Make her either an offer she can't refuse to work for me... "

He pauses, and looks at the screen, which had stopped at a moment in which Schatten had looked right at the camera before disappearing... Something... seemed familar. Even though her face couldn't be seen at that moment. But he doesn't know what. Hm, Null shakes that feeling away, and rather turns back to his employee.

" Oh, and of course gather as much information as you can about her. No matter what it is, I want to know everything... "

Again, the small man nods, waiting for something else to get assigned too. But Null simply dismissed him with a flick of his wrist. And as fast as he had entered the office, he was gone again, and left the villain to watch the recordings again.

Soon, he will have his weapon again. Just a little more patience...

[cuteteacakes]

"Spoiling him's not enough~"

"I need to get him pregnant~"

"For the love of god, Caleb!"

[changeling-fae]

You know, I think Raphael is a switch actually and not a bottom. And before people start coming at me with pitchforks, my reasoning is that his fantasy is having Haarlep play as him if he were the Archduke (or duchess when feeling adventurous) Supreme of the Nine Hells, and that means his idolized/fantasy self is the one who tops. So he’s bottoming for himself who is also topping. So I think switch.

[nothingleftofyou]

@hellsmouthstarters

a SNAP bolted wesley's attention to the one standing before him. the other had uttered something- a joke ? - that they had chuckled at while the words flew through wesley's ears. "sorry." he said at their stare. "i think my sense of humor's trapped in a jar somewhere."

[potensreginae]

The Lunaruz Royal Family Tree

Queen Amaya + King Ares —> Crown Princess Relta McLeod Lady Anne Brandon + King Ares —> Princess Madeline Queen Amaya + Lord Alfred Percy —> Princess Aislin & Crown Prince Alastair (twins, legitimized at baptism) Crown Princess Relta + Prince King Philip II of Hamina —> Prince Callum of Hamina and Lunaruz (illegitimate, legitimized in Hamina) Princess Madeline + ? —> Princess Eleanor (adopted by Prince Alastair when she is age 4)

Line of Succession: Queen Amaya & King Ares —> Crown Princess Relta of Lunaruz —> Prince Alastair of Lunaruz —> Princess Eleanor of Lunaruz —> Prince Callum of Hamina & Lunaruz