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[taliaglitch]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Baldur’s Gate (Video Games) Rating: Mature Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Astarion/The Dark Urge (Baldur’s Gate) Characters: The Dark Urge (Baldur’s Gate), Astarion (Baldur’s Gate), some of the others but they don’t really have dialogue Additional Tags: Vampire Ascendant Astarion (Baldur’s Gate), Vampire Lord Astarion (Baldur’s Gate), Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Attempted Murder, The Dark Urge Resists the Urge (Baldur’s Gate), only somewhat, and really not for long, Violent Thoughts, Blood Series: Part 2 of in a new dawn Summary:

“The world will stir in fear.” “I’m not afraid of you.”

The Rite of Profane Ascension is complete, and all it took was for seven thousand people to die screaming in agony. The man standing in front of them now - a man they loved before they helped him destroy himself - is unrecognizable. There’s only one way to unmake a monster like this.

(A monster like the both of them.) (They’re terrified.)

hi again :3 when i first did astarion’s quest with memento, i failed every single insight & persuasion check in the ritual room. i reloaded & did it right, but this non-canon worst-possible-timeline spiralled out from that particular turn of events. promise i’ll write something normal about them one day!

[taliaglitch]

nicholas wiseman you will always be my number one

[taliaglitch]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Baldur’s Gate (Video Games) Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death Characters: The Dark Urge (Baldur’s Gate), Zevlor (Baldur’s Gate), Minthara Baenre Additional Tags: Canon-Typical Violence, Blood and Gore, Suicidal Ideation Series: Part 1 of in a new dawn Summary:

Promise yourself: you will save them. From her, and you.

They made a horrible, horrible mistake. They doomed dozens of innocents, all those poor souls in the grove, but there’s still time to repent. Every hateful, irrational part of them is repulsed by the thought. But they can fix this. They’re going to fix this.

hiiiii :3 wrote a lil thing of the grove defense ft. my miserable durge

[taliaglitch]

So um. Wild announcement.

Actium is live on the website, Tapas, and Webtoon! A whole two weeks early!

This is a soft launch to help me get over my posting anxiety, so I won't really be beating it over anyone's head until the 27th. Thank you so much to everyone who has already read the first chapter, to everyone who has constantly encouraged me to continue, to everyone who cares about the characters... all of you, really!

Actium Alpha will release every other Friday for the foreseeable future.

[taliaglitch]

some wips i may or may not ever actually finish

[taliaglitch]

Not entirely proud of how this turned out, but at lieast it's finished

R my beloved

[taliaglitch]

death of the sun

[taliaglitch]

Read A Tale of Crowns. This is an order.

[taliaglitch]

23 + 28 + 29 + 35 for aislinn? annnnnnnnnd memento?

very rambly, very long, very under the cut! contains some vague early durge and githyanki créche spoilers

What are your Character's thoughts on the dream visitor? (23)

Aislinn: they think the dream visitor is a real person in some way, and not something conjured up by the tadpole - call it gut feeling, or maybe just wishful thinking. so they trust her, though not enough to stick more tadpoles in their brain (i mean. in-game they do because idk how to live without favourable beginnings and luck of the far realms. but in-universe they wouldn't). they're grateful for her protection and equal parts frustrated & intrigued by all the mystery - the more time passes, the more they're just frustrated. they heed her advice, but not enough to avoid the githyanki créche (which they rapidly come to regret - see the answer to question 35 below)

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Memento: they have no idea what to think of him, and this makes them very very uneasy. they wish he could protect them against their own mind as well as he protects them from the absolute instead of just telling them "you have to resist your violent urges or we're fucked". they're pretty well aware of that already!

there's that same ludonarrative dissonance aislinn has where i invest in the tadpole skill tree despite the fact that the character probably wouldn't, and also i did kind of skip through the scenes with memento's guardian because i'm very impatient to get to the really juicy durge stuff later in the game lol

Did you recruit Scratch the dog? Did you encounter him at all? (28)

this is a yes for both of them! i could not ever live without scratch. aislinn is a big animal person in general (they took beast speech as one of their eldritch invocations, not that i remember to use it) and immediately fell in love, and memento mostly felt sad for him (and thought having a dog around might help them somehow - they do sleep a tiny bit easier when scratch is curled up nearby, at the cost of being perpetually covered in dog fur)

Did you adopt an owlbear? Do you have a name for your child? (29)

another yes for both of them, with much of the same reasons! memento never named him - canonically they haven't really named *themself*, for some reason i've decided memento isn't their in-universe name/nickname (and the same goes for mori) - but aislinn named him... after some figure of legend & myth that i don't know enough about dnd lore to pick. look i don't want to just go with baldur, that feels lazy

Has your Character done anything that they regret in Act 1? (35)

Aislinn: i mean, just all the violence, really. this early on they are extremely unaccustomed to it (to answer a different question on the list: andren, the guy inside the entrance to the temple ruins, was the first person they ever killed), and every fight makes them sick to their stomach, no matter how unavoidable it was or how morally awful their opponents are. to pick something specific: fighting their way out of the githyanki créche was, up to that point, the worst thing they had ever done, and even as they get used to the blood-covered adventuring life, that's a day they'll always look back on in horror. maybe they didn't have any choice in it, but they hate it all the same. and not to mention how rapidly they turned lae'zels life completely upside down! like it is a good thing for her ultimately, but in the moment they really felt like they fucked up.

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Memento: aside from the big thing every poor durge gets... they caused arabella to die. they knew that snake would kill her the moment it struck, and it was looking for any excuse to do so, any sudden movement. they flicked their eyes to the door - they keep telling themself it was unconsciously. she tried to make a run for it. the viper struck. they didn't have it in them to face komira and locke themself, to tell them their daughter died. they saw the parents again at the saved-the-grove party, though, where komira tried to get her vengeance on kagha - they stopped her, and even that they sometimes regret.

they also tortured liam, the goblins' prisoner, and revealed the grove's location to minthara. i'm undecided of how cognizant they were while they were doing this, but they were certainly fully aware of what they had done and it's implications afterwards. they don't make excuses for themself when speaking to zevlor - i did this. if anyone else dies here, it will be my fault. but please let me make up for it. and they did! the raiding party did destroy the gate, but they never made it inside. two of the tiefling defenders (arka, who they didn't stop from killing that goblin prisoner, and asharak, who was teaching the children alongside wyll) died, and of the party memento was the last one standing after a brutal irl-one-hour-long fight (i was level 4, it was very difficult), but the defense was otherwise a success. it never should've happened to begin with, two people dead is two too many, and this + the torture is what they regret, but it also gave them the first real hope they've had in the short weeks of their amnesiac life. hope that they can be more! do better! be a hero! touch people's lives without destroying them in the process! they can't save everyone, maybe they can't even really save themself in the end, but god, they can try. they enter into act 2 just a tiny bit more resolute and confident in themself.

[taliaglitch]

New Chapter Released!

Hello again! Hope your summer has gone well ☀️

With the public release of this new chapter, the romances are starting to intersect and interact with the main plot:

Unique paths for each love interest, encompassing a completely different plot event that the Crown will have to deal with

D and X's routes heavily involve the Imperial Court, where the Crown's previous choices on court positions will be first illustrated in the story

Meanwhile, R and A have unique events happening regarding some concerning magic that has left R in trouble, and an investigation that has lead A astray

Each route will force the Crown to make an important decision that will be remembered by their love interest. If you pick a bad choice here, even if you get a good romance later on, your love interest will remember it...

An additional note on this chapter: due to its sheer size and variability, I didn't have a chance to send it to my beta readers on time, so you may find more errors/bugs in it than what you're used to from me. Please report them in this Google Form or in the Discord server if possible!

Thank you for all your patience and support, I hope you enjoy the new chapter ✨

For those that are unfamiliar with the game

A Tale of Crowns is a high fantasy romance story, told in the form of a text-based interactive novel with choice mechanics. The setting is inspired by Kurdish culture as well as other historical settings in the Middle East such as Ancient Persia, but it also draws heavily from other cultures and countries in the region.

Your character is native to Arsur, a vast empire overseen by a single ruler known as the Crown. Unlike traditional monarchies, however, the title is not inherited through blood. Whenever the Crown dies, their famed golden eyes pass on to the one chosen by the Spirits of this world to be the new Crown. In this story, your MC takes on that role.

There are four different love interests to choose from, whose genders will be customized to suit the preferences of your Crown. You can find more info about them on the blog page!

Also note that this current version of the game is safe for those 16 years and older.

Like the premise so far? Play it and give it a try! The entire game is free!

If you enjoyed the game, please reblog! Share it with your friends! Recognition and reader interaction is just about the only thing I get in return for creating it ❤️

[taliaglitch]

oh my god. i can play on medium graphics settings again after patch 2 . decent quality screenshots how i missed you so!!!!

[taliaglitch]

sometimes the tragedy is fun! sometimes the fact that there will be no happy ending is fun! sometimes it is really neat that one character is stuck in the past at the expense of the present and the other is going scorched earth towards the future and they’ll never be on the same page ever again! i like that.

[taliaglitch]

BG3 Act 1 asks

I am intentionally putting the number of the inquiry at the end of each question also because I have a pet peeve that when you copy paste questions into an ask that the number doesn't carry over.

Tell us about your Tav! Name, class and subclass, race, pronouns. Do you have a headcanon for where they're from? Their family? Are they a Dark Urge? Or did you choose an Origin Character? Was it an easy decision? (1)

Was there something about the character creator that just couldn't capture your Character? Please tell us about their hair, facial hair, tattoos, piercings, disabilities, their trans or intersex body, or anything else you're comfortable sharing. (2)

Has your Character been using their illithid powers? (3)

Do you remember in which order you recruited your companions? Which companion introduction would have felt the most familiar / like home to your Tav / Character? (4)

Do you remember the first humanoid enemy your Character killed? Was it the first person they've ever killed, in your opinion? Would they have been bothered by it? (5)

Were you able to save everyone when the goblins stormed the gates at the Grove? (6)

Did you enter the Grove? (7)

Do you have a favorite member of the Druid Circle? Is it the same as your Character's? (8)

Do you have a favorite member of the Tiefling Refugees? Is it the same as your Character's? (9)

Do you have a favorite member of the Goblin Camp? Is it the same as your Character's? (10)

Do you have a favorite member of the Act 1 Githyanki? Is it the same as your Character's? (11)

Do you have a favorite member of the Zhentarim? Is it the same as your Character's? (12)

Do you have a favorite character from the Underdark? Is it the same as your Character's? (13)

Do you have another NPC you loved from a faction not mentioned above? What about your Character? (14)

How did the situation with the Grove, the Tieflings and the Goblins turn out for your Character? (15)

Did you save Halsin? (16)

What does your Character think of Withers? (17)

How did your Character deal with Wyll, Karlach and Mizora? (18)

Did your Character spend a night with a companion either the night of the party or earlier? Is it someone they have a continued interest in? (19)

How did you deal with The Artist - Oskar Fevras? Did you even encounter him? (20)

What are your Character's thoughts on the strange artifact that was in Shadowheart's possession? Did it jump to your pack because you changed her out of your party? (21)

How did your Character resolve the situation with Sovereign Glut, if you met them? (22)

What are your Character's thoughts on the dream visitor? (23)

Was your illithid tadpole empowered by anything in Act 1? If so, how does your Character feel about that? (24)

Did your Character take the mountain pass? (25)

What was your favorite enemy? Did your Character have any memorable fights or moments in combat that were ripe for headcanons and interpretation? (26)

Who ended up in your Character's most used party? (27)

Did you recruit Scratch the dog? Did you encounter him at all? (28)

Did you adopt an owlbear? Do you have a name for your child? (29)

Do you have other pets as a ranger or in headcanon? (30)

Does your Character have new or old phobias or superstitions that affect their story? (31)

What's your Character's experience with and opinion of Volo? (32)

Has your Character allied with the cult of the Absolute? (33)

How did your Character resolve the situation with Nere and the gnomes? (34)

Has your Character done anything that they regret in Act 1? (35)

Did your Character find the Adamantine Forge? Did they use it? What did they make? (36)

Did your Character find the Necromancy of Thay? How are they handling it / planning to handle it? (37)

Did your Character meet Barcus Wroot? How's he doing? (38)

What does your Character think of Raphael? (39)

Is your Character used to strange dreams from before the events of the adventure? (40)

Is your Character accustomed to being on the road from before the events of the adventure? (41)

Has your Character been to the Underdark from before the events of the adventure? (42)

Asker has a question not from the list. (43)

Asker wants Blogger to choose a question from the list. (44)

I love your oc's! I hope you're enjoying the game as much as I am!

[taliaglitch]

patch 2 is apparently supposed to have big performance improvements and i'm really really hoping they're big enough for me to play the game on medium graphics again. all my impulse 1.0 screenshots from act 1 to early act 2 were on medium settings and they all looked so much better than any i have taken since

[taliaglitch]

i havent had the energy to actually finish a drawing in 5 morbillion years but have some doodles & screenshot redraws of my dearest saddest durge

[taliaglitch]

actually have a wip impulse 2.0 as well (that i’ll finish.... eh, in a couple weeks?)

(template by @euryalex​)

here’s two of my bg3 characters, my cute lil bardlock and my absolutely miserable resist-the-urge durge - they’re the ones i have ongoing playthroughs of. aislinn’s about to leave for the city, durge is heading towards the goblin camp, their sheets reflect where they’re at. i’ll make these for my evil durge and impulse whenever i replay them! and remake them for these two when i finish their playthroughs. and draw something, eventually…

[taliaglitch]

hi! pls tell me more about aislinn im very curious :0

hehehe :3

i don't have as much lore for them as the others, nothing super in-depth, but have a bullet list! mostly backstory & general character stuff because i don't know specifically how far along in the game you are. under the cut because it got long!

they're from bloomridge - the wealthiest neighborhood in the lower city. on one of the streets filled more with cafes and boutiques than manors, their parents (4 or 5 in total?) owned a three-story building. the first floor was a communal art studio, art exhibit, and small theatre of sorts, and often hosted artists from around the city, and the other two floors were their home. cramped and expensive, but very cozy!

their surname, summersorrow, is from their biological mother (but they love them all equally). there's a different name for the collective but i haven't thought of it yet

without their pact, they wouldn't have much magical talent at all - they're not incapable of it normally, but it'd take quite a bit more time and effort to learn. just doesn't come naturally, like i can't whistle or snap my fingers. should they ever get out of their pact, they'd have to relearn all those bard spells

speaking of their patron, whoever he is, he's directly responsible for their kidnapping by the mind flayers. he knew the nautiloid was coming, and ensured they'd be in it's path when it did

they'd brushed shoulders with nobility before, in some manner or another, though it was obviously your standard patriars (and wealthy citizens who acted like aristocracy despite not being aristocracy) more than anyone of a grand duke's level. so they're not really offput by the reveal that wyll is ravengard's son - they probably suspected in some way the whole time

they have so much starry-eyed hero worship for jaheira (and minsc too i guess, i've still yet to ever recruit him), like on the same level as karlach does. i'll have more thoughts on how cool they think she is in like several months whenever i've actually played the first two baldurs gate games (because i will. jaheira's character singlehandedly convinced me. i will play a 25 year old game for her)

realizing i didn't write anything about their relationship with lae'zel gale or halsin on their lil character sheet. they really respect lae'zel - they're slightly scared of her also, because she's the biggest badass they've ever known. everything with vlaakith is overwhelming, but they trust her to come out victorious. i have less to say about gale and halsin beyond "they get along well". they were happy to feed gale magic items and help halsin cure the shadow curse but they've never been frequent additions to the party

of any of the non-companion npc cast, alfira is 100% absolutely their bestie. they love her to death (platonically), post-game they regularly meet up to hang out & play music together and exchange letters whenever one of them is out of the city

they grow more or less accustomed to violence by act 3 - mostly, it just exhausts them. they've learned by this point that there's rarely any avoiding it, and it goes by quickly enough that no one really suffers. at least not for long. but it's still something they'd like to leave behind once this chapter of their life is over. though it feels unlikely that they'll ever fully be able to do so. but we'll see what their ending is like! in, hm, 30 hours of gameplay? they just got to rivington...